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35175314 | Officers were called to Provost Rust Drive at 22:30 on Wednesday after reports that a firearm may have been discharged near the junction with North Anderson Drive and Moir Crescent.
The road was only reopened more than six hours later at 04:40.
Police Scotland said nobody was injured and appealed for anyone who saw or heard anything suspicious to get in touch. | A report of gunfire in an Aberdeen street is being investigated by police. |
34185603 | The blaze at Finsbury Chase in the Monkston Park area of the town began just after 08:00 BST.
The roof of the terraced house has partially collapsed and adjacent homes have been damaged.
A spokesperson for South Central Ambulance Service said the children - a baby girl and a boy - did not have life threatening injuries.
Neighbour Gerald Ekosso told the BBC a Nigerian family lived in the house.
"Roof tiles were popping off and there was intense thick white smoke coming out of the roof," he said.
"I ran to the apartment house to make sure there was nobody in it. My downstairs neighbour and I were told by the growing crowd of people that the family had left."
The narrow cul-de-sac has been closed off to the public while crews ensure the fire is completely extinguished.
The cause is not yet known. | Two young children have been taken to hospital after a fire broke out at a home in Milton Keynes. |
40538805 | But a year on from that decision, progress opening the armed forces to transgender Americans has stalled amid delays and attacks from congressional Republicans.
On the eve of the deadline for the Pentagon to begin allowing new transgender recruits, on the first of this month, Defence Secretary James Mattis announced a six-month delay so that the services could "evaluate more carefully" the impact of transgender troops on "readiness and lethality".
Some congressional Republicans celebrated the delay and have since called for the policy to be reversed entirely.
Vicky Hartzler, Republican for Missouri, introduced an amendment at the end of June to the National Defense Authorization Act calling for all transgender service members to be honourably discharged and for funds that would have been used for their medical care to be directed to buying new aircraft.
Several of Ms Hartzler's Republican colleagues spoke in support of her amendment, which she withdrew at the end of the debate but has promised to reintroduce in the House if the Pentagon does not act unilaterally to ban transgender troops.
On Friday, she introduced a new amendment which would bar any military funding from being used to provide medical care related to gender transition, other than for mental health treatment. Her Republican colleague Steve King, Congressman for Iowa, tabled a separate amendment which would ban any funding for gender reassignment surgery or for promotion of what he called the "transgender agenda".
The amendments will go before the rules committee on Wednesday.
Previous NDAA bills have faced similar, unsuccessful amendments, but efforts by Ms Hartzler and others to restrict medical care for transgender service members come amid uncertainty over the future of the open-service policy.
Some conservative advocacy groups praised the decision to delay enlistment by six months. The Family Research Council praised the Pentagon for "hitting the brakes" and called the delay "a good first step" in rolling back inclusive service altogether.
The new administration's interpretation of the policy change has had an unexpected effect for cadets. When the change was ushered in under the Obama administration, it was assumed that military academy trainees would be regarded as active-duty service members and permitted to come out.
But two cadets who graduated last month - one from West Point and the other from the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs - were barred from taking up commissions alongside their colleagues and told that they could only join the military in a civil capacity.
Riley Dosh trained for four years at West Point, building towards her graduation in May. She came out in December last year, after the policy change. Then just weeks before her graduation ceremony she was told by the Pentagon she would not be allowed to join the army alongside her colleagues, despite having the full support of her command.
"I was completely blindsided by it," she says. "It was devastating that I'd gone through all of this work and all of these trials and I wasn't going to be allowed to commission. My entire life was planned out for five to 10 years, and suddenly I was going to be unemployed in three weeks."
Ms Dosh is now living with her girlfriend in Fort Hood, looking for work, uncertain about her future. She has no healthcare coverage and is not sure whether the six-month delay applies to her. She has begun transitioning, possibly putting her army career further in doubt.
Brad Carson, a former under secretary of defence under President Obama who led the review of transgender military policy, says cadets were supposed to be protected by the policy change. "When you sign up for the military academies you are in the military. You may not have been commissioned but you are in the military," he says.
"The country has invested hundred of thousands of dollars in educating and training these cadets," he adds. "It doesn't make any sense for the nation, for the military, or for those people themselves if they are going to be excluded. It would be a very disappointing result."
One of those waiting is Logan Downs, who first enlisted in 2013 under his birth name, Christine, but was forced to drop out because of a knee injury. After waiting four years, he was planning to visit a recruiting office on July 5th - the first possible day he could re-enlist after the policy change.
"There's nothing I can do now personally apart from keep waiting," he says. "They might say in six months that it's delayed again, or it'll never happen. It's a waiting game."
In the meantime, he's working as an Uber driver in Vancouver, Washington. He says he trusted that the services wanted the delay "for a good reason". "They're trying to figure out lots of tiny little issues," he says. "The ball is rolling so I'm sure it'll happen."
But the delay effectively returns any transgender person wanting to join up to the controversial "don't ask don't tell" policy applied to gay and lesbian service members under the Clinton administration, says Aaron Belkin, director of the Palm Centre, a think-tank which studies the effect of gender and sexuality on the military,
"It forces applicants to lie, and even though there's no ban on being in the military, anyone who now comes out as transgender will be vulnerable to the question - why didn't you tell us at the time of enlistment?", he says. "That will have a chilling effect on the ability of transgender troops to be honest and to get healthcare."
A 2016 study by the independent Rand Corporation estimated that 2,450 of the 1.2 million active-duty service members are transgender.
Critics of inclusive service have focused on the cost of providing medical care, as well as a possible impact on force readiness and lethality. Ms Hartzler told the House Armed Services Committee that surgery for just 30% of transgender service members alone would cost the Pentagon $1.35 billion over the next 10 years - $135m per year.
That figure is many times over the one provided by the Rand Corporation, which estimated that the total cost of transitions, including hormone treatment and surgery, would be somewhere between $2.4 million and $8.4 million annually - a 0.04% to 0.13% increase on the active duty healthcare budget.
Ms Hartzler's office did not respond to a request for comment.
Advocates of inclusive service point to the fact that 18 militaries around the world, including the UK, Canada and Australia, already allow transgender people to enlist and serve openly.
Matt Thorn, executive director of LGBT advocacy group OutServe, says that any further delay in joining that group would be unacceptable.
"We will be watching very very closely what decisions and actions the Pentagon takes over these next six months. We can understand giving them six more months to continue a review, but we are holding them accountable for implementing the policy in January 2018. We won't tolerate an extra delay." | When then-US Defence Secretary Ash Carter announced last June that transgender people would be permitted to serve openly in the armed forces it was a landmark moment for thousands of troops who had hidden their identities and put off medical treatment, as well as for potential recruits unable to join up. |
38929782 | They will look at what the role involves and the "reality of life" on a local authority.
Returning officer Tracey Logan said being a councillor was "rewarding but also demanding".
The two sessions are at Scottish Borders Council's Newtown St Boswells headquarters on 21 and 28 February.
Local government elections are taking place in Scotland, England and Wales on 4 May this year.
Ms Logan said: "Anyone successfully elected has the privilege of representing their local community and being involved in decisions which can make a difference to people's lives.
"These sessions will offer plenty of information to those considering standing in this year's election, including a chance to hear from current elected members on the realities of being a councillor."
Both events run from 18:00 to 20:30. | Two special information sessions are being offered in the Scottish Borders to anyone thinking of standing for election as a councillor. |
38923502 | Eileen Blane was thrown to the floor and punched during the burglary in Stretford, Greater Manchester.
David and John Blane said "bruises and injuries mean nothing" compared to losing the ring, given to her by her late husband 63 years ago.
They said the family had received thousands of messages of support.
Granddaughter Amy Blane shared pictures of her "brave Nana" on social media - her post has now been shared more than 83,000 times.
John Blane said: "Most people have been saying how despicable this character must be and how they really hope they do get caught.
"Everyone has a nana, everyone's got a mum who may be living alone and it could be anybody."
Mrs Blane managed to escape and alert neighbours while her attackers searched upstairs in Friday's burglary.
She suffered three cracked ribs and a damaged vertebrae and it is not known when she will be able to go home, her family said.
A CCTV company has installed cameras in her house for free so she will feel safe upon her return from hospital.
David Blane said she was most devastated to be without the ring given to her by her husband, who died 13 years ago.
"It's the only connection she has with my dad," he said.
His brother appealed for his mother's attacker to return the gold wedding band.
He said: "Even if you put the ring in an envelope and give it to us anonymously, just give it us back and that will take away most of the pain away for my mum."
Det Ch Insp Paul Parker of Greater Manchester Police said it was a "disgusting and intrusive" attack.
He urged witnesses to come forward. | An 87-year-old woman beaten in her own home has been left "devastated" after having her wedding ring ripped from her finger, her sons said. |
27412909 | Musa Dayib, one, has two arm fractures and is breathing with the help of a ventilator but is expected to live, after slipping through a railing.
His doctor said his youth as well as the softer ground he landed on helped contribute to his survival.
Family and friends in Minneapolis's Somali community say the family is in shock.
It is well documented that in such circumstances, a child often has better survival prospects than an adult would. This may be because children are more flexible, their bones less brittle. A smaller body mass may also mean that it is possible for a person [below] to break their fall.
What's the best way to catch a falling child?
"When people found out he survived, no one could believe it," community activist Abdirizak Bihi told the Star-Tribune newspaper.
"I'm more concerned about his dad and his mother," Mr Bihi said. "They're devastated. They can't even speak."
Dr Tina Slusher, who treated Musa, said an adult who fell from that distance would almost certainly be dead.
"Little [children] are more flexible and don't break as easily as we do and he also fell in a very small patch of mulch [loose material put on soil]," she told local broadcaster KARE.
But she added it was "definitely a miracle. It's God's gift to his family. Kids don't fall this far and make it often." | A baby in the US state of Minnesota has survived an 11-storey fall from an apartment balcony, local media report. |
36866133 | Writing on Monday, Kelvin MacKenzie questioned whether the Muslim presenter should have appeared on the bulletin.
In his latest column, the former editor said his views were "reasonable".
The Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso) said it received some 1,700 complaints over the remarks.
Manji co-presented the Channel 4 News bulletin - produced by ITN - from London while Jon Snow reported from France during the coverage of the attacks in Nice on 15 July.
The programme's editor, Ben de Pear, said the correspondent had been a victim of "religious discrimination".
"Yesterday, Channel 4 News correspondent Fatima Manji made an official complaint to Ipso.
"ITN believes the article was in breach of a number of provisions of the Editor's Code, in particular discrimination, harassment by intimidation and inaccuracy."
De Pear said a "further complaint" had been made by ITN chief executive John Hardie "which fully supports and endorses the grounds and reasoning of Fatima's complaint".
"ITN accepts and understands that our reporters and presenters are in the public eye and can expect criticism and comment from many quarters, including newspaper columnists," he added.
"What it cannot accept is an employee being singled out on the basis of her religion."
In the latest edition of The Sun, MacKenzie said his question was a "simple" one and "a reasonable inquiry".
He added, in a question to the television regulator Ofcom, if presenters should "be allowed to wear artefacts which advertise their religion?" before equating a Christian wearing "a huge cross outside of their shirt or blouse" with the wearing of a hijab.
On Tuesday, a spokesman for The Sun said it was making "no comment" on the issue.
Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram, or email [email protected]. | Channel 4 News reporter Fatima Manji has complained to the press watchdog over comments made by a Sun columnist about her wearing a hijab while reporting the Nice attack. |
38109838 | The champions - who have now failed to win in their last eight games at Anoeta Stadium - were outplayed and had to come from behind to secure a point.
Willian Jose headed the hosts ahead, Gerard Pique helping the ball over the line while attempting a clearance.
The lead lasted six minutes, Lionel Messi scoring against the run of play.
La Real should have won the game when Juanmi tapped home a rebound from close range after Carlos Vela hit the crossbar, but the former Southampton forward, who had only been on the pitch for seconds, was wrongly ruled offside.
Former Arsenal forward Vela, 27, hit the woodwork for a second time when his 20-yard effort hit a post six minutes from time.
Luis Enrique's visitiors had 47.7% possession, the first time this season they have had less of the ball than their opponents.
Barca, who have now failed to win their last two La Liga games, are second in the table on 27 points from 13 games - level on points with Sevilla.
Real Sociedad - who had won their previous four home games in the league against Barcelona - have 23 points and climb to fifth.
Barcelona host Zinedine Zidane's side at the Nou Camp next Saturday (15:15 GMT).
Match ends, Real Sociedad 1, Barcelona 1.
Second Half ends, Real Sociedad 1, Barcelona 1.
Jordi Alba (Barcelona) is shown the yellow card.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Gerónimo Rulli (Real Sociedad) because of an injury.
Offside, Barcelona. Gerard Piqué tries a through ball, but Neymar is caught offside.
Attempt missed. Esteban Granero (Real Sociedad) right footed shot from the right side of the box is close, but misses the top right corner. Assisted by Carlos Vela.
David Zurutuza (Real Sociedad) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by David Zurutuza (Real Sociedad).
Lionel Messi (Barcelona) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Attempt saved. Esteban Granero (Real Sociedad) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Sergio Canales.
Attempt missed. Esteban Granero (Real Sociedad) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Carlos Vela.
Substitution, Real Sociedad. Esteban Granero replaces Mikel Oyarzabal.
Denis Suárez (Barcelona) is shown the yellow card.
Carlos Vela (Real Sociedad) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Denis Suárez (Barcelona).
Carlos Vela (Real Sociedad) hits the left post with a left footed shot from outside the box. Assisted by Juanmi.
Attempt missed. Luis Suárez (Barcelona) right footed shot from the left side of the box is high and wide to the right following a corner.
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Raúl Navas.
Attempt missed. Javier Mascherano (Barcelona) header from a difficult angle on the right is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Neymar with a cross following a corner.
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Iñigo Martínez.
Attempt missed. Denis Suárez (Barcelona) right footed shot from a difficult angle on the right is close, but misses to the left.
Foul by Yuri (Real Sociedad).
Sergi Roberto (Barcelona) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Hand ball by Juanmi (Real Sociedad).
Offside, Real Sociedad. Carlos Vela tries a through ball, but Juanmi is caught offside.
Carlos Vela (Real Sociedad) hits the bar with a left footed shot from outside the box. Assisted by David Zurutuza.
Substitution, Real Sociedad. Juanmi replaces Willian José.
Offside, Barcelona. André Gomes tries a through ball, but Luis Suárez is caught offside.
Attempt missed. Neymar (Barcelona) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right.
Substitution, Real Sociedad. Sergio Canales replaces Xabi Prieto.
Attempt missed. Yuri (Real Sociedad) left footed shot from the left side of the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Iñigo Martínez.
David Zurutuza (Real Sociedad) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by André Gomes (Barcelona).
Foul by Willian José (Real Sociedad).
Sergi Roberto (Barcelona) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Offside, Barcelona. Neymar tries a through ball, but Luis Suárez is caught offside.
Offside, Real Sociedad. Gerónimo Rulli tries a through ball, but Willian José is caught offside.
Carlos Martínez (Real Sociedad) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Carlos Martínez (Real Sociedad). | Barcelona head into next week's first El Clasico of the season six points behind leaders Real Madrid after scraping a draw at Real Sociedad. |
36396561 | The former Leicester City trainee, 29, was Vale's longest-serving player, with 56 goals from 332 appearances in over eight seasons at the club.
He netted eight goals in 44 games this season, his second-best scoring return.
Dodds is Town manager Micky Mellon's third summer signing, following Gary Deegan and Oliver Lancashire.
"I have some of the greatest memories at Port Vale which made the decision to leave the hardest one I've ever had to make," said Dodds.
"I am truly grateful to the club, the coaching staff, the players and the fans for how I've been treated and what I have learnt from my time here."
As well as releasing eight players, Mellon has also placed midfielder Richie Wellens on the transfer list.
"I've spoken to Richie about the situation," said Mellon. "We've decided it is best if we make him available for a free transfer.
"I get on very well with him and felt that it was best that he goes onto the next chapter of his career."
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | Port Vale attacking midfielder Louis Dodds has turned down the offer of a new deal to join League One rivals Shrewsbury Town on a two-year contract. |
32658945 | It carries out a monthly survey of firms that tracks indicators such as new orders, employment and exports.
The latest report for April suggested a modest deterioration in business conditions, as output and new orders declined following growth in March.
That was the fourth monthly decline in activity in the last five months.
Ulster Bank's chief economist, Richard Ramsey, said Northern Ireland's modest decline in private sector activity compares with growth in all of the other UK regions.
Manufacturing continued to be a bright spot, with output growth and new orders rebounding to a 6-month high, driven by market demand in Great Britain.
By contrast, Northern Ireland retailers reported their sharpest decline in retail sales since May 2012 and the construction sector posted its largest fall in business activity in two years.
Mr Ramsey said that despite the apparent weakness suggested by the results, companies are continuing to hire staff.
"Despite uncertainty and lack of demand, local firms saw their staffing levels rise in April at the fastest rate in seven months. Employment growth was reported across all sectors with the exception of construction," he added.
Looking forward, he said that the detail of the new Conservative government's fiscal plans and economic policies "will affect all sectors of the economy both public and private". | The recovery in Northern Ireland's private sector has been "effectively stalled" since November, research by the Ulster Bank has suggested. |
40672581 | Barry McNamee's first-half goal was enough to earn the Candystripes a 1-0 win, despite having to play the final six minutes with just 10 men.
Aaron Barry's dismissal put the visitors under pressure but Kenny Shiels' men held on to move above Bray Wanderers and Shamrock Rovers.
It was Derry's seventh consecutive win over Bohemians across all competitions.
The visitors made a bright start with McNamee flashing a shot just wide and they should have taken the lead in the 24th minute when Rory Patterson's goal-bound shot was touched by Nathan Boyle as he was returning from an off-side position.
The Candystripes finally broke the deadlock in the 39th minute when a shot from Ronan Curtis was saved by Bohemians keeper Shane Supple but McNamee reacted quickest to score from the rebound.
The second-half introduction of Ismahil Akinade gave Bohemians some much needed momentum and the striker was immediately involved in a tussle with Barry which earned him a yellow card and left the Derry defender needing treatment.
The pressure on the Derry defence increased in the closing stages when Barry was shown a straight red card for pulling back Akinade on the edge of the penalty area.
However, the visitors managed to protect their clean sheet in the final minutes to claim a valuable away win.
Bray's 3-1 defeat to St Patrick's Athletic at Richmond Park means Derry are now back up to third spot in the table with Shamrock Rovers travelling to face Dundalk on Sunday.
Derry next travel to face Finn Harps in a rearranged fixture on Monday night. | Derry City are up to third place in the Premier Division after a battling win over Bohemians at Dalymount Park. |
37195554 | Cardiff are looking at goalkeeper cover for David Marshall, a replacement for defender Fabio, who joined Premier League side Middlesbrough and are also seeking striker reinforcements.
''There are two or three positions we are looking for," Trollope explained.
"We are working really, really hard to try and secure what we want."
Trollope is anxious to hold on to highly rated keeper Marshall and midfielder Aron Gunnarsson, who featured in Iceland's memorable quarter final berth at Euro 2016.
Both players have linked with moves away from Cardiff City Stadium during the summer.
However the Cardiff boss is also realistic as he enters the last few days of transfer activity and admits every player has their price.
''It's normal practice when you come to the end of a transfer window. I have been here for a few now, with David and a number of other players to be honest. We have some good players, players who would be attractive to other teams," he told BBC Wales Sport.
''You are not going to stop speculation, stop things being written or spoken about.
''I think any manager or any coach wants to keep his best players.
"But also I think any coach will tell you all players have their value, whether they are at the top of the league or in League Two.'' | Cardiff City manager Paul Trollope feels the Bluebirds still need "a few" new players before the transfer window closes on Wednesday night. |
38371269 | The 58-year-old started in his role as chief executive officer of McLaren Racing in September, having been recruited by chairman Ron Dennis.
But Dennis is on gardening leave pending the end of his deal next month.
And Capito, too is now on his way out, having been viewed as Dennis's man, BBC Sport has learned.
Capito is still an employee but is no longer working day-to-day for the company.
When asked about this situation, a spokesman said: "I'm not going to talk about that."
Capito was unavailable for comment.
Williams open to Bottas Mercedes move
The move follows the recruitment in November of leading F1 commercial expert Zak Brown as McLaren's new executive director.
Brown and chief operating officer Jonathan Neale have been tasked with running the McLaren Group on a day-to-day basis.
In a separate development, long-time McLaren marketing chief Ekrem Sami has had his position as a director of the McLaren Group terminated.
Sami, 62, has been a long-time close ally of Dennis, for whom he has worked for nearly 40 years.
Dennis technically remains chairman and chief executive pending the end of his contract next month but no longer has an active role running the company. He is also a 25% shareholder in McLaren Group.
In Dennis' place, the company is being run by an executive committee formed by the other main shareholders - the Bahrain sovereign investment fund Mumtalakat, which owns 50%, and TAG's Mansour Ojjeh, who owns 25%.
Once Capito's departure is formalised, the most senior person at McLaren's F1 team will be racing director Eric Boullier, who was brought in at the start of the 2014 season after Dennis ousted his former friend and protege Martin Whitmarsh from the positions of McLaren team principal and chief executive officer of McLaren Group.
The Frenchman, 43, will report to Brown and Neale. | McLaren are set to part company with their new Formula 1 boss Jost Capito less than four months after the German joined the company. |
35581364 | One of the reporters was identified as Anna Therese Day and the other three were said to be members of her crew.
Ms Day's family rejected the official allegations, and US officials said they could not comment.
The arrests happened on the fifth anniversary of an anti-government uprising which was violently put down.
Clashes broke out between protesters and police on Sunday as marches remembering the date were dispersed by security forces.
Bahrain: Between rebellion and reform
Country profile
Bahrain's interior ministry said in a statement that the four were arrested in Sitra, a Shia-majority village south of the capital, Manama, which has repeatedly seen anti-government protests.
The four had entered the country between 11 and 12 February, it said.
"At least some of the arrestees were in the country as members of the international media but had not registered with the concerned authority and were involved in illegal activities," the statement said.
One of the detained was "wearing a mask and participating in attacks on police alongside other rioters in Sitra", the statement added. The other three were arrested at a security checkpoint in the same area.
The group Reporters Without Borders confirmed Ms Day's identity and called for the immediate release of the four, describing their detention as "inexcusable".
Ms Day's website says she is an award-winning journalist, with reporting experience in Bahrain, Israel, Libya, Syria and many other countries.
The names of the other three have not been revealed.
Bahrain has been wracked by political unrest since an uprising in 2011, with the kingdom's Shia majority demanding greater political rights from the Sunni-led government. Some violent attacks have blamed on militants linked to Iran.
The violent suppression of the protests left dozens killed, hundreds injured and many more arrested. | Four US journalists have been arrested in Bahrain accused of illegally entering the country and being involved in illegal activities. |
36838398 | The 45-foot (14m) whale, known locally as Wally, was first spotted dead in Los Angeles County on 30 June.
Efforts to drag it out to sea failed when the carcass kept washing up on various beaches in the area over the days that followed.
It was finally buried in a landfill site on Monday morning.
While alive, Wally was a regular visitor off the coast near San Diego.
The female whale, which was approximately 15 years old, was regularly seen by photographers breaching and rising to the surface.
One video, captured last summer, shows her spraying water from her blowhole, creating the effect of a rainbow. It has been viewed more than a million times on YouTube.
Wally's days were less graceful in death.
After first washing up on Dockweiler State Beach, the whale's body grew increasingly putrid as officials struggled to successfully tow it back to sea.
"You can smell it up to about a quarter-mile away," Larry Giles, Marine Safety Captain in Encinitas, said in an interview with The San Diego Union Tribune at the time.
On Sunday, a construction crew attempted to cut up the body into pieces to remove it more easily. But under the weight of Wally's blubber, their forklift truck snapped, forcing them to rethink their approach.
The carcass was eventually removed from Grandview Beach using three large rubbish bins and a digger.
The cause of Wally's death is unknown, although the Los Angeles Times has reported that the animal was covered with whale lice, which can be a sign of poor health.
Humpback whales are found in every ocean around the world, congregating in their thousands off the coast of California each winter. | The body of a humpback whale has been removed from a beach in California after a long battle with the 22-tonne (48,500lb) carcass for 19 days. |
39628719 | Delegates at the union's conference rejected a resolution to ballot members over a protest against primary school tests for the academic year 2017-18.
They also agreed not to "support and promote a parent boycott" of the 2017 national curriculum tests (Sats).
The vote came despite two sessions of argument in favour of action.
A vote on a separate motion earlier in the conference backed moves to consider a ballot of membership over a boycott of tests in 2017-18 at a later stage, if there was enough support.
Opposing the motion, Sasha Elliott, a teacher from east London, said: "I've been coming to conference for over a decade, I've made speeches about the wickedness of Sats, ending Sats has to remain one of our union's highest priorities.
"But I'd like to think that we've learned from our past efforts to end these Sats, we have to admit we've been unsuccessful.
"This motion presents us with some serious problems... It's a waste of a precious ballot."
Speaking in favour of action, Nottinghamshire teacher Gareth Jones said: "It feels to me that we've been preparing for action since I've been in the union in 2007.
"If we haven't prepared enough for this action by now, frankly, we never will.
"During this time we've been preparing, thousands of children have had their education destroyed by the cruel tyranny of these assessments."
The debate began on Sunday but was delayed twice due to strict conference timing rules.
Conversely, at its annual conference before Easter, the Association of Teachers and Lecturers voted in favour of a boycott of Sats tests in the summer of 2018.
NUT's rejection of a boycott comes just weeks after the government announced plans to scrap national curriculum tests for seven-year-olds.
The Department for Education is currently consulting on a range of proposals regarding primary school testing.
It maintains that parents have a right to expect testing in schools to show whether their children are leaving primary school with the right skills in maths and literacy.
In 2016, the first set of Sats on the new national curriculum were taken by pupils in England's schools.
For Year 6 pupils, those at the end of their primary education, the pass rate fell from 80% in 2015 to 53%. | The National Union of Teachers (NUT) has voted against balloting members on a boycott of primary school tests, known as Sats, in England. |
36629198 | The Stoke-on-Trent based British Ceramic Confederation said the Leave outcome was not what the majority of its members wanted.
EU tariffs on tiles and tableware protect UK jobs, the industry said.
But a former business minister called the result a "wonderful opportunity."
The confederation includes various trades involved in the ceramics industry, many of which, such as Burleigh, Churchill, Wade Ceramics and Duchess China, are based in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire.
Chief executive Dr Laura Cohen said half of UK ceramic sector exports are to the European Union and added that tariffs prevent "Chinese dumping", flooding the market with cheaper products.
"Our members also have benefitted from some recent free trade agreements," she said.
UK ceramics manufacturers employ 6,000 people between them and suppliers are worried, she added.
"We need the government to work with us urgently to find a way to allay these fears and develop a way forward that supports these UK manufacturing businesses, so allowing investment and growth to continue in this sector," she said.
Almost 70% of voters in Stoke-on-Trent elected to leave the EU in Thursday's referendum.
Former business minister Lord Digby Jones has said the result could benefit businesses and that it was an opportunity to enter a global race.
"You have a golden opportunity, Britain is the most globalised country on earth," he said. | The organisation which looks after the interests of the ceramics industry has said it urgently needs the government to work with it to allay fears caused by the decision to leave the EU. |
34278012 | Les Bleus are staying at Selsdon Park Hotel, in Croydon, during the Rugby World Cup, which starts on Friday.
Croydon Council said the coach was "parked illegally in a bus stop on a busy main road".
Dan Hicks tweeted the picture, along with the words: "Welcome to Croydon, Team France!! #ParkingTicket".
He said: "I rode past on my motorbike and saw the bus had the French team name and initials on the side and saw the ticket inspector.
"The opportunity was too good to miss so I turned around to get the photo."
A spokesman for the French national side said he was "not aware" of the incident, which reportedly took place outside a restaurant on Wednesday evening.
However, he confirmed the players had been out for dinner at the time.
There were reports French prop Uini Atonio had complained about a rowdy wedding reception at the team's hotel kept him up all night, while French newspaper MetroNews described Croydon as "sad" and claimed the town had not made the headlines since the 2011 riots.
A Croydon Council spokeswoman added the ticket was not "Croydon's revenge for disparaging remarks allegedly made about the town".
Lionel Rossigneux, spokesman for the French rugby union squad, insisted that the players were enjoying Croydon.
He said: "Everything is fine. We are enjoying the place.
"The hotel is great. All the staff are very dedicated to the team. It's quiet which is exactly what we need for the team." | A bus carrying the French rugby union squad has been issued with a ticket by a traffic warden during the team's stay in south London. |
37186018 | The 20-year-old broke a metatarsal in the 21st-minute of the Magpies' 2-0 win against League Two side Cheltenham Town in the EFL Cup second round.
The former Bristol City trainee has played five games for Newcastle so far this season, starting twice.
Aarons, who joined from the Robins in 2014, recently signed a new five-year contract at St James' Park.
The Magpies have also announced that England Under-19 midfielder Adam Armstrong, 19, has signed a new four-year deal. | Newcastle United winger Rolando Aarons will be out for eight weeks after breaking a bone in his foot. |
32894220 | Prime Minister David Cameron has said the in/out referendum will take place by 2017.
A bill paving the way for the referendum was included in the Queen's Speech.
BBC political correspondent Ross Hawkins said the precise wording of the question had not been confirmed.
But it is expected to allow those who want Britain to remain in the EU to style themselves as the Yes campaign, with the question expected to be along the lines of: "Should the UK remain a member of the EU?"
Our correspondent said: "What we won't get [in the Queen's Speech], I'm told, is the absolute, finalised official version of that question. There's likely to be more discussion about it, but I'm led to believe that what we are heading towards is a question along the lines of whether the UK should remain in the EU.
"That is significant because it would allow those who want the status quo to continue once there has been a renegotiation, who want the UK to remain a member of the EU, to style themselves as the Yes campaign. Yes to stay in, Yes to remain.
"So it could be that there is some discussion of that over the coming days."
In the Queen's Speech, Mr Cameron said he would renegotiate the UK's membership and pursue reform of the European Union "for the benefit of all member states", pledging "early legislation" to pave the way for a referendum by the end of 2017.
Downing Street said this would give the public a "voice and a real choice on Europe".
It has also confirmed that members of the House of Lords and citizens of Commonwealth countries living in Gibraltar will be entitled to vote in the referendum - as well as UK nationals who have been living abroad for less than 15 years. | Voters in the UK's EU referendum will be asked to choose Yes if they want to remain in the union or No to leave. |
36550304 | Jo Cox, Labour MP for Batley and Spen, was left bleeding on the ground after the attack in Birstall, West Yorkshire. A man was arrested nearby.
One eyewitness told the BBC they heard her attacker shout "put Britain first" at least twice beforehand.
Tributes flooded in from politicians including David Cameron, Jeremy Corbyn and US Secretary of State John Kerry.
Mrs Cox's husband Brendan said she would want people "to unite to fight against the hatred that killed her."
Vote Leave and Remain have both suspended campaigning in the EU referendum in light of the attack.
Mrs Cox, 41, is the first sitting MP to be killed since 1990, when Ian Gow was the last in a string of politicians to die at the hands of Northern Irish terror groups.
The man taken into custody was arrested in Market Street, not far from Birstall Library where Mrs Cox was holding a constituency surgery. He has been named locally as Tommy Mair.
Hundreds of Mrs Cox's friends and colleagues gathered for a vigil at St Peter's Church in Birstall earlier.
Every pew was full as people packed into the church for the emotional service.
MPs including Yvette Cooper hugged and consoled each other as it ended.
Labour leader Mr Corbyn said the country would be "in shock at the horrific murder", describing the MP as a "much loved colleague".
He added: "Jo died doing her public duty at the heart of our democracy, listening to and representing the people she was elected to serve.
"In the coming days there will be questions to answer about how and why she died.
"But for now all our thoughts are with Jo's husband Brendan and their two young children. They will grow up without their mum, but can be immensely proud of what she did, what she achieved and what she stood for."
St. Peter's is a short but wide church and tonight every pew is full.
The vicar says this is a vigil of quietness. A candle with a small flame has been lit in memory of Jo Cox. People of all faiths have their heads bowed. So many are here they're shoulder to shoulder and standing at the back and the sides.
Some stifle silent tears, a lot hold tissues to their faces. The mood is one of shock and almost unbearable sadness.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said the Queen will write privately to Mr Cox.
Cafe owner Clarke Rothwell, who witnessed the attack, said he heard a "loud popping noise that sounded like a balloon burst - a loud balloon."
"When I looked round there's a man stood there in his 50s with a white baseball cap on and a jacket with a gun, an old fashioned looking gun in his hand," he said.
"He shot this lady once and then he shot her again, he fell to the floor, leant over shot her once more in the face area.
"Somebody tried to grab him, wrestling with him and then he wielded a knife, like a hunting knife, just started lunging at her with a knife half a dozen times. People were screaming and running from the area."
Eyewitness Hithem Ben Abdallah, 56, was in a cafe next door to the library shortly after 13:00 BST when he heard screaming and went outside.
"There was a guy who was being very brave and another guy with a white baseball cap who he was trying to control and the man in the baseball cap suddenly pulled a gun from his bag."
After a brief scuffle, he said the man stepped back and the MP became involved.
Mr Abdallah said the weapon "looked handmade" and a man who had been wrestling with the gunman continued even after seeing the gun.
He said: "The man stepped back with the gun and fired it and then he fired a second shot, as he was firing he was looking down at the ground.
"He was kicking her as she was lying on the floor," he said.
Brendan Cox has since tweeted a picture of his wife standing by the side of the River Thames in London.
David Cameron also tweeted to express his condolences.
US Secretary of State Mr Kerry said: "It is an assault on everybody who cares about and has faith in democracy."
Leeds North East MP Fabian Hamilton said he had known Mrs Cox since before she became an MP.
Mr Hamilton said: "I'm just completely devastated, I know Birstall reasonably well, and I think we're all totally shocked."
Huddersfield MP Barry Sheerman said he was "absolutely stunned". "I was a mentor to her," he said.
"She was the same age as my daughter. She was one of the real talents in parliament, people loved her in the constituency."
Ms Cox, who was born in Batley, was elected in 2015.
She was educated at Heckmondwike Grammar School who have issued a statement saying staff and pupils were "deeply shocked and saddened".
The school, it said, was proud of her contribution to local and national democracy and of her "determined, caring campaigning for the world's disadvantaged."
Mrs Cox graduated from Cambridge University in 1995 and went on to become head of policy at Oxfam.
Mark Goldring, the charity's chief executive, said: "Oxfam is deeply shocked to hear the news. Our thoughts and sympathies are with Jo and her family at this difficult time." | An MP has died after she was shot and stabbed in a "horrific" assault in her constituency, police have said. |
39467267 | The treasury has been seen for too long as belonging to "big business, powerful interests and international investors," Malusi Gigaba said.
"This is a people's government," he told his first news conference since President Jacob Zuma fired his respected predecessor, Pravin Gordhan.
Thursday night's sacking shook markets and divided the ruling party.
Mr Gordhan's sudden dismissal, part of a reshuffle affecting nine ministers, led to a 5% plunge in the value of the currency, the rand.
The ruling African National Congress' deputy president, Cyril Ramaphosa, called it "totally, totally unacceptable" and ANC Secretary General Gwede Mantashe also opposed it.
In 2014, the ANC adopted "radical economic transformation" policies to boost the economic position of the black majority in the post-apartheid nation.
But many in the ruling party believe the process has been "too slow and in many instances superficial", said Mr Gigaba, who was previously home affairs minister.
"The ownership of wealth and assets remains concentrated in the hands of a small part of the population," he said.
But he added that he did not "seek to implement a reckless lurch in a particular direction".
"We will stay the course in terms of the fiscal policy stance approved by government," the new minister said.
Pravin Gordhan was seen by many as a safe pair of hands when it came to managing the economy.
He was seen as a bulwark against corruption in an administration that is facing growing criticism.
He resisted calls from the president to increase government expenditure.
Malusi Gigaba, however, is widely seen as an ally of Mr Zuma and does not have a background in finance.
Opposition parties say it is because he was obstructing President Zuma and his allies - whom they accused of corruption - from gaining access to state funds.
Mr Zuma, who rejects the allegations, said the move was about a "radical socio-economic transformation".
Local media point to an alleged intelligence report accusing Mr Gordhan of working with foreigners to undermine Mr Zuma's administration.
Last October, Mr Gordhan was charged with fraud but the charges were later dropped. He has described the allegations as politically motivated. | South Africa needs to "radically transform" its economy, the country's new finance minister has said. |
35167983 | The police headquarters and the main government building fell to the Taliban on Wednesday, a local senator said.
The Taliban say their fighters have seized the entire district.
However, the Afghan defence ministry said fighting was continuing and that reinforcements had been sent.
Sangin saw almost a quarter of British military fatalities during the UK's combat mission in Afghanistan.
District governor Haji Suliman Shah told the BBC he had been airlifted from the district HQ to Shorabak base - formerly Camp Bastion - in the provincial capital Lashkar Gah early on Wednesday, along with 15 wounded security force members.
A few hundred police and soldiers have taken refuge at an army barracks about 7km (four miles) from Sangin, and are besieged there.
Read more about Sangin
Harsh lessons from Sangin
Who are the Taliban?
Ashuqullah, a police officer at the barracks, told the BBC the "entire" town was controlled by militants. "We have not seen any help," he said.
"Support troops have been airdropped at a distance... but all roads are blocked and in the militants' control," he added.
There were many wounded at the barracks needing urgent evacuation, he said.
Speaking in Kabul, Afghanistan's acting Defence Minister Masoum Stanikzai described the situation in Helmand as "manageable" and said fresh support troops had been sent in.
Afghan government forces had been "thinly spread" over the whole country, he said, and had been trying their best to hold all areas.
A small contingent of British troops has been sent to Helmand "in an advisory role," the British government said on Tuesday.
A Taliban spokesman, Qari Yousuf Ahmadi, claimed on Wednesday:
"The Sangin district centres, its police HQ, and other establishments were under continued attacks of the mujahideen and today... with God's grace the district was fully captured by the mujahideen.
"The white flag of the Islamic emirate is at full mast at the district now.''
Haji Daud, the head of the Sangin district people's council, told the BBC that Sangin residents had fled the district to neighbouring areas.
Responding to the defence minister's claims, he said: "Those whose family - brothers and siblings and parents - are not fighting on the front, they always say the situation is not dangerous in the area..."
"Those who make such comments do not care to defend Helmand."
Pharmacy owner Sarwah Shah, who fled to Lashkar Gah, told the BBC that all of the families living on his street in Sangin - around 20 to 30 houses - had fled.
Another resident Agha Wali said he had fled Sangin with his children two days ago. He had had to leave all his possessions behind, he said.
The Taliban have already seized control of all but two districts in Helmand.
On Monday the deputy governor of Helmand complained of a lack of government support in an open letter on Facebook to President Ashraf Ghani.
"Helmand will collapse to the enemies and it's not like Kunduz, where we could launch an operation from the airport to retake it. That is just impossible and a dream," he wrote.
In September, the Taliban briefly overran the northern Afghan city of Kunduz in one of their biggest victories since 2001. | Latest reports from southern Afghanistan suggest that Sangin district in Helmand province is now almost entirely under Taliban control after days of fierce fighting. |
40193419 | The rock music festival, which takes place at Donington Park, in Leicestershire, will have armed police at the site over the weekend.
Supt Martyn Ball, from Leicestershire Police, said armed police would help make people feel "safe and secure".
About 80,000 people are expected to attend the site over the next few days.
Supt Ball said armed officers would be there to support their unarmed colleagues.
"Following the tragic events that happened in Manchester and London, I think there's a public expectation in relation to this.
"The feedback we've had has all been positive over police carrying firearms.
"In fact we've had comments from parents on social media suggesting that their son or daughter wouldn't come to the festival unless there were armed officers there to make sure they felt safe and secure."
However, he said this would not stop officers having fun with festival goers.
"Download has got a great reputation, as have Leicestershire Police, for being so engaging.
"Selfies with the cops, smiling, swapping hats, absolutely all that sort of stuff, I'm still anticipating on happening over the next few days."
Festival goers are advised to leave extra time to get through enhanced security searches. | Police at the Download Festival will still pose for selfies with fans despite extra security, a senior police officer has said. |
35883522 | West Brom forward Stephane Sessegnon struck the opener on 16 minutes and Benin added a second on 75 minutes. South Sudan pulled one back late on.
The victory lifts Benin to the top of Group C above Mail who play on Friday.
New Fifa president Gianni Infantino was in attendance after he had inaugurated the South Sudan FA's office.
In Group G Chad hosted Tanzania with both sides looking for their first win.
Tanzania earned a 1-0 victory thanks to Mbwana Samatta's 30th-minute strike. It lifted them level on points with second-placed Nigeria, while Chad remain rooted to the foot of the table without any points.
Nigeria take on group leaders Egypt on Friday.
Sao Tome e Principe pulled off an incredible comeback to beat Libya 2-1 in their Group F clash.
Both sides went into the game having lost their first two matches and having scored only one goal apiece.
Faisal Albadri put Libya ahead after 24 minutes but the hosts scored two goals in the last five minutes to snatch victory. An own goal from Eltrbi set them on their way and Dos Santos bit the winner.
It keeps alive their hopes of qualification. Group rivals Cape Verde and Morocco- both on six points - play each other on Saturday.
In Group E Guinea-Bissau lifted themselves off the foot of the table with a 1-0 home victory over Kenya.
Idrissa Camara struck the only goal of the game after 15 minutes to give his side their first win of the group stage.
The top-of-the-table clash between Zambia and Congo ended in a 1-1 draw, moving both sides on to five points with at the summit because of a superior goal difference.
Hosts Zambia took the lead on 60 minutes through Winston Kalengo but it lasted only 15 minutes, Jordan Massengo restoring parity with a goal for Congo. | Benin came away from South Sudan with a 2-1 win on Wednesday as the third round of group qualifiers for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations began. |
36371700 | The consensus of economists was that the UK economy would shrink after an EU exit, the think tank said.
It warned ministers could react to a post-Brexit GDP fall with either deeper cuts, or by extending them.
But UKIP leader Nigel Farage said the IFS was biased because it was part-funded by the EU.
He told BBC News: "They take direct funding from the European Union.
"So, once again, it's the same old game. It's taxpayers money being used to tell us what we should think and what we should do. And frankly the scale of this now is outrageous.
"The government and all their friends - taxpayer-funded friends - are frankly cheating in this referendum by selling this constant negative message."
IFS director Paul Johnson told BBC Radio 4's Today programme, his organisation got "about 10% of our income from something called the European Research Council, which is an independent arms-length body which funds world-class academic research".
But he added: "For the last 30 years, the IFS has really built its reputation on the independence and integrity of our work, and actually there is no sum of money from anywhere in the world which would influence what we said".
Prime Minister David Cameron said the IFS was the "the gold standard in independent, impartial economic forecasting and commentary in our country".
The IFS assessment comes as a dozen former senior military officers have warned that the EU's policies are undermining the UK's combat effectiveness.
Speaking out in favour of Britain leaving the EU, they said Nato, and not the EU, should remain the cornerstone of Europe's defence.
More than 300 historians, meanwhile, have written to The Guardian saying Britain has an "irreplaceable role to play in Europe" and warning against "condemning ourselves to irrelevance" by leaving.
The IFS said a vote to leave could result in a £20bn to £40bn hit to the public finances in 2019/20, if GDP was 2.1% to 3.5% lower over the period, as predicted by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR).
Paul Johnson, IFS director and an author of the report, said: "Getting to budget balance from there, as the government desires, would require an additional year or two of austerity at current rates of spending cuts."
How trade and the UK's economy are affected by membership of the EU.
The IFS said the UK could use its contribution to the EU - estimated at £8bn a year - to help shore up its finances if it voted for Brexit.
However, it said this could be overshadowed by the negative impact on the UK economy, with a 0.6% fall in national income offsetting the benefits.
Mr Johnson said: "Leaving the EU would give us an immediate £8bn boost to the public finances, but the overwhelming consensus is that the economy would be smaller than otherwise following Brexit.
"If the economy is just a few percentage points smaller than it otherwise would have been, we will be a bit worse off."
The IFS's report on the impact on the public finances of Brexit is different from the myriad of economic reports flowing from organisations as diverse as the International Monetary Fund and Economists for Brexit.
Rather than do its own economic modelling, the IFS has taken the mid-point of most of the major reports on the possible referendum impact and built its analysis from that.
It judges that mid-point to be closest to the National Institute of Economic and Social Research study which suggested that Brexit could leave the UK economy between 2% and 3.5% smaller than under a remain scenario.
From that the IFS uses a simple economic model that suggests that for every 1% decline in GDP, the government needs to raise an extra £14bn due to lower tax receipts.
Of course, if the economic impact of Brexit is - in the long run - positive, as some economists argue, then the impact on the public finances would also be positive.
The UK "could perfectly reasonably decide that we are willing to pay a bit of a price for leaving the EU and regaining some sovereignty and control over immigration and so on", Mr Johnson said.
"That there would be some price though, I think is now almost beyond doubt."
But Vote Leave's John Redwood said the IFS was in the "cosy establishment" and the UK was better off out of the EU.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he disputed the forecasts used in the report, and said savings made from quitting the EU would mean austerity would not be needed.
But on Twitter Andrew Lilico, the chairman of Vote Leave-affiliated Economists for Britain, distanced himself from the criticisms of what he called the Leave campaign's "propaganda arm".
Patrick Minford, co-chairman of a separate group, Economists for Brexit, said that the IFS analysis acknowledged that the free trade approach recommended by his organisation "would be the best option for the UK following an exit from the EU".
Gerard Lyons, his co-chairman, added: "The UK needs to break away from the short-termism and the groupthink that had dominated UK policy making and embrace Brexit as this is the best way to position the economy for longer-term future growth." | The UK could face an extra two years of austerity measures if it votes to leave the EU, the Institute for Fiscal Studies has said. |
32330617 | Cook, 24, competed for Team GB at the 2008 Olympics, but was overlooked for London 2012, despite being ranked world number one at the time.
His Moldovan citizenship was funded by the country's taekwondo president and billionaire Igor Iuzefovici.
"We are saddened by Aaron's decision," said BOA chief executive Bill Sweeney.
"Despite the fact that there is no legitimate case for nationality change here, the BOA cannot compel any athlete to represent the United Kingdom against his or her will."
Cook left the GB Taekwondo set-up in 2011, a move he believed - and GB Taekwondo has always denied - was behind his Olympic snub.
The Dorset-born 24-year-old insisted he would never compete for Britain again while performance director Gary Hall and chairman Adrian Tranter, whom he held responsible, were still in charge.
The fighter instead represented the Isle of Man and although the BOA, UK Sport, GB Taekwondo and representatives from Cook's team have met on several occasions, no common ground to rebuild the relationship was found.
GB Taekwondo chairman Jeremy Beard said: "We have made exhaustive efforts to engage with him and his team for some time but sadly it seems he has made the decision that his future lies elsewhere."
Cook has no family links to Moldova but had been actively looking for another nation to represent to enable him to go to the 2016 Olympics.
Costa Rica, France and Turkey had been seen as potential destinations, though Cook insisted he would only move to another nation with no -80kg fighter to avoid depriving someone of the chance to represent their country of birth at an Olympics.
He has already received his passport for the East European state and revealed in a statement earlier this month that he felt he had "no other option" but to move.
One of his primary concerns was said to be the lack of clarity over selection criteria for the Rio Olympics, fearing he would again be overlooked despite being the highest ranked -80kg fighter.
It is understood an independent representative and a member of the BOA must now be part of future GB Taekwondo selection processes - but this was not enough to appease Cook, who was set to be named as Team GB's -80kg representative at the inaugural European Games in Baku in June.
"We strongly urged Aaron to re-consider his decision and to make himself available for selection to Team GB in Baku," added Sweeney.
The leading contenders to be the sole -80kg British fighter at the Rio Olympics are London Olympic bronze medallist Lutalo Muhammad - who is ranked world number four - and Damon Sansum, who is currently eighth in the global standings.
Cook's first competitive fight for Moldova is expected to be at the World Championships in Chelyabinsk, Russia, in May. | Aaron Cook can compete for Moldova in taekwondo after the British Olympic Association (BOA) reluctantly agreed to his request to switch nations. |
34448594 | Manager Chris Coleman's men go into the final Group B qualifiers - away to Bosnia-Herzegovina in Zenica on 10 October and against Andorra, on 13 October - knowing just a point will guarantee them a place at a major finals for the first time since 1958.
Last month's 0-0 draw with Israel ruined the qualification party plans for that day in Cardiff but, after 57 years of waiting, another few weeks won't hurt...will it?
Victory against Israel would have secured qualification and a sense of expectation engulfed the Cardiff City Stadium on a fair-weather day made for partying.
In the hours that followed the draw with Israel, there was another scenario so typical of Wales' footballing history, littered with near-misses.
Welsh fans had expectations lifted again as, with growing excitement, they watched Belgium toil to break down Cyprus in Nicosia.
If Cyprus had drawn or beaten Belgium, Wales would have qualified that day.
Again Wales' hopes were thwarted. Chelsea midfielder Eden Hazard scored with just four minutes to go to give Belgium a 1-0 win over Cyprus.
Some fans would have felt that this would have been an anticlimactic way to make it in any case. Captain Ashley Williams and his players probably would not have complained.
Still, Wales remain on top of Group B with two games to go. They have already guaranteed themselves at least third place - and probably a play-off spot - if everything should fall apart.
At the start of the group, reaching the play-offs was to many the height of ambition. Now it would be a dismal consolation.
Israel's celebrations after the goalless draw in Cardiff not only underlined the progress made by Wales, but also their continued ambition to book a place in the finals for the very first time.
Third spot looks more realistic for Israel, but Bosnia are breathing down their necks, just two points behind.
Group favourites Belgium should guarantee their qualification spot while Wales are in Bosnia because they play pointless Andorra.
Anything but an overwhelming win against Andorra would be a cataclysmic surprise, and Belgium's last game is at home to Israel.
Gareth Bale's calf has dominated the build-up to the finishing straight facing Wales, and it will be a relief for Coleman to know the Real Madrid forward has recovered and is available for the two final group matches.
The Welsh squad has a wonderful collective spirit and camaraderie. Yet they know Bale is special. Coleman knows it, too.
It's a lift every time he turns up. And Coleman seems in no mood to compromise. There is no thought of protecting the talisman by wrapping him in cotton wool for the Zenica clash and keeping him for Andorra.
Maybe Coleman is mindful of the flak he took for taking Bale to Macedonia in 2013 and keeping him on the bench.
Wales have never beaten Bosnia-Herzegovina.
In three encounters their only reward was in 2003 as John Hartson and Rob Earnshaw scored for Wales in a 2-2 draw at the Millenium Stadium.
In 2012, Wales were beaten 2-0 in a friendly at Parc y Scarlets before Bosnia returned last October for a 0-0 draw at the Cardiff City Stadium.
Bosnia started this group as top seeds. They cannot make second place but are scrambling for third and the reward of a play-off.
In last October's goalless draw, Everton's Muhamed Besic did an excellent man-marking job on Bale while Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko - now on loan at Roma - was a constant threat.
Besic is suspended for the final two Bosnian qualifiers after a red card against Andorra, but Dzeko could give coach Mehmed Bazdarevic a huge lift by overcoming the knee injury that initially looked to have ruled him out.
Bosnia's plan will be to finish the group with victory over Wales and a revenge triumph away in Cyprus, and hope that is enough for third spot.
Bosnia would also be quite happy to see Israel and Cyprus take points off each other before travelling to Nicosia.
Andorra are 205th out of 209 in football's world rankings - just behind Somalia and a place in front of Djibouti.
Yes, they did lead Wales 1-0 on their own patch in the opening qualifier of this section in September 2014, before Bale's brace ensured normality - and Coleman did not have to think about seeking alternative employment. Wales scrambled a 2-1 win on a horrible pitch.
The rest, as they say, is history. Coleman is now correctly lauded for an almost flawless campaign.
And whatever happens in Zenica, the final qualifier against Andorra at Cardiff City Stadium will surely be a joyous climax to the group as Wales officially end a 57-year wait to qualify for a major tournament.
Yes, make a note of the day - 13 October.
Andorra will know it well. Their only competitive victory was on 13 October, 2004 when they beat Macedonia, 1-0 in a World Cup qualifier in front of 350 people.
Macedonia coach Dragi Kanatlarovski, whose side had held the Netherlands in their previous game, called it a "shameful outcome and humiliation". He then resigned.
Shocks happen in football, but surely lightning won't strike twice for the minnows on the same date.
And Wales are clearly hoping to get the job done in Bosnia to ensure there is little or no pressure on the game with Andorra. | Wales are so close to qualifying for the Euro 2016 finals in France they can almost smell the croissants. |
31358734 | The 29-year-old takes over from Glen Chapple, who has become part of cricket director Ashley Giles' backroom staff in a player-coach role.
Liverpool-born Smith has spent his whole career at Old Trafford and was the club's player of the year in 2014.
"I was lucky enough to have an meeting with Ashley and he offered the job," he told BBC Radio Lancashire.
"I was over the moon. It's not every day you get to captain your boyhood club that you've grown up with and it's a truly great honour."
Last summer, Smith took over 50 wickets in the County Championship for the first time and hit 773 runs, including seven half centuries, but they were relegated to Division Two.
The Red Rose have also confirmed that fellow all-rounder Steven Croft will be vice-captain for the upcoming season. | Lancashire have appointed all-rounder Tom Smith as their new captain ahead of the new season. |
40494102 | Barack Obama was gifted a kilt and a pair of trousers in his new family tartan when he attended a charity fund-raising dinner at the EICC in May.
It has navy blue to represent the flag of Hawaii where the 44th, and first African-American, president was born.
Green from the Kenyan flag, where his father was born, has also been used.
Sky blue and white are taken from the flag of Chicago where Mr Obama lives and works.
Tartan designer Brian Halley of Glasgow-based Slanj Kilts, who was asked to design the special tartan, said he had been "sworn to secrecy" over the project.
He told BBC Scotland: "When I received the email asking me if I could make a tartan quickly, and who it was for, I felt very excited and honoured.
"I don't think there is a more famous man and I think he has the second most Twitter followers in the world, so it was very exciting.
"I was sworn to secrecy at the time, it was all very hush-hush.
"Apparently, he loves the tartan and said he would wear the trousers rather than the kilt as he thinks his legs are too thin.
"I don't think his legs are too thin, anyone can wear a kilt."
Now that Mr Obama has officially registered the tartan under his name, he has the rights to it.
The charity fund-raising dinner raised £670,000 for charities taking part in the Kiltwalk campaign including the Maggie's Centres and Glasgow's Beatson Clinic. | The Obama tartan specially commissioned for the former US president's recent visit to Edinburgh has been officially registered in the capital. |
32126628 | The world's second biggest telecoms equipment maker said its net profit was 27.9bn yuan ($4.5bn; £3bn), up from 21bn yuan in 2013.
That matched the company's forecasts announced in January.
The firm, which is also a major smartphone maker, saw revenues rise by 21% over the year.
"Our cash flow, revenue, and profit all grew over the previous year," said chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou in a statement on Tuesday. "Moreover, our debt and financing structures have continuously improved."
Foreign exchange gains also had a big impact on the company's earnings, because it generates more than 60% of its revenue abroad.
Huawei's growth comes despite it facing challenges in several major economies. In the US, it was branded a national security threat by legislators, because of its alleged close ties with the Chinese government.
Meanwhile, it has been banned from being involved in broadband projects in Australia over espionage fears.
However, the company said it was well positioned to capture business opportunities with heavy investment in innovative areas such as cloud computing and fifth generation (5G) mobile technology. | Chinese tech giant Huawei Technologies says profits jumped a third last year, boosted by strong performances in all its businesses. |
37220084 | The on-loan vehicle - part of an initiative to cut rural crime - was found damaged early on 26 August in Shenton Lane, Market Bosworth.
The model involved, a Defender, has become increasingly desirable since production stopped earlier this year.
Leicestershire Police confirmed the station, much of which was sold off in 2014, was not open at the time.
Enthusiast Tony Sinclair, who runs a Land Rover garage, said: "They are like big Meccano kits, they bolt together and come apart very easily.
"Doors and bonnets, along with seats, are very desirable because they can fit onto earlier models and make them look new.
"As the spares become more expensive, people start to look to cheaper places and the police colours will come off fairly easily."
Land Rover Defender
After initial examination, the four wheel drive vehicle was loaded on to a recovery truck and taken away.
Officers said they believed the theft had taken place between 23:00 BST on 25 August and 05:45 the following day.
Police said the station was not open 24 hours and was used as a "base" for patrols in the area.
An appeal for information has been issued. | Thieves have stripped the doors and bonnet off a marked Land Rover outside a police station. |
28212994 | Experts say this doesn't mean she is technically pregnant and have urged people "not to get too excited."
However, they say that if everything goes to plan, they will be able to confirm the pregnancy within 20 to 30 days with a potential birth in August.
The procedure was carried out after attempts to bring her together with male partner, Yang Guang, failed.
Tian Tian also conceived last year and hopes were high for a rare birth in captivity.
But Edinburgh Zoo announced in October that she was no longer pregnant.
Staff had said the panda was showing signs of pregnancy, but that she had lost the cub.
Experts said at the time her hormone and behavioural signs indicated that she had conceived and carried a foetus until late term.
Tian Tian had been showing signs of pregnancy for several weeks.
However, the zoo said she later returned to the eating and behavioural patterns of a non-pregnant panda.
Tian Tian and Yang Guang arrived in Scotland from China in 2011. | Edinburgh Zoo's Giant Panda Tian Tian has conceived after being artificially inseminated earlier this year. |
38944552 | 11 February 2017 Last updated at 23:34 GMT
The Rt Rev Peter Selby is one of 14 retired bishops who have criticised the Church's position on sexuality, days before a crucial debate at the governing general synod.
Last month, a report recommended the Church's opposition to same-sex marriage should not be changed. | Gay and lesbian Christians who were consulted by the Church feel "betrayed" by its stance on sexuality, the former bishop of Worcester has said. |
33669604 | Media playback is not supported on this device
Froome faced abuse from spectators and accusations of doping throughout the 21-stage race, which ended on Sunday.
One French physiologist described his performance as "abnormal".
But the 30-year-old Team Sky rider insisted: "The yellow jersey is very special. I will always respect it and never dishonour it."
Froome beat Colombia's Nairo Quintana to the title by 72 seconds.
It ended up being the narrowest winning margin since Carlos Sastre beat Cadel Evans by 58 seconds in 2008.
Kenyan-born Froome also became the first rider since the legendary Eddy Merckx in 1970 to win both the overall race and mountain classification in the same year.
Froome won the race in 2013 but his performances during the 2015 event were constantly questioned on French TV.
One French physiologist also presented data that indicated to him that Froome's displays were "abnormal".
Team Sky produced their own numbers to counter that claim, while Froome has repeatedly said that he is clean.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Froome was also subjected to abuse from spectators, claiming he had urine thrown at him on stage 14,
He also appeared to have twice been spat at in the last two stages before Sunday's finale in Paris.
Emerging from all the controversy, he dedicated his victory to his team and wife, Michelle.
"I want to thank my team-mates, without you I would not be standing here," he said.
"I give you my utmost respect and gratitude. This is your yellow jersey as much as it is mine. "
UCI president Brian Cookson told BBC Sport that Froome deserved more respect.
"The behaviour of a few individuals on the roadside has been very regrettable and it is frankly despicable to have to have faced that," he said.
"Athletes deserve respect when they are going about their business, whatever country, whatever nation, whatever you, as an individual, think about them."
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After the final stage, Team Sky boss Sir Dave Brailsford mounted a stern defence of Froome.
He said that the sceptics looking for evidence of doping at Team Sky might as well be by the banks of Loch Ness looking for a fictional beast.
"It has been disrespectful, to come under the criticism and for people to say the things they have said about him with no foundation," he said.
"They should go and spend their time sitting at the side of Loch Ness and waiting for a monster. It's the same thing.
"We have still got people camping outside with binoculars saying: 'I'm sure we are going to see the monster tomorrow'. But it never appears.
"You can't prove him negative, but there is a weight of evidence to show that we are doing it the right way, we are a clean team and Chris Froome is just a fantastic champion." | Chris Froome says he will "never dishonour" the yellow jersey after becoming the first Briton to win two Tour de France titles. |
39797439 | Registered voters will be able to cast their ballots from 07:00 to 22:00 BST.
The Conservatives won 30 of the 55 seats on the council at the 2013 elections, but have since gained a councillor due to a defection, giving them a majority of seven.
The election count will start on Friday and results will be published on the council's website. | Polling stations across Leicestershire have opened for the elections to decide who runs the county council. |
39169364 | The Barry-born fighter, 30, dropped his opponent in round one of the non-title bout and always looked in control.
Selby showed graceful feet in contrast to Gago's block-like movement - and a flurry of punches in round nine saw referee Bob Williams stop the contest.
The victory improves Selby's record to 24 wins from 25 fights.
His win keeps alive hope of a 2017 meeting with Leo Santa Cruz or Carl Frampton.
Such stellar names are high on Selby's agenda and at Friday's weigh in, Selby mouthed "easy work" to fans chanting Frampton's name.
His hopes of fighting either man will much depend on whether Northern Ireland's Frampton and the WBA champion opt to conclude a trilogy of fights.
Fighting three hours before a main event with the O2 Arena barely half full seems a long way from the bright lights of Las Vegas, where Selby suffered the frustration of seeing a bout postponed at 24 hours notice in January.
But he visibly sought to put on an eye-catching show, ducking and weaving, slipping rare attacks with ease and showing variety in the angles of his punches as he worked the body and head consistently.
After this bout, he will no longer fight under promoters Matchroom Sport as he seeks a new direction and in truth, Gago - who has now lost three times in a 21-fight career - was never going to derail any well-thought out plans.
He was brave but there were signs Selby was breaking down the travelling fighter's defences in the sixth, when a straight right rattled through his guard.
A left-hook to the body followed by a snappy straight-right in eight saw Gago pushed to the ropes and a round later it was all over.
Selby landed a left hook to the temple which staggered his opponent and after a left to the body and another hook to the head, the contest was ended.
This was far from the test of 11 months ago, where Selby got up from the first knockdown of his career to defend his title against Eric Hunter.
In truth, he got enough rounds to justify a good workout and his talent is obvious but all eyes will now be on his next move as he bids to inject much-needed momentum into his career. | IBF featherweight champion Lee Selby put almost 11 months of inactivity behind him by stopping Spain's Andoni Gago at London's O2 Arena. |
24794549 | Berkshire Hathaway said net profit rose 29% to $5.05bn (£3.2bn) in the three months to September from the same period last year.
This was mainly down to its investments at the peak of the financial crisis in General Electric and Goldman Sachs, boosting it by $1.2bn.
Berkshire's revenue grew 13% to $46.5bn.
In October 2008, Berkshire purchased warrants in GE and Goldman. Warrants are derivatives that allow the holder to buy shares or other assets from the issuer at a fixed price within a set period.
For example, Berkshire invested $5bn in Goldman at 10% interest and had the right to buy a further 43.5 million shares for $115 per share - less than Goldman is currently trading - on 1 October.
Berkshire exercised that right and has become a top-10 shareholder in the bank.
Berkshire owns about 80 companies including railway, clothing, furniture and jewellery firms, with its insurance and utility businesses typically accounting for more than half of the company's net income.
It also has major investment stakes in companies such as Coca-Cola, the banking group Wells Fargo, and the computer maker IBM.
Earlier this year, ketchup-maker Heinz was bought for $28bn by Berkshire and Brazilian investment fund 3G Capital.
Mr Buffett is one of the world's richest men. | The holding company run by US investor Warren Buffett has seen profits surge in the third quarter. |
35707141 | A "leave" vote would oblige the banks, insurance companies and other financial businesses that use London as a base for their European operations to move some of their business into the eurozone.
Frankfurt, Germany's financial capital, hopes to be top of their list of possible new homes.
"In the unlikely event that the UK were to leave, Frankfurt would clearly be a main beneficiary," says Hubertus Vaeth, who runs Frankfurt Main Finance, the industry association for the city's banks.
"Though Frankfurt would benefit from such a move, the loss would be the EU's as a whole. So we will not want to benefit at the expense of the entire EU."
Nonetheless, Dr Vaeth says, people are getting ready. "Quite a few actors have prepared. Don't ask me for names, because nobody wants to be quoted on that - but we do know from quite a few players that they have plans for such an unlikely event," he says.
"You have to plan for all sorts of events, and even the unlikely ones."
Earlier this year, three former UK ambassadors to the EU warned that other financial centres in Europe would "not be sentimental in seeking to challenge the City's prominence".
It doesn't follow that the Frankfurt is actively hoping for Brexit. It's a cosmopolitan city and home to one of the European project's great institutions, its central bank. The disruption that Brexit would cause is likely to be keenly felt here.
German business is strongly anti-Brexit. A recent survey by the Bertelsmann Stiftung think-tank found that 83% of German businesses opposed it.
There is no guarantee that Frankfurt would be the unrivalled beneficiary.
HSBC has already said it would move its business to Paris, where it owns a French bank. Luxembourg would also be in the running. And Dublin would have the appeal of being an English-speaking city - with a better reputation than Frankfurt as a place for fun.
Frankfurt's dull image is perhaps not entirely fair. It has art museums, an opera house, and a top-flight football team. Twelve of the city's restaurants have been awarded a coveted Michelin star (although admittedly London has more than five times that number).
Frankfurt is in many ways an easier city to live in. Residents are spared the misery of London's crowded, expensive commutes, and its well-connected airport is just a 15 minute ride from the centre by taxi.
Perhaps most appealingly, a penthouse apartment fit for a Master of the Universe would cost less than a third of an equivalent property in London, says David Schmitt of Engel and Voelkers, a high-end estate agent based next to the old Opera House.
His business is likely to be a major beneficiary if Brexit does come.
"I think for us there will be an upside," Mr Schmitt says, given that more bankers means demand for homes.
"I think prices will go up by 10 or 15% because the market is very tight already. There is high pressure on the real estate market, and this makes the pressure even higher."
Of course, rising house prices are not universally hailed as a good thing, especially in a country which doesn't share the British obsession with owning the roof over one's head.
"For people trying to get on the property ladder, that might not be an advantage," says local businessman Martin Frank.
Mr Frank runs SchuF, a small family-owned valve-making firm he calls the "epitome" of the Mittelstand - the manufacturers that many regard as the bedrock of German industrial might.
His company has a factory in Devon, and he worries that Brexit might lead to tariffs being imposed on UK exports to Europe and vice versa, harming his business.
He also fears Britain's departure would rob the EU's decision-making process of a strong advocate for reform and liberalisation.
"Europe is definitely divided into different camps, and Britain is definitely in the reforming camp," Mr Frank says. "So I think Germany, which is probably more in the reforming side than it used to be, would not welcome Britain leaving."
A "leave" vote would bring great uncertainty - and the size of the potential boost to Frankfurt is far from clear. But the possible opportunity has certainly been noticed.
"This is a 'get things done' city," Dr Vaeth says. "Housing obviously would be a little bit of a challenge, but housing in London is even more of a challenge.
"So relatively speaking would it be a problem? No, clearly not. The infrastructure is in place, the skills are in place, the technical infrastructure is there. Housing? Offices? What needs to be done will be done - fast."
Few in Frankfurt want Brexit, but it seems they are ready if it comes. | It is hard to find someone in Frankfurt who will say they want Britain to leave the EU - but many are already planning to take advantage if it does. |
38282262 | Maurice McCloughan and Killian Doherty died following the crash on the main road between Omagh and Ballygawley.
The crash happened near a meat factory on the A5 just after 08:00 GMT on Saturday.
Mr McCloughan's family said he was their "golden boy" and "never without an infectious smile".
They also said that Mr Doherty was "another fantastic young man that didn't deserve to go so soon and leave behind another shattered family".
"We have laughed together, cried together, danced together and now, without our centrepiece, our baby, we have to mourn together," said the family's statement.
"Maurice was the life and soul of every party and loved a good jump about the dance floor.
"He was always up for a laugh, had terrible taste in music, was never without that infectious smile and never had any problem 'pulling the chicks'.
"Although our lives are falling apart, we have become aware of how many lives have been touched by Maurice and just how many people this will affect.
"We as a family will get through this together and we open up our hearts to all of those who were friends, teammates and classmates.
"It gives us some comfort that Maurice has Killian up there with him."
Father Kevin Mullan said it was impossible not to like Mr Doherty.
"It's heart-breaking and as you can see from the lads at the laying of the flowers, the pain is tearing them apart," he said.
"They're big men and men don't do that kind of thing, but they do.
"He was just such a loveable little man and we saw him growing up, had him in school, saw him going to school, and work, and you couldn't not like Killian."
Ryan McCallion senior manager of Drumquin GAA club said: "The whole team is devastated, the club is devastated and the whole town is devastated.
"Killian was a big part of Drumquin not only as a footballer but as a person. He was well liked, a vital part, a vital cog in Drumquin."
Sinn Féin councillor Glenn Campbell said there had been a "great outpouring of grief" from young people and the GAA community in the area.
"Both young men were prominent members of their respective GAA clubs and I know the clubs will be a great source of support to their family and friends in the time ahead," said Mr Campbell. | The family of one of two men who died in a crash in County Tyrone has said "no words exist to explain the pain" they are feeling. |
30852847 | Police Scotland said it was made aware of concerns about the chimney, at 105 Byres Road, above the Countrywide estate agents shop, at about 09:30.
Byres Road was shut between Lawrence Street and White Street and the flats below and estate agents evacuated.
Glasgow City Council said building control officers were attending and the chimney would be taken down.
A council spokesman said: "Byres Road is completely closed at the moment due to a dangerous chimneyhead at 105 Byres Road - the chimneyhead had partially collapsed.
"The residents of the top two floors and the estate agents on the ground floor have been evacuated.
"The council's building control team will continue to assess the situation. What's remaining of the chimneyhead will be taken down by contractors as soon as possible, and this is likely to be completed tomorrow." | One of the busiest roads in Glasgow's west end has been closed to traffic amid concerns about an unsafe chimney. |
40835557 | The Sons took the lead when Alistair Roy latched on to David Wilson's pass and fired into the bottom right corner.
Nathan Austin was felled in the Dumbarton area by Mark Stewart and Hippolyte converted from 12 yards.
Dougie Hill's header hit the Bairns' crossbar and Hippolyte's late shot was turned on to the post by Gallacher. | Myles Hippolyte's penalty secured Falkirk their first Championship point of the season as Dumbarton drew for the second game running. |
34765662 | Ashraf Gharabli, of the jihadist Sinai Province group, died in a shootout in Cairo after security forces tried to arrest him, it added.
Gharabli led several attacks, including the kidnapping and killing of a Croatian in August, it said.
Authorities are investigating the group's claim that it brought down a Russian airbus in Sinai recently.
All 224 people on board were killed.
Western officials say there is a strong possibility that a bomb exploded on the plane, though there has been no indication that Gharabli himself was involved.
Gharabli was one of the most wanted militants in the country. His death was announced on the interior ministry's official Facebook page.
Egyptian officials say he had been behind the death of Croatian Tomislav Salopek, and a deadly explosion in the Italian consulate in Cairo in July.
Sinai Province - formerly known as Ansar Beit al-Maqdis (Supporters of Jerusalem) - has been active in the Sinai peninsula since 2011. It changed its name after pledging allegiance to so-called Islamic State in 2014. | A leader of so-called Islamic State's affiliate in northern Sinai has been killed, Egypt's interior ministry says. |
37083764 | Prosecutors allege that Roman Seleznev, the son of a Russian MP, was a "master hacker" behind a plan which led to $170m (£131m) of fraudulent purchases.
He is accused of hacking into a number of outlets in Washington state in order to steal credit card data.
However, his lawyers say the evidence is inadequate.
The prosecution's witness list includes the owners and managers of Mad Pizza, ZPizza, Village Pizza and Casa Mia, among other restaurants.
The Associated Press reported that Steve Bussing, who owns Red Pepper Pizza near Seattle, was forced to spend roughly $10,000 (£7,740) on a new computer system after his one was breached.
Mr Seleznev and his girlfriend were arrested by US Secret Service agents at a Maldives airport in 2014.
He is the son of Valery Seleznev, a Russian member of parliament for the Liberal Democratic Party.
Lawyers have argued that Mr Seleznev Jr's arrest was a "kidnapping" or an "illegal rendition" that violated international law, but a US District judge has blocked that argument from the trial.
The hacking scheme is alleged to have been carried out between 2008 and 2014, ending with the arrest of Mr Seleznev in July of that year. | The trial of a Russian man accused of orchestrating a hacking scheme that targeted US pizza restaurants is due to begin this week. |
27189099 | Michael Lee, 55, of Worlington, Suffolk, denies raping and assaulting one woman and two sexual assaults against another between 2011 and 2012.
Mr Lee, a former co-promoter of the Mildenhall Fen Tigers speedway team, told police that the sex was consensual, Ipswich Crown Court heard.
The trial, adjourned until Tuesday, is expected to last about 10 days.
Opening the case, prosecutor Charlie Myatt told jurors Mr Lee was "controlling and verbally abusive" towards one of his alleged victims.
During his racing career, he was crowned speedway individual world champion in 1980 and rode for several teams including King's Lynn, Poole and Boston.
The prosecution claimed the woman said she was assaulted in a bathroom and injured her hand after being pushed over a toilet.
She also said the defendant threatened to put a plastic bag over her head.
Mr Lee told police the woman punched the wall herself and that he did not assault her nor put a bag over her.
The alleged sexual assaults are said to have taken place at a speedway party at a pub.
Mr Lee also told police they were "friendly squeezes on the bottom" and not sexual, the prosecution said.
The prosecution also told the jury about Mr Lee's convictions for possession, production and supply of cannabis in the 1990s. | A woman was raped by a "controlling and verbally abusive" former speedway world champion, a court has heard. |
39818342 | Eddie Todd, an independent in Doncaster's mayoral race, was given a ticket for having unauthorised blue lights on his vehicle which he denies.
Film of the incident in Doncaster on Wednesday has been shared on social media and Mr Todd claims it may have jeopardised his campaign.
South Yorkshire Police said it did not comment on individual cases.
Read more about this and other stories across Yorkshire
Mr Todd's car is used as a private ambulance and in the video a passer-by asks an officer why he was being issued with a ticket.
The officer said he was not allowed to use blue lights as the car was a private vehicle and he was not an ambulance driver.
Mr Todd told the BBC: "I was set up and someone took a video."
He said he would consider taking the incident "further" with the police and was planning to make a formal complaint.
Mr Todd came fourth in the mayoral race and received 5,344 votes (8.3%). Labour's Ros Jones was elected with 32,631 votes (50.9%). | A mayoral candidate has claimed he was "set up" after he was filmed being given a fixed penalty notice. |
38474688 | Albion went ahead 10 minutes before half-time when Matt Phillips curled a shot past goalkeeper Scott Carson.
But the visitors equalised after the break as Darren Bent found the top corner from 25 yards.
Ince then bent a free-kick between Boaz Myhill and his near post to delight the 5,300 travelling fans.
Derby goalkeeper Carson's career has been packed with ups and downs, as his manager Steve McClaren knows only too well.
McClaren's last match in charge of England saw Carson let in a soft shot from Niko Kranjcar in what turned out to be a costly Euro 2008 qualifying defeat by Croatia almost a decade ago.
He produced both the best and worst of his game as he faced one of his former clubs at The Hawthorns.
A casual pass out in the opening moments gifted a chance to Salomon Rondon, whose shot beat the keeper - only for a superb Richard Keogh clearance to prevent a goal.
Carson, though, more than redeemed himself with an outstanding save in the closing moments, tipping over Rondon's header from substitute Nacer Chadli's cross to preserve Derby's advantage.
More to follow.
Match ends, West Bromwich Albion 1, Derby County 2.
Second Half ends, West Bromwich Albion 1, Derby County 2.
Tom Ince (Derby County) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Hand ball by Hal Robson-Kanu (West Bromwich Albion).
Attempt missed. James McClean (West Bromwich Albion) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left following a corner.
Corner, West Bromwich Albion. Conceded by Scott Carson.
Attempt saved. Salomón Rondón (West Bromwich Albion) header from the centre of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.
Bradley Johnson (Derby County) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Matt Phillips (West Bromwich Albion) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Bradley Johnson (Derby County).
Attempt missed. Darren Fletcher (West Bromwich Albion) header from outside the box misses to the right.
Corner, West Bromwich Albion. Conceded by Richard Keogh.
Substitution, Derby County. Charles Vernam replaces Craig Bryson.
Attempt missed. Salomón Rondón (West Bromwich Albion) header from the centre of the box misses to the right.
Substitution, Derby County. Matej Vydra replaces Abdoul Camara.
Corner, West Bromwich Albion. Conceded by Scott Carson.
Attempt saved. Nacer Chadli (West Bromwich Albion) right footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
Attempt saved. James Morrison (West Bromwich Albion) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Attempt saved. Nacer Chadli (West Bromwich Albion) right footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Attempt missed. Matt Phillips (West Bromwich Albion) header from a difficult angle on the right misses to the right.
Substitution, Derby County. Alex Pearce replaces Jamie Hanson.
Foul by Salomón Rondón (West Bromwich Albion).
Jason Shackell (Derby County) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Substitution, West Bromwich Albion. Nacer Chadli replaces Jonas Olsson.
Attempt missed. Salomón Rondón (West Bromwich Albion) header from the right side of the box is close, but misses to the left.
Attempt saved. Darren Bent (Derby County) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Attempt missed. Hal Robson-Kanu (West Bromwich Albion) left footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left.
Attempt missed. Salomón Rondón (West Bromwich Albion) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the right.
Corner, West Bromwich Albion. Conceded by Richard Keogh.
Attempt blocked. Matt Phillips (West Bromwich Albion) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Substitution, West Bromwich Albion. Hal Robson-Kanu replaces Brendan Galloway.
Corner, Derby County. Conceded by Boaz Myhill.
Attempt saved. Tom Ince (Derby County) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top right corner.
Corner, West Bromwich Albion. Conceded by Richard Keogh.
Craig Dawson (West Bromwich Albion) hits the left post with a header from very close range following a corner.
Corner, West Bromwich Albion. Conceded by Chris Baird.
Attempt blocked. Salomón Rondón (West Bromwich Albion) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Claudio Yacob (West Bromwich Albion) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Craig Bryson (Derby County).
Hand ball by Salomón Rondón (West Bromwich Albion). | Tom Ince scored a superb free-kick as Championship side Derby came from a goal down to knock Premier League West Brom out of the FA Cup. |
40530384 | The 24-year-old centre-back has been offered "improved" terms at the League Two Chairboys but is yet to extend his stay at Adams Park.
Pierre has played 149 times for Wycombe since joining from Brentford in 2014 but has spent the last week on trial at Lee Johnson's Championship side.
He is set to feature in their friendly against Guernsey FC on Saturday.
Wycombe manager Gareth Ainsworth previously described Pierre, who has been capped four times by Grenada at international level, as "probably the best centre-half in League Two". | Bristol City have confirmed they are looking at out-of-contract Wycombe Wanderers defender Aaron Pierre. |
35452044 | Clarke, who quit after last summer's Ashes, will play for Sydney grade team Western Suburbs on February 20-21.
"I've realised the game of cricket is in my blood," said 34-year-old Clarke.
"I'll start with this grade game and see if I miss it as much as I feel like I'm going to. If I do, the option is there to train the entire winter and then we'll see what happens."
Western Suburbs, the club Clarke played for as a youngster, face Randwick Petersham in a two-day first grade match at Pratten Park starting on February 20.
Clarke played 115 Tests and 245 one-day internationals for Australia, but struggled with back injuries throughout his career.
He said his comeback will primarily focus on limited-overs cricket.
"My focus is definitely the shorter format of the game," said Clarke, who added that he would "love to be a part" of Australia's Big Bash League, the Indian Premier League and English county cricket.
"There's possibly even Sheffield Shield cricket for New South Wales," he said.
"All I know is, I'll never say never to anything. I'll start with Western Suburbs and we will see where it takes me." | Former Australia captain Michael Clarke has announced he will come out of retirement in February. |
23929339 | Ozil, 24, has signed a five-year deal.
"I am thrilled to be joining a club of the stature of Arsenal and am looking forward to playing in the Premier League," he said.
The Gunners have also signed Palermo goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano, 27, but talks have broken down with Chelsea to sign striker Demba Ba, 28, on loan.
Born: Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Age: 24
Club: Real Madrid
Previous clubs: Schalke, Werder Bremen
International: 47 caps for Germany, 14 goals
Honours: Spanish Super Cup (2012), La Liga (2011-12), Copa del Rey (2011), DFB Cup (2009), DFL Supercup (2009)
Ozil, who has Turkish parents, on his footballing ability: "My technique and feeling for the ball is the Turkish side to my game. The discipline, attitude and always-give-your-all is the German part."
"It will be great for my own personal development as a player and I am particularly looking forward to working with Arsene Wenger," Ozil told Arsenal.com.
"From our negotiations it is clear the club has huge ambition and I look forward to being part of an exciting future."
Arsenal have failed in high-profile attempts to sign Liverpool striker Luis Suarez and Gonzalo Higuain, a former team-mate of Ozil at Real Madrid, this summer.
But they have now captured Ozil after Gareth Bale's world-record £85.3m switch from Tottenham to Real triggered further deals on the final day of the transfer window.
The move easily surpasses the £15m they paid Zenit St Petersburg for Andrey Arshavin in 2009.
Arsenal manager Wenger said: "He is a great player, with proven quality at both club and international level. We have watched and admired him for some time as he has all the attributes I look for in an Arsenal player.
"I have said throughout the summer that we have been working hard to bring in top quality players to this football club.
"This has involved many many people across the club and I have always had the full support of the club in making decisions on the football side."
Germany international Ozil joined Real from Werder Bremen three years ago for a fee believed to be about £12.4m and has played 155 times for the club.
Going into transfer deadline day, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger had previously made only two signings - striker Yaya Sanogo, 20, and midfielder Mathieu Flamini, 29, arriving on free transfers.
But the signing of Ozil, who helped Real win La Liga in 2011-12 and was named in Uefa's team of the tournament at Euro 2012, delivers a signal of intent to the Gunners' Premier League rivals.
Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis said: "This is an exciting day for all of us. We have signed a world-class player who is one of Europe's brightest young talents.
"Mr Kroenke, our controlling owner, has always fully supported Arsene and the club in making significant investments to strengthen our squad and to bring in talented players who fit our style and ambitions.
"Like all of us, Mr Kroenke wants to see Arsenal winning titles and trophies and he has absolute faith and belief in our manager to achieve that. We will continue to work towards that goal and look forward to an exciting season."
Ba, meanwhile, has played just 15 times for Chelsea in the Premier League since joining from Newcastle for £7m in January.
His only appearance under Jose Mourinho this season was in the 2-1 home victory over Aston Villa on 21 August, when the Senegal international was substituted, but the Blues have informed Arsenal they will not loan him to a rival.
Viviano has been brought in as a back-up option to first-choice goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.
An Italy international, he stood in for the injured Gianluigi Buffon during the Azzurri's initial qualifiers for Euro 2012.
After impressing at Brescia and then Bologna, he joined Inter Milan but has struggled to recover his best form since sustaining a knee injury and spent last season on loan at hometown club Fiorentina. | Arsenal have completed the £42.4m signing of Real Madrid and Germany midfielder Mesut Ozil to break their club record by £27.4m. |
33254123 | The frozen meat, estimated to be worth about £300 million (3bn yuan; $483m), was seized in a nationwide crackdown.
"It was smelly and I nearly threw up when I opened the door," an official from Hunan province, where 800 tonnes were seized, told the AFP news agency.
Poor standards have made food safety a major concern in China.
According to state newspaper the China Daily, officials from Guangxi, a southern region bordering Vietnam, found meat dating back to the 1970s.
Some of the meat seized in Hunan province was found to have been refrozen after thawing out while in transit, according to the reports.
Yang Bo, an anti-smuggling official in Hunan province, was quoted as saying food was often transported in ordinary rather than refrigerated vehicles to save money. "So the meat has often thawed out several times before reaching customers," he said.
The Hunan province haul reportedly included beef, chicken feet and duck necks.
Authorities believe meat is smuggled into China via neighbouring Hong Kong and Vietnam, from countries such as Brazil and India, to sidestep import restrictions.
State media said 21 criminal gangs had been targeted by the police operation, with 20 people arrested in Hunan province alone.
News of the meat seizure came on the same day China's food safety watchdog asked three milk producers in Shaanxi province to recall infant formula powder.
Excessive nitrate levels were detected in some powdered milk samples and the products were branded as sub-standard, state media said.
The quality of milk products remains a sensitive topic in China after a deadly tainted milk scandal in 2008, when at least six children died and some 300,000 fell ill after consuming milk products contaminated by melamine.
The country has also faced criticism recently over a dog meat festival taking place this month, where about 10,000 dogs were expected to be slaughtered. | Chinese authorities have seized more than 100,000 tonnes of smuggled meat - some of it more than 40 years old, according to state media. |
22287326 | The hack, quickly claimed by the Syrian Electronic Army (SEA), raises questions over the consequences of such misinformation and the group behind the string of hacks targeting numerous news websites and their Twitter accounts.
The group of online hackers and activists claim to be supporters of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and seek to counter what it calls "fabricated news" on Syria broadcast by Arab and Western media.
On its website, the SEA describes itself as "a group of enthusiastic Syrian youths who could not stay passive towards the massive distortion of facts about the recent uprising in Syria".
Operating via the social media platforms of Facebook and Twitter, the SEA has launched organised spamming campaigns and denial of service attacks on individual, group and organisation websites that they believe undermine the legitimacy of the Syrian government.
Among the early spamming targets were the Facebook accounts of US President Barack Obama and former French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
The SEA's goal is clearly political. On its website, the group accuses pro-opposition groups and activists of using Facebook to "spread their destructive ideas…urging demonstrators to terrorise the civilians who refuse to join their demonstrations and attack public facilities".
As yet it is unclear how the SEA is linked, if at all, to the Syrian government, a claim the group appears to have so far rejected. An affiliate website said to be designed by members of the group denies receiving orders from the Syrian authorities.
Toronto University's Citizen Lab Senior Researcher Helmi Noman has been tracking the group since it first surfaced online in 2011.
Mr Noman discovered that the SEA's now defunct website was registered by the Syrian Computer Society which used to be headed by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
However, he says while there are "intriguing connections" between the two, this does not go much beyond "tacit support that would be required for such a group to operate on Syrian networks".
The hacking group has been active since 2011, but has upped the ante in recent months.
The group's website posts the latest details of its hacks in English and Arabic, accompanied by screen grabs of hacked Twitter accounts and video clips from media outlets reporting the group's activity. It seems to relish in the media attention it attracts.
The SEA also publishes leaked documents obtained through hacked email accounts, including the inbox of Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi.
US website Buzzfeed has compiled a snapshot of all of the latest hacks, including the attack on CBS's 60 Minutes Twitter account which claimed that "professionals under US regime protection" were behind the Boston Marathon bombing.
The website of National Public Radio was also taken over this month with the words "Syrian Electronic Army Was Here".
The BBC was no exception, with the BBC Weather, Arabic and Ulster Twitter accounts all hacked in March.
Tweets such as "Chaotic weather forecast for Lebanon as the government decides to distance itself from the Milky Way" and "Saudi weather station down due to head on-collision with camel" baffled Twitter users.
These were interspersed with explicit anti-Israel and pro-Assad tweets such as "Tsunami alert for Haifa: Residents are advised to return to Poland" and "Long live #Syria Al-Assad #SEA".
The government of Qatar, which has openly supported and financed the Syrian opposition since the start of the unrest, has been a prominent target of the SEA. Qatari-backed al-Jazeera TV and the Qatar Foundation have both been hacked.
The group has also claimed that it hacked Fifa President Sepp Blatter's Twitter account, focussing on allegations that Qatar bribed officials to win approval for its 2022 World Cup bid.
A bogus tweet supposedly from Fifa's Twitter account wrongly alleged that Mr Blatter was going to step down following corruption charges.
Speaking to the BBC's Newsday, Bloomberg News Social Media Director Jared Keller said the SEA had been active for several years and the cyber attacks had "almost become routine".
"Every few months we can expect to see a media outlet or government institution hijacked by the Syrian Electronic Army and they have hit basically every media outlet on the planet from ABC News, to Reuters to now the Associated Press."
The BBC and AP both reported phishing emails sent to staff around the same time the accounts were hacked.
Soon after the attack on AP's Twitter account, AP reporter Mike Baker tweeted: "The @AP hack came less than an hour after some of us received an impressively disguised phishing email."
Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos IT security company, says while it is unclear how the group are hacking into these mainstream media accounts, phishing cannot be ruled out.
"It is possible email accounts were phished. This is where users can be tricked into entering their Twitter passwords through trivial emails that appear to be from Twitter, partner organisations or even your own organisation."
Mr Cluley also suggested staff computers may have been infected with key logging software which allows everything typed to be seen and logged by hackers.
"There are lots of ways to scoop up passwords. It is very simple to do - it happens many thousands of times a day, fairly rudimentary stuff," he adds.
The latest hacking case raises questions over the need for increased password security for websites such as Twitter, with calls for the two-step authentication service.
The BBC says lessons were learned from the hacking incident and it is keeping measures vigorous and up-to-date to prevent future attacks.
In the meantime, Twitter seems to be launching its own battle with the SEA, banning each account set up by the group.
The SEA responds in kind by adding new accounts to the website noting in its Twitter handle the number of accounts set up in defiance of the ban and it has just created a seventh account. | The Associated Press news agency is the latest Western news organisation to fall victim to the Syrian Electronic Army's cyber war, with a false tweet about an explosion at the White House causing a sudden albeit brief dip in the Dow Jones index by up to 140 points. |
35472897 | The England striker, who is yet to sign the new contract, has more than two years to run on his current deal.
Vardy, 29, joined Leicester from Fleetwood for £1m in 2012.
Speaking after scoring twice in the Foxes' 2-0 win over Liverpool, he said: "It's nothing people don't know. I'd like to be here for a long time."
Victory kept Leicester three points clear of Manchester City, who they visit on Saturday.
In November, Vardy became the first player to score in 11 successive Premier League matches.
He broke the record, previously held by Ruud van Nistelrooy, when he put Leicester ahead in their 1-1 draw with Manchester United.
Media playback is not supported on this device | Jamie Vardy says he plans to stay at Leicester for a long time after agreeing a new three-and-a-half-year deal with the Premier League leaders. |
32723573 | HMS Bulwark brought more than 400 people to safety after they were found 40 miles from the Libyan coast in inflatable boats.
The European Commission has proposed a scheme to offer 20,000 refugees the right to resettle in the EU.
Meanwhile, Home Secretary Theresa May has suggested that some rescued migrants should be returned home.
The BBC defence correspondent Jonathan Beale said a further 150 migrants had been transferred to HMS Bulwark from an Italian coastguard vessel and the ship would now head to Sicily.
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said the Royal Navy had rescued about 600 people so far this month.
The Ministry of Defence said HMS Bulwark had been alerted to four 30ft boats in potential distress, each carrying about 100 people including pregnant women and children.
Captain Nick Cooke Priest, commanding officer of HMS Bulwark, said people on the "precarious" boats were suffering from dehydration and injuries.
"The weather at the moment is extremely hot so my ship's company and I are very pleased that we were able to bring them to safety," he said.
To help combat the migrant crisis, the European Commission has proposed the new resettlement scheme, which will take place over the next two years.
By the end of May, it also plans to introduce a temporary mechanism for distributing thousands of migrants already in Europe among EU member states.
But Mrs May said offering resettlement regardless of circumstances to migrants rescued from the Mediterranean would encourage more to make "perilous journeys".
This was why the UK was not backing a resettlement quota plan, she said.
Mr Fallon said HMS Bulwark had already proved to be an "invaluable asset in assisting with the Mediterranean migrant crisis".
"The ship is providing medical assistance, food, water and dry clothes to those in need and will transfer them safely to land as soon as possible," he said.
The UN estimates that 60,000 people have already tried to cross the Mediterranean from North Africa this year.
More than 1,800 migrants have died - a 20-fold increase on the same period in 2014.
France, Germany, Italy and some other countries have backed the quota proposal, but a majority of EU governments would have to agree for it to become law.
As things stand, the UK could decide to opt in to the scheme, but could not be compelled to join, as it has the power to opt out of justice and home affairs policies set by the EU - and asylum decisions are included in that opt-out.
The Home Office has instead urged the EU to focus on combating people traffickers. | A British warship has rescued hundreds of migrants from the Mediterranean, the Ministry of Defence has said. |
35620271 | Faissal El Bakhtaoui fired the opener on 29 minutes, and Cardle netted just before half-time.
Mark McGuigan pulled a second-half goal back for Stranraer, but Brad McKay headed in before El Bakhtaoui and Cardle bagged their doubles.
Cardle completed his hat-trick with 18 minutes remaining from Ryan Wallace's pass. | Joe Cardle scored a hat-trick as League One leaders Dunfermline Athletic hammered mid-table Stranraer 6-1. |
40587894 | While many footballers' post-playing plans involve staying in the game, the former Ivory Coast international has eschewed that to quietly focus on his second passion.
Footballers and alcohol have long gone together, often badly, but the former Birmingham City defender is unique in actually creating the product.
What's more, the treble winner with Celtic is doing so in Cognac, home to some of France's - and the world's - most celebrated vineyards.
For similar to champagne, only the brandy made in the region can bear the prestigious name Cognac.
As for whether the 41-year-old is just another footballer flashing his cash on a pet project, consider this - he bought his first vineyard in his late teens.
"When I signed my first professional contract, I bought two hectares," Tebily told the BBC, standing amidst his vines in the south-western French village of Salles-d'Angles.
"I said to myself: 'If I get an injury and football stops, I will have something to carry on with.'"
"I did that because I used to work on this land to get a little bit of pocket money to go on holiday - to the seaside with my friends - before turning professional."
"It's really difficult to become a professional so I bought this straight away to insure myself."
It was 1993 when Tebily signed for second-tier French side Niort, an hour's drive from Poitiers, the south-western city on the edge of the Cognac region where his parents relocated from Abidjan when he was a toddler.
It was the start of a journey that took him, following brief spells with Chateauroux and Sheffield United, to the 2000 Africa Cup of Nations, a Scottish treble in 2001 and a four-year Premier League adventure with Birmingham.
After suffering a bad injury just weeks after joining Canada's Toronto FC, Tebily cut short a four-and-a-half-year contract to return to the vineyards.
There was however a fundamental problem.
Land in Cognac is both expensive and seldom available - and Tebily didn't have enough of it.
He ran two local restaurants while waiting for a solution, which was laced with tragedy when it came six years later.
After his neighbour's only son died, the retiring Cognac farmer had to decide who to sell his business to last year.
"His son was my friend and we had the same name - it's maybe because of that that he chose me," says Tebily.
"Around here, all the winemakers are the same," explains the now-retired Jean-Michel Lepine.
"Because I liked football and because Olivier was not unpleasant to me and helped me in tough times - because I've had tough times - I said why not a black man to take over my property? Why not a footballer?
"I never changed my mind, even though many people tried to stop me."
Following the deal, the first African maker of Cognac - who says he was initially treated like "a Martian" - was the proud owner of 22 hectares in a prime location.
He also took control of a distillery and although he has yet to master this crucial element of the Cognac process, he is learning from Jean-Michel, now his mentor.
When we meet, Tebily is in his vineyard - wearing a Birmingham City fleece as he goes about his daily business, secateurs in hand, carefully tending to his grapes.
Such sensitivity may seem incongruous for those who remember the burly defender's on-field reputation.
He once finished a match despite rupturing knee ligaments in the first half while he famously thundered into one challenge with an opponent despite having lost a boot seconds earlier.
"The local people were really, really surprised by an African footballer trying to do what they are doing," says Tebily, who played for Ivory Coast between 1999-2004.
"But I work Monday to Sunday and people are really surprised - they didn't think I would do this work because it's really hard.
"But I don't do this to impress people. I love this work and want to go as far as I can," he adds, proclaiming a love of the outdoors.
Like many Cognac farmers, Tebily sells most of his produce - around 90% - to the region's bigger companies but he keeps the rest for his own eponymous range.
He first produced a bottle in 2013 - smooth upon taste - and although he sells it to local restaurants, he ultimately wants to trade only with Africa.
"That's my dream," he says. "I am already selling to some restaurants in Africa, in Ivory Coast. It's not as much as I want but I'm still happy because it's the beginning and it's working."
After that, and much in the tradition of many of the Cognac farmers, he hopes to hand his business down to his children when he takes a second retirement.
Until then, this gentle giant is revelling in being the only African maker of the world's most famous brandy.
"It makes me feel really, really happy and that's why I am fighting to do my business correctly. I try because I am passionate. I love this like I loved football."
Read more:
Rooney mania grips East Africa | Footballers have long relied on the terraces for inspiration but when Olivier Tebily does so these days, he is looking at rows of vines - not fans. |
12300228 | Researchers have uncovered stone tools in the Arabian peninsula that they say were made by modern humans about 125,000 years ago.
The tools were unearthed at the site of Jebel Faya in the United Arab Emirates, a team reports in the journal Science.
The results are controversial: genetic data strongly points to an exodus from Africa 60,000-70,000 years ago.
Simon Armitage, from Royal Holloway, University of London, Hans-Peter Uerpmann, from the University of Tuebingen, Germany, and colleagues, uncovered 125,000-year-old stone tools at Jebel Faya which resemble those found in East Africa at roughly the same time period.
The authors of the study say the people who made the tools were newcomers in the area with origins on the other side of the Red Sea.
The researchers were able to date the tools using a light-based technique, which tells scientists when the stone artefacts were buried.
So-called anatomically modern humans are thought to have emerged somewhere in Africa some 200,000 years ago.
They later spread out, migrating to other continents where they displaced the indigenous human groups such as the Neanderthals in Europe and the Denisovans in Asia.
DNA from the cell's powerhouses - or mitochondria - can be used as a "clock" for reconstructing the timing of human migrations. This is because mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) accumulates mutations, or changes, at a known rate.
Studies of mtDNA had suggested a timing for the "Out of Africa" exodus of 60-70,000 years ago.
But scientists behind the latest study argue that the people who made tools at Jebel Faya 125,000 years ago are ancestral to humans living outside Africa today.
Professor Uerpmann said the estimates of time using genetic data were "very rough".
"The domestic dog was said to be 120,000 years old, and now it is 20,000. You can imagine how variable the genetic dating is," he explained.
Commenting on the findings, Professor Chris Stringer, a palaeoanthropologist at London's Natural History Museum, said: "This archaeological work by Armitage and colleagues provides important clues that early modern humans might have dispersed from Africa across Arabia, as far as the Straits of Hormuz, by 120,000 years ago.
"This research augments the controversial idea that such populations could have migrated even further across southern Asia, despite conflicting genetic data that such movements only occurred after 60,000 years."
The researchers say the toolmakers at Jebel Faya may have reached the Arabian Peninsula at a time when changes in the climate were transforming it from arid desert into a grassland habitat with lakes and rivers.
These human groups could later have moved on towards the Persian Gulf, trekking around the Iranian coast and on to South Asia.
Indeed, Dr Mike Petraglia at the University of Oxford has uncovered tools in India that he says could have been made by modern humans before 60,000 years ago. Some tools were sandwiched in ash from the eruption of the Toba super-volcano in Indonesia that geologists can date very accurately to 74,000 years ago.
However, other researchers suggest that the people living in India at this time could have died out and been replaced by a later wave of humans.
Anthropologists already knew of an early foray out of Africa by modern humans. Remains found at Skhul and Qafzeh in Israel date to between 119,000 and 81,000 years ago.
But the Skhul and Qafzeh people are generally thought to have died out or retreated south, perhaps because of climatic fluctuations. They subsequently disappear, and their sites are re-occupied by Neanderthals.
Professor Stringer said the fact that the tools found at Jebel Faya did not resemble those associated with modern humans at Qafzeh and Skhul hinted at "yet more complexity in the exodus of modern humans from Africa".
He posed the question: "Could there have been separate dispersals, one from East Africa into Arabia, and another from North Africa into the Levant?"
[email protected] | Modern humans may have emerged from Africa up to 50,000 years earlier than previously thought, a study suggests. |
38837805 | The figure is down 1% on the equivalent number for last year which was a record high.
The drop across the UK as a whole is significantly greater.
The Scottish government noted that the number of 18-year-old applicants from deprived areas still went up.
However, the number of applicants from EU countries fell 5%, suggesting uncertainty surrounding Brexit may have deterred some people from applying to study in Scotland.
Universities Scotland noted the number of Scottish applications was down by about 2,000 but said this followed a record high last year and it did not see the fall as a cause for concern.
A spokeswoman said: "The appetite for university remains very high amongst Scots. This year's applications by the January deadline are still 13% up on just four years ago.
"The very modest levelling-off from last year's peak in applications will do little to take the pressure off places given the very high standard of applicants."
The number of applications from EU countries also fell by around 2,000. EU students who start courses this year will be entitled to free tuition on the same terms as Scottish applicants.
This is currently required under EU law and the Scottish government has confirmed it will ensure EU students who begin their courses this year will be entitled to free tuition until they graduate although the expectation is that the UK will have left the EU by then.
The number of applications from other parts of the UK and countries outside the EU - all of whom are charged tuition fees in one form or another - rose.
Scottish and EU students in effect compete against each other for the same free places - the drop in the number of applicants could make it slightly easier for some applicants to get in. Universities can decide for themselves how many paying students from the rest of the UK and countries outside the EU to let in.
Scottish government education minister Shirley-Anne Somerville said: "The initial UCAS applicant figures for 2017 show that, in the face of a general decline in applicants to universities across the UK, the number of applicants to Scottish institutions has remained broadly steady."
She added: "This is welcome, but the SFC statistics show that the entry rate into universities from the most deprived areas among young people during 2015-16 fell back slightly.
"We know we have much more work to do on widening access, and since this cohort applied to university we have committed to implementing the recommendations from the Commission on Widening Access and appointed our Fair Access Commissioner, Prof Peter Scott, to drive this agenda across the country." | The number of Scots applying to university has fallen slightly, according to the latest official figures from admissions service UCAS. |
38035985 | The American striker rounded goalkeeper Craig Samson from Arnaud Djoum's through ball after half an hour.
Johnsen had another chopped off before heading the second from a Robbie Muirhead free-kick.
Djoum was the creator again as Jamie Walker fired the third to seal a victory that lifts Hearts to within a point of third-placed Aberdeen.
Hearts had gone into the game without a win in their last four games, but a fine display should ease any mounting fan pressure on head coach Robbie Neilson.
When Johnsen arrived at Tynecastle in the summer, not too many fans knew anything about the USA-born striker.
At 6ft 6in, he certainly is an imposing character, but up until now he had failed to set the heather on fire.
But the combination of the 24-year-old alongside Djoum certainly clicked against Motherwell.
It was Djoum's inch-perfect pass just after the half-hour mark into the path of Johnsen that allowed him to round the goalkeeper and roll the ball into the empty net.
Only the flag of standside assistant referee Alastair Mather denied Johnsen a second before the break - Djoum again providing the cross into the box.
Number two for Johnsen came shortly after half-time. Muirhead floated a corner into the box and Johnsen rose unchallenged to send a header into the net.
Walker has been in the Hearts set-up from a very young age, but his progress has stuttered due a number of serious injuries.
However, when fit and available, the winger can certainly turn on the style.
The pace of the 23-year-old caused problems for the Motherwell defence all afternoon and, when slipped through on goal by the impressive Djoum, Walker fired the ball low into the bottom corner to secure all three points for the home side.
Mark McGhee's side had arrived in the capital after victory over Partick Thistle had taken them into the top six.
However, when the Fir Park side found their way to goal, they encountered a Hearts defence who were determined to keep a clean sheet.
Scott MacDonald and Ben Heneghan were both denied by goal-line clearances by Faycal Rherras.
John Souttar also came to Hearts' rescue when it looked as if the Lanarkshire side would get themselves back into the game.
A change in formation from a back three to the more traditional back four helped in the second half, but it was too late to save a point for the Steelmen.
Hearts head coach Robbie Neilson: "I thought we started really well with good energy. We passed the ball well and quickly and it was a pleasing performance all round. We get the first goal and we think we have a second that gets chalked off and that was disappointing but we score and kill the game off.
"Arnaud Djoum is a top player and we had him linking with Johnsen. I thought Robbie Muirhead did really well out on the left. He gave us that balance that we have been looking for. I thought we also defended well apart from set plays but we managed to see them out."
(On the game against Rangers on Wednesday) "It's going to be a fantastic day for everyone. Tynecastle under lights is a different ball game altogether. It's going to be a full house, it's going to be rocking. It's important that we prepare now for Wednesday, play well and have a right good go at them."
Motherwell manager Mark McGhee: "We were well beaten. We had chances cleared off the line but that's pretty irrelevant. They were more aggressive than us, passed the ball better, had more quality in possession. They carved out chances better than us.
"It was a difficult day for us. We have to do better than that. They had worked hard against the shape we had and we surrendered the first half to them.
"We changed it at half-time but that is the most disappointing thing because I think the shape was then fine, but to lose the second goal from a set piece was particularly disappointing. We have a couple of big centre-halves and we expected someone to head it but we lost the goal direct from the corner which in effect ended the game."
Match ends, Heart of Midlothian 3, Motherwell 0.
Second Half ends, Heart of Midlothian 3, Motherwell 0.
Steven Hammell (Motherwell) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Conor Sammon (Heart of Midlothian).
Attempt blocked. Louis Moult (Motherwell) right footed shot from very close range is blocked.
Corner, Motherwell. Conceded by John Souttar.
Foul by Rory Currie (Heart of Midlothian).
Stephen McManus (Motherwell) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt blocked. Scott McDonald (Motherwell) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Attempt missed. Igor Rossi (Heart of Midlothian) left footed shot from the centre of the box is just a bit too high.
Corner, Heart of Midlothian. Conceded by Craig Samson.
Attempt saved. Conor Sammon (Heart of Midlothian) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Scott McDonald (Motherwell) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Arnaud Djoum (Heart of Midlothian).
Attempt missed. Stephen McManus (Motherwell) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left following a corner.
Corner, Motherwell. Conceded by Faycal Rherras.
Substitution, Heart of Midlothian. Rory Currie replaces Don Cowie.
Attempt missed. Conor Sammon (Heart of Midlothian) right footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left.
Corner, Motherwell. Conceded by Liam Smith.
Corner, Motherwell. Conceded by Igor Rossi.
Substitution, Heart of Midlothian. Conor Sammon replaces Bjorn Johnsen.
Don Cowie (Heart of Midlothian) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Craig Clay (Motherwell).
Goal! Heart of Midlothian 3, Motherwell 0. Jamie Walker (Heart of Midlothian) right footed shot from the right side of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Don Cowie.
Foul by Perry Kitchen (Heart of Midlothian).
Keith Lasley (Motherwell) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Motherwell. Jake Hastie replaces Chris Cadden.
Attempt missed. Lionel Ainsworth (Motherwell) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right.
Attempt saved. Robbie Muirhead (Heart of Midlothian) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Igor Rossi (Heart of Midlothian) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Louis Moult (Motherwell).
Foul by Robbie Muirhead (Heart of Midlothian).
Lionel Ainsworth (Motherwell) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Faycal Rherras (Heart of Midlothian).
Louis Moult (Motherwell) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by John Souttar (Heart of Midlothian).
Chris Cadden (Motherwell) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Bjorn Johnsen (Heart of Midlothian).
Keith Lasley (Motherwell) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt missed. Scott McDonald (Motherwell) right footed shot from the centre of the box is too high. | Two goals from Bjorn Johnsen set Hearts on the way to a convincing win over Motherwell. |
40211161 | The pound has dropped by more than 2% against the dollar, sterling's biggest one-day fall since the Brexit referendum vote last June.
So far there has not been much in the way of global contagion in the currency or stock markets.
But in Asia, where shares were trading as results drifted in, some companies heavily exposed to the UK saw their share prices fall.
Asian firms with big investments in Britain were under pressure over concerns political uncertainty will complicate Brexit negotiations.
They include infrastructure firm CKI, Power Assets and CK Hutchison, which are all owned by Chinese billionaire Li Ka-Shing. Shares in those businesses are down nearly 2%.
Malaysian property conglomerate YTL, Singapore-based transport firm Comfortdelgro and property firm City Developments also have investments in Britain.
"Without question, there is volatility ahead. The market is desperate for any indication of what a Brexit deal might look like," Lee Hardman, an analyst at MUFG said.
For financial firms in the UK, one looming question about Brexit is whether they would have to move their operations if they lost access to the single market - an issue over so-called European passporting rights.
Shares in British lenders Standard Chartered Bank and HSBC slipped by about 1% on Asian markets as the prospect of a hung parliament became clearer.
Fund manager Janus Henderson, which is also heavily exposed to the UK market for revenues, fell by about 1.5% in Sydney trading.
The Australia-listed CYBG, which owns the Clydesdale and Yorkshire banks, fell as much as 1.4% before recovering. The firm, which was spun from National Australia Bank last year, gets all of its revenues from the UK.
Overall Asian stock markets have largely shrugged off the election upset - as well as digesting possible implications from former FBI director James Comey's testimony to a US Senate committee.
Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 stock index closed 0.5% higher and South Korea's Kospi cended the day up 0.8%.
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was flat, the Shanghai composite end 0.1% higher and Hong Kong's Hang Seng dropped 0.3%,
Follow Leisha on Twitter. | Uncertainty hangs over the UK after Prime Minister Theresa May's decision to call a snap general election backfired, resulting in a hung parliament. |
37106690 | Sangakkara struck Mohammed Azharullah for four to seal a one-wicket win after Surrey had collapsed in pursuit of 277.
The visitors needed 12 runs to win off the final over after slumping from 234-5 to 250-9 in the closing stages.
Earlier, Rory Kleinveldt's unbeaten 76 meant Northants posted 276 after a last-wicket partnership added 49 runs.
Surrey will face Yorkshire away in the semi-finals on 28 August after the White Rose beat Kent by 11 runs in their quarter-final at Canterbury.
Northants must pick themselves up ahead of a T20 Blast semi-final against Nottinghamshire at Edgbaston on Saturday.
Alex Wakely's side looked set to pull off a surprise victory as lower-order wickets fell around Sangakkara and Surrey needed 27 off the last 14 balls.
Sangakkara brought that equation down to 12 off the last over and scooped the third delivery from an Azharullah full toss to fine leg for six.
Last man Jade Dernbach scrambled through for a bye to leave two to win off the final ball, which former Sri Lanka wicketkeeper Sangakkara struck to the boundary.
All this came after he had been dropped on just seven before going on to register his 37th career List A century.
Northants had earlier looked set to finish well below par after slumping to 227-9. But seven fours and three sixes in all-rounder Kleinveldt's 62-ball knock rescued them with a last-wicket stand alongside Azharullah.
Opener Josh Cobb (66) also caught the eye with an innings including seven fours and three sixes, but Dernbach proved the pick of Surrey's bowlers with 4-39.
Surrey coach Michael di Venuto told BBC Radio London:
"It was a hell of a game for the spectators, I'm not sure about us watching. Yet again, I'm having a heart attack watching us play one-day cricket.
"Kumar was magnificent at the end and throughout the whole innings. He showed his class and showed why he's still one of the best players in the world.
"I was pretty disappointed with the way we batted in the last 10 overs and the way we went about it, we just lost all intent.
"We had to leave it all up to Kumar to do the job. Luckily, Jade Dernbach stayed with him and kept his head and we're lucky enough to be in the last four." | An unbeaten 130 from Kumar Sangakkara saw Surrey squeeze into the semi-finals of the One-Day Cup with a last-ball win against Northamptonshire. |
39267774 | A recent Chatham House report claimed that burning wood for electricity is worse for the climate than using coal.
It sparked a backlash from a group of 125 academics in the field who said the research was deeply flawed.
Now supporters of the original study have hit back, saying that to avoid dangerous warming the world needs to plant more trees, not burn them.
Producing electricity from burning biomass such as trees has boomed in recent years, with the amount of energy generated doubling between 2005 and 2015.
Many energy firms have seen it as a more reliable green power source than wind or solar. The EU is the world's biggest consumer of biomass, with some imported as wood pellets from southern US states. Bio-energy is expected to contribute more than half of the EU's renewable energy by 2020.
It's a big money spinner, with subsidies worth £800m paid by the UK government for biomass electricity in 2015.
But the Chatham House study said that the financial support for this type of power generation was based on some flawed assumptions.
The first was that the emissions of CO2 from the burned wood are balanced by the planting of new trees.
The author argued that there is no accounting for the soil carbon lost during the harvesting of these trees, and that older trees used for burning can sequester far more carbon that younger ones planted in their stead.
The study also said that the amount of time it would take to re-absorb the carbon produced from the burning of pellets was critically important. With global scientific concern that the world has only a few decades left to make significant cuts in CO2, opting for a policy that would also take many decades to achieve carbon payback was dubious.
"Overall, while some instances of biomass energy use may result in lower life-cycle emissions than fossil fuels, in most circumstances, comparing technologies of similar ages, the use of woody biomass for energy will release higher levels of emissions than coal and considerably higher levels than gas," the report said.
The idea that burning wood released more CO2 than coal has enraged those who work in the biomass industry and many who carry out research in the field.
A group of 125 academics, from Europe and the US, have attacked the Chatham House study saying it "gives an inaccurate interpretation of the impact of harvesting on forest carbon stock".
It presumes that forests would continue to grow if no biomass was used for bio-energy which is "unrealistic".
The letter also criticises the study for assuming that roundwood is the type of material used for burning when the "on the ground reality is that in the EU, by-products and residues from silviculture [the growing and culture of trees] are the most common types of feedstock".
"The author failed to appreciate that it is the net cumulative emissions of carbon that are principally responsible for long-term temperature change, so high emissions one year can legitimately be countered by negative emissions (or forest growth) in subsequent years," said Prof Piers Forster, director of the Priestly International Centre for Climate at the University of Leeds, who signed the letter.
"This is not a simple accounting trick by the bio-energy industry - this is science. In fact nearly all emission pathways that keep the world below a 2 degrees C temperature rise rely on such negative emissions in the future, typically from bio-energy combined with carbon capture."
But now another group of more than 50 scientists involved in this field have written in support of the original study.
Prof William Moomaw was a lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report on renewable energy in 2010.
He says he was solicited by opponents of the Chatham House report to sign their critical letter but refused to do so. He says the bio-energy industry is pushing "alternative facts".
"Until about six years ago I bought into the notion that because another tree grows it's carbon neutral, it's so comforting!" he told BBC News.
"But it's like saying I had £100,000 in my bank account, and I spent it all on a Ferrari - but it'll be ok because in my lifetime I'll have £100,000 in my bank sometime in the future. This accounting is troubling.
"We are telling women in Africa that cutting down a tree to cook dinner is deforestation and we have policies to stop you from doing that, however if the UK government gives £500m to burn biofuels that are cut from trees in North America and shipped across the ocean, that's zero carbon - It doesn't compute!" he said.
Follow Matt on Twitter and on Facebook. | Scientists on both sides of the Atlantic have become embroiled in a war of words over energy from trees. |
11331549 | Tugging tightly on a metaphorical dressing gown cord, John Larkin, QC, told a human rights conference in Belfast there were "some areas where it is not appropriate to involve lawyers".
He was referring to a campaign by residents of a public housing association for the right to wear their pyjamas outdoors.
Mr Larkin said the cause of human rights in Northern Ireland was in danger of being trivialised by misuse.
The campaign was evidence of a "contemporary malaise" and misunderstanding of the term, "human rights", he said.
In some parts of Belfast, wearing pyjamas for shopping or dropping children to school has become part of normal life.
The trend has been dubbed: "All Day Pyjama Syndrome".
In January, Tesco, the supermarket giant, drew the line and asked customers not to shop barefoot or in their night gear.
Two years ago, Joe McGuinness, the principal of St Matthew's Primary School, sent a stern letter to parents saying wearing pyjamas on the school run was "slovenly and rude".
However, Sinn Fein councillor Fra McCann has defended people's right to wear whatever they want.
"A variety of clothing is worn outdoors, like shorts and vests, so why not pyjamas?" he said. | Northern Ireland's Attorney General has thrown a slipper at the great pyjama debate. |
35194764 | Media playback is not supported on this device
The fast bowler said England "back themselves" to take the six wickets needed to clinch the win on day five.
South Africa closed on 136-4, chasing 416, with AB de Villiers not out on 37.
"We can't complain about the position we are in, but we're going to have to be patient tomorrow," said Finn, who has taken 3-27 in the Proteas' second innings in Durban.
The 26-year-old, who was recalled to the side in July after a two-year absence, claimed the wickets of South Africa captain Hashim Amla, first-innings centurion Dean Elgar and, just before the close, Faf du Plessis.
"It's nice to be contributing when you come back into the team," he added. "I felt good and felt I was threatening. I ran in as hard as I could and luckily got a bit of extra bounce."
England could have been in an even better position if Jonny Bairstow had not missed a stumping chance offered by De Villiers off the bowling of Moeen Ali.
"It would have been nice to see the back of De Villiers but the ball span sharply and everyone backs Jonny to get the next one for us," Finn said.
"To see the back of him would have been a big wicket but to get the wicket of Du Plessis at the end definitely put a gloss on the day."
Former England wicketkeeper Matt Prior also defended Bairstow, calling it a "tough stumping chance" on Twitter.
But ex-England batsman Geoffrey Boycott told BBC Test Match Special the chance should have been taken.
"You have to take those chances," he said. "It was difficult, but it would have a capped a perfect day for England because De Villiers is the big fish of the whole game. He's a fantastic player, number one in the world for me, and if you get him out, the rest of them aren't special."
Former South Africa captain Graeme Smith told TMS it was vital for the Proteas to avoid defeat.
"South Africa have to fight and get something out of this Test match," he said. "I felt it was important for them to get off to a good start to get some self-belief with the quick turnaround between matches.
"It's so important for South Africa to get some good vibes out of this. The next day is so crucial for them."
South Africa spinner Dane Piedt, who took 5-153 in England's second innings, acknowledged the hosts faced a tough battle to save the game.
"We're really going to knuckle down and take it as long as possible," he said. | England are in a "fantastic position" to claim victory in the first Test against South Africa, says Steven Finn. |
20766310 | Mr Pena Nieto, who took office on 1 December, said the new militarised force would initially be 10,000 strong.
Troops would continue to patrol until the new force was fully trained, he said, without elaborating. details.
Some 60,000 people have died since 2006 when the previous government deployed the military against the drugs gangs.
Mr Pena Nieto had campaigned on a promise to switch the focus of the drugs fight from tackling the gangs to reducing the crime and violence that blight the lives of ordinary Mexicans.
"Mexicans want peace," said Mr Pena Nieto on Monday as he unveiled a six-point programme that gave more details of his strategy.
The new police force will be modelled on European-style gendarmeries, with the focus on basic law enforcement duties.
Mr Pena Nieto said the force would initially have 10,000 officers but he did not give a timeframe for recruiting or training them. Previous suggestions have spoken of a total strength of 40,000.
Fifteen federal police units will be created to focus on combating kidnapping and extortion, he said, and there would be more emphasis on crime prevention.
Mr Pena Nieto's predecessor, Felipe Calderon, deployed troops in late 2006 to take on the drug gangs.
Mr Calderon argued that this policy was working as drug gangs fought among themselves after their leaders were killed or arrested.
Addressing Monday's meeting, the new interior minister, Miguel Osorio Chong, took a swipe at the previous administration, saying spending on security had gone up but so had crime - including kidnaps by 83%, violent robberies by 65% and extortion by 40%.
He also focused on the state of the police, saying 61% of officers earn just over the equivalent of $300 (£184) a month, while nearly two-thirds have just an elementary school education.
Mexico is currently policed by a variety of forces, at local, state and federal level with different chains of command.
Despite the new initiatives, some say Mr Pena Nieto's policy is not a break with Mr Calderon's strategy.
"I see a lot of continuity despite the implict and explicit criticism that was made," security analyst Alejandro Hope told the Associated Press. | Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, has announced the creation of a new national police force as part of efforts to tackle crime and violence. |
38487571 | Len McCluskey, head of the Unite union, described the party's standing in the opinion polls as "awful".
He said Mr Corbyn and shadow chancellor John McDonnell were not "desperate to cling onto power for power's sake".
His Unite leadership rival accused him of issuing a "public ultimatum" and trying to be "Labour's puppet master".
Gerard Coyne, who is challenging Mr McCluskey for the job of Unite general secretary, said Mr McCluskey was focusing on party politics over the union's membership.
Speaking to the Daily Mirror, Mr McCluskey suggested Unite's leadership contest was being used by Mr Corbyn's critics as a "proxy war" against the party leader.
As Unite leader, he said, he offered "critical support" to Mr Corbyn.
He added: "Let's suppose we are not having a snap election.
"It buys into this question of what happens if we get to 2019 and opinion polls are still awful.
"The truth is everybody would examine that situation, including Jeremy Corbyn."
On Mr Corbyn and Mr McDonnell, he added: "These two are not egomaniacs, they are not desperate to cling onto power for power's sake."
By Chris Mason, BBC political correspondent
Len McCluskey is a huge figure in the Labour movement and was an early, vocal and influential advocate of Jeremy Corbyn becoming - and then remaining - the party's leader.
So why is he saying this now?
These remarks have to be seen through the prism of yet another election: Mr McCluskey attempting to remain Unite's leader, and facing an opponent who says he spends too much time talking about Westminster politics.
As well as the comments about Jeremy Corbyn's possible sell-by date, there is another telling line from Len McCluskey today.
"It's my job to promote Unite's policies, not Labour's," he says.
Mr McCluskey has votes to win for himself right now, not votes to win for Jeremy Corbyn.
Mr Coyne, Unite's West Midlands secretary, said: "I am astonished and deeply concerned that, at a time like this, Len McCluskey should deliver what amounts to a public ultimatum to the leader of the Labour Party.
"My criticism of his handling of the role of general secretary of Unite is not whether he has backed the right leader or the wrong leader of the Labour Party, but that he appears to think it is his job to be Labour's puppet master."
In his Mirror interview, Mr McCluskey also said Labour had to show "ordinary people" it was "listening to their concerns" on immigration, saying it had to "get its narrative right on free movement".
Mr Corbyn has defended the principle of free movement and declined to offer "false promises" on migration numbers.
But others in his party have said the system must change in light of the Brexit vote.
Mr Coyne focused on Brexit in a speech in Birmingham, warning that new immigration controls had to be "non-negotiable" when talks between the UK and the EU get under way.
Unite members who voted for Brexit expected a promise of an end to uncontrolled immigration from the EU to be kept, "and will feel betrayed if it is not", he said. | Jeremy Corbyn could step down if Labour's fortunes do not improve before the next general election in 2020, one of his closest allies has suggested. |
36923500 | Peters, who joined the BBC in 1947, was the continuity announcer on 2 June 1953 and opened by saying it was a "great and joyous day for us all".
Four years later, she recorded a training film for the Queen to help her prepare for her first Yuletide message.
She was also one of the first hosts of the ballroom competition, Come Dancing.
Peters left the BBC in 1958 but later returned to present a remastered version of the Coronation coverage in 2013.
She worked as an actress in musicals before joining the BBC and was one of a team of three announcers at the time of the coronation, alongside Mary Malcolm and McDonald Hobley.
She was the youngest of the three and is believed to have been chosen to present the coverage because at 28, she was closest to the age of the Queen.
Speaking in 2013, she said the coverage had been "quite magical" and a "turning point" for television.
"We didn't have many viewers [but] the coronation just made television, and everyone wanted one after that."
After leaving the BBC she worked sporadically in TV, appearing in an episode of the '70s comedy Sykes, while running a dress shop.
She returned to screens in the 1980s as a presenter on Channel 4's series for older viewers, Years Ahead, and as an announcer during the BBC's celebration of 50 years of broadcasting in 1986.
Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram at bbcnewsents, or email [email protected]. | Sylvia Peters, who introduced the first televised coronation and helped the Queen prepare for her first Christmas broadcast, has died at the age of 90. |
40190590 | This will reduce the risk of serious harm from recreational drug use, after a sharp increase in drug deaths in England and Wales, it says.
A rise in drug strength means users may be taking drugs at dangerous levels.
But no level of illegal drug use is ever entirely safe, the Society says.
The RSPH says allowing festival-goers to check the content and strength of substances they possess should also be introduced in city centres where drug use in clubs is common.
It says the idea is supported by the majority of clubbers and festival-goers.
Drug safety testing has already been carried out in the UK at two festivals last summer, with the support of local police and public health.
RSPH's research suggests that nearly one in five users decided to get rid of their drugs once they became aware of what they contained.
Eight festivals in the UK are expected to offer drug safety testing facilities this summer, including Reading and Leeds festivals.
Deaths related to ecstasy use in England and Wales have risen from 10 in 2010 to 57 in 2015.
Drug-related deaths at UK festivals increased to six in 2016.
The rise is thought to have been largely caused by an increase in the average strength of ecstasy pills.
The Society said the average chemical content of an ecstasy pill in Europe is now around 125mg per tablet, compared to 50-80mg in the 1990s and 2000s.
Some 'super pills' now contain more than 300mg of MDMA (the chemical name for ecstasy).
Shirley Cramer CBE, chief executive of RSPH, said: "The rise in drug-related deaths at music festivals and night clubs is a growing problem for policy makers, health authorities and events companies alike.
"While the use of stimulant 'club drugs' such as ecstasy can never be safe, and RSPH supports ongoing efforts to prevent them entering entertainment venues, we accept that a certain level of use remains inevitable in such settings.
"We therefore believe that a pragmatic, harm reduction response is necessary."
She urged event companies to make the facilities a standard part of the UK festival and clubbing scene.
Fiona Measham, professor of criminology, from Durham University, who was behind the drug safety testing pilots last year - called The Loop - said: "We believe that prioritising public health over criminal justice for drug users at a time of growing concern about drug-related deaths at festivals and nightclubs can help to reduce drug-related harm both on and off site." | All music festivals should provide drug testing facilities, where people can go and find out if substances are safe, says the Royal Society for Public Health. |
36647590 | But Tuesday's summit presents a crisis of a different magnitude: the UK, the EU's second-largest economy, is setting a precedent by leaving the bloc.
Nothing like this has happened since the European Economic Community (EEC), forerunner of the EU, was launched in 1957, with the Treaty of Rome.
Wrangling over the technicalities of the UK withdrawal, and arguing over a future EU-UK settlement, threaten to obscure the bigger picture. Where does the EU go from here?
With Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel at the helm there has been a shift away from the European Commission's "community" method of doing business to the "inter-governmental" method in the EU.
The eurozone crisis highlighted this. It was largely up to the governments - not the European Commission - to bail out Greece, and then Ireland, Portugal and Cyprus.
Attacked by Eurosceptics - not just British ones - the Commission and other EU institutions have somehow to prove their relevance to ordinary voters.
Mrs Merkel's style - and that of the Netherlands and Nordic countries - suited the UK government's approach to the EU. The emphasis was more on pragmatism, less on grand visions of integration.
Yet for Germany and most other members on the continent the EU always meant more than a common market, the trade association that the UK was glad to join in 1973.
Now the Brexit vote has brutally exposed the distance between the EU elite and many ordinary Europeans struggling with the impact of globalisation and the 2008 financial crash.
Europe will be watching to see if there is a real change of tone at this summit, to see if the leaders are listening and sincere about reforming the EU.
The risk for them is that more ground will be lost to populist, nationalist and anti-EU forces, who have massive support in France (the National Front), the Netherlands (the Freedom Party) and Italy (the Northern League and Five Star Movement), to name but a few.
Brexit comes on top of the biggest crises in the EU's history - chronic unemployment linked to the debt crisis, feeble growth in southern Europe and the influx of non-EU migrants fleeing war and poverty.
A Franco-German strategy paper issued after the Brexit vote says "we have to find better ways of dealing with different levels of ambition, so as to ensure that Europe delivers better on the expectations of all European citizens".
That echoes European Council President Donald Tusk, who said the EU must "depart from utopian dreams and move on to practical activities, such as for instance reinforcing the EU's external borders or consistently completing the banking union".
Compromises and fudges are the stuff of EU deals, but this time it is hard to see how the Eurosceptic anger of so many British voters could be appeased by Brussels.
Some have speculated about a new sort of "membership lite" for the UK, granting continued preferential access to the EU single market of 500 million consumers.
But French and German politicians have already urged the UK to invoke Article 50 - the withdrawal procedure - soon, hinting that they are in no mood to let the UK haggle for an a la carte deal.
Free movement of workers remains a fundamental tenet of the single market - and Brexit is such a blow to the EU that the other 27 nations would find it hard to give way on that.
Poland and three of its Central European neighbours in the Visegrad Group will prioritise the rights of their workers in the UK. They cherish freedom of movement, after the restrictions of communism.
France has warned that leaving the EU has to have consequences, though the penalties for the UK remain to be seen.
The summit is an occasion to demonstrate that the EU's hard-won rights and values cannot be repackaged on the cheap, if a member state rejects the club rules.
The UK had already negotiated many opt-outs. But now it has chosen the biggest opt-out of all. | EU leaders are wearily familiar with crisis summits by now - there was the Greek debt crisis, the eurozone crisis, the Ukraine crisis, the migrant crisis. |
39989134 | Running in London, Mitchell clocked 32 minutes and 51.78 seconds to take almost 42 seconds off Teresa Duffy's 1997 Northern Ireland mark (33:33.70).
Mitchell's time in Britain's World Championships trial was over 14 seconds inside the Commonwealth Games mark.
The 23-year-old also bettered Duffy's 21-year-old NI 5,000m mark last week.
On Saturday night, Mitchell was competing in the Highgate Harriers Night of the 10,000m PBs meeting at the Parliament Hill track on Hampstead Heath.
Elizabeth Potter took victory in 32:04.63 ahead of Steph Twell (32:16.23), with Jo Pavey taking fourth in 32:42.93.
Mitchell finished seventh to book her spot at next year's Commonwealth Games in the Australian city of Gold Coast.
"The race just went fantastically for me," Mitchell told BBC Sport Northern Ireland.
"I went to halfway in 16:22 which was exactly the pace that my coach Eamonn Christie had told me to aim for.
"It's been the best week of my running life after breaking the Northern Ireland 5,000m record in Solihull last weekend.
"It's great to have the Commonwealth 10,000m standard in the bag now and I can plan my training and preparations for next year."
Meanwhile, Strabane Academy student Sommer Lecky's set a new Northern Ireland junior high jump record as she also equalled the Irish junior high jump record of 1.85m at the Ulster Schools Athletics Championships at Antrim.
The performance bettered Ursula Fay's 34-year-old Northern Ireland junior record by one centimetre.
The Finn Valley athlete's leap also equalled Deirdre Ryan's Irish Under-20 record set in 2001 as she added three centimetres to her previous best set two weeks ago.
Lecky, 16, will compete in for Northern Ireland in the Commonwealth Youth Games in the Bahamas in July. | Queen's athlete Emma Mitchell achieved the Commonwealth Games 10,000m standard as she set her second Northern Ireland record in a week on Saturday night. |
35243407 | But the internet media company's fortunes have changed drastically, with sales falling from $7.2bn (£5bn) in 2008 to $4.6bn (£3.1bn) last year.
This is partly because Google and Facebook have come to dominate the online advertising market from where Yahoo derives its revenue.
A series of chief executives has also failed to stem the decline.
This week, Reuters reported investors had called for Yahoo's core business to be sold after a slump in its share price.
Some said it could lead to the sacking of current chief executive Marissa Mayer and even the end of the Yahoo brand itself.
So where did it all go wrong for the firm and what lies ahead?
Dark clouds haven't always surrounded Yahoo.
Founded in 1994 by Stanford University graduates Jerry Yang and David Filo, the firm swiftly grew to become one of the internet's first web portals, competing with the likes of MSN and Lycos.
"It was a one-stop shop bringing together news and other services for users lacking expertise in navigating the internet," said Richard Kramer, founder of Arete Research and a 20-year tech analyst.
The company also survived the dot com crash of 2000 and its sales climbed tenfold between 2001 and 2008.
However, Mr Kramer said that over time the concept of web portals had become "outmoded".
"In its main search and display ad businesses, Yahoo found itself being overtaken by rivals like Gmail and Hotmail or younger upstarts, messaging apps like Whatsapp or WeChat," he said.
"News aggregation came from Facebook, Twitter and new digital channels like Huffington Post or Vice."
He added: "Yahoo also fell behind the curve in search - partnering with Microsoft, which had tried to buy it - while it was slow to scale up in video and mobile."
The problem was Yahoo generated most of its revenue by selling advertising space on such platforms - and as its audience drifted to other sites, its sales faltered.
Highlighting the discord, chief executive Mr Yang stepped down in December 2008 and the firm laid off 7% of its workforce a month later.
The company needed to reinvent itself - but even Mr Yang's replacement, Carole Bartz, admitted she had struggled with the question of what Yahoo is when she took over in 2009.
"We're not a search company. We're not a display [advertising] company. We're a broad-based internet technology company that serves up the most interesting content on the internet to 600 million people," she later said.
Mr Kramer said the high level of the churn at the top at the firm did not help either.
Ms Bartz soon lost her job in September 2011 and her replacement, Scott Thompson, only lasted four months before resigning over claims he falsified his resumé.
"They went through an endless succession of management changes at a time when they really needed to steady the ship," Mr Kramer said.
"They were also besieged by activist investors calling for change, continuing the cycle of management churn."
Ms Mayer, who has been in situ since July 2012, now faces a similar revolt.
She has tried to bolster Yahoo by acquiring firms such as Flurry, a mobile analytics service, and Tumblr, the blogging service.
But its core internet business continues to lose money. In fact, most of the internet company's $33bn (£21.8bn) value is attributed to its shareholding in Alibaba, the Chinese e-commerce giant.
After reversing a plan to sell the stake, Ms Mayer has adopted a strategy to spin off the core business into a new company
But on Monday, Reuters reported several major Yahoo shareholders wanted Ms Mayer to sell the core business outright.
A source said she had the support of her board, but multiple investors have called for her resignation.
Mr Kramer says the choice is a simple one: "Either the CEO needs to put herself out of a job by selling the business, or be given room to pursue a fresh strategy, with restructuring already promised to be announced with the 2015 results."
He added: "The media likes to say Yahoo is a turnaround, but that's the wrong way to think about it.
"It really needs to grow - or buy - entirely new businesses to bolt on to its existing franchise, to attract new audiences.
"This is what Mayer is a trying to do, even if the execution of the plans has been poor." | During the 90s and early 2000s, Yahoo was a veritable web titan - a leader in email, online news and search. |
38673715 | The crash happened on Thursday morning in Etah, around 265km (164 miles) from the state's capital, Lucknow.
A senior police officer told the BBC that 14 students "were in a critical condition".
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was "anguished by the tragic accident".
Can India really halve its road deaths?
India crashes kill 146,133 in 2015
Police spokesperson Rahul Srivastava said the exact cause of the accident was yet to be ascertained.
But he added that visibility was poor because of dense fog at the time of the crash.
The victims were aged between three and 12 years and were studying in a local school.
India has the world's highest number of road deaths, with an accident taking place every four minutes.
More than 146,000 people were killed in road accidents in 2015.
Most crashes are blamed on reckless driving, poorly maintained roads and ageing vehicles. | At least 15 Indian children have been killed and 45 others injured after a school bus they were travelling in collided with a truck in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. |
37159747 | Guto Pugh, from Machynlleth, Powys, died after the collision on the A496 in Barmouth. while he was on his way to work at the Bae Abermaw Hotel.
The 21-year-old was the leader of Bangor University Brass Band and a member of Band Llanrug.
Fellow musicians described the cornet player as a "gentle, lovely and talented person".
Bangor University Brass Band said: "This is a great loss to the band, the university and the world."
Band Pres Porthaethwy, where the music student helped out, wrote he was a "top bandsman who will be missed by many."
The crash happened on the A496 at Caerdeon between Bontddu and Barmouth at about 07:25 BST on Saturday.
Amy Barrack, who set up the page, wrote: "Guto was an amazing person, a ray of sunshine and a true friend."
In a statement, Bae Abermaw Hotel said: "Sadly one of our valued staff members, Guto Pugh, was killed in a tragic accident on the way to work on Saturday morning.
"We would like to extend our condolences to his family and friends at this sad time.
"Guto was an amazing person and he kept us all smiling, he will be sorely missed." | A young musician who died after a three-car crash in Gwynedd has been described as a "talented bandsman". |
33310736 | Those falling below the targets, including some rated as "good" by Ofsted, will be labelled as "coasting".
The new threshold for secondary schools will require 60% of pupils to achieve five good GCSEs, including English and maths.
"I'm unapologetic about shining a spotlight on complacency," said Mrs Morgan.
"For too long a group of coasting schools, many in leafy areas with more advantages than schools in disadvantaged communities, have fallen beneath the radar," said the education secretary.
These might be "very good schools but young people are not fulfilling all of their potential".
The education department says that "hundreds" of schools will have to raise their results to meet these higher expectations.
But head teachers' leader Brian Lightman said the definitions for this new category were "muddled and unfair".
Schools falling into this coasting category will be given help to improve, but those that fail to make progress could be turned into academies. The classification will be based on three years of results.
The plans, introduced in the Education and Adoption Bill, are aimed at raising standards in hundreds of schools that are achieving adequate exam results, but where the government believes achievement could be much higher.
There will also be a target for primary schools to stay above this coasting label, requiring 85% of pupils to achieve the expected standard in their national curriculum tests.
As well as those failing to reach these targets, schools will be labelled as "coasting" if a below-average proportion of pupils are making the expected amount of progress.
The plans are aimed at pushing schools to achieve more than the "artificial borderline" of sufficient numbers of good grades at GCSE and in primary tests.
Mrs Morgan says schools should be "stretching every pupil to unlock their potential".
Schools falling into the coasting category will be expected to produce a "credible plan to improve" and will be given assistance by "expert" head teachers.
Those that do not improve will be turned into academies.
Coasting schools that are already academies could be given new academy sponsors or extra support, Mrs Morgan said.
These new thresholds for coasting schools are in addition to existing targets for underperformance.
For secondary schools, at least 40% of pupils have to achieve five good GCSEs, including English and maths. At primary level, the threshold is 65% of pupils achieving the expected levels in Sats tests.
In state schools in last year's GCSEs, about 57% of pupils achieved five good GCSEs, including English and maths.
But Mr Lightman, general secretary of the ASCL head teachers' union, said the proposals were "muddled".
He said that the emphasis on exam results would "focus most attention on schools which are in challenging circumstances" rather than being a measure of progress.
Mr Lightman also warned that "academisation is not a magic wand" and that it would not be an answer to problems such as a shortage of maths and science teachers.
Russell Hobby, leader of the National Association of Head Teachers, said that he was reassured that there would be alternatives for school improvement, other than becoming academies.
"Forced conversion into academy status is not going to be the default option for coasting schools," said Mr Hobby.
The NUT's Kevin Courtney said that it would mean that many head teachers in good schools could lose their jobs.
He added: "Nicky Morgan says that coasting schools will ultimately be transformed into academies - but, by her own definition, very many academy schools will also be coasting.
Shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt said: "No parent wants their child to be schooled in an inadequate, failing or coasting school.
"But these plans mean that it is likely that underperforming schools will simply pass from one poor provider to another, without the measures required to turn around sub-standard school leadership and poor classroom teaching." | Schools in England will face tougher exam targets, under plans announced by Education Secretary Nicky Morgan. |
37691337 | Judge Thomas Au of the High Court rejected a request for their swearing-in to be delayed for a judicial review.
Yau Wai-ching and Sixtus Leung of the Youngspiration party had their oaths invalidated last week after mounting an anti-China protest in the legislature.
The pair slammed the court hearing as an abuse of the legal system.
They are expected to re-take their oaths tomorrow in the Legislative Council (LegCo) as scheduled.
Several pro-democracy lawmakers caused chaos in the LegCo last week by using their oath-taking to stage boisterous protests against China.
Five lawmakers in total need to re-take their oaths, the South China Morning Post reports.
Mr Leung and Ms Yau swore while saying their oaths and mispronounced "China".
Several pro-democracy candidates won LegCo seats in elections last month.
Many had played key roles in the 2014 "Umbrella protests" against growing Chinese influence in Hong Kong's politics. | Hong Kong's government has failed to block two pro-independence lawmakers from taking their oaths in a last-ditch legal challenge. |
40790618 | A 25-year-old man suffered a fractured skull during the attack on Waverley Bridge at about 03:30 on Sunday 23 July.
Detectives want to trace the men pictured in the area at the time of the assault.
Anyone who recognises the men is urged to contact police.
Det Con Graham McIlwraith, of Police Scotland, said: "The victim suffered a serious head injury as a result of this incident and police have been conducting various inquiries including viewing several hours of CCTV footage from in and around Edinburgh city centre.
"The males pictured are believed to be of significance to our investigation and anyone who can assist in tracing them is asked to come forward
"Similarly, we would ask these males to get in touch with police and help with our investigation." | Police have released CCTV pictures of a group of three men they want to find in connection with a serious assault in Edinburgh city centre. |
33717605 | Essex are through to the T20 Blast quarter-finals and currently sit top of the South Group in the One-Day Cup.
"The team's in a great place, especially in white-ball cricket," 20-year-old Velani told BBC Essex.
"We've won five of our last seven T20 games and now won our first two one-dayers. Hopefully we keep this momentum going throughout the competition."
Essex's 152-run victory over Warwickshire on Wednesday was built on a 191-run opening partnership between Tom Westley and Mark Pettini, with both hitting centuries.
"Tom Westley and Mark Pettini batted fantastically; they set the platform for us," said Velani.
"With the strength of our batting, that's all we can ask for - to keep wickets at the end and then the lower order can come in and bat freely." | Essex batsman Kishen Velani is pleased with how his side are progressing in the limited-overs formats. |
36430481 | Here's a look at some of the potential story lines which could be making the headlines.
The unbridled joy of Frankie Dettori after silencing the harbingers of gloom about his career by steering home the John Gosden-trained Golden Horn to victory in 2015 will live long in the memory.
Media playback is not supported on this device
That day, after a striking success in the Dante Stakes at York, the pressure was massive for the Dettori/Gosden axis to deliver; 12 months on however, as the pair team-up with Wings Of Desire, expectations are somewhat different.
The improving colt, owned by his breeder Lady Bamford, also won the Dante, but only narrowly, and this time there's a long list of plausible alternative fancies.
But, for the sport, a third victory in the race for such a highly-recognisable figure as 45-year-old Dettori - riding in his 21st Derby - would be priceless in terms of exposure during an action-packed summer of sport when the struggle for coverage is intense.
WATCH: BBC Radio 5 live's 60-second Derby preview
As he looks for a fourth Derby success in five years - and sixth overall - Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien saddles practically a third of the field, all owned by the Coolmore racing and breeding empire, although this isn't actually his biggest challenge.
In 2009, O'Brien's prolific Ballydoyle Stables in County Tipperary provided six runners, and two years earlier no fewer than eight of his horses lined up - but he didn't win the prize either time (it was Sea The Stars and Authorized, respectively).
What the size of the squad - four of them sons of Coolmore's champion stallion Galileo - indicates is the open nature of the 237th Derby, in which you could support anyone of about 10, and not look entirely ridiculous.
Unbeaten US Army Ranger, very narrow winner of the Chester Vase on only his second start, has long looked like the team's figurehead, and is the choice of Coolmore's number one jockey Ryan Moore, a tip in itself for many.
But Port Douglas, second at Chester when conceding a small amount of weight, and Deauville, runner-up to Wings Of Desire at York, also have solid credentials.
And it's another significant 'family' day for the O'Briens. While the trainer's jockey-son Joseph, rider of Derby winners Camelot (2012) and Australia (2014) has retired, his younger brother Donnacha, 17, makes his Epsom Derby debut on outsider Shogun.
An eight-length win in a maiden race at Newbury started the Ulysses bandwagon rolling towards Epsom, although it was six uncharacteristically bullish words from his five-time Derby-winning trainer Sir Michael Stoute that sent it into something approaching overdrive.
The trainer of winners Shergar (1981), Sharastani (1986), Kris Kin (2003), North Light (2004) and Workforce (2010) said he was "certainly very hopeful of his [Ulysses'] chances".
That was interpreted as a big shout-out for the offspring of 2001 Derby winner Galileo and Light Shift, successful in the Oaks of 2007.
While Stoute's apparent enthusiasm has made Ulysses a major Derby fancy, it's his booking of jockey Kieren Fallon to partner Across The Stars, the stable's other big-race contender, that has caught the eye.
The six-time champion, rider of Kris Kin and North Light, has found himself with a lower profile in recent seasons, but his aptitude for navigating the notoriously tricky twists and turns of Epsom is legendary, and is why for fans he remains 'King Kieren'.
Sheikh Mohammed's vast Godolphin racing and thoroughbred breeding network has won the Derby twice, but never yet with the jockey wearing the distinctive silks that have seen the global, Dubai-based operation dubbed 'The Boys in Blue'.
Both Lammtarra (1995) and New Approach (2008) ran in the colours of other members of the Sheikh's family, and how he'd relish the opportunity to remedy that situation. This is perhaps the year for it to be done as two live chances are aimed at the Classic, historically known as the 'Blue Riband'.
Although neither is part of Godolphin's in-house training set-up, both Cloth Of Stars, the Prix Greffulhe winner from French-based Andre Fabre's string, and Moonlight Magic, part of the Jim Bolger team in Ireland, boast admirable credentials, particularly maybe the latter.
With his upward trajectory and being a nephew of Derby winners Galileo and See The Stars, this beautifully-bred colt, ridden by a blue-clad Kevin Manning, could easily fulfil Sheikh Mohammed's dream.
Were that to occur, it would certainly be a most significant step in - and perhaps the completion of - Godolphin's rehabilitation following the infamous doping scandal of 2013 - at about the time actually that these two horses were being born.
With a total purse of £1.55m, the 2016 Investec Derby will go down in history as the most valuable race ever staged in Britain, because of an unprecedented four supplementary - late - entries, each costing £75,000.
Cloth Of Stars is one late-comer to the party, along with Wings Of Desire - who'd been entered but then removed, having demonstrated little promise until as recently as mid-March - while the other two are Humphrey Bogart and Red Verdon.
Humphrey Bogart, named by his owners at Chelsea Thoroughbreds after the star of the iconic film Casablanca, and a first runner in the race for both trainer Richard Hannon junior and jockey Sean Levey, put his name in bright lights with success in the Derby Trial race at Lingfield.
Meanwhile, the Ed Dunlop-trained Red Verdon, the latest in a long line of horses owned by Hong Kong businessman Ronnie Arculli to have the colour red in their names, has earned his place with impressive wins at Chester and Haydock. Champion jockey Silvestre de Sousa will take only his second Derby mount on the colt.
Considering he was runner-up in the 2000 Guineas, Massaat makes a relatively unheralded appearance in the Epsom line-up.
But the Sheikh Hamdan al Maktoum-owned colt, in the care of rookie trainer Owen Burrows, a former jump jockey and, more recently, right-hand man to Stoute, seems to tick plenty of boxes, with the possible exception of his stamina over the mile-and-a-half-long course.
The Massaat team will be hoping for more luck than that enjoyed by Barry Hills, Burrows' predecessor at his stables in Lambourn, Berkshire: not only did Hills never win the Epsom Derby, but to make matters worse he was second four times.
Not much has been said or written about Harzand, trained for the Aga Khan by Dermot Weld in Ireland, and the winner of both of his races in 2016, one the prestigious Ballysax Stakes at Leopardstown in good style.
Recent rain at Epsom, which has affected the going quite considerably, will favour this colt, one of three in the field sired by Sea The Stars.
Ground conditions are also encouraging those around the David Simcock-trained Algometer, whose second place behind one-time Derby favourite Midterm at Sandown in April, would seem to put him right in the mix. | Sixteen runners are set to line up for the 237th running of the Derby at Epsom on Saturday. |
37896400 | The defender, 30, has been hampered by injuries in recent seasons, and pulled out shortly before Wednesday's game.
"There is no injury," said manager Roberto Martinez. "We did not want to take any risks with him and Kompany did not feel well after the warm-up."
Meanwhile, Tottenham's Vincent Janssen suffered concussion during the game.
The 22-year-old striker, who has scored four times for Spurs since a £17m summer move from AZ Alkmaar, was substituted in the first half after colliding with Belgium keeper Simon Mignolet.
Kompany had asked to be replaced at half-time during City's 1-0 EFL Cup loss at Manchester United last month because he was "tired".
City boss Pep Guardiola says Kompany has a future at the club, but needs "faith to play regularly" after a run of injuries.
The centre-back was named on the teamsheet for Wednesday's friendly in Amsterdam, but was then replaced by Watford's Christian Kabasele.
Ajax midfielder Davy Klaassen put the Dutch ahead from the penalty spot before Yannick Carrasco netted a late equaliser for the Red Devils.
Kompany is now a doubt for the World Cup qualifier against Estonia on Sunday.
"I want every player to be 100%," said Martinez. "I would be surprised if he can play Sunday, but it is still too early to say.
"We will have to assess the situation, especially with his club. If he is not ready, I will take another defender."
Match ends, Netherlands 1, Belgium 1.
Second Half ends, Netherlands 1, Belgium 1.
Attempt blocked. Thorgan Hazard (Belgium) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Eden Hazard.
Hand ball by Yannick Carrasco (Belgium).
Substitution, Netherlands. Bart Ramselaar replaces Georginio Wijnaldum.
Thorgan Hazard (Belgium) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Tonny Vilhena (Netherlands).
Attempt saved. Yannick Carrasco (Belgium) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Axel Witsel.
Attempt saved. Eden Hazard (Belgium) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Romelu Lukaku.
Foul by Thorgan Hazard (Belgium).
Tonny Vilhena (Netherlands) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Romelu Lukaku (Belgium) right footed shot from very close range is just a bit too high. Assisted by Yannick Carrasco.
Substitution, Belgium. Youri Tielemans replaces Steven Defour.
Goal! Netherlands 1, Belgium 1. Yannick Carrasco (Belgium) left footed shot from outside the box to the high centre of the goal. Assisted by Thorgan Hazard.
Foul by Eden Hazard (Belgium).
Jordy Clasie (Netherlands) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Offside, Belgium. Eden Hazard tries a through ball, but Laurent Ciman is caught offside.
Jan Vertonghen (Belgium) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Joshua Brenet (Netherlands).
Attempt missed. Romelu Lukaku (Belgium) right footed shot from very close range is too high.
Attempt blocked. Thorgan Hazard (Belgium) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Eden Hazard.
Corner, Belgium. Conceded by Jeffrey Bruma.
Attempt blocked. Romelu Lukaku (Belgium) left footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Jan Vertonghen.
Attempt blocked. Axel Witsel (Belgium) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Romelu Lukaku.
Substitution, Netherlands. Tonny Vilhena replaces Wesley Sneijder.
Offside, Netherlands. Wesley Sneijder tries a through ball, but Bas Dost is caught offside.
Attempt missed. Joshua Brenet (Netherlands) left footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Georginio Wijnaldum.
Jan Vertonghen (Belgium) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Memphis Depay (Netherlands).
Foul by Eden Hazard (Belgium).
Joël Veltman (Netherlands) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Axel Witsel (Belgium).
Georginio Wijnaldum (Netherlands) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Netherlands. Memphis Depay replaces Jeremain Lens because of an injury.
Hand ball by Jeremain Lens (Netherlands).
Substitution, Belgium. Thorgan Hazard replaces Kevin De Bruyne.
Substitution, Belgium. Romelu Lukaku replaces Dries Mertens.
Offside, Belgium. Eden Hazard tries a through ball, but Kevin De Bruyne is caught offside.
Yannick Carrasco (Belgium) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Jeremain Lens (Netherlands). | Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany does not have an injury, despite being withdrawn from the Belgium team for their 1-1 draw against the Netherlands. |
40397875 | Last week a High Court judge said the curb meant "real misery" for families with children aged under two.
Labour's Debbie Abrahams told the BBC the party would consider removing the £20,000 limit on household benefits if it came to power.
Ministers say the cap encourages work and help is on offer for lone parents.
The cap, first introduced in 2013 but reduced in 2016, limits the income households receive in certain benefits. The idea behind it was that no household should get more in benefits than the average working household.
Single parents win benefits challenge
Is the cap working?
Cap starts amid fears for single parents
The cap now stands at £23,000 for those in London and £20,000 a year outside London. Parents must work for at least 16 hours a week to avoid the cap.
But four lone parent families won a judicial review last week. Their solicitor said their benefits were, or were expected to be, cut as they were unable to work the 16 hours required.
The government says it will appeal against that ruling.
Mrs Abrahams, the shadow work and pensions secretary, said a Labour government would "make sure we would uphold the ruling from the court decision".
Asked whether the cap would go altogether under a future Labour government, Mrs Abrahams said: "We would be looking to see how we do that."
She admitted that Labour had not yet costed the measure but said: "We know that, for example, the court ruling is about £50m so it's not an astronomical figure."
She said she recognised that for some people the capped level "might seem like an awful lot of money".
However, she highlighted "the implications for people in the poorest circumstances, the implications around child poverty which affects children not just while they're young but for the rest their lives - it affects how their brains develop and everything."
Last week a judge in London ruled he was "satisfied that the claims must succeed" against the work and pensions secretary.
Mr Justice Collins said: "Whether or not the defendant accepts my judgment, the evidence shows that the cap is capable of real damage to individuals such as the claimants.
"They are not workshy but find it, because of the care difficulties, impossible to comply with the work requirement."
The solicitor who represented the claimants said she thought around 17,000 families were affected by the cap in this way.
A Department for Work and Pensions spokeswoman said: "The benefit cap incentivises work, even if it's part-time, as anyone eligible for working tax credits or the equivalent under Universal Credit, is exempt.
"Even with the cap, lone parents can still receive benefits up to the equivalent salary of £25,000, or £29,000 in London, and we have made discretionary housing payments available to people who need extra help." | Labour would "look to" remove a cap on household benefits but has not yet costed the measure, the shadow work and pensions secretary has told the BBC. |
34866305 | Jason Langton, 20, who had sinusitis, was sent home from Wrexham Maelor Hospital days before his death in 2010.
Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board admitted liability for Mr Langton's death and awarded his family a five-figure settlement.
His family, from Chester, said the death should never have happened.
Mr Langton's mother, Jane, 53, said: "If people miss things once that is understandable, but this was not just once.
"When doctors say, 'take him home, it will be ok', you trust what they are saying and you do not answer.
"Looking back we should not have taken no for an answer. That plays through your mind - what could have been different."
Mr Langton first visited his GP suffering from sinusitis in April 2010.
It is a common condition in which the lining of the sinuses - small, air-filled cavities behind the cheekbones and forehead - become inflamed, usually due to a viral infection.
He was repeatedly prescribed nasal spray and antibiotics but these had no effect.
In the weeks leading up to his death, he suffered severe headaches, was frequently sick and lost weight.
On 8 November, he was in so much pain his sister Sam called an ambulance and he was rushed to Wrexham Maelor Hospital with an irregular heartbeat.
However, he was later discharged, and his condition worsened.
Doctors told Mr Langton to go back to his GP if he felt no better - and he did so on 11 November.
After examining him, the doctor told him to come back for an urgent review if things had not improved after the weekend.
But on 13 November, Mr Langton was found collapsed on his bedroom floor.
He was rushed back to Wrexham Maelor and given antibiotics, but no X-rays or brain scans.
Mr Langton's family claim that, if he had been scanned, doctors would have discovered his brain abscess and could have operated to drain it - meaning he would have stood a better chance of recovery.
But he was sent home in a wheelchair and went to bed at 22:00 GMT.
By 08:00 the following day his partner found he had turned blue and stopped breathing.
After again being taken to hospital, scans revealed a 6cm by 4cm (2in by 1.5in) abscess on the right frontal lobe of his brain.
He was then transferred to intensive care but was already brain dead and died later that day.
Paying tribute, Mrs Langton she "cannot forgive herself" for not forcing doctors to keep him in hospital.
She added: "He was the life and soul of the party.
"Looking back, we should have realised earlier something was seriously wrong. Jason lost a stone in weight, his face was gaunt and he looked like someone from a prisoner of war camp."
A spokesman for Betsi said: "We wish to again extend our sincere condolences to Mr Langton's family for their sad loss.
"The health board did learn from this sad experience and changes were put in place to prevent a similar situation arising in the future.
"Although we unable to comment in detail on this case, we can confirm that matters have been settled following due legal process." | A young dancer killed by a common infection which caused an abscess on his brain was twice turned away from A&E. |
40124940 | Dragons have struggled on the pitch in recent seasons and finished 11th in the Pro12 in 2016-17, the lowest of the four Welsh regions.
The region has a history of financial problems and chief executive Stuart Davies had warned of a "bleak" future had a takeover not been approved.
"Everyone's really positive about it," said Wales lock Hill.
"I think things are going to go forward in the future, which is good personally and good for the club itself."
Newport RFC shareholders overwhelmingly voted in favour of the takeover, which also includes the Rodney Parade ground.
A new company free of debt will now be formed, owned by the WRU, and all employees of the Dragons will now be taken on by the WRU.
The WRU and Dragons both approved the deal before the vote took place on 9 May, which needed to be passed by at least 75% of shareholders.
The Union already owned 50% of the region, which was formed in 2003.
Hill is currently with the Wales squad preparing for the two Tests against Tonga and Samoa later this month
The 25-year-old hopes to make an impression on the summer tour as the only capped lock in the tour party, with five Test appearances since his debut in November, 2016.
Alun Wyn Jones is on British and Irish Lions duty in New Zealand, Luke Charteris and Jake Ball are injured, while Bradley Davies is unavailable as his wife is due to give birth to their second child.
In addition, potential lock cover James King of Ospreys has been replaced by similarly versatile forward Aaron Shingler, of Scarlets.
King and Shingler have played lock during their careers.
"It would be great for me to hopefully get a place in the side and kick on from there," said Hill. | Cory Hill says the Welsh Rugby Union's takeover of Newport Gwent Dragons will allow the region to "go forward". |
27143947 | Mr Coulson said it had been a "mistake" and the irony was "not lost" on him, in view of his own on-off affair with his co-defendant, Rebekah Brooks.
Under cross-examination, Mr Coulson also denied knowledge of illegal phone hacking by NoW reporters.
He denies conspiring to hack phones.
He also denies conspiring to commit misconduct in a public office.
Mr Blunkett was home secretary in 2004 when the NoW revealed that he had been having an affair with then Spectator magazine publisher Kimberly Quinn.
He resigned later that year.
In an exchange with David Spens QC, a lawyer acting for former NoW royal editor Clive Goodman, Mr Coulson said he had made a mistake in deciding to pursue a story about Mr Blunkett's private life.
Mr Coulson said: "This was about someone having an affair, and given what was going on in my life, the irony is not lost on me."
Mr Spens then accused Mr Coulson of hypocrisy. Mr Coulson replied: "As I have said, the irony is not lost on me."
The court heard that in August 2004 Mr Coulson went to Mr Blunkett's home to question him about the affair but did not tell him he had heard an intercepted voicemail that the home secretary had left on Ms Quinn's mobile phone.
Mr Spens said: "Do you feel any shame about what you did?" Mr Coulson replied: "I regret it, yes."
Earlier the former editor was questioned about members of his senior staff at the NoW who have pleaded guilty to phone hacking.
In each instance Mr Coulson denied any knowledge of their activities.
Read profiles of the defendants
Mr Coulson said that when the paper's chief reporter at the time, Neville Thurlbeck, had played back to him an intercepted voicemail left by Mr Blunkett he had told the reporter to stop such activity.
Mr Coulson was repeatedly asked about his claim that he did not ask Mr Thurlbeck how he had gained access to the message.
He said he had told the reporter to "stop" but he did not "explore further".
He denied suggestions that he was not curious because he knew phone hacking was happening at the paper.
Asked if Mr Thurlbeck had received a written warning because of his behaviour, been the subject of a disciplinary process or been reported to the Press Complaints Commission, Mr Coulson replied: "No."
In other testimony, Mr Coulson denied putting pressure on his royal editor to use phone hacking to get stories.
"I did not ask Clive Goodman to do that," he said.
Mr Spens continued: "Not only did you know about hacking, you were putting pretty strong pressure on him to do better."
Mr Coulson said: "I had put legitimate pressure on Clive to improve his performance."
The former editor was also asked about a meeting he had with Mr Goodman in August 2006, after the former royal editor had been arrested on suspicion of illegally intercepting phone messages.
Mr Coulson denied he had offered Mr Goodman the prospect of work back at the paper if he pleaded guilty.
Mr Goodman's barrister suggested Mr Coulson had offered financial help so Mr Goodman "wouldn't rat" on other people at the paper.
"No," Mr Coulson replied.
The former editor said a conversation may have taken place about his concern for Mr Goodman and his family but added that his words had been "completely twisted".
Mr Coulson was also asked about allegations that he had told Mr Goodman he had influence over the police and wanted to stop the phone hacking investigation going deeper.
He said: "The paper had a difficult relationship with Sir Ian Blair, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, and I don't think we could have any influence over him. We had been very critical of him over [the killing of] Jean Charles De Menezes."
Mr Coulson, 46, of Charing, Kent, is one of seven defendants in the hacking trial. All deny the various charges against them.
The case continues. | Former News of the World editor Andy Coulson has told the phone-hacking trial he regrets his decision to expose ex-home secretary David Blunkett's affair in the paper. |
40392893 | The 23-year-old former Millwall trainee has also previously played for Luton Town, Aldershot and AFC Wimbledon, as well as Margate.
He started 21 National League games for Braintree in 2016-17, scoring once.
Meanwhile, right back Ryan Peters and midfielder James Mulley have signed new deals with Maidenhead, keeping them with the Magpies for a third season.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | National League-bound Maidenhead United have signed centre-back Jake Goodman from relegated outfit Braintree Town. |
35816349 | Jamie Jones-Buchanan, Adam Cuthbertson and Liam Sutcliffe put the hosts 16-0 up after only 12 minutes.
Scores from Kyle Amor, Luke Walsh and Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook then put the visitors ahead, before Carl Ablett's try gave Leeds a 22-18 half-time lead.
Ash Handley's try edged Rhinos further ahead as St Helens lost for only the second time this campaign.
Reigning champions Rhinos took an early lead when Jones-Buchanan, on his 300th Super League appearance, went over after Handley intercepted a St Helens kick.
After Cuthbertson stormed over from close range, Sutcliffe ran 30 metres for the home side's third try when Amor miscued a bobbling ball.
St Helens finally got on the board when a short pass from Walsh found Amor to score between the posts.
Saints went over again as Walsh danced through to touch down, while McCarthy-Scarsbrook opened Leeds up down the middle as the visitors edged in front.
But just as St Helens seemed set for a half-time lead, Ablett went over with the last play of the half for Rhinos as he burst through two tackles.
A cagey second half saw Handley time his run to perfection to meet Beau Falloon's kick for Rhinos' fifth try and St Helens were unable to mount another comeback.
Leeds head coach Brian McDermott:
"It was a crazy game. It was end-to-end stuff - a bit too fast.
"Some passages both coaches would be unhappy with but then there were some passages both coaches would be pleased with, I certainly was anyway.
"There were some defensive efforts and try-savers which were probably created from initial loose defence, but then we end up saving the try which kept us in the game."
St Helens head coach Keiron Cunningham:
"We don't seem to get off the bus for the first 10 to 15 minutes when we come to Leeds.
"We seem to want to give one of the best sides in the comp a leg up. Sixteen points is tough to chase down anywhere, especially at Headingley.
"The game was really scrappy and really open in that first half. It was whichever side took a grip of the game and kicked the ball best that was going to win it, and we just decided we didn't want to do that."
Leeds: Hardaker; Handley, Watkins, Moon, Hall; Sutcliffe, Burrow; Galloway, Falloon, Cuthbertson, Ablett, Ferres, Jones-Buchanan.
Replacements: Lilley, Mullally, Walters, Delaney.
St Helens: McDonnell; Makinson, Peyroux, Dawson, Owens; Turner, Walsh; Walmsley, Roby, Amor, Vea, Greenwood, Wilkin.
Replacements: McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Tasi, Richards, Thompson.
Referee: Ben Thaler | Leeds Rhinos picked up their second victory of the season by beating St Helens in Super League. |
39714476 | Media playback is not supported on this device
The win put Antonio Conte's team seven points ahead of second-placed Spurs, who are at Crystal Palace on Wednesday.
"It's always good to play before and put pressure on them," said Hazard.
Cahill called the win a "massive step", adding: "It's the first time for a long time we've played before Tottenham."
On Tuesday, Chelsea took a fifth-minute lead when Belgium winger Hazard beat keeper Fraser Forster with a low strike, before Oriol Romeu equalised for the Saints from close range.
England centre-back Cahill, who missed Chelsea's 4-2 win over Spurs in Sunday's FA Cup semi-final, headed his side back in front just before half-time.
Spain striker Diego Costa put the result beyond doubt with two goals after the break - taking his Chelsea career league tally to 51 - before former Blues defender Ryan Bertrand scored Southampton's second in stoppage time.
Conte, whose side had been beaten twice in their past four league games, said: "We passed a big step - a big psychological step - after the defeat against Manchester United.
"We lost three points, then we had to prepare a semi-final against Tottenham, then another tough game here. Mentally we have had a really important test.
"Our answer was very good. We must be pleased."
Media playback is not supported on this device
BBC chief football writer Phil McNulty at Stamford Bridge:
Conte turned and applauded all four sides of Stamford Bridge as the clock ticked down on a vital night in the Premier League title race.
The pressure valve had been released after the moments of uncertainty in the past 10 days as Conte and Chelsea's players re-asserted their position at the top of the table with a comfortable win.
Chelsea's superiority - and nerve - had been questioned after a timid loss at Manchester United came so soon after a shock home defeat by Crystal Palace - but normal service was eventually restored here and they have that important seven-point advantage once more.
The mood around Stamford Bridge was not exactly triumphant, but the feelgood factor is back after the FA Cup semi-final win over Spurs and what was ultimately a comfortable dispatch of Southampton.
Chelsea have responded to being backed into a corner, not just by Jose Mourinho's Manchester United, but also by an excellent Spurs side for the first hour of that pulsating Wembley semi-final.
And much of the credit must go to Conte, who was also questioned after he was tactically outmanoeuvred by Mourinho when the Portuguese's decision to man mark Eden Hazard with Ander Herrera was a match-winning masterstroke at Old Trafford.
He rested Hazard and Diego Costa from his starting line-up at Wembley, used them when required to win that game and then started them here - with both pivotal to a win that pushes Chelsea closer to the title.
Conte has shown a sure touch from the moment he reverted to his true tactical instincts and his favoured three-man defensive system following a home loss to Liverpool and a chastening 3-0 defeat at Arsenal in September.
So it should come as no surprise that he has responded so well, and so calmly, to a couple of unexpected setbacks to restore balance at Chelsea and ease any anxiety among their supporters.
Conte can now sit back and relax on Wednesday night as Spurs take their turn in the spotlight by tackling a currently very formidable Crystal Palace side in the hostile environment of Selhurst Park. | Tottenham will be feeling the heat after Chelsea beat Southampton 4-2 to edge closer to the Premier League title, say Blues goalscorers Eden Hazard and Gary Cahill. |
39836316 | The new pairing won Sunday's final of the lightweight men's double sculls, leading from start to finish.
Ireland's Rio Olympic silver medallists Paul and Gary O'Donovan were fourth.
There were also bronze medals for Enniskillen's Holly Nixon in the women's quadruple sculls and Joel Cassells in the lightweight men's pair.
Chambers and Fletcher held off a late surge from Czech Republic and Poland, with the O'Donovan brothers struggling home out of the medal positions in Serbia.
With the double sculls the only lightweight category remaining on the Olympic programme for Tokyo 2020 this was the first opportunity for Chambers and Fletcher to lay down a marker for the rest of the season and beyond.
Having come through their heat and semi-final comfortably, they set an impressive pace in the final from the start and by the halfway mark they had built up a lead of a length.
Fletcher had sculled with Peter's older brother Richard during the last Olympic cycle and eventually finished seventh in Rio while the younger Chambers sibling was a member of the lightweight four that also finished seventh.
There were only three entrants in the women's quadruple sculls and Poland, with two under-23 world champions in the their quartet and Netherlands with two Olympic silver medallists among their crew, were too strong for a Great Britain boat that included Nixon.
In the lightweight men's pair Cassells and partner Sam Scrimgeour, the current European champions, led after the first 500m but were overhauled by Ireland's Shane O'Driscoll and Mark O'Donovan by the halfway mark and by the Russian pair in the final stages of the race.
The GB pair ultimately had to settle for third place with the Irish duo going on to take gold.
All three Northern Ireland rowers are expected to be named next week in the Great Britain squad for the European Championships in Racice, Czech Republic that take place from 26-28 May. | Coleraine's Peter Chambers and Will Fletcher from England took gold for Great Britain & NI at the first World Cup regatta of the season in Belgrade. |
38332449 | This year has seen the body involved in a public row with groups of crofters.
Its board has made a public apology for its handling of this dispute and sought the resignation of its convener, who says he has done nothing wrong.
The minister made his comment in connection with legislation for the commission's elections in 2017.
Legislation has been approved by the Scottish Parliament for next year's election of commissioners to the board of crofting's regulatory body.
While Mr Ewing has not mentioned the issues faced by the present board, he said: "We want to see the commission focus on building on successful developments in crofting, refocusing attention on being an effective regulator and delivering an excellent service to crofters.
"To do this, we need people who care about the long-term future of crofting to stand for election, or re-election next March.
"It is vital that all crofters make their voice heard by voting in next year's election to ensure that the Crofting Commission represents and reflects the interests and diversity of our crofting communities."
His statement follows a meeting of the board in Inverness on Wednesday. | Fergus Ewing has said the Scottish government wants to see the Crofting Commission "refocusing attention on being an effective regulator". |
38642826 | The teenager, from Renfrew near Glasgow, is so worried about his appearance that he photoshops all of his online profile pictures.
Almost a third of 2,000 UK teenagers, polled for a body confidence campaign, avoid activities like PE because of fears about their looks.
The Be Real Campaign says schools have a key role in combating body anxiety.
Fears about they way they look are "having a profoundly negative effect on a significant number of young people in the UK", says the report.
Some young people are able to reject the pressure to look perfect but "those who cannot often suffer in silence, too afraid to share their insecurities with others... a sense of hopelessness often dominates these individuals", it warns.
Josh told the researchers that he had already had to leave a school "because of bullying and it was all because I was fat".
He said the trend for plus size models had not taken off in men's fashion, adding: "I genuinely don't know one big male model."
And he believes a lot of the pressure to conform to a certain type stems from images in the media "celebrities, plastic surgery, the Kardashians".
"See the guys in my year, a lot of them are like tanks with six packs.
"A lot of guys get their eyebrows done, including me and I photoshop every one of my profile pictures. I get rid of my spots, I get rid of my double chin and it genuinely takes me 25 minutes to make one."
According to the research more than half (52%) of 11 to 16-year-olds regularly worry about their looks - 60% of girls and 43% of boys.
Despite these pressures, fewer than half (48%) of the young people surveyed said they had discussed body confidence in lessons.
Be Real has launched a toolkit to help schools promote pupils' body confidence.
"Evidence shows that schools are uniquely placed to support young people to hold positive discussions around body image with their peers and help reduce the negative impact low body confidence can have," said Denise Hatton, YMCA chief executive for England and Wales.
Julie Hunter, assistant head teacher at Bradon Forest School in Wiltshire, said the toolkit could help teachers "to use accurate language so they're confident when delivering these lessons".
"Equally it is vital that we make students aware of this issue," Ms Hunter added. | "I downright refuse to do PE," admits 16-year-old Josh who believes he is fat and fears bullying. |
35489028 | The 45-year old plant has been loss-making for two years and was forecast to continue losing money until 2020.
Renewable energy and cheap gas prices have made coal-fired power plants increasingly expensive to run.
SSE has entered into consultation with staff. The closures could mean up to 213 job losses.
The power plant provides two gigawatts of power, to the north-west of England, which is enough to supply around two million homes with electricity.
A fourth unit at the plant will remain open as it has a contract to provide power for the National Grid next winter.
Three months ago, the government announced the permanent closure of all coal-fired power plants by 2025 as part of plans to lower carbon emissions from the electricity sector.
""The reality is the station is ageing, its method of generating electricity is being rendered out of date and it has been and is expected to continue to be loss-making in the years ahead," Paul Smith, managing director of the generation business at SSE, said in a statement.
Fiddler's Ferry power plant won a 2018/19 capacity market contract from the government for three of its units in UK's first capacity market auction. The contracts are intended to ensure there is sufficient power capacity on the electricity network to ensure that the lights stay on when renewable energy production is low.
SSE said it would incur a penalty charge of around £33m for breaching the contract by closing the units.
Mr Smith said: "The fact it makes more sense for SSE to contemplate making a substantial payment in lieu of the capacity agreement relating to Fiddler's Ferry in 2018/19 demonstrates just how economically challenged Fiddler's Ferry has become - its losses are unsustainable."
Last month, SSE was unsuccessful in gaining a capacity contract for the power plant for the year 2019/20.
The likely closure of the Fiddler's Ferry coal-fired power plant follows an announcement by SSE last May that it was closing down its Ferrybridge power station in Yorkshire border in March 2016. | Energy company SSE has said it expects to close three out of four units at its Fiddler's Ferry coal-fired power plant in Cheshire by 1 April. |
33375976 | Overall, missed GP and hospital appointments cost the health service in England nearly £1bn a year, Jeremy Hunt said in a speech this week.
He said he sympathised with the idea of charging patients for missing GP appointments, although there are no plans for this to happen.
But he said people would have to "take personal responsibility" for NHS funds.
In a measure announced in a speech to the Local Government Association on Wednesday, Mr Hunt said he planned to display the cost of prescription medicines on packets.
The figure and the words "funded by the UK taxpayer" will be added to all packs costing more than £20 in England.
The move is part of efforts to reduce the £300m bill for "wasted" medication, which is prescribed but not used.
In the same speech, he said missed GP appointments cost the taxpayer £162m and missed hospital appointments cost £750m.
Mr Hunt told the Question Time programme that NHS resources were stretched already, adding there would be more than one million extra people aged over 70 by the end of the current parliament.
"If we're going to square the circle and have a fantastic NHS, despite all those pressures, then we have to take personal responsibility for the way that we use NHS resources," he said.
Mr Hunt told the audience in Essex he did not have a "problem in principle with the idea of charging people for missed appointments."
But he added: "I think in practical terms it could be difficult to do, but I've taken a step towards that this week by announcing that when people do miss an appointment they will be told how much that's cost the NHS."
Labour's Jeremy Corbyn, who is standing to succeed Ed Miliband as party leader, accused pharmaceutical companies of holding the NHS "to ransom" by charging high prices for medicines.
On the idea of charging for missed appointments, My Corbyn added: "I don't think it would be a very good idea. I think it would be very hard to collect it.
"There are lots of reasons people miss appointments - some because they are lazy and can't be bothered, sometimes because they couldn't get there, all kinds of things."
Shadow health minister Andrew Gwynne said the real reason people were struggling to see a GP was because David Cameron had scrapped the right to a GP appointment within 48 hours and cut Labour's scheme for evening and weekend opening.
"Patients have a responsibility to attend GP appointments and to let their surgery know if they cannot attend," he said.
"Many GP surgeries already remind patients about appointments using text messages and emails, and the first priority should be to expand the use of these services, rather than cutting the funding for them, as the government is planning to do." | Patients who miss appointments will be told how much they have cost the NHS, the health secretary has revealed. |
40380720 | A row broke out in March after the commissioners expressed anger that the "landmark" building was put up for sale by the Isle of Man government.
The organisation said an agreement, which includes a payment of £80,000, followed "detailed discussions" with the Department of Home Affairs.
Chairman Andy Cowie said he was "delighted to finally agree terms".
The deal, which it is hoped will be completed by August, will see the commissioners take over the freehold title of the building and grounds, which includes a war memorial and gardens.
The organisation has agreed to grant the department a 25-year lease on the existing police office at Ramsey Town Hall at a "nominal rent".
Home Affairs minister Bill Malarkey said he was delighted there had been a positive outcome.
Mr Cowie said the building, which was built in the early 19th Century, was "recognised as being at the heart of Ramsey".
It has been used as a theatre, police station and post office. | Ramsey Commissioners have agreed a deal to buy the town's former courthouse, it has announced. |
39666822 | The Italian court, in Ivrea, agreed that a man's brain tumour was linked to his mobile phone use.
It awarded Robert Romero 500 euros (£418/$535) a month in compensation.
He had claimed that using his business mobile phone for three or four hours a day, over a period of 15 years, led to the growth of the benign tumour.
The money will be paid by a body established to compensate people for work-based injuries.
There could yet be an appeal against the ruling, and the legal reasoning behind the judge's decision is not due to be released for at least a few days.
"We know that many people are concerned about a possible connection between mobile phone use and the development of brain tumours," said Dr David Jenkinson, chief scientific officer for the Brain Tumour Charity.
"However, the global research projects that have been conducted so far, involving hundreds of thousands of people, have found insufficient evidence that using a mobile phone increases the risk of developing a brain tumour."
The decision of the court did not change the evidence, he added.
"Of course, it is right that researchers continue to explore whether any such link exists," said Dr Jenkinson.
Mr Romero, whose profession was not reported, said he wanted people to be more aware about mobile phone use but did not want to "demonise" the devices.
His lawyer, Stefano Bertone from the law firm Ambrosio and Commodo, told the BBC his client currently has no plans to sue any of the handset manufacturers or the mobile phone industry itself.
He added that the firm has other cases in other parts of Italy.
"We have also been approached by an interesting number of people in the last 24 hours saying they have experienced the same kind of thing. And they can show they have accumulative use of mobile phones that's exceeding 1,000 hours," he said.
"No-one can pretend with definitive certainty to assess a legal case. Most opponents say there is no scientific certainty so therefore it is not true. That is not the case."
Mr Bertone highlighted a continuing o study by the National Toxicology Program in the US.
Preliminary findings released in 2016 suggested a "low incidence" of brain and heart tumours in male rats exposed to doses of radiofrequency radiation totalling up to nine hours a day over a two-year period.
However, as it is not finished, the study has not yet been scrutinised by other scientists, a process known as peer reviewing, which is generally considered an essential stage of evaluating research. | The Brain Tumour Charity has said there is insufficient scientific evidence linking mobile phone use with brain tumours, following a court ruling. |
40985845 | It follows reports the International Trade Secretary Liam Fox has suggested devolved administrations should not be able to veto trade deals.
Plaid Cymru said no deal should be signed without the "endorsement" of the Welsh Government.
The UK government said it wants a trade policy that represents all of the UK.
The Times has reported that Mr Fox has written to cabinet colleagues setting out four options for negotiating trade deals.
The newspaper claims that he is understood to "favour options that do not give the devolved administrations a veto".
Mr Jones accused Mr Fox of "huge arrogance" but stopped short of calling for a Welsh Government veto on Brexit deals.
"It's massively important there's as much support as possible for any post-Brexit arrangements," he said.
"Liam Fox seems determined to work only for one part of the UK and not for all of it.
"We should have a very strong view. We should be part of the negotiation of these deals.
"A trade deal with some countries could affect Welsh farming directly so it is massively important that we are able to give our approval to trade deals and to be able to support the UK government with trade deals that work for Wales."
The First Minister added: "Devolution in Wales exists as the result of two referendums.
"The settled will of the Welsh people cannot be ignored any more than the EU referendum result."
He added future trading relationships with the EU and the rest of the world "needs the broad consensus of all the nations of the UK to be a success".
Plaid Cymru's treasury spokesman MP Jonathan Edwards said: "If the UK leaves the customs union enabling it to strike trade deals, it is vital that no trade deal is signed without the endorsement of the Welsh Government.
"Otherwise the British government could expose key Welsh economic sectors and our public services, effectively supplanting the devolved settlement."
The department for international trade said no final position had yet been reached.
A spokesman said: "We have been very clear that we want a trade policy that is inclusive and transparent and which represents the whole of the United Kingdom.
"We will not be giving a running commentary on possible future trade policy".
A Wales Office spokeswoman said: "We are committed to working with devolved administrations to ensure we deliver a deal that works for the whole of the UK. We will continue to liaise with them closely on this important issue." | Post-Brexit trade deals must have the "broad consensus" of all four UK nations, First Minister Carwyn Jones has said. |
40563419 | Media playback is not supported on this device
Willis, 26, and Clarke, 18, had beaten 2016 champions Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut in the second round.
However, their run ended with a 6-3 6-4 7-6 (7-3) loss to Marach and Pavic.
In the men's singles tournament last year, Willis battled through the qualifying tournament before losing to Roger Federer in round two. | Brtain's Marcus Willis and Jay Clarke were knocked out of the men's doubles, losing in the last 16 to Austria's Oliver Marach and Croatia's Mate Pavic. |
39310883 | Mae Cyngor Caerdydd yn parhau i drafod y cynlluniau ar gyfer yr orsaf fysiau gyda'r datblygwyr Rightacres.
Y disgwyl yw y bydd yn agor ym mis Rhagfyr 2017, ond dywedodd y cyngor mai "canllaw yn unig" oedd yr amserlen honno.
Dywedodd y cynghorydd Elizabeth Clark ei fod yn "warthus" nad oes llawer wedi ei wneud.
"Rwy'n poeni fwyfwy ynghylch a fydd Caerdydd fyth yn cael gorsaf fysiau priodol eto," meddai arweinydd grŵp y Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol ar y cyngor.
Cafodd y cyn-orsaf fysiau ei dymchwel i wneud lle i bencadlys newydd BBC Cymru.
Rhoddwyd caniatâd cynllunio i'r orsaf fysiau newydd, yn ogystal ag unedau manwerthu a swyddfeydd gan gynghorwyr yn gynharach y mis hwn.
Dywedodd adroddiad ar gyfer y cyfarfod cabinet y cyngor ddydd Iau fod trafodaethau ar y gweill i gyrraedd cytundeb dros ariannu rhan y gyfnewidfa fysiau o'r datblygiad.
"Mae'r cyngor yn ceisio sicrhau y bydd y gyfnewidfa fysiau yn cael ei gwblhau o fewn y gyllideb ac amserlen bresennol, ac yn bwriadu gorffen y trafodaethau hyn mewn pryd i alluogi'r gwaith adeiladu i gychwyn yn syth ar ôl cwblhau'r gwaith o baratoi'r safle." | Nid yw'r cyllid ar gyfer gorsaf fysiau gwerth miliynau o bunnau yng Nghaerdydd wedi cael ei ddynodi, a hynny naw mis cyn y mae disgwyl iddi agor. |
34338919 | For years he has been a popular campaigner in the party, and during the years of coalition he wasn't shy of having a swipe at his colleagues who had gone into government.
But it was his first big set piece speech as the party's leader and after the Lib Dems' appalling loss at the general election, his task was not really to punch through to the general public. Let's be realistic, with the party so diminished, most voters won't be paying that much attention.
Instead it was to persuade his party that all is not lost.
On that, a passionate and well-delivered speech, peppered with anecdotes from his own childhood, hit the right notes. He tried, and in the most part succeeded, to combine his brand of Northern charm, with the heft of a serious politician.
What was harder for him was to be convincing on the second goal he wants to achieve - to present his party as the true opposition to the government, occupying the political space Labour is in the middle of abandoning under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership.
This was trickier, not least because his members and colleagues know that Farron's true personal political centre is on the left of the Liberal Democrats.
No surprise then that the most passionate parts of the speech, that earned him standing ovations, were his strong criticisms of the government's position on housing, and the handling of the refugee crisis.
Both were heartfelt, strong pleas, that will prove popular with his members. But they betrayed perhaps what he'll find hard - branding himself and his party as rooted in the sensible centre, when that's several degrees to the right of his own beliefs.
And while the speech will have pleased those in the hall, there is no escaping the electoral facts. With only eight MPs left in the House of Commons, Farron faces a monumental challenge not just to get back to anything remotely approximating power, but to get a regular slice of political action.
It was not so much, "go back to your constituencies and prepare for government", David Steel's ill-fated and premature command to his party in 1981. But more like, "go back to your constituencies and prepare to put this party back together piece by piece, ward by ward, council by council".
Tim Farron has given his party the energy to start that fight, but don't be under any illusion that it will be a long, hard slog. | Tim Farron didn't need to introduce himself to the audience in the Liberal Democrat conference hall. |
40595727 | The six-year-old Sunderland fan, from Blackhall Colliery, County Durham, died on Friday following a cancer fight.
Former Sunderland striker Jermain Defoe, who became friends with Bradley, left a training camp in Spain for the funeral.
The service will be held at St Joseph's Church in the village at 11:15 BST and is "open to everyone", his family said.
It will be followed by a private crematorium ceremony.
Speakers will broadcast the funeral service to people unable to be accommodated within the church.
Bradley's family said they would wear football shirts in honour of his love of the sport.
A vigil and minute's applause are planned at Grey's Monument in Newcastle city centre at the same time as the funeral, while balloons will be released at noon at Sunderland's Stadium of Light.
Bradley was diagnosed with neuroblastoma aged 18 months.
Having been in remission following treatment, he relapsed last year and his parents were told in December his illness was terminal.
In the months before his death he struck up a friendship with Jermain Defoe, who called him a "little superstar".
Defoe is now with Bournemouth and the club announced on Thursday the 34-year-old had left their pre-season training camp in Marbella to travel back for the funeral.
Bradley also led out the England team at Wembley, attended the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards and was a special guest at the Grand National.
Tributes poured in from around the world when his parents announced his death on Facebook. | Crowds of mourners are expected to line the streets for the funeral of Bradley Lowery. |
36053328 | The toddler went missing from a Primark store in Northumberland Street in Newcastle city centre shortly before 17:00 BST on Wednesday.
She was found more than an hour later, about three miles away in Gosforth.
The girls, aged 13 and 14, are also charged with shoplifting dummies, baby milk and a bottle.
The teenagers, who cannot be identified, appeared at South East Northumberland Magistrates' Court.
They were denied bail and ordered to be tagged and remanded into local authority care.
They were also banned from entering the city centre and discussing the case on social media.
Their next appearance will be at North Tyneside Youth Court on 13 May. | Two teenage girls have appeared in court charged with kidnapping a two-year-old child with the intention of committing a sexual offence. |
35502372 | David England, 67, from Llandre, Aberystwyth, died after the A4519 crash in March 2015. His daughter was also seriously injured.
Margaret Christopher, of Banks, Lancashire, also denied causing serious injury by dangerous driving at Swansea Crown Court.
She was released on bail. | An 81-year-old woman has denied causing the death of a father by dangerous driving following a crash in Ceredigion. |
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