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Garcia beat England's Justin Rose in a play-off on Sunday to finally end his run of 73 majors without a victory.
His win comes on what would have been the 60th birthday of fellow Spaniard Ballesteros, the 1980 and 1983 winner of the Green Jacket, who died in 2011.
"It has been such a long time coming. I am so happy," said Garcia, 37.
"To do it on Seve's 60th birthday and to join him and [Jose Maria] Olazabal, my two idols in golf, it's something amazing.
"Jose sent me a text on Wednesday telling me how much he believed in me and what I needed to do, believe in myself, be calm and not let things get to me as I had in the past."
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Five years ago, Garcia claimed he was not good enough to win a major after shooting a three-over-par 75 at the 2012 Masters to drop out of contention.
Prior to Sunday's victory he was on the longest run of majors without a win of any active player - the closest he had previously come was a tie for second at the Open (in 2007 and 2014) and the US PGA Championship in 1999 and 2008.
He revealed that he had identified the Masters as his most likely chance of a major after he tied for 38th and was the leading amateur in 1999, the year Olazabal won the event for the second time.
And he finally made the breakthrough, by winning the first hole of a sudden-death play-off after he and Rose had both tied at nine under after 72 holes.
"I felt like this course was probably going to give me one major," he said. "That thought changed over the years as I started feeling uncomfortable on the course but I came to peace with it and accepted it."
On Sunday's performance the world number 11 added: "I knew I was playing well. I felt the calmest I ever felt in a major.
"Even after a couple of bogeys I was still positive that there were a lot of holes I could get to. I am so happy."
It was a sensational battle between Garcia and European Ryder Cup team-mate Rose at the Augusta National.
Starting the final round level with Rose on six under par, the Spaniard moved three ahead after five holes but trailed by two after 13 before missing a four-foot putt to win it on the last, However, he kept his nerve in the play-off, winning with a birdie to Rose's bogey.
"We are both trying to win but we are all people," added Garcia. "We have to represent our game.
"We are good friends so we were very respectful of each other. We were cheering each other on. We wanted to beat the other guy, not the other lose it."
This content will not work on your device, please check Javascript and cookies are enabled or update your browser | Sergio Garcia said it was "amazing" to join his Spanish idols Seve Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal as a Masters champion after winning at Augusta. |
13226117 | The blast wrecked the Argana cafe in Djemaa el-Fna square, a popular tourist spot. At least 20 people were injured.
The nationalities of those killed were unclear but French news agency AFP said six were French and three Moroccan.
The last major attack in Morocco was in Casablanca in 2003, when 45 people, including suicide bombers, were killed.
Moroccan government spokesman Khalid Naciri told French television that Thursday's casualties involved a number of nationalities but he would not confirm any as yet.
The interior ministry discounted initial suggestions the blast could have been a gas explosion.
"We worked... on the hypothesis that this could... be accidental. But initial results of the investigation confirm that we are confronted with a true criminal act," he said.
Mr Naciri later said that "terrorists" were behind the attack but added that it was "too soon" to give more details.
Medical sources quoted by AFP said at least five of the foreigners killed were women, but this has not been independently confirmed.
The office of French President Nicolas Sarkozy condemned the attack as "cruel and cowardly".
King Mohammed VI has ordered a "speedy and transparent inquiry" into the blast and demanded the public be informed of the results, a royal communique said.
Witnesses described hearing a huge explosion that sent debris flying into the air.
Briton Hugo Somersham-Jones told the BBC he was at his Marrakesh home, close to the square, when he heard the blast.
"It sounded like a bomb. I went outside and saw smoke and got to the cafe and saw falling masonry. I came out to the main square and saw the first floor of the cafe in ruins.
"People had fire extinguishers, trying to put out the fire, and others were pulling people out from the building - it was pretty bad."
Mr Somersham-Jones, a hotel owner who has been running his business in Marrakesh for six years, said the square was the main area where people congregate and that there had been a deadly gas explosion last year.
Portuguese tourist Alexandre Carvalho told the Associated Press news agency he had seen injured people being carried away.
"I believe the injured were mostly tourists, judging by what they were wearing," he said.
A Marrakesh official quoted by AFP said the explosion "could have been the work of a suicide bomber" adding: "We found nails in one of the bodies."
The UK Foreign Office said consular staff had been deployed to offer assistance to any British nationals.
It said it was also aware of reports in French newspaper Le Figaro that one of the dead was British but could not verify the information.
The Foreign Office has advised UK nationals to stay away from the square.
Djemaa el-Fna square is a Unesco World Heritage site and is popular with foreign tourists, particularly Europeans.
Analysts say the blast could have a serious effect on Morocco's important tourism sector.
One French businessman told Reuters: "You can't find a more emblematic target than Djemaa el-Fna square. With this attack and amid the worrying unrest in the region, tourism will be in the doldrums for some time." | A bomb attack in the main square of the Moroccan city of Marrakesh has killed 15 people, at least 10 of them foreigners, officials say. |
32671434 | Mike Hopkins, 56, was aiming to be the oldest Welsh person to reach the summit.
He had reached Camp 1 when the 7.8 magnitude tremor struck, but he has able to call his wife to tell her he was safe.
More than 2,300 people died in the earthquake on 25 April with 17 killed around the base of Mount Everest.
A team of six officers from South Wales Fire and Rescue Service and one from Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service flew out to assist the rescue mission.
Mr Hopkins was with with a group of nine other climbers and Sherpas on the north side of Everest. | A man who survived the Nepal earthquake while 23,000ft up Mount Everest has retuned safely home to Cardiff. |
27104205 | The song has sold 1.54 million copies since it was released last May, despite criticisms of its explicit lyrics.
About 20 university student unions banned the track, saying it promoted "date rape culture", an accusation Thicke consistently denied.
Its sales tally was revealed in a countdown of the UK's Top 100 downloads on BBC Radio 1.
Compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), the chart marked 10 years of legal downloads in the UK.
Thicke's song overtook the previous best-seller, Adele's Someone Like You, to take the top spot.
Adele's ballad has racked up 1.53 million sales to date.
Moves Like Jagger by Maroon Five was at number three, followed by Australian one-hit wonder Gotye, with 2012's Somebody That I Used To Know at four.
The Black Eyed Peas completed the top five with the party anthem I Gotta Feeling.
According to the Official Charts Company, more than 99% of singles are now purchased as digital downloads.
Fans have bought more than 1.17 billion tracks in the past 10 years, with 27 songs passing the one million download mark.
The latest to achieve the feat is Pharrell Williams' Happy, which has surpassed 1.3 million sales since its release last summer.
Happy took ninth place in the all-time download chart, giving Williams three entries in the top 10.
The others came from his guest appearances on Blurred Lines and Daft Punk's Get Lucky.
The Top 100 was unveiled as part of a UK music industry initiative called A Decade Of Digital.
It celebrates 10 years since sites like iTunes and Napster launched in the UK, helping legitimise the download market.
Blurred Lines was released 11 months ago and continues to sell, having sold 70,000 copies since January.
Official Charts Company boss Martin Talbot said: "To become one of only two tracks to have been downloaded 1.5m times - and climb to the top of the poll as the biggest download of all time - is an incredible achievement."
However, the song's lyrics - which find the 37-year-old in a club talking to a woman who may, or may not, want to go home with him - have proved problematic.
"I know you want it, but you're a good girl," Thicke sings. A video featuring three topless women fuelled allegations the song was misogynistic.
Last September, contributors to Project Unbreakable, a photographic project dedicated to survivors of sexual assault, held up placards comparing words spoken by their attackers to lines from the song.
But Thicke has told the BBC his critics didn't "get" the song.
"I don't want to be sleazy, I'm a gentleman, I've been in love with the same woman since I've been a teenager. I don't want to do anything inappropriate."
Upon hearing it had become the most-downloaded song in UK history, Thicke said: "I'm so honoured, the success of Blurred Lines is a dream come true." | Robin Thicke's controversial hit single Blurred Lines has been named the UK's most-downloaded song of all time. |
18407647 | Their study in the journal Human Reproduction said smoking, alcohol consumption and being obese did not affect semen quality.
However, they warned that avoiding them was still "good health advice".
Wearing boxer shorts rather than tighter underwear was linked to higher sperm levels.
Advice for doctors
by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence says men should be warned about the impact of smoking, drinking and taking recreational drugs on their sperm.
A study by researchers at the Universities of Sheffield and Manchester compared the lifestyles of 939 men with poor sperm quality with 1,310 men with normal sperm quality.
The study showed there was little difference in the number of mobile sperm between patients who never smoked and those who had a 20-a-day habit.
There was "little evidence" that recreational drug use, a high BMI or excessive alcohol consumption affected sperm quality.
Dr Andrew Povey, from the University of Manchester, said there was these lifestyle choices were hugely important for wider health but "probably have little influence" on male fertility.
He said: "This potentially overturns much of the current advice given to men about how they might improve their fertility and suggests that many common lifestyle risks may not be as important as we previously thought.
"Delaying fertility treatment then for these couples so that they can make changes to their lifestyles, for which there is little evidence of effectiveness, is unlikely to improve their chances of a conception and, indeed, might be prejudicial for couples with little time left to lose."
Wearing boxer shorts was associated with higher-quality sperm.
Dr Allan Pacey from the University of Sheffield said: "In spite of our results, it's important that men continue to follow sensible health advice and watch their weight, stop smoking and drink alcohol within sensible limits. But there is no need for them to become monks just because they want to be a dad.
"Although if they are a fan of tight Y-fronts, then switching underpants to something a bit looser for a few months might be a good idea."
There are other measures of fertility, such as the size and shape of the sperm or the quality of the sperms' DNA, which were not considered in the study.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is reviewing the evidence.
A NICE spokesperson said: "The draft update of our fertility guideline is currently open for consultation.
"However, until the update of this guideline is published later this year, the NHS should continue to follow the recommendations in the current fertility guideline." | Lifestyle advice given to tackle male infertility may be futile and could delay other options, according to researchers in the UK. |
40414654 | When heading off to work in the morning, you'll spot plenty of people taking their dog for a morning stroll.
But how about a man out walking with an exotically-coloured macaw on an avian harness?
That's the wild, winged sight that regularly greets locals in Londonderry, where Gerry McKeever and his pet parrot Rio take their daily walks.
The pair are often spotted dandering along the Northland Road, near the Clarendon Street area, with Gerry leading Rio - and they're always happy to stop for a chat.
The sight of one man and his parrot has been turning heads for months - when a video of Gerry and Rio was posted on the Mark Patterson Show Facebook page last year, most of the comments were along the lines of: "Look, that's the parrot we saw the other day!"
But, while it may be an odd sight to see a man walking a blue-and-gold macaw, Gerry is simply making sure his feathered friend is getting the stimulation she needs.
"Macaws usually come in pairs because they're such sociable animals," he said.
"But, we didn't have room for two and we don't have a large aviary or outdoor area or anything like that, so we have to get her out of the house and take her for walks.
"Rio just loves it so we take her out two or three times a day."
He added: "She's actually like a dog, she gets excited when she sees the harness.
"She now has her favourite sitting spots. She'll sit there and say hello to people, watch the world go by. They're creatures of habit too and she loves to talk - she says hello, tata, what's the craic."
While Rio likes a natter, she's not quite as talkative as the other parrot owned by Gerry and his wife Mandy - Charlie, an 11-year-old African Grey.
According to Mandy, her and Gerry have always loved birds.
"I've always had birds since I was a child," she said. "We've had cockatoos, budgies but then we got Charlie and she's fantastic.
"She stays in the house though, you couldn't put a harness on her now as you have to start them off when they're young."
Gerry credits Mandy as the one who takes care of Rio and Charlie when he's at work, and is also responsible for doing a lot of the research needed to keep the pair of them well-informed on parrot welfare.
"She's my sweetheart," says Mandy. "I do the feeding, the cleaning out. I just love them."
And the people of Derry have been taking Rio to their hearts too.
Martina Donaghy tweeted the BBC on Tuesday morning with a picture of Gerry and Rio with the hashtags #brightenmymornings #thkUMr.
"I see this man walking his parrot each morning & want to tell him thanks!"
Gerry admits himself that he's now become "the man with the parrot".
"Even when Rio's not with me, people would say that's who I am," he laughs.
He adds: "I got stopped a lot but people are more used to me now. Children still love to stop and say hello.
"I've taken her up to the Model School (primary school) a couple of times, although I still don't let people get too close .They can stroke her tail, but she's still just a baby and can give a nasty bite.
"She has to get used to people first so you still have to be careful.
"But if she brightens people's day when they see her, that's great." | It's a whole new parrot-digm in pet ownership. |
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Eoin Morgan's team saw a run of five successive ODI wins come to an end on Tuesday when South Africa reached their target of 319 with 22 balls to spare.
Now they return to the Wanderers, where they won by seven wickets in the third Test en route to a 2-1 series victory.
"It would be great to do it in the one-dayers as well," batsman Joe Root said.
Root scored 125 in Centurion in the third game as England made 318-8 but Quinton de Kock and Hashim Amla put on 239 for the first wicket to inspire an impressive South Africa run chase.
"We got outplayed on a wicket that did improve, against some very good batting," Root told BBC Sport.
"We might not have been at our absolute best with the ball and in the field but over the last six or seven games we have played some excellent cricket in this format."
Having lost to Bangladesh in the World Cup and failed to progress to the knock-out stage, England have produced some much improved performances since, under the coaching of Trevor Bayliss and Paul Farbrace, beating New Zealand and Pakistan, and losing 3-2 to world champions Australia.
"We're obviously playing with a lot more freedom and at the back of the innings you have got people like [Chris] Jordan, [David] Willey and [Adil] Rashid at eight, nine and 10 so you can just keep going knowing that there are guys that can clear the ropes consistently behind you," Root said.
Friday's match - at a stadium known as the Bullring for its intimidating atmosphere - is likely to see a packed crowd and will be known as the 'Pink ODI' with pink stumps and South Africa wearing a pink kit to support World Cancer Day, which was on 4 February.
"It's something I have not experienced before and I am really looking forward to it," said Root, who made a century in the first innings of the Test match at the ground last month.
"I've heard they are banging on the tunnel when you walk out to bat and I am sure it will be sold out being the pink game here, so it's really exciting to be a part of that and I'm looking forward to hopefully making some runs again." | England have another chance to seal the one-day international series with South Africa when the teams meet for the fourth match in Johannesburg on Friday. |
40614723 | Sioned Hughes was appointed less than two-years-ago to lead Urdd Gobaith Cymru towards its centenary in 2022.
But BBC Cymru Wales' Newyddion 9 has learned trustees intervened after staff voiced a lack of faith in her ability.
The Urdd, which has 53,000 members, said she had left after a "mutual agreement". Ms Hughes declined to comment.
There is no suggestion that Ms Hughes had misbehaved or there was maladministration in any way.
In a statement the Urdd said: "Sioned Hughes and the movement had come to a mutual agreement that her employment as chief executive is to come to an end.
"The Urdd thanks her for her service and wishes her well in the future." | The chief executive of Wales' biggest youth movement has quit after concerns from staff about her leadership. |
39397211 | Pictures posted online showed the car on its right side on an Arizona street, next to another badly damaged vehicle.
The car - a Volvo SUV - was in self-driving mode at the time of the crash, on Friday, Uber said. No one was hurt.
A spokeswoman for the police in Tempe, Arizona said the accident occurred when another vehicle "failed to yield" to the Uber car at a left turn.
"There was a person behind the wheel. It is uncertain at this time if they were controlling the vehicle at the time of the collision," spokeswoman Josie Montenegro said.
Uber's self-driving cars always have a human in the driving seat who can take over the controls.
The company pulled its self-driving vehicles off the road in Arizona at first, followed by test sites in Pennsylvania and California - all three states where it operated the vehicles.
The incident follows a tumultuous few weeks for the car-hailing app service, after several negative stories about workplace practices and ethics.
A number of executives have quit in recent weeks, including the president, Jeff Jones. | Uber has pulled its self-driving cars from the roads after an accident which left one of the vehicles on its side. |
37315420 | Casey, 39, returned to complete his round on Friday after rain stopped play on the opening day at Crooked Stick.
Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy is a stroke further back heading into the second round, having carded six birdies on his way to a four-under-par 68.
American Robert Castro, at seven under par, held a one-stroke first-round lead from compatriot Brian Harman.
We've launched a new BBC Sport newsletter, bringing all the best stories, features and video right to your inbox. You can sign up here. | England's Paul Casey finished two shots off the lead after the BMW Championship first round in Carmel, Indiana. |
38616694 | The 20-year-old, who started her career at Manchester United's Centre of Excellence, joined Everton in 2013.
"This was the perfect move for me, I needed a fresh start and this will be the perfect place for me to develop," she told Bristol City's club website.
The Vixens were promoted back to the English top flight in 2016.
Manager Willie Kirk added: "Millie's arrival is going to create good competition for places and I imagine she will be a prominent member of the team." | Women's Super League One club Bristol City have signed England Under-23 midfielder Millie Turner from Everton ahead of the 2017 Spring Series. |
36937969 | New boss Mourinho has begun a recruitment drive that has brought defender Eric Bailly, striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic and midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan to Old Trafford.
"We're in a very good spot now, we think we can challenge for the Premier League," said 30-year-old Rooney.
"I think the players feel this is more like the old Manchester United."
In an interview with the Daily Mail, he added that the new signings would complement a squad that featured the talents of rising stars like Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford, who "made such an impact" last season.
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Rooney also praised the "great work ethic" of Ibrahimovic and said United would be making a "big statement" if they managed to capture Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba.
United, FA Cup winners in Louis Van Gaal's last game in May, kick off the new domestic season against Premier League champions Leicester in next weekend's Community Shield at Wembley.
Rooney admits United "want to put a marker down" in that match.
"I know it's a one-off game, but we want to show we can win a trophy early on," he said. "We feel that's an important event for us."
He also reflected on England's desperate display at Euro 2016.
Beaten in the last 16 by Iceland, Rooney criticised manager Roy Hodgson's decision to make a raft of changes for their final group game with Slovakia.
"No, I wouldn't have rested six players... it's more than half the team," said Rooney. "It was a gamble and it didn't pay off."
The England skipper was one of the six shuffled out of the side after a last-gasp win over Wales and was unable to make an impact when he finally came on.
"It was difficult to change the game, impossible really," he said. "I was running around just trying to get the energy back into the team.
"It was Roy's decision to make those changes against Slovakia and, either way, the team he put out should have been able to win."
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Hodgson quit straight after the loss to Iceland, leaving Rooney, England's record goalscorer with 53, to reflect on what might have been.
"I felt we had a good squad, a lot of ability, a lot of talent," he said. "To then go out as we did, and against Iceland, was beyond disappointing.
"We had lost momentum from the Slovakia game and tournament football is about confidence. You get that from winning." | Wayne Rooney predicts that the "old Manchester United" will be on show again this season under Jose Mourinho. |
39846362 | Emergency services were called to the beach near Atlantic Terrace, New Polzeath, at about 15:55 BST.
The driver, thought to be an 80-year-old man, is understood to have reversed the car off the cliff according to police.
He was initially trapped in his blue Hyundai I20, but has now been freed and treated by paramedics.
He is being taken by lifeboat to Cornwall Air Ambulance, and will be flown to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, although the extent of his injuries is not yet clear.
The driver, who is from Bodmin, was the only occupant of the vehicle.
Police, fire and Falmouth coastguard are also on the scene.
More updates on this story, and other news
Sgt Steve Hawkins from Bodmin Police said: "Our understanding is the car was parked nearby and he has somehow managed to reverse off the cliff."
Andy Farrant walked past the scene after the man had been freed from the car.
He said: "There were about 25 to 30 members of the emergency services - ambulance, fire brigade, volunteers from the coastguard, a couple of inshore lifeboats - the air ambulance landed on the nearby cove.
"The patient was on the beach of the nearby cove and has been put in the air ambulance.
"The tide was coming in and there's quite a light breeze but the sea conditions were calm." | An elderly driver has plunged over the side of a 50ft cliff in north Cornwall. |
34017283 | New Nigeria coach Sunday Oliseh said he omitted Mikel from his first squad because the player was uncontactable.
However, Shittu told BBC Sport: "Mikel will never turn his back on Nigeria.
"He loves playing for his country and this is just a miscommunication between coach and player."
On Thursday, Oliseh explained to local media in Abuja why Mikel was not part of his plans for next month's 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Tanzania .
"I was in England early this month and I put a call through to Mikel. I called him four times, the phone kept ringing. I sent him a text message, I got no response," Oliseh revealed.
"I called his Chelsea team-mate and compatriot [Victor] Moses and we met after the Community Shield.
"I didn't hear from Mikel to acknowledge my calls or text until I travelled back home [on 6 August].
"But after our training [on 19 August] I saw a missed call [from Mikel] on my phone so at the moment I really don't know what the situation is now."
Shittu insists Mikel has not been deliberately evasive.
"Mikel sincerely missed the calls and wasn't sure who called. Once he realised who it was he made efforts to reach Sunday Oliseh but could not speak to him." he said.
"It's unfortunate that a miscommunication is being blown out of proportion in the media.
"Efforts are being made to sort things out amicably because Mikel is dedicated to Nigeria.
"For the sake of the country, everyone should support the coach and the players selected instead of focussing on other things that could affect the preparation."
Oliseh's predecessors Berti Vogts, Samson Siasia and Stephen Keshi also experienced difficulties with Mikel, who has been criticised for appearing to show indifference and a lack of respect.
Mikel, who made his debut for Nigeria against Libya in August 2005, has scored four goals for his country in 64 appearances. | Chelsea midfielder John Mikel Obi is still available for Nigeria duty despite not being involved since November, according to the player's representative John Shittu. |
37739745 | Jordan Georgiou, 22, fled from Colchester General Hospital while being treated for injuries on Friday evening.
Mr Georgiou, from Clacton, is 5ft 6ins tall, with short brown hair and was dressed in a hospital gown.
An 18-year-old man and two women aged 19 and 21, all from Clacton, have been arrested for assisting an offender.
Anyone with information on Mr Georgiou's whereabouts is asked to contact police urgently. | A man arrested on suspicion of criminal damage, assaulting a police constable and breach of a court order, has escaped from custody at hospital. |
32314901 | The World Bank's Global Findex report said more than half of adults in the world's poorest areas still have no access to the financial system.
This is despite a global increase of 11% in the last three years of adults owning bank accounts.
The increase in account ownership has been driven largely by developing countries and the role of technology.
Broader access to the financial system can "boost job creation, increase investment in education" and is "critical to ending global poverty", said the report.
It also found that the gender gap in financial inclusion is not narrowing. The largest gap was in South Asia, where 37% of women have an account, compared with 65% of men.
Mobile money accounts - making and receiving electronic payments via a mobile phone - in Sub-Saharan Africa contributed to the growth in account ownership, which now stands at 62% of adults globally, up from 51% three years ago. The World Bank said this presents "big opportunities for boosting financial inclusion among women and poor people".
World Bank Group president Jim Yong Kim said: "Access to financial services can serve as a bridge out of poverty. We have set a hugely ambitious goal - universal financial access by 2020." | More than a quarter of people globally still do not have access to banking facilities, a report shows. |
37278289 | Four-time Paralympic gold medallist Smyth will be one of the first Irish athletes in action when he competes in the T13 100m heats on Thursday.
"Preparations have been ideal for me," says the world's fastest Paralympian.
"There are always plenty of doom and gloom stories beforehand but as an athlete, you just focus on yourself."
With Smyth's opening heat taking place at 23:15 BST on Thursday, the Irish star will not be involved in Wednesday's opening ceremony.
"As incredible as the opening ceremony is, there's a lot of standing around and it wouldn't be the ideal preparation for me, with my first race taking pace the next day," adds Smyth, who as an eight-year-old was diagnosed with the genetic condition Stargardt's Disease, which has left him with less than 10% of normal vision.
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The visually-impaired sprinter also missed out on the opening ceremony at London 2012 when he went on to break his own world records as he retained the T13 100m and 200m titles.
Smyth's 10.46 seconds 100m winning time in London remains the fastest ever Paralympic clocking, although the County Londonderry man has gone as fast as 10.22 in able-bodied competition.
Four years on, Smyth does not have the option of doubling up after the International Paralympic Committee opted to remove the 200m from this year's athletics programme.
Smyth has had over two years to get over that disappointment and all his attentions are focused on retaining his 100m title with the final taking place on Friday at 15:00 BST, less than 16 hours after the heats.
As ever with Paralympic competition, gauging the quality of Smyth's opposition is tricky, but the Team Ireland star expects home runner Gustavo Henrique Araujo to be among his main rivals.
The Brazilian finished second behind Smyth at last year's IPC World Championships in Doha, although the Northern Irishman's time of 10.62 seconds left him 0.28 clear.
"He's fairly new on the scene so I wouldn't be surprised if he kicks on a bit, especially as he has a home Games," added Smyth, whose 100m personal best of 10.22 - recorded in 2011 - enabled him to join Usain Bolt and the globe's other best able-bodies sprinters at that year's World Championships in Daegu.
However, Smyth knows he will be a long odds-on favourite to retain his title - just has been the case since he started a long unbeaten record in Paralympic competition by achieving the T13 sprint double at the European Championships in Finland in 2005.
"Obviously there is the expectation for me to win and the pressure to do so but I try not to think about that too much," adds Smyth, whose wife Elise gave birth to the couple's first child Evie last October.
"It's a case of trying to control what you can control and the best way to do that is to be positive and just focus on putting your race together.
"Then you just hope everyone else finds themselves behind you."
Smyth started 2016 with hopes of also competing at the Olympics in Rio but his 100m season's best of 10.39 - clocked in May in Florida - was 0.23 seconds outside the qualifying mark.
However, that run was still his fastest time in three years following the knee injury he suffered in a gym session in 2013.
"Things have been going well. Being injury-free gives you the platform to get some good work done and I'm happy and optimistic that things are going to go well in Rio." | Irish Paralympic star Jason Smyth insists funding and other worries around the Rio Games, which start on Wednesday, will have no impact on him. |
39364197 | The victim, identified by police as 21-year-old Reuben Morris-Laing, was found outside the Premier Express store on Robin Hood Street in the St Ann's area.
He was found shortly before 21:30 GMT on Wednesday and taken to the Queen's Medical Centre, where he died.
Nottinghamshire Police said it was a knife crime incident and they have increased patrols in the area.
A cordon remains in place at the scene.
A post-mortem examination is taking place and the Mr Morrie Laing's relatives have been informed.
The incident has prompted Nottingham City Council's leader to call for tougher penalties for knife crime.
Council leader Jon Collins said: "My thoughts and sympathy go out to the family and friends who have lost a loved one in this senseless attack.
"We are working with the police and other partners to help catch the perpetrator and to more widely tackle knife crime, which so sadly ended in tragedy last night.
"When the government introduced a five-year mandatory sentence for possession of a firearm, it had a big effect on significantly reducing the number of people carrying and using firearms.
"A clear mandatory prison sentence would send a clear message and I am sure would have a similar impact." | A murder inquiry is under way after a man was found with fatal injuries outside a Nottingham shop. |
35544251 | The findings follow inspections of all 43 police forces in England and Wales by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC).
Dyfed-Powys Police "had not done enough to develop an ethical culture", said inspectors.
The force's police and crime commissioner Christopher Salmon said action must be taken.
"Dyfed-Powys needs to do more to develop an open and questioning culture. I want to see more progress on this," said Mr Salmon.
"I have made clear to the chief constable that, as this report states, he has more to do."
The force was one of five singled out for improvement after inspectors examined how officers interacted with individuals and communities.
"Following our inspection, HMIC considers that Dyfed-Powys Police had not done enough to develop an ethical culture, to incorporate the code of ethics into policy or practice, or to ensure complaints and misconduct cases were free of bias," said HM Inspector Wendy Williams.
"That is why we have judged the force to 'require improvement' to be considered 'legitimate'."
However, the force was rated good on issues of stop-and-search and its use of stun guns.
The other three Welsh forces were all rated as good overall, with both South Wales and Gwent Police given outstanding rankings for the way they engage with the public.
South Wales Police's Assistant Chief Constable Richard Lewis said: "Overall this is a very pleasing report. What it shows is we are listening to and working together with our communities, which is central to everything we do." | The way Dyfed-Powys Police treats the public "requires improvement", an official watchdog has said. |
33253250 | The guest had been jailed, Brajesh Srivastava, additional superintendent of police in the town of Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh state, told the BBC.
Police said the gun owned by the guest was illegal and had been confiscated.
The song the guest is said to have wanted played is called Tamanche pe disco, which translates from Hindi as "dancing with an illegal firearm".
The victim, identified as Arun Valmiki, had been hired as a disc jockey for a private party organised at the residence of a local businessman, one of his relatives told the BBC.
The man who shot Mr Valmiki is a relative of the host and, armed with a revolver, fired in the air several times while on the dance floor, the victim's relative added.
In the video for the song, which is from a film called Bullett Raja, the hero is seen flaunting a revolver while dancing in a discotheque.
Mr Valmiki had been taken to a government hospital but was declared dead on arrival. | A disc jockey at a party in northern India was shot dead by a guest, apparently for not playing a song. |
37173186 | The banks are said to be withholding a total of $2.1bn (£1.6bn) belonging to the state-owned oil company.
Last year, President Muhammadu Buhari ordered the merger of all state accounts into one single account at the central bank to reduce corruption.
It is nearly a year since the deadline to transfer the money expired.
The banks affected are: Diamond Bank, Fidelity Bank, First Bank, First City Monument Bank, Heritage Bank, Keystone Bank, Skye Bank, Sterling Bank and United Bank for Africa.
The BBC's Naziru Mikailu in the capital, Abuja, says most commercial banks, especially smaller ones, have suffered as a result of the policy, as government agencies stopped depositing their money with them.
Bank customers, especially those who import and export goods, will be affected by the ban as it means they will not be able to access their foreign currency accounts.
The foreign currency trade ban is likely to have a major impact on the banks involved as it is believed some of them do not have the funds to hand over, a source at the Central Bank of Nigeria told the BBC.
An official at one of the affected banks told the Reuters news agency the non-payment reflected the "dire macroeconomic situation", rather than deliberate non-compliance.
Nigeria has suffered severe economic problems because of the relatively low price of oil, which provides most of the country's foreign currency earnings.
The ban will be lifted individually as each bank transfers the money it owes. Each institution is also likely to face a further fine.
The forex trading ban was triggered after the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) complained to President Buhari about the missing money, an NNPC spokesman told the BBC.
Last year, President Buhari estimated government officials had stolen about $150bn in the previous decade.
In the past it was easy for fraud to take place as the government did not know how many bank accounts each ministry held. | Nine Nigerian banks have been suspended from foreign currency trading for not paying money owed to the government, a central bank source has told the BBC. |
33999256 | They think 350 coins were on the Atlantic sea bed, off the coast of Florida, for the past 300 years.
The coins are thought to be from a fleet of 11 Spanish ships, that sank during a hurricane, while making the journey from Cuba to Spain.
Treasure hunting is a popular activity in the waters around Florida.
The discovery is the second major find by treasure hunters in recent months.
In June, they found about 50 coins worth roughly half a million pounds.
The 350 coins, which were brought to the surface at the end of July, turned up in just a metre of water close to the shore, buried under the sand.
Under law in the US, the government in Florida get to keep 20% of the money from the find.
The diver who discovered the coins, William Bartlett, didn't say what his reward would be. | Treasure hunters in the US say they have discovered Spanish gold coins from the 18th century that are worth more than £2 million. |
37279260 | The youngster climbed on to the belt in the arrivals hall on Sunday afternoon, leading to his father also getting on to try to retrieve him.
He had been freed when paramedics arrived and was treated for arm and leg injuries before going to hospital. His father suffered knee injuries.
The airport said it was investigating what happened.
The boy's father did not require hospital treatment.
Latest updates, plus more Birmingham stories | A boy was injured when he became trapped on a baggage belt at Birmingham Airport. |
39907342 | Spray-painted political slogans, including some targeting Ms Rudd, have appeared in eight places in Hastings.
The messages daubed on walls, bridge supports and a Grade II-listed building include one near St Mary-in-the-Castle demanding "Evict Amber Rudd".
Police are treating it as "politically-motivated criminal damage".
A spokesman said: "The graffiti was reported by Hastings Borough Council and affected council property, locations administered by East Sussex County Council and Highways England and one private dwelling."
Ms Rudd is aiming to retain the Hastings and Rye seat which she won with a majority of more than 4,700 in 2015.
However, she faces a challenge from Labour after the Green Party formed an alliance with them and stood down its candidate. | Graffiti directed at Home Secretary Amber Rudd has appeared in the constituency where she is standing in the general election. |
39372045 | Blake McCaughey was credited with the Belfast Giants' third goal in their 5-3 home defeat by Sheffield Steelers after an extra goal was awarded, timed 59.59.
After being given the Giants' man of the match award, Blake led the team around the ice for their end-of-game skate, receiving a standing ovation.
Blake has a rare genetic disorder.
Blake's name was added to the official game sheet for the Elite League encounter on 17 March, and a player profile was uploaded to the league website.
He is a huge Giants fan and a popular figure at the SSE Arena.
The Elite League said: "On behalf of everyone at the Elite League, we'd like to wish Blake all the best and look forward to seeing him back on the ice again soon." | A nine-year-old boy who is set for open heart surgery in London in May has been named ice hockey's Elite League player of the week. |
36865576 | South Gloucestershire Council wants to create Adoption West to give social workers access to a bigger pool of potential adoptive parents.
The proposal would see the creation of a regional agency, with councils working together to find homes for children.
The new service could be up and running from April 2018.
South Gloucestershire Council has been working with Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol City, Gloucestershire County, North Somerset and Wiltshire councils and six agencies to create the agency.
It replicates Adopt South West - which Somerset, Plymouth City, Devon County and Torbay councils and two voluntary adoption agencies already operate.
Cabinet member Paul McClaine said: "When you've got children, you've got to look at what's best for them.
"To have a much wider range of potential adopters to choose from has got to be a really good thing." | A new partnership could simplify the adoption process in the west of England. |
35659866 | Sir Tom said leadership and open minds were needed to allow Scotland's schools to become the best in the world.
In a BBC Scotland documentary, Sir Tom visited an academy school in London outside local authority control.
The academy model has been resisted by teaching unions in Scotland, where only one state secondary is run independently of a local council.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told the BBC programme that ideology should not stand in the way of education reform.
Ms Sturgeon told Sir Tom: "If something can be proven to work, we should try it.
"In fact we should be prepared to try things to see if they work rather than sitting back passively and waiting to see if other people can do it so there's no ideological closing of doors."
"Making sure that our young folk get the best education is the only thing that matters to me and if something can be shown to work in doing that or if something's worth trying to do that, then I'll certainly be in the market for it."
Sir Tom, who grew up in the mining village of New Cumnock in Ayrshire, was declared to be Scotland's first home-grown billionaire in 2007.
He has given away much of his fortune to educational projects.
For the BBC documentary, Sir Tom travelled around the UK to see how the "attainment gap" could be eliminated in schools.
The attainment gap is where children from poorer neighbourhoods do worse at school than those from better off areas.
He found that good leadership and innovation were two key areas to tackling this problem.
Sir Tom said: "We have the ability to go and find out what's best and shine a light on best practice and therefore make it available throughout the whole of Scotland. Why would you not do that?"
The businessman visited King Solomon Academy in London - a school which serves a poor area, but has achieved the best GCSE results of any non-selective school in England.
The headteacher, Max Haimendorf, told BBC Scotland much of that success was down to being independent of local authority control.
He said: "The governors, the people who work sort of behind the school, very ambitious people, both successful in business, and they wanted to kind of make something happen for this community and in education."
"That led to a level of ambition and that doesn't necessarily mean just replicating what has happened before. It means doing things differently."
In England, one in five schools is either a free school or an academy, but there are none in Scotland.
Sir Tom added: "I think the key things that have struck me is one size doesn't fit all. So are we measuring the right things and are we adjusting our education system when it's not working, or are we afraid to take these steps?
"I would say we'd be doing Scotland's children a disservice if we were afraid." | Philanthropist and businessman Sir Tom Hunter has warned against a "one size fits all" approach to education. |
40994864 | A family statement said he died of natural causes at his home in Las Vegas on Sunday morning.
Lewis's 10-year partnership with Dean Martin saw them star in 16 films and achieve huge box office success.
He became the highest-paid actor in Hollywood, chalking up hits such as The Bell Boy, Cinderfella and The Nutty Professor.
Other notable successes included The King of Comedy in 1983, in which he played a talk show host stalked by Robert de Niro.
Fellow celebrities paid tribute as news of his death broke. Whoopi Goldberg called it "a gain for heaven, but big loss for comedy".
Star Trek actor William Shatner tweeted that the world was "a lot less funnier today".
Actor Jim Carrey, whose comedy style was strongly influenced by Jerry Lewis, said: "That fool was no dummy. Jerry Lewis was an undeniable genius an unfathomable blessing, comedy's absolute. I am because he was!"
There were also tributes from the daughters of Lewis's longtime associates Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.
"Dear Jerry, Dad will be as happy to see you as I'm sad to see you go. Give him one of your bear hugs for me. I'll always love you," tweeted Nancy Sinatra.
Deana Martin also wrote on Twitter: "I'm heartbroken at the loss of our life-long friend (Uncle) Jerry Lewis. I've loved him all my life and will miss him greatly."
Lewis was born Joseph Levitch in Newark, New Jersey, to Russian-Jewish parents who were both in showbusiness.
He started performing on stage at the age of five alongside his parents.
Lewis teamed up with Dean Martin in the late 1940s, acting the goofy sidekick to Martin's suave persona.
Over the next 10 years they appeared in nightclubs, on television and in movies, but their partnership ended with a bitter split.
Lewis was also the host of a long-running telethon which raised many millions of dollars for muscular dystrophy.
In 1995, he became the highest-paid star in Broadway history as Mr Applegate in the musical Damn Yankees. He also won acclaim as a writer.
In his later years, however, he courted controversy with racist and misogynistic jokes, and in 2007 he was forced to apologise after making an anti-gay slur during a telethon.
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In an interview, Lewis once said the key to his success had been in maintaining a certain child-like quality, but added: "I've had great success being a total idiot."
"I look at the world through a child's eyes because I'm nine," he told Reuters in 2002.
"I stayed that way. I made a career out of it. It's a wonderful place to be."
Lewis also achieved great popularity in France where he was hailed as "le Roi du Crazy" ("the King of Crazy"). He was inducted into the Legion of Honour, France's highest award, in 1984. | Entertainer Jerry Lewis, one of Hollywood's most successful comedians, has died aged 91. |
36720103 | Tredwell hit a career-high 124 as he and Northeast (166 not out) shared Kent's best-ever eighth-wicket stand.
Their 222-run partnership was broken when Matthew Quinn removed Tredwell and Kent were soon all out for 370.
Needing just nine runs to win, openers Nick Browne and Alastair Cook combined to seal victory for Essex.
Northeast's unbeaten knock, which lasted seven hours and 45 minutes, added to his scores of 191 and 70 not out in his previous Championship game against Derbyshire.
Tredwell and Northeast's partnership beat the previous best eighth-wicket stand of 177, shared by Geraint Jones and Yasir Arafat against Warwickshire in 2007. | James Tredwell and Sam Northeast's huge stand was not enough to stop Essex from securing victory as they moved above Kent to go top of Division Two. |
30880870 | This may be great news if you're not a fan of the device - which fixes onto a camera or phone to allow users a better photo - because they get in the way of the action.
But if you got one for Christmas, you'd better read this Newsbeat guide to the places where your stick is no longer welcome.
On Sunday night, hip-hop legends Run-DMC performed at London's Scala club.
It's been 12 years since the rap group performed in the UK so you can imagine the excitement to make sure that they got a good selfie with Darryl McDaniels and Joseph Simmons in full flow behind them.
So it's lucky Scala says it has no policy (yet) on the selfie stick.
But many music venues do - and have already outlawed them, such as London's O2 Arena.
"The O2 do not allow selfie sticks into the arena due to safety considerations and so as not to impact the view of other fans. We welcome selfies, but leave the stick at home please," the venue states.
And Academy Music Group, which owns the smaller O2 venues like O2 ABC Glasgow and O2 Academy Bristol, told Newsbeat: "Selfie sticks are not permitted at Academy Music Group venues.
"This is in keeping with our existing policy that prohibits the filming and photography during a performance with iPads and other tablet devices and includes any such obstructions for the satisfaction of other customers."
If you're on a ride and want to capture that look of sheer terror on your mates' faces as you zoom around, we hate to break it to you that selfie sticks are not allowed at most UK theme parks.
A spokesman at Chessington World of Adventures said: "Filming or photography of any kind on any ride or attraction here at Chessington World of Adventures resort is not permitted so selfie sticks would be included in this but they haven't been [specifically] banned at the resort."
The same applies at Alton Towers in Staffordshire.
As for nearby Drayton Manor Theme Park, the people there say while they "always encourage people to capture memories at Drayton Manor" when it comes to the selfie stick each ride has a "safety clearance envelope" which is "measured around the seat to create a safe zone".
What that means is, if you put your arm out of the ride it shouldn't hit anything "therefore due to the nature of a selfie stick this would not comply".
Football grounds were the first to stamp their foot down when it comes to fans capturing the moment in as wide a scope as possible.
Several Premier League clubs have also banned the use of selfie sticks.
Manchester United and Arsenal have confirmed the devices are not allowed at matches. In fact they class them alongside knives and fireworks.
Newsbeat spoke to the Tate group and the British Museum which have a similar stance on the selfie stick. They love a selfie in a museum.
But not during paid-for exhibitions.
Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter, BBCNewsbeat on Instagram and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube | From sports stadiums to gig venues, it feels like selfie sticks are being banned all over the place right now. |
33498942 | Doris Long said she felt no fear as she came down Portsmouth's Spinnaker Tower.
The great-great-grandmother last performed the feat on her 100th birthday in May 2014.
The pensioner, who has previously abseiled alongside new Top Gear host Chris Evans, is raising money for the Rowans Hospice in Waterlooville.
Ms Long, who first abseiled aged 85, said: "I don't feel afraid and never have, I just have a placid nature."
Ms Long, who has a daughter, three grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren, received cheers and applause from the crowd as she reached the bottom of the tower.
"It was very hard work, much harder than last year," she said. "It was so windy I swung about a bit but oh yes, I enjoyed it, I feel it's well worth it.
"My legs ache like anything and my right arm where I hold the rope and my hair is all sticking out."
"Daring Doris", who has raised more than £11,000 for the hospice, said she hopes to repeat the challenge next year aged 102.
Jennie Watson, 42, from Locks Heath, who completed the abseil earlier in the day, said: "You have to be quite agile to get the ropes down but it's the bravery more than anything. How she does it, I have no idea." | The world's oldest abseiler, nicknamed "Daring Doris", has increased her record after descending almost 100m (328ft) aged 101. |
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International tournaments have been played in the mountains, deserts, town squares and indoors. At London 2012 the tournament was staged at Horse Guards Parade, normally reserved for the Queen's birthday celebrations.
Beach volleyball has been as well-known for its competitors' attire as its elite sport status, but the outfit worn by Denise Lewis when she won heptathlon gold in 2000 was actually smaller than the costumes worn by female beach volleyballers.
Beach volleyball is an excellent way to stay fit as exercise on sand can be up to 30% more strenuous than exercise on concrete surfaces.
It also helps improve balance, endurance and lower body muscle, with an hour's play burning approximately 526 calories.
As it is harder to gain height springing up from sand, beach volleyball relies more on technique than size and strength, making it an inclusive sport. Players also touch the ball more often than in indoor volleyball as there are just two players per team.
As beach volleyball is played in pairs, it is an excellent way to develop communication skills and learn to work effectively with other people. Clubs also offer a variety of social events beyond simply taking part in the sport.
Beach volleyball is an exciting, competitive team game that forces you to think tactically.
You can get a casual game going almost anywhere, be it the park, the beach, your back garden, university or even a swimming pool; all that is needed is a net and a ball.
For more regulated play, clubs throughout the United Kingdom run training sessions and leagues for players of all abilities.
Volleyball England's Go Spike campaign is currently putting on taster sessions for the sport which anyone from complete beginners to experienced players can take part in. Visit the Go Spike website to find out when events are being run close to you.
Outside England you can visit the Northern Ireland Volleyball,Scottish Volleyball Association and Volleyball Wales websites to discover schemes available locally.
More on the British Volleyball website
Beach volleyball began to gain popularity throughout the United States during the 1930s and the first official two-man tournament took place in 1947.
About 5,000 tonnes of sand will be imported from a quarry in Surrey for the tournament, which takes place only five minutes from the Cabinet War Rooms where Winston Churchill orchestrated victory in the Second World War.
The first beach volleyball circuit involving hundreds of players and five California beaches began in the 1950s. Signs of the sport's continuing popularity came in the 1960s when Marilyn Monroe and John F Kennedy watched a tournament, and the Beatles even tried to play while in California.
Beach volleyball had to wait until 1996 to make its Olympic debut in the Atlanta Games, with the USA and Brazil dominating the medal count since its introduction.
The first international beach volleyball tour in 1990 involved three tournaments, 40 athletes and three countries. In 2011, the season consisted of 30 tournaments (14 for men, 16 for women), with total prize money of £4.8m.
It is not true that the women are obliged to wear bikinis - they have always been able to choose from a one or two-piece uniform, and
More on the IOC website
Are you inspired to try Beach Volleyball? Or maybe you are an enthusiast already? Get in touch and tell us your experience of the game by tweeting us on @bbcgetinspired or email us on [email protected].
See our full list of activity guides for more inspiration. | Arguably the most glamorous Olympic sport, beach volleyball has grown from being played by a handful of families in Santa Monica, California in the 1920s to now being the sport of choice for 800 million people throughout the world. |
32319050 | The birds, that live around Bishops Court Estate in Clyst St Mary, near Exeter, and are mistaking their reflections for rival birds.
The peacocks are thought to be wild and have been targeting dark-coloured vehicles.
Local residents said in recent years the birds had increased in number and grown more aggressive.
Penny Hill, a business support manager at a nearby business estate, said her Audi TT was repeatedly violently attacked by a peacock.
"The pecking has completely ruined the paintwork and it is going to cost around £500-£600 to fix," she said.
"They're attacking the car because it's mating season and they think the reflection is another bird which it's jealous of.
"I just want to know who owns the birds because they need to be restrained or re-homed."
Stephen Fricker owns a business on the same estate and has had his company car damaged by the birds.
"It's very frustrating they scratched all down the driver's side and had a good go at the boot," he said.
"It was that aggressive the bird ripped its own claw off and left the car covered in blood."
Mr Fricker said he had tried lots of ways to deter the birds but was unsuccessful.
"We put a mirror out so it would attack that but they still went for the cars, we're now having to use a car cover," he said.
"We've got two choices - shoot the poor things or re-home them, and they are beautiful creatures so we don't want to kill them."
Local residents are now contacting animal authorities to see what can be done. | Peacocks in a Devon village have been attacking cars by scratching and pecking at the paintwork. |
31048274 | What's happening? Its an interesting question at a time when the political debate ahead of the general election is reaching fever pitch.
The latest polling data comes from the British Social Attitudes survey, covering a range of issues, which has been conducted every year since 1983 apart from 1988 and 1992.
It was carried out in England, Scotland and Wales, covering just under 2,000 adults weighted to reflect the age, gender and geographic spread of the population.
Its important to note that most of the interviews were carried out in August and September, with some over the next two months but all before winter set in with a succession of headlines about accident & emergency problems.
Those interviewed were representative of the whole population, not just patients. But the survey, conducted in association with the King's Fund think tank, does provide a consistent data set going back more than 30 years.
The survey's headline finding is that public satisfaction with the NHS rose from 60 to 65% in 2014, the highest in any year apart from 2010 when it was at 70%.
There was a big drop in 2011, but much of that ground has been recovered.
Satisfaction with A&E services rose despite pressure on the system building from the spring. More than 70% of those surveyed were satisfied with GPs, though this was the lowest since the survey began.
The BSA/King's Fund survey is published as successive opinion polls put the NHS at the top of voter concerns.
An IPSOS/MORI poll in January reported that 46% said health issues were very important, up from 29% in September 2014. Managing the economy, the next most important issue, trailed at 33%.
And a BBC/Populus poll this week suggested that people thought the NHS was the most important issue to be covered by the news ahead of the election, ahead of the economy and immigration.
The big unknown is how all this plays out when voters walk into polling stations in May.
If they are satisfied with the NHS, might they give the coalition parties their support? Or might they back the claim that to ensure continued satisfaction with the health service only a vote for Labour will suffice? If they think that health is the most important issue how will this translate into crosses on ballot papers?
It's hard to work out the answers.
More detailed fieldwork by IPSOS/MORI reveals some intriguing views amongst British population.
It found 27% of those surveyed lacked confidence they would receive high quality NHS care in their local area this winter.
Yet 68% of Britons agreed that the NHS was a "symbol of what is great about Great Britain" and everything should be done to maintain it. So, it seems, people can love the NHS and still be worried about the service this winter.
One thing is clear - the NHS will be a major issue out on the campaign trail. Its far from plain, though, how people's views on the service will help or hinder the rival parties as they scrap for every vote. | Accident and emergency targets missed, longer waits, ambulances queuing at hospitals, rising patient numbers, intense pressures - yet public satisfaction with the NHS is close to a record high. |
39559904 | Ahsan Hassan, 28, from High Wycombe, killed 20-year-old Zofia Sadowska in a disused kebab shop in September.
Reading Crown Court heard Hassan told the taxi driver she was drunk and asleep and later told police the death was part of a suicide pact.
Hassan was sentenced to a minimum term of 23 years and 165 days.
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He "hatched a plan to kill her because he knew their relationship was going to end that night and he selfishly couldn't cope with that", Det Insp Stuart Blaik, of Thames Valley Police, said.
Hassan took Ms Sadowska to the disused kebab shop on Gayhurst Road in High Wycombe at about 23:30 BST on 18 September.
At about 02:00, he put her body into a taxi and they were driven to his home in Dashwood Avenue.
CCTV images of Hassan carrying her "limp and motionless body" out of the kebab shop and into the taxi were shown to the jury during his trial.
Police and paramedics were called to the Dashwood Avenue property just after 05:00 to reports of an attempted suicide.
Hassan, who was convicted of murder last week, had tried to cover up the crime by claiming her "evilly planned" killing was part of a suicide pact, Det Insp Blaik said.
Following the trial, he described Hassan as "deeply controlling, manipulative and consumed with jealousy".
Ms Sadowska's death had "devastated" her family, Crown Prosecutor Matthew Knight said. | A "jealous and manipulative" man who murdered his girlfriend by suffocating her, before taking her body home in a taxi, has been jailed for life. |
27349248 | The Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) is a monthly survey of a panel of firms. It tracks indicators such as new orders, employment and exports.
In April, it showed the fastest rate of expansion in business activity and new orders since the survey began 12 years ago.
The data is produced by Ulster Bank.
The survey also points to increased levels of employment as companies responded to increasing workloads
Richard Ramsey, the bank's chief economist, said the survey shows Northern Ireland outperforming the UK on some key indicators but that it needed to be kept in context.
"It should be remembered that Northern Ireland's economic recovery, in terms of both output and employment, has lagged significantly behind that of the UK.
"Therefore, the local economy still faces a prolonged period of catch-up in the months and years ahead.
"However, it is encouraging to see that the recovery is gaining momentum."
Services, which are the largest part of Northern Ireland's private sector, showed the best performance.
Some of the companies surveyed said that higher salary payments had been a driver of increased input costs.
The construction sector posted the fastest rate of input price inflation for the fourth consecutive month, while inflation also picked up in the manufacturing and service sectors.
Despite the rate of cost inflation remaining strong, Northern Ireland companies raised their output prices at only a slight pace in April. | The recovery of Northern Ireland's private sector moved up a gear in April, a survey of business has suggested. |
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Grainger, 36, was a silver medallist at three previous Games, with the world champions clocking six minutes 55.82 seconds.
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Australia took the silver and Poland the bronze. The gold came 20 minutes after the men's pair of George Nash and Will Satch won bronze. Alan Campbell then won bronze in the men's single sculls.
Victory brought GB's second rowing success following Heather Stanning and Helen Glover's win in the women's pair on Wednesday.
Watkins and Grainger are now unbeaten in 23 races.
Since they teamed up in 2010, the duo have claimed two World Championship titles, bringing Grainger's total to six world gold medals overall.
"I never had a doubt. With 750m [to go] there was only going to be one winner. That is the story of the British medals so far at these Games."
The pair were the form crew coming to the Olympic regatta at Eton Dorney, comfortably winning gold in all three World Cups.
Grainger said: "It was worth the wait. Steve Redgrave promised me there would be tears of joy this time and there are. For both of us we knew we had the goods to perform and it was about delivering."
Watkins added: "I can't believe it. I've tried to keep my mind away from this moment. It was just another race but it was the right one."
Grainger and Watkins exploded out of the blocks to take an early lead ahead of the Australian crew of Brooke Pratley and Kim Crow.
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The Brits extended that lead to half-a-length by 500m and then two-thirds at half-way as the Australians hung on in second.
But it was at this point that Grainger and Watkins stepped it up a notch, upping their stroke rate and pushing ahead towards an expectant crowd that was already on their feet and going crazy with excitement.
Australia realised they were beaten as Watkins and Grainger pulled ahead with clear water and crossed the line to earn Grainger the gold she has been dreaming of since making her rowing debut in 1993.
Victory confirms Grainger, who dropped her shoulders with relief and looked up to the sky before raising her hands in celebration, as the most successful British female rower of all time. | Great Britain won its fourth Olympic gold in 24 hours - and sixth in total - as Katherine Grainger and Anna Watkins triumphed in the women's double sculls. |
40141411 | He argued this could be done "through partnerships among cities, states and businesses", saying Americans would not let Washington stand in their way.
Mr Bloomberg is the UN special envoy for cities and climate change.
Mr Trump said the 2015 Paris agreement would cost American jobs.
His decision, announced on Thursday, triggered widespread international condemnation.
China, the EU and India, which along with the US make up the four biggest emitters of carbon dioxide, restated their commitment to the accord.
It commits the US and 194 other countries to keeping rising global temperatures "well below" 2 degrees C above pre-industrial levels and "endeavour to limit" them even more, to 1.5C.
The UN World Meteorological Organisation said that, in the worst scenario, the US pullout could add 0.3C to global temperatures by the end of the century.
"Americans don't need Washington to meet our Paris commitments, and Americans are not going to let Washington stand in the way of fulfilling it," Bloomberg said, following talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris.
"I want the world to know that the US will meet its Paris commitments and that through partnerships among cities, states and businesses we will seek to remain part of the Paris agreement process.
"We are already halfway there and we can accelerate our process further even without any support from Washington," Mr Bloomberg added.
Meanwhile, President Macron restated his position that the Paris accord was "irreversible" and would be implemented.
Mr Trump on Thursday characterised the Paris agreement as a deal that aimed to hobble, disadvantage and impoverish the US.
He said it would cost the US $3tn (£2.3tn) in lost GDP and 6.5 million jobs - while rival economies like China and India were treated more favourably.
Mr Trump said he was fulfilling his "solemn duty to protect America and its citizens".
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the US had a "terrific record on reducing our own greenhouse gas emissions".
The head of the US Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt, said exiting the Paris Agreement did not mean disengagement.
"The president said yesterday (Thursday) that Paris represents a bad deal for this country," he told reporters at the White House.
"It doesn't mean that we're not going to continue the discussion to export our innovation, to export our technology to the rest of the world, to demonstrate how we do it better here."
Under the terms of the agreement, the US cannot complete its withdrawal until just weeks after the US presidential election in 2020.
US payments to the UN Green Climate Fund, which helps developing countries cope with the effects of climate change, will stop. The US has reportedly so far paid $1bn (£780m) of a $3bn pledge.
Mr Trump indicated he was open to another climate deal "on terms that are fair to the United States" but the leaders of France, Germany and Italy quickly issued a joint statement rejecting any renegotiation.
The Democratic governors of New York, California and Washington states all quickly vowed to respect the terms of the Paris deal.
Disney's chief executive Robert Iger and the entrepreneur Elon Musk both resigned from White House advisory councils in opposition to the decision.
However, Republican congressional leaders and the US coal industry backed the move, with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell supporting Mr Trump "for dealing yet another significant blow to the Obama administration's assault on domestic energy production and jobs".
Peabody Energy, America's biggest coal mining firm, said the agreement would have badly affected the US economy.
Climate change, or global warming, refers to the damaging effect of gases, or emissions, released from industry, transportation, agriculture and other areas into the atmosphere.
The Paris accord is meant to limit the global rise in temperature attributed to emissions. Only Syria and Nicaragua did not sign up.
Countries agreed to:
Nasa's Goddard Institute for Space Studies says the world's average temperature has risen by about 0.8C since 1880, two-thirds of that since 1975.
US think tank Climate Interactive predicts that if all nations fully achieve their Paris pledges, the average global surface temperature rise by 2100 will be 3.3C, or 3.6C without the US. | The US can still meet its commitments to fight climate change, despite President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the Paris accord, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has said. |
29348903 | Clarke was responding to former player Garth Crooks who said he should "consider his position" following claims the matter was ignored at the League's 2013 annual general meeting.
"There's not a chance the shrill voices of the vested interests will stop me continuing to campaign for a better lot for our managers," he told BBC Sport.
However, Crooks, a trustee of the Kick It Out anti-racism campaign, responded by stating Clarke had "bottled it" over the Football League not addressing the subject of black managers.
"We were given assurances that that debate would start at the AGM, so imagine the disappointment. Instead of Mr Clarke explaining to us why is it hasn't occurred, he's making this lily-livered statement," Crooks told BBC Radio 5 live.
Gordon Taylor, chief executive of the Professional Footballers' Association, said Clarke did not bring up the 'Rooney Rule' at the League's AGM, having "promised" to do so. The rule has been credited with an increase in black coaches in the NFL.
Clarke said he did intend to raise the Rooney Rule at the 2013 AGM and propose a trial within one division. But he explained that the club director who was going to put forward the proposal lost his seat on the League's board when his club were relegated.
"If he hadn't been relegated we would have gone into that meeting and pitched the idea. I'm continuing to try to gain traction," he added.
"The main problem I have is that if you put your money and your reputation into a football club, largely you do not want to be fettered in who you can hire. I say this is not fettering you, this is merely increasing choice. But that debate is still running within the league."
Crooks had initially responded to Taylor's claims, before Clarke gave his reaction.
The former Stoke and Tottenham forward said: "Black footballers are supposed to be part of the structure of the game, but how can that be true if the game itself is not even prepared to acknowledge their existence at the highest level?
"Let's be clear here, what we are actually talking about is giving a player an interview."
Taylor told BBC Sport that there was a "hidden resistance" preventing black managers getting jobs. Chris Powell at Huddersfield and Carlisle's Keith Curle are the only black managers employed within the 92 clubs of the Premier League and Football League.
Crooks's fellow ex-professional and BBC pundit Jason Roberts also responded to Taylor's interview, stating there was an "open resistance" and adding that black managers were finding it harder than ever to get a job in football.
Clarke is eager to change this, but said it might be difficult to enforce his objectives.
"I've fought behind the scenes to try to find a way to improve the lot for black managers in our game," he added.
"Why, with 72 clubs [in the Football League] and 30% black players have we only got two managers?
"We've got to get to the bottom of that, and we've got to fix it and step up to the plate of being a more just and equitable place to work. But the solution to that needs a consensus building around it and that's why I'm working behind the scenes.
"If I just jump up and down and say, 'we must do this', you know these are 72 independent clubs. They're going to say, 'well, I might disagree with that, I might not think that works, I don't want people telling me' who to hire and who not to hire'.
"So I have to build a consensus for change, which is what I'm trying to do." | Football League chairman Greg Clarke says the "shrill voices of the vested interests" will not force him to step down over the issue of black managers' under-representation in football. |
37894965 | Their mother, Gracia Escalante, is one of millions of Spanish parents asked to observe a homework strike each weekend in November.
"Manuel (year nine) loves to read and Martin (year six) really needs time to lie on his bed and imagine things, not just playing with the tablet or watching TV. And certainly not doing schoolwork," she says.
The protest was called by the Spanish Alliance of Parents' Associations (CEAPA), which argues that homework is harming children's education and families' quality of life.
Spain ranks highly among industrialised countries in terms of homework set, but can boast only mediocre positions when it comes to academic achievement.
According to a 2016 study by the World Health Organisation, 30% of Spanish 11-year-olds feel stressed by the amount of homework they have to do, rising to 65% by the age of 15.
Those who support the strike say the amount of homework children get - often two hours or more a day - is the direct result of an old-fashioned system of rote learning, constant examinations and a lack of school resources or modernised thinking in Spain's education system.
"Some teachers try to be different, but when you have 25 students in the classroom at primary level and constant pressure from evaluations, the only way the Spanish system stays afloat is by children doing homework," says Ms Escalante.
"Kids are stuck at home doing homework instead of learning to relate with grandparents, cousins, all the different kids in their street, learning to cook, how to fix a broken pipe."
Eva Bailen, who started a petition against homework, believes primary school children should not have more than half an hour's homework a day and older children one hour.
Among teachers, who have also been asked by CEAPA not to set homework on weekends this month, some sympathise with the aims of the strike.
"I don't set homework at all," explains Alvaro Caso, a primary school teacher in Aravaca, near Madrid. "Children spend enough time at school and have enough work to do during the day. If a teacher is doing their job right, there is no need for any more - at least in primary education."
Alvaro Caso argues that Spain's rowdy politics has seen the education system reformed six times in the past 35 years, but without any analysis of the big picture in terms of today's society.
"It's all still very dry and academic. Never mind the last century, there is still a lot of the 19th century about our schools. If a child falls behind, there is not much of a learning culture to hold on to, just studying and repetition."
"It's awful to hear my son ask why he has to work in the evening when I have finished," says Violeta Ruiz, a university lecturer and mother of two boys in primary education.
But she does not support the strike. "I am completely against it because it's taking a swipe at all teachers without discriminating, and without prior consultation."
Unions have also criticised the confrontational aspect of a strike, which they argue questions teachers' authority.
Juanma Fabre, a teacher of philosophy to Baccalaureate students in Madrid, accepts there is too much homework, but says teachers are not to blame.
"As a father myself, I have seen how bad it can be. Teachers and students are oversaturated with work."
Mr Fabre points out that state schools have no system of coordination between teachers so students might get work from all eight or nine subjects at the same time, with Spanish language, maths and foreign languages like English providing the biggest workload.
"The national curriculum is impossible to cover. Each education reform talks about modernising the methodology and moving away from memorising things to working on skills, and then adds more material to the syllabus."
For Ms Ruiz, great loads of homework are actually counterproductive for the learning mind.
"Having three hours of homework to do is a direct attack on the development of a reading habit. No child sits down to read from 17:00 to 17:30; they have to be in their room, get bored and eventually take a book down from the shelf." | Brothers Martin and Manuel enjoyed the kind of weekend they like best, lounging around at home in Madrid. |
38900563 | Now the 75-year-old pensioner finds himself on the other side of Australia with a new friend and a haul of fish.
An age difference of more than 50 years hasn't got in the way of a blossoming friendship between Mr Johnstone and Mati Batsinilas, a carpenter who lives in Brisbane.
Moved by the online post, in which Mr Johnstone explained that his former fishing companion had died, Mr Batsinilas, 22, paid for the widowed pensioner to fly from his home in South Australia to Brisbane, more than 1,600km (995 miles) away.
They are now on a special trip off the Queensland coast.
Mr Batsinilas was just one of many people who said they wanted to go fishing with Mr Johnstone after his original post went viral.
Lonely fisherman's plea charms Australia
According to the Courier Mail newspaper an 80cm (31in) mulloway fish was among the grandfather's haul on Tuesday, the first day of a two-day trip with Mr Batsinilas.
The pair had planned to camp overnight on the picturesque North Stradbroke island.
"This has been more of an adventure than a trip for Ray," Mr Batsinilas said.
And Ray's verdict? "It was a really good day," he told the newspaper from Amity Point, on the island.
More than 115,000 people have now seen the original post.
Explaining his love for fishing, Mr Johnstone told the BBC last week that he just liked "getting out in the fresh air" and keeping active.
"I don't want to end up as a vegetable like some old people do," he said.
You might also be interested in: | Two weeks ago, lonely Australian grandfather Ray Johnstone decided to try his luck at finding a "fishing mate" online, on the suggestion of a care nurse. |
39761904 | Steck, who was known as the "Swiss Machine", died in an accident while acclimatising for an attempt on the mountain without oxygen by a new route.
The 40-year-old had won multiple awards and was known for his rapid ascents.
His body has been recovered from the base of Mount Nupste, which shares a common ridge with Everest, after he was spotted by fellow climbers.
"He had an accident on the Nuptse wall and died. It seems he slipped," Ang Tsering Sherpa, head of the Nepal Mountaineering Association, told news agency AFP.
Steck was preparing to climb Mount Everest using its West Ridge, a route which has been the cause of more deaths than successful ascents, followed by Lhotse, the fourth highest mountain in the world.
It is believed he was alone on Sunday due to his climbing partner contracting severe frostbite.
On Wednesday, Steck wrote on his Facebook page that he had a "quick day from Basecamp up to 7,000m and back" as he believed "active acclimatisation" was the most effective way of getting used to high altitude.
The climber reached Mount Everest's summit without oxygen in 2012, and in 2015 climbed all 82 Alpine peaks over 4,000m (13,100ft) in 62 days.
Steck had returned to the world's tallest mountain four years on from an altercation with sherpas which caused him to abandon an attempt to climb Everest and Lhotse.
In a video about his Everest-Lhotse project ahead of his departure for the Himalayas, Steck said he felt super-ready and psyched. "My body is as strong as it was never before," he added.
Asked about his definition of success for the ambitious plans to traverse Everest and Lhotse via the Hornbein Couloir, Steck said: "If you have an accident or if you're going to die, that's definitely not successful, all the other things, it's a success already."
"Why do I have to attempt Everest and Lhotse? Yet again, the answer is simple: I get to stay longer in the mountains.
"And now I'll just go, and only worry about the events that lie ahead of me. Day by day, one by one. It is the here and now that counts. What comes next is uncertain in any case.
"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow."
Read more on Ueli Steck's website
Last year Steck and fellow climber David Goettler found the bodies of two American mountaineers in Tibet, 16 years after they were killed by a huge avalanche.
Veteran British mountaineer Sir Chris Bonington paid tribute to Steck, describing him as "one of the great climbers of all time". He said that Steck's reputation for speed climbing had not necessarily put him at greater risk.
"What kills most people is the objective dangers, going into an area where there is stone fall or the threat of avalanche," he told the BBC's Newshour programme.
"The longer you are exposed to that threat, statistically the more likelihood there is of you being hit by one of these things. Whereas if you are moving very fast you are exposed to that danger for a much shorter time.
"But the people who are climbing at the absolute limit, which he undoubtedly was, the death rate among the very best mountaineers is very high, particularly in the Himalayas."
British mountaineer Kenton Cool described Steck as "a true inspiration" who "showed us all what was possible in the mountains and beyond".
The British Mountaineering Council described him as a "legendary mountaineer and all-round great guy".
Ueli Steck set new standards in alpine climbing - setting a string of records for making breathtakingly quick solo ascents of classic routes.
He also played a big part in bringing the sport to a new audience through the epic films made of his exploits.
He was nicknamed the "Swiss Machine" for his ruthlessly methodical approach and his ability to keep going even after pushing himself to the limits of human endurance.
In 2015 he climbed one of the world's most famous walls, the North Face of the Eiger, in two hours 47 minutes - a time that would have been unthinkable to the early pioneers of the sport, who took days to complete it. In 2015, he improved on that feat with a time of two hours 22 minutes and 50 seconds. | The Swiss climber Ueli Steck has been killed preparing to climb Mount Everest, Nepal's tourist office says. |
32942909 | Elan Jones, great granddaughter of one of the settlers unveiled the 4ft (1.2m) memorial at Princess Dock on Saturday.
It is thought about 50,000 people in Patagonia have Welsh heritage from the 153 settlers who boarded the Mimosa.
The event was organised by the Merseyside Welsh Heritage Society as part of its Mimosa Festival. | A memorial to mark the 150th anniversary of the first Welsh settlers who set sail for Patagonia has been unveiled on Liverpool's waterfront. |
12557507 | Peter Gill told the BBC that UK courts would not accept forensic tests whose details are kept secret due to commercial confidentiality issues.
He said this would prevent proper scrutiny of forensic techniques.
Professor Gill also warned the National DNA Database needed upgrades urgently.
And that without them, the UK resource would fall behind comparable systems used in other countries.
Late last year, the government said the Forensic Science Service would be wound up, adding that as many of its operations as possible were to be transferred or sold off.
The Home Office, the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) agreed to set up a working group to ensure a "smooth transition" as the Forensic Science Service (FSS) was wound down.
Now based at the University of Oslo, Norway, Peter Gill helped develop the DNA fingerprinting technique used widely by crime scene investigators - along with Sir Alec Jeffreys at the University of Leicester.
"Courts will not accept secret tests that have not been subject to rigorous peer review and challenge," Professor Gill has said in his submission to the House of Commons science committee's inquiry into the closure of the Forensic Science Service (FSS).
"The public will not accept sub-standard tests being used in any laboratory."
He added: "An exploratory framework is needed to discover whether laboratories are providing sub-standard results."
Professor Gill cited one recent court case where the judge criticised the FSS for using an internally developed "commercial in confidence" database.
"This case... demonstrates that a serious mismatch exists between the government's aspiration to privatise forensic science, versus the court requirement for openness, disclosure, and scientific peer review," said Professor Gill.
"It is easily demonstrated, therefore, that the framework to utilise forensic science in the UK, where the market is entirely privatised, is already fatally flawed."
The FSS analyses evidence from crime scenes in England and Wales, but has been losing about £2m a month.
It employed 1,600 people and handled more than 120,000 cases each year.
"The NPIA, ACPO and Home Office will continue to work with the Forensic Science Service to ensure that transition arrangements are in place to manage the wind-down of their forensic services," said a joint statement from ACPO and the NPIA.
The government wants private enterprise, which currently makes up 40% of the market, to fill the gap left behind by the FSS.
However, many experts are sceptical that this can work and point out that the UK's private forensics sector is shrinking.
There are also concerns that an over-emphasis on profits could threaten the quality of science.
At the time of the government's announcement, Crime Reduction Minister James Brokenshire said private sector competition for police contracts was enabling forces to achieve greater efficiency.
He said that the Forensic Science Regulator should ensure that quality standards are maintained.
Professor Gill said the UK's National DNA Database was already out of date, and in urgent need of upgrades to bring it in line with standards rapidly being adopted elsewhere in the European Union.
He said there was no timescale or coherent strategy for the adoption of these standards in the UK.
"Being locked in the past, the inevitable consequence is that casework is carried out with less efficiency than would otherwise be the case elsewhere in the EU. Cases will effectively be 'lost' - i.e. they will fail to provide probative results in laboratories not equipped with the latest technology," said Peter Gill.
[email protected] | There is a serious mismatch between the government's aim to commercialise forensic science and the requirement of courts for openness, according to a top forensic expert. |
33187053 | The early Bronze Age disc, thought to represent the sun, is on show for the first time at the Wiltshire Museum.
Unearthed at Monkton Farleigh in 1947, it is one of only six ever found and one of the earliest metal objects discovered in the UK.
David Dawson, from the museum, said it was "delighted" to be able to display "this incredibly rare sun-disc".
It was made in about 2,400 BC, soon after the sarsen stones were erected at Stonehenge.
Embossed with a cross and pierced with two holes, it is thought it may have been sewn to a piece of clothing or head-dress.
Discovered by Guy Underwood during an excavation of a burial mound at Monkton Farleigh, it was "kept safe" for nearly 70 years by landowner - Dr Denis Whitehead.
"The first time that it had been seen by archaeologists was when he [the landowner] brought it to show me in 2013," said Mr Dawson.
"It has now been presented to the museum in remembrance of Denis Whitehead and we are delighted to be able to display it." | A rare gold sun-disc discovered 20 miles (32km) from Stonehenge has gone on display to mark the summer solstice. |
37323100 | David Byrne, 33, was shot dead at the Regency Hotel on 5 February.
The details were given at an extradition hearing in Belfast.
Kevin Murray who was arrested earlier this week at his home in Townsend Street in Strabane was refused bail.
He was arrested by PSNI officers on Monday, using a European Arrest Warrant.
Mr Murray is objecting to a bid by the Irish police, who claim he played a a central role in the hotel shooting, to extradite him to the Republic of Ireland.
The details of the overnight stay were revealed by the recorder of Belfast as among the reasons why she was refusing bail to Mr Murray.
She also said that Irish police investigating the killing of Mr Byrne also claimed that Mr Murray could be clearly identified on CCTV footage at the Regency Hotel in Dublin.
Byrne, a 34-year-old father of two from the Crumlin area, was shot dead when masked men dressed as Garda (Irish police) officers opened fire with automatic guns.
Two other men were injured in the attack which police have linked to a gangland feud in Dublin.
A full extradition hearing is expected to take place at Laganside Court in Belfast in the near future. | A man wanted by the authorities in the Republic of Ireland in connection with the murder of a man at a boxing weigh-in, stayed overnight in preparation for his alleged role in the shooting, a court has heard. |
37212914 | But after fearing he could lose his foot to the condition, he chose to delve deeper into its devastating effects by speaking to those who have shared his painful journey.
Eczema, also known as dermatitis, is a dry skin condition which, according to the National Eczema Society, affects one in 12 adults in the UK and about 20% of children.
Though a fairly common ailment, it is highly individual and the severity of the condition can vary wildly.
Professor Mike Cork, a consultant dermatologist at the University of Sheffield, describes it as "one of the most destructive diseases we have".
"The very mildest form of atopic eczema could be a tiny bit of dry skin on a baby's face and all you need is to avoid soap and detergents, [apply] some nice moisturisers and maybe a couple of days of steroids in a year - 85% of eczema is mild or moderate," he says.
"But, when we come to severe, things are so different: 100% of the skin surface can be affected, bright red, bleeding, infected. It can be hard to move, impossible to work, they can't have relationships, their life is totally destroyed."
Steve, 40, from Bradford, has presented the BBC Yorkshire Early Show since 2013 and lectures in media and journalism at the University of Huddersfield.
But, though his career involves talking to people each and every day, he has never been able to talk openly about his eczema.
"I'd imagine 80% of the time it's ruling how I think I'm perceived by other people," he said.
"I'm either red, swollen, inflamed, or sore, and I feel like I have to make excuses for that. It's embarrassing.
"The itch can become so intense that I want to rip my skin off in order to let the flesh underneath breathe."
He said his suffering was taken to new level when his foot became infected in 2013.
"I think I made the excuse that I had dropped a wardrobe on my foot to cover up the fact the eczema was the real reason.
"It got to one point when I thought I was actually going to lose my foot.
"I was on antibiotic after antibiotic and eventually, thank God, it worked. Hopefully I'm never in that position again."
Steve's wife Charly said she thought the condition had actually brought them closer together, with her often having to help with treatments.
She said: "There's definitely no inhibitions in our relationship.
"As a girlfriend I was happy to help out and as a wife I'm just as happy to help out. I'd rather I be useful than you have to go to hospital every day and get somebody else to do it."
Jenny Stradling, 26, from Leeds was born with eczema, but when she turned 16 her condition worsened and lead to her spending the night in A&E.
In 2013 she set up the blog I Have Eczema to share her experiences.
"It can be so bad that you actually stick to your bedding. You can have really raw areas and kind of look almost like a burns victim," she said.
But it is the urge to itch which Jenny, like many sufferers, struggles with particularly.
"It's just this bone-deep itch that you can never scratch," she said. "It never goes away."
Professor Andrew Wright, associate director of the Centre for Skin Sciences at the University of Bradford, said the "itch-scratch cycle" was a vicious circle.
"If you scratch the skin enough to produce some discomfort and some pain, that that will almost certainly override the lower grade sensation of itching," he said.
"[But] the scratching isn't helping, it is damaging the skin and, undoubtedly, leading to the development of more eczema."
Equally common is the impact the condition can have on sufferer's personal life.
Jenny said she had lost partners and friends as a result, and had been left housebound at times.
It has also affected her self-confidence and left her feeling so embarrassed by her constant scratching she would hide herself away for "secret skin-picking sessions".
"There's a kind of guilt that people put on you even though its not your fault. You can't help it. You just have to quench that itch," she said.
It is not just those with eczema who shoulder the burden of the condition.
Sue's 17-year-old daughter Alice was born with eczema and she spent much of her childhood in hospital.
But, at home, Sue has also had to learn to live with her daughter's condition, at times having to change her bed sheets on a daily basis, buying wipe-clean furniture and replacing washing machines damaged by the creams and lotions that seep into her daughter's clothes.
Sue said: "It's very difficult as a mum. You have to be strong, you're a nag, you have to bully them in to doing their treatment. You have to cope with normal life, working and being a carer.
"I struggle but I get on with it. I have to put that front up that everything is all right, I can't cry here so I go elsewhere and cry."
The effects are both emotional and physical.
"When she's gone through what she's gone through all her life, I do want to protect her. I don't want to see my little girl in hospital.
"I don't sleep cause I hear Alice scratching. When she was young, she used to sleep with me so that I could hold her hands and stop her scratching so that she could get some sleep."
Their struggle was compounded when Alice was targeted by bullies, but, together, they have been able to move forward.
"My mum is my rock," said Alice. "If anything goes wrong, I just go to my mum. She is just my world. I could not have done anything I've done up to now without her."
For 17-year-old Sam from Bradford, a combination of the desperate urge to scratch, the loss of control and comments about his skin left him feeling angry, upset and embarrassed.
"The whole of my body was itching and I've only got two hands, it was impossible to deal with," he said.
"I like being in control and that was the one thing I was not in control of, it made me frustrated and angry.
"I was probably quite ugly. I didn't like looking at my own skin because it was all dry and all red and all cracked.
"Little comments by people about how my skin looked, that made me feel worse about it.
"I was quite ashamed of my skin because it looked really horrible compared with everybody else's. I didn't want anybody to see it and think badly of me."
His mum, Lindsay Dobby, said that when Sam's condition worsened during his first year at secondary school, she was forced to give up work to look after him.
She said: "Daily life became really hard. I could not have gone to work and looked after Sam because he simply could not go to school.
"You end up shouting and snapping at each other because you're all tired."
She said her decision to give up work, however, was the only option.
"It's your child and you would literally do anything for them," she said.
"To see your child in that state literally ripping themselves to shreds, it's horrendous."
Eczema: More than Skin Deep will be broadcast on 29 August at 09:00 BST on BBC Radio Sheffield and on BBC Radio Leeds at 18:00 BST. | BBC presenter Steve Bailey has struggled with the mental and physical effects of eczema since he was young and has kept his condition hidden from all but his closest family and friends. |
38470678 | The star died aged 53 on Christmas Day at his home in Goring-on-Thames, Oxfordshire.
More tests will now be carried out to determine what led to his death, Thames Valley Police said in a statement. The results of these tests are unlikely to be known for several weeks.
Michael's death is still being treated as unexplained but not suspicious.
The post-mortem examination took place on Thursday.
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South Central Ambulance Service were called to Michael's property at 13:42 GMT on 25 December and the singer was confirmed dead at the scene. Thames Valley Police also attended.
Michael's partner Fadi Fawaz said he had found the singer lying "peacefully in bed".
He told The Daily Telegraph: "I went round there to wake him up and he was just gone. We don't know what happened yet."
Michael's manager, Michael Lippman, said the singer had died of heart failure.
Sir Elton John led tributes to Michael, describing him as "the kindest, most generous soul and a brilliant artist".
Former Wham! bandmate Andrew Ridgeley said he was "heartbroken at the loss of my beloved friend".
Madonna, Boy George, Ringo Starr and Robbie Williams also paid tribute to the singer, while bouquets of flowers were left outside his riverside home in Goring.
Fans have also been lighting candles and leaving handwritten cards outside his home in Highgate, north London.
Michael, who was born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou in north London, sold more than 100 million albums throughout a career spanning almost four decades.
He first found fame with schoolfriend Ridgeley in duo Wham! in the 1980s - reaching number one in the UK singles charts on four occasions.
He went on to forge a successful career as a solo artist, with hits including Careless Whisper, Outside, Fast Love and Jesus to a Child.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]. | A post-mortem examination into the cause of George Michael's death was "inconclusive" police have said. |
16094646 | Despite its gas wealth, much of Turkmenistan's population is still impoverished. After independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 the country entered a period of isolation that has only recently begun to end.
Turkmenistan produces roughly 70 billion cubic metres of natural gas each year and about two-thirds of its exports go to Russia's Gazprom gas monopoly.
The government has sought out gas deals with several other countries, including China and neighbouring Iran, however, to reduce its dependency on Russia.
Population 5.2 million
Area 488,100 sq km (188,456 sq miles)
Major language Turkmen, Russian
Major religion Islam
Life expectancy 61 years (men), 69 years (women)
Currency Turkmen manat
President: Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov
Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov has ruled Turkmenistan since 2007 when he succeeded life-long president Saparmyrat Niyazov.
Following in his predecessor's footsteps, Mr Berdymukhamedov is an autocratic ruler who has built a personality cult. Officially titled the "Arkadag" (The Patron), he is also prime minister and commander-in-chief of the country's armed forces.
Constitutional changes passed in 2016 extended presidential term limits from five to seven years and scrapped the 70-year age limit which was the only legal barrier to Mr Berdymukhamedov remaining in power indefinitely.
In February 2017, Mr Berdymukhamedov was sworn in as president for a third consecutive term.
The Turkmen government has an absolute monopoly of the media. The authorities monitor media outlets, control printing presses, block websites, monitor internet use and lay down editorial policies.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) says a 2013 media law which bans censorship, is a "complete fiction". The watchdog says independent journalists work in secret, reporting for outlets based abroad.
An "atmosphere of fear" prevents reporting of negative news, says Freedom House.
The state controls internet access, which is prohibitively expensive for most citizens. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LiveJournal are blocked, as are foreign news and opposition websites. RSF lists Turkmenistan as an "Enemy of the Internet".
Some key events in Turkmenistan's history:
6th century BC - Area of what is now Turkmenistan forms part of the Persian Empire of Cyrus the Great.
1881 - Area of present-day Turkmenistan incorporated into Russian Turkestan after Battle of Gok Tepe.
1925 - Turkmenistan becomes a fully-fledged constituent republic of the USSR. It does not gain independence until 1991.
2009 December - Pipeline opened for gas exports to China, breaking Russia's stranglehold on Turkmenistan's energy reserves.
2011 December - Transparency International names Turkmenistan as joint third most corrupt country in the world. | Known for its autocratic government and large gas reserves, Turkmenistan also has a reputation as an island of stability in restive Central Asia. |
37560230 | The two vice-presidential candidates crossed swords in their one and only TV debate of the campaign. Mike Pence and Tim Kaine argued for 90 minutes at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia, with many observers handing victory to Republican Indiana Governor Pence, simply because he sustained a volley of attacks from Kaine without suffering a wound.
Trump 'fool' and Clinton 'weak', say VPs
For the last week, it's felt a bit like Donald Trump was routed. His woeful first presidential debate performance was compounded by a series of unforced errors, capped by an early morning Twitter tirade and a damaging New York Times story about his near billion-dollar business losses in 1995. His poll numbers headed south.
The Republican vice-presidential nominee's primary job - really his only job - was to stop the bleeding and give the campaign an opportunity to regroup. Mr Kaine's goal was to keep him from doing that. Mr Pence succeeded. Mr Kaine, while unloading a crate of opposition research on Mr Trump, failed.
Read more from Anthony
Follow @awzurcher on Twitter
There's no respite for the vice-presidential candidates after Tuesday's late-night debate. Mr Pence hits the trail in Virginia and Pennsylvania on Wednesday, while Mr Kaine holds an event at a metal workers' union in Philadelphia. All eyes will meanwhile return to the top of the ticket as Mr Trump campaigns in Henderson and Reno, Nevada, and Mrs Clinton holds a fundraiser in Washington DC. The big beasts will meet on Sunday for their second debate battle, in St Louis.
Tim Kaine interrupted Mike Pence 39 times.
Pence interrupted Kaine 19 times.
Activist and journalist Cassandra Fairbanks was once a darling of the left, who reported on the Ferguson protests and supported Black Lives Matter.
But now she is trying to rally her 70,000 Twitter followers to support Donald Trump.
Why?
She's been telling BBC Trending the reasons for this unlikely transformation.
Read the story here
Who is ahead in the polls?
49%
Hillary Clinton
45%
Donald Trump
Last updated October 3, 2016 | With just 33 days to go until Americans choose a new president in what feels like the longest campaign in US history, the spotlight briefly fell on the two running mates. |
26728703 | Crazy Night refers to a student named Anna Jean - a reference to Anna Jean O'Donnell, whom Williams briefly dated while at the University of Missouri.
Williams wrote poetry about O'Donnell but only made passing mention to her in his notebooks and memoirs.
The short story features in the spring edition of literary journal The Strand.
According to its managing editor Andrew Gulli, the story, believed to have been written in the 1930s, could be "the missing piece of the puzzle" surrounding Williams' formative romantic liaison.
The writer would go on to use his mother Edwina as the model for Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire and based the character of Laura Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie on his sister Rose.
In Crazy Night, the narrator, a college freshman on an unnamed campus, has an intimate encounter with Anna Jean only to lose her to another student.
The title of the story refers to a college ritual during which students are expected to binge on alcohol and sex. | A previously unseen short story by US writer Tennessee Williams, inspired in part by an old college girlfriend, has been published for the first time. |
40993880 | Imani Williams was one of thousands of protesters who took part in a protest to oppose the "Free Speech Rally" in the US city of Boston on Saturday.
Steve Annear, a Boston Globe reporter who covered the protest, spotted Imani's action to protect far-right supporters and tweeted about it.
His tweet has been shared more than 25,000 times and liked more than 76,000 times. Imani's favourite author J K Rowling has tweeted her support.
Imani, from New Haven in Connecticut, told the BBC that her action "just seemed like the right thing to do". She said:
"I saw a confrontation happening with a Trump supporter in the middle getting escorted by two police officers. The crowd of about 30 people was swelling around them making it hard to move forward. I knew I had to help because it was just wasn't a positive situation.
"At first, the Trump supporter and the two police officers escorting them weren't quite believing that I was there to help. But I kept saying 'Do you need help?' and since the crowd was swelling around them, they finally agreed to let me help assist them getting through the mass of people. I didn't want to help them, but I knew I had to.
"They were never going to learn anything by being surrounded and screamed at by 30 people. Even though one of the Trump supporters wasn't innocent and definitely instigating, the better lesson was getting him to the other side of the fence where he and other alt-right sympathisers could look out at all of us and see how few they were versus how many we were, and come to terms with how many of us were willing to stand up against hate.
"That sort of self reflection is the only thing that can change people and get them away from hate and sympathising with hatred. I started helping one guy, and then by the end there was five or six guys just following behind me. The Boston Police Department trusted me enough to get them through.
"Things were pretty heated in the crowd, but non-violent - a lot of people were yelling at them with strong feelings.
"I don't know what life experiences the people surrounding the Trump supporters could have had: they could have had a family member who died in the Holocaust, or have been a victim of a hate crime, or have even been kicked out of their home as an LGBT child by a family member with conservative ideals. All of that results in immense pain.
"I can't judge others for their pain - but I knew what I could do to help the situation. I told the first Trump supporter as I was helping him that I didn't agree with him, but I just wanted everyone to be safe and he should be on the other side of the fence.
"Sometimes it's difficult having a strong moral compass in a mixed-up world. But in this case, I saw where I could help and I did. That's all you can ever do.
"Non-violent, peaceful confrontation is the only way to change someone's mind when you when you have opposite beliefs but share the same country. I wasn't going to let someone take away my humanity because I was angry and frustrated. I wanted to act above. I wanted to combat hate with compassion. Sometimes conflict can't be avoided, but it should be avoided at all costs.
"Once the group of Trump supporters were escorted to safety, I directed them to where they needed to go. It was tense, there was a lot of emotions on both sides. But as the saying goes, I just tried to be the change I want to see in the world. At the end of the day, it just shows the we're better than them. I showed them the sort of humanity that would never be shown to me if I showed up at a Trump, Nazi or Klu Klux Klan rally. I would have done the same thing no matter where it was happening."
By the UGC and Social News team | A viral tweet about a young black woman who escorted Donald Trump supporters through a tense anti-racism protest has been shared by tens of thousands of people on Twitter. |
39031546 | The proposals are part of a programme to transform the health service and save money across 44 different areas.
The BBC found 28 proposals affect hospital care, from full closures to centralising services, such as A&E and stroke care, on fewer sites.
NHS England argue patients will receive better care in the community to compensate for the hospital cuts.
The proposals also include the creation of "super" community hubs of GPs, care workers and district nurses, seven-day access to GPs and getting hospital specialists to run clinics in the community.
The BBC analysis found:
Overall, a third of the 44 plans look to reduce the number of hospitals providing emergency care, while in another third of areas they have said they will consider moving non-emergency care to fewer sites.
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Need help finding out which region you are in? See the map at the foot of the page.
The King's Fund think tank, which has also carried out a review of the plans, warned that a lack of investment meant the ideas being put forward were not always credible.
The government is investing more money in the health service, but a fund set up to pay for changing services has been used to tackle NHS deficits, figures released on Monday showed.
The King's Fund warned that community services in many areas were already "feeling the strain" and could not cope with an increase in workload.
And the think tank said further reductions in the number of hospital beds could destabilise services that were already "stretched to their limits" following the difficult winter.
Prof Chris Ham, the think tank's chief executive, said they were still the "best hope of delivering essential reforms" in the NHS, as care needed to be moved out of hospital.
This is seen as vital because the ageing population and growth in long-term conditions, such as dementia and heart disease, mean people are more likely to benefit from support in the community to stay well rather than inpatient hospital care when their health deteriorates.
The proposals - known as sustainability and transformation plans - have been drawn up as part of NHS England's five-year strategy to release £22bn of efficiency savings by 2020.
Reviews were set up in early 2016 and consultations on major changes will take place later this year with the hope that implementation will follow soon after.
But the King's Fund warned that the changes could be subject to legal challenges.
A £1.8bn pot set aside this year for funding transformation has been used to shore up NHS trust finances as they struggle to balance their books.
A Department of Health spokesman maintained that the extra money being invested in the NHS this Parliament still gave the health service enough funds to change the way it worked.
"These NHS plans - developed by local doctors, hospitals and councils working together with the communities they serve - will help patients get better care," he added.
But others have questioned whether this will be enough. The NHS budget is forecast to rise by about 1% a year above inflation on average during this Parliament - much less than the 4% average the NHS has enjoyed throughout the rest of its history.
There is a lot of support for the concept of moving care out of hospitals. It is hoped it will help keep people well and living independently in the community.
NHS England, which is overseeing the plans, said they offer the best hope of improving patient care in a sustainable way.
"They will allow the NHS to take advantage of new technologies, adopt successful practice more widely, and make practical improvements in areas that we know matter most to patients," a spokeswoman added.
Jeremy Taylor, chief executive of patient group National Voices, said while the process was "not without flaws", the overall vision had the potential to meet 21st Century needs.
"More than 70% of the NHS budget is spent on people with at least one long-term condition. This is a severe challenge to a system originally set up to provide reactive care for spells of illness."
Stroke care in London is now world class - and it is all because some services were shut down.
The capital's stroke care was overhauled in early 2010. Instead of being spread across 30 hospitals as they used to be, services are now centralised on eight "super sites".
It has meant patients get fast, 24-hour access to the best care, saving hundreds of lives a year.
If a stroke is suspected, a patient is immediately taken to one of the eight centres. There they are assessed by a stroke specialist and given a brain scan within 30 minutes of arrival.
1. Northumberland, Tyne and Wear
2. West, North and East Cumbria
3. Durham, Darlington, Tees, Hambleton, Richmondshire and Whitby
4. Lancashire and South Cumbria
5. West Yorkshire
6. Coast, Humber and Vale
7. Greater Manchester
8. Cheshire and Merseyside
9. South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw
10. Staffordshire
11. Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin
12. Derbyshire
13. Lincolnshire
14. Nottinghamshire
15. Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland
16. The Black Country
17. Birmingham and Solihull
18. Coventry and Warwickshire
19. Herefordshire and Worcestershire
20. Northamptonshire
21. Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
22. Norfolk and Waveney
23. Suffolk and North East Essex
24. Milton Keynes, Bedfordshire and Luton
25. Hertfordshire and West Essex
26. Mid and South Essex
27. North West London
28. North Central London
29. North East London
30. South East London
31. South West London
32. Kent and Medway
33. Sussex and East Surrey
34. Frimley Health
35. Surrey Heartlands
36. Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly
37. Devon
38. Somerset
39. Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire
40. Bath, Swindon and Wiltshire
41. Dorset
42. Hampshire and the Isle of Wight
43. Gloucestershire
44. Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West | Hospital services in nearly two-thirds of England could be cut or scaled back, BBC analysis of local plans shows. |
34944418 | David Brickwood, 74, died in hospital after being assaulted in Lindsay Avenue, Abington in the early hours of 26 September.
His son, Dale, said he had "cried a million tears" over the "violent and dreadful attack".
Crimestoppers has offered the reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.
Sue Witts, East Midlands regional manager for the charity, said: "Mr Brickwood was well-known and well-liked within his community, which is what makes this violent crime all the more shocking.
"We all deserve to feel safe in our own homes and it is extremely important the people responsible are brought to justice to ensure they cannot strike again."
In a tribute after his death, Dale Brickwood described his father as "the most honest, hardworking, caring man I've ever known".
Northampton Police said five arrests have been made in connection with the murder, but no charges have been brought. | A £10,000 reward has been offered for information in the case of a man murdered in Northampton. |
30311288 | The information commissioner has given ministers 35 days to publish the data, after a complaint by Plaid Cymru.
The Welsh government can appeal against the decision at a tribunal.
Plaid accused ministers of trying to "avoid scrutiny" and welcomed the commissioner's decision. Ministers said they would respond "in due course".
The dispute follows a freedom of information request by Plaid Cymru, who asked how many jobs had been created in each zone.
More than 5,000 jobs have been created or safeguarded over two years in total, but Plaid has complained that the public has a "right to know more".
Ministers said publishing individual breakdowns for the zones could "prejudice the Welsh government's ambitions in the longer term to deliver the wider economic benefits across Wales".
But Plaid Cymru AM Rhun ap Iorwerth said: "Nearly three years after they were launched the public deserve to be told how many jobs have been created in each of them and how much investment has been made."
The Welsh government launched the first enterprise zones in 2011, bringing together particular types of industries by offering them certain incentives.
The chairs of the enterprise zones have also said the statistics should not be released.
In a letter to Economy Minister Edwina Hart, they said they could "only see the negative impact of the release of sensitive information".
A Welsh government statement said ministers were "considering the information commissioner's decision in detail and would respond in due course. | An order has been made for the Welsh government to release more information about how many jobs are being created in its seven enterprise zones. |
34648409 | In its latest African Economic Outlook, the fund forecasts growth in the region of 3.75% this year, the slowest growth in six years.
Next year, the report forecasts growth of 4.25%.
Low oil and commodity prices, together with a slowdown in the Chinese economy, are the main reasons for the overall downturn, the IMF says.
China is the region's largest trading partner and many African countries have benefited hugely from exporting raw materials to the country.
"The strong momentum evident in the region in recent years has dissipated," says the report, titled Dealing with the Gathering Clouds.
"With the possibility that the external environment might turn even less favourable, risks to this outlook remain on the downside."
Oil exporters such as Nigeria and Angola are being hit particularly hard by the slump in the oil price, which has fallen by more than 50% since mid-2014 to less than $50 a barrel.
Mineral exporters such as Zambia, Ghana and South Africa are also suffering from lower commodity prices, the report says.
The IMF calls on African governments to adopt policies to lessen the impact of this economic slowdown, such as allowing currency depreciation to help boost exports.
It also urges governments to address income inequalities that are particularly high in the region, as well as gender inequality. | Economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa is slowing sharply, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned. |
40922321 | Global demand for lithium - used in batteries for mobile phones and cars - is expected to triple in the next decade.
One of the investors said Cornish Lithium could become a "very significant player" in the industry.
The money will be used to decide where to put the first drill holes.
More on the lithium story, and other news
CEO Jeremy Wrathall said the county is the only current known source in the UK and the company will use data to "prioritise the best locations for subsequent drilling and sampling".
"There is a lot of excitement in the technical world about this," he said. "We hope to be the domestic source of lithium for the UK."
He said the £1m investment would be enough for more than a year - but that production is at least five years away.
The investors are Peter Smedvig, founder of investment firm Smedvig Capital, Keith Liddell, a metallurgical engineer and former mining CEO, and Chris von Christierson, director and principal of mining firm Southern Prospecting.
Mr Liddell told Reuters he believed Cornish Lithium could become a "very significant player" in the lithium industry in Britain and Europe.
High levels of lithium were indentified in the water in Cornish mines in the 19th Century, but there was no market for it at that time.
The government plans to ban new petrol and diesel cars from 2040, raising the prospect of a huge increase in demand for lithium.
In January, Cornish Lithium said it had reached a mineral rights agreement with Canada's Strongbow Exploration, which bought South Crofty tin mine on Pool in 1998.
Strongbow Exploration will get royalties from any lithium extracted by Cornish Lithium.
The metal would be extracted by drilling at least 400m (1,300ft) into rock and pumping out lithium-laden water.
Most lithium is produced in South America, Australia and China, but the UK government has earmarked it as a metal of strategic importance to the country. | A project to explore for lithium in hot springs in Cornwall has received a £1m investment. |
29700290 | In fact, he's "so mad" with a mother in the US, he tweeted: "I'm burning my Florida mom action figure in protest."
It's her petition - aimed at the shop Toys R Us - that has got the Breaking Bad actor fuming.
Susan Schrivjer is calling for the toy retailer to remove all the Breaking Bad character action figures from sale in store and online, because they are a "dangerous deviation from their family friendly values".
She says the figures, some of which come with "a detachable sack of cash and a bag of meth" are not suitable to be sold alongside "Barbie dolls and Disney characters".
In response to all the press attention her campaign has received, Cranston, who played Walter White in award-winning drama, tweeted his own message of "protest".
Since the petition got notice, Toys R Us appears to have removed the Breaking Bad dolls from sale on their US website.
They were priced at $17.99 (£11.10).
However, some of the figures, including a couple of White's sidekick Jesse Pinkman, are still appearing in the "trending" and "recommended for you" parts of the site.
In a statement sent to Newsbeat, Toys R Us said: "We carry a variety of fictional character action figures, including those for our collector customers.
"The products you reference are carried in very limited quantities in the adult action figure area of our stores."
In a US statement, they also said that the Breaking Bad packaging "clearly notes that the items are intended for ages 15 and up".
Schrivjer, who used the surname Myers to launch her petition online, has received more than 5,000 signatures of support so far.
Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube | Bryan Cranston is "mad". |
33707165 | The prince and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, were meeting the Army Air Corps' mascot, Zephyr, a bald eagle, on the Sandringham estate.
In the past the prince was forced to dodge its wings as he handled the bird.
Zephyr chose to display the same behaviour this year. The prince said: "That's why I'm not holding him. I've learnt from experience."
He added: "I'm keeping well back."
The Royals were greeted by thousands as they visited some of the displays. | Prince Charles had a close encounter with an eagle in a flap as he visited a flower show earlier in Norfolk. |
32215577 | The RealSense sensor can be used to recognise hand and head movements and makes it possible to change the focus of photos after they have been taken.
The prototype was unveiled by the company chief executive Brian Krzanich at an event in Shenzhen, China.
One expert noted that questions remained about its power demands.
Although Mr Krzanich showed off an example of a RealSense-enabled phone, he did not demonstrate it working, which may indicate it is still at an early stage of development.
"The device which was shown on stage at the Intel Developer Forum was a prototype that was created in collaboration with a Chinese firm, whom we are not naming," said a spokeswoman for the company.
"The device is meant to show the different types of apps, usage models and form factors that RealSense tech can be integrated into and to encourage innovation."
The technology is similar to that found in Microsoft's Kinect motion-and-image sensor, but in a much smaller package.
While the Kinect has fallen out of favour with many Xbox gamers, one industry watcher thought the technology would prove popular in handsets.
"We've got to the stage where putting ever higher-resolution cameras in phones is no longer as much of a selling point as it used to be," said Chris Green, of the Davies Murphy Group consultancy.
"So manufacturers need additional features to draw on. Depth perception and light-field technology will interest people and potentially let the next generation of smartphones differentiate themselves from what is already on the market.
"Intel has obviously achieved half of the challenge involved - the miniaturisation - but what is still unclear is whether it has got the power side of things licked. It's one thing putting this into a laptop where you have a large battery and access to a mains power source, it's another to put it into a phone that has to last throughout the day."
Intel first announced that laptops were to incorporate its RealSense components in January last year, after a tie-up with the Belgian 3D vision specialist SoftKinetic.
It suggested the tech could be used to provide improved gesture recognition - allowing users to control devices without having to touch them - as well as a way to scan objects that could be later edited and 3D-printed and a means to have more control over the way photos and videos looked after they had been captured.
This year, Dell became the first manufacturer to incorporate the technology into a tablet.
Getting the tech into a smartphone would offer Intel a potential coup, but other firms are also working on alternatives.
Google has created Project Tango - a tablet fitted with a 3D image sensor made by the German company PMDTechnologies.
At this point the kit is limited to developers, as part of an effort to add "spatial perception" to the Android ecosystem.
The US-based Pelican Imaging is also working on a depth-sensing array of cameras designed for smartphones that it says would let photos be refocused after being taken as well as allowing users to create "3D selfies".
Its work is backed by Intel's chip-making rival Qualcomm as well as Nokia's venture capital wing, Nokia Growth Partners.
In addition, Apple bought PrimeSense in November 2013.
The Israeli start-up had previously provided the technology used in the original Kinect. Apple has yet to announce how it plans to make use of the acquisition.
One tech journalist who attended the event in Shenzhen suggested Intel might still have quite a bit of work before its RealSense tech was ready for mainstream handsets.
"It was weird because Brian Krzanich said on stage that he's known for taking risks with performing live demos at tech events, and yet this was pretty much the only device he did not turn on to show what it did on stage, which might say something about the early stage it is at," Richard Lai, editor-in-chief of Engadget Chinese, told the BBC.
"And the prototype was still a 6in phablet. That size is socially acceptable in China, where consumers like to have a large screen.
"But putting it into a smaller form factor would make it more accessible to other consumers." | Intel has revealed a version of its 3D depth camera that is small and thin enough to be fitted into a 6in (15.2cm) smartphone. |
35984991 | The PM said the government was "not neutral" in the referendum and the cost was "money well spent".
The 16-page leaflets will be sent to 27 million UK homes from next week.
UKIP Leader Nigel Farage said it was "outrageous" to spend taxpayers' money "to tell us how we should think and how we should vote".
Leave campaigners complained that the promotional campaign was costing more than the £7m each side will be allowed to spend by law, once the official campaign period starts next week.
The UK's EU vote: All you need to know
EU for beginners: A guide
UK and the EU: Better off out or in?
"I would have thought one of the very reasons for the establishment of an Electoral Commission was that the ground rules in this referendum were supposed to be free and fair," Mr Farage said.
But in a speech to students and young people in Exeter, Mr Cameron said: "I make no apology for the fact that we are sending to every household in this country this leaflet, which sets out what the government's view is and why we come to that view.
"We're not neutral in this. We think it would be a bad decision to leave - for the economy, jobs, investment, family finances and universities."
Challenged over whether he thought the campaign was "undemocratic", the PM said: "I absolutely don't think it is."
He said the official Leave and Remain camps would each be entitled to spend £7m and receive a free postal leaflet in the formal campaign period running up to polling day, adding: "There's nothing to stop the government from setting out its views in advance of the campaign."
Mr Cameron said he wanted every voter to have "all the information at their fingertips" when they go to vote: "I think that is money well spent. It is not... just legal, it is necessary and right."
Justice Secretary Michael Gove - one of a group of cabinet ministers backing EU exit - said it was wrong to spend taxpayers' money on "a one-sided piece of propaganda", saying the money should have gone on public services instead.
Eurosceptic MPs have long feared that ministers would try to sway the outcome of Britain's referendum on EU membership, on 23 June, by using the full weight of the civil service machine to push the case for staying in.
They had managed to get ministers to agree to limiting government propaganda in the weeks running up to the polling day.
But the leaflets, bearing the official HM government stamp but not the face of David Cameron or any other ministers, are due to start landing on doormats in England next week, with the rest of the UK to follow.
The leaflet claims that a vote to leave the EU would cause an economic shock that "would risk higher prices of some household goods and damage living standards".
It further claims that the only way to "protect jobs, provide security, and strengthen the UK's economy" is by staying in the EU, arguing that leaving would create risk and uncertainty.
Reality Check: Checking claims in the government leaflet
Labour MP Gisela Stuart, who chairs pro-exit campaign group Vote Leave, said: "This is not the facts, it is a misleading government propaganda campaign paid for by hard-working taxpayers who would rather see their money spent on their priorities."
She said the public wanted "an honest debate" not "an attempt by the prime minister to buy the referendum result" with taxpayers' money.
London Mayor Boris Johnson - a prominent figure in the exit campaign - claimed it showed the government did not want "a fair fight" while the Conservative former minister Liam Fox, who plans to launch an online petition to secure a debate in Parliament on the issue, said the government was effectively "doubling the funding for one side - ie the Remain campaign."
Defending the leaflet, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said: "We're entitled as the democratically elected government to set out our view, as government have done in every referendum we've had going all the away back to the original Europe referendum back in 1975."
He said 80% of the British public wanted more information about the referendum and the government was "giving the facts and the government's judgement to go with these facts".
Royal Mail will start delivering the leaflets - entitled Why the Government Believes That Voting to Remain in the EU is the Best Decision for the UK - to households in England next week and in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland after the 5 May devolved elections.
A digital version is being advertised on social media and on a new website. The government says the campaign will cost £9.3m, or about 34p per household.
Households have also been receiving leaflets from EU exit campaigners which also purport to set out the facts of the referendum debate, although these are paid for by the campaigns themselves, rather than taxpayers' money.
Although the internet and social media are tools widely used by both sides of the referendum to spread their message, traditional methods - such as delivering leaflets to homes - still play a key role in the campaigns. | David Cameron has defended a government pro-EU membership campaign, amid criticism that £9m of public money is being spent on "one-sided propaganda". |
34742874 | James Craig, from Dunragit near Stranraer, is accused of tweeting false news designed to make share prices fall, so he could buy and resell shares for profit.
Fraudulent tweets were allegedly made about two firms by Mr Craig in 2013.
Prosecutors claim shareholders lost more than £1m as a result of his alleged tweets.
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced it had filed securities fraud charges against Mr Craig in a federal court in California.
The tweets were about two companies, Audience and Sarepta Therapuetics.
Several tweets, suggesting Audience was under federal investigation, were said to cause the share price of the mobile audio company to fall 28% before the Nasdaq temporarily halted trading.
Further alleged tweets that claimed Sarepta Therapuetics was also subject to an investigation sent stock in the drug firm tumbling by 16%.
Prosecutors claimed shareholders had lost more than $1.6m (£1.05m).
Jina Choi, director of the SEC's San Francisco regional office, said the fraudulent tweets "disrupted the markets for two public companies and caused significant financial losses for their investors." | A 62-year-old Scottish trader has been charged in San Francisco with defrauding the US stock market. |
38973005 | 14 February 2017 Last updated at 17:00 GMT
Thomas Howard and his wife Irene, now aged in their 90s, first met as children living on the same Lancashire street in 1931, and married after World War Two. | A couple who first met as children have shared their Valentine's Day relationship tips after more than seven decades of marriage. |
34546461 | The Scottish veterans were presented with the Legion d'Honneur, on board a French naval destroyer berthed in Leith.
The award honoured them for the role they played in liberating France during the war.
Many of those being honoured took part in the D-Day landings in June 1944.
The ceremony was the latest in a series that have taken place throughout the UK since the 70th anniversary of D-Day in June 2014, when President Francois Hollande pledged to honour all surviving British veterans who fought in France during the war.
About 3,000 applications were received in the space of a few months, with hundreds of medals awarded so far.
The latest medals were presented on board the destroyer Aquitan by Emmanuel Cocher, the French consul general in Scotland, and Rear Admiral Patrick Chevallereau, the French embassy's defence attaché.
Among those receiving the honour were 95-year-old Hugh Maguire from Armadale in West Lothian, who fought with the Royal Ulster Rifles and took part in the D-Day landings.
The others were Thomas Cave, Cyril Deas, Anthony Delahoy, Alexander Govan, John Greig, William Pritchard, Walter Sharp and Aidan Sprot.
A spokeswoman for the consul general said: "France will never forget the gallantry and bravery they showed in taking part in the liberation of France 70 years ago.
"The actions and sacrifice of these men, and that of so many who fell on the battlefield, was instrumental in bringing back freedom and peace in France and across Europe." | Nine World War Two veterans have received France's highest honour for bravery, in a special ceremony in Edinburgh. |
39407039 | David Davis said a "sustainable" system would take into account the needs of the NHS and different industries.
He also said the government had a "huge contingency plan" for the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
Mr Davis was speaking on a special edition of BBC Question Time ahead of Wednesday's formal Brexit notification.
The government has yet to specify how the UK's immigration system will work once it is no longer bound by EU free movement rules, but has promised to restore "control" to borders with new curbs in place.
Mr Davis said the new system would be "properly managed".
It would be for the home secretary to decide the system to be used, he said, but added: "I cannot imagine that the policy will be anything other than that which is in the national interest.
"Which means that from time to time we will need more, from time to time we will need less.
"That is how it will no doubt work and that will be in everybody's interests - the migrants and the citizens of the UK."
The Brexit secretary was urged by a German NHS worker in the audience to "do the decent thing" and guarantee EU nationals the right to stay in the UK.
He promised the issue would be a priority when talks begin.
On Wednesday Prime Minister Theresa May will invoke Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, which begins the negotiation process.
During the Britain after Brexit debate the panellists, who included former Scottish first minister Alex Salmond and Labour Brexit spokesman Sir Keir Starmer, were asked what would happen if no deal was reached.
Mr Davis said the government had spent the nine months since June's Brexit vote preparing a plan.
He said it was not a scenario the government wanted to see, but added: "We have got a huge contingency plan, exercised across all of these issues, every department of government."
Mr Salmond said the government's view that no deal is better than a bad deal was "nonsensical".
But UKIP's Suzanne Evans criticised "hyperbole" about "crashing out" of the EU.
Mr Davis also said the UK would abide by its obligations when it comes to settling outstanding liabilities with the EU, but played down claims these could amount to £50bn.
Former Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg said the EU was "simply going to ask us to settle the tab before we leave", and Mr Starmer said the UK had to honour its debts "otherwise no country is going to want to deal with us" in future trade negotiations.
But a man in the audience compared the EU's demands with "the bully in the playground taking our lunch money".
On Wednesday, the prime minister will send a letter to the president of the European Council telling him officially that the UK wants to leave.
Triggering Article 50, the letter will set in motion a two-year process in which the terms of the UK's departure from the EU will be hammered out, as will the outline of the UK's future relationship with the remaining 27 EU members.
As things stand, the UK is set to leave the EU on 29 March 2019 although this deadline could be extended if both sides agree.
More than 33.5 million people voted in a referendum last June on the UK's future in the EU. They voted to leave by a margin of 51.9% to 48.1%. | Immigration should rise and fall depending on the UK's needs after it has left the EU, the Brexit secretary says. |
37556523 | And if their chatter is being obscured, it could hamper their ability to breed.
Steve Simpson and colleagues are testing the idea by dragging hydrophones through coastal waters to record the marine soundscape.
It has long been recognised that large marine mammals are susceptible to noise pollution - as are coral reef fish.
But the new study intends to understand the impacts on some more familiar UK fish species.
"Cod particularly have very elaborate calls compared with many fish," the University of Exeter professor told BBC News.
"They vibrate their swim bladder - their balloon inside them - to make sound.
"They can create a whole range of different pops, grunts and rumblings."
The animals vocalise at the point of spawning: the male sings and the female then assesses whether the male is any good before she releases her eggs.
Cod also use sound to navigate, establish territories and warn their group of an immediate threat.
These are all activities that could be compromised if the din from shipping, oil and gas exploration and other human-produced noise sources become intolerable.
To date, very little work has been done to map the UK marine soundscape, says Prof Simpson.
His team aims to change that by deploying kayak-drawn underwater microphones, or hydrophones, in a number of localities right around the British Isles.
One aspect to be investigated is whether regional fish populations all vocalise slightly differently - the possibility that their sounds may exhibit something akin to an accent.
Such “dialects†| The seas around Britain may be getting so noisy that fish species like cod and haddock now have some difficulty communicating with each other. |
32236909 | Michael Spalding, 39, known as Spud, from Ladywood, Birmingham, was discovered by men working near Icknield Port Road on 12 May, police said.
Lorenzo Joshua Simon, 34, was convicted of murder after a five-week trial at Birmingham Crown Court.
His co-defendant Michelle Bird, 35, was cleared of the same charge.
She had previously admitted assisting an offender.
The pair, both of Oxford Road, Smethwick, are due to be sentenced next week.
West Midlands Police said Mr Spalding was believed to have been killed 16 days before the suitcase containing his body parts was found by a Canal & River Trust contractor.
A police search later discovered a hacksaw and a second suitcase, also containing body parts, on the canal bed.
The post-mortem examination was unable to confirm the precise cause of death, but officers said they suspected Mr Spalding died from a stab wound to the neck, "evidence of which was subsequently destroyed when the body was beheaded".
West Midlands Police said a number of weapons were used to dismember the body, including knives, a saw and possibly an axe.
The force said Mr Spalding had initially been staying with Simon in return for helping to renovate his flat in Smethwick.
However, officers said Simon and Bird had used Mr Spalding like "slave labour", and their treatment had led him to "break" and complain.
Det Insp Harry Harrison said this, combined with an argument over damage caused to Simon's car, led to the fatal attack.
"Simon said he hit Michael in the back, that he fell to the floor dead within seconds, and claimed to have disposed of the body in panic," he said.
"Bird said she was on an errand to buy alcohol at the time of the killing but later admitted helping her boyfriend in the aftermath."
"However, we were able to provide compelling evidence to the jury that this was a vicious murder and Simon went to considerable lengths to try and cover his tracks."
Police said neighbours had seen a bonfire in the rear garden following Mr Spalding's disappearance and a forensic examination of an oil drum found debris from his humerus , or upper arm, bone.
Thanks to support from the University of Warwick, police said 3D scanning technology revealed "a perfect jigsaw fit" between the bone and a severed limb found in one of the suitcases, as well as links between the hacksaw and marks found on other bones.
Officers said a black suitcase was first spotted by a narrow boat owner floating near Pope Bridge on 5 May.
Other canal users also reported the case, before a contractor, suspecting it contained a dead animal, towed it to Icknield Port yard a week later. | A killer who dismembered his tenant's body before stuffing it into a suitcase which he dumped into a canal has been found guilty of murder. |
30624523 | Cabinet Chief Jorge Capitanich said the president would suspend all international travel until February.
He said Ms Fernandez had slipped on a liquid spilled on the floor of her home in Patagonia, in southern Argentina.
The president has had a series of health problems, some of which have forced her to cancel official trips.
Ms Fernandez was due to travel to Brazil for the inauguration on 1 January of President Dilma Rousseff, who has been elected to a second term in office.
She will also miss a trip to the Vatican alongside the Chilean President, Michelle Bachelet.
In November, Ms Fernandez had to cancel her attendance at a commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the signing of a peace treaty with Chile, which Ms Bachelet was also due to attend.
At the time, the Argentine leader was suffering from a sigmoiditis, an inflammation or infection of the sigmoid colon.
Last year, she had to rest for a month after undergoing surgery to treat bleeding on the brain.
President Fernandez, of the left-wing Front for Victory party, was first elected in 2007 and then returned to power by a comfortable majority in 2011. | Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has cancelled her planned trips to Brazil and the Vatican after breaking her ankle on Friday. |
30776745 | Trials with 216 babies up to 12 months old indicated they were unable to remember new tasks if they did not have a lengthy sleep soon afterwards.
The University of Sheffield team suggested the best time to learn may be just before sleep and emphasised the importance of reading at bedtime.
Experts said sleep may be much more important in early years than at other ages.
People spend more of their time asleep as babies than at any other point in their lives.
Yet the researchers, in Sheffield and Ruhr University Bochum, in Germany, say "strikingly little is known" about the role of sleep in the first year of life.
They taught six- to 12-month-olds three new tasks involving playing with hand puppets.
Half the babies slept within four hours of learning, while the rest either had no sleep or napped for fewer than 30 minutes.
The next day, the babies were encouraged to repeat what they had been taught.
The results, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, showed "sleeping like a baby" was vital for learning.
On average one-and-a-half tasks could be repeated after having a substantial nap.
Yet zero tasks could be repeated if there was little sleep time.
Dr Jane Herbert, from the department of psychology at the University of Sheffield, told the BBC News website: "Those who sleep after learning learn well, those not sleeping don't learn at all."
She said it had been assumed that "wide-awake was best" for learning, but instead it "may be the events just before sleep that are most important".
And that the findings showed "just how valuable" reading books with children before sleep could be.
Dr Herbert added: "Parents get loads of advice, some saying fixed sleep, some flexible, these findings suggest some flexibility would be useful, but they don't say what parents should do."
A study last year uncovered the mechanisms of memory in sleep. It showed how new connections between brain cells formed during sleep.
Prof Derk-Jan Dijk, a sleep scientists at the University of Surrey, said: "It may be that sleep is much more important at some ages than others, but that remains to be firmly established."
He said babies "should definitely get enough sleep" to encourage learning, but concentrating learning just before bedtime may not be best.
"What the data show is sleeping after training is positive, it does not show that being sleepy during training is positive."
There is also growing interest in sleep and memory at the other end of life.
The two go hand in hand in your twilight years, particularly with underlying neurodegenerative disorders such as dementia.
It is hoped that boosting sleep would "slow the rot" of memory function. | The key to learning and memory in early life is a lengthy nap, say scientists. |
27142836 | Written by Pat Mills and illustrated by the late Joe Colquhoun, it follows young Londoner Charley Bourne's fight to survive in the trenches of the Western Front.
After starting his career with Dundee-based publisher DC Thomson, Mills co-created Battle with fellow comic book writer John Wagner and also launched British science-fiction/fantasy comic 2000AD.
Here Mills gives an insight into writing Charley's War and why he believes how mechanised warfare - machine guns, zeppelins and planes - made WW1 the world's first science-fiction war.
"John Wagner and I did not want Battle to glorify war, and Charley's War is an anti-war story," said Mills. "I think that in the 1970s and 80s it was legitimate, more so than it is today, to describe the Great War as a tragedy, a mistake and criticise the incompetence of generals. In 2014, revisionists have been trying to improve the image of the generals."
Mills' research drew on books, war-time poetry, soldiers' letters, archive photographs and satirical postcards, and some inspiration from 1969 film Oh! What a Lovely War. War-time letters were a major influence and correspondence between Charley and his mum, a munitions worker back home in Bethnal Green, was used as a plot device in the early strips.
"To write the story I had to understand the complexities of the trenches. It was a learning curve. I owe a lot to Charley's War because it made me a better writer," said Mills.
Artist Colquhoun had served as a sailor during World War Two. Before illustrating Charley's War, he had provided the artwork for another Battle comic story, Johnny Red. Set in WW2, its hero is a British pilot fighting for the Russians. Mills said Colquhoun was a hugely talented but modest man. "Joe had this great imagination. Other artists have told of him being able to imagine something, like a tank for example, from different angles. In Johnny Red, he created this amazing street scene of Stalingrad," said Mills.
Mills and Colquhoun were determined to root Charley's War in fact. The Battle of the Somme was among the battles featured.
But young Charley's face-off with an armour-clad German sniper proved controversial. Mills said: "Some people did not think this was based in fact. A relative of mine who had served in World War Two also questioned the use of armour. But I had seen a photograph of armour made for use in World War One. It looked medieval."
Photographs from Getty Image's archives show US-designed armour, left, and also protection that would not look out of place in the pages of 2000AD.
"I didn't want Charley's War to be a story of derring-do and have Charley charging across different theatres of the conflict," said Mills. "But sometimes it was necessary for him to leave the trenches to make a dramatic point, such as showing one of the last cavalry charges of the war. It looks so ludicrous, like something from the Battle of Balaclava, but a charge against machine guns."
"To me, the First World War was the world's first science-fiction war. It saw the first use of tanks, which terrified some of the Germans in their trenches when they first saw these machines." Mills and Colquhoun also featured Zeppelin airship bombing raids on London, aerial dogfights above the trenches and later heavily armed, armoured trains in the stories.
Mills said: "We often imagine that Armageddon is a horror that awaits us sometime in the future. But Armageddon has already happened. It was World War One." | Charley's War was a comic strip set in World War One that ran for many years in Battle, a British comic published in the 1970s until the late 80s. |
39733500 | But how does it work? Here is a quick guide from BBC Sport…
The first round of deals is due to take place from about 1am on Friday, 21 April, from outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art, close to the steps featured in the 1976 hit boxing film Rocky.
A further six draft rounds will then take place up until Saturday with a total of 253 selections due to be taken.
Each NFL team has one choice per round. The order is based on how the teams finished last year. To help even up the league, the worst performing side receives the first pick - so, in theory, can gain the brightest prospect from the college system.
This year, that is set to be the Cleveland Browns, who finished last season with just one victory. The Super Bowl winners - New England Patriots - would have been the 32nd pick out of the 32 teams, but they traded their spot to the New Orleans Saints.
There are no transfer fees in NFL but teams can trade picks - so do not be surprised to find orders can change. Each team has 10 minutes "on the clock" to make their pick in the first round.
Once the choice is made, the player is usually paraded on stage and introduced by the league's commissioner Roger Goodell.
The Jacksonville Jaguars, who will be playing one game each year at Wembley until at least 2020, is to announce two of its picks from a London studio. The fifth and seventh picks are to be announced by fan Charlotte Johnson, from Lincoln.
To be suitable for the draft, players must have spent enough time in US college education to be deemed eligible by the NFL. That means some players can enter the Draft before they finish their degree. Players must also have been out of the US high school for at least three years.
Players usually show off their speed and skills across various tests before team representatives at the NFL's annual scouting combine, this year's took place between 28 February and 6 March.
The money seems to be on Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett being snapped up pretty quickly in this year's draft. He is tall at 6ft 4in and weighs 270lbs - but he can run 40 yards in just 4.64 seconds.
Beyond that, there is no real agreement among the experts - names include Stanford defensive end Solomon Thomas, Louisiana State running back Leonard Fournette and Ohio State cornerback Marshon Lattimore. The top tip for a quarterback seems to be Mitchell Trubisky of North Carolina - but also keep an eye out for Deshaun Watson, who led Clemson to the US college football national title.
Jermaine Eluemunor, a 22-year-old Londoner, is also hoping to be chosen as an offensive tackle in the Draft. As this video shows, his unusual path to the NFL began when he watched the Dolphins play the Giants at Wembley on TV back in 2007.
More than eight million viewers are expected to tune in to watch the event in the US - not bad for a group of people talking and not a single touchdown being thrown.
Media playback is not supported on this device
There are usually plenty of talking points after the event as fans and pundits work out which teams landed a star and who were left with the also-rans. | The NFL's 32 teams are gathering in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to choose the best of the best from American college football teams to become potential stars for their sides. |
34390820 | "It is painful when things get said that you don't believe," he said.
Just weeks after Damon had to explain his comments on diversity, an interview with The Observer sparked backlash.
"You're a better actor the less people know about you period. Sexuality is a huge part of that," he told the paper.
"Whether you're straight or gay, people shouldn't know anything about your sexuality because that's one of the mysteries that you should be able to play," he told the British newspaper.
Damon had been addressing rumours he and Ben Affleck were gay, which he said surfaced as they tried to get their 1997 Oscar-winning film Good Will Hunting made.
"It's just like any piece of gossip, and it put us in a weird position of having to answer, you know what I mean?" he told the paper.
"Which was then really deeply offensive. I don't want to, like [imply] it's some sort of disease - then it's like I'm throwing my friends under the bus.
"But at the time, I remember thinking and saying, Rupert Everett was openly gay and this guy - more handsome than anybody, a classically trained actor - it's tough to make the argument that he didn't take a hit for being out."
Damon later addressed his comments during a pre-taped interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which is due to air on Tuesday.
"I was just trying to say actors are more effective when they're a mystery, right?" he told DeGeneres, "and somebody picked it up and said I said 'gay actors should get back in the closet'.
"Which is like, I mean it's stupid, but it is painful when things get said that you don't believe. You know what I mean? And then it gets represented that that's what you believe."
He went on to comment on internet journalists fuelling the backlash.
"In the blogosphere there's no real penalty for just taking the ball and running with it," he said, "You know what I mean? You're just trying to click on your thing."
DeGeneres, who is openly gay, told Damon: "I know you and I know you're not that guy."
Damon was also recently forced to apologise for comments on diversity in film while judging on his HBO reality show Project Greenlight. | Actor Matt Damon has told Ellen DeGeneres that comments he made in a recent interview, saying gay actors should keep their sexuality a secret, were taken out of context. |
34608224 | None of the students at Hermitage Academy in Helensburgh sits exams in their fourth year.
The school argues students have a better chance of success if they spend two years studying towards their Highers instead.
But hundreds of parents say the system is not working and have signed a petition calling for an urgent rethink.
They claim the system at Hermitage is disadvantaging students and argue more are now failing exams or even leaving school with no qualifications.
Councillors say they have noted the concerns and a review of the system is under way.
The new National 4 and 5 qualifications replaced Standard Grades across Scotland two years ago.
At most schools, academically able students spend S4 studying for National 5 qualifications while others do a mix of National 4 and 5 qualifications.
Pupils with National 5s can then go on to study for their Highers.
But Hermitage Academy has adopted an unusual approach.
At the end of S3, all students - regardless of academic ability- choose the six subjects they would eventually like to achieve a Higher in. For some, inevitably, this may prove more of an aspiration than a likely outcome.
There are no exams in S4 but at the end of S5 students sit exams for the qualification they have they best chance of getting at that point. For some this may be a Higher, for others it may be a National 5.
The risk is that if a candidate fails, they may end up with no qualification at all in that subject although they can choose to retake a course in S6.
Some parents claim Hermitage is using their children as guinea pigs and argue the school's unusual approach is not working out.
They have formed a campaign group, Parents for Change, and want Hermitage to move to the more conventional system used at most other schools. Hundreds have also signed a petition.
Spokesman Kevin Middleton said some able pupils may not do as well as they might have in their Highers if that was their first experience of an exam. He argued sitting National 5 exams in fourth year could prove good practice for them.
Concerns have also been raised locally by teachers' unions.
A spokesman for Argyll and Bute Council said Hermitage had originally developed its model in consultation with parents but acknowledged there were concerns.
He said: "Following receipt of examination results, it is appropriate that all schools review their curriculum and the review of Hermitage Academy's curricular model began following the summer recess.
"These reviews underpin our commitment to providing the very best education experience for each individual pupil.
"As we progress with the review of Hermitage Academy's curricular model, parents, pupils, staff and members will be involved.
"It is expected that the review report will be completed by the end of November, in the meantime, should any parent have a specific concern they wish to discuss regarding their child's progress, we would encourage them to make contact with the school to discuss the position and the supports in place."
The concerns have already reached the council chamber.
On Thursday, councillors rejected a motion which would have seen Hermitage start to give S4 students the chance to sit up to eight National 5 qualifications.
But they backed a detailed amendment which noted the concerns that had been expressed.
The amendment also noted that the council's education service had started a review of the curricular model at Hermitage in conjunction with the school's management team.
The changes to the exam system across Scotland started to be introduced during the school year 2013-14.
Standard Grades were scrapped - the National 5 qualification is broadly equivalent to a Credit pass in a Standard Grade.
Overall, the aim now is to concentrate on what qualifications a youngster has obtained by the time they leave school - not what they have achieved by a particular stage or the total number of exam passes.
For many academically-able youngsters, a National 5 qualification is merely a stepping stone on the way to a Higher just as an O Grade or Standard Grade used to be. The question is whether gaining the lower qualification first is actually any help.
Although Hermitage's approach is unusual, a number of schools now offer able students the chance to bypass National 5s on a subject-by-subject basis so they can spend two years studying towards Highers. Advocates of the concept say this minimises exam stress and maximises the candidate's chance of a good grade.
Spreading the course over two years can help avoid the sudden increase in workload and expectation which can hit students at the start of a Higher course in S5 - the so-called "two-term dash". | A row has erupted over the unusual way new qualifications have been introduced at a school in Argyll and Bute. |
29343784 | Over six decades, his distinctive voice and towering presence saw him much in demand for a variety of roles.
He successfully combined classical theatre with television and Hollywood blockbusters.
The death of his character in the film Alien has often been voted as one of cinema's most memorable moments.
John Vincent Hurt was born on 22 January 1940 in the town of Chesterfield in Derbyshire.
His father, originally a mathematician, had taken holy orders and when Hurt was five, became parish priest at Woodville on the Derbyshire-Leicestershire border.
His parents were reluctant to let him mix with local children, thinking them common, and although the family lived close to a cinema he was not allowed to go to see films.
His first taste of acting came at his prep school in Kent, an establishment Hurt later described as "so high Anglo-Catholic it was flying".
He played the part of a girl in a production of Maeterlinck's The Blue Bird, a tale of two children seeking happiness with the aid of a fairy.
"I felt an extraordinary feeling that I was in the place that I was meant to be," he recalled.
Hurt later revealed that he had been sexually abused by the school's headmaster.
When he was 12 his father was appointed to a church in Grimsby, and the family moved to Lincolnshire.
His parents, keen to see him in what they considered a respectable job, suggested he become an art teacher and he spent a short time at St Martin's School of Art in London
Money was a constant problem and on occasion, he persuaded some of his friends to pose nude and sold the portraits.
One of his subjects, then completely unknown to him, was Quentin Crisp, whom Hurt would later portray.
In 1960 he gained a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, a move that finally won his parents round and set him off on an acting career.
He fell in love with French cinema while studying in London, once going to see Jules et Jim every Sunday for seven weeks.
His somewhat bohemian existence persuaded him to become an agnostic, something that shocked his parents.
However, his brother's almost simultaneous announcement that he was becoming a Catholic rather took the sting from his parents' concerns over Hurt's lack of belief.
"That was the blackest day in the family history ever; that was my brother joining the antichrist."
When he finally graduated, he walked straight into a small role in a 1962 film, The Wild and the Willing, which earned him the princely sum of £75 a week.
Hurt began performing on the London stage and married actress Annette Robertson, although the union lasted less than two years.
His first significant film role was as Richard Rich in A Man for All Seasons, Fred Zinneman's biopic of Thomas More, based on the play by Robert Bolt.
While the part of Rich was not a major one, the success of the film - it won six Oscars - pushed him into the spotlight.
Five years later he was nominated for a Bafta, as Timothy Evans in 10 Rillington Place, the true story of one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in British legal history.
Evans, wrongly hanged for the murder of his daughter, was the sort of vulnerable character that would become something of a speciality for Hurt.
For a time he gained something of a reputation as one of acting's hellraisers, mixing with Peter O'Toole and Richard Harris.
He finally won a Bafta in 1975 for his portrayal of Quentin Crisp, in The Naked Civil Servant, an ITV adaptation of Crisp's autobiography,
His depiction of the colourful Crisp, who flaunted his homosexuality at a time when gay sex between men was illegal, won much praise.
"It changed the business's perception of me as a performer," he later said. "I was warned not to do it - they said you'll never work again, it was such a dodgy subject at the time."
Crisp himself expressed delight at Hurt's performance. "I told Mr Hurt it was difficult for actors to play victims, but he has specialised in victims."
He went on to reprise the role in 2009 in a dramatisation of Crisp's second autobiography, An Englishman in New York.
Other impressive performances followed. He played the tyrannical Roman emperor Caligula in the BBC adaptation of I, Claudius.
And in 1978 he narrowly missed out on an Oscar for his role as heroin addict Max in Alan Parker's controversial film, Midnight Express.
A year later he played a crew member in Alien, becoming a host for the eponymous creature.
The scene where the tiny creature bursts out of his chest has often topped the polls of the scariest moments in film.
In what many consider his greatest role, he played the hideously deformed Joseph Merrick in the film The Elephant Man.
Wearing prosthetic make-up that took eight hours to apply, Hurt excelled in the heartbreaking role of an intelligent man imprisoned in a body that repelled other people.
"Merrick was made into a freak," Hurt said. "A lot of my career is tied up with victims, people who are ostracised."
Tragedy struck in 1983 when his partner of 16 years, Marie-Lise Volpeliere-Pierrot, died after a horse-riding accident.
The following year, Hurt married American actress Donna Peacock.
That year Hurt again played a victim, this time Winston Smith in a film adaptation of George Orwell's 1984.
Critics were almost unanimous in their praise, with Roger Ebert declaring: "John Hurt, with his scrawny body and lined and weary face, makes the perfect Winston Smith."
Over the following decades Hurt's workload remained prodigious, although he played fewer leading roles.
He was a convincing Alan Clark in a BBC adaptation of the philandering politician's diaries, and a memorable Control in the film version of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.
His distinctive voice, "alternately honey and acid and sometimes a mixture of the two", as one critic put it, was much in demand.
Among the characters he voiced were the rabbit, Hazel, in Watership Down, and the Great Dragon in the BBC children's programme Merlin.
In 2013 he appeared in Doctor Who as the War Doctor, a hitherto unseen incarnation of the character.
Hurt's career saw him appear in more than 120 films as well as numerous stage and television roles. He was as much at home in the theatre as he was in front of a camera.
While many of his contemporaries picked and chose the roles they would play, Hurt cheerfully took anything that came along, no matter how small.
The film critic and historian Geoff Andrew asked Hurt how he managed to regularly turn in such memorable performances.
"The only way I can describe it is that I put everything I can into the mulberry of my mind and hope that it is going to ferment and make a decent wine.
"How that process happens, I'm sorry to tell you I can't describe."
Hurt is survived by his two sons and his fourth wife, of 12 years, Anwen Rees-Myers, a former actress and classical pianist. | Sir John Hurt was one of Britain's best-known and most versatile actors. |
16465556 | People living near Willow Tree Family Farm, in Shirebrook, said the chickens were kicked around the town like footballs then thrown in a pond.
Police increased patrols around the farm after two rabbits and a goose were brutally killed there in 2010.
They are now trying to find the people responsible for the latest killings.
David Taylor from the farm said: "We had a lot of things planned for this year but if things are going to happen like this what else is going to happen next?
"If we get something else on site what else is going to go missing? What else are they going to take?"
On 13 December 2010 the farm's owners found a decapitated goose.
Two rabbits were killed at the farm later the same week. One had been decapitated and the other appeared to have been stamped on.
The latest killings were reported to police on 6 January.
Councillor Marion Stockdale, who represents Shirebrook and Pleasley for Derbyshire County Council, said: "It's deplorable. It doesn't matter what sort of creature it is. For them to be tortured and victimised that way, I find it's just unforgivable."
Willow Tree Family Farm is managed by volunteers from the local area.
It also supports disadvantaged adults and children by giving them the chance to help at the farm and gain skills.
One of the farm's aims is to support community regeneration, but staff and volunteers are worried the killings give the area a bad name. | Two chickens were tortured and killed after being stolen from a community farm in Derbyshire which has been hit by a series of animal killings. |
36961498 | The tax reform has been labelled a landmark and India's biggest tax reform since independence.
The changes aim to streamline India's fragmented tax system with a single levy.
Indian businesses have been lobbying for the single tax rate as it would reduce costs, particularly for shipping goods across state borders.
What promises to one of the world's most complex tax reforms is expected to be serviced by state-of-the-art technology.
Indian software giant Infosys is building a gigantic electronic infrastructure - a GST portal - where taxpayers can register, make payments and file returns.
Some 7.5 million businesses will be covered by the tax. Clearly, a successful GST in India will be a minor miracle.
Read more from Soutik
The goal is to create one single market. Currently, everything sold in India is subject to a multitude of taxes varying from state to state.
This is a bureaucratic burden, with a lot of money lost in a fragmented market. With every state deciding its own taxes it also encourages local protectionism.
The new efficiency aims to boost growth, with optimistic estimates suggesting more than 2% of added economic growth. India already has overtaken China as the world's fastest growing economy.
The Goods and Services Tax will replace that confusing jumble of existing taxes - ranging from lottery and entertainment tax to VAT, sales tax or luxury tax - with one single tax.
There also will be no more taxes at the different state borders within the country.
Currently, goods brought for example from the northern city of Haryana to Chennai are taxed in six different states.
The individual states fear they will lose money. They will now be compensated for their lost revenue over the next five years. Another compromise is that the lucrative businesses of fuel and alcohol have been entirely left out of the new tax for now.
The bill has been a key goal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and easily passed the lower house, but was long held up in the upper house where Mr Modi's BJP party does not have a majority.
Although the vote in the upper house is labelled a breakthrough, the actual tax is still quite some time off. First, at least half of the country's 29 states will have to approve the bill before it can become law. Then, the actual tax will need to be decided. A government panel has suggested a rate of 17-18%.
The government target for the tax coming into effect is April 2017 but many doubt it will be in place by then. It's to be an electronic tax with no more manual filing - the massive IT infrastructure will be an added challenge on the way to India's tax miracle. | India's parliament has passed the much-awaited Goods and Services Tax (GST) bill. |
24072307 | Although the author has written lots of books before this will be her first time writing a film script.
The first film of the series will be titled Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them.
Rowling said: "I always said that I would only revisit the wizarding world if I had an idea that I was really excited about and this is it."
The new film will feature Newt Scamander, the fictional author of the textbook Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, owned and read by students at Hogwarts school.
Rowling said: "Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them is neither a prequel nor a sequel to the Harry Potter series, but an extension of the wizarding world."
Warner Bros, the film company that made the Harry Potter movies, does not know yet when the new film will be made. | JK Rowling is to write a series of films featuring popular characters from the world of Harry Potter. |
35206711 | Emanuel Lutchman, 25, from Rochester, was charged on plotting to kill people at a restaurant on New Year's Eve.
Mr Lutchman told an FBI informant he would use a machete and knives in the attack, officials say.
Before his arrest, he made a video pledging allegiance to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the FBI said.
Mr Lutchman came to the attention of authorities after he began expressing support for IS online.
"I will take a life, I don't have a problem with that," Mr Lutchman is quoting as saying in court documents.
A convert to Islam, he has a history of mental illness and lengthy criminal record, officials said.
Authorities in major US cities such as New York and Los Angeles are on high alert for an attack during well-attended New Year's Eve festivities.
New York has deployed about 6,000 police officers to patrol Times Square, which is expected to draw about a million people. | US authorities have arrested a man described as a supporter of so-called Islamic State (IS) and accused him of planning an attack in New York State. |
36014639 | 11 April 2016 Last updated at 14:57 BST
The service, a private enterprise known as Petit Train, will operate in May in St Peter Port.
The island had a tram service between St Peter Port and St Sampson from 1879 until it closed in 1934, after passenger numbers fell.
A light railway was later constructed by the German occupying forces in the Channel Islands during World War Two. | The first passenger train service to operate on Guernsey's roads since the 1930s has been trialled. |
33815476 | The sharp drop came one day after the struggling smartphone maker reported a record quarterly loss.
For the three months to June, losses hit 8bn Taiwanese dollars (£163m; $253m) from Tw$2.26bn a year earlier.
A pioneer of early Android smartphones, HTC is struggling with competition from Apple, Samsung and Chinese rivals.
The company also said the outlook was weak for the next quarter with revenues expected to fall.
Friday's shares tumble saw the company stocks fall by 10%, which is the maximum allowed on one day. Shares fell to their lowest since February 2005.
The disappointing results were triggered by "weaker than expected demand at the high end along with weak sales in China", the firm said in a statement.
The company also said it would cut jobs and discontinue some of its models to focus more on high-end devices.
"HTC has begun to implement company-wide efficiency measures to reduce operating costs across the organisation and ensure resources are appropriately allocated to future growth," the statement said.
The smartphone maker has been losing market share over the past years, hit by strong competition at the top-end of the market from the likes of Apple and Samsung, while cheaper Chinese rivals have affected HTC's low-cost offerings. | Taiwan's smartphone maker HTC saw its shares fall 10%, the daily trading limit, in the wake of poor earnings and a weak outlook. |
34556364 | A softly spoken man, Salman does not exude the charisma of outgoing Fifa president Sepp Blatter or Michel Platini, Uefa's head and a vice-president of football's world governing body - both, of course, currently suspended.
Yet he has forged a seemingly impregnable position at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and could be months away from leading the global game.
The 49-year-old, a Manchester United fan and an avid hunter of wild boar, is a cousin of the King of Bahrain and has been at the heart of his country's football since the early 1990s.
During his presidency of the Bahrain Football Association, the national team came to within a match of qualifying for both the 2006 and 2010 World Cups, and finished fourth at the 2004 Asian Cup. Not bad for a country with a population of just over 500,000 people.
One of the recurring questions that dogged his AFC campaign and his successful election concerned his alleged role in human rights violations while head of Bahrain's football federation.
During the series of pro-democracy uprisings referred to as the Arab Spring, a number of Bahraini athletes, including some of the best players from the national football team, were arrested for taking part in protests.
Striker Ala'a Hubail, who was top-scorer at the 2004 Asian Cup, said athletes were tortured before being released without charge.
But Salman's answer was unequivocal: "The question is, do you have proof that the Bahrain FA, under my presidency, took part in non-football activities?"
Nobody did.
But that question has been be resurrected as he hits the Fifa presidential campaign trail.
Since joining Fifa's top table, Salman has quietly grown in stature - and in Blatter's favour.
He chaired the committee that settled the question of when the 2022 World Cup in Qatar should take place.
And he is a voice on the taskforce that is seeking to untangle the football-political dispute between Israel and the Palestinians.
His ideas for Fifa are still unknown, but when he became the head of Asian football, he targeted match-fixing, grassroots development and increasing the number of women players.
Last month, the AFC became the first confederation to hold a women's futsal championship, won by Iran.
But his appreciation of football from a fan's perspective remains open to question.
He did not attend either the opening match or the final of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and, back in 2013, seemed rather confused when I asked him how his presidency of the AFC would benefit fans.
"I don't know what you mean," he said.
"Will there be a tangible impact for fans at clubs, now that you're here?" I asked.
"I still don't understand your question," he insisted.
Eventually, he said it was down to individual federations to look after the fans.
In the race for Fifa's top job, Salman will face Prince Ali bin al-Hussain of Jordan, a former supporter.
The pair became rivals in 2014 when Salman wrested Asia's much-coveted Fifa vice-presidency away from Ali, leaving the latter furious.
That outmanoeuvring, as well as his election success, was masterminded by yet another Arab royal, Sheikh Ahmad of Kuwait, whose patronage is likely to be decisive once again.
Ahmad is a key player among national Olympic associations and therefore wields extraordinary influence.
In this year's Fifa election, Salman instructed Asia's voters to back Blatter and not Ali who, after all, was one of their own.
When Platini said that he would run in next year's election, Salman backed him, once again ignoring Ali's candidacy.
He should be able to count on most of Asia supporting him and, if Platini - currently suspended for 90 days - is not allowed to run, much of Europe as well.
With Sheikh Ahmad's help in mopping up the other votes he needs, Salman is likely to be a formidable candidate. | I first met Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa when he became the head of Asian football in May 2013 with a landslide majority. |
27957448 | Campaigners have also organised a Save Our Swimming gala taking place later at the Fairfax Street sport centre - home to the Olympic-size pool.
Coventry City Council is proposing closing it and building a new leisure centre with a 25m pool and water park.
The authority said it was currently reviewing the responses from a public consultation into its plans.
Jo Deakin, from Coventry Swimming Club, said the gala was being staged to show the council the benefits of having a 50m pool in the city.
She said: "We are aware of the economics of the situation and that the centre can't go on as it currently is but we want to show this pool is needed not just for us as a club but for the whole city.
"We're not anti-water park but we're saying to the council it shouldn't be instead of an Olympic-sized pool, it should be there to complement it."
A spokesman for the council said: "We are working through the responses to our consultation and carrying out feasibility studies on various options.
"One of those studies is whether it is possible to have a 50m pool at the new proposed site." | More than 6,000 people have signed a petition to save the only 50m swimming pool in the Midlands. |
35101502 | Fresh turkey and Brussels sprouts are the cheapest they've been since 2011. Stuffing, Christmas pudding and mince pies are all selling, on average, for less this year than last.
So consumers can feel a little less guilty for having an extra helping this Christmas.
The findings, from price comparison site MySupermarket, are based on average prices across branded and unbranded goods in the major food retailers in the UK.
The comparison site believes it is competition between these major retailers that is pushing prices lower.
"There is a price war going on - with the big five supermarkets fighting to get customers into their stores," says Kim Ludlow, managing director of MySupermarket.
But their research also reveals the benefits of shopping around, with some of the most popular items - like puddings or turkeys - being discounted in a store. But those savings can then often be cancelled out with other items becoming more expensive.
"The supermarkets are shouting so much about being the cheapest, that it is becoming white noise - some consumers simply do not believe it any more, and they want to check it out for themselves," Mr Ludlow adds.
The supermarkets' ability to cut costs are down to fundamentals.
Some of the key ingredients in shoppers' trolleys have been coming down in price. A dozen eggs will cost an average of £2.74 today compared with £3.00 in 2011.
Butter is down from £1.54 to £1.49 over the same period of time. Milk is selling at cheaper prices this Christmas than last year.
And this ties in to a wider global picture.
Food, like other commodities such as oil or gold, is traded around the world, and prices are governed by supply and demand.
A current over-supply in the dairy industry has pushed milk prices down by more than 60% in the past two years.
China's appetite for dairy products is not what many in the industry expected, and there is also the effect of sanctions imposed by Russia against EU imports. It means there's more milk, and its by-products, sloshing around than required.
That has a knock-on effect too. A slice of festive Stilton cheese is a pinch cheaper this year.
"The price of milk is important to us, and we have to buy a lot of milk to make our cheese," says Robin Skailes, from Cropwell Bishop Creamery.
"So the prices are bearing on our costs, plus the labour costs. Stilton is a hand-made cheese - there's a lot of work that goes into it and so that does form quite a high proportion of our costs."
So, even though the costs of production are increasing, the retail price is coming down.
Mr Skailes says 98% of cheese is sold in supermarkets and that there are price wars going on at the moment.
He says that with Stilton "being a favourite Christmas product", it might be used by supermarkets to entice people into stores.
The current environment is not just affecting dairy. Anyone wanting an extra couple of pigs-in-blankets shouldn't feel the squeeze - in their wallet anyway.
Global pork prices are the lowest they've been since 2008.
Meanwhile, the weather can also have an impact.
"We've had a bumper year this year," says David Read of food research firm Prestige Purchasing.
"The weather has been not too hot, not too cold. It's been not too wet and not too dry. And so farmers have found themselves with yields that are 10% to 15% higher."
But he says that current conditions are also to do with a favourable pound to euro exchange rate - meaning UK importers of meat and fish can get more for their buck on the continental mainland.
"I think we can be pretty confident that we're going to have low food inflation for at least the next year," he adds.
Anyone looking for a frugal Christmas, it seems, should load up on meat and sugar, and leave the vegetables alone. Potatoes have almost doubled in price at retailers since 2011.
But it is not all good news for shoppers. Some items are more expensive.
Sparkling wine is up to an average of £9.82 a bottle - more than £1 up on 2011. And Christmas pudding prices have risen steadily over the years - although on average they should cost you a little less this Christmas than last. | Cooking up a festive feast is going to be cheaper this year, and many of the key ingredients are selling at the lowest prices seen for years. |
36397472 | Ryan Morse, from Brynithel, Blaenau Gwent, died on 8 December 2012 from Addison's disease.
The jury at Cardiff Crown Court was dismissed and the judge acquitted Dr Joanne Rudling, 46, of Cardiff, of manslaughter on Friday.
Dr Lindsey Thomas, 42, from Tredegar, was cleared of manslaughter by gross negligence on 27 May.
A new trial with a new jury will consider a second charge against Dr Rudling of perverting the course of public justice.
The doctors had been accused of not asking enough questions about Ryan's condition before he died. Both had denied the charges.
The court has previously heard Ryan's death could have been prevented if he had been examined at any point up until a couple of hours before it happened.
Mrs Justice Nicola Davies ruled there was insufficient evidence.
She said: "I had decided that there was no case upon which a properly directed jury could convict Dr Rudling." | The second of two GPs accused of unlawfully killing a 12-year-old boy has been cleared. |
35756883 | About half of them on a good day, he replied.
While the worlds of comedy and business may not initially appear to have much in common, a growing number of firms are in fact turning to comedians to help them boost staff communication, performance, and creativity. And to enable senior bosses to improve their public speaking and presentation skills.
For businesses who want their workers to be as happy and productive as possible, it is no laughing matter. Except when it is.
Companies that are now using comedians include internet giant Google; social media firm Twitter; soft drinks business Red Bull; and German engineering group Siemens. And if those four firms ever walked into a bar together, Red Bull would be the best mixer...
At Quebec's National Comedy School in Montreal, Canada, its team of comedians has been offering training courses to businesses since 2009. It currently has 30 clients on its books, including insurance group Sun Life and Siemens' Canadian division.
Rather that teaching people to tell jokes, the visiting workers are typically asked to put on red noses and behave like clowns.
They are asked to practise pratfalls, pretend to bump into things, and even mock-slap their colleagues in the face.
"These kind of games are childish and make people lose their grounding," says Louise Richer, the founder of the comedy school.
"They allow creating safety zones, where people can say whatever they want without the fear of being judged, and where they can interact with their colleagues differently."
According to the 63-year-old, most people are unaware of their comedic potential, and have forgotten that they have imagination, two characteristics which can greatly benefit the typical workplace.
She adds: "What we do is take the same humour processes and tools that comedians use, to help businesses and employees increase their creativity, facilitate communication, think outside the box, and break some old habits."
While Ms Richer admits that she continues to face scepticism from some business quarters, a growing body of research is highlighting the importance of humour in the workplace, including reports from Harvard University in the US, and UK business psychology firm, Robertson Cooper.
Professor Eric Romero, a US-based leadership expert, says: "Humour is very useful to create group cohesiveness, and increase communication."
In the north-eastern US city of Boston, comedy group Improv Asylum uses similar techniques to Quebec's National Comedy School to help companies improve their productivity and creativity.
Its corporate training division, IA Innovation, advises Google, Twitter and Red Bull, to name but three household names.
Chet Harding, who founded Improv Asylum in 1998 after a decade working in advertising says: "The original idea [for the training courses] came from the communication problems I observed when I was working in advertising agencies.
"It was clear to me that the skill sets we use when we do improvisation on stage could be used by businesses to increase their communication and creativity."
The 45-year-old adds: "By using humour, we allow great ideas to come from anywhere. Humour breaks down barriers, and people end up having really creative ideas."
One business that recently used IA Innovation was Virgin Pulse, the maker of a health tracking mobile phone app.
John Sutliffe, vice president of sales at Virgin Pulse, says: "We were looking for something unique... a different twist on corporate training.
"It was the highlight of our sales kick off! Very different from your more traditional corporate training workshops... It was a rousing success."
However, before every company rushes to hire a comedian, the use of comedy in a corporate setting can easily backfire.
Back in 2014, research showed - perhaps unsurprisingly - that if a manager tells bad jokes all the time, it can significantly damage staff morale.
The study by Gang Zhang, a postgraduate student at London Business School, warned that if a boss wanted to tell jokes, he or she had better be sure they had the talent to do so effectively.
Meanwhile, John Nicholson, founder and chairman of Europe's first business psychology firm, Nicholson McBride, says: "It's only safe to use humour in business when you understand your audience well enough to know what tickles them.
"Provided you do, humour allows you to deliver tough but necessary messages, because it keeps people listening to unwelcome news instead of switching off. It just takes the edge off the situation."
Back at Quebec's National Comedy School, Ms Richer says she has been fighting for comedy to be taken seriously in the business community for almost 30 years.
"We still face resistance, and people still tell us what we do is stupid, but we are evangelical." | Did you hear the one about the boss who was asked how many people work in his company? |
36355493 | Woakes, who was called up to replace Ben Stokes for the second Test against Sri Lanka on Friday, went for 17 runs with no reward off his first six overs.
He then took nine wickets in 14 overs for 19 runs as Durham, although saving the follow-on, were bowled out for 190.
The Bears, who totalled 313 in their first innings, then closed on 15-2.
Woakes was due to travel to Chester-le-Street straight after the end of day two, to be replaced for the rest of the Divison One game by leg-spinner Josh Poysden, with the approval of both Durham and the ECB.
He therefore came in to open when Warwickshire's second innings began, but he was one of two quick victims for former England seamer Graham Onions, who also bowled nightwatchman Chris Wright.
Wright had more success in his time at the crease earlier in the day when he extended his ninth-wicket stand to 52 with Jeetan Patel, helping the Bears add a further 40 runs to their overnight 273-8.
In reply, Durham made a sound start as openers Mark Stoneman (36) and Keaton Jennings (29) put on 61 for the first wicket, only to cave in alarmingly once Woakes had made the breakthrough.
Woakes' bowling figures were the best by a Bears player since the late Jack Bannister took 10-41 against the Combined Services at the old Mitchell & Butler ground in 1959. Eric Hollies also took all 10 for Warwickshire in a Championship game in 1946.
Woakes' nine wickets, four of them caught behind and two clean bowled, are the eighth-best figures in first-class cricket for Warwickshire. His own previous career-best was 7-20 against Hampshire, also at Edgbaston in 2011.
He is the first Bears player to take eight wickets or more since Imran Tahir in 2010 - and the first to take nine in an innings in English cricket since James Harris took 9-34, also against Durham for Middlesex a year ago.
The 27-year-old, who won the last of his six England caps in January in South Africa, has taken eight Test wickets at 63.75 and made 129 runs at 21.50.
But he has started the 2016 season well, having now taken 21 County Championship wickets, as well as hitting a century when captaining the county in Ian Bell's absence in last week's win against Nottinghamshire.
Warwickshire all-rounder Chris Woakes told BBC WM:
"I just hit my rhythm. I got the wicket of Mark Stoneman and after that felt really good. I probably felt as good as I have all year so it's nice to be in that rhythm going into a Test squad.
"To get a five-for was nice but then to finish it off with nine was pretty special. But there was some really good work done at the other end. It just happened to be my day to take the wickets.
"It just clicked from that end after lunch. I didn't try to do anything different to what I normally do but it was fortunately just my day. The ball swung all day which was nice.
"Yesterday we were 200-2 and that was a position we definitely didn't expect to be in because the wicket did a bit but Andy Umeed got a great hundred."
Durham batsman Mark Stoneman:
"Woakesie was pretty impressive. He extracted more than anyone else out of the surface and was pretty relentless in doing so.
"They kept it tight at the other end so the pressure kept building as the scoreboard didn't move and he put enough balls in a good area to take wickets.
"Credit goes to Woakeie. He's going to get the headlines but I imagine they will be pretty happy with the way they bowled as a unit.
"We tried as best we could to stick it out but it seemed every time he was about to take a break he took a wicket." | Warwickshire's Chris Woakes took a stunning career-best 9-36 at Edgbaston as he warmed up for a possible England Test recall by bowling out Durham. |
26727829 | John Leonard Scollay, 40, who was known as Leonard, from Lerwick, was killed when the Diamond went down.
Shetland Coastguard received a Mayday call from the boat at about 02:55, reporting that it had hit rocks on the approach to West Burrafirth Pier.
A local boat, Diana Maxwell, recovered one man from the water. A second was recovered by the Aith RNLI lifeboat.
Both men were airlifted to Gilbert Bain Hospital.
The other crew member was said to be in a "stable" condition.
A report will be submitted to the procurator fiscal. | A fisherman has died after a scallop boat sank after hitting rocks off Shetland. |
38166600 | The rate of new cases of HIV in Northern Ireland increased by 81% in the 10 years to 2015.
During the same time, rates of new HIV cases fell across the UK as a whole by 23%.
Speaking on World Aids Day, Jacquie Richardson of charity Positive Life, said attitudes in NI were not helping.
"That this is a gay men's disease, that you can catch it from sitting beside someone and holding their hand or from sharing crockery or using the same toilet facilities," she said.
"Some of those myths are still very, very much out there."
The Public Health Agency (PHA) has said that HIV prevalence in Northern Ireland remains lower than in the other UK countries.
However, the percentage increase in annual new diagnoses in NI between 2005 and 2015 is highest of UK countries.
"I've been living with HIV now for seven years and the first couple of years I would have said the virus affected me - living with HIV was difficult.
"But actually, what really affects me now, more than anything, is other people's views and opinions of HIV and me living with HIV.
"I've had people who have completely cut me out of their lives - friends, after my diagnosis, who I have never spoken to again because they were worried to be seen with me or to be friends with me because of it.
"I've got really horrendous abuse on social media, where I've had death threats.
"I've had to get the police involved, because I've had a man who said he wanted to come and stamp on my chest because he thought he would do the world a favour by killing me before AIDS killed me.
"Within Northern Ireland, we have a complete lack of awareness and a complete lack of education around HIV."
During 2015, 103 new cases of HIV were diagnosed in Northern Ireland.
The key routes of transmission remain sexual contact involving men who have sex with men (58%) and sexual contact between men and women (34%).
Dr Neil Irvine of the the PHA said that many people who are living with HIV have no obvious signs or symptoms.
"The only way of knowing if you have the virus is by taking a HIV test. It is important not to delay seeking advice and taking this test if you feel you have been at risk," he said.
"The earlier the condition is diagnosed the more successful treatment is likely to be.
"People with HIV have a near-normal life expectancy if diagnosed early and treated promptly. It is estimated that the majority of onward transmission is from those with undiagnosed HIV." | A charity which supports people with HIV and Aids has said myths about the virus persist in Northern Ireland. |
40415425 | Up to 14 people, many of whom are homeless, were seen barbecuing in St John's in Devizes at the weekend.
They claim they had permission from the church and were not being disrespectful as it was not a "recent grave".
But Revd Canon Paul Richardson, said permission was "categorically" not given and it was "disgraceful" graves were "being shown such disrespect".
On Saturday night the group used the top of a tombstone in the Wiltshire churchyard to cook sausages on two disposable barbecues.
When details of the graveyard barbecue appeared on social media, opinions were divided.
One person said: "I'm so shocked, it makes me sad. I really don't understand how anybody has the audacity to do this".
Another said: "I know this is an old grave but this is still someone's resting place - it's so disrespectful."
By contrast, another posted on Facebook that she would be "quite happy to think someone was having a party on my grave one day".
The individuals involved in the barbecue said the churchyard was "where we live" and they would be doing it again.
"Pretty much everyone who was down here at the time was homeless," they said.
"Where else are we going to have a barbecue, it don't burn the graves and no way is it disrespectful because nobody has visited this grave."
But Revd Canon Richardson, said the individuals "do not have permission to be in the churchyard".
"It is disgraceful that the graves of our local ancestors are being shown such disrespect," he said.
"The church has been active in working with Wiltshire Council in trying to home the individuals involved but we are told that they have been reluctant to accept any provision offered." | The vicar of a church where a 200-year-old tombstone was used for a barbecue has called it "disgraceful". |
31770510 | It feels like an open-air concert - men, women and children are cheering and trying to get the best vantage point to watch the performance.
The two girls they want to see are 15-year-old Saania and 13-year-old Muqqadas Tabaydar, also known as 'Justin Bibis'.
The teenage sisters became an internet sensation when a video of them singing Justin Bieber's song Baby, with their mother doing background beats on a pot, went viral.
People in Pakistan took to social media. Some announced that Bieber had "competition" in these two girls.
"Pakistan's got talent" was another popular comment about the sisters.
"We've been singing since we were very young - many members of our family sing too. We know all sorts of Pakistani and Bollywood songs," said Saania.
"But we especially love Justin Bieber songs because they touch our hearts.
"When we heard Baby, we started dancing and jumping around and we just lost ourselves to it," she added.
Her sister Muqqadas said they have both listened to the song about 70 times.
"When I heard the song I forgot to eat or drink. I was just listening. I kept practising and practising until I learned it by heart.
"This song has been really lucky for us because we've now become famous!"
Saania and Muqqadas come from a very poor family and dropped out of education after primary school.
They do not speak much English so to learn the song they sounded out the words and transcribed them into Urdu.
They coached each other on the lyrics and the melodies.
They were soon picked up by local television channels who invited them to perform live.
The new-found fame is a big shift from their daily life.
"We really didn't expect all of this to happen to us, to be famous like this. Because of this video we got on a plane for the first time and we've been on TV. That's always been our dream.
"We had our hair and make-up done. We'd never been to a beauty parlour before. All of it was like magic so who knows what will happen next," said Saania smiling.
Their mother Shahnaz Tabaydar said she was also a big fan of Justin Bieber.
"I still can't believe all of this happened to my daughters, all thanks to Justin Bieber. I like him a lot. I feel he's like my son.
"I wish that my girls could one day become professional singers in Pakistan and India. I hope they get the support they need."
Mrs Tabaydar said the girls were taken out of school because the family was too poor. "But I really want them to go back," she said.
Their father said he was proud of his daughters.
Pakistan is a religiously conservative country and girls singing in public is frowned upon. But their father says they have not received any criticism.
"My daughters do something not many others girls can do. They sing English songs which are very hard for them, but they manage it."
Saania and Muqqadas say they want to travel the world.
"Our biggest wish, though, is to meet Justin Bieber and to sing with him." | Neighbours gather at windows and on rooftops surrounding the Tabaydar house in a very poor neighbourhood on the outskirts of Lahore. |
33540242 | Teachers will encourage students to use "mind exercises" that train their attention on the present, such as deep breathing, in the Wellcome Trust study.
Scientists say there is limited research to show mindfulness works.
The study will see teenagers fill in questionnaires about their mood to see if it does have an effect.
Mindfulness is already taught in some schools, but in this first large-scale trial, researchers want to find out whether introducing mindfulness to teenagers early on could help build their psychological resilience.
They suggest that, just as going for a run can help protect and improve physical health, mind exercises could be linked to better mental fitness and less mental illness overall.
Sessions include a practice known as "thought buses", where children are encouraged to think of their thoughts as buses that they can choose to board or let pass by.
Others focus on deep breathing - for example, counting in for seven seconds and breathing out for 11.
In each case the aim is to focus attention on the here and now, to make students aware of impulsive behaviour, and - over time - improve their ability to solve problems when under stress.
Researchers plan to recruit about 6,000 children aged 11 to 14 in 76 schools.
Half will be given 10 mindfulness sessions over a school term. The others, for comparison, will attend personal and social education classes as usual.
Throughout the study, students will fill in questionnaires assessing their mood and risk of developing depression.
Teachers will also be asked about the students' wellbeing and any positive or negative effects they notice.
A separate, smaller group will have laboratory-based tests and brain scans.
But schools will have to decide how to juggle the sessions with the rest of the school day and teachers need four days of training before they begin.
The trial, expected to begin late next year, will run for five years, including a follow-up period of two years for each student.
Haroon, a student at UCL Academy in London, says without mindfulness he would probably be much more rowdy in class.
He told the BBC: "Children our age might think it is just a waste of time, just sitting there.
"But I don't agree. For example, certain thoughts might hold you back but just thinking about them and reflecting on them might help you think about them in different ways."
The £6.4m programme will be carried out by teams at the University of Oxford, University College London and Medical Research Council over seven years.
William Kukyen, a professor of psychology at Oxford, says they are approaching the trial with an open mind.
But he argues that adolescence could be a key time to intervene - research increasingly suggests mental illness often takes root before before the age of 15 and that the brain goes through an intense period of development during teenage years. | Thousands of teenagers across the UK will have school lessons in mindfulness in an experiment designed to see if it can protect against mental illness. |
38742690 | They said 43 others, including seven journalists, were injured after bombs exploded at the Dayah hotel - although there have been no official numbers.
Somali security minister Abdirizak Omar Mohamed earlier said four attackers had been killed by security forces.
The Islamist militant group al-Shabab has said it carried out the attack.
Eyewitnesses said the attackers used a vehicle laden with explosives to blast their way into the hotel, where members of parliament were believed to be staying.
Shortly after the first blast, another vehicle exploded, killing and wounding more people who had gathered in the area.
Survivors described how hotel residents hid under beds and others jumped out of windows to escape from the attackers.
Hassan Nur told the AP news agency: "They [the gunman] kicked down room doors and at some point posed themselves as rescue teams by telling those inside to come out, (only) to kill them.''
Police officer Colonel Abdiqadir Hussein told Reuters that security forces had later managed to secure the building.
"We have rescued the people and concluded the operation at Dayah hotel," he said.
"The security forces are now inside the hotel."
The hotel is located less than a mile from Somalia's presidential palace and is popular with dignitaries.
The attack comes at a time when the country is preparing for indirect elections where MPs are set to choose a president. | Ambulance workers in the Somali capital Mogadishu have told the BBC they have counted 28 dead bodies at a hotel following a bomb attack by militants. |
38827601 | The Championship side also strengthened their grip on third place with a 1-0 win at Birmingham City on Tuesday.
"We needed to have extra bodies in the squad when you look at the number of games towards the end of the season," Stam told BBC Radio Berkshire.
"Maybe we will have injuries and suspensions that will stretch us."
Bournemouth striker Grabban, 29, West Ham defender Oxford, 18, and Crystal Palace midfielder Mutch, 25, have all joined on loan until the end of the season.
"We're always looking for quality players in the squad and I think every manager wants that," Stam said.
"Reece Oxford gives us an extra defender in the squad, he's a young and very talented player and he has the quality that we need in how we play.
"He's highly-rated and everyone is happy to have him in the squad. Jordan Mutch has the experience that maybe other players in the squad don't have.
"Maybe that will make my life more difficult or perhaps easier in terms of making selection choices." | Reading manager Jaap Stam believes his three deadline day signings, Lewis Grabban, Reece Oxford and Jordan Mutch, will add "quality and experience". |
37274601 | City lost 6-0 to East Thurrock United on Saturday to drop to fourth-from-bottom in National League South.
"I'm looking for leaders and at the moment no-one seems to want to be a leader out there," Hodges said.
"I can hear myself on the sidelines screaming and shouting, but I can't hear too many others doing that."
The loss was Truro's worst since a 6-0 defeat by Oxford City in August 2015, which preceded a run of just two losses in their next 28 league and cup games.
But Hodges says he is worried that there did not seem to be the right reaction in the dressing room after their latest heavy loss, which came after conceding four first-half goals - including three in the space of eight minutes.
"That's what happens with a group of lads that don't have that fight about them at the moment," he told BBC Radio Cornwall.
"They're all just sitting in there looking around at each other, when you want people in there having their say.
"But no-one seems to be saying anything at the moment, there's just one voice and that's me at the moment who is trying to kick every ball and tackle every ball at the same time." | Truro City's lack of leadership on the pitch was exposed as they suffered their biggest home loss for a year, according to manager Lee Hodges. |
35154681 | Lawyers in the case said the boy's parents had sought a second opinion.
In October, a High Court judge, heard the Polish boy had vanished and made a written order stating efforts should be made to find him.
Mr Justice Mostyn granted an application, made by an NHS trust, allowing doctors to perform surgery.
He had urged the boy's parents to co-operate with doctors.
Doctors said the boy's parents preferred to treat their son with "Chinese medicine".
Specialists said the boy would die a "brutal and agonising death" within six months to a year if a tumour was not removed "very soon".
He was told there was evidence the boy, who cannot be identified, had left his home in England with his mother and that his father had boarded a ferry bound for France.
At the latest hearing, lawyers told another judge at the Family Division of the High Court in London that the boy had been traced to an address in Poland.
They told Mr Justice MacDonald that the boy was with his mother and that his father had returned to England.
Lawyers said the plan was for mother and child to return to England by Christmas.
Mr Justice MacDonald heard submissions from lawyers representing the hospital, the boy's father and from Cafcass - a Government-funded social work organisation which reviews local authority plans for children.
The case is due to be re-analysed at a further family court hearing in January. | A 10-year-old boy, who needs urgent surgery for jaw cancer, is in Poland and could be back in the UK by Christmas, a family court has heard. |
36901113 | Mr Macri said every 37 hours a woman was attacked in Argentina and that education was the key to ending deeply rooted cultural patterns of violence.
The plan, due to start next year, includes creating a network of women's refuges, and money for the electronic tagging of violent men.
Last year 235 women were killed in gender violence incidents in Argentina.
The government's National Plan for the Eradication of Violence against Women is putting into force a 2009 law.
Brazil's new femicide law
Argentine women hit back
Presenting the plan President Macri said: "We all need to commit ourselves. This is not only the job of government it is for society too."
Maria Fabiana Tunez, the president of the National Council of Women, a government agency, said the plan would last three years and include introducing gender violence awareness into the school curriculum. Staffing at a telephone helpline for women will also be increased.
The national plan comes after a series of rallies and demonstrations in several cities last year.
The initial demonstration last year followed the murder of a 14-year-old pregnant schoolgirl, Chiara Paez, who was found buried in her boyfriend's garden three days after being reported missing in the town of Rufino in central Santa Fe province.
In the past year there have been protests elsewhere in Latin America against gender violence, in countries including Mexico, Bolivia, Colombia and Brazil. | The Argentine President, Mauricio Macri, has announced a national plan to fight violence against women. |
38510141 | "We look forward to welcoming Dean to the club," Inverness tweeted.
The 22-year-old was previously with Shamrock Rovers and most recently with Bluebell United in the Leinster Senior League.
He has also featured in the League of Ireland for Longford Town and Athlone Town.
Like the other 11 Scottish Premiership clubs, bottom side Caley Thistle are currently on their winter break and return to action when they visit Elgin City in the Scottish Cup on 21 January. | Inverness Caledonian Thistle have agreed terms with Irish forward Dean Ebbe on a deal subject to international clearance. |
32066762 | It followed reports of problems at Bilston Glen, which previously handled calls from the Lothians and Borders.
Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie said the control room in Midlothian was struggling to cope following the closure of the Glenrothes control room in Fife on 17 March.
He told Holyrood more than 1,000 calls were lost in one day, and non-emergency calls took 40 minutes to answer.
The Glenrothes control room is one of five across Scotland scheduled to be closed as part of the reorganisation of the Scottish Police Service.
Dumfries and Stirling closed earlier, with Glasgow city, Inverness and Aberdeen to be shut later in 2015.
Police Scotland said the rationalisation, reducing the number of control rooms from 11 to four, would save £6m annually.
Speaking at First Minister's Questions, Mr Rennie said: "The closure of Dumfries last year was described as shambolic.
"Stirling was closed, and only weeks later had to re-open in an emergency, and Aberdeen and Inverness are still to come.
"I am alarmed that the first minister seems to be unaware of the problems because earlier this month there was almost a critical incident because staff levels were so low."
He called on the government to halt further closures.
Police Scotland has disputed the detail of the claims made by Mr Rennie.
Ch Supt Val Thomson said: "It does not take callers 58 minutes to get through when they call Police Scotland using 101 or 999.
"The average time taken for connecting a 101 non-emergency call is one minute, with many calls being answered in less. The average response for a 999 call to be answered is nine seconds.
"When you dial the 101 non-emergency number, callers have a menu of options that is intended to prioritise those calls that have an incident or crime to report."
Ch Supt Thomson added: "On Saturday 21 March 2015 there was an issue with one call received by the Bilston Glen Service Centre where the caller chose an option which is treated as a lower priority. This call stayed in the queue longer than expected. Action has been taken to stop this happening again.
"We do not recognise the claims made by Mr Rennie about the Stirling Centre opening in an emergency. There remained a presence in Stirling when the workload transferred to Bilston Glen, in the form of a Police Assistance Desk (a facility where police officers take crime reports over the phone and provide advice and guidance to members of the public)."
Nicola Sturgeon said she would raise the matter with the justice secretary and Police Scotland.
"People have the right to get a high-quality service from the police and where for any reason that is falling short then we will ensure that action is taken to rectify that," she said.
The matter was raised again in a member's debate initiated by Labour's justice spokesman Hugh Henry.
He said the experience of the two-year period since Police Scotland was established had given "grave concern".
Mr Henry said he was not criticising individual officers or non-uniformed staff.
But he criticised the force's watchdog body, the Scottish Police Authority (SPA), which he characterised as a "toothless tiger".
Mr Henry told MSPs: "It is largely ineffective and comes to the game after the event rather than setting out its policies and expectations in advance."
The debate followed criticism of Police Scotland over the way it has implemented controversial policies including stop and search, arming officers on routine duties and the closure of police station public counters. | Police Scotland has been urged to halt its programme of control room closures. |
31469401 | Firearms officer Carol Howard, 35, was "singled out and targeted" for nearly a year, a panel ruled last year. She has now decided to leave the police.
The Met said it "deeply regrets" the impact of the discrimination.
Ms Howard, of Purley, south London, brought a claim of discrimination at the Central London Employment Tribunal in 2014.
Her lawyer Kiran Daurka, of Slater and Gordon, said: "Carol is sad to leave the Metropolitan Police but her legacy to fellow officers is that her case has now led to a serious and thorough review of the way in which the MPS deals with discrimination complaints from officers."
In a statement, the Met said it "deeply regrets the impact the discriminatory conduct had on PC Howard, and wants to stress there is no room in the MPS for racism and sexism or victimisation".
The Met said it had agreed a final settlement against the officer's existing legal claims.
The force added that in September 2014 it said it would fully support Ms Howard's return to work, but after recent discussions it became clear she did not wish to continue her career with the Met.
The Met said: "The MPS respects PC Howard's decision and wishes her well in the future."
During the hearing last year, the panel was told that an internal report had been deliberately rewritten ahead of the tribunal.
An officer was asked to delete references in the report into discrimination related to race or sex, the panel said.
A judgement issued by the panel which heard the case said the Met "directly discriminated" against Ms Howard "on the grounds of sex and race" between 31 January and 29 October 2012.
A number of Ms Howard's complaints of "victimisation" were "well-founded", the tribunal added.
The 35-year-old had worked in the Diplomatic Protection Group (DPG), which provides protection for foreign embassies and missions in London.
Her superior, acting Insp Dave Kelly, subjected her to "a course of conduct which was detrimental to her", the panel said.
The panel also found that the Met also tried to "deflect" negative press by releasing information about Ms Howard.
While the force did not name PC Howard in a press statement, a draft version was altered to include more detail about her three arrests linked to a domestic dispute with her estranged husband.
After the tribunal last September Ms Howard received £37,000. | The Metropolitan Police has agreed a final settlement with an officer it discriminated against. |
36295095 | The 28-year-old Argentine surpassed Gunnar Nordahl's record of 35, which had stood since 1949-50.
Higuain struck twice in 17 minutes after the break before netting with a bicycle kick from the edge of the area.
Victory secured second place - and a spot in next season's Champions League group stage - for Napoli.
They finished two points above Roma, who beat AC Milan 3-1 and will go into the Champions League play-offs.
Juventus, who sealed a fifth successive title in April, finished ninth points clear of Napoli.
Check out Serie A's top scorers here
Match ends, Napoli 4, Frosinone 0.
Second Half ends, Napoli 4, Frosinone 0.
Attempt saved. Dries Mertens (Napoli) header from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Elseid Hysaj with a cross.
Corner, Napoli. Conceded by Matteo Ciofani.
Attempt blocked. Faouzi Ghoulam (Napoli) left footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Gonzalo Higuaín.
Foul by Vlad Chiriches (Napoli).
Daniel Ciofani (Frosinone) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Corner, Napoli. Conceded by Massimo Zappino.
Attempt saved. Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Dries Mertens.
Substitution, Napoli. David López replaces Marek Hamsik.
Attempt missed. Marek Hamsik (Napoli) left footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Lorenzo Insigne.
Attempt missed. Daniel Ciofani (Frosinone) right footed shot from the right side of the six yard box is too high.
Attempt saved. Daniel Ciofani (Frosinone) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Corner, Napoli. Conceded by Matteo Ciofani.
Offside, Frosinone. Paolo Sammarco tries a through ball, but Massimiliano Carlini is caught offside.
Attempt blocked. Daniel Ciofani (Frosinone) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Robert Gucher.
Substitution, Frosinone. Danilo Soddimo replaces Alessandro Frara.
Substitution, Napoli. Vasco Regini replaces Kalidou Koulibaly.
Foul by Vlad Chiriches (Napoli).
Massimiliano Carlini (Frosinone) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Offside, Frosinone. Matteo Ciofani tries a through ball, but Daniel Ciofani is caught offside.
Goal! Napoli 4, Frosinone 0. Gonzalo Higuaín (Napoli) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the high centre of the goal. Assisted by Dries Mertens.
Attempt missed. Marek Hamsik (Napoli) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Dries Mertens.
Offside, Frosinone. Daniel Ciofani tries a through ball, but Massimiliano Carlini is caught offside.
Attempt saved. Faouzi Ghoulam (Napoli) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Dries Mertens.
Attempt blocked. Marek Hamsik (Napoli) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Allan.
Substitution, Frosinone. Robert Gucher replaces Federico Dionisi.
Substitution, Frosinone. Massimiliano Carlini replaces Oliver Kragl.
Attempt missed. Daniel Ciofani (Frosinone) right footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the right following a set piece situation.
Oliver Kragl (Frosinone) hits the bar with a left footed shot from outside the box from a direct free kick.
Foul by Allan (Napoli).
Daniel Ciofani (Frosinone) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Dries Mertens (Napoli).
Adriano Russo (Frosinone) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Napoli. Dries Mertens replaces José Callejón.
Allan (Napoli) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Paolo Sammarco (Frosinone).
Goal! Napoli 3, Frosinone 0. Gonzalo Higuaín (Napoli) right footed shot from the right side of the six yard box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Elseid Hysaj with a cross.
Attempt missed. Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the right. Assisted by Marek Hamsik.
Attempt missed. Oliver Kragl (Frosinone) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the right. Assisted by Paolo Sammarco. | Gonzalo Higuain broke the record for goals in a Serie A season, scoring a hat-trick to take his total to 36 as Napoli thrashed Frosinone. |
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