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39772147 | Confirmation of Vale's return to League Two came when Brown's side could only draw 0-0 at Fleetwood on Sunday, when victory would have kept them up.
Vale's form dipped after 10-goal top scorer Alex Jones' loan deal expired and he joined Bradford in January.
"We've had extremely difficult circumstances," said Brown, 40.
He told BBC Radio Stoke: "To deliver a relegation in my first job, I'm still very disappointed, and I want to prove to everyone that I can build a good team.
"With the staff I have, and the contacts, we hope to get a team the Vale fans are proud of."
As a contracted Vale player since the summer of 2014, Brown has witnessed a major reconstruction at the club.
It began at the start of the season when manager Rob Page left for Northampton, and his assistant Brown became part of chairman Norman Smurthwaite's search for a new boss.
The appointment of Bruno Ribeiro and 16 mostly foreign signings was initially a success, but form was already tailing off prior to the departure of the Portuguese manager on 26 December.
Brown was initially told by Smurthwaite that he would be judged on results, and he won his first game in charge against a Chesterfield side who were to accompany them down.
But Vale have won just four times in 22 league matches in 2017 and Brown is now waiting to discover his fate.
"The chairman's the chairman," he said. "He owns the club and puts a lot of money in.
"It's going to need 16 players again. I'm planning as if I'm here and doing homework on the sort of players you'd want at the football club."
Several of Ribeiro's signings left in the January transfer window and one more departure is already known, after French midfielder Sebastien Amoros announced his intended exit on social media. | Port Vale caretaker manager Michael Brown hopes to be given the job of rebuilding the club following their relegation from League One. |
34220826 | Mohammed Kahar, 37, from Sunderland, appeared before the Old Bailey via video link from Wandsworth prison.
He is accused of 11 offences, including five of disseminating terrorist publications and three of supporting IS.
The father-of-six is due to stand trial in Newcastle next month.
The charges span a period between November 2013 and February 2014.
Documents allegedly disseminated include The Book Of Jihad and the IS magazine Dabiq 5.
Mr Kahar, of Burnville Road, spoke only to confirm his name and answer not guilty to each charge as they were read out to him.
He was remanded until the trial at Newcastle Crown Court on 19 October.
The full list of charges are: | A man has pleaded not guilty to a string of terrorism offences over his alleged support for the so-called Islamic State (IS) in Syria. |
31833221 | The actress died in January aged 60 after portraying Deirdre Barlow in the soap for 42 years.
The dressing room is now being used by Anne's good friend Beverley Callard, who plays Liz McDonald.
Brooke Vincent, who stars as Sophie Webster, called it a "fitting tribute" to leave Anne's name on the door.
"She was massive to us and to everybody else," Brooke told Newsbeat at Tuesday's TRIC (Television and Radio Industries Club) Awards.
"We were lucky enough to know Annie. A lot of people had the pleasure of watching her be Deirdre.
"Everyday, without fail, if you saw her, she'd say, 'I love you.' That was it, that's all she used to say to people - 'I love you, I love you.'
"She was always the one who kind of lit up a room."
Colson Smith, who plays Craig Tinker, described Anne Kirkbride as the "grandma".
"At Corrie, we act as a big family - we work as a family, we play as a family, and we are a family.
"[Anne] looked after the new people that came in, she'd give you hugs, she'd tell you stories, and she really made the atmosphere good.
"We're all happy to have the pleasure of knowing Anne."
Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter, BBCNewsbeat on Instagram and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube | Coronation Street bosses are keeping Anne Kirkbride's name on her old dressing room door as a tribute to the star. |
32686659 | Ross Morgan, 25, was watching the Ipswich v Norwich play-off match on television at home on Saturday when Paul Anderson equalised.
In his excitement, Mr Morgan jumped and put a fist-sized hole in the ceiling.
After he tweeted a photograph of the damage, Ipswich winger Anderson offered to foot the bill.
Salesman Mr Morgan, from Wetherby, near Leeds, said he was "shocked" at the gesture.
"I only sent it to him because I thought he might have thought it was funny," said Mr Morgan. "Then he replied saying he'd pay for it. I was pretty shocked by that. It's a great gesture from him.
"I'm 25 years old but footballers who play for your team are still your heroes. It was really good of him."
Mr Morgan said he was watching the game with four friends at the rented home he shares with his girlfriend.
"I wasn't too happy because they'd [Norwich] just scored but then when Ando scored I just lost it," he said.
"I went for a fist pump while jumping up at the same time. The next thing I knew I had gone through the ceiling."
Mr Morgan said he is unsure how he will react if Ipswich beat Norwich on Saturday to reach the Championship play-off final at Wembley.
"l really don't know what I would do. Maybe the TV would go through the window. I'd really love to go to Wembley." | A footballer has offered to pay for damage caused when a fan momentarily "lost it" and punched a hole in a ceiling while celebrating his goal. |
34164310 | The North West Motorway Police has tweeted that the incident on the motorway is affecting people travelling to the airport.
The incident, between junctions four and five, lasted more than five hours, causing tailbacks to the M60.
Manchester Airport Said flights were not affected but warned people to add more time for their journeys. | A man on top of a bridge led to the closure of the M56 both ways, causing delays for Manchester Airport traffic. |
33023204 | Media playback is unsupported on your device
5 June 2015 Last updated at 11:46 BST
The Aberdeen Angus pedigree heifer gave birth to two female calves and a bull at Kidsley Park Farm in Smalley, Derbyshire.
The BBC's James Roberson spoke to farmer Andrew Dakin about the triplets. | A cow has delivered healthy triplets at estimated odds of 700,000 to 1. |
36138393 | King, 25, from Southampton, has switched to the road since winning a team pursuit track gold at London 2012.
Three places are available on the team, with world champion Lizzie Armitstead and Emma Pooley favourites to go.
"I'm having a good season on the road, but it's impossible to say if I'll be at Rio or not yet," King said.
"It's going to be tough with only three spots available for the women's road race, but I'm still very much in the running to be selected," she told BBC Radio 5 live's Afternoon Edition.
"Lizzie [Armitstead] is a given and a highly likely selection will be Emma Pooley, who wants to come back to tackle the time trial, which suits her really well.
"Basically, the rest of us are fighting for one more spot at the moment."
King hopes her recent performances for team Wiggle Honda as a "domestique" - support rider - will press her case for Rio.
"It's just a case of hoping the selectors have seen what a good job I have done for my team-mates whilst still being able to get consistent results in the highest level of road racing," she added. | Olympic gold medallist Dani King accepts she is one of a number of riders fighting for just one spot on the GB cycling team for the Rio Games. |
38003967 | Public Health England (PHE) said more than 300 people have fallen ill because of the infection, which led the Mexican restaurant chain to shut nine branches.
Sarah Cousins, 16, from Wallingford in Oxfordshire, visited a branch of the restaurant in White City on 29 October.
Now her father Mike has instructed solicitors Irwin Mitchell with a view to claiming compensation.
A Wahaca spokeswoman said the company was "deeply saddened" by the case and had been in touch with the family.
Miss Cousins, who is an A-level student with Type 1 diabetes and coeliac disease, said she began to feel ill in the days after her meal and suffered from persistent vomiting.
She was admitted to hospital with gastroenteritis and ketoacidosis, a potentially life-threatening complication of diabetes caused by a lack of insulin.
The teenager was put on a drip and kept in overnight until she was well enough to return home.
Miss Cousins, known to her family as Evie, said: "I was probably the sickest I've ever been and I've been in hospital quite a few times."
She missed a week of college because of the illness and said the company paying her compensation would be the "decent thing to do".
A spokeswoman for Wahaca said: "We are greatly saddened by this case, and promptly after the family in question was in touch with us our co-founder responded personally.
"Wahaca has been proactively working with the relevant authorities in order to limit the impact on our customers and employees, following the recent outbreak of suspected norovirus in some of our outlets." | Wahaca faces a claim for compensation from the family of a girl hospitalised after a suspected norovirus outbreak. |
37511661 | Plans for the Pentland Studio were "called in" by the Scottish government after Midlothian Council failed to make a ruling on the application.
The Association of Film and Television Practitioners Scotland is calling on ministers to back a new studio.
However, Scottish Green MSPs have joined campaigners against the studio.
They handed in a petition to the Scottish Parliament in protest at the potential eviction of the tenant farmer on the site from his family's home of 100 years.
The deadline for public comments on the planning process closes on Friday.
The Reporter will later make a recommendation to the ministers before they make their final decision.
The studio is earmarked for a site at Old Pentland Farm, near Straiton.
Six sound stages and one water stage are planned for the 96-acre site.
The Association of Film and Television Practitioners Scotland (AFTPS), which represents some of those working in film and television, said it believed the sector was being badly affected by the lack of a studio space.
An AFTPS spokesman said: "Every week there is a 'good news story' from other parts of the UK, new studios, more production activity, more deals being struck and increased spend figures and employment as production activity remains at a record high.
"Meanwhile the industry in Scotland falls even further behind.
"The AFTPS fully support the proposed Pentlands Film Studio."
However, Scottish Green MSP Andy Wightman claimed 82-year-old tenant farmer Jim Telfer, whose family have lived on the site for a century, could face eviction if the development goes ahead.
He said the family that owns the farmland wants to sell it to developers.
Mr Wightman said: "The film studio may be a good idea but it's the wrong location, and the stress this is placing on Jim, his family and the wider community is simply unacceptable.
"The site is good-quality farmland and should be protected, especially when there are other locations more appropriate for commercial developments."
The landowners, however, denied that Mr Telfer was facing eviction.
Nick Gibsone said: "We have made a number of offers in good faith to the farmer in question who farms approximately 56 acres of a small holding.
"These offers include him and his wife remaining in the farmhouse and also having land to farm should they wish. We have also offered a substantial financial package that could be increased should they choose to leave the farm.
"There is no question of them being forced to leave their home. There are a number of offers on the table and also an offer of independent mediation." | The deadline is looming for public comments on plans for a national film studio complex earmarked for green belt land in Midlothian. |
36608131 | Where Carmarthen was uplifted by a £74m retail complex, Haverfordwest seemed to be on a downward spiral - with Sainsbury's pulling out of a superstore last year and several shops shutting.
But, take a tour of the town now and things are looking a lot brighter.
Arts group Confluence has begun taking over some of the empty units.
Pauline Le Britton is one of six artists occupying a space near the river in her studio, after an agreement was reached with the landlord.
"It's fantastic, we don't have to pay business rates because we're not selling our work from here," said Ms Le Britton.
"I haven't had a space like this since I left college. People have been seeing my work in the windows and popping in to find out more."
The project has proved controversial, with critics arguing the schemes are only temporary. But founder Guy Norman says it is all about changing the perception of what art can offer in terms of regeneration.
"We know art can invigorate a city, but we're interested to see if it can do the same for a small market town," said Mr Norman.
"As well as organising events and festivals we're doing a project called the Big Plan. People have got involved in how they want their town to look and it's definitely had an effect. Some of those ideas are represented in the council's new masterplan for Haverfordwest."
And it seems some of the town's shopkeepers are embracing the idea that brightening up the high street could go a long way towards boosting trade.
Regular yarn-bombing events take place where street furniture is covered in multi-coloured knitting, and on Valentine's Day they decked the streets with heart-shaped balloons.
"We're trying to create a buzz that gets people talking and footfall into the town," said Brett Kilner from Haverfordwest Business Circle.
"We do think we've seen an upsurge in trade particularly in certain areas. We get holidaymakers coming in and seeking out our events now - like the Raft Race through the town this August."
Some are sceptical about how big an impact art can have on business.
Chairman of Haverfordwest Chamber of Commerce George Allingham said although it can help bring in more diversity, the main impact on trade has been down to business rates.
"Historically business rates have been really high even for small shops so it just wasn't viable," he said.
"But in Bridge Street there's been a 30% reduction in rates and that's really helped, properties are filling up now. There's interest in bring a multiplex cinema to the town now and I'm optimistic that will happen." | Pembrokeshire's county town of Haverfordwest has been struggling to compete with its neighbours in recent years. |
16980025 | Action was brought against Bideford Town Council by the National Secular Society (NSS) after atheist councillor Clive Bone complained.
Mr Justice Ouseley ruled the prayers were not lawful under section 111 of the Local Government Act 1972.
However, he said prayers could be said as long as councillors were not formally summoned to attend.
The judgement was being seen as a test case which could affect local councils across England and Wales.
Mr Justice Ouseley ruled the prayers as practised by Bideford Town Council had been unlawful because there was no statutory power permitting them to continue.
The NSS, which said prayers had no place in "a secular environment concerned with civic business", argued the "inappropriate" ritual breached articles 9 and 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protect an individual's right to freedom of conscience and not to face discrimination.
However, the case was not won on human rights grounds but on a point of statutory construction of local government legislation.
By Robert PigottBBC News religious affairs correspondent
By and large, judges have been unsympathetic to the Christian case when people have argued that they don't want to do things like advising homosexual couples.
The tide has been flowing pretty firmly against Christianity in public life and it's caused huge concerns for the churches. They say it's being driven out of public life.
There is a lot of concern that this is not just about pure religion but this is about some of the values that underpin the British way of life.
Of course, from the other side, people like the National Secular Society say the Church and Christianity should not have undue privileges in having their values and their way of doing things upheld.
So there's an argument on both sides but certainly it's been very noticeable in the last few years that the tide's been turning against Christian practices which we've just taken for granted for centuries.
Mr Justice Ouseley said: "A local authority has no power under section 111 of the Local Government Act 1972, or otherwise, to hold prayers as part of a formal local authority meeting, or to summon councillors to such a meeting at which prayers are on the agenda."
He told the court: "There is no specific power to say prayers or to have any period of quiet reflection as part of the business of the council."
Referring to Bideford, he said: "The council has on two occasions by a majority voted to retain public prayers at its full meetings.
"But that does not give it power to do what it has no power to do."
The judge acknowledged the case raised issues of general public importance and gave the council permission to appeal.
Speaking after Friday's outcome, Eric Pickles, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, said the ruling was "surprising and disappointing".
He said: "Public authorities - be it Parliament or a parish council - should have the right to say prayers before meetings if they wish."
Anthony Inch, a Bideford town councillor and Torridge district councillor, said he hoped there would be an appeal leading to the ruling being overturned.
"I'm disgusted, surprised and saddened by the decision," he said.
Simon Calvert, of the Christian Institute, said: "We are pleased that the court has said the saying of prayers at meetings does not breach human rights laws.
"But it is bizarre that they should be declared unlawful because of the 1972 Local Government Act."
He added: "The judge's finding that the Local Government Act doesn't give local authorities power to include prayers as part of their formal meetings - we think that's extraordinary.
"I mean we're talking about a practice that goes back to the Elizabethan era.
"And the logic of the judge's ruling may be that it could also be unlawful for a council to start its meeting with the beginning of the national anthem. It may even throw local authorities' Diamond Jubilee celebrations up in the air."
Keith Porteous Wood, executive director of the National Secular Society said: "This judgment is an important victory for everyone who wants a secular society, one that neither advantages nor disadvantages people because of their religion or lack of it."
He added: "Acts of worship in council meetings are key to the separation of religion from politics, so we're very pleased with the judgment, and the clear secular message it sends - particularly the statement made about the 1972 Act."
The Bishop of Exeter, the Right Reverend Michael Langrish, said he would encourage councils in his area to continue holding prayers before the start of their statutory business.
He added: "I think it's a great pity that a tiny minority are seeking to ban the majority, many of whom find prayers very, very helpful, from continuing with a process in which no-one actually has to participate."
The legal challenge was launched in 2010 after the NSS was contacted by Mr Bone, who was a Bideford town councillor at the time.
Mr Bone, who ended up leaving the council because of its "refusal to adjust" its prayers policy, said on Friday: "Quite frankly delighted. I'm not surprised, I expected to win.
"The law is the law and local authorities have to obey the law."
He added: "Local government is for everybody, it should be equally welcoming to everybody, whatever they believe.
"This has got nothing to do with intolerance towards religion.
"Religious freedom is an absolute right and so is freedom from religion an absolute right, in my view." | A Devon town council acted unlawfully by allowing prayers to be said at meetings, the High Court has ruled. |
32676664 | The shadow care minister told the Sunday Times a "fundamentally new approach" was needed after the defeat.
Yvette Cooper, Andy Burnham and Chuka Umunna are expected to join the race but backbencher Dan Jarvis has ruled himself out.
The ruling National Executive Committee will meet early next week to agree a timetable for the leadership contest.
Mr Miliband said he was "truly sorry" for a showing which left Labour with 232 MPs, sustaining heavy losses at the hands of the SNP in Scotland and failing to make significant gains elsewhere.
Prime Minister David Cameron has promised to lead a government for "one nation" after his party won its first majority since 1992 with 331 seats.
In other election developments:
BBC political correspondent Iain Watson said Mr Burnham, the shadow health secretary, and Mr Umunna, the shadow business secretary, were believed to be taking soundings before declaring their bids to become leader.
Ms Cooper, the shadow home secretary, and former soldier Dan Jarvis are also likely to consider a bid, he added.
In a Sunday Times interview, Ms Kendall, the MP for Leicester West, followed Tottenham MP David Lammy in saying she would be interested in being leader.
"I think we lost because people didn't trust us on the economy. People didn't think we understood their lives, shared their values and aspirations," she said.
She added that "we don't just need a new face. We need a fundamentally new approach".
Asked on the Sunday Politics if she would be running for the Labour leadership, she said: "Yes."
Mr Umunna used an article in the Observer to say Labour had talked "too little about those creating wealth and doing the right thing".
He said: "We talked about the bottom and top of society, about the minimum wage and zero-hour contracts, about mansions and non-doms. But we had too little to say to the majority of people in the middle."
And former Prime Minister Tony Blair told the Observer Labour needed to occupy the centre ground in order to win again.
"The Labour party has to be for ambition as well as compassion and care," he said.
"Hard-working families don't just want us celebrating their hard work; they want to know that by hard work and effort they can rise up, achieve. They want to be better off and they need to know we don't just tolerate that, we support it."
Elsewhere, Mr Lammy, who is putting together a bid to be Labour's candidate for Mayor of London in 2016, said it was "absolutely time" for a new generation to "step up to a leadership role".
Labour's election rules
MPs wishing to stand as leader and deputy leader have to be nominated by 15% of their colleagues in the Parliamentary Labour Party to be eligible to stand.
As Labour now has 232 MPs, this means prospective candidates must get at least 35 signatures.
Under rules agreed last year, all Labour Party members, registered supporters and affiliated supporters - including union members - will be allowed a maximum of one vote each on a one member, one vote system.
When the election is held, they will be asked to rank candidates in order of preference.
If no candidate gets 50% of all votes cast, the votes will be added up and the candidate with the fewest votes eliminated. Their second preference votes will then be redistributed until one candidate has 50% of all votes cast.
Who's in the running to replace Ed Miliband?
But former Home Secretary Alan Johnson has ruled himself out, saying the new leader faces a "10-year task" to rebuild Labour.
He urged the party not to rush into a contest without a full analysis of what went wrong.
Mr Johnson said Mr Miliband had run a "decent campaign" but he was alarmed that the party had been unable to recapture seats in the south of England it held between 1997 and 2010, such as Hastings and Thanet South.
Labour, he suggested, had lost contact with Middle England.
On Twitter, Jon Trickett, a member of Mr Miliband's shadow Cabinet, said people still blamed his party for "mistakes" during the New Labour era, especially the invasion of Iraq.
Mr Trickett called for a "clean break" and said there was a perception that Labour and other parties were run by a "metropolitan elite".
The party's deputy leader Harriet Harman, who has said she will not stand again, is to serve as acting leader until contests for the two top spots take place later this summer.
Tom Watson, the party's former deputy chairman, has said he will consider running for the role, and shadow Commons leader Angela Eagle is believed to be considering putting herself forward.
Mr Lammy, who is regarded as being on the right of the party, was a minister under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown having first entered Parliament in 2000.
He gained a national profile for his response to the shooting of Mark Duggan in his constituency in August 2011, which sparked riots across London and other cities.
Asked whether he had been approached by colleagues to run, he said: "They want me to step up for something.
"I think the question is whether that is here in London or the country at large. My passion instinctively is for London."
In 2014, Labour changed the rules for future contests to move to a "one member, one vote" system of party members, affiliated trade union supporters and registered supporters.
Full results service | Liz Kendall has told the BBC's Sunday Politics she wants to replace Ed Miliband as Labour leader. |
18239130 | On Sunday the Caribbean Princess was an hour and a half late in leaving Guernsey's waters due to delays in getting its passengers back on board.
Captain Peter Gill said he had never seen such long queues and had "never had an incidence like this before".
The cruise company said it was unable to comment on the issue.
It said this was due to its head office in the USA being closed for a public holiday.
Captain Gill said: "When they come ashore they come at 100 or so at a time, depending on the capacity of the tenders, and that regulates how and when people come ashore.
"When it comes time to go back to the ship, as I understand it, they were all given the same time and everybody has turned up at the same time and of course there is just not the capacity of the ship's tenders to deal with in excess of 2,500 people at the same time."
He said getting passengers to and from the ship was the responsibility of the cruise operator with the assistance of their local shipping agents.
Captain Gill said: "On this occasion when we became aware that something was wrong we spoke to the agents.
"They were offered the use of the ferry ramp to put more tenders on, that was declined, they were offered the use of a trident ferry, that was declined initially - they eventually accepted that and the problem was eventually resolved."
He said: "We've handled a lot more passengers in the past without getting into this sort of a pickle with the numbers so the facilities are here, we can deal with it."
Captain Gill said the cruise liner company and their agents would be looking into the matter in some detail to understand what was wrong and to ensure it did not happen again.
He said things such as this needed to be fed into the consultation for the development of a Ports Master Plan, to ensure the island had the right facilities for its future needs.
It is the second time the vessel, which carries up to 3,600 passengers, has visited the island and on the previous occasion those on board were unable to land due to bad weather.
It is due to visit the island again on 9 July. | Long delays for cruise ship passengers wanting to return to their vessel were "a one-off", according to Guernsey's harbour master. |
36386484 | Sergio Bucher, who has been vice president for Amazon Fashion Europe since 2013, will take up his role in October. He has previously worked at Puma, Nike and Zara owner Inditex.
Mr Bucher replaces Debenhams' current chief executive, Michael Sharp.
Online retailer Amazon, once famous for its books, has become one of the largest fashion retailers in Europe.
Announcing the appointment, Debenhams chairman Sir Ian Cheshire said: "Sergio's wealth of e-commerce expertise, international experience and clear leadership qualities stood out."
Debenhams own online sales have been growing strongly.
Mr Sharp said last year that he would be standing down. There had been reports that investors were unhappy with the company's performance under his tenure, but Mr Sharp said he had always been clear he would stay five years in the role and then move on.
During his time, he cut back on promotions, strengthened online ordering and delivery options, and added concessions in under-used store space to increase shopper numbers.
He also strengthened the firm's international presence. | Department store chain Debenhams has appointed an executive from Amazon's European business as its new chief. |
39273224 | The Edward Henry, with eight crew on board, called for help after it was hit by a wave which struck its bridge and was flooded about 40 miles west of Shetland.
The RNLI's Aith lifeboat launched at about 20:20 and a coastguard helicopter was standing by.
The plan to attach a line onboard and tow the vessel back to Shetland. | A lifeboat has gone to the aid of a crab fishing boat which has lost power off the Shetland islands. |
38922015 | A spokesman for the spending watchdog said it would examine the Department of Health and Social Care, "particularly at Noble's Hospital in Braddan".
Written submissions from anybody with views on the services provided by the hospital have been invited.
Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman Juan Watterson said he wants "no stone left unturned".
Mr Watterson, Speaker of the House of Keys, said: "We are all aware of (the Manx) government's difficulties in balancing the books, so this £11.1m overspend will be of great concern to the public.
"The PAC hope this inquiry will ensure no stone is left unturned in the quest to ensure our NHS is as efficient and effective as it can be."
He continued: "The general public and staff have a clear interest in this and we hope that the inquiry will serve to enhance the understanding of the public on the cost pressures of the Department of Health and Social Care."
Submissions should be sent to the Clerk of the Committee by 17 February. | An £11.1m overspend by the Manx government is to be investigated by Tynwald's Public Accounts Committee. |
36650602 | The Raeburn Place Foundation (RPF) had hoped to start building new facilities at the home of The Edinburgh Academicals this summer.
But it is still £4m short of the £7.7m needed to begin the redevelopment.
A new start date has been set for next May.
RPF has appointed third sector consultancy Bruce Tait Associates (BTA) to lead its fundraising efforts on an interim basis.
RPF chairman David Newlands said: "They are recognised leaders in the field of capital fundraising programmes and they will lead the fundraising efforts with immediate effect, while simultaneously recruiting a full-time capital campaign director for our fundraising programme.
"This will ensure we don't lose momentum in the short term and that we have time to consider and make the right appointment for the medium term."
He added: "The fundraising programme for the redevelopment of Raeburn Place has raised more than £3m so far.
"We have made good progress, but unfortunately not enough to enable us to start the works this summer, as we had originally planned."
Abeer Macintyre, for Bruce Tait Associates, said: "I am confident we can accelerate the good progress achieved to date and support the drive to get the redevelopment work underway next May as planned."
The project includes a new stand with seating for 2,500 spectators, a rugby museum and shops in Raeburn Place.
The ground hosted the world's first rugby international in 1871.
The first Calcutta Cup match between Scotland and England was also held there in 1879. | The charity behind plans to redevelop Scotland's oldest rugby ground has launched a new fundraising drive after falling short of the amount required to start the project. |
35593463 | The turtle is one of three distantly-related species found across Papua New Guinea and neighbouring parts of Indonesia.
The three species are thought to have evolved from a common ancestor about 17 to 19 million years ago.
One of the new turtle's unique features is its reddish colour. | A new species of freshwater turtle has been discovered in Papua New Guinea, a mountainous and tropical country in the south Pacific Ocean. |
38770542 | Electra Brown writer Helen Bailey, 51, was found beneath the garage at her home in Royston, Hertfordshire, in July.
Only Ms Bailey's elbow was visible when police first looked inside the deep well underneath her mansion, jurors at St Albans Crown Court heard.
Her fiance Ian Stewart, 56, denies murdering her.
Mr Stewart reported Ms Bailey missing three days after she was last seen alive on 11 April.
More news from Hertfordshire
In July, three months after she vanished, her body, together with that of her dog, was found in the septic tank at her home.
Jurors were shown images of Ms Bailey's elbow, which was encased in a "hard crust" of excrement inside the tank.
Det Ch Insp Jerome Kent, one of the officers who found Ms Bailey's body, told the court: "I'm embarrassed to say it took me some convincing to work out what I was looking at.
"What I was faced with was a dry, hard crust of what I now know was more than mud.
"There was a small, very pale white object in that, which I now know was part of Helen's elbow."
The jury were not shown more graphic pictures of Ms Bailey's remains being removed from the pit.
A month after Ms Bailey went missing, the court heard, Mr Stewart renewed the couple's Arsenal season tickets using their joint account.
He also paid for flyers and joined her friends on a dog walk in an effort to find her, jurors were told.
Jay Nolan-Latchford, who organised the walk and led an online campaign to find her, said she found the man "unemotional" and "very contained".
Mr Stewart denies murder, preventing a lawful burial, fraud and three counts of perverting the course of justice.
The trial continues. | Experts spent two days recovering a children's author from a cesspit where her body was dumped, a court has heard. |
28993917 | The prime minister and Nick Clegg are expected to discuss plans for new measures to tackle the threat.
Their talks come after the UK's terror threat level was raised to "severe" from "substantial" in response to the deepening conflict in Iraq and Syria.
Labour has called for more action to stop Britons being drawn to extremism.
Mr Cameron will make a Commons statement on Monday, proposing new powers to stop would-be terrorists travelling abroad.
He has urged European leaders in Brussels to take co-ordinated action to tackle the group calling itself Islamic State (IS), which has seized swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq.
Speaking before the meeting, he said: "Today in Brussels is an opportunity to talk with other EU leaders and to make sure we all co-ordinate to stop people travelling to Iraq and Syria to stop radicalisation, to confront extremism."
He had previously said the "threat is growing" from Britons travelling to fight with IS, adding that there were "gaps in our armoury" that needed to be strengthened.
The new alert level rates the risk of an attack on the UK as "highly likely", although Downing Street said there was no evidence to suggest one is "imminent".
The rating is the second highest of five possible UK threat levels and is the highest since 2011.
Labour leader Ed Miliband has suggested the introduction of a "mandatory programme" of deradicalisation for people "drawn into the fringes of extremism".
Writing in the Independent, he also urged the government to revisit the decision to scrap the control orders regime for terror suspects.
Talks between Mr Cameron and Mr Clegg, the deputy prime minster and Liberal Democrat leader, come after the Conservatives said they wanted to make it easier to seize the passports of would-be terrorists travelling abroad.
The home secretary already has the power - under the Royal Prerogative - to withhold a passport if it is in the public interest to stop somebody travelling.
Mr Cameron is also likely to consider strengthening terrorism prevention and investigation measures - or Tpims - which were the coalition's replacement for control orders.
However, the Liberal Democrats have said they would only agree to policies that were made calmly, on the basis of evidence and that maintained the liberty of British citizens.
A Lib Dem source said Mr Clegg and the prime minister were in "constant communication" on the issue, adding that the party "will consider very carefully any new proposals that are put to us".
BBC political correspondent Louise Stewart said powers to withhold passports had been used 23 times since April 2013, but she said the PM could seek to strengthen those powers.
She said the government could not - following a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights - make somebody "stateless" by refusing them re-entry to Britain, if they had no other passport.
"The sticking point with the Liberal Democrats is they have been against introducing more surveillance measures but say that any new measures would have to be brought in on an evidence basis and it would have to be purely for the safety and security of the British public," our correspondent said.
Former Liberal Democrat leader Lord Ashdown has argued that diplomacy is vital to limit the risk from jihadists.
"I think we have got to get away from this idea which says that in response to everything in the Middle East our answer is bombs and rockets," he said.
Lord Ashdown added that the government was unwise to concentrate on the "threat of jihadis coming home".
He warned that the bigger threat was a potential "regional war" in the Middle East, which would be religious and result in the changing of borders. | The terrorist threat posed by Islamist extremists is as much a concern for countries in mainland Europe as it is for the UK, David Cameron has said. |
39607736 | The 24-year-old victim was walking between Sheep Street and London Road in Bicester when the offender crossed the street and touched her inappropriately.
The male attacker was described as 5ft 7ins, Asian or mixed race, aged in his 20s with dark marks on his face.
Thames Valley Police said the incident happened at 21:15 BST on 27 March. It launched a witness appeal on Saturday. | Police have released an e-fit of a man they want to speak to in relation to a sexual assault in Oxfordshire. |
38422722 | The 24-year-old versatile defender, born in Birmingham, will be eligible for Boxing Day's visit of Chester.
He has also previously played for Kettering Town, Hinckley United, Worcester City and Redditch United.
He worked under now-Solihull boss Liam McDonald at Hednesford prior to the manager's switch to Moors in November. | National League Solihull Moors have signed former Aston Villa trainee Calum Flanagan from Northern Premier League Premier Division club Hednesford Town. |
30083991 | The band performed during Friday night's Children In Need, the first time as a seven piece since 2002.
During their career, the group had 11 UK top ten hits, including three number ones.
Speaking about the 2015 tour, Rachel Stevens said: "We went through so much together there will always be that bond there. Even though it had been such a long time, coming back together felt really natural."
Of their comeback performance, Bradley told Newsbeat: "It was amazing. You couldn't ask for a better response from the fans."
Whilst there was a lot of positive reaction, there had been some criticism directed at Jo O'Meara's singing.
But Jo explained that it came down to nerves.
Jo said: "A lot of people were picking out my vocals saying they weren't all that good which, I've got to say, I completely agree with!"
"It's because I was so nervous. More nervous than I've ever been. It's like someone had thrown sand in my mouth. I was shaking from head to toe. Next time I'll do a better job."
The full tour dates are:
Thursday, May 7 - Birmingham LG Arena
Friday, May 8 - Manchester Arena
Saturday, May 9 - Newcastle, Metro Radio Arena
Monday, May 11 - Bournemouth IC
Tuesday, May 12 - Cardiff, Motorpoint Arena
Wednesday, May 13 - Liverpool, Echo Arena
Friday, May 15 - Nottingham, Capital FM Arena
Saturday, May 16 - London, The O2
Tuesday, May 19 - Leeds, First Direct Arena
Wednesday, May 20 - Glasgow, The SSE Hydro
Tickets go on sale on Thursday November 20 at 9am. | It's probably no surprise but S Club 7 are going back on tour and have announced a series of arena gigs. |
40473602 | Writing in the Telegraph, Mr Farage did not rule out a return to "the front line" if political leaders did not deliver a "full and proper" Brexit.
But he said standing in the contest to replace Paul Nuttall would be "premature".
Mr Nuttall stepped down as UKIP leader following the party's poor showing in the general election.
UKIP failed to win a single seat in Parliament and its vote share slumped to 1.8%, down almost 11% on its 2015 result.
"It is already something of an ongoing joke about the number of times I have stood for the leadership and resigned," Mr Farage wrote.
"To return now would be premature. But I'm still committed to the great Brexit battle and I will continue in my role as the leader of a group in the European Parliament, overseeing the Brexit process."
He added: "Of course I want a full and proper Brexit, and if in 2019 we reach the end of the Article 50 process and a huge gap is left, whether that is not taking back our fishing rights, the continuation of free movement or still paying Brussels too much money, I would not hesitate in throwing myself back into the front line of domestic politics."
But he warned that UKIP needed to "sort itself out and make the changes necessary to become a professional, modern political party", or "another vehicle will then come along to replace it".
Mr Farage was first elected as leader of UKIP in 2006.
He stepped aside in 2009 to mount an unsuccessful challenge to Speaker John Bercow in his Buckingham seat in the 2010 general election.
UKIP polled just 3.1% nationally in 2010 and his successor at the helm, peer Lord Pearson of Rannoch, quit after the election. Mr Farage contested and won another leadership contest.
In 2015, he failed in another bid for a Commons seat in South Thanet and stepped down again - then surprised some in the party by announcing that he had changed his mind after being "persuaded" by "overwhelming" evidence from UKIP members that they wanted him to remain leader.
After the Leave victory in the 2016 EU referendum, Mr Farage again stood down as leader. This time his successor, Diane James, lasted just 18 days before resigning, with Mr Nuttall winning the subsequent leadership contest.
UKIP leaders have struggled in the past to convince voters that they have a coherent set of policies beyond leaving the EU and curbing immigration.
UKIP MEP Bill Etheridge, who ran for the leadership last year, said: "I am disappointed Nigel is not standing but it means it is more important than ever to have a candidate on the ballot paper with fresh ideas for the party.
"The last three elections have been a disaster for UKIP and what we must not have is someone who was at the centre of that mess to become the new leader." | Former UKIP leader Nigel Farage has said he will not stand in the party's forthcoming leadership contest. |
37098558 | And almost one in five of over 1,000 UK 18- and 19-year-olds polled for Which? said different subjects might have been better for their chosen degree course.
The consumer group says teenagers need better guidance on subject choice.
"It is a complex and difficult decision for young people," said head teachers' leader Malcolm Trobe.
The poll of 1,020 teenagers who applied to university this year also revealed that:
"Make sure you do your homework and choose wisely," Alex Neill of Which? University advised students.
"If you've just received your GCSE results, and are now choosing your A-level subjects, it's important to know your options and get some advice."
Which? advises:
Mr Trobe, interim general secretary of the Association of School and College leaders, said young people needed the chance to research and filter information on subject choices and university course requirements.
But he warned that young people often changed their minds between the ages of 16 and 18 - and sometimes could be caught out by the greater demands of A-levels, despite having performed well at GCSE.
He said schools needed to help with students' subject choices, particularly when the decline in the use of AS levels means less chance to try a subject and drop it after one year.
"The most important thing is not to wipe out options by an unwise choice," said Mr Trobe.
"It is really important that young people, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, have clear information about how the subjects they study in sixth form or college can affect their options at university," said a spokesman for the Russell Group of leading universities.
"Our universities are constantly trying to spread the word that with the right grades in the right subjects a place at a Russell Group university is well within reach. But students need good advice and information from a range of key sources." | Over half of this year's university applicants picked their sixth form subjects without considering their future prospects, suggests a poll. |
26320939 | John Lloyd, who also produced QI and Blackadder, said BBC Two's Mock the Week was merely rude.
BBC One's Have I Got News for You provided "great remarks", he said, but there were no "considered" satires.
But Ian Hislop, the editor of Private Eye who was a writer on Spitting Image, said Lloyd was "unduly pessimistic".
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's the World at One, Lloyd said: "I don't see anything I would really call satire on television at the moment.
"Mock the Week can be very funny, but it's just rude boys, isn't it, poking fun at everybody.
"In the 1980s it was conviction politics, the Tories particularly, and Spitting Image was a conviction television programme.
"And it's interesting you don't get either now. There are very few conviction politicians it seems to me and very little conviction television."
A lot of the joy had gone out of television, he said.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the launch of Spitting Image.
At its peak the show, broadcast between 1984 and 1996, drew audiences of 15 million people to ITV.
Hislop said: "I think Lloyd's being unduly pessimistic. I think satire has a tendency to break out all over the place."
He cited the work of Armando Iannucci, Chris Morris and Charlie Brooker as more recent examples of successful TV satire.
Spitting Image was, Hislop said, a Punch and Judy affair. "Essentially the puppets couldn't really deliver a line," he said.
"They looked great but they couldn't act."
In many of the sketches he created with co-writer Nick Newman: "We just wrote at the bottom: 'Puppets hit each other over head.'"
Satire was still available on television, said Hislop, but it was presented differently.
"Have I Got News for You is a sort of long-running soap opera and panel show but we manage to get some satire into it. There are other shows that do it as well.
"I think the days when a broadcaster said: 'This is satire now. It's That Was the Week That Was. Put on your dinner jackets and listen.' - You can't really do that any more."
Commentators suggested satire was dead on television in the 1960s after That Was the Week That Was - a satirical show starring David Frost - came to an end on British television.
"I think you have to be careful not to be sort of grumpy old man with a misty-eyed view of how great you were in the past and I don't want to be that," said Hislop.
"I was lucky enough to start work at Private Eye with people who had worked on That Was the Week That Was, and I used to say: 'That was amazing,' and they said: 'It wasn't that good.'
"These things are easily romanticised." | One of the creators of Spitting Image has said he does not believe any of the television programmes broadcast in the UK today are truly satirical. |
40876741 | Jaiyesimi, 19, joined Norwich from non-league side Dulwich Hamlet in January 2016 and spent last season playing for the Canaries' Under-23 team.
He scored eight goals in 33 appearances last term and now joins Grimsby having been on Norwich's pre-season tour.
Jaiyesimi, who can play as a winger, midfielder or striker, could make his debut against Coventry on Saturday.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | League Two side Grimsby Town have signed Norwich City winger Diallang Jaiyesimi on a season-long loan deal. |
34744146 | UTV Ireland was launched in January and the company initially expected it to lose £3m in its first year.
But the station has struggled to find an audience and losses have spiralled.
In October, UTV agreed to sell all of its television assets to ITV for £100m.
In an update on Friday, UTV said the "uncertainty" created by speculation in the run up to the deal had "a negative impact" on UTV Ireland.
The media company added that trading in the Northern Irish television business and the radio division is broadly in line with expectations.
When the deal with ITV completes, the reminder of the UTV group will essentially be a radio business. | UTV Media has said it expects its Republic of Ireland TV business to lose £13m this year. |
37310503 | The figure was announced by Transport Minister Humza Yousaf and ScotRail Alliance managing director Phil Verster at Edinburgh's Waverley station.
The first services ran on the route from Tweedbank to Edinburgh on 6 September last year.
However, the opening ceremony was carried out by the Queen three days later.
The date coincided with her becoming Britain's longest-serving monarch.
The popularity of the route has considerably exceeded initial forecasts.
It had been predicted about 650,000 passengers a year would use the line but that figure was passed within its first six months.
Mr Yousaf and ScotRail Alliance staff were joined by passengers and local businesses from along the line of route to celebrate the impact the new railway has had on Midlothian and the Borders.
Abbotsford House, Sir Walter Scott's former home in the Borders, has recorded a 12% increase in visitor numbers this year.
Research by the Moffat Centre has also shown that overall visits to Midlothian and Borders tourist attractions increased by 4% and 6.9% over the first seven months of 2016, compared with the same period last year.
Mr Yousaf said: "I am delighted that we are continuing to see the Borders Railway go from strength to strength with over one million passengers using the line during its inaugural year.
"Not only has the railway linked the communities in the Borders and Midlothian with the wider Scottish rail network for the first time in 46 years, but the increased accessibility has breathed new life into the region, boosting tourism and employment opportunities.
"We are now committed to working with ScotRail to strengthen the railway operationally, increasing capacity and delivering a comprehensive programme of refurbishments to rolling stock, which will mean more passengers can travel in greater comfort in the future."
Mr Verster said the first year had been a "tremendous success".
"The new line has brought the Borders closer to the economic and social opportunities of Edinburgh and given visitors to the capital a new way of reaching one of Scotland's most beautiful and historic regions," he said.
"We are very proud of the popularity of the new line, are striving to continually improve the service we offer on it, and look forward to welcoming even more passengers aboard Borders' services in the years ahead."
Plans are in place for more seats to be introduced on peak services next year, along with plans to introduce longer trains on more services from 2018. | More than one million passengers have used the Borders Railway since it was officially opened by the Queen. |
35618887 | Tjaronn Chery scored the first, drilling the ball low in to the corner after good work from James Perch.
Junior Hoilett capped off an excellent first half for Rangers when he converted a penalty after Sebastian Polter was fouled by Michael Morrison.
Massimo Luongo, Gabriele Angella and Chery all forced good saves from Tomasz Kuszczak after the break.
Birmingham, who drop to eighth in the Championship table, failed to trouble the home side in the first half, and only went close twice after the interval.
Jonathan Grounds had a shot headed over the bar by Carl Henry, while Clayton Donaldson saw an effort deflected over 12 minutes from time.
Cardiff's win over Preston means Birmingham are five points off Sheffield Wednesday, who occupy the final play-off place.
The victory was just QPR's third since Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink took over as manager and the first time they had scored more than once at Loftus Road since 15 December.
Rangers move up to 11th, 11 points adrift of the play-off places with 12 games to go.
QPR manager Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink:
Media playback is not supported on this device
"Hopefully we can build from here. Today we were very good from back to front. From the first five minutes we had control, scored a brilliant goal and then the move for the penalty was very good.
"We were able to score two goals and that gave the boys a little bit more freedom. In other games we had opportunities in the first half and didn't score, and then the other teams have started better in the second half.
"To score two and have other chances against a very good side like Birmingham is very good.
"I would have liked to have had more control in the second half but we had a good shape and could have scored to make it 3-0, so I am happy."
Birmingham City boss Gary Rowett:
Media playback is not supported on this device
"The first goal we conceded was a bit soft. Chery has had four or five touches and we didn't get near him. I also felt the penalty was a bit soft. Polter sees Morrison coming and leans into him and he goes down.
"I spoke a lot to the players before the game about the mentality and what we do so well away from home, which is to be hard to beat and very hard to play against.
"I don't want to take credit away from QPR, because they were good value for their win, but that 40 minutes in the first half was the poorest we've been in terms of energy and drive.
"We were much better in the second half and maybe if we'd have taken one of our opportunities it would have been different. But we didn't show enough drive and desire to get anything out of the game. We looked a little bit lacklustre." | A dominant QPR won for the first time in four games to land a blow to Birmingham City's play-off hopes. |
37127386 | The home side had the better of the first half and were rewarded with Kris Boyd's superbly taken opener.
Tavernier's 25-yard free-kick brought Rangers level after the break.
Greg Taylor was sent off shortly after for a shocking challenge on Joey Barton, but Killie held firm in the face of intense late Rangers pressure.
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Mark Warburton's side move on to eight points at the top of the Premiership, two clear of Celtic and Ross County.
However, Brendan Rodgers' team have played two games fewer and Jim McIntyre's men have one game in hand.
Kilmarnock's XI contained four teenagers and three more were 21 or under. Six of their bench were also no older than 21.
Lee Clark has gambled big-time on youth this season and they fought tenaciously, hustling and harrying and giving Rangers a dreadfully tough night.
It was the combination of youth and experience that got them their goal, the excellent Greg Kiltie - just 19 - scampering up the left away from Joey Barton before putting in a cross for Boyd to drill across Wes Foderingham. Boyd might be 33 - an old man among kids - but he's still got it.
Barton was ineffective again, his main involvement being on the end of the terrible tackle that earned Killie teenager Taylor a red card just after the hour.
The Englishman was anonymous. Wasteful in possession, passive as a defensive midfielder and a non-event going forward. Eventually he was replaced by Niko Kranjcar. He walked to the bench, shaking his head as he went.
Rangers were level by then and it was deserved. Tavernier's free-kick was long range and magnificent.
It was interesting hearing his friend, the former Rangers player Peter Lovenkrands, talking on BBC Radio Scotland of Tavernier's frustration at having lost free-kick taking duty to Barton this season. Tavernier has surely got his old job back again now.
As Rangers pressed hard and their supporters periodically screamed what is euphemistically called their 'songbook' - 'The Billy Boys' and more were trotted out - Killie had to dig deep.
Rangers had a huge amount of ball. They forced saves from Jamie MacDonald; one from a second Tavernier free-kick, another from Barrie McKay.
It was a night of penalty claims. Rangers could legitimately claim to have had two penalties and Killie one. On his debut, Rangers substitute Joe Garner blatantly dived in pursuit of another.
Ultimately, they weren't good enough. Against 10 men - or kids in many cases - they did not have the creativity to get the job done.
Clark knows now he has guts in his team. Warburton, meanwhile, might be wondering what his own players are made of after this.
Match ends, Kilmarnock 1, Rangers 1.
Second Half ends, Kilmarnock 1, Rangers 1.
Attempt missed. Harry Forrester (Rangers) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left.
Substitution, Kilmarnock. Souleymane Coulibaly replaces Kris Boyd.
Attempt missed. Clint Hill (Rangers) header from the centre of the box misses to the right.
Corner, Rangers. Conceded by Luke Hendrie.
Attempt saved. Barrie McKay (Rangers) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.
Corner, Rangers. Conceded by Jamie MacDonald.
Attempt saved. Barrie McKay (Rangers) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top left corner.
Clint Hill (Rangers) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Kris Boyd (Kilmarnock).
Attempt missed. Dean Hawkshaw (Kilmarnock) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left.
Attempt saved. Niko Kranjcar (Rangers) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
Harry Forrester (Rangers) is shown the yellow card.
Foul by Harry Forrester (Rangers).
Dean Hawkshaw (Kilmarnock) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Andy Halliday (Rangers) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by George Green (Kilmarnock).
Substitution, Kilmarnock. George Green replaces Greg Kiltie.
Attempt missed. Andy Halliday (Rangers) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses the top right corner.
Foul by Joe Garner (Rangers).
Jonathan Burn (Kilmarnock) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Substitution, Kilmarnock. Charlee Adams replaces Adam Frizzell.
Kris Boyd (Kilmarnock) is shown the yellow card.
Foul by Andy Halliday (Rangers).
Greg Kiltie (Kilmarnock) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Corner, Rangers. Conceded by Jamie MacDonald.
Attempt saved. James Tavernier (Rangers) right footed shot from very close range is saved in the top left corner.
William Boyle (Kilmarnock) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Joe Garner (Rangers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by William Boyle (Kilmarnock).
Attempt missed. James Tavernier (Rangers) right footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses the top right corner.
Corner, Rangers. Conceded by Jonathan Burn.
Niko Kranjcar (Rangers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Dean Hawkshaw (Kilmarnock).
Attempt missed. Kenny Miller (Rangers) right footed shot from the right side of the box is close, but misses the top right corner.
Substitution, Rangers. Andy Halliday replaces Joey Barton.
Attempt missed. Adam Frizzell (Kilmarnock) left footed shot from the centre of the box is too high.
Attempt missed. Harry Forrester (Rangers) right footed shot from outside the box is too high.
Greg Taylor (Kilmarnock) is shown the red card. | A stunning free-kick from James Tavernier earned Rangers a point against the 10 men of Kilmarnock at Rugby Park. |
35667141 | 26 February 2016 Last updated at 12:02 GMT
Well that's what happens if your birthday is on the 29th February - a date which only happens during a leap year.
Every four years February has 29 days instead of 28 and people born on this day are known as leaplings.
We went to meet Milly to find out more about what it's like being a leapling. Check this out. | Imagine not being able to celebrate your real birthday every year. |
36368063 | The spacecraft, once commissioned, will bring to 14 the number of platforms in the EU's version of GPS.
With another four satellites set to go up in a few months, Galileo is now on course to start the public transmission of initial navigation and timing services before the end of the year.
Tuesday launch was performed as usual by a Soyuz rocket flying out of Sinamary in French Guiana.
The Russian medium-lift vehicle left the ground at precisely 05:48 local time (08:48 GMT).
The deployment into a circular orbit some 23,000km above the Earth occurred three and three-quarter hours later. European controllers communicated the spacecraft to confirm their good health and correct orbital parameters.
The EU is investing billions in its sat-nav project. It believes Galileo will bring significant returns to member-state economies in the form of new businesses that can exploit precise timing and location data, delivered from orbit.
Galileo's next-generation technologies are designed to provide users with quicker, more reliable fixes, enabling them to locate their positions with an error of one metre, compared with the current GPS error of several metres.
But the use of sat-nav signals goes far beyond just finding one's way through an unfamiliar city. Its timing function has now become ubiquitous in many fields, including in the synchronisation of global financial transactions, telecommunications and energy networks.
Each new Galileo spacecraft is made by a German-UK consortium.
Surrey Satellite Technology Limited of Guildford prepares the payload - the "brains" of each spacecraft. These come off an assembly line every six weeks and are shipped to Bremen where OHB System integrates them with service and propulsion modules ready for flight.
Each satellite costs about 30 million euros.
SSTL has just completed delivery of its 22nd and last payload under the present contract arrangements.
The European Commission is currently in the middle of a tender process for more spacecraft. It needs additional platforms to meet its stated aim of having a fully operational constellation of 30 satellites (the number includes spares) by the decade's end.
The next Galileo launch will be different from all previous ones, in that it will see the use of an Ariane rocket for the first time. This vehicle has the muscle to loft four 700kg satellites at once - something that is beyond the capability of the Soyuz. | Two more satellites in Europe's Galileo network have been launched to orbit. |
38267240 | It happened on the northbound carriageway at about 07:50.
The 54-year-old man driving the pick-up was taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. His injuries were not thought to be life-threatening.
The road was closed in both directions while investigations were carried out. Police have appealed for witnesses.
The woman was driving a Kia Cerato.
Sgt Gary Taylor from Police Scotland said: "Sadly, a young woman has lost her life as a result of this collision and our thoughts are with her family and loved ones at this difficult time.
"I'd urge anyone who was travelling in the area and who witnessed this incident or the movements of either vehicle prior to the collision to contact police immediately if they haven't already done so." | A 26-year-old woman has died after her car was involved in a collision with a Ford Transit pick-up on the A1 near Dunbar in East Lothian. |
37052910 | She begins her heptathlon defence in Rio on Friday, with the seven-event competition culminating a day later.
"I feel like the odds are a little bit against me because it's a huge thing to achieve," the 30-year-old said.
She will face GB team-mate Katarina Johnson-Thompson, who cites Ennis-Hill's Olympic gold as her inspiration.
"She has inspired me ever since London so that is what I want to do now - to win an Olympic gold," the 23-year-old from Liverpool said.
"Hopefully that's what I can do now. I think everyone has to aim for gold but I'm not going to be disappointed if I just get a medal, it's an Olympic medal."
Johnson-Thompson was second behind Ennis-Hill after four events at the World Championships in Beijing last year, before she failed to register an attempt in the long jump at the start of the second day and fell away.
She has spent the bulk of her preparation time working on shot put and javelin, two self-confessed weaker disciplines, which are split across the two days in Brazil.
"No matter what happens, it's not going to be an easy night's sleep, it's not done after one day," Johnson-Thompson added. "It's not feet up and kick back, it's going to be a tough time no matter what."
Ennis-Hill, who ran her second fastest time in the 100m hurdles at the London Anniversary Games last month, has given birth to son Reggie since that gold medal in 2012.
Another title in Rio would see her become only the third athlete - after Australian sprint hurdler Shirley Strickland in 1956 and Cameroon triple-jumper Francoise Mbango Etone in 2008 - to win Olympic gold, have a baby and then return to successfully defend their crown.
"I would love my performances to be great out in Rio, to show him what his mum achieved just two years after he was born," the two-time world champion said.
"I relish this opportunity to go out there and see if I can do something really amazing at this stage in my career.
"I've just got to hold everything together and know that I've done this before and that I can do it again."
Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox. | Jessica Ennis-Hill says she will "relish" the opportunity to attempt to become the first British woman to retain an Olympic title in athletics. |
32812466 | The Metropolitan Police, who compiled the data, said gangs have been known to attack cyclists for their bikes, often along quiet routes at night.
The act has become known as "bike-jacking".
More than 10 bicycles were stolen this way each week in the past 12 months - more than in both previous years.
While muggers have traditionally targeted wallets or mobile phones, police say bikes are now seen as a quick way to make money.
Some are worth thousands of pounds and can be sold on easily for significant sums.
Some cyclists say the fear of being mugged is forcing them off quieter routes and onto busy roads, particularly at night.
The charity The Safety Box says bike-jacking is sometimes used by gangs as an initiation for members and this makes young cyclists vulnerable.
It is running lessons at schools across the capital teaching children awareness of the dangers and how to react if targeted.
Cyclist Alex Sweeting chased a group of muggers he saw stealing a bike from another man.
He said: "It is concerning - whether you're locking your bike up, cycling along or waiting at traffic lights, you've always got this fear you could have your bike stolen and all because a bike is a quick sell."
Some campaigners have criticised police for what they call a "poor response" but officers have admitted they are trying to identify particular danger spots.
Ch Insp Mike West said: "We scan every day for crimes of note and if we pick up on any trends or analysis which would lead us to a hot spot area to deal with crime then that's what we'll do.
"We'll match our resources to where the problems are and you'll generally see a increased uniformed presence." | More than 550 people were mugged for their bicycles in London in the past year, figures released to BBC London show. |
34913340 | Cairns, 45, has denied charges of perjury and perverting the course of justice at the trial at Southwark Crown Court in London.
Cairns is accused of falsely declaring under oath in a libel case in 2012 that he had never cheated at cricket.
He is also accused of perverting the course of justice by inducing a fellow cricketer to give a false statement.
In the 2012 libel case - England's first Twitter libel trial - Cairns won damages of $130,000 (£90,000) by successfully suing Indian Premier League chairman Lalit Modi over a tweet in January 2010 which accused the cricketer of match-fixing while playing for the Chandigarh Lions in the Indian Cricket League in 2008.
The prosecution at his current trial argued that Cairns lied when he promised during the earlier trial that he had never cheated.
During his trial Cairns has repeatedly denied allegations that he tried to coerce former teammates into fixing matches.
Cairns is also accused of perverting the course of justice by inducing fellow cricketer Lou Vincent to give a false witness statement in a Skype call.
Lou Vincent told the court that Cairns had approached him suggesting he deliberately play badly for the Chandigarh Lions and said he helped fix matches under "direct orders" from Cairns while playing for the Lions. Cairns denied the suggestion.
Cairns's former adviser, Andrew Fitch-Holland, is also accused of perverting the course of justice. He denies the charge.
The trial has heard evidence from a host of cricketers, including ex-Australia captain Ricky Ponting and current New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum, who said Cairns had approached him with a "business proposition" about match-fixing. | The jury in the trial of ex-New Zealand cricket captain Chris Cairns has retired to consider its verdict. |
36947685 | Carey, 19, a product of coach Robert Croft's local club Pontarddulais, claimed 3-37 in 10 overs.
Northamptonshire's top order paid the penalty for some risky shots as Carey bowled a full length.
Loan debutant Laurie Evans and David Murphy added 70 for the fifth wicket to salvage the visitors' day.
Both teams are without several regulars ahead of their T20 Blast quarter-finals, with Glamorgan resting Graham Wagg, Craig Meschede and Michael Hogan.
Northants, who are also in the last eight of the One-Day Cup, are managing injury concerns to Alex Wakely, Josh Cobb, Adam Rossington and Steven Crook.
A blue plaque was unveiled at the gates of St Helen's to mark the rich cricketing history of the ground, which saw West Indies' Sir Garfield Sobers hit six sixes in an over in 1968, as well as hosting Glamorgan victories over cricket's leading nations.
Glamorgan's chief executive Hugh Morris was joined by the county's leading wicket-taker Don Shepherd and Balconiers supporters group chairman John Williams.
Glamorgan debutant Lukas Carey told BBC Wales Sport:
"I felt really excited when I got the call-up, I was really looking forward to playing in Swansea as the home ground of the west.
"I thought hopefully I'd get a couple of wickets and get another game, then the first one came in the second over and there were a couple more in between the rain-breaks.
"I've played quite a bit of club cricket here so I know what the pitch is doing, it helped going into the game.
"I've played in the same side as [coach Robert Croft] for Pontarddulais when I came into the first team. He's good to have around for a chat, and [assistant coach] Steve Watkin has helped me a lot since I was about 16." | Teenage seamer Lukas Carey made a dream debut for Glamorgan as injury-hit Northamptonshire struggled between the showers on day one in Swansea. |
36491377 | Wales led after an hour, but the world champions scored 21 unanswered points in the final quarter to overpower them.
All Blacks wing Waisake Naholo scored twice with Julian Savea, Kieran Read and Nathan Harris also crossing.
Taulupe Faletau and Rhys Webb scored for Wales, but they could not mark Alun Wyn Jones' 100th appearance with a first win in New Zealand.
It was a familiar story for Wales who could not maintain the intensity of their opening half against an All Black side playing for the first time since the World Cup final and without legends Richie McCaw, Dan Carter and Ma'a Nonu.
Harris' try with the clock in the red at the end of the game distorted the scoreline, although after the break the All Blacks were completely dominant.
And it could have been worse.
Referee Wayne Barnes controversially disallowed a touchdown by TJ Perenara to the consternation of the home crowd, but redressed the balance by ruling out Faletau's late try.
Wales' last win against the All Blacks was in 1953, and under coach Warren Gatland they have won only twice in 31 games against the big three southern hemisphere countries.
Wales led at half-time after a thrilling see-saw opening 40 minutes when the lead changed hands three times.
A blistering start by the All Blacks yielded only an Aaron Cruden penalty before the visitors delivered a superb team move which culminated in Faletau diving over in the left corner.
It spurred New Zealand into action as Savea touched down from a Cruden cross-kick and then Naholo rounded off a brilliant attack initiated by full-back Ben Smith.
Far from yielding, Wales hit back when the counter-attacking Liam Williams found Rhys Webb on his shoulder and the scrum-half claimed his seventh international try.
But in a key passage of play just before the interval, New Zealand held out after a period of intense pressure on their own try-line.
The All Blacks' ability to step-up a gear meant Wales were always hanging on after the interval.
Dan Biggar's penalty wiped out Cruden's earlier effort.
But with the home line-out getting on top and the introduction of brilliant runners Beauden Barrett, Ardie Savea and Parenara from the bench it was only a matter of time before the All Blacks' pressure paid-off.
Wales have no time to regroup. They face Waikato Chiefs in Hamilton on Tuesday before a second Test against the All Blacks in Wellington on 18 June.
Wales captain Sam Warburton: "The message was we couldn't come here and play safe and I thought some of our counter-attacking was excellent.
"We're really disappointed to concede seven at the end and make the scoreboard look a little bit ugly."
New Zealand captain Kieran Read: "It was what we expected. Wales were fired up and it was a reminder you've got to work hard.
"The boys had a really good attitude in the second half."
New Zealand: Ben Smith, Waisake Naholo, Malakai Fekitoa, Ryan Crotty, Julian Savea, Aaron Cruden, Aaron Smith; Joe Moody, Dane Coles, Owen Franks, Luke Romano, Brodie Retallick, Jerome Kaino, Kieran Read (captain), Sam Cane.
Replacements: Nathan Harris (for Coles), Wyatt Crockett (for Moody), Charlie Faumuina (for Franks), Patrick Tuipulotu (for Romano), Ardie Savea (for Cane), TJ Perenara (for A Smith), Beauden Barrett (for J Savea), Seta Tamanivalu (for Fekitoa).
Wales: Liam Williams, George North, Jonathan Davies, Jamie Roberts, Hallam Amos, Dan Biggar, Rhys Webb; Gethin Jenkins, Ken Owens, Samson Lee, Bradley Davies, Alun Wyn Jones, Ross Moriarty, Sam Warburton, Taulupe Faletau.
Replacements: Scott Baldwin (for Owens), Rob Evans (for Jenkins), Tomas Francis (for Lee), Jake Ball (For Davies), Ellis Jenkins (for Warburton), Gareth Davies (for Webb), Gareth Anscombe (for L Williams), Scott Williams (for Roberts).
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England).
Assistant Referees: Jaco Peyper (South Africa), Will Houston (Australia). | New Zealand pulled away to a 27th consecutive win over battling Wales in a compelling Test match at Eden Park. |
37371019 | Larry Rosenberg, who was armed with a rifle and a handgun, was upset about a poker game at the facility in the city of Cheyenne, said another resident.
The suspect fled the scene by bicycle, killing himself as police closed in.
Shootings are rare in the city - police handled a total of six homicide cases last year.
Mary Eastman, 80, said Rosenberg left a suicide note with her that morning.
"His problem really was that damned poker gambling," she said, referring to card games in the home's common room.
"That was it. That was all he complained about."
Police have confirmed that they are examining a "letter of discontent" by the gunman, but they did not disclose further details.
Investigators said all the victims were known to Rosenberg, and there had been a "long-standing animosity" between the men.
Mrs Eastman's daughter told local media that Rosenberg had become more withdrawn recently at the Heritage Court Apartments complex.
"He started getting more and more distant, complaining about the facility and about people and just kind of pulling away, isolating himself more and more," said the daughter.
Schools in Cheyenne were placed on lockdown for a brief time.
Cheyenne, the capital of Wyoming, has a population of 60,000. | A 77-year-old man has shot three people at the senior citizens' complex where he lived in the US state of Wyoming, killing one person and wounding two. |
32962870 | Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi will attend, but US Secretary of State John Kerry will miss the meeting because of a cycling accident.
The meeting comes after IS took the Iraqi town of Ramadi last month.
Iraq has become increasingly reliant on Shia volunteers to take on IS, raising fears over the possibility of worsening sectarian tensions.
With coalition air strikes against IS failing to have the impact many had hoped, talk is increasingly turning to Iraq's political terrain, the BBC's Lucy Williamson reports from Paris.
The new role for Shia fighters - many backed by Iran - in Sunni areas is adding to what France has called "an especially fragile" situation, our correspondent reports.
Ministers will discuss "lasting political solutions in order to resolve the Iraqi crisis," the French foreign ministry said.
The meeting comes a day after at least 45 Iraqi police officers were killed in an IS attack in Iraq's Anbar province.
A senior security source in Anbar told the BBC on Monday the "final touches" were being put to a plan to drive IS out of Ramadi and that it would begin within days.
The source said six Iranian-made rocket launchers had been transported to the frontline in Anbar and that 3,000 fighters had completed basic training near Habbaniya military base, east of Ramadi, in preparation for the assault on the city.
As well as discussing the military situation, the meeting in Paris is expected to address threats to cultural heritage, protection of persecuted minorities and the refugee crisis created by the conflict.
IS has already destroyed ancient sites in Iraq that pre-date Islam and there are fears it may do the same to the Roman-era ruins in Palmyra.
On Monday the BBC revealed footage appearing to show IS militants torturing a 14-year-old Syrian boy.
The footage, filmed by an IS defector, shows the boy being beaten while he hangs by his wrists.
The UN has accused IS and other armed groups in Syria and Iraq of torturing and killing children. | Ministers from 20 countries are to meet in Paris to discuss strategy against Islamic State (IS) militants. |
35855309 | Emergency services were called to the scene in the Lancefield Quay area at about 04:00 on Sunday morning.
One person has been arrested on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon.
The three people with injuries were taken to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, but have since been released. | Three people were taken to hospital with injuries after what police described as a "large scale disturbance" overnight in Glasgow. |
40445836 | Sexton and Farrell have played only 74 minutes together as a 10-12 axis in the eight previous matches on the tour.
Despite being selected in the squad as a fly-half, Farrell replaces Ben Te'o at inside centre, resuming the midfield role he plays for England.
"It is a worry that they have not played together more. I'm surprised," Davies told BBC Sport.
Gatland said the pairing of Ireland playmaker Sexton and Farrell would make the Lions more creative and clinical.
"Both have played well and it gives us that attacking option in the 10-12 channel," Gatland said.
"We created opportunities in the first Test and there were a few that we didn't finish."
Gatland made a big call in 2013 when he dropped Brian O'Driscoll for the decisive Test match in the series win over Australia.
Former England fly-half Paul Grayson backed Gatland's selection of Sexton and Farrell but said he would have "given them two or three games together".
Elsewhere, captain Sam Warburton replaces Peter O'Mahony on the blind-side flank, with Maro Itoje preferred to George Kruis in the second row.
Wales lock Alun Wyn Jones keeps his place in the starting XV despite a difficult outing in the first Test and strong midweek performances from Courtney Lawes and Iain Henderson having given Gatland "food for thought".
Lawes, CJ Stander and Jack Nowell are among the replacements after playing in the 31-31 draw with Hurricanes on Tuesday.
Ken Owens, Jack McGrath, Kyle Sinckler, Rhys Webb and Te'o also make the bench.
Meanwhile, Robbie Henshaw and George North have been ruled out of the rest of the tour.
Ireland centre Henshaw (pectoral) and Wales wing North (hamstring) were injured against Hurricanes and will return home after Saturday's match.
British and Irish Lions: L Williams, A Watson, J Davies, O Farrell, E Daly, J Sexton, C Murray; M Vunipola, J George, T Furlong, M Itoje, AW Jones, S Warburton (c), S O'Brien, T Faletau.
Replacements: K Owens, J McGrath, K Sinckler, C Lawes, CJ Stander, R Webb, B Te'o, J Nowell.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Former Wales fly-half and ex-rugby league international Jonathan Davies:
"You have to be a bit creative to beat the All Blacks because they will always score points. The first Test selection was a bit odd for me, picking a very attacking back three and not the most creative midfield.
"It is the 10-12 combination that I would have liked right from the start, but they have not really had the chance to play together in the warm-up matches.
"It is a worry that they have not played together more. I'm surprised. If this had been Gatland's ploy from the start of the tour I would have played them a bit more before the Tests.
"He made a big call in the third Test against Australia four years ago - dropping Brian O'Driscoll. That had a positive outcome, but if he loses on Saturday, he will get stick."
Former England fly-half Paul Grayson:
"I didn't expect it from Gatland because of the make-up of his teams historically.
"He has always preferred the physical presence of Jamie Roberts ahead of the more creative Scott Williams for Wales.
"I would have gone with Sexton and Farrell as my 10-12 combination before the tour.
"It gives you better ability to move the ball, more decision-makers on the pitch, the ability to paint different pictures in attack and more of a kicking game to keep the pressure on the All Blacks.
"But I would have given them two or three games together to build their flow.
"Having not had them together in the warm-up games, you are going to do your finding out in the Test match, which is a massive, massive ask."
Former England and Lions scrum-half Matt Dawson:
"There are three players [Kruis, Lawes, Henderson] who are on tip-top form and he's gone with the experience. Ok, that's a fair enough shout.
"Sometimes in games you do tweak the form argument a little bit because of experience, but this is a Lions Test match. It's not an international, it's not a club game, does experience now stand for too much?
"They're 1-0 down, they're lacking physicality, they're lacking players who can really throw it to the All Blacks for a sustained period of time and win break-down ball, as well as the collision and there are players that are doing that better than Alun Wyn Jones."
Former All Blacks fly-half Andrew Mehrtens:
"Nothing they [All Blacks] do is rocket science. It's stuff that is very basic, but it's been honed and honed and honed to the point where they do it more consistently and at a higher level than any other team.
"You look at the try that the Lions scored [the opener in the first Test], it was absolutely fantastic, O'Brien's try, some fantastic skills.
"So it's not like the Lions players are incapable of doing things that the All Blacks can do. It's just that the All Blacks, through practise and repetition, do it at a much more consistent level a lot more often than other teams. That's their point of difference.
"It's not something that's beyond any other player in the world in any other country, it's just that they are more consistent at doing it and that's really their strength at the moment."
The Lions lost the series opener 30-15 in Auckland, with Gatland citing a lack of physicality in the forwards. He has sought to address that with the inclusion of Saracens lock Itoje and Cardiff Blues flanker Warburton.
"You have to make the tough calls," Gatland said.
"We saw Maro's impact in the first Test and he will bring an edge and a physicality, as will Sam Warburton in terms of pressure on the ball."
While those changes were expected, Gatland has been reluctant to field Sexton and Farrell in the same midfield in the tour matches - although they have trained together since before the tour left for New Zealand.
"Both have played well and it gives us that attacking option in the 10-12 channel," Gatland said.
"We created opportunities in the first Test and there were a few that we didn't finish."
New Zealand have made two changes - Waisake Naholo comes in on the wing and Anton Lienert-Brown at outside centre.
They replace the injured Ben Smith (concussion) and Ryan Crotty (hamstring).
Experienced Welshman Jones retains his place in the second row and will partner England's Itoje.
"It's a big game for him," Gatland said of Jones. "He was a bit disappointed with last week and how it went.
"He's pretty focused and pretty motivated. Normally in the past when he's had those sort of challenges he has really fronted the next game.
"He's trained well this week and I think he's looking forward to Saturday."
Media playback is not supported on this device | British and Irish Lions coach Warren Gatland has made his "last roll of the dice" in picking both Johnny Sexton and Owen Farrell for Saturday's second Test against New Zealand, says former Wales fly-half Jonathan Davies. |
34391997 | A firm in Suffolk was phoned and told of a virus on its internet banking facility.
A member of staff was advised to transfer money to a separate holding account while the bank put the matter right on 16 September.
The caller was able to clone the bank's fraud team number and use remote software to steal £1m from the firm.
Suffolk Police arrested a 32-year-old in Chiswick, west London, on Monday.
He has been bailed to return to police on 25 November pending further enquiries. | A man has been arrested police investigating a £1m internet banking scam. |
33696718 | Jonathan Pollard, a former US Navy intelligence analyst, was jailed for life in 1987 after being found guilty of passing documents to Israel.
US Secretary of State John Kerry denied the move was a bid to appease Israel amid tensions over Iran's nuclear deal.
The case has been a source of friction between the US and Israel for decades.
Rumours of his release have been circulating for several days, with some analysts suggesting it was tied to the nuclear agreement with Iran.
But officials said he had always been eligible for parole after 30 years and his lawyers said the parole board made their decision "independently of any other US government agency".
"The decision is not connected to recent developments in the Middle East," his lawyers said in a statement.
"I haven't even had a conversation about it," Mr Kerry told reporters as he left a House of Representatives committee hearing on the Iranian nuclear deal.
Pollard, 60, began work as a civilian analyst in US navy intelligence near Washington DC in 1979 and began offering classified materials shortly afterwards.
Navy officials and the FBI interviewed him in 1985 after he was found to have removed classified documents from his office.
Under the threat of an espionage prosecution, he and his wife, Anne, sought asylum at the Israeli embassy but were turned away. They were arrested soon after by the FBI.
Israel initially denied he was their spy but they made him a citizen in 1996 and two years later they admitted he was their agent.
Pollard has always maintained that he gave Israel classified documents because the US was not passing important information to its ally.
His supporters say he was unfairly punished and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously urged the US to release him.
The US used Pollard's release as an incentive during Israel-Palestinian talks last year but the peace effort collapsed he remained in prison.
Pollard, who has suffered with health issues in recent years, divorced and remarried while held at a federal prison in Butner, North Carolina.
His lawyers said he was "looking forward to being reunited with his beloved wife Esther" when he is released on 21 November.
They said he will be required to remain in the US for five years under the terms of the parole. | An American jailed for 30 years for spying for Israel is to be freed in November after the US granted his parole, according to his lawyers. |
26295791 | Metrolink passengers will have to use the stop at Shudehill as the platform and tracks at Victoria are redesigned for the second city tram crossing.
Trams will pass through Victoria in both directions on a single track but cannot stop for safety reasons.
The work is part of a wider £44m refurbishment of the station. | Work is starting on a new tram stop at Manchester's Victoria Station, putting the Metrolink stop out of use for the next nine months. |
39566150 | Police officers, paramedics and the air ambulance were called to the Crescent Place, in the town centre, where the crash happened shortly after 09:00 BST.
The road has been shut temporarily, along with Clarence Street, as medical teams and police work at the scene.
Gloucestershire Constabulary confirmed the victim , a pedestrian aged in her 30s, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police are in the process of contacting her next of kin and have asked motorists to avoid the area. | A woman died when she was struck by a car in a "serious collision" in Cheltenham. |
34533334 | Robert Faulds was severely injured when his right arm was pulled into machinery at the bottle-top factory in Bridge of Allan in September 2013.
The 58-year-old said United Closures and Plastics blamed him for the accident and demoted him.
The firm was also fined £12,000 after admitting health and safety breaches at Stirling Sheriff Court.
Mr Faulds, from Falkirk, was working on a printing machine when the accident happened.
His arm was dragged into the offset machine and crushed.
The Health and Safety Executive took United Closures and Plastics to court over the incident, where the firm admitted failing to do a sufficient risk assessment of the machine and failing to ensure proper access.
The firm was issued the £12,000 fine at Stirling Sheriff Court last week.
Mr Faulds, who was off work for more than 14 months after the accident, said he was sacked from his role as production engineer for gross misconduct but was offered another job as an operator.
The father-of-four said: "The thing that upsets me is that all the way through this, they have put the blame on me. They said I did an unsafe act and had a flippant attitude to safety.
"My arm was smashed to pieces and I am now 30% disabled in it.
"The money will change my life because I will be able to buy a flat and look to the future.
"But I am now doing a menial job packing boxes when I was working as a skilled engineer before. But who is going to employ me when it's on my record that I was sacked for gross misconduct?
"I have never had an apology but I would just like them to clear my record."
Mr Faulds' lawyer, Tracey McKenzie from Thompsons Solicitors, said: "Robert is a very hard-working man who was following instructions from his employer when he was seriously injured.
"He was used as a scapegoat and sacked before being reinstated in a lower role.
"His employers were then prosecuted and pled guilty to breaches of health and safety law which totally vindicates Robert's version of events.
"He has now been left with a life-changing injury and his future employment prospects have been greatly affected - it is only right that he has been paid this substantial level of compensation."
No-one from United Closures and Plastics was available for comment. | A factory worker who had his arm crushed by machinery has won a £125,000 payout from his employer. |
36914586 | The seven-month-old girl was part of a group of adults and small children in pushchairs and prams when the egg was thrown at about 14:30 on Wednesday in Pittencrief Park, Dunfermline.
Police Scotland said the infant was not injured.
Sgt Kenny Bow, of Police Scotland, said: "The fact the child was unhurt during this incident is more down to luck than judgement."
He added: "While we believe that this has been done as a prank rather than out of any malice, it is extremely dangerous to drop any item from height and the consequences could have been worse for those walking below.
"We would like to remind the public, in particular, children of the risks and consequences of such reckless behaviour.
"With it being the school holidays the Glen was extremely busy and we are appealing for anyone who may have seen the culprits, or who has any information to come forward." | A baby has been hit by an egg that was dropped from a bridge in a Fife park. |
28399373 | Fonda plays Mr Burns's girlfriend, while Dafoe will voice Bart's new teacher, Mr Lassen.
Parks and Recreation actor Nick Offerman will feature in later episodes, along with comedian and writer Sarah Silverman.
The 26th season of the popular animation comedy starts on Fox on 28 September.
Frasier star David Hyde Pierce, who has already voiced Sideshow Bob's brother Cecil, will also return as a guest voice and a special episode has been written by director and producer Judd Apatow.
Fox has also announced celebrity guest voices for the next season of animated series Family Guy.
That season, which also launches in September, will feature a crossover in which the Simpsons meet the Griffin family.
The Family Guy series will include the guest voice of actor Liam Neeson. | The Simpsons will feature the guest voices of Jane Fonda and Willem Dafoe in its forthcoming new season. |
39860510 | The departure of defender Davis, 25, is no surprise, as he spent the second half of the season on loan with Scottish Championship side St Mirren.
Defender Ben Nugent, 24, and keeper Andy Dawber, 22, have also been let go.
The other three to go are midfielders Billy Bingham, 26, and Marcus Poscha, 20 and striker Callum Saunders, 21.
But Artell has told BBC Stoke that they plan to keep hold of injured former Bournemouth, Charlton and Portsmouth midfielder Danny Hollands, 31, who missed the last two months of the season. "We want to keep him and will be offering him something in the next week or two," he said.
They have also offered new deals to defenders Perry Ng, 21, George Ray, 23, Jon Guthrie, 24, and Ollie Turton, 24, keeper Dave Richards, 23, and 19-year-old midfielder Ollie Finney, who made his debut in the final day 4-1 win over Barnet. The six players have a month to make up their minds.
Strikers Alex Kiwomya (Chelsea) and Jordan Bowery (Leyton Orient) and Middlesbrough midfielder Callum Cooke have returned to their parent clubs.
But Cooke has already expressed an interest in returning to Gresty Road.
Three of the latest graduates off the Crewe Academy production line have also signed their first one-year professional contracts, full-back Ross Woodcock, midfielder Josh Lundstram and striker Lewis Reilly.
Crewe boss Artell says the factor behind their decision to release players differed from player to player - and was a collaboration of the whole Alex backroom team.
"It was different things for different players," he told BBC Radio Stoke. "Some we didn't think did enough, some had intimated they wanted to leave, some wanted to move closer to home and some we don't think we can make any better.
"We all had a say. It's not a dictatorship. I'm not Idi Amin or Pol Pot. Everyone chips in and decides the best way forward.
"It's evolution, not revolution, but we won't be happy with 17th in the table again next season." | Crewe Alexandra boss David Artell has released six players from the League Two club, including his predecessor Steve Davis's son Harry. |
26069667 | The 17-year-old former world junior champion scored highly on the technical elements to finish with a score of 224.59.
Vancouver champion Yuna Kim of South Korea led after the short programme but had to settle for silver.
Italy's Carolina Kostner claimed the bronze medal.
Russian 15-year-old Yulia Lipnitskaya, who helped her country win team gold, finished in fifth position.
Lipnitskaya was considered the more likely of the Russians to end the host nation's drought in the event, but she fell both in the short and free programme, scoring a total of 200.57.
Kim, 23, produced a superb artistic display but a technical score of only 69.69 - compared to Sotnikova's 75.54 - denied her chance to become the first person since German Katarina Witt (1984 and 1988) to retain the women's title. | Adelina Sotnikova became the first Russian to win gold in the Olympic women's figure skating with a superb performance in the free programme. |
35027414 | The magnitude 7.2 quake's epicentre was 345km (215 miles) east of Dushanbe, the US Geological Survey said. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Officials say information is likely to emerge slowly from mountainous Gorno-Badakhshan, where the quake occurred.
Schools in the capital and other towns closed and cracks appeared in buildings in the provincial capital, Khorog.
The quake was also felt in Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, where some office workers ran into the streets as buildings shook.
A BBC correspondent in Dushanbe says the area around the epicentre - near Sarez Lake, about 100km to the west of the village of Murghab - is remote and very hard to reach.
Mobile networks in the region were down after the quake. | A powerful earthquake has struck remote parts of eastern Tajikistan, sending shockwaves into neighbouring countries. |
12433045 | The news was greeted with a huge outburst of joy and celebration by thousands in Cairo's Tahrir Square - the heart of the demonstrations.
Mr Mubarak ruled for 30 years, suppressing dissent and protest, and jailing opponents.
US President Barack Obama said that Egypt must now move to civilian and democratic rule.
This was not the end but the beginning and there were difficult days ahead, the US president added, but he was confident the people could find the answers.
"The people of Egypt have spoken, their voices have been heard," Mr Obama said. "Egypt will never be the same again."
"They have made it clear that nothing less than genuine democracy will carry the day."
Middle East after Hosni Mubarak
Egyptians celebrate new era
In pictures: Mubarak's presidency
Mubarak resigns: World reaction
Announcing Mr Mubarak's resignation, Vice-President Omar Suleiman said the president had handed power to the army.
Mr Suleiman said on state TV that the high command of the armed forces had taken over.
"In the name of God the merciful, the compassionate, citizens, during these very difficult circumstances Egypt is going through, President Hosni Mubarak has decided to step down from the office of president of the republic and has charged the high council of the armed forces to administer the affairs of the country," he said.
"May God help everybody."
Later an army officer read out a statement paying tribute to Mr Mubarak for "what he has given" to Egypt but acknowledging popular power.
"There is no legitimacy other than that of the people," the statement said.
The military high command is headed by Defence Minister Mohamed Hussein Tantawi.
US diplomatic cables published by Wikileaks described Field Marshal Tantawi as "aged and change-resistant", but committed to avoiding another war with Israel.
Mr Mubarak has already left Cairo and is in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh where he has a residence, officials say.
In Cairo, thousands of people gathered outside the presidential palace, in Tahrir Square and at state TV.
They came out in anger following an address by Mr Mubarak on Thursday. He had been expected to announce his resignation but stopped short of stepping down, instead transferring most powers to Mr Suleiman.
"The people have brought down the regime," they chanted in reaction to the news of his eventual resignation less than 24 hours later.
Opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei said: "This is the greatest day of my life."
"You cannot comprehend the amount of joy and happiness of every Egyptian at the restoration of our humanity and our freedom."
The Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's banned Islamist opposition movement, paid tribute to the army for keeping its promises.
"I salute the Egyptian people and the martyrs. This is the day of victory for the Egyptian people. The main goal of the revolution has been achieved," said the Brotherhood's former parliamentary leader, Mohamed el-Katatni.
By Yolande KnellBBC News, Cairo
It is hard to know where to look as you walk through central Cairo. Everyone in this mega-city has spilled out onto the streets to party.
Soldiers lift small, smiling children onto their tanks to pose for photos, whole families are flying flags and wearing matching hats in red, white and black as they walk along the Corniche by the Nile, and motorcyclists precariously weave their way through the crowds yelling "Egypt, Egypt".
The excited din from Tahrir Square, the scene of the massive protests against President Mubarak that began on 25 January, can be heard from miles off. It is packed with huge crowds.
The demonstrators' barricades that had controlled entry to the square have been dismantled, and security checkpoints at which people showed identification and had their bags searched have all gone.
Some people are already packing up their tents in the campsite nearby. They have achieved what they set out to do.
Day of glory for Tahrir Square protesters
Ayman Nour, Mr Mubarak's rival for the presidency in 2005, described it as the greatest day in Egypt's history.
"This nation has been born again. These people have been born again, and this is a new Egypt," he told al-Jazeera TV.
Meanwhile Amr Moussa, a former Egyptian foreign minister, announced that he would leave his post as secretary general of the Arab League "within weeks", the Egyptian news agency Mena reported. He hinted that he might stand for president.
The BBC's Jon Leyne in Cairo said the announcement caught everyone by surprise: all over the city, drivers honked their horns and people fired guns into the air.
But the army takeover looks very much like a military coup, our correspondent adds.
The constitution has been breached, he says, because officially it should be the speaker of parliament who takes over, not the army leadership.
There was jubilation throughout the Middle East and North Africa, including in Tunisia, where people overthrew their own president last month.
For the Arab League, Mr Moussa said events in Egypt presented an opportunity to build a national consensus.
Meanwhile, Iran described the recent events as a "great victory".
A senior Israeli official expressed the hope that Mr Mubarak's departure would "bring no change to its peaceful relations with Cairo".
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he respected the "difficult decision" taken in the people's interests, and called for an "orderly and peaceful transition".
European Union leaders reacted positively to the news of Mr Mubarak's resignation.
Foreign policy chief Baroness Ashton said the EU "respected" the decision.
"It is important now that the dialogue is accelerated leading to a broad-based government which will respect the aspirations of, and deliver stability for, the Egyptian people," she said.
UK Prime Minister David Cameron said this was a "really precious moment of opportunity to have a government that can bring the people together", and called for a "move to civilian and democratic rule".
German Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomed the "historic change" in Egypt.
US Vice-President Joe Biden said Egypt had reached a pivotal moment in history.
The anti-government protests that began on 25 January were triggered by widespread unrest in Egypt over unemployment, poverty and corruption.
They followed a popular uprising in Tunisia which brought about the downfall of President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali. | Hosni Mubarak has stepped down as president of Egypt, after weeks of protest in Cairo and other cities. |
27988491 | The soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, The Mercian Regiment, returned from a nine month tour in April.
They will march through nine towns on Saturday.
The government announced in 2012 the regiment would lose one of its battalions as part of a programme of cuts.
The men will join either the 1st or 2nd battalions.
The regiment used to be known as The Staffordshire Regiment and recruits soldiers from Staffordshire, the West Midlands and Birmingham, with its headquarters in Lichfield.
Until recently, the 3rd Battalion was based in Bad Fallingbostel, Germany.
The Mercian Regiment said there would not be a "disbandment parade", but instead the 250 soldiers would mark their return from operations in Afghanistan. A service will be held at Lichfield cathedral after the parade in the city.
They will march through Lichfield, Stafford, Wolverhampton, Walsall, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Stoke-on-Trent, Tamworth, Burton-upon-Trent, and Cannock.
Speaking at the first of the parades in Stafford, Major Neil Kelly thanked the people who turned out to watch. He said: "You can see the smiles on the soldiers faces, it means a lot to the whole battalion."
A short reception will take place after each parade, where local soldiers will be presented with their operational service medals for Afghanistan.
Captain Matt Odell, Adjutant 3rd Battalion, The Mercian Regiment, said: "We are looking forward to welcoming the soldiers home, who have all worked extremely hard during the past nine months." | Members of an army battalion, which will disband at the end of the week, has started a series of parades to mark its return from Afghanistan. |
35657077 | Foxconn said it had received new information from Sharp which needed to be clarified.
The news came hours after the announcement that the $4.3bn (£3.08bn) deal had been agreed.
Foxconn assembles most of the world's iPhones. Sharp is one of Japan's oldest technology firms.
Foxconn Technology Group said that Sharp had couriered over "new material information" to the management.
The Taiwanese company said in a statement: ``We will have to postpone any signing of a definitive agreement until we have arrived at a satisfactory understanding and resolution of the situation,''
If the deal goes ahead, it would be the first foreign takeover of a major Japanese electronics firm in a historically insular technology sector.
Japanese officials had been reluctant to let Sharp fall under foreign ownership because of the distinctive technology behind its display panels.
Before the announcement of a deal with Foxconn, Sharp had been discussing a rival offer from a Japanese government-backed consortium of Japanese investors.
Founded in 1912, innovations by Sharp include a mechanical pencil in 1915 and pioneering developments in television engineering.
Although recent years have seen a downturn in its fortunes with heavy debts, the firm continued to be a leader in liquid display technology, a key asset for Foxconn.
The takeover plan involves Sharp, which employs more than 50,000 globally, issuing new shares to Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd, which trades under the Foxconn name.
Sharp's shares were halted from trading ahead the announcement. They later reopened and closed down by nearly 15%.
Technology specialists said the two companies were a logical fit.
"Sharp is strong in research and development, while Hon Hai knows how to market products to customers such as Apple, and it also has expertise in production. Together they can go global," Yukihiko Nakata, a technology professor and former Sharp engineer told AFP news agency.
What's behind the takeover? - Karishma Vaswani, Asia Business Correspondent
Trying to save one of the giants of the Japanese tech sector has been challenging to say the least, but even harder if the response in your industry to any foreign takeover deal is usually a no.
That's because Japan's technology sector is historically extremely insular, and has been reluctant to let outsiders in.
Partly the concern is fuelled by a fear that Japan's proprietary technological expertise may be at risk - but it's also partly because of a Japanese corporate culture that prefers keeping the dirty laundry in the family.
But when times are tough, business acumen trumps nationalistic tendencies.
A takeover by Foxconn could help Sharp sell its liquid crystal display panels elsewhere in the region and inject fresh funds and ideas into the ailing electronics maker.
But turning Sharp around won't be easy. Even after two bailouts it has been unable to turn its fortunes around. Will Foxconn be able to succeed where others have failed?
Read Karishma in full
Earlier this month, as it was considering several takeover offers, Sharp posted a bigger-than-expected net loss of $918m (£630m) for the April-to-December period.
In 2012, the firm came close to entering bankruptcy. It has struggled with heavy debts and has been through two major bailouts in the last four years.
Foxconn first offered to invest in the troubled Japanese firm in 2012, but talks collapsed. | A deal to take over Japanese electronics giant Sharp by Taiwanese manufacturer Foxconn, has been thrown into question by a last minute delay. |
34002673 | Researchers at the University of Washington have discovered different survival traits in bacteria, depending on where in the lungs they are lodged.
Scientists say this may have helped some bugs evade antibiotic therapy.
One in every 2,500 babies born in the UK has the genetic condition which affects the lungs and digestive system.
The mucus produced leaves people prone to stubborn lung infections, often caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria.
Inspecting lung specimens, researchers discovered that separate regions of the same lung had vast arrays of pseudomonas that behaved differently, despite originating from the same strain of bug.
Scientists hypothesise that over time the bacteria become geographically separated (for example by mucus) and then evolve different characteristics to help them survive in these new conditions.
And according to lead researcher, Dr Peter Jorth, some of the bacteria they studied developed "dramatically" different levels of resistance to antibiotics.
Researcher Dr Pradeep Singh added: "This may be part of what makes treatment so difficult. When bacteria sensitive to one kind of stress - for example an antibiotic - are killed, functionally different sibling bacteria are there to take their place.
"This diversity provides insurance for the bacteria in a way because others can take their place if the antibiotics work on them."
Researchers say this also raises the possibility that other chronic infections - such as wound and sinus infections - have similar mixtures of bacteria.
But they caution more work needs to be done to replicate these early results.
The study appears in Cell Host & Microbe.
Dr Keith Brownlee, from the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, said: "The findings of this research are interesting.
"It's great to see researchers working hard to understand how respiratory infections develop and progress."
"The greater understanding we have the more informed clinicians can be. This allows them to advise people with cystic fibrosis more effectively to help manage their condition and help prevent lung damage." | American scientists have shed light on why a common and often serious lung infection in people who have cystic fibrosis can be so hard to treat. |
40759166 | Media playback is not supported on this device
Three of the line-up - James Guy, Duncan Scott and Stephen Milne - helped Team GB secure Olympic silver in 2016 - with Nick Grainger the new addition.
Russia took silver ahead of the USA.
The latest success follows two gold medals for Adam Peaty (50m and 100m breaststroke) and gold for Ben Proud (50m butterfly) at the championships.
The British team had looked out of medal contention during the first two legs of the 4x200m final, but individual finalist Scott helped bring them back into contention.
Guy took over on the last leg in second position but quickly powered past his Russian opponent to help the team finish in seven minutes 1.70 seconds, ahead of Russia (7:02.68) and Olympic champions the USA (7:03.18).
The 21-year-old enjoyed a hugely successful day, lowering the British 100m butterfly record to 51.16 in the heats and then to 50.67 in the semi-finals - form that makes him a strong medal contender for Saturday's final.
There was disappointment however for Ross Murdoch in the men's 200m breaststroke with the Scottish Commonwealth champion finishing fourth - 0.65 seconds behind bronze medallist Ippei Watanabe of Japan.
Russian Anton Chupkov took the gold ahead of Japan's Yasuhiro Koseki.
"It's hard to finish fourth and to go slower in the final than I did in the semi-final - just like in the 100m," admitted Murdoch.
"To be honest though I'm happy to be back swimming in my favourite event and this will give me a lot of confidence going into next year's Commonwealth Games."
World short course gold medallist Molly Renshaw finished sixth in the 200m breaststroke final, which was won by Russia's Yulia Efimova.
"I'm happy with how I performed because it was always going to be difficult from an outside lane, and I'm back getting close to the form from Rio [Olympics]," she told BBC Sport.
Holly Hibbott reached the women's 800m freestyle final, where she will race against Olympic champion Katie Ledecky of the USA.
Olympic champion Simone Manuel of the USA won 100m freestyle gold ahead of Sweden's Sarah Sjostrom - who earlier in the week set a world record of 51.71 - with Denmark's Pernille Blume third.
Russia's Evgeny Rylov set a new European record of 1:53.61 to claim gold in the 200m backstroke final, ahead of American pair Ryan Murphy and Jacob Pebley.
In the men's 27m high diving event, Britain's defending champion Gary Hunt topped the standings in the preliminary round.
He and countryman Blake Aldridge - who dived alongside Tom Daley at the 2008 Beijing Olympics - will return for the final on Sunday. | Great Britain's men's 4x200m freestyle team successfully defended their title as GB secured a fourth medal of the 2017 World Championships in Hungary. |
39335409 | Troy Grant, a New South Wales MP, was stationary when he took a photo, which he later tweeted from home.
After being alerted to the illegality, Mr Grant reported himself to police to face a A$325 (£203; $250) fine.
"This serves as a massive reminder. Nobody is above the law even if you are the police minister," Mr Grant said.
The minister had been stopped at roadworks when he photographed a car carrying a sheep in front of him.
"I did not know that what I was doing was against the law," Mr Grant said on Tuesday.
"This is a great lesson for me, and I hope it is something that the community takes a lesson from as well."
Under the state's law, drivers may operate a phone only from a fixed cradle without contact. | An Australian police minister says he did not realise he was breaking the law when he picked up his mobile phone while driving. |
21260418 | The body of mother-of-three Joudia Zimmat was found with multiple stab wounds on Thursday in scrubland.
Robert Plant, 32, originally of Chatham, Kent, was arrested in connection with her death on Monday.
Being placed under formal investigation is the first step towards a criminal trial under the French legal system.
Mr Plant, who lives with his mother in Nimes, was remanded in custody after appearing before a court in the city on Wednesday.
Ms Zimmat's partially clothed body was discovered in a thicket in the Courbessac area of Nimes after her children's school alerted her partner that she had failed to pick them up.
A box cutter-style knife and two blood-stained stones found nearby are thought to have been the murder weapons.
Ms Zimmat, who is of Tunisian heritage, had three children, aged three, six and nine. | A British man has been placed under formal investigation for the aggravated murder of a 34-year-old jogger in the French city of Nimes. |
39755176 | North Wales Fire Service was called to the property on Gwynfryn Avenue in Rhyl, Denbighshire, at 01:55 BST on Saturday.
The fire had started in a first-floor bedroom, a spokesman said.
The person was treated for minor burns and smoke inhalation. | One person has been taken to hospital after a fire broke out at a house overnight. |
32530825 | Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander said the Conservatives wanted to vary public sector pay around the UK, despite dropping the idea in 2012.
At the time, a letter emerged in which Mr Alexander told First Minister Carwyn Jones he wanted regional pay.
The Conservatives have accused the Lib Dems of hypocrisy, calling Mr Alexander regional pay's "foremost champion".
The letter to Mr Jones said Mr Alexander was "keen to see local, market-facing pay introduced across the UK".
But on Thursday, Mr Alexander said: "We stopped the Tories in 2012 and hoped that would be the end of this nonsense.
"When the Tories asked Treasury officials to publish a report backing regional pay in 2014 we were forced to block it again. And if Liberal Democrats are returned to government, we will block it again."
Last week, Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg claimed regional pay would have removed more than £1bn from the Welsh economy.
Welsh Liberal Democrat candidate Roger Williams added: "Let us be clear about this - the Tories wanted to pay people less just because they work in Wales.
"Without the Liberal Democrats in government, the Tories would have taken over a billion pounds out of the Welsh economy, with public sector workers having their wages slashed." | A leading Lib Dem minister has said he blocked plans his party says would have "slashed" Welsh workers' pay last year. |
36726880 | The 27-year-old joins United for an undisclosed fee on a four-year deal, with the option of a further year.
The Armenia captain was the 2015-16 Bundesliga player of the season and scored 23 goals in all competitions.
"Henrikh is a real team player with great skill, vision and also has a good eye for goal," manager Jose Mourinho told United's official website.
"I am delighted he has chosen to sign for United.
"I believe he will make an impact on the team very quickly as his style of play is suited to the Premier League.
"We are all looking forward to working with him."
Mkhitaryan said he is "very proud" to sign for Manchester United, adding: "This move is a dream come true for me.
"I am excited to play for a club with such an illustrious history and hope to be part of it for a long time.
"I thank the trust the club and Jose Mourinho have put in me.
"Finally, I believe playing for such a great club honours my father's memory, and the inspiration and drive he gave to me when I was young."
Mkhitaryan made 140 appearances and scored 41 goals for Dortmund after joining them for £23.5m in 2013.
He is the son of one of Armenia's most famous footballers, Hamlet Mkhitaryan, and won the first of his 59 caps for his country a week before his 18th birthday. | Manchester United have signed Armenia midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan from German club Borussia Dortmund. |
17366905 | Media playback is not supported on this device
The striker, 28, has been out of action since being accused of failing to warm up in the Champions League defeat by Bayern Munich in September.
He has played two reserve games in recent weeks to build his fitness after apologising to the club and supporters.
City face Chelsea on Wednesday 21 March by which time they could be four points behind rivals Manchester United.
We are very disappointed for our supporters after Swansea because I saw on the TV one of our supporters cry. We want to win also for this guy and the other supporters
United play Wolves away on Sunday and City's next league match is the Chelsea game at Etihad Stadium.
Mancini, speaking at a news conference on Wednesday, also revealed that Gareth Barry, Vincent Kompany and Pablo Zabaleta were out of Thursday's Europa League tie against Sporting Lisbon through injury.
However, Joleon Lescott could be on the bench after recovering from a groin injury.
Tevez scored 44 goals in only 69 Premier League games during his first two seasons at City before the dispute in September.
He seemed certain to leave City during the January transfer window after returning to Argentina without the club's permission, but now looks set to figure in the title race.
Asked whether Tevez, who is ineligible for the Europa League, would play at Chelsea, Mancini said: "We will see in the next week. It depends on Carlos. Will he be OK? Probably but it depends on a lot of things."
City are second in the Premier League after losing to Swansea at the weekend, a defeat that knocked them off top spot for the first time in five months. They also failed to score in Thursday's Europa League loss to Sporting Lisbon.
Their home form has been exemplary, with 14 straight Premier League victories at the Etihad Stadium this season.
City have struggled on the road, though, winning won only two of their last eight Premier League away games and scoring just four goals.
21 - Sergio Aguero
18 - Edin Dzeko
14 - Mario Balotelli
7 - David Silva
6 - Adam Johnson
"In Portugal and against Swansea we didn't play a very good game," Mancini said. "We didn't play like the usual Manchester City. We probably didn't deserve to lose both games but we need to play better.
"Now is a time to be strong and keep going because we are a top team and have time to recover.
"We are very disappointed for our supporters after Swansea because I saw on the TV one of our supporters cry. We want to win also for this guy and the other supporters.
"We are positive. We think we will win the Premier League and the Europa League. If we think a different way it will be a mistake."
Mancini added that he hoped Manchester United beat Athletic Bilbao on Thursday to stay in the Europa League, or he fears their rivals could gain an advantage by having less games to play and one trophy to focus on. | Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini says Carlos Tevez could make a first-team return against Chelsea next week. |
35020279 | Platini and Fifa president Sepp Blatter have been suspended over allegations a "disloyal payment" was made to Platini in 2011 for work done years earlier.
Le Journal du Dimanche says the memo, dating back to 1998, includes a payment agreement between Platini and Fifa.
Platini's lawyer Thomas Clay called the 23-page document "important evidence".
Clay, speaking to the Reuters news agency, added: "From the moment that we have proof of an agreement between Fifa and Mr Platini, and of knowledge of this agreement by officials of Uefa, then this inquiry falls down.
"For us, it's very important evidence that Mr Platini has always been telling the truth."
Both Platini and Blatter are fighting to salvage their careers and reputation and are currently serving 90-day provisional suspensions from world football.
It is alleged a £1.3m "disloyal payment" was made between Platini and Blatter in 2011.
The two men deny wrongdoing and claim they had a verbal contract for Platini to receive backdated money for work he carried out for Fifa between 1998 and 2002.
Le Journal du Dimanche claims the memo, which has not been seen by BBC Sport, was presented at a meeting of Uefa's executive committee in November 1998 and included a section that stated Platini was being paid 1m Swiss francs a year for work he was doing for Fifa.
"It shows that the contract did not have any sort of secret character and that many people, including those in Uefa and Fifa, have known about it since 1998," added Clay.
Blatter has previously said the 2011 payment followed a verbal agreement between the two while Platini claimed the payment was delayed because of financial problems at Fifa.
Both men are due to attend personal hearings with Fifa's ethics judge starting on 16 December and final verdicts could be published as early as 21 December.
Platini, who had been widely tipped as Blatter's successor at Fifa, still hopes to be a candidate in the Fifa presidential election on 26 February.
However, he will only be entitled to enter the ballot if he clears his name in sufficient time prior to polling day. | Michel Platini's lawyers say a memo published in a French newspaper on Sunday could help clear the suspended Uefa president of wrongdoing. |
36720616 | Grocery prices fell 0.8% in June, extending May's 0.3% fall and marking the deepest deflation in food for over a year, according to the British Retail Consortium-Nielsen Shop Price Index.
Shop prices overall, including non-food items, fell 2% year-on-year, marking the 38th consecutive month of decline.
The BRC said it was an "extraordinary run of deflation".
However, the retail trade body said it eventually expected prices to rise again.
"The time it takes for any price increases to make a reappearance will depend on a combination of factors including the future value of the pound, commodity prices and any eventual impact of the Brexit vote on input costs," said BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson.
The shop price index reflects the period ahead of the referendum vote from 6 to 10 June.
The sharp fall in the pound, which has plunged about 11% against the US dollar since the outcome of the EU referendum vote, has led several analysts to warn that the price of groceries could rise longer term.
Some 40% of food consumed in the UK is imported meaning any long-term shift in exchange rates could lead to higher food costs.
But Ms Dickinson said the continuing fierce competition between retailers meant hiking prices still "may not be viable for some retailers".
The British Retail Consortium-Nielsen Shop Price Index comes a week after research firm Kantar Worldpanel reported like-for-like grocery prices fell 1.4% in the 12 weeks to 19 June compared with a year earlier, marking the 23rd consecutive period in which prices have fallen.
Kantar's head of retail and consumer insight, Fraser McKevitt, said he did not expect the immediate economic uncertainty following the outcome of the EU referendum to cause "a substantial fall in grocery volumes".
"Historically, higher prices have led to consumers looking for less expensive alternatives such as own-label products, seeking out brands on promotion or visiting cheaper retailers," he said.
Falling shop prices reflect weak inflation in the wider UK economy. Annual inflation was 0.3% in May according to the Office for National Statistics, unchanged from April. | Food prices saw their biggest fall for over a year last month as prices continued to drop, a survey suggests. |
37232170 | Rebecca Wilkinson, who has undergone a double mastectomy, dismissed the craze for posting black and white "selfies" with the phrase "#challengeaccepted".
In response, the 36-year-old from Lancaster uploaded a topless photo of herself to show cancer's effect on her, The Huffington Post reported.
The mother-of-two was diagnosed with Stage 2b breast cancer in 2013.
Ms Wilkinson, who has had reconstructive breast surgery, also had to have her ovaries removed after tests revealed there was an 80% chance of her breast cancer returning.
She told the BBC: "This latest craze just makes me mad.
"Having cancer is scary, knowing you could die and be taken from your children.
"It is not the subject for some fake selfies as if it's some fun activity.
"People think just because they stick a black and white photo on Facebook they are supporting people with cancer.
"But I've spoken to a lot of people in the cancer community, and it's upset most people as well.
"They are not supporting people with cancer - they should really visit people in hospital with cancer or hold their hand while they're going through the trauma of chemo.
"It's just so fake and these people are just Facebook narcissists."
Her own internet post read: "Everyone on Facebook is aware of cancer, so you cannot play the awareness card. Particularly as this time it's not even a *type* of cancer. You're not raising money. You're not showing support either."
Ms Wilkinson, who also has bipolar disorder, tested positive for the BRAC1 cancer gene after her own mother Sheila died aged 43 from breast cancer.
Hollywood film actress Angelina Jolie had a double mastectomy after being diagnosed with the same gene.
There is a 50% chance that Ms Wilkinson's two children Connie, eight, and six-year-old Freddie might have the gene, but they will have to wait until they are 18 to be tested.
She added: "Having cancer is scary, knowing you could die and be taken from your children.
"It is not the subject for some fake selfies as if it's some fun activity."
The #challengeaccepted trend was very popular in India early in the summer and arrived in the UK last week.
Not all cancer sufferers share Rebecca's view of the trend.
Grandmother Jean Haines, 72, of Heald Green, Greater Manchester, who has had breast cancer twice, said: "I think any support for cancer sufferers is welcome.
"It can be such a frightening time... it's nice people are thinking of those suffering from this terrible disease."
Cancer charities approached by the BBC declined to comment. | A cancer survivor has criticised a new trend for cancer awareness photos on Facebook as "distasteful" and "fake". |
35911210 | The alert was raised at about 13:10 BST after the man's kayak capsized on the River Wey at Guildford and he went into the water near a weir.
A police helicopter, firefighters and ambulance crews are all at the scene.
Ch Insp Dave Mason, of Surrey Police, said he had been seen in difficulty because of the strong current.
"We have a large number of officers out looking for this man alongside a number of fire crews," he said.
"The man was spotted in the water by several members of the public and was clearly in difficulty due to the extremely strong current.
"We are doing everything we can to try and find him."
He urged anyone who sees the man not to go into the river, but to call 999 immediately.
The man went into the water near Guildford Borough Council's offices.
A flood alert is in place for the Upper River Wey, including the Guildford stretch.
The Environment Agency said river levels rose on Sunday and were expected to continue to rise on Monday.
An update on River Wey conditions from the National Trust on Monday said all river sections were in flood and dangerous to navigation. | Searches are under way for a kayaker who overturned and disappeared from view after getting into difficulty on a flooded river. |
37155279 | The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) is predicting growth in the sector of 3.6% in the UK over the year.
This is higher than predicted global growth in the sector of 3.1%.
It said falling domestic spending would be offset by international visitors loosening the purse strings owing to a more favourable exchange rate.
The WTTC said that, despite the initial solidity of the sector in the UK, there would be some added pressures in the next few years owing to the UK's vote to leave the EU.
It said that the benefit in terms of overseas visitors' spending from a weaker pound would wear off in 2018 to 2020.
General economic growth in the UK would be weaker and that would affect the industry.
"By 2020, we now expect that the UK travel and tourism sector will support 1.88 million direct jobs, which is approximately 75,000 fewer jobs than forecast in the annual update at the start of the year," it said in its latest economic update.
Earlier this month, travel researcher ForwardKeys said Brexit had had an "immediate, positive impact" on tourism to the UK. It said flight bookings to the UK jumped since June, driven by the sharp fall in the pound, with 4.3% more flights booked to the UK in the 28 days following the vote than last year. | Tourism in the UK will "hold up well" in 2016 after the Brexit vote but fewer jobs than expected will be created in the longer term, executives have said. |
37255610 | A B-25 bomber, a P-51 Mustang fighter and The Blades aerobatic team were among the first displays to take place near Low Green in Ayr on Friday.
The Saturday programme includes displays from The Red Arrows and RAF Falcons Parachute Team.
An estimated crowd of 120,000 attended the main Saturday event in 2015, with similar numbers expected this year.
Event manager Doug Maclean said: "We're very enthusiastic about what we've planned for 2016 knowing we will continue to excite and wow the crowds with some of the most amazing aircraft, pilots and displays they will ever see.
"The acts we have coming along are truly world-class and the fact they all want to come and take part in our event shows that the airshow has continued to grow from strength-to-strength."
South Ayrshire Council is the main sponsor of the airshow, which returned in 2014 after an absence of 22 years.
The council's chief executive, Eileen Howat, said: "The Scottish International Airshow has grown in magnitude and 2016's line-up is undoubtedly set to be the best yet.
"Last year around 120,000 people enjoyed the air display and demand has led to the addition of another day of flying and entertainment on the Friday.
"Not only is this a great family event, but it gives the local economy a real boost, generating over £5m last year, which is something we all benefit from."
Although anyone can watch the displays for free, ticket packages can be purchased for access to the entertainment area at Low Green.
One of the packages offers limited access to Prestwick Airport for a chance to see the aircraft up close. | The Scottish International Airshow has started with a series of displays off the Ayrshire coast. |
16340166 | 14th century AD - Samoans, Tongans and settlers from other Polynesian islands migrate to the islands
1568 and 1595 - Spaniard Alvaro Mendana de Neyra sights the islands of Nui and Niulakita on two separate expeditions.
1819 - A ship owned by British MP Edward Ellice visits Funafuta. The captain names the island Ellice Island. Later this name was applied to all nine atolls.
1850-75 - "Blackbirding" - the kidnapping of islanders for forced labour on plantations in Fiji and Queensland - and the introduction of European diseases reduces the population from 20,000 to 3,000. In 1863 Peruvian slave traders kidnap 400 islanders - nearly two-thirds of the population of the islands of Funafuti and Nukulaelae.
British protectorate
1877 - Britain sets up the Western Pacific High Commission with its headquarters in Fiji. The Ellice Islands and other island groups come under its jurisdiction.
1892 - Britain declares a joint protectorate over the Ellice Islands and the Gilbert Islands.
1916 -The Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony is formed. Over the next 20 years other island groups, including the Line Islands and the Phoenix Islands, join the colony.
1974 - Ethnic tensions result in more than 90% of the mainly Polynesian Ellice Islanders voting for separation from the predominantly Micronesian Gilbert Islands.
1975 - Ellice Islands become a separate British dependency, under the pre-colonial name of Tuvalu meaning "eight standing together" which refers to the eight populated atolls. Toaripi Lauti is elected chief minister.
1976 - Formally separates from the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony.
1977 - First separate general election held.
Independence
1978 1 October - Tuvalu achieves independence. Toaripi Lauti is appointed prime minister.
1986 - Votes to remain an independent constitutional monarchy with the British monarch at its head.
1987 - Britain, New Zealand and Australia set up the Tuvalu Trust Fund to provide development aid. Contributions to the fund also come from South Korea and Japan.
1989 - UN lists Tuvalu as one of a number of island groups most likely to disappear beneath the sea in the 21st century because of global warming.
1991 - Government says it is preparing a compensation claim against the UK for the poor state of the country's finances at the time of independence.
1998 - Leases its "900" telephone lines to a foreign company which generates a substantial income.
2000 February - Signs an agreement to lease the country's national internet suffix '.tv' to a US company which generates enough funds for Tuvalu to apply to join the United Nations.
2000 March - Eighteen schoolgirls and their supervisor are killed in a fire in a school dormitory on Vaitupu island. It is Tuvalu's worst disaster since independence.
2000 - Admitted to the United Nations.
Sea level issue
2001 - New Zealand offers to resettle islanders threatened by rising sea-levels.
2001 March - Tuvalu says it will take legal action, along with Kiribati and the Maldives, against the US for its refusal to sign the Kyoto Protocol, an international agreement to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
2001 December - Australian government's overseas aid programme commissions a land and sea-level monitoring station in Tuvalu.
2006 August - Apisai Ielemai elected PM.
2007 June - Tuvalu envoy to the UN Afelee Pita addresses special session of UN Security Council devoted to the issue of climate change.
2009 January - Tuvalu applies for membership of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which says it will consider the request.
2009 February - Taiwan says it wants to help Tuvalu deal with the effects of rising sea levels. Tuvalu is one of the few countries to recognise Taiwan.
2009 July - Tuvalu wants all its energy to come from renewable sources by 2020.
2009 December - Tuvalu rejects Copenhagen climate pact as inadequate.
2010 September - Maatia Toafa elected PM.
2010 December - PM Maatia Toafa ousted by no-confidence vote, replaced by Willy Telavi.
2011 September - Tuvalu becomes one of only six countries to recognise the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, two separatist regions of Georgia with pro-Russian governments.
Water shortage
2011 October - Government declares state of emergency over water shortages and asks for international help to replace broken desalination machinery and provide permanent water tanks.
2012 August - Under pressure from the US, Tuvalu agrees to de-register Iranian ships it had previously allowed to sail under its national flag. Iran had applied to register oil tankers in Tuvalu in a bid to circumvent an international embargo on Iranian oil shipments.
2013 August - The governor-general sacks Prime Minister Willy Telavi over his failure to convene parliament for eight months, and appoints opposition leader Enele Sopoaga to succeed him.
2014 March - Tuvalu withdraws its recognition of the Georgian breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. | A chronology of key events: |
34697745 | The Airbus A-321 had just left Sharm el-Sheikh and was bound for the Russian city of St Petersburg when it came down in the Sinai peninsula on Saturday.
It was registered in the Republic of Ireland through a leasing company but was operated by a Russian airline.
The IAA said the plane's certifications "were satisfactory" on its last review.
An IAA spokesman added that oversight of the operation of the aircraft, including daily and monthly checks, was Russia's responsibility under International Civil Aviation Organisation rules.
Two inspectors from the Republic of Ireland's Air Accident Investigation Unit and an expert from the IAA are expected to travel to Egypt on Monday to join the investigation into the cause of the crash.
An inquiry by aviation experts using data from the aircraft's black boxes has yet to give its conclusions.
But the Russian airline Kogalymavia has blamed "external activity" for the crash.
All 217 passengers and seven crew died when the plane crashed.
The bodies of 144 of those killed have been flown back to St Petersburg. | A Russian plane that crashed in Egypt killing 224 had passed a safety review carried out by the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) earlier this year. |
34884844 | For the first time in its history, this hemisphere had no representation in the tournament's final four.
One by one, the Six Nations fell by the wayside - beaten, bludgeoned and bamboozled by the merciless wizardry and fortitude of the antipodeans, South Africans and Argentines.
This southern supremacy is no novel concept, but never before has it been felt so keenly, so woundingly close to home.
There is a Scot, a Borderer and a product of one of the nation's most eminent rugby families who has borne witness to the roots of this dominance, how the best assemble and administrate their game, and how the global superstars of tomorrow are shaped.
Raised in the rugby-obsessed town of Jedburgh, cousin to Scotland captain Greig and son of Grand Slam-winning great Roy, Clark Laidlaw represented the national sevens outfit, and the now-defunct Border Reivers.
With his playing days numbered, he embarked on a seven-year coaching voyage that took him some 11,000 miles from the post of rugby development officer at East Lothian Council to Taranaki, New Zealand, on the North Island's western jut.
There he would ascend rapidly to the Kiwi sevens set-up, and the post of assistant coach at the Hurricanes, home to a boatload of All Blacks champions in New Zealand's capital.
"Rugby is rugby, but athletes in the southern hemisphere are brought up in a different way," he begins.
"What I mean by that is, children and young players play a multitude of sports, they're very active as children and young adults, which gives them a really good base to kick on.
"When they decide to specialise in a sport it's usually because they enjoy it and they're good at it.
"If you take rugby in New Zealand, by the time boys specialise, they have a great base of athleticism and spatial awareness and that comes through in the way they're able to play - especially in terms of attacking mindset."
Laidlaw, still a few years short of his 40th birthday, grafted under several Kiwi chieftains, including fabled sevens boss Sir Gordon Tietjens.
He studied each keenly, yet arguably achieved most when imprinting his own ideals.
"I certainly think we can allow our players to make mistakes and allow our young players to really find their own way at times," he continues.
"There are principles within the game and skills you have to get right, but a lot of the time, having your own little spin on things is actually what makes the difference.
"I was brought up here - we're certainly a very rigid society at times, there are a lot of rules and regulations in general, not just in rugby.
"Sometimes I think we need to relax a wee bit and let people find their own way, whether it's climbing a tree at school, or finding a different way to pass a rugby ball.
"There's a lot of pressure on young players to play bloody well over there; I'm not sure our expectations here are high enough."
Laidlaw's Hurricanes tenure culminated in July with a gut-wrenching defeat in the Super Rugby final to Otago's Highlanders.
The 'Canes, in-form, on Wellington soil, were much-fancied, but completely outplayed.
And All Blacks stalwarts Ma'a Nonu, Conrad Smith and Jeremy Thrush, with over 350 appearances between them, departed the franchise without a championship.
"It's a wee bit different to coaching at Jed!" Laidlaw joshes with a deadpan streak that is oh-so-Borders.
"When you're coaching some of the best rugby players in the world, it's not about the coach. They've got as many ideas about how to run a play, how to change a running line, how to manipulate a defence as me, and my job, once we come up with those plans, is to make us accountable.
"The final was tough, probably a lot tougher for the players - they put a lot more blood, sweat and tears into the jersey than me."
After that showpiece agony, Laidlaw returned to the UK, one prong of a trio of New Zealand-based coaches charged with revitalising London Irish, a club rich in promise but languishing in in the Aviva Premiership's lower reaches for four years.
Alongside ex-Blues assistant Grant Doorey, he is a lieutenant of new boss Tom Coventry, formerly of the Chiefs.
"People think when they see three Super Rugby coaches arriving in England they're going to be a silver bullet," he asserts.
"There's no such thing. It's attention to detail, and it's work ethic and it's time. You need to work bloody hard for a long time with detail to get improvements.
"We're not Bath or Saracens right at the top, that's what we aspire to.
"What appealed to all three of us was an opportunity to come to a club and really make our own mark. If it's a really established club, it's a different type of challenge; it's difficult as a coach to really influence it."
Laidlaw welcomes a familiar foe this weekend, his Exiles battling Edinburgh in the first of a European Challenge Cup double-header, Irish having been knocked out of this competition at the quarter-final stage last season by the same adversary.
"They've got a very strong pack and they've got a good mix with some of the younger backs," he says of Saturday's opponents.
"A big part of this competition will be the double-headers."
Laidlaw sees the shared traits of the Borderer and the Kiwi, the all-consuming thirst for rugby, the honest toil and the unabashed "one-eyedness", but concedes the two differ drastically in many respects.
Patriarch of a "mongrel mob", with three daughters born in Scotland, New Zealand and England respectively, could he foresee a homecoming of sorts in the not-too-distant future?
"I went to New Zealand for one year and ended up there for seven - who knows what the future holds?" he says.
"If one day the opportunity comes up for me and my family to get close to home, you never know, but ultimately that's probably a wee bit down the track." | From the boardrooms and conference suites of European rugby's elite, to the pubs, bars and clubhouses lubricating its supporters, the Rugby World Cup sparked a chastening bout of communal introspection. |
40092730 | The group, led by Irish property developer Anthony McMullen, wanted 51% control of the Shropshire club.
But Telford say that they had concerns over the investment arrangement.
"The club board entered direct discussions with the potential investor from Ireland," the Shropshire club confirmed in a statement.
"There were a number of phone discussions and we met him face to face on 15 May and 19 May.
"The individual outlined a proposed structure for the club that substantially increased off-the-field operating costs by at least £150,000 per annum.
"There was no indication as to how these additional costs would be financed, given he was unable to finance the purchase of the shares."
AFC Telford were formed by fans in 2004 following the liquidation of the old Telford United, famed in the 1970s and 1980s for their non-league FA Cup-fighting exploits.
Since being reformed, in the eighth tier of English football, the Bucks have twice been promoted to English football's fifth tier, in 2011 and 2014, only to be relegated in 2013 and again in 2015.
The Shropshire-based outfit have now spent two seasons back at sixth-tier level, finishing 18th in 2015-16 and 17th in 2016-17.
After seeking new investment in October 2016, an American-based Telford fan made an official approach for his home-town club.
But the then fan-owned club's constitution, run by a Supporters' Trust, would have allowed him to initially invest no more than 20%.
The club, who last year tried to raise £50,000 in extra income to improve a cash flow problem, have since changed their structure. | AFC Telford United have rejected an offer from an Irish consortium to become majority shareholder in the National League North club. |
34463087 | The day will be marked by Andrew Marr, Dominic West and some of Britain's most-loved writers weaving poetry into Radio 4's schedule.
While the station has also announced Daljit Nagra as its first poet in residence for a period of two years.
The winners of the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award will also be announced.
Elsewhere, members of the public are being encouraged to share their poems on social media using #nationalpoetryday and #thinkofapoem.
Some of the best efforts will be selected by leading graphic artist Anthony Burrill to appear in the Blackpool Illuminations.
A poet and president of the Poetry Society, McGough admits his form of literature is "never going to be the new rock and roll".
But he thinks the UK should be proud of its enthusiasm for poetic prose, telling the BBC: "People in other countries get very jealous that there is so much interest in poetry in this country. We should pat ourselves on the backs."
McGough, who was one of the Mersey Sound poets in the 1960s and found chart success with The Scaffold, believes it has become more popular over the years, saying: "In my day, poetry was seen as intellectual or dull."
He says in the past, "if people wrote poetry, they generally kept it to themselves. But these days, the profile of poetry is bigger.
"It's performed at festivals like Glastonbury and Latitude," he adds. "It's seen as important and fun."
McGough has written dozens of books for children, including his latest, Poetry Pie - which contains 50 poems with themes ranging from food and animals to school and ghouls.
Earlier this year, he criticised the lack of poetry books "being published for children and young people".
So what advice does McGough have for Britain's next generation of aspiring bards?
"Young people are highly motivated and bright," he says. "You can tackle the world through using your gift."
"The more you write, the easier it becomes," says McGough, who was awarded an OBE for services to poetry in 1997 and a CBE in 2004.
He says he continues to find inspiration by drawing on his "memories, suspicions and fears".
Having read through this year's selection of entries for the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award, aimed at writers aged between 11 and 17, he says: "You wouldn't be able to tell they are young."
"So many young poets would sit among the ranks of adult poetry," he adds. "Some of these poets will go on to be household names."
Radio 4's new poet in residence, Daljit Nagra, is best-known for his remaking of the epic Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold and the Sanskrit work Ramayana.
His BBC role will see him curate a weekly programme looking back at some favourite works of 20th Century poetry. He will also be a guest on programmes across the station and feature on social media platforms.
He described his appointment as an "honour and privilege".
"I regard my position as an opportunity to enthuse people of all backgrounds to the wonders of poetry," he said.
Throughout the day on Radio 4, poetry will be incorporated into the schedule.
Highlights include Andrew Marr presenting a series of readings, archive material, interviews and conversations.
Radio 4 listeners will hear the works of poets such as William Shakespeare, William Wordsworth, Christina Rossetti and Ted Hughes as well as less familiar poems from the likes of Anne Askew and Anne Bradstreet as well as anonymous medieval ballads.
There will be debates around the significance of poetry and how it has shaped and reflected British society.
The Radio 4 website is also presenting readings from young poets and the chance to test your poetry knowledge with a quiz. | Roger McGough has called on publishers to "take a chance" on poetry aimed at children, as National Poetry Day celebrates its 21st birthday. |
30052433 | "There will be so many Australian writers kicking themselves when they see this," says McGovern. "It's an amazing story that's never been told."
It is a scorching hot day in July 2014 and McGovern is on the set of his new drama, which occupies two giant hangars just outside central Manchester.
The talk among the cast and crew is how similar the weather is to when they were filming exterior scenes in Australia a few weeks earlier.
Set in 1788, Banished is a seven-part series that focuses on the prisoners and soldiers of the first penal colony in Australia.
The action takes place after the arrival of the First Fleet - the 11 ships from Great Britain that carried with them more than 1,000 convicts.
The ensemble cast includes Russell Tovey, Myanna Buring, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Genevieve O'Reilly, Ewen Bremner and Orla Brady.
"We've got a cast of 20 over seven hours, so there's room for every character to grow," says McGovern, whose other TV work includes Cracker, The Lakes and The Accused.
McGovern has a reputation for tackling complicated and emotive subjects, and Banished is no different.
The writer's interest in the First Fleet goes back almost 10 years, when he was developing an idea for a TV movie and stumbled across the true story of how Australia got its first hangman.
"We tend to think of it as Australian history, but it's British history," he says. "It's about colonialism and imperialism."
McGovern has more recently been working in Australia as a story editor on ABC drama Redfern Now, about Aboriginals in a Sydney suburb.
With the hangman story as his starting point, McGovern wrote Banished weaving fictional characters in with real historical figures such as Governor Phillip (David Wenham), the founder of the first settlement, and fleet commander Maj Robert Ross (Joseph Millson).
McGovern's "golden rule" was that the characters would speak without using contractions such as "don't", "isn't" and "can't".
"It became this very formal style," he says.
"Irrespective of the fact that a lot of them cannot read and write, they have the command of language so they talk in intelligent ways."
One of the first production decisions taken was that all of the exteriors would be shot on location in Sydney, before relocating to Manchester to film the interior scenes.
Giving a tour of the set, production designer Claire Kenny explains that the tents and wooden buildings that have been constructed in Manchester are a third larger than their Australian counterparts, to allow more room for cameras to move inside.
She says the interiors are "historically accurate" because the settlers who left Britain in 1787 kept a detailed inventory of everything they took on the long voyage.
Tovey, who plays pickpocket James Freeman, admits there were concerns about cutting between scenes filmed on opposite sides of the globe.
"Everyone was a bit worried about how seamless it was going to be, but it feels like completely the same world," he says during a break in filming.
Tovey describes his petty criminal character as "kind-hearted, sensitive and genuine". "He shouldn't really be there," he says.
"People were brainwashed at the time that these people were the lowest of the low. If they hadn't been sent to Australia they would have been hung.
"That was option you had. You could get hung, or you could go to Australia."
The actor, whose TV appearances include fantasy series Being Human and sitcom Him & Her, admits his "expressive face" lends itself to comedy, but says he is now looking for other kinds of roles.
"Every character that I've played has had humour. James Freeman has got humour, but there's terrible stuff on top of it that he has to deal with. But he still manages to find humility within that.
"I'm normally the lovable [idiot] - it's what I've always played. But as I'm getting older and filling out and able to grow facial hair, things are changing for me."
Banished starts on BBC Two on 5 March at 21:00 GMT. | In his latest TV drama Banished, writer Jimmy McGovern tells a brutal story about the first British convicts to be transported to Australia. |
39501526 | The director of the Virgen de Asunción shelter has also been charged.
The three suspects were sacked by President Jimmy Morales after the deadly fire on 8 March.
Months before the tragedy, prosecutors had recommended the shelter be closed over allegations of abuse.
Former social welfare minister Carlos Rodas, his deputy, Anahi Keller, and the ex-director of the shelter, Santos Torres, have been charged with negligent homicide, abuse of power, mistreatment of minors and failure to fulfil their duties.
Prosecutors argued the three lacked the necessary experience to run the shelter which housed as many as 700 children.
Defence lawyers will be making their case later on Wednesday.
In court, prosecutors described the events leading up to the fire.
They said that the night before dozens of girls tried to escaped from the facility, which was infamous for its overcrowding and allegations of mistreatment.
Those who managed to get away were caught by police and returned to the shelter in San José Pinula.
As a punishment, 56 of them were locked in a room measuring 6.8m by 7m (22ft by 23 ft).
"There was no bathroom nor any drinking water, they were locked up and their treatment was disgraceful," prosecutor Edwin Marroquín said.
One of the girls set a mattress alight in protest at their treatment, he said.
The fire quickly spread and within nine minutes the temperature reached 300C, Mr Marroquín said.
Seventeen girls were killed at the scene and another 24 died in hospital in the following weeks.
According to the prosecutors, fire fighters were not called in time and were originally told there was a riot, not a fire.
The tragedy caused outrage in Guatemala, especially after it emerged that there had been concerns about human rights violations in the home as early as 2013.
In November 2016, a court order was filed, calling for precautionary measures to be taken but the social welfare ministry rejected the accusations and appealed. | The top prosecutor in Guatemala has charged the former minister of social welfare and his deputy with negligent homicide over the deaths of 41 girls in a fire at a government-run shelter. |
29527423 | The Syrian Kurd defenders have been supported by air strikes, carried out by the US-led coalition, but the Turkish president has warned these aren't helping enough.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Kobane is "about to fall".
About 160,000 Syrian people have fled, but civilians remain in the town.
If IS captures Kobane, its militants will control a long stretch of the Syrian-Turkish border.
Kobane, known in Arabic as Ayn al-Arab, and the villages surrounding it have been home to about 400,000 people, most of them Kurds.
Since earlier this year it has been surrounded on three sides by IS forces.
In September IS began to advance, with more than 100,000 people seeking refuge in Turkey.
The Turkish government is opposed to President Assad and his regime in Syria.
The country has promised not to let Kobane fall but is doing little about it.
It's powerful military, just watches and waits. Tanks are lined up on the hills overlooking the town but they remain silent.
The country is reluctant to intervene, partly because it has a long history of unrest with its own Kurdish population, but also because it wants the US-led coalition to agree on a number of things before it gets involved.
These include setting up a no-fly zone and a buffer zone in northern Syria and helping to get rid of President Assad.
There have been clashes in Turkey as well, mainly between police and pro-Turkish protestors.
Cities including Istanbul and Diyarbakir have witnessed demonstrations, and a 25-year-old Kurdish man has died in Varto in eastern Turkey during a protest.
US officials say the campaign against IS will take months and years, not days and weeks; there are going to be setbacks along the way and the loss of Kobane could be one.
They have led coalition forces, carrying out air strikes in Syria against IS command and economic targets like oil installations.
Much of their focus has remained in Iraq however.
Brigadier Ben Barry, the land warfare analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in London, says the problems around Kobane show "the lack of any real ability to synchronise the air effort with what is taking place on the ground".
BBC journalist Paul Adams is in the area and has been tweeting updates on the conflict, including monitoring the number of air strikes.
Piers Scholfied, another BBC journalist, has described the "sound of grenades, gunfire, echoes across the valley".
Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube | More than 400 people have died in three weeks of fighting in Kobane - the Syria-Turkey border town Islamic State (IS) is trying to capture. |
38688266 | Officers tweeted photographs of the traps, which appear to be blocks of wood with nails sticking out of them.
There have been previous incidents of paths being blocked.
Gwent Police are appealing for information about the latest incident. | Police are warning walkers, cyclists and horse riders to be on alert after finding metal traps placed on tracks on Caerphilly mountain. |
34865262 | The crash, involving a male pedestrian, happened on the A40 Fishguard to Letterston road, near the Trecwn turnoff, just after 18:15 GMT on Wednesday.
The driver and the pedestrian were both taken to hospital and the road was closed temporarily. | A man was left in a serious condition after being hit by a car in Pembrokeshire, Dyfed-Powys Police has said. |
40330741 | The victims, both in their 30s, were found in Welley Road on Saturday evening, with deep cuts and lacerations, police said.
One has recovered sufficiently to be discharged from hospital, and the other is out of danger, police said.
Four men are being held on suspicion of attempted murder.
They include male suspects from Slough, aged 24, 25 and 28.
Detectives said it was an "isolated incident", and said there would be an increased police presence while the inquiry was ongoing. | Police say two men found stabbed in Wraysbury no longer have "life-threatening" injuries following an assault on Saturday night. |
37600386 | Mercedes claimed Red Bull's Verstappen drove "erratically and in a dangerous manner" in contravention of rules in the move on the penultimate lap.
The protest was lodged at 18:27 local time. At 19:12 it was scheduled to be heard at the next race in America.
At 19:50, governing body the FIA announced Mercedes had withdrawn it.
A spokesman for Mercedes said the decision had been made "once it became clear it would be dragged out to Austin, in the interests of establishing a final result this evening".
Earlier, Hamilton had posted on Twitter: "There is no protest from either myself or Mercedes. One idiot said we have but it's not true."
The tweet was later deleted.
He later added on Twitter: "There is no protest from myself. Just heard the team had but I told them it is not what we do. We are champions, we move on. End of!"
His remarks are a reference to the fact Mercedes tied up a third consecutive constructors' championship title in Japan, following Nico Rosberg's win and Hamilton's third place.
Hamilton said over the radio after the move: "Verstappen moved under braking."
The drivers have a gentleman's agreement that they will not change direction in the braking zone, although it is not outlawed.
The protest is under article 27.5 of the sporting regulations, which states: "At no time may a car be driven unnecessarily slowly, erratically or in a manner which could be deemed potentially dangerous to other drivers or any other person."
The protest says Verstappen's driving "forced [Hamilton] to take evasive action".
Verstappen, who was spoken to about the incident by F1 director Charlie Whiting after the race, waited in the middle of the track before moving to defend only when he saw which side Hamilton was going to attack.
It is the same behaviour with which he upset Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen during the Hungarian Grand Prix in July.
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said: "We know now Max moves under braking but it is not for me to judge."
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said he felt the move was "hard but fair". | Mercedes have withdrawn a protest lodged against Max Verstappen for his defence of second place from Lewis Hamilton in the Japanese Grand Prix. |
26731421 | After all, his offending comment, branding the actions of two whistleblowers within his force "disgusting", was made three months ago.
It had created tension with the ruling Fine Gael party, putting the Irish justice and transport ministers at loggerheads. But the fact that Mr Callinan had stubbornly refused to retract the comments suggested that he was going nowhere.
What could not be ignored was the fact that as commissioner, if he did not know about the secret recording of phone calls into and out of police stations, he should have known.
The practice stopped last year, which suggests that some senior people knew about it and brought it to a halt.
The potential repercussions are huge. Calls from prisoners to solicitors may have been monitored, and it is conceivable that the courts may view that as an abuse of process in cases where subsequent convictions resulted from recorded information.
There have been countless commissions and tribunals looking at alleged corruption or malpractice in public life. Some have focused on the Garda Síochána (the police service in the Republic of Ireland).
The words "bugging" and Garda have been mentioned together in recent months.
The body set up to scrutinise the police force recently found some evidence that its offices had been monitored by a sophisticated surveillance operation.
It is widely accepted that there needs to be reform both within the Irish police force, and in how it is held accountable.
The penalty points saga is just one example of that.
The whistleblowers who exposed the fact that some officers were wiping driving offences from the records of some apparently well-connected public figures were disciplined.
An investigation was then launched into abuse of the internal police database. It found that officers were using it almost as a window on the lives of famous people.
Martin Callinan is the first casualty of the Garda Síochána mess. There may yet be more to come.
Already calls have been made for the country's justice minister to follow suit. | From the moment the head of police in the Republic of Ireland, Martin Callinan, stood down, it seemed there was more to his resignation. |
40982955 | Employees at McDonald's restaurants in Cambridge and Crayford, near London, voted overwhelmingly for a strike.
The Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU) said staff wanted secure working hours and a £10 per hour wage.
A spokesman for McDonald's said the fast-food company "works hard to ensure teams are treated fairly".
"We can confirm that, following a ballot process, the BFAWU have indicated that a small number of our employees representing less than 0.01% of our workforce are intending to strike in two of our restaurants.
"As per the terms of the ballot, the dispute is solely related to our internal grievance procedures."
Rebecca Long-Bailey, shadow secretary for business, environment and industrial strategy, said: "The strike at McDonald's is motivated by working people coming together to fight for decent pay and working conditions."
The company announced in April that staff would be offered a choice of flexible or fixed contracts with minimum guaranteed hours.
McDonald's employs around 85,000 staff in the UK and one million worldwide. | Fast-food company McDonald's could face its first staff strike in the UK, after workers at two stores backed a call for industrial action. |
36864772 | The 43-year-old actor has been widely tipped by bookmakers to take over the role when Daniel Craig leaves the film series.
Elba, who is currently on the big screen in Star Trek Beyond, told ABC's Good Morning America: "I think I'm too old for that.
"Running around in cars and ladies and martinis, who wants to do that? Sounds terrible."
The oldest actor in the film's history to have taken on the role of James Bond was Roger Moore, who was 45 when he appeared in his first film - 1973's Live and Let Die.
Elba, famous for his roles in Luther and The Wire, said he has not been contacted by the James Bond team about the possibility of joining the franchise.
"I keep saying if it were to happen it would be the will of a nation because there haven't been any talks between me and the studio about any of that," he said.
"But everywhere I go people want that to happen."
Elba is one of the favourites to step into Craig's shoes, with bookmakers naming him, Tom Hiddleston, Aidan Turner and James Norton as the frontrunners.
Bond producer Barbara Broccoli is currently working on other projects - including Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool, which will star Jamie Bell and Annette Bening.
It is not yet known when the next James Bond film - the 25th in the franchise - will begin production.
Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram, or email [email protected]. | Idris Elba has said he feels he is "too old" to play James Bond. |
25256368 | The group's media arm, al-Malahim, said the ministry complex in Sanaa had been targeted because US unmanned drones were being operated from there.
The attack saw a suicide bomber ram an explosives-filled car into the main gate before gunmen launched an assault.
Among the dead were soldiers and civilians, including seven foreigners.
It was the deadliest attack in Sanaa since May 2012, when a suicide bomber blew himself up during a rehearsal for a military parade.
Thursday's attack in the Bab al-Yaman district, on the edge of Sanaa's old city, began at about 09:00 (06:00 GMT) with a huge car bomb explosion at the entrance to the defence ministry's command complex, one of the government's most important security facilities.
About a dozen militants then stormed the compound, targeting civilians working at a military hospital inside or receiving treatment there.
Two doctors from Germany, two others from Vietnam, as well as two nurses from the Philippines and one nurse from India were among those killed, the official Saba news agency reported.
The Philippine foreign ministry said seven of its nationals had died.
Other civilian victims included a top Yemeni judge and his wife, and one of President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi's relatives.
Security forces later retook the complex after killing the attackers.
Later, al-Malahim declared on Twitter that it had launched the assault "after the mujahideen proved that it accommodates rooms for controlling unmanned drones and a number of American experts".
"As part of a policy to target drone control rooms, the mujahedeen have dealt a heavy blow to one," it added.
"Such security headquarters in partnership with the Americans in their war on these Muslim people are a justified target wherever they may be."
President Hadi has publicly praised the US drone campaign in Yemen for helping his government combat AQAP and its allies.
As of October, the US military and CIA were estimated by research groups to have carried out 81 targeted killing operations in Yemen, most of them since 2009. The strikes - by drones, warplanes and cruise missiles - are thought to have killed at least 473 combatants and civilians.
Yemen's Supreme Security Commission, which is chaired by the president, said the incident would "not deter the security forces, the armed forces and the honourable sons of the nation from carrying out their religious and patriotic duty in the face of terrorists".
The attack came as Defence Minister Mohammed Nasser Ahmed was in Washington as part of a "strategic dialogue" to aid Yemen's political transition and to boost security co-operation.
The US military upped its regional alert status after the incident and was "fully prepared to support our Yemeni partners", a senior US defence official told the Associated Press.
The UN Security Council condemned "in the strongest terms" the attack and underlined the need to bring to justice the perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of such "reprehensible" acts.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's special adviser for Yemen, Jamal Benomar, meanwhile stressed that "such criminal acts seeking to terrorise Yemenis will only strengthen their resolve to continue on their path of peaceful change".
Yemen has been plagued by instability since its longtime president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, handed over power after a popular uprising in 2011.
The country has held a National Dialogue Conference, bringing together various political groups and interests, as part of the process to draft a new constitution and pave the way for general elections next year. | Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has said it was behind an attack on Yemen's defence ministry on Thursday that left 52 people dead. |
30842669 | The first exercise, a staged attack on the financial sector, will take place later this year, Downing Street said.
The "unprecedented" arrangement between the two countries was announced by Prime Minister David Cameron ahead of talks with US President Barack Obama.
The two men discussed a range of other issues, including counter-terrorism.
They are holding a press conference in the Oval Office of The White House after talks lasting about an hour.
Mr Cameron has previously said in relation to cyber attacks that there should be no "means of communication" which "we cannot read".
He is expected to talk to the US president about getting companies such as Google and Facebook to allow governments to view encrypted messages.
In terms of the planned cyber war games Downing Street said they will aim to improve the flow of information between the US and UK about threats.
No 10 said agents will co-operate in "cyber cells", involving MI5 and the FBI, and they will be the first the UK has established with another country.
Speaking to BBC political editor Nick Robinson after arriving in Washington on Thursday night for a two-day visit, Mr Cameron said cyber attacks were "one of the big modern threats that we face".
The first war game will involve the Bank of England and commercial banks, targeting the City of London and Wall Street, and will be followed by "further exercises to test critical national infrastructure", Downing Street said.
Money will also be made available to train "the next generation" of cyber agents.
Analysis by Gordon Corera, BBC security correspondent
The tensions and confusions over what cyber security means are all too apparent this week.
Is it about defending corporate networks against hostile attackers of the type who targeted Sony? That's the focus of today's announcements about war-gaming and threat cells.
Or is it about getting hold of data and communications about terrorists? That seemed to be the focus earlier in the week, with briefings that the visit would focus on getting US companies to be more helpful in providing data to British authorities.
The two are different in focus and it is not yet clear how much progress on the latter the prime minister will make with a president whose relations with the tech sector are already difficult post-Snowden.
There is also some tricky overlap between the two fields, for instance on how far information should be encrypted so it cannot be read or stolen.
Encryption may foil foreign cyber spies but also stymie law enforcement.
The measures come in the wake of the recent hacking of Sony Pictures' computers and the US military's Central Command's Twitter feed, where comments were posted promoting Islamic State (IS) militants.
The cyber attack on Sony Pictures led to data being leaked from its computers exposing emails and personal details about staff and stars.
The hackers, who called themselves #GOP or Guardians of Peace, also threatened cinema chains planning to screen Sony's satirical North Korea comedy, The Interview, the plot of which involves a bid to assassinate the country's leader Kim Jong-un.
Sony initially cancelled the film's release after leading US cinema groups said they would not screen it, a move which Mr Obama later described as "a mistake".
Mr Obama has said cyber threats were an "urgent and growing danger" and unveiled domestic proposals to strengthen the law.
The UK's National Audit Office warned in 2013 that a lack of skilled workers was hampering the fight against cyber crime.
Mr Cameron said the UK was already prepared for a cyber attack, saying GCHQ had "massive expertise", but added more needed to be done.
He said: "We need to be able in extremis to interrupt the contact between terrorists.
"It's also about protecting people's data, people's finances - these attacks can have real consequences to people's prosperity."
The BBC's technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones said there had been a lot of concern over Mr Cameron's inference that governments should be able to view encrypted data.
He said not only were civil rights groups worried, but major players in the technology industry said banning encrypted messages could harm British trade if UK companies were seen to be not private.
Our correspondent also told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that smaller social networking sites were just as well used by potential hackers as the well-known ones.
He said he had found an example of an exchange on the site Ask.fm which appeared to be from an IS fighter asking another user which country he should go to for weapons training.
In relation to the site being used for this type of communication Doug Leeds, the chief executive of Ask.com, which owns Ask.fm, said: "We have taken some action, and we're looking to take more, what we have done so far is beef up our filters to try and look for patterns that would suggest that this is going on."
Howard Schmidt, a former eBay and Microsoft executive, told the BBC attitudes around privacy and the right to encrypt personal data were still hotly debated in the US in light of the revelations disclosed by fugitive US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden.
Among other things, Snowden's leaks detailed the National Security Agency's practice of harvesting data on millions of telephone calls made in the US and around the world, and revealed the CIA intelligence agency had snooped on foreign leaders.
A recent report by GCHQ, the UK government's communications security agency, on the issue of cyber attacks said that more than 80% of large UK companies experienced some form of security breach in 2014, and attacks were on the rise. | The UK and US are to carry out "war game" cyber attacks on each other as part of a new joint defence against online criminals. |
34877787 | The panel's report, published in The Lancet, said major reforms were needed to prevent future disasters.
More than 11,000 people died in the outbreak, which began in 2013.
The World Health Organization has set out plans for reform.
Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone were the countries most badly affected by Ebola.
The independent group of experts, convened by The Harvard Global Health Institute and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said these countries were unable to detect, report and respond rapidly to outbreaks - something which allowed Ebola to develop into "a worldwide crisis".
But the report reserved most criticism for the World Health Organization, saying it was too slow to declare Ebola an international public health emergency - five months after Guinea and Liberia had notified it of outbreaks.
It said the WHO had also failed to meet its responsibilities for responding to the outbreak because of a lack of leadership and accountability.
WHO's director-general Margaret Chan has already said publicly that, with the benefit of hindsight, WHO could have mounted a more robust response. And she has promised some fundamental changes to the Organization, such as creating a single new programme for health emergencies.
When a global response did eventually materialise, towards the end of 2014, it was deemed to be slow, inflexible to conditions on the ground, inadequately informed and poorly co-ordinated.
"The reputation and credibility of the WHO has suffered a particularly fierce blow," the report said.
The panel also criticised some political leaders for playing down the outbreak and not calling for international help.
Deadliest outbreak
Timeline: How we lost control of the Ebola virus
The report makes 10 recommendations for improving systems to cope with future outbreaks.
These include calls for a global strategy to help poorer countries monitor and respond to infectious diseases.
Those countries that delay reporting outbreaks and sharing information should be named and shamed, it says.
The report also recommends creating a dedicated centre for outbreak response at the WHO, which has a protected budget.
And a global fund should be set up to finance research and development of drugs and vaccines to treat infectious diseases.
The panel, made up of 20 experts in global health from around the world, was chaired by Prof Peter Piot, director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and co-discoverer of the Ebola virus.
He said: "Major reform of national and global systems to respond to epidemics are not only feasible, but also essential so that we do not witness such depths of suffering, death and social and economic havoc in future epidemics."
Prof Piot added: "The AIDS pandemic put global health on the world's agenda. The Ebola crisis in West Africa should now be an equal game- changer for how the world prevents and responds to epidemics."
Ashish K Jha, director of the Harvard Global Health Institute and a professor of medicine, said: "People at WHO were aware that there was an Ebola outbreak that was getting out of control by spring… and yet it took until August to declare a public health emergency. The cost of the delay was enormous."
Dr Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust, said the report offered "some sobering lessons".
"Particularly welcome are the calls for greater investment from governments to build a core capacity to detect, report and respond rapidly to outbreaks, as is the idea of creating a dedicated centre for outbreak response within the WHO," he said.
"It's vital that the lessons learned are translated into concrete action if we are to avert another crisis on the scale of Ebola."
A WHO spokeswoman said: "WHO welcomes the report.
"A number of its recommendations cover work that is already being done." | A slow international response and a failure of leadership were to blame for the "needless suffering and death" caused by the recent Ebola epidemic, an independent panel of global health experts has concluded. |
37461497 | A police officer was injured during Friday's raid on the four-storey building in Bangkok, where guns and drugs were also found.
Thai police suspected the building in the Phra Kanong district was being used as a passport-forging operation.
The UK Foreign Office said it was looking into reports that one of the men could be British.
"We are seeking further information from the local authorities following reports that a British national has been arrested in Thailand," a spokesman said.
All three men have been charged with offences including concealment of a body, obstruction of justice and possession of fraudulent passports, the deputy police chief spokesman Colonel Kissana Phathanacharoen said.
They are also charged with possession of drugs including ketamine and crystal meth.
A court date is yet to be set.
Speaking about the raid, Col Phathanacharoen added: "We managed to find a big freezer... the body was chopped into different parts. It was concealed in many rubbish bags."
He said he did not know the gender of the victim at this stage. | Three men have been been charged after police raided a building in Thailand and found a body in a freezer. |
39617599 | Yes, despite having decided to give Formula 1 a miss this year, Jenson Button will be back behind the wheel of the McLaren for next month's Monaco Grand Prix as Fernando Alonso goes off for a crack at the Indy 500.
It could be the greatest Formula 1 cameo ever. Then again, it could be the worst.
BBC Sport takes a trip down memory lane to see how some other cameos in Formula 1 turned out.
Jean-Louis Schlesser - 1988 Italian Grand Prix
Jean-Louis Schlesser deputised for Nigel Mansell at the 1988 Italian Grand Prix... and promptly crashed his Williams into Ayrton Senna - who was right in the middle of one of the most dominant title wins in the sport's history.
Strangely, that appearance at Monza was Schlesser's one and only start in Formula 1.
Michael Andretti - McLaren's moment to forget
"I think he can become world champion," McLaren boss Ron Dennis said of Michael Andretti - son of F1 legend and 1978 champion, Mario - when he signed him up in 1993.
He failed to finish any of the first four races he started before leaving McLaren with three remaining.
Luca Badoer - bad by name, bad by nature?
No, Badoer was not a bad driver by any means, but his return in 2009 was.
The Italian stepped in for Felipe Massa as the Brazilian recovered from his crash in Hungary... and had a shocker.
He qualified last at Valencia and Spa, was way off the pace generally and Ferrari promptly replaced him with Giancarlo Fisichella before the Italian Grand Prix.
Schumacher shines
1991. The year Michael Schumacher arrived on the Formula 1 scene.
The then 22-year-old got his big break with Jordan when Bertrand Gachot had been sent to prison following an altercation with a taxi driver and Schumacher grasped his opportunity with both hands.
He qualified eighth in his one and only race for Jordan - the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix - with the big names of Ayrton Senna, Riccardo Patrese, Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell, Gerhard Berger, Jean Alesi and Nelson Piquet ahead of him.
A gearbox failure ended his race early but Schumacher's performance in qualifying had done enough to get fans and F1 personnel alike excited about the young German.
Schumacher was subsequently snapped up by Benetton and so began the career of a racing legend.
Gilles Villeneuve shines on his McLaren debut
A star was born.
Gilles Villeneuve's Formula 1 career started when he impressed James Hunt at a non-championship Formula Atlantic event in 1976. Hunt went back to his McLaren team, urging them to give this exciting Canadian a shot, which they did.
Villeneuve was offered a drive for the British Grand Prix the following year and made the most of it, qualifying ninth and running on the pace of the leaders in an older car.
He went on to finish 11th, with some British newspapers lauding his debut performance as that of a future world champion. McLaren, though, decided not to take up an option on Villeneuve and he instead signed for Ferrari to replace Niki Lauda.
Winkelhock leads... in a Spyker
Markus Winkelhock leading a Formula 1 race.
On his debut.
In a Spyker.
Yep. It happened.
The amazing sight of a Spyker leading a grand prix occurred at the 2007 European Grand Prix. Winkelhock was called in to drive in the 10th race of the season following Christijan Albers' departure and started last on the grid.
Winkelhock started the race on intermediates while the rest of the field were on dry-weather tyres and, when a heavy downpour forced everyone else to pit at the end of the first lap, Winkelhock moved into the lead.
At one point, the German led by 33 seconds, but as the rain got heavier the safety car was sent out before the race was suspended until the rain eased. When it resumed, Spyker gambled on further rain by keeping Winkelhock on full wet tyres. It did not pay off as Winkelhock dropped down the order before retiring on lap 15 with a hydraulic issue. | He just can't keep away. |
41011872 | Counter-terrorism units entered the south-western Kifah district on Tuesday, the military said.
IS militants responded by firing rockets and deploying suicide car bombs, according to one commander.
Iraq's prime minister launched the assault on Tal Afar on Sunday, a month after declaring victory in Mosul.
Haider al-Abadi told the estimated 2,000 jihadists holed up inside the city, along with between 10,000 and 40,000 civilians, that they should "surrender or die".
Tal Afar, which had a predominantly ethnic Turkmen population of 200,000 before it fell to IS in June 2014, sits on a major supply route between Mosul, about 55km (35 miles) to the east, and the Syrian border, 150km (90 miles) to the west.
The city was cut off from both during the nine-month Mosul offensive by troops and allied militiamen from the Shia-dominated paramilitary Popular Mobilisation (Hashd al-Shaabi) force. But they did not attempt to retake it until this week.
In the first 24 hours of the operation, pro-government forces captured 235 sq km (90 sq miles) of territory from IS, according to the US special envoy to the multinational coalition against IS that is providing air and ground support.
By the second day, the troops and militiamen had reached the edge of the city.
On Wednesday, they shelled IS defensive lines along the edges of the Kifah area before storming it from the south and east, commanders said.
Later, the Popular Mobilisation announced on its website that units from its 11th Brigade, the Federal Police's Rapid Response Force and the Iraqi Army had taken "full control" of the Kifah and Nour districts. However, there was no immediate confirmation from the military.
Special forces commander Brig Gen Haider Fadhil told the Associated Press that his forces had not faced tough resistance, but that he expected the fighting to be fiercer as they pushed towards the city centre.
The general said civilians had not been seen fleeing the area, but the United Nations has warned that it is preparing for thousands to attempt to escape in the coming days and weeks.
Its humanitarian co-ordinator in Iraq, Lise Grande, said on Sunday that conditions were "very tough" inside Tal Afar. Food and water were running out, and people lacked the basic necessities to survive, she added.
More than 30,000 civilians have fled the Tal Afar area since the end of April, many of them arriving at Iraqi government mustering points exhausted and dehydrated after trekking for 10 to 20 hours in extreme heat, according to Ms Grande. | Iraqi forces have fought their way into the outskirts of the city of Tal Afar, one of so-called Islamic State's last remaining strongholds in the country. |
16950332 | Media playback is unsupported on your device
11 February 2015 Last updated at 16:08 GMT
Using two men in a papier mache rhino of course!
Over a hundred staff took part in this bizarre drill, which tries to recreate what would happen if a rhino escaped after an earthquake.
Once keepers had surrounded the rhino with a net, it was tranquillized and captured, before the two staff inside the rhino were allowed to return to their normal duties. | Ever wondered how a zoo prepares for an animal escape? |
38274267 | Officials accused the company of hoarding toys and hiking prices in the run-up to Christmas.
Last week, the government issued an order to retailers to reduce prices on a range of goods by 30%.
Business owners say the order is a populist political move, and pushing them towards bankruptcy.
Venezuela's consumer protection agency, Sundde, said toy distributor Kreisel had stockpiled the goods and was reselling them at a margin of up to 50,000%.
"Our children are sacred, we will not let you rob them of Christmas," it said in a tweet, along with photos and video of thousands of boxes of toys.
In total, 3,821,926 toys were seized from two warehouses, and would be sold at low prices, it said.
William Contreras, head of Sundde, said Kreisel had claimed the toys were old or discontinued. The agency also posted photos of the two executives being marched from the premises by a squad of heavily armed soldiers.
This is not the first time Venezuela has ordered price cuts on retailers, or mobilised armed units to enforce it.
In late 2013, the country introduced laws allowing the government to fix prices and dictate profit margins.
The same legislation limited profits to 30% - the amount often discounted in the compulsory "adjustments" enforced by Sundde at hundreds of retailers in the past week.
The same measures have been used to fix the prices of basic products such as flour, meat and bread - but supply is limited in a country where many people go hungry.
A jar of Nutella - a luxury item - can cost half the monthly minimum wage.
The Venezuelan government is becoming increasingly unpopular as the country's economic crisis grows.
The nation is rich in oil, but international oil prices have fallen in recent years.
The International Monetary Fund estimates that inflation - the rate at which prices go up - will hit 2,000% next year.
Venezuela is ready to issue new, higher-value notes to deal with the problem - but rising prices are still squeezing many ordinary citizens. | Venezuelan authorities have arrested two toy company executives and seized almost four million toys, which they say they will distribute to the poor. |
34966732 | The search of a 19-acre site at Coghalstown, County Meath, began almost a year ago.
Mr Lynskey, a former Cistercian monk who later joined the IRA, was abducted in west Belfast in August 1972.
His niece Maria Lynskey said she was "bitterly disappointed" that her uncle's remains had not been found.
"This year I had hope when before there was nothing and I'm grateful for that," she said.
Mr Lynskey became known as one of the so-called Disappeared; 16 people abducted and secretly buried by republicans in the 1970s and 1980s.
So far, the remains of 12 people have been recovered.
The searches for Mr Lynskey were carried out close to where the body of another IRA victim, Brendan Megraw, was found in October 2014.
During the search for Mr Lynskey, the remains were unexpectedly found of Kevin McKee and Seamus Wright, who also disappeared in 1972.
Ms Lynksey said her family had taken great comfort from that, and praised the work of the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains (ICLVR) during the search.
The commission was established in 1999 to obtain information in strictest confidence that may lead to where the bodies are buried.
"I visited the site several times and saw how dedicated the search teams were and how hard they worked especially when the conditions were bad," she said.
"Of course I'm disappointed that Joe is not coming home to be laid to rest with his parents, but I know that the ICLVR did absolutely everything they could to find him."
Geoff Knupfer, the ICLVR's lead forensic scientist and investigator, said his team shared Ms Lynskey's disappointment.
"When we brought the team of forensic archaeologists and contractors on to the site to start the invasive phase of the search in March, we had good reason to believe we were in the right place," he said.
"Like Maria we believe the information we were working from was given in good faith but clearly it was incomplete.
"We know that more information about the events of over 40 years ago is still out there.
"Once again I emphasise that all information is treated in the strictest confidence and that anyone who supplies it can do so in the certain knowledge that their identity will never be revealed to anyone else." | A search for the body of Joe Lynskey, who was abducted and murdered by the IRA 43 years ago, has ended with nothing being found. |
30716977 | Listen again to the full John Hartson interview in a BBC Radio 5 live Special on Gambling Addiction in Sport with Eleanor Oldroyd.
But there was one challenge "Big John" repeatedly shirked, his life-threatening addiction to gambling.
"You never think you've got a problem," he explained. "You're a gambler, you enjoy it, you never realise the hurt you're causing.
"Your family know you're addicted, but I used to think they had the problem by questioning me."
Then the questions stopped. Hartson's wife Sarah had had enough of him coming in from trips away, ignoring her and the children, going straight to the TV and turning on a cricket match, golf tournament or horse race he had £5,000 on.
So she packed her bags and told him she was leaving.
"I broke down and said I'd do something about this," the former Arsenal, West Ham and Celtic star remembered, his voice buckling with emotion and regret.
"When I was fighting for my life [with cancer], she was my rock. She was pregnant, she looked after the children, she was incredibly strong, and this scumbag here came out of hospital and carried on with the gambling, after everything she had done.
"I hit rock bottom and it takes that for you to realise - the penny dropped. I will never gamble again as long as I live."
Hartson's last bet was three years, three months and three days ago.
"Everybody is aware that cancer kills. It nearly took my life in 2009," the 39-year-old said, recalling the two emergency operations and more than 60 sessions of chemotherapy he needed when testicular cancer spread to his lungs and brain.
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"Cancer takes good people away every day, but, for me, gambling also kills.
"There are four places you can end up as a compulsive gambler: out on the street, in jail, dead, or at Gamblers Anonymous (GA).
"I ended up at GA, thank the Lord, and it's not only saved my marriage and made me a better person, it's also saved my life. If I gamble again, I'll die. I'll lose everything.
"I'm ultra-determined. I don't think about gambling today. I don't buy raffle tickets, I don't buy lottery tickets, I don't go to race tracks - I go to GA twice a week.
"I'll be going until I'm 70. Why wouldn't I? It's my medicine."
Hartson sees a lot of different people walk through the doors of those meetings - there are an estimated 400,000 people in the UK with a problem - but most of them do not come back. They have not reached their nadir yet.
"You're very selfish as a gambler, very deceitful. Compulsive gamblers are compulsive liars - they're very good at covering things up," said Hartson.
So good, in fact, many can appear, swan-like, to be gliding through life, holding down jobs, living in nice houses, with loving families. And a disproportionately large group can feed this destructive addiction whilst playing professional sport.
Hartson's testimony came at a conference organised by the Professional Players Federation (PPF) at Edgbaston Cricket Ground last month.
An umbrella body for the players' associations in cricket, football, rugby union and other leading sports, the PPF wanted to share some research into an issue that has been the stuff of terrace legend.
From jokes about QPR maverick Stan Bowles' inability to pass a bookmaker as well as he could pass a ball, to guesstimates of how many millions golf's favourite rogue John Daly has lost in Las Vegas, the idea that sport's competitive and wealthy young men were cash machines for the gambling industry has been commonplace.
Now, thanks to a study of almost 350 cricketers and footballers, we know sportsmen are three times more likely to have a gambling problem than young men in the general population (6.1% versus 1.9%).
That equates to nearly 200 current professionals in British cricket and football with a serious issue, and another 440 "at risk".
The study had a few more punches to deliver. One in 10 said they gambled to "fit in", one in four said they were encouraged by team-mates to do it, and nearly one in three thought their team's links with the gambling industry "encouraged" them to bet.
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For football, in particular, that should be alarming.
A quarter of the Premier League's clubs have gambling logos on their shirts, the Football League's 72 clubs play in competitions sponsored by Sky Bet, William Hill backs the Football Association and pretty much every club has its own "official betting partner".
Sporting Chance's chief executive Colin Bland revealed that seven out of 10 of the footballers that come to the Tony Adams-inspired residential clinic are there because of gambling.
But Hartson is not looking for excuses. He realises the vast majority of people gamble rarely, and when they do, they do it because it is fun.
While he may have been frittering away a reported £50,000 a week - he does not put a figure on it himself, as the amounts addicts gamble is relative to their earnings and it is always too much - his dad takes his business clients to Ffos Las racecourse once a year for champagne and £20 each-way punts. "Not everybody gets drawn in," he noted.
But some who do get it bad: gambling has the highest suicide rate of any addiction.
Sitting alongside Hartson during the conference's main session was Gaelic footballer Niall McNamee. He told a similar tale of the disease's progressive nature - moments of relief that became more fleeting as tolerance to betting's buzz builds.
But he also spoke about bad company, lies, stealing and, ultimately, despair.
"I remember waking up one morning with a knot in my stomach," said McNamee. "It was the most gut-wrenching pain. I had no money to go gambling with, or to buy drink to numb the pain.
"The thought came to me that if I jumped out of the window that would end it all. It terrified me. I have had friends who have died from this addiction."
Thankfully, this was his rock bottom, and he got help. McNamee, who is still one of the game's top forwards, is now a well-respected voice on problem gambling in Ireland, and at 29 is about to launch his own business.
For Hartson, the first symptoms appeared as an 11-year-old potboy at a social club in Swansea. Fascinated by the fruit machines, he memorised the reels and was called over by the adults whenever they had a few nudges.
It sounds innocent enough, but before long he was pouring his money into those machines and begging for money for match fees at the weekend. A decade later he would have accounts with all the top bookmakers and was so consumed by gambling that he would struggle to hold a serious conversation.
"I can concentrate now and focus on what people are saying, but five years ago I couldn't," he admitted. "My life is so much better now. I'm a better husband, a better father, and I've got money coming out of my ears!"
And just as his cancer foundation is helping people deal with that affliction, he now hopes he can persuade a few footballers to think about their futures.
"I was in a lot of trouble physically and mentally when I quit," said Hartson, who went out with a whimper at West Brom.
"I should be living in a £4m mansion on the edge of the Vale of Glamorgan but I'm not because of all the money I wasted. I've got a nice house in Swansea, and it's paid for, but that's what I should have when you think about the money I earned.
"I would like players now to aspire to the big house."
Betting is an integral part of our culture - three quarters of the UK's adult population have gambled, most likely on the National Lottery, in the past year - and betting companies have moved into the sponsorship space vacated by tobacco and, to a lesser extent, alcohol. Without them many sports would struggle.
But listening to the speakers at the conference, it was impossible to avoid the conclusion that British sport needs to look again at its relationship with gambling.
More must be done to protect the vulnerable, identify problems earlier and make sure gambling is a happy mug's game, not a debilitating illness.
Simon Barker, the assistant chief executive of the Professional Footballers' Association, notes that prevention through education is cheaper than emergency interventions. His counterpart at the Professional Cricketers' Association, Jason Ratcliffe, said sport was only "scratching the surface" in terms of what was needed.
The Responsible Gambling Trust's chief executive Marc Etches has managed to persuade the gambling industry to donate more than £6m of its profits to fund education and treatment, but he knows it is not enough.
"We're at a tipping point," said Etches. "The industry needs to recognise that it's in the business of risk, and it needs to take more responsibility."
Gambling Addiction is available to download as a 5 live Sport Specials podcast. | A fearless and robust striker, John Hartson's forthright response to being diagnosed with cancer came as little surprise to anybody who knew him well. |
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Hughes, 25, died on Thursday two days after being struck by a ball during a domestic match in Sydney.
The match - a warm-up for India's Test tour - was scheduled for Friday and Saturday at Adelaide Oval.
Cricket Australia's general manager Pat Howard said: "Today we were reminded that cricket is just a game."
"It is the characters that play the game that make it so special," added Howard.
The decision to cancel the fixture was made by the Australia Cricket Association and players, many of whom had returned home to "seek support and solace from their family, friends and teammates," according to Howard.
India are set to play four Tests on their tour, beginning in Brisbane on 4 December.
Elsewhere, the second day's play in the third Test between Pakistan and New Zealand in Sharjah was abandoned as a mark of respect for Hughes's death. | A two-day tour match between India and a Cricket Australia XI has been cancelled following the death of Australia Test batsman Phillip Hughes. |
38570018 | Kerri McAuley, 32, was found dead at a flat in Southalls Way on Sunday evening.
A post-mortem examination proved inconclusive but detectives said Ms McAuley was "subjected to a severe blunt force assault".
Joe Storey, 26, of Murrells Court, Norwich, has been charged with her murder. He will appear in court on Wednesday.
Read more Norfolk stories
An online fundraising appeal set up to pay for the young mother's funeral has exceeded its target within a day.
Friends of Ms McAuley started the page after news of her death emerged.
The original target of the appeal was £5,000. It currently stands at more than £8,000.
Kendall Jarrett said she wanted to do something to help the family.
"I just thought that would be one less stress that they would have to deal with," she said.
"Kerri was such a loved girl, her friendship group was huge. I've even had florists contact me saying they are willing to donate flowers for the boys saying 'mummy'." | A man has been charged with the murder of a mother-of-two in Norwich. |
37321272 | Powys council has put traffic lights on a 50m (164ft) section of the A4077 between Crickhowell and Gilwern, restricting the use of the eastbound lane.
It comes after inspectors found slope instability within the bank below the road.
Investigations into the cause of the instability are expected to last into the early autumn.
Cabinet member for highways John Brunt said the lights were needed for road safety.
"Remedial drainage work will be carried out to reduce the stress on this section of the road while we wait for the results of our joint investigation," he said. | One lane on a section of road in Powys has been closed due to safety concerns. |
28703264 | Authors including James Patterson and Donna Tartt have signed a letter to the retailer that is due to appear as a full-page advert in the New York Times.
Amazon is in a battle with Hachette, one of the world's biggest publishers, over the terms of e-book sales.
The authors said their books had been "taken hostage" by Amazon's tactics.
The online retailer has delayed delivery, prevented pre-orders and removed discounts for books by some Hachette authors, who include JK Rowling, Stephanie Meyer and David Baldacci.
The letter said Amazon had singled out a group of authors for "selective retaliation" and was "inconveniencing and misleading its own customers with unfair pricing and delayed delivery".
"Many of us have supported Amazon since it was a struggling start-up," the letter continued.
"Our books launched Amazon on the road to selling everything and becoming one of the world's largest corporations.
"We have made Amazon many millions of dollars and over the years have contributed so much, free of charge, to the company by way of co-operation, joint promotions, reviews and blogs.
"This is no way to treat a business partner. Nor is it the right way to treat your friends.
"Without taking sides on the contractual dispute between Hachette and Amazon, we encourage Amazon in the strongest possible terms to stop harming the livelihood of the authors on whom it has built its business."
The letter concludes by asking readers to email Amazon founder Jeff Bezos to urge him to end the dispute. The New York Times said the letter was scheduled to appear as a full-page ad on Sunday.
Other Hachette authors to have signed up include Baldacci, Sandra Brown, Jeffery Deaver, Malcolm Gladwell and Daniel Handler, who writes as Lemony Snicket.
Lee Child, Paul Auster, John Grisham, Philip Pullman and Stephen King - who are published by other houses - have also added their names.
But some of Hachette's biggest names, including Rowling and Meyer, have not.
In a recent blog, Amazon said e-books were too expensive and most should cost $9.99 (£5.95) rather than the current $14.99 (£8.92) or £19.99 (£11.90).
"That is unjustifiably high for an e-book," the company wrote.
"With an e-book, there's no printing, no over-printing, no need to forecast, no returns, no lost sales due to out-of-stock, no warehousing costs, no transportation costs, and there is no secondary market - e-books cannot be resold as used books. E-books can be and should be less expensive."
If prices were lowered, Amazon said, more books would be sold and total revenues would be higher. Hachette was also "sharing too small a portion with the author", it added.
Meanwhile, a petition in support of Amazon, which claims Hachette wants to keep e-book prices "artificially high", has attracted 7,600 signatures, including a number of self-published authors who praised the retailer for creating a more democratic industry.
One, Theresa Ragan, wrote that she had failed to get the attention of established publishers until Amazon allowed her to self-publish.
"They allowed readers to decide whether or not they wanted to read my books," she wrote. "What a concept! Since that time, I've sold over one million e-books." | More than 900 authors are making a public appeal to Amazon to end a bitter publishing dispute that they say has been "hurting" writers and readers. |
22909676 | Craig Wing, an Australian rugby league convert, was a constant threat at centre and scored Japan's first try.
Home flanker Michael Broadhurst crashed over from close range, while Ayumu Goramaru kicked 13 points.
Wales had led briefly in the second half through Tom Prydie's try but rarely threatened Japan after that.
The visitors were missing 15 players on duty with the British and Irish Lions in Australia, while several other senior players were either rested or injured for the tour to Japan.
But that should take nothing away from Japan, who had lost last week's first Test 18-22 but bounced back impressively at the Chichibunomiya Stadium to split the series with Wales.
Biggar had missed an early long-range kick at goal, while Lou Reed almost scored an opportunistic try when the lock charged down Harumichi Tatekawa's attempted clearance.
But after the visitors had dominated the first 15 minutes, Japan broke upfield and, after they were awarded a penalty, Goramaru struck his first successful kick to open the scoring.
Biggar replied to level the game at 3-3 and Wales should have added at least one try as their backs started to click.
Lloyd Williams was bundled into touch just short of the right-hand corner flag as the scrum-half sniped down the blindside.
Then Harry Robinson broke through midfield, set free by Biggar who found the wandering wing with a sweet inside pass, but Japan scrambled back in numbers to avert the danger.
The visitors had lost centre Owen Williams to injury within the half-hour and his replacement Rhys Patchell, normally a fly-half but with the size and pace to slot into midfield, wasted the best opportunity of the half.
The Cardiff Blue broke the line on the right but ignored a two-man overlap, instead cutting inside and then losing the ball forward as he was tackled.
Instead Wales saw themselves fall behind as Goramaru kicked his second penalty after Bradley Davies was penalised at a ruck, giving Japan a slender 6-3 lead at half-time.
Kenki Fukuoka did well to drag rival wing Robinson into touch as Wales showed some adventure after the restart.
But the respite was only temporary as Wales at last ruptured Japan's defence to send Prydie over for an unconverted try.
Patchell took out two defenders and flicked the ball behind his back for Biggar on the loop, who then gave the ball air to find his left wing in acres of space.
Prydie, the youngest player to be capped by Wales and their youngest try-scorer, had not played for his country since June 2010 but made the most of his recall to claim his second Test try.
But for the first time in the match Japan started to find holes in the Welsh defence, with Wing in particular catching the eye with a string of clean breaks in midfield.
The centre deservedly put Japan back into the lead as the Cherry Blossoms hammered away at the Welsh line before creating a huge overlap on the right.
The right-footed Goramaru struck a superb conversion from tight on the right touchline and the full-back repeated the feat 11 minutes later when Japan struck again.
Hendrik Tui's initial break saw Japan move deep into Wales' 22, before flanker Broadhurst - a scorer last week in Osaka - powered through Rhys Gill from close range.
Some good scrambling defence from the likes of Andries Pretorius, the South African-born number eight making his Wales debut, along with Blues back-row colleague Josh Navidi, helped keep a now rampant Japan from crossing again.
But Goromaru underlined Japan's dominance with his third penalty to cap an historic first win over Wales.
The result is also a huge fillip for Eddie Jones' side as Japan build towards the 2015 World Cup and hosting the tournament in 2019.
Japan: Ayumu Goromaru; Toshiaki Hirose (capt), Male Sau, Craig Wing, Kenki Fukuoka; Harumichi Tatekawa, Fumiaki Tanaka; Masataka Mikami, Shota Horie, Hiroshi Yamashita, Hitoshi Ono, Shoji Ito, Hendrik Tui, Michael Broadhurst, Takashi Kikutani.
Replacements: Takeshi Itu, Yusuke Nagae, Kensuke Hatakeyama, Shinya Makebe, Justin Ives, Atsushi Hiwasa, Yu Tamura, Yoshikazu Fujita.
Wales: Liam Williams (Scarlets); Harry Robinson (Blues), Owen Williams (Blues), Jonathan Spratt (Ospreys), Tom Prydie (Dragons); Dan Biggar (Ospreys), Lloyd Williams (Blues); Rhys Gill (Saracens), Emyr Phillips (Scarlets), Scott Andrews (Blues), Bradley Davies (Blues, capt), Lou Reed (Blues), James King (Ospreys), Andries Pretorius (Blues), Josh Navidi (Blues).
Replacements: Scott Baldwin (Ospreys), Rhodri Jones (Scarlets), Craig Mitchell (Exeter Chiefs), Andrew Coombs (Dragons), Dan Baker (Ospreys), Tavis Knoyle (Scarlets), Rhys Patchell (Blues), Dafydd Howells (Ospreys). | Japan claimed their first win over Wales with a sparkling second-half display to win the second Test 23-8 in Tokyo and draw the two-Test series. |
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