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Media playback is not supported on this device The flyweight, 34, said she was determined to change people's perception of her sport. Adams told BBC Sport she had already changed promoter Frank Warren's mind. "He said seeing me compete in the Games, he wanted to sign me as a professional," she said. "Hopefully I can change more people's minds." Adams was interviewed on ITV's Good Morning Britain on Wednesday. Beforehand, presenter Piers Morgan tweeted he did not like watching women punch each other. Speaking to the BBC later, Adams said: "I don't mind if you don't watch it. I don't mind if you don't like it, just as long as you don't stop the women and girls who want to compete in boxing from achieving their goals and their dreams and becoming Olympic champions like me. "I've grown up alongside this my whole life during my career in boxing but it's sometimes nice to be able to change someone's perception about women's boxing." Adams is aiming to secure a world title fight in 2018 after making her professional debut in Manchester on 8 April.
Two-time Olympic champion Nicola Adams says she does not mind objections to women boxing - as long as they are allowed to achieve their dreams.
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Full-back Bolton, 22, leaves the Shaymen less than a week after winning the FA Trophy at Wembley, and is reunited with former boss Neil Aspin. The England C international call-up, who can play right or centre-back, spent two full seasons at the Shay. "I think he is good enough to play in the Football League," Aspin said. "Hopefully we can make that happen at Gateshead. He has all the right attributes. He is tall, he is mobile and he has room to develop further. And I feel he will do that."
Gateshead have signed defender James Bolton on a three-year deal after his stint with FC Halifax Town finished at the end of the season.
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Mr Abadi had previously been nominated prime minister by Shia parties, instead of the incumbent Nouri Maliki. But Mr Maliki said Mr Abadi's nomination was a "violation of the constitution". Mr Maliki has made it clear he wants a third term in office. US President Barack Obama is due to give a statement on the issue at 2045 GMT. Meanwhile the jihadist insurgency in the north of Iraq continues to cause international concern. Fighters from the Islamic State (IS) group have made substantial gains in northern Iraq in recent months, forcing tens of thousands of people from religious minorities to flee their homes. The US has begun supplying weapons to the Kurdish Peshmergas who are fighting the militants, senior US officials have told the Associated Press. Iraq's security forces are also supporting the Kurdish fighters, and have already delivered three plane-loads of ammunition, a US official told the BBC. In Baghdad, Iraqi President Fuad Masum said in a TV address that he hoped Mr Abadi would succeed in forming a government that would "protect the Iraqi people". "The country is now in your hands," Mr Masum told Mr Abadi, according to the French news agency AFP. Following his nomination, Mr Abadi called on Iraqis to unite in the fight against the IS militants. Analysts say the nomination and subsequent endorsement by the president of Mr Abadi is a public snub for Mr Maliki, whose State of Law coalition won the most seats in April's elections. Now he has lost support from some of his own Shias - with the Shia National Alliance reported to have given Mr Abadi 130 votes, compared with just 40 votes for Mr Maliki. Zuhair al-Naher, from the Dawa party to which both Mr Abadi and Mr Maliki belong, told the BBC that Mr Abadi was "much more pragmatic" than Mr Maliki, and had excellent relations with all political divides. But another Dawa party member, Khalaf Abdul-Samad, read a statement on state TV saying that Mr Abadi "only represents himself", as Mr Maliki and other supporters stood beside him. Mr Maliki has been prime minister since 2006, but even though his coalition won the elections in April, parliament has still not agreed to give him a third term. He has also lost the backing of the US. Mr Maliki's popularity has suffered from the growing Islamist insurgency in the north - and even before that his support from Sunnis and Kurds was dwindling. The White House said Vice-President Joe Biden called Mr Abadi to congratulate him on his nomination - and promised US support for the formation of a new government. "The prime minister-designate expressed his intent to move expeditiously to form a broad-based, inclusive government" capable of countering the threat of IS, a White House statement said. Mr Abadi's nomination was also welcomed outside Iraq. The presidents of France and Turkey called for him to form a government of national unity, while the UN urged Iraqi militias to keep out of politics. Although he has fought long and hard to hold on to his job as prime minister, it is hard to see how Nouri Maliki can continue to cling on. For the past four years, Mr Maliki has held the defence, interior and intelligence portfolios, building up a powerful network of personal patronage among the security forces, estimated at more than a million strong, as well as setting up elite units directly responsive to him alone. The question now is whether he will try to use the army and police forces to keep himself in power through an in situ coup, despite his lack of political support virtually across the board. His State of Law coalition came out ahead in the April elections, but far short of an outright majority. Having broadly alienated the Kurds and Sunnis, he now finds that even the Shia majority has concluded that he is not the man to weld the country together against the radical Islamist threat. The BBC's defence correspondent Jonathan Marcus says the arming of the Kurdish Peshmerga is a significant shift in US policy. Until now, Washington has been reluctant to arm the Peshmerga for fear of accelerating a Kurdish break-away from Iraq, our correspondent says. Washington has made clear that full-scale US support is contingent on new, more inclusive, governing arrangements in Baghdad. Reports are emerging in northern Iraq that Islamic State (IS) militants have captured the town of Jalawla, north-east of Baghdad, after weeks of clashes with Kurdish fighters. On Sunday, Kurdish forces said they had regained the towns of Gwer and Makhmur from the militants, helped by recent US air strikes in Nineveh province. The US has already launched four rounds of air strikes targeting the militants near Irbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan. In western Iraq, minority religious groups, such as the Yazidis, have been forced from their homes, prompting international aid drops. Witnesses told the BBC that thousands of refugees near Sinjar had escaped to safer areas. The US air strikes have been the first direct American involvement in a military operation in Iraq since the US withdrawal from the country in late 2011. US President Barack Obama authorised the strikes last week after members of the Yazidi sect were forced to flee Sinjar into the surrounding mountains.
Iraq's president has asked the deputy speaker of parliament, Haider al-Abadi, to form a new government.
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Credit card use for purchases in shops has been highlighted by the British Bankers' Association (BBA) as the key to rising borrowing on cards. There were 168 million purchases on credit cards in July - the first full month since the Brexit vote. This was higher than in June and the average of the previous six months. However, there was a drop in the number of mortgages approved for house purchases. "This month's statistics are the first set of borrowing figures gathered since the EU referendum. The data does not currently suggest borrowing patterns have been significantly affected by the Brexit vote, but it is still early days. Many borrowing decisions will also have been taken before the referendum," said Rebecca Harding, chief economist at the BBA. "We are also clearly still a nation of shoppers and the Brexit vote has done nothing to change the fact that we use credit cards for short-term purchases. Strong retail sales figures appear closely associated with strong consumer credit growth." Many economists have predicted that the UK economy will grow slower than previously expected as a result of the UK's decision to leave the EU. This, in part, led to the Bank of England's decision to cut interest rates to a new record low of 0.25% in August. Part of the theory of an interest rate cut is to encourage consumers to spend rather than save. The BBA figures cover a period that pre-dates this rate cut, but the organisation suggests that people were still willing to buy in the shops on credit cards, before quickly repaying nearly all of this borrowing shortly afterwards. Borrowing by consumers, excluding mortgage borrowing, rose by 6% in July compared with the same month a year earlier. The BBA also said gross mortgage borrowing hit £12.6bn in July, 6% higher than a year earlier. However, the total of 37,662 mortgages approved for house purchases in July was down 5% on the previous month, and 12% lower than the average of the previous six months. This could suggest that those planning to buy a home may have taken a wait-and-see approach with home loan applications during the referendum campaign. Figures from HM Revenue and Customs, published on Thursday, showed that property sales had remained relatively steady in July.
The UK is a nation of shoppers unfazed by the EU referendum result when spending on plastic, says a trade body representing the major banks.
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The country's Privacy Protection Commission (CPP) also accused Facebook of tracking the browsing habits of non-users, as well as its own members. The action follows criticism of Facebook by the same body in May. Facebook said it was surprised that the CPP had taken the "theatrical action" because it was due to meet the watchdog this week to discuss its concerns. The CPP said it took the decision because Facebook did not provide "satisfactory answers" to the questions it raised last month, according to a spokeswoman. The commission, which is working with German, Dutch, French and Spanish counterparts, accused Facebook of trampling on European privacy laws. A Facebook spokesman said: "We were surprised and disappointed that, after the [CPP] had already agreed to meet with us on 19 June to discuss their recommendations, they took the theatrical action of bringing Facebook Belgium to court on the day beforehand. "Although we are confident that there is no merit to the [CPP]'s case, we remain happy to work with them in an effort to resolve their concerns, through a dialogue with us at Facebook Ireland and with our regulator, the Irish Data Protection Commissioner." The commission has asked the court for an immediate order banning Facebook from monitoring non-users in particular, which it may do via plug-ins or cookies. In the past, Facebook has claimed that the Belgian commission's jurisdiction is "unclear" because the American firm is regulated in Europe by the Irish Data Protection Commissioner. It also defended its actions when the Belgian commission released its report last month, saying that most websites used cookies, which it said has been an "industry standard for more than 15 years".
Facebook is being taken to court by the Belgian privacy commissioner over claims it tracks people across the web.
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It has taken a 112bn yen ($1bn; £780m) charge, citing "an acceleration of market decline". The rise of online streaming services has hit demand for traditional media such as DVDs and blue-ray discs. Sony's movie division has also struggled, with recent flops including an all-female Ghostbusters sequel. Sony had warned earlier this year its movie division could post more losses. The Japanese firm, which reports its third-quarter results on Thursday, is still assessing whether the impairment charge will affect future earnings. It plans to offset the loss by selling shares in medical web service M3. The head of Sony's entertainment business, Michael Lynton, recently announced he would be stepping down in February after more than a decade at the firm.
Sony has taken a hefty writedown on the value of its movie business as the unit suffers from falling DVD and home entertainment sales.
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A sample was taken as a precaution because the patient has a history of travel in west Africa, where almost all of the recent deaths have occurred. Dr Marion Lyons, PHW director of health protection, had already said it was "unlikely" the patient had the disease. The virus has killed more than 6,800 people this year but no cases of Ebola have been diagnosed in the UK. Earlier, Ms Lyons said: "Based on our established evidence-based risk assessment protocol, we are confident that all appropriate actions are being taken to ensure there is no risk to public health. "It is important to remember that there has never been a case of Ebola diagnosed in the UK and the infection can only be transmitted through contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person. "We have advised all frontline medical practitioners dealing with patients to be alert to signs and symptoms of Ebola in those returning from affected areas. Following such advice we would expect to see an increase in precautionary testing. "Should there be a positive case in Wales, this information will be made available to the public."
A patient at Morriston Hospital in Swansea has tested negative for Ebola, Public Health Wales has said.
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Geraldine Newman, 51, daughter Shannon, 11 and son Shane, six, were found on Tuesday in Allerton Bywater. The children's father, Paul Newman, 42, from Normanton, was found dead on cliffs on Anglesey the same day. West Yorkshire Police said the case was "shocking" and are not looking for anyone else over the deaths. A post-mortem examination found Mrs Newman died from head injuries, while the children died from stab wounds. Det Ch Insp Warren Stevenson said: "While our investigation into the full circumstances surrounding the deaths is ongoing, we can say that this appears to have been a domestic-related incident and we are not looking for anyone else in connection with it. "We have specially-trained officers supporting the families who are understandably distraught at the deaths of their loved ones. They have asked that they are allowed to grieve privately at what will clearly be a very difficult time for them." The bodies were found at their home in Beeston Way shortly before 12:00 GMT. Mrs Newman, a branch manager for Wilko in Castleford, was found downstairs while the two children were discovered upstairs. Mr Newman was discovered on a cliff ledge at South Stack, a rocky island about 180 miles from Allerton Bywater. Tributes have been paid to Mrs Newman and her children. A spokesman for Wilko said the mother-of-two was a "loyal and enormously respected member of the team". Head teachers at St Wilfrid's Catholic High School in Featherstone and St Joseph's Catholic Primary School in Castleford, described both children as "caring students" who would be missed by the whole community. Friends and neighbours held a vigil outside the family home earlier and took part in a minute's silence. More than 100 people attended the short service and said prayers and laid flowers at the scene.
A woman found dead in a house near Leeds died of head injuries while her two children were stabbed to death, tests have shown.
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They have accused the government of favouring arable farming and want similar levels of subsidy payments as their English and Welsh counterparts. Hill farms in England and Wales receive up to almost 13 times more per hectare. The government said payments for crofting overall would go up from £20m to £33m by 2019. But David Forbes, who runs a croft at Kinlochbervie, said the basic payment of £7 was not enough to help encourage people to remain in fragile communities. He said: "This community will die. "The youth will disappear and we cannot keep the schools open when the population drops." Mr Forbes added: "The Scottish government will just complete a modern-day Highland Clearance and I think that a lot of people think that is what they want. "They want a wild land, a wilderness. The definition of a wilderness is an area devoid of people." Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead said the government had come up with a subsidy system that supports a range of farming types. He said: "Scottish agriculture is very diverse. We have big arable farms and we have crofters as well. "What we have had to do is come up with a system that targets activity and pays different rates of payment for different types of land, and we agreed that with the industry." Mr Lochhead said payments to crofters overall would go up from £20m a year to £33m by 2019. He added: "Within that, if there are individual crofters or crofting communities whose payments are going down and that is not justified clearly we will want to look at that in future years."
A group of Sutherland crofters have appealed to the Scottish government to introduce a "fairer" subsidy system for hill farmers.
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The Office for National Statistics said clothing sales were 1.6% down on April's level, the biggest fall since September 2014. Economists had expected retail sales to be flat in May after sales in April were boosted by unusually warm weather. By contrast, May was cooler than normal.
UK retail sales rose by 0.2% in May, a slowdown from a rise of 0.9% in April, after shoppers bought fewer clothes.
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The tennis star made the announcement in the form of a poem. She said he took her to Rome, where they first met, to propose to her - and she said yes. It caps off a year in which Ms Williams won her seventh Wimbledon singles title and 22nd Grand Slam singles title, but dropped to world number two ranking. All you need to know about Serena Williams Reddit is a social media community where users group around topics, news articles and discussion points, rather than around people they know in offline life. Mr Ohanian founded it in 2005 alongside a college friend, Steve Huffman. Ms Williams posted to r/isaidyes, a forum where users share their stories of wedding proposals, saying he had taken her to the table in Rome where they first met, where he got down on one knee and "said four words". One Reddit user responded by joking that the score was love-love. Mr Ohanian and Ms Williams had kept their relationship quiet on social media and in the world of celebrity gossip, but rumours began to circulate last year that they might be romantically linked.
Serena Williams has used the social media platform Reddit to announce that she is engaged to its co-founder, Alexis Ohanian.
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Now Miranda Hart is making her West End theatre debut in the musical Annie. The Call the Midwife star, who will play orphanage owner Miss Hannigan, described it as "a dream role" that she never thought would become a reality. "But here we are and I have a newly found musical theatre-esque spring in my step," she said. Set in 1930s New York during the Great Depression, Annie tells the story of an 11-year-old girl who wants to escape from a life of misery at Miss Hannigan's orphanage and find her parents. The score includes the songs It's A Hard Knock Life, Tomorrow and Easy Street. "I hope people will leave the theatre feeling life is a little better and dreamier and jollier after watching it, as much as we feel that performing it," added Hart, who broke the "fourth wall" by addressing the audience directly in her sitcom Miranda. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some leg-warmers to put on." The show will begin previews at London's Piccadilly Theatre on 23 May. Further casting will be announced shortly. Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected].
She's best known for falling over and breaking "the fourth wall" on her BBC One sitcom.
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The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) said Willie Kimani's death was a "dark day for the rule of law in Kenya". Kenya's police have often been accused of brutality and they have been blamed for a series of extrajudicial killings. The police chief has ordered the arrest of three police officers suspected of being involved in his kidnapping. Mr Kimani, who was 32, went missing along with his taxi driver and client after a court appointment over a week ago, the LSK said. One other body has been found but there are conflicting reports as to who this is. The relationship between Kenyans and their police force has always been an uneasy one. Just a week ago, the National Police Service spokesperson came out to ask Kenyans to change their perception of the police. He said he had noted that "there is pervading fear among the public as they believe that law enforcers are working with criminals". He's not wrong. Many victims of crime would rather forsake justice than go through the process of dealing with the police. It is largely seen as a fruitless and frustrating endeavour. The police service has worked to improve its image over the past 10 years - changing its name, vetting its officers, instituting community policing and establishing gender and children desks. But it appears that the more recent incidents of police beating protesters at a demonstration, and a wave of controversial killings, are still sending the Kenyan public a much louder message. A police source told the BBC that the two bodies had been found on the bank of a river 70km (43 miles) north-east of Nairobi. Mr Kimani's body was found bound and wrapped in a sack, reports AFP news agency. A search is ongoing at the site to find the third body, Kenya's Standard newspaper reports. On Thursday, the inspector general of the national police service George Kinoti said that investigations would be pursued. "In the event that a crime is disclosed linking any person, whether police officer or otherwise, the law will doubtless take its own course," he said in a statement. Mr Kimani was working for the International Justice Mission, a US legal charity which focuses on cases of police abuse of power. He had been representing his client in a complaint against a police officer who had allegedly shot him during a traffic stop in 2015. LSK says this is the first time that a lawyer working on a sensitive case has gone missing. However, LSK head Isaac Okero told the BBC's Mohammud Ali in Nairobi that the incident suggests "lawyers are becoming a target because of their work". In 2011 a Kenyan human rights lawyer accused the Kenyan government of framing him for a bombing to get back at him for defending victims of extraordinary rendition. Kenyan security forces carried out 25 extrajudicial killing between 2013 and 2015, Kenya's official rights body said.
The body of a Kenyan lawyer who was representing a client making a complaint against the police has been found.
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They were struck near the junction of Kenton Road and Claremont Avenue in Brent, at 19:40 BST on Friday. The boy and his 59-year-old grandfather were taken to hospital with the child in a life-threatening condition. The man's injuries were not critical. A 22-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, the Met Police said. He has been bailed until October.
A two-year-old boy is critical after he was hit by a car when out walking with his grandfather in north-west London.
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It had said the Dadaab camp, home to more than 300,000 Somalis, should shut down by the end of this month. But Kenya now says it has suspended the repatriation to allow more time for consultation and funding. Rights groups had expressed alarm over the initial deadline for closing the camps and called on Kenya to roll back its decision. Last May, Kenya's Interior Minister Joseph Nkaisserry said his country would be working closely with the UN and the Somali government to repatriate the refugees so the camp could be vacated for closure. Back then, he said the decision was final. But as the deadline loomed, human rights groups accused the Kenyan government of coercing refugees to return home despite the continued insecurity in Somalia. Mr Nkaisserry said the decision to delay the closure of the camp followed a request by the UNHCR head Filipo Grandi. It is not the first time that Kenya has backed down from a decision to close the refugee camp. It had vowed to close down the camp last April in the wake of a deadly attack by Somali militant group al-Shabab on a university 100km (62 miles) away. The al-Qaeda linked group has staged several attacks on Kenya in recent years.
Kenya's government has extended by six month the deadline to close the world's largest refugee camp.
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It follows three days of industrial action by CalMac staff last week which culminated in a 24-hour strike. The Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) has sent out strike ballot papers to about 100 of its members who work for CalMac. CalMac managing director Martin Dorchester said he was "extremely disappointed" by the RMT's decision. The Scottish government said it was "very disappointing" that the RMT felt the need to call further strike action on one of the busiest weekends of the summer for ferry services. Like CalMac, Argyll Ferries is owned by the state-owned David MacBrayne Group. Talks between CalMac and the RMT are due to be held on Monday. Talks planned for earlier this week were postponed by the ferry operator due to "unforeseen circumstances". RMT members at Argyll Ferries did not take part in last week's industrial action, but the union said the staff was increasingly concerned about job security. CalMac's contract to run the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services comes to an end next year. The Scottish government has put the contract out to tender, in line with European rules. The RMT union has concerns that, regardless of who wins, the new contract will see changes in employees' current terms and conditions. A reduction in staff numbers and pensions are key areas of concern. The RMT has asked that the government guarantee in the new contract that compulsory redundancies do not happen and existing terms and conditions are continued. Read more..... RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: "Despite the most strenuous efforts to negotiate a settlement on CalMac we are still not getting the clear assurances that we seek that will defend the safety-critical jobs and working conditions that go hand in hand with delivering safe and efficient lifeline ferry services to the communities that we serve. "It is a cold hard fact that privatisation is all about a race to the bottom in order to maximise profits and our members will not sit back while they are caught in the crossfire of the tendering process." He added: "Our members on Argyll Ferries now find themselves staring down the barrel of exactly those same kind of attacks on jobs and working conditions and have delivered a massive and rock-solid mandate for action." Mr Dorchester said: "We are extremely disappointed that the RMT has chosen to continue with strike action. "The best way to protect the existing terms and conditions of its members is to work with us to ensure we win the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Service (CHFS) contract and this action is damaging. "We are anxious to avoid any more disruption which is not in the best interests of our employees and the communities we serve and would urge all our colleagues to turn out for work." Two-thirds of state-owned CalMac's ferry services were cancelled last Friday during the 24-hour strike by RMT members, who make up about half of the company's workforce. The dispute has been triggered by unions' concerns about the new contract to run the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services. CalMac's current deal to operate the network comes to an end next year. The Scottish government has put the contract out to tender, in line with European rules. The unions have raised concerns that, regardless of who wins, the new contract will see changes in employees' current terms and conditions. A reduction in staff numbers and pensions are key areas of concern. The unions have asked that the government guarantee in the new contract that compulsory redundancies do not happen and existing terms and conditions are continued. A Scottish government spokesman said: "We have been continuing to talk with the RMT Union, so it is very disappointing that they feel the need to call further strike action on one of the busiest weekends of the summer for our ferry services. "Discussions between Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure Keith Brown and RMT representatives took place in London earlier this week and both parties committed to further dialogue." The spokesman added: "To comply with EU procurement law, Scottish ministers cannot compel bidders to guarantee no compulsory redundancies. "Bidders can make a voluntary commitment through tendering processes, as was the case in the recent ScotRail franchise. "We would seek to achieve a similar outcome in the next CHFS contract, regardless of the outcome of the tendering process, and will pursue this objective vigorously. "This position has been made very clear to the RMT union in recent talks."
RMT union members working for Caledonian MacBrayne and Argyll Ferries are to hold a second strike on 10 July.
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William MacKenzie was part of a masked gang that targeted security guards as they delivered cash to an ATM at a Spar store in Drumgelloch, Airdrie. He was identified from CCTV footage and jailed for seven years in 2011. The Scottish Prison Service said MacKenzie's family had been told that he died at Addiewell Prison in West Lothian on Wednesday. Police have been informed and a report will be sent to the procurator fiscal. A fatal accident inquiry will be held in due course.
A 50-year-old man who wielded a machete during a £40,000 armed robbery in North Lanarkshire in 2009 has died in prison.
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A raft of big deals this year include the £2.3bn tie-up between Ladbrokes and Gala Coral in July, a £6bn merger of Betfair and Paddy Power in August, and GVC's £1.1bn ($1.5bn) acquisition of Bwin.party in September. Analysts say a "mergers and acquisitions frenzy" is sweeping the UK. In fact, in the year to August, there were more takeovers and mergers in the UK gambling sector than in any other country. According to Nick Batram, an analyst at brokerage Peel Hunt, operators are looking to scale up for two main reasons. He says: "On the one hand they are seeing the costs of tax, compliance and technology go up, and want to offset this. "But they are also looking for new ways to grow as the market becomes more competitive." At first glance this may seem odd. According to the Gambling Commission, revenue in the UK gambling industry climbed from £5.6bn in 2010 to £7.1bn in 2014. But this disguises the fact that almost all of the growth happened online, with consumers increasingly opting to gamble on mobile devices. As a result, High Street operators face tough trading conditions - a situation worsened by an increasingly challenging regulatory environment, which includes a maximum betting tariff of £50 each time on gaming machines. Mr Batram says: "You have new restrictions placed on people who want to stake more than £50 a spin on machines. "Furthermore, machine gaming duties now stand at up to 25%. "And buying land-based assets is quite expensive anyway, because you have bricks and mortar." High Street bookmakers Ladbrokes and Gala Coral joined forces this summer in a bid to offset these pressures. The deal will create the UK's largest bookmaker, with around 4,000 high street betting shops, resulting in a predicted £65m of cost efficiencies. "Ladbrokes has pretty much been running the same business as Coral, but with a different colour and a different brand, " explains Paul Leyland from Regulus Partners, an advisory business that focuses on the gambling sector. He adds: "[And] recently Coral has been doing it much better." Mr Leyland says that if the two firms can eliminate duplication costs and stick with the "best breed of management", they will be in a stronger position to grow. He also says the combined group needs to invest more in its mobile offering, and boost the overall user experience. Paddy Power, a familiar High Street and online betting shop, used it's 2014 annual report to claim that "over 90% of future growth would be in mobile". And so its agreement this summer to combine with website betting exchange Betfair - making them one of the world's biggest online gaming firms - came as little surprise. Yet despite Paddy Power's optimistic forecast, the online gambling space is becoming more challenging as countries around the world update their regulations. For the online gambling sector, this has resulted in higher compliancy costs and taxes. Mark Jordan, a partner at accountancy group PWC, highlights the UK's crackdown on gambling websites which have their headquarters in Gibraltar, such as Ladbrokes' online offering, Bet Victor and Stan James. He says: "Previously if I was headquartered in Gibraltar offering online betting to someone in the UK, that would be tax free, whereas now there is a point of consumption tax which is levied by HMRC at 15%." Mr Batram says such pressures make it harder to invest in the technology underpinning a product. "It's risky given how low the barriers to entry are in online gaming - providers have suddenly realised this comes off their margins, and so you're looking into consolidation and cost savings at scale again." Mr Batram adds: "Gone are the days when you could just sling up an online casino and watch the money roll in. "The online market is much more competitive, so your site has to feel right, look right and that costs money." Mr Jordan says that private equity companies - which were all but absent from the gambling sector five years ago - are also driving consolidation. He points to last December's announcement that Luxembourg-based private equity group CVC Capital Partners was buying a 80% stake in Sky Bet. And this month online betting firm Bwin accepted a £1.3bn takeover offer from fellow private equity firm GVC Holdings. GVC Holdings, which already owns Sportingbet, outbid rival bidder, gambling business 888 Holdings. Mr Jordan says: "Private equity firms like to find a business with potential, build it up and then merge it with something else, so they're having a big influence on the market." Most analysts expect that consolidation in the gambling sector will only continue as the years progress, with larger conglomerates coming to dominate the industry. Such firms are said to be better placed to handle regulatory and tax pressures. However, Mr Jordan also expects to see a "small hardcore of [small] online gaming companies survive, which may not adhere to regulation, or which pick markets where they don't have the same rules". And Mr Leyland says that small and specialist gambling companies, focused on niche markets or new products, will also thrive. He adds: "The big risk is for medium-sized firms with a lot of money, invested in doing exactly the same thing as all their competitors." With firms like Paddy Power betting on a digital future, it seems that companies focused on the High Street are most at risk. But Mr Batram says it would be wrong to write them off just yet: "I think land-based gambling can still offer value if done right, and there's a lot of talk about retail combining with digital to create more touch-points for consumers. Just as online hasn't killed cinema or high street shopping, I think it will remain an important part of the mix."
The UK gambling industry is betting on a wave of mergers and acquisitions to secure a more profitable future.
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Jack Letts, 20, from Oxford, has been labelled "Jihadi Jack" by some newspapers, which reported he left the UK to join the group when he was 18. His parents John and Sally Letts said their son wanted to travel to Syria for humanitarian reasons. And on his Facebook page Jack Letts also said the reports were false. Speaking to the Oxford Mail newspaper Mr and Mrs Letts described their son as "a really kind, funny kid who is very gentle". His mother said media reports claiming he had adopted the name Ibrahim or Abu Muhammed and had a son in Iraq were "absolutely ridiculous". But she said he had converted to Islam and reports he was married could be true. On Facebook, Jack Letts said: "Maybe they got bored worrying about what colour socks certain celebrities wear and took out the frustration on me." A Thames Valley Police spokesman said: "We are unable to comment on any specific cases in relation to individuals. "Anyone who knows of someone who may be potentially vulnerable to being drawn into terrorist-related activity, including travelling abroad to conflict zones, should contact local police for advice and support."
The family of a British man who reportedly travelled to Iraq to join the so-called Islamic State group said the claims were "completely false".
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Police also arrested 52 people across Wales under new drug-driving offences, which came into force in March. Police carried out more than 12,000 breath tests during the June campaign. In north Wales, a 36-year-old woman from Holywell, Flintshire was arrested after a reading of 125 micrograms, more than three times the legal limit. In Wales and England, the alcohol limit for drivers is 80 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood, 35 micrograms per 100 millilitres of breath or 107 milligrams per 100 millilitres of urine. North Wales Police said it had carried out an intelligence-led operation, targeting people who frequently drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Ch Insp Darren Wareing from the force said: "We are seeing more arrests as a result of our intelligence-led operations, however, there is still a perception out there that drivers, particularly in rural areas, believe they have less chance of getting caught drunk or under the influence of drugs behind the wheel." He added: "I would also like to personally thank each individual who contacted us during the campaign to give us the information we needed." This is the first time the annual campaign has been able to target drug-drivers. Police in England and Wales have been able to use "drugalyser" devices at the roadside since March. The device can test for cocaine and cannabis from a saliva sample within three minutes. Police can test for other drugs including ecstasy, LSD, ketamine and heroin at a police station, even if a driver passes the roadside check. Drivers face prosecution if they exceed limits set for the presence of eight illegal drugs and eight prescription drugs which are sometimes abused. Motorists who test positive can face a criminal record, loss of their licence for at least a year and a fine of up to £5,000. The prescription drugs that fall under the new regulations are morphine, diazepam, clonazepam, flunitrazepam, lorazepam, oxazepam and temazepam and methadone. The illegal drugs include cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy, LSD, ketamine and heroin.
More than 300 people have tested positive for drink-driving in a month-long crackdown by Wales' four police forces.
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He was the political "never never" man who became Northern Ireland's first minister. Ian Paisley ended up leading a power-sharing executive at Stormont - although he had supported the strike to bring one down 30 years earlier. From firebrand preacher, he moved on to earn the nickname of "chuckle brother" alongside deputy first minister, Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness. He died in September 2014. Obituary: Ian Paisley Last year, the Bannside Library, housing his collection of more than 50,000 books, opened in east Belfast. And among the memorabilia on display are his letters from jail. He served three months in Crumlin Road prison, 50 years ago, for unlawful assembly. With time on his hands, the preacher decided to write a book on the Epistle to the Romans. He wrote the pages by hand. They are written very neatly in red, blue and black ink. He then sent them home to his wife, Eileen, for her to type up. He also wrote letters to his family at home and that collection has now been catalogued by his daughter, Sharon. He had a guaranteed audience of one for his book in the jail, she said. "When Daddy sent these out of prison every week, the governor had to read them to make sure there was nothing that shouldn't coming out of prison, so he had to read the book as well," she said with a smile. Among the memorabilia is a special handkerchief. "There was a man in prison who was a gifted artist. "Mum and dad would have had their tenth wedding anniversary when he was in prison. And the man took one of daddy's handkerchiefs and did the picture of mum from an electioneering poster. It is painted onto the handkerchief," she said. The same man saw the hymn written on the fly leaf of Ian Paisley's bible and decided to copy it. "He lifted this board from the prison yard with wet paint on the back of it and made: A Father's Prayer," said Baroness Paisley. She said her husband never got the knack of new technology when writing his books and essays. "He asked me one day if I would look something up in a book, and I said: 'Ian I can get you that on a computer.' "And he said 'How can you? How did it get in the computer?' He almost seemed as if he was scared to touch a computer," she said. He had an encyclopaedic knowledge of his thousands of books, his widow said. No matter where he was in the world, he would ring her and tell her exactly where to look in his study - the bookcase, the shelf, how far along the line of books - if he needed a quote from a particular chapter. And among his treasures was an illustrated guide book which he received as a prize at Sunday School when he was 11 years old. "Northern Ireland: Our Lesser Known History" by Canon Hugh Forde has been reprinted by the Bannside Library to mark its opening. Baroness Paisley sees the Bannside library as a fitting tribute to her late husband's love of books. "It's amazing the people that have taken an interest, right across the religious and political board," she said. "People have come to see it and to look at books and pick out some and say 'Oh, I never thought he would have a book on this'. And I would say: 'He had books on everything.''" Baroness Paisley talks to Anne Marie McAleese on Your Place And Mine, BBC Radio Ulster, on Saturday 28 May at 08:05 BST.
A selection of letters and drawings has cast a light on former first minster and DUP leader Ian Paisley's time in prison.
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Furnish Kennels in Fivemiletown claims to be the largest licensed dog breeding establishment in the UK. A BBC Scotland investigation into the lucrative world of dog trading filmed hundreds of breeding bitches in battery-farmed conditions. The firm's solicitor said the premises are run in accordance with the law. The programme, to be broadcast on Wednesday, shows dozens of pups, just weeks old without their mothers, huddled together in disused trailers outside the main building in freezing conditions. Sheila Voas, chief veterinary surgeon with the Scottish government, tells the programme: "It was barbaric. It was a production line. It was using animals as a commodity." The establishment is run by brothers David and Jonathan Hamilton. In a statement issued through his solicitor, David Hamilton said the premises were "maintained and run in accordance with all relevant legislation and regulations in an entirely open and transparent manner". "All dogs are under the supervision of a nominated veterinary surgeon," he added. The council responsible for inspecting the kennels said the premises, now called the UK Dog Breeding Academy, were inspected four weeks ago and that no puppies were found to be kept in trailers on site. Fermanagh District Council said the premises complied with legislation. The programme looks at the supply of dogs from source to sale, investigating the activities of Scottish couple Brian and Bernadette O'Neill. It tracks Mr O'Neill's trips to County Wexford in the Republic of Ireland over several months, and hears from a Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals investigator who says the couple are significant dealers in pups. It estimates that they are selling about 50 dogs each month, bringing in about £200,000 a year. The O'Neills were asked to participate in the programme but they declined to do so. BBC Scotland Investigates: The Dog Factory is shown on BBC One Northern Ireland and BBC Scotland at 21:00 BST on Wednesday 15 April and is available to watch afterwards on iPlayer.
Secretly filmed footage of a County Tyrone dog breeding firm shows "barbaric" scenes, a senior Scottish government vet has said.
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Talks are under way with Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss about a series of 90-minute films based on Bram Stoker's novel about the Transylvanian vampire. No scripts have been written and the Count has yet to be cast. According to the Radio Times, though, the series is likely to air in 2019. Moffat's wife Sue Vertue will produce the show for Hartswood Films. According to Variety, it is unclear whether Dracula, like Sherlock, will have a modern-day British setting. First published in 1897, Stoker's novel tells of a blood-sucking count who travels to England for a quick bite. Bela Lugosi, Gary Oldman and Sir Christopher Lee are among the many actors to portray him on screen. Gatiss played Dracula himself in a radio version of the story that was released last year on the anniversary of the book's publication. Moffat will step down as head writer and executive producer of Doctor Who after this year's Christmas special. Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected].
The brains behind the BBC's Sherlock series are to make a new version of Dracula, the corporation has confirmed.
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President John Atta Mills turned on the valve at an offshore platform. A consortium led by UK-based Tullow Oil hopes to produce 55,000 barrels per day, increasing to 120,000 barrels in six months. Ghana, one of Africa's most stable countries, is expected to earn $400m (??254m) in the first year. Wearing safety gear and blue overalls, the president opened the valve in a televised ceremony some 60km (40 miles) off the coast from the town of Takoradi, Reuters news agency reports. The discovery of oil off Ghana's coast has raised questions about whether Ghana can escape the "resource curse", where discoveries of valuable commodities fuel conflict and corruption instead of funding development. Will oil make a difference? Analysts have raised concerns about the lack of laws to manage oil revenue and the lack of an independent regulator for the sector. The government has said it is working to get an oil bill passed. The government has forecast that the oil will boost Ghana's economic growth rate from 5% this year to as much as 12% next year. Production is eventually expected to bring in $1bn a year. The Jubilee Field is estimated to hold 1.5bn barrels of oil. A second offshore field was discovered in September that is believed to hold another 1.4bn barrels. The fields are some of the largest oil deposits found in recent years. Observers say militant insurgency like that in nearby Nigeria's Niger Delta is unlikely as long as the government manages expectations. By David AmanorBBC News, Accra It is a momentous day for Ghana - barely three years after that first vial of oil was presented to former President John Kufour. Hopes are high, tempered by a fair amount of realism - most people seem to understand oil production is unlikely in itself to bring about lower fuel prices and that it will take time for real benefits to accrue. The government is currently negotiating huge multi-billion dollar loans for infrastructure developments, using oil as collateral, which has met with some stiff opposition from the parliamentary minority and other civil society groups. "We've looked at the experiences of other countries and it has not been positive," says Mohammed Amin Adam of campaign group Publish What You Pay. Other concerns are focussed on how the oil money is spent rather than when. "Politicians' decisions tend to be very short-term and short-sighted," says Kofi Bentil of Ghanaian think-tank Imani. "Transparency to population is very important," said Stephen Hayes, head of the Corporate Council on Africa - a group of some 180 mainly US firms that invest in Africa. "They also have a fairly transparent society compared to other countries dealing in oil - so they've got a better opportunity to get it right," he told the BBC's Focus on Africa. He says lessons can be learnt from others' mistakes and points out that Ghana's economy is more diversified than other oil-producing countries in Africa. It earns billions from cocoa and gold. "The oil revenues expected only represents 6% of their economy - compare that to Nigeria where oil revenue represents 92% of the economy or Angola where it's almost 100%," he said. "It indicates they won't be dependent on oil revenue... and are in a far better position to manage it more wisely." The BBC's David Amanor in the capital, Accra, says there a positive mood about the pumping of the country's first oil - and plenty of advice about how the revenue should be spent. "I'm very much excited because maybe that will be able to solve some of problems for us," a lottery-ticket seller said. "The first area should be education, secondly agriculture and thirdly health." Another man said the move was a blessing for him and the country. "It's going to benefit me so I'm really excited. I've completed school but I've not found any work to do - I hope oil will help me to get a job." Our reporter says Ghana also has a growing civil society community which is anxious to ensure environmental and development considerations are given a voice in the area where the oil is being bumped. "A lot of the fishermen are now moving away because of the oil rig - they cannot fish within a certain parameter," says Adwoa Bame from the Women's Initiative for Self-Empowerment group. "The men go out and bring the fish to the fishmongers, who are normally women," she told the BBC. "So we need to look at how we can develop programmes that can sustain these communities in terms of livelihoods."
The West African nation of Ghana has begun to pump its first commercial oil after the discovery of the offshore Jubilee Field three years ago.
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The directors of the Scottish Championship side have already said they will oppose the move. Supporters group the Queens Trust secured the backing of Dumfries and Galloway Council in order to get the issue discussed. However, it would need to gain significant support from other shareholders for the bid to succeed. The supporters' organisation has been trying for some time to secure a director or a non-voting seat on the board. It won the backing of the council - which has more than 6,000 shares in the Palmerston Park club - to get the subject on the AGM agenda. The Doonhamers' directors have made it clear that they intend to vote against the resolution. They recently appointed a liaison officer to improve relations with fans.
A bid by fans for a seat on the board of Queen of the South is to be debated at the club's annual general meeting.
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The former stray, believed to be about five months old, was scavenging in a neighbour's bin in Bedworth when he got his head stuck in the metal can. Felix bears an uncanny resemblance to the cartoon moggy used to advertise the cat food of the same name. But vets had to rescue him from his metal mishap, stuck head first in a tin containing rival Whiskas meat. Updates on this story and more from Warwickshire Owner Sam Wellbank, 34, called Felix in for his breakfast and was greeted by the distressing sight. "I heard a clatter as Felix jumped over the fence into the garden and when I looked outside, he was sat on the grass with the food can stuck fast on his head," she said. "We picked him up but he was very stressed and trying to claw us. He was meowing loudly and was obviously in a lot of discomfort." She rushed him to the PDSA's Pet Hospital in Coventry where he was taken into surgery and freed from his tin trap. Felix suffered a cut to his ear and had a high temperature after surgery. Veterinary nurse Debbie Evans, who admitted Felix, said staff were concerned he could suffocate if the can was not removed, and warned people to take care when leaving cans and glasses out for recycling. "The sharp edges on tins and glass cause obvious risks to pets and wildlife, so we'd recommend keeping recycling covered or enclosed, if at all possible," she said.
A hungry cat called Felix was rescued from a Whiskas tin in a calamitous mash-up of cat food brands.
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circa 2500 BC - Palau's first inhabitants - thought to have come from present-day eastern Indonesia - settle in the islands. The early Palauans develop complex social systems, practice fishing and farming. English captain Henry Wilson's vessel, 'Antelope', was shipwrecked on one of the islands of Palau in 1783 1783 - English captain Henry Wilson is shipwrecked on a reef and becomes the first Westerner to visit. Wilson and his crew stay for three months and rebuild their vessel with local help. European contacts grow and Britain becomes Palau's main trading partner. 1885 - Spain asserts its claim to the islands. 1899 - Spain sells Palau to Germany, which begins to exploit the islands' resources using native labour. Phosphate is mined and coconut plantations are developed. 1914 - After Germany's defeat in World War I, Japan seizes Palau. The main town, Koror, is developed and becomes the administrative centre for Japan's regional possessions. The Japanese civilian population in Palau peaks at 26,000. 1940-45 - Japan's military fortifications and naval facilities in Palau are targeted in allied attacks during World War II. Some Palauan islands witness fierce fighting between US and Japanese forces. 1947 - Palau becomes a United Nations Trust Territory under US administration. US Marines attack Japanese troops positioned in Palau 1979 - Palau - and the Marshall Islands - opt not to become part of a single, federal Micronesian state. 1981 - Republic of Palau comes into being, following the territory's adoption of a constitution in July 1980. President Haruo Remeliik takes office. 1983-90 - Successive referendums on a proposed Compact of Free Association with the US fail to approve the arrangement, under which Palau would manage its own affairs and the US would retain responsibility for defence. 1985 - President Haruo Remeliik is assassinated in June. Lazarus Salii is elected president in September 1985. 1988 - President Salii dies in an apparent suicide. He is succeeded by President Ngiratkel Etpison. 1992 - President Kuniwo Nakamura is elected, and re-elected in 1996. 1993 - After investigations by US authorities a Palau minister of state and his wife are found guilty of the 1985 murder of President Remeliik. 1993 - Proposed Compact of Free Association with the US gets the green light in a referendum. Requirements for the mandate were changed in a 1992 vote; only a simple majority vote was needed to approve the compact. 1994 - Palau becomes independent under the Contract of Free Association with the US. Palau receives financial and other aid from Washington, and the US retains responsibility for defence and the right to operate military bases. Palau joins the UN. 2000 November - Former vice president Tommy Remengesau wins presidential elections. 2003 August - Palau signs the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. 2004 November - Incumbent President Tommy Remengesau is re-elected. Referendum backs constitutional changes allowing dual citizenship, limiting terms in congress to three and allowing president and vice-president to stand for election as a team. 2006 October - Government institutions begin the move to a new capital, Melekeok. 2008 November - Former ambassador to Taiwan Johnson Toribiong wins presidential election, beating outgoing Vice-President Elias Camsek Chin. 2009 January - President Toribiong inaugurated. 2009 September - Palau creates world's first "shark sanctuary", banning all commercial shark fishing in its waters. 2009 October - Six Chinese ethnic Uighurs are freed from US military prison at Guantanamo Bay and sent to Palau for resettlement. 2010 January - US agrees to give Palau additional aid of $250 million, after Palau had rejected an earlier offer of $156 million. President Toribiong denies any linkage to Palau's agreement to host the Guantanamo Uighurs. 2012 November - Parliamentary and presidential elections. Tommy Remengesau is elected president for the third time, having previously served two terms from 2001-9. 2013 November - Typhoon Haiyan causes damage to a number of islands in Palau, including Kayangel and Babeldaob. 2014 February - President Remengesau announces that Palau plans to ban all commercial fishing from its waters. He says the country's economic potential lies in tourism rather than fishing. 2015 February: The governor of Palau's Peleliu State pledges to cooperate in efforts to recover the wartime remains of Japanese soldiers ahead of a visit in April by Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko.
A chronology of key events
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Media playback is not supported on this device McDermott, 51, led the club to promotion last season, but four successive Premier League defeats have left them four points adrift of safety. A Reading statement said: "The search for a successor starts immediately. It is hoped a new manager will be in place as soon as possible." Media playback is not supported on this device Academy head Eamonn Dolan is in charge of the first team in the interim. The Royals also confirmed first-team coach Nigel Gibbs had also left the club he joined in 2006. McDermott joined Reading in 2000 as a scout/coach working under Alan Pardew and Steve Coppell. He was named caretaker manager in 2009 following the sacking of Brendan Rodgers, before being appointed permanent manager. McDermott just missed out on promotion to the Premier League in his first season in charge of Reading, reaching the play-off final but losing 4-2 to Swansea City. However, a run of 15 wins from 19 games towards the end of last season secured the Championship title and the Royals' promotion to the top flight for only the second time in the club's history. In May 2012, Reading were taken over by Russian tycoon Anton Zingarevich, who acquired 51% of the club, and also announced a reshuffle in the boardroom. "I'm just hoping Reading don't end up in a similar situation Wolves find themselves. They sacked their manager before the end of last season, had an interim manager and this season they are near the bottom of the Championship. "It's a big decision for the new owner to make and it will be an even bigger decision replacing him." Reading struggled for the first half of this season, winning only two Premier League games, but they showed signs of improvement in 2013 with four successive victories in all competitions, including two in the top flight, and McDermott was named the January manager of the month. However, defeats by Stoke, Wigan and Everton, followed before a 2-1 loss at home to relegation rivals Aston Villa at the weekend, left Reading 19th in the table, level on 23 points with bottom club QPR. Dropping out of the Premier League would mean the club would miss out on a share of a new TV deal worth about £5bn across three years from August. The Reading statement added: "[Reading] owner Anton Zingarevich wishes to place on record his thanks to Brian who had achieved great success with the club since taking over as Manager in December 2009. "Brian gained promotion to the Premier League last year for only the second time in the club's history thanks to a remarkable run at the end of last season. "However, in our current situation, owner Anton Zingarevich felt that a change was necessary." Reacting to the news, Reading striker Noel Hunt wrote on Twitter: "Want to say thanks to Brian for everything he did for me especially. He's been a great manager, man and friend to me and will be missed!" Former Reading captain Aidy Williams added: "I'm very surprised, more by the timing than the actual events. "I presume someone will be placed in caretaker charge and we will get on with it. It's a strange atmosphere. "Players become conditioned to the revolving door. It's a tough thing to deal with. We had Brynjar Gunnarsson leave the other day and it was tough. "From a player's point view we have to believe in what we have. Yes, you can look at it that we've not got much experience but you cannot say we're not good enough. "We always had the belief, everyone would like more money but we have a genuine belief we can stay in the league." "I'm disappointed. I've known Brian for well over 10 years. His pride will be dented, he's a very passionate football man and has done his apprenticeship. But he can hold his head up high. "He won the Championship against all odds, but in all honesty he was fighting a losing battle with budgets." Current Reading player and BBC Radio 5 live pundit Jason Roberts said: "I'm in shock and I'm sad because he brought me in. I'm disappointed for him, the players and the club. "I'd like to put on record our thanks to the manager for what he achieved. He achieved so much. "Our budget was nowhere near the top ten so for us to win the league was a massive achievement. With nine games to go we still have an opportunity and it's now time to take stock. "As a player we have to just get behind the new manager, we all want the same thing - to stay in the Premier League."
Premier League strugglers Reading have confirmed the departure of manager Brian McDermott.
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Rumford, 39, was top of the leaderboard for all three strokeplay rounds and had a bye into round two for Sunday's six-hole knockout matchplay format. He saw off Hideto Tanihara, Wade Ormsby and Adam Bland to reach the final, where a fine finish gave him a 2&1 win. Australian Bland beat compatriot Jason Scrivener to claim third place. Khongwatmai finished nine shots behind Rumford after the three strokeplay rounds and was in the highest-scoring group of the 24 players to qualify for the matchplay rounds. He had to play one round more than Rumford and saw off Australians Sam Brazel, Lucas Herbert and Matthew Millar to reach the semi-finals, where he easily overcame Scrivener 3&1. Rumford won the opening hole in the final at Lake Karrinyup, only for his teenage opponent to level at the next following a wayward drive from the Australian. At the fourth hole, Rumford was in a perilous spot in sandy soil under trees to the left of the green but played a deft escape over a bunker and holed from 12 feet for a birdie four. Then at the next he pitched to two feet at the par three and Khongwatmai conceded after taking two to escape from a bunker. It was a sixth European Tour title for world number 274 Rumford, who had gone 80 events since his last win at the China Open in 2013, and it enabled him to regain full playing rights on the Tour. "It really comes down to the people," he said of the new event, one of a series of innovations aimed at attracting new followers to golf. "If it's going to grow the game and it becomes an event with a bit more excitement and thrill about it then as a tour we've done a great job. "I'm back and can't be happier." Quarter-final results: B Rumford (Aus) bt W Ormsby (Aus) second extra hole P Khongwatmai (Tha) bt M Millar (Aus) 2&1 J Scrivener (Aus) bt S Jeffress (Aus) 1hole A Bland (Aus) bt L Oosthuizen (SA) third extra hole Semi-finals: B Rumford (Aus) bt A Bland (Aus) 1hole P Khongwatmai (Tha) bt J Scrivener (Aus) 3&1 7/8 play-off: W Ormsby (Aus) bt M Millar (Aus) first extra hole 5/6 play-off: L Oosthuizen (SA) bt S Jeffress (Aus) 1hole 3/4 play-off: A Bland (Aus) bt J Scrivener (Aus) 1hole Final: B Rumford (Aus) bt P Khongwatmai (Tha) 2&1 Find out how to get into golf with our special guide.
Australian Brett Rumford captured the inaugural World Super 6 title with victory over 17-year-old Thai Phachara Khongwatmai in his native Perth.
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The gruelling 26.2-mile race has taken place in the capital every year since 1981. This year around 40,000 runners are expected to set off from the starting line, including this lot hoping to break some weird world records. We want your good luck messages for the runners taking part! To Diana and George, keep on running. Jasmine, 9, Bridgend Running for MS - GOOD LUCK, Heidi! Lucas, 11, Malvern Keep going, Auntie Fran! Connor, 5, Sutton-in-Ashfield Good luck, Claire Smith, running for Cancer Research UK! We love you so much and you've done us all so proud. ❤️❤️❤️❤️ Millie, 12, London Good luck to all the marathon runners, keep going your doing really well. Bernice, 16, Buxton Good luck, Mr Walker, head teacher of Ackworth Howard School. Raising money for the school. A great head teacher. James, 7, and Harry, 7, Ackworth Keep going, grandpa! Edward a 78-year-old man running the marathon today, we are so proud! Ellie, 16, Solihull Good luck, Mr Newell!! The whole class are so, so proud of you running for motor neurone disease, you're a legend, keep it up!!! Jasmin, Surrey Good luck, Simon at the London Marathon. You'll be great!! Shannon, 10, and Sophie, 8, Orpington Keep going, Uncle Richard. Lucas, 7, Devon Good luck to all the runners. I am so proud. Do not stop. Yaaz, 10, Lingfield Good luck to Chris Beasley and the team he is running with. You've got this, Uncle Chris! Lauren, 14, Luton Come on, Uncle Andy, we love you! Sophie, 9, Buckingham Well done to everyone who is doing the marathon. You should be very proud of yourself. GOOD LUCK!!!! Eliza, 10, London Lots of luck today to my friend Ivor's mummy, Alice. Eshan, 8, London Good luck, mum, you can do it! Xxx Sonny, 10, and Coco, 7, Dorset Good luck, Mr Parker, you can do it. Izzy Go Daddy Jacob! We love you! Erica and Lillian, Chicago Good luck, Dr Robinson and Mrs Dewar from Berkhamsted School. We think you are amazing! Genevieve, 10, and Alexandra, 8, Berkhamsted Everyone is proud of you, have a good run, dad (Tony). Lillie, 11, North Wales Good luck, daddy, I am cheering from the sofa as I am poorly. Mummy, Lucas and Rhys are cheering you on at the race. Niamh, 4, Aberdeenshire Good luck, Uncle Phil!! Running for Dementia UK!! Sophia, 5, and Alfie, 2, Cumbria Go Hollie - running for Cancer Research UK. Joe, 8, and Evie, 6, Cornwall Good luck, Kim and Leah, running in your first marathon, you have come through so much and we are so proud of you. Phoebe, 14, Penyffordd Good luck, Tom - do it for Be Be. Harvey, 4, Surrey Good luck, Clara, we all hope you do well, you got this! Xxxx Rosie, 13, Luton Go on, Roman Lad. Tom, 13, Frodsham Good luck daddy on your first marathon!! Oliver, 5 months, Mansfield Run, daddy, run! We are so proud of you and hope you enjoy your race. Olivia, 10, Jacob, 7, and Owen, 5, Somerset Good luck, Roman. You can do this. 😘 Helsby High School Good luck, daddy, you are awesome! William, Swindon Good luck, Tim, so, so proud of you for doing this. You are amazing. Jen, Swindon Keep going, mum! Hannah, 16, Cumbria Come on daddy (Dale), we love you and are so proud! Lots of love. 😊 Johnny, 10, Camilla, 7, and the Davis Family Good luck Mr Newell, your class are so so proud of you, you're amazing! Well done! X Jasmin and Alice, Surrey Wishing Miss Mackinder lots of luck from everyone at Chuter Ede Primary School - you're a true inspiration! Chuter Ede Primary School, Nottingham Good luck, Rebecca English, running for Evelina and our babies! Emma, Tony, Ollie and Betsy Just want to wish all the runners good luck. We have 600 ice poles waiting to cool you down. The Palmer Family Good luck, Uncle Tim! You can do it. Leila, 7, Hackney Wishing our daddy, Andrew, lots of luck on his first London Marathon. We love you very much and you are our hero. xxx Grace and William Good luck for everyone taking part and I hope you have fun! Looking out for the coolest and funniest costumes! Alice, 9, Abingdon Good luck, Mr Holmes! We will look out for the cap! Class 72a, Foremarket Hall Prep School Good luck to everyone running the London Marathon tomorrow! Always remember that we are all behind each and every one of you! Run with your heads held high! Bella, Evesham I would just like to say good luck to everyone. You can do it! I hope you all finish. And again, good luck. :) Eleanor, 11, Bolton Good luck, Uncle Richard - running to raise money for Cancer Research. We are very proud of you. x Lucas, 7, Devon Good luck, Mrs Whiteley! You can do it! Class 5HC, Forres Sandle Manor School, Hampshire Good luck, runners. Do your very best. I am very proud. Hannah, 13, South Lanarkshire Good luck to my brother, Simon, who is running to raise money for the Children with Cancer UK - the Mr Men and Little Miss team. Such a wonderful charity. You are an inspiration to the whole family, your nieces are so proud. xx Becky, Rich, Soph and Jess, Yorkshire Good luck, everyone, you'll do great. Sky-Louise, 11, Doncaster Good luck, David from Manchester, who is running to raise money for the Together Trust. Kathleen, Malc, Andrew, and Hannah Good luck all people who are running the marathon, especially my incredible mum, Catherine. Daisy, 9, Bristol I hope all of you do well in the London Marathon! Isabel, Bedfordshire Good luck to all the marathon runners. Never give up and try your best! Izzy, 11, Hereford Good luck to Jane from Gibraltar. Run, walk or skip, we are all supporting you. Grace & James, Gibraltar Good luck Auntie Jane, you're EPIC! Love from Ben and Holly xx Good luck and do your best. Jessica, 16, London
The 37th London Marathon is taking place on Sunday, 23 April, with thousands of runners joining in to raise money for charity.
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"At this stage we can confirm there are dead and wounded on all sides, and hostages," Lt Col Diarran Kone said. Ukraine's foreign ministry says one of its nationals is being held hostage. Residents told the BBC that before the attack, gunmen on motorbikes warned people via loudhailers to go indoors. Sevare has an air force base and some UN peacekeepers are in the town. The BBC's Alex Duval Smith in Mali says the town, which is about 600km (370 miles) north-east of the capital, Bamako, is the trading hub that serves the historic riverside city of Mopti. The Byblos Hotel, scene of the ongoing incident, was reportedly attacked early on Friday morning by gunmen who had spent the night at the nearby Debo Hotel. "An armed attack has been carried out on a hotel in Mali, and a Ukrainian national is among the hostages. Jointly with our international partners, we are taking urgent steps to free our citizen," Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesperson Mariana Betsa said on Twitter. Our reporter says there are several hotels near each other in the town that are popular with UN workers and those working for non-governmental organisations. The BBC has learned that guests from France, South Africa and Ukraine are registered at the hotels, but it is not clear if they are caught up in the operation. UN spokeswoman Radhia Achouri refused to say whether any UN members of staff had been affected or were being held hostage in the Byblos Hotel. A resident in the same neighbourhood as the hotel said: "We have never seen anything like this is Sevare. "In 2012, the jihadists from the north were stopped at Konna, about 50km from here. So we only saw the war on television. Now that it has come to Sevare we are all traumatised." Al-Qaeda-linked Islamist militants have been fighting the army in northern Mali for a number of years. France, the former colonial power in Mali, intervened in January 2013 to stop their advance south to the capital. Militancy in Mali
Soldiers in Mali have surrounded a hotel in the central town of Sevare where suspected Islamist militants are holding at least one foreign hostage, a defence spokesman has told the BBC.
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Pole-starter Crutchlow, 30, held off title leader Marc Marquez and Valentino Rossi on the final lap. Andrea Iannone had threatened to take a podium place but crashed on his Ducati with five laps remaining. Earlier, the race was red-flagged and restarted after a first-lap crash involving Loris Baz and Pol Espargaro. Crutchlow, who become Britain's first MotoGP race winner in 35 years in the Czech Republic last month, was 3.480 seconds behind Vinales and just 0.583secs ahead of Italy's Rossi, the seven-time champion and 2015 Silverstone victor. "It was a long race but good fun," Honda rider Crutchlow said on BT Sport. "We deserved that result. The crowd deserved it. They've backed me for years. Pole and second, I'll take that all day long. I expected to be in the top six." Crutchlow was overtaken by Italian legend Rossi from second at the start and had to refocus when the race was halted after Baz and Espargaro collided near the back of the grid. At the restart, Vinales moved up quickly from third on the grid towards a healthy lead by lap nine, with Crutchlow at one point in danger of missing the podium. However, Iannone slid out with five laps left before Marquez lost ground in the penultimate lap by going off the track, leaving Crutchlow the job of edging Rossi in to second place. Vinales becomes the first man to win a race in each of the Moto3, Moto2, and MotoGP championships, while it was Suzuki's first victory in nine years. Lincolnshire's Alex Lowes finished 13th on his Yamaha, 40 seconds off the pace, on his MotoGP debut. The next race takes place at Misano, in Italy, next Sunday. Meanwhile, Silverstone will host the 2017 British MotoGP after the track agreed a deal with the Circuit of Wales. The Welsh venue signed a five-year deal to host MotoGP in 2014 but work on the £315m project has been delayed. 1. Maverick Vinales (Spa) Suzuki 39 minutes 3.559 seconds 2. Cal Crutchlow (GB) Honda +3.480 3. Valentino Rossi (Ita) Yamaha +4.063 4. Marc Marquez (Spa) Honda +5.992 5. Dani Pedrosa (Spa) Honda +6.381 6. Dovizioso (Ita) Ducati +12.303 7. Aleix Espargaro (Spa) Suzuki +16.672 8. Jorge Lorenzo (Spa) Yamaha +19.432 9. Danilo Petrucci (Ita) Ducati +25.618 10. Alvaro Bautista (Spa) Aprilia +32.084 Click here for full standings 1. Marc Marquez (Spa) Honda 210 points 2. Valentino Rossi (Ita) Yamaha 160 3. Jorge Lorenzo (Spa) Yamaha 146 4. Maverick Vinales (Spa) Suzuki 125 5. Dani Pedrosa (Spa) Honda 120 6. Andrea Iannone (Ita) Ducati 96 7. Andrea Dovizioso (Ita) Ducati 89 8. Cal Crutchlow (GB) Honda 86 9. Pol Espargaro (Spa) Yamaha 81 10. Hector Barbera (Spa) Ducati 78
Britain's Cal Crutchlow finished second in a dramatic British MotoGP at Silverstone as Spain's Maverick Vinales dominated to take his first-ever win.
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The bout had been scheduled to take place in Manchester on 9 July. Undefeated Fury, 27, posted on Instagram that he had been forced to cancel the fight after injuring himself while running in the Lake District. "They've said it's not broken but it's badly sprained and to keep off it for six to seven weeks," he said. Peter Fury, his uncle and trainer, said on Twitter: "Fight date will be postponed with new date released very soon, probably today." Tyson Fury took the WBA and WBO heavyweight titles from Klitschko in their first bout in November. "Of course, I am currently totally disappointed about the cancellation," Klitschko said. "As well as for my fans, I´m very sorry, they were all very excited for this rematch. But one thing is also clear, this just means I'll get my belt a few weeks later." Fury's promoter Mick Hennessy added: "It's very unfortunate at this crucial stage of Tyson's preparations that this injury has occurred with just a couple of weeks to go. "There was no way Tyson could go into the fight against Wladimir Klitschko less than 100% fit."
British world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury has postponed next month's rematch with Wladimir Klitschko after injuring an ankle in training.
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In his first interview since taking over at the bank in December, Mr Staley said that the core bank was performing well, but there was a lot of work to do "simplifying" the structure of the bank and improving conduct. That restructuring will cost money, he said, and will lead to the dividend being cut for investors by more than half this year and in 2017. The bonus pool will also be cut for senior executives, he said. "We are working at Barclays to change conduct," Mr Staley told me. "I am truly dedicated that Barclays rests itself on the foundations of integrity and engenders trust from our clients, so the conduct issues will be a thing of the past. "I do believe that trust is returning to our institution. But we will never rest, we are never done. We have to focus on building that trust every day." He refused to repeat the pledge made by the bank's chairman, John McFarlane, last year that the bank's share price would double in three years. The bank's share price has fallen 40% since the middle of last year. Mr Staley said he believed the market would respond positively to the simplification plans announced today. On pay, Mr Staley said he wanted to pay "competitively" but he understood the public's concerns. "In the last four years, Barclays' bonus pool has been cut in half," he said. "But remember, we need to pay competitively, whether it's the branch manager in Manchester or the banker in New York." He said that Barclays would look to sell the majority of its Africa business, largely ending a historic relationship that goes back over 100 years. "In the last three months we've had to make some very difficult decisions. We've pulled the investment bank back from nine emerging economies," Mr Staley said. "On top of that we have made a very challenging decision to sell our position in Barclays Africa. "The reality is, in this new regulatory environment, we carry 100% of the liabilities but we only own 62% of Barclays Africa. "It truncated possible returns from investing in Africa. "We have to take difficult decisions if we're going to get Barclays into a focused, clear business model that generates returns for our shareholders." Turning to Europe, Mr Staley said that it was better for Britain to remain in, rather than leave, the European Union. "We believe staying in the EU is best for our consumers and corporate clients," he said. "Having unfettered access to the great economies of Europe anchors some significant benefits for the UK."
The chief executive of Barclays has told me that the bank needs to regain the trust of the public as he announced that profits had more than than halved in the final three months of 2015.
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Charles Mellor, 57, disappeared a week ago while fishing near the former Carnation factory. His body was found in The Caul area on Thursday. Mr Mellor's disappearance on Friday night prompted a major search operation, involving the coastguard and the police underwater unit. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Nith Inshore Rescue, and members of the Moffat Mountain Rescue Team were also involved in the search.
Police have confirmed that the body of a man pulled from the River Nith in Dumfries is that of a missing fisherman.
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Media playback is not supported on this device Former FA chairman David Bernstein said it was time for drastic action against football's world governing body. "England on its own cannot influence this," he said. "If we tried something like that, we'd be laughed at." He says a World Cup would be weakened without Europe's top teams and that a boycott would have public backing. "If I was at the FA now, I would do everything I could to encourage other nations within Uefa - and there are some who would definitely be on side, others may be not - to take this line," he added. "At some stage, you have to walk the walk, stop talking and do something." Bernstein said he also wanted Fifa president Sepp Blatter to step down but described him as "formidable, very shrewd, very smart", conceding it would "not be easy" to bring his reign to an end. In an exclusive interview, the 71-year-old also said: Bernstein chose to speak out after a report into the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups cleared Russia and Qatar of wrongdoing but was critical of England, accusing the FA of flouting bid rules in its attempt to win the right to stage the 2018 event. Yet less than four hours of the document's release, it was questioned by Michael Garcia, the man who conducted the two-year investigation into corruption claims. The furore surrounding the report is the latest controversy to hit football's world governing body, which has been riddled with allegations of corruption in recent times. Now Bernstein, who led the FA for three years from January 2011, wants Fifa to change its ways or face a challenge it finds impossible to ignore. When asked again if he was calling for the FA to unite with Uefa to boycott Fifa and the World Cup, he replied: "Unless it (Fifa) could achieve the reforms that would bring Fifa back into the respectable world community, yes I would. "It sounds drastic, but, frankly, this has gone on for years now. It's not improving, it's going from bad to worse to worse." He said there were 54 countries within Uefa and described Germany, Spain, Italy, France and Holland as "all powerful". He added: "You can't hold a serious World Cup without them. They have the power to influence if they have the will." Similar views have been expressed by German Football League president Reinhard Rauball, who suggested Uefa could leave Fifa if the findings of the two-year investigation into corruption claims are not published in full. As for criticism of England by the Fifa report, Bernstein accused football's world governing body of trying to deflect attention from its own failings. "I don't think much to these accusations," he said. "I don't think we should get away from the real issue. The real issue is Fifa governance and trying to achieve real change. But it won't happen easily." "Fifa is sort of a totalitarian set-up. Bits of it remind me of the old Soviet empire. People don't speak out and if they do they get quashed." Media playback is not supported on this device Bernstein also described the decision to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar, where blistering summer temperatures means the event could be switched to winter, "as one of the most ludicrous decisions in the history of sport". He added: "You might as well have chosen Iceland in the winter. It was like an Alice in Wonderland sort of decision. The attempt to change the timing is also absolutely wrong." He felt the decision to choose Qatar as 2022 hosts could come under further scrutiny. "There's also a background of political, social and employment issues that keep emerging and I think there's a danger that Fifa and football might be embarrassed by what emerges in the coming years," said the former Manchester City chairman. "It's certainly not sour grapes. England didn't lose to Qatar, we lost to Russia. Qatar is clearly a totally unsuitable place to hold a World Cup." Bernstein also revealed he has quit Fifa's anti-discrimination taskforce He described it as "ineffectual" and wishes to end his ties with Fifa. Explaining his decision to leave the taskforce, which was introduced in 2013, Bernstein said: "I've resigned for two reasons. "Firstly, the body has been pretty ineffectual. I've been on it for more than a year and we only had one meeting. Secondly, because frankly I don't wish to be personally associated with Fifa any further. "Fifa sets up these things - and we've seen it with their regulation - that look good in theory but don't seem to do very much in practice."
The English Football Association has been urged to lobby Uefa for a European boycott of the next World Cup - unless Fifa implements meaningful reform.
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The 35-year-old, whose contract expires in the summer, suffered the injury in his first appearance for seven months against Burnley on Saturday. Czech Republic international Rosicky joined Arsenal in May 2006. Asked if Rosicky had played his last game for the Gunners, boss Arsene Wenger said: "I hope not but the injury is quite a serious one." Rosicky, who has made 246 appearances for Arsenal, signed a one-year contract extension last summer. Meanwhile, striker Danny Welbeck made his return to action for the under-21s on Friday. The England international, 25, has been sidelined since April 2015 after injuring himself in a 0-0 draw with Chelsea, but played one hour in the game against Brighton.
Arsenal midfielder Tomas Rosicky has been ruled out for up to three months because of a thigh problem.
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Akhilesh Yadav, 44, was sacked from the Samajwadi Party (SP), after a row over candidate lists for state elections. His father, party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, made the U-turn after the two met on Friday. "All misunderstandings are now over", Indian media quoted Akhilesh Yadav's uncle as saying. Mulayam, a former chief minister of the state, announced he was expelling Akhilesh on Thursday, a day after his son released a list of 235 candidates for the upcoming polls, despite the party announcing its own choices earlier. Who is Akhilesh Yadav? The family feud rocking Indian politics The list reportedly included Akhilesh's supporters, and excluded some of his father's loyalists. Elections are expected to be announced in Uttar Pradesh in the coming days. On Saturday, Mulayam also revoked the expulsion of his cousin, senior party leader Ramgopal Yadav. Ramgopal earned the wrath of the party chief after announcing an emergency meeting of the SP on 1 January, which Mulayam said only he was entitled to do. "Now we will all fight UP polls united and will form the government with majority," said Shivpal Yadav, Akhilesh's uncle and Mulayam's brother. Earlier there were angry scenes outside the chief minister's residence as supporters vented their fury, the Times of India reported. It said that 200 of the 229 party MLAs (Members of the Legislative Assembly) attended a meeting there expressing their support for Akhilesh. There are reported to be 20-plus members of the Yadav family active in Indian politics. The bitter feud between them has been simmering for some years, prompting infighting and factionalism in the SP. Some political analysts say Akhilesh is more popular than his father, as he can reach beyond the caste boundaries that are prevalent in north Indian politics.
The chief minister of India's most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, has been readmitted to his political party - a day after his father expelled him.
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28 April 2015 Last updated at 22:53 BST Last year Labour's Glenda Jackson won by 42 votes, but this year she is not standing. A key issue in the area is housing, as many of the borough's wealthier people could be hit by a mansion tax, while others are moving out as they cannot afford to live there. BBC London's Alice Bhandhukravi talks to the candidates hoping to win the seat. Click here for a full list of declared candidates for Hampstead and Kilburn and for more information about the constituency.
Hampstead and Kilburn is a key marginal seat in north London and the closest three-way seat in the country.
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Dorchester's Grade-I listed Shire Hall was the scene of the significant moment in the history of the trade union movement in the 1800s. Planning permission for the old courts and cells to be transformed into a £2.9m visitor centre has now been granted by the district council. A bid for £1.1m of Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) cash is being put together. If the Shire Hall Trust is successful in its bid this summer, West Dorset District Council will match the funding. The project was initially awarded £69,000 by the HLF and £100,000 from the authority. The six Tolpuddle Martyrs were agricultural labourers who formed a "friendly society" - a forerunner to a trade union - and swore an illegal oath to protect their falling wages in 1834. They were sentenced to seven years' transportation to an Australian penal colony. However, outrage about their punishment caused protests across England and after four years they were pardoned and returned home. Novelist and poet Thomas Hardy was also magistrate at the court for 15 years. As well as further funding the proposals for the building, on High West Street, also need the agreement of the secretary of state.
Plans to transform Dorset's Tolpuddle Martyrs trial court building into a tourist attraction have been approved.
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Votes for the 18 September ballot were listed on internet auction site eBay, which has since removed the items. The Electoral Commission said both the selling and buying of votes was illegal. One online listing offered buyers a "unique piece of British history". The Glasgow-based vendor wrote that he was selling his vote - with a starting price of 99p - because he did not "give a flying monkeys [sic] about any of this". He went on: "This is my very own unique piece of British History! "This could be the deciding vote. Who knows? I am a hard working Scottish citizen with a house, a gorgeous wife and 2 beautiful kids who are my world. "This vote will not change anything in our lives so I have decided not to vote." The listing was signed off: "Happy Bidding." A spokeswoman for the Electoral Commission said it had made an agreement with eBay that any such "votes for sale" listings would be taken down and referred to police. She added that selling and buying votes was a criminal offence that could lead to a year in prison or a "substantial" fine. "Anyone that believes an offence may have been committed, for instance because bids were made on a vote advertised as 'for sale', should refer this matter to the police," she told the BBC. "We advise eBay to refer any such cases to the police themselves." A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: "We will respond appropriately to any issues which arise. "We are investigating these incidents and therefore cannot comment on the outcome of these incidents until all inquiries are concluded. Where other incidents are reported they will be investigated and appropriate action taken."
Police have launched an investigation after a number of people apparently tried to sell their votes in the independence referendum online.
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The Association of British Commuters (ABC) will attend a hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice on 29 June. The drivers' union, Aslef, is due to begin an overtime ban on the same day. Leaders of the RMT are due to meet this week to discuss the next move in their long-running disputes with Southern, Merseyrail and Northern (Arriva North). The RMT is in dispute with the rail companies over driver-only-operated trains which they say would be unsafe and lead to widespread job losses. Aslef and the RMT have been in a bitter dispute with Southern and its parent company, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), for more a year over the roles of train staff. ABC said ministers acted unlawfully by failing to determine whether managers had breached franchise obligations. They said the court hearing could lead to a full judicial review. Summer Dean, of ABC, said: "Passengers are the only people who still don't have a voice in this fiasco, and many thousands of them support us in our efforts to reveal the truth behind the Department for Transport's involvement in Southern Rail." Mick Cash, the RMT's general secretary, said: "The spotlight is now well and truly back on the basket-case Southern rail franchise and their unconditional support from this minority government, regardless of the safety and service consequences." The Department for Transport said it would be "inappropriate" to comment while legal proceedings were ongoing. A GTR spokesman said: "We take our responsibilities to our passengers incredibly seriously, in particular disabled customers. We now have more staff assigned to work on our trains than we did before who can assist."
A commuters' group has been given a date for a court hearing in its bid for a judicial review of the government's handling of the Southern rail "fiasco".
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This is because the CDF - a fund that will have £340m next year - exists to pay for treatments that would not be bought were cancer subject to normal NHS cost-benefit rules. Cancer patients are given more support than other patients. This is seen as a problem for two reasons. First, basic fairness. Why care more about cancer than other diseases? Second, it undermines the cost-benefit system that officials and doctors work hard to make work for the rest of the NHS. There remains one big undiscussed element to this, though. The CDF is a "stop-gap". That's what everyone says. Andrew Lansley, the former health secretary, said the fund "is not, and was never intended to be, a permanent solution" to the problem the NHS keeps raising about cancer drugs often costing too much. At the moment, the NHS has an odd system for drug pricing. It allows "free pricing", which means that pharmaceutical companies can name their price when they come forward with a product. Then the NHS says "yes" or "no". The state makes a call on whether that price represents good value. That decision-making role is currently occupied by NICE - the body whose main expertise is in assessing medical technologies. It works out how much each new technology that it assesses either improves quality of life or prolongs it. Nice says treatments should not cost more than £20,000 to £30,000 for each extra year of life in good health they bring. But there are exemptions. Costs can go higher for end-of-life care, for example. But if a drug doesn't meets the criteria, we don't buy it. This is not the only NHS cost-control mechanism: doctors have budgets to watch. And the total drug bill is capped. If we overspend, the pharmaceutical companies pay a rebate. But NICE controls which drugs enter the main NHS bloodstream. This process creates a political problem. Rejecting cancer drugs makes front-page news. It could make the whole NICE system politically toxic - hence why the CDF exists. The role of the CDF is to shield NICE from campaigners. But the argument about cancer has distracted us from other problems that the NICE system introduces. For example, imagine NICE approves a new drug, so hospitals have to offer it. But, to pay for it, hospitals have to cut other treatments for other diseases that might be more efficient than the new product? That happens a lot. Mr Lansley wanted to change the way we say which drugs the NHS can use when he was health secretary. Rather than have a system where the NHS just says "yes" or "no", he wanted a process where the NHS would say to the companies: "We want this drug and we will pay £2,000 for a drug of this quality." This is hardly novel: it's how much of the world works. But changing to his idea - known as "value-based pricing" (VBP) - would also mean a lot of change for the NHS. Some could be good. For example, if you are willing to set prices drug-by-drug and disease-by-disease, you can incorporate a wider range of issues into your assessment of value for money. Technical assessments made by NICE could be supplemented by other work. Mr Lansley wanted us to be willing to pay more for drugs that save money by reducing a patient's need for carers. So we could raise the maximum price we would be willing to pay for a given treatment for Alzheimer's, say. We could also systematically pay more for things like mental health treatments, because we need to encourage so much research in that area. We could do the same to encourage breakthrough research like the new post-statin cholesterol-busters. And VBP could well lead to a pricing system that lets through a lot more cancer drugs on a more rational basis. Lots are innovative and some of their benefits are not fully captured by the current system. The system would assume we would buy any drug at a price we would fix based on what it is worth to us, rather than simply saying "yes" or "no" to a price based on the pharmaceutical companies' assessments. Still, changing this would be tough. The pharmaceutical companies do like free pricing. That's because the UK price can be used as a reference price for selling abroad. The NHS would also need to cut prices for a lot of drugs. It can't be a one-way ratchet, where it only promises to pay more for stuff. But there's no guarantee we could save money. There's also no guarantee we'd be good at it, or that we really would have enough pricing power to direct drug research. A lot of health economists like the idea of VBP, but worry about implementation. George Freeman, the responsible minister, said VBP "might involve a 10-year programme of deep and long-term change, but we are definitely committed to embracing it and to laying a policy foundation for it." The argument about cancer drugs will be reignited in March. This month, NHS England revealed that 25 treatments might no longer be funded by it. They are too expensive or ineffective even for the fund, officials say. Those decisions will be finalised then, and patients who have been denied drugs will start coming forward soon afterwards. When this starts again, it's fair to reflect that the CDF isn't really fair on patients of other diseases. But we should be thinking about whether the CDF is the problem, or whether it is a drug pricing system built around just saying "yes" or "no".
A lot of people in the NHS hate the Cancer Drugs Fund - the pot of money dedicated to funding expensive cancer drugs for patients in England.
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The £50m stadium and training facilities would be at Kingsford, close to the Aberdeen bypass, near Westhill. The hearing will take place on Wednesday 13 September at Aberdeen Town House. It will give people who have written in about the application a chance to speak about it directly to city councillors. Aberdeen FC said if planning permission was granted in October, it could still have the stadium completed in 2020. Objectors say concerns include traffic and parking issues. The club believes the new stadium is vital if it is to achieve a sustainable future.
A pre-determination hearing into Aberdeen FC's plans for a new stadium on the outskirts of the city will take place in September.
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The clubs acted after England wing Jonny May used a little-known regulation to leave Gloucester for Leicester for a fixed compensation fee, despite being under contract. But following talks on Tuesday, the 12 existing Premiership clubs have voted unanimously to amend the stipulation. The Rugby Players' Association (RPA) was not consulted on the change. Previously, the regulation in the Premiership code of conduct enabled a player to be bought out of his contract by another club for a set transfer fee. That amount was a one-off payment of a year's salary of what the player was being offered by the buying club, or what he was currently being paid - whichever was higher. It is understood that the clause was designed to cover employees in other areas of the club, but it has rarely been used in the case of a player. But this regulation has now been altered, with the fee becoming a negotiation between the two clubs. This fee will fall outside the salary cap. It is hoped the change will protect smaller clubs from having their young players on low salaries poached, and will ensure the competitiveness and equity of the league. It's understood all 12 Premiership clubs supported the amendment. May's move to Welford Road had been seen as an important precedent, with some figures fearful of the impact it would have on the English game. The latest development represents a shift in power back to the clubs from the players but, like in the negotiations surrounding the global season, the players were not involved in the discussions. "We're talking to the players about how this will potentially impact on their careers," RPA chief executive Damian Hopley told BBC Sport. "We want to ensure the players feel there is an open dialogue to be had. This has to work for both parties [clubs and players], and be done in a professional and swift way." And Hopley says the latest change must not lead to inflated sums of money being demanded for players looking to leave a contract early. "It must be dealt with in a fair and reasonable fashion, otherwise this could turn into a free-for-all and destabilise the entire marketplace," he said.
English Premiership clubs have closed a contract loophole which threatened transfer chaos in rugby union.
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Plans to knock down 271 terraced houses in Toxteth and replace them with 154 new homes were blocked by the government last month in order to preserve its "Beatles heritage". Communities Secretary Eric Pickles vetoed plans as the site includes Ringo Starr's birthplace. The £15m Welsh Streets project had been recommended after a public inquiry. The scheme was approved by the council's planning committee in August 2013 but was called in for a public inquiry by Mr Pickles. Assistant mayor and Liverpool City Council cabinet member for housing Ann O'Byrne said: "We are not prepared to stand by and see Eric Pickles ignore local people and his own independent planning inspector. "The long-suffering residents of the Welsh Streets have now been waiting more than a decade for new homes and we are standing up against this unacceptable political interference from Whitehall. "This scheme was carefully developed and supported by the vast majority of local people in a thorough and detailed consultation." Under the plans, The Beatles' drummer's former home at 9 Madryn Street was due to be refurbished, along with 36 other properties, although other terraced houses on the road would be demolished. A letter giving the reasons for Mr Pickles' decision said the proposals were "short sighted as regards the future tourism potential of Madryn Street". Other reasons given included: Liverpool City Council had until the end of Friday to appeal against Mr Pickle's decision. As well as Madryn Street, the scheme encompasses Wynnstay Street, Voelas Street, Treborth Street, Rhiwlas Street, Powis Street, Pengwern Street, Kinmel Street and Gwydir Street. Sources differ on how long Starr lived at Madryn Street before his family moved to nearby Admiral Grove, where he was living as a teenager shortly before The Beatles shot to fame.
A decision to halt the demolition of Liverpool's Welsh Streets area has been challenged by the city council.
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This poverty has become an issue in the mid-term election race that pits Mary Landrieu, a Democrat who's already been senator for 18 years, against Republican Congressman Bill Cassidy. Ms Landrieu's supporters insist she has done a lot for poor families. Her opponents say it's not enough and she is just a lackey of President Barack Obama. In fact, Mr Obama seems to be just as important a figure in this campaign as either of the candidates, and his name isn't even on the ballot.
Louisiana is hot, humid and poor - in roughly that order - and all three facts are unmissable.
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These so-called "prohibited" subsidies are considered the most serious form of anti-competitive practice as they require an undertaking from the company in receipt of them to promise not to operate in other jurisdictions. You can have the money if you promise you won't open plants elsewhere - in this case even in another US state. This particular subsidy was offered by Washington State - home of Boeing's vast Everett and Renton plants - and covers the development of its wide bodied 777X aircraft. Previous examples of this kind of ruling usually require immediate repayment - a sum that by some estimate could approach $9bn, a figure Boeing itself, however, hotly disputes. Boeing has previously called for an Australian company, found to be in receipt of similar prohibited subsidies, to be forced to immediately repay them, but it's unlikely it will take such a hard line on itself. This marks a victory for Airbus in a war without end. Back in September the European aerospace giant, which employs 15,000 people in the UK, was on the receiving end when it was found that billions of euros in low interest loans amounted to illegal subsidies. Boeing celebrated that moment as a comprehensive victory which would deal a mortal blow to Airbus and result in more US jobs. The reality is that neither of these companies can exist without government subsidies. The development costs of new aircraft are just too big, and the risks and rewards too great, for governments to stay out of it. Boeing gets money from NASA and the US Department of Defence; Airbus from very, very cheap government loans. For years this was the case and an uneasy truce reigned over the world aerospace market throughout the 1990s and beyond. Then, in 2004, all hell broke loose and the lawyers on both sides have been at each others throats for 12 years - a nice little earner for them. Could the end of this legal gravy plane be in sight? Perhaps. It's not just the US and Europe who are at it. Canada's government subsidises Bombardier, and then there is the biggest threat to the Airbus and Boeing duopoly. It is called Comac, the state-funded Chinese plane maker with the world commercial aviation market its number one target. Its recent wide bodied aircraft combine features of both the Boeing 777 and Airbus A350 and caught many eyes at a recent airshow in China. Perhaps this potential common enemy will one day prompt Boeing and Airbus to bury the hatchet. The world's longest running and costliest trade dispute does shed some interesting light on the workings of the World Trade Organization. This is a body the UK may get to know a bit better in the coming months and years if the UK leaves the EU without striking a replacement trade deal. The big lesson is this: disputes take years, are rarely conclusively settled, and do not take the heat out of international trade disputes.
In a landmark trade ruling, the World Trade Organization will this afternoon find Boeing has illegally benefitted from billions of dollars from the most anti-competitive type of subsidy.
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The male officer was slashed on the neck, face and hand while attempting to arrest Paul Owens at the Leeds store. Owens, 36, of no fixed address, admitted wounding with intent to resist arrest, attempted theft and possessing an offensive weapon. He was jailed for six years and 147 days at Leeds Crown Court. The HMV store on Victoria Walk was closed for about two hours after the attack on 25 November, with witness Liam Hughes describing the incident as "absolute madness". Owens was eventually arrested after store staff helped to stop him. Nick Smart, chairman of West Yorkshire Police Federation, said: "Officers are acutely aware of the need to act on and off duty and place themselves in dangerous situations. "The sentence reflects the seriousness of attack that he suffered."
A shoplifter who attacked an off-duty police officer with a knife when he was caught stealing from an HMV during Black Friday has been jailed.
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Guide: Is homework a good idea or not? That means lessons, assembly, seeing your friends and - for a lot of you - time to do homework again! While giving homework to pupils in secondary schools is generally seen as a good idea, some don't think that kids in primary schools should have to do it. For the last 100 years or so, experts have been trying to work out if it is beneficial to give homework to kids in primary schools. In the UK, the government says it's up to the head teacher to decide whether or not their school will set extra work like this. Find out more about both sides of the argument with Newsround's guide, and then let us know what you think of doing homework when you're in primary school. Homework: A timeline Homework generally means work that is set by teachers for you to do outside of your normal school hours. When you're younger, your parents might help you to do it. But as you get older, you will generally take more responsibility for doing your homework on your own. Professor Sue Hallam from the Institute of Education - who is one of the most experienced researchers into homework in the UK - says that in 1997, just over 6 in every 10 primary schools made their pupils do homework. Just two years later, this had risen to around nine in ten primary schools and the majority still set homework now. Many think that giving homework to primary school children is an important part of their learning. They believe it helps them to practice what that they have learnt in lessons, in order to get better at things like spelling and handwriting. They say it helps to teach children how to work on their own and be disciplined with themselves - both skills that are useful later in life. It can also allow parents or guardians to get involved in their children's learning. To find out more about why people think homework is a good idea, Jenny spoke to Chris from the campaign for Real Education, which is a group of teachers and parents who care about how well schools are doing. Members of the organisation believe that traditional homework is important. Chris told Newsround: "If you like learning, homework helps to support your learning. It's really important to go back afterwards and think about what you're learning in class. Practice makes perfect." "In parts of the world, children are doing much better in school than children in the UK. In most cases, they are doing much more homework. "That doesn't mean you should be doing home work all the time. "But a little bit of homework to support what you're doing in the classroom, involving your parents and guardians, is really good because it allows you to do as well as everybody else in the world." Chris added that it is important to have a balance between homework and other activities. "Homework shouldn't be overdone. Let's do some homework and some play." Some people think that giving homework to children at primary school is not necessary. They think it puts too much pressure on them and that the time spent doing homework could be used to do other activities. Jenny also spoke to Nansi Ellis - assistant general secretary of one of the biggest teacher's unions in England, made up of teachers and heads - who doesn't believe that giving homework to primary school children is needed. She told Newsround: "There is other good stuff you can do at home, like reading, playing sport or a musical instrument, or helping with the cooking, shopping or with your siblings. You might be a Guide or a Scout. "Those things are really helpful for you to learn to work in a team, to learn to be creative, to ask questions and to help other people. These are really important skills. "The trouble with homework is that it gets in the way of all of those good things that you could be doing and it doesn't necessarily help you with your school work." Sometimes parents or guardians try to help with homework and, if they have been taught differently, it can end up being confusing for the child doing the homework. They can also end up doing too much of the work themselves! Nansi added: "Some children live in really busy houses with lots of people coming and going, and they don't have a quiet space to do homework, so they can't use it to help them to get better at studying on their own, which doesn't seem fair. "Teachers set homework for you to get better at your learning - that seems like a really good reason. But actually, the evidence isn't clear that even that's true." Another expert Rosamund McNeil, from a teachers' organisation called the NUT, said: "Pupils in Finland are assigned very little homework yet they remain one of the most educationally successful countries in the world." People have been trying to find out if homework is a good thing or a bad thing for many years. Recently, a report was done by an organisation called the Teaching Schools Council, which works with the government and schools in England. It says: "Homework [in primary schools] should have a clear purpose." The report explains that if there isn't a clear reason for the homework and the pupils won't necessarily gain something from doing it, then it should not be set. Dame Reena Keeble, an ex-primary school head teacher who led the report, told Newsround: "What we are saying in our report is that if schools are setting homework for you, they need to explain to you - and your mums and dads - why they're setting it, and your teachers need to let you know how you've done in your homework. "We found homework can really help with your learning, as long as your school makes sure that what you're doing for your homework is making a difference." Many people have different opinions. However, the truth is it's hard to know. Professor Hallam explains that part of the problem is that it is difficult to accurately work out how useful homework is. Generally, people agree that homework is good idea for children in secondary school. But for primary school, it isn't clear if there's a right or wrong answer to this question. Nearly 900 of you took part in an online vote about the amount of homework you get: whether it is not enough, just right or too much. It's just a quick snapshot of what some of you think. Here's the results:
The Christmas holidays are over and it's back to school!
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"I love a sunburnt country," she declared in her timeless poem My Country, and more than a century after those famous words were crafted, parts of Australia have endured another savage summer of heat. Sydney has had its hottest December and January nights on record and there have been new year heatwaves in Queensland, Victoria and South Australia. The bursts of scorching conditions are not only uncomfortable, they can be a silent killer. Doctors are worried that many Australians are underestimating the dangers posed by the heat, the nation's deadliest natural hazard. In 2009, 173 people died in the Black Saturday bushfires in the state of Victoria, one of the most fire-prone regions in the world. However, more than twice as many victims lost their lives in a heatwave that preceded the fires. "What we are seeing increasingly is weather that really pushes us to our limits," Dr Tessa Kennedy from the Australian Medical Association of New South Wales told the BBC. "Many people don't know that heatwaves are actually more harmful to human health than bushfires and floods." Mackellar's epic love of the bush was forged in sun-baked rural New South Wales where her family owned land near Gunnedah. About 200km (124 miles) to the north, the people of Moree have been sweltering through an unprecedented heatwave. The temperature in the farming town that sits atop rich black-soil plains exceeded 35C every day in January, a record in New South Wales, beating the previous benchmark of 17 consecutive days. Meteorologists believe it could near another record this week - seven successive days above 40C. "We are sick of it," said Katrina Humphries, the mayor of the Moree Plains Shire Council. "Our son Robert and daughter-in-law Jacqueline moved back to Norfolk [in England] a couple of years ago because the heat here was so horrific. "We slow down a lot though the middle of the day and look forward to the day when it cools down and we get some rain." It's the very young, infirm and those over the age of 75 who are most risk from searing temperatures. Heat-related illness, which can occur when body temperature exceeds 37.8C, includes dehydration, cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke. The consequences can be catastrophic, resulting in heart attacks, brain damage and death. Finding out exactly how the heat has killed an individual is often hard because many victims have pre-existing medical conditions, which can be exacerbated when it is very hot. In early January, a Virgin Australia pilot died of dehydration and exhaustion while quad-biking in the Beerburrum State Forest, north of Brisbane. It was reported that 30-year old Matthew Hall's body temperature had reached 42C, which caused his organs to shut down. He died of critical heat stroke, two weeks before his wife was due to give birth to their first child. More than 500 people die of heat stress across the nation each year, according to the Australia Medical Association. The symptoms of heat exhaustion include a rapid heart rate, headaches, nausea and fainting. As the mercury climbs, spare a thought for those workers who have to endure roasting conditions on roofs, building sites or fuel depots, although they should be protected by strict health and safety laws. "If it is 38C you are supposed to be not working," Tony Sheldon, the head of the Transport Workers Union, told the BBC. "There are a number of precautions that should be taken; hydration, proper clothing, rest periods. It is critical that people have those opportunities to get out of the heat and they have a legal right to do that." Australia's Bureau of Meteorology defines a heatwave as "three days or more of high maximum and minimum temperatures that is unusual for that location". Conservationists have argued that Australia's fabled alfresco lifestyle could be in jeopardy because more severe heat could restrict the amount of time people can safely spend outside. Scientists, too, believe that the world's driest inhabited continent is becoming hotter. "There is clear evidence that heatwaves are intensifying in Australia. The overall trend in heatwaves is caused by global warming," said Andy Pitman, the director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate System, a collaboration of various universities and research organisations. "I was recently in southern Sicily and no-one was out and about in the extreme heat - activities took place in the morning and evening. One can imagine… problems for sports that take all day [cricket, for example]. There are also major economic risks - human productivity drops off in the heat, so construction is already at risk. Agriculture is threatened by extreme heat, too." As the latest blanket of oppressive heat and humidity smothered Sydney, the city seemed to slip into slow-motion to cope, although there were some die-hard runners pounding the pavements. "Ah, I'm not too bad, mate," said one man, his face lobster-red and shirt dripping with sweat. "Us Aussies grew up with it, so it is not a big deal."
As a homesick teenager in Britain in the early 1900s, the writer Dorothea Mackellar yearned for the "pitiless blue sky" of Australia.
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Labour member Jonny Morris made the gesture in protest after Conservative members voted to end a debate on raising Plymouth City Council tax. He has also been suspended for three months. Mr Morris confirmed the penalties which were agreed by the Labour group but declined to comment further. The gesture - which was caught on camera - was met with a chorus of derision from fellow attendees at the meeting. Opposition politicians branded Mr Morris an "utter disgrace" and demanded his resignation. He apologised, and said he performed the salute because he was "very angry at the closing down of debate". Plymouth Moor View Conservative MP Johnny Mercer said: "If he had a shred of integrity or any pride in his office he would have resigned. "I think not to lose your job if you do a Nazi salute in a council chamber is extraordinary but it speaks of the standards the Labour group holds themselves to." Labour leader Tudor Evans, who has previously condemned Mr Morris' actions, declined to comment on the sanctions against him.
A councillor who performed a Nazi salute during a meeting has been ordered to attend a diversity training course.
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The federal upper house (Bundesrat) took the case to the constitutional court in the western city of Karlsruhe. The petition argues that the NPD is racist and anti-Semitic, and poses a threat to Germany's democratic order. A previous attempt to ban the NPD failed in 2003 because the judges dismissed evidence provided by state agents who had infiltrated the party. The NPD is not represented at national level, but has members in the Mecklenburg-West Pomerania state assembly in former East Germany. It also has one seat in the European Parliament, held by former party chief Udo Voigt. NPD members have joined regular "anti-Islamisation" marches by the right-wing Pegida organisation, based in Dresden. The NPD's anti-immigrant stance is part of widespread German anxiety about the influx of non-EU migrants, many of them Muslim Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans fleeing war and human rights abuses. Germany severely restricts the power to ban a political party - a legacy of de-Nazification after World War Two. Only the Bundesrat, Bundestag (lower house) or government can launch a banning procedure. And only the constitutional court can impose a ban, if two-thirds of the judges back it. Critics of the new case against the NPD fear that a ban could turn far-right extremists into martyrs. The party has about 5,200 members. There are two post-war precedents for such bans in Germany. The West German authorities banned the Socialist Reich Party in 1952 and the Communist Party of Germany in 1957. A banning order forces a party to completely disband and its assets can be seized, the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle reports.
Germany's highest court is considering whether to ban the far-right National Democratic Party (NPD).
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The 16-year-old boys were arrested on Wednesday in raids by West Midlands Police, who are investigating attacks in Moseley and Kings Heath in February. Officers also seized cash, a car key, mobile phones and clothing. They believe the attacks were planned on the messaging service WhatsApp. The boys have been bailed while investigations continue.
Three teenagers have been bailed after they were arrested in connection with a spate of car-jackings in Birmingham.
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Dyfed-Powys Police has arrested a man on suspicion of murder following an incident at Temple Street, Llandrindod Wells, in the early hours of Sunday. The dead's man family has been informed. Detectives want to speak to anybody in the area around Temple Street between 23:00 BST on Saturday and 04:15 on Sunday.
Police are investigating the death of a 31-year-old man in Powys.
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Media playback is not supported on this device Before the tour party departed for New Zealand, I thought the All Blacks would win comfortably. But then I considered South Africa and Australia's decline since the last Rugby World Cup, that England and Ireland have both risen in the rankings, that Scotland beat the Wallabies in Sydney last week, and thought the balance of power was shifting from southern to northern hemisphere rugby. I looked at the considerable strength and quality of the squad at Warren Gatland's disposal. Then I added in some weather forecasts that suggested there might be favourable conditions for the Lions forwards at Eden Park. And maybe I got carried away. In the opening three minutes, you saw Jonathan Davies go through, offload to Conor Murray and the Lions come up to within a metre. From there, the All Blacks score. But the Lions didn't. Instead Elliot Daly was bundled into touch by a superb bit of defence from Israel Dagg and that set the tone for the game. New Zealand's players have an individual skill set far above any of their rival teams. Take second row Brodie Retallick, who is 6ft 8 and 19 and a half stone. He can push in the scrum and jump in the line-out in his sleep. When he wakes up though, he plays with the distribution and space awareness of a centre. From one to 15, they all have the X-factor. But as well as the ability to execute remarkable handling skills, they also have an understanding of how best to deploy them. Wing Rieko Ioane's first try was a case in point. The All Blacks had the penalty advantage after a great scrum, but Kieran Read was not only able to scoop an extraordinary off-load off the floor to scrum-half Aaron Smith, but also to realise that, with the Lions pack wheeled, he was opening up the tourists' weak side. Three passes later Ioane was in. They were the eye-catching moments. In general play though, their superiority sprung from a simple aspect of the game that is taught all the way from mini-rugby as a child. They were coming onto the ball at pace. Or if not, they passed to someone who could. It meant that they made yards to gain territory, it gave them the upper hand in the breakdown to secure possession and opened up the options of off-loads from which they create try-scoring chances. The hosts won the collisions. It was especially important given New Zealand attacked with less width than normal to try and avoid being trapped by a Lions rush that comes up quicker on the outside. After the match, Gatland called for his men to be more physical, while counterpart Steve Hansen mocked the Lions' presumptions of front-five dominance. Both coaches knew that basic truth. The beautiful aspect of rugby is that through cohesion, organisation and commitment you can negate a team of more talented individuals and win through the collective. The Lions will have come off the pitch at Eden Park thinking about what might have been because they had the opportunities to make the result very different. They created plenty of chances from long range, one was finished by Sean O'Brien for a spectacular try after Liam Williams' deft sidestep inside his own 22m. If you are viewing this page on the BBC News app please click here to vote. But others were left unexploited. Daly came close early on and could have put Liam Williams in after collecting Owen Farrell's kick on the half hour. Jonathan Davies' break should have delivered at least five points at the start of the second half before Anthony Watson's weaving run had the All Blacks stretched, but ultimately unbreached. Rhys Webb's try in the last play of the game may have been meaningless in terms of this weekend, but it was an important psychological blow. Whether it is the first minute or the last, the All Blacks hate conceding. If the Lions finished off what they created, they could have won this game and that is their glimmer of hope. The All Blacks always seem to come on strong in the final 20 minutes. The Lions need to be leading rather than chasing as the second Test heads into that decisive period. I would go for younger, more athletic, options from the start. Starting Maro Itoje ahead of Alun Wyn Jones in the second row would be the most obvious way to increase the dynamism of the side. The 22-year-old England lock is an 80-minute animal and made an impact after coming off the bench with a fine line-out steal and several good cover tackles. Webb's try was a fine piece of opportunism and fellow scrum-half Conor Murray had a couple of wayward kicks, but I would ignore calls for the Welshman to come in from the start. Webb is a finisher, revelling in the open spaces and tired defences late on, but is too much of an individual to start. However, I would have a long think about possibly replacing Owen Farrell, who lacked his usual influence, with Johnny Sexton at 10. Farrell didn't play badly, but his positive contribution was not that obvious either. He missed a kick that by his own high standards was eminently makeable. Perhaps bringing CJ Stander in ahead of Sam Warburton on the bench would bring more physicality and ball-carry ballast. Maybe Iain Henderson could come in to the 23 as a replacement. There are not too many changes to make. Ultimately, whoever you put out, you are up against the All Blacks, who are just a phenomenal team.
I had so many emotions coming into this game.
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Posh dropped to 16th in the table after losing 3-1 at Bury on Tuesday. "We've given the fans some massive highs and now we're giving them a ridiculous low," said Westley. "I hope people understand the reality of the situation. We had a team in November that won six straight and we're sick of talking about it, but we've lost eight of those in this run." He told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire: "We've been blooding players, given them their debuts and we've looked a bit disjointed - the little errors are adding up and costing us dear. Westley's side were in the play-off places in mid-January, but since selling top scorer Conor Washington to QPR, Posh have only scored six league goals. And they have lost every game since their FA Cup fourth round penalty shootout defeat by Premier League West Brom on 10 February, with injuries to midfielder Chris Forrester and striker Lee Angol proving untimely. "Two or three weeks ago we were playing a Premier League side and matching them. We've had an awful period since then," said Westley. "We have to take responsibility for what we are serving up, but we will get it right. We're all hardworking people, we know what we're doing, we're good at our jobs."
Peterborough manager Graham Westley is confident his side can recover from a run of five League One defeats.
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Media playback is not supported on this device Wood is one of 12 English players in the men's world's top 100, a statistic that compares favourably with the equivalent ranking in tennis, in which just four British players feature. "There are 10 of us that have come through amateur golf and broken into the top 50 in the world," said Wood. "If it was tennis, it would be global news." The 29-year-old from Bristol said he often buys newspapers for the "back pages" but is frustrated at the coverage golfers receive. "When you read about tennis players that are 100th in the world, but they are ranked number two in the UK, it is quite frustrating, because we're working just as hard as they are," he said. "I know we're working hard at promoting the game in different ways, but the standard of English golf is really as high as it's ever been."
Defending PGA champion Chris Wood says home-grown players deserve more recognition for their achievements.
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The five-stage event, won by Britain's Lizzie Deignan last year, will conclude in the capital on Sunday, 11 June. Its fourth edition will also include stages in Northamptonshire, Warwickshire, Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire and Derbyshire. All of the world's top 15 teams will take part in the race, which is a part of the UCI Women's WorldTour. "This year's route will combine testing climbs and beautiful scenery in the heart of England with the London finish, which will be an undoubted highlight of the sporting calendar," race director Mick Bennett said.
London will host the 2017 Women's Tour final stage, with the race to open on 7 June in Daventry.
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The move brings Islamophobia in line with anti-Semitic attacks targeting Jewish people, which have been recorded separately for some time. It comes ahead of the publication of yearly hate crime statistics, which are expected to show further rises. The Metropolitan Police already records Islamophobic crime. The government said creating a separate category across the board would "enable police, prosecutors, councils and the communities they serve to have a better understanding of the prevalence of anti-Muslim hate crime and allocate resources accordingly". "It will provide the first accurate picture of the extent of anti-Muslim hate crime in England and Wales," Downing Street said. At the first meeting of a new community engagement forum later on Tuesday, Mr Cameron will also announce new funding for the security of all faith establishments, including mosques. The forum, which was announced in July, will discuss the objectives of the government's upcoming counter-extremism strategy, which is due for publication later this month. Speaking ahead of the meeting, Mr Cameron said: "We all have a role to play in confronting extremism. That's why I have invited important Muslim and non-Muslim figures to join the new community engagement forum so I can hear directly about their work in our communities, the challenges they face and so that they can be part of our one nation strategy to defeat it. "I want to build a national coalition to challenge and speak out against extremists and the poison they peddle. I want British Muslims to know we will back them to stand against those who spread hate and to counter the narrative which says Muslims do not feel British. "And I want police to take more action against those who persecute others simply because of their religion." Home Secretary Theresa May said hate crime had "no place in Britain". "Working with police to provide a breakdown in religious-based hate crime data will help forces to build community trust, target their resources and enable the public to hold them to account," she added. Police recorded 44,480 hate crimes in England and Wales during 2013-14. That was up 5% on the previous year across race, religion, sexual orientation, disability and transgender - the five key measures that feature in national figures. But a further breakdown indicates there was a 45% jump in religiously motivated incidents to 2,273 - which an official report at the time said was partly down to more anti-Muslim incidents following the murder of Fusilier Lee Rigby by Islamic extremists in south-east London in May 2013.
Anti-Muslim hate crimes will be recorded as a separate category by all police forces in England and Wales, the prime minister has said.
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The head of Ukraine's state emergencies service, Serhiy Bochkovsky, and his deputy were led away in handcuffs from a televised cabinet meeting. They were suspected of devising kickback schemes involving procurement contracts. Local media say that Mr Bochkovsky will be released on Saturday. The dramatic arrests of Mr Bochkovsky and his deputy Vasyl Stoyetsky in the middle of a cabinet meeting were broadcast live on TV on Wednesday. Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said that the men had stolen from "people and the state" while the country was at war. But after only two days in detention, a judge in Kiev ordered the release of Mr Bochkovsky because the prosecution had not provided sufficient evidence that a crime had been committed. Serhiy Bochkovsky is not yet a free man. Ukraine's Interior Minister, Arsen Avakov, said new evidence will be examined on Saturday, which could in fact prolong his detention. But the prospect that law enforcement officials initially provided insufficient evidence is still a worrying sign. And if Mr Bochkovsky and his first deputy are in fact released, it will deal a heavy blow to the government's reputation, and to its anti-corruption campaign, which launched with such great fanfare. Already a number of eyebrows were raised at the high-profile way in which the two men's arrests were carried out: At a cabinet meeting and on live television, no less. Many people asked if this was more sound and fury, and questioned the government's seriousness. If the two men walk free on Saturday, then these questions will grow even louder. Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk is under pressure from Western lenders to prove that he is cleaning up government finances, as Ukraine has been plagued by high-level corruption since independence in 1991. Last month the International Monetary Fund agreed a $17.5bn (£11.5bn) loan to Ukraine as part of a new economic reform programme. Western loans to Ukraine total $40bn, spread over four years. On Wednesday, Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said he was dismissing all regional heads of the emergencies service as part of a crackdown on high-level corruption. He explained that they were suspected of diverting money to a Jersey-based offshore company in a corrupt scheme. Speaking on Ukrainian TV, he even showed printouts of what appeared to be card statements. The two arrests came only hours after Ukraine's president sacked a powerful regional governor, Ihor Kolomoisky. The billionaire had been running the key industrial region of Dnipropetrovsk and had financed armed volunteers to fight pro-Russian separatists in the east. He had been vying with President Petro Poroshenko for control of the Ukrnafta energy company. Another senior official, the head of state-run Southwestern Railways Oleksiy Kryvopishyn, was also sacked on Wednesday. The railway company is Ukraine's second-largest, mainly serving central areas including Kiev.
A senior Ukrainian official arrested two days ago as part of an anti-corruption crackdown is to be released for lack of evidence.
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Five appliances were called to the scene of the blaze near Stonehaven. Foam was used by emergency crews to bring the fire - which is now out - under control. The driver of the tanker is believed to have received treatment for the effects of smoke inhalation. The northbound carriageway of the A90 has been closed.
Firefighters have been dealing with a tanker fire which has closed a section of the A90 in Aberdeenshire.
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Charlie Dunn, from Tamworth, died in hospital after being found submerged in a lake at Bosworth Water Park in Leicestershire on 23 July. The couple were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter by gross negligence and child neglect. The man is aged in his 30s and the woman is in her 20s. They were arrested in Staffordshire. An inquest into Charlie's death was opened and adjourned until April.
A man and woman have been arrested and bailed in connection with the death of a five-year-old boy.
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Mr Manley, 40, from Peterstone, who was known as Andrew, died in the crash on Cypress Drive, St Mellons, on Monday. The single-decker bus was carrying 40 pupils from St Teilo's Church in Wales secondary school, and six children were taken to hospital. Mr Manley's family said it had lost "one of its brightest lights." A statement from the family read: "A kind, generous, loving but sometimes flawed man, Andrew had a big personality and has left a gap in our lives that nothing will ever fill. "To say that we will miss him dearly is an understatement." Witnesses of the crash involving Mr Manley's silver Ford Fiesta and an Edwards Coaches bus are asked to contact police on 101.
A man who died when his car hit a school bus in Cardiff has been named as Gregory Andrew John Manley.
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Prosecutors think Manuel Trillo helped Joaquin "Shorty" Guzman break out of the Altiplano jail in July. Now Mr Trillo has been sent to that very same prison. A manhunt is under way to catch Guzman, who leads the Sinaloa drug cartel, since he escaped through a 1.5km-long (one mile-long) tunnel on 11 July. According to investigators, Mr Trillo is the financial operator of the Sinaloa cartel and bankrolled Guzman's escape. He is also accused of using illicit funds to purchase properties from 2012 to 2015 under false names. More than 30 people have been arrested in connection with Guzman's escape, including the prison governor and several guards. Guzman's arrest in February 2014 was seen as a coup for Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto. The cartel leader had been on the run for 13 years since escaping from another maximum security jail in 2001, reportedly hidden inside a laundry cart. But his spectacular break-out from the Altiplano prison caused huge embarrassment. Video footage showed how guards failed to detect his escape until more than 20 minutes had passed. Questions have also been raised how the prison authorities could have failed to notice the construction of the tunnel leading directly into Guzman's cell. On CCTV footage leaked to the media, the sound of drilling can be heard reverberating through his cell. Investigators say Guzman's associates must have been planning the jailbreak since shortly after his arrest. Not only would the construction of the tunnel have taken time, but Guzman's associates also purchased a plot of land outside the jail and built a house to disguise the tunnel's exit. Attempts to recapture Guzman have so far failed although authorities said he was injured when he narrowly escaped from a police operation last month. He is believed to be hiding in his home state of Sinaloa, in north-west Mexico.
A Mexican businessman accused of financing the jailbreak of Mexico's most notorious drug lord has been sent to prison pending trial.
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Paul McMullan converted a penalty for the visitors after Joe Chalmers had fouled the United attacker. Sam Stanton missed an excellent chance to double the Tangerines' lead in the second half, firing over with the goal gaping. And Caley Thistle, relegated from the Premiership last season, could not find a way back into the match. The hosts also had manager John Robertson sent to the stand on a disappointing day for the home fans. Match ends, Inverness CT 0, Dundee United 1. Second Half ends, Inverness CT 0, Dundee United 1. Corner, Inverness CT. Conceded by William Edjenguele. Matty Elsdon (Inverness CT) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Foul by Matty Elsdon (Inverness CT). James Keatings (Dundee United) wins a free kick on the right wing. Brad McKay (Inverness CT) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Billy King (Dundee United) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Brad McKay (Inverness CT). Corner, Inverness CT. Conceded by Jamie Robson. Iain Vigurs (Inverness CT) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Foul by Willo Flood (Dundee United). Substitution, Dundee United. Willo Flood replaces Scott Fraser. Jordie Briels (Dundee United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Connor Bell (Inverness CT) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Jordie Briels (Dundee United). Substitution, Inverness CT. Felitciano Zschusschen replaces George Oakley. Delay over. They are ready to continue. Delay in match Billy King (Dundee United) because of an injury. Paul McMullan (Dundee United) is shown the yellow card. Iain Vigurs (Inverness CT) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Paul McMullan (Dundee United). Foul by Connor Bell (Inverness CT). Jordie Briels (Dundee United) wins a free kick on the right wing. Delay over. They are ready to continue. Delay in match Paul McMullan (Dundee United) because of an injury. Iain Vigurs (Inverness CT) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Foul by Iain Vigurs (Inverness CT). Paul McMullan (Dundee United) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Substitution, Inverness CT. Connor Bell replaces John Baird. Scott Fraser (Dundee United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Jake Mulraney (Inverness CT) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Scott Fraser (Dundee United). John Baird (Inverness CT) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Foul by William Edjenguele (Dundee United). Attempt missed. Samuel Stanton (Dundee United) left footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high. Attempt missed. David Raven (Inverness CT) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left. Substitution, Dundee United. James Keatings replaces Scott Allardice because of an injury. Attempt missed. Liam Polworth (Inverness CT) right footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high. David Raven (Inverness CT) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Inverness Caledonian Thistle started life in the Scottish Championship with defeat at home to Dundee United.
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He is the first person convicted by Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) to be executed. The ICT was set up in 2010 to investigate abuses committed during the 1971 conflict. Mullah was a senior leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami party. At his trial earlier this year, he was described by prosecutors as the "Butcher of Mirpur", a suburb of Dhaka where he is alleged to have carried out his crimes. These included the massacre of unarmed civilians and the killing of intellectuals who supported independence from Pakistan. By Anbarasan Ethirajan BBC News There was a lot of drama in Dhaka before the execution of Abdul Kader Mullah. His family members met him for a final time late on Thursday. It appeared the government rushed through the execution after days of legal wrangling. The execution is likely to trigger further tensions in Bangladesh. Mr Mullah's party said the death sentence was politically motivated and there would be dire consequences if it went ahead. Bangladesh's major Western partners will view the execution with concern. Supporters of the trial would say this is a historic moment as it came just days before Bangladesh's victory day on 16 December. But many are concerned that this could polarise the country further. Mullah always denied the charges. Four other leading figures in Jamaat-e-Islami have also been convicted by the ICT and face the death penalty. The execution of Abdul Kader Mullah took place at Dhaka Central Jail at 22:01 local time (16:01 GMT) on Thursday evening, officials announced. His family were allowed a final meeting with the 65-year-old and found him "calm". "He told us that he is proud to be a martyr for the cause of the Islamic movement in the country," his son, Hasan Jamil, told the AFP after the meeting. Hundreds of people gathered in central Dhaka to celebrate the news of his death. But Jamaat-e-Islami - which has warned it will avenge his death - called for a general strike on Sunday. Security has been tightened in Dhaka and around the country amid fears the execution is likely to inflame tensions. At least three people are reported to have died on Thursday in sporadic clashes between Jamaat-e-Islami supporters and security forces. Hanging risks derailing elections Bangladesh broke away from Pakistan 42 years ago after a war which saw killings on a mass scale, the exodus of more than 10 million refugees and military intervention by neighbouring India. The government set up the special court to deal with those accused of collaborating with Pakistani forces who attempted to stop East Pakistan, as Bangladesh was then, from becoming an independent country. The two wings of Pakistan were held together mostly by a shared religion. While many Bangladeshis have welcomed the work of the ICT, Jamaat supporters say it is a politically-motivated attempt to eradicate its leaders. Human rights groups have also expressed concern that the special court falls short of international standards. UN human rights commissioner Navi Pillay had written to the Bangladeshi authorities urging them to stay the execution of Abdul Kader Mullah, saying the trial had not met the international standards required for the death penalty. Mullah had been scheduled to be hanged on Tuesday, before gaining a reprieve pending a last-minute appeal against his death sentence. His appeal was dismissed earlier on Thursday by the Bangladeshi Supreme Court. Jamaat is barred from contesting elections scheduled for 5 January but plays a key role in the opposition movement led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
Bangladesh has executed the Islamist leader Abdul Kader Mullah, who was convicted of atrocities committed during the 1971 war of independence with Pakistan.
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This happened on Thursday during operations against al-Shabab militants about 64km (40 miles) west of the capital Mogadishu, near the town of Barii, the US military says. Two other US service members were hurt. US forces were on an "advise and assist" mission with the Somali National Army, the US military says. American presidents have been wary of intervention in Somalia since 18 special forces soldiers died fighting militias in Mogadishu in 1993, a battle dramatised in the film Black Hawk Down. However, President Donald Trump has expanded military action against the al-Qaeda affiliate in the Horn of Africa nation. The situation in Iraq made US boots on the ground abroad a touchy subject but this sensitivity is even worse when the foreign soil is in Somalia. Memories of the disastrous Black Hawk Down in 1993 are still vivid in Washington. The preferred approach today is to enable local forces to provide their own security. The US has been providing training and advice to Somalia's special forces. This elite local group is expected to lead the fight against al-Shabab militants. For now, some of their operations are carried out with their US advisers alongside. The wider Somali National Army has also been receiving US support. Last month dozens of American troops arrived in the country to train them. The UK and Turkey are also playing a similar role in this larger and more challenging task of building a sustainable Somali army. US Africa Command spokeswoman Robyn Mack said the American "service member" had been struck by small arms fire. Two other members of the US military wounded in the same incident were receiving "proper medical attention", she added. A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said a US Navy Seal had been killed, Reuters news agency reports. In Thursday's mission, US troops were hunting an al-Shabab commander near the Shabelle river, the news agency reports. In March, Mr Trump approved a Pentagon plan to escalate operations against al-Shabab, including additional air strikes. Last month, dozens of American soldiers were deployed to Mogadishu to train and equip Somali and African Union troops. It was the first time regular US troops had been sent to Somalia since 1994, though some counter-terrorism advisers were already there. Analysts say the soldier killed on Thursday would not have been one of the soldiers recently sent to Somalia.
A member of the US military has been killed in Somalia, the first confirmed US combat death there since the 1993 disastrous Black Hawk Down incident.
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It is hoped the six timber homes at Pentre Solar, in Glanrhyd, near Cardigan, will save tenants hundreds of pounds in annual living costs thanks to their A++ energy ratings. They also have roof solar panels capable of producing 6000kWh a year. Environment Secretary Lesley Griffiths, who will unveil the village, said it would provide much-needed housing and help tackle fuel poverty. First Minister Carwyn Jones officially opened Western Solar's prototype Ty Solar house in 2013. The Welsh Government gave the start-up £141,000 to help create its nearby production base for the homes, which also have 11in (28cm) of insulation. With low energy use and access to a shared electric car, the company said tenants could avoid up to £2,000 a year in living costs. The cluster of homes will house tenants from Pembrokeshire council's social housing waiting list. Western Solar chief executive Dr Glen Peters said: "We built this village to demonstrate to sceptical housing providers that people don't have to choose any more between putting food on the table and keeping warm." It plans to build 1,000 homes over the next 10 years, with the help of partnerships including housing providers and investors. The environment secretary said: "I am delighted to officially open this innovative housing development, which is not only providing much-needed housing for local people, it is also addressing many other issues such as energy efficiency, fuel poverty, skills development and the use of Welsh timber. "I am sure the tenants will be very happy in their new homes with much lower energy and heating costs."
One of Wales' first "solar villages" is set to be opened in Pembrokeshire.
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Braniff fired all four Glenavon goals in their 4-3 Irish Cup semi-final over league champions Crusaders last month. The ex-Portadown striker signed for Glenavon in June 2014 after returning home from a brief stint in Australia. Braniff, 33, has earned two Northern Ireland caps. Both of Braniff's Northern Ireland appearances came in 2010. Glenavon face Linfield in Saturday's Irish Cup final.
Kevin Braniff has given Glenavon a boost ahead of Saturday's Irish Cup final by agreeing a one-year contract extension with the Lurgan Blues.
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In an unprecedented move, Attorney General John Larkin QC said a case being brought by a cross-party group of MLAs should skip NI's Court of Appeal. A British government lawyer warned it could be a "treacherous shortcut". Two NI-related cases against Brexit were heard together and then dismissed by a Belfast judge last month. One case was taken by victims' campaigner Raymond McCord and the other by the group of Stormont politicians, which includes Alliance MLA David Ford, SDLP leader Colum Eastwood, Sinn Féin MLA John O'Dowd and Steven Agnew of the Green Party. While Mr McCord and the politicians have the right to take their cases to the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal, both are asking the judge to refer them directly to the Supreme Court, the final court of appeal in the UK for civil cases. At the outset of Tuesday's hearing in Belfast, Mr Larkin informed the legal parties he intended to refer part of the politicians' case to the Supreme Court. He said his powers as Stormont's chief law officer enabled him to refer devolved matters to the court. Mr Larkin said he believed it was the "first such invocation" of the power in any of the devolved regions. A lawyer for the government said that if the politicians' case was fast-tracked, then Mr McCord's challenge would be left to "lag behind". He said the government did not want to arrive at the Supreme Court with other matters outstanding in other courts. "What appears to be a shortcut could be a treacherous shortcut in terms of the overall resolution of the issues," he said. The lawyer for Mr McCord, whose son Raymond Jr was beaten to death by the UVF in 1997, expressed concern at the attorney general's decision. He said: "We say the case made by Mr McCord goes much further and is potentially much more significant and harmful." The judge noted he had no power in respect of a direction by the attorney general. However, he said he wanted to be satisfied that the referral itself was lawful. He gave parties 24 hours to lodge further written applications. The UK voted to leave the EU by 52% to 48% in June's referendum, though Northern Ireland voted to remain by a 56% majority. In October, the judge dismissed bids by Mr McCord and the MLAs to halt the UK's planned departure from the EU. They argued the Good Friday Agreement and peace process meant there must be a Parliamentary vote if Northern Ireland was to leave the EU. But the judge ruled there was nothing to prevent the government triggering Article 50, the formal legal process for leaving the EU. However, last week the High Court in London ruled that Parliament must vote on whether the UK can start the process. The government will appeal the decision at the Supreme Court, and the case is expected to be heard in December.
A challenge to Brexit should "leapfrog" the usual legal process and go directly to the Supreme Court, Northern Ireland's top lawyer has said.
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The supermarket group will pay its workers £8.50 an hour, above the £7.50 National Living Wage rate due to come into force in April. The "flexible" deal means Asda's 135,000 staff can work around the store, on different days and hours. Asda says signing is voluntary and it is not a zero hours contract. However, it means that employees must work on bank holidays if the store needs them to, or, if they want to take the time off, it must come out of their 28 days of annual leave. Additionally, all breaks will be unpaid and Asda will alter its night shift window. Currently, workers are paid an extra £2.04 for unsociable hours that run between 10.00pm and 6.00am. Under the new agreement, unsociable hours will be cut to between midnight and 5.00am but the premium rate will rise to an additional £2.54 an hour. The new contracts have been given the seal of approval by the GMB union. Its general secretary, Tim Roache, said: "These new flexible contracts will help to ensure job security, ensure those accepting them are on the same terms and - best of all - ensure that people will earn more money as a result. "The new contract offer involves quite a few changes, but as it's voluntary, this allows colleagues to choose whatever suits their circumstances best." However, Living Wage Foundation, which campaigns for pay levels based on the cost of living, said that Asda should go further. "This is a welcome pay rise for Asda's staff, however large national retailers like Ikea, Lush and Majestic Wine are already paying all their staff - including third party contractors - the real Living Wage or above at £8.45 in the UK and £9.75 in London for every hour worked," said Katherine Chapman, director of Living Wage Foundation. "By signing up with the Living Wage Foundation they are ensuring that all their staff will have a pay rise that meets the rising cost of living year on year," she said. Asda, which is owned by US retail giant Walmart, claims that 95% of its staff will be better off under the new deal, which will be introduced in October. It said it was "maintaining its commitment not to use zero hours contracts and colleagues will be guaranteed minimum hours". Asda added: "Whilst the new contract will require colleagues to be flexible, fair and reasonable notice will be given for any changes to rotas, and consideration will be given to those with care requirements outside of work." The UK's third-biggest supermarket chain, after Tesco and Sainsbury's, has been struggling with declining sales. In the most recent quarter, over the Christmas period, it reported a 2.9% fall in like-for-like sales. However, the rate of decline in sales has slowed as it reported steeper drops in previous quarters.
Asda is offering staff a higher wage in exchange for a new contract which will introduce unpaid breaks and a requirement to work over Bank Holidays.
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Media playback is unsupported on your device 22 August 2013 Last updated at 14:47 BST A sinkhole appears when the ground gives way and everything above it falls into the resulting hole. Rocks in the ground can be weakened by rainfall until they crumble or collapse and the sinkhole forms. Sinkholes like this are very rare and the emergency services are monitoring it. Homes in the area are not thought to be in any danger
A massive sinkhole in the American state of Louisiana has sucked in land and whole trees.
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The overloaded boat had been intercepted by police and was being escorted to shore when it sank abruptly just 150m (500ft) off the coast of Providenciales. Thirty-two people were rescued. While officials did not reveal their nationality, local media reported the victims were from Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Those rescued are being held on suspicion of trying to enter the British Overseas Territory illegally. Accidents involving overloaded boats carrying migrants from Haiti are not uncommon in the Caribbean. In November, about 30 people died when their vessel sank off the Bahamas. And in 2009, US Coast Guard officials called off their search for about 70 migrants from Haiti whose boat also capsized off the Turks and Caicos.
A boat has capsized off the Turks and Caicos Islands leaving 18 migrants dead, authorities there say.
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The talks are aimed at resolving outstanding disputes over flags, parades, the legacy of the Troubles and welfare reform. The discussions come after a financial package for the Northern Ireland Executive was rejected by Stormont. Talks involving the British and Irish governments and the parties will formally recommence on Wednesday. Speaking on Tuesday, Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams said that he did not know if there would be a deal by Christmas. He said that a comprehensive agreement was still possible and that there was no willingness of anybody in the executive to collapse the institutions. "If the institution is under any threat at this time it is because of the posturing of Mr Cameron and the taoiseach [Enda Kenny]," he said. "If we knuckle down there's no reason why there cannot be a deal done." Justice Minister David Ford said the sustainability of the Northern Ireland Assembly was open to question. David Cameron flew to Belfast last Thursday for all-party talks but left on Friday morning without a deal. On Monday, two former Northern Ireland secretaries of state expressed concern about the prime minister's handling of last week's political talks in Belfast. Peter Hain told the House of Commons he was astonished that Mr Cameron had left the talks as soon as he did. Paul Murphy advised the current Secretary of State, Theresa Villiers, to persuade Mr Cameron to return to Northern Ireland quickly. She defended the prime minister and said he had not walked away. She said Mr Cameron followed the process with the greatest attention because he cares about Northern Ireland and wants to see a successful conclusion. Ms Villiers said the prime minister and his Irish counterpart, Enda Kenny, had made an assessment there was no chance of a deal on Friday, because some of the parties were not prepared to move on key issues and that, in particular, Sinn Féin would not move on welfare reform. This week has been billed by the Northern Ireland Secretary as a crunch time for cross-party talks in Belfast and she said she believes a pre-Christmas deal is crucial. She is concerned that unless a deal is agreed this week, the House of Commons will run out of parliamentary time to give the Northern Ireland Executive corporation tax powers before the 2015 general election.
Further discussions are taking place among Northern Ireland's political parties on Tuesday.
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Media playback is not supported on this device The Glassboys have already seen off League One Northampton en route to round three, but whatever Gould and his team-mates achieve against the surprise 2001 semi-finalists this weekend, he knows he will be struggling to keep up with his grandfather. It is now 29 years since Bobby Gould's Wimbledon 'Crazy Gang' beat Liverpool in the final at Wembley. I've got quite a good pedigree, but I'm just trying to set my own little pathway The result sent shockwaves through football with Liverpool having enjoyed a decade of domestic and European dominance. Wimbledon by contrast, had been playing non-league football just 11 years earlier. "The FA Cup is what my grandad is most remembered for, which is no surprise really," Gould told BBC WM. "He'll be remembered forever as it was probably the biggest upset in cup final history." Media playback is not supported on this device As well as having a famous grandfather, Matt is also the son of former Coventry and Celtic goalkeeper Jonathan Gould, now a coach at West Brom. "My dad had success up in Scotland with Celtic, winning a few cups, but I don't feel any pressure," he said. "It was nice to be able to experience that as a kid growing up, watching my old man play. "I've got quite a good pedigree, but I'm just trying to set my own little pathway. Hopefully I can go on to be as successful as they were." But what made him follow the career path of his dad rather than his centre-forward grandad - or even his uncle Richard, the chief executive of English county cricket giants Surrey? "I don't like running! I quite enjoyed playing up front in my school days, but I always used to like diving around the living room catching the ball and I was the only one who wore a keeper's shirt to training," he said. "And I suppose I'm a little bit crazy at times. You need to have that little bit of madness to be a goalkeeper. "I've definitely got that part of the family side in me." Gould admits his dad played a big part in his arrival at the War Memorial Athletic ground at Amblecote. "My first pro contract was at Cheltenham in 2014-15," he said. "It was a tough first year. We had four managers [Mark Yates, Paul Buckle, Russell Milton and Gary Johnson]. "Gary Johnson came in with three weeks to go and couldn't really keep me on as he said he was looking to build a team to win promotion, which is what they did. "I ended up in Scotland at Livingston. Same sort of thing. The manager got sacked and I went out on loan at Stenhousemuir. But I needed to play football." In the end, a helping hand from his dad led to Matt returning to English football. Media playback is not supported on this device "Stourbridge manager Gary Hackett rang the Albion looking for a keeper to go out on loan and spoke to my old man who said 'I've got one, but not at the Albion'. "It took a month to get my transfer through but I've played 55 times over the last calendar year and I've loved every minute of it." Now the FA Cup offers the chance for Gould and his team-mates to put themselves in the shop window. Sign up for the 2017 FA People's Cup and take your chance to win tickets to the FA Cup final in May and achieve national five-a-side glory. "It's the first time the club has got though to the third round, so the lads have already created history," he said. "That's something to hold on to. "To win again would be even more incredible and take it to another level. We've got the players to go and play at a higher level. This could be a platform for them. "And we're going to live like pros for the weekend. Go down the night before and do the job properly and see where that takes us." Matt Gould was talking to BBC WM's Rob Gurney.
When Stourbridge goalkeeper Matt Gould takes the field for Saturday's FA Cup third-round tie at Wycombe, he will be out to create more headlines for the non-league outsiders.
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The 255-year old tradition, which attracts thousands of people, takes place to mark royal events. The 4,500 specially-baked currant buns, which feature a crown design on the top, will be thrown from the roof of the county hall. Roads in the town centre will be closed from 17:00 BST - the bun-throwing begins at 19:00. The event, organised by Abingdon-on-Thames Town Council, sees the Mayor, Councillor Alice Badcock and council members throw the buns into the crowds below who try to catch them. Ms Badcock, who will throw the first bun said: "Bun throwing is a major event for Abingdon. "It does not take place every year and therefore people very much look forward to taking part when there is a royal event to celebrate." In recent years there have been two bun throwing occasions in 2011 to celebrate the Royal Wedding and in 2012 6,000 were thrown as part of Diamond Jubilee celebrations.
A bun throwing event for the Queen's official 90th birthday will be held in Abingdon later.
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Scott Cain and Ashley Clarke suffocated in the nitrogen-filled apple container, where the oxygen level was 1%. They were trying to retrieve apples for an agricultural competition. Andrew Stocker, who was boss of the fruit farm at Tory peer Lord Selborne's Hampshire estate, had encouraged the practice nicknamed "scuba diving". The two men got in through a small hatch in the roof of the sealed container. Stocker, 57, of The Links, Whitehill, Bordon, Hampshire, had denied manslaughter, but admitted exposing the men to a risk of death. He was on holiday in the Maldives at the time of the men's deaths, but had left instructions. Mr Cain, 23, and Mr Clarke, 24, who were both assistants at the farm at the Blackmoor Estate in Liss, were found lying on crates of apples. Colleagues and paramedics attempted to revive them, but were unsuccessful and both men were declared dead at the scene. Mark Dennis QC, prosecuting during the trial at Winchester Crown Court, said anyone entering the unit would "die immediately" once they ran out of air. The apples were stored for preservation in nitrogen gas. Mr Dennis said accepted practice in the industry for gathering samples was to use a net to hook out the fruit. The apples the men were looking for were to be entered in the Marden Fruit Show in Kent. Mr Dennis said: "Andrew Stocker was a keen participant in this competition and took pride in his entries. "Financial prizes were very modest; however, it was the kudos of winning that was more important. "The defendant knew that the only way the best samples could be gathered is for someone to enter from the top hatch and make a selection of fruit." Mr Cain was 23, engaged and had a young child, and had been working at Blackmoor Estates since 2009 as a pack house assistant. Mr Clarke, 24, who was also engaged, had been working as an assistant checking the quality of fruit for eight months. His parents Ian and Sharon Clarke described the trial as "emotionally draining". In a statement, they said "collecting apples from confined atmosphere units with virtually no oxygen" was not a "safe and acceptable practice". "Whilst we recognise [Mr Stocker] is not a bad man and did not mean to harm Ashley, his negligent actions led to his death. "We as a family... will be serving a life sentence as we try to come to terms with the loss of a son and brother who we shall never see again," the statement said. Adrian Barlow, chief executive of English Apples & Pears Ltd, which represents apple growers throughout the UK, said the industry was "appalled and shocked" by the "tragic incident". He said: "There has always been a golden rule that you should never enter a controlled atmosphere store until it has been fully vented and the oxygen level has risen above 19.5%." All operatives had reviewed their operating procedures, equipment, and security since the deaths, he said. Det Sgt Rich Sellwood, of Hampshire Constabulary, said the deaths were "completely avoidable". He added: "It is a tragedy for all involved. We hope that lessons will be learned that prevent this from ever happening again." It can now be reported that Blackmoor Estate Ltd pleaded guilty to three offences related to contravening health and safety regulations in January. The company and Stocker will be sentenced on 1 July.
A farm manager has been convicted of the manslaughter of two workers who died after being sent into a storage tank while holding their breath.
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They travel to The Wickerman Festival, famous for an eclectic line up of musicians and its annual Saturday night climax - the torching of a wicker effigy. To regulars at the festival in Dundrennan in Dumfries and Galloway, its co-founder Jamie Gilroy was also a very visible presence. Dressed in a trademark waistcoat, the farmer-turned-festival organiser was a jovial and ever-amiable host to his 15,000 guests. When he died tragically following a firearm incident at his farm last year, there were fears that the festival could not continue. This year's Wickerman, headlined by The Waterboys, Lulu, Example and Tom Odell, will be the first since his death. When the time came to make a decision about the future of the event, his daughter Jennie Camm said the family were very "level-headed" about it. "When everything was in front of us, the decision was really very clear," she said. "We had to go forward with it for lots and lots of reasons, particularly because of Dad and it was such an important part of his life, but also because the Wickerman is such an important part of lots of other people's lives." She added: "At no stage have I questioned the decision to go forward. It's been absolutely the right decision. I'm glad we made it." The decision was further complicated by Jennie's health - in August last year she was diagnosed with breast cancer. By her own admission, the last 12 months have been "challenging". "Certainly the diagnosis of cancer was a huge shock and when you think that's as bad as it's going to get, it gets worse," she said. "So it teaches you to appreciate how lucky you are. "I miss Dad every day. Mostly at the moment because he knows where everything is and he's done it for so long it's just second nature." In a nod to her late father, Jennie has ensured that this year's wicker "gate man" will wear a waistcoat and she has invited festival goers to wear something similar in his memory. Waistcoats were a "massive" part of his character, she said. "We hope that by doing that a little bit of Dad will be present all over the site at all times. "And I know it would make him smile because it's not down-hearted, it's done very much with a smile on our faces and that's absolutely appropriate and I am absolutely certain he would approve of that." Following her cancer diagnosis, Jennie is also hoping to use the festival to raise funds for and awareness of Maggie's Centres. She received support from staff at the Edinburgh centre while she underwent radiotherapy at the Western General. She has introduced a new section to the festival - the Pianoman Tent - which will house a dedicated Maggie's team offering practical, emotional and social support to anyone affected by cancer. It will also host a special acoustic performance by Lulu and, after dusk, it will transform into a lively piano bar. Jennie said Maggie's offered her a "huge amount of support". "I think if I can offer just a little bit to one person at the festival then I will feel a huge amount of satisfaction. If I can do more than that, then that would be fantastic." It is shaping up to be another successful Wickerman for the family at East Kirkcarswell Farm. Is Jamie watching over them? "Well he better sort the weather," Jennie said. "But I think he might be. I hope he is and if he is, I think he'll be very proud."
For more than a decade thousands of music fans have flocked to a rural corner of Scotland for one weekend every July.
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The successful candidate will be required on one day per month to taste up to 40 craft beers at the Walled City Brewery in Londonderry. "A good palate and an understanding of the brewing process" were essential criteria for the unpaid position, said James Huey from the brewery. He said the advertisement in Friday's Derry Journal had piqued interest. The brewery had already received several applications for the post, said Mr Huey. The job advert promises transport to and from work is provided; overtime could well be a bonus. "Training will be provided but ideally we are looking for an understanding of the nature of craft beers, for someone who knows a lot about flavours," said Mr Huey. While beer testing might not be to your taste, there are plenty of unorthodox roles for those looking for an alternative to a nine-to-five. Here are five other "dream jobs": In 2009, Ben Southall, a charity fundraiser from Petersfield, Hampshire was appointed caretaker of an Australian tropical island, a six-month position described as "the best job in the world". The 34-year-old beat 34,000 applicants to secure the position, which came with a A$150,000 salary and a luxury villa on Hamilton Island, in Queensland. "For me it was six months of hard work," he later said of his island adventure. Three years ago, holiday company First Choice appointed its first ever water-slide tester. Seb Smith, a student from Somerset, spent the summer of 2013 getting paid to rate water slides across the globe. Most of us would be shown the door for sleeping on the job. But not so, if your job is to test beds for a national hotel chain. In October 2011, it was reported that Natalie Thomas, a bed tester for the Premier Inn chain, had insured her bottom for £4m. Her role sees her test up to 25 beds a day. Duties for one of the world's more unusual job titles included going to "parties and VIP events in New South Wales, Australia". American Andrew Smith was one of six funsters chosen by Tourism Australia in 2013. "In my opinion, chief funster is somebody who goes and discovers the passion behind what people do," he said. For many, a coffee break chocolate bar is among the day's highlights. But imagine if eating chocolate was your job? In 2011, William Leigh was appointed "assistant chocolate taster" at Green & Blacks. "It's certainly a full-time job," he said after taking up his role. "I'm in the kitchen every day at eight o'clock."
A brewery has advertised what they say is probably one of the best jobs in the world - the position of beer taster.
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Mulder impressed in the Desert T20 earlier this month, where he was the competition's leading wicket-taker. Table-toppers Ireland will be at full strength for the game with second-placed Afghanistan in Greater Noida. Ed Joyce, Niall O'Brien, Tim Murtagh and John Anderson are named in the 14-man squad after missing the Desert T20. "While we haven't been at our best in limited-overs cricket in recent times we have a great record in the Intercontinental Cup, where we've won all our four games taking full points," said Ireland head coach John Bracewell. "Young Jacob Mulder was the standout bowler in the T20 and the selectors felt he deserved his opportunity in the longer format. "With the conditions in India likely to be spin-friendly, his leg-spin gives us added variety which could be so important." Ireland will also play three T20s and five one-day internationals against Afghanistan, all in Greater Noida. The Irish will prepare for the games with a 10-day training camp in the United Arab Emirates, where they will play the hosts in two ODIs on 2 and 4 March. Pace bowler Boyd Rankin is being rested for the matches in the UAE, but will join the squad during the camp to prepare for the Afghanistan games. Cricket Ireland also confirmed that top-order batsman Nick Larkin had ruled himself out of the running for a place in the Ireland ranks for the time being. "After a lengthy period of discussion between Cricket Ireland and Nick Larkin, the player has finally clarified that his focus right now is on advancing his career with the NSW Blues in Australia," said Ireland performance director Richard Holdsworth. IRELAND SQUADS ICC Intercontinental Cup v Afghanistan William Porterfield, John Anderson, George Dockrell, Ed Joyce, Jacob Mulder, Tim Murtagh, Andrew McBrine, Barry McCarthy, Kevin O'Brien, Niall O'Brien, Boyd Rankin, Paul Stirling, Gary Wilson, Craig Young ODI squad v UAE William Porterfield, Andrew Balbirnie, George Dockrell, Ed Joyce, Jacob Mulder, Tim Murtagh, Andrew McBrine, Barry McCarthy, Kevin O'Brien, Niall O'Brien, Paul Stirling, Stuart Thompson, Gary Wilson, Craig Young. ODI squad v Afghanistan William Porterfield, Andrew Balbirnie, George Dockrell, Ed Joyce, Jacob Mulder, Tim Murtagh, Andrew McBrine, Barry McCarthy, Kevin O'Brien, Niall O'Brien, Boyd Rankin, Paul Stirling, Stuart Thompson, Gary Wilson, Craig Young. T20 squad v Afghanistan William Porterfield, George Dockrell, Josh Little, Jacob Mulder, Andrew McBrine, Barry McCarthy, Kevin O'Brien, Boyd Rankin, Paul Stirling, Greg Thompson, Stuart Thompson, Lorcan Tucker, Gary Wilson, Craig Young. Fixtures Ireland v UAE, 2 March (ODI) Ireland v UAE, 4 March (ODI) Ireland v Afghanistan, 8 March (T20) Ireland v Afghanistan, 10 March (T20) Ireland v Afghanistan, 12 March (T20) Ireland v Afghanistan, 15 March (ODI) Ireland v Afghanistan, 17 March (ODI) Ireland v Afghanistan, 19 March (ODI) Ireland v Afghanistan, 22 March (ODI) Ireland v Afghanistan, 24 March (ODI) Ireland v Afghanistan, 28-31 March (Intercontinental Cup)
CIYMS leg-spinner Jacob Mulder is in line to make his first Intercontinental Cup appearance for Ireland in the game against Afghanistan in India in March.
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The request follows a questioning of Mr Shin last week. The move is the latest twist in a continuing probe into the country's fifth largest conglomerate. The scandal has already hampered a Lotte share sale and is seen as linked to the apparent suicide of a company top executive. A Lotte Group spokesman confirmed that Mr Shin was in South Korea and would co-operate fully with the investigation. "It's regrettable that an arrest warrant has been sought," the company said in a statement. "We will fully present our case during the court proceedings and wait for the wise decision of the court." The court hearing on the warrant request is expected on Wednesday or Thursday. In August, the vice chairman of South Korea's Lotte Group, Lee In-won, was found dead hours before he was to be questioned in the corruption probe. Police investigators said the cause of death appeared to be suicide. The 69-year-old Mr Lee was due to be questioned the same day in an inquiry into a possible slush fund and financial irregularities at the company. Raids on the company's offices have led to the firm pulling out of a share sale worth as much as $4.5bn (£3bn) for its hotel unit. Lotte Group has more than 90 firms in sectors as diverse as beer, hotels and chemicals, and has annual revenues of about $60bn, according to the Korea Fair Trade Commission. It is Korea's fifth-largest conglomerate and is considered one of Korea's family-run "chaebols" which are known to have complex ownership structures.
South Korean prosecutors are seeking a warrant to arrest chairman Shin Dong-bin of Lotte Group in a corruption probe.
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Distributors would not release the film unless it was given an AA certificate, but in 1980 the town slapped an X rating on the legendary comedy. Adrian Cox, who wanted to put on a screening for his birthday, begged censors to reclassify the film. They agreed Brian can now be considered less of a naughty boy and will get his night at the seaside. Train driver Mr Cox has hired his favourite cinema, the ABC, in a move he admitted was "horribly expensive". Life of Brian - the story of a man born at the same time as Jesus Christ and who is mistaken for the Messiah - was released at the end of 1979 and immediately stepped into a huge blasphemy row. Bournemouth council's environmental services committee met the following year to decide if the age limit for the film should be raised from 14 (the AA certificate) to 18. Ben Grower, who was on the committee at the time, said: "There were quite a number of right wing, religious councillors in those days. Maybe they thought it would offend the people of Bournemouth. "Personally I think the people of Bournemouth would have laughed their socks off. "It is better late than never, I hope those who go enjoy it." Mr Cox estimates he has spent more than £3,000 on the event for 150 to 200 people. Andrew Morgan, the current chairman of the Licensing Board at Bournemouth Borough Council, said: "I wasn't formally asked but if I had been I would have said it was high time the film was shown." Life of Brian is also due to be shown publicly in the town next month.
Monty Python's Life of Brian will get its first ever screening in Bournemouth after a 35-year stand-off with censors.
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He also broke his pelvis, his back in four places, shattered his arm and chest, as well as sustaining a massive brain injury in the bomb attack. Flanked by hundreds of people, he walked for nearly half an hour with an assistant who supported his arm. Day 39 of the torch relay began in Sheffield and ended in Cleethorpes . Lance Bombardier Parkinson's nomination stated: "The brain injury took his speech, but not his personality and sense of humour," adding he now speaks unaided. It said: "Determined to prove everyone wrong, he fought back every step of the way. Ben's intelligence and wit [are] unchanged. Still the same funny and caring Ben." He spends 12 hours a day in the gym and rehab and walks with crutches, spending "the rest of his time spent raising money for many military charities and as patron of his beloved Pilgrim Bandits ". Major David Walker, his commanding officer, said he was in "absolute awe" of his colleague. "I'm just about managing to keep it together," Major Walker told the BBC. "Ben's tenacity and sheer courage and determination is absolutely amazing." A total of 130 torchbearers took part in the 39th day of the relay, covering 77 miles in generally good weather. Doncaster Council said about 80,000 people turned out to see the torch in the town. The first torchbearer of the day was Lucy Brunt, 13, from Sheffield, who completed a lap of the Don Valley Stadium running track to start the relay. Ms Brunt was nominated to run at the athletics stadium for her courage and determination in coping with Down's Syndrome. Poet and storyteller Debjani Chatterjee carried the flame into the Magna Science and Adventure Centre in Rotherham, which included a spark-filled visit to the Fire Pavilion. The centre was opened in 2001 and was built on the site of the Templeborough Steelworks, which was once the largest in the world. Just before the end of the relay the flame was taken on a brief trip on the Cleethorpes Light Railway before the final part of the day's journey was undertaken by 92-year-old World War II veteran Jack Andrew, from Sheffield. He was nominated for his passion for sport, which has driven him to coach local football and cricket teams and continue to play golf despite having both knees replaced. Other torchbearers on the day included James Needham, 28, an England wheelchair rugby gold medallist who teaches wheelchair skills to newly injured people. In Rotherham, Chloe Birch, 16, carried the flame. She has been playing badminton since she was eight and has been representing England since she was 11. Former footballer and TV pundit Chris Kamara carried the flame in Doncaster. Throughout the day the flame travelled through Rotherham, Dalton, Thrybergh, Conisbrough, Warmsworth, Doncaster, Armthorpe, Dunsville, Hatfield, Scunthorpe, Brigg, Wrawby, Immingham and Grimsby before arriving in Cleethorpes. Search maps, check street routes and join in 70 days of live coverage in video, stories and pictures Find out where the Olympic torch is going The evening celebration in Meridian Park, which got under way at 17:00 BST, was to feature a community street dance performance and a showcase of music from the East Coast Elite Brass and Percussion Corps , which is based in Grimsby. London-based band Tribes and dance act Twist & Pulse were also due to perform. A total of 8,000 people will carry the flame during its 8,000 mile, 70-day journey to the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in London on 27 July.
Ben Parkinson, a Paratrooper who was injured in Afghanistan in 2006 and lost both legs below the knee, has walked with the torch through Doncaster.
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Dr Nanikram Vaswani should have removed scar tissue from the patient at Broadgreen Hospital in Liverpool but he performed the vasectomy instead. The doctor has been given a warning by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service but the panel concluded his fitness to practise was not impaired. Dr Vaswani earlier admitted misconduct. The tribunal took account of the doctor's "good character" and found he was "genuinely remorseful", concluding that "this was an isolated episode in an otherwise unblemished career." It said "the likelihood of repetition of such misconduct is low" and decided to issue a warning "in order to reaffirm standards in the profession". A warning does not prevent the doctor from holding a licence to practise nor does it place any restrictions on his registration. Dr Vaswani admitted failure to confirm the patient's identity, failure to tell a urologist and his NHS Trust about the incorrect procedure and "inappropriately" performing a vasectomy reversal procedure on the same patient. In his evidence, the doctor cited "complaints" from patients who had been awaiting surgery and who were "being brought into theatre out of order of the planned operating list". Dr Vaswani said he had been "expecting to operate on a patient requiring a vasectomy" and "a vasectomy tray had been placed incorrectly in the room by another member of staff."
A hospital doctor who gave a patient a vasectomy by mistake will be allowed to continue to practise, a medical panel has ruled.
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The satellite has executed the first of five ultra-close passes of the giant world, dipping down far enough to brush through the top of the atmosphere. It promises unprecedented data on the chemical composition of Saturn. It also sets the stage for the probe's dramatic end-manoeuvre next month when it will plunge to destruction in the planet's atmosphere. Cassini is currently flying a series of loops around Saturn that thread the gap between its atmosphere and its rings. Monday's swing-by saw the spacecraft go closer than ever before to the cloud tops - skimming just 1,600km (1,000 miles) above them, at 04:22 GMT (05:22 BST) on Monday. This low pass was designed to allow the probe to directly sample the gases of the extended upper-atmosphere. Saturn's bulk composition is thought to be about 75% hydrogen with the rest being helium (bar some trace components), explains Nicolas Altobelli, the European Space Agency's Cassini project scientist. "It's expected that the heavier helium is sinking down," he told BBC News. "Saturn radiates more energy than it's absorbing from the Sun, meaning there's gravitational energy which is being lost. And so getting a precise measure of the hydrogen and helium in the upper layers sets a constraint on the overall distribution of the material in the interior." Cassini will send all the data back to Earth during its next contact on Tuesday. Dipping down into the atmosphere should create a drag on the spacecraft, requiring Cassini to use its thrusters to maintain a stable flight configuration and stop itself from tumbling. But the mission's scientists think any buffeting effects ought to be manageable. They are hopeful that when the post-pass analysis is done, the probe will be permitted to go even lower on the remaining four dip-downs before 15 September's goodbye plunge. The Cassini mission still has some big outstanding questions about Saturn. One of these relates to the length of a day on the planet. Researchers know it is roughly 10-and-a-half hours, but they would like a more precise number. The solution should come by looking for an offset between the magnetic field and the planet's rotation axis, but frustratingly all the probe's observations to date show these two features to be almost perfectly aligned. "All magnetic field theory as we know it requires an offset," said Linda Spilker, the US space agency's Cassini project scientist. "To generate a field, you need to keep the currents in the metallic hydrogen layer inside Saturn flowing, and without the offset the thinking is that the field would simply go away. "What's going on? Is something shielding our ability to see the offset, or do we simply need a new theory? But without the tilt, without being able to see the tiny wobble, we cannot be more precise about the length of a day." Dr Spilker said the mission team would continue to work on the problem. Cassini is a joint venture between the US, European and Italian space agencies. They are ending the probe's operations after 20 years because it is running low on fuel and will soon become uncontrollable. Scientists want to avoid the possibility of a future collision with Saturn's moons Titan and Enceladus, which could conceivably support simple microbial life. And the only way to prevent that is to deliberately drive the probe to destruction in the atmosphere of the giant planet. [email protected] and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos
The Cassini probe has begun the final phase of its mission to Saturn.
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Wareham Surgery said its "revised system" comes after one GP went off on long-term sickness with a broken hip and another resigned in March. It said a lack of response to a GP vacancy meant it could only offer on-the-day appointments, which can only be booked during certain hours. Speaking in the Bournemouth Echo, one patient described it as a "crisis". The surgery, which is currently using locum GP cover, has asked patients to call to book between 08:30 and 10:30 for a morning appointment, or between 14:00 and 16:00 for an afternoon appointment. "Depending on demand" it said it may not be able to provide an appointment, which would mean patients calling back the following day. Healthwatch Dorset said the situation was "simply unacceptable". "We understand the difficulties they're facing at the Wareham practice, but that doesn't alter the fact that their new appointment system means that patients can't book an appointment with their GP in advance," it added. An NHS Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) spokesman said it was in talks with the surgery and it was hoped the situation would change at the end of the month. He said the CCG had set up the Primary Care Workforce Centre with Bournemouth University and Health Education Wessex in April last year in a bid to find "innovative ways to address the recruitment challenge with not only our trainees and future workforce supply, but also our current workforce".
A GP surgery in Dorset has stopped patients from booking advanced appointments due to a lack of doctors.
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But as the children listened to the words of their teacher, soldiers from the rebel forces surrounded the school's pale-blue, concrete classrooms. Stephen describes being frozen with fear as the rebel fighters took him and more than 100 of his classmates. They were given no choice. They were now the latest young recruits, in South Sudan's bloody civil war. The United Nations says the recruitment of children in South Sudan's on-going civil war is "rampant". It estimates that there are 11,000 children serving in both the rebel, and government armies. We met Stephen, and three other boys with similar stories, who are all aged between 12 and 17. One boy recalled how they "were forced to train, and if we didn't want to do it, we were beaten heavily". "When we were moving and boys got sick and died they would just be left where they fell," said one of the boys, aged 14. One boy asked the soldiers why he had to join their army. "To defend your tribe," came the reply. When they were sent to fetch water and fire wood, the boys escaped, walking for days. They hid at night by tying themselves to the branches of trees to sleep, for fear of being found. Eventually they reached a UN camp at Bentiu, in northern South Sudan where they are trapped. If the boys leave the camp and travel the short distance into the nearby town they risk being spotted by soldiers and punished as deserters, in an increasingly brutal war. When you walk along the long corridor-like-market at the edge of Bentiu camp where the boys live, group after group of wide-eyed, young, smiling children will crowd around the lens of your camera. But this is a harsh world for any child to grow-up in. Every day they wade, some in their AC Milan or Arsenal football shirts, through the muddy, faeces-infested floodwaters that have turned much of their camp into a swamp where 47,000 people live in endless rows of white tarpaulin tents. Beyond the relative security of the camp's gates, the only schools in the nearby town are abandoned, or occupied by soldiers, because of the on going fighting between Government and rebel forces. In a climate where children have little or nothing to do, they are "vulnerable" to being recruited by either side in the war, says Ainga Razafy, from the United Nations Children's agency, Unicef. It is easy to spot children carrying guns on the dusty, pot-hole-infested road that runs through the ramshackle town, a short distance from the camp. "They are obviously associated with the armed conflict," says Ainga Razafy. According to Unicef around 70% of an estimated 11,000 child soldiers are serving with rebel groups, including the notorious White Army, known for sending thousands of children into battle. The rebels are fighting the fledgling government of South Sudan, which was itself born out of a rebel movement that spent decades fighting Sudan, and finally won independence in 2011. But after years of trying to release some of an estimated 20,000 former child soldiers called "Lost Boys" from the army, the current government's ranks are again swelling with minors. Within days of abducting Stephen, this soft-spoken, fidgety and wide-eyed little boy was on the frontlines of South Sudan's civil war. It was not possible to get a comment from a rebel spokesperson for one of the many rebel groups accused of using children to fight, but South Sudan's national army, known as the SPLA, admits it has recruited some boys into its ranks. SPLA spokesman, Colonel Philip Aguer, confirmed that 149 children had been recruited in the Bentiu area. He said SPLA commanders were working to discharge those children, and insisted the SPLA was no-longer recruiting boys into its ranks. But the UN says that forced recruitment of children continues to this day, and estimates there are around 3,300 children serving in the SPLA. Colonel Aguer says that this "is not true" and that some children may have been counted twice. He believes that when the rebels "make mistakes" the UN and other foreign agencies were sometimes guilty of "generalising the blame". But with limited access, international aid workers across the country told the BBC that the 11,000 figure was a rough figure thought to be hugely underestimated. Although the boys we met were forcibly recruited into South Sudan's war, there are other factors that drive children into military ranks. A 12-year-old boy recently told Unicef child protection specialist Sylvester Ndorbor Morlue that he wanted to join the military simply because he felt "it was the best place" to be. "Some of them see it as employment… and parents are sometimes pushing (their children into the military)." Whenever the conflict escalates, the demand for military manpower increases, and children are often targeted in a country where nearly half the population is under 15. As the rain subsides and the floodwaters fall, the slight improvement in conditions will be welcomed by the hundreds of thousands of people living in South Sudan's camps. But outside, the dry season allows the movement of troops and military hardware. And the fear is armies that, despite recent peace talks in neighbouring countries, show little sign of peacemaking on the ground, will enforce their rules of war on the young, and claim more of South Sudan's little lives. The names of the boys quoted at the beginning of this article have been changed for their protection.
It was a normal school day in May when Stephen and the 80 or so pupils were packed into classroom number 8 in South Sudan.
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After paying tribute to "all the Top Gear gang", he said: "Today's show is entitled Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On." The presenter announced he was stepping down from the BBC Two motoring show on Monday. Explaining his decision on Twitter, he said he had given it his best shot, "but sometimes that's not enough". Evans briefly referenced his departure again on Tuesday's radio show while reading out the day's newspaper headlines, many of which referenced Top Gear. He said: "It's all true, but of course there was another high-profile, much more important resignation yesterday that doesn't make some of the front pages, and that's Nigel Farage stepping down from a very influential political party that had a lot to do with the EU referendum last week or the week before." Newspaper TV critics have been dissecting Evans' decision to leave the programme, with most agreeing it was an inevitable conclusion. The Daily Mirror's Nicola Methven said: "[Evans] was an out-of-control diva more volatile than [Jeremy] Clarkson. He was too shouty. The audience were being forced to laugh. The real problem, of course, was that the BBC Two audience didn't take to it." The Sun claimed the presenter's role "was a car crash from the very start". "The main attraction is meant to be presenters and the sense of humour and attitude. Chris Evans will go down as the Davie Moyes of Top Gear," Ally Ross said, referencing the football manager who had to take over Manchester United after the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson. Meanwhile, The Independent offered an opinion on a replacement for Evans: "We would like to suggest another candidate: Steve Coogan, who has the combination of charisma, wit and insight that Top Gear really needs to get itself back into pole position. In that, but nothing else, he reminds us of another previous star of the show." Evans joined Top Gear last June after the departure of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May. Speaking to BBC News, racing driving Perry McCarthy said he thought Evans "hadn't quite gelled with the show" and the revamped series had problems from the first episode. "The first show was terrible - it was really bad and I was incredibly surprised they didn't produce a better return show," he said. "I don't know what they were thinking, many of their features were way too long, the edit was bad, the gags were very weak... there was no real substance there and you can't keep putting style over content. "But since [then] they really got their act together and it's turning out to be a good TV show again. Maybe Chris should have given it a little bit longer." Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram at bbcnewsents, or email [email protected].
Chris Evans has dedicated his BBC Radio 2 breakfast show to his former Top Gear colleagues.
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The crash happened on the Old Carrick Road in Newtownabbey at about 18:35 GMT on Saturday. Ambulance crews took two of those injured in the crash to Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital and two to the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children. Another person was taken to Antrim Area Hospital. Police have sealed off the road and it is likely to remain closed overnight. Diversions are in place on the Doagh Road and the Monkstown Road.
Five people have been taken to hospital, with at least one of them seriously injured, after two vehicles collided in County Antrim.
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Data from the research company Euromonitor found blended Scotch whisky sales in the UK reached £1.28bn last year while sales of gin hit £1.07bn. However, by 2020 sales of blended Scotch are expected to drop to £1.17bn, with gin sales set to climb to £1.37bn. Scotland now produces 70% of the gin consumed in the UK, with more than 73 distilleries opening between 2010-14. The growth in the sector has been attributed to the increasing number of micro-distilleries, innovation and experimentation with botanicals and solid growth in the product across age ranges. Jeremy Cunnington, senior analyst at Euromonitor International, said blended Scotch was suffering from an image problem, while gin sales were booming. He said: "Blended Scotch continues to suffer from volume decline thanks to an old-fashioned and hence low-rent image, compounded by discounting. "Gin was suffering a similar fate, but the development of the super-premium category led by William Grant's Hendrick's brand and the rises of the craft movement and cocktail culture, has helped not only drive volume growth but also premiumise the category." Nick Smalley, director of Aberdeenshire start-up producer Teasmith's Gin, told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme that there was a lot to tempt people into gin production. He said: "We've seen over the past couple of years that the gin sector has just boomed. It really has had a modern-day renaissance. "Gin in comparison to whisky is relatively quick to produce, so from our perspective we're able to get a product to market quicker than going after a whisky product - we're talking weeks rather than years." He added: "I think we've got a really broad customer base. So gin, as we saw in the 80s or 90s, was very much an older person's drink. I think the cocktail scene in the last decade has really inspired the younger drinker, so our customers range from anywhere from the early-20s into their 70s or 80s." However, despite the drink's growing popularity in the UK, producers say gin sales are dwarfed by whisky's overseas sales. Richard Woodward, editor of magazine Scotch Whisky.com, told the programme: "I think you also have to bear in mind that a lot of people making gin in Scotland at the moment will be making whisky. "It is a quick way of getting some revenue in to make gin because you have to wait at least three years for whisky to mature. So while you put that investment into the whisky you can be making some money to pay the bills through the gin. "There's a difference in scale and global reach between Scotch whisky and gin which we have to remember. "Only about 6% of Scotch is actually drunk in the UK in the first place and the industry is almost twice the size of the gin industry."
Domestic sales of gin are set to outstrip those for Scotch whisky by 2020, new figures have suggested.
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Nine of Wrexham's 18 summer signings started, including Shaun Harrad, who had a first half goal ruled out for offside. Dragons captain Sean Newton's acrobatic diving header cleared Tyrone Marsh's effort off the goal line. Dover debutant Jim Stevenson struck the crossbar and home keeper Chris Dunn made a vital save to deny Ricky Miller. Wrexham manager Gary Mills told BBC Radio Wales: "We know what Dover are about and it's not easy to play against. "The lads will sleep tonight because it was a tough game in the heat and they did what I asked of them "We had two or three opportunities to win it but it's a clean sheet and it's a point against a tough, tough side. I'm really pleased with my players." Match ends, Wrexham 0, Dover Athletic 0. Second Half ends, Wrexham 0, Dover Athletic 0. Corner, Dover Athletic. Substitution, Dover Athletic. Tyrone Sterling replaces Jamie Grimes. Corner, Dover Athletic. Corner, Wrexham. Substitution, Wrexham. Kai Edwards replaces Antony Barry. Corner, Dover Athletic. Substitution, Wrexham. Callum Powell replaces Tyler Harvey. Substitution, Dover Athletic. Moses Emmanuel replaces Tyrone Marsh. Substitution, Wrexham. Michael Bakare replaces Shaun Harrad. Second Half begins Wrexham 0, Dover Athletic 0. First Half ends, Wrexham 0, Dover Athletic 0. Corner, Dover Athletic. Corner, Dover Athletic. Corner, Dover Athletic. Corner, Dover Athletic. First Half begins. Lineups are announced and players are warming up.
Wrexham were held to a goalless draw by Dover Athletic on the opening day of the National League season.
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The Masters champion is in a nine-way tie for fifth after finishing with an eagle in Switzerland. Fellow Englishman Daniel Brooks shares a four-way tie for the lead. Willett will play in the Ryder Cup on 30 September and European team-mates Andy Sullivan and Matt Fitzpatrick struggled at Crans-sur-Sierre. Sullivan finished on four-over with Fitzpatrick a shot back, while fellow Englishmen James Morrison and Andrew Johnston are tied for second with Willett. Willett, 28, has struggled since winning his first major at Augusta in April. finishing no higher than 37th place at the US Open, The Open Championship, the US PGA Championship and the Rio Olympics. The European Masters is one of a handful of tournaments before the Ryder Cup begins at Hazeltine in the United States. We've launched a new BBC Sport newsletter, bringing all the best stories, features and video right to your inbox. You can sign up here.
Defending champion Danny Willett carded a five-under-par 65 to sit a shot behind the leaders after the opening round of the European Masters.
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26 October 2015 Last updated at 15:29 GMT Post-mortem examinations are due to be carried out on the bodies of Lynette and John Rodgers. Their families hope their bodies will be returned to Northern Ireland later this week. Rosemary Ferguson, a friend of the couple, said it was "very distressing" to hear the news about a "couple just setting out on life together".
Tributes have been paid to a newly-wed County Down couple who drowned while on honeymoon in South Africa.
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Woodseats Medical Practice wants to open the centre on the site of the existing Woodseats Library on Chesterfield Road. Sheffield City Council said if plans were approved the building would include a new library to replace the current facility. A public consultation on the plans will until 6 March. Mazher Iqbal, Labour cabinet member for communities and public health, said: "This is a great opportunity for us to secure the future of Woodseats Library within a brand new building alongside health services. "I really want local people to tell us what they think and help shape these important local plans." Woodseats Library is one of 12 still run by the council after a number were handed over to community groups as part of efforts to save £1.6m by 2016. A council spokeswoman said the current library "is in a poor condition and not economical to repair". If planning permission was granted, construction could start in the summer, she said.
Plans for a new "community hub", featuring a library, medical centre and pharmacy, have been revealed.
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Environment ministers from Britain's overseas territories say the government has cut funds and been distracted by Brexit. They say there is huge confusion among government departments about responsibility for the territories. The government calls the criticism unfair and points to its creation of large marine protection areas. The UK holds jurisdiction over 19 British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies - parts of the British Empire that have not been granted independence or have voted to remain British territories. Their lands hold an extraordinary wealth of rare species: 94% of the UK's endemic species - found nowhere else in the world - are in outposts of the former empire. Among the endangered creatures are a giant frog called the Montserrat mountain chicken; the Spiky yellow woodlouse, existing only land the size of a tennis court on St Helena; and the Grand Cayman blue iguana. Representatives of 14 of the territories - ranging from Bermuda to Pitcairn and Gibraltar - joined the meeting of the UK Overseas Territories Conservation Forum on the Channel island of Alderney. The islands are highly vulnerable to climate change, but ministers complained that the government had almost halved Foreign Office spending on the climate. They also said cuts had eroded the capacity of the experts in the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), who used to offer conservation advice. The delegates in Alderney said other decisions on funding were going against them and that civil servants who had previously provided support are distracted by Brexit. Confusion reigns over responsibility for supporting the islands, the ministers said. The Foreign Office has the policy lead but it delegates biodiversity issues to the environment department, Defra. The lead for the Crown Dependencies of the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey (which includes Alderney) is with yet another department: the Ministry of Justice. Claude Hogan from Montserrat said: "There is confusion in policy. We don't know the best person to approach and we end up going round in circles between different ministries. "To protect the island and adapt to climate change we need to put in sea defences - but we only get enough money to go from one consultancy to the next." The territories had previously received support for environment-focused programmes from the aid department DFID. But they said that ministers have now switched interest towards traditional job creation - even though the islanders said their economic future depends on a healthy environment. Brexit is a major concern, as many of the territories have received substantial funding from the EU. The minister from from Pitcairn, Michelle Christian, said: "We can apply for EU funding for environmental issues such as soil erosion, waste management and water, so we are concerned about the future." Gibraltar's minister John Cortes, a professional ecologist, said he was nervous at the possibility of Spanish encroachment on protected marine zones after the UK has left the EU. A Foreign Office spokeswoman said the government was already working to improve cross-departmental policies on the territories. She pointed to the internationally-acclaimed programme of marine protection around some key territories. The zone around Pitcain, for instance, will protect an area of ocean three and a half times the size of Britain. The spokeswoman added: "Climate change and energy work is a network-wide priority. The Foreign Office works closely in partnership with departments across Whitehall on the international climate change agenda." The government's delegate had been forced to withdraw from the meeting in Alderney because of the election. The meeting's organisers said the government had declined to foot the bill for the meeting, which was funded by Alderney in conjunction with voluntary groups. They applauded the government's marine programme, but said many of the most critical environmental issues were on land. Their best hope is that when Brexit is settled, the UK will devote more of its time and energy to them, rather than less. Follow Roger on Twitter.
Wildlife and the environment in far-flung British territories are under threat, says a report.
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They were part of an "organised paedophile network" with "tentacles around the world" that arranged the rape of young children, some of them babies. Three young victims - a baby, a toddler and a child under five - have been identified from thousands of images seized as part of the inquiry, but police believe there are more. The National Crime Agency (NCA) said the offences were "as vile and depraved" as it had ever come across. Detectives said the group were "incredibly skilled" at grooming victims, families and each other in order to find children to prey upon, and went to great lengths to plan the abuse without being caught. One member even developed a relationship with a pregnant woman "with the sole intention" of abusing her baby after its birth. The gang was "more than happy" to drive for three to four hours across the UK, spend less than half an hour with a victim, and then return to their jobs. The NCA's Deputy Director of Investigations Graham Gardner said "on the face of it", the men operated as individuals in communities where no-one would suspect them. But they were, he said, "monsters in disguise." "They have groomed women who were pregnant, they've groomed families and people who can get them access to children," he said. "Only when they come together and commit these horrific crimes does it become very apparent what their endeavours were." The men first contacted each other and openly discussed their intentions on adult sex websites, social media and online conferencing sites - there is no evidence they used the so-called anonymous "dark" web. Senior investigating officer at the NCA, Adam Robinson, said: "They were all promiscuous and all involved in online sex forums for their own gratification "They used terms like 'paedo' - that's how they introduced each other." Mr Robinson said one of the men described himself as a "nepiophile", meaning someone sexually attracted to children under two. On one chat log uncovered by detectives, two of the offenders discussed their preferences. When asked: "How small you like mate?", the other replied [the] "smaller the better buddy." As well as carrying out abuse themselves, the men also arranged to meet to view live images of sexual abuse streamed over the internet from abroad. Mr Robinson said the images that he and his colleagues viewed were "horrendous" and some needed to have breaks from work because the material was so distressing. "It was the most disgusting material you've ever read or seen," he said. Those who could get access to victims were granted "elevated" status within the network. Officers said online conversations between the men also contained references to using drugs against victims - both controlled substances and over-the-counter medicines. They openly discussed what dosages were needed to induce a particular state in a child of a certain age. The NCA was called in last September when one of the men, Adam Toms, approached Avon and Somerset Police. Two men had previously been arrested as part of separate inquiries by other police forces, and it is thought Toms, 33, felt the net was closing in. He admitted various offences and the investigation, codenamed Operation Voicer, was launched when the NCA discovered Toms and the other suspects were part of a UK-wide network with global links. As well as the NCA, the inquiry has involved four police forces - Avon and Somerset, Bedfordshire, Humberside and Wiltshire, nine local authority child protection teams, the Crown Prosecution Service, the EU law enforcement agency Europol and child abuse investigation teams across the UK. In total 11 people have been arrested, four of whom are on police bail. Material which could lead to the arrest of other paedophiles has been sent to police abroad, via Europol, to north America, South America, Scandinavia, Australia and Africa. Seventeen "packages" of material have also been sent to police in UK forces for them to pursue their own investigations. The seven men are all said to be in work, but not in occupations that allowed them unsupervised access to children. One of them is a father. Three of them - Robyn Harsley, David Hollyson, and Matthew Stansfield - had previous convictions for accessing child abuse images and were registered sex offenders. Stansfield and John Denham were found guilty after a trial at Bristol Crown Court which ended on Wednesday; five other members had earlier admitted various offences. All the men are due to be sentenced at a later date. Protection and safeguarding measures have been put in place for the three known victims, together with 21 other children who were thought to be at risk.
Seven men described by detectives as "monsters in disguise" have been found guilty of a string of serious sexual offences against children.
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It has found in favour of two punters who complained about software being downloaded on to their computers without their permission. The gamblers believe the software could be used to track their betting history and close their accounts if they win. The gambling companies say they are not breaching data laws and they use the software to protect against fraud. The software at the centre of the complaints is called iesnare or iovation and downloads automatically when you log in to some online gambling websites. In some cases, it's downloaded when you visit the homepage. Brian Chappell, who runs the campaign website Justice for Punters, has had his accounts closed with online bookmakers after placing winning bets. He found the software on his computer after visiting the Skybet website, he told BBC Radio 4's You and Yours. "I actually cleaned my hard drive on my laptop and I intentionally went on the Skybet website before I went on any other internet site and within two seconds, iesnare - now called iovation, they keep changing the name - and there it was." Skybet said: "Like many other operators, we use iesnare to tackle fraudulent activity. We notify customers we use iesnare in a banner at the top of our website and in our privacy policy." The horseracing industry is worried about punters not being able to place their bets. In April 2016 the Horseracing Bettors Forum, which was set up with the assistance of the British Horseracing Authority to represent punters, surveyed its members. In all, 878 respondents reported more than 1,000 closed accounts and some 4,000 restricted accounts in the previous six months. Of those surveyed, 59% said their interest in the sport had fallen as a result. The gambling companies deny they use iesnare to ban successful bettors. They say they only collect basic information, such as IP addresses, which identify the devices being used. Mr Chappell believes an IP address can identify you: "If you open an account with a company and they restrict your account, another thing you might like to try is that you open another account with them using another name. "Because it's the same IP address you're using, it will identify you as a person who's had an account closed down." Peter Phillipson, who writes a horseracing blog, found the iesnare software running in the background of his computer. When he disabled it, Totesport wouldn't let him log in to his account. He complained to the Information Commissioner's Office: "They told me they don't believe that the argument that Totesport use, that it's identifying a computer only and nothing personal, is valid. "They say the IP data being processed here constitutes personal data under the Data Protection Act. So they found in my favour." A spokesperson for Totesport said: "Totesport uses this product for fraud prevention, authentication and customer protection purposes by checking whether devices have been identified with fraudulent transactions in the past, such as reported instances of identity theft, account takeovers, or malware attacks. "It does not collect any client information. However, we are constantly reviewing our procedures and working with the ICO." The manufacturers of iesnare, a company called iovation, said it had "no access to information, such as the winning and losing history of players, nor do we have access to specific betting details". The company also said it was a third party that supplied the software and it was up to gambling companies to comply with data laws: "Every service contract signed by an iovation customer requires that the customer comply with respective data privacy laws, which includes the appropriate consent and notice provisions." Garreth Cameron, from the Information Commissioner's Office, said the investigation was continuing: "Our enquiries will focus on looking at whether the companies in question have been very clear, very transparent about their use of these technologies."
The Information Commissioner's Office is investigating whether online bookies are breaking the law.
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10 June 2016 Last updated at 11:49 BST 24 teams will compete to be crowned European Champions, starting with hosts France playing Romania on Friday evening. Newsround has been speaking to some local kids in Bordeaux in the build up to the big opening match.
Today is a massive day in the world of football - it's the start of Euro 2016.
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Gordon Mann, who chairs Destination Dumfries and Galloway, said levels were "much better" than in recent years. Tourism has been estimated to be worth about £287m to the local economy and supports about 7,000 jobs. Mr Mann said the increase had to be seen in context of low tourist figures and spending in previous years. "By and large the visitor numbers are looking much better," he said. "We have even had people talking about 15% or even in some cases 20% increases. "That sounds great but remember we are coming from a very low base." He said that figures had fallen steadily over the previous five years. "2008 is the point at which the financial crash came and we have seen numbers reduce year on year since then," he said. "It will take us some time to get back to the kind of numbers that we were at before but this is a good step." Mr Mann added that there were signs that the market was adjusting to people having reduced family incomes and being more careful with their spending. He said visitors were looking for "value" and that was what both accommodation providers and attractions were trying to offer.
A tourism chief in south west Scotland has said accommodation providers and visitor attractions have reported an upturn in trade this summer.
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