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Rachel Tunstill, 26, allegedly murdered Mia Kelly after giving birth in the bathroom then placed her in carrier bags before dumping her body in a bin.
She said her recollection of events at her flat in Burnley, Lancashire, on 14 January were "very hazy" and "unclear".
Ms Tunstill, appearing at Preston Crown Court, denies murder.
Ms Tunstill discovered three days before giving birth that she was pregnant and thought she was having a miscarriage at the flat she shared with her partner.
She told the court she checked the baby for signs of life in the bathroom, but found none.
The psychology graduate recalled asking her boyfriend, forklift driver Ryan Kelly, to fetch a pair of scissors in case she needed to cut the cord.
Her barrister, Simon Kealey QC, asked: "Do you recall what you did, if anything, with the scissors?"
Ms Tunstill replied: "I don't recall doing anything with the scissors apart from putting them on the side."
She agreed she was alone in the bathroom when the baby was born and replied "yes" when asked whether she accepted Mia died from stab wounds.
Her barrister said: "Do you accept it can only be you?"
"Yes," Ms Tunstill replied.
Mr Kealey asked: "Do you have any recollection of doing it?"
Ms Tunstill, of Wellington Court, Burnley, a deputy manager at a local residential home for people with mental health issues, said: "No, absolutely none."
The court heard police were called to Burnley General Hospital on 16 January following an examination by medical staff.
A post-mortem examination found in excess of 15 puncture wounds on Mia's body, with traces of her blood found on the rivet of the scissors.
The court heard Ms Tunstill had been diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome as a child and that her mother and sister had suffered from mental ill-health in the past.
She said she began to hear voices in 2016 but had not told anyone about it, the jury heard.
The trial continues. | A mother has accepted stabbing her newborn baby to death with a pair of scissors, but told a jury she had no memory of doing so. | 40261953 |
Non-compulsory guidelines on how clubs should cater for disabled fans have been in place since 2004.
A BBC Inside Out report found that several clubs, including Sheffield United and Scunthorpe United, were under-performing.
Sheffield United has 91 fewer seats than the recommended amount.
The Accessible Stadia Guide, a set of government guidelines, states the minimum standard to which all newly-constructed grounds have to meet in the provision, location, and quality of facilities for disabled fans.
Clubs in existing grounds must make "reasonable adjustments" to make sure everyone can access their services.
Along with Sheffield United, other grounds with far fewer seats than the guidelines recommend include Scunthorpe United (72 fewer), Leeds United (57 fewer) and Bradford City (40 fewer).
York City and Doncaster Rovers have 14 and 13 fewer respectively, while Hull City have just 144 of the recommended 162 seats. In contrast, Huddersfield Town and Rotherham United each have 10 more seats for disabled fans than required.
Barnsley FC and Sheffield Wednesday did not respond to the survey.
Across the country, less than a third of football league clubs meet the recommendations for wheelchair spectator provision.
Burnley FC in the Championship has the lowest rate of wheelchair spaces compared with the guideline target, with 110 fewer seats than it should have.
Meanwhile, Blackburn Rovers has 109 more seats for wheelchair users than the target.
In League One, Southend United is worst for wheelchair provision with 90 fewer seats, while Blackpool is best with 30 more than required.
In League Two, Carlisle United has 120 seats fewer than recommended while Luton Town has 18 more.
Fulham, QPR, Reading, Bury, Chesterfield, Coventry City, Fleetwood Town, Swindon Town, Cambridge United, Hartlepool United and Leyton Orient did not respond to the survey.
The Football League said clubs were working hard to "deliver the match day experience that disabled supporters deserve", in line with the government's recent Inclusive and Accessible Stadia report and the views of disabled rights campaigners.
"Instead of spending resources on extra capacity for which there may be no demand, our focus is to improve the match-day experience for those disabled supporters that do attend," it said.
"87% of league clubs [in England] now employ dedicated staff to assist disabled fans, 86% of clubs ensure that away disabled supporters sit with their fellow away fans, and 97% of clubs provide accessible parking or drop off points for disabled fans."
In September, Premier League clubs agreed to improve access for disabled supporters by August 2017 after a government report criticised inadequate facilities and support at Premier League grounds.
Minister for Disabled People Justin Tomlinson said increasing the number of seats was among the areas for improvement.
"A disability shouldn't be a barrier to attending sporting events," he said.
Inside Out Yorkshire and Lincolnshire is broadcast on Monday, 7 March at 19:30 GMT on BBC One, and nationwide on the iPlayer for seven days thereafter. | Many football league clubs in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire "provide insufficiently" for wheelchair users, the BBC has found. | 35742963 |
Inspectors judged the Durand Academy "inadequate" in a draft report seen by the BBC.
Ofsted published the report in error on Wednesday before withdrawing it on Thursday. It said a final version will be published "in the coming days".
In a letter to parents, the academy's governing body said they had "no doubt" it had been "deliberately published".
The school said the release of the draft report was "part of yet further attacks on the school by the educational establishment".
The Department for Education (DfE) terminated funding for the school's trust in October.
It runs an infant and junior school in Stockwell, south London, and a boarding school for older pupils in Midhurst, West Sussex.
The report said senior staff did not ensure that "safeguarding [of pupils] was at the top of their priorities".
It said the school "could not account for the whereabouts of all pupils", adding its policies for child protection and safeguarding were "not translated into effective practice".
The inspectors cited one case in which a boarding school pupils's complaint of abuse by a member of staff was not referred to the local authority.
The report also said senior leaders at the Durand Academy had "an inflated view of the school's strengths and underestimate the seriousness of its weaknesses".
Other failings identified include:
Durand Academy has more than 1,000 pupils at its three sites and received £17m from the government to set up a school for weekly boarders in 2014.
The Ofsted report comes less than three months after the DfE announced it was terminating funding when it cited serious concerns about management and governance.
But the former head of the academy chain, Sir Greg Martin, said the withdrawal of the funding had "no legal basis".
Sir Greg stood down as executive head teacher in August 2015, six months after the Charities Commission announced it would be investigating the relationship between the Durand Academy Trust, its charitable arm, the Durand Education Trust and two other businesses - London Horizons Limited and GMG Resource Management.
A spokesman for Ofsted said the school's inspectorate was "urgently investigating" how the draft version of the report had been published.
They added: "We have contacted the school's representatives this morning to apologise for this error."
Durand Academy was previously rated as "good" when Ofsted last visited in 2014. | A London academy faces the prospect of being placed in special measures following a damning Ofsted report. | 38841807 |
The drawing of a fisherman sheltering from the rain was drawn by the then 13-year-old Charlotte in 1829.
Brontë, who wrote Jane Eyre, copied the work from a popular guidebook of British birds.
The drawing will be placed on public display in early 2015 and will be available to view in the Parsonage's exhibition in Haworth.
Charlotte Brontë was one of three sisters who lived with their brother and father, who was the vicar in Haworth, West Yorkshire during the first half of the 19th Century.
The sisters wrote a number of English literature classics, including Wuthering Heights, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall and Agnes Grey.
Ann Dinsdale, collections manager at the Brontë Parsonage, said "We're thrilled to be able to bring this drawing home to Haworth to sit with the rest of the collection of the Brontë family.
"This sketch represents the start of Charlotte's creative genius and is a rare insight into one of Britain's great literary minds." | A sketch drawn by author Charlotte Brontë has been bought by the Brontë Parsonage Museum for more than £13,000. | 30462433 |
Steve Turner, secretary of the Chorley branch of Unite, said: "Staff morale is at a low ebb. They are very concerned."
The union held a meeting earlier over worries that the proposed Health and Social Care Bill, or further spending cuts, could force it to close.
Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs it, said it had no plans to close the hospital.
Chorley Hospital and Royal Preston Hospital, Fulwood, which is also managed by the Trust, are currently subject to a total of £21m in efficiency cuts over two years which will end in April 2012.
Mr Turner claimed staff "feel very vulnerable" because of the government's plans to reform the NHS and make up to £20bn of efficiency savings.
"The hospital is down to the bare bones already and £20bn of spending cuts nationally is bound to have an impact and this would put Chorley Hospital under threat," he said.
"It is understaffed now and without doubt staff are frightened about job losses in the future."
Karen Partington, chief executive of Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Trust, said the efficiency targets are "being achieved by implementing more effective ways of working".
"Delivering such significant savings in this and future years will inevitably result in some change as we aim to protect frontline services and jobs.
"However, I would like to reassure local patients and staff that there are no plans to close Chorley and South Ribble Hospital and we remain committed to providing the highest standards of care."
The public meeting at St Joseph's Club in Chorley saw the official launch of the campaign group "Defend Our Hospital against privatisation and cuts", which has the backing of Chorley MP Lindsay Hoyle.
The Labour MP, who spoke at the meeting, said he was "committed" to protecting Chorley Hospital.
"I was born at Chorley Hospital and having lived here all my life I have always valued the first class service provided by a team of professional and dedicated staff." | Staff at Chorley and South Ribble Hospital are "frightened" about its future, the union Unite has claimed. | 15400963 |
The 27-year-old admits his 2016 major efforts were a disappointment in what he feels was otherwise a good season.
McIlroy has also targeted Colin Montgomerie's money list record after watching Henrik Stenson succeed him as European number one on Sunday in Dubai.
"Next season I just need to make sure the majors match up to what I am doing outside of them," said McIlroy.
McIlroy, who has four majors to his name, failed to genuinely threaten to add to that tally in the year's four biggest events.
He recorded two top-10 finishes and two missed cuts in this year's majors and described his putting as "pathetic" after making an early exit from the US PGA for the first time in his career.
"My major championship performances haven't been what I wanted, but if you take the majors away I feel like I have played pretty well and had a good season," added the Tour Championship and overall FedEx Cup title winner.
He relinquished his European number one status to Open champion Stenson at the season-ending DP World Tour event at Jumeirah Estates over the weekend.
And the three-time European money list winner revealed he has the record eight titles of Scotsman Montgomerie in his sights.
"When you see someone do something you have done before and have not quite achieved this year, of course you want to do it again," said the Northern Irishman.
"I want to win the Race again, I have got a few more years and it would be nice to pass Monty.
"That will be a nice little target to aim for and hopefully I can get my fourth next year.
"I know if I win tournaments and play well in the big events that these things sort of happen in the process." | World number two Rory McIlroy will focus on ensuring he produces his best golf in the majors next season. | 38056670 |
Migrants staying illegally should instead be returned to the country from which they came under the so-called Return Directive, it said.
The ruling applies to migrants crossing borders within the passport-free area and on leaving the zone.
It will infuriate critics of EU policy, but contains several important caveats.
Schengen: Controversial EU free movement deal explained
The ruling was triggered by the case of a Ghanaian migrant who was found to be using false Belgian travel documents by French police at the entrance to the Channel Tunnel.
Selina Affum was placed in police custody on grounds of illegal entry into French territory but argued that this was unlawful, in light of the EU's Return Directive.
Under the directive, an illegal migrant told to leave has up to 30 days to go voluntarily. After that, removal should not involve excessive force or place the person's life in danger.
The French court of cassation referred Ms Affum's case to the European Court of Justice, the EU's highest court.
"The Return Directive prevents a national of a non-EU country who has not yet been subject to the return procedure being imprisoned solely because he or she has entered the territory of a Member State illegally across an internal border of the Schengen area," the Luxembourg-based court ruled.
This was also the case when the migrant "is intercepted when leaving the Schengen area".
It was welcomed by the International Organisation of Migration (IOM), which said it was "in line with international standards and interpretation on when detention is legitimate - when it is a measure which has a legitimate purpose and is proportionate".
Spokesman Leonard Doyle added: "Most countries do however not use detention as a punitive measure, but detention is too frequently used as an administrative measure. The ruling is important in that it sends a clear signal that the use of detention should be used less and, as stated, as a last resort."
The IOM said it was legitimate to detain migrants in cases where they risked absconding, but the 18-month period "is a maximum".
The ruling does not apply to the UK or Ireland, which are not within the Schengen zone. It also does not apply to Denmark, which although a member of the Schengen zone holds an opt out from European Union justice policies.
The ruling also contains some important conditions.
It says migrants may be detained - for up to 18 months - if there is "a risk of the removal being compromised", which may be interpreted to mean that they are a flight risk.
Detention is also permitted if a person is subject to a deportation order and has refused to go, or if they have already been deported, and have attempted to re-enter the country illegally, in breach of an entry ban. | Non-EU migrants illegally entering an EU state in the Schengen zone should not face detention on those grounds, says the European Court of Justice. | 36469014 |
The 54-year-old from Stoke-on-Trent went 5-0 up but was pegged back to 10-10 before pulling clear to win 16-13.
Taylor, who dedicated victory to his ill mother, said: "It's been very tough recently with her being in hospital.
"This week's been a little bit of escapism. My mind goes blank for that two or three hours while I'm playing, and I've loved it."
Taylor has won the Grand Slam, contested by players from both the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) and British Darts Organisation (BDO) circuits, in six of the eight years it has been staged.
He topped his group without losing a match before defeating Peter Wright, Michael Smith and Mervyn King on his way to Sunday's final.
"It was very, very tough and Dave didn't give up," said Taylor, who is hoping to win a 17th world title next month.
"If he'd started off the game like he finished it, then it would have been a different kettle of fish."
Chisnall admitted a slow start had cost him the chance to win a first major title in the PDC.
"I'm happy with my performance over the last week but the final got away from me at the beginning," the 34-year-old from St Helens said.
"You can't give Phil Taylor a 5-0 lead, and even though I've been further behind this week, Phil was too good in the end." | Phil Taylor won the Grand Slam of Darts title for a sixth time by beating Dave Chisnall in the final in Wolverhampton. | 30079155 |
The uncapped 26-year-old reported the injury after Saturday's 3-2 Premier League defeat by Leicester City.
Antonio was able to complete the 90 minutes at London Stadium, but West Ham manager Slaven Bilic indicated afterwards that he was a doubt.
England face Germany in a friendly on Wednesday before hosting Lithuania in a World Cup qualifier on Sunday.
Antonio's absence further weakens the attacking options of England boss Gareth Southgate.
Forwards Harry Kane, Daniel Sturridge, Danny Welbeck and Wayne Rooney are all out through injury, while Theo Walcott was left out of the squad.
In addition to Antonio, West Ham lost centre-back Winston Reid to a leg injury, while midfielder Pedro Obiang was taken off on a stretcher after rolling his ankle.
On the injuries to Antonio and Reid, Bilic said: "Hopefully, they will be fit after the international break." | West Ham winger Michail Antonio has withdrawn from the England squad because of a hamstring injury. | 39317665 |
Wordsworth - who was making his first start of the season after recovering from a hamstring injury - slotted home 16 minutes from time after Phil Edwards had been adjudged to have handled Ben Coker's left-wing cross.
Southend had earlier gone in front after 13 minutes when midfielder Ryan Leonard marked his 200th appearance for the Shrimpers by firing a stunning 25-yard volley into the right-hand side of the net.
Oxford drew back level just before the break when Kane Hemmings headed home Marvin Johnson's short corner.
But the Shrimpers hit back to continue their remarkable recent record against Oxford.
Phil Brown's side have now been beaten just once against the U's in the last 15 meetings between the two clubs and their victory could have been more comprehensive had Simon Eastwood not denied Adam Barrett in the closing stages.
However, Shrimpers shot-stopper Mark Oxley also did superbly well to deny Wes Thomas right at the death.
Report supplied by Press Association.
Match ends, Southend United 2, Oxford United 1.
Second Half ends, Southend United 2, Oxford United 1.
Philip Edwards (Oxford United) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by David Mooney (Southend United).
Mark Oxley (Southend United) is shown the yellow card.
Foul by Chris Maguire (Oxford United).
Ben Coker (Southend United) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Attempt missed. Joe Rothwell (Oxford United) right footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high.
Ryan Inniss (Southend United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Wes Thomas (Oxford United) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Ryan Inniss (Southend United).
Marvin Johnson (Oxford United) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Jason Demetriou (Southend United).
Corner, Southend United. Conceded by Simon Eastwood.
Attempt saved. Jason Demetriou (Southend United) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top left corner.
Attempt blocked. Chris Maguire (Oxford United) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked.
Corner, Oxford United. Conceded by Luke O'Neill.
Attempt saved. Cheyenne Dunkley (Oxford United) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Chris Maguire (Oxford United) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Ryan Leonard (Southend United).
Luke O'Neill (Southend United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Cheyenne Dunkley (Oxford United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Luke O'Neill (Southend United).
Corner, Southend United. Conceded by Simon Eastwood.
Attempt saved. Adam Barrett (Southend United) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
Charlie Raglan (Oxford United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Charlie Raglan (Oxford United).
David Mooney (Southend United) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Substitution, Southend United. Will Atkinson replaces Anthony Wordsworth.
Substitution, Oxford United. Ryan Taylor replaces Joe Skarz.
Foul by Joe Skarz (Oxford United).
Anthony Wordsworth (Southend United) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Attempt missed. Chris Maguire (Oxford United) right footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high.
Charlie Raglan (Oxford United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by David Mooney (Southend United).
Substitution, Oxford United. Wes Thomas replaces Kane Hemmings.
Goal! Southend United 2, Oxford United 1. Anthony Wordsworth (Southend United) converts the penalty with a left footed shot to the bottom left corner.
Penalty conceded by Philip Edwards (Oxford United) with a hand ball in the penalty area.
Liam Sercombe (Oxford United) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Luke O'Neill (Southend United). | Anthony Wordsworth's second-half penalty secured Southend United a 2-1 victory against Oxford United at Roots Hall. | 37415006 |
Northumbria Police said the 25-year-old was arrested on suspicion of carrying out a stabbing and taken to South Shields station on 22 June.
He suffered bruising to his face and the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is investigating.
All custody staff - including managers - have been moved to other jobs while the probe is carried out.
Chief Constable Sue Sim said she expected the "highest standard" of behaviour from her staff.
"The safety and protection of the public is of paramount importance and that includes anyone brought into custody," she said.
"We routinely deal with thousands of prisoners each year who come into custody and almost all of these pass through without any incident.
"I expect the very highest standards from all officers and staff dealing with the public in any capacity and will not tolerate anything that falls short of this.
"Rest assured we will take any appropriate action necessary in respect of this issue."
Vera Baird, Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, said: "The IPCC, I expect will conduct a thorough inquiry.
"I am grateful to the chief constable for informing me of this incident - I commend the swift and decisive action she has taken." | Two police detention officers have been suspended over claims that an arrested man suffered bruising while in custody. | 23173278 |
A serious case review concluded that Kesia Leatherbarrow from Chorley, Lancashire, was let down but her death was "probably not preventable".
The 17-year-old's body was found hanged in a garden on 3 December 2013, three days after she was arrested.
Tameside Safeguarding Children Board's report said errors would "probably not have stopped her" from taking her life.
The teenager had been excluded from school for possession of cannabis, had been using drugs and had self-harmed and received treatment at a specialist mental health unit, the review found.
The official report examined the contact Kesia had had with Greater Manchester Police and Lancashire Youth Offending Service and identified a series of failings.
It found her transfer to Tameside was poorly handled.
It also highlighted a number of failures when she was held at Ashton-under-Lyne police station, including the fact that specialist officers who deal with vulnerable children were not consulted.
When she was released from custody she threatened to jump from a bridge - but that information was not shared with other professionals.
The review said she had stayed at a mental health facility in the summer of 2013, but no mental illness was diagnosed.
But it concluded: "The review cannot say with any degree of confidence that, if any alternative approaches had been taken, it would have prevented the tragic death."
An inquest in February also found "woeful failings" by police but said they did not contribute to her death.
The review also found her mother and stepfather were "very distressed" and "felt angry and let down by services generally in trying to respond to an escalating level of emotional distress and conflict over several months".
Furthermore, Kesia was "never identified" as a child in need who required protection or as having additional educational or social needs. The overall pattern of intervention was "too much focus on the immediate signs and symptoms", the report found.
The inability of all services "to see her as a vulnerable child, rather than a troubled or troublesome young adult was a common and recurring theme".
David Niven, chair of Tameside Safeguarding Children Board, said: "She essentially had been treated more like an adult than a child.
"The Police and Criminal Evidence regulations have now been altered, partly as a result of this case."
He added: "There's absolutely no question that anybody under 18 has to be treated as a child."
Kesia's parents successfully campaigned for a change in the law, meaning arrested 17-year-olds who are held overnight now have the same rights to be transferred to local authority accommodation as younger children.
Greater Manchester Police said the Independent Police Complaints Commission investigated how officers dealt with Kesia and were awaiting its findings.
At the time of the inquest, an IPCC spokesman said an investigation into her detention found six custody sergeants, a civilian custody officer and four other police officers showed "a collective apathy towards providing care for detainees".
Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan said: "First and foremost, our thoughts are with the family of Kesia Leatherbarrow, who have understandably been left devastated by her tragic death and I have personally passed on my condolences.
"We accept as an organisation there were shortcomings in the care that we provided to Kesia and following her death we introduced new care processes for those in police custody for whom we have concerns of self-harm in the hope such a tragedy will never occur again."
Lancashire County Councillor Matthew Tomlinson said: "Our sympathies remain with her family.
"We have already learned from these events, and have improved and clarified how we share information as a result." | A troubled teenager who took her own life after being held in a police cell was failed by agencies, a report found. | 33446252 |
Besik Kudukhov, who won freestyle 60kg silver at London 2012, died in 2013.
He was found to have taken the steroid turinabol when the World Anti-Doping Agency re-tested samples this year.
An International Olympic Committee (IOC) disciplinary committee said the case has "now terminated its investigation with no action taken".
Indian wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt - who finished third in London - tweeted in August on hearing of the failed test: "If possible he must be allowed to keep the medal. It will keep his family's honour intact. For me humanity is above everything else."
Vice-president of United World Wrestling, Georgy Bryusov said: "The IOC will not deprive Besik Kudukhov of his silver medal". | A Russian wrestler who died in a car crash will not be stripped of his Olympic medal despite his sample testing positive for a banned steroid. | 37761968 |
The court ruled that it violated the man's rights to freedom of expression.
Klaus Guenter Annen was ordered to stop handing out the leaflets and publishing the names of doctors in 2007.
The rise of US-style anti-abortion protests has caused controversy amid claims women feel harassed.
In a short statement to the BBC after the European court's judgement, Mr Annen said the ruling was a "victory for freedom of expression for all of Europe".
In his hand-outs, Mr Annen said doctors at a day clinic performed "unlawful abortions" - followed by an explanation, in smaller letters, making clear that the procedures were not technically illegal in Germany.
He referred to the Holocaust, saying: "The murder of human beings at Auschwitz was unlawful, but the morally degraded NS [Nazi] State allowed the murder of innocent people and did not make it subject to criminal liability."
The original injunction against Mr Annen, a conservative Christian, was granted at the request of doctors at the clinic.
But in its ruling on Thursday, the ECHR criticised the German courts for ordering him to stop distributing the leaflets and listing the names of the doctors on his website.
The court said Mr Annen's campaign "undoubtedly contributed to a highly controversial debate of public interest" and his rights to freedom of expression had been violated.
The court rejected his claim for damages but ordered Germany to pay him just under €13,700 (£9,640) towards costs and expenses. | Germany was wrong to ban an anti-abortion activist from distributing leaflets near a clinic and naming doctors involved on his website, the European Court of Human Rights says. | 34930586 |
The move is a response to sanctions put on Russia over the conflict in Ukraine.
BBC News website readers have been in touch regarding the foods they will miss, although many are confident Russia will prosper under the restrictions.
Almaz Nizamutdinov, Ufa, Russia
This will be a stimulus for our farmers to grow more and expand their production of food.
However, they are not able to organise the supply required by the market, so we will probably suffer from a deficit and high prices for some period of time.
I think people will start to grow their own vegetables, apples and animals for meat in their gardens, like back in the Soviet Union when there was nothing to buy in the supermarkets.
Eventually our farmers, with the help of foreign producers, will organise joint production in our country under these restrictions and everything will be OK.
Dmitry Konstantinov, Moscow, Russia, and London, UK
So far, it seems Russian sanctions are smarter than the Western ones.
For the last two decades Russian farmers have been complaining that they cannot hit their Western competitors.
It is quite obvious that Russia is able to produce apples, milk and meat. It does produce these items but Western food is simply cheaper, due to the outdated agricultural technologies Russia uses and the lack of the governmental support to farmers.
Now the latter have a chance of revenge. The only downside for Russia is a slight increase in food prices.
Damien Butters, Moscow, Russia
As a UK citizen who has lived and worked in Moscow for six years I feel it is about time Russia defended itself against the EU, USA and Nato.
There has been a constant flow of anti-Russian propaganda from the UK, US and EU as well as Nato.
I like to eat good food. I go to the local market every Saturday and buy Russian fruit and vegetables.
I don't have to pay for the artificial stuff that comes out of Holland which UK citizens buy. I like Italian meats and French cheese, but if I have to put up with having to buy them on my several trips to Italy a year then so be it.
My bread is less than fifty pence a loaf and very good quality, meat products I only eat rarely so they don't affect me.
Gennady Orlov, Saratov, Russia
I do not see a tragedy in the food embargo when Russia's state interests are at stake.
Even more, the embargo will be beneficial in the long run. It will give an impetus to revive Russia's own food production, will repress corruption connected with the food industry, and will diminish the threat of food overconsumption and related obesity epidemics.
The embargo will enhance Russia's psyche, national ideal, and will boost national pride.
Yuri Alexandrov, St Petersburg, Russia
I'd being living in the UK with my family for quite a while, but we decided to go back to Russia some time ago.
These sanctions mean not much at all. Most day-to-day food can be sourced locally and most of the time we buy locally produced meat and vegetables anyway.
I would probably miss milk products from Finland but it's not the end of the world. We used to have quality milk from local factories.
I really hope those sanctions show to Europe that Russia and Western Europe have much more in common rather than our overseas friend, the US.
Andrey Briouhan, Moscow, Russia
It seems the US and EU food embargo will not have big effect on Russian citizens, maybe some lack of specific kinds of goods.
There will be more reorientation toward customs unions, especially with Belarus. Now Poland can exchange apples for fish with Baltic countries instead.
As for me: I almost do not buy US and EU food. I will miss Czech beer, though, maybe some kind of meat.
Viktoria Ivanova, St Petersburg, Russia
We'll easily survive without fruits and vegetables from the EU. Russian dairy and meat products are better and tasty and cheaper.
We don't buy tasteless cucumbers and tomatoes from Spain and Holland. Vegetables and fruits we can buy from Belarus, Turkey, China, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and non-EU countries.
Dear citizens of Europe, we will survive without your products. Will you survive without Russian money?
Written by Richard Irvine-Brown | Russia has banned the import of meat, fruit, vegetables, fish, milk and other dairy items from the US, EU and other selected Western nations. | 28685765 |
The 26-year-old was out of contract at the end of the season but his new deal ties him to the club until 2019.
Former Exeter trainee Norwood moved to Rovers from Forest Green in July 2015 and has netted 30 goals since then.
"I've enjoyed playing here for the last year or so and the fans have been great to me, so it didn't take long to agree a new deal," he told the club website. | Tranmere Rovers striker James Norwood has agreed a new two-and-a-half year deal with the National League side. | 38314690 |
RMT members at Southern Railway, Merseyrail and Northern (Arriva Rail North) will walk out on 30 May.
The 24-hour strike is the latest in a bitter dispute over staffing and plans to introduce new driver-operated-only (DOO) trains.
It will be the 32nd day of industrial action by Southern workers, who started holding strikes a year ago.
Talks on Monday between the RMT and Southern were adjourned for both sides to "consider their positions".
Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), which owns Southern, replaced conductors with "on-board supervisors" (OBS) to work across different services but without the responsibility of closing doors - which has switched to train drivers.
The union said its decision to announce fresh industrial action comes in response to Southern revealing during Monday's negotiations that more than 8,000 trains a year will run without an OBS.
Mick Cash, RMT general secretary, added: "That represents a serious safety and accessibility risk and short of the guarantee of a second safety qualified member of staff."
Andy Bindon, a director at GTR, said it was "hugely disappointed" with the strike, and added: "The RMT's proposals would mean cancelling trains and reducing service levels to our passengers.
"Our service levels are stabilising at the highest we've seen in years and we cannot agree to anything which will jeopardise running trains and the service to our passengers."
In its dispute with Northern, Mr Cash said the union was "angry and frustrated" with the company's planned policy of a minimum of 50% DOO trains.
Richard Allan, deputy managing director of Northern, said changes needed to be made to the on-board role as the railway is modernised.
He added: "We believe we would keep a second person on many of our services and, at some locations, we may choose to staff the station to give better support to customers."
The company is also offering to protect workers' jobs and pay, and offer annual pay reviews for existing conductors if a deal is agreed.
The RMT said Merseyrail's "pig-headed attitude" had forced its hand to strike for a third time.
The union claimed that during talks Merseyrail had refused to set up a "safety working group", alongside external safety bodies and the train manufacturer Stadler, on the principle that a second safety-critical person would be retained across all services.
Jan Chaudhry-van der Velde, Merseyrail's managing director, said the region was becoming a "pawn in the RMT's national game".
He added: "We had several meetings with the RMT. In the last one, Merseyrail put forward a number of initiatives, which we were willing to explore through a series of working groups.
"These included having a second member of staff on trains after 8pm. Unfortunately, the RMT would not talk about these things unless we committed to a second safety critical person on every single train."
Members of drivers' union Aslef - also involved in a row with Southern over the same issue - rejected a deal with the train operator in February, and again last month. | Employees at three rail companies are to stage strikes, the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union has said. | 39939773 |
Political comedy Alpha House, starring John Goodman, and Betas, a sitcom about Silicon Valley, were among those selected for full series production.
Children's programmes Annebots and animations Creative Galaxy and Tumbleaf will also be made.
The shows will initially be shown on Amazon's Prime Instant Video service.
It is Amazon's first foray into original programming, following in the footsteps of rivals Netflix and YouTube.
The pilots were shown on Amazon.com in the US and on Lovefilm in the UK last month, with customers asked to help decide which series should be made.
Alpha House, written by Pulitzer-winning cartoonist Garry Trudeau, stars Goodman as one of four misfit senators who share a house.
"We're thrilled to have emerged safely from this harrowing exercise in online democracy," said Doonesbury creator Trudeau.
Betas follows a group of friends hoping to strike it rich in Silicon Valley and has Ed Begley Jr as part of its cast.
Both shows will shoot another 10 episodes, with Alpha House airing in November.
Annebots, a programme about science and technology featuring robots; interactive art show Creative Galaxy; and pre-school stop-motion Tumbleaf will all get 26-episode runs.
"We are thrilled at the enthusiastic customer response to our first original pilots," said Roy Price, director of Amazon Studios.
"The success of this first set of pilots has given us the push to try this approach with even more shows. This is just the beginning."
Simon Morris, Lovefilm's chief marketing officer, told the BBC last month that the shows would be made available to everyone, not just subscribers of Amazon's services.
Pilots that were not picked up as full series included Zombieland, a comedy based on the 2009 movie, and Browsers, a musical comedy starring Fraser's Bebe Neuwirth.
Rhett Reese, the writer and producer of Zombieland, blamed viewer feedback for the TV show's demise.
"I'll never understand the vehement hate the pilot received from die-hard Zombieland fans," he wrote on Twitter. "You guys successfully hated it out of existence."
Meanwhile, Emmy-winning director Adam Bernstein - who directed the pilot for Amazon's Alpha House - has signed on to direct the first episode of FX series Fargo.
Based on the 1996 Coen brothers film, the 10-episode series will feature a new crime story with new characters. | Amazon has announced the five original TV series it will make this year after seeking customer feedback on 14 pilot shows. | 22713660 |
Supporters fought on a bridge leading to the Panthessaliko Stadium in Volos two hours before kick-off, with fans then storming the pitch.
Riot police used tear gas to bring the crowd under control.
Players of both teams came on the pitch together to appeal for calm before the scheduled start of the match.
Greek media reported dozens of injuries.
Fans could be seen fighting with chairs and metal bars, and flares were thrown on to the pitch.
The final was a sell-out with 8,500 supporters from each side due to watch at the 22,000-capacity stadium that was used to host football matches at the 2004 Olympics.
The game eventually kicked off 30 minutes late and PAOK won 2-1, with Pedro Henrique scoring the winner in the 81st minute. | Fighting between rival fans delayed the start of the Greek Cup final between PAOK Salonika and AEK Athens on Saturday. | 39833037 |
Gatland led the Lions to a 2-1 series win over Australia in 2013, with Richie Gray the only Scot to taste Test action as a replacement in the third Test.
"I watched Scotland train on Wednesday and I was impressed," said the Kiwi ahead of the 10-match New Zealand tour.
"What I saw four years ago to what I saw this time there was no comparison."
After years of struggling to score tries and secure wins against the top sides in the tournament, Scotland have discovered a cutting edge in attack that has helped them beat Ireland and Wales in this Six Nations.
Gatland believes having the Scots back competing with the traditional heavyweights of England, France, Wales and Ireland is good for the Six Nations and the Lions.
"In the last couple of years we've seen the resurgence of Scottish rugby," the Lions head coach told BBC Scotland.
"Having won two of their first three Six Nations games, it's great for the competition.
"You want to feel like when you go into a Six Nations competition with a bit of luck and a couple of results anybody has a chance of winning it.
"You want a good representation from a Scottish contingent of players. It's important for the brand, it's important for the Lions and you want Scotland to be going well to enable that to happen. The next couple of weeks they've got a couple of important games."
The Scots face an England side on Saturday looking to equal the All Blacks' international record of 18 consecutive Test victories for a tier-one nation. Gatland says it will be an important test of the Scottish players' Lions credentials at Twickenham.
"Scotland need a good performance away from home. We're going to have a close, competitive game, there's a huge amount at stake.
"For us as coaches and selectors, you're going to get 50/50 calls and you're going to get a toss of the coin. So how those players perform in the next couple of weeks is going to make the difference to them being selected or not selected for the tour.
"I don't think it's all about the result this weekend for Scotland, it's about the performance. The thing for the Lions is you're playing away from home every four years against normally one of the top three teams in the world with limited preparation time, limited time together, gelling as a squad as quickly as you possibly can. So it's the type of characters and individuals in the squad, that becomes important."
After a man-of-the-match performance against Wales, Scotland fly-half Finn Russell has been touted as a potential Lion and Gatland admits he is looking forward to seeing the Glasgow number 10 go up against England's George Ford.
"I'm looking forward to that battle," Gatland added.
"I thought Russell played pretty well against France. He challenged the line, his footwork was good and he was unlucky in almost making a couple of breaks. I was really impressed with him in a losing side.
"The performance against Wales was a little bit more controlling. Obviously his goal-kicking was significant and made a difference having taken over from Greig Laidlaw.
Media playback is not supported on this device
"I'm looking forward to the midfield battle as well. Scotland at the moment in certain positions have discovered a bit of depth. Tommy Seymour and Tim Visser obviously had a really good game against Wales and Sean Maitland is knocking on the door having played pretty well and playing well for Saracens. Obviously Stuart Hogg has been pretty outstanding from an attacking perspective.
"In the forwards the two Gray brothers (Richie and Jonny) have been performing well and the back row will fancy themselves against an England back row that you would sometimes still question the balance of.
"It's a lot to play for and it's great for me because I just look at all the battles, all the match-ups and who responds. It's a massive weekend for Scotland because if they win they potentially set themselves up for the championship." | Warren Gatland says Scotland's resurgence has made his squad selection for this summer's British and Irish Lions tour tougher than four years ago. | 39213305 |
Five people were also arrested in the brawl in Melton Mowbray's High Street on Saturday night.
Oakham Police tweeted it had "all gone a little wrong in #Melton youngsters party", adding "cops from all over" had been called in.
A special constable and a full-time officer were both hurt but their injuries were not serious.
Leicestershire Police Chief Constable Simon Cole tweeted that the attack on the officer was "#unacceptable".
More on this story and other news in Leicestershire
Police said a "private under 18s" party had been held nearby.
The special constable injured her shoulder while trying to make an arrest in the fight, which broke out at about 23:10 GMT. The other officer hurt his wrist.
A 19-year-old girl was arrested on suspicion of assaulting an officer, two 17-year-old boys and a 16-year-old were arrested suspicion of breaching public order and a 17-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of assault.
All have been bailed or dealt with by way of "a community resolution", police said. | A "youngsters party" which police said went "a little wrong" ended when two officers were hurt breaking up a fight. | 39026505 |
Southeastern services were stopped between Folkestone and Dover Priory on 24 December after huge cracks appeared.
Network Rail said major work is needed to repair the track and the sea wall will also need to be rebuilt.
Its Chief Executive Mark Carne admitted on Tuesday six to 12 months was "the sort of timeframe we are looking at".
A bus replacement service is running between Dover Priory and Folkestone Central while repairs take place.
Southeastern has said it would compensate passengers for the loss of direct high speed trains.
Season ticket-holders from five stations will also get a backdated 20% refund on mainline fares.
Visiting the site on Tuesday, Secretary of State for Transport Patrick McLoughlin said it was a "big deal" for infrastructure.
"We need to come up with the right answers and the right solutions... But we are working on it now and people can see how seriously we are taking it," he said.
. | Damage to a sea wall in Kent which is causing major disruption for rail passengers will take six to 12 months to repair, Network Rail has admitted. | 35589169 |
The men included 102 from Lewis, while others came from the Northern Isles, Wick, Avoch, Glasgow, Fife and Barra.
They were among 1,500 members of the Royal Naval Division held in a camp dubbed HMS Timbertown.
BBC Alba's documentary of the same name draws on Admiralty records to tell the stories of its Scots' inmates.
The Royal Naval Division was set up by Winston Churchill when he was lord of the Admiralty.
In October 1914, the division was caught up in the fall of Antwerp following a month-long siege by German troops.
Following Germany's invasion of Belgium in August 1914, Antwerp had sheltered the Belgian's King Albert I, along with his government, civilians and thousands of soldiers, including elements of the British Expeditionary Force.
After the city and its fortifications fell, the men of the Royal Naval Division crossed into Holland to evade capture.
They reached the town of Groningen where the authorities had a camp of wooden huts built to hold them until the end of the war.
In the documentary, BBC Alba's Angela MacLean retraces the sailors' journey and recounts the experiences of the Lewis men in the camp.
Interred with them were men from all over Scotland and the rest of the UK and included fishermen, an actor, a burglar and the Duchess of Cambridge's great grandfather, Frederick Glassborow.
There were escape attempts and deaths from illnesses in the camp.
Football matches and cabaret shows organised by the men were watched by local people, who were allowed, on occasions, to visit.
Some of the sailors were allowed to return to the UK on leave for family funerals and even to help with take in harvests on farms and crofts, on condition they came back to the camp.
HMS Timbertown will be shown on BBC Alba on Thursday from 21:00. | A new documentary explores the internment of Scots sailors in a camp in neutral Holland shortly after the outbreak of World War One. | 29508489 |
Loughborough General Hospital on Baxter Gate, which closed in 2003, was demolished last year.
Developer Citygrove said it hoped to finish construction in 2015 and create about 180 jobs.
Charnwood Borough Council said the new development "fits in with the town centre's master plan very well".
Councillor David Slater, leader of the council, said: "That part of town has been run down ever since the NHS departed from the old hospital.
"The building was knocked down and there was a big gap there and the traders on Baxter Gate aren't getting many people walking up there."
Les Cope-Newman, from Loughborough's Business Improvement District, said: "The site has been empty and long overdue for development.
"It's going to be a massive improvement to that side of town and Baxter Gate as well." | A complex containing a multi-screen cinema and restaurants is set to be built on a former hospital site which has been derelict for 10 years. | 25319037 |
The 32-year-old played the last four County Championship matches for the county in 2015 as they avoided relegation from Division One.
McLaren, who has played two Tests for his country, will be available for the entire season across all three formats.
"I look forward to returning in April and helping the county challenge across the board for silverware," he said.
McLaren, who previously played three seasons for Kent as a Kolpak signing from 2007, has also played 54 one-day internationals and 12 T20 matches for South Africa.
He has also played T20 cricket for Middlesex and for Mumbai Indians in the IPL.
"It's nice to have him back as he had a tremendous impact on the team when he came in at the end of last season," Hampshire director of cricket Giles While told BBC Radio Solent.
"It's great to have him available for the whole season as it fits perfectly for us and I know he's also looking forward to coming back." | Hampshire have signed South African all-rounder Ryan McLaren as their overseas player for the 2016 season. | 34796863 |
The region was also highly rated in global rankings for primary reading - being placed fifth in the world and second in Europe, behind Finland.
NI also surpassed England, which was placed ninth in global maths and 11th in world primary reading rankings.
The NI education minister said the local results were "truly impressive".
Source: TIMSS 2011
The global rankings are the result of two studies - the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS).
The research was carried out by US academics who examined the results of tests taken by 900,000 pupils in over 60 countries.
The TIMSS is produced every four years while the PIRLS is published every five years, but this is the first time Northern Ireland has taken part in the test results study.
The studies reveal that Asian countries continue to dominate the top of the global tables in maths, science and reading.
In global maths, NI took sixth place behind five Asian countries.
In reading, NI made the top five group - alongside such education superpowers as Finland and Hong Kong.
In terms of the proportion of pupils reaching the highest ability levels in primary reading, Northern Ireland was even more successful, ranked third place in the world.
In science, NI was placed 21st in the world, six places behind England which came 15th.
Source: PIRLS 2011
The NI Education Minister, John O'Dowd, said the "importance and significance of these findings cannot be overestimated".
"This is the first time we have measured our primary level schools against international standards and the results are truly impressive.
"In numeracy we rank just behind a group of high-performing Pacific-rim countries, whilst in both reading and numeracy we are the highest-ranked English speaking region in the world," Mr O'Dowd added.
The minister said the statistics showed the "exceptional results our system is producing at primary level education" and he paid tribute to staff in the sector for their "hard work and dedication".
"Pupils, teachers, all school staff, leaders and governors should be justifiably proud today of what they are achieving." | Northern Ireland is the best performing education system for primary maths in Europe, and the sixth best in the world, according to a major US study. | 20678866 |
Speaking in Seattle he said: "Without reform, there will be no driving force; without opening up, there will be no progress."
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Apple CEO Tim Cook were among those attending.
US companies are eager to tap into China's massive market of consumers.
Mr Xi addressed recent China's recent economic troubles, and said the government was taking steps to address it.
However he said, "I believe in the long run that the fundamentals of the Chinese economy are good."
Oh to have been a fly on the wall when President Xi sat down with Apple's Tim Cook, Amazon's Jeff Bezos, Satya Nadella of Microsoft and other US technology leaders. We are told the conversation covered regulation and clean energy - but surely there must have been something juicier?
The truth is that China and the tech giants both need and fear each other. The technology firms know it is where their future profits should come from - Apple now makes about a quarter of its revenue from China, while Amazon despite years of investment is still struggling to make an impact. For China, demand for American technology products is what keeps millions in manufacturing jobs.
But while both China and the US appear committed to expanding their technology relationship, their very different views on internet freedom mean progress will be difficult.
But at a time when demand for technology products is fragile, China still looks like a huge opportunity for growth. That is why the tech tycoons will have tried their best to charm their visitor.
Mr Xi stressed that reaching agreements to ensure continued robust international trade was a top priority.
US officials have said the two counties have made progress in negotiating a new trade agreement, but key issues remain unresolved.
Former US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson moderated a closed-door discussion with more than 30 business leaders before Mr Xi's public remarks.
Representatives from Twitter and Google were notably missing from the event. China blocks those companies' websites.
However, Mark Zuckerberg the chief executive of Facebook, which is also blocked in China, met with Mr Xi during the forum.
Mr Xi travels to Washington DC on Thursday to meet US President Barack Obama. | Chinese President Xi Jinping has promised to strengthen protections on intellectual property and clear obstacles to investment in China, at a meeting with US technology leaders. | 34343956 |
Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson challenged the SNP to match her party's pledge on the use of new tax powers for Scotland.
SNP Finance Secretary John Swinney told the BBC he would not make such a promise "today".
He said his party's tax plans would be set out before the Holyrood election.
Scotland will get complete control over income tax rates and bands as part of the powers package contained in the Scotland Bill, which was published on Thursday.
Ms Davidson has vowed that her party would never raise income tax in Scotland higher than the rates and bands in the rest of the UK, and challenged other Scottish parties to do the same.
Asked on Sunday Politics Scotland whether he would match the pledge, Mr Swinney said: "I can't give that pledge today, and I won't give it."
He said his party would "give consideration" to varying income tax rates and bands as it drew up its manifesto for next year's Scottish Parliament election, adding that his government already had a strong track record on using new tax powers.
Mr Swinney added: "What we've demonstrated already with the tax powers that have been deployed to us on stamp duty and landfill tax is that at the first available opportunity the Scottish government has acted on those taxes.
"On stamp duty we've changed it very radically to reflect our principled position that we believe tax should be structured on the basis of ability to pay."
Following its landslide victory in the general election, the SNP has been pressing the UK government for more powers than those already promised by the Smith Commission, which followed the independence referendum.
Mr Swinney said powers over employment, wealth generation and welfare would be sought.
However, Ms Davidson said the debate was moving now from what new powers Scotland should have, to how best to use what has already been given.
She said: "I believe we need to send an early signal to reassure investors, firms and families that new taxes in Scotland will not simply mean higher ones.
"Let's hear it loud and clear from the SNP, Labour and the Lib Dems - no higher taxes in Scotland."
Elsewhere, Mr Swinney denied reports that his party had dropped its push for Scotland to have so-called full fiscal autonomy - power over all tax and spend.
He said: "We acknowledged in our manifesto that [full fiscal autonomy] would take some time to deliver."
"In the short term our priority would be to secure some of the economic powers that would enable us to strengthen the economic performance of Scotland, particularly over things like employment policy and the minimum wage." | The SNP has rejected a call from the Conservatives to rule out raising income tax in Scotland higher than the rates and bands in the rest of the UK. | 32950726 |
The measure will bar nearly 3,000 people now and others in future.
It is aimed at safeguarding the children who play Pokemon Go, walking through the real world looking for virtual characters.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said new technologies must not be "new avenues for dangerous predators".
He said: "Protecting New York's children is priority number one."
Under the proposal, all sex offenders leaving state prison will be banned from playing the game.
New York state law already requires them to submit home addresses and online account names as well as going on a publicly accessible online register of offenders.
Mr Cuomo has sent a letter to the game's developer, Niantic, asking for help with how to stop people with convictions for sexual offences from playing Pokemon Go.
He has reportedly suggested that the company cross-reference people playing the game with the state's sex offenders register.
Another politician, Senator Jeff Klein, has proposed requiring Niantic to make sure Pokemon creatures and other collectable in-game items do not pop up within 100ft (30m) of sex offenders' homes.
In the game, players use augmented reality on their mobile phones to look for Pokemon creatures near them.
When individual creatures appear they can be "caught" for a limited period of time.
Since the game's launch the creatures have appeared in several places where they were unwelcome, including the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington. A spokesman for the museum called for people to show respect by not playing.
The company's marketing director JC Smith has claimed future versions of the game will be respectful of real-world locations.
Niantic's website states that users of Pokemon Go must be 13 years old or older, and "not barred from using the services under applicable law". | Authorities in New York state are to ban registered sex offenders from playing the popular mobile phone game Pokemon Go while they are on parole. | 36946135 |
They also want the existing restriction of five hits in the last furlong, or after the last jump, abolished.
However, the riders are not opposed to the total maximum number of strokes in a race remaining at eight on the Flat or seven over jumps.
The dispute over tougher regulations nearly led to a strike on Monday.
But that threat receded when the Professional Jockeys Association (PJA) the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) on 17 October to possibly 'amend' some of the newly implemented whip regulations.
A main difference between the PJA's proposal and the new rules, which were introduced on 10 October, is that there would be no forfeit of riding fee or prize money.
On Saturday, Belgian jockey Christophe Soumillon was stripped of his £50,000 winnings from Champions Day at Ascot.
PJA chief executive Kevin Darley said: "There is now a process of proper consultation and discussion involving jockeys which should have happened before the original announcement by the BHA last month.
"Had we been properly consulted over some of the important details that relate directly to jockeys prior to that announcement we feel that we would not be in the position we are today.
In hindsight we would like to have given more thought and consideration to the new rules before commenting
"Jockeys have no issues with the restricted amount of times they can use the whip under the new rules. The careers of jockeys are short by definition and the implications of financial penalties and long suspensions are savagely disproportionate."
The PJA would also like to see the penalty structure altered, with just a two-day suspension (currently five days) for one hit over the limit, four days for two more, and 10 days for three extra strikes of the whip.
Initially, jockeys Frankie Dettori and AP McCoy believed that the new rules were a positive step forward. However, in a joint statement, the two jockeys have now said: "In hindsight we would like to have given more thought and consideration to the new rules before commenting.
"We didn't give them properly informed approval and we really do wish the BHA would stop saying that we did."
Meanwhile, former champion Flat jockey Ryan Moore has called for a complete return to the old rules.
"You can't put a number on what is abuse, you could hit a horse once and it could be abuse and you could hit a horse 20 times and it wouldn't be," he told Racing UK. | Jockeys have revealed their proposals for changes to controversial new whip rules, which include scrapping financial penalties. | 15378741 |
The 54-year-old, from Blackburn, West Lothian, will receive the award for distinction in the field of music at a graduation ceremony on 30 June.
She described the honour, from the Glasgow music, drama, and dance academy, as a "great privilege".
Boyle has sold millions of albums since making her name on ITV's Britain's Got Talent in 2009.
She said: "I am truly honoured to be receiving this doctorate. It is brilliant and I thank the RCS for even considering me, let alone actually awarding me with this great privilege."
The singer has become a regular visitor at the RCS, working with Andrew Panton, artistic director of musical theatre.
Since 2012, he has vocally coached her on her studio albums as well as directed her sell-out UK and USA tours.
Other recipients of RCS honorary doctorates include singer Annie Lennox, actor and comedian Billy Connolly, actress Tilda Swinton, opera singer Dame Felicity Lott, actress Geraldine McEwan and stage and screen actor Timothy West. | Scottish singer Susan Boyle is to be awarded an honorary doctorate from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS). | 32997668 |
And as there's another loss, and more bad news associated with it, the new chairman, Paul Murray, is stressing how disappointed he is by the mess he's been left.
What this overlooks is that the pre-tax loss for the back six months of last calendar year were lower than the same period in 2013, down from £3.5m to £2.7m.
If David Somers had still been chairman, the same set of figures would surely have been accompanied by a message about things improving.
What the numbers make clear is that a boycott of Ibrox by fans - either deliberate or through exasperation - has done a lot of the financial damage.
Gate receipts and hospitality takings were down £700,000 to £5.7m. Retail takings were down £500,000 to £4.3m. Sponsorship revenue was down £300,000 to only £400,000. Sponsors tend to shy away from controversy.
The new bosses, while out of power, were happy to see that pressure exerted on their predecessors. So although Paul Murray is "disappointed", perhaps he should shoulder some of the responsibility.
Indeed, in the circumstances of those categories of falling revenue, David Somers might have been arguing that things could have been a lot worse. And it was helped by the unlikely intervention of rugby, with the Commonwealth Games holding the Sevens tournament at Ibrox.
The six-month figures come with a lot of passionate rhetoric about the importance of Rangers fans and the return to the glory days, as well as some insights into the financial thinking.
In the short term, it has to be a significant concern that the auditor, Deloitte's, quit last summer. Shareholders were not informed, and another auditor is yet to be appointed. So the latest figures do not have the status of proper audit. Instead, it's fallen to 'independent reporting accountants' to point out the substantial risk that Rangers may not be able to continue trading as a going concern.
That will require more funding later this year. Beyond that, a medium-to-long term funding plan for Rangers will be published "in the very near future". The very near future also includes the 30 day London Stock Exchange deadline for getting a nominated adviser in place.
That role is as a first line regulator to ensure those on the junior Alternative Investment Market are sticking to stock exchange rules. The last adviser, or nomad, quit on March 4. Without one, share trading was suspended, two days before the last board was swept out and replaced.
So unless there's a new nomad by the end of this week, Rangers faces permanent removal from trading on the stock exchange. That would make some things easier for the current directors. For a start, they wouldn't have to release all this information to investors (and fans and the media).
But they have claimed they want to keep the listing in place, as that's what investors have bought into when Rangers International Football Club floated more than two years ago. And as they're going to have to go back to those investors, there's all the more reason to remain publicly listed.
Today's market update says Rangers is heading for another fund-raising exercise by selling new shares this summer. Directors say: "This funding will be provided by existing and new investors who now want to invest in the club".
Allowing the issue of shares for new investors has been tried twice in the past two years, but rejected by shareholders. This looks like it would require a third attempt to get permission at a general meeting.
There's also a renewed commitment to get fans represented on the board. The first attempt by the new management didn't work too well. The directors' pick for that job quickly turned out to have a toxic trail on social media, and he had to go.
The strategy now is to get fans to think long-term, by which directors mean seven years. That happens to lead to 150th anniversary of Rangers being founded. Cue howls of complaint from critics about whether the current Rangers is a continuation of the club founded in 1872.
So patience is being urged. Patience is a rarity among football fans, and Rangers fans have good reason to be less patient than most. | Since the last time Rangers splashed its financial red ink in public, there's been yet another change of management at Ibrox. | 32140636 |
Sarah Boyle, 26, said at about six months old, Teddy suddenly "became very distressed" when she tried to feed from her right breast.
The Staffordshire mum said his continued behaviour convinced her to insist that a cyst which was found to be benign be re-scanned.
Mrs Boyle is being treated for grade two triple negative breast cancer.
There have been anecdotal reports that babies can pick up breast changes, but this has not been accepted as breast cancer sign by the medical profession.
For more from Stoke and Staffordshire
Mrs Boyle said her son, who is nearly one, had taken "fantastically well" to breastfeeding but his behaviour changed last summer.
She tried feeding Teddy in various positions over several weeks and wondered if there was something wrong with his neck, but now believes milk from her right breast tasted different.
"He became very unhappy and even hit out. For an eight-month baby to push his mother away was really heartbreaking," she said.
Mrs Boyle was diagnosed with a benign cyst in her right breast in 2013 and said when she asked to be re-scanned was told not to worry.
However, as Teddy's behaviour persisted, she also noticed the cyst had become "more rigid" and painful and her breast had changed shape.
She went back to see a doctor and a scan and biopsy later confirmed cancer.
"I remember it was 11:55am on 16th November," she said.
Mrs Boyle is halfway through chemotherapy at Royal Stoke University Hospital, whose staff were "fantastic", she said.
The mother, who is to have a double mastectomy and reconstruction said Teddy, her husband and rest of her family were getting her through the rough times.
"Nobody can say for certain whether it was Teddy, but I know that if it wasn't for him then this time next year it could've been completely different if I'd listened to doctors, but instead I listened to Teddy.
"[It's] Because of him that I'm now being treated."
Catherine Priestley, clinical nurse specialist at Breast Cancer Care, said they had heard from a "small number of women" who had found their baby stopped feeding from their breast before their diagnosis.
"While there are many reasons why a baby may stop feeding, getting any new breast changes checked out must be top of the list," she said.
"We found a tenth of younger women diagnosed with breast cancer are pregnant or breastfeeding when they first notice their breast symptom."
Dr Jasmine Just, health information officer at Cancer Research UK, said there was "no good evidence that difficulties breastfeeding are likely to be caused by breast cancer or that the disease changes breast milk so that a baby might not want to feed". | A mother says her baby son "saved her life" by helping her detect breast cancer when he refused to feed. | 39026172 |
Mayor George Ferguson has said it would be "mad" to build one but proposals for a 480-space, eight-storey car park are due to go before the council next week.
The council's Alistair Reid said it was a "marginal" increase on plans for 200 spaces for the 12,000 capacity venue.
Cabinet members will also be told that it will cost an extra £28m to develop the surrounding "Arena Island" site.
A report, seeking approval to borrow money for the project, will go to Bristol City Council's cabinet on 1 March.
Mr Reid, services director for economy, said the planned 200 spaces for disabled people and the arena's operators would always have had to be relocated, as land was being redeveloped.
He has proposed an additional 280 spaces and said the "marginal" increase would "pay for itself over the lifetime of the arena project".
"This is not about changing the whole transport policy or transport approach to the arena," he said.
The report notes that a new city centre car park "is contrary to council policy", but notes other car parking spaces may have to be reduced in the centre.
In September, Mr Ferguson said he had been told "it would be mad to put a car park on the site" - the council favours encouraging public transport and cycling.
If cabinet approves the idea it would still need planning permission.
Paul Breeden, editor of South Bristol Voice, told the BBC his readers were "a bit baffled" at the news which he said was coming out "rather late", the week before councillors will be asked to grant planning permission for the arena. | A decision not to build a car park for Bristol's new £92.5m city centre arena will be reconsidered by the council. | 35643387 |
Tourists fill the visitors' shop while next door in the factory, machines that resemble cement mixers and wheels churn rivers of white and brown chocolate.
It is hard to believe that a brutal civil war is raging in Syria just three miles away from a factory that specialises in producing boutique chocolates.
It is also hard to reconcile the apparent peace and tranquillity of this area with the fact that so-called Islamic State - or Isis - is believed to control parts of Syria that border Israeli-occupied Golan.
The chocolate factory takes its name from Karina Chepelinski, a chocolatier originally from Argentina.
Her husband, Gyora Chepelinski, who is also the chief executive officer of De Karina, told the BBC the border had been quiet for the decades leading up to the outbreak of the civil war.
"All we can do is rely on our defence forces and carry on making chocolate," Mr Chepelinski added.
Territory encompassing most of the Golan Heights, approximately 500 square miles, was captured by Israel in the last stages of the so-called Six Day War of 1967.
Israel effectively annexed the land in December 1981 when it officially extended Israeli law and government to the Golan.
The "border" between Israeli-occupied land and Syria is now the 1967 ceasefire line that is enforced by the United Nations.
The Golan Heights - profile
Why is there a war in Syria?
What is left after five years of war?
Leading Israeli politicians have expressed concern about what could happen in the event of a possible future victory in the civil war by Syrian president Bashar al Assad.
Assad has been heavily supported by Iran and, in particular, the Islamist militants funded and backed by Tehran, Hezbollah. Hezbollah has vowed to destroy the state of Israel.
Earlier this year, the Israeli National Infrastructure Minister, Yuval Steinitz, warned: "I'm afraid that the price of a victory [by the Syrian regime] against Isis would be an Iranian military presence on our northern border.
"This would be a real danger to us. The world's shock over Isis's barbarity and the wish to defeat it causes it to ignore the Iranian threat and Hezbollah's character."
Paul Barel lives and works on the Moshav Yonatan, an agricultural community of about 350 people. It specialises in raising cattle and producing animal feed.
The village lies in south-eastern Golan just four miles from the ceasefire line. On the other side, so-called Islamic State is believed to be fighting Assad's Hezbollah-backed forces.
But Mr Barel believes that Iran and Hezbollah present the gravest threat to Israel's security.
He said: "Iran worries me more than anything else even Isis. Why? Because Iran is a government and a government with a lot of money, a lot of backing, a lot of people, and they're close to us. They have their technology, even nuclear technology that threatens not only the whole world but especially Israel."
Of the 30,000 or so people in Israel-occupied Golan, fewer than half - about 14,000 - are Jews. The rest are mainly Druze Arabs, who straddle the 1967 ceasefire line.
But Israel believes a small number of Syrian Druze are being used in sporadic attacks against Israelis in the Golan Heights by Hezbollah.
Security analyst Miri Eisin, a former colonel in Israeli intelligence, told the BBC: "It already worries us that Hezbollah has already gone from Lebanon to the Golan Heights and we're already seeing that in today's day and age.
"It has taken time. So there's no question whatsoever that the presence of Iranians, not just in Syria in general but specifically on the Israeli-Syrian border looking towards Israel, is very dangerous.
"In the last three years we've seen the Hezbollah troops as they've been fighting for Bashar al Assad in Syria come to the northern Golan Heights and hooking up with the Druze of Syria, sending Druze to fight in Israel, planting bombs on the Israeli-Syrian border.
"That has nothing to do with the Syrian civil war. That's part of Hezbollah's war against Israel."
For many in the West as well as the Middle East, IS remains the most immediate threat. Concern about the growing influence of Iran is now being felt across the region, but particularly in the Golan Heights. | The De Karina chocolate factory has become a popular place on the itinerary for thousands of visitors each year to the Golan Heights. | 36548749 |
The Brazilian's release clause has been set at 200m euros (£167m), rising to 222m (£186m) in the second and 250m (£209m) for the final three.
Manchester United and Paris St-Germain were both reported to be interested in the 24-year-old.
Neymar has scored 55 goals in 93 La Liga games since joining from Santos for a reported fee of £48.6m in 2013.
On Thursday, Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu confirmed talks were being held, with Neymar declaring on Twitter he was "very happy to continue living this dream".
The forward has also scored 46 goals in 70 appearances for his country.
Since moving to the Nou Camp, he has won two La Liga titles, two Copa del Rey trophies and the 2014-15 Champions League.
Barcelona were forced to pay a £4.3m fine in June because of mistakes in Neymar's transfer from Santos. | Neymar will stay with Barcelona after signing a five-year contract, the club have announced. | 36685557 |
For starters, you may want to take the BBC's Financial Healthcheck. to help you identify your financial priorities and receive tips on how to tackle them.
It also outlines how it is important to keep up to date with priority debts including housing and council tax.
The BBC's Debt Test will help you to find out how likely you are to have problems - and what to do about them.
A good place to start for help if you begin to struggle is the Citizens Advice website.
The StepChange Debt Charity can also offer solutions via its online debt counselling service Debt Remedy.
With energy costs rising, take a look at our guide to where to get help with heating bills.
Groups including the StepChange Debt Charity or the National Debtline offer free, independent advice via their websites or you can speak to one of their specialists by contacting their helplines. The National Debtline has also developed an online service called My Money Steps.
For up-to-date news and guides on debt issues, you can go to the BBC News website's dedicated section on dealing with debt.
The material is for general information only and does not constitute investment, tax, legal or other form of advice. You should not rely on this information to make (or refrain from making) any decisions. Links to external sites are for information only and do not constitute endorsement. Always obtain independent, professional advice for your own particular situation. | If you are worried about not being able to keep up with repayments on your loans, credit cards or mortgage, there is lots of help available. | 12335623 |
Cuvelier has made 20 appearances for the Saddlers this season, having signed for the League One club in June 2016.
The 24-year-old was forced to miss almost two months with an ankle problem earlier this season.
"It was one of those innocuous things and I don't think it could have been prevented," manager Jon Whitney said.
"What you do is you deal with it quickly, you get him strong and he'll come back even stronger." | Walsall midfielder Florent Cuvelier will be out until April with a calf injury suffered in their 0-0 draw with Scunthorpe on 14 February. | 39064631 |
Researchers used bones from two separate examples of the ancient birds, using the skeleton of a modern king penguin as a guide.
They show the 25 million-year-old Kairuku penguin was tall at 1.2m (4ft 2in), with an elongated beak and large flippers.
The team's work appears in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
The reconstruction shows that the Kairuku penguin was easily the largest of the five species that were common to New Zealand during the Oligocene time period.
The efforts were partly inspired by the bird's unusual body shape, which is different from any other known penguin, living or extinct.
"Kairuku was an elegant bird by penguin standards, with a slender body and long flippers, but short, thick legs and feet," said co-author Dr Dan Ksepka, from North Carolina State University, US.
"If we had done a reconstruction by extrapolating from the length of its flippers, it would have stood over 6ft tall. In reality, Kairuku was around 4ft 2in tall or so."
Twenty-five million years ago, New Zealand was an attractive location for penguins because it offered both food and safety.
Most of the present day country was underwater at that time, leaving isolated, rocky land masses that protected the penguins from potential predators and provided them with a plentiful food supply."
The name Kairuku comes from a Maori word that loosely translates to "diver who returns with food".
Bigger penguins have been discovered: at least two extinct species discovered in Peru stood about 5ft (1.5m) tall. | A large extinct penguin has been reconstructed from fossil remains discovered in New Zealand. | 17179607 |
27 July 2015 Last updated at 11:13 BST
The pandas, named Meng Meng, Shuai Shuai and Ku Ku, were born on 29 July 2014 in the city of Guangzhou.
They are believed to be the longest surviving panda triplets. | Chimelong Safari Park in south China's Guangdong province is preparing to hold a birthday party for its giant panda triplets. | 33676725 |
Drainage work on land between junction 12, Tal-y-Bont, and junction 13, Abergwyngregyn, will begin in the autumn, once the landowners agree.
It is part of a stretch of the A55 closed by flooding on Boxing Day.
First Minster Carwyn Jones also said a separate £1.9m Tal-y-Bont scheme is due to start in the spring and be ready for winter.
Mr Jones visited the village, also hit by flooding over Christmas, in January - a week after residents complained they had been left waiting for him after he had driven through the village without stopping.
He apologised but said he did not know they had been expecting him.
Visiting the Traffic Management Centre in Conwy on Thursday, he said: "When I saw the flooding on the A55 and then met residents of Tal-y-Bont who had been affected, I said that the money was available for a flood alleviation scheme to help reduce the risk of it happening again.
"Following discussion with Gwynedd council, I'm pleased to say that construction can start this April and will be complete ahead of next winter."
He said the A55 work "needs a great deal of planning because of its sheer scale".
"The plan is not that there are perpetual road works on the A55," he added.
"At the moment, we need to make sure that the tunnels are safe for the future.
"We're not planning any works after Easter of this year, but you have to remember that the A55 was built on the cheap, unfortunately.
"If you look at some of the sections like the tunnels, it's just the old road. We would never build a road like that now, we would build a far better road. So we have to improve the road's resilience for the future." | A £500,000 grant to speed up flood prevention work on the A55 in Gwynedd has been announced. | 35486470 |
A manhunt was launched for Jed Allen, 21, after he was suspected of killing his half-sister Derrin Jordon, aged six, his mother Janet Jordon, 48, and her partner Philip Howard, 44.
They were found stabbed to death in Vicarage Road, Didcot on Saturday.
Allen's body was found in a wooded area of Oxford on Monday.
It is yet to be formally identified, but police are satisfied it is that of Allen.
Post-mortem examination results into the deaths of his half-sister, his mother and her partner are expected to be released on Wednesday.
Dates have yet to be set for the opening of the inquests, the coroner's office confirmed.
The search for Allen ended on Monday after a body was found off Marston Ferry Road in Oxford around 17:00 BST.
Police confirmed the 21-year-old was their prime suspect after officers discovered the bodies of Ms Jordon, Mr Howard and Derrin at 20:20 BST on Saturday.
More than 100 police, including specialist search officers, were deployed to search Oxford University Parks where Allen worked as a groundsman.
Detectives believed he had arrived in Oxford by train from Didcot at 17:45 on Saturday.
Police have reopened Vicarage Road, but a cordon remains in place around the crime scene where officers are expected to remain until Thursday. | The circumstances of a triple murder have become the focus of a police investigation after the body of the prime suspect was found. | 32882650 |
The Bank of England's new Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) has announced that all those whose accounts are in credit will be automatically moved to Bank of Cyprus in the UK.
This means that up to £85,000 of their deposits will be protected under the UK compensation scheme.
Laiki customers in Cyprus face losing much of their money above that amount.
It follows the country's bail-out deal with the European Union, under which customers with more than 100,000 euros in their accounts face a levy of up to 60% on the remainder of their deposits.
But 15,000 Laiki customers with an estimated £270m in their accounts in the UK are being told their money is safe.
They will now be able to access it via Bank of Cyprus UK. Unlike the UK arm of Laiki Bank, Bank of Cyprus UK is a full UK subsidiary and is regulated by the PRA.
On average, Laiki customers in the UK have £18,000 in their accounts.
About 5% of customers have more than £85,000, according to Bank of Cyprus UK.
Any money above that amount would not be guaranteed by the UK compensation scheme, but the Bank of England confirmed that all deposits had been moved to Bank of Cyprus UK.
"This is a good thing for customers," said a Bank of England spokesperson.
"Some of the deposits may be uninsured, but they have all been transferred," she said.
Speaking at the launch of the PRA, the Chancellor, George Osborne, paid tribute to one of its first decisions.
"In your very first day in existence, you sorted out a banking problem without having to come to me and ask for British taxpayers' money. And long may that continue," he said.
Authorities in Cyprus are in the process of winding up the Laiki Bank. "Good" parts of the bank are being transferred to Bank of Cyprus.
UK customers of the Laiki Bank whose accounts are overdrawn will not be allowed to transfer their money to Bank of Cyprus UK.
Their accounts will be frozen, said the PRA.
Those with mortgages or loans from Laiki Bank will see them transferred to Bank of Cyprus, not in the UK, but in Cyprus itself.
Such customers are advised to continue making payments as usual.
Those whose current or deposit accounts are being transferred to Bank of Cyprus UK are being told to contact their new bank with any questions. | Thousands of customers with funds in the UK arm of Cypriot bank Laiki will escape any levy on their accounts. | 22000779 |
We don't know the full detail of the allegations in each of these cases, but the level of counter-terrorism police activity at the moment underlines that Syria is not going away.
Last year there were 327 terrorism-related arrests - more than half of them related to Syria - leading to 64 charges and prosecutions.
Not all of those cases have been under counter-terrorism laws, but they include around a dozen serious convictions relating to preparing for acts of terrorism by either trying to go to Syria or, making it there, to join jihadists.
The details relating to the arrests over the last few days are unclear.
Late on Saturday night, two 17-year-olds and a 19-year-old from London were arrested after they were deported from Turkey.
Scotland Yard, reportedly acting on information from family members, alerted the Turkish authorities to intercept the men as they arrived in Istanbul.
The three have been bailed to a later date as police carry out investigations into their plans.
The fourth teenager was arrested on Monday morning in Birmingham as he allegedly prepared to leave for Syria.
These four cases come after the disappearance of girls from east London to Syria which has led to the police facing criticism for not acting quickly enough.
Assuming detectives have the intelligence and are able to intervene in time, how should they be handling these people: charging them with crimes or finding another solution?
The police have demonstrated that in relation to Syria, they will arrest and charge if there is clear evidence that someone has committed a terrorist offence.
The counter-terrorism toolbox includes much more than a pair of handcuffs. Police can hold people at ports for questioning and the recently-passed Counter Terrorism and Security Act creates a new power to seize travel documents, including passports.
So in some cases police may try to intervene to delay and frustrate plans to go overseas because that breathing space may provide enough time for someone to start changing their mind. As we have seen in recent weeks, the police aren't always successful in stopping people going.
Beyond the legal toolkit, counter-terrorism officials are trying to find tactics to get people to stop and think. And the Home Office and police chiefs have placed a big bet on getting mothers and families more closely involved in counter-extremism work.
Police say that in the last year, 22 women and girls are suspected of having gone to Syria. They are now urging mothers to have "open dialogue with their daughters" in the hope that the early signs of radicalisation can be spotted.
There's an online campaign at the heart of this new call, although compared to the number of social media accounts being used by the jihadists, it is something of a drop in the digital ocean.
Kalsoom Bashir, the co-director of Inspire, a counter-extremism organisation, says that even if some families are scared of alerting the police about their own children, it will always be the right decision.
"In our campaigns, we are working with mothers who, at the heart of their homes, their families, can give that counter-narrative," she says.
"What we are talking to them about is being able to spot the signs that perhaps their children may be changing in their behaviour or what they are saying... and to start having conversations about what is happening in Syria and how terrorists are recruiting people from the West."
The new counter-terror laws mean that local councils will soon be ordered to set up special panels to make sure all agencies - from police to social workers - are referring vulnerable individuals into these de-radicalisation programmes.
"I think we have to reassure [parents] that if their children have not committed any crime, or terrorist activity, then they won't be charged," says Kalsoom Bashir.
"It is about keeping them from going down that criminal path.
"The cases are growing, and worryingly there is a growing number of women who are leaving and probably will do in the future as well.
"This is about making that safety net much much stronger so fewer and fewer people can slip through it. We can only do that if we start to have conversations in our homes with our families."
So the police will continue to make arrests. But there is going to be an increasing focus on the really difficult business of preventing someone being radicalised in the first place. | Four arrests in three days of young men whom police suspect of trying to head to Syria. | 31913609 |
US employees of the firm who work at least 20 hours a week are eligible for the Starbucks College Achievement Plan.
Starbucks staff who are successfully enrolled will receive partial tuition for the first two years, and full tuition for their final two years.
The annual fee for online courses at the university can exceed $10,000.
After they've completed their bachelor's degree, the employees are not obligated to return to employment with Starbucks.
Starbucks staff looking to attend college online at Arizona State University (ASU) can choose from about 40 programmes including business, engineering, education and retail management.
In a statement posted on its website, the university said the initiative was designed to 'support the nearly 50% of college students in the United States today who fail to complete their degrees due to mounting debt, a tenuous work-life balance and a lack of support.'
In that same statement, Howard Schultz, chairman and president at Starbucks said: "There's no doubt, the inequality within the country has created a situation where many Americans are being left behind. The question for all of us is, should we accept that, or should we try and do something about it.
Supporting our partners' ambitions is the very best investment Starbucks can make. Everyone who works as hard as our partners do should have the opportunity to complete college, while balancing work, school and their personal lives."
In addition to the financial aid, students who are admitted under the college plan will also have a dedicated enrolment coach, financial aid counsellor and academic advisor to support them through graduation.
Michael M. Crow, President at the Arizona State University said that Starbucks was "establishing a new precedent for the responsibility and role of a public company that leads through the lens of humanity and supports its partners' life goals with access to education."
The collaboration comes one week after a White House report showed student debt loan balance in the US had jumped to $1.1tn early this year, when compared to $250bn in 2003.
Last week US President Barack Obama signed an executive order allowing millions of student-loan borrowers to cap their payments at 10% of their monthly income. | US coffee chain firm Starbucks will pay college fees for US workers to complete a bachelor's degree online in a tie-up with Arizona State University. | 27863656 |
John and Shirley Thomas from Sketty have no idea how the 12ft (3.6m) tall flower arrived on their lawn as they never planted it.
After some research they found it was an echium pininana - native to the heat of the Canary Islands.
"It absolutely towers over every other plant in the garden," said Mr Thomas, "you couldn't miss it".
The couple, who are in their 70s, said birds may have carried the seeds over from another garden.
"It's lucky we went on holiday as we probably would have pulled it up," added Mrs Thomas. | A Swansea couple returned from their two week holiday to find a giant flower had shot up in their front garden. | 40367387 |
The Caribbean-registered companies - Hamsah Investment and Wall Capital - agreed that Liberia would pay back just over 3% of the $43m (£27m) it owed.
The companies are among what critics call "vulture funds", which buy up the defaulted debts of poor countries then demand swift repayment.
Liberia's Finance Minister, Augustine Ngafuan, said the country would never again build up such huge debts.
Liberia has lost court cases in both London and New York over its debts to the firms.
The 2009 London ruling ordered Liberia to pay $20m (£12m) - then equivalent to about 5% of the national budget.
The original details of the case are still unclear, but it is thought Liberia borrowed $6.5m (£4.1m) from the US-based Chemical Bank in 1978 and that debt may have been resold a number of times.
Liberia had vowed to challenge the order to repay the debt but it now seems to have decided that reaching a settlement would be the easier option.
It is not known why the money now owed has risen to $43m (£27m).
Nick Dearden, of Jubilee Debt Campaign, told the BBC's Network Africa programme such funds worked by "harassing" poor, indebted countries.
"They try to extract money from anyone trading with or investing in the country in question so, in the end, the country feels it doesn't have much option."
But he pointed out that "Liberia got a pretty big discount on the debt".
Mr Ngafuan said: "We had to take extraordinary measures to ensure that monies coming to Liberia were not seized. It was a tough year."
He said Liberia now had the structures in place to ensure that it did not rack up debts it could not afford to repay.
Liberia is struggling to rebuild after a 14-year civil war, which ended in 2003. | Liberia has reached a deal with two firms on debts dating from the 1970s. | 11819276 |
John Baird and Tom Taiwo were on target as previously high-flying Rovers had their wings clipped.
Baird opened the scoring 30 minutes in, crashing in after Mark Kerr played him through with a deft ball.
Taiwo added a second midway through the second half, tucking in after Bob McHugh did well to get to the by-line and cut the ball back.
Match ends, Raith Rovers 0, Falkirk 2.
Second Half ends, Raith Rovers 0, Falkirk 2.
Foul by Kevin McHattie (Raith Rovers).
Lee Miller (Falkirk) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Rudi Skacel (Raith Rovers).
Mark Kerr (Falkirk) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Corner, Falkirk. Conceded by Kevin McHattie.
Attempt missed. Rudi Skacel (Raith Rovers) left footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left following a set piece situation.
Hand ball by Tom Taiwo (Falkirk).
Iain Davidson (Raith Rovers) is shown the yellow card.
David McCracken (Falkirk) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Declan McManus (Raith Rovers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by David McCracken (Falkirk).
Mark Kerr (Falkirk) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Ross Callachan (Raith Rovers).
Jason Thomson (Raith Rovers) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Lee Miller (Falkirk).
Attempt saved. Luca Gasparotto (Falkirk) header from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Lee Miller (Falkirk) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Kevin McHattie (Raith Rovers).
Attempt missed. Iain Davidson (Raith Rovers) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right following a set piece situation.
Foul by Mark Kerr (Falkirk).
Joel Coustrain (Raith Rovers) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Substitution, Raith Rovers. Joel Coustrain replaces Ross Matthews.
Lee Miller (Falkirk) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Ross Matthews (Raith Rovers).
Substitution, Falkirk. James Craigen replaces Craig Sibbald.
Goal! Raith Rovers 0, Falkirk 2. Tom Taiwo (Falkirk) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the high centre of the goal.
Substitution, Falkirk. Lee Miller replaces John Baird.
Substitution, Raith Rovers. Rudi Skacel replaces Lewis Vaughan.
Foul by Luke Leahy (Falkirk).
Iain Davidson (Raith Rovers) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Corner, Falkirk. Conceded by Ross Matthews.
Attempt saved. Scott Roberts (Raith Rovers) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.
Attempt saved. Declan McManus (Raith Rovers) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Substitution, Falkirk. John Rankin replaces Myles Hippolyte.
Corner, Falkirk. Conceded by Iain Davidson.
Attempt blocked. John Baird (Falkirk) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Substitution, Raith Rovers. Scott Roberts replaces Jordan Thompson.
Corner, Raith Rovers. Conceded by Luke Leahy. | Falkirk were impressive as they won away to Raith Rovers, who had started the day second in the Chamionship. | 37264192 |
Media playback is not supported on this device
Diamond has previously said the winger, 23, "resigned" from rugby league.
Rugby league club Castleford say they have been instructed by their legal representatives not to comment.
"It's in the hands of the legal people, but I don't see any problems at this moment," Diamond told BBC North West Tonight.
"I'm confident that we made a substantial offer and it was knocked back.
"For various reasons Denny became available through being fired from Castleford and once he'd been fired we got in touch and signed a contract."
A sports lawyer has said the legal battle over the player could have an impact on both rugby codes in a way the Bosman ruling affected football.
Despite having two years remaining on his contract with Super League club Castleford Tigers, Solomona retired from rugby league and subsequently crossed rugby codes to join Sale on a three-year deal - making his debut in Sunday's European Champions Cup defeat by Saracens.
Tigers are suing for damages against Solomona for breach of contract and for damages, including exemplary damages, against Sale Sharks and agent Andy Clark for "inducing" the player to breach his contract.
Diamond, who has insisted that the wrangling over Solomona's contract is not a 'rugby league versus rugby union' case, said an offer to sign the player from Castleford was rejected.
Castleford had continually said that they would not welcome an approach for the player.
The Tigers are taking the case to the High Court in Leeds, having appointed London barrister Nick Randall QC and Leeds-based sports lawyer Richard Cramer to represent them.
When contacted by BBC Sport, Castleford's legal team said they would not respond to Diamond's latest comments. | Sale Sharks signed Denny Solomona after he was "fired" by Castleford, according to the Premiership rugby union club's director of rugby Steve Diamond. | 38383368 |
Chris Henkey, from Reading, said he was "unlikely" to make a trip to Barbados, after which he was due to retire.
His fiancee said she was "very shocked", but praised him as a "hero".
Officials in the United States said the left engine of the Boeing 777-200 caught fire before take-off.
At least 14 people were taken to hospital with minor injuries after the incident on a runway at McCarran International Airport.
Describing the incident, Mr Henkey told NBC: "There was a loud bang and the aircraft sort of veered to the left. Because we had a third pilot he actually opened the door and went down into the cabin, saw how serious it was."
He told the network he had been due to fly to Barbados on Saturday and return the following Tuesday "and that would be it."
But he reportedly added: "It's safe to say I'm finished flying."
His fiancee, 40-year-old Lenka Nevolna, confirmed he was due to retire.
"He's a hero," she said. "He's a great man with a warm heart, and generosity, and I'm very proud of him."
In a recording, which appeared to be a conversation between Mr Henkey and air traffic control, he was heard saying calmly: "Mayday, mayday, Speedbird 2276 request fire services."
A woman in the control tower immediately replied: "Speedbird 2276 Heavy; fire services on the way."
Forty seconds later the captain added: "We are evacuating on the runway. We have a fire. I repeat, we are evacuating."
According to reports, Mr Henkey was applauded by passengers in the terminal building.
"I know the papers are saying now 'he's a hero'," the pilot told NBC. "[But] we have to remember there are two other pilots and cabin crew who all behaved very, very well."
BA would not confirm the identity of the captain but said he was "very experienced and has flown with British Airways for 42 years".
In a statement, the airline said the aircraft "experienced a technical issue as it was preparing for take-off".
Flight 2276 was bound for London's Gatwick airport.
There were 157 passengers and 13 crew members on board. | The pilot of a British Airways plane which caught fire at a Las Vegas airport, forcing the evacuation of 170 people on board on emergency slides, has told NBC he is "finished flying". | 34206347 |
Steven Fletcher has been the preferred choice throughout the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign, with his three Group D goals coming against Gibraltar.
Fletcher netted for Sunderland on Saturday and Leigh Griffiths, Chris Martin and Jordan Rhodes also scored for their clubs.
"Each of the strikers have different assets," said Strachan.
"But we don't have an all-round guy who has every one of these.
"Then you've got to say, 'what type of game should it be?' That's the kind of game you've got to try and envisage as a coach or coaches and pick the player or players that would suit that game.
"In saying that, we have a decision to make in midfield, where we've got good players."
Scotland can, at best, finish third in Group D and reach the play-offs. Losing to Poland would end their chances of reaching the finals.
If they draw, the Scots must hope Germany beat the Republic of Ireland to keep alive their hopes of a play-off place going into the final qualifier against Gibraltar in Portugal on Sunday. Scotland would also need the Irish to lose to Poland in this scenario.
Victory for Scotland over both Poland and Gibraltar and another defeat for the Poles against the Irish would allow the Scots to claim the play-off place with Martin O'Neill's side progressing automatically to the finals in France.
Strachan believes his side face a Poland team that have made a "terrific" improvement throughout the campaign.
Scotland beat the Poles 1-0 in a friendly in March 2014 and, a year ago, the two sides drew 2-2 in their first Group D encounter.
"They're definitely a better side and we've got better as well," Strachan explained.
"They've got better because they've improved as a group, but they also have some good players back in their side.
"Most of our work has been done on group defending, group attacking and group defending will hopefully nullify anything their top players in areas they want to play in.
"The secret is actually if you keep the ball long enough and you keep the ball longer than them then their chances of scoring a goal are reduced."
Strachan was also asked about media reports suggesting the Poles were expecting rough treatment from their hosts at Hampden.
He said: "All I know is over the tournament, they've had at least 30% more fouls against them than we have, they've had more yellow cards than we have, so that's the reality." | Scotland coach Gordon Strachan says he has a big decision to make over which striker to pick to play against Poland. | 34467734 |
Two scrappy goals from corners were their undoing, the first bundled in via the hand of Leigh Griffiths.
Deadline-day signing Colin Kazim-Richards scrambled in his first for the club early in the second half.
East Kilbride's defending was often heroic and goalkeeper Matt McGinley did his chances of progressing up the football career ladder no harm either.
This may not be the last we see of the plucky South Lanarkshire side - four tiers below Celtic in the Scottish football pyramid - on the big stage.
Captain Barry Russell - East Kilbride born and bred - generally held the back line together and his charges occasionally knocked the ball about nicely without creating anything clear cut.
The textbook rule when a footballing minnow takes on a giant is not to concede early and East Kilbride's resolve had to be applauded during the first half.
Their defence repelled everything that came at them for 20 minutes.
Charlie Mulgrew, back for the Premiership side after injury, headed over before two East Kilbride players took one for the team in ensuring their goalmouth was not breached in the opening exchanges.
Martin McBride felt the ball full force in his stomach to concede a corner before Scott Stevenson followed in making a last-ditch clearance.
Doubts were cast over Griffiths' ability to continue when he was fouled by Craig Howie - indeed EK boss Billy Ogilvie lightheartedly told the striker to just go off as they crossed paths at the side of the pitch.
But just as Celtic manager Ronny Deila readied substitutes, Griffiths popped up to put Celtic ahead with his 28th goal of the season.
However the ball appeared to go in via the Scotland forward's arm from a yard out following Dedryck Boyata's header from a corner.
Despite that apparent injustice the Kilby team did not crumble.
Goalkeeper McGinley - a PE teacher by trade - dived to deny James Forrest, then punched away the ensuing corner.
Kazim-Richards eased any lingering nerves from the Celtic supporters - who appeared to boo their side at both half-time and full-time - 10 minutes after the interval.
Another corner and a Griffiths overhead kick prompted another scramble, and Stevenson's attempted clearance only fell to the Turkish international, who forced it home.
But the floodgates did not open for Celtic, mainly thanks to the manful efforts of Russell and McGinley.
Jack Smith had one shot on target for East Kilbride before Scott Brown hit the outside of the post near the end for Celtic.
Match ends, East Kilbride 0, Celtic 2.
Second Half ends, East Kilbride 0, Celtic 2.
Kieran Tierney (Celtic) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Jack Smith (East Kilbride).
Substitution, East Kilbride. Gavin Millar replaces Anthony Brady.
Hand ball by Scott Allan (Celtic).
Substitution, East Kilbride. Marc Templeton replaces Frazer Johnstone.
Foul by Scott Brown (Celtic).
Anthony Brady (East Kilbride) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Scott Brown (Celtic) hits the right post with a right footed shot from outside the box.
Substitution, Celtic. Ryan Christie replaces Leigh Griffiths.
Martin McBride (East Kilbride) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Colin Kazim-Richards (Celtic).
Scott Allan (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Frazer Johnstone (East Kilbride).
Substitution, Celtic. Nir Bitton replaces Charlie Mulgrew.
Foul by Efe Ambrose (Celtic).
Liam Gormley (East Kilbride) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. James Forrest (Celtic) right footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left.
Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Gavin Lachlan.
Attempt saved. Jack Smith (East Kilbride) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Scott Allan (Celtic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Frazer Johnstone (East Kilbride).
Substitution, Celtic. Scott Allan replaces Gary Mackay-Steven.
Jack Smith (East Kilbride) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Erik Sviatchenko (Celtic).
Attempt missed. Leigh Griffiths (Celtic) left footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses the top right corner.
Attempt blocked. James Forrest (Celtic) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Substitution, East Kilbride. Liam Gormley replaces Craig Hastings.
Foul by Scott Brown (Celtic).
Martin McBride (East Kilbride) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Attempt missed. Leigh Griffiths (Celtic) right footed shot from the left side of the box is close, but misses to the right.
Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Craig Howie.
Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Scott Stevenson.
Foul by Leigh Griffiths (Celtic).
Barry Russell (East Kilbride) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Attempt missed. Erik Sviatchenko (Celtic) header from the centre of the box is too high following a corner.
Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Martin McBride.
Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Frazer Johnstone.
Attempt blocked. Colin Kazim-Richards (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. | Celtic ended East Kilbride's memorable Scottish Cup journey but the Lowland League side exit with heads held high. | 35453184 |
Lyudmila Putin had long shunned the limelight, and in the last few years her public appearances had become increasingly rare. Before the joint TV appearance at which the couple announced that their marriage was over, Mrs Putin was last seen at her husband's side on Russian television when she attended his inauguration as president in May 2012.
Invisible "first ladies" were the norm during the Soviet era, when secretive leaders preferred to keep their wives and families out of sight.
The phenomenon of Raisa Gorbachev appeared to represent a break with this tradition. At a time when her husband was breaking the mould of Soviet politics, the impeccably dressed and eloquent Raisa was overturning notions of how a typical Soviet first lady should look and behave.
However, though Raisa quickly became the darling of the Western media, she was disliked by many back home - for exactly the qualities which made her popular abroad. In fancy, bespoke outfits and often in the media spotlight, Raisa's image contrasted with the tough reality of her crumbling communist country.
Naina Yeltsin, the wife of Russia's first post-Soviet president, was less flamboyant than her predecessor, but still had a distinctive image and voice.
But with the dawning of the Putin era in Russian politics, there appears to have been a return to the camera-shy image of presidential wives in the Slavic-majority states.
Lyudmila Putin's low profile was in marked contrast to the global role played by her husband as president of Russia.
She did recently feature on the cover of a glossy magazine. But the three-times first lady was seen in public so rarely that her appearance at an awards ceremony in late March - her first since last year's inauguration ceremony - caused quite a stir in the Russian media.
One Russian independent journalist, Mikhail Fishman, went so far as to say that Mrs Putin's presence "equals zero". He suggested that having a family can help a ruler to be seen as open and down-to-earth, but that President Putin, an "authoritarian monarch", prefers to be viewed as aloof and God-like.
What about other post-Soviet first-ladies?
Ukraine's Lyudmila Yanukovych - wife of the president - is almost as invisible.
Reports say the first lady is living as a recluse in Donetsk, the stronghold of her husband's party, making rare appearances at regional events, and is almost never seen in Kiev.
Even before Viktor Yanukovych was elected president in 2010, she had vanished from the public eye.
Her most memorable public speech was made at a rally during the Orange Revolution in 2004, when her husband, the then prime minister, was vying for the presidential job.
Her beret awry and language clumsy, she accused the rival pro-Western camp of supplying their supporters with US-made felt boots and drug-laced oranges. The remarks were so extreme that they are still remembered, and ridiculed, almost a decade on.
The embarrassment caused by that speech is the likely reason for her disappearance, suggests a prominent Ukrainian journalist, Sergei Leshchenko.
He adds that the "first lady" concept - a feature of US politics - has not taken root in the former Soviet republics, because most of their leaders were born and raised in the USSR and share its mindset.
Belarusian expert Valeriy Karbalevich says the Soviet tradition of "not putting the wives of leaders on display" is deeply rooted in the public consciousness.
In Belarus, ruled in authoritarian Soviet-era style, there is no first lady. President Alexander Lukashenko has in recent years been accompanied even at official ceremonies by his young son Nikolai.
The boy attended his father's inauguration and accompanied him on numerous foreign visits, most recently to Venezuela to pay last respects to the country's populist leader, the late Hugo Chavez.
The fair-haired and neatly attired Nikolai, never uttering a word by his father's side, could almost be seen as a replacement for the first lady.
Mr Lukashenko is now often seen in the company of women much younger than himself, opposition websites claim.
Paradoxically the first ladies in Central Asia, a region considered patriarchal and conservative, enjoy rather more prominence.
Tatyana Karimova of Uzbekistan is eclipsed by her controversial, jet-setting elder daughter Gulnara in the media. But Tatyana engages in what is presented as charity work, and accompanies her husband, President Islam Karimov, on visits.
President Karimov holds Uzbekistan in an iron grip, smothering any dissent, and this publicity for his family serves to underline their clan power.
In neighbouring Kazakhstan first lady Sara Nazarbayeva, according to her official biography, has for many years been overseeing several charitable projects and is the author of six books.
Azerbaijan's Mehriban Aliyeva, a dazzling fashionista, is arguably the most prominent among the eastern first ladies. With her hand in a variety of cultural and "charitable" programmes she has arguably overshadowed her husband, President Ilham Aliyev.
But the ruling family's image is carefully managed and human rights groups accuse the authorities of stifling democracy and jailing dissidents. Azerbaijan also gets a poor rating in the corruption index compiled by Transparency International.
Trained as a doctor and now an MP, Mrs Aliyeva is active in the ruling New Azerbaijan Party. A few years ago, there was much talk that she could succeed her spouse in 2013, but the speculation has now subsided.
Wikileaks cables have revealed the first lady in a less flattering light, as seen by Western journalists. But with the media in her country tightly controlled, Mrs Aliyeva can still enjoy a high profile unperturbed, whatever the allegations swirling around her.
BBC Monitoring reports and analyses news from TV, radio, web and print media around the world. For more reports from BBC Monitoring, click here. You can follow BBC Monitoring on Twitter and Facebook. | The announcement that Russian President Vladimir Putin and his wife Lyudmila are to divorce came after months of speculation in the Russian media over Mrs Putin's near-invisibility. | 22093625 |
The five-year-old snaps of the sisters with their mother, Carole, showed them swimming, diving and relaxing on and around a yacht off Ibiza.
They appeared in the News of the World, Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday and Daily Mirror. None of them has commented.
The complaint is likely to focus on whether their privacy was invaded.
Many of the photographs, taken in 2006, have been published before but are now more in demand given Kate's marriage to Prince William and her new royal status as the Duchess of Cambridge.
One photograph in the News of the World showed Pippa removing her bikini top under the headline "Oh buoy it's Pippa". They have since been removed from the paper's website.
The Mail on Sunday's article showed the sisters on their uncle Gary Goldsmith's yacht under the headline "Perfect Pippa - and the Prince of Belly Flops".
The Middletons were on holiday with Prince William, who also appeared in some of the shots.
A press watchdog spokesman said: "I can confirm that the PCC has now received complaints from representatives of the Middleton family concerning photographs published in the News of the World, Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday and Daily Mirror. We will now consider those complaints."
The complaint, exposing tensions between the Royal Family and Middletons on one side and the paparazzi on the other, is not the first by the Middletons.
In April, Kate Middleton's family contacted the PCC over alleged "harassment" by photographers.
The BBC understood it followed incidents where Carole and Pippa Middleton were followed by agency photographers on mopeds.
At the time, the PCC sent an advisory notice to editors reminding them of their ethical obligations.
The Editors' Code of Practice, ratified by the PCC, states: "It is unacceptable to photograph individuals in private places without their consent."
It defines private places as "public or private property where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy".
Clarence House declined to comment about the latest complaint. | The Middleton family has complained to the Press Complaints Commission after four papers published photographs of Kate and Pippa in bikinis. | 13352580 |
The Junior club beat Championship side Dumbarton 1-0 in a third-round replay but it is "unlikely" their New Dundas Park home can host cup holders Hibs.
Kirkwood, who spoke to Hearts before the replay, said "three quarters of the team" support the Tynecastle club.
"They're buzzing at the thought of playing at their holy ground," he said.
"[Hearts owner] Ann Budge is going to phone me today sometime to arrange a meeting.
"She said we could get round the table and see what they could do and last night I got a text from Ann saying what a great result it was for the team.
"It's pencilled in for 21 January but there is a lot of talking to be done yet. There is no way it could be at Bonnyrigg."
The Midlothian club's New Dundas Park is roughly 10 miles from Hibs' Easter Road, and many Bonnyrigg fans also support either Hearts or Hibs.
The junior club qualified for this season's Scottish Cup by being East Super League champions last term.
Kirkwood has been associated with the Rosey Posey for over 50 years, and was kit boy when they won the Scottish Junior Cup in 1966.
He has been chairman for the past seven years and believes Tuesday's achievement was his best moment yet.
Adam Nelson scored the game's only goal after 86 minutes of the replay after the first meeting finished goalless.
"It was a great night for the club and the town so everybody's buzzing," Kirkwood told BBC Scotland.
"I had 50 text messages when I came out of the ground last night. They are the nights that make all the hard work that we put in all worthwhile.
"The players had something to eat then they realised there was a bar open selling a carry out so you can imagine what came back on the bus.
Kirkwood now plans to arrange a meeting to maximise the availability of Bonnyrigg Rose merchandise.
"There's a huge interest in the club," he said. "The merchandise the last couple of weeks has gone crazy - yesterday I had people phoning me for scarves."
"We've got a wee shop and a local guy - Ian Sprott - sells the merchandise. Every week he's handing in a couple of hundred pounds." | Bonnyrigg Rose chairman Charlie Kirkwood hopes the club can play their Scottish Cup fourth-round tie against Hibernian at the home of Hearts. | 38234128 |
The country town, about 215km (133 miles) north of Sydney, was the hardest hit by storms that have also battered other parts of the state.
Dungog sits in the middle of the catchment for a major river system and the town is now flooded by swollen rivers.
Dungog Shire councillor Glenn Wall described a tragedy unfolding in the town where at least three people have died.
"It has been raining for about 24 hours now but in the early hours of this morning it really started coming down heavily," he told the BBC.
"Every river system that we have up here is in severe flood mode," said Mr Wall, who lives in a property in Gresford about 26km from Dungog.
"I have heard that four houses have been inundated and washed away," he said.
"I have real concern about the next 24 hours because there are reports of another storm front coming in from the north."
Dungog has a population of about 2,000 people. Mobile phone and landline connections have been cut off, and the roads into the town are inaccessible.
Mr Wall said he had had trouble contacting people in the town, but had been told by officials that as many as four houses and several bridges and roads had been washed away.
Reports say the three people killed were all elderly - two men and a woman - and were washed away with one of the houses.
"People are used to this kind of thing but not to the loss of life," he said.
"Just about every town and village in the area is isolated [by the rising water]," he said.
He said he had also heard that a bridge to the village of Torryburn had been washed away, isolating about 200 residents.
Mr Wall said when the floods eventually subside, there would likely be considerable livestock losses and damage to fences and road infrastructure. | The town of Dungog in New South Wales (NSW), Australia has experienced floods before but this time lives have been lost. | 32391951 |
The prominent advertisement for the "Konkani Kantaram Utsav" (Konkani song festival) announced by the BJP government's department of information and publicity, called for "songs based on achievements of the present government and emphasising the schemes implemented by this government for the welfare of the state".
The contest is co-hosted by the state-funded Tiatr Academy of Goa and is scheduled for 8 March.
But if dulcet, fawning odes is what they were after, the government could not have chosen a more inappropriate community to target.
"Konkani Kantaram" is the domain of an immensely popular and irreverent century-old Goan theatrical form, locally called tiatr.
The three-hour-long dramas that run to packed houses are equally famous for the songs or "cantars" (from the Portuguese word cantare, to sing) that are interspersed with set changes.
Hugely popular with wide fan followings, "cantarists" are known to pack a punch, whether they are singing about love, life or the latest socio-political issues from the morning's newspaper.
Many politicians have come to fear this on-stage skewering and governments, both past and present, have found themselves, and their policies, regularly held up to the satirical scrutiny of the cantarists.
Predictably, the latest government initiative has not been taken to very kindly.
"It is a subtle form of control. How can they dictate what we should sing about," Konkani stage singer and performer Sharon Mazarello told the BBC.
A former legislator from India's Congress party, Jitendra Deshprabhu, called it an affront to artistic freedom of expression.
"Tiatr and cantaram were born as anti-establishment avenues and they have stayed true to that. To try and make it an instrument of propaganda for the government, with monetary enticements, is to attempt to cripple this cultural instrument," he said.
Many stage artists are also not too enamoured with the idea and as the competition draws near, there have been editorials and letters in newspapers, asking them to spurn the contest and its prize money.
What is also ironic is the fact that the contest is the brainchild of the same government department that just a year ago justified censorship proposals for tiatrs - a move that was quickly dropped after protests from the influential community and opposition parties.
The past few years have also seen heightened tensions with the authorities over the tiatr community's take on several controversial and unpopular government decisions, including the declassification of the coconut tree and "unfulfilled election promises".
Relations reached their lowest point last year, when supporters of a legislator stormed the stage to prevent a performance by popular political soloist, Francis Fernandes.
Hartman de Souza, an English theatre personality and author of a recent book "Eat Dust" on mining excesses in Goa, feels the government initiative will only result in cantarists being even more critical of it.
"The Konkani stage has evolved from protest and dissent, and they have an ear to the ground, to the common man. You cannot try to orient them," he said.
"You can ask people for their opinion. You can't ask people to only write things in praise. Praise me and get paid for it. Why bother with poetry then? Just hire an advertising agency," added installation artist and painter Subodh Kerkar.
However, long-time Konkani entertainer Miguel Jacob Fernandes feels differently. He says the contest can help to bridge the growing divide between the Konkani stage and the government.
"Nobody is being forced to enter the contest and say good things. Those who feel they can do so, can enter."
The government, on its part, has clarified that the contest is just a means to use the popularity of Konkani songs to disseminate information about its schemes, in the same way as it uses other media, like print or films.
But rightly or wrongly, high praise does not seem to be coming their way. | The Goa government might have had different plans, but a singing competition it announced last week, with a rider that the tunes had to be paeans to the government and its schemes, seems to have hit all the wrong notes, writes Pamela D'Mello. | 35742308 |
Profit for 2015 was £512m, down from £644m in 2014.
Last year, it announced plans to close 65 B&Q stores in the UK and Ireland over two years.
In its latest statement, it said 30 of these had now shut down, with the remaining 35 to go in the next financial year.
In the company's preferred measure of adjusted pre-tax profit, which excludes restructuring costs, the firm saw a 0.3% rise in income to £686m.
Kingfisher said it was making "good early progress" on its "ONE Kingfisher" transformation plan, announced in January.
The aim of the plan is to increase annual pre-tax profits by £500m within five years and return £600m to shareholders.
"This has been a very productive and important year," said chief executive Veronique Laury, who admitted that the company's targets were "ambitious".
"However, based on the solid progress so far, and the competence and enthusiasm of our colleagues, we feel very confident in our ability to deliver."
Kingfisher's chief financial officer, Karen Witts, said the UK's economic backdrop remained "positive", but the firm was "cautious" on the outlook for France, where it owns Castorama and Brico Depot.
Sales in the UK and Ireland rose 5.6% over the year, thanks to "a stronger UK economy and a more buoyant housing construction market".
At the same time, sales in France went up 1.2%, "in a broadly flat market, impacted by ongoing weak consumer confidence and subdued housing and construction activity". | DIY giant Kingfisher has announced a 20.5% fall in statutory pre-tax profit as it reaches the halfway mark in its plan to close 65 B&Q stores. | 35879091 |
Maclean graduated from Edinburgh College of Art in 2009. She is representing Scotland at the 57th Venice Biennale.
Her film, Spite Your Face, transforms the 19th century Italian tale of a wooden puppet who wants to be a real boy into a dark and disturbing satire of the era of celebrity, fake news and reality television.
The 29-year-old artist, who now lives in Glasgow, plays all the parts in the film herself.
She has transformed her identity with the aid of elaborate costumes and the help of prosthetic designer Kristyan Mallett, who has worked on the Harry Potter movie franchise.
The images were recorded using green screen technology at Swamp media centre - a social enterprise in the Pollok area of Glasgow.
Spite Your Face is influenced by Disney's version of Pinocchio, as well as great paintings by Renaissance artists such as Piero della Francesca.
The film tells the rags to riches story of an urchin called Pic. His life is transformed when he is catapulted into "The World Above", a consumer heaven where money equals power.
As the face of a perfume brand called Untruth, Pic becomes a rich and famous media personality, and a political demagogue, at the expense of his ethics and happiness.
Maclean wrote the screenplay on a trip to Venice in December 2016.
She said: "I was interested in how lies had played out in the Brexit campaign and the Trump campaign. Journalism exposed the lies but that didn't affect the outcome.
"I was interested in how democracy works. We are less rational than we like to think we are and driven by belief systems."
The exhibition, which runs from 13 May to 26 November, is sited in the Chiesa di Santa Caterina, in the Cannaregio area of Venice.
It is a deconsecrated church, which ironically was founded in the 13th century by a mendicant order of friars, who took a vow of poverty.
The church was later associated with Saint Catherine of Alexandria and became a wealthy Augustinian nunnery which was decorated with the finest art works by artists such as Tintoretto.
The building was damaged by fire in the 1970s and the nunnery is now part of a school.
Launched in 1895, the Venice Biennale is the most important date in the visual arts calendar. Scottish artists have shown at the prestigious festival since Charles Rennie Mackintosh exhibited with a group of artists in 1899.
Since 2003, the Scotland and Venice project has presented the work of Scottish artists, as an official collateral event at the international festival.
It is a partnership between Creative Scotland, the National Galleries of Scotland and British Council Scotland.
Maclean said: "It is unique, it's like the Eurovision song contest for art. People represent their countries.
"As an artist it's interesting to see what artists are selected. Like the Eurovision song contest there's that sense that you can get the impression of global politics, and the internal politics of a nation, by what they have decided to show."
Artists who have exhibited as part of Scotland and Venice since 2003 include Simon Starling, Martin Boyce and Duncan Campbell - all of whom subsequently won the Turner Prize.
The Glasgow artist Karla Black, who exhibited for Scotland and Venice in 2011, is also showing again at this year's festival in the main exhibition.
Maclean's exhibition is curated by Richard Ashrowan who founded Alchemy Film and Arts in 2010. Its annual film festival is held in Hawick in the Scottish Borders.
He said: "The biennale is the world's greatest platform for international exposure for artists. It is a major opportunity.
"Rachel is almost 30 and has had considerable success in the UK and great critical acclaim for her work. Part of this process is about giving artist a platform they wouldn't have otherwise."
Maclean studied painting and drawing at Edinburgh College of Art.
She came to prominence with complex digital video works using her own image such as Feed Me. It was recently acquired by the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art and satirised social media and reality television.
Maclean memorably played both Alex Salmond and David Cameron in The Lion and The Unicorn - her film about the independence referendum shown at Edinburgh Printmakers in 2012.
Her latest film will be shown back in Scotland at the Talbot Rice Gallery at the University of Edinburgh in 2018.
Over the course of the Venice exhibition, 14 students from six Scottish art colleges will take part in a professional development project.
They will each spend four weeks in the city invigilating the exhibition and undertaking independent study. The scheme is credited with kick-starting the careers of artists and curators from Scotland. | The Scottish artist Rachel Maclean has turned the story of Pinocchio into a grotesque satire on the age of Donald Trump. | 39845089 |
The Oscar-winning actress plays women's rights activist Emmeline Pankhurst in the film Suffragette.
The period drama, which also stars Carey Mulligan, opened the London Film Festival on Wednesday.
Speaking before its gala screening, she bemoaned the "lack of inclusion" of women in enterprises around the world.
"If men don't look around the the board of governors table and feel something is wrong when half the people there are not women then we're not going to make any progress," she said.
Talking about the film industry, Streep said: "A huge part of this business is driven by buzz. I wanted to find out what controls buzz."
Suffragettes in their own words
Watch interviews recorded by the BBC in the 1950s and 60s
She said she had counted the numbers of approved critics and bloggers on the influential Rotten Tomatoes website and found that 168 were women while 760 were men. The New York Film Critics Circle had 37 men and two women.
"Men and women are not the same, sometimes their tastes diverge," Streep said. "The word isn't disheartening It's infuriating. People accept this as received wisdom... we need inclusion."
Meanwhile, activists campaigning for greater support for victims of domestic violence released smoke flares and lay across the red carpet at the premiere in Leicester Square.
The protesters carried banners saying "cuts kill" and "dead women can't vote".
The red carpet was temporarily blocked but the event later resumed with some women escorted away by security guards.
Suffragette, written by Abi Morgan, tells the story of young East End laundry woman Maud Watts (Mulligan) who becomes an activist fighting to gain women the vote.
Set in 1912-13, it shows how the women in the suffrage movement attacked property and bombed post boxes to make their voices heard.
The cast also includes Helena Bonham Carter, Anne-Marie Duff, Ben Whishaw and Brendan Gleeson.
Morgan, who wrote The Iron Lady in which Streep played Margaret Thatcher, said the film had been "hard" to get made because it was fronted by "an ensemble of women" who were "not being funny or romantic".
Mulligan said: "It's a film to mark the achievement of what these women did and what they gave to us, but it also highlights where we are in the world. We still live in a society that's sexist."
Director Sarah Gavron said the idea of making a biopic of Emmeline Pankhurst had been considered, but that she deliberately didn't want to tell the story of "an exceptional woman".
"What we were interested in is the story of the ordinary woman, the woman with no platform, no entitlement, the working class woman who is so often at the vanguard of change who rarely gets talked about.
"We thought that to follow that woman would make it connect with women all over the world today."
The London Film Festival runs from 7-18 October. | Meryl Streep says she finds it "infuriating" that box office buzz for a film is often driven by film critics who are overwhelmingly male. | 34459012 |
This rare evidence of "filial cannibalism" was only revealed because the shark's corkscrew-shaped rectum produced dung in a distinctive spiral.
One such dropping, collected in Canada, holds a tiny tooth of the same species.
These Orthacanthus sharks lived in coastal swamps and may have resorted to cannibalism as they expanded inland.
The macabre sample was gathered by University of Bristol masters student Aodhan Ó Gogáin, now studying for a PhD at Trinity College Dublin, as part of a wider investigation into prehistoric fish on the coast of New Brunswick.
Like much of North America and Europe, this land used to sit near the equator and was thick with tropical jungles.
What was trees and swamps 300 million years ago is now coal-rich rock; the fossils in Mr Ó Gogáin's study come from the reclaimed site of North America's oldest coal mine, opened in 1639.
He said the highlight of his research, published in the journal Palaeontology, is definitely the notion of prehistoric cannibal sharks.
"Other people have looked at their diet and found that their stomach contents contained little amphibians," Mr Ó Gogáin told the BBC.
"And there's also evidence that these sharks ate other genuses of xenacanth shark. But this is the first bit of evidence we have that they were eating their own young as well."
The claim for cannibalism rests on two distinctive aspects of Orthacanthus biology.
Firstly, its unusual shape means the fossilised poo, known as a "coprolite", can be conclusively identified as belonging to one of these large, freshwater sharks.
Secondly, the little tooth that was revealed when the researchers cut into the coprolite is also identifiable.
"These sharks have very distinctive tricuspid teeth, where they have little tusks coming up from the tooth," said Mr Ó Gogáin. "We're fairly confident of this discovery."
The evidence is not unprecedented, he added; modern-day bull sharks, which occupy a similar niche in coastal swamps and shallow seas, have been known to feast on their young when necessary.
"Sharks tend to have a wide dietary range. They're not really picky eaters."
Study co-author Dr Howard Falcon-Lang from Royal Holloway University of London said the discovery suggested the eel-shaped sharks - apex predators of their ecosystem - were facing a food shortage.
"There's cannibalism and then there's specifically filial cannibalism. And that is relatively unusual," he told BBC News.
"We generally find it in rather stressed ecosystems, where for whatever reason, food is running scarce. Obviously it's evolutionarily a bad move to eat your own young unless you absolutely have to.
"But in these 300 million-year-old ecosystems we're finding evidence for filial cannibalism quite commonly, based on the coprolite remains."
This period was a time of invasion, Dr Falcon-Lang explained. The land was rich in plants but not yet well stocked with animals, and aquatic beasts like these sharks were expanding their territory into fresh water.
"Part of this story, we think, is that during this invasion of fresh water, sharks were cannibalising their young in order to find the resources to keep on exploring into the continental interiors."
Follow Jonathan on Twitter | Scientists have discovered a baby tooth in the fossilised faeces of a prehistoric shark, and concluded that the animals ate their own young. | 37032656 |
Colin Hough, of Shrewsbury, volunteered to spend time in the box, in a 24-hour Tesco supermarket, to raise money for children's charity Cauldwell Children.
He went into the box at midday on Thursday and came out at 14:00 BST on Saturday.
He said the toughest part had been the nights, with lights on in the shop and people shopping around him.
Former bus driver Mr Hough volunteered for the challenge after reading about the charity's Locked in for Autism campaign. The box in the supermarket measures 3m by 2m.
"The store staff have been so supportive, tapping on the glass to see if I'm okay," he said.
"I was a bit nervous going into it but I thought, it's for a really good cause, and it's actually opened up my eyes to what children with autism go through.
"One little girl gave me a card she had made, thanking me for what I'm doing, that made me feel very proud."
Mr Hough can be supported through his Just Giving page. | An 81-year-old man has completed a challenge to spend 50 hours locked inside a perspex box. | 32764867 |
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Jessica-Ennis Hill took silver in the heptathlon, while there was a bronze for long jumper Greg Rutherford.
Farah overcame a tumble to win the 10,000m, while Trott's women's pursuit team beat the USA with a world record.
The men's eight rowers won gold just after the women were second, before cycling and swimming silver medals.
American swimming legend Michael Phelps bowed out of the Olympics with a 23rd gold medal, as Britain took silver in the men's 4x100m medley relay.
Jamaican Elaine Thompson won the women's 100m in 10.71 seconds, ahead of Tori Bowie and two-time champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.
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The eight medals - three golds, four silvers and one bronze - represented Britain's most successful day of the Games so far and kept GB third in the medal table on 30 - one more than at the same stage of London 2012.
Farah, 33, became the first British track and field athlete to secure three Olympic titles - following a long-distance double at London 2012.
It might not have been Super Saturday II, but this night of twisting plotlines was many other things besides
Read more here
Trott, 24, is the first female GB competitor to win a third gold, having triumphed alongside Joanna Rowsell-Shand, Elinor Barker and Katie Archibald.
Another medal in the velodrome came via Becky James, who claimed a silver in the keirin.
The evening athletics action had been billed as a chance for Britain to replicate Super Saturday in London when Farah, Rutherford and Ennis-Hill all won golds.
But Ennis-Hill had to settle for silver after a thrilling finish to the heptathlon won by Belgian Nafi Thiam, with GB's Katarina Johnson-Thompson sixth after poor throws in the javelin.
Tearful Ennis-Hill, 30, said afterwards this was her last Olympics and hinted she could retire from the sport altogether.
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The medals charge began on the rowing lake where the men's eight led from start to finish after the women's crew claimed a first medal for GB in their event.
Britain secured a medal in the last swimming event of the Games as Adam Peaty added to his 100m breaststroke gold earlier in the week in a team completed by Chris Walker-Hebborn, James Guy and Duncan Scott.
Peaty's blistering time of 56.59 seconds was well inside his own world record of 57.13 and helped deliver a sixth medal in the pool - double the tally of four years ago and the highest number since 1908.
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Andy Murray remains on course to win back-to-back Olympic tennis titles after seeing off Japanese fourth seed Kei Nishikori in the semi-finals of the singles.
Murray will face Argentine Juan Martin del Potro, who defeated Rafael Nadal in a final-set tie-break, in Sunday's gold-medal match (19:00 BST).
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Justin Rose, who hit a hole-in-one earlier this week, is in the gold-medal position in the men's golf going into Sunday's final round (starts 14:39), one ahead of Open champion Henrik Stenson.
Britain are guaranteed another gold medal in the velodrome on Sunday after Jason Kenny and Callum Skinner advanced to the final (21:04) of the men's sprint.
British Olympic Association chief Bill Sweeney has said Team GB are on track to realise their goal of at least 48 medals.
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Jamaica's Usain Bolt began his quest for a third successive Olympic 100m title by cruising through the opening heats.
The reigning Olympic champion at 100m, 200m and the 4x100m relay clocked 10.07 seconds despite easing up 50 metres from the finish line.
American Justin Gatlin, likely to be one of Bolt's rivals in Monday's final (02:25 BST), comfortably qualified in 10.01, while Briton CJ Ujah's 10.13 saw him safely through.
Asked about American swimmer Lilly King's comments that people who have been caught doping "shouldn't be on the team", Gatlin, twice been caught using banned substances, responded: "I don't even know who Lilly King is."
Athletics
James Dasaolu squeezed into the men's 100m semi-finals as one of the fastest losers having run in the same heat as Jamaica's Bolt.
"He's Usain Bolt to everyone, but to me he's another competitor and I focus on my lane," said the 28-year-old Briton. "I can't control what Usain does."
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Team-mate James Ellington, 30, finished fifth in his heat with a time of 10.29, which was only good enough for 40th overall.
Matthew Hudson-Smith, 21, finished second in his 400m semi-final in 44.48 seconds to qualify seventh fastest for the final.
Christine Ohuruogu, the 2008 Olympic champion and runner-up in London, was second in her 400m heat with a strong performance to finish in 51.40 seconds.
Emily Diamond, who had food poisoning two nights earlier, finished fourth in heat five to join her team-mate in Sunday's semi-finals.
Seren Bundy-Davies missed out on a semi-final place in the same event, finishing seventh in heat two and 49th overall.
Other sports
British super-heavyweight Joe Joyce is through to the quarter-finals of the boxing, after a first-round stoppage win over Cape Verde's Davilson Dos Santos Morais.
In the women's hockey, unbeaten GB defeated USA 2-1 to top their group and will play their quarter-final match on Monday.
At the Aquatics Centre, Grace Reid made the final of the women's three-metre springboard diving after finishing 11th in the semi-final.
Officials at the Maria Lenk Aquatic Park say the water polo and synchronised swimming pool will be emptied overnight and re-filled with "crystal clear" water from the warm-up pool.
The water in the diving pool will remain where it is, though, as treatment continues to reverse its green tinge.
"Hopefully this will work," said a Rio 2016 spokesman, who said it was important the synchronised swimmers had crystal clear water to compete in so they can see each another and the judges can see them perform.
Meanwhile, organisers claim ticket sales are "very promising", with 93% of tickets sold for Saturday's morning athletics session and 79% for the evening.
In other news, the only Russian due to compete in athletics - long jumper Darya Klishina - has been banned from the Games following new, but unspecified, information.
Only a photo could separate the top two in the men's single sculls on Saturday, but it was defending champion Mahe Drysdale of New Zealand who retained his title, despite being awarded the same time as Croat Damir Martin.
Germany's Christoph Harting followed in the footsteps of his brother Robert by winning the Olympic discus title.
Harting, whose brother failed to qualify for the final after straining his back, saved his best until last and managed a personal best of 68.37m on his sixth attempt.
Etenesh Diro received the biggest roar the Olympic Stadium has heard so far.
The Ethiopian fought on despite losing a shoe - and then whipping off her sock - with two and half laps to go in the 3,000m steeplechase semi-finals. Although she didn't qualify automatically, she was later advanced to the final on appeal.
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14:39: Golf - Great Britain's Justin Rose will tee off as leader in the final round with a one-shot lead over Henrik Stenson.
17:05: Windsurfing - Nick Dempsey guaranteed to win a silver when the men's RS:X medal race gets under way. 18:05: Women's race features Bryony Shaw.
19:00: Tennis - Andy Murray seeks to retain his London 2012 title in the gold-medal match against Argentine Juan Martin del Potro.
19:30: Gymnastics - Max Whitlock favourite in the pommel horse as Britain seek to claim a first-ever gymnastics Olympic gold medal, but faces competition from team-mate Louis Smith, a silver medallist at London 2012.
21:04: Cycling - Britain guaranteed a gold as defending champion Jason Kenny faces team-mate Callum Skinner for the men's sprint title.
Athletics after midnight UK time (early hours Monday)
01:00: 100m - Semi-finals. Usain Bolt - after 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay golds in 2008 and 2012 - continues his bid for an unprecedented sprint 'treble treble'.
02:00: 400m - Men's final. Two-time Olympic champion LaShawn Merritt among the contenders.
02:25: 100m final - Jamaican Bolt likely to take on American Justin Gatlin, who has twice served doping bans.
Full Rio day-by-day-guide
Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox. | Mo Farah and Laura Trott made history by claiming their third Olympic titles as Great Britain won eight medals on day eight of the Rio Games. | 37070844 |
12 April 2017 Last updated at 16:51 BST
They were joined by more than 200 Alaskan and Siberian Huskies on the Fjallraven Polar expedition from Norway to Sweden in Europe.
The participants slept in the open, braving snow storms and freezing cold temperatures. Brrrr!
Watch Martin's report. | Dog-sled racers pushed themselves to the limits to complete a pawsome journey across the Arctic wilderness. | 39575649 |
The Ligue 1 side received special dispensation from the French league to appoint the Italian, as he reached the manager's age limit of 65 last year.
Ranieri guided the Foxes to the Premier League title in 2015-16 when the club defied odds of up to 5,000-1.
But he was sacked in February with the club battling relegation after a run of five league losses in a row.
Ranieri succeeds Sergio Conceicao after the former Portugal winger left Nantes in order to take over at Porto.
Conceicao, 42, took charge of the Ligue 1 side in December 2016 and immediately oversaw four straight wins in the league as they finished seventh in France's top tier.
Ranieri has experience of working in France, overseeing Monaco's promotion to Ligue 1 in 2012-13 and then guiding them to second place behind Paris St-Germain the following season before being released.
Nantes will be Ranieri's 17th job in a managerial career that has spanned 31 years and has included all the major Italian clubs except AC Milan.
Atletico Madrid, Chelsea and Valencia twice are the other clubs he has managed outside Italy during that time.
His league win with Leicester - which came after a dismal spell in charge of Greece - remains his only top-flight title.
Nantes have won the French title eight times but have not done so since 2001, which was their last major honour. | Former Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri is the new boss of French side Nantes. | 40262173 |
The incident happened on board a bus travelling along Bath Street in Glasgow at about 22:15 on 30 August. Police said it caused a great deal of distress to a 17-year-old woman.
The man was of Asian appearance, aged between 50 and 60 years, about 5ft 8in tall, of medium build.
He had dark hair and a moustache and was carrying a silver walking stick.
He was wearing a grey striped T-shirt, dark trousers and black jacket.
Anyone with information about the incident or who recognises the man should contact PC Paul Lorenzetti on 101. | Police have released a CCTV image of a man they want to speak to in connection with an act of indecency on a bus. | 38293424 |
The singer was headlining the event with his Africa Express project and was joined on stage by artists like Laura Mvula and Yeah Yeah Yeah's Nick Zinner.
The set - which overran until 04:00 - included covers of Randy Newman and reinterpretations of Gorillaz tracks.
After playing The Clash's Should I Stay Or Should I Go, he encouraged the crowd to protest at the plug being pulled.
"You want more, we're going to give you more," the singer declared before a man, thought to be the stage manager, emerged, put the singer's jacket over his shoulders and lifted him off stage.
In a video, filmed by someone in the audience, Albarn - who had refused to leave the stage- egged on fans who chanted "we want more".
Albarn's Africa Express collective, a collaboration between African and Western musicians, has played at events such as Glastonbury and the BBC's Electric Proms.
It has also seen Albarn travel to countries including Mali to play with local musicians.
Saturday night's performance included appearances by Nigerian artist Seye Adelekan and Malian band Songhoy Blues.
Albarn is currently on tour with Blur who are playing dates across the world this summer following the release of album The Magic Whip.
Albarn also recently unveiled wonder.land, his reworking of Alice in Wonderland, at the Manchester International Festival. | Blur's Damon Albarn has been removed from stage at the Roskilde festival in Denmark after a mammoth five-hour set. | 33408709 |
The incident happened after Derry City lost 2-1 to Dundalk in an FAI Cup semi-final replay at Brandywell Stadium.
There are reports a Dundalk supporters' bus was vandalised during the trouble that happened outside the grounds.
Police have yet to confirm the incident. Derry City have yet to comment.
Derry councillors have condemned the attack.
Councillor Gary Donnelly said a group of Dundalk fans were cornered by a gang of youths outside a pub on the Lecky Road.
"When I arrived the crowd had dispersed and the Dundalk fans' mini-bus, which had been attacked, had been repaired and they were about to leave the area but they were visibly shaken," he said.
Mr Donnelly told BBC Radio Foyle that the supporters' mini-bus had its tyres slashed and graffiti sprayed on windows.
"Residents told me that after the game a number of Dundalk fans were making their way back to the bus when one of them was assaulted.
"A young boy of about 14-years-old was hit on the back of the head with a bottle before locals intervened and the four guys ran off."
Sinn Féin councillor Patricia Logue, who lives in the area, said extra security may now be needed during match nights.
"This is criminal behaviour by youths who are causing mayhem in our community," she said.
"The people of the Brandywell, the visiting fans, Derry City Football Club, do not want this happening in the area.
"The residents are distraught and extra security will be one of the topics I'll be talking about to the relevant agencies today." | A teenager suffered head injuries, not said to be serious, during trouble that followed a football match in Londonderry on Tuesday night. | 37560290 |
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Gareth Bale put Chris Coleman's side ahead before Jamie Vardy equalised and Daniel Sturridge scored a 91st-minute winner to take Roy Hodgson's team top of Group B with four points.
Chief football writer Phil McNulty assesses England's performance, while BBC Wales Sport's Dafydd Pritchard rates the Wales team after their dramatic encounter in Lens.
Shocking attempt to keep out Gareth Bale's free-kick. Poor.
Excellent attacking option. He has made the right-back spot his own and played his part as the pressure grew.
Almost scored a first-half goal and was comfortable when defensive work needed to be done.
Had very few uncomfortable moments as Wales failed to gather any real attacking momentum.
Some shaky moments but again was an attacking force after the break as England pressed.
Very solid presence in midfield. Looks right at home in the defensive holding role. Can improve his passing, though.
Determined but with little real impact. However, still a class act in the making. Must keep out of trouble.
Creative, one of England's better players in that dreadful first half and warmly applauded by the fans when he was substituted.
England's best and most composed player again. Very consistent in the first two games of Euro 2016. Huge influence on the team.
Looks tired and off the pace after a long season. Place now surely at risk against Slovakia.
Missed an early chance and got worse after that with his confidence seemingly low. Hooked at half-time and rightly so.
Energetic and got the goal that brought England to life as they finally found some attacking impetus.
The match winner. Always willing to try things and has the talent to be a Euro 2016 star.
Fearless in his cameo and showed some lovely touches. A golden future.
Having missed the first game with a back spasm, the Crystal Palace keeper made some decent saves but could not stop Vardy and Sturridge's goals.
Tactically disciplined as England poured forward, his defensive duties made it almost impossible to help in attack.
Arguably the best player in Wales' five-man defence, making several important interceptions, tackles and blocks.
Early mistake almost gifted England a goal in the first minute, and it was his header which led to Vardy's equaliser.
Perhaps lucky to avoid conceding a penalty for handball but gave a solid defensive display overall.
Had his hands full with Kyle Walker and Adam Lallana on England's right. Defended sensibly and tried to give Wales an outlet on the left.
Screened the defence expertly and made good use of the precious little possession Wales had.
Starting only 40 days after breaking his leg, the Crystal Palace midfielder was typically industrious.
Worked tremendously hard, sacrificing his attacking instincts to play a pivotal role in a determined Welsh defensive effort.
Not at his elusive best, the Real Madrid forward nevertheless struck with another free-kick and kept England's defence on their toes.
Recalled after scoring from the bench against Slovakia, he made himself a nuisance as he harried England's defenders, albeit without offering an attacking threat.
Replaced Ledley and ensured his work ethic was not missed with a similarly committed display.
Like Edwards, ran relentlessly but did not have much of an opportunity to threaten in attack.
Create leagues and play against your friends in BBC Sport's new Euro 2016 Predictor game | Wales were denied a second win at Euro 2016 as England came from behind to claim victory in their much-hyped group game. | 36552888 |
The Americans battered the error-prone favourites in the opening half, Titi Lamositele burrowing over the line.
A dynamic bench helped spark Scotland after the interval, though, as Tim Visser, Sean Maitland and WP Nel all crossed smartly.
Matt Scott picked a sumptuous line to score a fourth try, and Duncan Weir added a late fifth from close range.
Imbued with great transatlantic fervour, the USA defence made hay from Scottish inaccuracies during a maddening first 40 minutes for Vern Cotter's side, where attacking opportunities were bungled by loose passes and hot heads.
The likes of Nel, Scott, Tim Swinson and Greig Laidlaw, however, brought efficiency and control from the bench where Scotland had threatened to descend into chaotic rugby reminiscent of days sooner consigned to memory.
The major blight for Cotter will be an injury to key pivot Finn Russell, who was helped from the field midway through the second-half resurgence.
Relive Scotland's five-try win over the USA.
Scotland's day changed after the half-time break. Everything about them was better. The troubled scrum settled down, the physical battles they were losing now started to be won, the accuracy that was beyond them in the opening half suddenly materialised.
Key to all of this were Cotter's half-time replacements. Nel and Alasdair Dickinson replaced the toiling Ryan Grant and Jon Welsh and quickly Scotland's dominance was established. Nel, in particular, was pivotal. He not only sorted out the scrum but he carried ball and also scored. Immense.
The half-time substitutes - as well as a verbal volley from Cotter - galvanised Scotland, but the fact they were so wretched in that first half raises huge issues for their management.
For Scotland, the big games are yet to come. On the face of it they are buzzing. Two wins, 10 tries and plenty of forward momentum. But their resources are thin and this game against the Americans revealed just how thin.
Russell going off injured was a gulp-inducing moment. John Hardie's absence was also felt. Scotland have only one viable open-side. The situation in the front row is also troubling. The Scots will be in good shape as long as Dickinson and Nel can stay fit and well. Without them? Their vulnerabilities are laid bare.
What is also obvious, however, is that when Scotland get decent ball and are accurate they have all manner of game-breakers behind the scrum. They have done what they needed to do, but the massive tests are now upon them, starting with South Africa on Saturday.
Henry Pyrgos: "We just needed to settle down, it was a frustrating first half. There were lots of opportunities out there and we just didn't take them. Credit to USA, they made us pay, they scored a try, they took the points on offer.
"A lot of that was down to our mistakes, which was really frustrating because we'd had a good week, we knew what we needed to do but we couldn't manage to do it.
"We settled down at half-time, we looked after our jobs, and we made sure we held onto the ball and caused them problems in the second half.
"We were just trying to force things [in the first half], there was a lot of space out there and we were trying to get it out there too quickly. There were a lot of times we made line breaks and didn't finish it off. A few bad decisions in defence gave them a lot of field position and put us under pressure."
Scotland: Hogg, Maitland, Bennett, Horne, Visser, Russell, Pyrgos, Grant, Ford, Welsh, R. Gray, Gilchrist, Strokosch, Wilson, Strauss.
Replacements: Scott for Horne (55), Weir for Russell (60), Laidlaw for Pyrgos (53), Dickinson for Grant (41), Bryce for Ford (78), Nel for Welsh (41), Swinson for Gilchrist (17), Brown for Wilson (46).
USA: Wyles, Ngwenya, Kelly, Palamo, Scully, MacGinty, Petri, Fry, Thiel, Lamositele, Smith, Peterson, McFarland, Durutalo, Manoa.
Replacements: Niua for Scully (59), S. Suniula for Petri (50), Kilifi for Fry (67), Fenoglio for Thiel (64), Baumann for Lamositele (69), Barrett for Peterson (50), Quill for Durutalo (59). Not Used: Dolan.
Att: 33,521
Ref: Chris Pollock (New Zealand). | Scotland recovered from a 13-6 half-time deficit, securing a bonus-point win over USA to top World Cup Pool B. | 34356246 |
Local media said the woman checked her husband's mobile phone after becoming suspicious he was having an affair.
The husband complained to the police and his wife was prosecuted under a cybercrime law, Gulf News reported.
The unnamed woman - an Arab expatriate in the UAE - was fined 150,000 dirhams (£28,000; $41,000), the report said.
She admitted to the court that she had accessed his phone without permission and transferred photos to her device, her lawyer told Gulf News.
The lawyer, Eman Sabt, said the couple were in their 30s and of Arab origin, but gave no other information. | A woman in the United Arab Emirates has been fined and deported after being found guilty of breaching her husband's privacy, reports say. | 36320749 |
Both are alleged to have breached SFA rules by criticising officials in interviews after Inverness drew with Dundee and Hearts lost to Hamilton.
Principal hearings have been set for 1 October and both men have until 22 September to respond.
Hearts intend to challenge Neilson's notice of complaint.
He said after the 3-2 defeat at New Douglas Park that referee Willie Collum was wrong to send off Callum Paterson - a red card that was later rescinded on appeal.
The Hearts head coach also claimed he was expecting one of his players to be dismissed when he found out who the officials were. Neilson was later asked by the SFA to explain his comments.
"The game has been ruined by a decision that is not a sending-off," said Neilson on 29 August.
"We actually practised going down to 10 men because of the environment we're coming to and the officials who are taking the game and we have to do that.
"In the recent past, the statistics involving the officials have shown a lot of red cards against us, so we have to prepare for it.
"The next time we get these officials, we will again train with 10 men."
Hughes, meanwhile, was unhappy with decisions made by Andrew Dallas during the 1-1 draw at Dens Park.
The Caley Thistle manager said Dallas brought an "edginess and a nervousness" to the game and was not "ready to referee top-flight football". | Hearts head coach Robbie Neilson and Inverness manager John Hughes have been issued with notices of complaint by the Scottish FA's compliance officer. | 34261402 |
The Nottinghamshire swimmer started the Ocean's 7 Challenge in 2008 with a swim across the English Channel.
He has since conquered seas in Gibraltar, Hawaii, New Zealand, USA and Japan.
The final leg of his challenge saw him swim from Northern Ireland to the west coast of Scotland.
He completed the 21 mile (33km) swim on Wednesday.
Mr Walker said it was a great feeling to finally complete all of the swims, during which he had been stung by jellyfish, encountered sharks and been protected by dolphins.
The 35-year-old has been raising money for marine charities.
During the swim across the Molokai Channel in Hawaii, Mr Walker was stung in the face by several jellyfish and "nearly shot out of the water" after being stung by a Portuguese man o'war.
He also came close to a large tiger shark during the 17-hour challenge.
He said: "I was stung after 14 hours and I can only describe it like someone had slashed me repeatedly across the front of my stomach and down the side.
"I was shouting in agony for around two minutes and then realised I had a 5in (12cm) tentacle stuck to my stomach, which I ripped off."
Whilst swimming the Cook Strait in New Zealand, Mr Walker said he was lucky enough to swim with a pod of dolphins.
He said he also spotted a large shark swimming beneath him and thought the dolphins had come to protect him.
Mr Walker described it as "a real privilege".
As well as seeing numerous sharks during his swims, Mr Walker has also swam close to a pilot whale in the Straits of Gibraltar.
He said the sea temperature on the latest leg across the North Channel was the coldest of the lot. | Swimmer Adam Walker has become the first Briton to complete a series of open-ocean swims across some of the most gruelling channels in the world. | 28676161 |
The Vauxhall Astra they were travelling in struck a tree when it left the Cladymilltown Road on Thursday morning.
Paramedics were called to the scene of the crash at 08:30 GMT.
The 17-year-old boys studied at the Southern Regional College in Armagh.
A third boy who was in the car was injured.
He is in a stable condition in hospital.
The three boys, who studied fabrication and welding, were on their way to Portadown in County Armagh to take part in a skills competition when their car left the road.
Brian Doran, the chief executive of the Southern Regional College, said staff and students were in shock after hearing of the boys' deaths.
"It's an absolute tragedy. We are deeply saddened and our sincere condolences go out to both families and to the third student that survived the accident," he said.
In September, two young students at the same college were killed in a car crash near Rostrevor in County Down.
"It's a repeat of the tragedy that struck us then," Mr Doran added.
"It's something that you cannot get over, we're all traumatised."
Police said the victims were the driver of the car and the front seat passenger.
The car has now been removed from the scene and the road has been reopened.
John McPoland of the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service said "two rapid response paramedics, two A&E crews and a doctor" were sent to the scene when the crash was reported.
A forensic team is trying to establish how the crash happened.
Democratic Unionist Party MLA William Irwin said "the whole community will be shocked".
"Almost every other day we're hearing about young people being killed on our roads," he said.
"This morning two young lads lost their lives and one was injured on their way to technical college.
"My thoughts and prayers will be with the families involved." | Two teenage students have died after a one-vehicle crash between Markethill and Newtownhamilton in County Armagh. | 35309649 |
The group, which wants the levy to be axed, tested 49 drinks and found that some coffee shop drinks had more sugar than Coca Cola, but would not be taxed.
Anti-obesity campaigners welcomed the tax when it was announced in March.
The Treasury said soft drinks would be taxed because they were the main source of added sugar in children's diets.
Sugar tax: How will it work?
What is the UK's most sugary drink?
The Taxpayers' Alliance (TPA) survey found that Coca-Cola, with 10.6g of sugar per 100ml, will be subject to the levy, but a Starbucks signature hot chocolate with whipped cream and coconut milk, which has 11g of sugar per 100ml, will not.
The study also noted energy drinks such as Monster Origin, 11g/100ml, will be taxed, but Tesco chocolate flavoured milk, 12.4g/100ml, will not be.
Overall, the 10 most sugary drinks analysed by the group which campaigns for lower taxes will not be subject to the levy.
The recommended maximum intake of added sugar per day for those aged 11 and over is about 30g or seven teaspoons, the NHS says.
TPA chief executive Jonathan Isaby said it was "deeply concerning" that the government was "pushing ahead with this regressive tax which will hit the poorest families hardest".
"The evidence shows that the sugar tax has nothing to do with the sugar content of products, so it is farcical to suggest that this will have any positive impact on people's diet or lifestyle choices," he said.
"This is yet another example of irresponsible meddling from the high priests of the nanny state, introducing entirely unnecessary complications into an already complicated tax system and pushing up the cost of everyday products for hard-pressed families."
The NHS has also said it would impose its own "sugar tax" in hospitals and health centres in England.
Chief executive Simon Stevens said he wanted the 20% tax on all sugary drinks and foods in NHS cafes to be introduced by 2020.
It is hoped the NHS levy, which would initially just apply to sugary drinks, could raise £20m-40m a year, with the money raised used to improve the health of its workforce.
The "tax" would also be put in place with the aim of discouraging staff, patients and visitors from buying sugary goods.
A Treasury spokesman said the soft drinks industry levy was "a major step forward in our efforts to tackle childhood obesity".
"Treating obesity and its consequences costs the taxpayer £5.1bn every year," he said.
"The levy will be charged on soft drinks because they are the main source of added sugar in children's and teenagers' diets, many with no intrinsic nutritional value.
"Health experts agree there is a specific problem with sugar-laden fizzy drinks that must be addressed."
He said the money from the tax would go towards funding more school sport and expanding school breakfast clubs. | The planned sugar tax will "hit poorest families hardest" and has nothing to do with the sugar content of products, the Taxpayers' Alliance says. | 36410589 |
The champions - who have now failed to win in their last eight games at Anoeta Stadium - were outplayed and had to come from behind to secure a point.
Willian Jose headed the hosts ahead, Gerard Pique helping the ball over the line while attempting a clearance.
The lead lasted six minutes, Lionel Messi scoring against the run of play.
La Real should have won the game when Juanmi tapped home a rebound from close range after Carlos Vela hit the crossbar, but the former Southampton forward, who had only been on the pitch for seconds, was wrongly ruled offside.
Former Arsenal forward Vela, 27, hit the woodwork for a second time when his 20-yard effort hit a post six minutes from time.
Luis Enrique's visitiors had 47.7% possession, the first time this season they have had less of the ball than their opponents.
Barca, who have now failed to win their last two La Liga games, are second in the table on 27 points from 13 games - level on points with Sevilla.
Real Sociedad - who had won their previous four home games in the league against Barcelona - have 23 points and climb to fifth.
Barcelona host Zinedine Zidane's side at the Nou Camp next Saturday (15:15 GMT).
Match ends, Real Sociedad 1, Barcelona 1.
Second Half ends, Real Sociedad 1, Barcelona 1.
Jordi Alba (Barcelona) is shown the yellow card.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Gerónimo Rulli (Real Sociedad) because of an injury.
Offside, Barcelona. Gerard Piqué tries a through ball, but Neymar is caught offside.
Attempt missed. Esteban Granero (Real Sociedad) right footed shot from the right side of the box is close, but misses the top right corner. Assisted by Carlos Vela.
David Zurutuza (Real Sociedad) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by David Zurutuza (Real Sociedad).
Lionel Messi (Barcelona) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Attempt saved. Esteban Granero (Real Sociedad) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Sergio Canales.
Attempt missed. Esteban Granero (Real Sociedad) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Carlos Vela.
Substitution, Real Sociedad. Esteban Granero replaces Mikel Oyarzabal.
Denis Suárez (Barcelona) is shown the yellow card.
Carlos Vela (Real Sociedad) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Denis Suárez (Barcelona).
Carlos Vela (Real Sociedad) hits the left post with a left footed shot from outside the box. Assisted by Juanmi.
Attempt missed. Luis Suárez (Barcelona) right footed shot from the left side of the box is high and wide to the right following a corner.
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Raúl Navas.
Attempt missed. Javier Mascherano (Barcelona) header from a difficult angle on the right is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Neymar with a cross following a corner.
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Iñigo Martínez.
Attempt missed. Denis Suárez (Barcelona) right footed shot from a difficult angle on the right is close, but misses to the left.
Foul by Yuri (Real Sociedad).
Sergi Roberto (Barcelona) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Hand ball by Juanmi (Real Sociedad).
Offside, Real Sociedad. Carlos Vela tries a through ball, but Juanmi is caught offside.
Carlos Vela (Real Sociedad) hits the bar with a left footed shot from outside the box. Assisted by David Zurutuza.
Substitution, Real Sociedad. Juanmi replaces Willian José.
Offside, Barcelona. André Gomes tries a through ball, but Luis Suárez is caught offside.
Attempt missed. Neymar (Barcelona) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right.
Substitution, Real Sociedad. Sergio Canales replaces Xabi Prieto.
Attempt missed. Yuri (Real Sociedad) left footed shot from the left side of the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Iñigo Martínez.
David Zurutuza (Real Sociedad) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by André Gomes (Barcelona).
Foul by Willian José (Real Sociedad).
Sergi Roberto (Barcelona) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Offside, Barcelona. Neymar tries a through ball, but Luis Suárez is caught offside.
Offside, Real Sociedad. Gerónimo Rulli tries a through ball, but Willian José is caught offside.
Carlos Martínez (Real Sociedad) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Carlos Martínez (Real Sociedad). | Barcelona head into next week's first El Clasico of the season six points behind leaders Real Madrid after scraping a draw at Real Sociedad. | 38109838 |
The national park was one of 33 sites around the world to be discussed by the Unesco committee in Krakow, Poland.
The committee praised the area's beauty, farming and the inspiration it had provided to artists and writers.
It is the 31st place in the UK and overseas territories to be put on the Unesco World Heritage List.
The committee suggested the impact of tourism be monitored and requested improvements in conservation efforts.
The delegates heard the 885 sq-mile (2,292 sq km) Lake District had been trying to obtain the Unesco status since 1986.
Lord Clark of Windermere, chairman of the Lake District National Park Partnership which put together the bid, described the decision as "momentous".
In pictures: Where are the UK's world heritage sites?
Men-only island gets World Heritage nod
"A great many people have come together to make this happen and we believe the decision will have long and lasting benefits for the spectacular Lake District landscape, the visitors we welcome every year and for the people who call the National Park their home," he added.
Steve Ratcliffe, director of sustainable development at the Lake District National Park, said the application had been a "long time in the making" and he was "incredibly proud" of the landscape which has been shaped by nature, farming and industry.
He told the committee: "The Lake District now becomes an international and global property and we look forward to working with you and our communities to make sure this site inspires future generations around the world."
About 18 million people visit the Lake District each year, spending a total of £1.2bn and providing about 18,000 jobs.
It is home to England's largest natural lake - Windermere - and highest mountain - Scafell Pike.
Nigel Wilkinson, managing director of Windermere Lake Cruises, said he was hopeful the Unesco status would put the Lakes on an international level.
"What we really hope is it will act as an economic driver and will grow the value, not the volume, of tourism by giving people more... reasons to make day visits and sustained visits."
Harriet Fraser, a writer and patron of Friends of the Lake District, said: "It's the most beautiful district but it has a very deep culture which is largely hill farming but also conservation."
Other UK Unesco sites include Stonehenge, Durham Castle and Cathedral, and the city of Bath. | The Lake District has joined the likes of the Grand Canyon, the Taj Mahal and Machu Picchu by being awarded Unesco World Heritage status. | 40547691 |
Media playback is not supported on this device
The British Darts Organisation (BDO) world champion will line-up at The Grand Slam of Darts in Wolverhampton.
Mitchell, 45, has been drawn alongside Peter Wright, Dave Chisnall and Mervyn King at the Civic Hall from Saturday.
"I fancied Phil's group when I saw the draw, just for the chance to play against him," he told BBC Radio Solent.
Mitchell will be one of eight representatives from the BDO, with former Lakeside champions Martin Adams and Andy Fordham also making their first appearances at the event.
The Grand Slam is the only major televised tournament in which players from the two rival organisations participate.
"It will be a challenge," said the landscape gardener from Bransgore in the New Forest. "It's a tough group and there's no easy games in there.
"It really is a tough tournament to go to as a BDO player, with the guys from the PDC having so many more television opportunities than we do.
"We really are the novices, but in the past we've done really well and got off to a good start."
Mitchell hopes to get through his group to set up a meeting with defending champion Taylor, who takes on 2014 World Masters winner Martin Phillips, Austria's Rowby-John Rodriguez and England's Robbie Green.
"I'm just going to try to enjoy it," he added. "I'm really looking forward to going up against the boys from the PDC." | Scott Mitchell has revealed he would have loved to have drawn Phil Taylor in his first test against players from the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). | 34713732 |
Chris Green said his win with 19,744 votes over Labour's Julie Hilling, who received 18,943, was "just wonderful".
On a bad night for the Liberal Democrats, they lost Cheadle and Hazel Grove to the Tories and Manchester Withington to Labour.
Labour also held on to Heywood and Middleton, fending off a challenge from second-placed UKIP.
Tory William Wragg was elected to the Hazel Grove seat with 17,882 votes, defeating Liberal Democrat Lisa Smart, who received 11,330.
Conservative Mary Robinson won in Cheadle, securing 22,889 votes over Lib Dem Mark Hunter's 16,436, a swing of 9.2%.
Mr Hunter said: "Sometimes you have to accept that you can't swim against the national tide."
Manchester Withington was a significant victory for Labour in what was a hugely disappointing night for both them and the Lib Dems across the UK.
Jeff Smith secured victory with 26,843 votes over John Leech's 11,970, in a huge 17% swing.
Mr Leech had been the MP for Withington since 2005, although Labour held the seat for 18 years beforehand.
In the Greater Manchester constituency of Heywood and Middleton, Liz McInnes was re-elected with 20,926 votes, while John Bickley received 15,627.
The pair had previously squared off just seven months ago, when Ms McInnes won a by-election by only 617 votes.
That vote, in a traditionally safe seat held by Labour since 1983, came after incumbent Jim Dobbin's sudden death.
Elsewhere, Tameside has elected its first woman MP in its history with Angela Rayner holding onto Ashton-under-Lyne, with almost a 50% share of the vote.
Labour also increased its majority in Bolton South East, despite large UKIP gains, and held 21 Greater Manchester seats in total.
The Conservatives held Altrincham & Sale West and Bury North, but the Liberal Democrats have been wiped out in Greater Manchester.
To find out your election result, go to BBC Election 2015. | The Conservative Party have taken their number one North West target of Bolton West from Labour in a surprise victory. | 32641106 |
"Abroad is predominantly where we look," he told BBC Scotland.
"If there's anything in Scotland, we'll look at it but, if they are doing well, it's tough because, generally, the market they look to is England.
"The salary bracket we're in makes it hard, makes it hard to match those wages."
Neilson's side secured a top-three finish before the Premiership split on their first season back in the top flight.
And the head coach overhauled his Championship-winning squad extensively, supplementing a pool of younger players who have come from the club's academy with foreign signings such as Arnaud Djoum, Igor Rossi, Blazej Augustyn, Juwon Oshaniwa, Abiola Dauda, Perry Kitchen and top-scorer Juanma Delgado.
"We try to sell the whole package - the club, the atmosphere, the city, the training ground and the opportunity to come here - do well, and get a move afterwards," said Neilson.
"To come up from the Championship and get European football has been great for us and we'll try and build on that for next season.
"It's always important to adapt your team and try to improve it.
"We're quite a way along. We want to extend [the contracts of] the guys who we think will be assets for us in the future and also look to bring in new players.
"We've contacted players and we're in the process of looking at them."
Hearts sold striker Osman Sow to Chinese club Henan Jianye in January and Neilson is relaxed about approaches for his best players over the summer.
"We're in a position where we don't need to sell, so if anyone wants to make an offer it needs to be big money," he said.
Neilson's men host Premiership leaders Celtic on Saturday lunchtime. Hearts have twice held Celtic to draws this season and the head coach would like to avenge two defeats with a first win over the champions since the 2012 Scottish Cup semi-final.
"We've done okay," he added. "I'd like to have picked up some more points.
"Performance-wise it's been good, it's now time to get the points from them." | Hearts will continue to search overseas for fresh talent because Scottish players are often too expensive, says head coach Robbie Neilson. | 36158792 |
The hosts had striker Conor Wilkinson sent off for good measure as their search for a goal in the campaign goes on, while Poleon will be relieved his glaring miss just before half-time did not prove costly.
Bradford broke through when Alex Jones got to the byline and cut the ball back, with Poleon passing his shot first time into the bottom corner.
Having struggled to create openings, Gillingham finally threatened when Josh Parker forced Colin Doyle into a smart save from a tight angle on the left.
Poleon then somehow missed an open goal after dispossessing Max Ehmer and rounding Tomas Holy while at the other end Parker was just as wasteful, as he stabbed wide from Luke O'Neill's cross.
The Gills' cause was not helped by Wilkinson's dismissal with 15 minutes left for a poor challenge on Timothee Dieng and substitute Liam Nash headed their last chance over.
Report supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Gillingham 0, Bradford City 1.
Second Half ends, Gillingham 0, Bradford City 1.
Liam Nash (Gillingham) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Nathaniel Knight-Percival (Bradford City).
Attempt saved. Dominic Poleon (Bradford City) right footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Attempt saved. Dominic Poleon (Bradford City) right footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Attempt missed. Liam Nash (Gillingham) header from the centre of the box is too high.
Liam Nash (Gillingham) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Timothee Dieng (Bradford City).
Attempt saved. Lee Martin (Gillingham) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Foul by Gabriel Zakuani (Gillingham).
Jake Reeves (Bradford City) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Substitution, Gillingham. Scott Wagstaff replaces Josh Parker.
Substitution, Gillingham. Liam Nash replaces Mark Byrne.
Corner, Bradford City. Conceded by Gabriel Zakuani.
Attempt saved. Nicky Law (Bradford City) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Corner, Bradford City. Conceded by Gabriel Zakuani.
Attempt blocked. Paul Taylor (Bradford City) right footed shot from a difficult angle on the right is blocked.
Lee Martin (Gillingham) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Timothee Dieng (Bradford City).
Conor Wilkinson (Gillingham) is shown the red card.
Foul by Conor Wilkinson (Gillingham).
Timothee Dieng (Bradford City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Josh Wright (Gillingham) header from the centre of the box is too high.
Corner, Gillingham. Conceded by Timothee Dieng.
Foul by Tom Field (Bradford City).
Conor Wilkinson (Gillingham) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt blocked. Timothee Dieng (Bradford City) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Substitution, Bradford City. Paul Taylor replaces Omari Patrick.
Substitution, Gillingham. Tom Eaves replaces Alex Lacey.
Foul by Conor Wilkinson (Gillingham).
Nicky Law (Bradford City) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Tony McMahon (Bradford City) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Tony McMahon (Bradford City).
Connor Ogilvie (Gillingham) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Attempt missed. Josh Parker (Gillingham) right footed shot from the right side of the six yard box is close, but misses to the right.
Corner, Gillingham. Conceded by Timothee Dieng.
Substitution, Bradford City. Alex Gilliead replaces Alex Jones.
Attempt missed. Max Ehmer (Gillingham) header from the centre of the box is high and wide to the left.
Corner, Bradford City. Conceded by Gabriel Zakuani. | Dominic Poleon's first-half goal allowed Bradford to make it two wins from two in the new League One season as they ground out a narrow victory at Gillingham. | 40834868 |
Paramedics were ruled out of strike action on Thursday evening when management declared a "major incident".
Staff were canvassed on Friday to see if they would remain on duty to respond to serious and life-threatening calls if the major incident was stood down.
Only 10% of the 41 crews said they would remain on duty.
The Ambulance Trust said in the absence of a concrete commitment from enough staff to sustain a safe service, the trust said it had been left with no option but to keep the major incident in place.
The trade union, Unison, said the decision came as no surprise to them and that there was a serious loss of good will among ambulance staff.
In a text to staff at 2340 GMT on Thursday, the Ambulance Service said: "Please be advised that a major incident has been declared due to critical levels of cover and in line with the guidance issued by your union you are expected to report for duty as normal."
Management said they had been forced to take the measure "to maintain a safe level of ambulance cover".
Unions reacted angrily accusing management of "pulling a stunt" and said the move was "provocative".
The Ambulance Service said it was "inundated" with calls saying staff would be striking.
In a statement to the media, it said it had "exhausted all alternative contingency options, and lives would be at risk if we allowed the situation to deteriorate further".
Due to previous agreements between management and unions, it meant crews were required to turn up for duty on Friday.
In a tweet, the Ambulance Service added: "Two cities and many towns without ambulance cover is the only reason NIAS declared major incident."
John McPoland of the Ambulance Service said at midnight there were seven crews available for all emergencies across Northern Ireland.
"If we hadn't have declared a major incident because the level of services had decreased so much, we would be left with a situation this morning, where rather than having to explain a major incident, I could have been in here trying to explain to some family why a child who was choking in Newtownabbey, a three-month-old child, had perhaps died," he said.
"Last night we had no crews to respond to any emergencies in Belfast".
This is an extremely serious development; an obvious breakdown of communication between both parties - management and unions.
Last night, the NI ambulance service received a steady stream of calls from ambulance crews saying they were withdrawing their labour at midnight.
A decision was taken by management to declare a major incident across Northern Ireland.
That was due to not having enough staff as opposed to there actually being an incident.
Many people are furious, accusing management of acting in bad faith. Those I spoke to said management had been told as early as last Friday that there would be a substantial walkout.
They said there was inadequate forward planning.
In a worrying development, there is talk of further action, what's been described as triggering a blue flag day.
That is when crews book a sick day on a date agreed among themselves with little or no notice given in advance to management.
However, some paramedics described management's response as "despicable" and a "purely tactical measure".
Ambulance crews had earlier agreed to respond only to 999 calls for cases that are life-threatening.
Patricia McKeown of the union, Unison, said the service's decision to "declare a major incident across the whole of Northern Ireland two hours in advance of strike action is provocative".
"There are no indications that such a major incident exists," she said.
"Ambulance staff have the right to strike and we will support our members who chose to exercise their right. By declaring a major incident NIAS has effectively binned the agreements reached earlier."
She said the Ambulance Service move could be "irreparably damaging industrial relations".
Kevin McAdam of Unite accused management of "pulling a stunt".
"We advised our members to return to normal roles in response to the NIAS's action in line with undertakings we had given," he said.
"The trade unions know now the facts on the ground: that there was no major incident, rather there was an inability and unwillingness for management to effectively manage the strike.
"We are unhappy and disgusted by the NIAS cynically exploiting this part of the emergency cover understanding to thwart the industrial action." | The Ambulance Service has said it will keep a "major incident" in place for the remainder of today's strike. | 31864651 |
She says: "I don't mind if they are going to reduce fees for other people as long as these people are going to benefit. This will be an improvement for them.
"A government has to do something for its people because after all we are paying a lot of taxes in this country already.
"I think the government should help people.
"In London, no matter how much you have, most people just can't afford it."
She says: "Students simply cannot survive on the maintenance loan being supplied. The way the funding is worked out is completely wrong.
"Instead of assuming that because parents make a certain amount of money they can provide for children in higher education, their spending at the end of the month once all things such as bills, food, fuel, etc, have been paid for should be evaluated, so that they can see how much a family is left to live off before they then have to think about sending money to a child at university.
"I get £20 a month in pocket money and that is what I live off. I currently have no food to eat at my flat and am also worrying how I am going to scrape together a deposit for a house later this year when it will come down to that or eating, and politicians wonder why students aren't voting."
He says: "I think it's a risky one for getting votes because there will have to be some cuts as a result elsewhere.
"The Liberal Democrats lost a great deal of their reputation because they promised to scrap fees and then they made them £9,000 a year.
"If they cut from pensions then they will lose a lot of votes from pensioners.
"Every generation looks to blame the generation before.
"There's a lot less jobs and fewer prospects. We have to work harder but I do feel these richer pensioners should pay a bit more."
"We don't face the debt of the fees as it is paid fully to the university without ever coming anywhere near our bank accounts.
"The problem we have is with high living costs.
"My halls cost over £5,000 per year, and the house I will be living in next year will cost me about £4,500.
"That is just rent - not to mention I need to eat, buy books, pay for transport, wash my clothes and so on.
"This isn't even including socialising, it's simply living costs.
"The money I receive from the student loans company is around £3,600 per year. This doesn't even cover my rent!
"This is because the student loan is 'means tested' - my mum and dad's income combined is above the threshold for me to receive any more money."
He says: "It would definitely be better if the fees were lower because they are already too high.
"I know how much you pay back is going to depend on your wage and salary level and it will take a long time to pay this back.
"It worries me because I don't want to be in debt. It's a bit too much.
"It will be good for the students in the future but I want to be sure that universities will have enough money, that there will be as much funding."
He says: "As a current undergraduate I would of course welcome a cut in fees, but would want to know if it will apply retrospectively and therefore reduce the fees I have already paid to £6,000.
"I've been paying £9,000 a year so it would be the equivalent of a whole year's study cost back for me. Having seen my sister go though the old fees system, also studying law, has opened my eyes.
"There is a a lot of mileage in this pledge by Labour. I don't always agree with a lot of what Labour says but this would make me consider voting for them.
"A lot of students were happy to pay more than £3,000 for their education but £9,000 is too much."
"It's great that fees might be lowered but what happens to the students who have already paid £9,000 fees?
"There seems to have been no thought given to the four years' worth of students like myself who will, under these plans, be left having paid the full tuition fees while age groups before and after will pay less.
"I was against the increase in tuition fees and went on protests against the increase while I was in college."
"The quality of education here is great, but I really think we are paying too much.
"The majority of students at this university are from working-class backgrounds like myself and it is worrying to think we will be coming out of here with all of this debt. This could add up to £45,000 or £50,000.
"Everyone has the right to education and these fees segregate students. I support a policy of reducing the fees as much as possible." | As Ed Miliband pledges to cut university tuition fees from £9,000 to £6,000 a year, we gathered the views of some undergraduates from a number of universities. | 31658853 |
The 30-year-old freelance journalist had travelled the world in pursuit of her stories - from Uganda to Cuba to the Marshall Islands to Kenya to New York City.
At one point she even "slipped into" North Korea.
"Kim has worked as a journalist in many dangerous places, and we have often been worried about her," her family wrote in a letter to Danish TV while their daughter was still missing.
"That something could happen to her in Copenhagen, just a few kilometres from the childhood home, we could not imagine at all."
Ms Wall's "pint-sized" physical presence and personal humility were misleading - the redhead was a formidable person and a driven journalist, say those who knew her.
She was born in 1987 and grew up in a close-knit community in the small town of Trelleborg in southern Sweden, just across the strait dividing Denmark from Sweden.
She studied international relations at London School of Economics and went on to gain a place on the rigorous masters programme of Columbia University's School of Journalism - described as the "Oxbridge of journalism".
Even within her cohort she was top of the class, winning honours in her year, her classmate and friend Anna Codrea-Rado told the BBC.
"What made her journalistic abilities so exceptional was that she looked for quirky stories but with a bigger narrative," she said.
"She reported them deeply - she never made a spectacle of the characters. Her reporting was rock-solid."
Her interest in people and stories made her a great party guest.
"She was very bubbly and warm, the kind of person who had fantastic stories about the things she was working on - you could jump straight past the small talk.
"She was intellectual, so well-travelled and had such varied interests. She was interested in quirky and eccentric stories. If you were at a party you'd end up passing hours just chatting to her."
This admiration has been echoed by numerous friends.
Ms Wall wrote "about subcultures, about a globalised world in rapid change", says Victoria Greve in Sweden's Expressen newspaper. "About life in a huge shopping centre in Kampala's Chinatown, about Cuban's underground internet providers who download and disseminate new episodes of Keeping Up with the Kardashians to people from all walks of life in Havana. We made a report together about the wealthy women in New York who voted for Donald Trump."
But she and others also highlight the effort and pluck needed to succeed at this genre of journalism in today's media.
"As news organizations grapple with shrinking budgets, they increasingly rely on freelancers, who cost less and are often willing to take on the attendant risks reporting in places they wouldn't send their staff to," writes Sruthi Gottipati in the Guardian.
"Even against this backdrop, the competition is fierce to place stories and female freelancers work hard to ensure their gender isn't calculated as a liability. So they clam up about the dangers they face and sometimes report before being commissioned to do so."
This pressure to secure good material before there is even a formal commission could explain why no news organisation has confirmed it gave Ms Wall the assignment she died carrying out.
Friends and family have urged the world not to let the nature of her death overshadow her life.
"Please don't remember her as the murdered Swedish journalist who died in a grisly horror straight out of a crime drama," Ms Codrea-Rado said on Twitter.
"Remember her work." | It is a "black irony" that Kim Wall - the journalist whose remains have been found off Denmark - should have met her end while working in such a familiar and seemingly safe area, say friends and family. | 41022925 |
The 26-year-old Australian joined in November from rivals Hull KR and has scored nine tries in eight games.
Kelly was granted compassionate leave by Hull earlier in April but scored in their win at Leigh on Monday.
"I want us to be competitive and to be challenging for all three pieces of silverware on offer," he said.
He continued: "It was a no-brainer to extend my contract here. I like to think that I've been playing well recently and I'm in a happy place." | Hull FC half-back Albert Kelly has extended his deal until the end of next season after the Super League side activated a clause in his contract. | 39648557 |
The company's half-year results revealed a £100m loss, compared with a £45m profit a year earlier, which it blamed on "changing market conditions".
It has put its healthcare unit "under strategic review" and is withdrawing from the home healthcare market.
Shares in Mitie plunged 13% in early trade.
The £100m loss was mainly due to Mitie writing down the value of its home healthcare business.
The company said the board had changed its long-term view of the market but added that its healthcare businesses "would continue to fulfil all obligations".
Chief executive Ruby McGregor-Smith said: "The first half of this year has been difficult.
"Second half performance is expected to improve with our new operating model as we adapt to market conditions."
But the company warned: "Due to ongoing market uncertainties, underlying earnings for [the full year] are expected to be below management's previous expectations."
It said that changing market conditions had led to "rising labour costs and economic uncertainty".
In more positive news, Mitie, which holds big contracts with the Ministry of Justice and Home Office, said it had won £170m-worth of new contracts with companies such as Manchester Airports Group, Network Rail, and the Scottish Police Authority.
After a decade as chief executive, Ms McGregor-Smith steps down next month to be replaced by former British Gas boss Phil Bentley. | Outsourcing firm Mitie has issued another profit warning as it faces fresh hits from economic uncertainty and rising staff costs. | 38048893 |
Health Secretary Vaughan Gething said the Specialist and Critical Care Centre near Cwmbran should open in 2022.
First proposed in 2004, the plans were put on hold in 2009 before being put back on the agenda a year later.
The new hospital, to be built at Llanfrechfa Grange, is part of a plan to modernise health services run by the Aneurin Bevan health board.
Mr Gething said the project had "strong support" locally and was a "positive step" in the drive to improve health care.
"I am confident that bringing together complex and more acute services on one hospital site will allow the local health board to secure a range of benefits which will improve the quality of care for patients," he said.
Existing acute services at the Royal Gwent and St Woolos hospitals in Newport, and Nevill Hall Hospital, Abergavenny, are likely to see changes when the new hospital opens, the Welsh Government said.
The new centre would also be expected to play a strong regional role, working with major hospitals run by neighbouring health boards in south Wales.
Tina Donnelly, director of the Royal College of Nursing in Wales, said the union was "pleased to see action has started to make this a reality".
"We look forward to seeing this new hospital benefit patients throughout south Wales whilst also relieving pressure from surrounding NHS services," she added.
The confirmation that this hospital will be built has been a long time coming.
It has been on the drawing board for so long, some feared it would never see the light of day.
But the hospital is a key part of plans to re-design how NHS services are delivered across south Wales.
So some more specialised services will be centralised in the new hospital, which will mean shifting them from two existing district general hospitals - the Royal Gwent and Nevill Hall.
The argument is that if specialist services such as A&E or children's care are spread too thinly, they are less safe.
It is also arguably easier to recruit doctors and fill rotas when these services are centralised on one site.
Similar arguments are being made in other parts of Wales but it is harder to convince people it is a good idea when there is no prospect of a brand new hospital being built. | Plans for a new £350m hospital in south Wales have been given the go-ahead, 12 years after it was first proposed. | 37822559 |
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And Football Association chief executive Martin Glenn said it is now "imperative" to find out why England are "brittle" at tournaments.
Hodgson, who resigned after Monday's game, repeatedly questioned why he had to attend a news conference on Tuesday.
But he said: "One particularly bad game has caused a lot of damage to me personally and the team going forward."
Hodgson, 68, added: "We have a major bridge to repair - had we played better last night that might not need repairing."
England won just one of their four games at the tournament in France, qualifying second from their group behind Wales to reach the last 16, where they suffered the humiliating defeat by a nation with a population of just 330,000.
Hodgson said there were no "magic answers" to explain England's performance at the European Championship, where they also drew with Russia and Slovakia and beat Wales with a last-minute winner.
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Glenn did not rule out appointing a foreign manager as Hodgson's successor, adding: "We are looking for the best person, not necessarily the best Englishman."
But he said the key thing to address was England's regular failure, which has seen them reach only three semi-finals at a major tournament since they won the 1966 World Cup as hosts.
"We need to punch our weight in tournaments in a way that we have not done in 50 years," added Glenn.
"When we get to the business end of a tournament, England seem brittle and we need to understand why that is."
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Hodgson read a statement to announce his resignation after the Iceland game which he felt was "sufficient" - and four times during Tuesday's news conference he said he should not need to face the media again.
"I am still a little bit unsure what I'm doing here," said the former Fulham, West Brom and Liverpool boss. " I suppose someone has to stand and take the slings and arrows."
When BBC sports editor Dan Roan suggested Hodgson had been forced to attend, Hodgson replied: "I wasn't forced to come. I was anxious to make certain no-one in this room can say I was worried to face the media."
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Hodgson faced heavy criticism following the goalless draw against Slovakia for making six changes to the side that had beaten Wales, despite knowing a victory would mean England topped the group.
He was also criticised for the tactic of having Tottenham striker Harry Kane take corners during the tournament and starting Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling against Iceland.
During Tuesday's news conference, England captain Wayne Rooney released a statement saying reports the players had lost faith in Hodgson are "completely untrue".
When asked about the reports, Hodgson added: "If it was true, they disguised it very well from the players and coaching staff."
Glenn described the dressing room as a scene of "devastation and personal grief" after the defeat at the Allianz Riviera in Nice.
He added: "Let's scotch that one - it's not about a lack of passion amongst our players."
England scored only four goals in four matches at Euro 2016 and Hodgson felt his side were not "ruthless" enough in France.
He said: "We did not play well last night and I take full responsibility for that.
"We showed signs of good football in the first three games, which gave us confidence, but last night we didn't reproduce.
"I'm disappointed. I didn't see it coming. I had no indication that we were going to play that badly."
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He added: "I'm sure those players will live up to expectations and one day I'm sure we'll see England do well in a tournament - I'm hoping in 2018 [at the World Cup in Russia].
"They have shown they are worthy of wearing an England shirt and they have shown myself and my coaches that in this tournament."
Glenn will be fronting a three-man panel to decide the next England manager, with FA technical director Dan Ashworth and board member and ex-Manchester United chief executive David Gill.
They will be canvassing opinion from current and former managers, players and clubs.
Glenn told BBC Radio 5 live that a new manager could be in place for England's World Cup qualifier against Slovakia on 4 September - but did not rule out an interim manager being appointed.
And on England's ability to recover from the disappointment of Euro 2016, he added: "It's a dark day but I'm an innate optimist.
"If you go back 10 years and [Arsenal manager] Arsene Wenger saying he wasn't seeing the technical quality coming through at age 10 - that's not true any more.
"This team cared. How to prepare them to make them more resilient when it comes to those pressure-cooker games is the job we've got to do going forward."
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Hodgson won 33 of his 56 games as England boss after being appointed in 2012, succeeding Italian Fabio Capello.
England reached the quarter-finals of Euro 2012 - losing to Italy on penalties - before a dismal showing at the 2014 World Cup, where they exited at the group stages without winning a game.
Glenn added: "I want to thank Roy. The set-up now is much stronger than the one he inherited. Iceland is not your legacy or epitaph, we have much to be grateful for."
Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox. | Roy Hodgson says England's 2-1 loss to Iceland and exit from Euro 2016 will cause longer-term "damage" to the team. | 36655319 |
The Committee on Climate Change provides expert, independent advice to the Scottish government.
Its latest publication has recommended emissions reductions of just over 60% by 2030.
The Scottish government said it recognised the need to maintain its "high ambition approach".
Scotland's emissions targets are calculated using 1990 as a baseline.
The committee's latest advice is based on evidence taken from government, industry, NGOs and other key stakeholders. It also held public hearings and has carried out its own analysis.
The report said Scotland has "made good progress in reducing its emissions to date".
In 2013, emissions had fallen by 38% on 1990 levels and were on track to exceed the target of 42% by 2020 set out in the Climate Change (Scotland) Act.
The committee said its recommended emissions targets for 2028-2032 continued along that "ambitious trajectory", putting Scotland on track for a reduction of at least 80% in 2050.
However it said they were "stretching objectives" which would need "strong action" including:
Lord Deben, chairman of the Committee on Climate Change, said: "Scotland is leading the UK in its ambitious approach to tackling climate change and is to be commended for doing so.
"There is a lot of positive action already under way in Scotland, driven by both its vibrant renewable sector and its bold policy approaches. This must now be accelerated.
"New policies will be required to meet these ambitious but achievable carbon objectives. With these actions Scotland can continue as an example to the rest of the UK in its approach to address climate change."
The Scottish government's plan to cut air passenger duty has already led to criticism from climate campaigners.
They have pointed out that Scotland's interim climate change targets have repeatedly been missed.
Commenting on the latest report from the committee, the Scottish government's Climate Change Minister Aileen McLeod said: "We are on track to exceed our 2020 target for a 42% reduction from baseline levels in greenhouse gas emissions and have outperformed the UK as a whole in every year since 2010. Out of the Western European EU-15 countries, only Sweden has achieved greater reductions to date.
"In their advice, the committee recognise Scotland's high ambition and progress to date. I am particularly pleased that the Committee has acknowledged that Scotland would have met all of its fixed annual targets to date, had it not been for technical improvements to the way we account for greenhouse gas emissions.
"The committee's current advice on how best to maintain our high ambition approach will be taken into account when Scotland's next batch of targets are set in October."
Meanwhile, a member of the the UK Committee on Climate Change, Professor Jim Skea, told BBC Scotland any cut to air passenger duty would "inevitably" increase emissions and result in additional cuts in other sectors.
He explained: "I'm afraid we do not know yet what the exact impact would be on Scotland's emissions but it's fair to say that inevitably emissions will increase because of the air passenger duty change.
"The committee will be coming back in September to do a report to the Scottish Government and I'm sure that's a topic we will look at in some detail." | Scotland must accelerate efforts to reduce carbon emissions if it is to remain an example to the rest of the UK, according to a new report. | 35808514 |
The Great Parchment Book of The Honourable The Irish Society has been likened to the Domesday Book, a great land survey of England from 1086.
It will be honoured at Unesco's UK Memory of the World awards in Cardiff later.
The event marks heritage collections of 'outstanding significance to the UK'.
The Honourable The Irish Society was first created in 1613 to undertake the Plantation in the north-west of Ulster.
It has since evolved into a self funding, cross-community charitable organisation to work for the benefit of the community in County Londonderry.
Described by 'The Great Parchment Book project' as the "Domesday of the Ulster Plantation", it was compiled in 1639 and documents a significant period in the history of Ireland.
It is a major survey of all the estates in Derry managed by the City of London Corporation, through the Irish Society and City of London livery companies.
The Plantation of Ulster began in the 17th century when English and Scottish Protestants settled on land confiscated from the Gaelic Irish.
At the time, Ireland was a patchwork of independent kingdoms each ruled by a chieftain and bound by a common set of legal, social and religious traditions.
King James I believed that colonising Ulster would quell rebellion and win over the 'rude and barbarous Irish' to 'civility' and Protestantism.
The Great Parchment Book is significant because it contains key data about landholding and population, not only for the English and Scottish settlers, but also for the native Irish, and women, at all social levels.
The manuscript originally consisted of 165 separate parchment pages, all of which suffered damage at the Guildhall in the City of London fire in 1786.
The uneven shrinkage and distortion caused by the fire rendered much of the text illegible.
It left The Great Parchment Book completely unavailable to researchers for over 200 years.
However, the manuscript remained part of the City of London's collections held at London Metropolitan Archives.
It was successfully reconstructed as a result of a cutting-edge digital imaging project which began in 2010.
During his visit to the United Kingdom in 2014, Michael D Higgins, the President of Ireland, viewed a display of folios from the Great Parchment Book at a State Banquet in his honour at Londonderry's Guildhall.
Edward Montgomery, Secretary of The Honourable The Irish Society, said they were proud to play a pivotal role in bringing the manuscript 'back to life'.
"The book is such a marvellous testament to history and provides a fantastic account from 1639 of the City of London's role in the Plantation of Ulster and its administration.
"It is a wonderful tool for anyone interested in their ancestral history within Ulster and an excellent teaching aid for those exploring early modern Ireland," he said.
In 2013, Peter Robinson, the former First Minister of Northern Ireland, wrote that the Great Parchment Book was "a veritable treasure trove of information". | A book containing an important record of the early 17th century population of Ulster is to be given special status by Unesco. | 36573613 |
Evans, on Cooley Rorkes Drift, shed tears of joy after a routine that incurred 37.2 penalties.
Australian Christopher Burton, with Graf Liberty, leads on 32.9, with German Ingrid Klimke on 37.2 on board Horseware Hale Bob.
No British riders came close to breaking into the top 10.
Alexander Bragg and Tom McEwen lie in equal 18th going into Saturday's cross-country.
Reigning Olympic champion, world number one and Badminton title holder Michael Jung, meanwhile, lies ninth on La Bioesthetique Sam, seven penalties adrift of Burton. Day one leader Thibaut Vallette of France is seventh.
But Evans was the story of the day, and the 45-year-old called Cooley Rorkes Drift "the horse of a lifetime".
Find out how to get into equestrian with our special guide.
No Irish rider has won at Badminton since Major Eddie Boylan triumphed on Durlas Eile in 1965.
"This is very special, and I can't believe it," said Evans.
"You try not to look at the scoreboard, but when I halted at the end of the test and got some nines among the marks, I thought, 'oh, my God'.
"It hasn't sunk in, and it won't sink in. If I am still in this position on Sunday night, it will mean a huge amount."
Badminton standings after the dressage
1. Christopher Burton (Aus) (Graf Liberty) 32.9pens
2. Ingrid Klimke (Ger) (Horseware Hale Bob Old) 36.4
3. Jonty Evans (Ire) (Cooley Rorkes Drift) 37.2
4. Karin Donckers (Bel) (Fletcha Van T'Verahof) 37.3
5. Lauren Kieffer (USA) (Veronica) 38.0
5. Andrew Nicholson (NZ) (Nereo) 38.0
7. Thibaut Vallette (Fra) (Qing Du Briot Ene HN) 38.7
8. Bettina Hoy (Ger) (Designer 10) 39.2
9. Michael Jung (Ger) (La Biosthetique Sam FBW) 40.0
10. Astier Nicolas (Fra) (Piaf De B'Neville) 41.5 | Jonty Evans raised hopes of a first Irish winner of the Badminton Hose Trials in 52 years after ending the dressage in third place. | 39826260 |
The US-led coalition against IS, he insisted, is not losing to the jihadists. But the awkward truth is, the coalition is certainly not winning.
Every day that IS continues to even exist on the ground, every day that it carries out its harsh rule on a cowed population, and every day that it grows closer to becoming an entrenched, functioning, if albeit pariah state, is a mark of failure by some of the world's richest and most powerful armed forces ranged against it.
"I think the coalition strategy against IS was kind of non-existent," says Charlie Winter, a research analyst with the London-based counter extremism think-tank Quilliam.
"From the beginning it was dropping bombs against Islamic State positions, hoping to try and kill a few leaders, take out some artillery positions, that sort of thing.
"But besides that, it has resoundingly failed. Ramadi has just been taken, Palmyra has just been taken, Deir al-Zour airport is about to fall," Mr Winter says.
So, why is the strategy not working?
To be fair, the coalition strategy has not been an abject failure.
Over the last 11 months it has had some notable successes, including saving the Kurdish cities of both Kobane and Irbil from being overrun by IS.
The jihadists threw wave after wave of fighters at Kobane - but repeated and intensive coalition air strikes, coupled with a spirited defence by Kurdish fighters, drove them back.
Air strikes also drove IS fighters off the Mosul and Haditha dams where it was feared they could have set off explosions triggering deadly floods.
A US-led humanitarian rescue programme saved thousands of displaced Kurdish and Yazidi families from death and starvation in the far north of Iraq as IS overran their villages.
And there have been a few precision-guided surgical strikes that have killed operational commanders, plus the recent Delta Force raid into Syria that killed the man who ran IS oil revenues.
But for IS, these are manageable losses, irritating but not life-threatening to their cause. Their march across much of the Middle East continues.
The biggest setback to IS was not even a part of coalition strategy, it was the result of a joint Iraqi-Iranian deal.
The Iraqi government's recapture from IS of the Sunni town of Tikrit was achieved largely with the help of Shia Iraqi militias, trained, armed and funded by the Iranians.
US air strikes were only called in at the last moment as Iraqi government forces took over from the militias.
On paper, the US-led coalition against IS boasts an impressive list of countries all lined up to help push this nightmare genie back into its bottle.
But their interests are not necessarily the same.
"The problem is the diverging interests and strategies of the IS opponents," says the Saudi analyst and expert on IS, Aimen Deen.
"The US, the EU, the GCC, Turkey and the Iranian axis (Iran, Assad, Baghdad and Hezbollah) as well as the rest of the Syrian opposition are fighting an unco-ordinated campaign against IS."
From a coalition operations room in the Gulf, targets are identified, missions are drawn up, and aircraft from a range of European and Arab countries take part in precision-guided air strikes.
But there is only so much that can be achieved from the air.
IS fighters have learned to avoid exposing their forces and equipment in easily targeted columns that can be struck in open country, preferring instead to embed themselves wherever they can in populated areas amongst civilians.
The problem is that ultimately this is a campaign that can only be decided on the ground, and there is no universally acceptable force that can take that job on.
In Syria, IS has now overshadowed all other rebel groups and their only real enemy is the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, with its well-documented list of atrocities that include dropping barrel bombs filled with chlorine.
In both Syria and Iraq the poorly-armed Kurds have fought back tenaciously to defend their homeland from the advance of IS, helped by US air power.
But they don't do expeditionary warfare and have no appetite for going off to fight outside their area.
The US military, having lost 4,491 servicemen and women in its eight-year occupation of Iraq, is very reluctant to get drawn back into combat operations there.
It does have around 2,000 trainers, advisers, planners and others in the country, but its efforts to rebuild the Iraqi army into a capable fighting force have so far failed.
The Sunni tribal militias, who were recruited so successfully in 2007 to expel al-Qaeda from their land have since grown disillusioned with the Shia-led government in Baghdad.
Many are unsure which is their greatest threat: the Sunni fanatics of IS or the Shia fanatics amongst the various militias deployed to fight IS.
As of May 2015 the only units capable of taking on IS on the battlefield are trained Shia fighters backed by Iran. That includes Hizbollah units sent from Lebanon and Iraqi Shia directed by Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps advisers.
Neither will be popular in Sunni areas.
Against this backdrop, official US optimism about the direction of the campaign is unlikely to be matched by reality on the ground.
In the short term at least, the prognosis for that part of the Middle East is dire.
"The capture of Palmyra will not be the last setback for the anti†| As the jihadist fighters of Islamic State push ever further across Syria and Iraq, taking cities, airbases, prisons and border posts, US President Barack Obama has dismissed their gains as "a tactical setback". | 32846852 |
Just like five years ago, Greece is on the brink of default. But 2015 is very different from 2010 in one important respect: other eurozone countries and the IMF are signalling they won't be panicked into rushing through another bailout.
If hints from the German finance minister, Wolfgang Schaeuble, and more explicit remarks from EU officials are any guide, Greece will be left to flounder, which means that there is a high probability that - at some point between May and July - the Greek government will fail to make repayments on the billions that fall due for repayment to the IMF, and/or the European Central Bank and/or private-sector providers of short term debts.
For what it's worth, the IMF is owed €200m (£144m) on 1 May and €760m on 12 May, while the ECB is due €6.7bn in June and July.
Now this does not necessarily mean Greece would leave the euro at the point that it misses a debt payment.
The government could follow the example of Cyprus and impose restrictions on the export of capital from the country, to conserve as much cash as possible in a banking system too close to collapse for comfort.
And it could create its own IOUs, a sort of parallel domestic currency interchangeable with euros, to pay its employees and trade creditors.
In these dire circumstances, it would not really be part of a proper monetary union, it wouldn't be a full member of the eurozone. But it would still have the euro as legal tender.
This would be a pretty ghastly scenario for the Greek people - who would struggle for a period to obtain the things they need from abroad. And it the economy is limping along now, it would contract sharply for a period, as businesses and banks went kaput.
But strikingly the German government is putting it about that financial contagion to the rest of the eurozone would be limited.
Which may be hopeful, wishful thinking or naive.
It is certainly true that the eurozone and IMF can afford the likely losses on Greece's debts.
But that is not really the point. A Greek default would signal in the starkest way that European Monetary Union is about national convenience, not a political project to integrate the governance and balance sheets of members.
As such a Greek departure risks creating an economic schism between the rich north of Germany, the Netherlands, Austria and Finland, and the poorer south and east - with France in an uneasy no-man's land.
Capital would gravitate to the north. Funding costs for businesses and households would be permanently lower there. And the rich north would get richer and richer relative to the stagnating south and volatile east.
If that were to foster resentment on either side of the Alpine divide, it would not be a benign outcome.
As for us, the Greek drama represents unwelcome instability as we choose our next leaders.
But for the avoidance of doubt, the short-term risks to our prosperity are much lower than they were five years ago - whereas the long term risks, of a Europe permanently failing to pull together to create the conditions for sustainable growth and prosperity, may be greater. | There is something a bit too deja-vu-ish about this election campaign, especially the tragic Greek economic backdrop. | 32335756 |
Maxwell's protest at the awarding of a penalty, which cost victory at home to Sheffield United, led to him being hit by an "object" thrown from the crowd.
Maxwell was left with a similar facial injury to the one suffered by West Bromwich Albion's Chris Brunt.
"The response from the referee was that it was his own fault," said Pressley.
"It was not just heard by Chris Maxwell. It was heard by another witness, another of our players. We will make sure that we report that type of comment to the appropriate governing body, as it is completely unacceptable within the game.
"Chris was hit with an object. It was a bit like the Chris Brunt incident. It could quite easily have taken his eye out.
"The one thing we can't accept is a comment like that from an official.
"Regardless of Chris Maxwell's actions, nothing can condone what then occurred. That type of comment is totally unacceptable."
Boyeson was officiating at the Highbury Stadium as a late replacement for the originally appointed senior match official Richard Clark.
BBC Sport has contacted the Football League but is yet to receive a reply.
West Bromwich Albion's Chris Brunt was recently struck by a coin thrown by one of the Baggies' own following after the FA Cup fifth-round exit at Reading. He had gone to the away fans' section to give his shirt to a fan. Police made an arrest.
On the same weekend, Chelsea said they would impose life bans on supporters who threw coins at Manchester City players.
The Football Association is also investigating alleged coin-throwing incidents on the same day at Stoke and QPR.
An object was allegedly thrown at Stoke City goalkeeper Jack Butland during his side's 2-1 victory over Aston Villa, while QPR players were apparently targeted as they celebrated a goal in their 2-0 Championship win over Birmingham City.
Police made three arrests at Loftus Road, one for racially aggravated assault on a police officer, one for entering the pitch and one for a public order offence. All three men arrested have been bailed pending further enquiries. | Fleetwood manager Steven Pressley is upset after his keeper Chris Maxwell was blamed by referee Carl Boyeson for inciting an "object" to be thrown. | 35737956 |
Secretary of State Theresa Villiers joined the first and deputy first minister in a tribute at Stormont.
The Lord Mayor of Belfast, Arder Carson, marked the silence at Belfast City Hall with Honorary French Consulate, Regine McCullough.
The Europe-wide, one-minute silence, was held at 11:00 GMT on Monday.
It was also observed at military bases across Northern Ireland as a mark of respect for the dead and injured.
A book of condolence was opened at Belfast City Hall on Monday, while another was opened at the Guildhall in Londonderry on Saturday.
Sinn Féin assembly member Máirtín Ó Muilleoir said he had received an running commentary on Friday night from his daughter who lives in Paris.
"My daughter was down the street from the Petit Cambodge, the first restaurant attacked," he said.
"I want to thank those who gave her group shelter that night close to the restaurant.
"In the hours since that, she has been able to tell me about the atmosphere in Paris, how frightened people are, but also how resolute they are.
"And today I know that in her boyfriend's circle, one young man was killed in the Bataclan concert hall and in her place of work one friend there has a close friend still missing."
PSNI chief constable George Hamilton said security at Northern Ireland's air and sea ports had been "hardened up" following the attacks in Paris.
First Minister Peter Robinson described the attacks as "an evil bloodbath".
"This was an attack upon innocent, defenceless, harmless citizens," he said.
Passengers flying into Belfast International Airport from Paris have described the fear in the city during Friday night's attacks.
The president of Ireland, Michael D Higgins, signed a book of condolences at at the French Embassy in Dublin after attending the tribute.
A crowd, which was gathered outside the embassy on Merrion Square, sang the French national anthem before breaking out in applause after the minutes silence.
One hundred and twenty-nine people were killed in a series of shootings and bombings in the French capital.
One Northern Ireland man who had travelled over for Ulster's Champion's Cup rugby game against Oyonnax - which was postponed - said it had been "quite scary".
"The Thursday night before we were sitting round the same area in a bar, so it's very, very easy thing to do," he said on Sunday night.
"It can happen to anybody."
Latest updates on the Paris attacks
What we know about the Paris attacks
Another man said he had been on a shuttle bus outside the Stade de France "probably between the second and the third bomb".
"We had no idea that that was all kind of kicking off," he said.
A woman said there was "a sort of eeriness" in the city after the attacks, and that she and her husband had been told to stay indoors for at least 12 hours.
"Our taxi driver, she cried the whole way round. She passed the three restaurants that had been hit. I think when she saw the blood it frightened her and then she saw the bullet holes," the woman said.
Meanwhile, Paris resident Tom McGeehan, who is originally from County Down, said he would not be leaving the city.
One of Mr McGeehan's friends was wounded on Friday night: "I tried my best to stay with the close friends and the people who were affected to try and keep a bit of optimism.
"I think especially coming from a background of Belfast that we have unfortunately kind of grown accustomed to dealing with extreme violence.
"This isn't enough to make me leave it's just enough to make me really cherish the people that I know here."
Coleraine man John Lynn travelled to Disneyland Paris on Friday night with his wife and children, aged five and two. However, the park has been closed since the attacks.
"How do you explain it to kids? I just basically said there was a pile of bad guys and something had happened in Paris and that's why Disneyland was closed," he said.
"Looking at the hotel car park, there's very few cars about it - I've noticed that there's a lot of British people and Irish people left that are stuck here till their flights go home. But there's probably very few other French people coming here - any that were here have checked out, so it has got a lot quieter.
"Yesterday there wasn't a lot to do and we thought we'd maybe go into Paris, but they [the hotel staff] basically said no, don't, everything is closed.
"At the railway station that comes into the Disney village there were three armed soldiers there on Saturday morning, but it was pretty low-key, it's not like there were soldiers walking about Disneyland."
Former Belfast priest Fr Aidan Troy, who now lives in Paris, said people in the city were offering to do what they could in the wake of the attacks.
He said: "I saw the lines of blood donors who are going to the hospitals and saying: 'You are short of blood, can we give blood?'
"Tourists are going and doing it.
"There has been a tremendous outpouring, almost like saying: 'Evil will not win, good is going to come out on top.'"
Belfast City Hall and other local government buildings in Northern Ireland were lit in the colours of the French national flag on Saturday evening in an act of "solidarity" with the French people.
Some Belfast-based French nationals said they were "scared" to go back to Paris after the terror attacks. | A minute's silence has been marked across Northern Ireland in honour of victims of the Paris attacks. | 34830008 |
The "Chillwell Road" sign appeared on Chilwell Road on Wednesday as workers put the final touches to the extensively delayed project.
The £570m tram extension to Chilwell and Clifton began in March 2013 and was supposed to open in December.
Nottingham Express Transport (NET) called the sign "a genuine error".
Greg Genders, who owns Crossplay Music on Chilwell Road, said: "I'm not really sure how they've made that mistake after all this time. Ridiculous."
Karen Lang-Norris, landlady at the nearby Hop Pole pub, said: "I couldn't believe it when I saw it. What a waste of money after all this time.
"Tram staff have been walking up and down this road for months, it's ridiculous."
Rachel Griffiths said: "The businesses on this road have had a lot of difficulties keeping going and residents have had a lot of difficulties managing the traffic.
"Things have been going wrong every day so it is just another thing that undermines people's ability to be positive about the tram.
"It is a little thing that won't take much to fix but it is something that could have been easily checked."
An NET spokesman said "a genuine error" had been made and the sign would be replaced "as soon as possible".
He said the opening of the line was "imminent" but a fixed date could not be given. | A misspelt sign at a stop on the extension to Nottingham's tram network has been labelled "ridiculous" by residents and businesses. | 33633552 |
The collision involved the two pedestrians and a lorry on the A96.
The crash happened around 15:30 on the town's Academy Street, which forms part of the main A96 road.
The incident happened near the pedestrian crossing and the road was closed for several hours, with local diversions in place.
The injured woman is being treated in Raigmore Hospital in Inverness, while the driver of the lorry was unhurt.
Police, along with fire appliances from Nairn and Inverness and ambulance crews, were sent to the scene. | An elderly woman has died and another elderly woman has been seriously injured in a crash in Nairn town centre. | 34671704 |
Here, we take a look at some of the most interesting stats from the weekend.
There's certainly been a resurgence since Paul Clement took over as Swansea boss at the turn of the year, but momentum was dampened at Hull on Saturday.
The Welsh club have climbed from bottom of the table to 16th under Clement, but missed the chance to steer further towards safety in a 2-1 defeat by fellow strugglers Hull, who now trail the Swans by just three points.
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And that's not the worst of it. Both of Hull's goals were scored by Oumar Niasse, whose second was the 61st Swansea have conceded this season.
No team has ever stayed up after conceding over 60 goals at this stage of a league campaign - 28 games - so there is plenty of work to do for Clement and co. Will they break the curse? Next week's trip to Bournemouth will be crucial.
When your side goes 1-0 up only to lose after conceding twice from the opposition's three shots on target, Burnley boss Sean Dyche is right to call it "a tough one to take".
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said it was the first time his team had won "playing ugly", and the Clarets' performance at Anfield on Sunday certainly deserved more than a 2-1 defeat.
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Instead of luxuriating after finally securing a first away win of the season, Dyche and company were left scratching their heads over what more they can do to win on the road.
With only two points from a possible 42 at opposition grounds this term, Burnley have just five games left to avoid becoming the worst away side in Premier League history.
Derby County, who sacked manager Steve McClaren for a second time in less than two years on Sunday, are the current record-holders with three points away during the 2007-08 season.
Burnley's final five matches away in the league are against Sunderland, Middlesbrough, Everton, Crystal Palace and Bournemouth.
Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka loves a yellow card, not to mention the two reds he's already seen this season, but where does he rank amongst the Premier League's most committed tough tacklers?
As bad as Robbie Savage? Worse than Lee Cattermole? Could he maybe even reach Gareth Barry levels of ill-discipline?
Xhaka's booking in Arsenal's 5-0 victory over Lincoln City in Saturday's FA Cup quarter-final was his eighth in 32 matches in all competitions since joining from Borussia Monchengladbach last summer.
He has three in the Premier League, three in the Champions League, and the one on Saturday was his second in the FA Cup.
Three yellow cards from 20 league games is a promising start towards overhauling the player with the most in Premier League history, Everton midfielder Barry.
The 36-year-old has amassed 116 yellows from 621 appearances in England's top flight, so clearly Xhaka, 24, has a long way to go.
But if he were to carry on collecting at his current rate, he would have 93 yellows from the same number of games.
That would put Switzerland international Xhaka above Savage and Cattermole, but just below Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney - and who knows how many he may yet end up with?
Barcelona fans caused a 'minor earthquake' when celebrating their incredible Champions League turnaround at home to Paris St-Germain on Wednesday, but that must feel like a world away after Sunday's 2-1 loss at Deportivo La Coruna.
It was a defeat that should never have happened - because ex-Liverpool striker Luis Suarez scored.
In the previous 72 matches when the Uruguayan has bagged for Barca, they had never lost - winning 67 times and drawing five.
Impressive, yes, but it's no patch on what Ian Rush had going on at Liverpool in the 1980s. Over seven years and 145 matches, the Reds would not lose when Rushie found the net.
Unfortunately for him and the Reds, the run finally came to an end in the 1987 League Cup final, when Arsenal came back from conceding first to win 2-1.
So who is the leading the way now in the English top flight? It's a third Liverpool man - James Milner.
Starting with his first strike for Leeds on Boxing Day 2002 when he was 16, Milner is on a run of 46 games in which he's scored and his team has not lost - a joint Premier League record he holds with retired ex-England forward Darius Vassell.
Joshua King became the first Bournemouth player to reach double figures in the top flight as he scored a hat-trick - including a 90th-minute winner - in Saturday's 3-2 victory over West Ham.
That brought him up to 11 for the season, and there should be a few more still to come from the first Norwegian to score a Premier League treble since John Carew for Aston Villa in 2008.
Cherries boss Eddie Howe will certainly be hoping his team will add to their first victory in 2017.
But who has achieved the same feat at the Premier League's other clubs? And which is the one club lagging behind? One player did it in the season he scored a whopping 30 goals...
West Ham fans, forget all about Dimitri Payet. He's gone. Michail Antonio is the one you want to keep hold of.
The 26-year-old winger scored his ninth league goal of the season in Saturday's 3-2 defeat by Bournemouth, his 17th since making his Premier League debut in September 2015.
That's more than any other Hammers player over the same period - only the injury-plagued Andy Carroll comes close, with 15 goals.
Next it's Manuel Lanzini with 11 goals, then Payet, level with captain Mark Noble on eight. | Swansea's worrying landmark of goals conceded, Burnley's progress towards a very unwelcome Premier League record, and a place for Granit Xhaka among the top flight's most punished. | 39244145 |
Camelford, Dartmouth, Hayle, St Ives and Tiverton had the worst cuts with Callington, Ilfracombe and Tavistock, also seeing reductions, since 2010.
Between 2010 and 2014, the force lost £51 million from budgets and around 500 officers.
Devon and Cornwall Police said officers were deployed "according to need".
But, the counties' police federation said the cuts had had a "big impact on rural policing" through the need to maintain emergency response levels.
Data released to the BBC under the Freedom of Information Act detailed the number of officers based at every police station in Devon and Cornwall from 2010 - 2014.
The figures show the number of officers based in Dartmouth fell from 16 to three, in Hayle from 19 to five, in Tiverton from 50 to 24 and in Camelford from seven to three.
But police stations like Plymouth Crownhill, Newquay and Truro saw smaller falls, or even rises in staff numbers.
Graham Sleep, from Camelford, who was a victim of shoplifting, said he did not see officers "on the beat any more".
"You feel much more confident with more police around," he added.
Nigel Rabbitts, chairman of the police federation in Devon and Cornwall, said: "Many police officers have been moved from neighbourhood beats to maintain the 999 emergency service in the face of cuts, and that's had a big impact on rural policing".
Devon and Cornwall Police said: "We take our responsibilities in respect of rural policing very seriously and we continue to deploy officers to stations and locations according to need, in both rural and urban areas."
A Home Office spokesman stressed: "Police reform is working and crime has been falling."
The number of officers based in police stations between December 2010 and December 2014
In rural stations:
For bigger centres: | Numbers of police officers based in rural police stations in Devon and Cornwall have been reduced by half or more, figures obtained by the BBC show. | 32324634 |
Secretary of State John Kerry said the resolution of the matter was "testament to the critical role diplomacy plays in keeping our country safe".
Republican presidential hopefuls had criticised the administration over its handling of the incident.
A deal on Iran's nuclear activities - which they also disparage - is said to be days away from implementation.
The sailors were detained on Tuesday when one of their two vessels broke down while training in the Gulf.
The incursion was "unintentional", a statement from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards quoted by state media said.
Iranian state media said the sailors were released into international waters after they apologised. But Vice-President Joe Biden denied this, saying the boat had had simply a problem and there was "nothing to apologise for".
The US is investigating how the sailors entered Iranian waters.
Thanking Iranian authorities for their "co-operation and quick response", Mr Kerry said: "These are always situations which have an ability if not properly guided to get out of control...
"This kind of issue was able to be peacefully resolved and officially resolved, and that is testament to the critical role diplomacy plays in keeping our country safe, secure, and strong," he added.
Iranian state broadcaster Irib News has published pictures of the sailors apparently being detained.
Later pictures published on the Revolutionary Guards' website showed the group sitting on a Persian rug, with the one female member wearing a headscarf.
The tentative and still largely potential softening of relations between Washington and Tehran in the wake of the nuclear deal seems to have passed a delicate initial test.
The Tehran authorities have quickly accepted that the US patrol boats strayed into their waters by accident.
The process to begin lifting the sanctions imposed on Iran due to its nuclear activities is expected to get under way at the end of this week.
There are many conservatives and hardliners in both countries who would dearly love to sabotage the deal. Consequently both governments may well have been eager to get this episode resolved as quickly as possible.
Clearly the economic benefits of lifting the sanctions may have been too great an inducement for the agreement to be derailed now.
Mr Kerry called Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif shortly after the incident. The pair developed a personal rapport during the nuclear talks.
Those detained - nine men and one woman - were taken to Farsi Island, in the middle of the Gulf, where Iran has a naval base.
Conservatives in both countries have opposed the nuclear deal, under which Iran will limit its nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of sanctions.
In the US, Republican presidential candidates were among those expressing outrage at the sailors' detention.
"Iran is testing the boundaries of this administration's resolve," said Marco Rubio.
"[Barack] Obama's humiliatingly weak Iran policy is exposed again," Jeb Bush said in a tweet before the sailors were released.
Donald Trump said Iran was "toying" with the US.
Iran's deputy nuclear chief has meanwhile denied a report the Arak heavy-water reactor had been decommissioned, which would be a final step towards implementation of the nuclear deal.
Iranian state media's coverage of the incident has been studiously restrained and measured in tone.
The usual pejorative terms usually reserved for the US and other Western powers - such as "global arrogance" and "enemies" - have been conspicuous by their absence.
State TV and radio reports did highlight that the US incursion had been "illegal" and that Tehran wanted an apology, later reporting that it had got it.
The mood music was far less tense and confrontational than during the capture of British sailors in in 2007, with Iran insisting they strayed into its water - an accusation London denied.
Then, the Iranian media initially accused the UK servicemen of spying, and later mockingly reported that one of them had cried when his music player was confiscated.
Read the full media report
What is it? In July, Iran agreed a landmark nuclear deal with six world powers to limit its sensitive nuclear activities for more than a decade in return for the lifting of crippling sanctions. The US is confident the agreement will prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Iran says it has the right to nuclear energy - and stresses that its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes only.
When is 'implementation day'? Iran will not see the UN, US and EU sanctions lifted until the global nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), certifies that it has fulfilled its commitments under the deal. Iran reportedly says the IAEA will do so this Friday. US Secretary of State John Kerry says implementation will take place "within coming days".
What does Iran stand to gain? The sanctions have cost Iran more than more than $160bn (£102bn) in oil revenue since 2012 alone. Once they are lifted, the country will be able to resume selling oil on international markets and using the global financial system for trade. Iran has the fourth largest oil reserves in the world and the energy industry is braced for lower prices. Iran will also be able to access more than $100bn in assets frozen overseas. | The US has thanked Iran for the swift release of 10 US sailors held for entering its territorial waters. | 35300019 |
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