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36432549 | Jones said he was "shunted" into the baggage check area by customs officials on arrival in Brisbane on Thursday.
Bag checks are common in Australia, but Jones is well known in his home nation.
"Everything that's done around the game is going to be co-ordinated, all co-ordinated to help Australia win," said the 56-year-old.
"I just went through immigration and I got shunted through the area where everything got checked. That's what I'm expecting.
"We've got to be good enough to control what we can control."
England won one Test in Sydney during the last tour in 2010, one of only three wins they have ever managed against the hosts in Australia.
Jones, who coached Australia to the 2003 World Cup final where they lost to England, faces a Wallabies side that has former Randwick team-mate Michael Cheika at the helm.
"Australia are ranked second in the world, they've got the best coach in the world and they're playing in their own backyard so they are going to be strong," said the Australian.
"In Australia, we've won three Tests since Captain Cook arrived, so it's not a great record is it?"
Jones added: "He's been very quiet, it's a new Cheika we're facing at the moment but I'm sure the old one will come out."
Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox. | England's Australian head coach Eddie Jones expects life to be made as difficult as possible during their three-Test tour of Australia. |
35988761 | Joseph Page, 62, of Brecon Close, Ipswich, was sentenced after being found guilty at Ipswich Crown Court last month.
The court heard his victim was younger than ten years old when Page assaulted her in the 1990s.
Suffolk Police said the case showed it was possible to "get justice for victims of historical offences".
Read this and more stories from Suffolk
Det Con Natalie Cole said: "A friend of the victim had encouraged her to tell her partner about the abuse and, after receiving their support, she decided to report to police.
"She was interviewed and gave a clear account of several occasions when abuse had occurred."
She added: "The result today has again shown that we can get justice for victims of historical offences.
"Any allegations will be investigated and, even if you do not wish to go to court, support and help is available." | A man has been jailed for 13 years for six counts of indecent assault on a child. |
39456884 | Under a draft plan, the total of 19,000 peacekeepers will be reduced by 3,000.
The UN force is already undermanned by close to that number.
The move came as a political deal brokered by the Catholic Church to pave the way to presidential elections collapsed, leaving the country on edge.
Several UN member states have signalled a desire to cut spending on peacekeeping, in particular the new Trump administration in the United States - which is the largest donor.
On Wednesday, the US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Hailey, said the UN was partnering with a "corrupt" government in Congo, and called for the downsizing of Monusco.
Monusco was instrumental in defeating the M23, the largest rebel group in DR Congo, by setting up special brigade authorised to resort to use force if necessary.
However it has also faced violent demonstrations and attacks by civilians, who accuse it of being ineffective.
Most of the anti-UN protests have taken place in the eastern region of Kivu, where armed groups continue to commit massacres, especially in the Beni region.
In the region, peacekeepers have often been referred to as "tourists" because they are associated with travel in helicopters and 4x4 vehicles. | The UN Security Council has voted to cut the size of Monusco, its largest and most expensive peacekeeping mission, which operates in the Democratic Republic of Congo. |
38992284 | Bradley Lowery. from Blackhall Colliery, near Hartlepool, has terminal neuroblastoma.
A 24-year-old from Hartlepool was arrested in December on suspicion of offences under the Malicious Communications Act.
Cleveland Police said the case remained open and inquiries were continuing.
Bradley, who was diagnosed with the disease in 2013, made headlines around the world after featuring as Sunderland Football Club's mascot.
Last year £700,000 was raised for him and treatment has now begun in hospital in a bid to prolong his life. | No charges are to be brought against a woman accused of posting a malicious message on Facebook about a terminally ill five-year-old boy. |
36857254 | The 24-year-old scored five goals in 45 appearances for Posh after joining them from Welling in November 2014, but was not in new boss Grant McCann's plans.
He follows defender Gabriel Zakuani in swapping Peterborough for the Cobblers this summer.
"Harry is a very good addition for us," said Northampton manager Rob Page.
"He is a lively character and a player who has a decent amount of experience in League One. He is also a good age, who will get better and better, and I think we are signing him at a good time.
"He is a box-to-box midfielder who creates things, makes things happen and can score a goal or two so he will add to our attacking options."
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | Northampton Town have signed midfielder Harry Beautyman from fellow League One side Peterborough United for an undisclosed fee on a two-year deal. |
38769136 | Mr Fillon is at the centre of a media storm over allegations that for years his wife was paid for parliamentary work she did not do.
The conservative candidate told French TV there was nothing improper or illegal about his wife's employment.
He said he would provide proof but he refused to be tried by the media.
The satirical weekly Le Canard Enchaine claimed on Wednesday that:
That prompted financial prosecutors to open a preliminary investigation, though Mr Fillon and his wife will only be placed under formal judicial investigation or face charges if prosecutors find there is substance to the claims.
Speaking to France's main commercial news programme, TF1, Mr Fillon said he was filing a complaint against Le Canard Enchaine, expressing his "disgust" for the case.
He questioned the timing of the claims - pointing out that they relate to a period ending in 2013 - and said they only strengthened his resolve to fight for the French presidency in April and May.
"Only one thing would prevent me from being a candidate: it's if my honour was harmed, if I were placed under formal investigation" by a judge.
"My wife has been working for me forever, ever since I first got elected in 1981," Mr Fillon told TF1, adding that for most of that time it was for free.
That work included correcting speeches, receiving important visitors, and representing him at meetings - work which was "real, legal and perfectly transparent".
"The question is why - while my wife had been paid from 1997 - this is coming out now, two-and-a-half months before the election? Clearly this is to try and take me down as a presidential candidate."
In a bid to squash the story quickly, Mr Fillon has instructed his lawyer to provide documents to the prosecutor disproving the claims, but said he would not release anything to the "media court".
Commentators say the case has the potential to inflict enormous damage on the candidate who has pitched himself as honest and morally irreproachable.
"This affair is a real danger for Francois Fillon and can compromise his campaign because it sows the poison of suspicion about his probity, whereas this marker was his main strength," Yves-Marie Cann, director of political studies at The Elabe Institute, told Le Monde newspaper.
"We're in trouble, this is really not helping us," one lawmaker for Mr Fillon's Republicans Party told Reuters news agency on condition of anonymity.
Until now, Mrs Fillon, who was born in Wales, had been portrayed as a homemaker in the family's 12th Century chateau near Le Mans, west of Paris.
In October she told Le Bien Public newspaper: "Up to now, I have never been involved in the political life of my husband."
Mr Fillon is the frontrunner for the presidential election in April, with National Front leader Marine Le Pen and centrist Emmanuel Macron as his main challengers.
The 62-year-old right-wing candidate has criticised wasteful public spending and plans to cut 500,000 civil service jobs if elected. | Francois Fillon has said he would drop out of the race for the French presidency if he were criminally investigated. |
32099792 | In court was David James Carlton, 26, from Great Victoria Street.
He faces a number of charges including attempting to inflict grievous bodily harm and possessing a weapon - a crutch - with intent to cause GBH.
A judge said it was "one of the worst types" of domestic violence he had seen.
"I'm not even going to dream of entertaining a release on bail," he added.
Mr Carlton is also accused of causing criminal damage to various items including a TV and mobile phone, stealing his alleged victim's keys and SIM card, false imprisonment, causing actual bodily harm, common assault and breaching a non-molestation order on dates between 24-26 March this year.
Giving evidence to the court, a detective constable said a neighbour of the alleged victim called police to report that his neighbour had been beaten up by her boyfriend.
She said when officers arrived at her property in the Cregagh estate, they noticed multiple injuries including - cuts and bruises to her head, "footwear marks" to her head and stomach and multiple bruises to her hands, arms and stomach.
The officer said the alleged victim had claimed that Mr Carlton, who appeared in the dock with his foot in plaster and walking with a crutch, had used the crutch and injured foot to "hit her repeatedly" before damaging her TV, a radiator and a vase.
A defence solicitor said his client's case was that his ex-partner called him claiming to have been attacked by three men so he went "to comfort her" even though that was a breach of the non-molestation order.
Refusing the bail application however, the judge said that "on the face of it, this is one of the worst types of domestic violence".
Remanding Mr Carlton into custody to appear again on 17 April, the judge also declared there was "no way in the world" that the case should stay in the lower courts but should be prosecuted in the Crown Court. | A Belfast man accused of beating his partner with a crutch and his plastered foot has been refused bail. |
36975266 | The world, European and Commonwealth champion will now meet Ukraine's Tetyana Kob or Bulgarian Stanimira Petrova on 15 August.
Fifth seed Muhammad Ali progresses unchallenged in the men's fly, as does third seed Joe Joyce at heavyweight.
Team GB, who won five medals at London 2012, have a squad of 12 boxers in Rio, each in a different weight class.
During a confusing draw process, officials made no mention of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) ratifying a decision to allow 11 Russian boxers to compete at the Games.
The IOC asked individual federations to decide whether Russians could compete following the country's doping scandal.
No Britons drew a Russian opponent.
Commonwealth middleweight champion Anthony Fowler's draw is arguably the toughest as he faces fifth seed Zhanibek Alimkhanuly of Kazhakstan.
Savannah Marshall, also Commonwealth champion, meets Sweden's Anna Laurell Nash at middleweight and could face Dutch second seed Nouchka Fontijn if she wins.
Ireland's Olympic champion Katie Taylor received a bye at lightweight.
Women's fly: Nicola Adams (1) v Bye
Women's middle: Savannah Marshall v Anne Laurell Nash (Swe)
Men's light-fly: Galal Yafai v Simplice Fotsala (Cmr)
Men's fly: Muhammad Ali (5) v Bye;
Men's Bantam: Qais Ashfaq v Chatchai Butdee (Tha);
Men's lightweight: Joseph Cordina v Coronel Charly Suarez (Phi)
Men's light welterweight: Pat McCormack v Ablaikhan Zhussupov (Kaz)
Men's welterweight: Josh Kelly v Walid Mohamed (Egy)
Men's middleweight: Anthony Fowler v Zhanibek Alimkhanuly (5) (Kaz)
Men's light heavyweight: Joshua Buatsi v Kennedy Katende (Uga)
Men's heavyweight: Lawrence Okolie v Igor Pawel Jakubowski (Pol)
Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox. | Olympic champion Nicola Adams is one of three Great Britain boxers to receive a first-round bye at Rio 2016. |
32672274 | The Bank of Scotland found both employment and new business increased in April.
There was marginal growth in business activity for service sector companies.
But manufacturers registered a modest contraction, with exporters appearing to suffer from the effects of low growth in the eurozone.
The bank's monthly PMI - which measures changes in combined manufacturing and services output - improved to 50.7 during April, from March's 49.4.
Any reading above 50 suggests economic expansion.
Although last month's figure indicated only marginal growth, it was the best reading recorded by the survey so far this year.
The survey showed services firms picked up new business, reportedly benefiting from increased marketing and a rise in market confidence.
Growth was registered in the business services and travel, tourism and leisure categories, but a slight fall was seen in financial services.
Manufacturers reported a fall in new export business, in part due to unfavourable exchange rates with key trading partners.
On the jobs front, employment grew for a third successive month, with some companies expecting business expansion over the coming months.
Service sector companies were the primary source of higher employment, as manufacturing payroll numbers declined slightly.
Bank of Scotland chief economist Donald MacRae said: "The slowdown of the first three months of this year is slowly being reversed with both employment and new business increasing in April, suggesting a return to a more normal growth rate in the second quarter." | The economic slowdown seen in the first quarter of this year is gradually being reversed, according to a survey of Scottish purchasing managers. |
36536399 | An appeal was launched on Tuesday after Lee McLaughlin, from Gleneely in County Donegal, missed his return flight home.
The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) had appealed to supporters in France to help locate Mr McLaughlin.
The 19-year-old attended the Republic of Ireland's Euro 2016 match against Sweden on Monday. | A Republic of Ireland football supporter reported missing in France has been found "safe and well", the Irish Embassy have said. |
36067591 | The British Airways flight from Geneva was hit as it approached the London airport at about 12:50 BST with 132 passengers and five crew on board.
After landing, the pilot reported an object - believed to be a drone - had struck the front of the Airbus A320.
Aviation police based at Heathrow have launched an investigation.
Police said no arrests have been made.
If confirmed, it is believed to be the first incident of its kind in the UK.
A British Airways spokesman said: "Our aircraft landed safely, was fully examined by our engineers and it was cleared to operate its next flight."
The airline will give the police "every assistance with their investigation", the spokesman added.
A Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) spokesman said it was "totally unacceptable" to fly drones close to airports, and anyone flouting the rules can face "severe penalties, including imprisonment".
Steve Landells, from the British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa), said it had been "only a matter of time before we had a drone strike". He called for greater enforcement of existing rules.
Are drones dangerous or harmless fun?
Drones pose 'real threat' to civil aviation
Leo Kelion, Technology editor
Flying a drone near an airport can already be punished with up to five years in prison, and rules also forbid taking them above 400ft (122m) or near buildings and crowds of people.
But the latest incident will only add to the pressure for further steps to be taken.
The US recently introduced a compulsory registration scheme so any drone recovered from an accident can be traced back to its owner.
In addition, officials could make it mandatory for drones to run geo-fencing software - that would prevent them flying in restricted areas.
The Department for Transport has promised to publish a strategy for unmanned aircraft this year.
And pilots have also called for the DoT to fund tests into what would happen if a drone got sucked into an engine or crashed into a plane's windscreen.
Last month, the British Airline Pilots Association noted that while the threat of bird strikes had been well researched there was little data about how much damage a drone could cause a plane.
The incident follows a warning earlier this year by the head of the International Air Transport Association that drones flown by the general public are "a real and growing threat" to civilian aircraft.
Tony Tyler called for drone regulations to be put in place before any serious accidents occur.
The UK Air Proximity Board - which investigates near-miss incidents in UK airspace - said there have been a number of serious near-misses at UK airports involving drones.
Category A incidents - the most serious - were reported at Stansted, Heathrow, London City and Manchester airports last year.
Source: The UK Airprox Board | A plane approaching Heathrow Airport is believed to have hit a drone before it landed safely, the Metropolitan Police has said. |
35077060 | Flooding has affected some roads as well as rail services.
Natural Resources Wales has issued several flood warnings across mid and north Wales.
The Met Office said up to 6cm (2in) of rain could fall on Saturday.
The warning, from 08:00 GMT to 20:00, also said snow could fall on higher ground in north Wales.
At Capel Curig in Snowdonia there were gusts of nearly 70mph (112km/h).
Rail lines closed due to flooding
Arriva Trains Wales said it may be unable to provide a replacement bus service for Cambrian line travellers.
"Due to the situation with the roads, we cannot guarantee a service will be provided. We are strongly advising people not to travel unless absolutely necessary." said a spokesman.
Passengers are being advised to check if their trains are running before setting off.
Check if this is affecting your journey
Several roads have been closed due to flooding, including the A494 at Bala, Gwynedd.
There are also reports of flooding on parts of the A55 with one lane closed westbound between J14 and J12 near Abergwyngregyn, Gwynedd.
On Anglesey, drivers of high-sided vehicles are being advised to avoid the A55 Britannia Bridge due to strong winds.
Conwy and Denbigh Castle tweeted that "severe weather" had forced them to shut temporarily, although their shops remain open.
The weather alert covers north Wales and Ceredigion.
The flood warnings cover the Lower Dee Valley, near Wrexham; Llanrwst and Trefriw in Conwy county; rivers Mawddach, Wnion and the town of Dolgellau in Gwynedd; and the Dyfi Valley north of Machynlleth, Powys. | Heavy rain and wind gusts have been causing problems for travellers after forecasters issued a yellow "be aware" warning for parts of mid and north Wales. |
38077746 | Police said the Lundin Links Hotel, a C-listed building, was significantly damaged after it was set alight on Saturday evening.
Eight appliances were sent to tackle the blaze. The hotel closed down in 2014, when it was bought by developers.
The boy will now be reported to the Children's Reporter. | A 12-year-old boy has been charged over a suspicious fire at a derelict hotel in Fife. |
30353197 | Media playback is unsupported on your device
5 December 2014 Last updated at 17:06 GMT
He had been indicted in connection with post-election ethnic violence in 2007-08, in which 1,200 people died.
Here is the story - in 15 seconds. | Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague have withdrawn charges of crimes against humanity against Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta. |
12412662 | The evidence comes in the form of a 3.2 million-year-old bone that was found at Hadar, Ethiopia.
Its shape indicates the diminutive, human-like species Australopithecus afarensis had arches in its feet.
Arched feet, the discovery team tells the journal Science, are critical for walking the way modern humans do.
"[The bone] gives a glimpse of foot anatomy and function," explained William Kimbel, director of the Institute of Human Origins at Arizona State University, US.
"It is the fourth metatarsal bone, which resides on the outside of the middle part of your foot, and which helps support the well-developed arches of the foot that we see in the soles of modern human feet.
"The bone that was recovered from the Hadar site has all the hallmarks of the form and function of the modern human foot," he told the BBC.
Palaeo-scientists knew A. afarensis spent some of its time standing tall; that much has been clear since 1974 when they first examined a skeleton of the species, famously dubbed "Lucy", also found near the village of Hadar in the Ethiopian rift valley.
But the absence of important foot bones in all of the specimens uncovered to date has made it difficult for researchers to understand precisely how much time Lucy and her kin spent on their feet, as opposed to moving through the branches of trees.
Human feet are very different from those of other primates. They have two arches, longitudinal and transverse.
These arches comprise the mid-foot bones, and are supported by muscles in the soles of the feet.
This construction enables the feet to perform two critical functions in walking. One is to act as a rigid lever that can propel the body forwards; the other is to act as a shock absorber as the feet touch the ground at the end of a stride.
In our modern ape cousins, the feet are more flexible, and sport highly mobile large toes that are important for gripping branches as the animals traverse the tree tops.
Professor Kimbel and colleagues tell Science journal that the feet of A. afarensis' say a lot about the way it lived.
It would have been able to move across the landscape much more easily and much more quickly, potentially opening up broader and more abundant supplies of food, they say.
"Lucy's spine has the double curve that our own spine does," Professor Kimbel said.
"Her hips functioned much as human hips do in providing balance to the body with each step, which in a biped of course means that you're actually standing on only one leg at a time during striding.
"The knees likewise in Lucy's species are drawn underneath the body such that the thighbone, or femur, angles inwards to the knees from the hip-joints - as in humans.
"And now we can say that the foot, too, joins these other anatomical regions in pointing towards a fundamentally human-like form of locomotion in this ancient human ancestor."
A. afarensis is thought to have existed between about 2.9 million and 3.7 million years ago, and the Hadar area has yielded hundreds of fossil specimens from the species.
Commenting on the latest research, Professor Chris Stringer, a palaeoanthropologist at London's Natural History Museum, said scientists were gradually filling in the detail of this creature's position in the human origins story.
"Bipedalism in Lucy is established, but there has been an issue about how much like our own that bipedalism was," he told BBC News.
"Was it a more waddling gait or something more developed?
"And certainly there's evidence in the upper body that the Australopithecines still seemed to have climbing adaptations - so, the hand bones are still quite strongly curved and their arms suggest they're still spending time in the trees.
"If you are on the ground all the time, you need to find shelter at night and you are in a position to move out into open countryside, which has implications for new resources - scavenging and meat-eating, for example.
"If the Australopithecines were on that road, they were only at the very, very beginning of it."
[email protected] | New fossil evidence seems to confirm that a key ancestor of ours could walk upright consistently - one of the major advances in human evolution. |
35598260 | In a blow to the Scarlets' Pro 12 title ambitions, head coach Wayne Pivac confirmed that Shingler damaged his medial knee ligament in the dramatic win over Edinburgh last weekend.
"We had thought it was worse than it is, but it could be anywhere in the range of eight weeks," Pivac confirmed.
"It is unfortunate. Steve earned the right to start and he did well against Edinburgh before the injury."
Ulster host Scarlets in the Pro12 on Sunday, the first game Shingler will miss as the Welsh team battle to remain among the competition's main contenders.
Coach Pivac feels the Scarlets' victory over Edinburgh last time out could be a defining result.
"It could be a season changer for us. A defeat would have pushed us out of the top four. So it was a very, very good win for us," he said.
"It is pleasing to come out with the win in many tight games this season, at the death we have done especially well."
Pivac also confirmed that flanker James Davies is closing in on his comeback, having been injured since the end of November.
"James is running well, he has had another scan, which has been really positive and he is not far away," he said. | Scarlets fly-half Steven Shingler is out of action for around eight weeks. |
33976695 | "You've got the classic pattern of someone who's in a fatigue cycle," she says.
"You're running on survival energy. Your sympathetic nervous system is in overdrive. I would guess you feel pretty shattered mid-afternoon which would mean you are running on adrenalin, noradrenalin, cortisol."
I'm turning into a dopamine junkie - the brain chemical associated with pleasure that is released when we are stimulated, whether that is by food, sex, excitement... or screen time.
It sounds convincing. Or am I being blinded by pseudo-science?
Dr Ramlakhan works at the privately run Nightingale Hospital, and is a member of its technology addiction treatment team.
Surely tiredness is a by-product of a busy modern life - children, work, hobbies etc - rather than that relaxing time spent watching Netflix in bed?
"The thing many of my patients have in common is the fact that they are in front of screens all the time. Even when they try to sleep at night. It has become so pervasive," she says.
"They go to bed but can't sleep, or fall asleep exhausted and wake up tired. People started telling me they couldn't switch their brains off."
One patient was suspended from work after sending an inappropriate email to a client in the early hours of the morning, she adds.
"When we unpicked the story we realised he was spending more time at work and finding it more difficult to switch off."
He is now on the road to recovery - and hopes to return to his job.
Another recent patient was a 17-year-old who had suffered a seizure.
It turned out he was up all night playing computer games.
Tech-related burnout is also common in people with certain personality traits, Dr Ramlakhan continues.
"Are you a perfectionist? Are you a control freak? Do you grind your teeth at night?
"That's an A-type personality - they are driven, competitive, aggressive, run on imperatives - have to, must do, should do," she says.
"They are likely to find themselves unable to switch off, they can't relax, if they do they crash into exhaustion.
"Even if they are watching TV they have multi screens. It's a level of hyperactivity driven by a fear of not being in control."
I suggest that perhaps they just want to multi-task.
"It's the accessibility, the sensory experience of swiping that screen, the instant gratification… there is something quite pleasurable about that," she counters.
"Our generation hasn't got the hang of how to respond to it so we respond very reactively.
"For a lot of people it's the lack of offline time which causes hyper-arousal of the brain. People walk about in a state of distractibility."
Author and psychologist Catherine Steiner-Adair also thinks multi-tasking - or multi-screening - is a dangerous game, especially for children.
"We see a decrease in memory, a decline in grades, they're not developing the part of their brain that's a muscle that needs to be developed for singular focus," she told the BBC.
"It seems to decline the more people do split screening."
The Steiner-Waldorf School philosophy actively discourages any screen time at all for under-12s, and British health watchdog NICE guidelines suggest a limit of two hours of screen time a day for adults and children, although this is more in order to increase physical activity.
"It takes us decades to adjust to new technology," says Dave Coplin, Microsoft's curiously titled chief envisioner.
"Technology is a wonderful thing if we use it properly - and we need to use it properly."
It is the current generation, those of us who remember life before the internet, for whom the draw to technology is irresistible, agrees Dr Ramlakhan.
She says her 11-year-old daughter is already "bored" by Facebook and suggests I ask my four-year-old son to collect up the family gadgets as he will find it far easier than me to initiate switch-off.
"Up-and-coming digital natives will be more discerning than us," she explains.
"We're still in the 'Ooh, isn't it wonderful?' phase of technology, we are still excited by it. Our generation hasn't got the hang of how to respond to it so we respond very reactively."
After a few days of following Dr Ramlakhan's advice I have to admit that I do feel better. I am definitely sleeping more and despite medics disagreeing over whether drinking extra water is actually beneficial, it does seem to make me feel more alert.
Of course, it could well be a placebo effect - I know what I'm doing is supposed to be improving my wellbeing.
At the Wilderness festival in Oxfordshire, where the phone reception is terrible but it still costs £5 to charge your mobile, I meet Dr David Cox, a former Accident and Emergency doctor who is now chief medical officer at subscription-based meditation app Mindfulness.
He echoes Dr Ramlakhan's words.
"I don't believe we can be engaging with something to this extent and for it not to be having an effect on our brains," he says.
"The reason we are feeling stressed about all this stuff is that our brains aren't used to doing what we are asking them to do.
"Our brains are very good at adapting and they will continue to do that."
So how is the next generation shaping up?
A recent study by the London School of Economics suggested that in schools which banned mobile phones, children's test scores increased by more than 6%.
I pay a visit to my son's former pre-school, Wildflowers, in Hampshire - a forest school where there are no screens and outdoor play is non-negotiable, rain or shine.
Head teacher Helena Nilsson says children are like "bees to a honeypot" if she gets out her laptop but without the distraction they engage in much more creative play.
The little ones, however, seem less convinced about the benefits of their enforced digital detox.
"Do you think we should have a computer, tablet or TV at Wildflowers?" she asks.
"YES!" chorus the enthusiastic under-fives unanimously.
Listen to the Business Daily report on tech addiction, from the BBC World Service | Just five minutes after meeting sleep and energy expert Dr Nerina Ramlakhan in her central London clinic, she delivers some bad news. |
40647886 | Several passengers reported booking their cars into the care of Gatwick First Parking and then not having their vehicles returned.
Sussex Police and Trading Standards found 120 vehicles at various sites in Sussex and Surrey.
Another 30 sets of keys have been found but the vehicles are still missing.
A police spokesman said Gatwick First Parking, which is not approved by the airport, appears to have ceased trading.
The keys to the 120 vehicles were found at the company's office in Surrey.
Sussex Police said they have no power to seize control of the keys of the cars, but had contacted landowners where the cars had been parked.
Landowners were then able to contact passengers to arrange for them to collect their cars.
Sgt Darren Taylor, of the Gatwick Policing Team, said: "It's essential that Gatwick Airport passengers use official on-airport parking, or companies registered with Gatwick's off-airport approved parking operators scheme only, to avoid this sort of thing from happening.
"We're carrying out further enquiries to locate the outstanding vehicles, and the owners of those vehicles will be contacted and kept up to date.
"Our priority is to find and return their vehicles to them as soon as we possibly can." | More than 100 car owners have got their vehicles back after a private parking company at Gatwick Airport failed to return them, police said. |
35594084 | Lottie Pauling-Chamberlain, who sleeps outside Lush in Oxford, said she challenged a thief on 10 February.
Now a woman, 29, of no fixed address, has been held on suspicion of conspiracy to burgle and possessing Class A drugs, police said.
A man, 42, also of no fixed abode, has been arrested on suspicion of burglary.
Updates on this story and more from Oxfordshire
Staff at the shop in Cornmarket Street said a laptop and large box of cosmetics had disappeared when they opened the shop last week.
The next day Ms Pauling-Chamberlain, who sleeps rough in the area with her dog Marley, returned the stolen items.
A donation fund set up by the store has so far raised £9,245, which was donated to by 537 people.
But a spokeswoman for the cosmetics chain said the fund had now been put on hold while police carried out an investigation.
She added Lush had been advised not to comment further. Thames Valley Police said its policy was not to name those arrested.
Both suspects have been released on police bail until 14 May. | A donation fund for a homeless woman who said she stopped a burglary has been put on hold after two people were arrested. |
33693497 | That is the first of 1,671 fixtures to be played across the second, third and fourth tiers this term, and we've picked out some of the key stories to follow over the next 10 months.
Fifteen Football League clubs have appointed new full-time managers since the end of the 2014-15 season.
Some, such as Crawley's Mark Yates or Chesterfield's Dean Saunders, are old hands. Others, such as Marinus Dijkhuizen at Brentford and Carlos Carvalhal at Sheffield Wednesday, will be experiencing English football for the first time.
Former England striker Teddy Sheringham was Stevenage's choice to replace Graham Westley, who left the League Two club in May following their play-off semi-final defeat by Southend.
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Vastly experienced and highly decorated as a player, the 49-year-old is starting his managerial career in the quiet surroundings of leafy Hertfordshire.
When ex-Manchester United players decide to have a crack at management, questions about their legendary former boss are almost inevitable.
But Sheringham told BBC Three Counties Radio: "I can't try to be Sir Alex Ferguson.
"You only do what you've been taught. I've played for some fantastic managers. I'll take out the best bits of them and use them in my own manner."
Another new manager - apologies, head coach - to be appointed during the summer is Paul Clement.
Derby County looked almost certain to be promoted to the Premier League under Steve McClaren last term but, in one of the closest Championship promotion battles for years, they plummeted down the table and finished eighth.
Clement, 43, had assisted Carlo Ancelotti at Chelsea, Paris St-Germain and Real Madrid before returning to England.
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"I'm willing to work at this level," he told BBC East Midlands Today. "I believe the club's got great potential. I want to work in the Premier League and I want to do it with Derby."
And, while his talent pool at Derby may not quite be of the calibre of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema, Clement has been allowed freedom in the transfer market as the Rams look to recover from last season's late collapse.
The club broke their transfer record to sign Hull winger Thomas Ince, while Andreas Weimann, Jason Shackell, Darren Bent, Alex Pearce and Chris Baird have also been added to the squad.
After such an expensive recruitment drive, Derby are unsurprisingly among the favourites to win the Championship.
Another Championship club expecting to be in this season's promotion battle are Middlesbrough.
They exceeded the expectations of many to reach the play-off final last season, only to succumb to a tame defeat by Norwich at Wembley.
Far from feeling downbeat about their narrow failure, Boro have made arguably the most eye-catching Football League signing of the summer.
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Teesside native Stewart Downing turned down regular Premier League football to return to the club where his career started, joining from West Ham United for a fee that could rise to £5.5m.
And there is only one objective for the 31-year-old winger - finishing in the top two.
"This is a Premier League club and that's where it should be," Downing told BBC Look North. "If this was a team fighting relegation or in mid-table, it wouldn't be good for me to come back.
"They were very unlucky last season not to get promoted, and the manager's said if he can keep the squad together and add with the players he's looking to bring in, we'll be going for automatic promotion."
In a division that can be so difficult to predict, who would be surprised if Queens Park Rangers were to challenge for promotion this season?
Because, let's face it, there's never a dull moment at Loftus Road.
Charlie Austin apart, they endured a torrid 2014-15 season in the Premier League, summed up by the 6-0 drubbing at Manchester City in May that confirmed their relegation.
"The meek way QPR tumbled out of the Premier League last season suggested that a long, hard rebuilding job was required," says BBC London 94.9 reporter Nick Godwin.
"After see-sawing between divisions in recent years, QPR need a period of stability and continuity.
"Last time they were in this position, two years ago, Harry Redknapp relied on experience and Austin's goals to get them back up. It just about worked.
"This time, Chris Ramsey doesn't have the same resources at his disposal and the signings so far have been modest.
"It looks as though Austin will be sold before the transfer window shuts and that could free up resources for further signings, but the club's attitude so far seems to be one of restrained realism."
As if a 4-0 home win over Manchester United in the League Cup wasn't excitement enough, MK Dons earned promotion to the Championship for the first time last season, pipping Preston to second spot on the final day.
Clubs going up from League One have performed well in recent seasons. Norwich (2009-2011) and Southampton (2010-2012) won back-to-back promotions.
Just last season, Brentford got to the play-offs, Wolves narrowly missed out on a top-six place and Bournemouth - in their second year in the second tier - won the title.
Can MK Dons follow that upward trend? Well, manager Karl Robinson has one of the smallest budgets in the division and has warned supporters not to expect too much from his team.
"People are likening us to Wolves and Bournemouth - we're not in the same hemisphere as these teams," Robinson told BBC Three Counties Radio. "We can't do what these teams have done.
"We're going into a Championship with a different way of doing it, but we'll do it our way. Our way is a way our fans know, and hopefully the football club can again turn one or two heads."
While MK Dons are experiencing new highs, Wigan Athletic find themselves down in League One just two years after winning the FA Cup.
Paul Rowley, who covers the Latics for BBC Radio Manchester, says: "This time 12 months ago, Uwe Rosler was contemplating bouncing back to the Premier League.
"But Rosler was gone within three months, Malky Mackay didn't last much longer, and chairman Dave Whelan stepped down after arguably the worst season in the club's history.
"When Whelan took charge of his hometown club in 1995, he said he wanted to see Wigan in the Premier League in 10 years. Most people laughed, but he achieved the task with bells on.
"A generation later, the mantle has been passed to his grandson David Sharpe - the youngest chairman in British football at the age of 24 - and Gary Caldwell, the Football League's youngest manager at 33.
"The task will be hard. None of the Wembley heroes remain. They've made 14 new signings but the wage bill has been slashed and attendances are expected to fall.
"However, with Premier League parachute payments still due for the next two years, the Latics will be better off than most at this level.
"And Sharpe has inherited the Whelan swagger. He told supporters during pre-season: 'I don't just want to win this league - I want to smash it and get 100 points'.
"Fighting talk, but is it realistic? Just remember, they didn't believe Dave Whelan 20 years ago and look what happened..."
If you thought Wigan have had a year to forget, you obviously haven't heard the tale of woe from Blackpool.
Protests against the club's owners were frequent and culminated with a pitch invasion that forced their final match of the season against Huddersfield to be abandoned.
Fifty different players represented the Seasiders in the Championship. They equalled the lowest-ever points tally in the second tier and were relegated with six matches remaining.
BBC Radio Lancashire's Phil Cunliffe recalls: "This time last year, Blackpool were only able to name four subs for their opening fixture at Nottingham Forest. Manager Jose Riga's transfer plans lay in ruins.
"In contrast, new manager Neil McDonald has worked briskly, and kept a low profile, to recruit a completely new squad.
"It's hard to gauge if players such as Brad Potts, Colin Doyle and Jack Redshaw can halt the club's decline.
"But, just like his predecessor Lee Clark - another Wallsend-born former Newcastle midfielder - McDonald is strong-willed and determined to do well.
"When Clark succeeded Riga last October, he inherited a team that was resigned to losing every week. McDonald doesn't have that same problem and providing he can fulfil his aim of instilling a winning mentality, the Seasiders could do better than many people are predicting."
It's a manager's favourite threat: 'You're playing for your futures.' Well for Yeovil Town's players that has proved to be the case - with 15 new faces arriving at Huish Park during the summer.
"The last few games left a bitter taste in my mouth and it did cost a few people their jobs," Yeovil boss Paul Sturrock said of the club's relegation to League Two. "They showed a bad attitude and I couldn't stand for that."
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So how has Sturrock bonded his merry band of new signings? The answer - darts and dominoes.
The former Scotland international told BBC Points West: "When you sign 15 new players for the season, they don't know each other's names so it's quite important that they bond for team spirit.
"We took them to Columba for two or three days in a hotel there. We went to a charity night in my local pub and played darts and dominoes against the locals."
As well as trips to the pub, Sturrock has also turned the away dressing room into a games room, where his new arrivals have been getting to know each other.
"I'm working very hard on that side of it as it's important they want to play for each other as well as the club," added Sturrock. "Very few have played together before. Only five players were left at the club but it's been a whirlwind."
Listen to live Football League commentaries on BBC Radio 5 live, 5 live sports extra and BBC local radio throughout the season.
In addition, BBC Sport will be providing live text commentaries of selected Football League matches and written reports of every game in the Championship, League One and League Two. | Just 74 days after Norwich City's Championship play-off final victory at Wembley, the 2015-16 Football League season begins on Friday, when Brighton host Nottingham Forest. |
36882292 | It said students should pay between £5,200 and £6,300 depending on the level of government funding available.
Students currently pay £3,925 to study at Northern Ireland universities.
The figures are contained in an internal university document in response to the NI Executive's programme for government (PfG) 2016-21, which has been obtained by the BBC.
In the document, Queen's said the money higher education institutions had received from the executive had reduced from £214m in 2009-10 to £185m in 2014-15.
"This equates to some 13% in cash terms and 24% in real terms," it said.
"The 2015-16 academic year saw a further 10.8% reduction in the higher education budget, totalling £16.1m.
"The impact of this funding reduction has required the university to substantially reduce its undergraduate intake."
Queen's said there is a deficit of £55m between the money universities in Northern Ireland need and what they receive in public and private funding.
An additional £14.6m was allocated to higher education in the executive's 2016-17 June monitoring round, but it is not clear if this funding will be repeated in the future.
Last year, both Queen's and Ulster University announced they were jointly cutting more than 2,000 student places over three years.
There are three costed funding options put forward by Queen's in the document, all of which, it said, would reverse that cut in places.
All involve "moderate levels" of extra public funding and "affordable increases" in tuition fees.
The document from Queen's said the options are fair to students, graduates and Northern Ireland.
"These options are designed to facilitate discussion amongst stakeholders regarding the development of a sustainable model of funding for higher education," it said.
"The options are based on the principles of providing a competitive level of funding for Northern Ireland's universities and the reinstatement of places that have been lost due to successive budgetary reductions."
NUS-USI President Fergal McFerran and Queen's Students' Union President Seán Fearon condemned the leadership of Queen's University for calling for a rise in tuition fees in Northern Ireland.
"This is extremely troubling development because any increase fees could have a devastating impact on students" said Mr McFerran.
"Placing even more debt on students could also significantly damage the economy as well as damaging universities here."
Mr Fearon, said the proposal would only "drive the export of our school leavers to universities elsewhere, increasing 'brain drain' in the region".
Former education minister Stephen Farry said he hoped the executive would find extra resources to fund universities.
"There are changes we can make in our public spending that would allow us to invest in things that are important for the future," the Alliance party MLA said.
"I think we can maintain the balanced approach with fees in the region of £4,000, but only if the executive is serious about putting in [about] £80m per year to make sure we're properly resourcing this."
He added: "If we're serious about growing the economy, we will need more and more people with high-level skills.
"This is not an optional extra - this is an absolute inescapable requirement."
The trade union Unite said arguing for increases in fees was "completely indefensible".
Unite regional officer Sean Smyth said: "Increasingly, a university education is beyond the hopes of many working-class young people.
"It is essential that [the funding budget for universities] is used to prioritise the education of those coming from disadvantaged and working-class households."
A recent study by the former Department for Employment and Learning (DEL) found that Queen's and Ulster University were receiving funding of between £900 and £2,500 a student less than English universities.
University education in Northern Ireland is free at the point of entry, but the vast majority of students borrow the cost of their yearly tuition fee.
They can also take out a maintenance loan for living costs, which is capped at £3,750 if they live with their parents, and £4,840 if they live away from home.
These loans start to be paid back when the student enters employment and earns more than £17,495 a year.
The more a graduate earns, the bigger the proportion of their loan they repay. | Student tuition fees in Northern Ireland could rise to £6,300 a year, Queen's University in Belfast has said. |
39667383 | The 19-year-old man, from Newick, East Sussex, was arrested in February on suspicion of causing aggravated harassment, alarm or distress.
Price published a message she received, which featured images mocking her 14-year-old son, Harvey.
The man was cautioned by Sussex Police on Thursday after answering bail.
Harvey, who is partially blind, autistic and has Prader-Willi syndrome, is the son of the 38-year-old TV personality and former footballer Dwight Yorke.
In January, Price tweeted out the offensive manipulated image in an effort to find the person behind the editing.
She said: "Caught out!! Another bully on our hands. Anyone know this guy??"
In March, she set up petition calling for online abuse to be made a specific criminal offence and for the creation of a register of offenders.
So far it has more than 213,000 signatures.
She wrote on the petition description: "Trolling is a major problem in this day and age. People of all ages and background suffer every day, including my family - especially my son Harvey.
"I have tried my best to expose people and even had two arrested but nothing was done and there were no repercussions or penalties for this behaviour." | A man has been cautioned for posting offensive messages on Twitter about model and TV star Katie Price's disabled son Harvey. |
40418365 | Reddish joined Quins from Super Rugby side Highlanders in November 2016, but made only five appearances.
The 32-year-old New Zealander previously played for Hurricanes and provincial side Wellington.
"Given the medical advice I have received, it's the best decision long term for me and my young family," he told the club website.
"I thoroughly enjoyed living in England and I am sad to cut my time short. I wish the boys all the best for the upcoming season and beyond."
Saracens lock Alistair Hargreaves was forced to retire last October after suffering a series of concussions. | Harlequins lock Mark Reddish has retired from rugby for medical reasons after suffering a concussion. |
10215957 | The proposed "European Security Markets Authority" would initially regulate credit rating agencies, but could be given broader powers at a later date.
The agencies gave their highest "AAA" rating to billions of dollars of debts that went bad in the financial crisis.
Michel Barnier, the commissioner behind the proposal, has also advocated a single European banking regulator.
The internal market commissioner wants national regulators to transfer all their supervision powers over the rating agencies to the new authority.
"In contrast to banks and insurance companies, rating services are not linked to particular territories," the Commission said in a press release.
US inquiry grills ratings agency
"The changes to rules on credit rating agencies will mean better supervision and increased transparency in this crucial sector," said Mr Barnier.
"But they are only a first step," he added. "We are looking at this market in more detail."
The rating agencies have been accused on both sides of the Atlantic of being a major culprit in the financial crisis.
In the US, a Congressional inquiry committee was due on Wednesday to question senior managers at rating agency Moody's, as well as billionaire investor Warren Buffett, about the agencies' role in the crisis.
In Europe, Mr Barnier criticised the rating agencies in May for their rapid downgrade of Greece's debts to "junk" status.
"I think we need to go further to look at the impact of the ratings on the financial system or economic system as a whole," he said at the time.
"The power of these agencies is quite considerable not only for companies but also for states."
The rating agencies stand accused of a conflict of interests, as their fees were paid for by the banks whose deals they were rating.
Under Mr Barnier's proposal, banks would be forced to disclose full details on their financial transactions to all the rating agencies.
The Commission hopes that this will encourage other rating agencies to provide unsolicited - and more impartial - ratings for these deals.
However, it is unclear what financial incentive there would be for them to provide these competing ratings.
Separately, the Commission has also published a proposal paper on changing the way in which financial institutions such as banks are governed.
Directors and major shareholders in banks have been criticised for allowing the banks' management to take on too much risk prior to the financial crisis.
The proposals include:
The corporate governance "green paper" is only intended to stimulate discussion, and the Commission does not expect to propose any specific new legislation on until 2011. | Plans for an EU-wide financial markets watchdog have been put forward by the European Commission. |
34991621 | Ms Yellen said the US economy had "recovered substantially" and consumer spending was "particularly solid".
After falling at first, Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index recovered to close flat at 19,939.90.
Oil prices recovered some ground overnight, having fallen by more than 4% on Wednesday.
US crude had fallen below $40 a barrel at one point, with prices being hit by news of rising stockpiles and the strong dollar.
However, crude prices gained in Asian trade after a report suggested that Saudi Arabia would propose a deal to balance oil markets.
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) is due to meet on Friday. The group of countries set oil production levels, which have a significant impact on the price of the commodity.
Chinese shares reversed earlier losses to head higher in afternoon trade, with the Shanghai Composite index closing up 1.35% at 3,584.82.
Analysts said one factor driving the market could be that some of the $313bn (£209bn) locked in Tuesday's initial public offerings had started to flow back into the market.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng index closed down 0.28% at 22,417.01 in line with the rest of the region.
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 index ended 0.6% lower at 5,227.7 on the weakness in commodity prices.
Government data also showed that the value of exports fell by a seasonally-adjusted 3% in October, mainly due to lower demand for commodities such as gold.
In South Korea, the benchmark Kospi index finished down 0.8% at 1,994.07 despite a revision to third quarter growth figures, which indicated the economy was growing faster than anticipated.
The economy grew 1.3% in the three months to September from the previous quarter. That was up from the original estimate of 1.2% and the fastest pace since mid-2010.
On an annual basis, growth rose 2.7%, compared with the initial forecast of 2.6%. | Asian markets were mostly lower after comments from US Federal Reserve head Janet Yellen reinforced expectations of a US rate rise this month. |
36286581 | Captain Eve Watson had given the Reds the lead as early as the third minute and her side never looked back.
She went on to complete her hat-trick, with Holly Muirhead and 16-year-old Natasha Keen also netting for the hosts.
The nine-goal winning margin beat the previous biggest, an 8-0 win in 2010.
The game was the first Muratti in charge for Guernsey boss Jordy Gallienne, who took over in January, and he watched his side slip behind in the opening stages when Watson slotted in after good work from Andrade and Keen.
Marta Ascensao hit the crossbar from long range before Andrade got her first, slamming the ball into the roof of the net.
Watson, just a day after watching her brother net the only goal in the men's Muratti, made it 3-0 at the break.
Andrade grabbed her second despite Joelle Pengelley's efforts on the line and then Keen, on her Muratti debut, capitalised on substitute goalkeeper Alice Davis' fumble to make it 5-0.
Player of the match Andrade beat the offside trap to complete her hat-trick before Watson got her third soon after from close range.
Muirhead slotted home with 20 minutes to go and Guernsey would have feared a double-figure scoreline.
To their credit though, they had perhaps their best spell, preventing the Reds from getting their ninth until the fifth minute of stoppage time, when Andrade kept her composure when through one-on-one with the goalkeeper.
Jersey captain Eve Watson:
"Our aim was to come out and pressure them more, get the ball and just attack as much as we could.
"Playing at home and with it being the Muratti record that's even more special.
"I've scored a hat-trick and I'm proud of that, but I'm just more proud of all the girls and what they've put in today."
Guernsey manager Jordy Gallienne:
"Had we got the first goal we felt that we could apply some pressure and could compete, but once that first one went in the floodgates started to open.
"It's frustrating because you can see that they [the Guernsey players] can compete, but they just didn't show up.
"We were chasing the ball a lot, our ball retention was really poor, and when you find yourself defending for long periods you're always going to concede goals." | Striker Catarina Andrade scored four goals as Jersey thumped rivals Guernsey 9-0 at Springfield to win the women's Muratti. |
32091531 | York City Council planning committee has given the green light for work to start on the £37m ground at Jockey Lane, in Huntington.
The Minstermen's move comes after the club said refurbishing Bootham Crescent was not financially viable.
The development will include a leisure centre and cinema and facilities for York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and York St John University.
Speaking after the meeting York City's chairman Jason McGill said: "This is a once in a generation opportunity that I'm so pleased that the planning committee have taken on board."
A council report said the development would "provide extensive and comprehensive sports, leisure and community facilities that would effectively replace and significantly enhance the provision of such facilities in the city".
It said it would also create "additional employment opportunities both during construction and on completion".
Construction work is expected to begin in June. | Plans for a new 8,000-capacity stadium for York City FC have been approved. |
33076367 | The Airports Commission, chaired by Sir Howard Davies, is expected to publish its final report this summer.
It has shortlisted three options: a third runway at Heathrow, lengthening an existing runway at Heathrow or building a second runway at Gatwick.
The Financial Times reports there will be no decision until Christmas.
BBC assistant political editor Norman Smith said government sources had told him ministers would take "some time" to consider Sir Howard's findings.
The Conservative Party's manifesto promises to "respond" to the final report of the commission, which began its inquiry three years ago. The results were put off until after the general election.
Paul Everitt, chief executive of aerospace national trade association ADS, said any delays could harm the UK's global competitiveness.
"We don't have a specific view on just which airport should get a new runway but we need a decision soon," he said,
"We have been waiting a long time for this."
Airport expansion: What are the options?
A third runway at Heathrow was proposed by the last Labour government but the plan was scrapped when the Conservatives and Lib Dems formed their coalition government in 2010.
A number of high-profile Conservatives are opposed to Heathrow expansion, including London Mayor Boris Johnson and Richmond Park MP Zac Goldsmith, who is bidding to replace him.
On Twitter, Labour leadership contender Mary Creagh, a former shadow transport secretary, accused David Cameron of an "unforgivable delay" on the issue, saying the prime minister was putting "Tory party management ahead of the national interest".
A Department for Transport spokeswoman said: "We are determined to make progress on this vital issue but we need to carefully consider the Airports Commission's full body of work before setting out next steps."
Campaign group Let Britain Fly, which lobbies for airport expansion, called for an end to "political procrastination", adding that "kicking the can down the road for another year is no longer an option".
A Heathrow spokeswoman said: "There has to be a quick decision following a long and thorough process by the Airports Commission." | There will be no immediate response to the final report of the commission looking at airport expansion, government sources say. |
12105347 | He slumped over his keyboard and did not move for a couple of minutes before being helped off stage, Chicago Sun-Times reporter Dave Hoekstra wrote.
Berry, 84, later re-emerged but told fans he had no strength to continue performing, the Sun-Times reported.
His agent told AP he had been suffering from exhaustion and that he had now flown home to St Louis, Missouri.
With hits like Johnny B Goode and Roll Over Beethoven, the singer and guitarist is one of the pioneers of rock 'n' roll and influenced artists including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Beach Boys. | Rock 'n' roll legend Chuck Berry cut short a concert in Chicago after collapsing on stage. |
40027458 | The Sri Lankan finished unbeaten on 177 as Surrey closed on 334-7 having been reduced to 31-5 in the opening hour of a sun-drenched first day at Chelmsford.
Sam Curran (90) shared a 191-run partnership with Sangakkara for the sixth wicket while Stuart Meaker (43 not out) added more tail-end runs.
Seamer Matt Quinn (3-66) had earlier prospered with the new ball for Essex.
Sangakkara's past five County Championship innings have produced scores of 136, 105, 114, 120 and 177 not out and he has now scored 769 runs this season at an average of 128.16.
In between, he also struck an unbeaten 124 in Surrey's final One-Day Cup group match against Hampshire.
Five successive first-class centuries is a Surrey record and Sangakkara became the first player to achieve the feat since Mike Hussey for Northamptonshire in 2003.
He was let off on 46 when former England Test captain Alastair Cook dropped a sharp chance at first slip off Neil Wagner, which brought up his half-century in the process.
And the left-hander, who confirmed on Monday he will retire from the first-class game in September, moved to his century in 173 balls and then passed 150 off 247 deliveries.
Essex, who started the day top of Division One and a point ahead of second-placed Surrey, were in charge early on after Quinn and Jamie Porter (2-70) had accounted for the top order.
But by the close, Sangakkara and Meaker had added an unbroken 95 for the eighth wicket to move within sight of a fourth batting point.
Surrey all-rounder Sam Curran told BBC Radio London:
"It was amazing [batting with Kumar Sangakkara], I didn't really expect that at 11:30, I'd be in batting with him, especially after winning the toss.
"Fair play to the Essex guys, they bowled top of off stump and made a good pitch look like a good bowling wicket.
"But, batting with Kumar was probably only the third or fourth time I have in four-day cricket.
"We're going to miss him at the end of the year when he goes, but we're going to take in whatever we can right now.
"It was literally incredible batting with him. He told us to dig in deep to start with and just take 20 minutes at a time and then go from there.
"He helped me through the way and that's the best time to score runs when the team needs you.
"I'm gutted to miss out on a hundred, but the main thing is we finished the day in a good position and I definitely think it was our day." | Kumar Sangakkara's fifth successive first-class century led a remarkable recovery for Surrey against Essex. |
35799778 | Some have suggested that England's 25-21 win over Wales ranks up there with the sensational 38-21 dismantling of world champions New Zealand in December 2012.
That would be going too far. The All Blacks were a better team beaten by a larger margin in a more consistently excellent performance that day.
But this performance is close to the best we have seen from this generation of England players.
The exciting thing that Eddie Jones has brought since he arrived as coach in November is tempo.
It is clear in the faster pace with which players are coming on to the ball, the swift recycling and the speed of thought out wide.
The forwards are running hard at arms and winning the contact before the brains trust of Owen Farrell and George Ford work out where the space is and how to release the pace and guile of Anthony Watson, Jack Nowell and Mike Brown to exploit it.
It is easy to describe, but hard to stop.
The performance of Maro Itoje - who won the man of the match award in only his third international - grabbed a lot of attention.
I was in the England side when a 22-year-old Martin Johnson made his Test debut against France in January 1993.
Johnson had been due to play for the England A side against France, but was called up as an 11th-hour replacement for the injured Wade Dooley by coach Geoff Cooke.
Dooley was an enforcer in the second row. He was a totem we looked up to and the other team had to make a plan for. They were big shoes to fill, but Martin fitted in seamlessly, coming out on top against Abdelatif Benazzi and Olivier Roumat as we won 16-15.
Maro has thrived similarly on the international stage. That is the sign of a very good player. He shows great intellect with the way he plays and is very articulate and grounded when interviewed.
We have to avoid putting pressure on him to be the next Johnson, Paul O'Connell or Brodie Retallick. Let's allow him to develop and show us what the Maro Itoje way is.
The big weak point of England's Six Nations campaign so far has been their indiscipline.
They conceded 12 penalties against Wales, after 12 against Ireland, 15 against Italy and 12 against Scotland. It almost cost them against Wales, with the visitors scoring two late tries after prop Dan Cole had been sin-binned.
Maybe it is partly a product of the more confrontational mindset that Eddie Jones has brought in. But maybe that harder edge is also why this time England held off a resurgent Wales, when in the World Cup they folded.
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It started going wrong right from the start for Wales.
Scrum-half Gareth Davies failed to find touch from the kick-off. England countered and were held up, but from the resulting scrum there was a poor pass to Dan Biggar, who also failed to find touch.
Itoje stole the ball in the first line-out. Then there was a mix-up between Scott Baldwin and Jamie Roberts in attack, and George North ran straight into George Ford out wide.
It was a perfect storm.
Wales were sloppy, imprecise and kicked poorly at the same time that England were executing with total accuracy. That is where that early one-sidedness comes from and it lost Wales the game.
Wales seemed to fire a lot better when Rhys Priestland came on to replace Biggar at 10, coinciding with their late rally.
Priestland takes the ball flat and at pace and draws players on to him whereas Biggar stands deeper, comes at less pace and gives himself more breathing space.
Maybe it was that more aggressive attacking stand that got Wales moving late on.
Certainly as a centre I would prefer to play outside Priestland, and it will be interesting to see whether coach Warren Gatland gives Biggar a break for what is a dead rubber against Italy next weekend.
Full-back Stuart Hogg was the ringleader in an entertaining Scotland win over France with his blind flicked fingertip pass to put Tim Visser in at the corner the most dazzling of his party pieces.
When he is in that mood, he is scintillating to watch - someone who makes things happen and sends a frisson of excitement around the ground every time he gets hold of the ball.
In the past he has started fighting his own personal battles and getting frustrated, taking away from his own game. But during this Championship he has kept that in check. Maybe that is part of him maturing - he is still only 23 years old.
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It is too early to say whether this Scotland side as a whole have turned the corner after racking up two successive Six Nations wins for the first time since 2013.
But there were plenty of things for coach Vern Cotter to be pleased about in their win over France.
Their scrum and set-piece was effective, they showed a cutting edge and ruthlessness out wide, had the mental strength to withstand the pressure when France came at them hard in the second half and won with room to spare in the end.
Finding an alternative to Finn Russell at fly-half was a plus point that they could not have predicted. Peter Horne did exceptionally well when summoned from the bench after Russell's head injury, getting up to speed in a position that is not his specialty.
They could still do with a few more hardened ball-carriers to make the hard yards and soften up opposition defences, but it was a performance to build on.
When Joe Schmidt first arrived as Ireland coach three years ago, his playbook planning was very detailed and clever, and developed his team into two-time Six Nations champions.
Injuries to the likes of Tommy Bowe, Iain Henderson, Luke Fitzgerald, Peter O'Mahony, Sean O'Brien and Cian Healey have hit Ireland's campaign this year, but I think rugby has changed as well.
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The World Cup showed the need for teams to be expressive and spontaneous within their skill sets.
You cannot be so prescriptive. You cannot play rugby by numbers.
Back in Ireland, some of the media have called on Schmidt's side to show more ambition and spontaneity, and their superb sixth try, dotted down by Jamie Heaslip as his side went the length of the field, showed that.
Doing it against a poor Italy side is one thing, however. Having the skills and nerve to repeat that sort of score against the very best is quite another. | Among the topics Jerry discusses this week are: |
35343319 | People were admitted with diarrhoea and vomiting over the weekend and some have been confirmed as cases of norovirus.
Managers have stopped the admission of patients into rooms where people have the illness to stop it from spreading.
They said that move has slowed admissions from the emergency unit into the wider hospital.
Admissions to four wards have been stopped as a precautionary measure, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board said. | An outbreak of a sickness bug has had an impact on planned surgery and added pressure on Wrexham Maelor Hospital's emergency unit, bosses have said. |
26033564 | Mohamoud Elmi stabbed PC Adam Koch and two worshippers in Ward End in Birmingham last June.
PC Koch and the two men, who were stabbed repeatedly, survived.
Elmi, 32, who was tried at Birmingham Crown Court, now faces a potentially indefinite period of detention in a secure hospital.
He is currently being treated at a secure hospital and will be sentenced by Mrs Justice Carr on Wednesday.
The court heard the defendant, who has paranoid schizophrenia, had declined treatment before the incident in the mosque.
Jurors deliberated for more than two days before returning verdicts that Elmi was not guilty of attempted murder by reason of insanity.
However, in reaching its decision, the jury ruled he had carried out acts that amounted to attempted murder and wounding.
Elmi's trial was told he had previously been treated for mental health problems but was discharged into the community before the attacks at the mosque.
The court heard the defendant, of Ward End Hall Grove, Washwood Heath, attacked worshippers on 15 June shortly after threatening two teenagers.
The prosecution said he raised a knife above Tahir Mumtaz, who was in a praying position, and repeatedly stabbed him.
Another man, Zakaria Bhayat, was injured when he tried to restrain Elmi, who then walked "calmly" into a washroom before returning to pray, it was said.
The trial was told PC Koch shouted to Elmi to warn him he had a Taser but Elmi approached him and then stabbed him several times despite the Taser being discharged.
Elmi was overpowered by other worshippers and a second PC who intervened, the prosecution said.
After the verdicts were returned on two counts of attempted murder and one of wounding, Birmingham and Solihull Mental NHS Foundation Trust confirmed an inquiry had been held into the care received by Elmi, who was discharged eight months before the stabbings.
The trust said its review highlighted "a number of lessons" for itself but said they had been acted upon.
Issues highlighted by the review included the need for greater involvement and input from families and GPs before and after patients are discharged.
Other areas of learning identified in the review centred on better record-keeping, particularly when patients were transferred from in-patient to community teams. | A man who stabbed a policeman and worshippers at a mosque was insane at the time of the offences, a jury has ruled. |
32856667 | He is joined by fellow midfielders Dale Keenan and Chris Dillon, plus defenders Ben Richards-Everton and Ryan Finnie.
Craigen, who joined Thistle from Edinburgh University, has made 30 appearances this season.
Keenan, the 20-year-old who arrived from East Fife in 2013, had made eight first-team appearances this term.
Richards-Everton signed from Tamworth last summer, but the 22-year-old England C cap spent the season on loan to Airdrieonians, making 19 appearances for the League One side.
Former Scotland Under-19 cap Finnie joined Thistle after leaving Rangers in January, but the 20-year-old failed to break into the first team at Firhill.
The 19-year-old Dillon did not break into the Thistle first-team and made one appearance this season on loan to Berwick Rangers. | James Craigen's three-year spell with Partick Thistle has ended, with the 24-year-old Englishman among five players being released by the Glasgow club. |
36695473 | Holders Arsenal safely navigated a tricky away tie at top-flight Reading, winning 3-1, while Women's Super League One leaders Manchester City won 8-0 at WSL 2 side Aston Villa.
Liverpool Ladies won the Merseyside derby at WSL 2 side Everton 1-0.
Sheffield FC Ladies beat Bristol City Women 2-0 in the only all-WSL 2 clash.
Chelsea, winners of the Women's FA Cup and the league title in 2015, fielded four senior England internationals in their starting XI, but were trailing 2-1 when their defender Niamh Fahey was dismissed late on.
Down to 10 players, Chelsea sent the game to extra-time with Millie Bright's stoppage-time goal before Beth England put them 3-2 up, but Deanna Cooper's leveller brought about a penalty shootout.
England winger Karen Carney and South Korea forward Ji So-Yun both missed penalties for Chelsea before Merrick Will struck the part-time side's final kick.
On Sunday, the remaining first-round ties see Doncaster Rovers Belles host Sunderland, Oxford United host Birmingham City and WSL 2 leaders Yeovil Town host Notts County Ladies.
Chelsea Ladies manager Emma Hayes: "The Bees put everything on the line for their team. It was a fantastic effort against a group of professional players and they deserve what they got from the game.
"It wasn't about who has the best individuals because that's clear. Ultimately the best team won because they took all elements of the game seriously and they respected the opponent."
London Bees substitute Merrick Will: "It was brilliant. It's great to beat Chelsea, a quality side like that, and go through to the next round.
"We came into it with not much pressure and I knew we could do it. We definitely went in there underestimated and I think that showed in our performance." | Chelsea Ladies suffered a shock Women's Continental Cup first-round exit as they lost 4-2 on penalties to second-tier London Bees after a 3-3 draw. |
36908975 | Media playback is not supported on this device
The 27-year-old, nicknamed 'Beef', broke into the world's top 100 by finishing eighth at Royal Troon.
That came three months after he won his first European Tour title with victory in the Spanish Open at Valderrama.
"At The Open I'd come off and maybe sign five or 10 autographs... now it's more like 40, 50, 60," Johnston told BBC Radio 5 Live. "It was crazy."
The Englishman is preparing to play in the US PGA Championship, which starts on Thursday.
"You've got to find the right balance," he said. "I love spending time and signing stuff. I think that is really important, but you have to find that balance.
"To have won the Spanish Open and come eighth at The Open... it's great, but there are seven people ahead of me, so it could be better."
Johnston has been grouped with the United States' Scott Piercy and Swede Alex Noren for the opening two rounds at Baltusrol in New Jersey.
The trio will tee off at 17:35 BST on Thursday. | Andrew Johnston knows he must balance his golf with new-found fame after becoming a cult hero at The Open. |
35227252 | The 31-year-old midfielder is England's most-capped player of all time, having represented her country 148 times.
Williams was part of the squad that finished third at last year's World Cup and was awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours list.
"Fara is a great competitor and a fantastic character, too," said Gunners boss Pedro Martinez Losa.
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"She is a player with huge experience at club and international level, and her reading and understanding of games is fantastic."
Williams, who has also had spells at Chelsea, Charlton and Everton, helped the Reds win the FA Women's Super League title in 2013 and 2014.
Arsenal have not disclosed the length of her contract, but Williams tweeted she had signed with the north London side for two years.
This is a big coup for Arsenal and their fans.
With three World Cups, three European Championships and the London Olympics under her belt, 31-year-old Williams will add plenty of experience to their midfield.
Arsenal claimed the Continental Cup in 2015. Making a signing like this shows great intent as Arsenal look to win their first league title since 2012.
But it's another blow for Liverpool, whose slide continues.
Champions in 2013 and 2014, Liverpool finished second bottom in the WSL last season and Williams has now become the seventh player to leave the club in the transfer window. | Arsenal Ladies have signed England international Fara Williams from Liverpool Ladies. |
38870786 | The incident happened at about 15:45 GMT on Saturday on College Hill, Llanelli.
Dyfed-Powys Police said the silver people carrier, which may have damage to its front bumper, had gone before officers arrived.
The motorcyclist was taken to hospital with a head injury, but his condition is unknown. | A search is under way for the driver of a car which left the scene of a crash with a motorbike in Carmarthenshire. |
34653774 | 27 October 2015 Last updated at 18:33 GMT
Twenty-year-old Anna Kenny went missing in Glasgow, in August 1977, and her body was found in Argyll two years later.
Her death has been linked to Angus Sinclair, who was convicted of the World's End murders last year.
BBC Scotland's Home Affairs Correspondent Reevel Alderson reports. | The unsolved murder of a woman is to be re-investigated by detectives - almost 40 years after the crime. |
40113233 | Gemma Whyley, 28, was one of two coaches involved with the Welsh Paracheer Unified Freestyle Pom team that won gold at the ICU Cheerleading Championships in Orlando, Florida.
A quarter of the team has physical disabilities.
Ms Whyley said: "Winning Wales' ever first gold in cheerleading was a dream come true."
"The build-up from January this year was pretty intense but all the hard work paid off in the end.
"It's something we'll all remember for the rest of our lives." | A Swansea coach has helped lead a Welsh team to glory at an international cheerleading competition. |
36138247 | Six bodies of murdered citizens have turned up in the Zambian capital Lusaka in the last month.
It was widely reported that the victims had been mutilated and were missing their hearts, ears and private parts.
At the heart of the matter lay the darkness of ritual killings - when people are murdered for their body parts in the malevolent belief that in the hands of powerful sorcerers, these organs can be employed as charms to enhance political ambition and improve the lot of individuals in the pursuit of business and money.
While no African imagination is bereft of these tales, the practice of ritual murder has been shocking because of the frequency of its occurrence.
Albinos have borne the brunt of it in Burundi, Tanzania and now Malawi - where just this week police arrested 10 men for allegedly killing a 21-year-old albino woman.
Farai Sevenzo:
"Afrophobia is our xenophobia; it appears to be as African and as regular as ritual murders and deserves to be shunned"
Other cases of ritual killings have been reported from Nigeria to South Africa.
As a short cut to riches and influence, ritual murders have never been proven to work or they would have long replaced the tried paths of education, ambition and sweat.
What they do instead is polish "Heart of Darkness" labels for constant use on a continent awaking to her full potential and the promise of a 21st Century free of superstition.
The consequences of these murders were to prove far more serious for President Edgar Lungu's Patriotic Front (PF) government.
The residents of Lusaka's townships of Zingalume, George and Matero - where the bodies were discovered - attacked the police with stones for not doing enough to protect them from the ritual murderers.
But far more insidious enemies have been stalking Zambia's poor - hunger and unemployment.
The collapse of the Zambian copper trade as well as the kwacha currency and the onset of the southern African drought could easily be detected in the motives of the subsequent riots which saw xenophobic attacks on foreigners in Lusaka's high-density suburbs.
The rioters took what they could to eat and blamed foreign shopkeepers for the ritual murders.
The "foreigners" under attack had spilled over the borders of the Democratic Republic of Congo and then into Zambia after the Rwandan genocide in 1994.
They were mainly Hutu refugees who had stayed on in Zambia, despite the UN refugee agency declaring Rwanda a safe destination for their return back in 2013.
There is nothing glamorous about being a refugee - for 22 years some 6,000 Rwandans have wandered stateless in Zambia without passports and legal status.
They then mingled with the locals in townships just like Zingalume, which are by no means upmarket addresses, and set up little shops to trade and survive.
It is in xenophobia's nature to point the finger of blame at those foreigners who own something, who show evidence of money where there is none to be found.
The former Rwandans found themselves seeking shelter in churches and assurances for their safety from the Zambian government with more than 700 displaced after two days of rioting.
In the short and dangerous history of xenophobia in South Africa and now Zambia, the word "foreigner" invariably refers to black Africans, not to the Portuguese escaping Lisbon's meagre prospects for the oil fields of Luanda, or the Chinese who run Zambia's copper mines, supermarkets and chicken farms.
Afrophobia is our xenophobia; it appears to be as African and as regular as ritual murders and deserves to be shunned.
Zambia's history of welcoming Africans without a home is legendary.
South Africa's African National Congress (ANC) was based in former President Kenneth Kaunda's Zambia as they fought apartheid, as were Zimbabweans fighting white-minority rule in what was then Rhodesia.
At the centre of President Lungu's dilemma is the economic crisis now gripping Zambia as copper mines fold and the rains refuse to fall.
Youth unemployment and a rising cost of living seems more likely to be the roots of future riots, not ritual murders.
A Global Hunger report has grouped Chad, the Central African Republic and Zambia as the "three most hungry countries on the global hunger index".
Mr Lungu became president in January 2015 following a rushed poll necessitated by the death in office of Michael Sata.
Zambia's gloomy economic outlook has him trying to put out fires on many fronts as the country prepares for general elections due in August 2016.
The move to deploy soldiers to the townships is being seen as a calculated government plan towards voter intimidation, not a means to restore security.
It is unlikely that any amount of soldiers on the streets will make this an easy ride for the PF government.
History records only too well how this nation responds to hunger.
Thirty years ago Mr Kaunda, Zambia's founding president, tried to face down riots that had began in the mining towns of Kitwe and Ndola at the doubling of food prices.
By June 1990 the riots had reached Lusaka, the soldiers sent to quell them attempted a coup and Mr Kaunda was to be defeated at the ballot box by 1991.
The ritual killings may have left six citizens dead and mutilated, hundreds of refugees displaced and soldiers on the streets; but as long as the economic crisis continues to grip Zambia, further riots may come to Lusaka sooner than the rains.
More from Farai Sevenzo: | In our series of letters from African journalists, film-maker and columnist Farai Sevenzo considers the implications for Zambia of recent riots. |
35449888 | About 496kg (1,093lb) of cannabis resin was recovered by officers searching the garage in the Springburn area on Friday morning.
The arrested men, aged 41 and 28, have been charged with drug offences.
Det Ch Insp Kenny Gray said it was a "significant seizure of controlled drugs destined for our streets". | Two men have been arrested after police seized drugs with a street value of about £618,000 from a garage in Glasgow. |
19785689 | The Institution of Mechanical Engineers says liquid air can compete with batteries and hydrogen to store excess energy generated from renewables.
IMechE says "wrong-time" electricity generated by wind farms at night can be used to chill air to a cryogenic state at a distant location.
When demand increases, the liquid air can be warmed to drive a turbine.
Engineers say the process to produce "right-time" electricity can achieve an efficiency of up to 70%.
IMechE is holding a conference today to discuss new ideas on how using "cryo-power" can benefit the low-carbon economy.
The technology was originally developed by Peter Dearman, a garage inventor in Hertfordshire, to power vehicles.
A new firm, Highview Power Storage, was created to transfer Mr Dearman's technology to a system that can store energy to be used on the power grid.
The process, part-funded by the government, has now been trialled for two years at the back of a power station in Slough, Berkshire.
More than hot air The results have attracted the admiration of IMechE officials.
"I get half a dozen people a week trying to persuade me they have a brilliant invention," head of energy Tim Fox told BBC News.
"In this case, it is a very clever application that really does look like a potential solution to a really great challenge that faces us as we increase the amount of intermittent power from renewables."
Dr Fox urged the government to provide incentives in its forthcoming electricity legislation for firms to store energy on a commercial scale with this and other technologies.
IMechE says the simplicity and elegance of the Highview process is appealing, especially as it addresses not just the problem of storage but also the separate problem of waste industrial heat.
The process follows a number of stages:
IMechE says this process is only 25% efficient but it is massively improved by co-siting the cryo-generator next to an industrial plant or power station producing low-grade heat that is currently vented and being released into the atmosphere.
The heat can be used to boost the thermal expansion of the liquid air.
More energy is saved by taking the waste cool air when the air has finished chilling, and passing it through three tanks containing gravel.
The gravel remains cool until it is needed to restart the air-chilling process.
Highview believes that, produced at scale, their kits could be up to 70% efficient, and IMechE agrees this figure is realistic.
"Batteries can get 80% efficiency so this isn't as good in that respect," explains Dr Fox.
"But we do not have a battery industry in the UK and we do have plenty of respected engineers to produce a technology like this.
"What's more, it uses standard industrial components - which reduces commercial risk; it will last for decades and it can be fixed with a spanner."
In the future, it is expected that batteries currently used in electric cars may play a part in household energy storage.
But Richard Smith, head of energy strategy for National Grid, told BBC News that other sorts of storage would be increasingly important in coming decades and should be incentivised to commercial scale by government.
He said: "Storage is one of four tools we have to balance supply and demand, including thermal flexing (switching on and off gas-fired power stations); interconnections, and demand-side management. Ultimately it will be down to economics."
Mr Dearman, who also invented the MicroVent resuscitation device used in ambulances, told BBC News he was delighted at the success of his ideas.
He said he believed his liquid air engine would prevail against other storage technologies because it did not rely on potentially scarce materials for batteries. "I have been working on this off and on for close on 50 years," he told BBC News.
"I started when I was a teenager because I thought there wouldn't be enough raw materials in the world for everyone to have a car. There had to be a different way. Then somehow I came up with the idea of storing energy in cold.
"It's hard to put into words to see what's happening with my ideas today."
John Scott, from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), added: "At present, pumped-hydro storage is the only practical bulk storage medium in the British grid.
"However, locations are very restricted," he told BBC News. "In the future, if new storage technologies can be deployed at a lower cost than alternatives, it would benefit the power system."
A spokesman for the Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc) said it would shortly launch a scheme to incentivise innovation in energy storage. Other grants are available from Ofgem.
Follow Roger Harrabin on Twitter: @RogerHarrabin | Turning air into liquid may offer a solution to one of the great challenges in engineering - how to store energy. |
39867690 | Evha Jannath fell out of a circular boat on the Splash Canyon attraction during a school trip to Drayton Manor Theme Park in Staffordshire on Tuesday.
The pupil, from Leicester, was rescued from the water and taken to hospital but pronounced dead a short time later.
A statement released by Evha's family said their "world was torn apart" following her death.
For the latest on this and other Staffordshire stories
They described her as "a beautiful little girl who was full of love and always smiling".
"Words cannot describe the pain and loss we feel, we are devastated that we will not see our beautiful little girl again."
Police said it was an "extremely difficult time" for Evha's relatives and the force was providing support.
The theme park remained closed for the day as "a mark of respect". The girl's school, Jameah Girls Academy in Leicester, was also closed.
In a statement, the Islamic day school asked that the Year 6 pupil's family and school community be given "time to grieve".
Head teacher Erfana Bora said Evha was a "lovely, sweet-natured girl [who] was loved by everyone at the school".
"We are trying to make sense of this terrible tragedy. Our thoughts and our prayers are with Evha's family," she added.
Prayers have been said for the girl at the Jameah Mosque in Leicester.
Staffordshire Police said a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation had begun.
The ride, which opened in 1993 and features up to 21 boats each with a capacity of six people, closed following the incident at the park near Tamworth.
It offers a "a wild ride" with "fast-flowing rapids" and riders must be at least 0.9m (3ft) tall to board, although those under 1.1m must be accompanied by an adult.
On Tuesday, park company director George Bryan, whose grandfather opened the site in the 1950s, said he was "truly shocked and devastated" by the death.
West Midlands Ambulance Service said it sent paramedics by land and air to the site.
A spokesman said crews discovered a girl "with serious injuries who had been rescued from the water by park staff".
She was flown to Birmingham Children's Hospital but was pronounced dead a short time later.
Zainab Mohammad said her 16-year-old sister, who was on the same school trip, was devastated.
"She came home, she spoke to mum and dad and she just went upstairs.
"She was devastated. She didn't want to talk about it. The school is not very big, everybody knows each other.
"We don't know what the cause is but what we really want is for the family to be able to grieve.
"A family member has been ripped from their family and it's a big loss. Everybody is in utter shock, there are no words."
Vikki Treacy told BBC 5 live her son fell in the water on the same ride in 2013.
She said Patrick, who was 10 at the time, "sort of stood up" for a photo and toppled from the boat.
The mother, from Rugby, said: "When you are queuing up, the loudspeakers are telling you the safety instructions, like please stay seated.
"[But] they're getting excited and giddy, they're not listening to a tannoy are they?
"[After he fell] I panicked and a woman... in the spectators' bit, hopped over a fence at the side and dragged him out.
"My son was in an area where the public could get to him. It's a dangerous ride. It really is.
"I'll never go back to the park. No way. Their aftercare was shocking."
Drayton Manor said it could not comment on the claims while the Splash Canyon investigation was ongoing.
A spokesman added: "The health and safety of our visitors is of paramount importance and we'd ask Vikki contacts us direct so that we can address her concerns."
Theme park enthusiast Ian Bell, who owns rollercoaster fan group Coasterforce, said rapids rides like Splash Canyon tended not to have seatbelts in case they capsized.
"They are fairly buoyant; they rarely capsize. They are very safe," he added.
Rides similar to Splash Canyon have been closed at other theme parks. Thorpe Park's Rumba Rapids was closed on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Alton Towers said it would be closing its Congo River Rapids ride as a "precautionary" measure.
In a statement the park said: "We are aware of the tragic events at Drayton Manor and our thoughts are with the family and all of those affected.
"Safety is our number one priority and, as a precautionary measure, the Congo River Rapids will be closed tomorrow and until such time as more details of the incident become available."
Health and safety lawyer Chris Green told BBC Radio 5 live he had been on the ride with his daughters and had never thought it could be dangerous.
He said the HSE would need to establish if the accident was work-related.
"They'd be firstly trying to understand from witnesses precisely how this has happened and that will determine whether it's them in conjunction with police, whether that's a report for the coroner or for other proceedings as well."
The death at Drayton Manor is thought to be the first at a UK theme park since 2004, when a 16-year-old girl fell from the Hydro ride at Oakwood theme park near Tenby, west Wales.
In June 2015, five people were seriously injured in a collision on the Smiler rollercoaster at Alton Towers, also in Staffordshire.
Mr Green said: "The Alton Towers scenario looked more perhaps as if something inevitably looked like it hadn't worked on the day. This one [at Drayton Manor] may be rather different."
In October 2016, four people died on a rapids ride at Australia's Dreamworld, on Queensland's Gold Coast. | An 11-year-old girl who was killed in a fall from a water ride has been named. |
38718066 | The nation's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has announced plans to "clean up" unauthorised internet connections.
The 14-month campaign will target the virtual private networks (VPNs) and dedicated lines many use to go online.
All these types of service must be officially vetted to keep operating, said the Ministry.
In its notice, the Ministry said China's net connection market was "disordered" and needed regulating.
In a bid to sort out the situation it said it was embarking on the long term plan to bring some order to the way people go online. Net connection firms and the other ways people get online would be scrutinised, it said.
China uses many different technologies to police what people say online and which sites they can visit. Many sites popular outside the country, such as Facebook and YouTube, are blocked or restricted to those behind what is known as China's "great firewall".
To get around that virtual edifice many people use VPNs, which are a secure connection between a device and another computer over the internet, to effectively connect directly to a computer outside China that handles traffic between them and the sites they want to reach.
Many businesses also use VPNs to help staff connect to corporate networks and to limit the amount of confidential data travelling over public networks.
The VPNs used by individuals and businesses, as well as dedicated leased lines, must now get official permission to operate.
The campaign is the latest in a long series of attempts by Chinese authorities to stop people using VPNs and other filter-busting systems.
Reporting on the crackdown, the South China Morning Post said the move was linked to wider efforts to manage the information available online ahead of a Communist Party congress which will see a "major reshuffle" of party leadership. | China is cracking down on the hi-tech ways citizens avoid official scrutiny of what they do online. |
35729914 | Ayeeshia Jane Smith died of a tear to her heart in Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, in May 2014.
Post-mortem tests showed Ayeeshia had bruises on her head, neck and buttocks.
Her mother Kathryn Smith and her partner Matthew Rigby, from Nottingham, deny murder, causing her death and child cruelty.
Det Sgt James Brady, from Staffordshire Police, told Birmingham Crown Court that Miss Smith had told him Ayeeshia had suffered three "overheating fits" since 2014.
She also told him the child suffered from alopecia, the court heard.
On the day of Ayeeshia's death Mr Brady said Miss Smith had left the child on the potty and went into the kitchen.
"Mum went into the kitchen to get some juice and returned back and found the child with blue lips and fitting," he said.
Christopher Hotten QC, prosecuting, asked if Miss Smith had presented the fits as being similar to those the child had suffered previously.
Mr Brady said: "Yes, it was described as the same as before, implying it was the same as the previous fits."
A pathologist told the jury "out of 100 children [of the same age and build], 98 would be heavier" than "thin" Ayeeshia.
On examination, Ayeeshia was found to have a bleed on the brain in the months before her death, linked to an incident in which Ayeeshia was hospitalised after collapsing in February 2014.
Further injuries were also discovered, including a large bruise to her back and buttocks and bruising to her left eyelid and left leg.
The trial continues. | A 21-month-old girl who died after sustaining "car crash-like injuries" had suffered an "overheating fit" on the day of her death, a court was told. |
36663674 | It was commissioned by the Inniskillings Museum in Enniskillen.
The window at St Macartin's Cathedral honours those who served in the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers and the 6th Inniskilling Dragoons.
It commemorates those who died, those who survived and their families.
Some who returned from the trenches faced a lifetime of physical and psychological trauma.
The window will be dedicated on Friday at an ecumenical service of reflection to commemorate the anniversary of the Battle of the Somme.
St Macartin's Cathedral contains the Inniskilling Regimental Chapel, where the standards that once rallied the troops and list past battle honours, including The Somme, are laid up.
World War One was only the third occasion that both Inniskilling regiments shared the same battlefield since they were raised to defend Enniskillen in 1688 from the forces of the Catholic King James II.
Dean of Clogher Kenneth Hall said: "The men and women who fought for their country are to be honoured with gratitude.
"They gave their lives for a cause they believed to be true, and by installing this commemorative stained glass window we remember their sacrifice.
"But also we need to remember the effect that that has had on so many who fought and survived and had to live with varied and mixed emotions."
"War endeavours to bring peace and justice, but true peace can only be found in the God of Peace in whom we should place our trust and in whose name this window will be dedicated."
The Sunday service from St Macartin's Cathedral on 3 July reflecting on the centenary of the Battle of the Somme will be broadcast live on BBC Radio Ulster at 10:15 BST. | A stained glass window commemorating the sacrifice of the Inniskilling Regiments that fought in World War One has been installed at a County Fermanagh cathedral. |
40585612 | Poland's Maciej Bodnar was caught in the final 300 metres in Pau, having led for the rest of the 203.5km route.
German Kittel surged passed his rivals, with Dutchman Dylan Groenewegen second and Edvald Boasson Hagen third.
Froome leads by 18 seconds overall from Italy's Fabio Aru and is 51 seconds ahead of Romain Bardet in third.
Britain's Daniel McLay finished fifth in the stage, with compatriot Ben Swift in ninth.
"It's perfect at the moment," said Kittel. "The race [for the green jersey] is not over but I've used all my chances that I've got so far."
Quick-Step rider Kittel was the firm favourite to win in Pau, having claimed his fourth stage in imperious fashion on Tuesday.
Once again the 29-year-old German had enough time to raise his arm aloft, signifying his five stage wins, as he coasted over the line, his rivals only able to draft in behind him.
Kittel's team-mates Jack Bauer, Philippe Gilbert and the particularly impressive Julien Vermote all did extended turns at the front of the peloton late on to reel in Bodnar and hold off rival sprint trains.
"When you're on your top level as a sprinter, it's like playing Tetris and you're just trying to find the gaps," said Kittel.
"I've not made a mistake and again I could just jump from wheel to wheel.
"It's really nice to give the team a victory because my team all worked hard - they're champions and they're killing it for me."
Kittel is now just one behind the six stages won in 2009 by Britain's Mark Cavendish - who crashed out of this year's race - and could surpass that tally, with three of the remaining stages potentially ending in a sprint finish.
Although riders in the breakaway will look to take victory on Stages 16 and 19, both of which feature several categorised climbs, it is tough to see anyone beating Kittel on the final stage sprint down the Champs Elysees.
He also holds a likely insurmountable lead in the green jersey points competition, with a total of 335 so far, 133 ahead of Australia's Michael Matthews.
With many riders aiming to have a relatively calm stage before the challenges of the Pyrenees this week, a three-man group of Bodnar, Frederik Backaert (Wanty-Groupe Gobert) and Marco Marcato (Team UAE Emirates) were allowed to attack from the off and quickly establish a lead of four minutes.
The peloton seemed to have the breakaway in check throughout, never permitting the gap to grow too large and a simple catch looked to be close when the gap fell to 30 seconds with 30km to go.
However, the gap held for another 5km and Bodnar then attacked, leaving Backaert and Marcato behind and restoring his lead to over one minute.
The sprinters' teams responded but Bodnar - a gifted time trial rider - drew on every reserve to still lead into the final kilometre only to be swept up with around 250 metres to go, eventually rolling over the line in 54th place.
"I am disappointed because I was caught in the last 250 metres and it was my best day and I wanted to win for my team, for Peter Sagan [who was disqualified after stage four] and my dad who died two months ago," Bodnar told ITV4.
"The last 20km was my best time trial but I'm not happy about today - I can be happy about my legs but not about the result."
Team Sky's Froome was well protected by his team-mates throughout to easily claim the 51st yellow jersey of his career, moving him into fourth outright on the all-time list behind Eddy Merckx (96), Bernard Hinault (75) and Miguel Indurain (60).
Britain's Simon Yates (Orica-Scott) also remains in the best young rider's white jersey but other general classification riders were caught up in crashes.
Bardet, fifth-placed rider Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) and two-time champion Alberto Contador (Trek-Segafredo) all fell and had to be paced back to the peloton by team-mates.
Fuglsang suffered two "very small fractures" according to his team, one in his left wrist, which he broke five years ago, and another in his left elbow. However, Astana stated that Fuglsang will start Thursday's stage 12 in spite of his injuries.
The Dane's team-mate Dario Cataldo was forced to abandon after being caught up in the same crash, with scans later showing the Italian suffered a small fracture in his left wrist.
While none of Froome's rivals lost time, they will be frustrated to have endured nervy moments on a seemingly benign stage before a summit finish on Thursday's stage 12.
The 214.5km stage sees five categorised climbs in the final 100km and more than 3,000 meters of ascending should help shake up the general classification.
Stage 11 result:
1. Marcel Kittel (Ger/Quick-Step Floors) 4hrs 34mins 27secs
2. Dylan Groenewegen (Ned/LottoNL-Jumbo) Same time
3. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor/Team Dimension Data)
4. Michael Matthews (Aus/Team Sunweb)
5. Daniel McLay (GB/Fortuneo-Oscaro)
6. Davide Cimolai (Ita/FDJ)
7. Andre Greipel (Ger/Lotto Soudal)
8. Nacer Bouhanni (Fra/Cofidis)
9. Ben Swift (GB/Team UAE Emirates)
10. Danilo Wyss (Swi/BMC Racing)
General classification after stage 11:
1. Chris Froome (GB/Team Sky) 42hrs 27mins 29secs
2. Fabio Aru (Ita/Astana Pro Team) +18secs
3. Romain Bardet (Fra/AG2R La Mondiale) +51secs
4. Rigoberto Uran (Col/Cannondale-Drapac) +55secs
5. Jakob Fuglsang (Den/Astana Pro Team) +1min 37secs
6. Daniel Martin (Ire/Quick-Step Floors) +1min 44secs
7. Simon Yates (GB/Orica-Scott) +2min 02secs
8. Nairo Quintana (Col/Movistar Team) +2min 13secs
9. Mikel Landa (Spa/Team Sky) +3min 06secs
10. George Bennett (NZ/LottoNL-Jumbo) +3min 53secs | Marcel Kittel won his fifth stage of this year's Tour de France with victory on stage 11, as Britain's Chris Froome retained the leader's yellow jersey. |
28192584 | Abdul Rakib Amin, who is believed to be 26, was seen urging western Muslims to join the fighting in the jihadi film.
He has now spoken to ITV's Good Morning Britain.
He said: "I left with the intention not to go back, I'm going to stay and fight until the Khilafah (rule of Islam) is established or I die."
Amin said: "I left the UK to fight for the sake of Allah to give everything I have for the sake of Allah.
"One of the happiest moments in my life was when the plane took off from Gatwick Airport, I was so happy, as a Muslim you cannot live in the country of Kuffars (disbelievers).
"I didn't know how to fight with weapons before, so everyone has to go to a training camp, and after the training camp you go to an Islamic training camp."
It is understood he attended Sunnybank Primary and St Machar Academy in Aberdeen.
The original 13-minute video, There Is No Life Without Jihad, was posted by accounts linked to Isis. | The Aberdeen man who appeared in a recruitment video for the Islamic militant group Isis has said he is prepared to die for what he believes. |
11606228 | The current rate of destruction is estimated to cost the world trillions of dollars every year, and the damage will only get get worse unless wide-ranging measures are taken to stop it.
The reason is simple - population growth is the main driver behind those factors that are causing biodiversity loss.
There are currently about 6.7 billion people living on Earth, and this number is projected to grow to 9.2 billion by 2050 - that's roughly the population of the UK being added to the planet every year.
This means we'll need 70% more food, according to the United Nations (UN), just one of the many additional pressures on Earth's finite resources.
If left unchecked, these pressures will lead to the ever-faster destruction of nature, which could cost the world $28.6tn (£18.2tn), or 18% of global economic output, by 2050, according to the UN-backed Principles of Responsible Investment and corporate environmental research group Trucost.
That's about twice the current output of the US, the world's biggest economy.
So what can be done?
A vital step has already been taken - for the first time in history, we now have at least a rough idea of the economic cost of depleting the earth's natural resources.
This not only means that governments, businesses and consumers can understand the gravity of the problem, but it also means the value of nature can be factored into business decisions.
As Will Evison, environmental economist at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), says: "No-one is saying we should just stop converting pristine land, just that the value of the environment is recognised".
For example, a study on the conversion of mangroves to commercial shrimp farms in southern Thailand estimated the net economic returns at $1,122 per hectare a year.
The conclusion, at least for the shrimp farmer, is clear - there is an economic benefit of converting the mangroves.
But once the wider costs of the conversion - what economists call externalities - are taken into account, a very different conclusion is reached.
The economic benefits from the mangroves of collecting wood, providing nurseries for offshore fisheries and protection against storms total $10,821 a hectare, far outweighing the benefits of converting them into a shrimp farm.
There are a number of initiatives, some already introduced and some in the pipeline, that are specifically designed to ensure that the economic value of nature is recognised.
One example is reduced emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, or REDD, under which forest owners are paid not to cut down trees. A number of governments across the world have committed hundreds of millions of dollars to these projects.
Another is habitat banking, the market for which currently stands at around $3bn in the US, where companies that degrade natural areas are forced to restore nature elsewhere.
Trade in forest conservation obligations in Brazil and ground-water salinity credits in Australia have also proved successful.
Alongside these schemes and those like them, there are various compensation arrangements that make those causing environmental damage pay for it, just like carbon credits that currently exist.
Exemptions from these various taxes, charges and fees, as well as subsidies, are also used to encourage environmentally responsible behaviour.
There is also growing pressure for companies to begin incorporating the costs of the damage that they do to the Earth's natural resources into their profit and loss accounts.
Only by incorporating these costs into their accounts, many argue, will companies be forced to reduce their impact on the natural world.
"Directors' bonuses don't have to be included [in company accounts] from a pure profit and loss point of view, but they are. Environmental externalities should be the same," says Pavan Sukhdev, a career banker and team leader of the United Nations' The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (Teeb) study.
"This is not a straightforward process and needs standard methodologies accepted by everyone, but it could be achieved within 10 years."
The next step would be to incorporate environmental assets into national accounts.
But many companies already do acknowledge the costs of biodiversity loss.
A survey conducted by PwC earlier this year found that 27% of chief executives were either "extremely" or "somewhat" concerned about biodiversity loss, although there was a large disparity between those operating in developed economies and those in emerging markets.
Indeed many multinational companies have made significant investments in protecting the natural resources upon which their success depends.
These include investments to mitigate the impact of tighter regulation, such as shipping giant Swire's decision to buy up swathes of rainforest to offset the possible introduction of pollution taxes in the shipping industry.
Indeed those companies that are well prepared for more stringent regulation, and have made the necessary investment in protecting the natural assets that serve them, will gain an important competitive advantage.
But it's not just a question of risk mitigation - there are also opportunities for companies that act in an environmentally responsible manner.
Brewing giant SABMiller has made considerable investments in reforestation in Columbia and South Africa, as well as setting stringent targets for reducing water consumption - commitments, it says, that helped the company secure licences to brew in Australia, "because the authorities trust that we will be water efficient", says Andy Wales, the brewer's global head of sustainable development.
Contrast this with mining group Vedanta, which has been denied permission both to expand its aluminium operations and to mine bauxite in India after campaigners claimed the company had ignored the needs of indigenous peoples.
Companies also recognise that they need to react to increasing customer awareness of environmental issues.
For example, another survey conducted by PwC in May found that more than half of UK consumers were willing to pay between 10% and 25% more for goods up to £100 to account for their impact on the natural world.
Such changing consumer attitudes mean that more and more companies are investing in reducing their impact on nature.
For example, the world's biggest retailer Walmart has introduced sustainability criteria as part of its official product sourcing process.
Coffee giant Starbucks has also invested millions of dollars in protecting natural resources because "we know maintaining biodiversity makes a difference to our coffee drinkers" according to Tim McCoy, the company's head of communications.
Natura, the Brazilian cosmetics group with a turnover of $2.4bn, has committed to sourcing products sustainably from natural sources in order to appeal to consumers, while French energy group GDF Suez has invested in conserving biodiversity on its landfill sites purely as part of its "reputational risk management".
Google Maps has even launched a service that allows users to track changes in forest cover across the world.
Not everything some companies say about their environmental commitments can be believed, but the fact that they are saying it at all is what's important, says Mr Sukhdev.
"Once you get away from denial, you pass through a phase of understanding and then one of empty rhetoric before you arrive at action. The stage of empty rhetoric is part of the process."
And those companies that do take action will win out in the long run.
The costs of failing to protect the Earth's natural resources and the services they provide, and the price of failing to grasp the opportunities that investing in nature present, are simply too great for those that do not.
This is the third in a series of three articles on the economic cost of human activity on the natural world.
The first looks at the full impact of the degradation of the natural world on the global economy - both on business and consumers.
The second looks at the direct costs to businesses, both large and small. | Slowing down the destruction of the Earth's natural resources is essential if the global economy, and the businesses that drive it, are to prosper long term. |
37459298 | Striker Marquis gave Doncaster a seventh-minute lead when he latched onto a long ball down the middle and rounded David Forde to slot into an empty goal.
It was the third home game in a row in which Pompey had fallen behind and Williams cleverly clipped over his shoulder to double the lead.
Pompey hit back hard and Carl Baker's powerful dipping effort from the edge of the area needed a top save from Marko Marosi to tip over before Doncaster left-back Cedric Evina almost fired into his own goal.
Listen to Doncaster boss Darren Ferguson speaking to BBC Radio Sheffield
Pompey were given a first-half lifeline when Joe Wright bizarrely hooked Gareth Evans' wayward cross into Baker's path and the winger thumped in.
Conor Chaplin failed to crane his header into an open goal, Baker dragged a long ball onto the bar and Curtis Main air-kicked under the bar.
But the best chance was kicked off the line by Andy Butler after Gary Roberts had headed towards goal as Pompey fell to a second straight defeat.
Report supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Portsmouth 1, Doncaster Rovers 2.
Second Half ends, Portsmouth 1, Doncaster Rovers 2.
Attempt missed. Michael Doyle (Portsmouth) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right.
Corner, Portsmouth. Conceded by Matty Blair.
Attempt missed. Gary Roberts (Portsmouth) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left following a corner.
Corner, Portsmouth. Conceded by Andy Butler.
Attempt missed. Carl Baker (Portsmouth) right footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high from a direct free kick.
John Marquis (Doncaster Rovers) is shown the yellow card.
Amine Linganzi (Portsmouth) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Joe Wright (Doncaster Rovers).
Cedric Evina (Doncaster Rovers) is shown the yellow card.
Foul by Carl Baker (Portsmouth).
Andy Williams (Doncaster Rovers) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Corner, Portsmouth. Conceded by Jordan Houghton.
Foul by Curtis Main (Portsmouth).
Jordan Houghton (Doncaster Rovers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Carl Baker (Portsmouth).
Cedric Evina (Doncaster Rovers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt blocked. Gary Roberts (Portsmouth) header from the left side of the six yard box is blocked.
Attempt saved. Andy Williams (Doncaster Rovers) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Substitution, Doncaster Rovers. Harry Middleton replaces James Coppinger.
Attempt saved. Curtis Main (Portsmouth) left footed shot from very close range is saved in the centre of the goal.
Carl Baker (Portsmouth) hits the bar with a right footed shot from very close range.
Substitution, Portsmouth. Curtis Main replaces Conor Chaplin.
Delay in match (Portsmouth).
Substitution, Doncaster Rovers. Niall Mason replaces Riccardo Calder.
Matthew Clarke (Portsmouth) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by John Marquis (Doncaster Rovers).
Attempt missed. Christian Burgess (Portsmouth) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left following a corner.
Corner, Portsmouth. Conceded by Cedric Evina.
Attempt missed. Milan Lalkovic (Portsmouth) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right.
Attempt blocked. Andy Williams (Doncaster Rovers) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Andy Butler (Doncaster Rovers) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Conor Chaplin (Portsmouth) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Andy Butler (Doncaster Rovers).
Substitution, Portsmouth. Amine Linganzi replaces Danny Rose.
Substitution, Portsmouth. Milan Lalkovic replaces Kal Naismith.
Attempt missed. John Marquis (Doncaster Rovers) left footed shot from the right side of the box is close, but misses to the left.
Corner, Doncaster Rovers. Conceded by Michael Doyle.
Attempt blocked. Conor Chaplin (Portsmouth) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. | First-half goals from John Marquis and Andy Williams helped Doncaster to a 2-1 win against Portsmouth at Fratton Park. |
28654147 | Now Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan have been jailed for life after being convicted by Cambodia's UN-backed tribunal of crimes against humanity.
The verdict comes more than three decades after the Khmer Rouge's fall. Under the regime, up to two million Cambodians died from execution, overwork and starvation.
The pair are also on trial for genocide. The cases are being tried separately to accelerate proceedings because the defendants are elderly.
Two other defendants were on trial - Ieng Sary has died and Ieng Thirith has been declared unfit to stand trial.
Born to a corn farmer and a seamstress, Nuon Chea was second in command to Pol Pot.
Serving as chief ideologist, he is believed to have played an integral part in shaping the Maoist regime's radical thinking.
Prosecutors say Nuon Chea was one of a small group behind policies that drove city residents into forced labour and starvation in the countryside, and used systematic violence against perceived enemies of the regime.
After the Khmer Rouge fell, he moved with its remaining fighters to strongholds in north-west Cambodia until in 1998 he was granted a pardon by Prime Minister Hun Sen as part of a peace deal.
However, after international pressure, he was arrested in 2007 and subsequently put on trial.
When the trial opened in November 2011, International Co-Prosecutor Andrew Cayley said the control exercised by the regime's top leaders "over all aspects of Cambodian society was frightening, pervasive and complete".
"The accused were informed of everything, from the number of couples married each month, to how much it rained, to the identity of persons who complained about the party's cooperative programme and lack of food.
"If the accused wanted an orange from Pursat, it would be picked and delivered to them. But if a parent sought to pick some fruit or catch a fish for a starving child, they would be arrested, reported to Angkar [the regime] and sent for re-education.
"Death might come swiftly, but not swiftly enough to spare the torture."
The crimes that occurred were not "random events attributable to rogue cadres" or solely to be blamed on Pol Pot, the prosecutor went on.
"These crimes were the result of organised plans developed by the accused and other CPK [Khmer Rouge] leaders and systematically implemented through the regional, military and government bodies they controlled."
Nuon Chea denied the charges against him, saying as the trial ended that he never ordered Khmer Rouge cadres "to mistreat or kill people, to deprive them of food or commit any genocide".
Responding to testimony from relatives of those who died, he said: "As a leader, I must take responsibility for the damage, the danger to my nation."
"I feel remorseful for the crimes that were committed intentionally or unintentionally, whether or not I had known about it or not known about it."
Khieu Samphan served as Cambodian president from 11 April 1976 to 7 January, 1979.
He was brought up in southeast Svay Rieng province and educated in France, where he became a prominent member of a leftist Khmer student intellectual group in the 1950s.
During his time in office, Khieu Samphan was the public face of regime and accompanied overseas diplomats on official visits.
Like Nuon Chea, he is accused of helping sculpt some of the regime's deadliest policies as one of its top leaders.
"He publicly endorsed taking measures against the enemies of the revolution in a way that suggests knowledge and support of the policy of executing purported enemy agents," Stephen Heder and Brian Tittemore wrote in their book, "Seven Candidates for Prosecution".
But Khieu Samphan says he should not be held responsible.
"It is easy to say that I should have known everything, I should have understood everything and thus I could have intervened or rectified the situation at the time,'' he told the court.
"Do you really think that that was what I wanted to happen to my people? The reality was that I did not have any power," he said. | They were once considered the Khmer Rouge's most powerful leaders after Pol Pot. |
36476504 | India's entry into these groups will give it easier access to technology for research and advancement.
President Obama made the statement at a meeting with India Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington.
The two leaders also signed agreements to boost co-operation in trade, military ties and climate change.
Mr Modi and Mr Obama also signed an agreement to enable US-based Westinghouse Electric Co to start building six reactors in India.
The US and India will "remain invested in each other's prosperity", they said.
There was no immediate Pakistani reaction to Mr Obama's expression of support for India joining the Nuclear Suppliers Group.
But hours before the White House meeting, Pakistan's military and civilian leaders held urgent talks and said they noted "ongoing regional developments and inimical designs against our stability and prosperity".
Pakistan, India's arch-rival, also wants to join the NSG, with the backing of its ally China, but fears India's entry will block its chances.
It has watched India's improving relations with its other neighbours with growing unease.
Iran's Chabahar port, which is being developed in collaboration with India and Afghanistan, is seen as a security threat in Pakistan. The port will end India's quest for overland access to the Middle East and Central Asia, something Pakistan has successfully blocked since independence.
Tuesday's meeting was Mr Modi's seventh with Mr Obama since becoming prime minister in 2014.
A joint statement issued after the meeting said both countries "share common climate and clean energy interests" and are "close partners" in the fight against global warming.
The leaders also promised to ratify the Paris Agreement in their respective countries "as soon as possible this year".
India is the world's third-largest greenhouse gas emitter after China and the United States.
"Noting that the US-India defence relationship can be an anchor of stability and given the increasingly strengthened co-operation in defence, the United States hereby recognises India as a major defence partner," the statement read.
Next on the agenda for the Indian prime minister is an address to a joint session of the US Congress on Wednesday.
Analysts say that the speech is significant because it "completes the circle of rehabilitation" for him. | US President Barack Obama has backed India's entry into the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCG) and Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). |
35134218 | Christopher Meli, 20, was found dead near houses at Glasvey Close. Detectives said he had suffered a sustained and vicious assault.
Police said two girls aged 16 and 17 and a 17-year-old boy were released on police bail pending further enquiries.
On Tuesday, three teenagers appeared in court charged with Mr Meli's murder. | Three teenagers arrested over the murder of a man in west Belfast's Twinbrook estate at the weekend have been released on bail. |
30699600 | Three men and woman died when the Super Puma crashed off Shetland in 2013.
The BBC Scotland news website revealed last year an order was being sought at the Court of Session to access the data, which is normally retained by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch.
The hearing is now set to start on 19 May.
It is a rare legal move.
Helicopter passengers Sarah Darnley, from Elgin, Gary McCrossan, from Inverness, Duncan Munro, from Bishop Auckland, and George Allison, from Winchester, lost their lives.
The lord advocate, Scotland's top prosecutor, is seeking the order for disclosure of the voice recorder data recorder under the Civil Aviation (Investigation of Air Accidents and Incidents) Regulations 1996.
Section 18 covers disclosure of relevant records, and the Crown can act if it believes it to be in the public interest.
A Crown Office spokesman told BBC Scotland: "Following the helicopter crash off Sumburgh on 23 August 2013 in which four people died, Crown Office commenced its investigation into the cause of the deaths.
"As part of that investigation Crown Counsel instructed that a petition be lodged at the Court of Session with the aim of recovering material held by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch.
"The process by which such material can be recovered is set out in statute. A hearing has now been fixed to commence on 19 May.
"The nearest relatives have been updated regarding this development. As this is a live investigation it is not appropriate to comment further."
A total of 18 people were on board when the Super Puma crashed on its approach to Sumburgh. | A hearing over legal action to obtain cockpit voice recorder data from accident investigators after a fatal helicopter crash is to be held in May. |
31831601 | Sweden acted after Saudi Arabia blocked a speech by the Swedish foreign minister to the Arab League.
On Wednesday, the Saudi Foreign Ministry described Margot Wallstrom's remarks as "offensive" and a "blatant interference in its internal affairs."
The decade old defence deal was worth millions of dollars in Swedish arms exports and was due to expire in May.
The Swedish foreign ministry confirmed that Saudi Ambassador Ibrahim bin Saad Al-Ibrahim was being withdrawn due to the country's criticism of the Kingdom's record on "human rights and democracy."
Ms Wallstrom is an outspoken critic of the Gulf state, previously describing it as a "dictatorship".
On Monday, Ms Wallstrom posted online a copy of the speech she was due to give to the Arab League in Cairo.
In the wide-ranging speech she highlighted Sweden's commitment to international human rights. She also advocated the benefits of democratic progress, and called for members to "focus attention on women's rights."
She described freedom of religion and expression as "fundamental rights".
In February, Ms Wallstrom told the Swedish parliament that Riyadh violated women's rights and criticised the flogging of activist and blogger Raif Badawi. | Saudi Arabia has recalled its ambassador after Sweden ended a weapons deal between the countries on Monday. |
39766135 | A single electricity market operates across the island of Ireland.
The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee says Brexit "potentially challenges the future viability" of that arrangement.
The all-island market is possible because the UK and Ireland are both members of the Internal Energy Market (IEM).
All EU members participate in the IEM along with Norway, Iceland and Lichtenstein.
Participation requires alignment with EU rules including industrial emissions regulations and restrictions on state aid.
The UK government will have to decide whether to remain in the IEM, withdraw entirely or negotiate a new bilateral relationship.
The NIAC says the government "should give particular consideration" to how any changes to the UK's relationship with the IEM will affect Northern Ireland.
It says withdrawal would be significant for Northern Ireland as a smaller, less efficient market would likely mean higher electricity costs.
It adds that the government "may wish to seek a special status or derogation" for Northern Ireland.
It calls for long-term policy clarity as soon as possible.
The NIAC inquiry heard there is "a clear desire from electricity market stakeholders in Northern Ireland to retain the existing market arrangements". | The UK government may wish to seek "special status" for Northern Ireland's electricity market after Brexit, a group of MPs has said. |
25083483 | The report says despite negative perceptions there is "no evidence" the shops cause "High Street decline".
Councils should "do more to support charity shops", the report adds.
The rising number of charity shops has led to calls to limit their numbers, but the report says the benefits they bring are "often unrecognised".
In August, the Mail on Sunday said research showed there had been a 30% increase in the number of charity shops in Britain since 2008 - taking the total to more than 10,000.
There have been calls for a cap on charity shop numbers, and the removal of tax concessions and business rate relief they currently benefit from.
Ally Paget, a researcher at Demos and the author of the report, said charity shops themselves must do more to tackle "negative public perceptions" and highlight the "huge contributions they make to communities".
"It is a real shame that the multitude of benefits offered by charity shops is so often unrecognised and under used, especially in this time of austerity," she said.
"Local authorities can and should do more to support charity shops at a business level, and to draw on the capacity of charity shops to spur local regeneration."
The report says charity shops make a "colossal" environmental contribution by reusing items, reducing the UK's CO2 emissions by an estimated 3.7 million tonnes per year - "roughly equivalent to the entire carbon footprint of Iceland".
Demos said its research showed charity shops keep shoppers on high streets.
"Our analysis and our public survey results suggest that the growth of charity shops on the High Street is a symptom, rather than a cause, of High Street decline," the report adds.
It says data showed charity shops "do not increase rents for other shops" and "do not prevent small and medium-sized businesses from opening" on high streets.
The research also found charity shops help combat unemployment, with more than 80% of volunteers saying they were using their shifts to gain retail experience as a path to paid employment.
The report recommends that job centres should promote volunteering in charity shops to more jobseekers.
Charity Retail Association figures show the shops employ 17,300 paid staff and have 210,000 volunteers in total.
The report says charity shops help tackle health and social problems, particularly social isolation.
Many staff surveyed by Demos said their shops often acted as a form of community centre for older and vulnerable people to simply "drop in" for a chat.
Demos conducted a poll of 2,200 members of the public, as well as around 150 charity shop managers and 150 volunteers.
Some 91% of volunteers cited socialising and meeting new people as a benefit of volunteering, and 61% felt their volunteering led to improved physical and mental health.
Warren Alexander, of the Charity Retail Association, said charity shops not only raise "vital money" for good causes but also "bring huge value to their local communities". | Charity shops boost local business, combat unemployment and even help tackle social isolation, according to a report by the think tank Demos. |
38594058 | The group. which includes Lloyds Bank, the Halifax and Bank of Scotland, said it had suffered problems across all its brands on Wednesday.
At one point the bank assured customers that the glitch had been resolved.
However, customers are reporting that they are unable to access online and app banking on Thursday morning.
One customer tweeted: "Haven't been able to access the site or app for over 36 hours now - is anything being done about this?"
The banking group has not revealed what has caused the problems, but did say it was not the result of a cyber attack.
"We're aware of intermittent errors and are looking to resolve ASAP. Apologies for any inconvenience caused," it has tweeted.
Lloyds Banking Group has 22 million current account customers. Nearly six million actively used Lloyds Bank digital services, the bank said, with 2.5 million log ons per day, including 75% from a mobile or tablet, at Lloyds Bank specifically. | Customers of Lloyds Banking Group have expressed frustration at a second day of problems with online and app banking. |
30392163 | Fleur East's version of the track was called "one of the top three performances" in X Factor history by Simon Cowell.
The live recording shot to the top of iTunes on Monday, prompting Ronson's label to rush-release the original.
Some bookmakers have suspended bets on the song reaching Christmas number one.
Ladbrokes stopped taking bets late on Monday night. Other bookmakers slashed their odds, with William Hill offering 7/1, making Uptown Funk its third favourite for the festive top spot, after The X Factor Winner's single and Band Aid 30.
Featuring Bruno Mars on lead vocals, Uptown Funk is the first single from British producer Ronson's fourth album, Uptown Special.
Inspired by the feel-good funk of the 70s and 80s - including acts such as The Gap Band, The Time and the Tom Tom Club - it was already available in several countries around the world.
But the UK release was being held back until the new year.
Cowell said he had decided to give the song to Fleur East for Saturday's X Factor, after he first heard it the previous week.
The performance earned her a place in this weekend's final, where she will compete against Ben Haenow and Andrea Faustini for this year's title.
Her cover was outselling the likes of Taylor Swift and Take That on Monday morning. It has now been leap-frogged by the "official" version, with the song occupying both the number one and number two position in the iTunes download chart.
Ronson's record label, Columbia UK, is part of Sony Music along with Simon Cowell's label Syco. | The release date of Mark Ronson's single Uptown Funk has been brought forward by five weeks after an X Factor cover topped the iTunes chart. |
35279558 | Nyki Taylor, 39, died at the scene when the Vauxhall Astra she was in struck a lamp post on Blackpool Road, Lytham, at about 06:10 GMT on Sunday.
A 27-year-old man from Lytham was arrested on suspicion of drink driving and causing death by driving without due care and consideration.
Lancashire Police is appealing for witnesses to come forward.
Mrs Taylor's family described her as "a loving daughter and sister who was taken from us too suddenly and too soon".
They added: "Words cannot describe our loss, she will be in our hearts forever."
Sgt Rob Gomery, who is leading the investigation, said officers were keen to speak to the driver of a red Audi who may have stopped at the scene. | A motorist has been arrested after his front-seat passenger was killed in a collision in Lancashire. |
35568675 | Samantha Parker-Smith said the driver refused to stop after her son left the vehicle ahead of her at the Holy Trinity stop in Clifton on Thursday.
She said her son Marli had "fear in his face" and was screaming.
Nottingham Express Transit (NET) said it was an "unfortunate" incident but drivers are told not to stop for "safety reasons".
Ms Parker-Smith said she was just behind her son when he stepped out on to the platform, but the doors closed in front of her and the tram began to move.
She said: "Everyone was shouting, screaming for the driver to stop because we had left a child behind.
"It was awful... It was a parent's worst nightmare."
The tram continued to the Clifton Centre stop, about half a mile (0.8 km) away, where she disembarked and got a lift back to where she last saw her son.
Marliwas being looked after at the stop.
"All I had kept thinking was that he's going to keep running next to the tram into the road," Ms Parker-Smith said.
The company said: "Our drivers do have to follow accepted safety standards in these circumstances and they should not stop the tram until the next stop.
"As soon as a driver is made aware, our control room is instantly alerted and can monitor the situation at the tram stop via our CCTV system."
However, a spokesman has told the BBC that its no stop procedure could be reviewed in light of recent events.
In September, a three-year-old girl was left stranded at a stop when the doors closed before her parents could get off.
NET apologised but the BBC later discovered that there had been a number of similar incidents. | A six-year-old boy was left chasing a tram after its doors closed and he became separated from his mother. |
27099700 | Author Sir Terry Pratchett was among 50 signatories of a letter to the Daily Telegraph saying Britain was a largely "non-religious society".
The PM said the UK should be "more confident" about its Christianity, a view No 10 says he has stated before.
Faith leaders have said they are "very comfortable" with Mr Cameron's views.
The open letter's signatories included author Philip Pullman, performer Tim Minchin, journalist Polly Toynbee, philosopher AC Grayling and presenter Dan Snow.
Its lead signatory was Professor Jim Al-Khalili, president of the British Humanist Association.
The group said it respected the prime minister's right to his own religious beliefs, but said: "We object to his characterisation of Britain as a 'Christian country' and the negative consequences for politics and society that this engenders."
"Apart from in the narrow constitutional sense that we continue to have an established Church, Britain is not a 'Christian country'.
"Constantly to claim otherwise fosters alienation and division in our society," the letter said.
Human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the assertion Britain is a Christian country was "not factually accurate".
He said a YouGov poll found 65% of people questioned described themselves as "not religious", while 29% said they were. He said those people would have come from a range of faiths - not just Christianity.
Mr Tatchell said the evidence shows the is not a Christian country, saying: "We are a multi-faith society, we are also a no-faith society."
His claims come after figures released by the ONS following the 2011 census found that, despite a drop of four million in the number of people who said they were Christians in England and Wales from 2001, 59% of residents still described themselves as Christian.
Christina Rees, a member of the General Synod, the highest governing body of the Church of England, said she was glad Mr Cameron had the "confidence" to talk about his faith and was "absolutely right" to call the UK a "Christian nation".
She said the UK was "historically and culturally" Christian.
Farooq Murad, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, said nobody could deny that the UK remains a largely Christian country with "deep historical and structural links" to Christianity.
He said "a sense of the sacred is to be cherished" but added that the UK would be stronger by "recognising and celebrating" people of multiple faiths and of no faith "living in harmony".
Anil Bhanot, managing director of the Hindu Council UK, said he was "very comfortable" with the UK being described as a Christian country.
In an article for the Church Times earlier this month Mr Cameron said Christians should be "confident" in standing up to defend their values.
The prime minister also spoke of his faith in his Easter message, saying he found "peace" in Christianity.
Downing Street spokeswoman referred to a speech made three years ago by the prime minister where he said the UK was a Christian country and should not be afraid to say so.
"He has said on many occasions that he is incredibly proud that Britain is home to many different faith communities, who do so much to make the UK a stronger country."
BBC political correspondent Chris Mason said Mr Cameron's comments could be politically "useful", coming as the UK Independence Party (UKIP) has been "emphasising traditional values". | David Cameron risks causing "alienation" in society by saying Britain is a "Christian country", a group of public figures has warned. |
40632427 | Average car insurance premiums have gone up by 11% in the past year, according to the Association of British Insurers (ABI).
The typical bill for an annual policy is now £484, it said.
Earlier this month, the ABI said car insurance premiums had already hit a record high in 2016.
The news will put further pressure on the government to change its decision to reduce the so-called discount rate in March this year.
The effect of that was to increase pay-outs to accident victims, but also to raise premiums.
The ABI says the change in the discount rate is the main reason behind the rise, but also blames the latest increase in insurance premium tax which went up from 10% to 12% on 1 June.
But personal injury lawyers have hit back - saying the insurance industry has been quietly reaping profits, while failing to pay proper compensation to those seriously injured in accidents.
The ABI is calling on the government to introduce a new system for calculating compensation payments. The Ministry of Justice has already consulted on a replacement system, but has not yet announced its decision.
"This dramatic increase drives home how important it is the government press ahead with a new framework for the discount rate and call a stop to further hikes in insurance premium tax," said Huw Evans, director general of the ABI.
"Most younger and older drivers are likely to face increases even higher than this, hurting people who can least afford it," he said.
But personal injury lawyers have accused the industry of under-paying accident victims before the rules were changed.
"During this time insurers quietly reaped the financial benefits of not having to pay what they owe to people with life-long, life-changing injuries," said Brett Dixon, president of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers.
"Yet the insurance industry has been vociferous in blaming the correction for rising motor premiums. It is scandalous that the blame for the mismanagement of the discount rate is being put at the door of seriously injured people."
The government reduced the discount rate - also known as the Ogden rate - in March this year.
It is designed to compensate insurance companies who pay out lump sums to those who suffer lifelong injuries.
In theory those awarded such sums can earn extra money by investing the money they are given.
As a result, the awards were previously reduced - or discounted - by 2.5%, the amount that victims could earn in interest on government bonds.
But such interest rates - or bond yields - have fallen. In fact once inflation is taken into account, they are now negative - meaning accident victims will actually be losing money in real terms over the long term.
That is why the government reduced the discount rate to -0.75%.
The government's decision to cut the discount rate will also be criticised in the House of Lords on Tuesday.
Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts has tabled what is called a "motion of regret" - expressing concern that the government did not commission an impact assessment before ordering the changes. | Motorists are being saddled with the fastest year-on-year rise in insurance premiums since records began five years ago, the industry has warned. |
39796374 | 4 May 2017 Last updated at 07:41 BST
A team of Microsoft researcher have been helping children who have trouble seeing learn how to code.
Coding usually involves you dragging and dropping blocks of commands together.
This means you can create programs that can move a character around a maze or speed through space.
Children who can't see very well usually have trouble with this part of coding because they have difficulty looking at the blocks of code on a computer.
Now though thanks to a special project called Project Torino they can make code using plastic pods to create programmes. | Some of you have been doing coding in your IT lessons but what do you do if you can't actually see the computer screen? |
32313865 | A rights group says asylum seekers there are protesting against a move to transfer some of them to Nauru.
Australia has seen a number of protests among asylum seekers kept in detention centres in recent months.
Rights groups have heavily criticised conditions in such centres.
A Northern Territories police spokesman said they received calls around 1540 local time (0710 BST) about a "disturbance" at Wickham Point Detention Centre. She declined to give further details.
Ben Pynt of the Darwin Asylum Seeker Support and Advocacy Network told the BBC that he has received calls from dozens of detainees about the protest and apparent cases of self-harm.
He said at least 100 people have been protesting since Tuesday over the impending transfer of a group of about 20 asylum seekers, including babies, back to Nauru.
The group was originally housed in Nauru but were brought to Darwin for medical treatment.
Australia asylum: Why is it controversial?
Australia saw a lengthy protest by asylum seekers at Manus Island in Papua New Guinea in January, where hundreds reportedly went on hunger strike.
In February 2014, that same camp saw deadly riots where at least one asylum seeker was killed and at least 70 were injured.
In October, the Australian government ordered an inquiry into allegations that asylum seekers were abused in the Nauru detention centre.
It reported in March that there were "credible" claims of assault and harassment. | Police in the northern Australian city of Darwin say they attended to a "disturbance" at an asylum seeker centre, amid reports of ongoing detainee protests. |
36826367 | The Scottish SPCA said the birds may never be able to fly again after they were found outside its centre in Fishcross, Clackmannanshire on 12 July.
Staff are currently caring for the buzzards, which are believed to have been kept in the cage for "a considerable amount of time."
Taking the birds from the wild to be kept as pets is a criminal offence,
Centre manager, Colin Seddon, said: "The birds were in a filthy condition and, judging by the amount of faeces inside the crate, had been kept in there for a considerable amount of time.
"Sadly, the buzzards are unable to fly due to being kept in cramped conditions and at this stage it's too early for us to say if they will ever be able to fly again.
"It will take a significant amount of work on the part of our wildlife team to get the birds flying if this is possible.
"Then we will have to ensure they are in a suitable condition to fend for themselves in the wild." | Two buzzards in a "filthy condition" have been left in a dog crate outside a Forth Valley animal rescue centre. |
31519986 | The group, Action for Community Transformation (ACT), told the BBC the aim of the patrols is to prevent crime and deter anti-social behaviour.
ACT is involved in community work. It has set up groups of residents to walk around their estates, watching for burglars and "suspicious activity".
The groups were filmed on Tuesday night patrolling the Braniel estate.
One of the organisers from ACT, Ian Shanks, said: "There's been several break-ins in the last couple of weeks in the Braniel, but it's increasing all over east Belfast.
"We're not here to be vigilantes or anything. We're just here as concerned residents."
A young man who was filmed taking part said: "We're just out to deter people from doing wrong.
"Hopefully, if people are looking out of their window, the more vulnerable people, that they'll see us out and hopefully it'll give them a bit of peace of mind, because at the end of the day your home is supposed to be your sanctuary."
However, the Police Services of Northern Ireland has asked the group to stop the patrols until the volunteers are formally organised into a "regulated" and "accountable" neighbour watch group.
Supt Darren Jones, who is in charge of operations for Belfast City policing district said officers have recently received reports from the public expressing concerns about groups of individuals patrolling the streets.
"This is actually increasing fear of crime, particularly within vulnerable groups, and it's not having an impact, as far as we know, on actually reducing crime," he said.
The group said it held a meeting in a local church and decided on the action after a 70-year-old man's home was broken into on a Sunday morning.
One of the group told the BBC's Talkback programme: "We're all family men and we're not going to put ourselves in a position where, if we do catch somebody on the street, as angry as it would make you, we're not going to put ourselves in a position where the law is going to come down on us."
Another man said he would make a "citizen's arrest" if he confronted a burglar.
When asked if residents should leave street patrols to the PSNI, another resident said: "We've been out for an hour at the minute and there hasn't been one police patrol, police car about.
"There's only so many cars, so they can't cover everywhere."
A woman taking part in the patrols said: "At the end of the day we need to protect where we live and make sure that people are safe in their homes and feeling safe in their homes."
Another woman said that on an average night they patrol together in groups of three of four, walking up side streets and alleyways, mostly checking on the homes of pensioners to "make sure they're ok".
Supt Jones said officers have already given "some advice to the ACT group" but said that it was on an "ad hoc and informal" basis.
"We're keen to promote volunteering but we need to do it a structured and regulated way, so we can make people accountable for their actions."
"We would rather they didn't do it at this time, until they're properly trained, until they're properly constituted, until they speak to us to allow us to impart advice, and that's not only just to protect them, it's also to protect vulnerable people within the community as well," the officer said.
However, Dr William Mitchell, co-ordinator of the ACT initiative said ACT was already a "legally constituted" group.
He said it was registered as a limited company with Companies House, with a board of directors "made up of civic society".
Dr Mitchell said they had already held a community consultation process and followed the recommendations on the PSNI's website before setting up the neighbourhood patrols. | Police have expressed concern over night-time street patrols by a loyalist community group in east Belfast. |
38873433 | Chasing a Bangladesh total of 235-8, Ireland made a solid start as Meg Kendal and Cecelia Joyce shared an opening stand of 56.
Kendal struck seven boundaries in a top score of 54, but the Irish struggled to break the shackles of an impressive Bangladesh bowling unit.
Ireland's first game in the tournament proper is against Zimbabwe on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe beat Scotland by 95 runs in their warm-up match, while there were also warm-up wins for South Africa over India, Pakistan against Sri Lanka, and Thailand over Papua New Guinea.
There are 10 teams participating in the qualifying tournament, which takes place at several different grounds in the Sri Lankan capital.
Ireland are in Group A alongside competition favourites India, hosts Sri Lanka, Thailand and Zimbabwe.
Four nations will go through to the eight-team World Cup which is being held in England from 24 June to 23 July.
All matches played in Colombo & start at 04:30 GMT. CCC = Colombo Cricket Club; MCA = Mercantile Cricket Association Ground; NCC = Nondescripts Cricket Club. | Ireland lost their Women's World Cup Qualifier warm-up game against Bangladesh by 39 runs in Colombo. |
34757054 | Tata Steel announced last month it would shed 900 jobs at its North Lincoln Road plant.
Fans created a "wall of light" by holding up their phones on torch setting just after half time on Saturday.
The club said it "dedicated" the game to steel workers and their families.
Players and coaching staff wore special T-shirts with the slogan 'Save Our Steel' during the warm-up ahead of the clash.
Tony Gosling, a steelworker who faces redundancy and also chairs the club's supporters society, the Iron Trust, said: "The steelworks is intrinsically linked with Scunthorpe and its football club, many of our members and fans will be affected by the proposed job losses.
"We really appreciate the effort the football club are putting in to show solidarity with steelworkers, and are pleased to stand alongside them in urging support to Save Our Steel."
Thousands of people have signed petitions calling on the government to do more to help protect jobs at the plant.
The industry blames cheap Chinese imports for a collapse in steel prices.
Tata has pledged £3m to help create jobs in the town, with another £6m provided by the government. | Scunthorpe United fans held up mobile phones in a show of support for steel workers during the first round of the FA Cup match against Southend. |
40876298 | The 28-year-old, who helped Millwall win promotion to the Championship before his summer exit, will join subject to English Football League and Football Association ratification.
Cummings scored three goals in 55 appearances in two seasons at the New Den, with two in 23 coming last term.
He has also played for Chelsea, MK Dons, West Bromwich Albion and Reading.
The Millers lost their opening game of the League One season to Fleetwood Town but won their EFL Cup tie against Lincoln City on Tuesday.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | Rotherham United have signed free-agent full-back Shaun Cummings on a one-year deal after a successful trial. |
35739925 | Manchester City got back to winning ways with a demolition of woeful Aston Villa, while Bournemouth beat Newcastle to continue their good form.
West Ham came back to beat Everton in a thriller, while Liverpool beat Palace and Swansea deepened Norwich's woes.
But who were the outstanding performers? Here are my selections...
I don't know how West Ham won this game. The Hammers were 2-0 down when Everton were awarded a penalty and that's when the game took a major twist. Romelu Lukaku, who was the man of the match at this point, fails to convert the spot-kick and suddenly Adrian's save galvanises the Hammers into one of the best away performances of the season. To be fair, Everton threw everything at West Ham but it took an inspired performance from Adrian to stop Ross Barkley adding to Everton's tally and Lukaku getting his hat-trick in open play. How Roberto Martinez has the bare-faced cheek to try and blame referee Anthony Taylor for either of Kevin Mirallas' yellow cards beggars belief. Mirallas tried to con the referee by diving in the first instance and then was so reckless in the challenge on Aaron Cresswell he left the official with no choice but to send him off.
It has taken quite some time for Dejan Lovren to come to terms with the demands placed on him by Liverpool since his arrival from Southampton. His performance in Liverpool's 2-1 win against Crystal Palace - particularly with the Reds having gone down to 10 men - was exceptional. Just why it's taken Lovren so long to settle in at Anfield isn't clear but he looks like he's finally starting to come to terms with the expectation. However, I had a big problem with referee Andre Marriner's decision to award Christian Benteke a penalty when Marriner looked unsure. I have no problem with the referee's opinion, I just think we are all entitled for the referee to be sure.
Analysis: Is Klopp a genius, or did he just get lucky?
It doesn't matter how good a gambler you are, there comes a time when your luck runs out. Yet it was Southampton who rode their luck having had Jose Fonte sent off for a rugby tackle on Fabio Borini. The Saints should have been duly punished by a Sunderland side who seemed to have the bit between their teeth. To my amazement, not only did Sunderland fail to capitalise on what should have been a Jermain Defoe winner, they handed Southampton a point when they should have taken all three. The finish by Virgil van Dijk was the sort of goal a striker would have been proud of, never mind a centre-back. The ball flew past Mannone and hit the back of the net like a rocket. Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce played a blinder; it's a pity his defenders couldn't follow suit.
I've always admired full-backs who have the courage and composure to take players on and go for goal given the opportunity. Charlie Daniels is proving to be one of those defenders. He reminds me of former Everton and England left-back Keith Newton, who was also tall and elegant in his game, and seemed to get better with every match. Daniels' finish against a desperate-looking Newcastle was his third goal of the season but his first in open play. However, I'm convinced it will not be his last. Meanwhile, the Newcastle players insist they are behind the manager, but they certainly didn't play like it. I've spoken to many in the professional game who say Steve McClaren is an excellent coach, but right now he needs to be a better manager.
What a lovely goal it was by GylfiSigurdsson. To add insult to injury, it was former Norwich favourite Leroy Fer who provided the killer pass for Sigurdsson to score and put the Canaries deeper in trouble. Swansea should have had a penalty when Timm Klose brought down Andre Ayew but it didn't matter in the end. Alex Neil's problem is his team cannot score goals and that was no better demonstrated than when Nathan Redmond missed a glorious chance to equalise in the dying minutes of the match. It seems the same old story with Norwich, I'm afraid: great club, great support, but the players simply aren't good enough for this division.
There is no doubt about it: Arsenal do have the talent in their team to win the league. The form of Aaron Ramsey, Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil has been spasmodic this season, but any one of them can come to Arsenal's rescue when required. Down to 10 men, they all had to dig deep in order to get something against Tottenham, but in the end it took a desperate tackle by Kevin Wimmer to stop Arsenal from taking all three points. Now that would have been embarrassing for Spurs.
Riyad Mahrez has got to be worth £20m of anyone's money. He scored a superb goal and his performance was instrumental in dismantling a dangerous Watford side and putting the Foxes five points clear at the top of the Premier League. Who would have thought it? Whatever the outcome of the title race, Leicester are virtually guaranteed a place in next year's Champions League. While we mull over that, the question I would like to pose is this: can Leicester hang onto the Algerian? His form has been so impressive he must be a major contender for the PFA Player of the Season award.
When David Silva turns up for work he's like John Curry on ice - beautiful to watch. The only problem has been he's not turned up very often this season. This was a game where Manchester City never got out of third gear against a doomed Aston Villa. Silva had the time and space to do what he wanted against a side already re-routing their sat nav to places like Reading and Preston in readiness for next season. The problem I have with City is that they are clearly the best side in the Premier League but they seem perfectly at ease with sacrificing the title for a shot at the Champions League. Someone needs to tell Manuel Pellegrini in his farewell season that City are the fourth-best team in the Champions League behind Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, and there is far less chance of winning that competition than the Premier League. Next year under Pep Guardiola might be a different proposition entirely, but I suspect Silva, Yaya Toure and a host of others with not be there. Perhaps that is focusing their minds.
All of West Ham's fortunes changed within a period of 15 minutes in one of the comebacks of the season. At 2-1 down, the game still looked out of West Ham's reach until Payet delivered a superb cross for Diafra Sakho to finish with a glorious header to make it 2-2. Even then I couldn't see the Hammers winning this fixture, but when you have a player in your side with the ability and composure of Payet anything is possible. His winner was a devastating blow to Everton, who at 2-0 looked unassailable. However, they only had themselves to blame. If you're having to score three goals at home to get a point, I'm not sure you're in the right league.
Joshua King needed some assistance from Newcastle's Steven Taylor to create the opening for Bournemouth's first goal, but the Cherries' second goal was all his own work. When I interviewed Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe at the beginning of the season, I practically scoffed at his insistence that he would continue to play open, attractive football against the top teams. Well, he's not only done that, he's produced players like King who look extremely comfortable in the big league. King and his Bournemouth team-mates destroyed Newcastle at St James' Park and left the Magpies struggling for survival and owner Mike Ashley with a dilemma over what to do with manager Steve McClaren. I have a humble suggestion: hire David Moyes. That way they might stay in the division.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Spurs cannot win the Premier League title. What they can do is produce moments of magic like the goal scored by Harry Kane that should have won the game and proved that they are capable of winning the matches that matter. What really disappoints me is the form of Hugo Lloris, who appears to freeze in the big games. It's happened three times this season against Arsenal away, West Ham in midweek and again against the Gunners at White Hart Lane. If you are going to win titles, you need players who play their best football in the biggest games and don't suffer from moments of stage-fright. It's just as well Spurs have Kane but he can't win the Premier league title on his own. | Leicester moved a step closer to a fairytale title triumph with a gutsy win over Watford, while Spurs and Arsenal both lost ground after a draw. |
38103279 | The Blackpool potter, 20, has won five of his 15 matches so far this season and fallen to 92 in the world rankings.
Cahill, who beat Chinese superstar Ding Junhui at the same event in 2014, said his "head was finished with the game".
"If I carry on like this I will pack it in at the end of the season," he said.
"I have had enough. I am practising and don't want to. It is hard work and I don't know what to say. I am just tired of the game."
Cahill said he would not be taking the decision lightly but had been thinking about calling time on his career for a while.
He has earned £11,625 in prize money so far this season and says he is fed up of borrowing money to enter tournaments and struggling to make a living.
He added to BBC Sport: "I am obviously only at the start of my career, but I feel like I have been playing for ages now. I feel like I am going round in the circles and bashing my head against a wall." | James Cahill says he feels like is "bashing his head against a wall" and may give up snooker following his 6-1 loss to Matthew Stevens in the UK Championship first round. |
29829763 | Mr Cook made his announcement to try to help people struggling with their identity, he wrote in a Bloomberg Businessweek article.
He has been open about his sexuality, but has also tried to maintain a basic level of privacy until now, he said.
This week Mr Cook challenged his home state of Alabama to ensure the rights of gay and transgender people.
"While I have never denied my sexuality, I haven't publicly acknowledged it either, until now," he wrote.
"So let me be clear: I'm proud to be gay, and I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me," he added.
He said he didn't consider himself an activist, but that he realised he had "benefited from the sacrifice of others."
"So if hearing that the CEO [chief executive] of Apple is gay can help someone struggling to come to terms with who he or she is, or bring comfort to anyone who feels alone, or inspire people to insist on their equality, then it's worth the trade-off with my own privacy," he added.
Mr Cook said that he had been open about his sexuality with many people, including colleagues at Apple, but that it still "wasn't an easy choice" to publicly announce his sexual orientation.
He quoted civil rights campaigner Martin Luther King, saying: "Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?' "
Analysis
Rory Cellan-Jones, BBC News technology correspondent
Tim Cook's announcement may come as no surprise in Silicon Valley or across corporate America.
But that does not mean that we should underestimate the significance of the leader of the world's most valuable company talking openly about his sexuality.
Back in May, a piece in the New York Times asked "where are the gay chief executives?" and struggled to name any openly gay CEOs at America's 1,000 biggest companies.
Apple under Steve Jobs was not a company that took a stand on any issues which were not seen as relevant to its business.
Tim Cook has been more forthcoming on all sorts of issues, including equal rights for gay workers, and while he says he does not see himself as an activist, that is how many will now see him.
That could embroil him in controversy in the United States, let alone in other parts of the world with less liberal views of sexuality.
Mr Cook admitted that going public as a gay man was not an easy choice - but it certainly looks a courageous one.
This week Mr Cook referred to Martin Luther King in a speech in Alabama in which he called for equal rights for people based on sexual orientation and identity.
He said that Alabama had been too slow to ensure the rights of ethnic minorities in the civil rights era, and was now being too slow to guarantee gay rights.
"Under the law, citizens of Alabama can still be fired based on their sexual orientation," Mr Cook said.
"We can't change the past, but we can learn from it and we can create a different future."
Mr Cook has championed equality at Apple, but in August said he was "not satisfied" with workforce diversity at the company.
Outstanding, a not-for-profit professional network for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) executives, said on Thursday that many LGBT people in the UK felt it was "safer to stay in the closet" when at work.
In May a US study by LGBT organisation Human Rights Campaign suggested that 53% of US LGBT employees had not come out at work.
Former BP chief executive Lord Browne, who now chairs fracking company Cuadrilla, said Mr Cook had become a role model.
"By deciding to speak publicly about his sexuality, Tim Cook has become a role model, and will speed up changes in the corporate world," Lord Browne said.
The peer kept his sexual orientation a secret for decades, but was forced to come out after a boyfriend made his sexuality public in 2007.
Lord Browne later resigned after losing a court battle with a newspaper. | Apple chief executive Tim Cook has publicly acknowledged his sexuality, saying that he is "proud to be gay". |
35797322 | The rock band were mid-performance on 13 November when four Islamist militants shot and killed 90 fans.
Hughes apologised on Facebook for his comments on Fox News last week about six security guards who were not at work on the night of the attack.
He said he made "absurd accusations".
Speaking to Fox News on Wednesday, Hughes said he had learned that some guards did not come to work that night and "it seems rather obvious that they had a reason not to show up."
The owners of the Bataclan were quick to dispute this, saying he had made "grave and defamatory accusations".
Their statement said that a judicial investigation was under way and that "we wish to let justice proceed serenely".
"All the testimonies gathered to this day demonstrate the professionalism and courage of the security agents who were on the ground on November 13. Hundreds of people were saved thanks to (these agents') intervention," they added.
Hughes responded on Friday, saying: "I humbly beg forgiveness from the people of France, the staff and security of the Bataclan, my fans, my family, friends and anyone else hurt or offended by the absurd accusations I made in my Fox Business Channel interview."
He said his comments were "unfounded and baseless" and that he had been struggling with dealing with the trauma of the massacre. The raid on the concert was one of seven co-ordinated attacks across Paris, killing 130 people.
"I've been dealing with non-stop nightmares and struggling through therapy to make sense of this tragedy and insanity," he said.
"I haven't been myself since November 13. I realise there's no excuse for my words, but for what it's worth: I am sincerely sorry for having hurt, disrespected or accused anyone."
The Californian rock band escaped the carnage by hiding in a dressing room backstage and later told how they wanted to return to Paris to finish their performance.
They returned to Paris three months later to finish the gig at another venue, the Olympia, after receiving "overwhelming" support.
The Bataclan survivors were all invited and many attended amid tight security. The show included a silence in memory of the victims. | Eagles of Death Metal singer Jesse Hughes has apologised for suggesting some Bataclan theatre security guards may have known in advance about the Paris venue being attacked last year. |
39727411 | The Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee said departmental accounts were not designed for "democratic scrutiny" or being read or used as much as they should be.
Recent reforms to annual reports and accounts could go further, it said.
The MPs said documents should be more informative.
The cross-party committee of MPs considered the published departmental annual reports and accounts, as well as management accounts designed for the use of ministers and officials.
They said in most instances the accounts "appear to be currently failing in their purpose of explaining to the public and parliament the effectiveness of government spending".
"Our vision is that accounts should report on the value for money of government services, the commitments made to Parliament by government, and provide a credible record of expenditure and the balance sheet. Currently we believe that they are only meeting the last requirement."
Committee chairman Bernard Jenkin added: "Financial accountability lies at the heart of parliamentary sovereignty and of democratic government."
The report said the public should be able to identify how much was spent on individual services by a department. It said the cost of a school place or a police officer visit, for example, should be clear.
It also recommended ministers include a statement with their accounts setting out "promises of funding and saving and what was achieved against that". | It should be easier for the public and MPs to assess whether government spending offers value for money, a parliamentary committee has said. |
35747694 | Bailey Gwynne died after being stabbed in the heart at Cults Academy last October.
The 16-year-old accused, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had denied murder.
The jury at the High Court in Aberdeen took an hour and 40 minutes to find him guilty of the lesser charge. Sentence was deferred until 1 April.
Judge Lady Stacey told the accused he would be sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh and would be given a custodial sentence.
The youth was also found guilty of two further charges of having a knife and knuckleduster in school.
Following the verdict, it was announced that an independent investigation is to be held into the circumstances that led to Bailey's death.
It emerged during evidence that the teenager had a major loss of blood after suffering a single stab wound during a fight.
He was in a corridor with a group of boys and made a remark about one of them getting fatter after refusing him a second biscuit.
In accounts given by witnesses, the jury heard that Bailey turned round and squared up to the accused after he made a comment about his mother.
They were both said to have thrown punches and two onlookers said Bailey had the accused in a headlock before the knife was pulled out.
A witness said of Bailey's reaction: "I found it really shocking - he's really shy and he's known not to fight back."
The knife which killed Bailey was found later in a rubbish bin at the school.
Det Supt David McLaren, of Police Scotland, said: "The death of Bailey Gwynne has had a massive impact on his family, friends, fellow pupils and staff at Cults Academy. The details of this case have caused shock within the local community and further afield across the whole of the country.
"The investigation into Bailey's death involved officers from the local policing division and from national specialist units. Whilst the circumstances around Bailey being killed are relatively uncomplicated, it is still difficult to comprehend that he died at school at the hands of a fellow school pupil.
"It is the senseless decision to take a knife into a school setting that has undoubtedly led to Bailey's death. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank those pupils and teachers who tried their very best to save Bailey's life but as we have heard during the trial, he was beyond saving.
He added: "Those teachers and pupils have shown incredible strength over the last week whilst giving evidence during this trial.
"Finally, I'd like to pay tribute to Bailey's family. Today won't bring their son back, the pain of not having Bailey around will last for a very long time.
"Throughout their ordeal they have conducted themselves with the upmost dignity and are a credit to themselves as a family."
Advocate depute Alex Prentice QC, prosecuting, told the jury during his closing speech at the High Court in Aberdeen: "Bailey Gwynne had no chance."
He said: "This was a lethal wound inflicted by a lethal weapon."
Defence counsel Ian Duguid QC said the jury was dealing with a "spontaneous event" which lasted about 30 seconds.
Mr Duguid said the accused had shown "extraordinary stupidity" but suggested Bailey Gwynne had shown "recklessness" in assaulting a fellow pupil.
The trial heard that a laptop used by the killer had revealed an internet search for "how to get rid of someone annoying".
Forensic computer analyst Charles Bruce told the High Court in Aberdeen that "difference between a homicide and a murder" was also searched.
He said an internet address relating to a YouTube video of "14-year-old Bronx student stabs bully to death outside school" was also found.
A joint minute of agreement on the third day of the trial stated that the laptop used by the accused was handed over to police by his father the day after Bailey's death.
Under cross examination by Mr Duguid, Mr Bruce said he did not know what results the searches brought up.
Mr Duguid suggested the "how to get rid of someone annoying" search brought up a page about how to get rid of annoying friends - with responses such as "stop speaking".
Mr Bruce said he had not seen the page.
Aberdeen City Council's director of education Gayle Gorman said: "This has been a devastating incident for the families affected, Cults Academy, its staff and pupils, and for all of us who watched and listened in disbelief, as we became aware of the details behind this tragedy.
"There are no words which can sum up for us, the emotional impact of what happened last year, and it is still hard to make any sense of Bailey's death.
"We should remember that at the heart of this were two children and there can be no greater tragedy than the untimely death of a young person."
Ms Gorman added: "Bailey Gwynne should never have died in this way. He was a 16-year-old boy with his whole life in front of him. We will not forget him.
Following the conclusion of the case, it was announced the principal public agencies would commission an independent review.
The review will be chaired by "an independent expert" who will also help shape the reporting timescale and terms of reference. | A teenager who stabbed a 16-year-old to death in an Aberdeen school has been found guilty of culpable homicide. |
34163062 | Regenerus - formerly South Sefton Development Trust - is staging the Ten Years of Another Place event at Crosby Lakeside Adventure Centre on Monday.
The exhibition, which runs until 1 November, is one of several events.
The 100 statues should have gone to New York in 2006 but the council allowed them to remain as a tourist attraction.
Regenerus chief executive Cate Murphy said the Another Place exhibition would tell the story of why Antony Gormley - who also created The Angel Of The North - chose Crosby as the location for his artwork, and include many little-known facts about the installation.
It will also feature atmospheric images of the iron men taken by acclaimed Crosby-based photographer Ron Davies.
The naked cast iron statues, which are more than 6ft high (189cm) and weigh 1,400lbs (650kg), are on a two-mile (3.2km) stretch of beach between Waterloo and Blundellsands.
At one time Sefton Council wanted the statues removed due to safety concerns as the coastguard reported people getting cut off by the tide when they visited.
The council changed its mind after some of the ones in a more dangerous location were relocated. | The group that brought Antony Gormley's Iron Men to Crosby beach is to open a special exhibition marking the installation's 10th anniversary. |
34247170 | Ashley Broomhall trekked to the summit of 3,560ft (1,085m) Snowdon in Snowdonia before tackling Ben Nevis.
It took him seven hours to walk up and down the 4,406ft (1,344m) Scottish peak near Fort William. On the way up he had a snowball fight with other walkers.
He now plans to walk 3,208ft (978m) Scafell Pike in the Lake District.
Mr Broomhall, from Whitchurch in Shropshire, has been doing the walks to raise money for Cancer Research UK.
He set himself the peaks challenge after his mother was diagnosed with cancer.
The 28-year-old has been a member of Star Wars costuming club the 501st UK Garrison for more than five years.
Members attend events across the UK dressed in "movie-accurate" costumes to raise funds for charity.
But Mr Broomhall had to make some modifications to his outfit to make it move more freely on the ascents and descents of Snowdon and Ben Nevis, which were done this summer.
For safety reasons, he wore walking boots because his costume footwear was not suitable for the terrain involved and was accompanied by friends.
Dressed as an Imperial stormtrooper and carrying a UK Garrison flag, Mr Broomhall said he drew more than his fair share of funny looks tackling Ben Nevis, Scotland highest Munro and Britain's tallest mountain.
He said: "We had been confusing a lot of other climbers along the way as a stormtrooper was the last thing they had been expecting to see climbing Ben Nevis.
"We handed out cards and told them my tale and they offered nothing but the most vocal support."
Mr Broomhall also received donations from other walkers.
Higher up Ben Nevis he had to negotiate thigh-deep snow.
At the first of these snowfields there was some light relief when he and his walking companion had a snowball fight with other walkers.
Mr Broomhall said: "The last snowfield held the summit and, with my heart swelling with pride, I let the flag fly and charged on to the summit.
"We had made it. It was brilliant and I was so happy at making it after all the struggles and rallying needed to get myself there.
"I was greeted by a cheer from the climbers there and planted the flag on the summit itself claiming it for the Empire."
He added: "I love Scotland and I love Munros and this was a challenge that I enjoyed doing.
"Scafell Pike is next. I've done the other two in armour, might as well do the third in it." | A Star Wars fan who walked to the tops of Snowdon and Ben Nevis while dressed as a stormtrooper has now set his sights on England's tallest mountain. |
12146425 | The economic and human costs of inaction are simply too great.
Much of the groundwork has been laid, not least research that, for the first time in history, has begun to quantify just how expensive the degradation of nature really is.
A recent United Nations study entitled the Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) put the damage done to the natural world by human activity in 2008 at between $2tn (£1.3tn) and $4.5tn - at the lower end, roughly equivalent to the entire annual economic output of the UK.
And in October last year in Nagoya, Japan, almost 200 countries negotiated 20 specific targets with the express aim of "taking effective and urgent action to halt the loss of biodiversity".
Among these included massively increasing areas of protected oceans, halving the rate of loss of natural habitats and preventing the extinction of threatened species.
Binding commitments are not due to be signed until February next year, but over the next 12 months momentum will really begin to build upon many of the targets set out in Nagoya.
One of the most important areas will be the development of the reduced emissions from deforestation and forest degradation programme, or REDD, under which forest owners are effectively paid not to cut down trees.
This is seen as one of the key ways in which the essential carbon storage capacity of the world's forests can be preserved.
Much in the same way as with carbon credits, countries will be issued with credits depending on how successful they are in reducing deforestation. They can then sell these credits on to other countries or companies, which can use them to help meet their own emissions targets.
To date, countries have pledged more than $4.5bn to the REDD scheme.
Using its vast North Sea oil riches, Norway alone has pledged $1bn to both Brazil and Indonesia to help them preserve pristine forests.
With cash on the table, "it's amazing how much can be done, and both Brazil and Indonesia are taking [REDD] very seriously and are really moving forward this year," says Pavan Sukdhev, team leader of TEEB.
Many other countries are also embracing the REDD programme to ensure that the current rate of global deforestation, at which an area equivalent in size to the UK is cut down every two years, is drastically reduced.
Another major breakthrough at Nagoya was an agreement on what is called Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS), whereby companies share the benefits of discoveries made in developing nations.
For example, a bioprospecting firm that finds a new plant that is then used in pharmaceuticals will have to negotiate with the country in which it made the discovery to share the commercial benefits from the drug.
"This may take the form of a cash payment, or an undertaking to create employment, for example in research and development, in that country," explains Chris Knight, assistant director of forestry and ecosystems at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
The precise details of how ABS will work in practice will be negotiated this year.
Not only will this agreement have a major impact on pharmaceuticals companies, but it will help ensure the continued discovery of vital drugs in developing countries that will be more open to foreign companies using their natural resources.
A great deal of work will also begin this year on identifying areas for marine conservation in order to protect fish stocks that in many areas of the world have fallen by more than 90% since the onset of commercial fishing.
At Nagoya, an agreement was negotiated to increase dramatically marine protected zones from 0.5% to 10% of the world's oceans in the next 10 years.
Fishing quotas and restrictions on time at sea have already had a huge impact on fishing communities, not least on the west coast of Scotland, so identifying new protected zones is a highly sensitive issue that will require many months of careful negotiations.
However, research has shown that protected zones are highly effective in re-establishing fish stocks that in many areas are near total collapse.
This year will also see real momentum gathering for the value of nature to be reflected in national accounts.
With trillions of dollars being lost to the global economy each year through the destruction of the Earth's natural resources, the World Bank and individual national accounting bodies are working to find the best way in which this money can be accounted for.
Only then will the true value of the services that nature provides - for example vital pollination for crops by bees and storm protection from mangrove swamps - be identified. Only then can proper mechanisms be put in place to protect these so-called ecosystem services.
India has already announced its intention to incorporate natural capital into its national accounts by 2015, and "others will hopefully agree by the end of the year to a framework [to follow suit]", says Mr Sukhdhev.
Indeed a World Bank-led project hopes to sign up 10 to 12 developing and developed nations this year to pilot the programme.
But there is a huge amount of work to be done before the widespread adoption of accounting for nature, as the actual economic benefits of natural resources the world over need to be calculated.
TEEB has so far completed two case studies focusing on the impact of deforestation on the Chinese construction industry and of the drying up of the Aral Sea on the local cotton industry.
Mr Sukdhev says between 500 and 1000 such case studies are needed before natural capital can begin to be widely incorporated into national accounts.
And there are no short cuts - hard graft by researchers on the ground is the only way to secure this essential information.
"It takes a hell of a lot of effort, and therefore money," explains Mr Sukdhev.
And here is where much effort will be expended over the next 12 months - TEEB hopes to have in place by the end of this year a foundation to raise money to support this research, with the Institute of Chartered Accountants taking a lead.
This laborious and in many cases largely unrecognised work is absolutely vital in helping the world understand the economic value of nature.
And this year is the one in which the foundations for much of this research will be laid, research that will help to hammer home just what a vital role nature plays in the global economy. | The world is waking up to the fact it can no longer sit back while the planet's natural resources, and the species that depend upon them, are systematically destroyed. |
32067158 | Children aged five to 16 spend an average of six and a half hours a day in front of a screen compared with around three hours in 1995, according to market research firm Childwise.
Teenaged boys spend the longest, with an average of eight hours.
Eight-year-old girls spend the least - three-and-a-half hours, according to the study.
Screen time is made up of time spent watching TV, playing games consoles, using a mobile, computer or tablet.
The Connected Kids report, compiled by market researcher Childwise, has collated data from 1995 to the present day to create a comprehensive picture of children's media habits.
Each year, its report, which is not available online, surveys around 2,000 children, aged five to 16.
It finds that teenaged girls now spend an average of seven-and-a-half- hours watching screens, compared with 3.5 hours of TV viewing in 1995.
Younger children fare slightly better - in 1995, five to 10-year-olds averaged around two-and-a-half-hours of TV.
Fast-forward to 2014 and screen time has risen to four-and-a-half hours.
Children are also now multi-screening - using more than one device at the same time, for example, watching TV while surfing the internet on a tablet or mobile so some of the screen time will be concurrent.
"The main difference from the 1990s is that then TV and magazines were the main ways for connecting kids to the media and now they have different devices from tablets, mobiles, games consoles and they have a much higher screen time," said research executive Matthew Nevard.
Children's TV viewing habits have changed dramatically, with the majority now watching television via catch-up services and YouTube rather than the traditional TV set, according to the report.
YouTube is the most popular on-demand service with more than half of respondents accessing TV and video via the site since 2013.
Paid-for on-demand services, such as Netflix, have also risen rapidly in recent years and are expected to continue to grow in popularity.
It is not great news for the terrestrial channels - BBC One has seen its audience of seven to 16-year-olds drop from over 80% in 1995 to just over 40% in 2014. ITV's audience follows a similar trajectory.
The transition to digital, coupled with dedicated children's channels, is another reason for the the drop in children's viewing of the main channels with children now watching more content on dedicated channels such as CBBC, CITV, Nickelodeon and Disney.
The study also looks at how the internet has changed the way children engage with information.
"The internet is pivotal to their lives and they are now able to access a wealth of content," said Mr Nevard.
The internet has given children more freedom to explore their own interests rather than being tied into the content offered to them from the TV schedules or magazines.
"They can find the content that they want," he said.
The study describes connectivity as "a fundamental need for young people now".
"Children now don't remember a time before the internet," said Mr Nevard.
Ubiquitous online access is also likely to influence the way children interact with their families and "their willingness to participate in family holidays and trips out", the report finds.
For the last 10 years, Childwise has charted the most popular websites for young people.
YouTube has remained in the top three since 2007 while Facebook has seen its appeal dip in recent years, as children turn to newer services such as Snapchat.
Children enjoy the privacy of WhatsApp and Snapchat, according to the survey, and the use of such services is also changing how they communicate.
"It reflects the image culture which has emerged, where pictures are utilised to give a better representation of current moods and or activities," the survey said.
Google is one of the few sites to remain popular across 10 years of data with sites.
The report also attempts a bit of future-gazing and predicts that in the next 10 years, children growing up will have little understanding of a world without the internet.
The internet of things - where household objects communicate and share data - will be regarded as normal, it suggests.
"Having appliances which cannot be controlled using a smartphone or some kind of online dashboard may be seen as outdated, or at least increasingly rare," the report concludes.
It also thinks that most children will have some form of wearable technology, be it a smart watch, smart glasses or a virtual reality headset. | The amount of time children spend glued to a screen has risen dramatically in the last 20 years, a new report suggests. |
37525883 | The bodies of Annie Marie Korkki, 37, and 42-year-old Robin Marie Korkki were found by hotel staff last week in their luxury villa at the tropical resort.
Post-mortem examinations have determined the Minnesota natives died from "acute pulmonary edema".
Cerebral edema, or fluid on the brain, was also cited in Anne Korkki's death.
The police report said no "no visible signs of injuries" were found, adding that the investigation continues and toxicology tests are pending.
The sisters were discovered on 22 September by a hotel employee who tried to wake them at the $2,000-a-night Maia resort on Mahe, the Seychelles' main island, the hotel said.
Dr Patrick Lank, a Northwestern Medicine assistant professor of emergency medicine in Chicago, said edemas are commonly seen in drug overdoses.
But fluid on the lungs can also be caused by viral infections or by living at altitude, though the Seychelles is not situated at elevation.
"Two people at the same time is odd," Dr Lank told Associated Press. "It suggests more of a toxicologic or environmental cause, or a potential infection if they're travelling together."
Both sisters worked in banking. The LinkedIn account of Robin Korkki, who lived in Chicago, Illinois, lists her as a commodities trader.
Her younger sister, who was based in Denver, Colorado, worked at JPMorgan Chase, according to her Facebook page.
The day before their bodies were discovered, the pair had been drinking at the resort and had to be helped to their rooms by staff at 20:15, according to local media.
The women's brother, Chris Korkki, of Lakeville, Minnesota, told CBS station WCCO-TV his sisters were outgoing, generous, kind and "lived life to the fullest".
An itinerary found at the hotel indicated the sisters had been touring Africa since 1 September.
Before arriving in Seychelles on 16 September they had toured Kenya, Tanzania and Zanzibar. | Two US sisters discovered dead while on holiday in the Seychelles died of excess fluid in their lungs, according to police on the Indian Ocean resort. |
37685842 | The video streaming company added 3.2 million international customers in the last three months, far more than the 2 million analysts had predicted.
In the US numbers rose by 370,000, as hit shows such as Stranger Things and Narcos won over more subscribers.
It helped quarterly revenues rise 31% to $2.29bn (£1.88bn), sparking a 20% jump in Netflix's share price.
In the three months to the end of September Netflix had about 83.3 million subscribers.
The company said on Monday that it plans to license content to existing online service providers in China rather than operate its own service in China in the near term.
Netflix has been expanding in international markets to counter slowing growth in the US. The service has a strong presence in more than 130 markets worldwide, except China.
Concern that Netflix's growth was slowing had overshadowed the company. Its shares had fallen about 13% this year.
But in after-hours trading on Wall Street the shares jumped 20% to about $119.
Analysts said that the figures should dispel fears that Netflix was running out of momentum, at least in the short term.
Neil Saunders, chief executive of retail consultants Conlumino, said: "We maintain our view that over the next few years international expansion will pay dividends, but for the current cycle Netflix will be very reliant on domestic performance to ensure it ends the fiscal year on a high note." | Netflix has shaken off growth worries with new subscriber numbers that beat estimates and sent its shares soaring. |
38443045 | Ross Cowling, from Luton, was hit by a Land Rover Defender as he walked through Flitwick, Bedfordshire, on Christmas Eve.
The 37-year-old, who had two daughters, aged 10 and eight, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Bedfordshire Police has appealed for witnesses to the crash in Maulden Road at 17:35 GMT.
In a statement, Mr Cowling's family said: "Ross was a loving father, brother, uncle and son and we are all absolutely devastated.
"He had been on his way home to spend Christmas with his family.
"We are all heartbroken." | A father-of-two was on his way home for Christmas when he was hit and killed in a crash, his family has said. |
37727458 | Adherents of the Carthusian order avoid contact with the outside world, the better to focus on contemplation and prayer.
But this other-worldly setting is the birthplace of a very worldly product, Chartreuse - a strong alcoholic liqueur made from a recipe said to have been given to the Carthusians in 1605.
The monks of Grande Chartreuse are not alone in these sorts of endeavours.
Religious orders have long produced alcohol (think beer from Trappist monks or tonic wine from Buckfast Abbey) for economic and medicinal reasons.
And some of these products have never been so popular. In an era when the provenance of food and drink is increasingly important, a drink with such distinctive roots carries a certain prestige.
The Chartreuse brand sold 1.5 million bottles worldwide in 2015, selling for about €50 (£44) a bottle, and with all profits going to support the order and its charity projects.
Chartreuse is made from 130 plants, herbs and flowers. But the recipe is tightly controlled, with most of the monks kept in the dark about the exact ingredients and the ageing process of the drink.
Just three monks make the plant mixture, which is delivered to the distillery in plain packaging so the ingredients cannot be identified by employees from outside the monastery who help with production.
Monastery guide Mathilde Perrin says that outsiders "know really very little about the production". Since the operation is owned by the monks, they "do what they want and they're not obliged to tell anyone what they're doing," she says.
Based at Voiron, a village near Grenoble, the distillery is about 15 miles from the monastery at Saint-Pierre-de-Chartreuse.
The first distillery, built in 1840, was at the monastery itself. But as production expanded, the noise and commotion disturbed the monks' contemplative way of life.
The operation moved to several sites over subsequent decades, and will move again in 2018.
Due to the amount of alcohol vapour, the distillery was deemed a safety hazard, and so will relocate to a more remote site.
"The government calculated that if something exploded, we would be capable of blowing up all of Voiron," says Ms Perrin.
Although a handful of people work at the distillery, the monks control the operation remotely from the monastery, using computers to adjust temperatures during production and even shut down the process if necessary.
You'll also find a mixture of old and the new technology at Andechs Abbey, south-west of Munich, where Benedictine monks have brewed their namesake beer since 1455.
Under Benedict's doctrine, followers are encouraged to complete tasks in a slow and steady manner. Saint Benedict didn't have anything to say about producing beer - but his doctrine makes an ideal approach to brewing.
"You can't make things happen faster while brewing or living as a monk," says Mr Martin Glaab, head of public relations. "We are convinced that the monastic beer tradition needs time to create a high quality product."
Service to others is another important tenet of the Benedictine tradition, including hosting pilgrims. As more religious travellers arrived, the monks needed to provide for them, which Mr Glaab calls "the very origin of the Andechs brewing tradition".
The monastery now receives a million visitors each year.
With 100,000 hectolitres of beer sold each year, a pint of Andechs pale ale retails for €4 at the monastery restaurant. As at Chartreuse, profits at Andechs support the order and charitable work.
What's behind the increasing popularity of such drinks?
Beth Bloom, a food and drink analyst at global market research group Mintel, says it's about consumers' growing interest in the origins of food and drink, and suspicion of industrialised production processes.
She says: "One of the things that would resonate with these monastic drinks is their source - their makers. There is this interest in craft, and artisan, and where [the product] is coming from; techniques that have gone into it.
"A desire for a more authentic experience comes into play here," she says. "Beer being brewed in a monastery with years and years of heritage probably really resonates and appears as a specialty product. That is something consumers would like to take part in."
Some religious orders have even moved beyond alcohol, to what might be called more modern products.
On a farm in Merced, California, nuns from the Sisters of the Valley, show their devotion to healing through medicinal products made from their own marijuana crop.
Sister Kate Meeusen founded the non-aligned religious order in 2015. While dressed in Catholic habits, the group's spiritual practices are derived from what they call "ancient wisdom".
"We ask ourselves, 'what would our ancient mothers do?' when we have dilemmas or decisions to make. That's our guiding principle," explains Ms Meeusen.
The group's beliefs form the core of their business practices. Production follows the lunar cycle. The women pray and meditate while preparing the recipes in the abbey kitchen.
The end results are not intoxicating, however, as they are made from cannabidiol (CBD). Since the compound contains no psychoactive properties, products are classified as hemp, legal for sale and export internationally.
Ranging from $85 (£65) to $95 (£73) per item, customers can purchase their CBD oil, salve, or tincture online. In 2015, the turnover was $60,000 (£46,278), with profits paying for salaries and the farm's upkeep.
Given the source product used, there were attempts by local authorities to get the nuns to move operations elsewhere, something that Ms Meeusen has resisted "head on", she says.
The operation may not yet have the history or cultural significance of a Trappist beer from Belgium - but it has devoted supporters.
Javier Sanchez, a user of CBD oil and tincture for health problems, says: "There are a lot of things in this world that could offend you, but I don't think this is one to be offended about." | Nestled high in France's Chartreuse Mountains, the Grande Chartreuse monastery is home to a cloister of Catholic monks. |
37731362 | Michael Freshwater, 49, was found stabbed to death at a property in Westridge Road on 29 April.
Two men, aged 23 and 21, from London, and a 17-year-old boy from Kent, were arrested on suspicion of murder.
Hampshire Constabulary said, after submitting a file to the Crown Prosecution Service, it was told "no further action should be taken".
A spokeswoman said: "This is a complex case and although we are still appealing for information, we are not looking for anyone else."
A reward of £10,000 from the Crimestoppers charity, for information that leads to the successful conviction of anyone responsible for Mr Freshwater's death, remains on offer.
More than a dozen people have been arrested in connection with the investigation.
Hampshire Constabulary said it was believed there was a dispute at the property. | Three people arrested over the fatal stabbing of a man in Southampton will face no further action. |
40960583 | Georgina Callander was among 22 people killed when Salman Abedi detonated a suicide bomb following an Ariana Grande concert on 22 May.
Her mum Lesley said the 18-year-old had been awarded an unconditional place at Edge Hill University in Lancashire.
Georgina was interested in paediatrics from the age of 11, she said.
The student, from Chorley, was in her second year of studying health and social care at Runshaw College in Leyland and had recently passed her driving test when she was killed.
Speaking as students across the country received their exam results, her mother Lesley said: "It made her very happy - the thought that she was off to uni to do what she loved.
"She was so excited about it because she'd wanted to do that since she was about 11.
"It is obviously sad for us because we were so excited for her when she got the news that she was off to uni, but we are just so proud of what she achieved." | A student who died in the Manchester Arena attack had won a place at university to study paediatrics, her mother has said. |
38729942 | Inaccurate and delayed bills were given to business customers after the provider put in a new £40m computer system in 2014, Ofgem said.
The penalty will be paid as compensation and in a charity payment.
British Gas Business apologised and said good quality customer service had been restored.
Regulator Ofgem said that tens of thousands of customers were left with inaccurate and delayed bills after the new IT billing system was introduced.
More than 6,000 new business customers had difficulty in registering with the supplier. There were insufficient staff in place to deal with complaints, Ofgem added.
British Gas initially compensated some customers and itself reported the problems to the regulator.
It has since hired 350 extra staff to handle the backlog of complaints, and will now pay £9.5m in compensation to micro-business customers (which it will contact directly) and payments to the Money Advice Trust, which runs the National Debtline.
Dermot Nolan, Ofgem chief executive, said: "Ofgem welcomes suppliers investing in new systems and recognises that this can be challenging. However, the £9.5m payment also sends a strong reminder to all energy companies that they must treat consumers fairly at all times, including while new systems are put in place."
Gab Barbaro, managing director of British Gas Business, said: "We invested in a new billing system so we could improve the service we provide to our business customers.
"At the time, this was a major undertaking - merging nearly 100 different systems into one. It didn't go as smoothly as we would have liked so we reported this to Ofgem as a priority.
"We have restored a very good quality of customer service, and more and more of our customers are going online to use the new billing system. I'd like to apologise to our business customers for any inconvenience caused when we were implementing the system."
The penalty is smaller than some handed out by Ofgem, such as a £26m fine given to Npower in December 2015 for billing and complaints issues, and an £18m penalty given to Scottish Power in April following IT problems. | British Gas Business will pay a penalty of £9.5m after its customers suffered billing and complaints issues, the energy regulator has said. |
40943863 | Everton have agreed a club-record £45m deal to take the Iceland midfielder to Goodison Park from the Liberty Stadium.
The 27-year-old will have a medical in Liverpool on Wednesday.
"To lose that creativity, there isn't a player like that at Swansea at the moment," said Walsh on BBC Radio Wales Sport. "How much does it cost to replace a player like that?"
And Walsh added: "In my personal opinion, I think Gylfi Sigurdsson is irreplaceable."
The Iceland international scored nine goals and contributed 13 assists last season to help Swansea avoid relegation from the Premier League.
His 34 goals are the most scored by any Swansea player in the Premier League, and is also their leading creative influence with 29 assists.
The £45m fee is £5m less than the Swans wanted for Sigurdsson.
Swansea have been linked with their former midfielder Joe Allen from Stoke City and West Bromwich Albion's Nacer Chadli as potential replacements.
They have also shown an interest in striker Wilfried Bony, with last season's top scorer Fernando Llorente recovering from a broken arm and set to miss Saturday home game against Manchester United.
"Swansea have got a lot of hard work now, [Swansea manager] Paul Clement has got to have two or three players in the pipeline ready to go," added Walsh.
"They've got the money now, but they have to use it wisely.
"Joe Allen is talent but his price has gone up about £10m after his performances for Stoke last season.
"They need to strengthen up top because you don't know what Llorente is going to be doing. They need players in two or three different positions."
Former England and Arsenal striker Ian Wright believes Sigurdsson is the best player in the Premier League outside the top five clubs.
Speaking on Sky Sports News, he said the transfer was bad news for the Welsh club.
"It's fantastic for Everton, but a disaster for Swansea City," he said. | Gylfi Sigurdsson is "irreplaceable" for Swansea City, according to former Swans and Wales striker Ian Walsh. |
36304458 | Hamill met Jamie Harkin, 17, who is in remission from Hodgkins Lymphoma but now has severe chronic health problems, at a hotel in County Donegal.
The Luke Skywalker actor also met Ciaran Murphy, two, who has leukaemia.
The Hollywood star was in County Donegal to film scenes for the latest installment in the Star Wars franchise.
On Sunday, he and co-star Daisy Ridley visited pubs near Malin Head.
Filming has now finished in County Donegal and the cast have moved on to County Cork, but Hamill found time to meet with Jamie, Ciaran and their families before leaving.
Jamie told BBC Radio Ulster's Evening Extra that he was "still in shock" from the meeting.
"It's been a dream for me to meet Mark Hamill ever since I first saw the Star Wars films more than 10 years ago.
"To actually meet him and sit down and chat with him for over an hour - it was absolutely incredible."
Jamie said that the actor spoke to him about his diagnosis and that he had read about it on a Facebook page that details his journey.
"He just said that after he read through everything we'd done over the past year, with Jamie's journey, that to him I am his hero.
"But what he said, I would rather keep as a personal thing."
The meeting was organised by Jamie's mother, Patricia.
She set up a social media campaign to try to get the star to get in touch.
"I wasn't starstruck, to be honest, because when Mark came in he just put everyone completely at ease," she said.
"It was just unbelievable that a man of his magnitude could just come in and sit down, almost like a father figure.
"Jamie couldn't speak for about 15 minutes and Ciaran's older brother Caolan couldn't speak for the entire hour."
She said that the family were told on Saturday that the Star Wars actor wanted to meet Jamie.
"When his assistant rang me, I just burst out crying.
"I really knew it was going to happen and when I met Mark today, he's just such a humble, genuine, caring man."
Sinead Barr, the mother of Ciaran Murphy, said it was "a fantastic experience".
"He was very approachable, he sat and talked as if we had been friends all our lives.
"He chatted about the film, about his other passions. He spoke to us as parents of children who are fighting.
"He spoke to Jamie specifically around what an amazing young person he is, which is true - he's a fantastic young man and an inspiration to so many." | Star Wars actor Mark Hamill has taken time out of his filming schedule to meet a seriously-ill teenager from Londonderry. |
36873439 | The UK's new foreign secretary had hardly finished a tour of his King Charles Street office before he was forced to deal with the attempted coup in Turkey.
He has hosted two conferences in London on the conflicts in Syria and Yemen.
He has toured the diplomatic capitals of Brussels, Washington and New York, shaking hands with a flurry of fellow foreign ministers whose names he will now struggle to recall.
He has spoken and voted in the United Nations Security Council. He has been savaged by US journalists before the world's cameras, accused of being a liar who had insulted a woman who might just be the next president.
Prime Minister Theresa May was forced to defend his appointment both on the floor of the House of Commons and at a press conference with Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel.
On the day of the Republican convention, he was asked by one TV journalist if he was Britain's Donald Trump, a question that was as tonsorial as it was political.
A soft landing it wasn't.
When his appointment was announced, some in the Foreign Office were horrified.
One official who was asked for his reaction by a reporter at the Financial Times replied: "Just imagine being told that Piers Morgan had been made the editor of the FT."
But having spent a few days following Mr Johnson around Washington and New York, I can report that some diplomats are reassessing their view of their new boss.
They have woken up to the fact that Mr Johnson attracts attention, both from the media and other politicians. They have a minister who has what one called "rock star status".
They note the contrast between the foreign secretary and his predecessor, Philip Hammond.
One source told me Mr Johnson was a risk-taking James Hunt to Mr Hammond's more cautious Niki Lauda. Mr Hammond was known for his mastery of the detail, something that the Americans valued, particularly in their talks over the Iranian nuclear deal.
But Mr Hammond was not flamboyant, nor was he hugely visible. That cannot be said of his successor.
At the anti-Islamic State conference in Washington, Mr Johnson was a man people wanted to meet.
Diplomats and officials took pictures and selfies with him. Other foreign ministers sought him out, apart from his German counterpart - Herr Steinmeier - whose handshake was so curt as to be almost discourteous.
So this notoriety - in every sense of the word - has prompted a rethink among some in the FCO.
The foreign secretary spent much of the week looking rather like an old Labrador who has just flushed out a pheasant for the first time and is rather pleased with his unexpected success.
In contrast, his officials looked like children with a new bicycle that they can't wait to take out for a ride but are worried they might crash.
Some had feared that from now on most of the Foreign Office's bandwidth would be taken up with Brexit. But with an activist and attention-seeking foreign secretary, they hope there is new diplomacy to be done as well.
The big question is what?
Mr Johnson is telling everyone who will listen that Britain wants to play a more proactive role in the world. Part of this is designed to convince people that Brexit doesn't mean isolation.
But it cannot just mean Mr Johnson rushing round the world flying the flag. So the hunt is now on for new things for Britain to do in the world.
Diplomats have been asked to dust off imaginative ideas that were shelved in the past and send them into London.
We caught an early glimpse of some of these ideas in Washington.
Mr Johnson called for more to be done to gather evidence of war crimes as allied forces take territory off the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq.
He also tried to get the Americans and others to start thinking more about how to stop IS extremists dispersing around the world once their stronghold in Mosul is captured.
To the disappointment of some US diplomats, this new pro-activism is unlikely to involve the deployment of more UK forces against IS.
Britain does not really have the military hardware to increase its bombing in Syria or Iraq. Nor is there enough political will to start bombing IS in new countries like Libya.
And the deployment of special forces, because it is never acknowledged by the UK government, cannot be used to illustrate a new, expansionist foreign policy.
But the expectation is that by the UN general assembly meeting in the autumn, the UK will have four or five plans or initiatives to show the world that it is not just focused on Brexit.
Now this Foreign Office enthusiasm for their new charge is tempered by some realism.
They know that Mr Johnson does not have unlimited political support in Downing Street. He is not part of Mrs May's inner circle.
She and her advisers may tire if Mr Johnson claims more media attention than they would like. Mr Johnson is always just one interview away from a gaffe.
Thus far he has been uncharacteristically disciplined and stuck rigidly to the FCO script, much to their admiration and his relief. But even he would admit that that cannot last for ever.
Mr Johnson could also fall out with his fellow Brexiteers, David Davis and Liam Fox, over Britain's future relationship with the EU.
The foreign secretary told me he had "absolutely no doubt that a balance can be struck" between access to the single market and free movement of labour.
Messrs Fox and Davis, in contrast, say free movement should not play any part in the Brexit negotiations. And there is always a risk that Mr Johnson fails to meet the expectations he has raised by promising what he calls "more Britain" on the world stage.
But that is for the future.
For now diplomats have a foreign secretary whose polymathic brain and linguistic skills they respect.
They note that that their allies appear more worried about Brexit than Mr Johnson's journalistic baggage. And they all seem to be having fun.
As the foreign secretary told UN reporters: "I have hugely enjoyed my first week as a diplomat."
During the Conservative leadership race, Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson told an off-colour joke about how the party "had just withdrawn its massive Johnson" from the contest.
In fact, he is being deployed around the world and it could be quite a ride. | Boris Johnson has had an extraordinary first week in office. |
38384369 | But negotiations with parent clubs over five players who are at Rugby Park on loan could alter his plans.
Kilmarnock presently have two fit central defenders, but two should return for their Scottish Cup fourth-round tie following the winter break.
"In January, we expect Miles Addison and Scott Boyd to be available for the Hamilton cup tie," said Clark.
"We are looking at one or two things, we've already been looking at certain positions and that hasn't changed our mindset.
"If we were to get some kind of setback with those lads' injuries, we might have to reconsider that."
The Scottish Premiership club also have six players who could potentially return to their parent clubs at the end of their loan spells.
Clark signed 17 players, including nine on loan, in a major overhaul of his squad this summer.
Burnley midfielder George Green was the latest to return to his parent club.
The former Everton 20-year-old followed the path of Swansea City goalkeeper Oliver Davies and Stoke City defender Mark Waddington after only four appearances for Kilmarnock.
However, defender William Boyle and striker Florent Bojaj both remain on loan until January from Huddersfield Town, along with Luke Hendrie from Burnley and fellow midfielder Charlee Adams from Birmingham City.
Defender Jonathan Burn is another who is presently sidelined and unlikely to be fit again until after his loan deal with Middlesbrough expires at the start of January.
As well as being injured, there is uncertainty over Boyd's future at Kilmarnock because the terms of his season-long loan from Ross County mean their Premiership rivals have the option of recalling the 30-year-old next month.
"We are not in total control of their destiny," Clark said of the six loan players.
"Even if we want them to stay, it is whether their parent club wants them to stay and whether they want to stay."
Clark had previously stressed that there would be no repeat of the summer overhaul of his squad during the January transfer window.
"Continuity is a big thing," he said when asked if he would like to extend the players' loans.
"The lads have grown into playing for the club, they've grown into the group and progressively we've improved over the course of the first half of the season and all those lads have made a contribution." | Injuries to central defenders have not yet forced Kilmarnock manager Lee Clark to change his January signing targets. |
33238813 | As relations between the two countries begin to thaw, the delegation met representatives of 13 Iranian universities and research institutes.
The symbolic visit revives what were once strong academic links. Before the Islamic revolution in 1979, Iran was the biggest source of overseas students in the US.
There are now about 11,000 Iranian students in the US - compared with 270,000 from China - and it is believed that there are no students at all from US universities on exchanges to Iran.
And there are still no formal diplomatic relations between the two countries, after decades of hostility and suspicion.
The university delegation was headed by Allan Goodman, president of the Institute of International Education, a New York-based organisation that supports US international education exchanges.
Prof Goodman, speaking on his return, said that the US delegation had come away with a strong sense of the Iranians wanting more engagement with the West. And he said this had been helped by a legacy of links in previous generations between Iranian students and the US.
It has been reported that the current Iranian cabinet has more holders of PhDs from US universities than any other government in the world, including the US. This includes Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who studied at San Francisco State University and the University of Denver.
The delegation, visiting universities including Tehran, Shiraz and Isfahan, had received an "extremely warm" reception from Iranian students, said Prof Goodman.
"There were deep reservoirs of affection for the US higher education system," he said.
More stories from the BBC's Knowledge economy series looking at education from a global perspective and how to get in touch
This ground-breaking visit had representatives from five invited universities and colleges, along with officials from the Institute of International Education.
Prof Goodman said that the next likely step would be a reciprocal visit by Iranian academics to US universities. There would also be a report published next month with ideas for wider co-operation and partnerships.
He forecast that the numbers of Iranian students recruited by US universities was also likely to increase.
The decision for the US representatives to travel to Iran reflected the more outward-looking stance being taken President Hassan Rouhani, said Prof Goodman. The Iranian president has a PhD from Glasgow Caledonian University in the UK.
The Iranian coverage of the visit also noted the re-opening of doors.
The official Iranian news agency reported that the chancellor of the University of Tehran had told the US delegation that his university had once had links with "many American universities and is ready for resuming such ties once again".
Tehran University's website reported that the two sides had emphasised the "necessity of expanding academic collaboration" between the Iranian university and universities in the US.
The meetings took place against the background of continuing international negotiations about Iran's nuclear programme, with a deadline set for their completion by the end of June.
Prof Goodman, a former executive dean of the school of foreign service at Georgetown University, described the university links as "educational diplomacy".
He said the university sector could lead such bridge-building initiatives between countries "often before full diplomatic relations have been restored".
There had been similar processes with universities making links with China and Vietnam, he said. And similar steps were likely with Cuba.
He said there were parallels with the so-called "panda diplomacy" when China was trying to make connections with other countries.
The gift of a panda to another country had become an unofficial diplomatic gesture, a signal of friendship without the formal signing of treaties.
And it was now the higher education sector that provides such an opening.
"The thawing in relationships, the normalisation, begins in the universities," said Prof Goodman.
In June last year, restrictions were lifted on online courses to Iran. The California-based Coursera online university network was able to provide courses for students in Iran, which had previously been blocked by US sanctions.
The prospect of closer academic links has had its critics.
After the University of Massachusetts Amherst reversed a ban this year on allowing Iranian students to take some advanced engineering and science subjects, David Vitter warned of a security risk.
"We currently have strict sanctions on Iran because of their nuclear threat - so training Iranians in the nuclear field at taxpayer funded US colleges doesn't add up," said the Republican senator for Louisiana.
Within Iran, universities have been caught up in a power struggle between moderate and hard-line elements.
Last month, more than 700 Iranian professors wrote an open letter warning that pressure from ultra-conservative religious groups, which had caused the cancellation of lectures and cultural events, was threatening academic freedom.
The academics said they needed "sufficient independence to make decisions and sufficient security to think freely".
A member of parliament had also been violently prevented from speaking to students at the University of Shiraz.
Prof Goodman said his visit had made him "look behind the headlines" and left him optimistic about the direction of travel towards greater co-operation with the West.
There was "enormous goodwill toward the United States" in terms of higher education and a desire to "join the community of nations", he added.
Prof Goodman said the bridge-building efforts needed to look forward.
"We need to avoid the tendency to keep looking in the rear-view mirror," he said. | A group of senior United States university representatives has visited Iran, in what is believed to be the biggest academic delegation since the 1970s. |
36843846 | The incident happened in the city's Golf Road at about 06:00 on Wednesday.
The victims was later said to be in a stable condition.
Police Scotland =said a 42-year-old man had been charged in connection with the incident and he was due to appear at Aberdeen Sheriff Court. | A man has been charged after a 44-year-old man was taken to hospital following a serious assault in Aberdeen. |
39895079 | Founder Devi Sohanta said it has the potential to "change how we live" and be in "every home".
Connective Touch locks use biometrics, which recognise characteristics such as irises or faces, not keys or fobs.
Ms Sohanta has created a social enterprise, allowing people with learning disabilities and the long-term unemployed to manufacture them.
A factory has been set up in Ebbw Vale and she wants to build the industry up "from round zero" in the area, teaching schoolchildren skills to further develop the technology.
It can be used in buildings ranging from sheltered accommodation to hospitals, while Ms Sohanta is looking at potential uses in homes, such as on cupboards to stop children opening them.
"In the 1980s, the manufacturer of Amstrad said they wanted a computer in every home," she said.
"That happened, and I want this to have a similar impact."
She had the idea after working with vulnerable groups, seeing the need to better control who accessed buildings such as women's refuges.
While biometrics is not a new field, research and development was difficult as Ms Sohanta found there was little university education on applying it to products.
She also found many security system installers, suppliers and distributors did not know enough about it.
In 2013, she contacted Community Lives, an organisation helping people with learning difficulties in Swansea.
The group's Rick Wilson said he was "captivated by her vision" and the system was installed, as a trial, in homes of people who struggled with keys.
Social enterprise the Alpha Trust then helped set up The Assemblers - teaching 22 people with learning disabilities how to manufacture the product.
In September 2016, it was installed in 18 Newydd Housing Association properties in Pontypridd.
Ms Sohanta will now take on 20 people in Ebbw Vale over the next year and work with local businesses in manufacturing, distributing and installing the product.
"I wondered why biometrics couldn't be as simple for people to use everyday?" she said.
"I want it (the product) to support people in a disadvantaged area under a charitable trust, helping those who have not worked for a long time."
Since 2010, Ms Sohanta has invested £360,000 creating the technology so it is easily assembled.
"Some may think its scary and James Bondy but it's the safest form of security, as nobody can steal your fingerprint," she added.
Blaenau Gwent council's BG Effect facilitation project helped her set-up and lead officer Moe Forouzan said it is "always keen to support an innovative technology business specialising in biometrics". | A hub for developing technology which allows fingerprints to secure property could be set up in Blaenau Gwent. |
30932357 | The assembly bought the 19th century property in east Belfast to provide extra office accommodation.
However, it was later deemed unfit for that purpose and was costing an estimated £400 a day to secure and maintain.
The grade B listed building is understood to have been bought by a local businessman.
It was previously owned by the shipbuilder Sir Edward Harland, who lived there until 1887.
It was then acquired by his business partner William Pirrie, who later became the chairman of Harland & Wolff.
Shortly after Lord Pirrie's death in 1924, Harland and Wolff came into sole ownership of the property, selling it in 1928 to Campbell College, which held it until the mid-1970s.
In 2001, the assembly bought it from the Police Authority, the predecessor of the Northern Ireland Policing Board. | The Northern Ireland Assembly has sold Ormiston House for just over £1.5m, a building it bought for £9m in 2001. |
38509093 | The showing of T2 Trainspotting will be held on Sunday 22 January at the Cineworld in Fountain Park.
The film reunites McGregor with director Danny Boyle and original cast members Robert Carlyle, Jonny Lee Miller and Ewen Bremner.
They are all expected to attend the premiere.
T2 Trainspotting comes 21 years after the original film, which followed a group of heroin addicts and explored urban poverty in Edinburgh. It was based on the novel of the same name by Irvine Welsh.
The sequel is based on Welsh's book Porno.
The trailer for the sequel was released in November and opened with McGregor's character Mark Renton returning to Edinburgh to see his friends again.
Over the strains of Underworld's hit Born Slippy, which featured prominently in the 1996 film, Renton revives his bitter "choose life" motto but with modern references: "Choose Facebook, choose Twitter, choose Instagram and hope that someone, somewhere, cares."
He also refers to choosing reality TV, "slut-shaming", revenge porn and zero-hour contracts before saying: "Choose to smother the pain with an unknown dose of an unknown drug."
Renton's narration ends with: "You're an addict, so be addicted, just be addicted to something else. Choose the ones you love, choose your future, choose life."
The cast and crew from the new movie were seen filming at various locations across Edinburgh and elsewhere in Scotland last year.
In July, McGregor and Bremner were seen sprinting out of a shop on Princes Street, with Oscar-winner Boyle directing the pair as they recreated the famous opening sequence from the first movie.
T2 Trainspotting will be released in UK cinemas on 27 January. | Ewan McGregor is to return to Edinburgh for the world premiere of the Trainspotting sequel, 21 years after the original film made him a star. |
35263593 | Actor James Nesbitt admits to being "as surprised as anyone else" when he was asked to co-host Fifa's Ballon d'Or ceremony on Monday.
The football association announced in December that the Coleraine actor will co-host the event.
He was joined by Sky Sports News presenter Kate Abdo.
Speaking in an interview broadcast on BBC Radio Ulster's Sunday News programme, Nesbitt was clearly relishing the chance to present the award.
"I keep thinking I'm going to go out there and they'll say 'Oh no, we didn't mean you!'.
"But I am a huge fan and this is an opportunity for the best footballers of the world to be gathered together, to celebrate them and the purity of football, which is why so many of us are enthralled by it."
The Manchester United and Northern Ireland supporter described what manager Michael O'Neill has done for his home side as "astonishing".
"There's a feel-good factor at home with Northern Ireland going through [to the UEFA Euro 2016].
"Michael is someone who brings people together and that is something that will be reflected in the level of support this year and the sense of community and brotherhood that there'll be in France."
Nesbitt recently returned to his native Northern Ireland to film a new three-part drama about the real-life double murder carried out by Ballymoney dentist Colin Howell and his lover Hazel Stewart.
He will portray Howell in the ITV series The Secret, alongside Genevieve O'Reilly who will play Stewart.
He admitted it "wasn't an easy shoot", but that "it was something with a very good pedigree of people attached to it".
He added: "It was based on a book by Deric Henderson, a very respected journalist and former head of the Press Association in Northern Ireland.
"It was a drama that we treated with - I hope - great sensitivity.
"There are still a lot of people who are still affected by that story."
Nesbitt will also be reprising his role as Adam in the comedy-drama series Cold Feet, to be broadcast on ITV next year.
Although older, the character is not necessarily wiser.
"There's still an element of 'eejitry' about him from what I can tell," he said.
Laughing off the suggestion that his own character might be of a similar nature, he added: "No, no no, I'm the Chancellor of the University of Ulster - please remember that."
In December, Nesbitt received an OBE in the New Year Honours list for services to drama and the community in Northern Ireland.
Aside from his acting achievements, the award was in recognition of his work with the Wave Trauma Centre, which supports people bereaved, injured or traumatised during the conflict in Northern Ireland.
He said he hoped his award would raise awareness of the cause.
"I've been very lucky in my acting career - there are plenty of actors who are more able than me. But because of the lucky nature of my success, I've been afforded the opportunity to do quite a bit in Northern Ireland, which is a privilege.
"And if this brings more attention to the vital work that Wave are doing, then I'm thrilled," he said.
Nesbitt expressed frustration at the lack of support for victims of the Troubles, saying: "These are real people who continue to be impacted, and [the trauma] is passing on to their family members.
"You cannot move on without fully addressing what is clearly the ongoing and indelible legacy of the past and really looking after the people who have suffered and are still suffering."
Paying tribute to Nesbitt, CEO of Wave Sandra McPeake, said he has taken a very personal and passionate interest in the plight of victims since he became patron of the centre in 2000.
"Jimmy is so much more than just a face to a campaign," she said.
"People wouldn't realise the hours he puts in for us - holding fundraisers, generating awareness and support, quietly sending us cheques - no fuss, expecting nothing in return.
"He also de-stigmatised talking about the Troubles by highlighting the impact on the bereaved and injured."
In recent years, Nesbitt has backed appeals by the families of the Disappeared for information that could lead to the recovery of victims still not found.
Ms McPeake said that regardless of his acting schedule, he never fails to make contact when news emerges about a fresh search.
"I even got a call from New Zealand, where he was filming the Hobbit, because he saw a story about developments in one of the cases," she said.
"We're just delighted that he got the OBE - he thoroughly deserved it." | "You've got Ronaldo, Messi, Neymar...then there's me, who used to play for Broughshane Boys' Brigade." |
37454914 | Championship side Morton take on Aberdeen in a 12:15 BST kick-off on Saturday, 22 October.
Scottish Premiership leaders Celtic meet Glasgow rivals Rangers on the following day at 14:15.
BBC Radio Scotland will provide live commentary of both matches, with the online broadcast supplemented by text coverage on the BBC Sport website.
Celtic were 5-1 winners against Rangers when they met on league duty at Celtic Park on 10 September.
But Rangers won a penalty shoot-out when the sides met at Hampden in the last four of the Scottish Cup last season, with Celtic prevailing at the same venue at the same stage of the League Cup in 2015.
This is the fifth time Morton have reached this stage of the tournament, the most recent coming in 1979 when they lost out to Aberdeen.
The Dons, who have won the League Cup on six occasions, have beaten the Greenock outfit another four times in the competition since that Hampden victory. | Both Scottish League Cup semi-finals will be staged at Hampden Park next month. |
33440826 | The forward, 20, does not want to go on the forthcoming trip to the Far East after Liverpool rejected a £40m bid from Manchester City for him.
The England international missed training on Wednesday through illness.
"He's starting to get a reputation that could be hard to rid himself of in the future," said Carragher.
"Are Man City fans looking at the situation and thinking this could be us in a few years?"
Liverpool travel to Bangkok on Sunday then fly on to Australia and Malaysia.
Through his request, Sterling - who returned to pre-season training on Monday - has once again made it clear to manager Brendan Rodgers that he wants to leave.
He has expressed his desire not to go on the tour in the hope of making a smoother exit from Anfield after an increasingly acrimonious saga in which he has turned down a contract offer of about £100,000 a week.
Manchester City have had two offers for him turned down, but are now expected to return with a third bid nearer Liverpool's £50m valuation.
Whether it comes soon enough to avoid the latest twist in what has become a very public breakdown in the relationship between club and player remains to be seen.
"I think this situation will only make Liverpool more determined to get the fee they feel Raheem is worth, rather than caving in to Raheem's and Man City's wishes," added Carragher.
Liverpool have refused to comment on claims Sterling will refuse to travel, but are expected to demand that every player who is fit and available for selection join up on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Spanish defender Javier Manquillo has returned to Atletico Madrid after his two-year loan at Anfield was terminated early by mutual consent.
Atletico said the 21-year-old has been recalled because he "has not had all the minutes he and our club consider necessary" for his development.
Manquillo made 19 appearances for the Reds last season but did not play for the club after a 1-0 defeat by Besiktas in the Europa League in February. | Ex-Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher says Raheem Sterling's reputation is being affected after he asked to be left out of the club's pre-season tour. |
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