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The 23-year-old right-hander could appear in their opening Championship game against Sussex on Sunday.
And he will also be available for subsequent matches against Essex, Derbyshire and Leicestershire.
The opener marked his first-class debut for Nottinghamshire in 2014 by scoring a century against Sussex.
However, he missed much of last season after suffering knee-ligament damage in Australia.
He recently made a century for Nottinghamshire against Hampshire during a pre-season tour to Barbados. | Northamptonshire have taken Nottinghamshire batsman Jake Libby on an initial one-month loan ahead of the 2016 county season. | 36000610 |
The men were captured after they agreed to meet the rebels for discussions, police officials said.
It is suspected that the kidnappings are to protest against government plans to start bauxite mining in the state.
The Maoists say they are fighting for Communist rule and greater rights for tribespeople and the rural poor.
Their insurgency began in the eastern state of West Bengal in the late 1960s, spreading to more than one-third of India's 600-plus districts.
A report in The Hindu newspaper said that before the kidnapping, Maoists had sent the state government a letter demanding an immediate halt to its bauxite mining plans.
There had been an increase in rebel activity ever since the mining plans were announced, the report added.
"We have verified [the information]. The only possibility is the Maoists will take them in the deep interior forest area towards the border of East Godavari district... We are waiting for Maoists to put forth their demands [for the release of the leaders]," Visakhapatnam district superintendent of police K Praveen told the Press Trust of India news agency.
"The leaders had gone to meet the Maoists after they were assured by the rebels that they would not be harmed, but now, they have been held captive," he said. | Maoist rebels have abducted three politicians from the governing party in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. | 34456396 |
Ko Ni was shot in the head on Sunday after arriving from an international trip. A taxi driver was also shot.
A suspect has been detained but there are no details on the motive.
Ko Ni was one of few prominent Muslims in a country dominated by Buddhists. It is not clear if that was a factor in his death.
Assassinations are extremely rare in Myanmar.
A student activist dating back to the uprising of 1988, Ko Ni was a political prisoner and then, once released, a senior lawyer and adviser to the NLD.
A still picture taken by the taxi rank of Yangon's airport captured the moment of assassination.
A man wearing a pink shirt, shorts and flip flops points a pistol to the back of the head of Ko Ni, who is holding a small child.
Moments later Myanmar's most prominent Muslim lawyer was dead and shortly afterwards a taxi driver, too, who had chased the attacker.
Pictures posted on social media showed the police as they caught the attacker, his head and legs smeared in blood. He's been named as Kyi Lin, a 53-year-old from Mandalay.
A student activist dating back to the uprising of 1988, Ko Ni was a political prisoner and then, once released, a senior lawyer and adviser to Aung San Suu Kyi's political party. An expert on constitutional law, he worked on the NLD's plans to amend Myanmar's military drafted charter.
Last year he helped found the Myanmar Muslim Lawyers' Association and spoke of the need to stand up for the rights of Muslim citizens. That may have made him some powerful enemies. | A leading lawyer and adviser to Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party has been shot dead at Yangon airport in Myanmar. | 38788669 |
Joanne Latham, 38, was discovered by a prison officer at HMP Woodhill in Milton Keynes.
She was serving life for three attempted murders when she died on 27 November.
Latham was identified as being at risk of suicide the day before and put in a locked cell, the court heard.
The inquest is being heard in the name of "Eddie Latham, otherwise known as Joanne Marie Latham".
Latham was registered under the name Joanne at the all-male prison and this was the name used by prison officers.
However, the court heard that she changed her name to Eddie Latham by deed poll earlier in 2015.
Coroner Tom Osborne asked prison officer Debbie Glyde whether the inmate had serious intentions to change gender. She replied that she "could not say because he went through phases".
Updates on this story and others from Buckinghamshire
Initially, Latham was being observed once an hour on the night she died, but this was increased as she had become "more agitated," Coroner's officer Mel Riley said.
"During the night he covered the cell observation panel with a J Cloth and barricaded the door. He responded verbally to the 03:30 and 04:00 checks but not the 04:30 check," she added.
Officers were called to break in to the cell and Latham was pronounced dead at 06:20 GMT, Milton Keynes Coroner's court heard.
Latham was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2001 for an attempted murder.
She was later handed further life sentences for the attempted murders of a prisoner at HMP Frankland, in Durham, in 2007 and of a fellow patient at Rampton secure hospital, in Nottinghamshire, in 2011.
Latham's family, who are from Manchester, were not present at the hearing.
The inquest was adjourned until 2 February 2016. | A transgender prisoner who was found hanging in a cell was being observed every half an hour on the night she died, an inquest has heard. | 35037388 |
The Frenchman is due to sign a contract next week, when further details will also be made public.
Lechantre is set to replace his compatriot Claude LeRoy, who stepped down in November.
The 65-year-old has coached Cameroon and Mali in the past and his most recent job was with Libyan club Al Ittihad Tripoli.
Congo are currently top of their group for 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying, ahead of Zambia on goal difference after two matches.
Lechantre's first competitive games in charge will be back-to-back Nations Cup qualifiers against Zambia in March.
Kenya and Guinea Bissau are the other two teams in Group E.
The Red Devils are also in June's draw for the final round of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup. | The Congo Football Federation says it has agreed a deal with Pierre Lechantre to become the country's next coach. | 35305818 |
It's thought he was in his early seventies.
Murphy's Commitments co-star Maria Doyle Kennedy led the tributes on Twitter, posting: "Johnny Murphy. Gentleman."
Glen Hansard, who also appeared alongside Murphy before embarking on a successful music career, said he was "a beautiful man and a true gent".
The character of Joey made Murphy famous when the film version of The Commitments was released in 1991.
It tells the story of a working class boy in Dublin called Jimmy Rabbitte who decides to form a soul band.
The older Joey, who regales the younger musicians with his tales of working with music greats including The Beatles, is recruited as the band's trumpet player.
Fagan explains in the movie that he calls his trumpet Gina, named after the 1950s screen siren Gina Lollobrigida.
The Commitments was based on the original novel written by Roddy Doyle.
Doyle also adapted it for the stage as a musical and the show recently ended a successful run in London's West End.
It emerged later that Van Morrison and Rory Gallagher had been considered to play the part of Joey The Lips in the film adaption.
But the film's director Alan Parker felt that Murphy would be in a good position to mentor the largely inexperienced cast.
Murphy, at that point, was an experienced actor, having made a name for himself as a stage actor.
He went on to star in Into The West, Waiting for Godot and Angela's Ashes. | Johnny Murphy, the actor who portrayed Joey 'The Lips' Fagan in The Commitments, has died. | 35639249 |
Wintery showers, moving offshore overnight on Monday, mean there is a widespread risk of ice on untreated surfaces on Tuesday morning.
Motorists are advised to be aware of possible hazardous travel conditions.
The Met Office forecast comes after snow closed schools in Gwynedd, Anglesey, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire on Monday, with roads also affected.
The alert covers coastal areas in north west, south west and mid Wales until 10:00 GMT on Tuesday. | A yellow "be aware" warning for ice has been issued for western parts of Wales as wintery weather conditions continue. | 31100240 |
Sales of the track will raise cash for the charity which helps young people and disadvantaged children in the UK.
Glynne has so far clocked up five number one singles, including Rather Be with Clean Bandit and Not Letting Go with Tinie Tempah.
"This is a song about the need to have someone who cares when you are at your most vulnerable," she said.
"It's an emotional song for me and I have to admit it brings me to tears when I sing it live, likewise when I made the video," she added, saying she was "excited" to sing for such a "special cause".
In August she topped the UK album chart with her debut I Cry When I Laugh and it remains the best-selling debut album this year so far.
If the BBC Children in Need single reaches number one, Glynne will make history as the first British solo female to have achieved six number one singles.
Previous singers of the charity's single include Gareth Malone's All Star Choir last year, Ellie Goulding in 2013 and Girls Aloud in 2012.
The single is available for download and CDs will be released from 13 November to coincide with the annual appeal show on TV.
Glynne will perform the song exclusively in the UK on the show, which will also include Selena Gomez and Years & Years. | Jess Glynne's Take Me Home has been named as this year's official single for BBC Children in Need. | 34709575 |
The teenager from Bracknell overcame a nose bleed to shoot a perfect 16 as she beat Poland's Aleksandra Jarmolinska in the bronze medal match.
It was Hill's second success in quick succession in Azerbaijan, after she won gold at the European Games in Baku earlier this year.
"To come away with bronze was more than I could have asked for," Hill said.
"To win two medals in a matter of a couple of months is an amazing feeling and it really feels that my hard work has paid off. I've got a great support team around me which is helping me get to that point."
Italy's Katiuscia Spada took gold, with American Morgan Craft picking up silver.
The World Cup continues until 15 August, with 22 Britons competing across rifle and shotgun disciplines. | British 17-year-old Amber Hill has won skeet-shooting bronze at the World Cup in Gabala, Azerbaijan. | 33840406 |
Dyfed-Powys Police were called to Mwnt at 19:50 BST on Friday after reports of a car going through a field and over the edge.
Mr Chilton's body was recovered from his car at the base of the cliff at Ty Gwyn Caravan Park.
An inquest has been opened and adjourned. | A man who died after his car plunged over a cliff in Ceredigion has been named as Gary Christopher Chilton, 42, from Manchester. | 36590062 |
Vince, 24, who is also the county's one-day captain, was appointed on an interim basis after Jimmy Adams decided to step down to focus on his batting.
Hampshire held on for a draw against Durham in Vince's first County Championship match in charge.
"There's a nice period between now and the end of the season to get a taste for it," he told BBC Radio Solent.
"It's game by game for now, but I think the likelihood is it will probably be until the end of the season.
"I can see if it's something I would want to take on in the future. I was more than happy to give it a crack when Jimmy decided to step down."
Hampshire currently sit 18 points adrift at the foot of the Division One table and Vince was dismissed for 19 and 0 against Durham.
But his batting has flourished while captain in the T20 Blast, including carrying his bat three times.
"We've had too many individuals under performing," he added.
"We've got to up it as individuals and Jimmy obviously decided by not captaining, he could bring his game forward.
"Personally, I think captaincy takes a bit of my mindset of my batting, which has been a real help in Twenty20." | Hampshire batsman James Vince says he is likely to remain as four-day captain until the end of the season. | 33635591 |
Christopher Metcalfe, 70, from Blidworth, Nottinghamshire, was a rural studies teacher at a former children's home at Skegby Hall, near Mansfield.
Derby Crown Court was told he raped a girl aged 15 or 16 in his front room at his home in Kirkby-in-Ashfield.
Mr Metcalfe denies five separate sex offences. The trial is expected to last two weeks.
The jury was told as a newly qualified teacher in the late 1970s, he sexually touched a nine-year-old girl during "story-time" and again after a swimming lesson.
She said it felt "painful" and "uncomfortable".
Mr Metcalfe is also charged with indecently assaulting another girl at around the same time, when she was aged nine or 10.
The third girl, who was in care at Skegby Hall in the 1980s, said after he raped her in his front room he said he would "get her" if she told anyone.
Prosecuting, Sarah Knight said: "Christopher Metcalfe took advantage of his position of trust and authority.
"The women hadn't colluded, they don't know each other, and their complaints are quite separate."
She described them as "courageous".
The trial continues. | A retired teacher accused of sex offences against three girls in the 1970s and 80s has gone on trial. | 39360154 |
The Pilgrims need a new skipper after Curtis Nelson spurned the offer of a new contract and joined Oxford United.
"We're just passing it around the senior players at this moment in time," 41-year-old Adams told BBC Sport.
"The captain will be the captain in the first game of the season, but nobody will know that before then."
Among the senior players to have worn the armband in pre-season are Gary Sawyer, Luke McCormick and Graham Carey.
"Your captain needs to lead on the pitch and I think it's important that we have that," added Adams.
"Off the pitch as well they've got an important aspect of looking after the players and it is an important job for someone to do.
"We don't want to say too early and I think that it's important that we take our time." | Plymouth Argyle manager Derek Adams says he will not decide who will be the new club captain until the opening day of the new season. | 36823796 |
Johnny Black, 19, from Ballycastle and Robin William Lamont Wilson, 26, from Armoy, died after a head on collision between two cars on the Cushendall Road near Ballycastle.
A woman remains in a critical condition in the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, following the crash.
Elsewhere, a motorcyclist was killed in a road accident in west Belfast.
David Anderson, 42, from the Coleraine area, died after a collision on the Tornagrough Road on Sunday afternoon.
The total number of road deaths in Northern Ireland this year is now 15. | Two men have died following an early morning road accident in Ballycastle, County Antrim. | 32194520 |
Transport for London (TfL) had been told in 2013 it would eventually have to be self-sufficient with its operating costs.
Today it was told by when.
There will be no more general grants from the government for day-to-day running of services from 2018 - earlier than TfL thought.
That grant currently stands at £591m a year but it will be tapered down.
How it deals with it isn't clear yet, but TfL will undoubtedly have to be more commercial.
It is currently planning to raise £3.4bn by 2020/21 through property, advertising and similar routes.
And it will have to be more efficient; it is currently planning to cut £16bn by 2020/21. That could affect the number of staff.
There will also probably have to be some choices on infrastructure investment in terms of priorities.
What it means is by 2018 London will be the only city in Europe where there is no day-to-day transport subsidy.
That bad news is tempered with some good news for transport bosses.
Previously a £10bn investment had been announced in the run-up to the election until 2019/20.
Today it has been increased to £11bn, covering another year. It breaks down as follows:
So investment in the big ticket infrastructure items such as the Tube upgrades look like they're OK.
But the purse strings just got a little bit tighter at TfL. Some will say this shows TfL is more than capable of looking after itself and this is a vote of confidence.
Others will say it leaves a big hole in TfL's finances that it will now have a big challenge trying to fill.
Whatever way you dress it up, it is still a big cut to transport funding in London. | The dark clouds have been on the horizon for some time. | 34923879 |
CWU general secretary Dave Ward hailed him as "a leader for the millions, not the millionaires".
Thanking the union for its support, Mr Corbyn said it was "time to end rip-off Britain."
The announcement came as two former advisers declared their support for his rival, Owen Smith.
Academics David Blanchflower and Simon Wren-Lewis, who have both served on Labour's economic advisory committee, expressed doubts about Mr Corbyn's ability to lead.
Mr Blanchflower told The Guardian Mr Smith had been better at consulting businesses and economists in three weeks than the current Labour leader had been over the last nine months, and Mr Wren-Lewis wrote on his blog that "a Corbyn-led party cannot win in 2020".
Endorsing Mr Corbyn, the CWU general secretary said: "We need a fundamental change in Labour politics and Jeremy Corbyn recognises this.
"He is the candidate to drive through the change that ordinary people are crying out for - opposing damaging austerity measures and tackling the housing crisis which is causing misery for so many."
The CWU represents 190,000 people working in the Royal Mail group, mobile companies and in BT Open Reach.
Mr Corbyn has already received the backing of train drivers' union Aslef and construction workers' union Ucatt.
Meanwhile, Labour has announced the dates of five leadership hustings over the next month to be held in Cardiff (4 August), Nottinghamshire (17 August), Birmingham (18 August), Glasgow (25 August) and London (1 September). | The Communication Workers Union has announced it is backing Jeremy Corbyn in the Labour Party leadership election. | 36942389 |
In the week before Christmas, the GP out of hours service had 20% more calls than in the same period in 2013.
There were also more calls on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and the following weekend for the entire week last year.
Dr. Sharon Hopkins, of Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, asked patients to only use the service in emergencies. | People in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan are being urged to choose the right service if ill to ease winter pressure on services. | 30627064 |
31 March 2016 Last updated at 20:07 BST
The limb is based on one seen in Konami Digital Entertainment's Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.
The 25-year-old was chosen by prosthetics artist Sophie De Oliviera Barata because of his positive attitude and love of video games. | James Young, who lost his arm and leg in an accident, has a prosthetic arm and bionic hand inspired by one of his favourite video games. | 35938058 |
The mayor will have responsibility for Hartlepool, Stockton, Redcar and Cleveland, Middlesbrough and Darlington.
The Tees Valley Combined Authority has agreed a deal with government to transfer £15m a year from central to local decision making.
The Mayor will make decisions on areas such as transport, jobs, education, housing and investment.
Ahead of the election, BBC Tees will be finding out what you want to ask about the new mayor.
Do you want to know how the role will fit into the existing structure, how decisions made will affect your lives and what powers the mayor will have?
You can get in touch on Twitter or Facebook or by using the form below to ask your questions.
The BBC bus will be travelling around the area next week and you can go along and ask any questions about the Tees Valley Mayor.
Here's where it will be:
Monday 3 April - Market Place, Darlington, 08:00 -16:00
Wednesday 5 April - Centre Square, Middlesbrough, 09:00-17:00
Friday 7 April - Deerbolt Prison, Barnard Castle | On 4 May 2017, voters will elect the first Tees Valley Mayor. | 39383818 |
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Emperor Akihito are attending a memorial in Tokyo, and joined a moment of silence nationwide at the exact moment the quake hit.
The magnitude-9.0 quake struck offshore, creating a giant wave out at sea, called a tsunami, which grew to 10 metres high.
It also triggered the world's worst nuclear disaster for 25 years, at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
The earthquake on 11 March 2011 was one of the most powerful ever recorded.
But it was the following tsunami that claimed the most lives, as a wall of seawater powered through coastal areas of Tohoku, flattening entire towns and villages.
At 2.46pm Tokyo time (5.56am British time), the exact moment the quake was detected, people across Japan bowed their heads as a mark of respect for the victims.
Bells rang, and in the capital the underground metro came to halt.
"Many of the people affected by the disaster are aging, and I worry that some of them may be suffering alone in places where our eyes and attention don't reach," Emperor Akihito said at the ceremony.
The tsunami also damaged a nuclear power plant in Fukushima, leading to the world's worst nuclear disaster for 25 years.
Water flooded the plant, taking cooling systems offline which set off a series of meltdowns.
The disaster leaked radiation over a wide area and forced the evacuation of more than 160,000 local people.
The government has spent billions of dollars on reconstruction work, but five years on, many people have not been able to return to their homes.
Source: Reconstruction agency | Japan is marking the fifth anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami that devastated the north-east of the country on 11 March 2011. | 35782647 |
The 34-year-old former Arsenal and Reading keeper made 129 appearances during four years with the Bees.
Barnet boss Martin Allen wanted Stack to be back-up to Jamie Stephens, while continuing to coach the other keepers at The Hive.
"Having been offered the chance to stay, I feel it is time for a new challenge," Stack posted on Twitter. | Goalkeeper Graham Stack has left Barnet after turning down a new contract with the League Two side. | 36905203 |
Sylvester Koroma was hit in the stomach in Birmingham in August 2013 and died in hospital a week later.
Police said his friends had "deserted him in his death".
Appealing for people to come forward and speak to West Midlands Police, his mother, Eunice Koroma, said the last year had been "hell".
Mr Koroma, a father-of-two from the Highfields area, travelled to Birmingham with friends on 10 August last year.
The nightclub had been hosting an event called Circoloco, attended by 4,000 people. The second day was cancelled after the shooting.
Ms Koroma said it had been heartbreaking not knowing who killed her son.
"All of us miss him greatly, especially his sons," she said.
"It's one year on now so I would ask for people to search their hearts, and if they have a conscience, to do the right thing and speak to the police."
Officers previously said they still had no motive for Mr Koroma's death.
Det Ch Insp Sab Johal, from West Midlands Police, said Mr Koroma had been "deserted" by his closest friends.
They had declined to give witness statements to police on the night but he said officers would keep returning to Leicester until they had answers.
"This investigation is not going to go away," he said. "People who know the answers are from this city, and it is those people, who were happy to be with him in his life that have deserted him in his death." | A reward of up to £5,000 has been offered for information to help catch the killers of a Leicester man who was shot outside a nightclub. | 28706431 |
Members of the Formartine area committee met in Ellon and approved plans for Menie by nine votes to two.
They were considering 30 conditions for the project laid down by the Scottish government, but more will have to be approved before work can begin.
The Trump Organisation welcomed the vote.
Mr Trump wants to create a championship course as well as a hotel and hundreds of holiday homes.
Scottish ministers earlier approved the application but with many conditions.
Mr Trump last month vowed to cut the ribbon on his golf resort within 18 months.
He said the total cost of the project was likely to be about £750m. | The latest stage of American tycoon Donald Trump's plans for the "world's greatest" golf course in Aberdeenshire have been approved by councillors. | 10257490 |
He is being held in relation to the killing of Conor McKee in north Belfast.
The 31-year-old man was found dead in a bedroom of his home on Glenpark Street. He had been shot a number of times.
Police said a 42-year-old man had been arrested in north Belfast earlier on Thursday. | High-profile republican and Shankill bomber Sean Kelly has been arrested in connection with the murder of a man in January. | 35989307 |
Zimbabwean national Patrick Gwatidzo raped his first victim, who was 21, at a flat in Glasgow on 8 September 2010. He raped a 25-year-old woman at another flat in the city on 7 December 2014.
A jury rejected Gwatidzo's claims that the victims had made up lies about him.
Sentence was deferred and he was remanded him in custody.
Following the trial at the High Court in Glasgow, judge Paul Arthurson QC told Gwatidzo: "You have been convicted on the basis of substantial and compelling evidence. You victims gave evidence with considerable dignity and courage.
""You can be described as an opportunist sexual predator."
The court heard how the first victim felt betrayed as she had regarded Gwatidzo as "like a brother".
She told the court she woke up to find him having sex with her.
When interviewed by police, Gwatidzo, 31, denied raping her. He claimed she had tried to initiate sex with him, but nothing happened.
His second victim also said she woke up to find Gwatidzo having sex with her. She was so distressed she grabbed her clothes, ordered a taxi and left.
Advocate depute Paul Kearney, prosecuting, said: "Two women, who were completely unknown to each other, gave compelling evidence.
"But each went to the police with a similar story of what the accused had done to them.
"What are the odds against that. He must if what he says is true be the unluckiest man on the planet."
Gwatidzo, a social care worker, claimed that both women had made up malicious lies about him, but the jury did not believe him.
He will be sentenced next month. | A man who was convicted of raping two women while they slept has been described by a judge as an "opportunist sexual predator". | 36552663 |
A hacker known as "mr.grey" is named in court documents filed by the bureau last year, according to the Reuters news agency.
The hacker was linked to the stolen logins via a Russian email address.
Previously, "mr.grey" had advertised the credentials to Facebook and Twitter accounts for sale online.
It was the American cyber security firm Hold Security that initially reported the theft of the credentials and an additional 500 million email addresses last year.
The Russian crime ring responsible for stealing the data - dubbed CyberVor - had breached more than 420,000 websites, according to Hold Security.
In August, the firm said, "To the best of our knowledge, they mostly focused on stealing credentials, eventually ending up with the largest cache of stolen personal information, totalling over 1.2 billion unique sets of e-mails and passwords."
Hold Security then began marketing a "breach notification service" to users concerned that their details had been affected, for $120 (£71) per month.
Whatever the identity of the perpetrator behind the CyberVor breach, the method used was something of a departure from how botnets - large networks of computers linked together maliciously - are usually used, according to Dave Palmer, director of technology at security firm Darktrace.
"What's interesting about this is botnets are usually used to harness their massive scale to attack an individual target - like taking computer games consoles down last Christmas for example," he told the BBC.
"It's instead been used as a massive scanner scanning websites all around the world for weaknesses."
Mr Palmer added that the vulnerabilities which allowed computers to be drafted into such botnets as well as the flaws in websites which meant login details could be hacked were preventable.
"We're still getting caught out by these attacks," he said. | The FBI has linked a hacker to the theft of 1.2 billion internet credentials - the largest heist of its kind. | 34920557 |
One is radical change in the energy market. Grangemouth's petro-chemical plant has fed off North Sea gas, which is depleting.
It needed to re-equip to import gas, shipped across the Atlantic at much lower prices. America's shale boom is up-ending the energy market.
The new investment that was needed to revive this ageing plant came with a demand from its owner. Based in Switzerland for tax purposes, Ineos wanted payroll costs to fall sharply if Grangemouth was to compete.
That's another big force at work: in a dispute with an air of oddly old-fashioned confrontation about it, we've seen the power of global capital set against the power of workers, and winning.
Then there's the neighbouring refinery. The man who controls Ineos, Jim Ratcliffe, said at the weekend; the closure of the petro-chemical plant would be likely to lead to the demise of the refinery.
There's over-capacity in refining worldwide. Old European plants produce too much petrol, not enough diesel, and they struggle to compete against cheap US output, and giant new complexes in the Middle East and Asia.
As the world order changes, this dispute and closure have brought into sharp focus the question of whether any government - whether that of the United Kingdom or an independent Scotland - could resist these changes.
And also, is there a case for protecting energy production as a matter of national interest?
Stand by for a review of refinery provision by the Department for Energy and Climate Change, which Ed Davey says is due by the end of this year. | There are big forces at work on the banks of the Firth of Forth. | 24647144 |
The lead was taken from a container outside the house sometime between 14:00 on Tuesday and 08:00 on Wednesday, along with some power tools.
Police said a sizeable vehicle would have been needed to remove the "huge" quantity of lead from the site.
A white Ford Transit van was seen near the scene at 17:00 on Tuesday, driven by a man aged between 30 and 40.
Officers have appealed for anyone with information to come forward. | Police are investigating after almost two tonnes of lead was stolen from a house under renovation in Balquhidder. | 33186055 |
The 41st president was admitted on Saturday due to "an acute respiratory problem stemming from pneumonia".
The 92-year-old has now been moved to the intensive care unit after doctors performed a "procedure to protect and clear his airway".
Mrs Bush, 91, was admitted on Wednesday suffering from fatigue and a cough.
During his procedure, Mr Bush was sedated, his spokesman Jim McGrath said in a statement.
Mr Bush, the oldest living US president, is expected to be well enough to go home in a few days.
In a letter addressed 10 January, Mr Bush wrote to President-elect Donald Trump to say that "my doctor says if I sit outside in January, it will likely put me six feet under".
"Same for Barbara. So I guess we're stuck in Texas," he wrote, adding that they will be "with you and the country in spirit".
Mr Bush, who served as US president from 1989-93, spent a week in hospital in the US state of Maine in 2015 after falling and breaking a neck bone.
He also suffers from a form of Parkinson's disease and uses a wheelchair.
Mr Bush's son, George W Bush, was elected president in 2000 and served two terms as the nation's 43rd president.
The elder Bush was born 12 June 1924, in Massachusetts and also served as a congressman, CIA director and vice president to Ronald Reagan. | Former US President George HW Bush and his wife Barbara Bush have been admitted to a hospital in Houston, Texas, according to a spokesman. | 38667118 |
They beat Premier League champions Chelsea 1-0 at Wembley Stadium.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was the star, scoring the winner with a powerful drive into the top corner with his left foot.
The result gave Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger his first ever victory over Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho. | FA Cup holders Arsenal have won the Community Shield for a second season in a row. | 33755454 |
Sixty lecturers and 20 support staff jobs may be lost due to expected budget cuts in 2015/16, according to one college's message to staff.
"Unprecedented" budget cuts are expected next year, a Department for Education and Learning (Del) spokesperson has said.
The department has asked colleges to urgently identify savings.
Gerry Campbell, chief executive of Colleges Northern Ireland, which represents the six regional further education (FE) colleges, said the 10-15% cuts suggested by Del will force staff redundancies and a reduction in services.
Together the regional colleges cater for more than 90,000 learners, from 16 upwards.
Education funding for 16 to 18-year-olds studying in schools comes from a different government department and is protected from the cuts.
The regional colleges cater to many school-leavers aged 16 to 19.
Mr Campbell said that the colleges provide vocational training and have close ties with local businesses.
He added: "A cut in the budget for FE will have a devastating knock-on impact to the economy."
A Del spokesperson said that next year's budget had not yet been agreed, but added: "Emerging information suggests that cuts to Del's budget next year could be unprecedented."
As a result they have asked to the colleges to "urgently begin the process of identifying possible savings options for next year." | Eighty jobs are at risk in Northern Ireland's regional colleges, staff have been told. | 29476730 |
The company said "a large proportion" of the Belfast operation will now be resourced from Dublin.
Of the 86 posts at Belfast, 17 are remaining, with another 52 being offered positions in Dublin.
The other 17 jobs were fixed term contract which are not being renewed.
Aer Lingus said it remains "committed to serving the Belfast market."
The company said the job cuts were being made to "secure the future profitability" of the Belfast operation. | Aer Lingus is cutting most of its Belfast staff but has said there will be no change to its flying schedule from the city airport. | 36313888 |
Sharapova plays Italy's Roberta Vinci in the first round of the Porsche Grand Prix in Stuttgart on Wednesday.
The 30-year-old's wildcard entry has already been called "disrespectful" by ex-world number one Caroline Wozniacki.
"I don't agree about the wildcard here and about the wildcard in Rome and the other tournaments," said Vinci, 34.
Sharapova was given a two-year ban last year, backdated to 26 January 2016, after testing positive for heart disease drug meldonium at the Australian Open.
Her suspension was reduced to 15 months in October, following her appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Sharapova will also receive wildcards for upcoming tournaments in Madrid and Rome.
World number 36 Vinci added: "She made her mistakes for sure, but she paid and I think she can return to play - but without any wildcards."
Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, who could meet Sharapova in the second round in Stuttgart, has also been among those to question the treatment of the former world number one, saying she should not be invited to Grand Slams.
Those views were met with a scathing response by Sharapova's agent Max Eisenbud, who labelled Radwanska, 28, and 26-year-old Wozniacki of Denmark "journeyman" rivals who wanted to prevent the Russian playing at next month's French Open because it is their "last chance to win a Slam".
Sharapova, twice a winner at the French Open, is unranked and will require a wildcard to compete at Roland Garros when the tournament starts next month, with France's tennis federation yet to announce its decision. | Maria Sharapova's first opponent following her 15-month doping ban has questioned the decision to give the Russian wildcards on the WTA Tour. | 39699807 |
Alan Joyce was addressing a business breakfast in Perth when a man strode to the stage and surprised him.
The man was detained by security until authorities arrived. Police said they were interviewing him in custody.
Mr Joyce had been discussing the airline's recent decision to operate non-stop flights from London to Perth.
"I don't know what that was about," he told the audience of about 500 people.
Mr Joyce left the stage briefly to clean his face before returning to applause from the crowd.
"Now, if there are any more pies can you get it over with now," he said.
One witness, Ben Harvey, told Radio 6PR it had not been clear what prompted the incident, describing it as a "bizarre situation".
A Western Australia Police spokesman said: "We're currently investigating the incident and interviewing the individual concerned."
Australia's 7 News reported that the pie-wielder was thought to be in his 60s or 70s.
Mr Joyce is not the first high-profile person to have been struck with a pie. Others include News Corp executive chairman Rupert Murdoch, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and television presenter Jeremy Clarkson. | The chief executive of Australian airline Qantas has had a speech interrupted by a man who shoved a pie in his face. | 39853354 |
They say the man, named as Sharif, died in a gun battle with police near the capital Dhaka early on Sunday.
Police had been seeking information about Sharif and six other militants suspected in the case.
Avijit Roy, an American-Bangladeshi blogger and writer, was hacked to death by several men as he returned from a Dhaka book fair in February last year.
Who is behind the Bangladesh killings?
Is violent extremism on the rise in Bangladesh?
Sectarian terror fears grip Bangladesh
He is one of several secularist figures killed by suspected Islamists in recent years in Bangladesh, in attacks that have received widespread international condemnation.
In many cases the Islamic State group or al-Qaeda say they carried out the attacks, but the government has blamed local militants.
Roy, 42, founded the Mukto-Mona ("Free Mind") blog in 2000 to champion secular and humanist writing in Muslim-majority Bangladesh.
He had received death threats from Islamist radicals for his writings before his murder, family said.
In the latest such attack, a Hindu college teacher was critically injured by men armed with knives at his home in the city of Manipur on Wednesday.
A suspect in that case, Ghulam Faijullaha Fahim, was shot dead in the southern district of Madaripur on Saturday.
He was in police custody when officers took him to help capture his associates, but died in the ensuing exchange of fire with the militants, officials say.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said her government will do whatever it takes to stop such attacks.
Police have arrested thousands of people across the country over the past weeks. | Police in Bangladesh say they have shot dead the main suspect in the killing of secularist blogger Avijit Roy. | 36570021 |
Mrs Gandhi attended a prayer meeting to mark the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, India's revered independence hero.
Mrs Gandhi holds no government post but holds enormous political power.
The 64-year-old Italian-born politician is seen as a key decision-maker in the government.
Correspondents say the Indian government faced serious problems during her month-long absence.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government was severely criticised for mishandling anti-corruption protests in August by social activist Anna Hazare.
Many commentators said that if Mrs Gandhi had been in Delhi, she would have handled the situation better.
The party has consistently refused to comment on the nature of the illness or where she went for surgery.
But media reports have suggested she was treated at a specialist cancer hospital in New York.
Mrs Gandhi is the widow of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. She nominated Manmohan Singh to the prime minister's post in 2004 but is frequently portrayed as being more powerful than him.
She is at the head of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, which has ruled India for most of the time since independence in 1947.
Her son and MP Rahul Gandhi is tipped as a future prime minister. | The leader of India's governing Congress party, Sonia Gandhi, has made her first public appearance after returning from the US following surgery for an undisclosed medical condition. | 15142491 |
Pretswell, 27, shot a second-round 67 to move seven under par as she bids for a first European Tour title.
Spain's Nuria Iturrios carded 65 for a narrow overnight advantage ahead of Pretswell and France's Karine Icher.
Overnight leader Anna Nordqvist is a shot further back, while English trio Holly Clyburn, Florentyna Parker and Melissa Reid are five under. | Scotland's Pamela Pretswell moved one shot off the lead at the halfway stage of the Mediterranean Ladies Open. | 39674893 |
The Royal couple are the last high profile visitors to the school as it prepares to close.
After 400 years the school will be replaced by a new co-educational grammar school in the town.
The Duke and Duchess were greeted at the school by First Minister Arlene Foster.
Portora Royal School was established in 1618 following a decree by King James I. Notable former pupils of the school include Oscar Wilde, Samuel Beckett and MP for north Belfast Nigel Dodds.
The Duke of Gloucester unveiled a plaque to the Old Portorans killed in the First World War. | The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester have visited Portora Royal School in Enniskillen. | 36900093 |
The multi-million pound scheme at the Garroch roundabout will replace the current building on Bankend Road.
Work began in March last year, with about 400 staff now on site every day.
Main contractor Laing O'Rourke is on schedule to hand over the completed building to NHS Dumfries and Galloway in a year's time.
Health board chief executive Jeff Ace said it was a significant milestone.
"I'm quite emotional, to be honest, it's been the longest project I've ever been involved with in my career," he said.
"We started back in 2008 on this project.
"The amount of work that so many people have delivered successfully to get us here is overwhelming."
Dumfriesshire MSP Oliver Mundell said he was very impressed by how far forward the building works had come and it should be ready for late next year.
"From the remarks we have heard today we can be fairly confident that it is going to be handed over by at least round about the 9 September deadline that's been set," he said.
Mr Mundell said there were some "unanswered questions" about transport to the site but nonetheless he was "very positive" about the project.
"The hospital does have a different feel to the existing site, it is significantly smaller," he said.
"But it does look like they have packed a lot in to the new site." | A "topping out" ceremony to mark the building reaching its highest point in construction has been held at a hospital project in Dumfries. | 37366723 |
The R&B star was not at his home at the time of robbery, which took place in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Officials said the suspects, who were armed with handguns, got away from the Tarzana property with an unknown amount of money and some personal items.
Brown or his representatives have yet to comment on the matter.
According to reports, the 26-year-old was at a nightclub at the time of the incident.
It marks the second home invasion that Brown, the former boyfriend of pop star Rihanna, has suffered in recent months.
In May, he came home to another property to find a woman had allegedly broken in, cooked several meals and written "I love you" on walls.
Amira Ayeb, 21, subsequently pleaded not guilty to first-degree residential burglary, stalking and vandalism. | The Los Angeles home of US singer Chris Brown has been raided and ransacked by three masked men who locked his aunt in a closet, according to police. | 33541935 |
The bridge over the River Cerne in Charminster, which has listed status by English Heritage, becomes backed up with water during heavy rainfall.
St Mary the Virgin church flooded with over 1ft (30cm) of water on Saturday.
West Dorset MP, Oliver Letwin, said: "It's a ridiculous situation where the protection of one bit of heritage is putting other bits at risk."
Mr Letwin has called on English Heritage to allow the bridge to be replaced as previous works by the Environment Agency have not prevented the village flooding.
He said: "The bridge is a perfectly nice bridge, but it's not a great national monument.
"We're not going to get a really effective flood protection scheme unless this bridge is replaced."
Several homes in East Hill and West Hill areas of the village were also flooded during the recent heavy rainfall.
An English Heritage spokesman said: "We have been in discussions with the Environment Agency about a range of flood defence options for Charminster which would involve retaining the listed bridge over the River Cerne.
"This bridge has architectural and historical significance and any plans that would involve demolition would need careful consideration and justification."
The church is expected to be closed until April due to the damage caused by the flooding. | An MP is calling for a bridge regarded as the cause of flooding to a Grade I-listed church in Dorset to be removed. | 25650212 |
The 21-year-old, who has been on trial with the Lions this summer, has agreed a two-year contract at The Den.
Smith scored 13 goals as Folkestone won the Ryman League South Division last season and becomes Millwall's fifth signing of the transfer window.
"Harry has the attributes to be a very good footballer but he has a lot to improve on," boss Neil Harris said.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | League One side Millwall have signed striker Harry Smith from Folkestone Invicta for an undisclosed fee. | 37022721 |
A contract for the 24/7 helpline, funded by the Department of Health, is due to expire at the end of the year.
The way forward is being consulted on by the Public Health Agency until 19 November.
Fergus Cumiskey, managing director of the charity Contact, which operates Lifeline, said people at risk would be disadvantaged.
"The service that is being proposed is a signposting service, that means a unique reference number will be issued," he said.
"The person in crisis will have to make their way independently to a provider in the community as opposed to the seamless referral process that we currently have that hand-holds and walks the person or the family through the process."
Last year, the charity said there had been a large increase in people contacting its helpline and said calls to its crisis response service had risen by almost a third.
The Lifeline service is Northern Ireland's main helpline for people at risk of suicide.
The Public Health Agency said in a statement that the proposals aimed to "keep the best elements of the current service and expand the overall level of services available".
It said it proposed to maintain the 24/7 telephone service.
"Follow-on counselling services will continue to be offered if needed, and to further improve the service, the agency is proposing to increase the number of counselling sessions available by 27%," a spokesperson said.
"In addition, the proposals include a new service of face to face support for those in immediate need, and complementary therapy sessions to assist recovery and engagement in services." | The head of a charity that provides the suicide prevention service Lifeline has said he is concerned about its future. | 34523871 |
The saddles were initially piloted in 2012, to help transport women in labour in mountainous regions of Afghanistan.
SaddleAid, based on Anglesey, has been working with their donkey 'Queenie' to help adapt and improve the design.
"They can be used for a range of different activities," said Peter Muckle, from SaddleAid.
These include "carrying women who are in labour to the nearest medical facility to using the saddle to enable people with mobility issues to experience horse, pony or donkey riding," he said.
The fully inflated saddle weighs about 8kg (18lb) and provides a frame which can be sat in, with a quick release mechanism that makes it easy to get off the donkey.
SaddleAid aim to train local people to make the saddles, using low-cost and easily available materials.
Hub Cymru Africa, funded by the Welsh government, is supporting the project, which will begin trialling the saddles in parts of northern Ethiopia.
"The time to get to the facilities can often put both the mother and baby at risk, so a device like this can make a real difference when access to roads and vehicles is often not possible, but where many families have access to a horse, pony or donkey," said Cat Jones, Head of Partnership at Hub Cymru Africa. | An inflatable saddle for donkeys developed in Wales is helping mothers-to-be in some of the remotest parts of the world. | 35151804 |
The Barnet-born 30-year-old began his career at his home-town club, but joined Cambridge in July 2013.
He helped the U's to promotion to League Two and win the FA Trophy, before moving back to Barnet last year.
Lincoln are currently two points clear of second-placed Forest Green and Champion goes straight into the squad for Tuesday's match with Solihull. | National League leaders Lincoln have signed midfielder Tom Champion on a 93-day loan from League Two side Barnet. | 37340123 |
David Brickwood, 74, died in hospital after being assaulted in Lindsay Avenue, in Abington, Northampton, at about 02:00 BST on 26 September.
Two men were arrested in connection with the murder but released without charge.
Dale Brickwood described his father as "the most honest, hardworking, caring man I've ever known".
On Thursday family and friends lit lanterns outside the house, as his family appealed for the killer to come forward.
Dozens of flowers were left outside Mr Brickwood's home in the hours after police revealed he had been murdered, and tributes continue to be paid on social media to the man known locally as "Monty".
"That was his dad's name, so the older generation called my dad 'young Monty'," Mr Brickwood said. "He would help anybody."
He said he and his brothers would "never get over" their father's murder.
"I died with him, the night he was so viciously taken away from us. I wish I had been there to protect him from the evil scum," said Mr Brickwood.
He and his brothers arranged a vigil outside Mr Brickwood's Lindsay Avenue home on Thursday night, lighting lanterns and releasing some into the sky. A further vigil is planned for later on Friday.
"I've cried a million tears," Mr Brickwood said. "I just want justice, and to lay my poor dad to rest."
Northamptonshire Police said they were following a number of leads but as yet no-one has been charged with the pensioner's murder. | The son of a man murdered in a "violent and dreadful" attack said he has "cried a million tears". | 34486278 |
Heavily armed men overran the base, in the central town of Nampala, and set parts of it on fire.
Two separate groups have claimed responsibility for the attack.
President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita called a security meeting with the prime minister, defence minister and commanders of the armed forces after being made aware of the deaths.
There are a number of armed groups in Mali, encompassing ethnic and jihadist concerns.
A recently formed group said it attacked the base in response to the Malian army attacking the Fulani ethnic group.
But the Islamist militant group Ansar Dine also said it was responsible.
Last year, three different jihadist groups said they were behind a deadly attack on a hotel in the capital, Bamako.
The French military intervened in the country at its government's request in 2013, and UN peacekeepers have also been present there. | At least 17 soldiers have been killed and 30 wounded in an attack on a military base in Mali, officials say. | 36838896 |
Iain Wightman, who was 18, died after the crash on a rural road on the outskirts of Edinburgh on Monday.
The collision, between Dalmeny and Kirkliston, involved a silver Land Rover Discovery.
A statement from Iain's family said: "Iain was a wonderful, wonderful boy, much loved and missed by his brother Colin, sister Katie and mum and dad."
It continued: "He wanted to train to be an Olympic cyclist and was a great rugby player.
"He is a great loss in our lives and will never be forgotten by those that knew him and we wish he was back with us."
The incident happened on Standingstane Road at its junction with Burnshot Road at about 10:30 on Monday. | The parents of a teenage cyclist who died after a collision with a car have paid tribute to their "wonderful boy". | 36482609 |
Scott, 28, continued his two-year winning streak by pipping Pieter-Jan Postma on the final day of racing at the Aquece Rio International Regatta.
Scott finished fourth in the final race to take his second consecutive test event victory at the 2016 venue.
Mills and Clark led into the medal race but finished second after a penalty.
The 470 pair - who won silver at the London Games - were forced to take penalty turns after infringing another boat at the start and could only finish 10th. | British sailor Giles Scott won in the Finn class at the Olympic test event in Rio as 470 pair Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark took silver. | 34032069 |
Constable Daniel Woodall, 35, and another officer were shot while serving an arrest warrant at a home in Edmonton, Alberta, earlier this month.
Mr Woodall had been working for Edmonton Police for eight years.
His funeral in the city featured a procession of hundreds of officers who marched to the sound of bagpipes.
Mr Woodall's coffin was draped in the Canadian flag and carried as the cortege moved across the city.
Four locations around Edmonton were set up for the public to watch a live video stream of the ceremony.
Howard Burns, president of the Calgary Police Association, said officers' "hearts go out" to Mr Woodall's family.
He told the Calgary Sun newspaper: "I know this is a terrible tragedy. Their lives will never be the same, but hopefully all of the support they've been shown will make this just a little easier for them.
"Often the police can become the public punching bag.
"But I can tell you, when something like this happens and the public rallies around our people, you have to take a step back and say, 'Wow, this is why I do my job.'"
Mr Woodall worked for Edmonton Police's hate crimes unit after being recruited from Greater Manchester Police.
The arrest warrant he was serving was for criminal harassment.
Another officer, Sgt Jason Harley, 38, was shot at the same time.
He was saved by his bulletproof vest.
The CBC reported that the last member of Edmonton Police to be killed on duty before Mr Woodall was in 1990. | A former Greater Manchester police officer who was shot dead while working in Canada has been laid to rest in a funeral ceremony attended by thousands. | 33180565 |
Digital cameras have been installed across the city to tackle what the council called a "growing problem".
New lining and signing is in place and existing road markings and signs have been refreshed.
The council was granted authority to carry out enforcement after submitting a business case to Scottish ministers.
It said 11 cameras had been installed on strategic routes in Aberdeen ahead of the enforcement launch on Monday.
During one day of testing - when only four cameras were being used - 1,200 offences were detected.
The council is allowing motorists a grace period and anyone caught flouting the rules in that time will receive a warning letter instead of a charge notice.
Repeat offenders, however, will be fined.
The penalty for motorists driving in bus lanes has been set at £60, reduced to £30 if paid within 14 days.
The only vehicles allowed to use the bus lanes are buses, taxis, private licensed hire vehicles and bicycles.
Emergency service vehicles can use them only when responding to an emergency. | Motorists who use bus lanes illegally are facing a crackdown in Aberdeen as the city council takes over enforcement. | 21919516 |
Dwyer claimed Dan Cole scrummaged illegally during England's victory over the Wallabies on Saturday.
The RFU has strict guidelines on the use of social media.
Marler, 25, was fined £20,000 and given a two-week ban in April for calling Wales prop Samson Lee "Gypsy boy".
He was suspended for a further two weeks for kicking Grenoble hooker Arnaud Heguy in his first game back.
Marler subsequently made himself unavailable for England's tour of Australia, saying he was "not 100%".
The Harlequins forward was accused by Dwyer of scrummaging illegally during the build-up to England's World Cup group game against Australia last year.
The offensive tweet was quickly deleted from his account.
Eddie Jones' side will seal England's first series win in Australia if they win the second Test in Melbourne on Saturday.
For the latest rugby union news follow @bbcrugbyunion on Twitter. | England prop Joe Marler could face punishment from the Rugby Football Union after an obscene remark directed at former Australia coach Bob Dwyer was posted on his Twitter account. | 36534662 |
A selection of your pictures of Scotland sent in between 10 - 17 February. Send your photos to [email protected] or our Instagram at #bbcscotlandpics | All pictures are copyrighted. | 39003462 |
Traffic in both directions is being diverted to the M4 Second Severn Crossing.
The closure, until 22:00 BST on Sunday, is to allow for routine maintenance work on the bridge.
The Grade I-listed bridge, which originally carried the M4 until the Second Severn Crossing opened in 1996, carries about 17,000 vehicles per day. | The M48 Severn Bridge is closed all weekend for maintenance work. | 40910126 |
The 29-year-old was arrested and held custody following an incident where a 24-year-old woman was attacked on Dixon Road in the early hours of Monday, 19 May.
Police Scotland launched a high-profile inquiry after the attack.
A report is being prepared for the procurator fiscal and the man is due to appear at Glasgow Sheriff Court. | A man is due to appear in court in connection with a serious sexual assault in Glasgow's Govanhill area. | 30453181 |
A six-wicket defeat by Durham sent Hampshire down on the final day of a season which produced just two wins.
"The team's battled really hard over the last couple of months, in a really difficult season," said White.
"There's positives. We've got young players playing regular first-team cricket gaining lots of experience."
A spate of injuries to key players, opening batsman Michael Carberry being diagnosed with cancer and coach Dale Benkenstein leaving halfway through the season for family reasons were just some of the problems Hampshire faced during 2016.
Captain James Vince also missed the majority of the Championship campaign on England duty.
Relegation means Hampshire will return to Division Two after just two seasons in the top tier.
"We're very disappointed that we ended up in this situation," White told BBC Radio Solent. "We felt that the players deserved a little bit more for their efforts.
"It's a very, very competitive division. The amount of injuries we've had would stretch us, whatever size squad we might have.
"We know what to expect in Division Two. We'll want to come back at the first time of asking, but we're also aware that's not an easy task either." | Hampshire will have the strength to battle back from relegation to Division Two of the County Championship, director of cricket Giles White feels. | 37462113 |
The county became the first to object to a change in England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) rules, which would allow the competition to take place.
Essex have since also objected, while Yorkshire, Durham and Sussex are amongst those to give their support.
The rule change requires the support of 31 of the 41 voting members.
"We do support the concept of a new tournament - we're very committed to that concept of reflecting change," O'Farrell told BBC Radio London.
"It is much more to do with how the process is working and what the final outcomes will be, and actually what this means to the longer term structure in the game."
The city-based tournament would involve eight teams and is set to start in 2018, with all first-class counties guaranteed £1.3m by the ECB.
Middlesex do not own their own ground and are instead tenants of the Marylebone Cricket Club at Lord's, which O'Farrell said puts the county in a "unique" position.
"We are very involved in the London boroughs and with schools and other clubs, and we could put that money to very good use there," he continued.
"My concern is for the longer term, we could all sign up for £1.3m a year for four years.
"I worry about year five for county cricket and I worry on behalf of the members, and 150-plus years of Middlesex history.
"That's the debate we're having at the moment, and I'm not sure that the board and I feel sufficiently strong enough to guarantee the future beyond year four." | Middlesex chairman Mike O'Farrell says he supports the concept of a city-based Twenty20 competition, but has long-term concerns over money and governance. | 39671913 |
The new stamps celebrate advances in engineering that have seen UK bridges evolve from humble stone crossings to dramatic and symbolic landmarks.
Completed in 2011, the Peace Bridge features a pair of tall masts, whose system of cables overlap mid-river to form a symbolic structural 'handshake' across the River Foyle.
The new stamps go on sale on Thursday.
Andrew Hammond, Head of Stamps and Collectibles at Royal Mail said: "The story of Britain's engineering genius can be found in its bridges. These new stamps celebrate ten beautiful and ground-breaking landmarks that span centuries of our history."
In a joint statement the First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness described Derry's newest bridge as a beacon of hope.
"We welcome the announcement the Peace Bridge will feature on the latest collection of Royal Mail first class stamps. This stamp will celebrate and raise awareness of this iconic bridge which has not just physically connected two parts of the city but united our people.
"When the bridge was opened in 2011 we hoped it would be a catalyst for change. Now in 2015 the bridge symbolises a new chapter in our history and is viewed not just as a foot bridge but as a beacon of hope.
"The Peace Bridge belongs to everyone and through this initiative we can share it with the world."
The other bridges featured on the stamps are: Tarr Steps (Exmoor); Row Bridge (Lake District); Pulteney Bridge (Bath); Thomas Telford's Craigellachie Bridge (Moray); Pont Grog y Borth / Menai Suspension Bridge; Robert Stephenson's High Level Bridge (Newcastle/Gateshead); Royal Border Bridge (Berwick-upon-Tweed); Tees Transporter Bridge (Middlesbrough); and the Humber Bridge. | Derry's Peace Bridge has been included in the latest collection of first class stamps from the Royal Mail. | 31725061 |
The Tony Martin-trained gelding sustained the injury while working at the Curragh on Saturday.
County Meath-based Martin spoke of his sadness after the seven-year-old's death.
"He did everyone proud and was more than a horse, he was some character and so genuine," said Martin.
"So many people wanted him when he retired because he was such a lovely horse.
"He took us to so many places and the plan this season was to go back out to Melbourne and have another whack.
"He was having a gallop ahead of running on the Flat next week at the Curragh."
Heartbreak City won the Ebor at York last August before heading to Australia where he was beaten just a head by Almandin in the Group One feature at Flemington in November.
Darren Dance, whose Australian Thoroughbred Bloodstock syndicate raced the seven-year-old in partnership with the Here For The Craic Partnership, also paid tribute to the six-times winner.
"It's just so tragic because he was such a lovely, quiet animal and he gave us so much joy." | Heartbreak City, runner-up in last year's Melbourne Cup after winning the Ebor, has been put down after breaking his leg in a gallops accident. | 39837446 |
A decision was made after an inspection on Friday to prevent Tranmere fans making the journey to Surrey.
A new date for the fixture at Kingfield Stadium has yet to be announced.
Tranmere are currently third in the table, just two points behind leaders Lincoln City, with Woking just one place, and a single point, above the relegation places. | Saturday's National League game between Woking and Tranmere Rovers has been postponed because of a frozen pitch. | 38620507 |
Bottom-placed Swans face third-from-bottom Black Cats in a Premier League match on Saturday.
Bradley's side have picked up five points from his seven games in charge with pressure mounting for change.
"If that's the case it shouldn't be Bob Bradley that loses his job, it should be the person who employed Bob Bradley," said Moyes.
"Bob has only been in the job [a matter of weeks]. It must have been the people who made decision, that's the way I would look at it."
Bradley is the first American to manage in the Premier League and the fourth Swansea manager in less than three years.
Chairman Huw Jenkins has said he accepts responsibility for the turmoil in at the club.
Former Everton manager Moyes, who was under pressure himself after a poor start to the season, believes Swansea's plight cannot be blamed on a man who has been in charge for less than two months.
"I think Bob Bradley would have to be given time," he added.
"Whoever would go into Swansea, or Sunderland for example, or some of the clubs at this end of the table and expect it to be a massive turnaround? If anybody thinks that they are completely wrong. They really are."
Bradley has defended himself in the face of criticism, accusing some people of not liking him because of his American accent and claiming some critics are talking "garbage".
Bradley, who succeeded Francesco Guidolin in October, was the first football appointment made by Swansea's new US owners and previously managed Le Havre, Egypt and the USA national team. | Swansea's board not manager Bob Bradley should be under pressure according to Sunderland boss David Moyes. | 38264141 |
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At no time should you endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws collecting any kind of media. | Each day we feature a photograph sent in from across England - the gallery will grow during the week. | 36516795 |
Daniela Ruggiero, 18, and her passenger Charlotte Dove, 17, were on the A10 in Hertfordshire when Luiz Rocker's car hit the back of their vehicle.
Rocker, 48, admitted causing death by careless driving and was cleared of the more serious dangerous driving charge.
He was given a 16-month jail sentence suspended for two years.
At St Albans Crown Court, judge Mark Dennis QC also disqualified Rocker, of Selwyn Court, Tower Road, Ware, from driving for 18 months.
Addressing the public gallery, he said: "I hope the families and friends will come to terms with the approach I have had to take."
During the trial, the court heard Ms Ruggiero, from Hoddesdon, was driving on the northbound carriageway between High Cross and Standon at about 07:45 BST on 15 October 2013 when the deer leapt over the central barrier.
She and Ms Dove, from Cheshunt, who were both dancers, were left shaken but unhurt as their Citroen came to a stop.
Rocker's car then smashed into the back of their vehicle at 68mph, causing the Citroen's fuel tank to rupture and catch fire when ignited by a spark, with the teenagers trapped inside.
Prosecutors argued Rocker had failed to brake in time or reduce his speed before crashing.
But Rocker said there was nothing he could have done to prevent the collision.
The jury heard he got out of his car to try to rescue the teenagers, but was unable to do so because of the severity of the flames.
Judge Dennis QC said Rocker had made "determined and repeated efforts to rescue Daniela and Charlotte".
"No-one hearing about this case could have anything but the deepest sympathy," he told the court.
"One's heart goes out to the families and friends for their loss." | A driver who smashed into two teenagers' car when they had stopped after hitting a deer has avoided being sent to prison. | 36518934 |
Beryl Larkin has lived in her field at Treuddyn, near Mold, for 19 years.
Her lawyer had hoped the application would stall Wednesday's plan to demolish or remove the caravan.
But the council's chief planning officer said they would "not be delaying the action which Mrs Larkin was made aware of in October 2013".
The council said she had twice been prosecuted for failing to comply with an enforcement notice dating back to January 2001.
Andrew Farrow, the council's chief officer for planning and environment, said even if her application had been valid, "given the history to this case it is highly unlikely that planning permission would be granted either by the council or by an inspector acting on behalf of the Welsh ministers on appeal".
He said: "Mrs Larkin has previously had an application for a personal permission refused by the council and on appeal in 2004 and there have been no material changes in circumstances since then."
In a four-page letter last week, the council said any legal challenge should have been brought within three months of October 2013. | A planning application by a 71-year-old woman bidding to save her caravan home from being removed is invalid, Flintshire planners have said. | 32691087 |
The banking giant said it had told its 230 employees in Forth Valley that the service was moving to Edinburgh and Asia.
About 100 jobs will be relocated to Edinburgh, while 70 IT roles will move to India, China and Poland.
The move is part of a review of office space and part of the bank's programme to cut costs by the end of next year.
HSBC, which employs 3,700 people in Scotland, said 26 people would be retained at a smaller office in Stirling.
John Hackett, chief operating officer at the bank said: "As a global organisation, we constantly review roles to make sure they are in the right location.
"We will do all we can to support our colleagues through these changes, which will take place by the end of 2017." | An HSBC technology centre in Stirling is to close with the loss of nearly 90 jobs. | 37520057 |
In thin trading, the Dow Jones still managed to bag a new closing high of 19,152, up 69 points.
The broader S&P 500 was up 9 points at 2,213 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq was 18 points higher at 5,399.
With much of the focus on the annual discount shopping day, retailers made modest gains.
Shares in WalMart and Target finished in positive territory, although they slipped back from a strong start.
US shares have repeatedly set new record highs in recent weeks on expectations that President-elect Donald Trump's promises of tax cuts, higher infrastructure spending and reduced regulation would benefit certain industries.
Connor Campbell, an analyst at Spreadex, said the Dow's latest high marked a 1,200 point rise since the day the election results were announced.
"In and of itself that is astonishing; the fact it comes following the biggest political shock in decades and before a near certain rate hike from the Fed is something else entirely," he said.
Oil prices slid ahead of a key meeting next Wednesday between members of Opec, where the oil cartel is hoping to reach an agreement with non-Opec members to cap output.
US crude slipped 2% to $46 a barrel. | US stock markets reached fresh record highs on Black Friday after re-opening following Thursday's Thanksgiving holiday. | 38103426 |
Scunthorpe needed to better Barnsley's result at Wigan to secure the final play-off position but the Tykes' victory ended their top-six ambitions.
Tom Hopper put the Iron ahead as he slid Paddy Madden's deflected effort past keeper George Long from 15 yards.
Madden fired past Long after half-time as Scunthorpe kept pushing but they ended the season in seventh place.
Scunthorpe started the day on equal points with Barnsley and began strongly, with Luke Williams' long-range effort well held by Long.
Billy Sharp curled Matt Done's cross wide of the post as the Blades struggled to make any impact, before the unmarked Hooper tapped the Iron's first goal past Long.
The home side looked stronger after the break as Sharp saw his low effort from distance turned wide, but a defensive mix-up in the box allowed Madden to score his 23rd of the season.
Long pulled off two excellent saves as Williams and Madden came close for the visitors, but Barnsley's win scuppered their chance of reaching the play-offs. | Scunthorpe United failed to make the League One play-offs despite beating Sheffield United at Bramall Lane. | 36180664 |
Conservative MP James Cartlidge is to raise the issue during a debate in Parliament.
The late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi supplied arms to the IRA during the Troubles and Libyan Semtex was a key weapon in its bombing campaign.
Libya compensated US victims of terrorism, but UK victims were left out of the deal.
Earlier this year, former prime minister Tony Blair denied trying to prevent IRA victims getting any financial compensation from Libya.
Mr Blair's comments came in written evidence to the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee.
Links between the IRA and Libya can be traced back to 1972 when Gaddafi first praised the group as allies in a struggle against Western imperialism.
Gaddafi later helped provide the IRA with the weaponry they needed to wage an armed campaign that lasted more than 30 years and claimed more than 1,000 lives.
Victims of IRA bomb attacks say they are entitled to money from the frozen bank accounts of Gaddafi.
Towards the end of Gaddafi's rule, relatives of the victims in the 1988 Pan AM flight bombing over Lockerbie received compensation from Libya, which accepted responsibility for the attack. | MPs are to hear calls that UK victims of Libyan-sponsored terrorism should be compensated. | 37340163 |
4 January 2017 Last updated at 18:52 GMT
BBC Africa security correspondent Tomi Oladipo looks at the impact they have had. | The UN spends almost $8bn (£6.5bn) on peacekeeping in Africa - supporting some 65,000 troops in nine countries. | 38471394 |
The 21-year-old victim suffered leg, arm and head injuries when he was hit in Guildford by the van driven by Raymond Harms.
Harms pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm, damaging property and dangerous driving at an earlier Guildford Crown Court hearing.
He was jailed for a total of six years and four months.
Harms, of Yew Tree Drive, Guildford, was also banned from driving for eight years and two months.
Two other men from Guildford were also sentenced for their involvement in the attack in Bowers Farm Drive, Burpham on 12 May.
Ian Vase, 29, of Pond Meadow, who pleaded guilty to affray, was jailed for six months.
Shaun Ritson, 31, of Lime Grove, who admitted threatening behaviour, was given a 12-month community order including 120 hours' unpaid work.
The charges also related to incidents that took place in Lawrence Close the same evening. | A 25-year-old man has been jailed after he ran another man over in his van, causing him serious injuries. | 37048701 |
Pte Gavin Williams, 22, of Hengoed, Caerphilly, was serving with the Second Battalion of the Royal Welsh Regiment at Lucknow Barracks in Wiltshire.
He died from heart failure as a result of heatstroke after a physical punishment known as "beasting".
Judge Alan Large, assistant coroner for Wilshire and Swindon, reopened Pte Williams's inquest on Monday.
In a statement the soldier's mother said her son was unhappy after being posted to the barracks in Tidworth and was targeted for punishment.
The inquest heard Wiltshire Constabulary conducted a criminal investigation into Pte Williams's death and charged three men in July 2006.
Sgt Russell Price, 45, Sgt Paul Blake, 37, and Cpl John Edwards, 42, were found not guilty of manslaughter by a jury at Winchester Crown Court.
The investigation branch of the royal military police then looked at the matter.
In 2009 following their report, the service prosecuting authority decided no prosecutions would be brought against any Army personnel.
In 2010 a further investigation was conducted by the army as to whether any actions should be taken.
A service inquiry commenced in 2011 and in February 2013 produced a report.
The hearing continues. | Details of punishment exercises which led to the death of a soldier in 2006 will be made public, a coroner said. | 34696576 |
Botham played for the county in their inaugural first-class season in 1992 and ended his career there the following year.
Durham were relegated to Division Two of the County Championship last month over financial issues.
"It is important that we all recognise the size of the task ahead," the 60-year-old said.
Durham finished fourth in Division One of the County Championship this summer but were relegated after accepting a £3.8m financial aid package, which was approved by the England and Wales Cricket Board.
The north east club also agreed a deal with Durham County Council over their debts, which will see £3.74m of loans from the council converted into shares, and will start next season with a 48-point deduction.
Durham also face a four-point penalty in the 2017 T20 Blast and a two-point deduction in the One-Day Cup, and have lost the right to stage Test cricket at their Riverside ground.
"As someone who lives locally it is an honour to have the opportunity to contribute to the club's future, to look forward and to continue to produce the talent that will serve both the county and England well in the years ahead," added Botham, who will take on the role when he returns from his media duties on England's forthcoming tour of India.
"We will work closely with the ECB and Durham County Council in the months ahead as we develop a plan to ensure continued success for this great club."
Botham, who also played for Somerset and Worcestershire, was England's leading Test wicket-taker, with 383 victims, for almost 30 years before being overtaken by James Anderson in April 2015. | Former England all-rounder Sir Ian Botham is set to become chairman of Durham. | 37862049 |
The organisers of the event, near Beauly, said it was believed that it would be the first time the Welsh star had performed in the Highlands.
Jones, who has sold more than 100 million records since the 1960s, will appear on the main stage on 8 August.
Razorlight, Billy Bragg and Frightened Rabbit are among the other acts signed up to play at Belladrum.
Also The Bad Shepherds, whose line up includes comedian Adrian Edmondson, The Temperance Movement and The Mekons and Robbie Fulks.
Festival promoter Joe Gibbs said: "Sir Tom has long been a hero of mine and it is a singular privilege to be able to welcome him to a Highland stage.
"We are also thrilled by the appearance of Razorlight at Bella, whose last festival appearance in the Highlands was to headline Rock Ness in 2008."
Last year's festival sold out its 15,800 capacity six weeks in advance of it taking place. | Singer and judge on The Voice, Tom Jones, is to perform at this summer's Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival. | 26746888 |
Most people in custody are less than happy about it, but in pictures shared by officers on Facebook, Annie could not have been more delighted.
Annie, who had not committed any crime, was allowed to sit in a cell at the police station in Nijmegen Zuid, 75 miles south-east of Amsterdam, in order to achieve "one of her last wishes".
The idea came from her family.
"Her niece came to us with this request," a police officer at the station told the BBC. "When she was reporting a crime, she told the police officer about Annie's 'bucket list'."
And social media users around the world have been queuing up to congratulate her, as the post detailing her stint inside a cell has been widely shared, generating thousands of reactions online.
"You are no-one until you go to jail. Great job Auntie!" one user commented. Others praised the police for helping Annie to realise her dream.
"You get many unusual requests with this profession," the police officer said. "We thought it would be nice to do something special for Annie."
By UGC and Social News team | A 99-year-old Netherlands woman has fulfilled a "bucket list" dream - by spending time in a police cell. | 39108654 |
A selection of photos from across the African continent this week: | Images courtesy of AP, EPA, PA and Reuters | 37507998 |
The male conductor, 39, was attacked as the 12:30 Edinburgh Waverley to Aberdeen service approached its destination at about 14:55 on Thursday.
The attacker had boarded coach C of the train at Stonehaven about 15 minutes earlier.
British Transport Police (BTP) have urged any witnesses to the incident to come forward.
The attacker was about 5ft 7in tall, wearing a light-coloured baseball cap, a light brown and green jacket, a dark jumper, dark trousers and dark blue trainers.
BTP said he had been under the influence of alcohol.
Constable Craig Allan, the officer in charge of the inquiry, said: "Rail staff should be able to work in an environment free from the threat of encountering violence or anti-social behaviour.
"This attack is unacceptable and I am appealing for anyone who was on the train and may have witnessed the assault to come forward."
CCTV footage from the train and stations will be reviewed as part of the inquiry. | Police are hunting a passenger who punched a train conductor in an unprovoked attack. | 30547606 |
Officers were called to a property in Hawick's Fisher Avenue at about 16:00 on Wednesday.
A Police Scotland spokeswoman said the body of a 45-year-old woman had been found in the property.
A joint investigation between the police and fire service is under way to establish "the full circumstances surrounding this incident". | Police are investigating the death of a woman after a house fire in the Borders. | 36044131 |
The company also said revenue rose to $8.42bn, a 17% increase from the same period last year.
Fox was helped by the success of the films X-Men: Days of Future Past, Rio 2, and The Fault in Our Stars.
Shares in the company rose 2% in after-hours trading.
"As we close the fiscal year, I continue to have confidence in our ability to execute our growth plan and drive value for our shareholders," said Mr Murdoch in a statement accompanying earnings. | Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox reported profits of $999m (£624m) in the third quarter, buoyed by strong earnings in its film and cable television units. | 29903671 |
Some 15 people were killed and hundreds injured when government troops charged a 60,000-strong crowd who were demanding political reform.
Leigh told Screen International the story had "personal resonance... as a native of Manchester and Salford".
The film is being touted as the Mr Turner director's biggest budget feature to date.
Mr Turner earned the British director four Oscar nominations, including one for cinematographer Dick Pope, with whom Leigh will be collaborating again on the new film.
Both Leigh and leading man Timothy Spall failed to pick up any hoped-for awards, but Mr Turner's commercial success has seen it take more than £6.4m in the UK alone.
Leigh hopes to shoot the Peterloo Massacre film in 2017, citing its "universal political significance".
The "historic event" is seen as a defining event in British political history, while its repercussions included the founding of the Guardian newspaper.
Leigh is currently rehearsing with the English National Opera. He will direct their production of Gilbert and Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance, which opens on 9 May.
The filmmaker previously directed 1999 film Topsy-Turvy about musical duo Gilbert and Sullivan. | Director Mike Leigh is to make a film about the events of the 1819 Peterloo Massacre in Manchester. | 32347595 |
David Hall, 48, stabbed Dennis Plater, 82, more than 40 times in an attack at his home in Stroud in November 2014.
Bristol Crown Court heard Hall lost his temper after Mr Plater hired another gardener due to his unreliability.
Hall will serve at least 18 years in prison but was told by the judge he may never be released.
The court was told Hall had been paid £5 an hour to look after Mr Plater's landscaped garden.
But Mr Plater decided to hire another gardener after Hall failed to turn up on a series of Mondays that had been agreed.
The court was told Hall visited Mr Plater after receiving an "apologetic" message on his mobile, on 5 November 2014, telling him of the loss of his job.
He stabbed him to death in his kitchen then "cleared out" more than £100 in cash from Mr Plater's home.
Hall left the property, using Mr Plater's key to lock the front door, then threw the murder weapon and key into a nearby canal.
Mr Plater's body was discovered the day after by his neighbour and new gardener, who used a spare key to gain entry.
Hall caught a train to Portsmouth where he had moved a month earlier and was arrested by police in Southsea.
At a previous hearing Hall had admitted murder, but denied it was for financial gain saying he lost his temper after Mr Plater refused to shake his hand.
Judge Neil Ford QC ruled Mr Plater's killing was not financially motivated but described the attack as "an extraordinarily callous act".
Jailing him for life he told Hall: "I have no doubt that when you commenced that attack you intended to kill him." | A homeless gardener has been jailed for life after admitting the murder of an elderly customer in Gloucestershire. | 35279868 |
Archie Darby, aged four months, died after being attacked in Colchester, Essex, on Thursday afternoon.
His brother Daniel-Jay Darby, who is 22 months old, is still in hospital.
Essex police and crime commissioner Roger Hirst said the dog was "owned by the aunt of the children".
He confirmed the woman "works for police" but could not clarify in which position and for which force.
She has been named by other media outlets as 31-year-old Clare Ferdinand.
Mr Hirst also said the family pet - believed to be a Staffordshire bull terrier-type - "didn't have any history" of aggression and "wasn't at all vicious".
The boys' mother was left with minor injuries after the attack in a house in Harwich Road. Police were called there at 15:10 BST on Thursday.
"It doesn't seem real that our little Archie Bum has gone to heaven and our little Daniel is in intensive care because of a tragic, tragic incident involving a dog attack," she said in a statement along with the boys' father.
"We have lost our gorgeous little four-month-old baby and our beautiful 22-month-old boy is currently being treated for his injuries.
"Heaven has gained a beautiful little angel and he will be greatly missed by us all and our other little soldier is still fighting strong." | A dog which killed a baby boy and seriously injured a toddler was owned by the children's aunt who works for the police, the BBC understands. | 37666769 |
According to an affidavit, Kevin Mallory, a 60-year-old from Virginia, is said to have travelled to Shanghai in March and April 2017.
He also failed to declare $16,500 (£13,000) in cash found in two carry-on bags when travelling through Chicago airport, said the Associated Press.
Under the federal Espionage Act, he could face life in prison.
The FBI has confirmed he was entrusted with high-level clearance when working for the government.
His access was rescinded when he ceased to be a state employee in 2012, after which he became a self-employed consultant.
The Washington Post said that, according to two government officials, Mr Mallory was employed by the CIA, but this information was not given in court.
During a voluntary interview with FBI agents in May, Mr Mallory said the person he met in Shanghai told him he was working for a Chinese think-tank, the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences (SASS).
The FBI has, since at least 2014, believed that Chinese spies use SASS affiliations to cover-up their identities, according to the US Department of Justice.
The affidavit also detailed a note Mr Mallory allegedly wrote to the individual, saying "your object is to gain information, and my object is to be paid".
Mr Mallory, who speaks Chinese Mandarin, made an initial appearance in court on Thursday, and will return for a preliminary hearing on Friday.
"These charges should send a message to anyone who would consider violating the public's trust and compromising our national security by disclosing classified information," said Dana J Boente, acting assistant attorney general for national security. | A former US diplomatic officer has been arrested and charged with giving top-secret documents to a Chinese agent. | 40376067 |
The 7ft 1in bowler was one of three players suspended following an anti-corruption investigation focused on the Pakistan Super League.
Six months of the ban will be suspended if Irfan, 34, fulfils certain conditions imposed on him.
He last played for Pakistan in 2016.
In February, the PCB announced it was investigating "an international syndicate which is believed to be attempting to corrupt the PSL".
Internationals Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif, who both play for Islamabad United alongside Irfan, have been provisionally suspended.
Left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar (Quetta Gladiators) and opening batsman Shazaib Hassan (Karachi Kings) were also questioned by the PCB's anti-corruption unit.
Irfan, who has played Test, one-day and Twenty20 cricket for his country, last appeared for Pakistan in an ODI against England at Headingley in September 2016.
Half of his ban will be suspended if there is no further breach and he will also be required to take part in an anti-corruption education program. He was also fined one million Pakistan rupees (£7,680).
Pakistan batsman Nasir Jamshed was one of two men arrested by the National Crime Agency in Britain in February as part of an investigation into cricket corruption.
A third suspect was also arrested in Sheffield and all three were released on bail. | Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Irfan has been banned for a year by the Pakistan Cricket Board for twice failing to report approaches by bookmakers linked to spot-fixing. | 39264715 |
There were reports Sligo used seven substitutes, one more than is allowed, during their six-point win over the saffrons in Saturday's first round tie.
However GAA spokesman Alan Milton told BBC Sport "nothing untoward" had taken place on the Sligo bench.
He explained one of the Sligo changes was officially listed as a blood sub.
The times and venues for Round 2A of the qualifiers, including Derry's trip to Mayo, will be confirmed on Tuesday. | The GAA have confirmed there will be no replay of Antrim's All-Ireland SFC qualifier defeat by Sligo despite a query over the number of subs used. | 40334918 |
Irish all-rounder Mark Adair, 19, slow left-armer Sunny Singh, 19, and former Worcestershire junior Ed Pollock, 20, a middle-order batsman, have all signed.
All three players will be part of Dougie Brown's first-team squad.
"We're hopeful that giving them more experience will ensure that they continue to develop," said Brown.
"They have exciting futures in the game," added the Bears director of cricket. "Mark, Sunny and Ed will form an integral part of the squad for the 2016 season and hopefully push towards full contracts."
Belfast-born Adair, who made his first-class debut in last season's final County Championship game against Somerset at Taunton, joined Warwickshire's academy the end of the 2012 season.
India-born, Birmingham-bred Singh, who joined the academy in 2013, has been a Second XI regular for the past two seasons. He has spent this winter at the Darren Lehmann Academy in Adelaide.
High Wycombe-born Pollock also made his first-class debut against Somerset last April, for Durham MCCU.
The former Worcester Royal Grammar School pupil, who is studying at Durham University, also played for Herefordshire in the Minor Counties Championship last summer, making 227 not out against Shropshire.
Warwickshire, now under the leadership of Ian Bell, are looking to improve on a season in which they finished fifth in Division One in the County Championship.
In limited-overs cricket, the Bears came sixth in their One-Day Cup qualifying group and, as defending champions, were beaten on home soil at Edgbaston in the semis on T20 Blast Finals Day. | Warwickshire have put three of their most promising youngsters on academy development contracts for the 2016 season. | 35639812 |
Hertfordshire Police tweeted to joke about the incident.
The officer had already helped to stop nearly 400 vehicles in one day near Bishop's Stortford.
Having ensured the load was safe, he finished his shift and left to "search for his sense of humour".
The illegally-loaded van was one of 391 vehicles pulled over during a one-day multi-agency operation on Tuesday.
Click here for more people doing both legal and illegal things in Hertfordshire
A number of motoring offences were identified in the crackdown.
During the day police tweeted that Sgt Duncan Wallace "wasn't impressed" when he found a bald tyre, "especially with the cold weather conditions".
Shortly afterwards he came across the protruding carpet, and his colleagues wrote on Twitter: "At this point Sgt Wallace... completely lost his sense of humour."
The driver of the van was "reported for contravening the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 and was not allowed to leave the location until he made the load safe", a Hertfordshire Police spokeswoman said.
Sgt Wallace thanked motorists for their patience and said the "vast majority" were "law-abiding" and fully supported such police operations. | Police stopped a driver after a rolled-up carpet was seen protruding about 2.5m (8ft) from the back of a van, causing one officer to "completely lose his sense of humour". | 38979554 |
Google parent Alphabet reported its results after the stock market closed, while Amazon and Facebook are also due to report results later this week.
The tech-focused Nasdaq index added 23.05 points, or 0.36%, to 6,410.81.
The Dow Jones slid 0.31% to 21,513.17 and the wider S&P 500 index dipped 0.11% to 2,469.91.
"The tech sector is the leading sector so far this year," said John Augustine, chief investment officer at Huntington Bank.
He said investors would be looking to tech stock results to "set a positive tone and give positive guidance."
Caterpillar, Ford and ExxonMobil, among others, are also due to report results this week.
But investors remain wary ahead of a two-day Federal Reserve meeting, which begins on Tuesday.
"There isn't much conviction one way or the other right now," Patrick O'Hare of Briefing.com said, noting the week's busy calendar was leaving investors uncertain.
Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve will announce its decision on interest rates at the end of its two day meeting on Wednesday.
The US central bankers are not expected to make any changes, but their accompanying statement may set the tone for future policy for the year. | The Nasdaq hit a fresh record high on Monday ahead of second quarter results from a host of tech giants. | 40706108 |
The broadcaster aired 30 episodes of the hour-long show, titled Mel and Sue, in January and February.
But it has not been recommissioned. An ITV spokesperson said: "Mel and Sue are great talents and we hope to work with them on other projects in the future."
The pair have returned as hosts of BBC One's The Great British Bake Off, which attracted 10 million viewers last week.
Their success on Bake Off was one reason why ITV gave the hosts their own show, which featured celebrity guests and cookery demonstrations.
The show, in a format similar to the Channel 4 Light Lunch series which launched their TV careers in the 90s, attracted an average 790,000 viewers.
But it was regularly beaten by other shows in the same 16:00 time slot including Escape to the Country and Antiques Road Trip, which attracted around two million viewers. | ITV has decided not to bring back Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins' daytime chat show for a second series. | 33859845 |
Benjamin Herman, of Hook, Hampshire, is charged with three counts of indecent assault on a girl under the age of 13 in the early 1970s, when he was serving as equerry to Prince Philip.
The 79-year-old is also charged with one count of indecency with a child.
Mr Herman pleaded not guilty to the charges at Kingston Crown Court.
The count of indecency with a child relates to a claim he incited the same girl to commit an act of gross indecency between January 1972 and January 1974.
The assaults are alleged to have happened at a house in south-west London used by military personnel, where Mr Herman was living at the time.
He was a serving major in the Royal Marines on secondment as equerry, handling the Duke's private matters and engagements.
He has been bailed and a trial date has been set for 18 May next year. The case is expected to last two weeks. | A former personal assistant to the Duke of Edinburgh has denied four counts of historic sex abuse against a young girl. | 29918194 |
The 32-year-old has scored 9,522 first-class runs at an average of 37.63, with 51 half-centuries and 21 hundreds.
Horton will join Neil Dexter in the Grace Road line-up, the Middlesex batsman having agreed a deal with Leicestershire on Monday.
Chief executive Wasim Khan said: "It is terrific we have signed two experienced batsmen with leadership experience."
He added: "Like Neil, Paul has an excellent track record in all three formats of the game and will be another great role model for our younger professionals to learn from.
"We are delighted to have both players on board for the next three seasons." | Leicestershire have signed experienced opening batsman Paul Horton on a three-year contract from Lancashire. | 34223979 |
He told the Australian Financial Review (AFR) that his May budget would be based on the anticipated price of iron ore falling further, to $35 a tonne.
Iron ore is currently trading at $47 a tonne - down from $120 a tonne in 2013.
The drop has been blamed partly on falling demand in China.
The estimated price of $35 a tonne is even lower than the conservative forecast from December's budget update, which assumed prices would fall to $60 a tonne.
"There seems to be no floor, we are contemplating as low as $35 a tonne," Mr Hockey told the AFR.
He said every fall of $10 in the price of the ore cost the Australian economy A$2.5bn in revenue.
Mr Hockey is due to present his budget on 12 May.
He told the AFR the budget would contain "a credible path back to surplus" but refused to say when a surplus may be achieved.
He also could not guarantee that the deficit may not worsen again.
He said the government would have to continue pursuing structural savings, which have included unpopular cuts to health and welfare budgets.
In a separate interview with ABC News Breakfast on Monday, Mr Hockey said there was "no doubt" iron ore prices had a big impact on the budget.
But, he said, the government would not impose new taxes to compensate for the lost revenue.
The drop in the value of iron ore has been linked to a slowdown in China, as well as to steady output from Chinese producers who are competing with major Australian mining companies. | Australia expects the plunging price of iron ore - its biggest export - to reduce revenue forecasts by A$25bn (£13bn; $19bn) over the next four years, Treasurer Joe Hockey has said. | 32281858 |
Kemar Beckford, 25, was fatally shot by the off-duty officer after reportedly attempting to rob patrons with a gun.
The incident happened early on Saturday morning in Hopewell, a fishing village in north-western Jamaica.
The probe is being carried out by the police and the country's Independent Commission of Investigations.
Reports say Mr Beckford entered the bar wearing a mask and attempted an armed robbery, before being challenged by the other policeman who was off-duty at the bar.
The intervening officer and another patron were injured in the shootout.
The police have seized a car they believe had been driven by the constable and left idling outside the bar in a bid to make a quick escape.
They also believe the officer had an accomplice who reportedly fled the scene.
"Those are the persons who are supposed to serve and protect and they are the ones carrying out these heinous acts," a bystander is quoted as saying by the Jamaica Observer.
Hopewell is not far from the popular holiday resort of Montego Bay. | Jamaica has begun a high-level investigation into the killing of a policeman shot dead by another officer after allegedly trying to rob a bar. | 32193300 |
Angus Villar, 27, from Saffron Walden in Essex, was at the Address Downtown Hotel on New Year's Eve.
His mother, who did not wish to be named, uses a wheelchair.
Mr Villar said: "It was lucky for us we were only on the 15th floor, not the 60th, because I might have been struggling by the end of that."
The tower was successfully evacuated with 16 people hurt, mainly with minor injuries, according to the Dubai authorities.
Mr Villar was visiting his parents in Dubai, where his father works as a surgeon.
He said there was no fire alarm, but they realised there were flames at about 21:00 local time.
"There was confusion and no-one knew what had happened, but I could see the balcony of the neighbouring room was on fire," he said.
"I wheeled my mother out to the exit, but there didn't seem to be a way to get wheelchairs down and I wasn't going to wait to find out, so I put her on my back and she's not too heavy.
"It's what anyone would do, essentially.
"When I got out and saw it with my own eyes, I saw how serious it was."
Mr Villar said he was put up in another hotel and is due to fly home next week. | A man has been explaining how he had to carry his mother down 15 flights of stairs during the hotel fire in Dubai. | 35209584 |
Angela Poole, 49, of Derby and George Taylor, 56, formerly of Derby, made false claims through the Access of Work scheme.
They also evaded income tax, Derby Crown Court was told.
Poole, who denied the charges, was found guilty and jailed for four years.
Taylor, who pleaded guilty to two charges of fraud and one of cheating the public revenue, will be sentenced later.
Department for Work and Pensions spokesman Matthew Bentley said: "If Angela Poole was matching the level of work she claimed, she would have been working 21 hours a day to generate the £200,000 she was claiming a year.
"The pair spent much of the money travelling the world, often claiming for work while they were out of the country. She even claimed for £5,000 even though she was on holiday in Dubai."
Poole ran Angel Interpreting and BSL Talking Hands, two British sign language firms, along with Taylor.
The investigation also uncovered tax avoidance of more than £690,000 - making the total fraud more than £1m, a revenue and customs (HMRC) spokesman said.
Justin Tomlinson, minister for disabled people, said: "Access to Work is a vital scheme that supports disabled people into employment and for someone to defraud it on this scale is appalling."
The couple falsely claimed they had provided the sign language work through two firms they operated between 2008 and 2013.
The department began investigating after it was tipped off by deaf people in Derby that the couple were making false claims.
"Tax fraud is a serious criminal offence and Poole must now pay the price for stealing money from taxpayers which could have been used to fund vital public services," Gary Forbes of the HMRC's criminal taxes unit said. | Two sign language interpreters have been found guilty of making false benefit claims and tax evasion of more than £1m in a scam that helped them pay for expensive holidays abroad. | 33053694 |
The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) said the incident was reported just before 12:45 BST on Wednesday.
It said the woman had been taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital with a knee injury.
An eyewitness told the BBC that the car had lurched forward and knocked into three women.
John Sheil, who was watching the parade, said the woman was taking part in the march when a car going past Drumglass Park hit her and two other women.
He said that the incident appeared to be an accident.
It "brushed one girl, knocked another one right up in the air and another was trapped under the car," said Mr Sheil.
Police said it received a report of a road traffic collision in the Lisburn Road area of south Belfast and that three women "received minor injuries when they were struck by a grey Peugeot car that was travelling as part of the parade". | A woman has suffered a leg injury after being struck by a car during a Twelfth of July parade on the Lisburn Road in south Belfast. | 40583291 |
Union representatives met ScotRail management, Transport Minister Derek MacKay, and Transport Scotland officials over the issue.
The RMT said about 40% of the ScotRail fleet should be fitted with controlled emission tanks by April 2016.
The remainder are due to be fully fitted by December 2017.
RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said: "The fact the programme for the elimination of the filthy, disgusting and dangerous practice of dumping sewage on our railways is further advanced in Scotland is 100% down to the hard work and campaigning over several years by representatives, members and officials of RMT.
"Network Rail in Scotland are also in the process of arranging briefings to frontline maintenance staff and offering vaccinations to reduce the risk to staff from untreated human excrement which is another important development resulting from the RMT campaign.
"If real targets can be laid down for ending the scandal of sewage on our railways in Scotland then they can be achieved across the whole network." | The date for the elimination of trains dumping sewage on Scotland's rail tracks has been brought forward after a campaign, the RMT union has said. | 33303715 |
Pensions auto-enrolment and the impending National Living Wage are seen as factors in the dip in confidence.
However, the survey was carried out before the Budget, which was viewed as good for small companies.
"Small business confidence has clearly faltered, " said the FSB's vice-chairman, Sandra Dexter.
"Which is why the welcome small business focus in the Budget is so important," she added.
"We need a renewed push for growth and productivity, with policymakers delivering a sustained package of support for ambitious small firms," she added.
The survey found FSB members in all UK regions reported a fall in confidence, but it was most marked in London and the East of England.
Overall, Scotland and Northern Ireland were the least confident regions.
The organisation, which represents about 200,000 firms, points to "uncertainty about the strength of the UK and global economy" as contributing to cooling confidence.
It also highlights the first fall in jobs being created by its members for three years and the weakest performance for their exports since 2012.
However, Ms Dexter acknowledged that budget measures, including changes to business rates which will mean many small firms will not have to pay at all, would help.
"Delivering on tax simplification measures will be vital," she added, "as will pressing ahead with new investment in much-needed infrastructure.
"Taken together, these measures should help to boost confidence and help small firms to grow and succeed."
The results of the survey were published ahead of the FSB's national conference, which is being held in Glasgow. | The owners of small and medium-sized firms are less confident than at any time since 2013, according to the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). | 35841622 |
J Jayalalitha announced the expulsions in a brief statement and told her party not to conduct any relations with the expelled members.
Correspondents say the action against Ms Sasikala is drastic.
She has enjoyed the absolute confidence of Ms Jayalalitha for many decades.
VN Sudhakaran - Ms Sasikala's son - who is the chief minister's foster son, has also been expelled.
Ms Sasikala, Mr Natarajan and their relatives, including TTV Dinakaran and VN Sudhakaran were "being expelled from all posts, including the party's primary membership," Press Trust of India quoted Ms Jayalalitha as saying.
The action against Ms Sasikala has surprised many people in Tamil Nadu as she has been seen with Ms Jayalalitha in most of her private and public appearances.
There has been no official reason for the expulsions.
Ms Sasikala is also one of the accused in a corruption case against Ms Jayalalitha.
Ms Jayalalitha is accused of amassing $13.6m (£8.5m) during her first term as chief minister between 1991 and 1996. She denies the allegation.
In what is known as a "disproportionate assets" case, prosecutors allege that this sum exceeds what she should have earned once all legally held assets and sources of income were taken into account.
A former actress, Ms Jayalalitha is one of India's most colourful and controversial politicians. | The chief minister of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu has expelled her close aide VK Sasikala, her husband M Natarajan and 10 others from her AIADMK party. | 16241468 |
McAree had been working alongside Murphy, first as head coach and then first team coach, since December 2011.
Murphy stepped down after losing 1-0 at Ballymena and has become an Elite Development Coach with the Irish FA.
"I look forward to getting started with a group of players who I have a lot of time and respect for," said McAree.
The former long-serving Dungannon Swifts midfielder, 41, also played under his father, Joe, who had several spells in charge of his hometown club.
Dungannon are second from bottom in the Irish Premiership having picked up just two wins and accumulated eight points from 13 matches this season.
"Looking at our league form, we need to target picking up points, and I believe the squad of players are capable of getting the results that we need to put us in a better position," said McAree. | Dungannon Swifts have appointed Rodney McAree as head coach on a permanent basis in the wake of Darren Murphy's resignation as manager on Saturday. | 34646119 |
Rutherford Castle Golf Club closed down in 2015 due to falling membership.
Development firm Richmond Wight Estates bought the 200-acre site near Carlops, and plans to transform it with 300 luxury lodges, a dry ski slope, and leisure and equestrian centres.
Detailed plans, which include retaining nine holes of the golf course, are to be submitted later in the year.
It is thought the project could create about 200 jobs.
Richmond Wight Estates has previously developed parks in Perthshire, Moray and Dumfries and Galloway.
Managing director Chek Whyte said: "We are very pleased to have concluded this deal to buy the land at Rutherford Castle and expand our leisure portfolio, in a fantastic location well placed for both Edinburgh and Glasgow."
Plans were previously approved to build a £50m hotel at the site, although developer Manor Kingdom eventually used its part of the site to build luxury housing instead. | Plans have been unveiled to turn a former Borders golf course into an upmarket holiday estate. | 35569127 |
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