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37325288 | Substitute Charlie Colkett capitalised on a slip by Bradford defender Romain Vincelot to level in the 86th minute after James Meredith had headed the home side into a 73rd-minute lead.
Referee Andy Haines had earlier halted play in the 65th minute with the game goalless and led the players from the pitch for their own safety as the drone hovered over the stadium.
Haines brought the players back out after a three-minute delay and the match resumed before Meredith headed home with Rovers goalkeeper Kelle Roos wrong-footed following Mark Marshall's deflected shot.
But Colkett, a 78th-minute replacement for midfielder Billy Bodin, pounced to drill the ball home after Vincelot had slipped inside the penalty area with four minutes remaining.
Rovers' leading scorer Matty Taylor went closest to breaking the deadlock in the first half, while Roos ensured a share of the spoils when he pulled off a fine save to keep out Bradford substitute Haris Vuckic's header deep in time added on.
REACTION: Bradford City captain Stephen Darby speaks to BBC Radio Leeds
Reports supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Bradford City 1, Bristol Rovers 1.
Second Half ends, Bradford City 1, Bristol Rovers 1.
Foul by Marc McNulty (Bradford City).
Charlie Colkett (Bristol Rovers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt saved. Haris Vuckic (Bradford City) header from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Attempt blocked. Haris Vuckic (Bradford City) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Substitution, Bradford City. Marc McNulty replaces Nicky Law.
Delay in match Ellis Harrison (Bristol Rovers) because of an injury.
Attempt missed. Peter Hartley (Bristol Rovers) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left.
Corner, Bristol Rovers. Conceded by Colin Doyle.
Attempt saved. Peter Hartley (Bristol Rovers) header from the centre of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.
Foul by Haris Vuckic (Bradford City).
Lee Brown (Bristol Rovers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Corner, Bristol Rovers. Conceded by James Meredith.
Corner, Bristol Rovers. Conceded by James Meredith.
Goal! Bradford City 1, Bristol Rovers 1. Charlie Colkett (Bristol Rovers) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Ellis Harrison.
Substitution, Bradford City. Filipe Morais replaces Mark Marshall.
Foul by Josh Cullen (Bradford City).
Charlie Colkett (Bristol Rovers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Bradford City. Haris Vuckic replaces Billy Clarke.
Josh Cullen (Bradford City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Ellis Harrison (Bristol Rovers).
Attempt blocked. Billy Clarke (Bradford City) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Substitution, Bristol Rovers. Chris Lines replaces Hiram Boateng.
Substitution, Bristol Rovers. Charlie Colkett replaces Billy Bodin.
Corner, Bradford City. Conceded by Matty Taylor.
Attempt blocked. Nicky Law (Bradford City) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Goal! Bradford City 1, Bristol Rovers 0. James Meredith (Bradford City) header from very close range to the bottom left corner.
Attempt missed. James Hanson (Bradford City) header from the left side of the six yard box is just a bit too high.
Attempt missed. Mark Marshall (Bradford City) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Substitution, Bristol Rovers. Luke James replaces Byron Moore.
Mark Marshall (Bradford City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Hiram Boateng (Bristol Rovers).
James Meredith (Bradford City) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by James Meredith (Bradford City).
Lee Brown (Bristol Rovers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Corner, Bradford City. Conceded by Tom Lockyer.
Attempt blocked. Timothee Dieng (Bradford City) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Foul by Mark Marshall (Bradford City). | Bradford City drew for the fourth straight league match against Bristol Rovers in a game that was held up in the second half by a flying drone. |
12874160 | Christopher Halliwell, 47, was arrested on Thursday before Miss O'Callaghan's body was found near Uffington, Oxfordshire.
Police said bones recovered during a search in Gloucestershire were believed to be of another woman estimated to be aged between 23 and 30.
Miss O'Callaghan had not been seen since leaving a nightclub in Swindon early on Saturday 19 March.
Mr Halliwell, of Ashbury Avenue, Swindon, was charged with murdering Miss O'Callaghan on Saturday evening and is due to appear before Swindon magistrates on Monday.
Police had been digging on Baxter's Farm at Eastleach in the Gloucestershire Cotswolds 17 miles from where Miss O'Callaghan's body was discovered, since late on Thursday.
On Saturday they revealed they had found human remains but said they had yet to identify them.
Det Supt Steve Fulcher of Wiltshire Police, who is leading the investigation, said on Sunday forensic laboratory tests and a post-mortem examination would be carried out on the bones.
Det Supt Fulcher said it had been indicated to him that the woman was taken from the Swindon area between 2003 and 2005.
District Crown Prosecutor Simon Brenchley said: "I have been working closely with Wiltshire Police and now have authorised them to charge Christopher Halliwell with Sian O'Callaghan's murder.
"Having reviewed the evidence, I am satisfied that there is sufficient to charge him, and that it is in the public interest to do so.
"I will keep liaising closely with the police as their investigation continues."
Mr Halliwell remains in police custody at Gablecross Police Station in Swindon.
Det Supt Fulcher appealed for anyone who had been "lamping" or poaching in the Ramsbury area of Wiltshire or nearby from 0300 BST on Saturday 19 March to contact the force if they had seen anything suspicious, or a green Toyota Avensis.
He stressed officers were not interested in prosecuting anyone for poaching.
Hundreds of Chinese lanterns and balloons were launched into the sky on Saturday evening during an event in Swindon in memory of Miss O'Callaghan. Thousands of people gathered at the town's Polo Ground for a two-minute silence.
Team mates also stood in silence on Saturday afternoon at the club where she played bowls. | A taxi driver has been charged with the murder of 22-year-old Sian O'Callaghan. |
37299269 | Mr Justice Peter Jackson said Craig Beattie was to blame for six-week-old Kye Kerr's death in Carlisle in 2011.
The judge's family court findings were not shown to Mr Beattie's trial jury in 2015 to avoid prejudicing the verdict.
In a separate case the same judge said a girl was abused by her father before she died, although he was not charged.
Paul Worthington, 48, from Barrow-in-Furness, was arrested in connection with 13-month-old Poppi's death but the Crown Prosecution Service said there was "insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction".
The 2014 judgement in relation to Kye Kerr has been published despite the father's argument that much of it should be redacted.
His 35-year-old father, then living in Harraby, was alleged to have lost his temper and shaken or hit his son.
Mr Justice Jackson said the baby had a skull fracture "caused by a significant impact", bleeding on the brain and an unexplained mark on his head.
"Having considered all the available information I have reached the conclusion that the father was responsible for both occasions of injury, and that the injuries on the second occasion caused death," he said.
Judgements in family court proceedings are made based on a balance of probabilities, a lesser burden of proof than beyond reasonable doubt, which is required in criminal courts.
There was "no reason to believe that the father intended harm" but his "last minute efforts to throw the blame on the mother were quite deliberate", Mr Justice Jackson added.
A serious case review into the death criticised authorities' "insufficient professional curiosity" and inadequate assessments "of variable quality".
Cumbria County Council said it acknowledged "mistakes were made and that appropriate opportunities to issue care proceedings were not acted upon".
Corporate director for children's services, John Macilwraith said "procedures have been clarified" and social workers would now not wait for information from police or health professionals before bringing concerns about abuse before a court.
Cumbria Constabulary's Assistant Chief Constable Darren Martland said he acknowledged Mr Justice Jackson's criticisms, following which the force had referred the matter to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).
"The IPCC is conducting an independent investigation and, as such, it would be inappropriate for me to comment further," he said. | A judge found that a father killed his baby son in a ruling made a year before he was cleared of manslaughter by a jury, it has emerged. |
35347037 | The 70-year-old was released from Knox County Jail after posting $10,000 (£7,007) bail.
McLean, who lives in Camden, Maine, had a 1971 hit with American Pie, about the deaths of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper in a plane crash.
It was reported that McLean was held after police were called to a property at 02:00 local time on Monday.
He is set to appear at the Knox County Unified Court, Rockland, on 22 February.
The US singer-songwriter has amassed more than 40 gold and platinum records worldwide during his career.
He performed at a local lobster festival in Maine in August. | American Pie singer Don McLean has been arrested on a charge of domestic violence assault. |
35458507 | The deal allows the BBC to show video clips, end-of-day round-ups, digital preview programming features and archive material in the UK.
Major events will include the World Twenty20, Champions Trophy, Women's World Cup, and the 2019 World Cup.
Video will be used to enhance coverage on all digital platforms, mobile alerts and on an enhanced live page.
Other International Cricket Council tournaments covered include:
Media playback is not supported on this device
Barbara Slater, director of BBC Sport, said: "We're very pleased to announce this new agreement with the ICC, which is all about free-to-air accessibility and bringing the best of cricket to as wide an audience as possible across the UK.
"The online rights will complement our live radio commentary portfolio and popular online offering, giving UK audiences video of the best of the action wherever they are."
ICC finance and commercial affairs committee chairman Giles Clarke said: "The ICC is delighted to partner with BBC Sport in the United Kingdom, which is widely respected and followed due to its ability and resources to produce high-quality cricket content."
The 2017 Champions Trophy and Women's World Cup, as well as the 2019 World Cup, will all be staged in England and Wales. | The BBC has agreed a four-year deal to broadcast video coverage across its website of all major ICC tournaments. |
39580246 | The Scots, presently under Anna Signeul, were under strength because of injuries for the warm-up friendly ahead of his summer's Euro 2017 finals.
"The ranking positions we're increasing all the time and it really is in a good place," said Kerr.
"So let's see what the Euros bring for us and hopefully we can build on that."
Kerr, manager of Stirling University's men's team in the Scottish Lowland League, will inherit the national squad in June after Signeul ends her term in charge at the finals in the Netherlands.
And former Kilmarnock, Doncaster Rovers Belles, and Hibernian defender Kerr, who ended her playing career with Spartans in 2010, remains enthusiastic that Scottish women's football is heading in the right direction and the national team are currently 21st in the world rankings.
"The standard has certainly increased since I stopped playing, that's for sure," said the 47-year-old.
"They are more professional, they are better educated in terms of their whole holistic approach of becoming elite athletes and I think it's great so many of our national team players are playing in a professional environment."
Kerr managed women's teams at Kilmarnock, Hibs, Spartans, Scotland Under-19s and Arsenal before becoming the first woman to take control of a British senior men's team in 2014.
"The difference between female players and male players, it's the dynamics that are perhaps different, but we still have the aspirations of getting to the very, very top level, but it's all about hard work," said the Scot, whose current side lie fourth in the tier below the Scottish Professional Football League.
Kerr admitted that it would be "really challenging" to continue Scotland's rise up the world rankings but thought "it's a great time to take over" and that they were capable of progressing from a Euros group containing England, Portugal and Spain.
"It's an absolute honour, it's a privilege, I'm extremely proud," she said.
"As you can imagine, as a young kid growing up playing football, and especially as a young girl, I had dreams of representing my country and I was really fortunate to do that.
"But to actually get the opportunity to lead the women's national team is a dream come true for me."
Scottish FA performance director Malky Mackay said Kerr was the stand-out candidate to take over from Signeul, who is quitting to take over the Finnish national team.
"Anna and the team will plan for everything between now and going to the Euros and in the Euros, so Shelley will be going in a watching basis only," he explained.
"Shelley will concentrate on everything after the Euros." | Scotland coach-in-waiting Shelley Kerr believes there has never been a better time to take over despite Tuesday's 5-0 defeat by Belgium. |
37967698 | The by-election comes after Conservative MP Stephen Phillips resigned earlier this month, citing "irreconcilable policy differences" with the government.
In last year's election, Mr Phillips had a majority of 24,115.
Mrs Ayling has a seat on Lincolnshire County Council.
Lincolnshire voters were among the most Eurosceptic in the UK in the referendum on EU membership.
UKIP chairman Paul Oaken said: "Victoria is already working hard to represent local people and will now use all of her experience to make sure that UKIP continues to speak up for the common sense voters in Sleaford and North Hykeham."
Consultant paediatrician Dr Caroline Johnson, who contested the Scunthorpe seat in 2010, was selected by the Conservatives.
Labour selected its candidate, trade unionist and refuse driver Jim Clarke, on Wednesday. Labour came second in the constituency in the general election.
Ross Pepper has been selected by the Liberal Democrats.
Local councillor Mark Suffield is standing as an independent while Peter Hill is standing for the Monster Raving Loony Party. | UKIP has selected local councillor Victoria Ayling for the Sleaford and North Hykeham parliamentary by-election on 8 December. |
26036474 | Scientists say experts should be on alert in case the virus - H10N8 - could cause a pandemic.
How bad is it?
So far there have been two people in China infected and one of them has died.
As yet, there is no evidence that the virus can be transmitted from person to person. This means the risk of rapid spread is still low.
But we could see more human cases of H10N8, particularly among people who have close contact to poultry carrying the infection.
And experts are concerned that the virus could evolve or mutate to become more infectious.
Where has it come from?
Researchers believe the first human case - a 73-year-old woman from China who died nine days after falling ill with the infection - was probably caught from a live poultry market. The woman had visited the site a few days before getting sick.
Tests on samples from the market have been inconclusive, but scientists say birds are the likely source.
What is bird flu?
There are many different strains of bird flu. All are a type of influenza virus. Usually they don't infect humans, but sometimes they can mutate and gain this ability. Recently, there have been human cases of other bird flu strains -H7N9 and H5N1.
How is it spread?
Bird flu is spread through direct contact with infected birds (dead or alive), an infected bird's droppings, or secretions from their eyes or respiratory tract.
Bird flu is not transmitted through cooked food.
There have been few reports of bird flu passing from person to person.
Should I worry?
Not yet. No human cases have been detected outside of China and there have only been two cases so far within the country. The woman who died had other medical conditions that may have made her frail and susceptible to the infection.
The risk of this virus spreading from the patient to nursing staff and other contacts also seems low.
But that does not mean we should be complacent, say experts.
Dr Jeremy Farrar of the Wellcome Trust says we should always be worried when a virus jump from birds to people as it is unlikely that we will have prior immunity to protect us. Also, H10N8 looks like a candidate for potentially turning nasty.
What now?
Disease experts will continue to monitor the situation in China and elsewhere. These first cases were detected thanks to good surveillance. Indeed, it is highly unlikely this event would even have been noticed or reported just a few years ago.
There are still major questions that need answering. We do not fully understand what causes flu viruses to cross into humans, cause disease and become transmissible.
Is it safe to visit China?
The World Health Organization has not put in place any travel restrictions.
Should I have a flu jab?
Perhaps, but not to protect you against bird flu. The seasonal flu jab does not protect against avian flu. Seasonal or winter flu is a highly infectious and very common viral illness that is spread readily between people by coughs and sneezes. | A new strain of bird flu has killed a woman in China. |
35659206 | A "dramatic" blaze ripped through the roundhouses about 3,000 years ago at Must Farm quarry in Cambridgeshire.
River silt helped preserve the timbers and contents.
But Dr Karl Harrison, who has been brought in to investigate the cause, said a definitive explanation was unlikely to be established.
The Whittlesey site has been described as the "best-preserved Bronze Age dwellings ever found" in the country.
Dr Harrison said char patterns suggested the fire started within one of the houses and could "assist " in building up a picture of what the site would have looked like.
The forensic archaeologist, from Cranfield University's Wiltshire campus, specialises in the archaeology of fires within structures.
"Must Farm gives us a particularly dramatic burnt building to look at," he said.
"Normally when we get an opportunity to study prehistoric fires it's because they're preserved in mud brick buildings in the Near East, not in Cambridgeshire - so having this material preserved is absolutely incredible."
Evidence suggests the fire probably started within the largest roundhouse, but the cause is likely to remain unknown.
"It could have been a deliberate fire to clear the site for a new house, or set as a ritual closure of a site, perhaps if the family died," Dr Harrison said.
However, as many of the contents were still inside, he said: "It's looks like they just ran out the door - but that might not tell the whole story." | The cause of a fire that destroyed a prehistoric settlement dubbed Britain's "Pompeii" was unlikely ever to be known, a forensic archaeologist said. |
17338975 | Mr Morales, addressing a UN anti-drugs meeting in Vienna, said coca was part of his country's heritage.
Coca leaves, the raw ingredient for cocaine, were declared an illegal substance under a 1961 UN convention.
Mr Morales has long called for coca to be seen as a plant of great medicinal, cultural and religious value.
Addressing the Commission on Narcotic Drugs at the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Vienna, Mr Morales said there was no data to show that the coca leaf had an adverse effect on human beings.
The 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs classified the coca leaf as a banned substance.
It stipulated that coca-chewing be eliminated within 25 years of the convention coming into effect in 1964.
"I call upon you to correct, to repair an error that has gone on for more than 50 years. Because it is only just to recognise legal consumption of coca leaf chewing," Mr Morales said.
Mr Morales stressed that he was not advocating the use of the coca leaf to produce cocaine, but rather to highlight what he called its "beneficial" uses.
"For example, we have coca marmalade here which is very nice. In Bolivia we have coca tea," he said.
Last year, Bolivia withdrew from the UN convention in protest at the classification of coca as an illegal drug.
The Bolivian authorities have since expressed the desire to re-accede provided coca leaf chewing in Bolivia is recognised.
Bolivia is the world's third biggest producer of cocaine, after Colombia and Peru.
Coca has been used in the Andes for thousands of years as a mild stimulant and sacred herbal medicine. | Bolivian President Evo Morales has urged the UN to correct a "historic wrong" and lift a long-standing ban on the chewing of coca leaves. |
20679514 | It has two cathedrals and is said to have more standing medieval churches - 32 - than any city north of the Alps.
But the 2011 Census has revealed Norwich had the highest proportion of respondents in England and Wales reporting "no religion".
The city's figure was 42.5% compared with a figure of 25.1% for England and Wales as a whole.
The question was the only voluntary one in the census and 7.2% of people chose not to answer it.
The census found the Christian population of England and Wales had fallen by four million to 33.2 million in the past decade.
In Norwich 56,268 people reported having no religion, but the census revealed a wide range of groupings within that category.
There were 169 Spiritualists, 131 atheists and 783 said they were Jedi Knights, a reference to the Star Wars films.
Sixty-five people gave their affiliation as Heavy Metal.
The Bishop of Norwich, the Right Reverend Graham James, was sceptical about the census' findings.
"Norwich is a city of churches. They are around every corner," he said.
"It's also a centre of vibrant Christianity today.
"The cathedral is seeing hundreds of worshippers every day during December and will welcome thousands on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day."
He said there were many other large and growing churches in Norwich of all denominations.
"So it seems doubtful that Norwich is a less religious place than anywhere else in the country," he said.
"It would not have above-average churchgoing rates if that was the case.
"But it may be a place where the vibrant presence of the churches means that people have to make up their minds about faith more definitely, and that's no bad thing."
Masoud Gadir, chairman of Norfolk and Norwich Muslim Association, said there were an estimated 5,000 Muslims in Norwich.
He said he was surprised and disappointed by the findings of the census.
"I think we have lost some moral leadership," he said.
"I sometimes see people at night who are drunk and wearing hardly any clothes. There are a lot of drugs.
"If people had just a little bit of thought they might not do those things."
He said during his 25 years in Norwich he had found ordinary people very welcoming and supportive of religious and ethnic minorities.
"Each religion can offer something positive," he said.
"The whole world can be a better place if we can break this cycle of fear and violence."
Michael Loveday, chief executive of Norwich Heritage Economic and Regeneration Trust (Heart) and author of The Norwich Knowledge, said the city was one of the most religious in Europe during the Middle Ages.
As well as dozens of churches, it had six monasteries and a large number of religious hermits, including Julian of Norwich, believed to be the first woman to write a book in English.
"The city also has a massive reputation for religious radicalism," said Mr Loveday.
Norwich Quakers, including prison reformer Elizabeth Fry and anti-slavery campaigner Thomas Fowell Buxton, also made a great impact he said.
On the census findings, he said: "Norwich always does things in a different way and I'm not surprised it's stuck out of the pack again.
"I don't know what it means, really. It could be that there are still an enormous amount of caring people but they are doing it in a less formal way."
When Chloe Smith, Conservative MP for Norwich North, took her seat in Parliament in 2009, she opted to affirm rather than swear a religious oath of allegiance to the Queen.
"I count myself an atheist and I thought it was far better to be honest about that," she said afterwards.
Of the census, Miss Smith said: "Norwich has always been a non-conformist, independent city so I'm sure people will find this latest statistic very interesting.
"I believe Norwich's churches and our other religious groups are also in good health and contribute a huge amount to the life of the city and the country."
Cookery writer and broadcaster Delia Smith, joint majority shareholder of Norwich City FC, has been a devout Catholic since the age of 22.
She lives in Suffolk but on match days often worships at Norwich's Roman Catholic Cathedral of St John the Baptist. | It was once said to have a church for every week of the year, not to mention a pub for every day. |
38128630 | Dougie Gilligan, from Hamilton, said Bennell had abused him on two occasions during a coaching camp at Butlins in the 1970s.
A string of historical claims have also been made by former players in England.
The Scottish Football Association (SFA) is meeting to discuss child safety within the game.
The association has been urged to launch a full investigation to determine the extent of sexual abuse in the game. The English FA has appointed an independent lawyer to assist with an internal review of its handling of allegations.
Former SFA chief executive Gordon Smith said it was important the body prepared for cases to come to light in Scotland.
Mr Gilligan told BBC Scotland he had suffered "low level" abuse at two Butlins camps in England and Wales in the late 1970s.
"He [Bennell] was very much like a kind of man's man. Somebody that a young boy would look up to. Very well connected in football, did a lot of name-dropping with famous footballers. Had a lot of football strips," he said.
"Thinking back on it, a classic predatory paedophile groomer to be honest. But at the time, as a 13-year-old boy, you don't see that.
"He abused me on a very minor level, but I reacted to it quite aggressively."
Mr Gilligan said Bennell had abused him while he was staying overnight at the former coach's chalet with two other boys.
"I woke up... I basically give him short shrift and told him where to get off and that was it," he told BBC Scotland.
"So I feel kind of lucky, I dodged the bullet a little bit in that it was low level from my perspective. I don't see it as major in comparison to what I've heard of some of the revelations recently."
Mr Gilligan, who later played football semi-professionally, said he had spoken to the police in 1996 and had been ready to testify before Bennell pled guilty.
He has now called for a thorough investigation into the extent of sexual abuse in football.
"I think it could be huge. Because of the type of stigma attached to it, people are very reluctant to come forward and that's one of the things I feel a little bit guilty about myself, that I didn't speak up earlier," he said.
"Although I did in 1996, I could have spoken up earlier and that could have helped people."
Bennell, 62, is being treated in hospital after an incident in Stevenage in Hertfordshire on Friday evening. Police were responding to what they said was a "fear for welfare" report.
The SFA announced last week that it was supporting the NSPCC's campaign to encourage anyone with knowledge of child abuse in football to speak out.
Former Rangers and Manchester City player Gordon Smith was SFA chief executive from 2007 until 2010.
Speaking on the BBC's Good Morning Scotland radio programme, he said: "I think they (the SFA) just need to announce that they are doing a full investigation into it, just to make sure.
"And if there are any cases that do come up then we need to make sure that these will be dealt with, and the players who have been involved - the ones who have actually been abused - will receive help and counselling.
"We'll make sure it doesn't happen again."
In England, four police forces are investigating the allegations after former footballers came forward to say they were sexually abused as youth players.
An NSPCC hotline has had more than 100 calls.
The English FA's internal review will look at what information the FA was aware of at relevant times, which clubs were aware and what action was, or should have been, taken.
Former Manchester City and England player David White is among several who claim they were abused by former Crewe Alexandra coach Bennell.
The 62-year-old was jailed in 1998 for sex offences against children and was imprisoned again last year.
In the same year, James Torbett, a former coach at Celtic Boys' Club, was convicted of abusing three young players, including former Scotland international Alan Brazil.
Last week Scotland's Commissioner for Children and Young People, Tam Baillie, said the allegations made by players in England may be the tip of the iceberg.
He told BBC Scotland: "I fear we are on the brink on many more revelations." | A Scottish man who says he was abused by former Crewe Alexandra coach Barry Bennell has warned that sexual abuse in football could be a "huge" problem. |
39553250 | Pyotr Levashov was held in Barcelona on Friday and is remanded in custody.
Spanish police said Mr Levashov controlled a botnet called Kelihos, hacking information and installing malicious software in hundreds of thousands of computers.
The arrest was part of a "complex inquiry carried out in collaboration with the FBI", police said.
Mr Levashov is subject to a US international arrest warrant and a Spanish court will hear whether he can be extradited.
Much of his alleged activity involved ransomware - blocking a computer's access to certain information and demanding a ransom for its release.
Mr Levashov's wife Maria told Russian broadcaster RT that the arrest had been made in connection with allegations that Russians had hacked the US presidential election.
She said Spanish police had told her the arrest was in connection with "a virus which appears to have been created by my husband and is linked to [Donald] Trump's victory".
However, Agence France-Presse news agency quoted a source close to the matter in Washington as saying that Mr Levashov's detention was "not tied to anything involving allegations of Russian interference with the US election".
A US intelligence report released in January alleged that Vladimir Putin had tried to help Mr Trump to victory, allegations strongly denied the Russian president.
Mr Trump later commented that the outcome of the election had not been affected.
Several cybersecurity experts, including Brian Krebs, have also linked Mr Levashov to a Russian spam kingpin, who uses the alias Peter Severa. | Spanish police have arrested a Russian programmer following US allegations of large-scale hacking. |
21796866 | The two sides have moved closer together, but the major sticking point remains - whether a new self-regulatory body should be backed by law.
Mr Clegg's royal charter, launched with Ed Miliband, insists on it - but it is not in Mr Cameron's royal charter.
MPs will decide which version they prefer on Monday.
The vote is expected to be close - and could have a profound impact on the way newspapers conduct themselves in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal and Lord Justice Leveson's inquiry.
Both sides have now adopted the idea of a royal charter - a formal document used to set up bodies such as universities and the BBC.
But the key differences between the two plans are:
Legal backing - Mr Cameron believes enshrining the royal charter in law will harm press freedom. Mr Clegg and Mr Miliband say the rules will lack teeth without it.
Power of veto - The press would not have a veto over the members of the regulator under the Lib Dem/Labour plan.
Future alterations - The Labour/Lib Dem plan is designed to prevent it from being watered down or strengthened by future governments.
An expert report on the regulation of the press in Scotland has recommended statutory controls underpinned by law. First Minister Alex Salmond has said he will consult other parties before deciding on action.
Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg said the blueprint he had drawn up with Mr Miliband represented a "strengthened version" of earlier proposals set out last month by the Conservatives and he hoped MPs on all sides could back it.
"I hope the approach we are publishing today plots a middle course between the dangers of doing nothing and the fears some people have of a full-scale legislative approach," said the deputy PM.
Mr Miliband said the proposals would ensure "a high ethical standards of the best in British journalism; a complaints procedure which is easily accessible and fair; and real teeth to ensure protection and redress for citizens".
Mr Clegg and Mr Miliband formed their alliance on press regulation after Mr Cameron walked out of cross-party talks on Thursday.
The Conservatives have published amendments to the Crime and Courts Bill which would allow the courts to impose "exemplary damages" - large fines - on publishers of "news-related material" which is inaccurate or intrusive.
The threat would be lifted from publishers that sign up to an approved regulator, creating an incentive for newspapers to engage with the new system.
Mr Cameron believes his proposals will defend press freedom and provide swift justice for victims of press inaccuracy and intrusion.
He has toughened up his proposals in some key areas - the regulator would now have the power to dictate the prominence of a printed apology and the arbitration process would be free to complainants.
But he must now convince Tory rebels - who are planning to vote against his proposals - that his royal charter are robust enough.
He defended his decision to walk out of cross-party talks on Thursday, saying he wanted to force the issue to a head and he believed a deal could still be reached.
"We can't go on with a situation where bill after bill of the government's legislative programme is potentially hijacked or contaminated with motions and amendments that are about something that is completely different," he said.
"That's why I think it is right to bring this to a conclusion."
Gerry McCann, the father of missing Madeleine McCann, said it was essential that the regulator was backed by legislation.
"Lord Justice Leveson was absolutely clear on this. He said that statutory underpinning was essential," he told BBC News.
"Up until the announcement I had never really heard of a royal charter. It seems something of an archaic system to underwrite something so important.
"I would much, much prefer that this was put properly into the statute book."
The Leveson Inquiry was set up by Mr Cameron to examine the culture, practice and ethics of the press in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal at the now-defunct News of the World tabloid.
Its 2,000-page report, published in November, found press behaviour was "outrageous" and "wreaked havoc with the lives of innocent people".
It recommended that the press should set up a tough new independent regulator, but the system should be underpinned by legislation to ensure the system was effective.
Downing Street insists the bust-up between the prime minister and his deputy over press regulation does not spell the end for the coalition government.
The prime minister's official spokesman said it was "not the first time that coalition parties have taken a different approach on important but specific issues".
Mr Clegg said he was "disappointed and surprised" Mr Cameron had walked out of Thursday's talks, but he said he had always taken a separate position from the PM on whether press regulation should be backed by law. | Prime Minister David Cameron and his deputy Nick Clegg have unveiled rival plans for a new system of press regulation in England and Wales. |
34615432 | The 36-year-old is believed to have been attacked on land off Micklehurst Road in Mossley before 22:00 BST on Wednesday.
Police said it was an isolated incident and officers are supporting the woman.
Appealing for witnesses, Det Insp Dave Loughlin said: "Our officers have been speaking to the community... to try and identify the man responsible." | A woman has been raped in the grounds of a derelict care home in Greater Manchester, said police. |
39890247 | Scotland's first minister said the failure to guarantee they could stay was "tarnishing the UK's reputation".
Its thought three million citizens of other EU states live in the UK, with 1.2 million Britons living in Europe.
The PM has said she wants a reciprocal deal covering both groups' rights to be struck at the earliest possible stage.
But on a campaign visit to St Andrews University, Ms Sturgeon said: "The Tories have left the millions of EU citizens who live and work in the UK in complete limbo and I know from my own discussions with people in other EU countries how badly this is tarnishing the UK's reputation abroad."
"It is utterly contemptible that the Tories continue to use human beings as a bargaining chip in Brexit negotiations - and in doing so, they are poisoning the well before talks have even begun."
Theresa May has said she wants to "guarantee the rights of EU citizens who are already living in Britain, and the rights of British nationals in other member states, as early as we can" but argues that "we do need reciprocity - we need to have care and concern for UK citizens who are living in the European Union."
Labour says it would unilaterally guarantee the rights of EU residents before talks start, if it wins power in the general election on 8 June. | SNP Leader Nicola Sturgeon has accused the Conservatives of "poisoning the well" of Brexit negotiations with their treatment of EU citizens in the UK. |
40378976 | Mr Warmbier died without recovering on Monday, having been brought back to the US last week. His family blames the North Korean authorities for his death.
US President Donald Trump called the North a "brutal regime".
A spokesman in Pyongyang was quoted by Reuters as saying Mr Warmbier's death was "a mystery".
Mr Warmbier, 22, a student at the University of Virginia, had been travelling with a tour group when he was arrested at Pyongyang airport in January 2016.
Accused of stealing a propaganda sign from a hotel, he was sentenced to 15 years of hard labour.
His family had no news of him until 13 June when Pyongyang announced he had been in a coma since his trial, attributing it to botulism.
More than 2,500 family, friends and well-wishers gathered for his funeral in Ohio on Thursday.
The North Korean spokesman quoted by Reuters suggested the student had returned to the US "in his normal state of health".
"The fact that Warmbier died suddenly in less than a week just after his return to the US in his normal state of health indicators is a mystery to us as well," he said.
Accusations that the student died because of torture and beating during his captivity were "groundless", he added.
A North Korean spokesman quoted by AFP news agency accused the US of mounting a "smear campaign".
"Our relevant agencies treat all criminals... thoroughly in accordance with domestic laws and international standards and Warmbier was not an exception," a spokesman for the National Reconciliation Council said.
"Those who have absolutely no idea about how well we treated Warmbier under humanitarian conditions dare to utter 'mistreatment' and 'torture'."
They say he suffered a "severe neurological injury", the most likely cause of which was a cardiopulmonary arrest that had cut the blood supply to the brain.
They say there was no evidence he suffered from botulism.
A post-mortem examination was not carried out at the request of the family.
The family maintain he died as a result of "awful torturous mistreatment".
Mr Warmbier's death heightened tensions between the two countries, already at loggerheads over the North's nuclear and missile programmes.
Pyongyang has called Mr Trump a "psychopath".
President Trump has said he is determined to "prevent such tragedies from befalling innocent people at the hands of regimes that do not respect the rule of law or basic human decency".
North Korea was already high on President Trump's agenda, the BBC's Steve Evans reports from Seoul.
This death and the public condemnation by the Warmbier family on television keeps the regime's behaviour squarely in front of the American public, our correspondent adds.
Meanwhile, North Korea is holding three other Americans as well as six South Koreans. | The North Korean government has denied mistreating US student Otto Warmbier, who fell into a coma while being held in prison in the communist state. |
32188863 | The incident occurred at about 18:40 in the Trossachs Woollen Mill car park in Kilmahog, near Callander.
The woman was airlifted to the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow but died later from her injuries.
Police Scotland have appealed for anyone who may have witnessed the incident to come forward as soon as possible. | A 50-year-old female pedestrian has died following a collision with a bus in a Perthshire car park. |
35817814 | The US authorities say Ryan Collins has agreed to plead guilty to the offence.
Prosecutors have recommended that he face a jail term of 18 months, although a judge could extend that to five years.
The 36-year-old is alleged to have stolen usernames and passwords via a phishing scam.
The Department of Justice said that Pennsylvania-based Collins had admitted to breaking into more than 100 accounts between November 2012 and September 2014.
He is said to have achieved this by sending emails to the victims that pretended to be from Google or Apple requesting their login details.
"[The] defendant used numerous fraudulent email addresses designed to look like legitimate security accounts from various internet service providers, including, for example, [email protected], [email protected] and [email protected]," said court filings.
Collins is accused of accessing at least 50 iCloud accounts and 72 Gmail accounts.
Once he had fooled their owners into handing over their details, prosecutors say, he searched through the victims' online data.
"Through his phishing scheme [the] defendant was also able to access full Apple iCloud back-ups belonging to numerous victims, including at least 18 celebrities, many of whom reside in the Los Angeles area," the court papers state.
"Many of these back-ups contained nude photographs and videos."
The celebrities are not named, but the attacks coincide with stolen photos of the actresses Jennifer Lawrence, Kate Upton, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and others being posted to the internet in 2014, which was blamed on an iCloud breach at the time.
Collins has not been accused of uploading the images for others to see.
"By illegally accessing intimate details of his victims' personal lives, Mr Collins violated their privacy and left many to contend with lasting emotional distress, embarrassment and feelings of insecurity," said David Bowdich, the assistant director in charge of the FBI's Los Angeles field office.
"We continue to see both celebrities and victims from all walks of life suffer the consequences of this crime and strongly encourage users of internet-connected devices to strengthen passwords and to be sceptical when replying to emails asking for personal information."
The FBI added that the case against Collins was part of an "ongoing investigation", indicating that there may be further arrests. | A man has been charged with hacking the Apple iCloud and Gmail accounts of celebrities and stealing nude photos and videos from them. |
28160373 | Staff were given the chance to choose what they wanted to do, and cricket did not feature high on their wish list.
The match will be replaced by rounders, football and egg-and spoon races.
The summer party takes place at the Bank's sports ground in Roehampton in south-west London on Sunday.
"The governor has not banned cricket," a spokesperson for the Bank said.
"He wanted the activities at Governors' Day to be chosen by staff for staff and their families. Staff chose a number of sports, such as rounders, football and tug of war, among others."
Former governor Sir Mervyn King is a huge cricket fan and played in the Bank's game every year, often against a team comprising professional cricketers.
The Bank's annual cricket match pre-dates Sir Mervyn's tenure as governor. | The Bank of England has decided to break with tradition and cancel the annual cricket match that has for years provided the focal point for the Bank's annual summer party. |
27907534 | Trefilan school will shut after parents agreed to transfer their children to Dihewyd school six miles (10km) away.
Ceredigion council also voted to close Llanafan primary school after a motion to keep it open was defeated.
Llanddewi Brefi and Tregaron primaries will be replaced with a community school based at Tregaron High School.
Pupils are due to move to new school in time for September 2015.
Supporters of the 24-pupil Llanafan primary packed the gallery of the council chamber in Aberaeron.
After the vote, the chair of the school's support group, Byron Jenkins, said they were "devastated" at the vote.
He said a meeting is to be held on Thursday evening to discuss what steps to take next, and that the group had not ruled out calling for a judicial review of the plans.
In April, the parents of 13 children at Trefilan school agreed to move them to Dihewyd following a meeting between Ceredigion council bosses and representatives of both schools. | Four Ceredigion primary schools will close despite a last-minute call to give one of them extra time to find more pupils, councillors have decided. |
37305713 | Arnold Sube reportedly told the MK Citizen a five-bedroom property in Luton was not suitable due to small rooms and a "lack of storage space".
He told the BBC he had not refused the house, but was waiting for the council's response to some questions.
The authority said if he did not accept a formal housing offer the family would have to look in the private sector.
Mr Sube and his wife, who now have eight children, moved to Luton from France so he could study nursing at the University of Bedfordshire.
They were placed in temporary accommodation with three bedrooms by Luton Borough Council in Bletchley, Milton Keynes.
The authority said the family was asked to view three houses in Luton, all with four or five bedrooms, and after viewing one said they were all unsuitable.
It said Mr Sube would now be formally offered another four-bedroom house, which could be made into five, and if they turned that down the council would no longer be able to help them.
Councillor Tom Shaw, in charge of the housing portfolio, said: "What the law says is once a council's made an adequate offer, then if it's turned down, the council's got the right to say that you are intentionally homeless, please go and look after yourself in the private sector."
Mr Sube said he "hadn't refused the property", but was waiting to hear back from the council about its "suitability and affordability".
He said: "I want four double bedrooms, not even five, I'm not greedy at all, we just want something that can accommodate the family.
"I work, I do two jobs, I'm paying taxes, I'm contributing to the system." | A family of 10 have been told if they do not accept a house offered to them, the council will no longer help them. |
32827743 | The seven-bedroom house is situated in Long Island, where Fitzgerald set much of his 1925 novel.
Fitzgerald and his wife, Zelda, lived in the home - in the New York hinterlands - from 1922 until 1924.
The author is understood to have completed The Great Gatsby after moving to France, where he set his subsequent novel Tender is the Night.
A spokeswoman for the estate agency said the asking price for the Mediterranean-style home, in the village of Great Neck Estates, is in excess of $3.8m (??2.4m). She declined to identify the current owner.
Fitzgerald was inspired to write The Great Gatsby, his seminal portrait of the Jazz Age, while living among the socialites of Long Island's "Gold Coast" region.
The book focuses on a mysterious millionaire, Jay Gatsby, owner of a lavish home in the fictional town of West Egg - a stand-in for Great Neck - on prosperous Long Island in the summer of 1922.
Several mansions in the area are believed to have served as inspiration for Gatsby's mansion, such as Oheka Castle and the now-demolished Beacon Towers, but not Fitzgerald's own home. | The suburban home where F Scott Fitzgerald is believed to have written The Great Gatsby has gone on sale. |
37153742 | From an Irish perspective, the imagine of Olympic Council of Ireland President Pat Hickey being arrested while wearing his bath robe will overshadow all the country's sporting performances in Rio.
Sailor Annalise Murphy was particularly unfortunate to see her splendid silver medal achievement quickly relegated down the Irish media's agenda as it grappled a day later with the extraordinary and fast-moving events at the Olympic Family Hotel.
Looking more specifically at the Northern Ireland angle, with 20 competitors representing Team Ireland and eight in action for Team GB, a return of no medals has to be regarded as a disappointment after the four-medal haul in London.
But this bald statistic requires some more examination.
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London 2012 bronze medallists Paddy Barnes and Michael Conlan were really the only two Northern Irish hopefuls who could have been termed as medal bankers heading into Rio.
Barnes' shock exit in the light-flyweight division was a further devastating blow to an Irish boxing team already reeling after news of middleweight Michael O'Reilly's positive drugs test.
Years of battling to make the 49 kilogram light-flyweight limit finally appeared to catch up with the hugely popular Barnes as he was visibly blowing early on against unheralded Spaniard Samuel Carmona.
After the contest, Barnes claimed that he had weighed as much as 58 kilos only six weeks before the contest and the light-flyweight's battle with the scales will surely warrant a mention in the Irish Athletic Boxing Association's post-Rio review.
But while Barnes was clearly not himself in his one Rio contest, his great friend Michael Conlan was the victim of a controversial judging decision in his bantamweight quarter-final against Russian Vladimir Nikitin.
Victory would have guaranteed Conlan at least a bronze medal but with a tough semi-final task against American talent Shakur Stevenson in advance of a possible final meeting with eventual winner Cuban Robeisy Ramirez.
Both fights would have represented no easy task.
However, most observers felt world champion Conlan was "robbed" of a medal which would have put a markedly different slant on the province's Rio efforts given that only 17 medals have been won in Northern Ireland's Olympic history since John McNally's opening boxing silver in 1952.
In terms of Northern Ireland's other boxers, Stephen Donnelly performed creditably as he earned two wins before losing out to Moroccan world champion Mohammed Rabii in a close quarter-final but flyweight Brendan Irvine endured a chastening experience as he was outclassed by Uzbekistan's Shakhobidin Zoirov in his opener.
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After winning a silver and bronze in London, there was hope of more Northern Ireland rowing success in Rio from the Coleraine trio of Alan Campbell and the Chambers brothers Richard and Peter.
However after a build-up affected by health issues and poor form, 2012 bronze medallist Campbell, 33, was always likely to face a tough task in the single sculls and his failure to make the final was, in truth, not a major surprise.
Unlike 2012, the Chambers brothers did not race together in Rio as both Peter and Richard exited in the lightweight four and lightweight double sculls semi-finals stage.
Peter did not appear unduly surprised by the British duo's failure to progress but Richard was stunned as he and Will Fletcher were edged out of a final spot by O'Donovan brothers who went on to secure a memorable silver medal for Ireland.
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Before the opening ceremony had even begun, Belfast archer Patrick Huston was the first member of Team GB in action at the Games and he went on to perform impressively as he beat Dutch world number seven Rick Van Der Ven in the last 64 before losing a tight game to eventual gold medallist Ku Bon-chan of South Korea.
GB hockey quartet Iain Lewers, Mark Gleghorne, Ian Sloan and David Ames are likely to be among the most disappointed Northern Ireland competitors returning from Rio after the team failed to reach the quarter-finals after a campaign which included defeats by Belgium and Australia.
Britain women's gold medal will only have exacerbated the sense of disappointment in the male ranks.
In contrast, an Ireland men's squad which included Gleghorne's brother Paul and six other Ulstermen will depart Rio with their reputation enhanced as they narrowly missed out on a last-eight spot after a closing 3-2 group defeat by eventual champions Argentina.
In athletics, Ciara Mageean looked hugely impressive as she finished second in her 1500m heat before fading quite dramatically in her semi-final two days later.
However at 24, Mageean remains one of the big hopes of Irish athletics and barring injury, she should be at the peak of her powers in four years time and in a position to challenge for a medal.
Also in track and field, Kerry O'Flaherty fulfilled a lifetime's ambition as she competed in the 3,000m steeplechase heats while Paul Pollock vindicated his selection for the men's marathon as he clocked 2:16.34 to finish 32nd with Belfast man Kevin Seaward inhibited by flu symptoms as he finished 64th in 2:20.06.
Sailors Matt McGovern and Ryan Seaton moved up four places from their 14th position in London after a 49er campaign which included two race victories while Derry triathlete Aileen Reid improved significantly from her 43rd in 2012 as she finished 21st.
Hillsborough-based Clare Abbott finished 37th in the Three-Day Eventing after a solid Olympic debut while Stephanie Meadow ended in a share of 31st in the women's event as golf made its return to the Games after an 112-year absence. | As the Olympics concluded with a spectacular carnival-inspired closing ceremony, Ireland's post-mortems were already well under way. |
34789412 | The Health Survey Northern Ireland, which is published annually, also suggested the vast majority taking medicines are doing so long term.
The survey of just over 4,000 people, took place between April 2014 and March 2015.
It suggests 25% of 16-24-year-olds are on prescribed drugs.
However, the number is much higher in the older age category, with 91% of over 75s on prescription medication.
Prescription charges were scrapped in Northern Ireland in 2010.
In February 2015, the then Health Minister, Jim Wells, proposed the reintroduction of the charges to pay for a new specialist drugs fund in Northern Ireland.
It would pay for drugs that are too expensive or too specific to be licensed for use.
It is estimated that when prescription charges were applied in the past they covered around 3.5% of the prescribed medicine bill due to exemptions such as age.
The Department of Health hopes to raise between £5m and £10m through some form of charging.
The results of a three-month consultation that took place earlier this year is expected to be released soon.
The first suggestion was to reintroduce the same system that was in place in 2010, charging £3 an item.
The second option was to adopt a similar system but increase the number of exemptions.
The final option is to introduce a universal charge.
This would be set at a much lower rate of say 50p per prescription but there would be no exemptions.
The survey also included questions on a variety of topics including, obesity, smoking and sexual health. | More than half of those questioned for a Department of Health survey in Northern Ireland said they were taking prescription drugs. |
33084879 | Messi and his father Jorge are both accused of defrauding the authorities of more than €4m (£3.1m; $5m).
The court ruled that Messi should not be granted impunity for not knowing what was happening with his finances.
The pair, who deny the charges, are alleged to have withheld the money between 2007 and 2009.
The income related to Messi's image rights, including contracts with Banco Sabadell, Danone, Adidas, Pepsi-Cola, Procter and Gamble, and the Kuwait Food Company.
The footballer and his father are suspected of avoiding paying Spanish tax by using companies in Belize and Uruguay to sell the rights to use Messi's image.
The high court in Barcelona said on Wednesday that a decision over whether or not the accused was aware of the fraud scheme should be left for the court hearing.
Messi's defence argued that the player had "never devoted a minute of his life to reading, studying or analysing" the contracts, El Pais newspaper reports.
It follows a similar ruling from a Spanish judge in October last year, when an appeal by the prosecutor to quash the charges against the star striker was thrown out. They had recommended charges be dropped on the grounds that Messi's father was responsible for his finances.
Messi and his father made a voluntary €5m "corrective payment", equal to the alleged unpaid tax plus interest, in August 2013.
Messi joined Barcelona as a 13-year-old in 2000, and made his first-team debut three years later.
He soon became one of the most influential players at the Catalan team, winning Europe's most prestigious club competition - the Champions League - four times.
The four-time World Player of the Year is now considered by many experts to be one of football's best ever players. | Argentina and Barcelona star Lionel Messi has moved a step closer to being tried for tax evasion after a Spanish high court rejected his latest appeal. |
40888360 | Everton have yet to match Swansea's £50m valuation for the 27-year-old Iceland international.
Clement confirmed Sigurdsson would not be included for their opening game of the Premier League season against Southampton on Saturday.
"We're at a critical stage and hope it's going to be resolved as soon as possible," said Clement.
"They [the club's owners] understand the pros and cons of doing it earlier rather than later.
"I know for sure they have the best interest of the club in mind.
"Clearly with each day goes by you get a little bit more frustrated because you don't know if you're going to have the player or if not, will you be able to get in the targets you want."
Clement added that a second club is also interested in signing the player who has three years remaining on his Swansea contract.
The Swans had previously turned down a £40m offer for Sigurdsson from Leicester City.
"There is another club and there's been other clubs as well and that's normal," said Clement.
"The situation is our club have a valuation and another club have a valuation and the two clubs have not met.
"But the objective and aim is that at some point they will meet.
"The way it's going, more than likely there has to be a compromise on both sides.
"Normally when deals are done, it's a win-win situation for both sides."
Clement backed the stance of the American owners in holding out for their valuation and believes the £50m figure is crucial in the quest for replacements.
"You have to remember we are Swansea City, we are not a top four club that has massive revenue in relation to what those top clubs are getting," said Clement.
"We have to be sensible with the economics of it.
"It also makes a point for the future as well. We don't want to sell our best players and if we are going to sell them, we have to maximise our revenue for them so we can build for the future."
Clement says the club have "researched" potential replacements for Sigurdsson and insists his squad are ready for the Premier League campaign.
Everton manager Ronald Koeman remains optimistic about signing Sigurdsson.
"It's still close. That has not changed," Koeman said ahead of Everton's league opener against Stoke.
"I heard some rumours that talks had broken down but still we are in negotiations with Swansea.
"I heard the comments of Paul Clement and, of course, everybody would like to have news.
"That is better for us, better for them, but everybody knows the window is difficult.
"It is always a game between the buying club and the selling club, but we are close and let's hope we get the agreement as soon as possible.
"I spoke about 'soon' last weekend. Let's wait. We are not in a hurry, but finally we hope to do the deal." | Swansea City manager Paul Clement says negotiations with Everton over Gylfi Sigurdsson are at a "critical stage". |
24599842 | Francisco Rafael Arellano Felix, 63, was killed in a beach resort in Baja California in north-western Mexico.
He and his brothers controlled the drug trade on Mexico's border with the United States in the 1990s.
But their Tijuana cartel was gradually weakened by the capture or killing of other leading members.
"He was hit by two bullets, one in the chest and one in the head," said Isai Arias, a Baja California state government official.
The motive for the attack and the gunmen's disguise were being investigated, he added.
The attack took place during a family party at a rented beach house in the tourist resort of Cabo San Lucas.
The former cartel leader was arrested in 1993 but released nearly 15 years later after spending time in prison in Mexico and the United States.
His brother Eduardo was jailed in August in the US for 15 years after pleading guilty to money laundering.
Security experts believe the Tijuana cartel is now run by his sister Enedina and her son Fernando, known as "The Engineer", according to AFP news agency.
Most estimates put the number of people killed in Mexican drug-related violence since late 2006 at more than 60,000. | The authorities in Mexico have said gunmen dressed as clowns have shot dead a former leading member of a once-powerful and violent drug cartel. |
40177974 | Giants overcame searing heat to go in 22-6 up at half-time through tries from Aaron Murphy, Shannon Wakeman, Danny Brough and Mamo.
Tony Gigot had the Dragons only reply, but normal service soon resumed.
Brough and Mamo scythed through with ease, while winger Jermaine McGillvary also ran in a treble.
Sam Moa's late effort was little consolation for a well-beaten Catalans side.
McGillvary's haul took the England winger's career points tally up to 500, helping equal Huddersfield's record margin of victory against the French outfit, and the win itself also took the visitors above Catalans in the Super League table.
Huddersfield have steadily improved this season under coach Rick Stone, despite a slow start, and this game showcased the quality of his pre-season recruitment.
Wakeman was a winter acquisition, but it was Mamo of the signings who made the biggest impression.
The former Newcastle Knights full-back had a delayed start to the campaign through injury, but since returning to fitness has imposed himself on the Giants attack with line-breaks, pace and support play.
Catalans meanwhile are in a state of freefall, having parted with Laurent Frayssinous as coach, and their interim staff of Michael Monaghan and Jerome Guisset have been unable to arrest the slump.
The loss of marquee import Greg Bird to injury at Widnes last weekend meant a debut for Nabil Djalout in the back-row, a tough introduction to Super League life as the Dragons were dominated throughout.
Catalans Dragons: Gigot; Duport, Inu, Thornley, Yaha; Walsh, Myler; Moa, Aiton, Casty, Djalout, Bousquet, Margalet.
Replacements: Anderson, Simon, Da Costa, Seguier
Huddersfield Giants: Mamo; McGillvary. Cudjoe, Turner, Murphy; Brough, Ridyard; Ikahihifo, Leeming, Wakeman, Roberts, Ferguson, Hinchcliffe
Replacements: Rapira, Clough, Mellor, O'Brien
Referee: Chris Kendall | Jake Mamo scored four tries as a resurgent Huddersfield Giants demolished coachless Catalans Dragons for a famous win in Perpignan. |
35110960 | The Sportscotland Avalanche Information Service (SAIS) has been providing the service for several years.
It assesses avalanche hazard in six areas - Lochaber, Glen Coe, Creag Meagaidh, Southern Cairngorms , Northern Cairngorms and Torridon.
The reports are usually issued until mid-April.
Members of the service also regularly blog on conditions in the hills and mountains in these areas. | Daily avalanche information reports for some of Scotland's most popular areas for hillwalkers and climbers have begun. |
35894102 | Bernie Sanders kept his hopes alive with wins in Hawaii, Alaska and Washington, but Hillary Clinton remains the frontrunner.
Click or tap on the links below for full results, provided by the Associated Press.
Alaska
Hawaii
Washington state
Winning delegates, the people who endorse a candidate at the party conventions in July, is key to securing the nomination.
The Democratic totals include the delegates won per state, as well as so-called "unpledged" or "super delegates". Hillary Clinton has a huge lead among the party leaders and elected officials who each get a vote at the convention.
AP conducts surveys of these super delegates, and adds them to a candidate's totals if they indicate their support. But super delegates can - and do - change their minds during the course of the campaign, so the figures may shift as the race unfolds.
The delegate tracker is updated automatically. There may be a short delay between the delegates being assigned and the totals changing. | The focus fell on the Democratic nomination race this weekend, with three states holding caucuses on Saturday 26 March. |
31500246 | The East of England Ambulance Service was fined £1.2m last year over failures to reach 75% of life-threatening emergencies within eight minutes.
MPs, health watchdogs and patient groups have criticised the service.
A drive is now under way to recruit "compassionate people with a commitment to patient care" to boost operations.
More than 400 paramedics recruited last year will be fully qualified at the end of the month to work for the service covering Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.
Some will work in rural areas where the service's performance record has been heavily criticised.
New recruit training can last up to 18 months and covers classroom work at universities in Norwich, Cambridge or Chelmsford as well as blue-light duty alongside experienced crews.
Chief executive Dr Anthony Marsh hopes hundreds more applicants would come forward.
"We have the most ambitious paramedic recruitment campaign in England," he said.
"Taking on more paramedics will help us to continue to improve the caring service we give to patients."
Student paramedics go through eight weeks of training in the classroom and three weeks of blue-light driver training before starting on the front-line.
They then receive three more weeks of classroom training in their first nine months as students.
During the 12 to 18 months which follow, studies involved a mix of classroom and practical work at the University of East Anglia or Anglia Ruskin University. | An ambulance service criticised for failing to meet performance targets is to recruit another 400 paramedics. |
38199310 | The group - which includes ex-attorney general Dominic Grieve - said "a moderate core" of Tory voters do not want the party to become "UKIP-lite".
PM Theresa May must ensure she is not "pushed" into a hard Brexit, they said.
It comes as the Lib Dems overturned a 23,015 Conservative majority to win Thursday's Richmond Park by-election.
Ex-Tory MP Zac Goldsmith stood as an independent after leaving the Conservative Party, but Lib Dem Sarah Olney - who fought the campaign on the issue of Brexit - won by more than 1,800 votes.
Writing in the Observer newspaper, Mr Grieve, former Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt, ex-transport minister Claire Perry, education select committee chairman Neil Carmichael, and Bath MP Ben Howlett, said the Richmond Park result must serve as a wake-up call for the party.
"The Conservative Party needs to be alert that there is a moderate core of Conservative voters, who voted Remain, and who want to hear the Conservative government speaking above the noise of the Brexiters," the quintet wrote.
"They do not want the Conservative party to be UKIP-lite, nor to hear that their desire for a negotiated Brexit, with all options open for the prime minister, is an attempt to delay the process or simply an expression of Remoaning."
The Richmond Park result should be a reminder "that their votes have another destination if we don't get this right," they added.
They called for Downing Street to reveal its negotiating position on Brexit before triggering the formal exit process under Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty.
Such a move would ensure the government was not "pushed into a corner by those who only advocate a hard Brexit," the MPs added.
There is no strict definition of a hard Brexit or a soft Brexit, but they are used to refer to the closeness of the UK's relationship with the EU after leaving.
So at one extreme, "hard" Brexit could involve the UK refusing to compromise on issues like the free movement of people, leaving the EU single market and trading with the EU as if it were any other country outside Europe, based on World Trade Organization rules.
This would mean - at least in the short term before a trade deal was done - the UK and EU would probably apply tariffs and other trade restrictions on each other.
At the other end of the scale, a "soft" Brexit might involve some form of membership of the European Union single market, in return for a degree of free movement.
What does 'hard' or 'soft' Brexit mean?
So far the government has refused to reveal what it will seek to achieve in negotiations with the EU, once formal talks begin.
However, the Sunday Times says Mrs May has given ministers the green light to draw up secret plans for a "grey Brexit" that would steer away from the demands of Leave and Remain hardliners.
The paper quoted Whitehall sources as saying that Chancellor Philip Hammond and Brexit Secretary David Davis had formed a "small clique" with No 10 to drive Britain away from a hard exit.
On Friday, international trade minister Greg Hands suggested the UK could seek a deal which would allow sections of the economy to remain within the EU's customs union after Brexit.
Mr Hands said officials would be able to choose the type of products to be covered by agreements.
In the Commons on Thursday, Brexit Secretary David Davis said the "major criterion" was getting the best access for goods and services to the European market.
Mrs May has said she plans to trigger Article 50, which begins a two-year negotiation process before the UK leaves the EU, before the end of March 2017. | Pursuing a "hard" Brexit could alienate core Conservative voters and cost the party the next general election, a group of Tory MPs has warned. |
36671190 | They served as stretcher-bearers at the Battle of the Somme, performed concerts to lift spirits and their bass drum was even used as a communion table.
The Somme took the lives of Lance Corporal Joseph Scott, from Moore Street, and Rifleman George Mills, from Pine Street.
They were killed on 1 July but many more would die before the end of hostilities.
Established in 1856, the Hamilton Band is one of the oldest in Northern Ireland.
They formed the nucleus of the regimental band of the 10th battalion of the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers.
Following completion of training in Ireland, the 10th Inniskillings moved to England and subsequently to France.
Once there, the men encountered combat and the awful reality of trench warfare for the first time.
After the Armistice those members who had survived the war undertook the process of re-building the band.
They had a bit of work to do as the battalion band had taken most of the instruments with them to the front.
It meant that when the band was revived, all of the drums and most of the flutes were missing.
Eventually the original drums were returned and Ian Bartlett, curator at St Columb's Cathedral, said they now hang in the Chapter House.
"This (bass drum) was in use right through the First World War and was, in fact, used to form a communion table on the battlefield on Sundays when the band celebrated the sacrament of Holy Communion.
"It was re-presented to the band when it reformed in the city after the war. They used it, I believe, until the 1970s when it was then laid up in the Chapter House."
Robert McGonagle, Hamilton Flute Band secretary, praised the men's courage.
"I just wonder would it happen now if we met such circumstances?
"The dedication and the bravery of all those people that joined up and went away into the unknown was amazing and probably wouldn't be repeated nowadays."
Those who lost their lives will be honoured during the act of remembrance at the war memorial in Derry.
This year there will also be a special drum service held at St Columb's Cathedral to mark the contribution of the Hamilton Flute Band.
"We felt that a wonderful way of marking the commemorations was to have a piece of music specially composed," said Robert.
"We commissioned a piece built around the Battle of the Somme and how the members joined up, marched to the war and went over the top of the trenches."
You can hear more about the Hamilton Flute Band and their remarkable story here. | When World War One broke out in 1914, members of Londonderry's Hamilton Flute Band joined up "to a man". |
29223188 | The screen star said in an interview with the Radio Times there is an "intern culture" of richer hopefuls being subsidised by their parents.
He said: "It worries me that in the arts, a very rich community, we're not offering more support."
The 50-year-old Liverpudlian added he was given a grant for drama school.
Morrissey, whose screen credits include Blackpool and US serial The Walking Dead, said that he was able to work while he was at the city's Everyman Theatre.
"There's an economic exclusion of working class people happening now. I got lucky, but if I was starting out now, it would be a lot harder, because my parents could never have supported me through that 'Is it going to happen?' period.
"Television is doing very well for itself, but the trickledown effect isn't working," he added.
Earlier this week, Dame Judi Dench echoed Morrissey's concerns, saying that she receives letters from aspiring actors asking for help to put them through drama school.
"Anyone who's in the theatre gets letters countless times a week asking for help to get through drama school. You can do so much, but you can't do an endless thing. It is very expensive," she told The Observer newspaper.
The Oscar winner said repertory theatres should be reinstated around the UK and suggested their demise was making the acting profession more elitist.
Actress Julie Walters has also taken a swipe at elitism in the business, saying: "The way things are now, there aren't going to be any working class actors.
"I look at almost all the up-and-coming names and they're from the posh schools."
Actors from more privileged backgrounds who were educated at public school have hit back at criticism that they have the upper hand.
Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch said: "It's just so predictable... so domestic, and so dumb... It makes me think I want to go to America."
Actor Freddie Fox added: "I do want people to think of me as an actor, not just a posh actor who does posh parts."
Other younger stars from privileged backgrounds who have been singled out include Eddie Redmayne and Tom Hiddleston. | Actor David Morrissey has claimed people from poorer backgrounds are being excluded from entering the acting profession due to a lack of funding. |
36287712 | City of Cake includes baked models of the The Corn Exchange, Leeds Town Hall, Kirkgate Market and other landmarks.
The exhibition at Trinity Leeds shopping centre is part of Leeds Indie Food festival and runs until 20 May.
Ellie Andrews, City of Cake organiser, said: "It's a walkthrough, edible installation of some of the buildings that gives Leeds its cultural identity.
"It's to get people thinking, talking and appreciating their city."
Other featured buildings, which took several weeks to design and build in cake form, include independent cinema the Hyde Park Picture House and university building Broadcasting Tower.
Eddie Amon-Lebeau, food artist at Tattooed Bakers, said: "We start with a non-edible structure inside, then we layer up bits of cake around it and then decorate it in sugar paste.
"We estimate there is about 5,500 portions over all seven cakes, so that's quite a lot of cake." | Some of Leeds' most well-known buildings have been recreated in cake for an edible art exhibition. |
38341490 | The honorary president of the African division of FIFPro was reacting to an employment survey published by the global players' union last month.
The survey showed Africa's footballers are often paid late and are prone to physical and mental abuse.
"Professional footballers in many African countries do not have the clearly defined status they deserve - or any status at all," the 38-year-old said in a statement.
"In Africa, football is not like other jobs. For many players, it's their only source of income and it takes up all of their time.
"Half of the players (in Africa) questioned said they'd had problems getting paid on time in the last two years. That's unacceptable."
In Gabon, which will host next month's Africa Cup of Nations, 96% of players responding to the FIFPro survey reported late payments.
Meanwhile, 40% of players from the 13 African countries surveyed said they lack a written contract, which leads to complications in claiming salaries.
Other issues revealed job insecurity, insufficient medical care and the threat of match-fixing.
Almost a third of Africa-based players also said they did not have a full day off each week.
The survey was the largest ever undertaken on working conditions of footballers across the globe, with nearly 14,000 players from 54 different countries providing answers.
"Many African footballers have no holiday entitlement and are left without the medical care they need to do their jobs - this has to change," added Drogba, a two-time Confederation of African Football Player of the Year.
"Africa's professional footballers must be treated as proper employees. Only then will they be able to perform to their best. The continent as a whole stands to gain."
Though born in Abidjan, Drogba's spent the majority of his club career in Europe, where he won the 2012 Champions League and four Premier League titles with London side Chelsea.
Most recently, the former Ivory Coast captain was playing for MLS side Montreal Impact prior to announcing his departure last month.
Drogba has been joined by former Chelsea team-mate Geremi Njitap in entering the world of players' welfare, with the latter now heading up Cameroon's footballers' union.
On Thursday, FIFPro unveiled an interactive world map where users can access information about footballers' working conditions across the globe. | Former Ivory Coast captain Didier Drogba has called on Africa's clubs to improve the treatment of footballers. |
36845340 | Overton went off during the second day of Somerset's recent final-over County Championship loss to Middlesex and scans revealed a stress fracture.
The 22-year-old played 18 games for the county in all competitions this summer.
"He will begin rehabilitation in the autumn with a view to a full recovery, returning next season," physiotherapist Jamie Thorpe told Somerset's website.
Somerset are currently sixth in County Championship Division One and third in their One-Day Cup group, but cannot qualify for the quarter-finals of the T20 Blast competition. | Somerset pace bowler Jamie Overton will miss the remainder of the 2016 season because of a lower back injury. |
35235102 | Black people could no longer be treated as "sub-humans", it said.
The nation has been gripped by a racism row after Penny Sparrow, an opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) member, on Facebook called black people "monkeys".
She denied she was a racist. The DA party suspended her membership.
The racially discriminatory apartheid system ended in South Africa in 1994. It had been introduced in 1948 by the then-white minority government and was later declared by the UN as a crime against humanity.
A spokesman for the ANC chief whip's office, Moloto Mothapo, told the BBC that current legislation was insufficient to tackle racism.
"We haven't had a single person imprisoned for racism despite many instances of racism. We don't believe it addresses the crime of racism," he said.
A statement issued by the ANC parliamentary chief whip's office said racial bigotry and apartheid should be considered a serious human rights violations punishable by imprisonment because of South Africa's "painful past".
"Elsewhere glorification of Nazism and denial of Holocaust is a crime and perpetrators are tried and sentenced to a prison term," it added.
The ANC also said it had filed criminal charges against several DA members - including Ms Sparrow and MP Dianne Kohler Barnard.
Ms Kohler Barnard was expelled from the DA in October after she shared a post on Facebook which suggested that public services in South Africa were better during apartheid and called for the return of former President PW Botha.
She won an appeal against her expulsion from the party, and was instead ordered to pay 20,000 rand ($1,320; £888) to a charity working with communities disadvantaged by apartheid.
On Monday, the DA said it had filed charges against Ms Sparrow "for infringing the dignity of all South Africans and for dehumanising black South Africans" as it did not tolerate racism.
On Facebook, Ms Sparrow used the word monkeys to describe New Year's revellers on the beach in the eastern city of Durban because of the mess she said they made.
She later apologised but was condemned by many on social media and the hashtag #RacismMustFall was trending on Twitter.
The South African Human Rights Commission, a statutory body, is also investigating her comments. | South Africa's governing African National Congress (ANC) says it will push for tougher legislation to jail anyone guilty of "racial bigotry", or "glorifying" apartheid. |
27321668 | South Korean and US experts reached the conclusion based on data recovered from the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said on Thursday that the finding was "clear military provocation".
Pyongyang had denied owning the drones, which were found in different locations in South Korea between March and April.
Last month, South Korean officials said a preliminary investigation showed that the drones were from the North.
"By analysing the data, the joint investigation team has secured the smoking gun - clear, scientific evidence that all three UAVs originated from North Korea," the defence ministry's Mr Kim said.
He added that all three were "programmed to fly over" military facilities, and that the new military threat required a stern response.
South Korean Vice-Defence Minister Baek Seung-joo described the drones as very rudimentary.
"However, there is always the possibility that the North might use them for attacks after arming them with high explosives, considering its irrational and reckless tendency for provocative acts," he told journalists.
One of the drones found in Paju, just south of the demilitarised zone that separates the two Koreas, had a camera that took pictures of military installations and South Korea's presidential compound, previous reports said.
The two Koreas were divided at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, which ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty and they remain technically at war.
North Korea is the subject of multiple UN resolutions relating to its pursuit of nuclear weapons' development. | Three small drones recovered near the inter-Korean border in recent months came from North Korea, South Korea's defence ministry says. |
38206197 | Customers took to social media to complain of long queues at the Windsor resort during the first day of the "Christmas Bricktacular" opening.
Caroline Other, of Windsor, said her four-year-old son was left crying in the "freezing cold".
Legoland apologised for the delay and said a power cut meant some time slots to see Santa were missed.
More on this and other Berkshire stories.
On the resort's Facebook page, Lisha Jones wrote: "We drove 400 miles to visit Legoland. We didn't get to go on all the rides due to the long wait to see Santa. It was freezing cold and my four-year-old ended up falling asleep in the long wait."
Kelly Jackson said: "The wait, despite allocated time slots for a visit to see Father Christmas, left us all feeling angry and upset. We had a slot booked for 15:00 GMT but ended seeing the big man at 18:00 GMT."
Others said Legoland staff were "fantastic", handing out popcorn to those waiting in the queue.
Josh Gibbons wrote on Facebook: "We had to queue for over an hour for Santa which kind of makes the allotted time redundant.
"But the staff were excellent, handing out popcorn and being very apologetic for the wait."
In a statement, Legoland said: "We would like to apologise to guests visiting our Christmas Bricktacular on opening day, Saturday 3 December. Unfortunately we experienced some power issues which resulted in unacceptable delays.
"We tried to keep spirits up with festive snacks and timing changes but we know a lot of guests were disappointed. Please be assured it's all systems go now and Legoland and Father Christmas look forward to welcoming our guests." | Families visiting Legoland had to wait up to three hours to see Santa at a Christmas-themed attraction. |
34884677 | Screenings have been cancelled of The Redemption Of The Devil, which follows band frontman Jesse Hughes in the build up to the release of their new album.
Gunmen killed 89 people at the band's gig at the Bataclan concert hall in last Friday's Paris attacks.
The band escaped, but members of their crew and record company were killed.
The documentary, made by director Alex Hoffman, follows the band's charismatic, hard-living frontman as he hits 40, becomes ordained as a Catholic minister and ponders a future in politics.
The BBC understands it was pulled because the timing felt inappropriate.
Yesterday the band issued their first statement about the attack and said they were "bonded in grief with the victims, the fans... and all those affected by terrorism".
They said they were "horrified and still trying to come to terms with what happened in France" and all shows were on hold until further notice.
Meanwhile, new figures show ticket sales for concerts in Paris have fallen by around 80% since the series of attacks in the city.
Following the incident at the Bataclan, bands including U2 and Foo Fighters cancelled gigs.
A spokesman for Prodiss, the music industry producers group, said: "The attacks sent a shock wave that has hit our audiences hard."
The group is carrying out a full audit to see how many concerts have been cancelled, but fear the cost of extra security measures might lead to more shows being pulled.
"Producers are extremely worried about the future. They work on quite a narrow (profit) margin," the spokesman said, adding the Christmas period was crucial for the industry.
French Culture Minister Fleur Pellerin has promised a emergency fund of four million euros (£2.8m) to help get live entertainment up and running again and help with the cost of new security measures.
But Prodniss said double that was needed.
"We have to rebuild the public's confidence, make them feel happy and relaxed about going out to concerts again," it said. | A documentary about the Eagles of Death Metal has been pulled from the International Documentary Film Festival in Amsterdam. |
40916141 | The trouble started early on Saturday when hundreds of people who belong to white supremacy groups came to the city to protest against the plans to remove a statue.
White supremacists believe that white people are better than other races.
The statue was of Robert E. Lee, a general who fought in the American Civil War over 150 years ago.
General Lee fought for the side that supported slavery, and owned slaves himself.
This year, the city council of Charlottesville voted to remove the statue because they didn't think they should celebrate General Lee anymore.
But white supremacist and Nazi groups, who think that removing General Lee's statue is an attack on the white race, began a protest against that decision.
Anti-racism groups arrived in Charlottesville to protest against the white supremacists, and violence broke out between the two groups.
A man drove a car into the anti-racism protesters - one woman was killed and 19 people were injured.
Emergency services arrived quickly to help, and a man has now been arrested.
US President Donald Trump has spoken out about the violence several times.
In his first comments, he condemned the violence by "many sides". He was criticised by many people - including some politicians from his own party, for not being firmer on the violence.
They said President Trump should have been clear straightaway that it was white supremacists who were in the wrong, and that the car being driven into the crowd was an act of terrorism.
He then spoke for a second time, saying "Racism is evil and those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs." He also said the group's behaviour was going against everything Americans valued.
But in his latest comments, President Trump again, blamed both sides for what happened. Many politicians in his own Republican party disagree with him and lots of people say they are strongly against what Donald Trump is saying.
This was the biggest gathering of white supremacist groups in many years in the USA.
Donald Trump was criticised during last year's election for not being stronger in criticising racist groups which supported his campaign to be President.
He said he "disavowed" groups like these, which meant he didn't agree or want to be linked with them.
But the events in Charlottesville show once again how the US is deeply divided when it comes to race.
For more on how race affects America, watch this Newsround Special from 2015. | Violent clashes have taken place between two groups of protestors in the American city of Charlottesville. |
39994587 | Bale did not make the bench despite being named in the initial 25-man squad that travelled for the game.
He had already been out with a calf injury for seven games.
It meant Bale missing the title decider 13 days before Real face Juventus in the Champions League final in his home city of Cardiff on Saturday, 3 June.
It was the first time Bale has won a domestic league title.
Juventus will head to the Welsh capital having won their sixth consecutive Serie A crown with a 3-0 win over Crotone. | Wales forward Gareth Bale was left out of Real Madrid's match squad as they won 2-0 at Malaga to win La Liga on Sunday. |
40529482 | New launches of dairy-free varieties now make up 4% of all new ice cream launches, according to market research firm Mintel.
And major brands, including Haagen Dazs and Ben and Jerry's have launched dairy-free varieties.
But they don't tend to market them as "vegan" said Mintel's analyst.
"There is consumer curiosity around dairy-free, particularly among younger people," said Alex Beckett, Global Food and Drink Analyst at Mintel.
"They perceive dairy-free ice cream to be a more permissible treat than regular ice cream."
Amid rising numbers of people switching to a diet that eliminates or cuts down on dairy-based ingredients, ice cream makers have embraced the trend, particularly in the United States.
This week Haagen Dazs launched four new flavours: chocolate salted fudge truffle, peanut butter chocolate fudge, mocha chocolate cookie and coconut caramel.
Ben and Jerry's uses almond milk for its dairy-free flavours and has recently added caramel almond brittle, cherry Garcia and coconut seven layer bar to its range.
In contrast to sorbets, these products aim to emulate the creamy textures and flavours of a dairy-based product, something that has proved a challenge for food scientists.
They are not yet available in the UK but Mintel's report suggest there could be a market for them across Europe.
According to Mintel as many as three in 10 Italians and one in five French consumers say they are actively reducing their consumption or are avoiding dairy.
In the UK, 16% said that they, or a member of their household, avoided dairy.
Although dairy-free still represents a small slice of the overall range of new ice cream launches, at 4%, that proportion has already doubled since 2014.
However, while a growing number of people are choosing to go vegan, firms are avoiding marketing new flavours with that label, said Mr Beckett, because vegan doesn't really equate with indulgence.
"They tend not to put vegan on the packaging, because for a lot of people that would be a deterrent," he said.
Instead they are exploiting the "health halo" of plant-based recipes and ingredients such as coconut, to come across as a treat "but one you don't feel too guilty eating".
The UK ice cream market lags behind the US, added Mintel's Mr Beckett.
"In the UK we tend to follow what happens in the US and we're a few years behind in terms of ice-cream innovation.
"In the States dairy-free is booming," he said.
On that basis Mr Beckett, is predicting UK consumers will soon be offered the kind of middle-eastern-spice-influenced flavours currently in fashion in the States.
"Saffron is an edgy flavour in US ice cream parlours," he said.
"What happens in Brooklyn and LA tends to emerge in retail in the States, and then in a few years that emerges in the UK. | Young people worldwide are developing a taste for dairy-free ice cream which they see as a "healthier" alternative, involving almonds and coconut. |
35529606 | He said he had given the order after an attack on Monday on a military brigade blamed on the ELN.
He said the country would not be held to ransom by the rebels.
Preliminary talks with the ELN started two years ago during negotiations with the larger Farc rebel group.
The government is hoping to reach a final accord with Farc in the coming months.
President Santos said he had ordered the military "to intensify operations against the ELN and all the forms of delinquency that stem from its presence".
The attack has raised tension as Colombia tried to include the ELN in peace negotiations alongside the Farc.
"The ELN is dead wrong if it thinks that with attacks like this it can smooth the path to peace," the president said.
"If they think it will strengthen their position at the negotiating table, they are totally mistaken."
President Santos launched efforts to convene formal peace talks with the ELN in 2014 without calling for a ceasefire between the group and military forces.
He is demanding that the ELN release two captives as a condition for any peace deal.
Farc negotiators in Havana, where talks have been taking place, say they believe the ELN was ready to start negotiations.
"The ELN cannot stay outside the peace process," said the Farc's chief negotiator, Ivan Marquez. | Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos said the military would intensify its operations against the country's second-biggest rebel group, the ELN or National Liberation Army. |
36122590 | Striker Stevan Jovetic scored twice as Inter came from a goal down to boost their chances of remaining in the top four.
Cyril Thereau volleyed Udinese ahead, with Jovetic equalising from Mauro Icardi's cross.
Jovetic chested in Jonathan Biabiany's cross before substitute Eder scored in injury time to seal the win. | Inter Milan's victory over Udinese was the first ever Serie A match with no Italians starting for either team. |
35636382 | The women, from Brazil and Germany, posted on the Gumtree website that they wanted a lift from Adelaide to Melbourne, reports say.
Police will allege in court that the man took the women to a remote beach near Salt Creek, south of Adelaide, where they were raped and beaten.
One of the women remains in hospital in Adelaide, two weeks after the attack.
The accused man was arrested at Coorong National Park on 9 February.
Details including his identity, vehicle and alleged actions during the crimes have been suppressed by court order.
Reports said the women, in their 20s, were rescued after they managed to escape and run off in different directions.
One was recaptured, but the other ran screaming from sand dunes towards a group of fishermen, witnesses said.
"She ran straight to the car yelling. She opened the back door, jumped straight in and like, 'get me out of here, get me out of here. He's going to kill us all'," fisherman Abdul-Karim Mohammed told 7 News.
The second woman was found barely conscious and unable to speak, the fishermen said.
The accused man is expected to face court again in April charged with attempted murder, unlawful sexual intercourse without consent, and kidnapping. | An Australian man accused of trying to kill two backpackers met the pair online, police will reportedly allege. |
33065532 | Retired carpenter Lawrence Birch, 78, from Cymau, Flintshire, died at Wrexham's Maelor Hospital in June 2013.
He first went to A&E following the fall on 29 March and returned a couple of times until his death.
Coroner John Gittins said Mr Birch's family had concerns about the treatment he received on the different occasions.
Barrister Angela Barnes said one of the family's concerns was over an apparent lack of transparency in Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board's handling of the case.
A full inquest will be held at a later date. | A pensioner who fell and hit his head while clearing snow died after several visits to hospital, a pre-inquest hearing in Ruthin heard. |
39508693 | Brij Dhande was left puzzled as to why his recycling was sometimes being collected and other times labelled as contaminated with other waste.
After installing CCTV outside his West Bromwich home, he caught the man transferring rubbish from one bin into his recycling.
Contractor Serco apologised for the "completely unacceptable behaviour".
"I'm struggling to explain it," Mr Dhande said.
"I've never met the man and have no idea what's behind it and without talking to him we're going to be at a loss."
The IT businessman said the mystery began about seven months ago and followed no regular pattern as to when his rubbish would and would not be collected.
"I've had to go through the bin sometimes to sort out the rubbish, which isn't very nice - it's not very nice for anyone to do," he said.
"Also, as taxpayers, we're paying their wages. So for somebody to do that to someone who is paying their livelihood, you're not getting the service you're paying for."
But after installing the cameras at his home on All Saints Way, something Mr Dhande said he was planning to do despite the mystery, he managed to capture the man at Tuesday morning.
John Mason, Serco's general contract manager, said the firm valued the efforts resident make to separate waste.
"We expect our teams to uphold the highest standards and we are clear that the behaviour in this video is completely unacceptable. I would like to apologise and to reassure residents that we are taking this incident extremely seriously.
"I can confirm that the employee concerned no longer works for the company, and I will also be speaking to all our teams to remind them of their responsibilities.
Sandwell Council leader Steve Eling said: "This is totally unacceptable and we're glad that Serco have dealt with it swiftly." | A binman has been sacked for mixing up a businessman's rubbish outside his home - knowing it would go uncollected. |
34428383 | Professor Angus Wallace developed the brace position after researching injuries in 1989's Kegworth air crash.
He hit the headlines when he treated a woman on a flight with a coat hanger and when he operated on Rooney in 2006.
At his retirement party in Nottingham, the Scot said he had learned to live with the English.
Mr Wallace was working at Queen's Medical Centre the night a plane crashed on the M1 near the Leicestershire village of Kegworth in 1989.
His research on the injuries sustained by the passengers, 47 of whom died, lead to the adoption of his brace position for passengers in the UK.
"We did five years of research to establish the best position and in 1995 the Civil Aviation Authority issued instructions to airlines to use the brace position as the standard in the UK," he said.
He said it was "probably responsible for some lives being saved - even now".
He hit international headlines when he saved a woman's life on a Hong Kong-London flight in 1995 using a coat hanger to treat a collapsed lung and five-star brandy to sterilise his improvised equipment.
He was congratulated for the mid-air operation by the Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, but was told by his wife when he returned home that "the garden needs digging".
And in 2006, he brought hope to millions of English football fans when he declared Rooney fit to play in the World Cup after he broke his foot.
Mr Wallace, who moved from Dundee to Nottingham in 1973, said he now had many English friends.
"The English are ok, I've learned to live with them. In fact they have become very good friends," he joked. | A surgeon who developed the UK's brace position, passed Wayne Rooney fit to play in a World Cup and saved a woman's life with a coat hanger is retiring. |
30846825 | Lorraine McKeag, 60, from Dundry near Bristol, was driving on the roundabout where the M32 links with the M4 when her car collided with a lorry.
She died at the scene and the road was shut for more than seven hours.
"To know her was an absolute joy," read a family tribute released through Avon and Somerset Police.
Her husband of 28 years died in 2012, eight years after a "serious and debilitating" stroke. The couple have one son, James, who is 24-years-old.
"Her popularity grew within the village year on year, and she was well known across the Chew Valley for her two golden retrievers and tireless help and support to all", her family wrote. "Lorraine will be missed immensely by her son, sister, family and friends."
Her son James is running three marathons in her memory including events in Paris, Manchester and London, all in April. He has already raised more than £2,000 for the Stroke Association. | The family of a woman who died in a crash on the M32 have described her as "the most selfless, loyal and loving character imaginable". |
32014029 | The sale of the shares, worth up to $3.3bn (£2.2bn), will mean that the UK bank owns less than half of Citizens.
It is part of a plan by the state-owned bank to concentrate more on its main UK retail business and reduce its operations abroad.
RBS bought Citizens for $440m in 1988 and turned it into one of the biggest regional banks in the US.
It first sold part of the US company in September last year in an initial public offering.
RBS, which has been 80%-owned by the UK government since being bailed out in 2008, is expected to have sold all of its stake in Citizens by the end of 2016.
On Friday, Citizen shares closed at $24.80 each - a rise of 15% since they started trading in September.
RBS has been trying to streamline its business in order to return to profit. It is pulling out of 25 countries, lowering the number that it operates in to 13.
Thousands of job losses are expected - most of which are likely to be outside Britain.
"The days when global domination mattered more to RBS than great customer service are well and truly over," chief executive Ross McEwan said in February, when the company reported results.
"RBS will be stronger, it will be simpler and it will be much more focused on the UK large corporates and the western European corporates and our big financial institutions," he said.
The bank reported a loss for 2014, largely as a result of writing down the value of its Citizens business by $4bn.
However, its underlying profits showed it benefitting from an improving UK economy. | The Royal Bank of Scotland is selling more of its stake in the US bank Citizens. |
32203865 | Andy Penman, of Great Yarmouth firm Conductor Installation Services, called for work to improve the A47.
Mr Penman, a representative on the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce, said dualling the A47 would be "top of the list for all businesses" in the town.
He said some oil firms had moved out partly due to the poor road links.
Group managing director Mr Penman said investment in the A47 and better transport links would also help tourism in the town.
In December the government announced a series of spending plans which included a £300m scheme to upgrade the east-west connection to Norfolk, by making sections of the A47 a dual carriageway and improving its connections to the A1 and A11.
Conservative candidate for Great Yarmouth Brandon Lewis, who won the seat in 2010, praised the government for its work on dualling the A11 and its pledge to dual sections of the A47.
"We are saying the money is committed. Labour are not saying this, they will have a transport commission to look at it," he said.
"The commitment to invest in the road will really attract companies to Great Yarmouth."
Labour candidate Lara Norris said: "Transport and infrastructure are really holding back the local economy and the need to see more jobs is one of my biggest pledges."
She said Labour was committed to "honour" the government A47 spending pledge and would also be reviewing roads policy with a transport commission.
Ms Norris said she had met local transport groups to look at how to remedy the "significant gaps in bus and train links" to Great Yarmouth.
UKIP candidate Alan Grey said the A47 "needs to be dualled - it's 50 years overdue".
He said delays on single lane stretches of the road are "strangling the town, without a doubt".
"It means that we can't attract business. We also need to improve roads across Great Yarmouth and look at a third river crossing," he added.
Harry Webb, Green Party candidate, said: "Our transport policy is about restructuring our transport systems by taking control of trains so everyone benefits. with better and more services."
He said it was vital that bus services were made more reliable.
On the plans to dual the A47, Mr Webb said: "I think it is anything like that is OK to a certain extent but there should be far more public consultation." | Poor transport links to Great Yarmouth have driven firms away from the town and are a key election issue, a business leader has told the BBC. |
33777676 | More than 374 bombs, including cluster bombs, were dropped in 67 locations between January and April, killing at least 35 people, the human rights group said.
Sudan's army has not yet commented on the allegations.
It has been battling rebels demanding more rights for the region since 2011.
At least 1.4 million people, or a third of South Kordofan's population, have fled their homes because of the conflict, Amnesty said in a report.
African Union chief mediator Thabo Mbeki is currently in Sudan's capital, Khartoum, where he is expected to discuss the conflict with government officials, the AFP news agency reports.
"War crimes cannot be allowed to be committed with impunity and a population facing a protracted humanitarian crisis can no longer be ignored by the world," Amnesty said.
It added that its research team had visited South Kordofan, and found cluster munitions at four sites.
"The use of prohibited weapons - such as cluster bombs - launched from high-flying aircraft has resulted in civilian casualties," the group said.
Children had been killed playing with unexploded ordinance, Amnesty added.
Sudan's government has previously accused the rebels, the Sudan People's Liberation Army-North, of being backed by neighbouring South Sudan, which became independent in 2011.
South Sudan denied the allegation.
The conflict has been fuelled by grievances among non-Arab groups over what they see as neglect and discrimination by the Arab-dominated government in Khartoum. | Amnesty International has accused Sudan's army of committing war crimes by bombing and shelling civilians in its South Kordofan region. |
35694507 | Lord Sacks, 67, a familiar voice on BBC Radio 4, does not believe science and religion live in opposition to one another - rather that "science takes things apart to see how they work. Religion puts things together to see what they mean."
In a secular age, Lord Sacks has been credited with leading a revitalisation of Britain's Jewish community during his service as Chief Rabbi from 1991 to 2013, and urging Britain's Jews to share the ethics of their faith with the broader community.
He promotes respect for all faiths, and argues that recognising the values of each faith is the only way to combat successfully the global rise of violence being committed in God's name.
"Religion, or more precisely, religions, should have a voice in the public conversation within the societies of the West, as to how to live, how to construct a social order, how to enhance human dignity, honour human life, and indeed protect life as a whole," he said.
"Each religion, and each strand within each religion, will have to undertake this work, because if religion is not part of the solution it will assuredly be a large part of the problem as voices become ever more strident, and religious extremists ever more violent."
His most recent book, Not in God's Name: Confronting Religious Violence, examines the causes and the possible solutions for extremist interpretations of faith. For many years, he says, people thought religion and the spiritual "would wither and die, and we'd all end up being secular or atheist or agnostic".
So why hasn't it?
"There are three questions any reflective individual will ask in the course of a lifetime: Who am I? Why am I here? How, then, shall I live?" he says.
"Those questions can't be answered by science or resolved by technology, or dealt with by market economics and the liberal democratic state. They're questions about meaning - and ultimately they are religious questions."
I ask him whether - in a lifetime of study and teaching - he has come to any answers on the biggest questions, and he laughs.
"I'm about to simplify what is probably the most complex subject in the universe: that the God who created the universe in love and forgiveness asks us to love and forgive others."
So how does he explain the rise in violence being committed in the name of God in so many countries in the world?
"In many areas, there were secular revolutions and secular nationalisms, which, to many people, seemed to fail to deliver either prosperity or freedom," he says.
"We are seeing a kind of series of religious counter-revolutions, done in the name of some very, very extreme religious attitudes very hostile to the modern world. Throughout history, when religion has become allied to the pursuit of power, bad things happen."
Lord Sacks believes religious counter-revolution cannot be quelled by either military or political means alone.
"Radical religion of any kind, certainly radical Islamism, is the result of decades of effort of constructing educational institutions globally to put forward a very extreme version of Islam.
"The only response is to devote the same time and the same effort to educating young people to a different approach to religion altogether.
"The one that I've advocated is to say monotheism isn't about one God, one truth, one way. The miracle of monotheism is that unity up there creates diversity down here.
"Educate young people in that way, and then you generate another kind of idealism: an idealism that warms instead of an idealism that burns."
Lord Sacks says that when religion seeks power, it can become dangerous, as history and recent years have shown.
"Whenever religion invades the territory of politics, it finds that not only can it not resolve the differences between its faith and other faiths, it can't even resolve the internal schisms within its own faith. And the end result is sectarianism of the worst kind, and then you get a civil war within a faith."
He compares the current split between Shia and Sunni Islam to conflict in Europe between Protestants and Catholics in the 16th and 17th Centuries.
"The only thing you can do is to develop a counter-idealism that speaks to the real passions of young people today. Many of them are searching for meaning," he says.
"They don't find it in a culture that's terribly materialistic: they want ideals, and we have to make sure that the messages that deliver a set of ideals about inclusiveness and tolerance and respect for the other are as powerful and altruistic as the hate-filled messages that are hitting young people through the internet all the time."
Lord Sacks says these are worrying times for Europe's Jewish minority, with many Jews leaving France, Belgium, Holland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark.
In 2007, he visited leaders in Europe to warn that Jews were beginning to ask whether there was a future for them in Europe.
"That is one of the most shocking things I have ever had to do in my lifetime. To think of Europe without Jews within living memory of the Holocaust and of all the countries of Europe saying, 'Never again.'"
"One of the things that happens in an age of global communication is that a conflict anywhere can become a conflict everywhere. And so we import some of the tensions of the Middle East into the streets of London.
"That is exactly the opposite of what we should be doing. Instead of importing conflict from the Middle East, we should be exporting values like British co-existence from here to there."
So, despite the rise of radical religion in many countries, does he remain an optimist?
"Optimism is the belief that things are getting better. Hope is the belief that if we work hard enough, together we can make things better.
"No Jew who is mindful of Jewish history can be an optimist. But no Jew worthy of the name ever gives up hope." | Former Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth Lord Sacks has been awarded the Templeton Prize, worth over £1m, in recognition of his contribution to the spiritual dimension to life. |
18033836 | The Sweden captain, who has long been a confounding figure to those outside mainland Europe, was answering questions on why his goalscoring record against English opposition had failed to match the talent, reputation and hype that had followed him around the continent.
"As always in England all the media were against me," he added. "There was all that talk: he doesn't score against English teams."
"I don't need a Golden Ball to demonstrate that I am number one."
"It's like they [Barcelona] bought a Ferrari and drive it like a Fiat."
"I have won everything in Italy. I don't know what else I can still do here, other than keep going and build a collection."
"I'd like to think I'm a spectacular player, a guy who can do extraordinary things and I'm at the perfect club [AC Milan] with this mentality."
"We are an elite team. Even when I didn't play, the team [AC Milan] won."
On Wednesday night, the 31-year-old striker came good with his promise and answered his critics in devastating fashion, raising three fingers to the crowd upon sealing his hat-trick.
Last week for his club side Paris St Germain, Ibrahimovic created all four goals in the French team's Champions League win over Dinamo Zagreb.
In his homeland he dismantled Roy Hodgson's youthful line-up with four goals of his own in a performance described by Ibrahimovic's team-mate Tobias Sana as "Zlatan against children," adding: "He has been criticised in England and this proves them all wrong."
Zlatan himself could not resist a jibe at his doubters: "That's the way it is with the English. If you score against them you're a good player, if you don't score against them you're not a good player.
"I remember Lionel Messi before the 2009 Champions League final for Barcelona. Then he scored against Manchester United and suddenly he was the best player in the world. Maybe now they'll say something like that about me."
Ibrahimovic has scored only three times in 15 appearances against English sides - Arsenal conceding all of them - and he failed to lead Sweden to victory over the English at Euro 2012.
His sulky on-field demeanour has failed to capture the imagination outside of the Dutch, Spanish and Italian leagues where he has delivered nine league titles in 11 years (albeit, two titles at Juventus were subsequently revoked).
Fabio Capello: "I believe that because of his power and his technique Zlatan will become stronger than Marco van Basten."
Brian Laudrup: "Many people in Italy like to talk of how close Ibrahimovic is from becoming the best player in the world. What they seem to forget though, is that to be ranked as the best, you have to deliver in big away games. 'Ibra' doesn't do that. It's one of the reasons why he won't surpass Messi and Ronaldo."
Martin O'Neill: "Ibrahimovic is the most over-rated player in the world."
Gerard Pique: "He's a complete player, one of the best in the world."
In July, big-spending Paris St Germain paid AC Milan a reported £15.7m for his services, taking his career total transfer fees to £133.2m.
Upon signing he commented in typically maverick style: "I don't know much about the French league but they know who I am. This is the future."
PSG are now top of the division and Ibrahimovic is the league's top scorer with 10 goals.
Ibrahimovic's autobiography 'I am Zlatan' helps unravel the enigma that has enveloped his travels throughout Europe - from his upbringing in Malmo's troubled Rosengard district to the near 70m euro (£56m) transfer from Inter to Barcelona.
A black belt in taekwondo, 'Ibra' has courted controversy on and off the pitch throughout a chequered career in which he has threatened to break Rafael van der Vaart's legs, and had a "life and death" fight with United States defender Oguchi Onyewu and a training-ground bust-up with French hardman Patrick Vieira.
Coaches do not escape his wrath either, as Pep Guardiola can attest.
Ibrahimovic said of his former boss at Barca: "I screamed at him: 'You have no balls' and things probably much worse than that, and then I added: 'You **** yourself over Jose Mourinho. You can go to hell.'
"I was totally crazy. If I were Guardiola, I would've been scared."
Sweden coach Eric Hamren has demonstrated total faith in his talisman, making him captain soon after succeeding Lars Lagerback, who stepped down following Sweden's failure to qualify for the 2010 World Cup.
Lagerback, who gave the 19-year-old Malmo forward his debut 11 years ago, says Ibrahimovic has matured into one of the best players in the world.
"When he was younger he always wanted to be the best, show off all the time and be in the team all the time. He still wants to be the best, but he does it in a more relaxed way.
"One player on his own can't win a game but he can be decisive for winning matches, and Zlatan is that player for Sweden, he can do those extra things.
"He can do things that no-one else can do. He is a world-class player - we don't have many in the national team playing on a level that he is."
"Henrik Larsson said when he was playing with him that you always need to be on your toes because he can do the most unexpected things and if you focus and are ready 100% you can receive a pass that you never dreamed of."
On Wednesday, England received from Zlatan a performance they never dreamed of. | "Wait and see, I will show you," Zlatan Ibrahimovic told the English media in 2010. |
37369368 | The Marble Arch Caves in County Fermanagh is the setting for an unusual underground cinematic experience of footage from Northern Ireland Screen's Digital Film Archive.
It contains more than 100 hours of moving images of Northern Ireland dating back to 1897.
Sinead Bhreathnach-Cashell is part of the team that manages the archive.
She said: "We spent a year going through people's attics, going through museum store rooms and what we found was beautiful, bizarre footage and we thought, 'where better than the Marble Arch Caves to show that?'
"We have great footage of rat racing in Crumlin where people are in a pub in Crumlin surrounded by drainpipes and people are cheating by racing gerbils against rats and things like that."
There are also films of haggis hurling in Ormeau Park and a "Buster Keaton-style" pram race through the streets of Londonderry.
The archive includes Land of Ulster footage of stone cutters in County Down in 1950, when hill farmers could "move mountains, even the Mournes".
"It's a real mix, like every day of my job," says Sinead.
"I love it because every day I'm going to see something different and it might be the most basic daily life tasks or it might be the most ridiculous thing."
Films will be shown in the caves accompanied by traditional Irish music performed by local musicians.
Omagh-born musician Phil Hession will perform a newly commissioned piece of music called 'Til They Came Unto A Cave' against a backdrop of archive film.
"It's spectacular. The acoustics are just completely unbelievable," Phil says.
"It's similar to singing in a church except, well, it's better.
"In each space that you move through the acoustics change, the sound changes, so you get lots of echo to a much more intimate feel and it's just very, very special."
The cinematic and musical tour of the caves is part of the British Film Institute's (BFI) Britain on Film rural initiative but the underground venue has caused problems for the organisers after heavy rainfall flooded the caves.
The high water level prevented access for the technical crew and delayed the setting up of the projectors and screens.
Sinead is confident everything will be alright for the performance on Thursday and Friday night, but she plans to choose a less challenging venue in the future.
"I think next year when the BFI are going to celebrate coastal, and we're looking at venues across coastal towns, we'll maybe stay above the ground," she said. | A digital film archive showing the quirky side of rural life is being showcased in an equally quirky venue. |
34725911 | In a 58-page judgement, the panel also dismissed a claim of harassment made by Canon Jeremy Pemberton.
It was against the former acting Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham, the Rt Revd Richard Inwood.
Mr Pemberton claimed that the Church of England's stance on same-sex marriage breached the 2010 Equality Act.
It came after his permission to officiate was revoked after marrying his partner in April 2014.
A spokesperson for the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham said: "We are thankful to the tribunal for its work on this complex case and for its findings in favour of the Rt Revd Richard Inwood, on all the claims made against him.
"Churches across the diocese continue to offer a generous welcome to people from all backgrounds."
Analysis from Caroline Wyatt, BBC religious affairs correspondent
The case has shown the complexities of a Church whose doctrine and Canon law now diverges significantly from secular law in Britain on the issue of same-sex marriage.
At least one other vicar has married his same-sex partner but has not lost his permission to officiate. Each diocese deals with its clergy individually, giving bishops some discretion in how to handle the issue.
The Church of England will be relieved by the ruling, with the tribunal saying its doctrine was clear.
The new Synod, which will convene later this month, is as likely to be consumed by the question of homosexuality as the last Synod was by the issue of women bishops.
Canon Pemberton had been working as a chaplain in a Lincolnshire hospital but said an offer to work in Nottinghamshire was withdrawn after he married his partner in 2014.
The decision not to issue a licence meant he was unable to take up a post as a bereavement manager for the Nottinghamshire-based Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Trust.
He had claimed the acting Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham, the Rt Revd Richard Inwood, had discriminated against him because of his sexual orientation.
However, the bishop told the tribunal that same-sex marriage was against the church's beliefs.
The clergyman, who took his claims to a tribunal in Nottingham, expressed disappointment at the tribunal's ruling but thanked those who have supported the legal action.
He said: "We are obviously very disappointed. Our lawyers have considered the judgment and are in the process of preparing the Grounds of Appeal for submission to the Employment Appeal Tribunal.
"We would like to thank all of those who have supported us through this litigation process thus far."
During the tribunal hearing, the Church of England argued that Canon Pemberton had gone against its doctrine when he married in "a blaze of publicity".
The clergyman submitted that the church would not have had an issue if he had entered into a civil partnership rather than a marriage. | A gay clergyman prevented from taking up a post as a hospital chaplain was not discriminated against, an employment tribunal panel has ruled. |
33797080 | North Wales Police is investigating the crash on the eastbound expressway near junction 23, Llanddulas, which happened at about 18:45 BST.
The Welsh Ambulance Service confirmed one casualty had been taken to Glan Clwyd Hospital in Bodelwyddan. | A male motorcyclist has been taken to hospital with serious injuries following a collision with a lorry on the A55 in Conwy county. |
38290396 | Chris Hazzard made the statement after local residents said they feared human error or equipment failure could lead to a cyanide spill.
The claim has been rejected by the company.
No planning application has yet been submitted but is expected to be put in early next year.
The chemical is used in part of the processing system but Dalriadian, the company planning the mine said it will be heavily regulated and does not pose a risk to the public or the environment.
Some people living near the proposed facility remain vehemently opposed.
Patrick Anderson, the chief executive of Dalradian, said he would welcome a public inquiry.
"I think it would be a further forum to engage locally and hear more fully what the complaints and the support is for the project so you could have a more informed decision for the minister when it comes to deciding whether to grant planning permission or not," he said.
Dalradian had said it can get millions of ounces of gold from the Sperrins over the 25-year life of the mine, creating hundreds of jobs in construction and operation.
The minister added that his department had been in meetings with Dalradian over the last year as part of "pre-application discussions to scope the extent of information that will be needed should they decide to submit a planning application for the proposal".
"It is already clear that the planning application, if submitted, will be both complex and controversial involving a wide range of views and in depth information to assess the potential socio-economic and environmental impacts, both positive and negative, of the proposed development," Mr Hazzard said.
The announcement has been welcomed by Sinn Féin MLA Declan McAleer.
"The proposal is only 1,200 metres from the local primary school and GAA ground and there is a real concern in the local area about the lack of public consultation in Greencastle village, which would have made it more accessible for local people.
"Hopefully, this move by the minister will allow people to get answers to their questions and to voice their concerns," he said.
A planning application will be lodged in 2017 if a feasibility study proves the project is economically viable.
The company said it would have between five and 20 tonnes of cyanide on site at any time with at least one delivery a week.
A diluted cyanide solution will be used to separate tiny gold particles from a portion of the crushed ore.
It will be transported and stored in solid briquettes in which form it is inert.
A number of groups have been set up to oppose the plan.
The Save Our Sperrins group said it is worried about potential water and air pollution.
However, Dalradian said the use of cyanide will be heavily regulated.
The company said the 10% of crushed ore that is treated with it will go through a final process to destroy most of the cyanide.
It will then be pumped back underground in the form of a cement paste to backfill the blast holes.
It claims that paste will contain only "trace" amounts of the toxin and that there would be more naturally-occurring cyanide in "a handful of chewed almonds". | The Department of Infrastructure has said there should be a public inquiry into a proposal for a goldmine near Greencastle, County Tyrone. |
35697972 | Joel Moon was first to cross but the Giants hit back through Danny Brough and Jermaine McGillvary.
The Rhinos levelled when Liam Sutcliffe stormed over and Jordan Lilley converted, before Michael Lawrence instantly restored Huddersfield's lead.
Jimmy Keinhorst stretched to score and Lilley secured Leeds' first Super League victory from the tee.
The champions have struggled in 2016 so far, having lost in the league to Warrington, Widnes and Catalans and suffered a heavy defeat by North Queensland Cowboys in the World Club Challenge.
Brian McDermott's side, who have also suffered injuries to several key players, including captain Danny McGuire and talismanic winger Tom Briscoe, next face a trip to Wigan, who they defeated in last season's Grand Final.
Daniel Smith hobbled off early on for an injury-hit Huddersfield, while Moon and Ash Handley failed to complete the game for Leeds.
The result sees the pointless Giants drop to the bottom of the table, with Leeds moving to ninth.
The shock of both sides lying in the league's bottom two before kick-off added extra spice to an already passionate local derby.
Two of Super League's recent high achievers were already without key personnel through injuries, and Huddersfield will have been further frustrated by the loss of Dan Smith early on.
Despite tricky conditions, the game was played at a furious pace but peppered with errors, while Danny Brough and former Giants team-mate Brett Ferres were involved in several spats throughout as tempers flared.
However, Leeds weathered the visitors pressure to finish the game in the ascendancy and pick up their first points.
Leeds Rhinos boss Brian McDermott:
"I didn't think the half-backs did anything special although ultimately Jordan Lilley's kicking and Liam Sutcliffe's try probably got us the game.
"But it shouldn't have been that hard. It was two committed teams who were almost trying too hard at times.
"I think it's too early in the season for me to be saying, 'A win's a win'. I don't think it's about that. We need to string some passages of play together that we're working on but it isn't happening on game day.
"I don't think we're lacking confidence or are overanxious, I just think we're desperate. I thought we worked our rocks off defensively but were disjointed in attack."
Huddersfield Giants head coach Paul Anderson:
"I think we gifted it away. We talked at half-time about completing some sets - you complete to compete.
"But we gave a sheer weight of possession away to Leeds who have got some good players.
"We were on the wrong end of an 8-1 penalty count in the second half which was embarrassing, not from our point of view but from the officials'.
"They want the ruck quick then they want it slow - they just need to make their minds up. It's pathetic at the moment.
"We have to be disappointed but the reality of it is we'll be fine. That wasn't a bottom-of-the-league performance."
Leeds: Hardaker, Handley, Watkins, Moon, Hall, Sutcliffe, Lilley, Galloway, Burrow, Cuthbertson, Delaney, Ferres, Singleton.
Substitutes: Baldwinson, Keinhorst, Mullally, Walters.
Huddersfield: Murphy, McGillvary, Cudjoe, Lawrence, Foster, Connor, Brough, Rapira, Hinchcliffe, Smith, Ta'ai, Roberts, Patrick.
Substitutes: J. Johnson, Leeming, Mason, Dickinson. | Leeds secured their first Super League win of the season after the defending champions beat Huddersfield. |
32281155 | Non-EU citizens settling in the UK for longer than six months are also being required to pay a "health surcharge" as part of their visa applications.
The new rules from the Department of Health came into force on 6 April.
Primary care and A&E care continues to remain free.
Permanent residents of 32 European countries qualify for NHS treatment, which is then billed to their country of residence, but this new ruling applies to foreign migrants or visitors based in other countries, mainly those outside the EU.
These patients can be treated in an NHS hospital but are expected to repay the cost of most procedures afterwards.
But up to now, the DoH has only sought to reclaim the actual costs, without adding any extra charges.
The DoH hopes the changes will help it recoup up to £500m a year by 2017-18.
The new guidelines do not require patients on trolleys in hospitals to produce passports before getting access to urgent care. Nor do they apply to accident and emergency or a visit to a GP.
What is covered is ongoing treatment on the NHS after an initial diagnosis or referral - for example an outpatient appointment.
The Department of Health is incentivising hospitals to be more vigilant in checking patient credentials by allowing them to charge more for treatment of people "not ordinarily resident" in the UK.
The department can recoup those costs from the patient's member state if they are from the European Economic Area.
In the paperwork filled in by the patient before the appointment they will be asked for proof they are "ordinarily resident".
This could be a utility bill, national insurance number or passport details. Some hospitals were doing this already but many were not.
The guidelines are designed to increase the chances that the treatment costs for a non-UK resident can be recovered. Critics may ask why it has taken so long for the initiative to be launched.
The charges are based on the standard tariff for a range of procedures, ranging from about £1,860 for cataract surgery to about £8,570 for a hip replacement.
Similar charges can be imposed by the NHS in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales for hospital care received by non-EU residents.
Patients using hospital services have been required to show their passports and other immigration documents if their UK residence status was in doubt.
The "health surcharge" on visa applications for non-EU citizens comprises an annual fee of £200-a-year, which is reduced to £150 for students.
Certain individuals, such as Australian and New Zealand nationals, are exempt from the surcharge.
And non-EU citizens who are lawfully entitled to reside in the UK and usually live in the country will be entitled to free NHS care as they are now.
Andrew Bridgen, the Tory MP for North West Leicestershire in the last Parliament, told the Daily Mail: "This is not the International Health Service, it's the National Health Service.
"Non-UK nationals seeking medical attention should pay for their treatment.
"The NHS is funded by UK taxpayers for UK citizens and if any of us went to any of these countries we'd certainly be paying if we needed to be treated."
Dr Mark Porter of the British Medical Association questioned the feasibility, saying a doctor's duty was to "treat the patient that's in front on them, not to act as border guard". | Visitors from outside the EU who receive treatment in NHS hospitals in England are now being charged 150% of the cost under changes brought in to discourage "health tourism". |
38331885 | The first minister was responding to a query from Moray MSP Richard Lochhead, who said rural constituents were being "fleeced" with such charges.
Ms Sturgeon called on the UK government to act to prevent delivery charges that were "vastly out of proportion".
Halfords said the fee was "exceptional" for an "online exclusive" product.
During First Minister's Questions at Holyrood, Mr Lochhead said his constituent had been treated with "contempt".
He said: "To make matters worse, they have implied that the high charge is to put off customers in the north of Scotland from ordering. So much for the season of good will.
"Would the first minister agree that as more and more rural residents buy online in the run up to Christmas, that they should not be treated with this contempt or fleeced by greedy companies or discriminated against for living in the north of Scotland."
Nicola Sturgeon said her government had played an "active role" in developing a statement of principle for delivery charges, which reputable companies should adhere to.
She added: "The level of charge that Richard Lochhead has outlined today is shocking. Certainly based on what he has said today, it seems vastly out of proportion and, yes, I am in full agreement that excessive charging for parcel deliveries is unacceptable."
In a statement, Halfords said it was working with its suppliers to review its delivery charges.
The statement said: "When ordering from Halfords.com normal postage to the Highlands and Islands region applies in over 95% of cases.
"The exception to this is if a customer purchases an online only exclusive product on Halfords Marketplace, which is an online platform that Halfords hosts for smaller independent retailers who deliver direct.
"We are currently working with our Marketplace suppliers to review this to help reach a more cost-effective resolution for customers ordering from those Marketplace suppliers. "
Nicola Sturgeon said the UK government had the power and the "obligation" to prevent over-the-top charging for delivery and that she would continue to press for action on the issue.
A study by the Citizens Advice Bureau in 2015 found consumers in the Highlands and islands were paying substantially more for delivery charges. | A £50 delivery charge imposed by Halfords to send towels costing £5.99 to Speyside has been condemned as "shocking" by Nicola Sturgeon. |
27128902 | Hamas and Fatah split violently in 2007. Previous reconciliation agreements have never been implemented.
The deal comes amid troubled peace talks between Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Israel.
Following the announcement, Israel said it would not attend a negotiation session planned for Wednesday evening.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier said Mr Abbas would have to choose between peace with Israel and peace with Hamas.
By Rushdi Abu AloufBBC News, Gaza City
It is not easy to find a Palestinian who is optimistic about the latest, announcement, long overdue, about a reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas.
Dozens of similar meetings have been held at home and abroad over the years. Two agreements were signed - in Qatar and Cairo - but none of these saw the light of day and nothing changed on the ground.
So what is new in this round?
Observers and analysts say there are new developments in the region.
Hamas has lost a strong ally in Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood and the leadership has also lost a key base in Damascus.
Fatah, meanwhile, is looking to strengthen its position as peace negotiations with Israel stall.
Media divided over Palestinian unity deal
"You can have one but not the other. I hope he chooses peace; so far he hasn't done so," he warned.
Israel - along with the US and the EU - views the Islamist Hamas group as a terrorist organisation.
Palestinian officials responded by saying reconciliation was an internal matter and uniting Palestinian people would reinforce peace.
In a statement, Mr Abbas said there was "no incompatibility between reconciliation and the talks" and that they were committed to peace on the basis of a two-state solution.
US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Washington was "disappointed" by the announcement and warned it could seriously complicate peace efforts.
"It's hard to see how Israel can be expected to negotiate with a government that does not believe in its right to exist," she added.
Mr Abbas sent a delegation from his Fatah party to Gaza for reconciliation talks earlier this week.
The factions said they planned to form an interim unity government - headed by Mr Abbas - within five weeks and hold parliamentary elections within six months.
"This is the good news we tell our people," Ismail Haniya, prime minister of the Hamas-led government in Gaza, told reporters. "The era of division is over."
Senior Fatah official Azzam al-Ahmed said they had "agreed about everything we discussed, so we will forget what happened in the past".
The news brought thousands of Palestinians out on to the streets of Gaza City in celebration.
Ordinary Palestinians have long hoped for an end to the split between their political leaders but previous reconciliation deals in Doha and Cairo were never implemented, says the BBC's Yolande Knell in Jerusalem.
The agreement will strengthen the position of Mr Abbas - whose Fatah movement dominates the Palestinian Authority, which controls parts of the West Bank - and should also make Hamas feel less isolated as it continues to face border restrictions imposed by Israel and Egypt, our correspondent adds.
Fatah has historically been the dominant faction in the Palestinian nationalist movement, but Hamas won parliamentary elections in January 2006.
In early 2007, Fatah and Hamas agreed to form a coalition to end growing factional violence, but in June of that year Hamas seized Gaza by force and set up a rival government.
Shortly after Wednesday's reconciliation deal was announced, five people were injured in an Israeli air strike in northern Gaza, Palestinian medics said.
Israel said it had targeted militants preparing to fire rockets. On Monday, seven rockets were launched from the territory into southern Israel. | Rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas have announced a reconciliation deal, saying they will try to form a unity government in the coming weeks. |
33105800 | Declan Kearney, the party's national chairperson, made the comments in a newspaper article.
It would cost an estimated £300m a year to cut the tax rate from its current 20% to 12.5%.
Mr Kearney said that under current austerity plans that would not be affordable.
The DUP's Peter Weir said Mr Kearney's comments and others recently by other Sinn Féin members "expose their naivety on economics".
"The only reason there is dust being thrown in the air regarding corporation tax is because Sinn Féin decisions, through southern influences, have landed us with a black hole in the budget," he said.
"Sinn Féin can spin and try to distract from the facts, but their best way forward would be just to implement what they agreed in the Stormont House Agreement."
Mr Kearney's article states that the executive's block grant from Westminster fell by £1.5bn in real terms in the last parliament.
It adds that it will fall by a further £800m by 2018 under the current Conservative spending plans.
Mr Kearney states: "The local private and public sectors are already too weak to withstand such a virtual economic tsunami.
"One direct consequence of the ongoing austerity crisis is that, in these circumstances, the regional economy will not be able to afford the introduction of corporation tax even if a date and rate were to be agreed."
The block grant would fall if the tax is cut because it would mean less revenue is collected for the Treasury, and under European rules Stormont would have to make up the shortfall.
The legislation to allow Corporation Tax powers to be devolved to Stormont was published in January.
However, it includes a 'commencement clause' which means the power will not be devolved until the Treasury assesses that the executive's finances are on a sound footing.
The Northern Ireland parties had agreed a deal on Westminster's welfare reform measures in the Stormont House Agreement last December.
However, Sinn Féin withdrew its support in March.
The current UK rate is 20% whereas in the Republic of Ireland firms pay 12.5%. | A senior Sinn Féin member has warned that the NI Executive may be unable to afford a cut in corporation tax. |
32648129 | David Cameron will be continuing as our prime minister.
It's not yet clear whether the Conservatives will manage a small overall majority or fall just short, but four other things are very clear:
So, what is all this likely to mean?
A referendum on whether the UK stays in, or leaves, the European Union, within the next two-and-a-half years.
A race to be the next leader of the Labour Party.
A race to be the next leader of the Liberal Democrats.
And a huge new presence of Scottish National Party MPs at Westminster.
They will be the third biggest party in the Commons - just months after losing a referendum that defines what the party exists to promote.
And so here's another thing we know for certain this morning: Politics ain't going to be boring any time soon. | After weeks of chatter about an election too close to call, it wasn't that close at all. |
36687856 | Media playback is not supported on this device
Martin, who won quadruple sculls silver in 2012, came back at Drysdale in the closing stages with both men stopping the clock at six minutes 41.34 seconds.
Find out how to get into rowing with our special guide.
Only a photo could separate the pair.
Czech two-time silver medallist Ondrej Synek took bronze, finishing 3.24 seconds behind Drysdale and Martin.
The win is New Zealand's second rowing gold of the Games, out of a total of eight Kiwi medals in Rio.
Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox. | Defending champion Mahe Drysdale of New Zealand retained his Olympic title by the tightest of margins as he was given gold in the same time as Croat Damir Martin in the men's single sculls. |
26553571 | Over 500 complaints have been made to the Environment Agency about the site in Cormongers Lane, Redhill, Surrey.
The agency said it would consider taking action against operator Biffa if it found it had breached its permit.
Biffa said it was working in accordance with its permit and claimed improvement work to tackle the smell had been hampered by the wet weather.
The managing director of Biffa's landfill division, Mick Davies, said: "We want to get ourselves so we're a good neighbour so we don't create a problem in the area and that's what our focus is.
"We're obviously aware of the odour complaints and we are apologetic to the public."
Residents have been complaining about the smell emanating from the site for several weeks.
Green Party councillor Sarah Finch said the stench seemed to be at its worst earlier in the month.
Environment Agency officers are sending data about gas emissions to Public Health England, which will rule on whether there is a health risk.
Biffa has said it does not believe the levels of hydrogen sulphide at the site pose a threat to human health.
As a temporary measure the company has installed a flare stack, a type of combustion device, to burn off the excess gas. | The operator of a rubbish tip has apologised for the smell of rotten eggs that is coming from the site. |
30076477 | The Oxfordshire-based team have missed the last two races due to financial problems, but will compete at the season-ending race thanks to a successful crowdfunding project.
"It will be nice to be back in the car," Kobayashi said. "This team is working hard and never gives up."
Caterham say they will announce their second driver "in due course".
Kobayashi, 28, has raced 14 times this season, but was dropped for the Belgian Grand Prix, and also criticised Caterham over repairs made to his car during the Russian Grand Prix weekend.
Finnbarr O'Connell, the team's administrator, said: "The team are delighted to have Kamui on board for the race weekend in Abu Dhabi."
Swede Marcus Ericsson, who has driven alongside Kobayashi for most of the season, terminated his Caterham contract with immediate effect earlier this week. | Caterham have announced that they will retain Japanese driver Kamui Kobayashi for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. |
17054150 | Lu Jun - who officiated at the World Cup - was one of nine people convicted of charges related to corruption inside Chinese football.
The defendants were arrested following an investigation launched to try to clean up the game in China.
A number of other cases are still pending.
Lu Jun, once dubbed the "golden whistle", was the first Chinese referee to take charge of a World Cup match, at the 2002 event hosted by Japan and South Korea.
He was also twice named referee of the year by the Asian Football Confederation.
But now he has been sent to prison after admitting taking bribes worth more than $128,000 (£82,000) to fix the results of seven league football games, some in 2003.
These bribes involved four clubs, including Shanghai Shenhua, which has just signed French soccer star Nicolas Anelka.
The court, in the north-eastern city of Dandong, heard how the Shanghai club had spent nearly $1m bribing officials and referees, including Lu Jun.
The referee was one of a group of nine people - including other referees and officials - convicted following a trial. They were given sentences ranging from no time in jail to seven years behind bars.
There were tales of a wrongly-awarded penalty, the fixing of international friendly matches and gambling.
In China, corrupt referees have become known as "black whistles".
Dozens of people - referees, players, officials and coaches - have been arrested following a campaign to clean up Chinese football, launched in 2009.
Corruption has blighted the beautiful game here for some years, leading many Chinese fans to support European teams instead.
Last season, though, there was new investment - and enthusiasm - for football in China. That has been heightened with the arrival of Anelka.
But the trials of two former senior officials in the Chinese Football Association - the two bigger fishes, as the state-run news agency Xinhua calls them - have yet to start. | The man who was once China's top football referee has been sentenced to five-and-a-half years in jail for taking bribes to fix matches. |
34288835 | Shanon Loveridge, 22, and Johnny Murphy, 25, both of Watford Road, St Albans, are to appear before St Albans Magistrates Court on 27 October.
They are charged with holding a person in slavery or servitude and requiring another person to perform forced labour between April 2010 and September 2014.
The pair were arrested in March following reports of human trafficking.
They have been released on bail until their court appearance. The alleged offences are said to have been committed in St Albans.
A 62-year-old woman has been released without charge. | Two people have been charged with slavery and forced labour offences in Hertfordshire. |
33457569 | "We currently suspect Mastercard is artificially raising the costs of card payments," said the EU statement.
Those fees harm consumers and retailers in the EU, competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager said.
The credit card company said it was "working with the European Commission on the issue" and was preparing a formal response.
"Throughout this procedure we have kept the needs of both consumers and merchants in mind," Mastercard said.
The EU is focusing on what is known as 'interchange fees' - the fees retailers pay banks to process card payments.
Officials say they are concerned that Mastercard violates competition rules by requiring retailers to pay artificially inflated fees to process credit card transactions.
They say this practice leads to higher prices for retailers in the EU, which they then pass on to consumers.
The charges from the EU are part of a long-running investigation.
The maximum fine that the EU can impose for antitrust infringements is 10% of the company's annual sales, according to the EU.
A separate investigation into Visa's interchange fees is also being carried out by the EU. | European Union officials have accused Mastercard of overcharging consumers with the fees the company charges. |
21496790 | Within Italy, though, the former prime minister remains a potent political force. His centre-right People of Freedom (PDL) party has been gaining ground, and he may well be in the reckoning when this weekend's election results roll in.
So, what is the secret of his enduring attraction? Some of his faithful followers in Italy's affluent north explain why they have stayed loyal, despite all the scandal. Another, meanwhile, explains why he has finally had enough.
Mr Bianchi describes himself as one of life's "gypsies". He's travelled the world during a career that's included the Italian diplomatic service, shipping and finance industries. He now works as a training consultant to big firms from his home in Milan. Mr Bianchi has been a Berlusconi fan since the former cruise-ship crooner exploded onto the political scene in 1994 - and he remains one to this day. He even supports Mr Berlusconi's AC Milan.
"This was a man who'd come from virtually nothing to be a big success in building, finance, the media - and had spotted a gap in the political market. He also opened up politics - to businessmen, academics and managers. And I like his easy way with people. What he's found, though, is that the Italian political system is very difficult to change, because of the resistance of the political system and vested interests.
"The way he's been attacked over the years has infuriated me. They started out trying to attack him on issues that seemed important - and when that didn't work, they ended up talking about the girls and the parties.
"What he has now - in addition to his business expertise - is 20 years' experience of politics. And that could be invaluable at this difficult time. In fact, I believe in him now even more than in the past."
Mr Ferri is single, and a marketing graduate. Home is a small village called Comun Nuova, in the Po valley. His day starts at 06:00 in the morning, when he sets off for work at the nearby Tenaris steel plant. Four evenings a week he studies for his masters degree in international marketing.
"Berlusconi's no saint, we all know that. But there's a saying in Italian - 'ci mette la faccia' - which basically means someone's not afraid of a fight, of taking a risk. And that's Berlusconi all over. He has no fear.
"Before he came back as leader - just before the election - the PDL was down and out. Now it's back and fighting hard. The PDL might still lose - but it would have been a lot worse without Berlusconi.
"Berlusconi is the only one who knows how to talk to people about their real problems. You know, we've businessmen round here who've lost everything they've worked to build up over the past 40 years - men who can't even afford a decent meal any more.
"And the other parties - on the left - they want to talk about gay weddings. I mean - what planet are they on? They've no experience of the real world. The only world most of them know is the world of politics."
Ms Birolini is running for election to the Lombardy regional council on the PDL ticket. A 43-year-old mother of two, she's passionate about culture, the importance of rooting out corruption and the role of women in Italian society. How does that sit with her place in a party led by a man known for constant corruption allegations - and a taste for dancing girls?
"Berlusconi is not the PDL. The reason I'm in the PDL is because it represents freedom of choice - and it's only by the exercise of choice that you become a better citizen. Berlusconi did a lot for the country in his first 10 years. But after that, I think he got misled by some of those around him.
"It's really difficult to be a woman in the centre-right at the moment because some of the examples in the past were so bad. We're all 'messo nello stesso cappello' - thrown together in the same hat. It's my personal battle to show that a woman can make a valid contribution politically, that there's a different way to be a woman in politics on the centre-right. It's a heavy responsibility - especially at a time like this.
"But the top priority after the election has to be to tackle corruption. The worst thing is the way it's insinuated its way into society - so that ordinary people end up thinking it's not really criminal behaviour, just a way of doing business."
Mr Marieni is a property owner and retired manager, whose family home is in the town of Bergamo, just outside Milan. He's a firm believer in free-market liberalism - and had great hopes for Silvio Berlusconi when he first appeared on the political scene. But this time, he says, he won't be voting PDL.
"I voted for him because he seemed to be the only person who could prevent Italy being taken over by the communists or ex-communists. I think he had a genuine desire to renew the country - to slash bureaucracy and shake up the public administration, education and health.
He also saw the need to modernise our infrastructure in order to catch up with the rest of Europe - everything from high-speed train networks and motorways to nuclear power plants and high-speed internet access.
"But the establishment - most of it on the left - was against all this - and so started the battle against him - like antibodies fighting off alien intruders in the body.
"Now, though, I think his time is over. He eventually came to see himself as almighty. He lost his sense of proportion - and of the ridiculous: all those alleged red-light parties, Ruby and the rest. And as a result, he's simply not credible anymore." | To many in the outside world, Silvio Berlusconi is the clown prince of politics - better known for his bunga-bunga parties, outrageous comments and courtroom battles than for any obvious political nous. |
39944520 | "I hope you can let this go," Mr Trump reportedly told Mr Comey after a White House meeting in February, according to a memo written by the ex-FBI director.
The memo was written immediately after the meeting, a day after Michael Flynn resigned, according to media reports.
The White House has denied the allegation in a statement.
"The president has never asked Mr Comey or anyone else to end any investigation, including any investigation involving General Flynn," it said.
An influential Republican congressman has called for the FBI to hand over all relevant documents within a week.
Jason Chaffetz, who chairs the House Oversight Committee, demanded all correspondence relating to communications between Mr Comey and the president be presented by 24 May.
Mr Flynn was forced out in February after he misled the vice-president about his conversations with Russia's ambassador before Mr Trump took office.
The latest Russian twist, first reported by the New York Times, comes a week after Mr Trump fired Mr Comey over his handling of the FBI investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server while at the state department.
Mr Comey's dismissal sent shockwaves through Washington, with critics accusing the president of trying to thwart the FBI investigation into Russia's alleged interference in the US election and any Moscow ties to Trump associates.
Mr Comey reportedly wrote a memo following a meeting with the president on 14 February that revealed Mr Trump had asked him to close an investigation into Mr Flynn's actions.
He reportedly shared the memo with top FBI associates.
"I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go," the president told Mr Comey, according to the memo. "He is a good guy."
Mr Comey did not respond to his request, according to the memo, but replied: "I agree he is a good guy."
In response to the report, a White House official pointed out that acting FBI director Andrew McCabe had testified last week that there had been "no effort to impede our investigation to date".
The "I" word - impeachment - has already been broached by politicians as moderate as independent Senator Angus King of Maine. If this were a Democratic-controlled House of Representatives, articles of impeachment would likely be in the drafting process.
Republicans still call the shots in Congress, however, and it's a significant leap to get them to abandon the Trump presidency and any hope of advancing their agenda for the foreseeable future.
But some, like Senator John McCain - who said this has become a scandal of "Watergate size and scale" - are clearly wavering.
The former Republican presidential nominee is a bit of a wild card, of course.
For the rank-and-file to turn on the president will require them to admit their complicity in a failed presidency.
Read in full - How damaging is this for Trump?
Trump 'asked FBI to drop Flynn inquiry'
Mr Flynn's departure in February came months after suspicions were raised among intelligence officials.
He resigned as White House national security adviser after just 23 days on the job over revelations that he had discussed lifting sanctions on Moscow with Russian ambassador Sergei Kislyak, before Mr Trump was sworn in.
It is illegal for private citizens to conduct US diplomacy.
Since Mr Flynn stepped down, the Pentagon has launched an investigation into whether he failed to disclose payments from Russian and Turkish lobbyists for speeches and consulting work.
Mr Flynn's Russian ties are under investigation by the FBI and the House and Senate Intelligence Committees, as part of wider inquiries into claims Moscow sought to tip the election in favour of Mr Trump.
Adam Schiff, the highest ranked Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said this intervention by Mr Trump, if correct, amounted to "interference or obstruction of the investigation".
Senator John McCain reportedly said at a dinner that the Trump scandals had now reached "Watergate size".
The key legal statute is 18 US Code Section 1512, which contains a broad definition allowing charges to be brought against someone who "obstructs, influences, or impedes any official proceeding, or attempts to do so".
Section 1512 requires a person not only to attempt to obstruct justice but to do it with "corrupt" intent, and legal experts have told the Washington Post that is not clear in this case. | President Donald Trump asked FBI chief James Comey to drop an inquiry into links between his ex-national security adviser and Russia, US media report. |
33755230 | An excellent save by Craig Gordon denied Qarabag's Richard Almeida midway through the first half.
Stuart Armstrong and Stefan Johansen fired shots wide for the visitors after the break as openings remained scarce.
Ronny Deila's side are now two legs away from the group stage and will discover their opponents on Friday.
Dedryck Boyata's headed goal from the first leg sealed Celtic's seeded place in the draw, while Qarabag dropped into the Europa League play-off round.
There had been concerns about the pitch at the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium following reports the surface had been badly damaged by the heat.
However, Deila had dismissed suggestions that either the pitch or the heat in the Azerbaijan capital would hamper his side's chances.
Celtic, fielding an unchanged starting line-up from last Wednesday, absorbed pressure from the hosts in the opening half-hour but had few direct efforts at goal to deal with.
Gordon flapped at a cross and Rydell Poepon could not take advantage but the goalkeeper was much more convincing when he beat away Richard's effort.
The Brazilian lined up his left-foot shot from 22 yards and curled the ball towards the inside of Gordon's right-hand post only to be left frustrated by the Scotland international's stretching save.
In attack, the visitors were restricted to breakaways and rarely got into dangerous areas.
Nir Bitton attempted to catch Ibrahim Sehic out with an audacious shot from near the centre circle, the keeper clutching after a momentary panic.
Alharbi El Jadeyaoui tried a chip of his own early in the second half but Gordon comfortably caught the 20-yard shot.
Though Qarabag's attacking continued to stutter, Celtic became less and less able to mount meaningful advances and their passing often let them down.
However, Armstrong sought to break the malaise with a shot from the left that had power but lacked accuracy.
As the game entered its closing stages, Johansen had only Sehic to beat as he latched on to an Armstrong pass but could not hit the target.
James Forrest injected fresh pace as a replacement for Armstrong and his forceful, driving run took him clear of the Qarabag defence, but he elected to pass instead of shoot and the hosts scrambled clear.
After five minutes of stoppage time, the Celtic players were celebrating and will now contemplate the challenge of overcoming their final hurdle to the Champions League group stage. | Celtic progressed to the Champions League play-off round as a goalless draw in Baku allowed them to complete a 1-0 aggregate win over Qarabag. |
31383182 | He is accused of "aggravated pimping", or helping to procure sex workers for a prostitution ring based at a hotel in Lille. Thirteen other people are on trial with him.
DSK, as he is widely known in France, was once seen as a leading contender for the French presidency, but if found guilty he could end up in jail.
The "Carlton affair" - named after the hotel in the northern French city of Lille that sparked the initial investigation - erupted in 2011. An anonymous tip-off alerted officials that the hotel was being used for prostitution.
Further investigation uncovered an international prostitution ring involving prominent local businessmen.
It emerged that some of the suspects had close links to Mr Strauss-Kahn and that he took part in sex parties organised by them in France and Washington in late 2010 and early 2011. Prostitutes have said they were paid to attend those parties.
The 13 other people also facing the charge of "aggravated pimping" include:
Using prostitutes is legal in France.
However under article 225-5 of the criminal code, the definition of pimping includes not just procuring, but also facilitating prostitution "in any way".
Investigators, who have found SMS (text) messages between Mr Strauss-Kahn and the other co-defendants, believe that the sex parties were organised specifically for the benefit of the former head of the International Monetary Fund.
Prosecutors therefore believe he played a major role in instigating the orgies. Some have described him as the "party king".
He and his co-accused are accused of "aggravated" pimping because the prostitution activities were allegedly organised by a group of people.
If convicted he could face a 10-year prison sentence and a fine of €1.5m (£1.13m; $1.72 million).
Two former prostitutes have agreed to help the prosecution, Mounia and Jade, and both believe he must have known they were prostitutes. Both attended sex parties at the Hotel Murano in Paris between 2009 and 2010, but never together.
Mounia told the court that she was chosen especially for Dominique Strauss-Kahn, but acknowledged no mention of money was ever raised in his presence. She said she was paid €900 (£690) by David Roquet, for what she had been told would be a "small party".
She also says DSK forced her to commit an act "against nature" at a party in Paris, which he denies.
Jade worked for brothel owner Dominique Alderweireld and had attended lunchtime sex parties in Lille. She is also believed to have travelled to Washington to take part in a sex party there. In her testimony, she said she had been introduced to a "public figure", and said she was paid either by Dominique Alderweireld or Rene Kojfer.
Mr Strauss-Kahn has never denied taking part in sex parties. But, he insists: "I committed no crime, no offence."
His main line of defence is that he had no idea some of the women there were prostitutes. One of his lawyers once said: "I challenge you to tell a naked prostitute from a naked society lady."
Giving evidence on 10 February, he also accused prosecutors of having greatly exaggerated the frequency of his "licentious evenings". He said: "There were only 12 parties in total - that is four per year over three years."
It was the prostitutes who said it was obvious what they were, he told the court. "But many other witnesses say they didn't see any prostitutes. I maintain that I neither knew nor suspected there were prostitutes."
Strauss-Kahn: A profile | The former head of the International Monetary Fund, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, has told a French court that he attended orgies, but would never have done so if he had known they involved prostitutes. |
36472099 | A labour court said the bank, Societe Generale, had dismissed him not because of his actions, which it must have known of, but for their consequences.
The court ordered the bank to pay him €450,000 (£350,000) in damages.
A lawyer for the bank said it would be appealing a "scandalous" decision that ran counter to the law.
Mr Kerviel, 39, served a three-year jail term after being convicted of breach of trust and fraud in October 2010.
He was charged with gambling €50bn (£39bn) of Societe Generale's money on trades without the bank's knowledge, which nearly brought down the business.
Although he had originally generated more than €1.4bn (£1.09bn) in profits in 2007, within months that had turned into enormous losses.
Mr Kerviel had argued at his trial that Societe Generale had known what he was doing but turned a blind eye.
One of the judges at the tribunal said that the bank could not pretend it was unaware of Mr Kerviel's fake operations and said he was fired "without genuine or serious cause".
His lawyer, David Koubbi, told Reuters news agency on Tuesday that the court's decision "tore apart the story which Societe Generale has presented from the beginning".
Mr Kerviel had appealed against his conviction but it was upheld in March 2014. He spent two months walking from Rome to France before going to jail. He was later let out on condition he wear an electronic tag.
Mr Kerviel has requested a retrial of the original criminal case. He is contesting an order to repay his losses to the bank. | The French ex-trader Jerome Kerviel, whose unauthorised transactions lost his bank €4.9bn (£3.82bn), has won a claim for unfair dismissal. |
34162719 | The bank carries the A170 up an extreme gradient. The county council said the £250,000 programme of works needed to be carried out before the winter.
Traffic will be diverted along the alternate caravan route through Coxwold and Ampleforth.
A further six weeks of work will follow the closure, with temporary traffic lights controlling vehicle movements.
The council said it was impossible to complete the work, which also includes reinstating crash barriers, without the closure. | Sutton Bank is to be closed for two weeks from Monday for maintenance work. |
37766919 | Ministers from both governments are meeting the prince to discuss how to improve soil health and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from farming.
Typically the focus of cutting greenhouse gases has fallen on transport and industry, but France says agriculture must play its part.
Ministers will debate how to store more carbon in soils.
They will also discuss how to restore degraded soils, improve fertility and increase food security.
The French farm ministry says farming and forestry can contribute between 20% and 60% of potential cuts in greenhouse gases up to to 2030.
It says changes to farming methods can save 12-15 million tonnes of CO2 through livestock farming alone. It lists the need for:
Previous attempts to nudge Britain's farmers into cutting emissions have largely failed. The Committee on Climate Change noted that emissions from agriculture have been broadly level since 2008 while industry and power generation emissions have dropped sharply.
The French farm ministry quotes statistics from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) projecting that farming and forestry can contribute between 20% and 60% of potential cuts in greenhouse gases up to 2030.
Peter Melchett from the Soil Association told BBC News: "The French initiative is extraordinarily important. It has put greenhouse gas emissions from farming on the global climate change agenda for the first time since Kyoto (the first climate agreement in 1997).
"It highlights the desperate need to stop emissions of greenhouse gases from soils - especially lowland drained peat - and the huge potential for sequestering carbon in agricultural soils."
The Commons Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) recommended in May that in order to implement an initiative from last year's Paris climate summit to increase soil carbon levels by 0.4% per year, the government should set out specific, measurable and time-limited actions.
The government agreed the importance of the initiative and said it was investigating what action to take.
Lord Krebs from the Committee on Climate Change said: "The health of the UK's soils is of critical importance for the productive capacity of our agricultural land.
"A combination of population and economic growth are expected to increase global demand for food in the future. At the same time, climate change could reduce the capacity of the land globally to keep pace with growing demand.
"It is, therefore, essential that we are doing all we can to protect the long-term productive capacity of our agricultural soils."
The Anglo-French meeting has been organised by The Prince of Wales' International Sustainability Unit in collaboration with both governments.
Follow Roger on Twitter. | The Prince of Wales is joining an Anglo-French government initiative to improve the condition of global soils. |
36415412 | Zbigniew Ziobro, who is also Poland's prosecutor general, said he would make the appeal in the Supreme Court.
A judge rejected Polanski's extradition in October as "inadmissible".
The director, who lives in France, fled the US ahead of sentencing in 1978 after admitting having sex with a girl aged 13.
Polanski's victim, Samantha Geimer, described the ordeal of giving testimony against Polanski in an interview for the BBC's HARDTalk programme in 2013.
Polanski has French and Polish citizenship. France does not extradite its own citizens but the director occasionally visits Poland, attending a press event in Katowice just last week.
Swiss authorities turned down a US extradition warrant in 2010, after placing Polanski under house arrest for nine months. | Poland's justice minister says he will appeal against a decision not to extradite film director Roman Polanski to the US for statutory rape. |
39614356 | Matuidi headed home in the 93rd minute after PSG had allowed Metz to come back from 2-0 down to level late on.
Edinson Cavani and Matuidi had put the reigning champions in charge during a three-minute first-half spell.
Yann Jouffre curled in a free-kick before Cheick Diabate levelled for Metz but Matuidi had the final say.
PSG move to 77 points, level with Monaco who have a vastly superior goal difference and a game in hand.
Match ends, Metz 2, Paris Saint Germain 3.
Second Half ends, Metz 2, Paris Saint Germain 3.
Marco Verratti (Paris Saint Germain) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Chris Philipps (Metz).
Goal! Metz 2, Paris Saint Germain 3. Blaise Matuidi (Paris Saint Germain) header from the centre of the box to the top right corner. Assisted by Javier Pastore with a cross.
Attempt blocked. Maxwell (Paris Saint Germain) left footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked.
Attempt blocked. Marquinhos (Paris Saint Germain) header from very close range is blocked. Assisted by Edinson Cavani.
Corner, Paris Saint Germain. Conceded by Matthieu Udol.
Marco Verratti (Paris Saint Germain) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Yann Jouffre (Metz).
Presnel Kimpembe (Paris Saint Germain) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Cheick Diabaté (Metz).
Yann Jouffre (Metz) hits the bar with a left footed shot from outside the box from a direct free kick.
Presnel Kimpembe (Paris Saint Germain) is shown the yellow card.
Foul by Presnel Kimpembe (Paris Saint Germain).
Ismaila Sarr (Metz) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Goal! Metz 2, Paris Saint Germain 2. Cheick Diabaté (Metz) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Ismaila Sarr with a cross.
Attempt saved. Gonçalo Guedes (Paris Saint Germain) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Thomas Meunier.
Attempt saved. Thomas Meunier (Paris Saint Germain) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
Gonçalo Guedes (Paris Saint Germain) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Opa Nguette (Metz).
Attempt missed. Edinson Cavani (Paris Saint Germain) right footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high from a direct free kick.
Javier Pastore (Paris Saint Germain) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Chris Philipps (Metz).
Marco Verratti (Paris Saint Germain) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Cheick Diabaté (Metz).
Attempt missed. Edinson Cavani (Paris Saint Germain) right footed shot from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Marco Verratti with a through ball.
Marco Verratti (Paris Saint Germain) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Chris Philipps (Metz).
Corner, Metz. Conceded by Maxwell.
Foul by Thomas Meunier (Paris Saint Germain).
Opa Nguette (Metz) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Gonçalo Guedes (Paris Saint Germain).
Ismaila Sarr (Metz) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Corner, Paris Saint Germain. Conceded by Jonathan Rivierez.
Goal! Metz 1, Paris Saint Germain 2. Yann Jouffre (Metz) from a free kick with a left footed shot to the bottom right corner.
Foul by Presnel Kimpembe (Paris Saint Germain).
Cheick Diabaté (Metz) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Gonçalo Guedes (Paris Saint Germain).
Matthieu Udol (Metz) wins a free kick in the defensive half. | Blaise Matuidi scored in injury time as Paris St-Germain sealed a remarkable win at Metz to go level on points with Monaco at the top of Ligue 1. |
40612191 | A total of 1,186 people waited more than 12 months for hospital treatment in 2016 compared to 228 in 2015.
The Scottish Conservatives said it was evidence of "shoddy planning" by the Scottish government.
Health Secretary Shona Robison said they were committed to ensuring patients get quick access to services.
The figures were obtained by the Scottish Conservatives through Freedom of Information requests.
They found that, of those waiting more than a year in 2016, 16 faced a two-year wait and two waited four years.
Most outpatients waiting more than 12 months were getting urology treatment (303), followed by people waiting for trauma and orthopaedic surgery (277) and gastroenterology patients (170).
The number of people treated in under a year fell by more than 28,000 in the same period from 1,462,989 in 2015 to 1,434,813 last year.
The Conservatives' health spokesman Miles Briggs said it was evidence of "shoddy planning" by the Scottish government, adding "nobody should have to wait longer than a year for care".
He said: "This is just another measure which shows a real collapse in the standard of service being offered to patients.
"That's not the fault of hardworking staff - this is all on an SNP government whose shoddy forward planning has led to these unacceptable delays.
"To see these statistics shoot up by more than 400% in the space of just a year is remarkable."
Ms Robison said: "We remain committed to ensuring patients get quick access to the services they require.
"We announced an extra £10m to deliver 40,000 more outpatient appointments immediately between November 2016 and March 2017, and have also provided an additional £50m to improve waiting times at all stages of a patient's journey through the NHS.
"In December 2016, we published a new strategy for responding to the rising demand in outpatient appointments, aiming to free up 400,000 appointments.
"We have recently completed the consultation exercise and will be pushing ahead with this over the next year.
"To meet increasing demand, we are investing £200m in a network of five new elective treatment centres across Scotland as well as expanding the Golden Jubilee National Hospital." | There has been a sharp increase in the number of NHS outpatients who have waited more than a year for treatment, according to new figures. |
37237523 | Jakubiak, 20, signed a new four-year deal with the Hornets on Wednesday.
Versatile left-back Wallace, 21, has made 24 Blades appearances since signing from Ilkeston in 2014 and is a former Nottingham Forest trainee.
Meanwhile, Fleetwood's Dutch midfielder Ricardo Kip has joined Dutch club SC Cambuur on a season-long loan.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | Fleetwood Town have signed Watford striker Alex Jakubiak and Sheffield United defender Kieran Wallace on season-long loan deals. |
32996809 | Media playback is not supported on this device
The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) said Tebbutt's remarks, made to jockey Katie Walsh, were unacceptable.
Walsh believed the comments were tongue in cheek but fellow rider Lizzie Kelly said Tebbutt should be "ashamed".
Tebbutt said: "I apologise if I have caused any offence, to anyone in Britain or across the world. That was never my intention."
He added: "My comments were misjudged.
"I spend a lot of my time coaching young jockeys - both male and female - and, while many of them have different strengths and weaknesses, I always treat them all as equals, exactly as they should be."
Walsh was commissioned by BBC Sport to look at equality in racing for Women's Sport Week.
She asked Tebbutt, a coach at the British Racing School in Newmarket, what the main difference was between a male and female jockey.
Tebbutt replied: "They go through the exact same training programme, with females knowing they have to put more in, so they will go the extra yard, knowing they have to catch the male up."
Walsh responded: "That's women for you."
Tebbutt fires back: "Still can't ride though."
It intends to speak to Tebbutt about his conduct, insisting his views "are not views that anyone involved in racing would endorse or share".
It added: "Racing is a unique sport, in that women and men compete on entirely equal terms as jockeys and trainers, and female riders have the full respect of their male counterparts in the weighing room."
The winner of the Irish Grand National in April on Thunder And Roses, she genuinely believes Tebbutt's comments were been made in jest and felt he was "trying to get me going".
She added: "I don't dispute the fact that male jockeys are stronger, but I was trying to say to him that it is not just strength which comes into play in a race. He didn't execute what he was trying to say very well."
Jockey Martin Lane defended Tebbutt on Twitter, pointing out that he had successfully coached several female jockeys.
But Kelly, who won the Lanzarote Hurdle at Kempton on Tea For Two in January, said: "Michael Tebbutt; be ashamed of yourself - a jockey coach whose opinion is 'girls still can't ride'. He actually said that."
Camilla Henderson, the daughter of leading jumps trainer Nicky and a prominent point-to-point rider, tweeted: "Amazed those high up have these views! Says a lot."
Sally Rowley-Williams, chair of the Women in Racing group, said her organisation would contact the BHA to ask for "clarification on their diversity and equality policies".
Almost a third of apprentice jockeys were women in 2014, according to BHA statistics.
Current leading riders include Walsh, Hayley Turner, who has won two Group One races on the flat, and Nina Carberry, who has been successful at the Cheltenham Festival
In 2012, Turner became only the second female jockey to ride in the Derby when she partnered Cavaliero. | Jockey coach Michael Tebbutt has apologised after giving a BBC interview in which he said women "can't ride". |
21756005 | A 40m-high marquee has been installed to cover the Chester Road square to enable training on outdoor wickets.
"You've basically got an indoor facility that is outside with grass nets," coach Steve Rhodes told BBC Hereford and Worcester.
"That's wonderful really as you're getting used to the conditions that you will be playing on in a match."
Four other first-class counties are understood to have adopted similar plans to prepare for the 2013 county cricket season.
Rhodes first witnessed the idea when Worcestershire travelled down to Chelmsford this time last year for a pre-season friendly.
I'm confident it'll be ready for the season. It's already 10 times better and there's no home game until May
And, with New Road in its customarily rain-affected state for this time of year, they have activated their usual Plan B button by switching to Chester Road, to play in the marquee under a clear polythene roof, with nets erected inside.
"We played in that marquee when we went down for the game at Chelmsford and I thought it was a very good idea," added Rhodes.
"It's nice to go away on pre-season tours in different climates but actually getting your body ready for bowling when it's cold and wet on English wickets may well be the best way of preparing,"
Worcestershire's home is under reconstruction as the county press on with their plans to build a hotel at the New Road End of the famous old ground, which has involved the demolition of the offices used by their administration staff.
But the main concern is the effect of this winter's persistent flooding, the ground having been under water four times in the past three months.
"The New Road square was re-seeded 10 days ago and the plan is to return in early April," added Worcestershire chief executive David Leatherdale.
"I'm confident it'll be ready for the season. It's already 10 times better and there's no home game until May." | Flood damage at Worcestershire's New Road has forced the county to move pre-season training to Kidderminster. |
39959844 | It also pledges there will be no vote on the issue "until the Brexit process has played out".
But the manifesto, which was launched by Theresa May in Halifax, does not specify what "public consent" means.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon wants a referendum to be held in the autumn of next year or spring of 2019.
Her call was formally backed by the Scottish Parliament in March - although it was opposed by the Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats, with the Scottish Greens backing the SNP in the final vote.
The prime minister has repeatedly said that "now is not the time" for another vote on the issue, arguing that the focus should instead be on negotiating the best Brexit deal for the whole of the UK.
But Ms Sturgeon argues that the Scottish people should be able to choose which path to follow in the wake of the Brexit vote, and that blocking a referendum would be a "democratic outrage".
The Conservative manifesto claims that "some would disrupt our attempts to get the best deal for Scotland and the United Kingdom with calls for a divisive referendum that the people of Scotland do not want".
It goes on to say: "We have been very clear that now is not the time for another referendum on independence.
"In order for a referendum to be fair, legal and decisive, it cannot take place until the Brexit process has played out and it should not take place unless there is public consent for it to happen.
"This is a time to pull together, not apart."
Mrs May said the manifesto contained proposals that would "see us through Brexit and beyond", describing it as a "plan for a stronger, fairer, more prosperous Britain".
She has promised a "mainstream government that would deliver for mainstream Britain" if she wins the election on 8 June.
The manifesto includes a fresh pledge to curb immigration, and says the government will deliver a balanced budget by the "middle of the next decade".
On Brexit, it pledges to negotiate a "deep and special partnership" which will allow free trade between the UK and the EU's member states, but with the UK leaving the single market and customs union.
It also says there will be no increase in VAT, and promises to increase the national living wage to 60% of the median earnings by 2020.
And it says the so-called "triple lock" on pensions will be reduced to a "double lock" with the state pension to rise by the higher of average earnings or inflation - but it will no longer go up by 2.5% if they are both lower than that.
The manifesto says Scotland's economic growth has lagged behind the rest of the United Kingdom in recent years, but that the Conservatives "take seriously our duty to secure prosperity for the whole of the United Kingdom".
The document pledges: "We will, therefore, take concerted action to help secure the long-term sustainability of the Scottish economy. Scotland and Scottish industries will be central to our industrial strategy."
This action will include:
Scottish Secretary David Mundell, who was the only Conservative MP elected in Scotland in the 2015 general election, described the manifesto as a "plan that delivers for Scotland".
He added: "It shows that a re-elected Conservative government will continue to ensure that Scotland benefits from its membership of the United Kingdom."
The SNP said the Conservative manifesto was a "cruel and callous attack on families" with planned cuts that it said would hit pensioners, working families and public services.
The party's deputy leader, Angus Robertson, said: "The SNP already protect free personal care, free childcare, free school meals, and will stand up against these callous Tory cuts."
He went on to claim the Conservatives have "made a rod for their own back" over independence, because "if they now fail to win the election in Scotland they have no basis whatsoever on which to continue to thwart the will of the Scottish Parliament".
Meanwhile, James Kelly of Scottish Labour said the Conservative "ideological obsession with a hard Brexit" had allowed the SNP to kick-start a fresh campaign for independence.
He added: "This Tory manifesto means every Conservative candidate in Scotland is standing on a platform endorsing the abhorrent rape clause, the bedroom tax and swingeing cuts to social security payments.
"There is now a clear choice between a radical vision of a fairer UK with a Labour government, or Theresa May' Little Britain, closed off from the world and building borders as nationalist governments always do." | A second independence referendum will not be held unless there is "public consent" for it to happen, the Conservative election manifesto says. |
39651092 | The plan means up to 10 of its 176 UK stores may be closed over the next five years.
A central distribution warehouse and about 10 smaller warehouses could also be shut.
Meanwhile, the group said its half-year pre-tax profits fell by 6.4% to £88m.
Debenhams shares were down by nearly 5% following the announcement.
Chief executive Sergio Bucher, who joined the company last October, said its customers were changing the way they shopped and therefore Debenhams was also changing.
"We will be a destination for social shopping, with mobile the unifying platform for interacting with our customers," said Mr Bucher, who was appointed with a view to shaking up the business.
Debenhams said that leisure activities accounted for an increasing share of consumer spending and that the "leisure experience is an important part of shopping", while "mobile interaction" was growing fast.
In an effort to capture this market, Debenhams plans to step up investment in its in-store cafes, restaurants and beauty services.
Retail analyst Steve Dresser, of Grocery Insight, said it would be tricky for Debenhams to make its new approach work.
"Without a core reason to visit Debenhams, or a point of difference, footfall and sales fall, which in turn impacts profitability," he said.
"Shopping centre locations overcome footfall concerns, but in turn, rents are expensive."
Debenhams said it had no "tail of loss-makers" in its 176 UK store estate and, in fact, many were "highly profitable".
However, it added, it wanted to "ensure they are fit for the future".
The 10 stores under review for closure, if they are deemed not profitable enough, have not been named.
Debenhams said the rest would be "refreshed" and "remerchandised" to raise their profitability.
In January, it began "decluttering" its stores by reducing the number of lines for sale.
It is also switching about 2,000 of the stores' backroom staff to jobs where they deal directly with customers.
The group also has plans to open four new shops in the UK.
Debenhams has 82 stores in 26 other countries.
It said it would leave some "non-core" international markets, with details due to be announced in October.
The department store chain announced earlier this year that it had begun consulting on the closure of one central distribution centre in Northamptonshire which employs about 200 people.
It is hoped all staff will be redeployed.
Debenhams is also consulting on the closure of about about 10 smaller regional warehouses which are connected to stores.
Those staff will be moved into the stores.
Sir Ian Cheshire, the chairman of Debenhams, said "this is a strategy about growth", not job losses, and that the plans should lead to the creation of more jobs.
However, independent retail analyst Nick Bubb said he was "disappointed" that the strategy did not include any targets for sales and profits, despite the talk of growth and efficiency. | Department store group Debenhams has announced a turnaround strategy aimed at boosting its appeal as a "destination" shop and improving its online service. |
34129111 | The visitors took the lead through Marko Devic's stunning half-volley but had captain Oleg Kuzmin sent off for a second yellow card soon after.
Liverpool responded as Emre Can stabbed in following a free-kick.
Substitute Christian Beneteke hit the post late on as Liverpool were held to a third successive Group B draw.
Despite pressing late on, it was ultimately a difficult evening for Klopp and Liverpool as they struggled to break down their Russian opponents for large periods of the match.
The result leaves Liverpool second in their group on three points, four behind leaders FC Sion.
The arrival of Klopp has been greeted with excitement by Liverpool fans since he was confirmed as successor to Brendan Rodgers.
The 48-year-old's first appearance in a Liverpool dugout was at Tottenham last weekend but Thursday marked his first competitive appearance at Anfield.
In his programme notes, Klopp praised the "special atmosphere" the fans created, and they certainly extended a warm welcome for the German.
Stall traders sold scarves outside the ground boasting "the Klopp revolution", while fans waited eagerly for autographs and a photo with their new manager.
It was not only the fans who were keen to witness Klopp's first game in charge, with the club's owners having flown in for the game.
Klopp's appearance from the tunnel just before kick-off was met with rapturous applause, but any excitement about a new era gave way to frustration as Liverpool's familiar failings this season were once again on show.
Under Klopp, Dortmund reached the Champions League final in 2012-13 and climbed from 110th to 13th in the Uefa rankings.
Liverpool fans will hope he can have a similar impact at the Reds. They are currently ranked 54th in Europe, sandwiched between FC Genk and APOEL.
Europa League success is perhaps not the supporters' priority, but they will welcome improved displays in the competition after disappointing draws against Bordeaux and FC Sion this season.
Liverpool's early endeavour against Rubin Kazan was encouraging as they played quick, one-touch football and attacked at pace.
However, when Rubin took the lead, albeit against the run of play, Liverpool - along with the home fans' enthusiasm - faded.
Kuzmin's sending-off - he was shown a second yellow card for stopping Can - and Can's subsequent equaliser lifted Anfield again.
Liverpool, though, failed to build on that.
Despite a late flurry as Rubin Kazan's players retreated further into their own half to protect the point, the hosts lacked the creativity to score a winner.
Klopp felt Liverpool had their moments, but accepted the sending off made it more difficult for his side.
"It was a very interesting game, a big challenge because of the quality of Rubin," he said.
"Sometimes it is a big advantage against 10 men, most of the time they stop playing football and defend in a compact block.
"It was not a masterclass but it was not the worst day in my life."
Klopp was appreciative of the reception the Liverpool fans gave him, adding: "It was one of the best moments for me.
"I felt everything positive and then I concentrated on the game."
It is another home game for Klopp as Liverpool entertain Southampton on Sunday. Their next Europa League game is at Rubin Kazan on 5 November. | Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp endured a frustrating first game at Anfield as the Reds were held to a draw by 10-man Rubin Kazan in the Europa League. |
35205124 | Papers for the meetings of Scottish cabinet ministers throughout the year 2000 are among hundreds of pages of records declassified on 1 January.
Major events included Donald Dewar's death, the start of the Lockerbie trial and the repeal of section 28.
Under the 15-year disclosure rule, archived information is released annually by the Scottish government.
Since it brought in the rule in 2009, more than 13,000 files have been declassified.
One of the central events of 2000 was the death of Scottish First Minister Donald Dewar on 11 October after suffering a fall and a brain haemorrhage.
Known as the founding father of Scottish devolution, the files reveal the impact his death had on the business of government and the parliament.
Other key events that year included the sinking of the Solway Harvester trawler with the loss of seven crew members, and the opening of the Lockerbie bombing trial at a Scottish court sitting in the Netherlands.
Later that year, the Scottish parliament repealed section 28 of the Local Government Act, a law which had prevented the "promotion" of homosexuality by local authorities.
The documents released by National Records of Scotland (NRS) in Edinburgh include papers and minutes for Scottish cabinet meetings and ministerial committee gatherings.
They also shed light on "cabinet strategy sessions" and the progress of various bills through the parliament.
Other files have been made available include the chief constable's annual reports for Stirling and Clackmannan police from 1962-1965 and inspectors' reports for Glenochil detention centre from 1965-1975.
Tim Ellis, chief executive of NRS and keeper of the records of Scotland, said the declassification was a way of "shedding light on the earliest days of the first administration".
Minister for parliamentary business Joe FitzPatrick said the files should make fascinating reading.
"Information made available at the National Records of Scotland as well as the wealth of information pro-actively made available on the Scottish government's website demonstrates this government's ongoing commitment to openness and transparency," he added. | Newly declassified records show the workings of the Scottish executive's first full year of operation. |
18621746 | Surjeet Singh was greeted at the Wagah border crossing by his son and other family members and well-wishers.
Wearing marigold garlands around his neck, Mr Singh admitted to reporters: "I had gone there for spying."
There was confusion this week when Pakistan said another Indian, Sarabjit Singh, would be freed, but later clarified it was to be Surjeet Singh.
Sarabjit Singh has been on death row for more than 21 years after being convicted of spying and bomb attacks he denies carrying out.
Campaigners are still pressing for him to be freed too as part of what is being seen as a recent thaw in diplomatic relations between India and Pakistan.
On Wednesday, Pakistan released more than 300 Indian fishermen being held in a Karachi jail as a goodwill gesture.
The fishermen are also expected to cross the Wagah border on Thursday.
TV pictures showed Mr Singh crossing the Wagah border, accompanied by Border Security Force personnel and police.
Family members greeted him by putting several marigold garlands around his neck and offered him sweets.
Nearly 250 people from his village had arrived in buses to receive him at the border.
"I am free after 30 years. I've met my family, I'm really happy," he told reporters.
Mr Singh said he had been treated well in jail.
He said he met his fellow prisoner, Sarabjit Singh, regularly in Lahore's Kot Lakhpat prison and that he had been well treated too.
Surjeet Singh said he would do everything possible to get his fellow prisoner freed. He said "media hype" had spoiled Sarabjit Singh's case.
Surjeet Singh now plans to go to the Golden Temple, Sikhdom's holiest place, "to pray and hug my children".
There are few details available of how Mr Singh came to be in Pakistan or when exactly he was arrested.
He was a resident of Phidde village in Punjab's Ferozepur district and his family says his real name is Makhan Singh and that he was a low-ranking government employee.
He is believed to be in his mid-70s.
Earlier this week, Pakistan's law minister conveyed to the government that Surjeet Singh had completed his life term and ought to be released and sent back to India.
That followed reports, which turned out to be wrong, that Pakistan was about to free Sarabjit Singh.
On Thursday, Indian External Affairs Minister SM Krishna said he "welcomed" Surjeet Singh's release, but it was now "time for Sarabjit Singh to be freed".
Pakistan and India frequently arrest each other's citizens, often accusing them of being spies after they have strayed across the land or maritime border.
In recent years, several Indians returning from Pakistani jails have admitted to spying. Some have criticised India's government for abandoning them. | An Indian man has returned to his country after spending more than 30 years in jail in Pakistan for spying. |
31617738 | Along with Ant McPartlin, the pair return to present the music ceremony after a 14 year gap.
"They have asked us in between (now and 2001)," notes Ant. "And we've said 'no' but it just felt kind of right to do it this time."
It turns out the duo had that change of heart on a night out.
They also admit they "said never again" after the experience of presenting the Brits in 2001 when nerves got the better of them.
"The call came through and we said 'no'," explains Dec. "And we were out and had a few more drinks and started talking about it.
"We said, 'If we were going to do it we'd do it like this, and we'd do that', and a few more drinks later we said, 'All right let's change our mind, we'll do it.'"
"So here we are," grins Dec.
The pair say they haven't had any restrictions imposed on what they can say or do tonight, but admit some artists have been 'less forthcoming than others' when it comes to joining in the jokes they've got planned.
Ant and Dec haven't written their Brits script by themselves, there is a team of writers they use on Saturday Night Takeaway and I'm a Celebrity that they've collaborated with as usual.
"We all sit round a table and throw some ideas around," says Dec. "And we just spark off each other.
"The guys go away and come up with a draft script," he continues. "And then we all get together and read it through, spark off some more ideas, it will constantly change."
As you'd expect Ant and Dec aren't revealing any on stage shenanigans beforehand, apart from saying Ed Sheeran won't be as much of a target as he was on Saturday Night Takeaway last weekend.
"We put him through enough on Saturday night," laughs Dec.
"Standing next to us two with our lack of trumpet and trombone skills," smiles Ant, recalling how Ed Sheeran managed to keep singing live on TV while Ant and Dec played instruments, badly, at Ed's side.
"We've always known Ed had a good sense of humour, but he really showed it on Saturday night," says Ant.
There are "no fears" about hosting, just "excitement" at this point, say Ant and Dec, and they'll cope if a few jokes fall flat.
"That happens a lot," the pair laugh together.
"Anything can happen at this awards show," admits Ant. "And if they want to cause havoc those pop stars and get up to no good then let them do it, we'll just stand along and watch them."
Hey, seen our Brits year picker quiz? Test your knowledge of the year you were born
Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter, BBCNewsbeat on Instagram and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube | After "an instant decision to say no" Declan Donnelly says it took a "few drinks" to change his mind about hosting Wednesday night's Brit Awards. |
30615748 | It happened shortly before 08:00 GMT on Roman Road, causing several properties to flood around the junction with Upper Road.
Dozens of homes in the area were also left without water, but Severn Trent said they had since been reconnected.
The firm apologised to those affected and said the pipe would be repaired overnight.
Robin Philpott, from Pritchards vehicle rental, said it was the fourth time the road had flooded in recent years and something needed to be done to prevent future problems.
As well as damage to the property, Mr Philpott said repairs also meant diversions and road closures, leaving the area like a "ghost town".
Two weeks ago, Clive Pratt, the owner of E A Downes & Sons Ltd, said damage caused by the pipe was expected to run into hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Sarah McArthur, from Severn Trent, said its loss adjustors would be in touch with businesses and roads would remain passable throughout repairs, although there would be lane closures.
Local resident Steven Kirby said: "We've got two kids and have no water at the moment.
"This is the third or fourth time it's probably happened in a year.
"Last time they said they would sort it out as soon as they can. And fair dos they did, within a day. But it keeps happening in the same place, so obviously there's an inherent problem there."
Ms McArthur said the latest burst was in the same section of pipe and there was a long-term plan to replace it. | Businesses in part of Shrewsbury have been flooded for the second time in as many weeks after a water main burst. |
32436961 | The UK off-shoot of the US independent film festival will take place at the new Picturehouse Central cinema, from 2016.
Sundance London was launched by Robert Redford in 2012 as an experimental, four-day festival at the O2 and was hailed as a "qualified success".
It returned in 2013 and 2014, but this year's festival was cancelled in January with no reason given.
At the time, a spokesperson for Sundance said, in a statement to trade paper Screen Daily, that they would continue to "explore options" for Sundance London.
On Thursday, John Cooper, director of the Sundance Film Festival, said they looked forward to returning next year and reconnecting with London film enthusiasts "after three hugely enjoyable years in London".
"The Sundance Film Festival: London, like our other events in Los Angeles and Hong Kong, allows us to extend the tremendous energy and excitement of our festival. "
"We are excited to build a 2016 program for London that is fuelled by a spirit of discovery and creativity."
The new venue, Picturehouse Central, is the redeveloped former Cineworld cinema in Shaftesbury Avenue.
Actor Robert Redford, president and founder of Sundance Institute, said the institute was "committed" to developing festivals outside the US.
"We've nurtured filmmakers around the globe for many years now and these experiences have brought a rich perspective to all we do.
"Exploring international opportunities for the diverse landscape of American independent storytelling is an exciting proposition, and something to which we are equally committed."
The original Sundance Film Festival takes place annually in Park City, Utah in January. | Film festival Sundance London is to return next year with a new venue. |
35398002 | Nine Protestant civilians were killed in the 1993 attack in Belfast, as well as one of the IRA bombers.
The newspaper said it had seen files stolen by the IRA from police special branch offices in Castlereagh on St Patrick's Day 2002.
It said the files had been decoded by IRA members.
This led them to discover the alleged informer's identity, the paper said.
In a statement, the police ombudsman's office said: "We have received a complaint.
"It centres on two concerns: Did the RUC have information which would have allowed them to prevent the bombing and was the subsequent investigation compromised; did the police fail to 'deliver justice to the families of those who lost their lives in the bombing?'
"We will now assess this complaint and speak to those who have made these allegations.
"We will seek to establish if this is something we should investigate, and if so, when we could begin this work."
The IRA bomb attack took place on a busy Saturday afternoon in October in the heart of one of Belfast's best known loyalist areas.
Among the dead were two children aged seven and 13. | The IRA leader who planned the 1993 Shankill bomb was working as a police informer, the Irish News has reported. |
34485496 | Prof Thomas Weber's book Hitler's First War, which was released in 2010, claimed his image as a brave soldier was a myth.
The producers of the Oscar-nominated film Downfall - also about the Nazi leader - will make the show after a French TV network purchased the series.
The show will be called Hitler.
Production of the 10-hour series begins next year.
Prof Weber said: "It is a privilege to see my book and the research behind it dramatised in this way for a large TV audience.
"Over the years a great deal has been written about Hitler but so little of this focused on his life in the years of the First World War.
"Hitler's First War uncovered many myths in regard to his service and motivations following the conflict. More importantly it demonstrated how Hitler's lies about his war years became political tools in his hands for the rest of his life.
"The series is a great opportunity to demask Hitler." | A book about Adolf Hitler by a University of Aberdeen historian is to be turned into a major television series. |
36703157 | Researchers found the accuracy of information varied significantly, and could result in the further spread of the non-native invasive plant.
Japanese knotweed is one of the most damaging invasive species, estimated to cost £166 million each year.
The findings have been published in the Journal of Applied Ecology.
"I was trying to put myself in the shoes of someone who had Japanese knotweed in their garden and thinking what I needed to know about it," said co-author Beth Robinson, a PhD student at the University of Exeter's Environment and Sustainability Institute.
"I thought the first place I would look is on the web, and I wondered what information I would find," she told BBC News.
The team looked at information provided by NGOs, weed control companies, government bodies, the media and the property market.
"There were definite differences between how the different categories presented the information," Ms Robinson observed.
"The knock-on impacts, such as the cost of controlling or eradicating Japanese knotweed, problems with planning permission or a reduction in land value... was the element that varied most significantly."
The researchers stressed that tackling the invasive species needed to be considered on a case-by-case basis. They said some some occurrences would require professional assistance, but many small-scale cases in domestic gardens would not.
They warned that advice that concentrated or overemphasised the risks (such as fines and enforcement notices) could lead to "unnecessary anxiety and expenditure".
Guidance on the UK government web-page dealing with the issue of preventing the spread of invasive species begins by outlining an individual's obligations, which includes preventing non-native invasive plants from "spreading into the wild and causing a nuisance".
It then highlights the potential consequences of failing to do so: "You could be fined up to £5,000 or be sent to prison for two years if you allow contaminated soil or plant material from any waste you transfer to be spread into the wild."
The Royal Horticultural Society tells visitors to its website that "it is not illegal to have Japanese knotweed in your garden".
It then points out how amendments to 2014 legislation affected homeowners before providing a link to the source document from the Home Office.
Although Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica) arrived in the UK in an unsolicited package of plant species in 1850, it was soon being cultivated and sold by an increasing number of plant nurseries.
Plant historians say the sharing of cuttings and the dumping of unwanted specimens were the primary cause of the spread of the plant through the country. This was compounded by the quick-growing species' ability to thrive on disturbed soil, allowing it to rapidly spread along watercourses and roadsides.
It is now estimated that the annual cost of the plant, which can grow one metre in a month, to the UK economy is £166 million.
Ms Robinson said the study highlighted a need for clear and consistent advice about the correct way to handle and dispose of Japanese knotweed.
"We recommend that local and national authorities collaborate and work towards disseminating more consistent messages," she suggested.
She said the technique used in her study could be used to assess the quality, consistency and reliability of advice for other non-native invasive plant species.
Follow Mark on Twitter: @Mark_Kinver | Gardeners searching the web for advice on the best way to tackle Japanese knotweed are likely to find confusing and contradictory advice, a study says. |
35162515 | "The blindness of those who attack Hungary could lead to the disappearance of European civilisation," Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in a statement.
He said the unprecedented joint statement by the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), Council of Europe and Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) "is not true - Hungary is depicting reality".
Full-page paid advertisements in printed and online media, and audio and video spots on broadcast media, allege that, among other things:
The media campaign will last through Christmas until the end of January, and follows similar campaigns this year by Prime Minister Viktor Orban's right-wing government.
In the early summer, a "national consultation on immigration and terrorism" involved sending questionnaires to all Hungarian households.
In July, when the government began building a razor-wire fence along its southern borders, giant posters went up around the country, insisting on the need to "defend the country from the migrants".
Few have actually entered Hungary since 16 October, when the fence on the Croatian border was completed, but the propaganda has continued relentlessly.
According to the latest opinion survey by the Median agency at the end of November, the campaign is working: 63% of respondents found migrants "aggressive and demanding" in November, compared with 58% in September.
Meanwhile, 56% believed it was likely or very likely that Muslims would "sooner or later become the majority in Europe, and impose their religion and culture on us".
Dislike of Arabs and "blacks" also grew, while it stagnated towards Jews and gay people.
Mr Orban has led the government's anti-migrant chorus since the start of the year - and watched his Fidesz party's popularity grow in response.
"Mass migration is threatening the security of Europeans, because it brings with it an exponentially increased threat of terrorism," he told a recent Fidesz party congress.
"We know nothing about these people: where they really come from, who they are, what their intentions are, whether they have received any training, whether they have weapons, or whether they are members of any organisation. Furthermore, mass migration also increases crime rates."
Mr Orban's speech writers are careful to stress the phrase "illegal migrants" rather than "refugees". They also avoid or reject any comparison with Hungarians who fled the Soviet army in 1956, after the revolution was crushed, or with Hungarian migrants now in Western Europe, especially the UK.
Opposition leftist and liberal parties, already weak, have toned down or forgotten their own, initially pro-migrant rhetoric.
Privately, some senior Fidesz figures do express dismay, even disgust at the tone of the campaign. And in public, several conservative figures have taken a more humane stance.
"The main wave of the current flood of refugees passed us by, but… we were willing to embrace those who knocked on our door," said Varszegi Asztrik, Bishop of Pannonhalma Abbey in western Hungary, interviewed by the HVG weekly.
Some 50 Muslim migrants were given temporary shelter in his monastery.
"At a time when we hear so much about fear," wrote Gergely Prohle, deputy state secretary in the Human Resources Ministry, "about the decadence of European civilisation, about the difficulties of having children, and about the weakness of our faith, there is in this photograph a great and encouraging strength."
The photograph he chose to accompany his article in the Christmas edition of the centre-right weekly Heti Valasz shows an Afghan man holding up his 10-day-old daughter at Roszke, on the Hungarian-Serbian border, shortly before the government closed it on 15 September.
But such sentiments are few and far between in Hungary this Christmas. | The Hungarian government has fiercely rebuffed criticism from three top international organisations that its new anti-migrant media campaign is generating fear, intolerance and xenophobia. |
33201728 | Jacqueline Perry, 49, was caught after colleagues at Swansea's Morriston Hospital became suspicious about items disappearing.
Perry, from Morriston, had admitted nine counts of theft from semi-conscious patients at an earlier hearing.
She was jailed for 16 months at Swansea Crown Court on Friday.
Perry was caught after police set up a sting operation which involved placing marked bank notes around Ward G.
When one disappeared, officers searched staff and it was found in her possession.
Perry stole a total of £2,739, which included three gold rings worth £1,800 from an 89-year-old patient.
The thefts had a major impact on Perry's colleagues, the court heard.
In a statement, lead nurse Tina Smith said: "The patients were quite sick and quite vulnerable. It was busy and demanding work.
"The thefts had a massive impact on morale because staff were all under suspicion."
The court heard that Perry stole the money to pay for alcohol for her husband.
Stephen Rees, defending, said the offences were "not motivated through greed, but by financial hardship".
He also told the court a disciplinary hearing would follow the court proceedings and it was "inevitable" that she would lose her job.
Recorder Christopher Clee QC called her actions "a despicable offence".
Perry sobbed in the dock as Mr Clee told her he had no good reason to suspend the sentence.
He told her she will serve half of the sentence in prison and half on licence.
In a statement, Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board said it hoped the sentence would "act as a deterrent" to others.
"Theft from patients or staff in hospitals is not only a serious criminal offence, but a severe breach of trust, which ABMU health board will not tolerate," the statement said.
"We can only apologise to the victims of these thefts, and the distress this former employee's actions have undoubtedly caused."
Perry's victims included: | A healthcare worker who stole cash and jewellery from vulnerable cancer patients has been jailed. |
39086832 | Christian Doidge's goal was the only difference between the sides at the halfway point, heading home Rob Sinclair's corner after 12 minutes.
Early in the second half Kaiyne Woolery broke down the right and cut-back for Liam Noble to tap in a second for Mark Cooper's Rovers.
The New Lawn club put matters beyond doubt when defender Mark Ellis came up from the back to head in a third 20 minutes from time.
Match report supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Forest Green Rovers 3, Macclesfield Town 0.
Second Half ends, Forest Green Rovers 3, Macclesfield Town 0.
David Fitzpatrick (Macclesfield Town) is shown the yellow card.
Andy Haworth (Macclesfield Town) is shown the yellow card.
Substitution, Forest Green Rovers. Marcus Kelly replaces Daniel Wishart.
Substitution, Forest Green Rovers. Sam Wedgbury replaces Rob Sinclair.
Goal! Forest Green Rovers 3, Macclesfield Town 0. Mark Ellis (Forest Green Rovers).
Substitution, Forest Green Rovers. Omar Bugiel replaces Liam Noble.
Substitution, Macclesfield Town. Andy Haworth replaces Connor Jennings.
Substitution, Macclesfield Town. James Thorne replaces Mitch Hancox.
Andy Halls (Macclesfield Town) is shown the yellow card.
Substitution, Macclesfield Town. Rhys Browne replaces Danny Whitaker.
Goal! Forest Green Rovers 2, Macclesfield Town 0. Liam Noble (Forest Green Rovers).
Ethan Pinnock (Forest Green Rovers) is shown the yellow card.
Second Half begins Forest Green Rovers 1, Macclesfield Town 0.
First Half ends, Forest Green Rovers 1, Macclesfield Town 0.
Luke Summerfield (Macclesfield Town) is shown the yellow card.
Chris Holroyd (Macclesfield Town) is shown the yellow card.
Goal! Forest Green Rovers 1, Macclesfield Town 0. Christian Doidge (Forest Green Rovers).
First Half begins.
Lineups are announced and players are warming up. | Forest Green Rovers closed to within three points of Lincoln City at the top of the National League, thanks to a resounding win at home against Macclesfield. |
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