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Court bid to protect against ‘ghost landlords’ fails - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Property owners welcome ruling that defines who a landlord is, but campaigners say it lets down tenants.
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Business
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A legal bid to protect tenants from so called "ghost landlords" has failed, in a move that could have significant implications for people looking to claim their rent back if they live in bad conditions.
In a landmark ruling the Supreme Court stated that a landlord is the person a tenant signs their contract with, and not the property's owner.
Housing campaigners say the ruling will be a "blueprint" for landlords to avoid taking responsibility for properties.
But the National Residential Landlord's Association (NRLA) said it gives much needed clarity for those worried they could be responsible if secondary companies let out their home in poor conditions.
Those representing tenants and landlords say there has been an increase in a practice known as rent-to-rent which allows a company to rent a whole home from a landlord, and then let rooms individually for profit.
Critics say having a "ghost landlord" in this way often leaves properties in poor condition and tenants with nowhere to turn, and that some owners are using such companies to avoid legal repercussions.
But some property owners say they too are being deceived by the same rogue operators and need the protection this ruling has given them.
The court considered whether rent repayment orders for housing offences should be made against immediate landlords, or the "supreme landlord" when there is a chain of tenancies involved.
It ruled that rent repayment orders can only be made against the immediate landlord.
The court said that rogue landlords can face other sanctions such as fines and banning orders and it is up to parliament to decide whether these are sufficient.
Ben Beadle, chief executive of the NRLA, which intervened in the case in support of responsible landlords, said the case was never about whether legal obligations should be met, but about who should be held responsible in rent-to-rent cases.
He said the ruling makes clear that rent-to-rent companies acting as a landlord need to make sure that relevant legal requirements are met.
"It is simply not right that such companies can take money from people without any responsibility for the property they are running," he said.
But rental campaigners are worried this ruling puts tenants at risk.
"This decision creates a blueprint for property owners who want to maximise their profit," said Alasdair Mcclenahan from the not-for-profit organisation Justice For Tenants.
"Cram as many tenants as can fit into inhuman conditions and extract extra rent from desperate humans who need a place to call home.
"With this Supreme Court ruling, rogue landlords can sidestep the law and tar the reputation of all landlords."
Rent-to-rent is not illegal, and those who promote it say it brings down rents by giving tenants the option of renting single rooms rather than whole homes.
A tribunal ruled that Jess should get her rent back, but she is yet to receive any money
However, some renters have been caught out when rent-to-rent is done badly because it's not clear who is responsible for repairs.
Jess rented a room in a flat in London and found it in a "general state of disrepair".
"There were mice in the kitchen and animal footprints on the beds when we first moved in," Jess told the BBC in January.
She says it was not just unclean, it was dangerous too.
"The shared bathroom was giving off electric shocks around the shower and we didn't have a fire door either."
Jess also discovered the flat, because it was shared by five or more individual tenants, should have had a House of Multiple Occupancy (HMO) licence in place. But it didn't.
After moving out of the property two years ago, she and her housemates came together to try to get their rent back at a tribunal.
"We had no idea who to pin it down to, it was like chasing a ghost," she says of her landlord. "They are not physically there."
Jess and four of her old flatmates applied for a Rent Repayment Order and the tribunal ruled in their favour. But it was complicated - with several parties named as being liable.
The owner of the property told us she doesn't manage the flat where Jess lived and is appealing against the basis for the tribunal's finding. The person who Jess dealt with as her landlord didn't respond to a request for a comment.
Housing campaigners and landlords will now be looking to the government and the upcoming Renters Reform Bill which is going through parliament to see whether this issue will be part of the new legislation.
"We hope that this can be a moment for policy makers to recognise the current loophole, and close it down by making property owners liable for criminality," said John-Luke Bolton from the charity Safer Renting, one of the parties that made a case at the Supreme Court.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-64811243
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Covid: What happened to care homes early in the pandemic? - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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The publication of Matt Hancock's messages focuses attention on what happened in care homes during the pandemic.
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Reality Check
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The publication of leaked WhatsApp messages sent and received by former health secretary Matt Hancock has highlighted the issue of government policy on care homes during the first wave of coronavirus.
The Telegraph claims Mr Hancock ignored advice - in April 2020 - to test everybody going into care homes.
His spokesperson disputes this and says he had also been advised that there was not enough capacity to do so.
So, what action did the government take in the care sector in England, where there were more than 40,000 deaths involving Covid-19.
On 14 March 2020, the government began prioritising the most vulnerable individuals for testing, including those in hospitals and care homes.
If an outbreak was suspected, a handful of residents at a home could be tested.
Reality Check understands that some care providers found access to testing to be very limited at this time.
Figures for March to May 2020
On 14 April, according to messages seen by The Telegraph, which we cannot independently verify, there was discussion of advice from Chief Medical Officer Sir Chris Whitty to Mr Hancock that there should be testing for everyone going into care homes.
It is reported that Mr Hancock initially accepted that advice but later that day changed his mind and said the government should just commit to testing people being moved to care homes from hospitals.
Mr Hancock's spokesperson said this followed an operational meeting at which he had been advised that it was not possible to test everyone going into care homes.
On 15 April, the social care action plan was launched as care home deaths in England were peaking at around 400 a day.
This included a pledge to test all care staff who needed one, for example if they were in a household that was self-isolating.
At that point, just 1,000 care staff had been tested out of an estimated half a million who work in care homes.
The government said it would "move... to a policy of testing all residents prior to admission to care homes", starting with people being moved there from hospitals.
All care home residents with coronavirus symptoms would also be tested.
On 28 April, this was extended to all care staff and residents, regardless of whether they had symptoms.
It's important to remember that early in the pandemic it wasn't widely understood that people who didn't have symptoms could pass on coronavirus.
On 19 March 2020, NHS guidance said that "unless required to be in hospital, patients must not remain in an NHS bed".
This policy was implemented to free up beds in advance of an expected surge in coronavirus patients.
On 2 April, the rules on discharging patients to care homes were clarified, saying "negative [coronavirus] tests are not required prior to transfers/admissions into the care home".
Even elderly patients who tested positive could be admitted to care homes, if measures - such as wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) and isolation - were used.
From 15 April, the government said that all patients discharged from hospitals would be tested for coronavirus.
By this time, an estimated 25,000 patients had been discharged to care homes. In July, Panorama gathered data from 39 hospital trusts, which showed three-quarters of people discharged were untested.
Up to this point more than 5,700 care home residents had died in England and Wales (either in homes or in hospital).
Public Health England has published research into the impact of hospital transfers. It found that 1.6% of the lab-confirmed outbreaks in care homes that they knew about by mid-October 2020, had come from people discharged from hospitals.
But it is not clear what percentage of outbreaks up to 15 April (when the testing policy changed) were the result of patients being moved to homes.
And it is important to note that, at this time, there was a lack of testing so not every outbreak may have been recorded. Also, the figures do not count people who were not previously care home residents who were transferred into them from hospitals.
The government has repeatedly said that decisions to discharge patients from hospitals during this time were made by medical professionals on a case-by-case basis.
In March 2020, specific guidance related to coronavirus said that the PPE in care homes should be similar to that used in hospital settings.
The government launched the National Supply Disruption Response on 13 March, a centralised line for care and health providers to raise concerns.
This was followed on 19 March by a promise to deliver 300 masks to each care provider.
Concerns over PPE peaked at the end of March and early April, as bodies such as Unison, the Royal College of Nursing and care homes themselves highlighted shortages.
Because care homes are generally privately-run, they are responsible for purchasing their own PPE. Many found their local suppliers were running low and that they were competing with better-funded hospitals.
A letter from the government on 2 April recognised "the challenges providers may have experienced in obtaining PPE supplies over recent weeks," and promised that the supply chain would be bolstered, with support from the armed forces.
On 10 April the government announced a PPE action plan, which included freeing up 34 million pieces of equipment to "local resilience forums" who would then distribute it to care homes through local authorities.
By this point, 3,100 care home residents had died in England and Wales.
General guidance produced on 25 February 2020 included advice for carers on what to do if they came into contact with someone with Covid-19 - but there was nothing advising against visits to care homes.
In one section it said: "It remains very unlikely that people receiving care in a care home or the community will become infected."
Another section said: "Currently there is no evidence of transmission of Covid-19 in the United Kingdom. There is no need to do anything differently in any care setting at present."
However, the government's own Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) had advised on 10 February that "it is a realistic probability that there is already sustained transmission in the UK, or that it will become established in the coming weeks."
On 3 March, the government released its coronavirus action plan - the document did not mention restricting visits to care homes.
By 5 March, England had had 273 cases of people with the virus.
That day Prof Chris Whitty told a committee of MPs that as there were cases that could not be traced back to people who had come from abroad, it was "highly likely therefore that there is some level of community transmission in this virus in the UK now".
Italy suspended visits to care homes at this point, five weeks after recording its first case. A day later, Nursing Homes Ireland, which represents hundreds of care homes in Ireland, banned non-essential visits, just six days after the first confirmed case in the country.
On 10 March, Prof Martin Green, head of Care England, which represents independent care providers, directed criticism in an Independent article at the government for its response.
"There is no evidence of a plan. I'm not even certain they have these plans and aren't just making them up as they go along," he said.
Some homes were already deciding to close their doors to visitors, with care groups Barchester and HC-One stopping non-essential visits on 10 March and 12 March.
Scottish Care - a representative body for social care in Scotland - advised care homes to close to visits on 11 March.
On 13 March, the government's guidance from 25 February was updated to say that "care home providers are advised to review their visiting policy, by asking no-one to visit who has suspected Covid-19 or is generally unwell, and by emphasising good hand hygiene for visitors".
On the same day, Bupa and Four Seasons care homes stopped non-essential visits.
It wasn't until 16 March that it was announced that social distancing should be carried out by everyone, in particular those aged over 70 and vulnerable people.
That day, the prime minister was asked about care homes and said: "We don't want to see people unnecessarily visiting care homes."
In the period between 25 February and 16 March, 14 deaths of care home residents were reported along with 30 outbreaks in England's 15,000 care homes.
On 21 March, guidance was introduced to encourage medically vulnerable people to remain indoors as much as possible until the end of June - a process known as shielding.
Finally, on 2 April a document from the Department of Health and Social Care said that "family and friends should be advised not to visit care homes, except next of kin in exceptional situations such as end of life".
This piece was originally published in July 2020.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/52674073
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How search for Constance Marten and Mark Gordon unfolded - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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Police are urgently looking for a baby after the pair were arrested in Brighton.
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UK
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Mark Gordon and Constance Marten have now been found and arrested in Brighton - this CCTV image shows them in London in January
The police search for Constance Marten and Mark Gordon - and their newborn baby - began in early January, after the couple's car was found burning on the side of the motorway.
Police said Ms Marten, 35, had given birth one or two days before the fire, and had not been seen by medical professionals. Gordon, her partner, is a convicted sex offender.
The couple had left their home in Eltham, south-east London, in September, after Ms Marten first showed signs of pregnancy.
After the car fire in January, the couple were on the move for a total of 53 days before being found - apparently evading police. They were arrested on 27 February.
Police said the pair would look away or cover their faces whenever they were near CCTV cameras. In the images of them that have been captured, they can often be seen wearing face masks.
Detectives also said Ms Marten was from a wealthy family, from whom she was estranged after meeting 48-year-old Gordon, and that her inherited wealth could allow the couple to live off-grid for some time.
This is what we know about the couple's movements, based on CCTV images.
CCTV still released by police of the couple's car on fire on the hard-shoulder of the M61 in Bolton on the evening of 5 January
The investigation began after a car was found on fire at around 18.30 on Thursday 5 January on the hard shoulder of the M61 near Bolton. The owners were not there, and police believe the fire had destroyed their belongings.
It was established that the car belonged to Constance Marten and Mark Gordon and that they had safely left the scene.
In the first few days after their disappearance, the pair travelled from the Bolton area to Liverpool, Essex, London and East Sussex, all in quick succession.
The couple were initially seen with carrier bags and a pushchair.
Police believe the couple first travelled to Liverpool and from there took a taxi to Harwich in Essex, arriving at about 03:30 on Friday 6 January.
A member of the public saw Marten, Gordon and a baby in Harwich at about 09:00 on Saturday 7 January. There were also several confirmed sightings of them in Colchester on 6 and 7 January.
The pair were later seen on CCTV near East Ham Station in east London between 10:30 and 12:30 on Saturday 7 January.
The couple in East Ham on CCTV
The same day, they took a taxi from East Ham to Whitechapel - another part of east London - and can be seen arriving on Whitechapel Road at around 18:15 with a pushchair and large carrier bag.
CCTV captured the couple arriving in Whitechapel by taxi on 7 January
Gordon is initially seen wearing plastic bags on his shoes, which he later removes.
CCTV of the couple walking along Whitechapel Road shortly after 6pm on 7 January
Minutes later, Gordon visits the Whitechapel Argos, where he buys camping equipment, including a blue two-person tent, two sleeping bags and two pillows. Police say this sparked fears the couple may have been camping in freezing temperatures.
CCTV image of Mark Gordon in Whitechapel with Argos bags after he bought camping gear
CCTV shows Gordon walking with the two bulky Argos bags.
The couple then walked in the Whitechapel Road area for the next few hours, and tried unsuccessfully to flag down three separate taxis before walking to nearby Brick Lane.
Mark Gordon and Constance Marten on Brick Lane in east London
The couple walked to Flower and Dean Walk near Brick Lane at about 23:45, and appeared to dump various items, including the pushchair, before getting a taxi to Harringey, north London.
Mark Gordon and Constance Marten walking through Flower and Dean Walk near Brick Lane, east London, after dumping items including a pushchair
At 01:24 on Sunday 8 January, they got in another taxi in Allison Road, Haringey, and travelled for over three hours to Newhaven in East Sussex, where they got out just outside the port at 04:56.
CCTV of Mark Gordon and Constance Marten in Newhaven (in red ring)
CCTV sighting of the couple near a petrol station on Avis Road in Newhaven, East Sussex
Just over an hour later, they were seen walking along Cantercrow Hill in Newhaven into some fields, where they were believed to have set up camp.
CCTV of Constance Marten and Mark Gordon on Cantercrow Hill in Newhaven
Following this final sighting, there were no new confirmed sightings of the couple and baby for many weeks.
They were next seen at around 21:30 on 27 February in Stanmer Villas, Brighton, around half an hour's drive from Newhaven.
The couple were found and arrested on suspicion of child neglect in Stanmer Villas on the same night, but their baby remains missing.
On 28 February they were further arrested on suspicion of manslaughter, as police said they now had to consider the possibility that the baby had "come to harm".
Police are now focusing their efforts on finding the child in an "urgent search" using helicopters, drones and police dogs.
They have been looking through an allotment and golf course on the Sussex Downs - and local people have been asked to check sheds and outhouses.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64797168
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Gwynedd Council workers lose day off for St David's Day - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Its leader labels Westminster "insulting and pretentious" over its bank holiday request response.
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Wales
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Wales is the only devolved UK nation that does not to have the power to decide its own national holidays
Council workers who had a day off last St David's Day are back in work this year due to the authority's "difficult financial situation".
Last year Gwynedd Council declared 1 March a holiday for staff to mark the celebration of Wales' patron saint.
However, it has decided to "pause" the custom this year and has hit out at the UK government's "insulting" response to a bank holiday request.
The UK government said it had "no plans" to change public holidays.
Wales is the only devolved UK nation that does not to have the power to decide its own national holidays.
Council leader Dyfrig Siencyn criticised the fact that Wales has to go "cap in hand" to ask permission from "our masters in London" for the day to be designed a formal bank holiday.
The council said its decision to give staff the day off was "successful and popular", but that it "comes at a cost" that could not be justified this year.
Although it said it is working on plans to make sure staff will be able to take the day off next year and "every year from 2024 onwards", according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
Playd Cymru's Gwynedd Council leader Dyfrig Siencyn said Westminster has showed a "complete lack of respect" for Wales
Mr Siencyn, of Plaid Cymru, said: "Wales does not have the right to designate bank holidays and it seems that we are not responsible enough to do so.
"The response received from Westminster last year was insulting, claiming that it would be too complicated for people working across the border to cope with a Welsh bank holiday and that it would have huge cost implications."
He highlighted the extra bank holiday granted by the UK government for King Charles' coronation, "without any consideration of cost".
"This is yet another example of the insulting and pretentious attitude of our Tory masters in London and the way in which they deal with the people of Wales - with complete lack of respect for our nation," he added.
A UK government spokesman said: "The current pattern of public and bank holidays is well established and there are no plans to change this".
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-64808910
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Justin Bieber cancels all remaining Justice tour dates - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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The 29-year-old Canadian singer has previously postponed the tour several times due to ill health.
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Entertainment & Arts
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Justin Bieber has had seven UK number one singles including Sorry and What Do You Mean?
Justin Bieber has cancelled all of the remaining dates of his Justice world tour, following health issues.
The 29-year-old singer had postponed the tour several times, telling fans last summer that he was suffering from facial paralysis, after a diagnosis of Ramsay Hunt syndrome (RHS).
He said in September 2022 that he wanted to make his "health a priority".
The tour's official Twitter page posted on Tuesday that ticket holders would automatically receive a refund.
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The Canadian had been due to play shows in the US, Australia and Europe/UK, including a Manchester date originally planned in for this Saturday (4 March).
However some of his fans have previously expressed their dismay about not receiving refunds for postponed dates on the now-scrapped tour, which has reportedly grossed $55m (£46m).
No official reason has been given, as yet, for the cancellations.
Cade Harper, 23 from Aberdeen, who got tickets in November 2021 as a Christmas gift from a family member, told BBC News: "I'm sad he has cancelled but his health comes first and I totally understand.
"I just wish he didn't say it was only postponed. This would have been my second time seeing him as I have already seen him in Glasgow for the Purpose tour so I was looking forward to seeing him in my home town in Aberdeen."
Chrystabel Mangwendeza, 24, in Birmingham, told us she was "upset" and "angry", but also "sad" that she now won't get to see Bieber, despite forking out around £140 on tickets.
She added on Wednesday evening that she had not yet received an email from Ticketmaster and had found out about the gig cancellations by reading about it online.
"I've waited so long for a tour in the first place," she noted. "And it wasn't even him who made the announcement.
"I feel like he didn't even have the decency to tell fans himself."
The Grammy-winning performer, who attended last month's London Fashion Week, took a total break from music in 2019 to focus on his mental health.
His latest latest album, featuring the likes of Burna Boy, Chance the Rapper and Khalid, reached number one in the US and number two in the UK chart in early 2021.
But he said that subsequent shows in Europe had "taken a real toll on me" and that he needed more time to "rest and get better".
Bieber revealed the effects of his facial paralysis in June 2022, and has performed live only half a dozen times or so since
RHS is when a shingles outbreak affects the facial nerve near someone's ears, resulting in paralysis of parts of the face.
It cannot be passed from one person to another, but it is a complication from shingles, which is linked to the chickenpox virus that many people can get when they're children.
According to the charity Facial Palsy UK, if the immune system becomes depressed and is less able to fight off infection, the body can become vulnerable to a reactivation of the chickenpox virus.
It says stress is often a trigger as it can weaken the immune system, and people who are stressed are more likely to suffer from infections.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64808389
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School face masks worn in England to avoid Covid row with Scotland - claims - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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Ministers in England came under pressure after Scotland introduced face coverings in schools.
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Family & Education
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Secondary school children in England were required to wear face coverings to avoid a row with Scotland over Covid, the Daily Telegraph has claimed.
Leaked WhatsApp messages suggest that England's chief medical officer had been ambivalent about the scientific evidence behind the measure.
Ministers in England came under pressure after Scotland introduced it.
A government spokesperson said: "We have always said there are lessons to be learnt from the pandemic."
They added: "We are committed to learning from the Covid inquiry's findings, which will play a key role in informing the government's planning and preparations for the future."
Guidance was changed to require face coverings in secondary schools in England in areas which were under local lockdown from September 2020.
The announcement made them mandatory in corridors and communal areas. This later applied to classrooms where distancing was not possible.
The Telegraph reports that former Prime Minister Boris Johnson had asked for advice about face coverings in schools.
In a WhatsApp group chat on the morning of 25 August 2020, he asked whether the government needed to make a "U-turn" on its stance, the paper says.
Lee Cain, then Downing Street's director of communications, is reported to have sent a link to a BBC article announcing face coverings would be mandatory in corridors and communal areas in high schools in Scotland, where the school year starts earlier.
He asked whether it was worth fighting as Scotland had taken the step, the paper says.
According to the leaked messages, Simon Case, who was leading civil service Covid efforts, is said to have warned that "nervous parents would freak out" if Scotland's example was not followed.
Sir Chris Whitty, England's chief medical officer, is reported to have said there was "no strong reason against in corridors etc., and no very strong reasons for", adding that it was "not worth an argument".
The change in guidance in England was announced that night.
In January 2022, the government admitted the evidence for using masks in schools to reduce spread of Covid was "not conclusive".
The uncertainty was acknowledged in a review used by ministers in England to make their decision to introduce face coverings in classrooms.
The Telegraph story comes after other WhatsApp messages leaked to the newspaper suggested that the former health secretary, Matt Hancock, rejected expert advice on Covid tests for people going into care homes in England at the start of the pandemic - a claim he has disputed.
The BBC has not seen or independently verified the WhatsApp messages nor the context in which they were sent.
The Telegraph has obtained more than 100,000 messages sent between Mr Hancock and other ministers and officials at the height of the pandemic.
The texts were passed to the newspaper by journalist Isabel Oakeshott, who has been critical of lockdowns. Ms Oakeshott was given copies of the texts while helping Mr Hancock write his book, Pandemic Diaries.
A spokesperson for Mr Johnson said it was "not appropriate to comment" on the leaks and that the UK's independent public inquiry into the pandemic "provides the right process for this".
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-64811382
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Bola Tinubu wins Nigeria's presidential election against Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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Bola Tinubu, 70, is declared the winner of Nigeria's election despite opposition calls for a rerun.
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Africa
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Bola Tinubu arrives at a polling station before casting his ballot in Lagos last week
Ruling party candidate Bola Tinubu has been declared the winner of Nigeria's disputed presidential election.
The 70-year-old veteran politician got 37% of the vote, official results show.
Their parties had earlier dismissed the poll as a sham, and demanded a rerun.
Mr Tinubu urged them to accept the result, but Labour said it was taking legal action to annul his victory.
Mr Tinubu is one of Nigeria's richest politicians, and based his campaign on his record of rebuilding the biggest city, Lagos, when he was governor.
He was nevertheless defeated in the city by Mr Obi, a relative newcomer who mobilised the support of many young people, especially in urban areas, shaking up the country's two-party system.
Mr Tinubu won most other states in his home region of the south-west, where he is known as a "political godfather" - for helping to put others into office.
He campaigned for the presidency under the slogan: "Emi lo kan", which means "It's my turn" in Yoruba.
Scenes of celebration have been reported in Mr Tinubu's strongholds in the south-western states.
Traditional drummers lined the streets, beating their drums for excited dancers in Osun, while supporters marched to a live band in Ekiti.
Some partied into the early hours in Lagos, even though he was defeated by Mr Obi in the city.
The normally bustling streets of Lagos are relatively quiet on Wednesday, the usual rush-hour traffic has not been seen and some shops, businesses and banks have not opened.
Life has returned to normal in places that did not support Mr Tinubu, like the capital, Abuja, and Kano in the north.
In north-eastern Adamawa state, home to Mr Abubakar, there is an air of disappointment in the main city Yola, but grudging acceptance that after several attempts for the presidency, it is time for the former vice-president to move on.
Mr Obi's stronghold in south-eastern Anambra state, where he once served as governor, is quiet but there is an underlying sense of bitter anger. Many feel frustrated at what they see as a fraudulent electoral process.
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In his acceptance speech, Mr Tinubu called for reconciliation.
"I take this opportunity to appeal to my fellow contestants to let us team up together. It is the only nation we have. It is one country and we must build it together," he said in a televised speech.
He added that they had the right to challenge the results in court but said that the lapses in the election "were relatively few in number and were immaterial to affect the outcome of this election".
At a news conference later, Mr Obi's running-mate Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed urged his supporters to stay calm.
Labour's lawyers were "putting the papers together" to challenge Mr Tinubu's victory in court, he added.
According to official results, voter turnout was 27%, one of the lowest since the end of military rule in 1999.
With about 8.8 million votes cast for Mr Tinubu, he was the choice of less than 10% of the record 93 million Nigerians who registered to vote, helped by a divided opposition.
A newly introduced electronic voting system seems to have eliminated the ballot-stuffing that happened in the past and helped present a more accurate picture of the voting population.
Voter apathy is not thought to have been as much of a factor as problems on voting day.
Many potential voters left polling stations without casting their ballots after voting did not start on time in many places.
In some opposition strongholds, voting did not take place at all and there were also cases of ballot-box snatching and voter intimidation in southern states such as Rivers, Lagos and Delta.
Bola Tinubu's supporters have been celebrating his victory
President Muhammadu Buhari is stepping down after two terms in office, marked by economic stagnation and growing insecurity around the country - from an Islamist insurgency in the north-east to a nationwide crisis of kidnapping for ransom and separatist attacks in the south-east.
Mr Tinubu now has the task of solving these problems, among others, in Africa's most populous nation and biggest oil exporter.
After fighting military rule in Nigeria, escaping into exile and being one of the founding members of the country's democracy in 1999, Mr Tinubu will feel that he was destined to become president.
He was always the favourite to replace Mr Buhari - whom he helped become president - and the hurdles he has surmounted to get here will make this an even sweeter win for him.
He was not expected to win the party primary, yet he won.
Many said his decision to go with another Muslim as a running mate would prove an obstacle, but it was not.
Previously all major parties have split their presidential tickets with a Christian from the south and a northern Muslim in order to achieve broad support across this vast nation of 210 million people.
He will now have to prove that he can hit the ground running and that he is still the same formidable force who built modern Lagos, Nigeria's commercial hub.
Mr Tinubu, known as "Jagaban" by supporters, will now be looking at unifying a country that is retreating into regional lines and religious blocs, as the election results show.
While he met the 25% requirement in two-thirds of Nigeria's 36 states to show he was nationally accepted, the nature of the win indicates the absence of a truly national party.
Mr Obi won in Christian-dominated states and former strongholds of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party in the south, while the PDP support shrank back into its northern heartlands.
Additional reporting by BBC teams around the country
Nigerians cast their votes in Saturday’s general election. They had 18 candidates to choose from for president and people also voted for senators and members of the house of representatives. The BBC is using data provided by Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) to tally the results. To win in the first round, a candidate must have the largest number of votes nationwide and at least 25% of the votes in two-thirds of the 36 states and Federal Capital Territory (Abuja) To win in the first round, a candidate must have the largest number of votes nationwide and at least 25% of the votes in two-thirds of the 36 states and Federal Capital Territory (Abuja)
Click on map to see results in detail
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-64760226
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Extremely fragile coronation chair being restored - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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Conservation experts are preparing the medieval coronation chair for the crowning of King Charles.
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UK
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The medieval chair used in the coronation of monarchs is undergoing conservation work, in order to be ready for the crowning of King Charles III.
The 700-year-old oak chair is described as "extremely fragile" by conservation experts at Westminster Abbey.
The painstaking preservation work is intended to clean the chair and stabilise layers of flaking gilding.
It's part of the preparations for the coronation ceremony to be held at the Abbey in London on 6 May.
The historic coronation chair, a centrepiece of the ceremony for centuries, is a "unique work of art", says conservator Krista Blessley.
"It's the oldest surviving piece of furniture still used for its original purpose," she says.
Like his royal predecessors, King Charles will sit in the coronation chair at Westminster Abbey
It was made on the orders of Edward I, who reigned from 1272 to 1307, and it has been used in almost every coronation ceremony since then.
But Ms Blessley says "it's not a museum piece" and has faced some hard knocks.
Tourists and schoolchildren scarred it with graffiti in the 18th and 19th Century.
"P. Abbott slept in this chair 5-6 July 1800" is among the letters carved into the chair, which will be used by King Charles at the ceremony in May.
Subsequently, the chair was damaged in a bomb attack in 1914, attributed to suffragettes campaigning for votes for women.
"It's extremely fragile. It has a complex layer structure, which means the gilding layers often flake off, so a lot of my work is sticking those layers of gilding back down, making sure it's completely sound before the coronation," says Ms Blessley.
Graffiti is carved into the back of the historic chair
The conservator has already been working on the chair for four months.
"If there are little changes in humidity the wood moves, and that complex layer structure moves - new areas will lift. I might consolidate something this month, then in two months I might need to consolidate it again," says Ms Blessley.
But she's very proud to be working on such an "exquisite example" of medieval craftsmanship, including finding a previously unrecognised design of toes on the back of the chair.
In its original medieval form, the chair was covered with gold leaf gilding and coloured glass, with patterns of birds, foliage, animals, saints and a king.
The chair was designed to enclose the Stone of Scone, which had been seized from Scotland by Edward I - and the stone, which is currently in Edinburgh, is expected to be brought back to Westminster Abbey for the coronation.
Queen Elizabeth II in the coronation chair in 1953
Dr George Gross from King's College London is part of a research project into the history of coronations.
In recent coronations the high-backed gothic chair has been left uncovered, but he says in the Tudor and Stuart eras it would have been covered by a lavish cloth of gold.
The coronation has a strong religious element, and Dr Gross highlights the sense of the ancient chair having acquired its own sacred status - as a "deeply mystical relic" - which was seen as "emitting a form of spiritual radioactivity".
Details have begun to emerge about the coronation ceremony for King Charles III, including 12 new pieces of specially-composed music, with an anthem by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
The ceremony is expected to be a shorter and more inclusive service than in 1953, with about 2,000 guests, rather than the 8,000 who attended the late Queen's coronation.
Camilla, the Queen Consort, will be crowned alongside the King, but it's been revealed that her crown will not include the controversial Koh-i-Noor diamond.
It's not yet known who will be invited to the ceremony, with particular interest in whether Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex will be part of the congregation.
What we know about the Coronation long weekend so far:
Saturday 6 May: Coronation service in Westminster Abbey; coronation carriage procession; Buckingham Palace balcony appearance for the Royal Family
Sunday 7 May: Concert and lightshow at Windsor Castle; Coronation Big Lunch street parties
Monday 8 May: Extra bank holiday; Big Help Out encouraging people to get involved in local volunteering projects
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64798077
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Constance Marten and Mark Gordon arrested on suspicion of manslaughter - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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Police say Constance Marten and Mark Gordon's missing baby may have "come to harm".
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UK
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Constance Marten and Mark Gordon have been further arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter as police search for their missing baby.
A vast outdoor area in Brighton was searched through the night, and police say the infant could still be alive.
But with no trace yet, investigators fear the baby may have "come to harm".
The baby's parents were arrested on Monday - initially on suspicion of child neglect - after being missing for 53 days.
They were held after a member of the public saw them in a shop and called the police.
They remain in custody, but police said they had not provided any further information about the condition or whereabouts of the child.
The search for Ms Marten and Gordon - a convicted rapist and registered sex offender - began when their car was found ablaze by the side of a motorway on 5 January.
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Police established Ms Marten had recently given birth, possibly in the back of the vehicle, without a midwife or any medical attention.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford, from the Metropolitan Police, said the risk to the baby - now thought to be about two months old - increased as time went on, especially amid cold weather.
He added that police must now "be open to the fact this may not end in the way we would like".
More than 200 officers are searching a 91-square-mile site in Sussex.
Sniffer dogs, drones, a police helicopter and thermal imaging cameras are being used in the search.
Police have asked members of the public between Brighton and Newhaven, in East Sussex - where the previous last known sighting of the couple was made on 8 January - to report any potential sightings, or information about where they may have been sleeping.
Residents near Stanmer Villas, where the couple were arrested, have also been asked to check sheds and outbuildings.
Investigators believe Ms Marten and Gordon have been living "in open land and open areas".
Allotments and a golf course next to a nature reserve, near to where they were arrested, were intensively searched throughout Tuesday.
Police said every available officer and member of staff had been drafted in to assist with the massive search.
Det Supt Basford told journalists that little information had been gathered during police interviews with the couple and that police did not yet know the sex of their baby.
Constance Marten and Mark Gordon disappeared with a newborn baby more than seven weeks ago
Police have not ruled out that someone could be harbouring the baby, though they said this was unlikely.
After the car fire in January, police said the family safely left the scene and travelled to Liverpool, Essex, London and East Sussex in quick succession.
They appear to have taken steps to avoid detection, including covering their faces when in public, travelling at night and using cash to purchase supplies.
Police previously said Ms Marten's inherited wealth may have allowed the couple to remain at large for an extended period.
Police believe the baby was alive at the time of the last previous sighting of the family in Newhaven, but little more is known about the family's movements in the weeks since.
At the end of January, police offered a £10,000 reward for information, appealing especially to anyone who might have helped the couple.
Aerial view of Crichel House, believed to be Ms Marten's childhood home
Their home is in Eltham, in south-east London, but they have been living nomadically since September last year, when Ms Marten first started to show signs of pregnancy.
After the pair were found on Monday, Ms Marten's estranged father Napier Marten told the Independent he felt "immense relief", though this was "tempered by the very alarming news [her] baby has yet to be found".
Ms Marten, 35, is from a privileged background, having lived in a stately home growing up and attended private school.
She became estranged from her family after meeting 48-year-old Gordon at drama school in 2016.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64804320
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How Wales-England gaffe sparked trip for Canadian TikToker - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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Canadian Pavlina has had a re-education in Wales after mistakenly thinking it was in England.
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Wales
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Pavlina Livingstone-Sudrich mistakenly said that Wales was in England
Not everyone can say they were invited to a country by its political leader - but then not everyone makes a viral mistake that gets their attention.
TikToker Pavlina Livingstone-Sudrich told her followers back in November that Wales was in England, and received a backlash online that led to First Minister Mark Drakeford inviting her to visit.
The error, as it turns out, ended up taking her on an adventure of a lifetime.
"There are so many beautiful parallels," said Pavlina, who is passionate about showing the world how Yukon has shaped her identity.
Yukon is the smallest and westernmost of Canada's three territories and is often mistaken as being part of the Northwest Territories.
The TikToker documents the highs and lows of her outdoor adventures in her "small corner of the world" with some of her videos reaching over 10 million views.
After Pavlina's blunder the first minister encouraged her visit to Wales to show "just how different it is".
The Welsh government paid £1,022 towards her travel costs for the eight-day trip in February.
Pavlina's first stop was in Cardiff where she lapped up the sights, including Cardiff Castle and a visit to the Senedd
Pavlina and her partner Patrick visited Cardiff, Brecon, Anglesey, Wrexham and Ceredigion on their Welsh tour.
She hit some of the best spots Wales has to offer, Pen Y Fan, Devils Bridge and - of course - Wrexham FC.
The best part however, she said, was being in the homes of all the people who welcomed her.
Pavlina and her partner Patrick visited Ynys Llanddwyn, just off the coast of Anglesey
"As much as Wales is populated it also has beautiful access to forests and walking trails so whether you are almost being blown of the top of Pen Y Fan or staring out on what inspired Tolkien's lonely mountain, it is incredibly beautiful," she said.
She said she was inundated with invitations to visit people as "everyone understands that their particular corner of Wales is special and unique in a way that no other place is".
"My only regret is that I can't keep up with the invitations but it is a reason to come back," she said.
Pavlina went to Wrexham where she saw Wrexham FC play
In Ceredigion she finally met her friend Belinda Knott, the creator of the "cosymajig" hot water bottle carrier that Pavlina was showcasing during her blunder - stating it was from "Wales, England".
Pavlina said: "We were invited to have dinner with one family and then we were fortunate enough to spend the day with Belinda and her extended family, her children and her parents.
"Absolutely the best part of Wales is at the dining table with people who are from there - so keen and warm and inviting - sharing what they love about Wales."
Belinda, who has been just as swept up in the whirlwind as Pavlina, said: "I don't think either of us in our wildest dreams ever imagined that this would have happened. It has just been nice to spend some time with her after all this happening."
Pavlina says the Welsh "co-exist" with magic
Pavlina added Wales' landscape also sparked her imagination as a "huge fan" of fantasy fiction.
"I grew up on all the old stories of Merlin and without realizing how intertwined that is with Welsh history," she said.
"I was just enchanted by the landscape, being very different from the Yukon but also just extremely beautiful.
"The Welsh live alongside the history. We went to Bryn Myrddin where Merlin supposedly lived and it's a working dairy farm.
"People all over Wales kind of co-exist with this magic I only grew up reading about, so that was really cool to see."
The Sercombe family were one of many offering to host Pavlina and her partner for dinner on her trip which she says was the highlight
On her visit, it struck Pavlina just how similar Wales and her community in Yukon are.
Both nations are bilingual as many in Yukon also speak French or one of the eight indigenous languages.
And like the Welsh, people in Yukon are "fiercely proud" of their homeland, she said.
"I could tell right away there was something profound and similar in the Welsh characteristic to the Yukon with the response to that initial error I made in that social media video.
"I sensed this exhaustion like 'Why do we always have to tell our story every time?' and it is like that in the Yukon where we have this incredible landscape and an incredible system of indigenous self-governance yet people mistake us with the Northwest Territories.
"So right away I could tell like, OK, there's a fierce resilience here and a characteristic of being overlooked that I can understand."
She said there were "beautiful parallels" with the language protecting culture and navigating devolved powers.
Pavlina and her partner Patrick explored some of the Brecon Beacons
The love of the land is another aspect that captured Pavlina's heart.
"Welsh people were like 'It [Wales] is small, it's gentle' but I would not characterise Wales as neither small or gentle," she said.
"It's a harsh landscape that over centuries has informed the Welsh character to be tough, to be hardy, to be on the land.
"When we were out on Pen Y Fan on a howling, windy day, and people were just like 'this is how it is' and I was so impressed with that.
"We're not waiting for gentleness when we interact with the landscape we love being on the land."
She added there was "little bit of a craziness there that I really liked," and said everywhere she went to met some quirky characters.
Pavlina's next adventure is a bit closer to home as it reaches as far as her back garden.
"I try not to leave The Yukon in the summer as they are very short and as it is 32 times the size of Wales, I could spend my whole life exploring areas," she said, adding Wales had given her more motivation to show off her home.
"The entire experience has been pretty surreal. I started my digital creator platforms two years ago, just out of an interest of sharing my very small remote part of the world with people during the pandemic and it quickly connected me with people all over the world.
"A real objective was for me to show that everyone's corner of the world is magical. It doesn't matter where you live, what you have access to it or what relationships you have.
"But this relationship with the people in Wales that's kind of organically surfaced was really unexpected, and an incredibly beautiful, charming and rewarding element of this whole experience.
"I found that with every Welsh person I interacted with they understood that their corner of the world that their particular life was very special.
"I had the most wonderful and meaningful time and I know it's a relationship that I think will stay with me forever."
Pavlina says her next adventure is exploring Yukon, which is 32 times the size of Wales
A Welsh government spokeswoman said: "We were excited to welcome Pavlina to Wales and show her and her hundreds of thousands of social media followers, all of the wonderful things we have to offer.
"As part of our warm Welsh welcome she saw many of the beautiful locations and excellent experiences visitors to our country can enjoy.
"Pavlina also got to share with her followers what she learned about our history, culture, language and our values."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-64680104
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Isla Bryson: Transgender rapist jailed for eight years - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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The case sparked a heated debate over whether Bryson should be held in a male or a female prison.
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Scotland
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Bryson made the decision to transition from a man to a woman while awaiting trial
A double rapist who changed gender while waiting to stand trial has been jailed for eight years.
Isla Bryson attacked two women in Clydebank and Glasgow in 2016 and 2019 while known as Adam Graham.
The judge said Bryson posed a high risk of reoffending and would be supervised for three years after release.
The case sparked a heated debate over whether Bryson should be housed in a male or a female prison after transitioning from a man to a woman.
Bryson, 31, was initially remanded to a women's jail after being found guilty, but was then moved to a men's facility.
This followed concerns about the safety of any women held alongside a transgender sex offender in a female jail.
The case ultimately led to an urgent review and a change in policy which will see all newly-convicted or remanded transgender prisoners initially placed in jails according to their birth sex.
The trial heard that Bryson, from Clydebank, had preyed on vulnerable women online.
Bryson committed the crimes in 2016 and 2019 while known as Adam Graham
Passing sentence, Lord Scott told Bryson: "You see yourself as the victim in this case. But you are not."
The judge said reports suggested Bryson had a set of neuro-developmental disorders.
"Your vulnerability is no excuse at all for what you did to these two women in 2016 and 2019," he said.
"Regardless of your own vulnerability, in a period of just under three years, you raped two women who can both be regarded as vulnerable."
Lord Scott said Bryson had preyed on victims because of their vulnerability and raped them in their own homes.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Bryson's estranged wife Shonna Graham said the focus should be on the victims
He added that the rapist - who continues to deny committing the offences - would be placed on the sex offenders register for life.
Bryson's estranged wife, Shonna Graham, said the focus should be on the victims.
"The way I see it is he is a man, he done the crime as a man… he should do the time in a man's jail," she said.
Ms Graham said she had met Adam Bryson in 2015 and they married the following year.
The 31-year-old said there had never been any suggestion during their relationship that her husband wanted to become a woman.
She said she believed Bryson had hoped to serve the sentence in a woman's jail and have an easier time - but that this had not worked.
"You can't do a crime as a man then want to transition once you've been charged with it. That's how you know it's all a big joke to him."
Ms Graham alleged that Bryson had attempted to rape her and stabbed her while they were together.
She was also angry that the person she knew as Adam Bryson had then used the name Adam Graham.
"He took my last name so he could get away with his crimes, the way I see it," she added.
"I hope he rots in jail. I hope the victims can put this evil person behind them."
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In court, defence advocate Edward Targowski KC said Bryson had been subjected to "ill-judged, ill-informed and ignorant" comments about the decision to undergo gender reassignment.
Mr Targowski said his client had decided to change gender many years ago, had received "maximum" amounts of medication, and was on a NHS waiting list for a gender reassignment operation.
A review into the case was ordered by Justice Secretary Keith Brown and its key findings were made public earlier this month, although the full report was not published on grounds it contained personal information.
It showed that the Scottish Prison Service had made the decision to divert Bryson to Cornton Vale women's prison in Stirling, rather than the planned destination of HMP Barlinnie in Glasgow, while the offender was in transit.
Two days later, senior management decided "due to the level of risk and remaining uncertainties" to move the inmate to a male prison, HMP Edinburgh.
The Isla Bryson case came to the press and public's attention at arguably the worst time for the Scottish government.
Its Gender Recognition Reform Bill, aimed at making it easier for trans people to change their legally recognised sex, had just been blocked by UK ministers following a difficult journey through Holyrood.
Those opposed to the legislation raised concerns about the potential for the new system of self-ID to be abused by violent men.
When Isla Bryson was initially sent to Cornton Vale women's prison following conviction, ministers insisted the new legislation had had no impact on that decision.
But opponents said the case crystalised the issues with self-identification.
Isla Bryson's trans status was being taken at face value, yet many, including the first minister, doubted it was genuine.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told the Scottish Parliament that Bryson would not be incarcerated in Cornton Vale "either short-term or long-term".
Asked about the case on Tuesday, SNP leadership candidate Humza Yousaf said: "Isla Bryson is deceptive, manipulative, trying to get advantage of the system.
"I hope they're incarcerated and will be incarcerated in a male prison."
Scottish Conservative MSP Russell Findlay said Bryson could be back on the streets in as little as four years, which would be "little comfort to victims".
Bryson made the decision to transition from a man to a woman while awaiting trial.
It is thought to be the first time a trans woman has been convicted of raping women in Scotland.
There are relatively few trans prisoners in Scotland.
The latest Scottish Prison Service statistics said there were 12 trans women and three trans men between October and December 2022. There were 7,019 male prisoners and 265 female inmates.
The Scottish government has stressed that the case is not connected to the Gender Recognition Reform Bill, which has not yet been enacted and was blocked from becoming law by the UK government.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-64796926
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Watch Kate beat William in spin class endurance race - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 | null |
The Princess of Wales is awarded a golden trophy after winning the race at a leisure centre.
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Catherine, Princess of Wales beat the Prince of Wales after they went head-to-head in a virtual endurance spin class challenge at a leisure centre in Port Talbot.
"Not sure I am dressed for this," said Catherine, who was wearing a cream top, checked skirt and heeled black boots before getting on the stationary bike.
She adjusted the gears during the race and laughed: "Can I make it harder?"
After finishing, Prince William, who was breathing deeply, joked: "Talk to you in a minute."
Read more about the visit to south Wales on Tuesday, where the royal couple also launched a series of therapy gardens and allotments.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64803331
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More civil servants to strike on Budget day - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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Some 33,000 civil servants will join 100,000 of their colleagues taking strike action on 15 March.
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Business
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Members of the PCS union walked out on February 1
Strike action by civil servants on the day of the Budget has been escalated, with 33,000 more workers planning to walk out, a union has said.
Around 133,000 members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union will now strike on 15 March.
The additional civil servants who voted to join colleagues include staff at HMRC, the Care and Quality Commission and the Welsh government.
The latest action is part of an ongoing row over pay and conditions.
The PCS union represents thousands of people who work in government departments as well as those at organisations such as Ofsted, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and Border Force.
It has been calling for a 10% pay rise, better pensions, job security and no cuts to redundancy terms.
But the government has said the union's demands would cost an "unaffordable £2.4bn". Civil servants have been offered a 2% to 3% increase.
The latest workers to vote for action join members in 123 government departments and agencies, which include staff at the Department for Education and the Home Office. On 1 February, about 100,000 civil servants walked out.
A government spokesperson said plans were in place to keep "essential services running and to minimise disruption on 15 March.
"We are working constructively with unions and urge them to recognise what is reasonable and affordable, as the whole country faces these cost of living challenges," the spokesperson added.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, who is charge of the government's finances, will outline his plans for taxation and spending next month when he sets out the Budget.
It will be announced at a time when price rises have been squeezing household budgets and workers across different sectors ranging from healthcare to railways have taken industrial action over pay.
Inflation, which measures price rises over time, hit 10.1% in the year to January.
Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the PCS, said ministers had "consistently refused" to increase their pay offer.
"They might have hoped we'd go away if they buried their heads in the sand, but they've under-estimated the determination of our members, who were praised for keeping the country running during the pandemic but now taken for granted," he said.
The union has set up a strike fund, which its members are required to pay in £3 to £5 each month. It said this means it can afford to keep strike action going for several more months.
Some teachers, junior doctors, as well as London Underground tube drivers and staff also have strikes planned on 15 March.
The government has previously said public sector pay needs to strike balance between "recognising the vital importance of public sector workers, while delivering value for taxpayers" and avoiding fuelling more inflation.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-64802271
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Energy support scheme: Final push by suppliers to deliver £600 payment - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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All energy suppliers have made a first attempt to deliver payments to customers, the UK government says.
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Northern Ireland
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All Northern Ireland's energy suppliers have now made a first attempt to deliver £600 energy support payments to customers, the UK government has said.
Households have until end of March to redeem vouchers issued under the scheme.
The roll-out of payments started in mid-January with vouchers due to have been received by 28 February.
The government advises anyone who has not now received the £600 to contact their electricity supplier.
A spokesperson for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said: "First attempts for all payments for Energy Bills Support Scheme and Alternative Fuel Payment Northern Ireland (EBSS AFP NI) have now been made."
According to data from the Post Office, the department said, the vast majority of vouchers have been redeemed.
Suppliers will follow up where this first attempt has not been successful, it said.
The department added that suppliers will provide monitoring data to the department and that will be published in March.
Half a million households across Northern Ireland will receive the government support to help with the cost of living and rising energy bills.
How you receive your money will depend on how you pay your electricity bill.
If you pay by direct debit, the money will go straight into your bank account.
All other households will receive a voucher in the post which can be redeemed at a post office.
BBC News NI has asked all five electricity suppliers in Northern Ireland how many vouchers are still outstanding:
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-64791703
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Bus services in Wales face cliff edge cuts, industry warns - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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Bus industry warns of reduced services and routes being scrapped altogether when Covid funding ends.
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Wales politics
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Passengers could see reduced services or routes scrapped altogether once pandemic-era funding ends in the summer, the bus industry has said.
The Bus Emergency Scheme (BES) is set to end in June.
With fewer people now using buses than in 2019, one industry boss warned of a "cliff edge" with some smaller firms having to leave the market altogether.
A government minister said he was working with the industry to see which services are important.
Bus firms in Wales, Scotland and England were provided with subsidies to keep routes on the road after passenger numbers collapsed at the start of the pandemic.
But despite Covid restrictions having long since eased, bus companies say passenger numbers have not recovered - with older customers in particular not fully returning to services.
The Welsh government recently extended the scheme into the new financial year, but only for three months.
Welsh Deputy Climate Change Minister Lee Waters recently told the Senedd that the extension would give the industry a reprieve to work out which routes to keep.
But he argued the Welsh government could not afford to continue the scheme, and said that he hoped there could be a "skeleton service" after the scheme ends.
Bus firms also get grants from councils and receive money when holders of concessionary bus passes use their routes.
The most recent official figures show that passenger journeys were down 43% in Wales in 2021-22 compared to 2019-20.
Mel Evans is managing director of Mid Wales Travel in Aberystwyth, which runs six bus routes on a commercial basis and three others subsidised by Ceredigion council.
Mr Evans said the commercial services are "in danger" - and some of them could be scrapped.
"We've already had to cut some of them back to every two hours instead of every hour, just so that we know that we can save them and keep them going," he said.
Mel Evans said many of his routes would be in 'danger'
Mr Evans said the BES has been a "lifeline". He said the company's passenger numbers remain 50% down on what they were before the pandemic. Older people, he said, have not returned to buses.
"Mrs Jones would, for example, go into town on a Monday and get a bit of shopping. On Wednesday she would go and have her hair done, Friday again do a bit of shopping.
"Through Covid she found out she could have her food and shopping delivered on a Monday and Friday. The hairdresser now comes to her house and when she meets her friends they meet in somebody's house. That's four journeys lost."
Richard Thomas is head of operations with Edwards Coaches, which operates three public service routes in the Rhondda Cynon Taf area.
One of the three - the 90 from Gwaunmiskin to Pontypridd - would likely be scrapped in its current form once the BES ends.
"We're working closely to try to keep some of those services going beyond June, if we can merge them with the 100 service, which is similar that operates via the main road.
"But on its own the 90 service just doesn't stand up," he said.
Other services the company runs could see a reduced frequency, he explained. He is hoping that a scheme by Rhondda Cynon Taf council for free travel in March may encourage people back, making cuts unnecessary.
But he said if passenger numbers remain the same as they are now "then we would definitely need some form of support to carry on running".
Marge Jones said the 90 service was a "lifesaver".
Passengers on the number 90 say it's a "vital" service for them to get into Pontypridd.
Many use their bus passes and say it's their main way of getting about. Susan Rice-Bevan, 62, from Llantwit Fardre, hops on two or three times a week.
"It is quite a trek up to the main road to use another service which a lot of elderly people in the community find quite difficult," she said.
If it were lost "it would isolate a lot of people who can't get out to do their shopping, who perhaps haven't got the facilities to do online shopping".
John Wornham, 92, from Church Village said: "It's essential to me to get to the village because the only way I can get up the hill is on the bus.
"Once a week I go to Ponty on a Wednesday to do my shopping in the market."
Marge Jones, 70, from Tonteg was taking her husband Derryck, 72, to a medical appointment.
"It's a lifesaver," she said. "We rely on this."
The chief executive of a bus industry body that represents 50 members said 15-20% of the bus network might be lost once the funding ends.
Graham Vidler, of the Confederation of Passenger Transport, said while larger firms might be able to downsize and adjust, there would be more severe consequences in rural areas and "in areas which are particularly dependent on people travelling on their free bus passes".
Small and medium firms could face leaving the market altogether, he said.
Mr Vidler estimated that while fare paying passenger figures are down 10% on the start of the pandemic, bus pass passenger figures are down 35%.
"We will see some communities, particularly in rural West Wales, cut off from the bus network altogether", he warned.
He said larger firms would also need to reduce services which could mean reduced frequencies, fewer services at weekends, later starting times and earlier finishing times.
"If you suddenly take that scheme away you get that cliff edge effect where all of a sudden a large proportion of the network suddenly becomes unviable".
He argued that more of the £60m cash earmarked for concessionary fare subsidy in the budget should reach bus firms.
Lee Waters, speaking at the Senedd climate change committee on Wednesday morning, said the government was hoping that "in exchange for a certain amount of money... we are able to reach agreement on which services are more important than others".
He said the Welsh government faces a "very difficult dilemma that the privatised bus industry has only been able to survive through public subsidy during Covid".
"Passenger numbers have not recovered, the farebox has not recovered."
"The reality is, we're going to have to face changes," he said.
"Energy spent on trying to say we should keep things as they are is not well spent energy, because we can't keep things as they are."
But he said he did not know what a core service meant, saying it was hard for bus firms to forecast.
Coach and Bus Operators Cymru (CaBAC), which represents smaller firms, also warned that a reduction in fleet sizes could lead to fewer drivers and vehicles available for home to school transport.
"The knock-on effect would be widely felt - not only would local bus services be decimated with people unable to travel for employment, shopping, hospital and other important appointments," it said.
The Welsh government said it has provided "£48m in emergency funding to the bus industry this financial year and approximately £150m since the beginning of the pandemic".
"When we confirmed an initial three month extension of funding earlier this month, we made clear that we need to start to transition away from this emergency style of funding," a spokesman said.
He said plans for franchising, where private firms would have to bid to run services, "is a key step towards introducing legal powers to deliver a new model for running buses in Wales".
"This is a chance for us to deliver better connected services and we will continue to work closely with local authorities, operators and other partners - including Transport for Wales - to build a strong and sustainable bus network for Wales," the spokesman added.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-64798117
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M&S: Store sorry for displaying daffodils alongside veg - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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The flowers, which can be poisonous if eaten, were spotted on display alongside spring onions.
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UK
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The daffodils were in a display marked "seasonal favourites" alongside spring onions
Marks & Spencer has apologised after displaying daffodils alongside spring onions in one of its stores.
The flowers, which can be poisonous if eaten, were displayed in the fruit and veg aisle under a "seasonal favourites" banner.
Botanist and presenter James Wong drew attention to the display on Twitter, warning that eating daffodils "is like swallowing a box of tiny needles".
An M&S spokesperson said it was a "genuine error in one of our stores".
Daffodil stems, which are widely sold in supermarkets at this time of year, can bear a resemblance to some vegetables at first glance.
Public Health England wrote to retailers in 2015 warning about the potentially nasty consequences if there was a mix-up with how they are labelled.
It said they contain toxic alkaloids which can cause severe vomiting, noting 27 poisoning cases in the previous year.
Health officials believe daffodil poisoning led to 10 hospitalisations in Bristol in 2012 because of their similarity to a chive used in Chinese cooking.
Mr Wong said the error was originally spotted by his mum, who took a picture of the display.
He said the poisoning caused by accidentally eating them can be "excruciating" and urged M&S to improve training for staff.
Responding to him on Twitter, an M&S spokesperson said: "We have contacted the store and the signage has been updated and onions moved.
"As a precaution we're reminding all stores to make sure the flowers are displayed properly", they added.
"Customer safety is our priority and all daffodils have an on-pack warning that they are not safe to consume."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64813653
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Constance Marten and Mark Gordon: Baby's body found in search for missing infant - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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The remains were found near where Constance Marten and Mark Gordon were arrested after they disappeared for weeks.
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UK
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Thank you for following the latest in this developing story with us today.
To recap, police announced this evening that officers had discovered a baby's remains in a wooded area this afternoon.
The body was found close to where Constance Marten and Mark Gordon were arrested on Monday night - but police have not confirmed that the baby is theirs.
The pair remain in custody after Sussex Police were granted a 36-hour extension to continue their questioning.
Det Supt Lewis Bashford, one of the officers overseeing the case, said the outcome of the search was one police "had hoped would not happen".
A post-mortem will also be conducted in due course.
Police also extended their condolences to the baby's extended family, and thanked members of the public for their help throughout the search.
The page was brought to you by Jasmine Andersson, Laura Gozzi, Gem O'Reilly, Lauren Turner and Nathan Williams.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-64817611
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Harry and Meghan residence Frogmore Cottage offered to Andrew - reports - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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Harry and Meghan issued with an eviction notice by Buckingham Palace, the Sun newspaper reports.
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UK
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Frogmore Cottage, the UK home of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, has been offered to Prince Andrew, according to reports.
Harry and Meghan have been issued with an eviction notice by Buckingham Palace, the Sun newspaper reported.
Buckingham Palace has not commented and the BBC understands any discussions would be a private family matter.
The duke and duchess - who are based in the US - have been approached by the BBC via their foundation, Archewell.
Frogmore Cottage, a Grade-II listed property in the grounds of Windsor Castle in Berkshire, was a gift to the royal couple from the late Queen.
They refurbished the property, owned by the Crown Estate, at an estimated cost of £2.4m in 2018-19. The cost was initially covered by taxpayers through the Sovereign Grant before being repaid in full by Prince Harry.
The duke and duchess now live in California with their two children, Archie and Lilibet, after quitting life as working royals in 2020.
They retained the cottage as their UK residence, and last year celebrated their daughter's first birthday there.
The couple were reportedly told to leave the property by Buckingham Palace in January, days after Harry published his explosive memoir, Spare.
The Duke of York, the late Queen's second son, lives in the nearby Royal Lodge, in Windsor Great Park, Berkshire.
Andrew stepped down as a working royal in 2019 after a controversial Newsnight interview about allegations that he had sexually assaulted Virginia Giuffre.
In February 2022, he paid an undisclosed sum to settle the civil sexual assault case Ms Giuffre brought against him in the US.
He has repeatedly denied the allegations.
Reports in recent weeks, not confirmed by the BBC, suggested the King is to cut Andrew's annual grant which could leave him unable to afford his home's running costs.
He is said to be resisting the offer of the smaller property, according to a source quoted by the Sun.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64812549
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Omagh police shooting: Police revisit scene of John Caldwell attack - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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Two more men have been arrested in connection with the attack on Det Ch Insp John Caldwell.
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Northern Ireland
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Police have revisited the scene of the attempted murder of a senior detective, one week after he was attacked.
Det Ch Insp John Caldwell was shot several times in front of his young son in the car park of a sports complex in Omagh on 22 February.
Officers revisited the scene to stop cars and ask drivers if they had any information about the attack.
Meanwhile, detectives have arrested two more men in connection with the shooting.
A 33-year-old man was arrested in Omagh, County Tyrone, and a 57-year-old man was detained in Belfast, both under the Terrorism Act.
They have been taken to Musgrave Serious Crime Suite for questioning.
Mr Caldwell remains in a critical but stable condition following the shooting.
Police stopped cars near the car park where Det Ch Insp John Caldwell was shot
A 71-year-old man arrested in connection with the attempted murder has been released following questioning.
Four other men were released on Tuesday evening.
Officers have until 22:00 GMT on Thursday to question a 47-year-old man who is currently in custody.
It's exactly one week since DCI Caldwell was shot in the car park of a sports complex on the Killyclogher Road.
It was busy then, with footballers and runners, and was busy again tonight.
Police stopped drivers on the road outside the sports centre, trying to jog memories, to find any morsels of information which may be useful in their investigation.
The dissident republican group the New IRA has said it shot the senior detective.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland said two gunmen fired 10 shots at the officer as he was putting footballs into the boot of his car.
At least two other vehicles were hit by bullets, police said, while children ran away in terror.
Det Ch Insp John Caldwell has been involved in high-profile investigations into dissident republican attacks
On Monday, police released CCTV footage of the car believed to be used by the gunmen.
A blue Ford Fiesta had been bought in Ballyclare in County Antrim two weeks before the attack and stored in Belfast, where its plates were changed.
It was then spotted on the M1 driving towards the direction of Coalisland and Omagh the day before the shooting.
Police have said a blue Ford Fiesta was bought two weeks before the shooting and stored in Belfast
The car was later found burnt out on the Racolpa Road outside Omagh.
A reward of up to £20,000 is being offered by the Crimestoppers charity.
The New IRA used a typed statement taped to a wall beside shops in the Creggan estate in Londonderry to claim it was responsible for shooting Mr Caldwell.
A forensic team was at the scene on Monday morning and removed the statement for further examination.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-64816090
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Amazon jungle: Man survives 31 days by eating worms - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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The 30-year-old man got lost while hunting with friends in the Amazon in northern Bolivia.
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Latin America & Caribbean
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: Jhonattan Acosta was tearful when he recounted his time lost in the jungle
A Bolivian man has described how he managed to survive for 31 days in the Amazon jungle after he got lost.
Jhonattan Acosta, 30, got separated from his four friends while out hunting in northern Bolivia.
He says he drank rainwater collected in his shoes and ate worms and insects while hiding from jaguars and peccaries, a type of pig-like mammal.
Mr Acosta was finally found by a search party made up of locals and friends a month after he had gone missing.
"It's incredible, I can't believe people kept up the search for so long," he said amid tears.
"I ate worms, I ate insects, you wouldn't believe all I had to do to survive all this time," he told Unitel TV. He also ate wild fruits similar to papayas, known locally as gargateas.
"I thank God profusely, because he has given me a new life."
His family said that they would still have to piece together all the details of how Mr Acosta got lost and how he managed to stay alive but that they would ask him gradually as he was still psychologically bruised after the experience.
Mr Acosta lost 17kg (37lb) in weight, had a dislocated ankle and was dehydrated when he was found but according to those who found him, was still able to walk with a limp.
"My brother told us that when he dislocated his ankle on the fourth day, he started fearing for his life," Horacio Acosta told Bolivia's Página Siete newspaper.
Jhonattan Acosta, his face puffed up after his ordeal, was welcomed by his sister
"He only had one cartridge in his shotgun and couldn't walk, and he thought no one would be looking for him anymore," Horacio Acosta, the survivor's younger brother, added.
Jhonattan Acosta did not have a machete or a flashlight on him when he got lost and had to use his boots to collect rainwater to drink.
He also told his relatives that he had encounters with wild animals including a jaguar.
His younger brother says that Jhonattan used his last cartridge to scare off a squadron of peccaries, pig-like herd animals found in the rainforests of South America.
After 31 days, he spotted a search party some 300m (980ft) away and limped towards them through thorny bushes, shouting to draw attention to him.
Horacio Acosta says that his brother was found by four local people. "A man came running to tell us they'd found my brother. It's a miracle."
According to the younger Acosta, Jhonattan has decided to give up hunting for good after his ordeal.
"He is going to play music to praise God. He promised God that, and I think he will keep his promise," he said of his guitar-playing brother.
Meanwhile police said they would question the four friends of the survivor to understand how he became separated from them.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-64811309
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Kaylea Titford: Parents jailed for letting neglected teen die - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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The parents of a 16-year-old girl who died after "shocking and prolonged" neglect have been jailed.
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Wales
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Alun Titford and Sarah Lloyd-Jones have been jailed
The parents of a 16-year-old girl who died following "shocking" neglect have been jailed.
Kaylea Titford's father Alun Titford, from Newtown, Powys, was found guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence and has been jailed for seven years and six months.
Kaylea's mother Sarah Lloyd-Jones admitted the same charge and was sentenced to six years.
The teenager's body was found on soiled sheets at their home in October 2020.
Sentencing the pair at Swansea Crown Court on Wednesday, Mr Justice Martin Griffiths said Kaylea's parents were "both equally responsible and were both equally culpable."
The judge added: "This was a horrifying case. A case of sustained neglect, leading to the death of a vulnerable, bedridden child at the hands of her own parents."
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The hearing was the first time broadcasters were allowed to film a crown court hearing in Wales, following a major change in the law last year which permitted TV cameras in some courtrooms.
Kaylea had spina bifida, which left her with little feeling from the waist down and limited her mobility, and had used a wheelchair from a young age.
The trial heard that when she was found dead at her home on 10 October 2020 she was morbidly obese, weighing nearly 23 stone (146 kg).
Her hair was dirty and matted and she was unwashed with ulcerated skin.
Prosecutor Caroline Rees KC said her parents' "serious failures were hidden from the world" because of the coronavirus lockdown, which kept Kaylea at home from March 2020 onwards.
This left her "trapped" in an "inhumane" environment where she lay on "filthy puppy pads", with maggots and flies on and around her body.
Kaylea had been restricted to her bed for more than six months since the start of the UK's Covid lockdown when she died
"Kaylea lived and died in squalor and degradation", she added.
Before the lockdown, Kaylea was described as being "fiercely independent and a lovely, chatty girl", but she became less able to move using a wheelchair.
Kaylea had not been seen by any medical professional in the nine months prior to her death, the court was told, and the evidence of a doctor was that the "consequences of neglect" were the worst he had seen in 30 years of practice.
In the three months before her death, the household had spent a total of £1,035.76 on takeaway food.
"As her condition deteriorated, the expenditure on takeaways and fast food increased," Ms Rees said.
The court heard that Kaylea was "eating, sleeping and defecating" from her bed.
"The last months of Kaylea Titford's life must have been horrendous," Ms Rees said.
The court also heard a series of text messages between Kaylea and her mother in August and September 2020, in which she asked for help with "incontinence needs".
"It shows that Sarah Lloyd-Jones was fully aware, and did not do anything about it," Ms Rees said.
Ms Rees said it was not a "lapse" in care, but "repeated negligent conduct in the face of obvious suffering".
She added: "Both parents had a duty of care, both were equally responsible. The fact that Alun Titford chose to absent himself from the care of Kaylea, does not give him an excuse."
Kaylea was subjected to "shocking and prolonged" neglect at the hands of her parents
In mitigation for Lloyd-Jones, Lewis Power KC said his client had an "epiphany of insight into her actions", leading to her guilty plea.
"She accepts that she owed her daughter a duty of care, and that she did breach that duty by failing to take reasonable care for her daughter's health and welfare needs."
Mr Power said that, prior to the pandemic, Lloyd-Jones was "a lady who tried her best", and added that she suffered from depression and became "gradually overwhelmed", particularly due to the "pressures of lockdown".
David Elias KC, representing Titford, said his client showed "genuine remorse" and that the pair had been "good parents" up until the lockdown period.
He said that Titford suffered from depression and a historic drug addiction, "lacked confidence" and was "overly reliant" on others.
However, the judge said he "did not accept" that outside agencies should have been more proactive.
"They never asked for help they didn't get. They never asked for help at all," he said.
In a statement after the sentencing, Dean Quick of the Crown Prosecution Service said: "No child should have to endure these types of living conditions or the extensive level of suffering faced by Kaylea.
"The level of neglect in this case was some of the most extreme that CPS Cymru-Wales has had to deal with."
Det Ch Insp Jon Rees, of Dyfed-Powys Police, said the conditions Kaylea lived in were "incomprehensible".
"While we did all we could to ensure we got justice for Kaylea, nothing will take away from the loss of a teenage girl who was so badly let down by the very people who should have been caring for her," he added.
NSPCC Cymru said the case was "incredibly distressing", adding that the forthcoming safeguarding review "must leave no stone unturned" in establishing whether more could have been done to protect Kaylea.
Powys council said a review would be carried out by the mid and west Wales regional safeguarding children board.
A spokesman added: "The council does not feel able to comment until this process has been completed."
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this story, the BBC Action Line has links to organisations which can offer support and advice
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-64803863
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Greece train crash: Survivors describe 'nightmarish seconds' - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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Passengers smashed windows to escape burning carriages after two trains collided in central Greece.
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Europe
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Survivors have told of a "nightmarish 10 seconds" as their train carriage overturned and was engulfed in flames in a crash in central Greece.
At least 38 people died and dozens more were injured in the head-on collision between two trains near the city of Larissa on Tuesday night.
The front carriages of a passenger train involved were mostly destroyed.
"We heard a big bang," said 28-year-old passenger Stergios Minenis, who jumped to safety from the wreckage.
"We were turning over in the carriage until we fell on our sides and until the commotion stopped. Then there was panic. Cables, fire. The fire was immediate. As we were turning over we were being burned. Fire was right and left," Mr Minenis was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency.
"For 10, 15 seconds it was chaos. Tumbling over, fires, cables hanging, broken windows, people screaming, people trapped."
The passenger train had been travelling from Athens to the northern city of Thessaloniki when it crashed head-on with the other freight train, causing the front carriages to burst into flames, shortly before midnight local time.
It is being described as the worst train crash Greece has ever seen.
An investigation has been launched and police say they have arrested a local station master in Larissa.
Survivors have described the chaotic scenes after the crash, with one shaken passenger telling the BBC: "People were panicking and screaming - some people were afraid they were going to die."
Giannis Antonoglou, who escaped from the fifth compartment of the passenger train, said the windows suddenly smashed and "we ended up being tilted 45 degrees as if about to tip".
Another told Skai television he was lucky to escape his carriage "fairly quickly", but "in other wagons, they did not manage to get out, and one wagon even caught fire".
Some passengers said they were forced to break carriage windows with their bodies or luggage to escape the burning wreckage.
Angelos Tsiamouras told Greek broadcaster ERT the crash had felt like an earthquake, and he smashed the train window using his suitcase. "We broke the windows with our backs," another unnamed passenger said.
One survivor, Lazos, told the newspaper Protothema: "I wasn't hurt, but I was stained with blood from other people who were injured near me."
Many of the 350 passengers on board the passenger train were students in their 20s returning to Thessaloniki after a long weekend celebrating Greek Orthodox Lent.
Transport Minister Kostas Karamanlis said the exact number of dead is still unclear, amid reports there are 20-25 people still missing. However, officials say some may have left the scene without being accounted for.
Mr Karamanlis later resigned over the disaster, saying he would take responsibility for the authorities' "long-standing failures" to fix a railway system he said was not fit for the 21st Century.
Fire brigade spokesperson Vassilis Varthakogiannis said temperatures inside the first carriage reached 1,300C (2,370F), which "makes it hard to identify the people who were inside".
One woman told Greek channel ANT1 her 23-year-old cousin, who was speaking to his mother on the phone from the passenger train shortly before the line cut, is still missing.
"His mother has been looking for him since dawn," she added.
Sixty-six people were being treated in hospital for their injuries, including six admitted to intensive care.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. It smells like burning metal and plastic - BBC reporter at scene of fatal crash
"It was a very powerful collision," the regional governor of the Thessaly region, Kostas Agorastos, told state-run television.
He said the first four carriages of the passenger train were derailed, and the first two carriages caught fire and were "almost completely destroyed".
"They were travelling at great speed and one (driver) didn't know the other was coming," the governor added.
As daylight broke, dozens of rescue workers aided with cranes were lifting the charred remains of the derailed carriages to search for more victims.
"I've never seen anything like this in my entire life. It's tragic. Five hours later, we are finding bodies," an exhausted rescuer emerging from the wreckage told AFP news agency.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who visited the disaster scene on Wednesday, has vowed to find out what happened and ensure it never happens again.
Police say they have charged the 59-year-old station master for the city of Larissa with causing deaths by negligence and grievous bodily harm by negligence. The station master, who is in charge of signalling, has denied both charges and blamed the accident on a technical fault.
Three days of national mourning have been declared.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-64806678
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Covid hearings begin in court of public opinion - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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The Telegraph's report provides a fascinating insight into how pandemic decisions were made.
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UK Politics
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The battle to learn lessons and defend reputations over Covid was always going to be intense, angry and passionate.
The focus for that, primarily, was expected to be the public inquiry, which is currently at its very early stages.
The simple political truth is the court of public opinion is opening and hearing evidence now, and will continue to in the coming days, via revelations in The Daily Telegraph.
And an argument now rages over fairness.
Is it fair that the journalist Isabel Oakeshott, who was given this huge tranche of WhatsApp exchanges by Matt Hancock to help him write a book about the pandemic, has now decided to reveal them, breaching his trust, and, Mr Hancock claims, a non-disclosure agreement?
Or, is it fair that these messages - which I'm told had already been given to the public inquiry - should remain private potentially for years prior to the inquiry's report, or maybe forever?
The Telegraph's report provides a fascinating insight, partial though it clearly is, into how people under the professional pressure of their lives dealt with these colossal issues confronting them.
We see, in a raw, unfiltered way, the nature and tone of their interactions, the rapidly changing evidence and arguments about what was deliverable.
Isabel Oakeshott argues she is performing an important public service by publishing these exchanges now.
Matt Hancock says what she has done is outrageous, partial and driven by an anti-lockdown agenda from her and the newspaper.
I am told the Telegraph has been working on this for around two months.
It reminds me of the same paper's rolling revelations on MPs' expenses in 2009: a steady flow, day after day, of stories that dominated Westminster's agenda, forever moulding the reputation of many, many figures in politics.
Here - perhaps - we go again.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-64811416
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Iran: Dozens of schoolgirls taken to hospital after new gas poisonings - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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At least 26 schools in five cities are affected by another wave of apparent toxic gas attacks.
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Middle East
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Parents rushed to a school in Tehran to pick up their children, as ambulances waited outside
Dozens of girls from 26 schools in Iran are reportedly being treated for poisoning at hospitals after another wave of apparent toxic gas attacks.
More than 1,000 students have been affected since November. They have suffered respiratory problems, nausea, dizziness and fatigue.
Many Iranians suspect the poisonings are a deliberate attempt to force girls' schools to close.
But the government has not said whether it believes they are premeditated.
Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi, who has been tasked by the president with finding the "root cause" of the poisonings, on Wednesday dismissed as "false" a report by Fars news agency that three people had been arrested.
He also accused foreign-based media and "mercenary groups" of taking advantage of the situation to wage psychological war and worry people.
Some pupils and parents suggested that schoolgirls may have been targeted for taking part in recent anti-government protests.
At least 26 schools in five cities across Iran were affected by the latest gas poisonings, local media and activists said.
BBC Persian verified videos showing ambulances arriving at schools and students being treated in hospitals in the capital Tehran, the north-western city of Ardabil and the western city of Kermanshah.
In one from Tehransar, in western Tehran, several girls purportedly from 13 Aban School are seen lying on beds in a hospital ward and receiving oxygen.
Another video from the city's east shows girls sitting on the pavement outside a primary school. A mother is then seen rushing up to the gate and screaming: "Where is my child?" A man replies: "They've poisoned the students with gas."
Primary schools have been among those targeted in the apparent attacks
Authorities are under increasing pressure from the public to stop the poisonings, which were initially concentrated in the Shia Muslim holy city of Qom, south of Tehran.
Research by BBC Persian established that at least 830 students, mostly schoolgirls, had been poisoned as of Sunday, while a member of parliament put the figure at 1,200 in Qom and the western city of Borujerd alone as of Tuesday.
Those affected have reported the smell of tangerine or rotten fish before falling ill.
The chairman of the parliamentary education committee, Alireza Monadi-Sefidan, was quoted by Fars as saying on Tuesday that an investigation had found that the toxic gas contained nitrogen.
However, the interior minister told reporters on Wednesday that reports saying a specific chemical substance had been detected were incorrect.
One parent told the BBC that girls at their daughter's school in the Tehran suburb of Pardis were poisoned on Tuesday.
"My daughter and two of her friends say they heard something like an explosion and immediately afterwards an unpleasant smell - something like burned plastic filled the air," said the parent, who the BBC is not identifying for safety reasons.
"They were asked to leave the class and go into the yard. Many of the students started collapsing in the yard. There are kids with asthma and heart problems in my daughter's class."
"Ambulances and the police arrived. Kids were given milk by the ambulance staff."
On Sunday, Deputy Health Minister Younes Panahi said it was "evident that some people wanted all schools, especially girls' schools, to be closed down", although he later said that his remarks had been misunderstood.
Some people have speculated that the schoolgirls are being targeted as "payback" for their role in the mass protests that erupted in September after the death in custody of, Mahsa Amini, a young woman who was detained by morality police for allegedly failing to wear her headscarf "properly".
Authorities have portrayed the protests as "riots" and responded with lethal force. Human rights groups have reported that hundreds of protesters have been killed, among them dozens of children.
Poisonings have been reported across the country, including in the north-western city of Ardabil
In another video posted online on Wednesday, a woman is heard saying that girls at a primary school in Kermanshah had told her that they heard an explosion, and that their headteacher then announced that some students were unwell and ambulances were being called.
The woman then talks to a young girl, who wonders whether they were "chosen" because they had taken part in the protests.
Public anger at the poisonings and the authorities' response have prompted fresh unrest.
A second video from Tehransar on Wednesday showed a group of girls outside 13 Aban School shouting "Woman, life, freedom" - the main slogan of the protest movement - as well as "Death to the child-killing government."
The parent from Pardis said: "We arrived at the school, angry and worried. Parents started shouting slogans against [Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali] Khamenei."
"Nobody believes they will investigate these attacks," they added. "I have no hope in the system. But I hope the world will hear our voice and stop supporting these child killers."
Officials reported that 35 students from their daughter's school were taken to hospital after the poisoning. But the parent said the actual number was much higher.
"From my conversations with parents and the school principal, half of the students were taken to hospitals. That is at least 200 students."
One of those children was in a coma, they said, adding: "Some parents have also refused to take their children to hospital because they are afraid and don't trust the officials."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-64816750
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Daily walk prevents one in 10 early deaths - study - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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Doing some exercise - as little as 11 minutes a day - is better than doing nothing, researchers say.
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Health
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You don't have to be a runner or play sport to feel the benefits of exercise - fitting a brisk walk into your day is good enough, UK analysis suggests.
It found if everyone did as little as 11 minutes of daily activity, one in 10 premature deaths could be prevented.
Most people don't manage to do the minimum recommended 150 minutes of exercise a week, however.
But doing some exercise is better than doing nothing, the researchers from the University of Cambridge say.
The NHS recommends everyone does 150-300 minutes of physical activity that raises the heart rate every week or 75-150 minutes of vigorous activity per week, which makes you breathe hard.
The research team looked at hundreds of previous studies on the benefits of physical activity and concluded that even doing half the recommended amount could prevent one in 20 cases of cardiovascular disease and nearly one in 30 cases of cancer.
That equates to 75 minutes per week - or 11 minutes per day - riding a bike, walking fast, hiking, dancing or playing tennis.
"You should feel yourself moving, your heart will beat faster but you won't necessarily feel out of breath," says Dr Soren Brage, who led the research.
Doing that amount is enough to reduce the risk of developing heart disease and stroke by 17% and cancer by 7%, the findings suggest.
Regular exercise reduces body fat and blood pressure while also improving fitness, sleep and heart health in the long run.
The benefits of exercise were even greater for some specific cancers, such as head and neck, gastric, leukaemia and blood cancers, but lower for lung, liver, endometrial, colon and breast cancers.
Not everyone finds it easy to do the exercise recommended by the NHS - two out of three people say they do less than 150 mins (2.5 hours) of moderate exercise and fewer than one in 10 manage more than 300 mins (five hours) per week.
"If you are someone who finds the idea of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity a week a bit daunting, then our findings should be good news," says Dr Brage.
"If you find that 75 minutes a week is manageable, then you could try stepping it up gradually to the full recommended amount."
One suggestion is to ride a bike to work or to the shops instead of using a car
The analysis, in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, looked at previous published research on the benefits of exercise in nearly 100 large studies and nearly 200 peer-reviewed articles to get an overview of the evidence.
They calculated that if everyone in the studies had done at least 150 minutes of exercise a week - the full amount - then around one in six early deaths would be prevented.
The researchers say replacing some habits is all that is needed.
For example, they advise trying to walk or cycle to work or to the shops instead of using a car, or being active when playing with your children or grandchildren.
Getting enjoyable activities into your weekly routine is the best way to increase the amount of physical activity you do, they say.
The NHS recommends adults also do activities that strengthen muscles twice a week.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-64790527
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Just Fontaine: Former France striker and World Cup record holder dies aged 89 - BBC Sport
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 | null |
Just Fontaine, who holds the record for the most goals scored at a single World Cup, dies at the age of 89.
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Last updated on .From the section Football
Just Fontaine, who holds the record for the most goals scored at a single World Cup, has died at the age of 89.
Fontaine scored 13 goals in just six matches for France at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden as they finished third.
He is joint-fourth on the all-time World Cup goalscorers list alongside Argentina's Lionel Messi.
"A star of French football, an outstanding striker, a legendary Reims player," said his former club Stade de Reims.
Another of his former clubs, Paris St-Germain, said: "A thought for Just Fontaine. An icon of French football who has left us."
The French Football Federation (FFF) described Fontaine as "the eternal goalscorer" and "a legend of world football".
"The death of Just Fontaine plunges French football into deep emotion and immense sadness," said FFF interim president Philippe Diallo.
"He wrote one of the most beautiful pages in the history of the French team."
France manager Didier Deschamps said Fontaine's death will "sadden everyone who loves football", adding that he "is and will remain a legend of the France team."
A minute's applause in tribute to Fontaine will be held at all French football grounds, starting with Wednesday's matches in the French Cup.
Only three players have scored more goals at World Cups than Fontaine, a statistic made more remarkable by the fact he only played in the 1958 tournament.
He would not have even played there had it not been for injuries to fellow forwards Thadee Cisowski and Reims team-mate Rene Bliard.
The striker went on to score in every game in Sweden, including four goals in a 6-3 win over West Germany in the third-place play-off.
In total, Fontaine scored 30 goals in just 21 appearances for France between 1953 and 1960.
He spent much of his club career at Stade de Reims, where he scored 145 goals in 152 appearances, winning three Ligue 1 titles and reaching the 1959 European Cup final, where they lost to a Real Madrid side containing Alfredo di Stefano and Ferenc Puskas.
He also played for Nice and Moroccan side USM Casablanca but was forced to retire in 1962 at the age of just 28 after suffering a double leg fracture.
As a manager, Fontaine had two games in charge of France in 1967 before leading Paris St-Germain to promotion to the top division in 1974, where they have remained ever since.
A short spell at Toulouse followed before he took charge of Morocco, the country of his birth, leading them to third place at the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations.
Fontaine is also remembered for helping to form French player's union the UNFP, becoming its first president in 1961.
In 2004 he was named on Brazil legend Pele's list of the 125 greatest living footballers.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/64808839
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Poor families more resourceful in past, says top Tory Lee Anderson - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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Deputy party chair Lee Anderson says "our garden was our foodbank" when he grew up in a mining town.
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UK Politics
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Lee Anderson on the 1970s: "Our garden was our food bank."
People struggling with living costs were "more resourceful" in previous decades, the Tory deputy chairman has said.
Lee Anderson told the BBC there was a "different culture" in his youth, and people were more likely to take on extra work.
The MP - who grew up in a mining town - has faced criticism for previously questioning the need for food banks.
Recalling his childhood, he said "our garden was our foodbank".
He said his parents had "made do" in the 1970s, despite growing up in an environment that people today would see as "very, very, poor".
But speaking to the BBC's Political Thinking with Nick Robinson podcast, he said: "We didn't think we were in poverty.
"Things were more expensive I think back in the Seventies. Food was definitely more expensive, relatively speaking," he told the podcast.
"We had one holiday a year, which was a caravan in Skegness. We had a garden full of vegetables, [with] chickens at the bottom for the eggs.
"Perhaps if some people today could go back in a time machine and see how we lived, they'd think we were very, very, poor. But I didn't see that at the time."
When challenged that people some parts of the country today would not have a garden to grow vegetables in, he replied: "The point I was making was people were more resourceful when I was growing up as a child.
"They were more resourceful. My parents were the children of men that had fought in the war, they'd gone through very, very difficult times.
"So it was a different culture, there was a different outlook on life. And they made do.
"My dad always said to me - if you need more money, go and work a weekend shift, do a bit of overtime. It wasn't 'complain on Facebook or Twitter or go and do a TikTok video or just complain to government'."
Political opponents of the Tory deputy chairman have tried to use his ability to hit headlines against him
Mr Anderson, who grew up in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, a former mining area which he now represents as MP, was appointed deputy Tory chairman by Rishi Sunak last month.
Since then he has found himself at the centre of media storms for his outspoken views on issues such as migrant Channel crossings, his support for the death penalty, and the use of food banks.
Before his appointment, he was branded "out of touch" last year for suggesting people needed to learn how to cook and budget "properly", rather than use food banks.
He later defended his comments, saying he was glad to have started a "debate" on the issue.
In his interview with Nick Robinson, he said anyone earning an annual salary of £35,000 "should not be using a food bank" when asked about a row over whether nurses had used the resource.
He said that whenever he talked about the issue, his inbox was flooded with people making supportive comments "saying 'you know what Lee, thank goodness somebody is speaking out, we actually agree with you'".
Pressed on whether higher housing costs in places like Barking, a London borough, could lead people on this income to use a food bank, he replied: "Where are they?"
"I get pensioners contacting me from southern constituencies who are on peanuts, there's on less than twenty grand a year, they're not using foodbanks."
At a parliamentary debate following his interview, Mr Anderson went on to say food banks were "being abused," with some families treating them "like a weekly shop".
He said there was a need for more education, to help families struggling with food costs to cook cheaper meals.
His comments earned him a rebuke from Labour MP Fleur Anderson, who accused him of making "provocative statements completely detached from the facts".
"There's a reason for [the] huge increase in needing to go to foodbanks, and that is because the system is entirely broken, and that is after 13 years of the Conservatives breaking that system," she added.
There was also criticism from the SNP's Patricia Gibson, who said food bank use was increasing because of rising prices, and compared Mr Anderson to "Mr Scrooge without the compassion".
She accused him of trying to "lecture" people who were struggling with living costs, branding it "staggeringly insensitive".
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-64814421
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Constance Marten and Mark Gordon: 'Painstaking' search for missing baby continues - police - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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Police say the baby of Constance Marten and Mark Gordon may have come to serious harm.
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UK
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How the search for Constance Marten and Mark Gordon unfolded
Constance Marten, 35, comes from an affluent family and has inherited wealth, but she is estranged from her relatives. Mark Gordon is a 47-year-old registered sex offender who spent 20 years in prison in the US after having been convicted in Florida of a rape he committed aged 14. The couple met in 2016. They are thought to have been leading a nomadic lifestyle after the police say the couple left their home in south-east London in September 2022, when Marten began showing signs of pregnancy. The couple's car was found burning on the side of the motorway near Bolton in early January. Police discovered that Marten had given birth a day or two earlier without any medical assistance. They started searching for the couple right away – but despite numerous CCTV sightings placing them in various locations around the country, Marten and Gordon weren’t found until 27 February, when they were arrested on the outskirts of Brighton. The search for the baby continues.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-64813521
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Yorkshire cricket racism hearing begins: Michael Vaughan, Azeem Rafiq & all you need to know - BBC Sport
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 | null |
Michael Vaughan and Azeem Rafiq are due to appear at a hearing into the Yorkshire racism scandal, which starts on Wednesday.
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Last updated on .From the section Cricket
The racism scandal that has engulfed Yorkshire County Cricket Club and the English game since 2020 will come to a head over the coming days.
More than two and a half years have passed since former Yorkshire spinner Azeem Rafiq first made claims of racism at Yorkshire, later calling English cricket "institutionally racist".
On Wednesday, a long-awaited Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) hearing will begin in London and run until 9 March.
Here is everything you need to know.
What is due to happen?
A panel will hear disciplinary proceedings brought against Yorkshire and seven individuals who were all charged by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) with bringing the game into disrepute.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan is set to be the only charged individual to appear in person following a number of withdrawals from the disciplinary process.
Matthew Hoggard, Tim Bresnan, John Blain, Andrew Gale and Richard Pyrah have all withdrawn, while Gary Ballance has admitted liability in response to his charge and will not participate.
Yorkshire will also not attend after the club pleaded guilty to four ECB amended charges.
The hearing is to take place in public - a first for the CDC - at the request of Rafiq, who will also appear in person.
However, this does not mean the general public will be able to watch; instead, accredited journalists will be permitted to watch a live stream of the hearing at its London location.
The panel will consist of former Derbyshire batsman Tim O'Gorman (chair), Mark Milliken-Smith KC and Dr Seema Patel.
What are the allegations against Vaughan?
Rafiq alleges Vaughan said "too many of you lot, we need to do something about it" to him and three other Asian players in 2009 while they were all at Yorkshire.
England bowler Adil Rashid and former Pakistan bowler Rana Naved-ul-Hasan have corroborated the allegation, which Vaughan "completely and categorically denies".
The fourth player in the group, bowler Ajmal Shahzad, has said he has no recollection of the event .
Vaughan was not involved in the BBC's coverage of the Ashes in Australia over the following winter, but returned to commentary in March 2022.
He stepped back from his work at the BBC in June last year after he was charged by the ECB and two groups of BBC staff raised concerns about his continued involvement in the broadcaster's cricket coverage.
Vaughan captained England in 51 Tests between 2003 and 2008. He played his entire domestic career at Yorkshire - between 1993 and 2009 - before becoming a summariser on BBC Test Match Special.
This is the latest chapter in what has become one of the most damaging and prolonged episodes in the history of English cricket, one that has forced its most successful county - and also the wider game - to confront uncomfortable questions over dressing-room culture and language, as well as its record on representation, inclusivity and diversity.
To many it may seem farcical that all but one of the defendants will not be present when proceedings get under way at the International Arbitration Centre on Fleet Street in London, but there will still be much at stake:
For cash-strapped Yorkshire, who will be braced for a possible points deduction or heavy fine, exacerbating the financial challenges the club is already facing after spending millions of pounds on compensation to former staff and legal fees;
For Vaughan, whose BBC broadcasting work has been put on hold since he was charged, and which could now depend on him clearing his name;
For Rafiq, who has admitted making mistakes in the past, and who as the key witness is expected to be cross-examined by Vaughan's legal team, but who says this will finally offer him "closure";
For current England player Adil Rashid, who is expected to give evidence from Bangladesh via video link;
And for the ECB, which has come under serious pressure to properly investigate what became a national scandal, but whose disciplinary process has also been heavily criticised by some of those involved for lacking independence and fairness.
And with the publication of a landmark report into inequality in English cricket expected to follow soon after this hearing ends, the game is now braced for another period of intense scrutiny.
How did we get here?
• None Azeem Rafiq: What England's cricket racism scandal is all about
• None Azeem Rafiq: What we learned from DCMS hearing into racism at Yorkshire
Former Yorkshire spinner Rafiq first made claims of historical racism at Headingley in an interview with the Cricket Badger podcast in August 2020.
The county commissioned law firm Squire Patton Boggs to investigate and, more than a year after Rafiq's initial allegations, a summarised version of a report was published in September 2021. Seven of Rafiq's 43 claims were upheld and Yorkshire apologised for "racial harassment and bullying".
However, the panel's report was not published and no player, employee or executive faced disciplinary action as a result of its findings. The outcome sparked widespread criticism and in November 2021 Yorkshire was temporarily stripped of the right to host international matches at Headingley by the ECB.
Former chairman Roger Hutton and chief executive Mark Arthur resigned in November 2021, the same month in which Rafiq appeared in front of a Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) select committee to give evidence which included branding English cricket "institutionally racist".
In December 2021, Hutton's replacement as Yorkshire chairman Lord Kamlesh Patel sacked 16 members of the club's coaching and backroom staff, including head coach Gale and bowling coach Pyrah. Both would eventually agree compensation over a claim for unfair dismissal.
Patel's reforms at Yorkshire saw the club reinstated as an international venue in time for summer 2022.
Shortly before Headingley hosted England's Test against New Zealand in June 2022, the ECB announced it had charged the county and seven individuals.
Gale, who denies the allegations made by Rafiq, withdrew from the disciplinary process two weeks later, calling it "tainted".
In August 2022, Ballance, who has admitted to using racist language towards Rafiq, issued an apology which Rafiq accepted. Ballance has since been released from his Yorkshire contract and returned to play for his native Zimbabwe.
Rafiq and Gale were reprimanded by the ECB in October 2022 for historical social media posts of a racist nature. Both admitted making the posts, which were not related and for which Rafiq apologised.
In November 2022, the CDC took the unprecedented step of opting to hold its hearing in public and scheduled it to take place at the end of that month.
An appeal against that decision from the respondents delayed the hearing and was ultimately struck down.
In February 2023, former players Matthew Hoggard, Tim Bresnan and John Blain withdrew from the disciplinary process, with former Yorkshire bowling coach Pyrah also pulling out days later.
Last week, Yorkshire admitted documents about racism allegations against the club were deleted under a previous regime.
What were the claims against the others?
In his witness statement, Rafiq accused former England bowler Hoggard of using racist slurs against him and other Asian players "on a daily basis".
He said that after disclosing his experiences in the media, Hoggard called him to apologise and he thanked his former team-mate for his apology.
Hoggard, who took 248 wickets in 67 Tests for England, played for Yorkshire between 1996 and 2009, before joining Leicestershire until his retirement in 2013.
He withdrew his co-operation from the disciplinary process in February saying it "was not an admission of guilt" but he didn't think the process was "fair", adding the investigation had "failed everybody".
Rafiq accuses Bresnan of "frequently" making racist comments towards him during their time together at Headingley and said Bresnan's behaviour led him to have "suicidal thoughts".
Bresnan, who played 23 Tests and 85 one-day internationals for England, apologised to Rafiq for the bullying claims but denied allegations of racism.
Bresnan left Yorkshire for Warwickshire in June 2020 and his new club said he would face no disciplinary action but would take cultural awareness training. He subsequently retired from cricket in January 2022.
Like Hoggard, Bresnan withdrew from the disciplinary process because he does not believe he will get a fair hearing.
In December 2021, Gale was among 16 members of staff sacked by Yorkshire in a widespread overhaul of its senior leadership under the new regime.
Gale won a claim for unfair dismissal against Yorkshire in June last year. The county said the sackings were "necessary and justified" and chairman Patel has maintained it was "absolutely the right thing to do".
Former batter Gale, who spent his entire career at Yorkshire, was suspended as part of an investigation into a tweet he sent in 2010, before he was sacked.
He and Rafiq were among five current and former players reprimanded by the ECB for historical social media posts of a racist nature in October. Rafiq had previously apologised for a Facebook exchange from 2011 containing anti-Semitic messages.
Gale said the disciplinary process was "tainted" when he withdrew in June 2022.
Former bowling coach Pyrah was also one of the sacked 16 members of staff and also won a claim for unfair dismissal last year.
Rafiq claims Pyrah, who also had a 12-year playing career at Yorkshire until 2015, dismissed his complaints of bullying and racism by other players.
Rafiq said he told Pyrah he was being bullied by Bresnan but he was instructed to ignore it.
Pyrah withdrew from the process earlier this month, saying it has not been "open, fair or transparent".
In his testimony to a DCMS select committee, Rafiq said the atmosphere at Yorkshire became "toxic" after Gale retired from playing to replace Jason Gillespie as head coach and Ballance took over as captain in 2016.
Ballance previously admitted using racist language about Rafiq's Pakistani heritage towards him. Rafiq said he accepted an apology in person from Ballance in August, and called for his former team-mate to be "allowed to get on with his life".
Yorkshire have since released Ballance from his contract at his request and he has started representing his country of birth Zimbabwe, making his debut for them against Ireland in January.
Rafiq alleges that in 2011 then Yorkshire second-team coach Blain "humiliated" him by shouting at him and telling an umpire "get him off the ground now" when Rafiq attended a training session. Yorkshire had suspended Rafiq for a month over a tweet he had sent but he said his ban did not prohibit him from attending training or watching matches at the ground.
Former fast bowler Blain, who was capped 118 times by Scotland, has been "temporarily suspended" from Cricket Scotland's Hall of Fame.
Like Hoggard and Bresnan, Blain withdrew from the disciplinary process because he does not believe he will get a fair hearing.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/64784843
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Invest in Northern Ireland to get single market access, says Andrea Leadsom - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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Andrea Leadsom defends Rishi Sunak's Brexit deal as the SNP accuse him of "moonlighting as a Remainer".
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UK Politics
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Andrea Leadsom says the PM's Brexit deal is "fantastic" for NI
Companies in Great Britain that want access to the EU single market should invest in Northern Ireland, senior Tory MP Andrea Leadsom has said.
Northern Ireland firms will continue to be part of the single market under Rishi Sunak's Brexit deal with the EU.
The PM says it will create "the world's most exciting economic zone".
But the SNP accused him of "moonlighting as a Remainer" and putting Scotland at a "competitive disadvantage".
Ms Leadsom, a leading Brexiteer, said the deal gives Northern Ireland a "unique opportunity for inward investment".
But she acknowledged in an interview with BBC News that it would also lead to questions about why all UK companies should not be able to access the single market, as they were able to do before Brexit.
"Obviously the sort of rejoinder from someone who didn't want to leave the EU is 'well, we all used to have that'," she told the BBC's Damian Grammaticas.
"But the reality is Northern Ireland will be an integral and precious part of the UK, which is a free and sovereign independent nation, but it will also have access to the EU single market."
If businesses on the mainland wanted access to the single market they should "invest in Northern Ireland", she said, adding that it would be "fantastic" for the region.
"It'll be a win win for Northern Ireland and for GB businesses," added the former business secretary.
On a visit to a Coca Cola factory in County Antrim, Mr Sunak said that if his deal, known as the Windsor framework, on new post-Brexit trading rules is implemented "Northern Ireland is in the unbelievably special position - unique position in the entire world, European continent - in having privileged access, not just to the UK home market, which is enormous, but also the European Union single market.
"Nobody else has that. No-one. Only you guys: only here, and that is the prize."
But SNP Europe and EU accession spokesman Alyn Smith accused Mr Sunak - an ardent and early supporter of Brexit - of hypocrisy.
"Rishi Sunak is moonlighting as a Remainer as he perfectly outlines how Scotland will be at a competitive disadvantage under Westminster control and outside the European Union," he said.
"Northern Ireland voted to stay within the European Union and it is getting its wishes, however Scotland voted overwhelmingly to reject Brexit but we are living with the economic consequences every single day."
Pressed on the issue, the prime minister's official spokesman told reporters: "The British people made a decision in 2016 and we are seeing the benefits of that decision, whether that's in the ability to change our environment laws, some of the tax elements the prime minister talked about just today, in fact.
"With regards to Northern Ireland, it is simply a fact that because of our respect for the Good Friday Agreement and the central importance: Northern Ireland's unique position means it needs to have access to both markets, not least to avoid a border on the island of Ireland, which nobody wants to see.
"That puts it in a unique position and what the framework does is finally cement those capabilities."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-64802929
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Human error to blame for train crash - Greek PM - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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At least 43 people died in the head-on collision between a passenger service and freight train.
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Europe
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. It smells like burning metal and plastic - BBC reporter sends video from scene of fatal crash
One of Greece's worst-ever rail disasters, which claimed at least 43 lives, was due to "tragic human error", the country's prime minister has said.
PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis spoke after visiting the site of Tuesday night's head-on collision between a passenger service and a freight train.
The local stationmaster has been charged with manslaughter. The Greek transport minister has resigned.
Rescue teams are continuing to search for survivors.
The accident happened just before midnight on Tuesday. The passenger train carrying some 350 people collided with a freight train as it emerged from a tunnel after leaving the town of Larissa.
It is still unclear why the two services were running on the same track.
The stationmaster, who is in charge of signalling, denies wrongdoing and has blamed the accident on a possible technical failure.
After visiting the site, Mr Mitsotakis said everything pointed to "a tragic human error".
"Justice will do its job," he said in a televised address. "People will be held accountable, while the state will be on the side of the people."
Announcing his resignation, Transport Minister Kostas Karamanlis stated: "When something so tragic happens, it is impossible to continue and pretend it didn't happen."
Trade unions said collisions have multiple factors and the crash had highlighted chronic deficiencies, including lack of staff, broken signals and outdated facilities.
The passenger service carrying some 350 people crashed with a freight train
The first four carriages of the passenger train were derailed and the first two caught fire and were "almost completely destroyed", Thessaly regional governor Kostas Agorastos said.
The train was travelling from Athens to Thessaloniki, which has a sizeable student population, and it is believed many on board were students returning there after a holiday for Greek Orthodox lent.
Survivors have described the chaotic scenes after the crash, with one shaken passenger telling the BBC: "People were panicking and screaming."
Giannis Antonoglou, who escaped from the fifth compartment of the passenger train, said the windows suddenly smashed and "we ended up being tilted 45 degrees as if about to tip".
Stergios Minenis, a 28-year-old passenger who jumped to safety from the wreckage, told Reuters news agency: "The fire was immediate. As we were turning over we were being burned."
Some passengers said they were forced to break carriage windows with their bodies or luggage to escape the burning wreckage.
Larissa's mayor said some of those who died would only be identifiable through genetic testing.
Relatives of missing passengers have provided DNA samples to help the identify bodies, a hospital in Larissa said.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-64817894
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Sainsbury's to axe Argos depots with 1,400 jobs hit - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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The supermarket giant plans to shut two of the Argos sites over the next three years.
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Business
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Sainsbury's is planning to close two Argos depots over the next three years in a move that will impact more than 1,400 jobs.
The supermarket giant aims to shut its Argos warehouse in Basildon, Essex, and a depot in Heywood, Greater Manchester by 2026.
Both Sainsbury's staff and those who work for an outsourced contractor will be affected, it said.
The firm is integrating its Sainsbury's and Argos operations to cut costs.
The grocer also said it would close its Milton Keynes office in response to flexible working across the group, but stressed no jobs would be impacted by the decision.
However, it also announced that its three remaining Habitat showrooms will close later this year as it plans to launch a replacement digital showroom, which will see a small number of workers affected.
Sainsbury's chief executive Simon Roberts said it was a "difficult" decision but the business needed to become "simpler, more efficient and more effective for customers".
"We understand that this will be an unsettling time for affected colleagues, and we will support them however we can throughout this process."
The retailer said affected staff would get the chance to "explore alternative roles" within Sainsbury's and Argos.
Sainsbury's has been trying to integrate Argos, which it bought along with Habitat for £1.4bn in 2016, with its wider business for several years.
In 2020 it shut most Argos shops on the High Street and moved 150 of them into its Sainsbury's stores, cutting thousands of jobs in the process.
As part of the latest plans, Sainsbury's also said that it will close its office in Milton Keynes due to the growth of flexible working since Covid.
It said "on average only 11% of available desk space is regularly used by colleagues".
The retailer said its decision to launch a digital showroom for Habitat products reflected the fact customers were increasingly shopping online.
The three remaining Habitat showrooms - in Brighton, Leeds and the Westfield shopping centre in London - will close later this year.
Sainsbury's said it was in talks with the "small number" of Habitat staff about their options.
Last month, Tesco said more than 2,000 roles were at risk across its business as it announced more changes to the way it runs its supermarkets.
The grocer plans to cut 1,750 team manager posts across hundreds of its larger stores, while closing roles elsewhere.
By contrast, discounter Aldi is creating 6,000 new jobs across the UK this year.
The staff will be recruited for its distribution centres, as well as a number of new stores including in Norwich and Newcastle.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-64802615
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Jacob Rees-Mogg admits Covid test was couriered to his home during shortage - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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He accepted it might be seen as special treatment but said it allowed him to get back to work sooner.
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UK Politics
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The Telegraph says it has published texts that mention former cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg
Jacob Rees-Mogg has admitted a Covid-19 test for his son was couriered to his home during a national shortage.
He accepted it might be deemed "special treatment" but defended the arrangement due to his workload as a cabinet minister at the time.
WhatsApp messages leaked to the Telegraph appear to show former Health Secretary Matt Hancock's adviser helped send the test in September 2020.
The Telegraph has obtained more than 100,000 of Mr Hancock's messages.
The paper has published messages it says were sent on 10 September, 2020 by Allan Nixon, Mr Hancock's political special adviser at the time.
One suggests an initial test for one of Mr Rees-Mogg's children had been lost by the laboratory.
It goes on to say "we've got a courier going to their family home tonight, child will take the test, and courier will take it straight to the lab. Should have result tomorrow am".
Responding on his GB News chat show on Wednesday, Mr Rees-Mogg said "one of my children needed a test and that put everybody into quarantine".
When he was informed his child's initial test had been lost, "it was raised with the department of health and they decided to send me a test to a member of my family", he said.
"So if I received special treatment, it wasn't because I had requested it, but actually it allowed a government minister to get back to work with a child who didn't have Covid in the first place," the former business secretary said.
He said the Covid testing system had not been working but "I accept it wasn't working for other people too".
Labour has urged the government to determine whether Mr Rees-Mogg received special treatment and not to "hide" behind the Covid inquiry.
A spokesman for Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: "The government is more than capable of answering those questions now and ensuring that we can have clarity and transparency on those issues."
The Liberal Democrats have written to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to ask him what he knew and when regarding claims that ministers had access to "priority testing".
The party's deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: "These reports are just more evidence that it's one rule for Conservative ministers and another for everyone else.
"The government must urgently publish exactly how many Conservative ministers, MPs and their families had access to priority testing when the public faced a national test shortage. The public deserves to know the truth."
During Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, Mr Sunak said the inquiry was "the right way for these things to be looked at" and that he would not comment on "piecemeal bits of information".
Around the time of the Rees-Mogg messages, Sarah Marsh, director of testing at NHS Test and Trace, tweeted "heartfelt apologies to anyone who cannot get a Covid test at present".
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. PMQs: Rishi Sunak quizzed on claims of leaked Hancock messages by Sir Keir Starmer
In the same month, media reports said government testing laboratories across the UK were facing a backlog of 185,000 Covid tests. At the time, people were asked to self-isolate if they or someone in their household were awaiting a test result.
Mr Hancock said it could take weeks to resolve issues around Covid testing and admitted there were "operational challenges" related to a surge in demand.
The Telegraph has been handed more than 100,000 WhatsApp messages linked to Mr Hancock's time as health secretary at the height of the pandemic.
The text messages were passed to the newspaper by journalist Isabel Oakeshott, who has been critical of lockdowns. Ms Oakeshott was given copies of the texts while helping Mr Hancock write his book, Pandemic Diaries.
The BBC has not seen or independently verified the WhatsApp messages nor the context in which they were sent.
Mr Hancock's spokesperson said the Telegraph had published "partial leaks" that presented a "distorted account of the pandemic" designed to "fit an anti-lockdown agenda".
The spokesperson said the messages had been made available to the public inquiry into the government's response to the pandemic.
"Instead of spinning and leaks we need the full, comprehensive inquiry, to ensure we are as well prepared as we can be for the next pandemic, whenever it comes," the spokesperson said.
Correction 30 March 2023: A reference was amended to clarify that people were not required to test negative to leave self-isolation in September 2020.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-64816834
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Omagh police shooting: Four men released over John Caldwell attack - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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Police have been granted more time to question two men over the attack in Omagh on 22 February.
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Northern Ireland
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John Caldwell remains in a critical but stable condition after the shooting
Four men who had been arrested by police investigating the attempted murder of a senior officer in Northern Ireland last week have been released.
Det Ch Insp John Caldwell remains in a critical but stable condition following the shooting in the car park of a sports complex in Omagh on 22 February.
On Tuesday, police said an extension had been granted to allow more time to question a 47-year-old man.
This will last until 22:00 GMT on Thursday.
Previously a court had also granted more time for officers to detain a 71-year-old man until 22:00 on Wednesday.
The dissident republican group the New IRA has admitted the shooting in the County Tyrone town as Mr Caldwell attended a youth sports event.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) have said two gunmen fired 10 shots at the officer as he was putting footballs into the boot of his car.
His son was among children present at the time and at least two other vehicles were hit by bullets, police said.
The men released on Tuesday are aged 22, 38, 43 and 45.
In a statement on Tuesday evening, the PSNI said its investigation continued and it called for witnesses to come forward.
On Monday, police released CCTV footage of the car believed to be used by the gunmen.
A blue Ford Fiesta had been bought in Ballyclare two weeks prior to the attack and stored in Belfast, where its plates were changed.
It was then spotted on the M1 driving towards the Coalisland and Omagh direction, the day before the shooting.
Police have said a blue Ford Fiesta was bought two weeks before the shooting and stored in Belfast
The car was later found burnt out on the Racolpa Road outside Omagh.
A reward of up to £20,000 is also being offered by the Crimestoppers charity.
The New IRA claimed responsibility in a typed statement that was taped to a wall beside shops in the Creggan estate on Sunday night.
A forensic team was at the scene on Monday morning and removed it for further examination.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-64797677
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Cut parents' benefits over school truancy, suggests Michael Gove - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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The cabinet minister says the measure could help restore an "ethic of responsibility".
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UK Politics
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Parents should face child benefit cuts if they fail to ensure their children turn up at school, cabinet minster Michael Gove has suggested.
Speaking at a think tank, the levelling up secretary said the idea could help restore an "ethic of responsibility".
Mr Gove - who first proposed the idea in 2014 - said it would help tackle anti-social behaviour.
Downing Street said parents could already be fined for children missing school.
The idea of cutting benefits for parents of truants was first suggested by Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair in 2002, but it was dropped in favour of the current fines system.
Michael Gove resurrected the idea when he was education secretary under Prime Minister David Cameron but it was never implemented.
Speaking at an event held by Onward, a centre-right think tank, Mr Gove said: "Particularly after Covid, we need to get back to an absolute rigorous focus on school attendance.
"One idea that we considered in the coalition years - but which the Liberal Democrats blocked - I think needs to be reconsidered again, is linking parental responsibility for attendance and good behaviour to the state.
"One of the ideas that we floated in the coalition years - which as I say, the Liberal Democrats rejected - was the idea that if children were persistently absent, that child benefit should be stopped.
"I think what we do need to do is think radically about restoring an ethic of responsibility," he added.
Currently, parents whose children miss school in England can be issued with £60 fines, which rise to £120 if they are not paid within 21 days. They are normally issued by local councils.
They can also be ordered to attend parenting classes, or have a supervisor appointed to help them get their child into the classroom.
The use of fines dropped off during the pandemic due to an increase in home learning, but BBC research last year suggested they had started to pick up again.
Last year, the government set out plans to introduce new national guidelines in England on the issuing of fines, and make schools draw up their own attendance policies.
The measures were later incorporated into the Schools Bill - however this legislation was dropped in December after it hit hurdles in Parliament.
The NAHT, a union representing school leaders, condemned Mr Gove's suggestion, adding that it was "likely to be counter-productive".
"It is very hard to see how consigning children to poverty and starvation will improve their school attendance," general secretary Paul Whiteman added.
"Persistent absence can only be successfully tackled by offering help, not punishment."
Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Munira Wilson said: "If Michael Gove thinks that the solution to encourage children back to school is to impoverish them, then he is living in a different century".
The prime minister's official spokesperson said there were no plans to change the existing system.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-64803947
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Nigeria election results 2023: Bola Tinubu takes strong lead over Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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Opposition parties condemn the election as a sham as Bola Tinubu wins 36% of the vote.
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Africa
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Bola Tinubu based his campaign on his record of rebuilding Lagos
Bola Tinubu from Nigeria's ruling party has taken a strong lead as results are declared from Saturday's presidential election, amid opposition protests.
Mr Tinubu, 70, a wealthy businessman and former governor of Lagos state, has won 36% of the vote.
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has 29%, while third-party candidate Peter Obi has 25%.
The parties of both Mr Abubakar and Mr Obi have called for the election to be cancelled and rerun.
They alleged that the inability of the electoral commission to upload results to its website showed that the results had been manipulated.
Many voters reported problems with uploading results through the new electronic voting system, which was intended to speed up the process.
There were also widespread delays, with many polling stations opening several hours late, and some attacked by armed men. Voting was held overnight, and on Sunday in some areas.
The electoral commission says the opposition parties should take their complaints to court and is pressing ahead with the release of results.
A candidate needs to have the most votes nationwide and at least a quarter of ballots cast in 25 of the 36 states, plus Abuja, to be declared the winner.
If those thresholds are not reached then there will be a run-off round between the top two candidates.
President Muhammadu Buhari is stepping down after serving two terms, marked by economic stagnation and growing insecurity around the country - from an Islamist insurgency in the north-east, a nationwide crisis of kidnapping for ransom and separatist attacks in the south-east.
The election had been seen as a referendum on his time in office but Mr Tinubu seems to have managed to mobilise his supporters to vote.
Earlier on Tuesday, a group of angry protesters denounced the electoral commission, known as Inec, outside the national collation centre in the capital, Abuja.
"Everything happening there is all lies, all lies, lies... they are cooking up results," one man told the BBC.
Another group held a counter-protest, urging the electoral commission to "complete your job" and calling on "Nigerians to stand up for democracy".
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Bina was hit with a sharp object while she was waiting to vote in Lagos
European Union observers said the electoral body's poor planning and communication had undermined trust in the process.
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and Mr Atiku's Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have dominated Nigeria since the end of military rule in 1999.
Mr Obi ran for president for the first time, promising to challenge the two-party system.
He has the support of many young people, who make up a third of registered voters. There are 15 other candidates.
Nigerians cast their votes in Saturday’s general election. They had 18 candidates to choose from for president and people also voted for senators and members of the house of representatives. The BBC is using data provided by Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) to tally the results. To win in the first round, a candidate must have the largest number of votes nationwide and at least 25% of the votes in two-thirds of the 36 states and Federal Capital Territory (Abuja) To win in the first round, a candidate must have the largest number of votes nationwide and at least 25% of the votes in two-thirds of the 36 states and Federal Capital Territory (Abuja)
Click on map to see results in detail
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-64805024
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Britain's guide dog shortage: Volunteers increase after BBC story - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 | null |
Since Sean Dilley shared the story of his retiring guide dog, some 4,500 volunteers have come forward.
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BBC Correspondent Sean Dilley told the story of his last walk with his guide dog Sammy in September 2022. Sammy retired after more than eight years of service.
Following the coverage, the charity Guide Dogs has had a record number of applications to volunteer, with more than 4,500 people coming forward.
Before the pandemic there were around 5,000 guide dog partnerships - now there are 3,695. More than one in five people who had a guide dog before then now do not.
Since then, the BBC has followed the stories of puppy raisers, fosterers and guide dog users to understand what needs to be done to fix Britain's guide dog shortage.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64806166
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House prices see biggest annual fall in over 10 years - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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House prices fell 1.1% in the year to February, the worst performance since 2012 outside the pandemic.
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Business
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UK house prices fell by 1.1% in the year to February, as higher mortgage rates and living costs made homes less affordable.
Aside from a small drop at the start of the pandemic, this was the first annual fall in property values since November 2012, according to Nationwide.
Prices slipped on a monthly basis too, falling by 0.5% from January.
The building society said it would be "hard for the market to regain much momentum in the near term".
"Economic headwinds look set to remain relatively strong, with the labour market widely expected to weaken as the economy shrinks in the quarters ahead," said its chief economist Robert Gardner.
He added that mortgage rates remained "well above" the lows seen in 2021.
The price of an average property is now £257,406, down from £258,297 in January and 3.7% lower than its peak in August 2022.
House prices have fallen on a monthly basis for six months in a row, according to Nationwide, as higher borrowing costs have squeezed buyers.
Mortgage rates were already rising last year as the Bank of England put up interest rates to tackle the soaring cost of living.
But mortgage rates after Liz Truss's mini-Budget in September threw financial markets into turmoil. They have fallen back since then but remain far above levels closer to 1% seen in late 2021.
UK banks approved the lowest number of mortgages in January since 2009, excluding a slump at the start of the pandemic, according to Bank of England figures published on Wednesday.
A total of 39,637 mortgages for house purchase were approved during the month, down from 40,540 in December.
Looking to the future, Mr Gardner predicted property prices would fall by 5-6% from their peak in August 2022 to the trough which "feels like a relatively soft landing given the pressure on household finances".
However, he added that forecast was dependent on the labour market not weakening more than people expect.
Pantheon Macroeconomics said people were holding off buying new homes because they expected house prices to drop further. The forecaster reckons house prices will fall over the coming months to about 8% below their peak.
It said mortgage rates appeared to have "hit a floor for now", and households' real disposable incomes would be "squeezed again" in April by the withdrawal of energy bill subsidies by the government.
It added it had "tentatively pencilled in a 5% rise in house prices for 2024", as it believes the Bank of England will start to reduce interest rates next year.
Capital Economics said the further fall in house prices in February would "keep optimism based on reports that demand has recovered in check".
"Indeed, even if buyer volumes have recovered, the amount they can spend on a new home has been reduced by higher mortgage rates."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-64807971
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Yorkshire cricket racism hearing told Tim Bresnan used racial slur towards Azeem Rafiq sister - BBC Sport
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 | null |
Former England bowler Tim Bresnan used a racial slur towards Azeem Rafiq's sister, a hearing into allegations of racism at Yorkshire is told.
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Former England bowler Tim Bresnan used a racial slur towards Azeem Rafiq's sister, a hearing into allegations of racism at Yorkshire has been told.
Rafiq claimed Bresnan used the term towards his sister Amna during a media day at Headingley in 2014.
Bresnan, who is not taking part in the process, denies the allegation.
The claim was part of the evidence heard on the first day of the Cricket Discipline Commission hearing into allegations of racism at Yorkshire.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) also set out its cases against former England bowler Matthew Hoggard and ex-Yorkshire coach John Blain, who have both withdrawn from proceedings.
The ECB will state its cases against former Yorkshire head coach Andrew Gale and ex-bowling coach Richard Pyrah, who will both not attend, on Thursday before moving on to former England captain Michael Vaughan, who is set to appear.
Rafiq briefly spoke to confirm witness statements regarding Hoggard, Bresnan and Blain but the panel said they had no need to ask him further questions. He is set to be called upon on Thursday.
• None Yorkshire cricket racism hearing begins - all you need to know
Rafiq said former Yorkshire team-mates Bresnan and Gary Ballance used the phrase in reference to his sister's Pakistani heritage when they saw her at the media day while she was on work experience with the county.
Ballance has previously admitted using the word during his time at Yorkshire. He has admitted liability in response to his charge and will not participate.
The allegation formed part of the ECB's case against Bresnan, who has been charged with bringing the game into disrepute.
The ECB's lawyer Jane Mulcahy, speaking at the International Arbitration Centre in London, said Rafiq also alleged Bresnan used the racial slur towards or about Asian women he found attractive from about 2014 onwards.
Rafiq also claimed Bresnan, now 38, used the phrase to refer to an Asian woman who walked past them in a bar at a team hotel in Birmingham in July 2018.
Bresnan, who played 23 Tests and 85 one-day internationals for England and won two Ashes series, said he had never and would never use these terms.
In his initial response to the ECB and an interview with the governing body, Bresnan denied he had ever met Amna Rafiq. Later, he admitted he had seen her from afar when she was working at Leicester.
Bresnan, who withdrew from proceedings in February, also denied ever being alone in a bar with Rafiq.
What are the other claims against Bresnan?
The two other parts of the charge against Bresnan concern allegations he used the terms "the brothers" and "you lot" in reference to Asian players at Yorkshire.
Rafiq alleged Bresnan would regularly refer to him and other Asian players including England spinner Adil Rashid as "the brothers".
It is also claimed Bresnan used the term towards Rafiq, Rashid, Ajmal Shahzad and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan before a Twenty20 match against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge in June 2009.
Vaughan is accused of saying "too many of you lot, we need to do something about it" to those four Asian players before the same match, which he "completely and categorically denies".
Bresnan said he had no recollection of asking "what are the brothers doing for dinner?" and said he was unlikely to use that phrase. He said he did use the term "brothers" or "brother" but not in a racial context.
Shahzad said in his interview with the ECB that he did not hear Bresnan use racist terminology but he declined to provide a witness statement to the hearing.
Rafiq accused Bresnan of using the phrase "you lot" regularly, and specifically towards him and Rashid before a County Championship match against Derbyshire on 15 August 2012.
Bresnan admitted using the term regularly but denied it was in a racial context. He also said he had no recollection of the specific game against Derbyshire.
Bresnan is also accused of asking former Yorkshire player Moin Ashraf "why do you lot pray before you bowl?" during T20 Finals Day in August 2012. Bresnan said he asked because he was genuinely interested and denied using the phrase "you lot" as part of the question.
The ECB's case is that it is "more likely than not" Bresnan used these phrases in a racist or discriminatory manner, given Yorkshire have admitted a "systemic" use of such language during the relevant period, that Bresnan has admitted using the terms - albeit denying any racial connotation in their use - and that others involved in the case have admitted using such terms.
The ECB have to prove their cases to the civil standard - that on the "balance of probabilities" the alleged conduct did occur.
In the ECB's opening submissions, Mulcahy took the opportunity to "correct a number of misrepresentations" about the disciplinary process she claimed had been made by Bresnan, Blain, Pyrah and Hoggard to the media.
Pyrah and Bresnan both claimed they had never been interviewed during the ECB's investigation, but the ECB said it has evidence to the contrary in the form of interview transcripts.
Hoggard made a similar claim, but the ECB has evidence showing that after it initially wrote to him with the opportunity to provide written responses to the allegations made against him, he did so before informing the ECB he would not respond further, therefore denying himself the opportunity of an interview.
Mulcahy also questioned Hoggard's claim he was not invited to participate in the investigation into Rafiq's claims by law firm Squire Patton Bogg (SPB), which upheld seven of the 43 allegations.
She said emails from former acting chief executive Paul Hudson to Hoggard included attached emails from the investigation team to Hoggard, who denies receiving those messages. Hudson also reported the investigation team left a voicemail for Hoggard in March 2021.
Former England bowler Hoggard was charged by the ECB following allegations he used racial slurs as well as referring to Rafiq and other Asian players in the Yorkshire squad as "you lot".
He admitted to using the first racist term alleged and while he does not remember specifically using the second, he denied any racist or discriminatory intent. He also denied referring to Asian players or any other ethnic group as "you lot".
It is also alleged Ashes winner Hoggard used the term "token black man" or "TBM" towards Ismail Dawood in 2004 and/or 2005 in the dressing room and in public.
Hoggard claims ex-wicketkeeper and umpire Dawood gave himself the nickname on Hoggard's stag do in Dublin.
Dawood told BBC Sport in February this was "another feeble attempt to malign and ridicule" and was "simply not true", and in his witness statement said Hoggard had used the phrase throughout the 2004 season.
What is Blain charged with?
The ECB charged Blain with using a racist phrase to describe Asian individuals during pre-season training at Headingley in 2010, as well as on other occasions at Yorkshire during that year and 2011. Blain denies the allegation.
Rafiq alleges that on one occasion Blain used the term, he was pulled up for it by a team-mate and responded that it was "like calling a British person 'a Brit'".
In his witness statement, former Scotland bowler Majid Haq said then team-mate Blain used the term in Nairobi in January 2007. Blain said in response that it was like calling Australians 'Aussies' and New Zealanders 'Kiwis'. Haq is set to give evidence on Friday.
Blain denies both incidents took place and, in the case of the latter, alleged witnesses deny any recollection of the conversation.
In laying out its case, the ECB noted the "striking" similarities of Blain's defence during the alleged incidents. It also said it was "notable" that Blain and Ballance overlapped in their time at Yorkshire.
In the cases against Blain, Hoggard and Bresnan, Mulcahy said the panel could draw an "adverse inference" from their non-participation in the disciplinary proceedings.
What is happening in the hearing?
It has been more than two-and-a-half years since former Yorkshire spinner Rafiq first made claims of racism at the county, later calling English cricket "institutionally racist".
The hearing concludes on 9 March and the opening four days of proceedings are being held in public. The rest will be conducted in private.
A three-person panel will hear disciplinary proceedings brought against Yorkshire and seven individuals who were all charged by the ECB with bringing the game into disrepute.
The panel comprises Cricket Discipline Commission chair, lawyer and former Derbyshire batsman Tim O'Gorman, Mark Milliken-Smith KC - a lawyer with specialist knowledge of sports law - and Dr Seema Patel, a senior law lecturer at Nottingham Trent University.
Yorkshire will also not attend after the club pleaded guilty to four ECB amended charges, which were detailed on Wednesday.
The county were accused of having "mishandled" the SPB investigation into Rafiq's initial claims of racism and charged with deleting relevant emails and/or documents held electronically, which the club last week confirmed had happened.
The ECB stated Yorkshire "failed to take adequate action" on complaints of racist abuse against crowd members from fellow spectators during a match at Headingley in 2017 and at Scarborough in 2018.
Yorkshire were also accused of failing to address the "systemic use of racist or discriminatory language over a long period" by employees or players at the club.
• None Was it a mistake to sell off British Gas? Find out if the privatisation of the company could have had an impact on today's energy price crisis
• None Can she help struggling learners pass their test?
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/64814128
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Rishi Sunak seeking support for Brexit deal in Westminster - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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The PM is seeking support from the influential 1922 Committee as well as Eurosceptic MPs about his post-Brexit trade agreement.
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UK
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Sophie from Holywood hopes Stormont will be restored after Monday's deal Image caption: Sophie from Holywood hopes Stormont will be restored after Monday's deal
In Belfast, a common hope among young people is that a deal will lead to a restored Stormont.
Speaking outside Queen's University in the south of the city, Sophie Durston admits she is clued up on the Brexit process, but hasn't read Monday's deal just yet.
"I have mixed opinions about any sort of Brexit deal in Northern Ireland.
"There's so much unrest - being of Europe, being part of Ireland, being part of Britain - it's a very contentious issue for here.
"I hope Stormont will get back - there are MLAs who want to be up there doing the work - but it's getting that final party in," she says.
Jodie hopes the deal leads to restored devolution, adding that it "seems like the best way forward".
"I think it can depend on what community you live in as to whether you like it or not."
Rory McCandless from Ballymena says there is too much division at Stormont Image caption: Rory McCandless from Ballymena says there is too much division at Stormont
But some, like Rory, aren't as hopeful.
"I can't see the assembly back up and running any time soon - there's just too much division here," he says.
"In terms of a future I would like to stay here but a lot of my friends are heading on.
"Brexit does matter to people my age - it's our future."
Eoin from County Fermanagh agrees, saying the deal will not make a dent in the current political impasse.
• Read more: What do people in NI think of new protocol deal?
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-64794293
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Constance Marten arrest: Police fear baby has come to serious harm - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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Constance Marten and Mark Gordon were arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.
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UK
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Det Supt Lewis Basford: "We must consider that the baby has come to serious harm"
A fingertip search of a vast area of around 90 square miles is being carried out for a missing baby.
Hundreds of officers are scouring land near Brighton and said they fear the infant has come to "serious harm".
Sniffer dogs, drones and thermal cameras are being used in a desperate effort to find the baby alive.
Police want more time to question parents Constance Marten and Mark Gordon on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.
They were detained on Monday after a 53-day search which began when their car was found on fire by the side of a motorway near Bolton in Lancashire.
Police believe Ms Marten had recently given birth and say the baby may have been born in the back of the vehicle, without a midwife or medical attention.
Ms Marten and Gordon - a convicted rapist and registered sex offender - are in custody but have not revealed anything to investigators about the baby's whereabouts, condition or its sex.
The search area stretches from Brighton to Newhaven and up to the South Down, and it is being combed inch by inch.
People living close to the search area are helping. Two told the BBC they alerted police to a pair of pink children's earmuffs discarded on the ground yesterday.
Search teams have been seen looking through thick bramble, allotments and inside bins for the missing two-month-old or any clues that could offer hope.
Officers from London Search and Rescue (LONSAR) search the area in Wild Park Local Nature Reserve in Brighton on Wednesday
One dog-walker said it was like looking for a needle in a haystack, but police have urged members of the public to remain vigilant.
With night closing in, temperatures are expected to fall to little over freezing tonight.
Ms Marten, 35, and Gordon were arrested on Monday after a member of the public spotted them in a shop and alerted police.
They were initially arrested on suspicion of child neglect but were re-arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, Det Supt Lewis Basford from the Metropolitan Police said a huge search had continued throughout the night.
Members of the public have been asked to report any unusual activity or "suspicious items" they may have seen in recent weeks.
Inquiries are also being carried out in the South Downs and in Newhaven, where the couple were spotted with their baby on January 8, the last confirmed sighting prior to the arrest.
It is believed they were sleeping rough outdoors and were previously spotted carrying a blue tent.
Teams were seen working in Moulsecoomb Wild Park, around a mile from Stanmer Villas in Brighton where the couple were arrested, earlier on Wednesday.
The officers searched under sticks and logs close to where the area meets Hollingbury Golf Course.
Volunteers from London Search and Rescue have been drafted in to bolster efforts.
Allotments and the golf course were searched on Tuesday. A Facebook Group for the Roedale Valley allotments were told police had broken into every shed on the site in their search for the baby.
A car belonging to Ms Marten and Gordon, 48, was found on fire on the side of the M61 motorway in Bolton on 5 January.
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Police said the family left the scene and travelled to Liverpool, Essex, London and East Sussex.
They appeared to cover their faces when in public, travelling at night and using cash to purchase supplies, apparently attempting to avoid detection.
Their home is in Eltham, in south-east London, but they have been living nomadically since September last year when Ms Marten first started to show signs of pregnancy.
Police have not ruled out that someone could be looking after the baby - though they added this was unlikely.
Det Supt Lewis Basford said the risk to the baby increased as time went on.
He said on Tuesday that police must now "be open to the fact this may not end in the way we would like".
Constance Marten and Mark Gordon disappeared with a newborn baby more than seven weeks ago
Hundreds of officers and search specialists have been deployed in the area
Police previously said Ms Marten's inherited wealth may have allowed the couple to remain at large for an extended period.
She is from a privileged background, having lived in a stately home growing up.
She became estranged from her family after meeting 48-year-old Gordon at drama school in 2016.
They believe the baby was alive at the time of the last previous sighting of the family in Newhaven, but little more is known about the family's movements in the weeks since.
After the pair were found on Monday, Ms Marten's estranged father Napier Marten told the Independent he felt "immense relief", though this was "tempered by the very alarming news [her] baby has yet to be found"
People charged with gross negligence manslaughter could face up to 18 years in prison if found guilty over a death caused by negligent behaviour.
This is different to unlawful act manslaughter, where a prison term can be up to 24 years if someone is proven to have intentionally done something unlawful or dangerous that inadvertently caused death.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64808412
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Ed Sheeran says wife developed tumour in pregnancy, as he announces new album - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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The health scare and the death of his friend Jamal Edwards sent Sheeran "spiralling" into depression.
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Entertainment & Arts
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Sheeran says his new album - (Subtract) was written against "a backdrop of grief and hope"
Ed Sheeran says he "spiralled" into depression last year, after his wife was diagnosed with a tumour and his friend Jamal Edwards died unexpectedly at the age of 31.
The star's childhood sweetheart, Cherry Seaborn, who he married in 2019, was told she had a tumour while pregnant with their second child.
There was "no route to treatment until after the birth", he explained.
At the time, the star was in court every day facing a copyright trial.
The devastating impact of those events "changed my life, my mental health, and ultimately the way I viewed music", said the star in a handwritten note posted to social media.
As a result, he scrapped "hundreds" of songs he'd written for his upcoming sixth album.
Sheeran and Seaborn welcomed their second daughter last May. The singer did not provide an update on his wife's health.
Sheeran was writing to fans to announce the release of - (Subtract), an Aaron Dessner-produced acoustic album that was written against "a backdrop of grief and hope".
The album was long-planned as the conclusion to his "mathematical era", which began with + (Plus) in 2011, and continued with x (Multiply), ÷ (Divide) and = (Equals).
But the entire project was rewritten in a week-long outpouring of emotions, as the star was "spiralling through fear, depression and anxiety" last February.
It came after Edwards - who gave Sheeran his first big break - suddenly died from a heart attack after taking cocaine and drinking alcohol, a coroner concluded.
Shortly afterwards, Sheeran faced a three-week copyright trial, over claims he had plagiarised his hit song Shape Of You.
Although he eventually won, the singer and his co-writer, Snow Patrol's Johnny McDaid, said the case had put an "extraordinary strain" on them.
To get through those experiences, Sheeran used songwriting to "make sense" of his feelings.
"I felt like I was drowning, head below the surface, looking up but not being able to break through for air," he recalled.
Artwork for the album was shot by famed US photographer Annie Leibovitz
"I wrote without thought of what the songs would be, I just wrote whatever tumbled out. And in just over a week, I replaced a decade's worth of work with my deepest, darkest thoughts.
"For the first time I'm not trying to craft an album people will like, I'm merely putting something out that's honest and true to where I am in my adult life.
"It's opening the trapdoor into my soul."
The album is due for release on 5 May, with Sheeran playing a handful of shows in London, Dublin, Glasgow, Manchester and Paris to debut the first single at the end of March.
The release comes shortly after January's one-off single F64, which was a visceral response to Jamal Edwards' death.
That song will not feature on the final tracklist, which was revealed on Wednesday morning.
Sheeran's mathematical quintology has made him one of Britain's biggest music stars, with songs like Shape Of You and Thinking Out Loud among the most-streamed songs of all time.
Subtract, which was originally planned as an acoustic album, will now range from "paired back, folk-leaning textures to bolder, full-band/orchestral arrangements," according to a press release from Sheeran's record label, Atlantic.
Unlike his previous albums, the artwork for Subtract does not focus on the title's mathematical symbol, instead featuring a picture of a corroding heart.
The star also posted a cryptic video on Instagram, featuring his song titles scored into the shore of a windswept beach, intercut with footage of what appears to be a child's birthday party.
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Sheeran's record was produced by Dessner, best known as the frontman of alternative rock band The National, after the two were introduced by mutual friend Taylor Swift.
Dessner previously collaborated with Swift on her Grammy Award-winning lockdown album Folklore.
"This is last February's diary entry and my way of making sense of it," Sheeran concluded. "This is Subtract."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64809475
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Greece train crash: Rescuers search wreckage of deadly collision - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 | null |
A passenger train hit a freight train travelling in the opposite direction in northern Greece.
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Rescuers have been working through the night to search for survivors after a train crash near the city of Larissa, in northern Greece.
Dozens of people are known to have died, with many more injured after two trains collided.
More on this story: Survivors describe 'nightmarish seconds' as trains crashed
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-64808068
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Frogmore Cottage: Harry and Meghan 'requested to vacate' property - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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It was earlier reported that the home, in Windsor, had been offered to Prince Andrew.
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UK
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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been asked to vacate their British base of Frogmore Cottage, the couple's spokesperson has confirmed.
It was earlier reported that the home, in the grounds of Windsor Castle, had been offered to the Duke of York.
A spokesperson for Prince Harry and Meghan confirmed the news. Buckingham Palace has not commented.
The duke and duchess now live in California with their two children, Archie and Lilibet.
They quit life as working royals in 2020 and left the UK shortly afterwards.
Frogmore Cottage, a Grade-II listed property in the grounds of Windsor Castle in Berkshire, was a gift to the royal couple from the late Queen.
Prince Harry and Meghan refurbished the property, owned by the Crown Estate, at an estimated cost of £2.4m in 2018-19. The cost was initially covered by taxpayers through the Sovereign Grant before being repaid in full by the duke.
They were reportedly told to leave the property by Buckingham Palace in January, days after Harry published his explosive memoir, Spare.
The book - which was released in January and became the fastest-selling non-fiction book in the UK since records began in 1998 - included claims Prince Harry was physically attacked by his brother, the Prince of Wales. He also wrote that he and his brother, the Prince of Wales, had begged their father not to marry Camilla, now Queen Consort.
Prince Andrew, the late Queen's second son, lives in the nearby Royal Lodge, in Windsor Great Park, Berkshire.
He stepped down as a working royal in 2019 after a controversial Newsnight interview about allegations that he had sexually assaulted Virginia Giuffre. He has repeatedly denied the allegations.
In February 2022, he paid an undisclosed sum to settle the civil sexual assault case Ms Giuffre brought against him in the US.
Reports in recent weeks, not confirmed by the BBC, suggested the King is to cut Andrew's annual grant which could leave him unable to afford his home's running costs.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex now live in the US with their children
The cottage has a rich and varied history. Queen Charlotte, wife of King George III, had it built in 1792 as a place for her and her daughters to escape the court.
At the time it was fashionable for the wealthy to build large homes disguised as idyllic rural cottages.
Surviving relatives of Tsar Nicholas II also lived there after fleeing to the UK, following the murder of other family members by Bolsheviks in 1918.
Since World War Two, the cottage is believed to have been used as a home for members of royal household staff, before Prince Harry and Meghan moved in.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64815383
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Russian patient offers to house Ukrainian doctor in Fairford - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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Olga Pantas and her family are living in the second home of a man whose life he claims she saved.
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Wiltshire
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Konstantin Tarasov (pictured far right) has offered Olga Pantas (third from left) and her family the use of his second home in Gloucestershire
A Ukrainian doctor has been offered a house for herself and her family to stay in as thanks for helping to save the life of a Russian man with Covid.
Olga Pantas, 42, was working as a cardiologist in Kyiv in Ukraine, when she treated Konstantin Tarasov in 2021.
When Russia invaded Ukraine a few months later he offered her the use of his second home in Fairford, Gloucestershire.
He said it was his turn to save her and urged her to come to the UK, she said.
"He is a very good person," Dr Pantas added.
Dr Pantas is currently working as a medical support worker at the Great Western Hospital in Swindon
Dr Pantas stayed in contact with Russian-born Mr Tarasov following his treatment and now lives with her children in his second home in Fairford near the Wiltshire border.
Mr Tarasov, who trains pilots for a Ukrainian airline, lives in his primary residence in London.
Dr Pantas had been visiting her dying grandmother in the village of Semenivka when the Russian forces invaded in 2022.
Dr Pantas and her children hid in a basement for three weeks to escape from the fighting
During the heavy fighting that ensued she was forced to take shelter with her children, aged 15 and seven, in a basement.
"I didn't believe what was happening, it was like a horror film," she told BBC Radio Wiltshire.
"I waited and waited hoping the fighting would stop. We couldn't believe it was continuing," she added.
Dr Pantas said people had been very welcoming to her family since they arrived in England
After three weeks under fire, Dr Pantas left the village with her children and extended family and set off for Western Ukraine.
Two months later she applied for emergency visas to travel to England.
Dr Pantas is now working as a medical support worker at the Great Western Hospital in Swindon and said all the children had settled into their new home and schools.
She said everyone she and the children had met had been extremely kind and understanding and she was especially grateful to her friend Mr Tarasov.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-64758099
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Greece train crash latest: Human error to blame for tragedy, says PM - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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At least 43 people are killed after a passenger train and freight train collide in one of the country's worst rail accidents.
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Europe
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Panagiotis Stafylos was supposed to be in the passenger train's second carriage Image caption: Panagiotis Stafylos was supposed to be in the passenger train's second carriage
We reported earlier on what happened to Giannis Antonoglou, who was in the fifth carriage of the train when it crashed and managed to get out of the train unaided and unhurt.
Also in that carriage was Panagiotis Stafylos, who had a ticket for the second compartment but had made a "simple mistake" - confusing the numbers.
The first and second carriages of the train were “almost completely destroyed” in the collision with a freight train, according to the regional governor.
The fifth, however, managed to stay on the rails.
He told the BBC that “out of pure luck maybe, or call it God" he wasn't among those who were injured or killed in the crash.
Stafylos says people in his carriage were anxious following the incident and he tried to help and calm them down before trying to escape, which took about half an hour.
“At first we broke the windows, but we didn’t have the right tool for it... so we tried to break one of the doors open.”
Eventually, the emergency services arrived to help them get to safety.
Stafylos says that before the train crashed, it had stopped for about 15 minutes at Larissa station, but he didn’t think anything of this at the time because delays are normal in Greece.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-europe-64807384
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Disabled children denied transport to school by Education Authority - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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One could not go to school for two years when the Education Authority failed to provide transport.
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Northern Ireland
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An EA spokesperson said it would take on board learning from these cases
The Education Authority (EA) breached the human rights of two disabled pupils, according to court declarations agreed during judicial review proceedings.
One of the pupils was prevented from attending school for long periods and access was hindered for the other.
It was found both pupils were "treated differently to other children in the state" because of their disability.
The EA said it would "take on board all learnings from these cases".
The legal action was brought by the Children's Law Centre (CLC), acting on behalf of the pupils.
Both cases were subject to anonymity orders so the children cannot be identified.
However, some details of the cases, which both involved clinically vulnerable and profoundly disabled children, can be reported.
Both were denied transport to school during the Covid-19 pandemic as they had serious respiratory conditions which required ventilation and this was said to pose a risk to drivers.
In the first case, the child was unable to go to school for two years as their parent had no means of transport to get her there.
As a result she was unable to enter either primary one or primary two, though she did receive some education at home from the EA from February 2022.
After a two-year delay, she was eventually able to start school in September 2022 following the provision of appropriate transport by the EA.
The parent of the child told BBC News NI that being able to attend school had changed their daughter's life.
"She would have been up 90% of the night when she couldn't go to school as she wasn't getting physically tired," they said.
"We put her to bed but then she would get up between midnight and 02:00 GMT and that was her awake.
"As soon as she started school she was like a different child.
"She loves school and all of the activity she does."
In the second case, the parent had to drive her child to school every day due to the failure of the EA to provide transport
In the second case, the parent had to drive their child to school each day, with a healthcare assistant and equipment, due to the failure of the EA to provide appropriate transport from 24 February 2021 until June 2022.
The parent of that pupil said their child was "made to feel different".
"I brought my child's case to the attention of the Children's Law Centre as I felt no person or child should be treated differently due to their disability and medical requirements and excluded from transport and vital education and learning with their peers," they said.
"This declaration will hopefully promote learning from public bodies and understanding that all children should be treated inclusively."
The EA agreed to declarations that in both cases it had breached the human right not to be denied education under Article Two of Protocol One of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) for reasons related to the child's disability.
Both children now have appropriate transport from the EA and are attending school.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the EA told BBC News NI that: "Whilst we cannot comment on individual pupils, we will take on board all learnings from these cases and are firmly committed to the principle of equality of opportunity for all pupils."
"Supporting our children and young people to not only access but thrive in education remains our priority," they continued.
Rachel Hogan said the human rights declarations in both cases were "landmark decisions"
Rachel Hogan, from the Children's Law Centre, said that the human rights declarations in both cases were "landmark declarations".
"Whilst this case is an education case arising from unmitigated harm to disabled children arising from Covid restrictions, there is a much wider point," she said.
"These barriers to equality represent a system-wide failure of equality for disabled people and their families which is not confined to the education sphere.
"Disabled children deserve and are entitled to equal treatment and equality of opportunity in all aspects of life.
"The EA's acknowledgement of human rights breaches in these cases is welcome.
"It is the mark of a public authority which is willing to be held accountable by acknowledging fundamental failings in order to enable changes to take place to put these right."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-64803937
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Twitch streamer Kai Cenat breaks subscriber record - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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The 21-year-old has amassed 300,000 subscribers, after a month-long 'subathon' to increase viewers.
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Technology
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Kai Cenat has broken the record for attracting the most Twitch subscribers.
The 21-year-old US streamer amassed 300,000 subscribers on the Amazon-owned streaming service, following a month-long drive to increase subscriptions.
His 'subathon' - launched on 1 February - saw Cenat streaming 24 hours a day: chatting, gaming and interviewing guests, as well as sleeping, on camera.
The popular YouTuber officially overtook former Twitch record holder Ludwig Ahgren on Tuesday.
Twitch is a livestreaming platform, where people typically play video games while chatting to viewers.
Ludwig previously held the record for the most Twitch subscribers, hitting a peak of 283,000 viewers during a non-stop stream in April 2021.
Two years later, Cenat broke Ludwig's record with his own subscription marathon - or 'subathon' - a stream with a countdown timer which is extended every time someone subscribes to the channel.
Twitch offers subscriptions to users as a means of supporting their favourite streamers and creators on the platform.
In the UK, the basic subscription package costs £3.99 - or $4.99 in the US - with additional tiers costing more.
Users can also gift subscriptions, so subscriber numbers can increase, in part, thanks to wealthier fans who pay for monthly subscriptions for other viewers.
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Cenat began his streaming marathon at the start of February to mark the beginning of Black History Month in the US.
Over the month he has entertained viewers with guests including comedian Reggie Brown and a Barack Obama impersonator.
On 22 February, he became the first African-American streamer to reach 200,000 Twitch subscribers.
After it was confirmed he had breached the benchmark of 300,000 subscribers on Tuesday, Cenat told viewers his streaming marathon was the hardest thing he has ever done.
"Stop saying 'I did it' - we did it," he said, as the total subscriber count ticked over 300,000. "On the last day of Black History Month, we broke 300,000!
"And I'm so happy I did it with the people around me. I couldn't have chosen anybody else to do this with," he added.
Cenat's ongoing stream may still gain a few additional subscribers, but his subathon will come to an end imminently, after he vowed it would last no longer than 30 days.
It is currently unclear whether he plans to take a short break from the platform before returning to regular Twitch streams.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-64811710
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Drone crash near Moscow was failed attack, governor says - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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A drone that crashed in the Moscow region was targeting infrastructure, the regional governor said.
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Europe
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A drone has crashed in the Moscow region in what was likely an attempt to target civilian infrastructure, the regional governor said.
Andrei Vorobyov was speaking after the defence ministry reported downing two Ukrainian drones in southern Russia.
Ukraine does not claim responsibility for attacks inside Russia.
Russian energy giant Gazprom operates a facility near the village of Gubastovo, about 100 km (62 miles) from Moscow, where the drone crashed.
Gazprom told Russian state-run news agency RIA Novosti that its operations in the Kolomna district had not been interrupted.
The target of the drone in Kolomna "was probably a civilian infrastructure facility, which was not damaged", Mr Vorobyov posted on Telegram.
"There are no casualties or damage on the ground. The FSB (Russian security service) and other competent authorities are investigating," he added.
Images shared by Russian media and officials show a damaged drone in a snow-covered field in front of a forest of birch trees. The area around the Gazprom facility is heavily forested.
The appearance of the drone matches that of the UJ-22 Airborne, a product of Ukrainian manufacturer Ukrjet.
Ukrjet says the vehicle has a range of 800km - enough for it to reach the Kolomna area from Ukraine.
A reverse image reveals no previous matches for the image, suggesting it is recent.
Anton Gerashchenko, advisor to Ukraine's minister of internal affairs, tweeted a photo of the drone.
"It is more than 500km away from Russian border with Ukraine. Soon Putin might get very afraid to show himself in public as drones can reach far distances," he wrote alongside the photo.
If Ukraine was behind the Kolomna drone, it would be the closest attempted drone attack to the capital since Russia invaded Ukraine more than a year ago.
It came as the Russian defence ministry said its forces had downed two Ukrainian drones in southern Russia.
The ministry accused Kyiv of attempting to use drones "to attack civilian infrastructure in the Krasnodar region and the Adygea Republic", adding that they were "neutralised by electronic warfare units".
Moscow has accused Ukraine of being behind attacks on Russian military infrastructure during the war, but Kyiv has not confirmed this.
A Ukrainian drone attack on an airbase for bombers in southern Russia in December left three people dead, Moscow said. The Ukrainian military did not officially admit to the attack, but air force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat said the explosions were the result of what Russia was doing on Ukrainian soil.
Just weeks before, Russia accused Ukraine of a similar attack on the same airfield, which is home to bombers that have carried out missile attacks on Ukraine.
In August, a series of blasts rocked a military base in Crimea, in what was seen as a significant expansion of the conflict by Ukraine into Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014. Ukraine later claimed responsibility for that attack.
President Vladimir Putin told the FSB on Tuesday to intensify its activity against what he said was increasing espionage and sabotage by Ukraine and the West.
He instructed the FSB to strengthen security in territories occupied by Russia in eastern Ukraine. He said units deployed at the border must stop sabotage groups and prevent the passage of illegal weapons and ammunition.
"We need to beef up our counterintelligence in general, because Western special services have traditionally been very active in relation to Russia," he said.
"And now they have put in additional personnel, technical and other resources against us. We need to respond accordingly."
Russia's defence ministry said its fighter jets were involved in a training exercise in the country's western airspace on Tuesday, hours after airspace over St Petersburg was closed due to reports of an unidentified object.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-64802453
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Pilot circles plane to show passengers northern lights - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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The captain dimmed the lights and made a 360-degree turn so passengers could see the display.
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Manchester
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The captain dimmed the lights in the cabin to enhance the view
An EasyJet pilot made a 360-degree turn to treat passengers to a stunning view of the northern lights.
The plane was travelling from Iceland to Manchester as the aurora borealis lit up skies across the UK in a rare display.
Passenger Adam Groves, of Lymm, Cheshire, said the "incredible" sight "topped off" his four-night trip, which also saw him get engaged.
It came as the country enjoyed a second night of spectacular views.
Mr Groves said he and his fiancee Jasmine Mapp were on the right-hand side of the plane, which took off from Reykjavik, and would not have been able to see the lights if it was not for the "very kind" pilot.
The pair had actually spent their entire trip in Iceland hunting the aurora without success.
The UK enjoyed a second night of spectacular views of the lights on Monday evening
Mr Groves said: "We were hoping to see them while we were out there but we didn't get the chance.
"We took off and halfway into the flight the pilot turned all the lights off and the view could be seen out the left window.
"But we were sitting on the right-hand side and after a few minutes the pilot switched back and did a 360 loop around for everyone to see."
Adam Groves proposed to girlfriend Jasmine Mapp during their trip to Iceland
The experience topped off a whirlwind trip for the couple, Mr Groves said, as his girlfriend accepted his marriage proposal at a beauty spot on the island's south coast.
Ms Mapp said: "After days of jumping in the car at any opportunity to try and find the northern lights without spotting them, finally getting to see them in the sky was the perfect ending to a very special trip."
An EasyJet spokeswoman said: "We are pleased that the captain was able to perform a controlled manoeuvre in order to allow passengers to witness an amazing display from the air of one of nature's greatest sights.
"Our crew will always go above and beyond for our customers and we're delighted to have been able to share this special view with them."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-64795572
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Iran nuclear: IAEA inspectors find uranium particles enriched to 83.7% - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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A watchdog is discussing with Iran the purity of the particles, which is very close to weapons grade.
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Middle East
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Iran - whose president is pictured here inspecting centrifuges - insists its nuclear programme is entirely peaceful
The global nuclear watchdog has found uranium particles enriched to 83.7% purity - very close to weapons grade - at Iran's underground Fordo site.
In a report seen by the BBC, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it was having discussions with Iran "to clarify the matter".
Iran has said "unintended fluctuations" in enrichment levels may have occurred.
It has been openly enriching uranium to 60% purity for two years in breach of a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.
The agreement, which was aimed at preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons, saw the country limit its nuclear activities and allow monitoring by the IAEA's inspectors in return for relief from crippling economic sanctions.
However, it has been close to collapse since then US-President Donald Trump pulled out unilaterally and reinstated sanctions in 2018 and Iran retaliated by increasingly breaching the restrictions.
Joe Biden's administration wants to rejoin the deal if Iran returns to compliance, but indirect negotiations in Vienna, where the IAEA is based, have been stalled for a year.
Uranium is a naturally-occurring element that can have nuclear-related uses once it has been refined, or enriched. This is achieved by using centrifuges - machines which spin at supersonic speeds - to separate out the most suitable isotope for nuclear fission, called U-235.
Low-enriched uranium, which typically has a 3-5% concentration of U-235, can be used to produce fuel for commercial nuclear power plants.
Highly enriched uranium has a purity of 20% or more and is used in research reactors. Weapons-grade uranium is 90% enriched or more.
Under the nuclear deal, Iran agreed not to enrich uranium beyond the 3.67% purity and to halt enrichment altogether at Fordo Fuel Enrichment Plant.
After the US reinstated sanctions, it first resumed enrichment to 20% and then started producing smaller quantities of 60%-enriched material too - a significantly higher level than it had reached before.
The IAEA's latest quarterly report to member states said inspectors found the 83.7%-enriched uranium particles in samples taken at Fordo in late January.
The head of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran played down the significance of the discovery and said he expected it to be "put to rest" soon.
Mohammad Eslami told reporters on Wednesday that the sample was "just a particle that cannot even be seen with a microscope" and insisted that "the important thing is the volume of product stored" after enrichment, according to the official Irna news agency.
Iran insists that its nuclear activities are entirely peaceful, but experts have warned that the breaches have theoretically reduced the time it would take the country to acquire enough weapons-grade uranium for one bomb if it decided to do so.
Top US defence department official Colin Kahl told a Congressional committee hearing on Tuesday that this so-called "breakout time" had been shortened from 12 months to "about 12 days".
Experts estimate that "weaponization" - manufacturing a nuclear warhead for a missile - would still take another one to two years.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-64810145
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Inflation still a worry for NI consumer confidence - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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Despite a slight improvement at the end of 2022, consumer confidence is still lower than in 2021.
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Northern Ireland
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Consumer confidence still lower than it was in 2021
Inflation is still a worry for consumer confidence in Northern Ireland, despite a slight improvement at the end of 2022 according to a Danske Bank report.
The report found that confidence was slightly higher than the third quarter of last year.
But it is well below 2021 levels due to higher prices continuing to put pressure on household budgets.
The survey was carried out in December 2022 with 1,018 people. At that time inflation was 10.5%.
People who took part in the survey reported feeling more confident about future finances and spending than they did in the third quarter of 2022.
But they felt less confident about current finances and job security.
More than half (58%) thought their finances had deteriorated over the past 12 months, compared to 14% who felt their financial position improved.
About half (51%) expect their finances to worsen over the next year.
Danske Bank chief economist Conor Lambe said: "Despite starting to fall towards the end of last year, inflation in the UK remains at elevated levels and is continuing to exert a squeeze on household spending power as well as weigh down on peoples' confidence levels.
"While it was encouraging to see a small rise in consumer confidence in the final quarter of 2022, it should be noted that overall confidence levels remain relatively low.
"As we move through 2023, inflation is expected to continue declining but it will likely take some time for it to return to the 2 percent target. As such, and when combined with relatively low confidence levels, consumer spending is projected to remain under pressure," he added.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-64802731
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Hong Kong ends mask mandate after 945 days - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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The city's leader hails a "return to normalcy" after one of the world's longest-running Covid rules.
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China
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Many people have stopped wearing masks but others are still opting to keep theirs on.
Hong Kong has lifted its mask mandate, marking an end to one of the world's longest-running Covid restrictions.
The virus is under control in Hong Kong with no major signs of a rebound, the city's leader John Lee said.
Under the mandate, which began in July 2020 and lasted for 945 days, people could be fined up to HK$5,000 (£530; $640).
"With the removal of the mandate, Hong Kong will return to normalcy," Mr Lee said on Tuesday.
"In this year and the coming year, we will go all out for the economy and development at full speed."
Before Wednesday, people living in Hong Kong had to wear a mask in any public area.
On social media, many residents expressed elation and relief that the day of unmasking had "finally" come.
Some criticised the rule's duration and its sudden scrapping - amid wider criticism of the city's pandemic policies for the past three years.
However many locals could be seen still wearing masks on Wednesday, local media reported.
Hong Kong has largely followed mainland China's lead in efforts to tackle the virus, including attempts to eliminate it with a "zero-Covid" strategy.
Other Covid curbs in Hong Kong included strict quarantine rules, limitations on the number of people gathering in public places, as well as restricting visitors in nursing homes.
Most of these curbs were rolled back at the end of last year. But some remain - primary and secondary school students still need to test daily for Covid, although some reports say this measure could be lifted later this month.
Many residents and business owners have said such tough rules damaged Hong Kong's economy and international standing. The city's gross domestic product fell by 3.5% last year.
In a bid to woo foreign visitors, the Hong Kong government has announced plans to give away half a million air tickets - beginning on Wednesday.
Masks are still worn in several countries in Asia. In South Korea, for instance, they are still required on public transportation, as well as in hospitals and pharmacies.
The Japanese government has said it will ease mask-wearing guidelines on 13 March, recommending masks only on trains and buses during rush hour, or where public transportation is particularly congested. Masks have never been mandatory in Japan, but most people have been wearing them.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-64806987
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Mel B: I wouldn't call police over domestic abuse - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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The campaigner and pop star says she does not know if she could trust police to take her seriously.
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UK
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Spice Girl Melanie Brown says she doesn't know if she could trust police to take domestic abuse allegations seriously
Pop Star Melanie Brown has said she would not call the police to report domestic abuse because it might not be taken "seriously".
Mel B, one of the Spice Girls, told BBC Newsnight she would only report it if "the whole entire system" of justice was reformed by the government.
She became a campaigner for domestic abuse victims after leaving what she described as an abusive relationship.
She said police needed better education about spotting "tell-tale signs".
"I wouldn't [call the police], because I wouldn't know if they would take it seriously," said Ms Brown, who became a patron for domestic violence charity Women's Aid in 2018.
She called for a "redo" of the justice system, and said police officers needed better education about spotting the "tell-tale signs" that someone is a victim of abuse.
"Like if I'm living here and I want to report it to the police, I don't know if I can trust the police. I don't know if they're going to take my allegations seriously," she said.
The singer made her name as Scary Spice in the 1990s.
She received an MBE for services to charitable causes and vulnerable women last year, and dedicated her award to "all the other women" dealing with domestic violence.
In October, she spoke at a Conservative party conference to appeal for more support for domestic abuse victims, and said she was in an abusive relationship for a decade but kept it a secret.
The latest crime survey for England and Wales shows nearly 2.5 million people - 1.7 million women and almost 700,000 men - experienced domestic abuse in the year to March 2022.
Data from 2015 shows teenage girls in the UK report a high level of sexual violence in school. The figures suggested 41% of girls aged 14 to 17 who were in an intimate relationship experienced some form of sexual violence from their partner.
Speaking to Victoria Derbyshire, Ms Brown described domestic abuse as an "epidemic" and praised those who collected statistics on it which allows victims to "openly talk".
"When I brought my book out, nobody wanted to talk about it. It was like a taboo topic. It was something that everybody knows about but nobody talks about it."
She said it was impacting "younger and younger" people" including "kids as soon as they start some kind of intimate relationship".
"It's just your average person who just wants to be loved and cared for," she added.
If you've been affected by domestic abuse or controlling behaviour, help and support is available via the BBC Action Line.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64803529
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Turkey-Syria earthquake: Dog rescued after 23 days under rubble - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 | null |
More than 50,000 people died when earthquakes shook southern Turkey and northern Syria last month.
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A dog has been found by a rescue team in Hatay, Turkey, 23 days after devastating earthquakes shook the region.
More than 50,000 people were killed in southern Turkey and northern Syria and thousands more remain missing.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-64817526
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New CCTV footage shows missing baby couple minutes before arrest - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 | null |
Police confirm CCTV footage a Brighton resident gave the BBC shows the couple at around 21:25 GMT.
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Police have confirmed CCTV footage captured by a Brighton resident and then given to the BBC shows Constance Marten and Mark Gordon minutes before they were arrested.
The clock on the footage shows a time of around 21:25 GMT.
The couple were arrested on Monday on their way back from the shops - initially on suspicion of child neglect - after being missing for 53 days. They were then further arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter as police search for their missing baby.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64806501
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Northern Ireland Brexit deal: At-a-glance - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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What does the new Windsor Framework agreement between the UK and the EU include?
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UK Politics
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UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen have announced a new deal, aimed at fixing post-Brexit problems in Northern Ireland.
The full details of their agreement have been published.
Here is what we know about the agreement, named the Windsor Framework:
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-64790193
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Don't create drama over Brexit deal, Rishi Sunak tells Tory MPs - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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Rishi Sunak addresses his MPs in an attempt to win support for his new deal on Northern Ireland.
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UK Politics
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Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has urged his MPs not to create "another Westminster drama" as he sought to win their support for his new Brexit deal.
He told backbench Tories to give the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) the "time and space" to consider the deal.
The agreement with the EU aims to address issues with post-Brexit trading arrangements for Northern Ireland.
The DUP's support will be key to restoring Northern Ireland's power-sharing government.
The party has been boycotting Stormont and preventing the devolved government from functioning because of its concerns over the current arrangements for Northern Ireland.
DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said the new deal goes "some way" to addressing his party's concerns but some issues remain.
He said the party would take time to study the details and come to a collective decision.
On Tuesday, Mr Sunak addressed the influential 1922 committee of Tory backbenchers to sell his deal after unveiling the breakthrough in Northern Ireland a day earlier.
Following the meeting, Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker told reporters the deal was "as good as we're going to get", indicating the government would not be reopening negotiations with the EU.
Meanwhile, the European Research Group (ERG) of pro-Brexit Tory MPs, which heard from Sir Jeffrey at a meeting on Tuesday, have commissioned what they have called a "star chamber" of lawyers to scrutinise the deal.
ERG chairman Mark Francois said it could take about a fortnight or even longer for the group's "legal eagles" to go through it "with an extremely fine tooth comb".
He added that it was sensible for the prime minister to give the DUP time.
In contrast, the former Brexit minister, David Frost, has already drawn some of his own conclusions about Mr Sunak's deal.
In a column for the Telegraph, Mr Frost said while Mr Sunak's deal would help, "it remains a bitter pill to swallow".
Mr Frost said the new arrangements were "oversold" and do not change the fundamentals of the Northern Ireland Protocol, which was signed by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and came into force in 2021.
At his meeting with the 1922 committee, Mr Sunak is understood to have told Tory MPs he had "spent a lot of time" with Sir Jeffrey.
"And I would just say one thing to you all: we should give him and the DUP time and space," he said, adding that there was a "spectrum of views" within the party.
"So let's not pressure them for an instant answer," Mr Sunak added.
"Let's also remember that the last thing the public want is another Westminster drama."
The response from Tory MPs to the Windsor Framework since it was announced on Monday has been broadly positive.
Following Mr Sunak's speech to the 1922 committee, one ally of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson said "he did a good job", while another Brexiteer said the PM's words had gone down very well.
Another Tory MP, who last week had been deeply sceptical that Mr Sunak could reach an acceptable deal, told the BBC they should probably "eat humble pie" as it looked like the prime minister had done it.
The MP said negotiators had "squared the circle" and the "Stormont brake" mechanism, which aims to give the Northern Ireland Assembly a greater say on how EU laws apply, was a creative solution that should be welcomed.
Sinn Féin, the largest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly, has urged the DUP to return to the devolved government.
The nationalist party has welcomed the Windsor Framework, although it said it still needed to examine the details.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-64804971
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Greece train crash: Drone footage shows wreckage after deadly collision - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 | null |
Dozens of people have died after two trains collided in northern Greece, emergency services say.
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Drone footage shows the aftermath of a deadly train crash near the city of Larissa, in northern Greece.
Dozens of people were killed, with many more injured according to emergency services.
More on this story: Survivors describe 'nightmarish seconds' as trains crashed
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-64808067
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Greece train crash: Pictures of devastation as dozens killed - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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The cause of the crash, that happened shortly before midnight on Tuesday, is currently unknown.
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Europe
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Authorities worked through the night to rescue survivors from the wreckage
Two trains have collided in northern Greece, killing at least 38 people and injuring more than 60 others.
The crash happened late Tuesday night near the city of Larissa, when a passenger train carrying hundreds of passengers hit a freight train travelling in the opposite direction.
Pictures have been coming in which show the extent of the devastation.
Cranes are being used to lift the wreckage during the search operation
Fire crews and rescuers search as the train wreckage is lifted
About 40 ambulances and 150 firefighters attended the scene
The fire brigade said it received news of a crash shortly before midnight
When they arrived, they found the two front carriages of the passenger train were completely destroyed
Firefighters and rescue workers searched through the night for anyone who may still be trapped in the trains
They described tragic scenes as they raced to find survivors.
"We are pulling out people alive, injured... there are dead," one volunteer rescue worker told state TV. "We are living through a tragedy."
One exhausted rescue worker told AFP he had never seen anything like this crash
One of the train's carriages was set on fire after it rolled off the tracks
It is not yet clear what caused the crash.
After treating them for injuries, paramedics transported people to hospital
Dozens of rescued passengers were then transported to the Thessaloniki Railway Station
Survivors have told of panic in the carriages as the trains collided
Other survivors spoke of their shock, saying the windows in the carriage "suddenly exploded"
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-64808123
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Barn owl numbers on the rise in Northern Ireland - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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There were six times the number of barn owls born in 2022 than in 2021, according to Ulster Wildlife.
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Northern Ireland
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It's estimated there are fewer than 30 breeding pairs of barn owls left in Northern Ireland
One of Northern Ireland's most vulnerable farmland birds saw a huge increase in the number of chicks and breeding pairs last year.
Twenty-four barn owl chicks were born in 2022 from eight breeding pairs - six times the number of chicks born in 2021, according to Ulster Wildlife.
Two new nest sites were also discovered in County Down last year.
The conservation charity estimates that there are fewer than 30 breeding pairs left in Northern Ireland.
The barn owl is one of Northern Ireland's rarest birds and is red-listed on the Irish Birds of Conservation Concern and protected under the Wildlife (NI) Order 1985.
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Ulster Wildlife said the barn owl was "under serious threat" in Northern Ireland - with the population declining drastically since the 1930s.
But, according to the charity, there are reasons to be hopeful after a wet spring and hot summer in 2021 resulted in a poor breeding season.
In 2021, there were only two known broods recorded but that increased to eight in 2022. The same year, four chicks were born.
Twenty-four barn owl chicks were born in Northern Ireland in 2022, compared to four in 2021
The charity published its 2022 barn owl report on Wednesday.
Katy Bell, a senior conservation officer at Ulster Wildlife, said they were delighted "to see the fortunes of barn owls changing" after a troubled 2021.
"Every time we think the population is increasing we lose some of our breeding pairs so this year's news is very positive," Ms Bell said.
"Barn owls need a number of things to survive. Plenty of wildlife-friendly habitat on farms with enough small mammals to eat, places to nest and roost, as well as climatic stability.
"All of these factors play a part in their success and a big part of our work to help this species recover is advising landowners and farmers on habitat improvements and putting up artificial nest boxes.
"It is great to see this paying dividends in 2022, providing a welcome boost for our small and struggling barn owl population."
Barn owls struggled to breed in 2021 due to a wet spring and hot summer
Barn owls face a number of pressures including loss of habitat for hunting and nesting, extreme weather, poisoning from rodenticides and road traffic collisions, according to Ulster Wildlife.
They also struggle to hunt in extreme weather conditions.
Their soft feathers are not waterproof, so excessive rainy, cold or windy conditions can be disastrous for a breeding pair.
Likewise, a prolonged dry summer can have a major impact on both their prey and the chicks themselves.
Ulster wildlife erected 20 man-made nest boxes last year to help boost the bird's fragile population
During its survey last year, Ulster Wildlife carried out 34 visits to landowners to advise on ideal barn owl habitat.
They also erected 20 man-made nest boxes in suitable locations to replace the loss of natural nesting sites in barns, old buildings and tree cavities.
Seventy-six nest-boxes were also checked across the countryside last summer for signs of barn owl activity, as well as surveying 11 potential new breeding sites.
Ms Bell said there was the potential in 2023 to build on the success of the barn owl conservation work.
"We want to find more nest sites, support more landowners and nest-minders, create a network of habitats and nest boxes and ultimately help protect and expand our population of barn owls," she said.
"Sightings of these elusive birds are really important to help target our efforts so we would encourage anyone to get in touch."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-64797680
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Doctors pressured not to make a fuss over Lucy Letby, trial told - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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A doctor tells jurors he wished he had bypassed hospital management and gone to the police.
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Liverpool
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Lucy Letby is accused of murdering seven babies and trying to kill 10 others
A consultant has said that doctors were put under pressure by hospital management not to make a fuss when they raised concerns about nurse Lucy Letby.
Dr Ravi Jayaram said his team first raised concerns about unusual episodes involving babies in October 2015.
Ms Letby, 33, is accused of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder 10 others at the Countess of Chester Hospital between 2015 and 2016.
Dr Jayaram told Manchester Crown Court his team notified the senior director of nursing in autumn 2015 but nothing was done.
He told the court the matter was raised again in February 2016 and the hospital's medical director was told at this point.
The consultants asked for a meeting but did not hear back for another three months, the court heard.
Ms Letby was not removed from front-line nursing until summer 2016.
Dr Jayaram told jurors that he wished he had bypassed hospital management and gone to the police.
He said: "We were getting a reasonable amount of pressure from senior management at the hospital not to make a fuss."
The babies were being cared for on the neonatal ward at Countess of Chester Hospital
On Tuesday, the court also heard how Ms Letby is said to have attacked a baby girl, referred to as Child K, in February 2016.
The Crown alleges Ms Letby struck at 03:50 GMT, less than two hours after the extremely premature youngster was born.
Child K's designated nurse Joanne Williams said she left the "stable" baby to update her parents on the labour ward.
Dr Jayaram said: "Jo had told me she was going to the labour ward and she told me that Lucy Letby was babysitting, keeping an eye on things.
"At this point, in mid-February, we were aware as a team of a number of unexpected and unusual events and we were aware of an association with Lucy Letby.
"That's all we were aware of. No cause and effect had been ascribed."
He said he felt "extremely uncomfortable" at being told Ms Letby would be there.
"You can call me hysterical, you can call me irrational, but that's how I felt because of this association," he told the court.
"Then the rational part of myself told me to stop being so ridiculous and I kept doing what I was doing but the thought kept coming back into my head."
He said he got up to check on Child K to "prove" to himself that he "needed to stop being ridiculous and irrational".
"I went up to nursery one and walked in."
Phil Astbury, prosecuting, asked: "What, if anything, did you see?"
Dr Jayaram replied: "As I walked up, I saw Lucy Letby standing by the incubator and the ventilator. She didn't have her hands in the incubator.
"I saw her and then I looked up at the monitor and [Child K's] sats [blood oxygen levels] were in the 80s and they continued to drop.
"The ventilator was not alarming and the incubator was not alarming and the monitor is set to alarm when the sats drop below 90%.
"I recall saying 'what's happening?' and Lucy looked and said something along the lines of 'she is having a desaturation'."
Mr Astbury asked: "What, if anything, was she doing?"
"I wasn't aware she was looking at the monitor... She didn't say anything to me until I asked what was happening."
The consultant said he noticed there was no chest movement with the infant.
The prosecution allege Ms Letby deliberately dislodged the infant's breathing tube shortly before consultant Dr Jayaram walked in the nursery room.
Mr Astbury asked: "Any more conversation between the two of you?"
Dr Jayaram said: "We switched into professional mode.
"It didn't really make sense to me why the tube became dislodged. It had been secured and [Child K] was not a vigorous baby.
Lucy Letby denies all the charges against her
"It's very difficult to dislodge an ET [endotracheal tube] without it being spotted.
"So I then removed the tube, which was not blocked."
Dr Jayaram said he went on to give rescue breaths to Child K and her chest began to move again and her oxygen levels went up.
Child K was transferred later that day to Wirral's Arrowe Park Hospital, where she died three days later.
Jurors were told the Crown does not allege Ms Letby caused her death.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-64802048
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Constance Marten arrest: Police continue questioning after baby found - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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Constance Marten and Mark Gordon are being held on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.
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UK
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A post-mortem examination is to be held after the remains of a baby were found as police continue to question Constance Marten and Mark Gordon.
The baby's body was discovered after a huge 48-hour search by hundreds of officers and volunteers near Brighton.
The couple, who had been missing for 53 days, were arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.
Police say they are doing all they can to establish what happened to the baby, whose gender and age are not known.
Detectives began a search for the couple after a car was found on fire by the side of a motorway near Bolton in Greater Manchester in early January.
They were arrested on Monday after being spotted by a member of the public who alerted police. They were first held on suspicion of child neglect, but were re-arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.
Police officers at a set of allotments in Brighton on Thursday, near to where the remains of a baby were found
Det Supt Lewis Basford from the Metropolitan Police, the force which is leading the investigation, said a baby's body had been discovered close to where the couple were arrested.
"This is an outcome that myself and that many officers who have been part of this search had hoped would not happen," he said.
"I recognise the impact this news will have on many people who have been following this story closely and can assure them that we will do everything we possibly can to establish what has happened."
The baby was found on Wednesday after an extensive search covering around 90-square miles involving sniffer dogs, drones and thermal cameras.
A heavy police presence has remained close to where Ms Marten and Mr Gordon were arrested, with allotments at the centre of the search cordoned off.
A blue forensic tent was positioned in Golf Drive, Brighton, which leads to the allotments, and uniformed officers have been seen entering the cordoned off areas.
On Wednesday, police were granted an extra 36 hours to question the couple.
People have been laying flowers in memory of the baby
A missing persons investigation surrounding 35-year-old Ms Marten and Gordon - a convicted rapist and registered sex offender - began when their car was found alight near Bolton on 5 January.
It triggered a national search and there were reported sightings in Liverpool, Essex and London, mostly limited to brief snatches of CCTV footage.
Police believe they were sleeping outdoors in a tent and living off-grid, prompting fears for the health of the child in winter temperatures.
The last confirmed sighting of the couple prior to their arrest was in Newhaven on 8 January. Their baby was with them and alive at that time, police said previously.
Ms Marten is from a privileged background and lived in a stately home growing up.
She became estranged from her family in 2016 after meeting 48-year-old Gordon at drama school.
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They were detained at a convenience store on Monday night after a member of the public recognised them from media appeals and called the police.
Officers were on the scene within six minutes and every member of police staff available in the region was drafted in to begin the massive search operation.
Hundreds of officers and rescue volunteers were seen probing the wide area inch by inch for signs of life or clues about the baby's whereabouts.
It continued through the night and into Wednesday, with sniffer dogs, helicopters, drones and thermal cameras all in use.
The fingertip search conducted in near-freezing temperatures extended east of Brighton to Newhaven, north of the town centre into a nature reserve and beyond to the South Downs.
Witnesses told the BBC they had seen teams searching through thick bramble, allotments and bins, while people living in the area were told to look out for anything unusual.
After confirming the discovery of a body, Det Supt Basford urged the public not to speculate about the case.
Constance Marten and Mark Gordon disappeared with a newborn baby more than seven weeks ago
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64815323
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Grimsby teenager sentenced over 100mph police chase ending in crash - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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Oliver Clark, 19, from Grimsby, admits dangerous driving and is given a suspended jail sentence.
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Humberside
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Footage showing the moment a car driven by a teenager crashed into a lorry at high speed while being pursued by police has been released.
Oliver Clark, 19, had sped along the A180 at up to 100mph after failing to stop for police in Cleethorpes in July.
The 19-year-old, of Weelsby Street, Grimsby, was in a coma for four days following the crash with the lorry.
At Grimsby Crown Court, he admitted dangerous driving and was jailed for 12 months, suspended for two years.
Humberside Police said Clark had failed to stop for officers in Cleethorpes on 4 July 2022 and had moved off at speed in the white Ford Fiesta.
PC Sean Hutchinson said: "Due to the dangerous manner of Clark's driving, it was not possible to immediately bring the pursuit to a safe resolution, as to do so could have risked endangering the lives of the officers engaged in the pursuit.
"Clark then drove at speeds in excess of 100mph up the Barnetby Top slip road and collided with the rear of a 32-tonne lorry which was also heading up the slip road."
Police officers rescued Clark from his vehicle following the smash, fearing the car would catch fire
The impact of the crash pushed the lorry off the road and it came to rest at the bottom of an embankment, PC Hutchinson said.
PC Hutchinson added that fearing Clark's car would catch fire, officers had "risked their own lives" to get him out of his car and provide first aid.
"Fortunately, the driver of the lorry escaped with minor injuries, as did the roads policing officer whose car was hit as Clark's car rebounded off the rear of the lorry," he said.
Clark is still recovering from his own injuries.
Passing sentence on Clark on Friday, Judge John Thackray KC told him he should consider himself "extremely fortunate", adding it was "pure chance" that neither he nor anyone else was killed in the crash.
In addition to the suspended prison sentence, Clark was banned from driving for two years and ordered to take an extended retest before he could get his licence back.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-64809523
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YouTube accused of collecting UK children's data - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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The video platform faces a challenge over claims it is gathering and using the data of under-13s.
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Technology
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Duncan McCann says he has tried to explain to his own children how platforms like YouTube use their data
YouTube has been accused of collecting the viewing data of children aged under 13, in breach of a UK data privacy code designed to protect children.
Campaigner Duncan McCann has lodged an official complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).
He says the site is gathering data about the videos children watch, where they are watching and what device they are watching it on.
YouTube said it had invested in protecting families.
This included treating all children's content as though children were viewing it, even on an adult's account, it said.
"We remain committed to continuing our engagement with the ICO on this priority work, and with other key stakeholders including children, parents and child-protection experts," a spokesperson said.
The platform is owned by the US tech giant Alphabet, which is also the parent company of Google.
The firm has always said its service was not intended for use by children below the age of 13, and it offers a separate children's app called YouTube Kids as well as a "supervised experience" which requires parental consent.
Mr McCann says plenty of children watch YouTube content on family devices, where this data can be gathered by default because it is not registered as a children's account.
His complaint is believed to be the first test of the ICO children's code, which was introduced in 2020, when tech firms were given one year to comply with it.
Its terms include providing a high level of privacy for children by default and not using design features that encourage them to provide more data.
YouTube said at the time it would turn off default auto-play on videos and block ad targeting and personalisation for all children.
According to the regulator Ofcom, 89% of children in the UK between three and 17 used the video platform in 2021.
Firms found to be in breach of the children's internet code can face large fines, similar to the penalties for breaching data protection laws.
The ICO said it would consider the complaint carefully.
Mr McCann is acting in a personal capacity, but works for the campaign group 5Rights Foundation, which has championed the code.
"My preferred reform that YouTube should make is that actually when you enter YouTube, they don't collect any unnecessary and process any unnecessary information," he said.
"The best way to ensure that they are only collecting the data of adults who are properly consenting would be to have a process where adults can sign in to the tracking, recommendation systems, profiling, targeted ads."
He added that he believed it would be "a minority" of users who would choose to do so.
In 2019, YouTube was fined $170m (£139m) by a US regulator for violating children's privacy laws.
This followed a similar accusation that it was collecting data on children under 13 without parental consent.
YouTube did not admit responsibility but it did pay the fine and also changed its business practices as a result, said Stephanie Hare, author of Technology is Not Neutral.
"It assumed that anyone watching children's content would be potentially under the age of 13. And so it now collects far less data on that type of content, and also doesn't send personalised ads to people watching that content," she said.
"The solution exists, they just need to pull it out of the toolbox."
• None Children's internet code: What is it and how will it work?
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-64786968
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BA-owner and EasyJet hold millions of unclaimed travel vouchers - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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BA owner IAG and EasyJet issued the vouchers instead of cash when flights were cancelled in the pandemic.
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Business
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Passengers of BA-owner IAG and rival EasyJet have yet to reclaim some €724m (£643m) in travel vouchers going back to the beginning of the pandemic.
IAG, which owns five airlines including Aer Lingus, said it had about €600m (£533m) in unclaimed vouchers.
EasyJet's most recent results suggested it had £110m in unclaimed vouchers.
The practice of issuing vouchers attracted criticism because many people wanted a cash refund instead, with some claiming it was difficult to get one.
Aviation consultant and former IAG employee Robert Boyle, who flagged the IAG figures, said that when airlines were forced to cancel a huge number of flights during the pandemic they encouraged customers to accept vouchers for future travel rather than issue refunds.
Given so many vouchers have yet to be redeemed Mr Boyle questioned how many of the vouchers will ever be used.
The rate of voucher use might increase as the expiry date approaches he said: "But if even 20% of the original €1.4bn [£1.24bn] of vouchers expire unused, that would be a €280m [£248m] release to profit".
"However, if the vouchers are never used, IAG will have extra seats available to sell. Given what has happened to ticket prices since the pandemic, the cash value of those seats will be even bigger than the reported voucher values."
Both BA and EasyJet have extended the expiry date of their vouchers several times.
In its most recent set of results EasyJet said no vouchers had expired yet as expiry dates had been extended "to ensure customers have the maximum opportunity to utilise their vouchers".
The airline said the number of unused vouchers at the end of its last financial year on 30 September equated to £110m, or 2% of its ticket revenue in 2019, so there was a "very small proportion of customers who have not yet used their vouchers".
"And it is also worth noting that the number will have reduced since then as five months have passed - including a busy booking period at the turn of year.
BA's will now run out in September 2023, though the airline said it was "always reviewing that".
It said last year 700,000 vouchers were used and it was sending reminders to customers holding outstanding ones.
Airlines, including BA, faced accusations during the pandemic of making it difficult for people to claim a refund.
BA said when a flight was cancelled it always offered the option to get a full refund, rebook or reroute. It never automatically issued vouchers, which had to be requested by a passenger.
But it said it recognised that during the height of the pandemic it could not offer "all the usual channels for customers to request a refund".
As a result, it added, if a customer had been due to travel on a flight cancelled by the airline between 9 March 2020 and 19 November 2020 and they opted for a voucher, BA had already contacted them to offer a full refund.
"We have issued 4.8 million refunds since the start of the pandemic and offered highly flexible booking policies enabling millions of our customers to change their travel dates or destinations," BA said.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-64810681
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Footage shows moped's near miss at Littlehampton level crossing - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 | null |
Police describe riders of a moped which crosses moments before a 70mph train as "stupidly reckless".
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A video has captured the moment two people on a moped narrowly escaped being hit by a train travelling at speeds of up to 70mph (112 km/h).
The pair dodged the barriers and ran red lights at a level crossing at Toddington, near Littlehampton, West Sussex, shortly after 15:00 GMT on 21 February.
The driver of the Brighton to Southampton rail service made an emergency stop shortly after the near miss, "and took time to compose himself before carrying on with the journey," Network Rail said.
Insp Emma Boulton said: "Put simply - this is some of the most stupidly reckless behaviour on a level crossing I have seen in my entire career."
The barriers at Toddington extend halfway across the road to prevent anybody getting trapped behind them, Network Rail said.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-64815662
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Southampton 1-2 Grimsby Town: Mariners reach FA Cup quarter-finals for first time in 84 years - BBC Sport
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 | null |
League Two Grimsby Town reach the FA Cup quarter-finals for the first time in 84 years as two penalties either side of half-time stun Premier League strugglers Southampton.
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Last updated on .From the section FA Cup
League Two Grimsby Town reached the FA Cup quarter-finals for the first time in 84 years as penalties either side of half-time stunned Premier League strugglers Southampton.
Gavan Holohan put the visitors ahead shortly before the interval after referee Thomas Bramall ruled Lyanco had blocked Josh Emmanuel's cross with his arm.
Southampton defender Duje Caleta-Car then caught Danilo Orsi with a flailing hand not long after the restart, allowing Holohan to convert his second spot-kick of the game.
Caleta-Car's close-range finish gave Saints hope and Theo Walcott had a late equaliser ruled out for offside as Grimsby held on to spark scenes of mass celebration among the 4,000 travelling Mariners fans, who can now look forward to a trip to Brighton in the last eight.
Grimsby are just the sixth team from the fourth tier or below to reach the last eight of the FA Cup since the introduction of the division in 1958-59 - and the first since National League Lincoln City shocked Premier League Burnley in 2017.
They are the 13th side from the fourth division or below to have beaten top-flight opponents in the competition since the Football League was rebranded at the start of the 2004-05 campaign.
Having beaten Plymouth Argyle, Cambridge United, Burton Albion and Luton Town in their previous rounds, Grimsby can now look forward to a first quarter-final since the 1938-39 season after a remarkable victory over the Premier League's bottom club.
The final whistle was met by a mix of jubilant cheers from the away end and loud boos from the home supporters, whose wretched season took another downturn against a side sitting 64 places below them in the league pyramid.
Saints manager Ruben Selles made nine changes to the team beaten by Leeds United in the Premier League on Saturday, and those alterations appeared to contribute to a lack of fluency in the hosts' play in the first half as they struggled to break down their plucky opponents.
Sekou Mara should have done better when he shot straight at former Southport goalkeeper Max Crocombe from Romeo Lavia's pass, although the Southampton striker might have been penalised for offside had he managed to find the net.
Mara was denied a goal by the linesman's flag after steering Moussa Djenepo's cut-back past Crocombe, the Saints winger ruled offside in the build-up to the relief of the travelling supporters behind the goal.
The 4,000-strong Grimsby contingent who made the 460-mile round trip to the south coast had little to shout about until five minutes before the interval, when Emmanuel's delivery struck Lyanco on the arm.
An agonising wait followed as VAR reviewed the incident, but Bramall was eventually called over to his pitchside monitor by VAR and after watching the moment of contact from several angles, he pointed to the spot.
Holohan made no mistake, sending Southampton goalkeeper Alex McCarthy the wrong way to send the Grimsby fans wild at the other end of the ground.
Things went from bad to worse for Saints in the opening stages of the second half as Caleta-Car inexplicably swung an arm at Orsi inside the penalty area, giving Bramall little choice but to award another penalty.
For the second time in the game Holohan sent a magnificent spot-kick past McCarthy to put the Mariners on the brink of an astonishing upset.
After Caleta-Car's finish set up a nail-biting final 25 minutes, Southampton thought they had restored parity when Walcott slotted home in the closing stages, but the former Arsenal man was ruled narrowly offside following another VAR review.
• None Delay over. They are ready to continue.
• None Delay in match because of an injury Max Crocombe (Grimsby Town).
• None Attempt missed. Kyle Walker-Peters (Southampton) left footed shot from the right side of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Carlos Alcaraz.
• None Delay over. They are ready to continue.
• None Delay in match because of an injury Max Crocombe (Grimsby Town).
• None Attempt missed. Duje Caleta-Car (Southampton) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Kyle Walker-Peters.
• None Delay over. They are ready to continue.
• None Delay in match because of an injury Michee Efete (Grimsby Town).
• None Delay over. They are ready to continue. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/64799742
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Aberhosan farmer died in animal feed spillage, inquest hears - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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A farmer died from "traumatic injuries" after animal feed spilled on him, an inquest hears.
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Wales
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Farmer Iwan Evans, 78, died on Cleiriau Isaf farm in Aberhosan, Powys, on 17 Febuary
A farmer died after animal feed spilled on him "with force", an inquest opening has heard.
A post-mortem examination concluded 78-year-old Iwan Evans died of "traumatic injuries" at his farm in Aberhosan, Powys, on 17 February.
The inquest heard that a company was delivering animal feed to a "freestanding" bin when "its contents spilled".
Mr Evans was "underneath the bin and its contents appear to have hit him".
The inquest has been opened and adjourned to "allow a full investigation of the circumstances" of the death
The coroner at Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf, heard the haulage driver and Mr Evans' son tried to remove the feed bin using "farm vehicles and chains".
The haulage driver "ran the short distance to the farm house to alert the deceased's wife who contacted emergency services".
CPR was carried out, but Mr Evans was confirmed to have died at 18:24 GMT.
Coroner Patricia Morgan opened and adjourned the inquest to "allow a full investigation of the circumstances" of Mr Evans' death.
A review of the evidence will be held in six months.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-64810612
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Twitter back after two-hour outage affected tweets - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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The problems arose two days after the social media company reportedly laid off 200 employees.
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Technology
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Thousands of people around the world were unable to use Twitter for two hours on Wednesday after the social network suffered another outage.
The Following and For you feeds - which display tweets on the platform's homepage - instead carried a notice reading "Welcome to Twitter".
The outage-tracking site DownDetector reported the issues at 10:00 GMT, but they appeared to be resolved by 12:00.
It came after Twitter reportedly laid off 200 staff members on Monday.
More than 5,000 people in the UK alone reported problems to DownDetector within half an hour of the fault appearing, with many more affected worldwide.
The For you feed, a collection of tweets from people similar to those they follow, seemed to be reinstated just an hour after the initial issue emerged, but the Following feed, which collects tweets from people who users are following on Twitter, took longer to be fixed.
The site's search tool is also working again, after it briefly stopped displaying any tweets in the Latest tab.
Would-be Twitter users were met with this message
Despite the feeds not working, users were still able to tweet as normal - even if their tweets were falling on deaf ears - leading to the phrases "#TwitterDown" and "Welcome To Twitter" registering among the top trends on the platform.
There have been several intermittent outages in recent months. During a temporary outage in early February some users were told they were over the daily limit for sending tweets.
It is unclear whether the latest outage was linked to the recent staff cuts, with the New York Times reporting the tech giant had cut 10% of its current 2000-strong workforce this week alone.
The cuts are the latest round of job losses at Twitter since chief executive Elon Musk sacked nearly half of the company's 7,500 employees when he took over the company in October 2022.
Alp Toker, director of internet outage tracker NetBlocks, said Twitter's reliability issues have increased under Mr Musk's tenure as CEO.
"It started shortly before the Musk takeover itself," he said, but added: "The main spike has happened after the takeover, with four to five incidents in a month - which was comparable to what used to happen in a year."
Mr Toker said he believed recent outages were "avoidable" and the "vast majority" could be traced back to problems with Twitter's data centre.
He described the Twitter data centre as a "complex network" whose ongoing maintenance was essential to keeping the site running.
"It has a testing stage for new features," explained Mr Toker. "But following the Musk takeover it appears these data centre testing timelines are no longer being followed."
"Today's outage was quite an extended one, but not a total one which was interesting - and we traced that back to the data centre too."
The BBC has approached Twitter for comment.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-64811286
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Boy in tent Max Woosey ends three-year charity challenge - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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Max Woosey, 13, announces his final fundraising effort for North Devon Hospice.
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Devon
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Max began camping in his garden in March 2020 after being inspired by a family friend who died of cancer
A boy who has camped out in a tent for three years is ending his charity challenge and coming back inside.
Max Woosey, known as The Boy in the Tent, has raised more than £700,000 for North Devon Hospice.
Stephen Roberts, hospice chief executive, said: "Max has directly funded 15 nurses for a whole year."
Max, 13, announced he would hold a final celebratory camp-out festival on 1 April at Broomhill Estate in North Devon.
"Legendary movie memorabilia", including the bar of soap from Fight Club, will be on display along with axe-throwing and a party bus.
Max started sleeping in his garden on 29 March 2020, aged 10, after being inspired by a family friend who died of cancer.
Rick Abbott gave Max a tent, and told him to "go have an adventure".
Max camped out at 10 Downing Street and met former prime minister Boris Johnson
Over the past three years, he has received a British Empire Medal as well as awards from Pride of Britain, Spirit of Adventure and the Bear Grylls Chief Scout Unsung Hero.
A spokesperson for Broomhill Estate said it would be an "epic day to remember to celebrate Max's achievement".
Max's final fundraiser will host three music stages along with a "never-before-seen authentic movie memorabilia exhibition" featuring Brad Pitt's sword and shield from the film Troy and the original board from the Jumanji film.
There will also be a guest appearance from Welsh actor and stunt man Ian Whyte, of Game of Thrones and Star Wars fame.
Max was presented with a British Empire Medal (BEM) in May 2022
Max said: "It was amazing that so many people got in touch from all over the UK wanting to mark my three-year anniversary of camping out, but I wanted to stay close to home and celebrate with friends and family nearby."
Mr Roberts added: "This is a perfect way for Max to finish his fundraising challenge, which has been such an adventure and something he can look back on with so much pride.
"The funds he raised for North Devon Hospice in this time have made a real difference to the patients and families we support."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-64799530
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Massive walrus spotted in the Inner Hebrides - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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The sighting of the Arctic animal was made off Mull by a creel fisherman.
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Glasgow & West Scotland
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The walrus was seen on Monday
A walrus has been spotted off Mull in the Inner Hebrides.
Creel fisherman Lorn MacRae came across the Arctic animal hauled out on rocks at the Treshnish Isles on Monday.
The Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust (HWDT), which has been alerted to the sighting, described the walrus as "massive".
In December and early January a walrus nicknamed Thor was seen on the south and east coasts of England, before turning up in Iceland last week.
HWDT, a marine charity that has been monitoring wildlife off Scotland's west coast for more than 25 years, said Monday's sighting was the first record of a walrus on its database.
Sadie Gorvett. of HWDT, said: "It was quite of a shock for Lorn and a surprise for us. It is very unusual."
The education officer said it would be gathering any further reported sightings, but appealed to people to keep their distance and avoid disturbing the animal.
An image of a walrus taken in 2018 by Kinlochbervie High School's science department
Walruses have been spotted around Scotland before.
A young female dubbed Freya was spotted in Shetland in 2021.
In 2018 a walrus was seen around Orkney, Western Isles and the Highland coast.
Its appearance in the Highlands was understood to be the first time since 1954 a walrus had been seen on the Scottish mainland.
Ms Gorvett said it was not yet known the reason why walruses had been seen more frequently around Scotland in recent years.
She added: "Only with long-term monitoring will we know if it is an anomaly or a trend."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-64793768
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Covid testing advice was followed, minister insists - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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The government is questioned over claims that expert input on care home testing was rejected early in the pandemic.
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UK Politics
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Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: “After 13 years of Tory failure the average family in Britain will be poorer than the average family in Poland by 2030.”
He is basing that on taking the average rate of growth per person calculated by the World Bank for both countries between 2010 and 2021 and applying that for every year until 2030.
On the World Bank’s measure, the economy measured by GDP per person in 2021 was about 29% higher in the UK than it was in Poland, but if you apply 2010 to 2021 rates of growth from now until 2030 it does indeed put Poland ahead.
So Starmer would be correct in his projection if the average growth in each country seen between 2010 and 2021 continues at the same pace until 2030.
But GDP per person being lower in one country would not necessarily mean that the average family was worse off in that country.
That would be affected by other things such as distribution of income.
And it’s a big “if” to say that growth rates will continue unchanged for the next eight years.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-politics-64806066
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Covid messages leak a massive betrayal, says Matt Hancock - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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Journalist Isabel Oakeshott says it was in the "national interest" to publish ex-health secretary's texts.
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UK Politics
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Matt Hancock collaborated with journalist Isabel Oakeshott on his book Pandemic Diaries
Ex-Health Secretary Matt Hancock has accused a journalist of a "massive betrayal and breach of trust" after she leaked texts he sent during Covid.
Isabel Oakeshott defended releasing WhatsApps she obtained when working on Mr Hancock's book, arguing it was in the "overwhelming national interest".
However, Mr Hancock said the messages were released in a "biased account to suit an anti-lockdown agenda".
He also denied her claim he had sent her a "menacing" message over the leak.
The Telegraph has been handed more than 100,000 WhatsApp messages linked to Mr Hancock's time as health secretary at the height of the pandemic. It began publishing the texts earlier this week.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: Isabel Oakeshott reveals why she leaked the messages
In a statement released on Thursday morning Mr Hancock said: "When I heard confused rumours of a publication late on Tuesday night, I called and messaged Isabel to ask her if she had 'any clues' about it, and got no response.
"When I then saw what she'd done, I messaged to say it was 'a big mistake'. Nothing more."
Mr Hancock argued the public inquiry into the pandemic was the right place for analysis of what went on - saying he would reply to the "substance" of allegations at the inquiry.
He apologised to those whose messages had been published by the Daily Telegraph, saying: "I am also sorry for the impact on the very many people - political colleagues, civil servants and friends - who worked hard with me to get through the pandemic and save lives."
"Isabel and I had worked closely together for more than a year on my book, based on legal confidentiality and a process approved by the Cabinet Office. Isabel repeatedly reiterated the importance of trust throughout, and then broke that trust."
A collection of more than 100,000 messages sent between former Health Secretary Matt Hancock and other ministers and officials at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic have been obtained by the Telegraph. Here are our stories on the leaks:
The text messages were passed to the newspaper by Ms Oakeshott, TalkTV's international editor, who has been critical of lockdowns. She was given copies of the texts while helping Mr Hancock write his book, Pandemic Diaries.
The BBC has not seen or independently verified the WhatsApp messages nor the context in which they were sent.
Ms Oakeshott has strongly defended her decision to release the messages saying she was someone "acting in the overwhelming national interest". She has not revealed how much she has been paid by the Telegraph.
"Anyone who thinks I did this for money must be utterly insane," she told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme.
"This is about the millions of people, every one of us in this country, that were adversely affected by the catastrophic decision to lockdown the country repeatedly on the flimsiest of evidence, often for the political reasons.
"I wanted to get to the truth of it," she said.
Asked when she told Mr Hancock she would share the messages, she replied: "I didn't tell him."
"Not one journalist worth their salt would sit on a cache of information in such an important matter, such a historic matter and cover that up," she said.
Pressed on the claim that Mr Hancock sent her a menacing message following the leaks, Ms Oakeshott said: "I'm saying that he sent me a message at 01.20 in the morning. It wasn't a pleasant message."
Ms Oakeshott had initially told broadcasters she had signed a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) with Mr Hancock during the writing of her book.
However, she later told the BBC's political editor Chris Mason that there was not an NDA but rather a "really standard terms of agreement between us".
Responding to Mr Hancock's strong criticism, Ms Oakeshott said: "This isn't about embarrassing individuals or making individual politicians look bad.
"It's so much bigger than that, it is about the entire country. And if we're going to talk about betrayal, then the way I see it is the betrayal of every one of us, who were let down by the response to the pandemic."
Asked if she was worried other politicians would stop trusting her with information, she said "No, because I'm really good at what I do. I do stories in the public interest, and I make judgments."
An NDA is a legal contract between at least two parties that outlines confidential material that they need or want to share with each other, but also want to restrict access to - similar to doctor-patient confidentiality or lawyer-client privilege.
Sometimes known as "gagging orders", "hush agreements" or "confidentiality clauses", NDAs typically prevent people making trade secrets or other specified information public.
They can also apply to allegations of misbehaviour in the workplace after a settlement has been agreed, or anything likely to damage an organisation's reputation.
But like any other contract, they can not be enforced if the specified activities are illegal.
If someone breaches an NDA, they break a contract, leaving them open to being sued.
But there is a public interest defence - the 1998 Public Interest Disclosure Act protects whistleblowers.
The publication of the messages has sent shockwaves through the political establishment as the public inquiry into the pandemic picks up pace.
At Prime Minister's Questions, Rishi Sunak defended the public inquiry as the "right way" to scrutinise the handling of the pandemic and urged people not to focus on "piecemeal bits of information".
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. PMQs: Rishi Sunak quizzed on claims of leaked Hancock messages by Sir Keir Starmer
Sir Keir Starmer called for Mr Sunak to ensure the inquiry had all the support it needed "to report by the end of this year".
Mr Hancock has already given a partial account of his time as health secretary, with the help of Ms Oakeshott, in his book, Pandemic Diaries.
The book was widely viewed as an attempt by Mr Hancock to rehabilitate his reputation after he resigned as health secretary over breaching social distancing guidance by kissing a colleague.
Last year, Mr Hancock said he would not be standing as an MP at the next general election, after receiving criticism for joining the reality TV show I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-64818969
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Customers to be warned of energy bill rises from April - BBC News
| 2023-03-01T00:00:00 |
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The government says all help is under review as energy firms write to customers to warn of bill rises.
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Business
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Energy firms will begin writing to customers within days to warn them of bill increases from the start of April.
Firms have to give customers reasonable notice of price rises or changes that will leave them worse off, according to Citizens Advice.
Typical household energy bills are set to rise to £3,000 per year next month.
The BBC understands the government is reviewing the level of energy support it gives households amid warnings many more could face difficulties.
It comes after Energy Secretary Grant Shapps said he was "very sympathetic" to the idea that the government should stop the rise in annual energy bills.
At the moment, the government is limiting the typical household bill to £2,500 a year, plus a £400 winter discount, which will also end from April.
But from 1 April the help will be scaled back pushing bills up.
Energy UK, which represents suppliers, said firms would be writing to customers to let them know how much their bills were going up within the next few days.
It said suppliers could offer support to customers struggling to pay their bills, but there was a "limit" to what they could do.
Fuel poverty campaigners say the number of households struggling to afford their bills could rise from 6.7 million to 8.4 million as a result of the April rise.
So far Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has declined to extend the support, but experts increasingly think he will change course, probably at this month's Spring Budget on 15 March.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) think tank said the Treasury could afford to keep support at current levels until the summer as wholesale energy prices had fallen sharply, cutting the cost of the scheme.
Most analysts also believe energy bills will fall below £2,500 a year by July, meaning the government would only have to provide support at current levels until then.
Others including the Resolution Foundation think tank and the consumer rights campaigner Martin Lewis think Mr Hunt is highly likely to cancel the rise in bills.
Energy UK urged the government to hold the level of support at £2,500 for an average household, "and to announce that quickly so it can be incorporated in customer bills in time for April".
Jeremy Hunt told me a fortnight ago that the help on energy bills was "under review". The Treasury is privately pointing to that interview now.
It is looking a lot like some extra support, but as the chancellor also pointed out to me, he doubts he has the room for a major new initiative. However, postponing that reduction in energy support by a few months to a point when it is no longer relevant, would not be a new initiative.
Some energy suppliers have already begun a wave of emails warning of the rise, and, crucially, pinning the rise on decisions of the government. For example British Gas wrote to customers saying "because of the changes the government is making to the energy price guarantee, the amount you pay for your energy is due to change this April".
Campaigners are also calling it the "government's energy price rise", and asking for postponement of the increase to the energy price guarantee from April to the summer.
Because of falls in the wholesale energy price this will wipe out the rise, result in inflation falling more rapidly, and help limit the UK's economic downturn. But it will definitely cost a few billion and could leave the Treasury exposed to tens of billions more if there is any unexpected renewed hike in global gas prices.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-64801155
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Sharon Stone says Basic Instinct role cost her custody of her son - BBC News
| 2023-03-10T00:00:00 |
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Her famous flash in the 1992 erotic thriller made the judge rule for the father, she says.
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US & Canada
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Sharon Stone's famous flash in the 1992 hit movie Basic Instinct made the judge award custody of her son to the father, the actress says.
Actress Sharon Stone says one of her most famous roles caused her to lose custody of her son in 2004.
Her famous flash in the 1992 Basic Instinct warped perceptions of her, Stone said on a podcast.
"Do you know your mother makes sex movies?" Stone recalled the judge asking her four-year-old son.
Backlash from the scene, where she briefly exposes herself while crossing her legs, has made her avoid similar roles, she says.
Stone and her then-husband Ron Bronstein adopted their son, Roan, in 2000. But when the couple divorced in 2004, the judge awarded custody to Mr Bronstein.
The loss caused Stone severe heartache, she told host Bruce Bozzi on the Table for Two podcast.
"I ended up in the Mayo Clinic with extra heartbeats in my upper and lower chamber of my heart," Stone said. "It literally broke my heart."
Considering how much sex and nudity appears on TV today, Stone said, her treatment after the hit movie was brutal.
"You saw maybe like a 16th of a second of possible nudity of me," Stone said. "And I lost custody of my child."
Stone said others in Hollywood judged her for her role in the erotic thriller as Catherine Tramell, a novelist who seduces a police detective, played by Michael Douglas.
"I got nominated for a Golden Globe for that part, and when I went to the Golden Globes and they called my name, a bunch of people in the room laughed," Stone said.
"I was so humiliated," she said. "I was like, does anybody have any idea how hard it was to play that part? How gut-wrenching and frightening"?
Stone said she now avoids roles that cast women in a sexualised light or with dark personalities. But she added that fans should not confuse actors with their characters.
"The guy who played Jeffery Dahmer — no one thinks he's a [person] who eats people," Stone said. "It makes him a very complex person who took an incredibly difficult part."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-64892225
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Boots cuts Advantage Card points earned per pound - BBC News
| 2023-03-10T00:00:00 |
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Customers will receive 3 pence worth of loyalty points for every £1 spent, down from 4 pence.
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Business
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Boots is changing the way its loyalty card works by offering discounts on more of its own-brand products but cutting the points earned per pound.
The health and beauty retailer said that from May, holders of the Advantage Card would collect 3p worth of points for every £1 spent, instead of 4p.
The move comes when many retailers' costs are increasing amidst record rises in energy bills and overheads.
One retail analyst said shoppers "want their jam today rather than waiting".
"Loyalty schemes where shoppers collect points to use later are losing appeal as shoppers want the best price and discount right now, and the cost of running these schemes is also significant," said Catherine Shuttleworth.
After the changes, every point people earn will continue to be worth 1p to spend in Boots.
Boots added that customers would be able to save 10% in store on 6,000 of its own-brand products.
It said customers would also save on hundreds of products with its Price Advantage scheme in a move which was to "make things stretch that little bit further". Price Advantage allows Boots card holders exclusive access to lower prices on certain products.
It said the move was in response to customer feedback.
On its website, Boots said: "We understand that more customers are looking to access instant savings, so offering 10% off our Boots own brand range will give even more opportunities to save.
"We understand that many customers still love saving up their points for big purchases in the future, so will continue to offer 3p worth of points for every £1 spent at Boots."
The retailer said students would continue to receive a 10% discount storewide, alongside the extra 10% for Boots branded products.
Recent research suggests that shoppers have been switching away from branded products at certain retailers and opting for own-brand equivalents to save money at the till, as inflation - the rate at which prices rise - reaches record highs.
Ms Shuttleworth said Boots is competing with other High Street firms to hold on to shoppers amid rising cost pressures, and that points "really aren't enough" anymore.
"Boots is faced with shoppers that are looking for better prices and great value and are shopping far and wide to find it from discount retailers like B&M and Home Bargains to supermarkets and online," she told the BBC.
"Younger shoppers in particular are well versed in unlocking immediate discounts offered to them."
She said that with the cost-of-living crisis, shoppers are increasingly savvy about making their money stretch as far as possible.
"Changes to schemes and devaluation of points can mean that shoppers choose to give up collecting their points and simply shop elsewhere," she said.
Annich McIntosh, managing editor of Loyalty Magazine, said Boots had been the "last bastion of high-value loyalty points".
"It always had been one of the more generous schemes since the start of the loyalty push," she said.
The shift to instant discounts was common across retailers, she said, allowing companies to continue to collect extremely valuable data about spending habits, while keeping their own costs down.
They could also use the power of differential pricing to push their own-brand products, and have branded products supplied cheaper, to enhance profits.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-64899536
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Rishi Sunak: UK to fund migrant detention centre in France - BBC News
| 2023-03-10T00:00:00 |
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The UK will contribute almost £500m over three years to help France curb migrants crossings the Channel in small boats.
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UK
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Agreement will make even bigger difference going forward - Sunak
The Times asks two questions next. The first is aimed at Sunak: The UK has already spent £300m on supporting French efforts to stop small boats. What makes you think that this new money will be any more effective now? Sunak responds by saying: "Let's just be clear, there are joint efforts" rather than just French efforts, and speaks of the "shared challenge" the two countries face. He acknowledges, however, that global migration is a challenge. "There are global forces at play," he says. He adds that both nations are working "incredibly hard" to try to break the cycle. He says there is no one solution for the problem, and nor will it be solved overnight, but that cooperation with allies, including France is very important. The second question, directed at Macron, is about the relationship between France and the UK. Can this relationship ever be as close as it once was, the Times asks. "This is my wish", Macron says, but says it "will depend on our commitment, our willingness".
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-64914564
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Snow and ice disrupt schools, roads and trains in Wales - BBC News
| 2023-03-10T00:00:00 |
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Areas of north and west Wales can expect up to a foot of snow on Friday, the Met Office warns.
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Wales
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Heavy snow has caused widespread disruption to schools, roads and rail services in mid and north Wales for a second day.
A Met Office yellow warning for snow was in place until about midday as the Arctic blast continued to hit the UK.
A further yellow warning for ice until 10:00 GMT on Saturday warns of temperatures as low as -11C (12F).
More than 350 schools were closed on Friday and people were urged to avoid travelling.
Sixty-two homes in Merthyr Tydfil lost power on Friday morning but this has since been restored.
Meanwhile, SP Energy Networks also reported power cuts in the Mold area, at Carmel, Greenfield, near Holywell, in the Whitford area, Flintshire, and at Bwlchgwyn, near Wrexham.
Transport for Wales has suspended its trains between Blaenau Ffestiniog and Llandudno, and Shrewsbury and Llanelli via the Heart of Wales on Friday due to the weather.
The provider added that passengers were advised not to attempt travel.
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Heavy snowfall led to the closure of several major roads on Friday, but traffic conditions improved throughout the day.
The A458 remains closed in both directions at Buttington, Powys, from the Buttingdon roundabout to Halfway House.
A section of the A55 was closed earlier but has since re-opened, Traffic Wales said.
Traffic cameras show snowy conditions on the A55 in Flintshire
North Wales Police said it was "advising motorists to only travel if necessary" on Friday morning.
"We are experiencing a high number of calls, please be patient and only use the 999 line in an emergency," the force added.
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It is estimated some areas could see up to 30cm (12in) of snow, with a snow depth of 27cm (10.6in) at Capel Curig, Conwy county, the greatest depth so far recorded in the UK.
At 09:00, Met Office weather stations recorded 16cm (6in) of snowfall in Lake Vyrnwy, Powys, 5cm (1.9in) in Hawarden, Flintshire and Bala, Gwynedd, and 4cm (1.5in) in Sennybridge, Powys.
At Llanrwst, Conwy county, paramedic Tom McLay skied to his job in the town's ambulance station from his home in Capel Curig about 9 miles (14kms) away.
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Lynda Jones, who owns Fronheulog Caravan Park in Lake Vyrnwy, said she was "so glad" the caravan site is shut until 1 April.
The site homes sheep and two horses, which she admitted were lapping up the snow.
"They love it because they're so young - they're out in the snow playing, they're like little kids," she said.
Katie Wilby, of Flintshire council, told Radio Wales Breakfast: "It's pretty challenging conditions. We've had gritting crews out ploughing and gritting all night. We've had extra vehicles out.
"There has been significant snowfall overnight. We've seen 20 to 40 centimetres in places, particularly on high ground, but I think most parts of Flintshire have seen snow this morning and will wake up to snow.
"It's coming down as fast as we're clearing it at the moment so it's really tricky."
Ms Wilby added that the authority has spread about 360 tonnes of gritting salt and covered 1,466 miles (2,360km) of road in 36 hours.
She said some disruption must be expected, adding: "We are working really hard to keep the roads open but I would advise that people don't travel unless absolutely necessary."
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Councillor Hugh Jones, lead member for environment at Wrexham council, added: "All our resources have been out overnight. The work has been hampered by a number of fallen trees as well, but we have managed to get the main routes open.
"The advice is if you don't have to travel, don't travel, because there will be enough people who have to travel to spread the salt.
"People have to understand that our teams have been working for over 24 hours, so it's really a tough time."
Arriva bus said that Wrexham services suspended on Friday morning have since returned to operation but buses would only be using the main roads until further notice.
Both Wrexham and Flintshire councils have also confirmed that all refuse and recycling collections will be suspended on Friday, with updates posted to their respective websites.
Tucker and Molly enjoying the snow in Pandy, Wrexham on Thursday
Helen Kynaston, of the Newtown Community Cafe in Powys: "This morning it was snowing really heavily early on.
"Yesterday was a major challenge and we only had a handful of customers, but our chef managed to get in. It took my neighbours and I about three-quarters of an hour to dig [us] out.
"We made the bowling club really nice and warm and we had requests from our regular customers who really struggled, so we delivered to them which we don't normally do on a Thursday."
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Meanwhile, Brian Dulson from Tanat Valley Coaches said the company has had to cancel its Powys services for a second day.
He said: "Still pretty heavy in the last couple of hours. Our local schools are closed.
"Everywhere the snow is really bad, so it's getting the buses out because if you get stuck in the snow it's a nuisance. We've got little lanes and side roads, our routes are not just on the main roads."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-64912164
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Met Police given £3m to overhaul treatment of crime victims - BBC News
| 2023-03-10T00:00:00 |
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It comes as a report reveals a third of crime victims are unsatisfied with the Met's service.
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London
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The mayor is set to confirm the funding in a speech on Friday
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has announced a £3m annual fund to overhaul how the Met treats victims of crime.
It will be used to fund a free phoneline for victims and make it easier for them to access key information about their case.
Met commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said it would help put victims' voices at the "heart of everything we do".
It will also boost the number of staff responsible for caring for victims and direct them to support services.
The announcement came as it emerged that one in three victims of crime in London was unsatisfied with the Met's level of service, according to a report by the mayor's office.
Sir Mark said his officers and staff did "a great job in the vast majority of cases" but that sometimes their follow-up and co-ordination with specialist victim support was not good enough.
"That is why we are harnessing new technology and creating a dedicated team to boost our service," he added.
"I know my entire service wants to put the victim voice at the heart of everything we do.
"We are committed to listening to victims' experiences and using this feedback to implement the practical measures that will make a real difference for victims."
Mr Khan said that crime "blights lives" and it was "imperative" that victims were "treated with the utmost compassion, sensitivity and respect".
"That's why I've provided an additional £3m per year to significantly improve the support victims receive in their journey through the criminal justice system," he added.
"Successful prosecution of cases often rely on victim's testimonies, so we need to do much more to inspire victims' confidence."
Sir Mark Rowley will use the funding to try to rebuild the Met's reputation
The investment came after Mr Khan set out a £14.2m proposal to "raise standards, improve performance and rebuild trust" in the force in January.
Under the proposals another £2.5m would go to improve the Command and Control Centre, handling emergency calls and emails.
The cash will help Sir Mark to raise standards and rebuild public confidence and trust in the force as part of its two-year "Turnaround Plan".
It is currently in a form of special measures, following a series of damning reviews and scandals.
Mr Khan is due to unveil the plans during a speech at the Victims' Summit in London on Friday which bring together victims of crime, community advocates and senior figures in criminal justice.
He is also expected to call on the government to ensure victims rights are enforceable through the delivery of a Victims Bill.
London's Victims' Commissioner, Claire Waxman, welcomed the investment because it would "greatly help" improve the force's service to victims.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-64909640
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Manchester United 4-1 Real Betis: Bruno Fernandes 'brilliant' in Europa League last-16 first-leg win - BBC Sport
| 2023-03-10T00:00:00 | null |
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag praises the brilliance of Bruno Fernandes in his side's dominant Europa League last-16 first-leg victory against Real Betis.
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Last updated on .From the section European Football
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag hailed goalscoring skipper Bruno Fernandes as the star man in his side's Europa League last-16 first-leg victory against Real Betis.
Fernandes had taken the brunt of huge criticism heaped on United following Sunday's record 7-0 Premier League humiliation at Liverpool.
But Ten Hag confirmed in the build-up the Portuguese would remain captain if Harry Maguire was not on the field - and Fernandes repaid that faith with an outstanding contribution to a much-needed win.
It included his eighth goal of the season as he headed home Luke Shaw's 58th-minute corner.
"He was the best player on the pitch," said Ten Hag. "He played a little deeper role and he was brilliant, making the game from the back position, with a lot of good passes in between the lines. From there we created a lot of chances."
• None Reaction from Old Trafford and Thursday's European action
Ten Hag accepted Fernandes was not perfect. A late tackle on Betis' former Manchester City goalkeeper Claudio Bravo brought the midfielder a yellow card and did not look good.
But the United boss admitted it is a fine line Fernandes has to tread.
"His passion is his strength," added Ten Hag. "But sometimes he has to control that because when it's too much, it becomes a weakness. He knows that, but there are always small margins."
Fernandes ran away to celebrate his goal with his hands to his ears as the home fans chanted 'Bruno, Bruno' in his honour, showing they are behind him as well.
Marcus Rashford, Antony and Wout Weghorst were also on the scoresheet as United put themselves in a strong position to reach the last eight when the tie is concluded in Seville next week.
But Ten Hag knows one win alone will not banish the memory of Sunday's annihilation at Anfield, especially as he had been irritated by some of his side's performances preceding it, including the Carabao Cup final victory against Newcastle.
"We don't ignore it," he said. "We made mistakes and we got hammered. We showed complacency and you can never do that in top football.
"In the weeks before, I was not happy against Newcastle and the performance against Leicester in the first half, but sometimes you have to get the bad result where everyone opens their eyes."
In his programme notes, Ten Hag described the Anfield debacle as 'unacceptable' and said he had left his players in no doubt such performances would not be tolerated.
And, in a move that smacked of the Dutchman applying collective responsibility for the loss rather than singling out individuals for blame, he named an unchanged line-up.
For half an hour, all went well.
The hosts dominated as Rashford drove home his 26th goal of a magnificent season in the sixth minute after Fernandes' cross had been diverted into his path.
Further chances were created - the issue was none of them went in.
Bravo twice denied Rashford, Fernandes had a shot blocked and Weghorst's near-post effort was deflected wide even though he didn't get a corner.
Betis' form in La Liga, where they are fifth, suggested they were not as poor as it appeared and Ayoze Perez proved it when he drilled home a low shot from the angle of the penalty area.
Had the on-loan Leicester City forward got a second after he was set up by Juanmi - gifted possession by David de Gea, who rolled a pass straight to him from inside his six-yard box - anxiety might have spread through home ranks.
As it was, Perez's deflected shot bounced back off a post and United survived - although question marks remain over keeper De Gea, whose contract expires in the summer.
Even Betis coach Manuel Pellegrini, who barely said anything noteworthy to the media during his three years as Manchester City boss, couldn't resist a pre-match dig at United after their seven-goal defeat at Liverpool.
As the weeks pass, it will be interesting to see if any individual does pay a price for what unfolded in what many view as the Premier League's greatest rivalry.
For now though, it can be claimed normal service has resumed.
Antony's superb curling shot restored the home side's advantage seven minutes after the restart and Weghorst found the net with a first-time strike eight minutes from time.
The key element of that late effort though was the contribution of Facundo Pellistri.
Good enough to play all three games for Uruguay in Qatar at the World Cup, the 21-year-old was only making his fifth United appearance, all off the bench.
But Pellistri's role in Weghorst's second United goal suggests he will be called upon more often as the campaign reaches its crucial phase.
Ignoring the safety-first option of a pass back to halfway, he took off on a run past the Betis defence to the byeline where he sent a cross back to Scott McTominay, whose effort was blocked and bounced kindly for Weghorst to finish.
• None Offside, Manchester United. Casemiro tries a through ball, but Jadon Sancho is caught offside.
• None Attempt saved. Facundo Pellistri (Manchester United) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Bruno Fernandes.
• None Attempt missed. Lisandro Martínez (Manchester United) left footed shot from the right side of the six yard box is too high. Assisted by Bruno Fernandes with a cross following a corner.
• None Attempt missed. Casemiro (Manchester United) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left. Assisted by Bruno Fernandes.
• None Attempt blocked. Jadon Sancho (Manchester United) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
• None Attempt saved. Aitor Ruibal (Real Betis) header from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Abner with a cross.
• None Offside, Manchester United. Raphaël Varane tries a through ball, but Facundo Pellistri is caught offside.
• None Goal! Manchester United 4, Real Betis 1. Wout Weghorst (Manchester United) right footed shot from very close range to the bottom left corner following a corner.
• None Attempt saved. Scott McTominay (Manchester United) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Facundo Pellistri. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page
• None Our coverage of Manchester United is bigger and better than ever before - here's everything you need to know to make sure you never miss a moment
• None Everything United - go straight to all the best content
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/64893700
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In pictures: Northern Ireland's snow day - BBC News
| 2023-03-10T00:00:00 |
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The heaviest falls were in the east but most areas saw at least some overnight snow.
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Northern Ireland
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A puppy enjoys its first experience of snow
While blizzard conditions and heavy snow led to school closures and travel disruption, it also provided a picturesque scene for many people to wake up to.
Some areas were more severely affected than others with the east of Northern Ireland bearing the brunt of the snowfall.
People flocked to Stormont to take advantage of the snowy slopes
The view in Carryduff on the outskirts of Belfast
However, most places saw at least a light dusting.
Roads in Antrim were passable but motorists were warned to be extra careful
At its worst, some roads were described as "treacherous" especially over high ground.
Industrial action has had an impact on some gritting operations
A tape measure shows how deep some of the snowfalls were overnight - this was in Armagh
More than 200 schools across Northern Ireland closed, leaving thousands of pupils at home for the day.
Closed schools allowed children an opportunity to show their creativity in other areas
An amber warning was issued for counties Antrim, Down and Armagh while other areas were given a less severe yellow warning.
The early morning view over the river Foyle
Enjoying the snow on the Stormont estate while Parliament Buildings remains in cold storage
And it's not over yet as a weather warning remains in place for Friday night and Saturday morning when low temperatures will see icy conditions persist.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-64916450
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Ukraine war: Latvia sends cars seized from drunk drivers to help Kyiv - BBC News
| 2023-03-10T00:00:00 |
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The confiscated vehicles are being delivered under a Latvian scheme to help the Ukrainian military.
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Europe
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The impounded cars have been transferred to a charity delivering donated vehicles to Ukraine
Cars confiscated from drunk drivers in Latvia are being sent to Ukraine, under a new scheme designed to help the war effort there.
Eight seized vehicles left a car pound in the capital, Riga, on Wednesday and are due to cross the border soon.
It is the first convoy to be sent under the plan, approved by the Latvian parliament last month.
MPs agreed to allow the transfer of state-owned cars to the Ukrainian military and hospitals.
Late last year, Latvia changed the law so that drivers found with three times the legal limit could have their vehicles seized and sold by the government.
Latvia has among the worst rates of drinking and driving in Europe, according to public broadcaster LSM, with an estimated 3,500 cases a year.
The change in the law led to a surge in confiscations that filled state pounds in Latvia in a matter of weeks.
As a result, authorities pledged to hand over two dozen cars a week to Twitter Convoy, a Latvian charity that sends donated vehicles to Ukraine.
"No-one expected that people are drunk-driving so many vehicles," the NGO's founder, Reinis Poznaks, told Reuters news agency. "They can't sell them as fast as people are drinking. So that's why I came with the idea - send them to Ukraine."
The first eight cars had a combined value of about €18,500 (£16,500), according to Latvian website Delfi. One owner had left a Russian flag pinned on his seized vehicle, Reuters reported.
About a quarter of Latvia's population are ethnic Russians and Latvia moved fast after the Russian invasion of Ukraine to ban dozens of websites assessed as disseminating Kremlin propaganda.
Vladimir Putin has repeatedly sought to justify the war in Ukraine as providing protection for Russian-speakers with the Kremlin's protection.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-64903201
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Meta exploring plans for Twitter rival - BBC News
| 2023-03-10T00:00:00 |
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Meta is looking at plans to launch a new social media app in its bid to displace Twitter.
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Technology
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Meta, the parent firm of Facebook and Instagram, is working on a standalone, text-based social network app.
It could rival both Twitter and its decentralised competitor, Mastodon.
A spokesperson told the BBC: "We're exploring a standalone decentralized social network for sharing text updates.
"We believe there's an opportunity for a separate space where creators and public figures can share timely updates about their interests."
A Twitter-like app would allow Meta to take advantage of the current chaos at the Elon Musk-led company, where cost-cutting has been rampant.
Twitter has been struggling to hold on to its advertising base since Mr Musk's takeover of the platform late last year.
Companies have pulled back spending following Twitter's move to restore suspended accounts and release a paid account verification which resulted in scammers impersonating firms.
According to MoneyControl, the new app is codenamed P92, and will allow users to log in through their existing Instagram credentials.
Meta's app will be based on a similar framework to the one that powers Mastodon, a Twitter-like service which was launched in 2016.
The new app would be decentralised - it cannot be run at the whim of a single entity, bought or sold.
Meta's plans come at a time when its biggest platform, Facebook, is struggling to attract the attention of a younger audience.
It has also heavily invested in the metaverse, a virtual world where users interact and work - which has yet to come to fruition.
Its video-sharing app, Instagram, is also facing stiff competition as content makers or hit influencers abandon the platform for TikTok.
It was not immediately clear when Meta would roll out the new app.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-64917397
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Gary Lineker: Why his comments present a problem for the BBC - BBC News
| 2023-03-10T00:00:00 |
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How the presenter's remarks, comparing UK asylum policy to 1930s Germany, place the BBC in a pickle.
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Entertainment & Arts
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The BBC is speaking to Lineker over comparing UK asylum policy to 1930s Germany
As the UK's most scrutinised media organisation in increasingly polarised times, to say Gary Lineker's recent tweets cause difficulty for the BBC is an understatement.
The director general, Tim Davie, has made impartiality a key platform of his leadership.
Trust in the corporation is at the heart of this. It matters if the public believes its public service broadcaster doesn't represent their views, or that the BBC is shaped by a particular perspective.
Davie has previously said: "If you want to be an opinionated columnist or a partisan campaigner on social media then that is a valid choice, but you should not be working at the BBC."
All staff and on-air talent are bound by "due" impartiality which the BBC is committed to achieving across its output.
Director general Tim Davie has said people who want to be opinionated columnists should not be working at the BBC
Ofcom defines due impartiality, an important distinction from simply impartiality, as "means adequate or appropriate to the subject and nature of the programme".
To use the classic example: If someone says the earth is round, the BBC does not have to give equal weight to someone else who claims the earth is flat.
Lineker is a sports presenter. He tweets on his personal Twitter account.
If a news presenter commented, as he has done, about the government's asylum policies, or about Brexit for example, they would at the very least receive a very serious warning.
Lineker, as somebody associated with sport for the BBC, and who argues he is a freelancer, is in a different position.
"I try to be sensible," he told Radio 4's Media Show in 2021, saying that as a freelancer he's "considerate" to his employers when it comes to what he tweets.
He added that the BBC rules "only apply to people in news and current affairs".
From the outside, it can appear more complicated.
The BBC's editorial guidelines state: "Where individuals identify themselves as being linked with the BBC, or are programme makers, editorial staff, reporters or presenters primarily associated with the BBC, their activities on social media have the potential to compromise the BBC's impartiality and to damage its reputation."
Lineker presents Match of the Day, the BBC's flagship football programme
Lineker's Twitter account has 8.7m followers. So he has a huge platform.
And, whatever the set up of the BBC as a broadcaster, with sport and news being distinct from one another, for audiences that distinction can be less clear. In many people's minds, if you are on the BBC, you work for it, and Lineker happens to be one of corporation's most high profile presenters.
That's why the BBC's editorial guidelines also say that people with platforms have a greater responsibility to uphold impartiality.
Last year, a different tweet by Lineker was found to have broken BBC rules. That concerned a post about the then-Foreign Secretary Liz Truss urging a boycott of the Champions League final in Russia.
The Match of the Day host added: "And her party will hand back their donations from Russian donors?"
The BBC's Executive Complaints Unit ruled that, although the star is not required to uphold the same impartiality standards as BBC journalists, he has an "additional responsibility" because of his profile.
"We expect these individuals to avoid taking sides on party political issues or political controversies and to take care when addressing public policy matters," the ruling said.
To his detractors, Lineker has form. He has made comments before that some have found controversial, including, in 2016, that the government's treatment of asylum seekers was "hideously racist and utterly heartless".
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: Suella Braverman says she is "disappointed" by Gary Lineker's tweet
But he is also a much loved and well respected sports broadcaster. Match of the Day is a very popular programme.
He may be the BBC's highest paid star, but he could probably earn even more if he switched to another broadcaster.
Lineker clearly cares deeply about the issue of migrant crossings, and he has taken refugees into his own home in the past.
He has not removed his original Twitter comments criticising the government's asylum announcements, which he posted on Tuesday.
After those tweets caused controversy, he tweeted on Wednesday: "Great to see the freedom of speech champions out in force this morning demanding silence from those with whom they disagree."
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He also thanked his followers for their "love and support", pledging to "continue to try and speak up for those poor souls that have no voice".
Lineker appears bullish. And he isn't the only sports presenter straying into politics this morning, with BT Sport anchor Jake Humphrey describing the government's "stop the boats" pledge as being "a cruel slogan".
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The News Agents presenter and former BBC journalist Emily Maitlis said it was "curious that Gary Lineker [was] free to raise questions about Qatar's human rights record - with the blessing of the BBC - over the World Cup, but cannot raise questions of human rights in this country if it involves criticism of government policy".
However, this is arguably a false equivalence. Voicing an opinion on a government policy about migrant crossings, a divisive subject, is not the same thing as highlighting well-documented human rights breaches in Qatar, something which is a matter of fact.
The BBC is in a difficult position. They say a "frank" conversation is being had with Lineker. But in the end, what are the options?
With some Conservative MPs calling for him to be sacked, not for the first time, the pressure is mounting.
Perceptions on impartiality matter, but it's also clear that impartiality can be politicised by people who have an agenda against the BBC.
As it navigates the demands of its editorial standards, its talent and its audiences, the BBC is walking a tightrope.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64889868
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Ukraine war: Russia fires hypersonic missiles in new barrage - BBC News
| 2023-03-10T00:00:00 |
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At least nine people die as Russia fires powerful weapons, including hypersonic missiles.
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Europe
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At least nine people have died in a new wave of strikes across Ukraine in which Russia used powerful weapons, including rare hypersonic missiles.
Russia had reportedly not fired Kinzhal hypersonic missiles - which can evade air defences - since the early months of the conflict.
The latest barrage was the most severe to hit Ukraine for weeks.
It cut power to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant - Europe's biggest - although it was later restored.
On Thursday Russian defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said: "High-precision long-range air, sea and land-based weapons, including the Kinzhal hypersonic missile system, hit key elements of Ukraine's military infrastructure."
It was the biggest day of Russian strikes on Ukraine since the end of January,
The Ukrainian military claimed it had successfully shot down 34 cruise missiles and four Iranian-made Shahed drones.
But it also said it had been unable to intercept the six Kinzhal ballistic missiles - nor was it able to destroy older weapons, such as Kh-22 anti-ship missiles and S-300 anti-aircraft missiles.
"This was a major attack and for the first time with so many different types of missiles," the Reuters news agency quoted a Ukrainian air force spokesperson as saying. "It was like never before."
President Vladimir Putin has highlighted Russia's investment in ballistic hypersonic missiles, which can travel at more than five times the speed of sound.
Nuclear energy operator Energoatom said the strike at the Zaporizhzhia plant had cut off the link between the facility and the Ukrainian power system.
For the sixth time since it was taken over by Russia a year ago, the facility operated on diesel generators until the link was restored later on Thursday.
Electricity is needed for cooling radioactive material present at the plant.
"Today's loss of all external power once again demonstrated how fragile and dangerous the situation is for the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant," said Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Earlier on Thursday he had called for an international commitment to protect the plant, following a series of strikes since the invasion began.
"Each time we are rolling a dice. And if we allow this to continue time after time then one day our luck will run out," Mr Grossi said.
In the capital Kyiv, emergency services attended the scenes of blasts in western and southern districts.
A missile also hit an energy facility in the port city of Odesa, triggering power cuts, its governor Maksym Marchenko said. Residential areas were also hit but no casualties were reported.
Elsewhere, Ukraine's military says it has pushed back intense Russian attacks on the embattled eastern city of Bakhmut despite Russian forces claiming to have taken control of its eastern half.
Moscow has been trying to take Bakhmut for months, as both sides suffer heavy losses in a grinding war of attrition.
"The enemy continued its attacks and has shown no sign of a let-up in storming the city of Bakhmut," the general staff of the Ukrainian armed forces said. "Our defenders repelled attacks on Bakhmut and on surrounding communities."
Between 20,000 and 30,000 Russian troops have been killed or wounded in the battle for the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut since it began last summer, Western officials say. The figures cannot be verified independently.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-64903202
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Belvedere deaths: Nadja De Jager and her sons found at house - BBC News
| 2023-03-10T00:00:00 |
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Nadja De Jager and her sons Alexander, nine, and Maximus, seven, were found on Thursday morning.
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London
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Alexander, nine, and Maximus, seven, were found dead at the scene
A woman and her two sons have been found dead in a house in south-east London.
The Met says Nadja De Jager, 47, Alexander, nine, and Maximus, seven, were found in Mayfield Road, Belvedere, on Thursday morning.
The force says it is not seeking anyone in connection with its investigation.
Det Insp Ollie Stride said: "This is a deeply sad case and we are continuing to establish the circumstances that led to this tragic incident."
The children's school paid tribute to the two brothers, saying they were "loving and caring".
Belvedere Infant and Junior School said the boys were "model pupils", adding that it was "clear that they were each other's best friend".
The police said officers forced entry into the property after being called about concerns for the welfare of the occupants at the address at around 11:50 GMT.
The victims' family has been informed and are being supported by specialist officers. A post-mortem examination will be held in due course.
A heavy media presence has descended on this leafy street, which is a stone's throw from Franks Park.
Officers in this part of Bexley are knocking on doors and speaking to neighbours to try to piece together exactly what might have happened - although most people here are not speaking to journalists.
Forensic teams have been searching a vehicle outside this semi-detached house, which is now a crime scene.
A wheelie bin has also been taken inside for analysis.
Forensic officers have been in attendance
Det Insp Stride said: "I would like to thank the local community for their co-operation while our officers go about their inquiries.
"Our thoughts today are very much with the family as they struggle to come to terms with their loss and we ask that their privacy be respected at this extremely difficult time."
Emergency services went to the house after a report raising concerns for the occupants' welfare was made
London Ambulance Service said a medic was sent out in a fast-response car, along with two incident response officers, but the woman and two boys were pronounced dead at the scene.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-64916557
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UN buys huge ship to avert catastrophic oil spill off Yemen - BBC News
| 2023-03-10T00:00:00 |
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The vessel will head to Yemen and remove 1.1 million barrels of oil from a stricken tanker.
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Middle East
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The FSO Safer has been abandoned since 2015 and is carrying 1.1m barrels of oil
The UN has purchased a huge ship that it hopes will prevent an environmental catastrophe off the coast of Yemen.
For years, more than a million barrels of crude oil have been sitting on a decaying supertanker in the Red Sea.
There are fears the vessel could soon break apart or explode, risking one of the worst oil spills in recent memory.
But on Thursday, the UN said it had purchased a crude carrier that would head to Yemen and remove the oil from the stricken ship.
"The purchase of this suitable vessel... marks the beginning of the operational phase of the plan to safely remove the oil and avoid the risk of an environmental and humanitarian disaster," Achim Steiner from the UN Development Programme (UNDP) said, adding that it was a "major breakthrough".
A UNDP statement said the ship - which it purchased from major tanker company Euronav - was undergoing routine maintenance in China and would arrive for the operation in early May.
"A major spill would devastate fishing communities on Yemen's Red Sea coast, likely wiping out 200,000 livelihoods instantly. Whole communities would be exposed to life-threatening toxins. Highly polluted air would affect millions," it said.
The organisation added that a potential oil spill could cost up to $20bn (£16.7bn) to clean up.
The UN had been searching for years for a solution and appealed for donations. The planned operation is estimated to cost $129m of which $75m has been received and another $20m has been pledged, it said.
The stranded ship - the FSO Safer - was left abandoned off the port of Hodeida after Yemen's civil war broke out in 2015. It has not been serviced since.
It was constructed as a supertanker in 1976 and converted later into a floating storage for oil. It is anchored near the Ras Isa oil terminal, which is controlled by Yemen's rebel Houthi movement.
The 376m (1,233ft) vessel holds an estimated 1.14m barrels of crude oil.
The Safer's structural integrity has deteriorated significantly since maintenance operations were suspended in 2015, when the Houthis seized large parts of Yemen and a Saudi-led coalition intervened in support of the government. The ensuing conflict has reportedly killed more than 150,000 people and left more than 23 million in need of aid.
Mr Steiner told reporters on Thursday: "Let me be very clear - this is a risky operation and things could go wrong." He added that it could still be suspended if they fail to raise enough funds.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. BBC Middle East Editor Jeremy Bowen meets terrified children running from civil war and 'ghosts' in Yemen
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-64904985
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Gary Lineker: Football star who became a Saturday TV fixture - BBC News
| 2023-03-10T00:00:00 |
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The ex-England player is one of the most recognisable figures associated with the BBC.
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UK
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For many years, Gary Lineker has been one of sport's most famous faces - both on the football pitch and on television screens.
The last week has seen the Match of the Day host again move from the back pages to the front, after his criticism over the government's asylum plans sparked an impartiality row.
The 62-year-old is one of the most recognisable figures associated with the broadcaster, and is part of the footballing landscape in the UK.
He took over as host of the BBC's football highlights programme in 1999 after a stellar career as a striker for England, Leicester City, Everton, Spurs and Barcelona that finished in Japan.
One of the broadcaster's highest-paid presenters, Lineker is viewed by many as one of the faces of the BBC - and he has not shied from using his high profile to express his political views.
His outspoken positions on divisive issues have earned him criticism and plaudits in equal measures - and, on occasion, caused BBC bosses a headache.
The corporation is committed to impartiality, meaning staff and stars are expected to follow guidance on expressing political opinions in the BBC's output and on social media.
But Lineker, who is technically a freelancer rather than a BBC employee, has not always bitten his tongue.
In 2022, he posted a story on Twitter about the then-Foreign Secretary Liz Truss urging a boycott of the Champions League final in Russia. He asked: "And her party will hand back their donations from Russian donors?"
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. WATCH: How the Match of the Day row played out on Saturday... in 60 seconds
The incident led to the BBC's Executive Complaints Unit (ECU) upholding a complaint and concluding that, as "one of the BBC's highest-profile stars", he did not meet the corporation's editorial standards on impartiality.
In 2018, Lineker posted a thread of tweets as Conservatives held a no-confidence vote in Theresa May, who was then prime minister, and indirectly criticised Labour's leader at the time, Jeremy Corbyn.
Two years earlier he blasted some in the media for being "hideously racist and utterly heartless" to refugees.
He has taken refugees into his home and spoken passionately about the need to protect people who come to the country in need.
Despite criticism from politicians, some in the media and colleagues, Lineker has steadfastly defended his right to speak out on issues that matter to him, often to his 8.7 million Twitter followers.
Lineker scored more than 300 career goals for club and country
The presenter is the face of Match of the Day and the FA Cup
A tweet aimed at Jonathan Agnew, a BBC cricket host who had criticised his 2018 political posts, summed up his approach. "I'll continue to tweet what I like and if folk disagree with me then so be it," he wrote.
Lineker has now caused a row with a tweet commenting that the government's new Illegal Migration Bill was an "immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s".
Responding to critics of his comments, he said he would "continue to try and speak up for those poor souls that have no voice".
For its part, the BBC said that when it came to leading its football and sports coverage, Lineker was "second to none".
But it said: "We consider his recent social media activity to be a breach of our guidelines" - and "he should keep well away from taking sides on party political issues or political controversies".
Lineker has previously argued he can impart his opinion because he is a freelancer. On top of that, he works on BBC's Sport output, away from the inevitably more sensitive news operation.
But critics point to the £1.35m he was paid by the BBC in 2021/22, a sum which makes him the highest paid presenter whose salary must be disclosed (although this does not include famous faces who are employed via private production firms).
They also argue his platform comes via his BBC work, and so he should follow its rules.
Lineker is contracted until 2025, and on top of hosting Match of the Day also fronts the BBC's coverage of major football tournaments and co-presents BBC Sports Personality Of The Year.
He also works as a presenter on LaLigaTV, which covers football in Spain for viewers in the UK and Ireland.
The media company he co-founded - Goalhanger Podcasts - produces The Rest Is Politics, a regular political discussion show featuring former Labour aide Alastair Campbell and ex-Tory minister Rory Stewart.
He has worked for other broadcasters, including a stint presenting the Champions League for BT Sport, and is also widely known as the face of Walker's Crisps, a business founded in his home town of Leicester.
Before taking to the airwaves, Lineker first made his name with his local team, Leicester City FC, in 1978.
His goalscoring habit continued after moves to Everton and Tottenham Hotspur, and he topped the scoring charts for both teams in the First Division - the top flight of English football before the Premier League was created.
He made his England debut in 1984 and played 80 times for his country - the last time in 1992.
His tally of 48 international goals has been bettered by only three Englishmen.
He retired from the game in 1994 - having notably never been shown a yellow card - and was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64895590
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The chef, the model and Rishi's missing millions - BBC News
| 2023-03-10T00:00:00 |
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The inside story of Britain’s biggest Bounce Back Loan fraud - £10m stolen by one criminal gang.
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UK
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Ten people have now been convicted for their roles in laundering millions of pounds
The final three members of a money laundering gang which also stole £10m of UK taxpayers' money after taking advantage of a covid loan scheme, have been sentenced.
It means the BBC can now tell the full story of a case that illustrates just how easy it was to exploit a scheme aimed at supporting small businesses struggling during the pandemic.
In 2020, the gang used scores of bogus companies to take advantage of the then-Chancellor Rishi Sunak's Bounce Back Loan scheme.
Any small company could apply for up to £50,000 of taxpayers' money but, in the rush to save the economy, checks on borrowers were limited.
In fact, the gang's £10m is only a drop in the ocean. The National Audit Office estimates the taxpayer could lose billions of pounds in Bounce Back Loan fraud.
The latest convictions - bringing the total number to 10 - are a good result for the Organised Crime Partnership, a joint unit made up of the National Crime Agency and Met Police.
It's thought the gang laundered as much as £70m. But only £181,600 of the money has been recovered and it's believed other offenders involved in the fraud are still at large.
The gang were able to steal so much money because long before covid, its ringleaders had already established a network of bogus companies to launder cash from VAT fraud and other criminal activities, including drug dealing and construction scams.
But when the pandemic struck, Artem Terzyan, a Russian, and Deivis Grochiatskij from Lithuania, who had been on the NCA's radar since 2017, suddenly found themselves with a reduced income.
Artem Terzyan and Deivis Grochiatskij spent the money on watches, holidays and cars
As the world locked down, criminals were hit just like legitimate businesses. The pair realised they had to diversify, targeting the UK Government Bounce Back Loans emergency scheme which saw more than 1.5 million loans worth nearly £47bn approved.
The men bagged £10m - they applied for the cash claiming their bogus companies were in danger of going bust.
But they got careless. As well as the loan cash, they continued to launder other money, all under the noses of the NCA.
So when officers arrested them again in November 2020, they found overwhelming evidence of wrongdoing.
The men deposited thousands of pounds each day in banks across London
At their trial in December 2021, the court heard how both men had used the money to buy high-end watches, foreign holidays and cars. The rest of the cash had been transferred immediately abroad.
The NCA's John Coles says usually only lottery winners could suddenly spend money so freely.
"These people won the lottery in a totally different way."
In December 2021, Terzyan and Grochiatskij were jailed for laundering as much as £70m and stealing £10m in Bounce Back Loans. Terzyan is serving 17 years - and Grochiatskij, 16.
The last of three trials concluded on Friday at Kingston Crown Court, with the final three defendants receiving suspended sentences. It means reporting restrictions can now be lifted.
We found details of two of the companies' directors by scouring social media accounts
Each of Terzyan and Grochiatskij's bogus companies that received Bounce Back Loan money in 2020 had a real person appointed as a director.
We decided to trace two of these directors and find out if they had any idea where the money had gone.
Scouring court documents and the files of Companies House, the names of two of these bogus firms stood out - Bart Solution Ltd and JK Consult Ltd. The prosecution said they had been used to launder large amounts of money.
Just over £10m was paid into and out of the accounts of Bart Solution Ltd during 2020. The prosecution told the court most of this money came from Bounce Back Loans.
In court, JK Consult LTD was described as a "shell company" with no assets. Despite that, millions of pounds was deposited into its accounts and then sent on to other companies both in the UK and around the world.
The Companies House database also provided us with two names - each one a director of the two bogus firms. Povilas Bartkevicius was the name listed for Bart Solution Ltd - and Yekaterina Kobrina, the director of JK Consult Ltd.
By examining social media accounts we learned that Mr Barkevicius is a chef, while Ms Kobrina is a model with thousands of followers on Instagram. Both have links to the capital of Lithuania, Vilnius, so we went to try to track them down.
We enlisted the help of BBC colleagues based in Vilnius, but a scan of local telephone and government online directories came up blank, with neither director listed.
Povilas Bartkevicius told the BBC he was working two jobs to make ends meet
Mr Barkevicius stopped posting on social media in 2021, but his final posts show he worked at an expensive restaurant just outside the capital.
We rang the restaurant but were told that he was not working there, and they refused to give us his home address. They then became suspicious and wanted to know why we were searching for him. It felt like a dead end.
So we decided to get creative. Taking the user name of his Facebook and Instagram accounts, we searched for him elsewhere online - Telegram and Tiktok. But with no luck.
Then we tried the activity app Strava, which cyclists, runners and walkers use to track their progress. Remarkably, we found he had an account and that he had not set it to private.
It showed that in the summer of 2022, he cycled from the same location every morning and returned each evening. We followed this trail back through the city to a Soviet-era block of hundreds of apartments - but which one was his?
The inside story of a crime gang that stole millions of pounds in government loans.
We then did more digging on Facebook and discovered he likes BMWs. In fact, he posted a picture of his car, asking members of a BMW owners' group for help with a broken rear light. We hunted around the car parks near the blocks and matched the photo online to his silver BMW. Bingo.
The following day we were up in the dark at 05:30 - it was below zero and there was snow on the ground. We drove to the block and parked near his car, waiting by the communal door.
Too cold to cycle, we assumed he must now be driving to work. Within minutes, Mr Bartkevicius walked out of the block of flats and we were there to greet him.
We introduced ourselves and asked if he knew where the money in the bogus company he was linked to had gone. He seemed genuinely shocked to see us and confused by our question. He insisted he had no idea he had been a named director for Bart Solution Ltd.
He said he had read accounts of the court case in the papers but knew nothing about what the gang were up to before then.
"I heard that they were laundering money, but I didn't know that they laundered £10m [in] my name," Mr Bartkevicius told us.
He insisted he was in the dark about the loan money.
"If I had some money, even 10,000, I wouldn't work two job," he said. "I just married two months ago. I was working all weekends, just to be able to buy everything for my wedding."
He maintained he had no idea what happened to the money. He has not been interviewed by the police in Lithuania or the NCA in the UK.
Yekaterina Kobrina says she has 'huge loans'
But what of the model Yekaterina Kobrina?
We rang a clothes shop in Vilnius which she used to model for, to see if we could book her for an assignment. But the owner was suspicious and wouldn't help.
Ms Kobrina had posted a lot of photos on her social media of holidays in exotic places, but very little about her life in Vilnius.
Bizarrely though, after searching a whole range of local Facebook groups, one of her posts popped up in a group full of people angry about the poor quality of produce available in their local supermarket.
We could see Ms Kobrina regularly complained about the state of the vegetables, especially the potatoes.
We traced the shop to an area of grimy tower blocks in the north of the city. We spent the next couple of days in the area trying to trace her. But it was only after a tip-off from a local BBC producer, that we spotted her walking down a street.
She seemed surprised when we approached her, but she shook my hand, laughed and told me how nice it was to see me.
We asked her about the company she was a named director of - JK Consult Ltd - and if she knew where all the money from the Bounce Back Loans had gone.
Ms Kobrina told us: "I don't have any answers, you can check that all my property is leased, I have huge loans. I don't know anything. You should ask other people. Because I live in Vilnius, in Lithuania.
"No comments, only with my lawyer." Then she drove away.
We learned later that she had been interviewed by police in Lithuania, but had not been charged.
So, despite our efforts, we were no closer to knowing whether Mr Bartkevicius or Ms Kobrina knew anything about the fraud or what their names were being used for.
The most recent government report estimated 8% of all Bounce Back Loans could be lost to fraud or error
One man who is not surprised by this story is Mike Craig, who has waged a one-man campaign to highlight problems with the loans.
His Twitter profile has tens of thousands of followers and his "Mr Bounceback" website tries to help legitimate firms.
The most recent government report estimated 8% of all Bounce Back Loans could be lost to fraud or error.
To date, 273 investigations have been launched - involving £160m of bogus loans. Forty-nine people have been arrested.
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said the government was "bearing down" on this fraud. A spokesman said: "We are working with lenders, law enforcement, and partners across government to recover fraudulently-obtained loans. We wholly support the Insolvency Service in penalising those who sought to defraud the scheme for their own financial gain."
Mr Craig says the loan scheme was obviously vulnerable from the start - requiring no affordability or credit checks, which was "like a jackpot for a lot of people".
"At the start I thought all you need for a Bounce Back Loan is an eligible company and a pulse. But it turns out you didn't need either," he says.
I ask him where that leaves the taxpayer? He replies, "Stuffed for billions of pounds".
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64879444
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Hamburg shooting: Police spoke to gunman weeks before attack - BBC News
| 2023-03-10T00:00:00 |
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He co-operated with officers and there were not enough grounds to take away his gun, police say.
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Europe
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A man who shot dead seven people in Germany was visited by police last month after a tip-off raised concerns about his mental health.
He co-operated with officers and there were not enough grounds to take away his gun at the time, police said.
The 35-year-old suspect, named only as Philipp F, had a licence to own the weapon for sporting purposes.
The country is preparing a new law involving tighter curbs on gun ownership, the interior minister said.
Seven people, including an unborn baby, were killed in Thursday's attack which unfolded at a Jehovah's Witness meeting hall in the city.
The first emergency call came at 21:04 local time (20:04 GMT) to report that shots had been fired, and officers were on site four minutes later.
Video appeared to show the gunman firing through a window. He then stormed the building where dozens of people had gathered, firing nine magazines of ammunition before apparently turning the gun on himself after police arrived.
Eight people were injured, including a woman who was seven months pregnant. She survived but her unborn baby was killed.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the death toll could rise.
Floral tributes have been placed outside the Jehovah's Witness meeting hall in Hamburg
German Senator Andy Grote said "fast and decisive actions" by police officers saved many lives. He described the attack as the "worst crime" in Hamburg's recent history.
Officials said the suspect had "ill feelings" towards the religious community, of which he had previously been a member before leaving "on bad terms".
Jehovah's Witnesses are members of a Christian-based religious movement, founded in the US at the end of the 19th Century.
In its latest report from 2022, the movement says there are about 8.7 million Jehovah's Witnesses worldwide, including about 170,000 in Germany. In the city of Hamburg, there are believed to be nearly 4,000 members.
On Friday, Hamburg Police Chief Ralf Martin Meyer said officers visited the man in February after they received an anonymous letter claiming he "bore particular anger toward religious believers, in particular toward Jehovah's Witnesses".
The letter also said he "might be suffering from a mental illness, although it had not been medically diagnosed".
Police said he was co-operative and had an open conversation with the officers. "The bottom line is that an anonymous tip in which someone says they're worried a person might have a psychological illness, isn't in itself a basis for [such] measures," Chief Meyer said.
Forensic experts worked at the scene of the shooting on Deelböge street through the night but have since left the area.
Mourners have left floral tributes near to the front door. One man, holding his little boy and girl by the hand, told the BBC he tried to come home last night but his way was blocked by police wielding assault rifles.
Germany already has some of the strictest gun laws in Europe, including a clause that anyone aged under 25 must pass a psychological evaluation before getting a licence.
In 2021, there were about one million private gun owners in Germany, according to the National Firearms Registry. They account for 5.7 million legal firearms and firearm parts, most of them owned by hunters.
After mass arrests were made last December in relation to a suspected plot to overthrow the government, the German authorities have been under pressure to tighten the country's gun laws even further.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-64918160
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Gary Lineker: BBC boss Tim Davie 'sorry' after sport disruption in Lineker row - BBC News
| 2023-03-10T00:00:00 |
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Football coverage was severely impacted by a staff walk-out in support of the Match of the Day host.
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UK
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch Nomia Iqbal's interview in full: Tim Davie is asked whether he has lost control of the BBC
BBC director general Tim Davie has apologised to licence fee payers after a day of sports programme disruption.
Football shows were pulled at the last minute on Saturday after presenters and commentators walked out in support of Match of the Day host Gary Lineker.
Match of the Day was reduced to a 20-minute edition.
Lineker was suspended after criticising the government's controversial asylum policy. But Mr Davie denied the government pressured him into the move.
As well as having no presenter, Match of the Day on BBC One on Saturday night was broadcast without commentary, and pundits Alan Shearer and Ian Wright did not appear.
The programme was also without its famous theme tune and opening credits. The show started with a graphic reading "Premier League Highlights" before launching straight into clips from the Bournemouth v Liverpool game - the usual commentary replaced by the sound of the crowd.
Mr Davie admitted it had been a "difficult day" for the corporation but said "we are working very hard to resolve the situation".
Interviewed by BBC News, Mr Davie said "success for me is getting Gary back on air and together we are giving to the audiences that world-class sports coverage which, as I say, I'm sorry we haven't been able to deliver today".
The director general said he would "absolutely not" be resigning but admitted "this has been a tough time for the BBC".
He said there had been no "pandering" to any political party amid accusations from opposition parties that BBC executives had bowed to pressure from Downing Street and ministers over the anti-government tweet.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How the row played out on Saturday... in 60 seconds
Mr Davie said Lineker had been asked to "step back" after getting "involved in party political matters". He added he was prepared to review impartiality rules for freelance staff like Lineker.
In the Sunday Mirror, Lineker's son, George, is quoted as saying he thought his father would return to presenting Match of the Day. However, George said "he [Lineker] won't ever back down on his word".
Commenting on the Illegal Migration Bill on Tuesday, Lineker called it an "immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s".
His suspension on Friday triggered a wider debate about BBC impartiality, the government's asylum policy and the position of the broadcaster's chairman Richard Sharp.
It also led to an unprecedented day of turmoil for the BBC's sport operation, with staff including some of the most recognisable faces and voices associated with its football coverage downing tools.
On a day which should have featured morning to evening football programming on TV and radio, the BBC was forced to air re-runs of programmes or play podcasts on Radio 5 Live to plug gaps in the schedule.
Football Focus was due to air at noon but was pulled when host Alex Scott tweeted it "doesn't feel right going ahead with the show today" an hour-and-a-half before it was due to start.
Final Score was axed from the 16:00 slot when host Jason Mohammad told the BBC he was refusing to present.
Radio 5 Live's regular Saturday morning show Fighting Talk was cancelled when staff boycotted, a decision host Colin Murray said was "taken by the entire... team and myself".
Fans tuning in to follow the afternoon's action on TV were met with re-runs of Bargain Hunt and The Repair Shop. At one point, 5 Live resorted to replaying old pre-recorded material.
Before Match of the Day aired on BBC One at 22:20, a continuity presenter told viewers: "We're sorry we're unable to show our normal Match of the Day, including commentary tonight, but here now is the best action from today's Premier League matches."
There are major questions surrounding Sunday's planned coverage and whether the BBC can get Match of the Day 2 with Mark Chapman onto TV screens. The host was absent from the airwaves on Saturday.
Prime minister Rishi Sunak called Lineker a "talented presenter" in a statement on Saturday evening, but added the row was not a matter for the government.
He said: "As prime minister, I have to do what I believe is right, respecting that not everyone will always agree. That is why I have been unequivocal in my approach to stopping the boats.
"Gary Lineker was a great footballer and is a talented presenter. I hope that the current situation between Gary Lineker and the BBC can be resolved in a timely manner, but it is rightly a matter for them, not the government."
A Department for Culture, Media and Sport spokesperson said "individual cases are a matter for the BBC," but Downing Street and several senior ministers have been vocally critical in recent days.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman and Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer have both attacked the presenter for implying a comparison between the government's language and Nazi Germany.
Ms Braverman said the Nazi comparison used by Lineker was "lazy and unhelpful".
Senior Labour politicians have expressed support for Lineker, including leader Sir Keir Starmer. He said the government should focus on fixing the asylum system rather than "whingeing on" about Lineker and accused BBC bosses of bowing to pressure from ministers.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey called for BBC chairman Richard Sharp to stand down, saying the row exposed "failings at the top" of the corporation.
"We need leadership at the BBC that upholds our proud British values and can withstand today's consistently turbulent politics and Conservative bullying tactics," he added.
Earlier on Saturday, Greg Dyke, who acted as director general between 2000 and 2004, said the BBC had "undermined its own credibility" over its handling of the row.
He pointed to the ongoing controversy surrounding Mr Sharp, adding the Lineker move could create the impression the "BBC has bowed to government pressure".
An ongoing KC-led review into Mr Sharp's appointment as BBC chairman is investigating whether he failed to properly disclose details of his involvement in the facilitation of an £800,000 loan guarantee for the then PM Boris Johnson. He has denied any involvement in the arrangement of a loan for Mr Johnson.
The BBC is also conducting its own internal review over any potential conflicts of interest Mr Sharp may have in his current role as BBC chairman.
Former head of BBC TV News and director of sport, Roger Mosey, also called for Mr Sharp to go and said the chairman had "damaged the BBC's credibility".
However, others have been more supportive of the BBC's actions. Richard Ayre, former controller of editorial policy at the corporation, said on Friday the BBC had "no choice" but to take action against Lineker.
He said the BBC's director general Tim Davie had "clearly tried" to reach an agreement with Lineker but failed, adding: "It's inevitable now that having in effect not sacked him but removed him temporarily at least, the BBC will now come under a torrent of criticism saying it's acting under the government's behest."
Lineker has hosted Match of the Day since 1999 and is the BBC's highest paid star, having earned about £1.35m in 2020-21. He is employed by the BBC on a freelance basis.
BBC employees are expected to remain impartial on political matters and must follow strict social media guidelines, but there is significant debate about how they should apply to staff outside of news.
BBC News has been told that the Match of the Day production team were not told in advance about its decision on Lineker.
Lineker has not yet publicly commented on the latest developments and was seen attending a Leicester City home game on Saturday.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64918162
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Lyra McKee: Two men appear in court charged with murder - BBC News
| 2023-03-10T00:00:00 |
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Peter Gearóid Cavanagh and Jordan Devine both deny murdering the journalist in Derry in April 2019.
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Northern Ireland
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Lyra McKee was named Sky News young journalist of the year in 2006
Two men have appeared in court where they denied murdering journalist Lyra McKee in Londonderry in April 2019.
Ms McKee died after she was struck by a bullet fired at police during a riot.
Peter Gearóid Cavanagh, 35, of Elmwood Terrace, and Jordan Devine, 21, of Synge Court - both in Londonderry - appeared remotely at Belfast Crown Court from their solicitors' offices.
Both are also charged with offences relating to rioting on the night Ms McKee was shot dead.
Ms McKee, 29, was shot dead while observing rioting in Londonderry's Creggan estate in April 2019.
The New IRA later said its members were responsible for the killing.
When the charge of murder was put to Mr Cavanagh and Mr Devine, they both replied, "not guilty".
The pair were also charged with, and denied, possessing a handgun and ammunition with intent, as well as damaging by fire a Ford Transit truck, on the same date.
Mr Cavanagh denied an additional charge of stealing the truck.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Lyra McKee was one of Northern Ireland's most promising journalists, says the NUJ
A 22-year-old male, Joseph Anthony Farren - who is also known as Campbell - from Gosheden Cottages in Derry, also appeared in court via video-link to face charges linked to the riot.
Mr Cavanagh, Mr Devine and Mr Farren all denied possessing a petrol bomb in suspicious circumstances, rioting and throwing a petrol bomb on 18 April 2019.
Mr Devine entered a not-guilty plea to making a petrol bomb on 16 April 2019, while both Mr Devine and Mr Farren denied charges of possessing a petrol bomb in suspicious circumstances and throwing a petrol bomb on the same date.
Mr Justice O'Hara was told several other co-accused were launching legal applications which he said he would hear at the end of May.
Following his ruling on these, the judge expressed hope that a date for a trial could be set this autumn.
The New IRA later claimed responsibility for Lyra McKee's killing
Five more men from Derry are charged with rioting and throwing petrol bombs on the same date. They are:
All eight men had recently appeared at a preliminary inquiry.
In January, at Londonderry Magistrates' Court, the judge ruled that any matters that had arisen in preliminary inquiry were "clearly matters for the trial".
All eight men had refused to answer, asked if they wished to call witnesses or make statements at that stage of the legal proceedings.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-64914289
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Asteroid headed toward Earth may arrive on Valentine's Day 2046 - Nasa - BBC News
| 2023-03-10T00:00:00 |
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The space rock has about a 1 in 560 chance of hitting this planet, the agency says.
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US & Canada
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Asteroid 2023 DW has a better chance of hitting a date of 14 February than our planet, NASA says.
A newly detected asteroid has a very small chance of impacting the Earth in 2046, Nasa tweeted on Tuesday.
If it does hit, the asteroid, roughly the size of an Olympic swimming pool, may arrive on Valentine's Day 2046 according to Nasa calculations.
The closest the asteroid is expected to get to Earth is about 1.1 million miles (1.8m km), Nasa says.
But researchers are still collecting data, which they say may change predictions.
The asteroid, dubbed 2023 DW, has about a 1 in 560 chance of hitting Earth, according to Nasa. It's the only space rock on Nasa's risk list that ranks a 1 on the Torino Impact Hazard Scale.
The scale, which goes from 0-10, measures the risk of space objects colliding with Earth. All other objects on the scale rank 0, indicating no risk for impact.
A ranking of 1 means that an actual collision is extremely unlikely and no cause for public concern, Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) says.
"This object is not particularly concerning," JPL navigation engineer Davide Farnocchia told CNN.
If it does collide with us, 2023 DW would not have the same doomsday effect as the asteroid that decimated the Earth's dinosaurs 66 million years ago. That asteroid was far bigger at 7.5 miles (12km) wide, Scientific American says.
But an impact from 2023 DW could still cause significant damage if it were to land atop a major city or densely populated area. A meteor less than half the size of 2023 DW exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia, 10 years ago, causing a shock wave that blew out windows across 200 square miles and injured roughly 1,500 people.
While contact with an asteroid seems unlikely, scientists have been preparing for such an encounter for years. Last October, Nasa confirmed the agency's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (Dart) mission had successfully changed the travel path of a small asteroid by slamming a spacecraft into it.
"That's the very reason why we flew that mission," Mr Farnocchia said, "and that mission was a spectacular success."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-64919125
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Mexico cartel turns in own men over US kidnappings - BBC News
| 2023-03-10T00:00:00 |
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A splinter group of the Gulf Cartel also reportedly apologised for the kidnapping of four Americans.
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US & Canada
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Troops stand guard at the morgue where the Americans' bodies were taken
Reports from the Mexican border city of Matamoros say a splinter group of the Gulf Cartel, called the Scorpions Group, has apologised for kidnapping four US citizens last week, killing two of them, and has turned over the men it says are responsible.
On their front pages, many of Mexico's newspapers published a photograph that appears to show five men lying face down on the ground, their hands tied, and their T-shirts pulled up above their heads. It was apparently taken as police arrived on the scene.
A letter from the Scorpions Group was allegedly left with the men which apologised to the people of Matamoros, to the US victims and their families, and to a Mexican woman killed last week when the gang fired on a white minivan the Americans were travelling in.
The Associated Press says it has obtained a copy of the letter from a law enforcement official in the state of Tamaulipas.
"We have decided to turn over those who were directly involved and responsible for the events", the letter reads, saying the five had "acted under their own decision-making and lack of discipline". The letter also accuses the men of breaking the cartel's rules over "protecting the lives of the innocent".
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Video shows the moment four Americans were kidnapped in Mexico
Meanwhile, a health clinic in Matamoros where the cartel members allegedly took the injured US citizens for treatment has been cordoned off by police. Reports suggest the four Americans were taken there by the gang but the two with the worst injuries - Shaeed Woodard and Zindell Brown - died soon after.
Reuters news agency reported that Mexican officials had given the bodies of the two dead men to US officials in Matamoros on Thursday afternoon, and their remains were repatriated.
The latest developments come as some doubts have been cast in Mexico on the initial version of events. The group were said to have travelled to Matamoros for one of them, Latavia McGee, to undergo a cosmetic medical procedure at a clinic in the city. Her three friends were said to have accompanied her to the appointment.
The international border crossing between Texas and Matamoros
However, the Reuters news agency has reported that three of the four Americans had convictions for mainly minor drug-related offences - but one was charged with manufacturing banned narcotics with the intent to distribute.
Reuters says it's seen an internal law enforcement document which shows the Mexican authorities are investigating the possibility the four Americans were kidnapped having been mistaken for rival cartel members encroaching on their turf.
The wooden shack where the Americans were discovered
The question over the Americans' backstory comes as the political temperature over the incident in Matamoros continues to rise. In the United States, several Republican politicians, among them the Senator for South Carolina, Lindsey Graham, have called for the use of US military force against Mexico's drug cartels.
Specifically, he's proposing a plan to designate Mexican drug cartels as "Foreign Terrorist Organisations" in order to, as he put it, "unleash the fury and might of the United States against (them)".
One suspected kidnapper was arrested earlier this week
That rhetoric prompted a furious response in Mexico from President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador who said "Mexico was not a protectorate or a colony of the United States". His sentiments were echoed by the Foreign Minister, Marcelo Ebrard, who called Senator Graham's proposal for military intervention "unacceptable".
Amid the tense relations, the US Homeland Security Advisor, Liz Sherwood-Randall, is in Mexico for a meeting with President Lopez Obrador to discuss the worsening crisis over fentanyl and synthetic opioids in the US.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-64910394
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Silicon Valley Bank share slump rocks financial stocks - BBC News
| 2023-03-10T00:00:00 |
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Global bank shares slide after problems at one US bank trigger fears of wider issues.
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Business
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Shares in banks around the world have slid after troubles at one US bank triggered fears of a wider problem for the financial sector.
On Thursday, shares in Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), a key lender to technology start-ups, plunged after it announced plans to shore up its finances.
This had a knock-on effect, with the four largest US banks losing more than $50bn in market value.
Bank shares in Asia and Europe fell sharply on Friday.
Among the UK banks, HSBC shares fell 4.8% and Barclays dropped 3.8%.
SVB's shares saw their biggest one-day drop on record on Thursday as they plunged by more than 60% and lost another 20% in after-hours trade.
The slide came a day after the bank announced a $2.25bn (£1.9bn) share sale to boost its finances.
SVB launched the share sale after losing around $1.8bn when it offloaded a portfolio of assets, mainly US government bonds.
But more concerningly for the bank, some start-ups who have money deposited have been advised to withdraw funds.
Hannah Chelkowski, founder of Blank Ventures, a fund that invests in financial technology, told the BBC the situation was "wild". She is advising companies in her portfolio to withdraw funds.
"It's crazy how it's just unravelled like this. The interesting thing is that it's the most start-up friendly bank and supported start-ups so much through Covid. Now VCs are telling their portfolio companies to pull their funds," she said.
A crucial lender for early-stage businesses, SVB is the banking partner for nearly half of US venture-backed technology and healthcare companies that listed on stock markets last year.
SVB did not immediately respond to a BBC request for further comment.
In the wider market, there were concerns about the value of bonds held by banks as rising interest rates made those bonds less valuable.
Central banks around the world - including the US Federal Reserve and the Bank of England - have sharply increased interest rates as they try to curb inflation.
Banks tend to hold large portfolios of bonds and as a result are sitting on significant potential losses. The falls in the value of bonds held by banks is not necessarily a problem unless they are forced to sell them.
But, if like Silicon Valley Bank, lenders have to sell the bonds they hold at a loss it could have an impact on their profits.
"The banks are casualties of the hike in interest rates," Ray Wang, founder and chief executive of Silicon Valley-based consultancy Constellation Research told the BBC.
"Nobody at Silicon Valley Bank and in a lot of places thought that these interest rate hikes would have lasted this long. And I think that's really what happened. They bet wrong," he added.
Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, said the ripple effect of the problems at SVB showed these sorts of events "often hint at vulnerabilities in the wider system".
"The fact SVB's share placing has been accompanied by a fire sale of its bond portfolio raises concerns.
"Lots of banks hold large portfolios of bonds and rising interest rates make these less valuable - the SVB situation is a reminder that many institutions are sitting on large unrealised losses on their fixed-income [bond] holdings."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-64911066
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Can Sunak-Macron bromance help stop the boats? - BBC News
| 2023-03-10T00:00:00 |
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The PM is staking his reputation on resolving the issue of migrants crossing the Channel.
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UK Politics
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Wandering onto the crunch of the courtyard gravel of the Elysee Palace in Paris, the president and the prime minister shared smiles and a brolly.
It was the image that said more than many more words had sought to convey.
These leaders of similar age and similar background clearly get on; that word "bromance" is going to get a good workout in the write ups of the Franco-British summit.
To focus on the chemistry between political leaders may feel superficial.
But relationships in diplomacy really matter, particularly when the contrast is so striking.
Last summer, the then Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, who would become prime minister weeks later, said the "jury is still out" when asked if President Macron was a friend or foe.
However throwaway or in jest that remark may have been, it is impossible not to notice the contrast now.
Mr Sunak has put great store in what he sees as restoring the UK as an honest broker and reliable ally on the world stage after the chaos of Ms Truss's brief premiership and what might be gently described as the idiosyncrasies of Boris Johnson.
Mr Johnson and President Macron were a million miles apart on Brexit.
But, remember, so are the president and Mr Sunak.
Mr Macron pointedly claimed the implications of the UK's departure from the European Union had been "underestimated" by some of its advocates.
Mr Sunak was an early backer of Brexit.
But diplomats often reflect privately that many European leaders struggled to trust Mr Johnson as prime minister.
Mr Sunak is working hard to attempt to ensure that is no longer the case now he is in the job.
His calculation is that it is a necessary but not necessarily sufficient approach to achieve his political objectives, as well as protective, or perhaps restorative, of the UK's reputation worldwide.
So, beyond the personality stuff, let's take a look at precisely what has come of this summit.
There were important discussions between two allies about Ukraine and China.
But the most politically potent theme for Mr Sunak was small boat crossings.
For a man who has five political priorities, one of which is stopping the boats, doing something to stop at least some of them really matters.
This involves giving France almost £500m over the next few years.
And at least some of it will not deliver anything quickly - the new detention centre will be years in the making.
Downing Street think the funding they had already allocated was good value for money with tangible benefits.
And so their logic is more could deliver more.
The problem for them is whatever benefits they can point to - crossings that would have otherwise happened - the numbers have continued to spiral.
And that promise is clear cut.
Why on earth would a political leader shackle themselves to such a stark promise when this is a complex, international, diplomatically fraught, politically risky issue?
When I put this to one well placed minister, they said the calculation was any caveating or diluting would have sounded pathetic, and they would rather their ambition be clear cut, even if the delivery falls short.
But there is still a difference between a considerable reduction and no reduction at all.
Or the numbers continuing to climb.
Mr Sunak repeatedly pointed out to us at this summit that there is "no one silver bullet" as he puts it to resolve the issue of migrants crossing the Channel in small boats.
But resolve it is what he has promised to do.
And so the political jeopardy for the prime minister is simple: anything short of that will be seen by critics as a transparent failure.
His political reputation, at least in part, rests on how well he does.
• None UK to give £500m to help France stop small boats
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-64922634
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Indian Wells 2023: Emma Raducanu beats Danka Kovinic to reach second round - BBC Sport
| 2023-03-10T00:00:00 | null |
Britain's Emma Raducanu overcomes a disrupted build-up to earn a gutsy first-round win at Indian Wells, despite deciding only 20 minutes before the start to play.
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Last updated on .From the section Tennis
Britain's Emma Raducanu overcame a disrupted build-up to earn a gutsy first-round win at Indian Wells, despite deciding only 20 minutes before the start to play.
The 2021 US Open champion, ranked 77th, faces Poland's Magda Linette next at the prestigious tournament.
"I didn't feel too good this morning," she told BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra.
"I'm just so happy with the way I fought and dealt with the circumstances.
"I just woke up feeling not great to be honest. I felt quite ill so I'm just happy to have played the match and then to win it despite how I felt today.
"Today before the match, I did not warm up. Two minutes before I was called I was sleeping in the treatment room so I'm just proud to have got out there and then won."
In the men's draw, Andy Murray defeated Tomas Etcheverry 6-7 (5-7) 6-1 6-4 to reach the second round while fellow Briton Jack Draper needed just 55 minutes to win his opener, beating Switzerland's Leandro Riedi 6-1 6-1 to set up a meeting with compatriot Dan Evans.
Indian Wells is one of the biggest events outside of the four Grand Slam tournaments.
Since sensationally winning the US Open as a virtually unknown teenage qualifier, Raducanu has been unable to build on that success as her progress continues to be stalled by fitness problems.
Various injuries over the course of 2022 wrecked her chances of finding momentum in her first full year on the WTA Tour and the wrist problem that ended her season returned to threaten her participation in Indian Wells.
With tonsillitis also forcing her out of a tournament in Austin last week, the British number one summed up her fortunes by telling BBC Sport: "When it rains, it pours."
But an efficient victory over 62nd-ranked Kovinic - in Raducanu's first match since losing to Coco Gauff at the Australian Open - should help lift any lingering gloom.
Raducanu trailed 2-0 in each of the two sets, but grew in confidence as 28-year-old Kovinic produced a stream of errors.
Kovinic played some loose shots and struggled with her first-serve percentage in both sets, with Raducanu staying patient and playing smart to grind out a solid win.
• None Listen to all-new versions of their biggest hits and a surprising cover
• None Searching for new converts in Manchester: The Mormons Are Coming follows young missionaries during their make-or-break training
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/64909690
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Gary Lineker told to step back from presenting Match of the Day - BBC News
| 2023-03-10T00:00:00 |
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The BBC took the decision after an impartiality row over his criticism of the government's asylum plans.
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UK
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Gary Lineker has been told to step back from presenting Match of the Day until an agreement is reached on his social media use, the BBC has said.
It follows an impartiality row over comments he made criticising the government's new asylum policy.
The BBC said it considered Lineker's "recent social media activity to be a breach of our guidelines".
It added he should "keep well away from taking sides on party political issues or political controversies".
The BBC asked Lineker to step back after "extensive discussions with Gary and his team in recent days".
It "decided that he will step back from presenting Match of the Day until we've got an agreed and clear position on his use of social media", the statement said.
It continued: "When it comes to leading our football and sports coverage, Gary is second to none.
"We have never said that Gary should be an opinion free zone, or that he can't have a view on issues that matter to him, but we have said that he should keep well away from taking sides on party political issues or political controversies."
The move has led to Saturday's Match of the Day going ahead without presenters or pundits - as one by one contributors ruled themselves out.
First, Ian Wright said he would not appear in "solidarity", tweeting: "Everybody knows what Match of the Day means to me, but I've told the BBC I won't be doing it tomorrow. Solidarity."
Alan Shearer, who also presents on the show, said he had "informed the BBC that I won't be appearing on MOTD tomorrow night".
They were followed shortly after by contributors Jermaine Jenas and Micah Richards who both said that while they were not due to work on Saturday's programme, they would not have appeared. Ex-England player Alex Scott also indicated she would not go on the show.
The BBC said the programme would instead "focus on match action without studio presentation or punditry".
Lineker has not yet publicly commented but while presenting 5News earlier, former BBC presenter Dan Walker read out a text live on air from the 62-year-old.
Walker said he had messaged Lineker asking: "What is happening. Are you stepping back?"
He said he had received a reply saying: "No, they've [the BBC] told me I have to step back."
On Tuesday, Home Secretary Suella Braverman outlined the government's plans to ban people arriving in the UK illegally from ever claiming asylum, in a bid to address a rise in the number of people crossing the Channel in small boats.
Lineker reacted to it on Twitter calling it an "immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s".
Ms Braverman hit out at Lineker's tweet, saying it "diminishes the unspeakable tragedy" of the Holocaust.
Speaking on the BBC's Political Thinking podcast, the home secretary said the Nazi comparison was "lazy and unhelpful" and said her family "feel very keenly the impact of the Holocaust" as her husband is Jewish.
Many opposition MPs and charities also strongly objected to the government's plans.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak defended the proposals saying stopping the arrival of small boats is a "priority" for the British people.
Richard Ayre, former controller of editorial policy at the BBC, who also served as a member of the regulator Ofcom's content board, said the corporation had "no choice" but to take action against Lineker after his tweets criticising the government's asylum policy.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's PM programme, he said: "I think it was inevitable. He [Lineker] has the letters BBC written across his forehead and yet he's plunged right into the most controversial story of the day."
He said BBC Director General Tim Davie had "clearly tried" to reach an agreement with Lineker but failed, adding: "It's inevitable now that having in effect not sacked him but removed him temporarily at least, the BBC will now come under a torrent of criticism saying it's acting under the government's behest."
A Labour source told the BBC that the corporation should "rethink their decision".
It said: "The BBC's cowardly decision to take Gary Lineker off air is an assault on free speech in the face of political pressure.
"Tory politicians lobbying to get people sacked for disagreeing with government policies should be laughed at, not pandered to. The BBC should rethink their decision."
Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon called the BBC's decision "indefensible". Writing on Twitter, she said the corporation was "undermining free speech in the face of political pressure - and it does always seem to be right-wing pressure it caves to".
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport said in a statement: "Individual cases are a matter for the BBC."
Lineker has hosted Match of the Day since 1999 and is the BBC's highest paid star, having earned about £1.35m in 2020-21.
He is employed by the BBC on a freelance basis.
The ex-footballer has previously housed asylum seekers and publicly called for better rights and protections for refugees. He has also been critical of successive Conservative governments over issues including Brexit.
His comments have attracted widespread support on social media, with one tweet getting 235,000 likes.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64920557
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Olivia Pratt-Korbel: Brother recalls fight to save sister - BBC News
| 2023-03-10T00:00:00 |
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Ryan Korbel tells how his mother put nine-year-old Olivia in his arms but he "knew it was over".
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Liverpool
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Olivia Pratt-Korbel was standing behind her mother on the stairs when she was shot
The brother of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel has told of the desperate fight to save his sister after she was shot in their home.
Ryan Korbel recalled how his mother put "Liv in my arms" but he "knew it was over" in a video interview played to the jury at Manchester Crown Court.
Thomas Cashman, 34, is accused of fatally shooting Olivia and injuring her mother, Cheryl Korbel, 46, at their house in Liverpool on 22 August.
The court heard shots were fired by a man who had chased Joseph Nee, who is said to be the intended target of the attack, into the house.
Mr Korbel said he had been in his room when he heard three loud bangs and Olivia running downstairs screaming 'Mum, I'm scared'.
Mr Korbel said he went to the landing and saw Olivia four or five steps up from the bottom of the staircase, a man lying on the floor and his mother "wrestling" with the door.
He said his mother and Mr Nee then managed to shut the door but it "burst back open".
"An arm's come round the door with a black handgun and another shot's gone off, it could be two, I can't remember," he said.
"Olivia was in hysterics, my mum was in hysterics, my 18-year-old sister was in hysterics, we all were."
Thomas Cashman is accused of murdering the schoolgirl
He told officers that Mr Nee was sitting on the doorstep and then went outside, where he followed and was "screaming abuse".
"I didn't know my sister had been hit at this point," he said.
Mr Korbel told police: "My mum put Liv in my arms and told me to keep pressure on her chest.
"I didn't know why until I lifted her pyjama top up and seen a hole."
He said a neighbour came in and gave CPR to Olivia, adding "I knew it was over."
The testimony of Olivia's mum Cheryl Korbel, pictured centre, was previously played to the jury
Two of Ms Korbel's neighbours had been in her lounge for tea before the attack.
Hayley Freeman said she heard loud bangs outside and said Ms Korbel went to the front door to find out what was going on, when Mr Nee, pursued by the gunman, tried to get into the house.
She said Ms Korbel tried to slam the door and block his way.
In a statement, Ms Freeman said: "I remember Cheryl screaming and the sound of a struggle.
"We both got up and ran into the back kitchen. We shut the door and called 999.
"I heard another bang and saw a flash. I then heard Cheryl screaming, I remember her saying Liv's name and that Liv had been shot."
Ms Freeman's partner, Rob Lamb, who was next door, ran over and took a phone from her as she was calling the emergency services.
He said: "Then I was told the baby, Olivia, had been shot then saw Cheryl over her saying, 'Stay with me baby'.
"I believe she was still breathing at this point. I think she then stopped breathing and the operator took me through starting CPR."
PC Daniel Cooper, part of the armed response unit from Merseyside Police, was the first officer on the scene.
Olivia was shot when a man burst into her house and opened fire
In his statement, he said: "As I looked at the stairs, I could see a female with an obvious injury to her hand sat crying and shouting hysterically."
He said he then noticed Olivia.
"An adult male was carrying out CPR with his phone beside him on speaker phone.
"I could see a small bullet entry wound to her chest area, just above her stomach."
"I decided Olivia needed urgent medical attention. I picked her up in my arms and carried her down the stairs.
PC Cooper said he remembered her body being "limp".
He told a colleague that "we needed to go straight to hospital as Olivia had a gunshot wound to the chest".
In a recorded interview played in court, a woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said Mr Cashman turned up at her home and woke her up after the shooting.
She said she had been unaware of the attack at the time.
The witness recalled Mr Cashman had told her that he "went to drop the bits off before he came to my house".
Floral tributes were left in memory of Olivia near where the shooting happened
Asked what she thought he meant by "bits", she said: "I honestly believe it was the guns... I know he wouldn't have come to my house with them."
She described him as "very nervous", adding: "I've never seen him like that.
"That's why I felt like there was something wrong."
She said: "He was stuttering. Something like someone's come for him and he had, like, a source that had told him they were sitting him off.
"He wanted to do whatever he wanted to do before they got to him."
She told police she heard him say the name "Joey Nee" and later heard him say "I've done Joey".
He also asked for a change of clothes and told her "I don't know where else to go but I trust you."
She also recalled him saying "it's all gone wrong" and added: "It was like gibberish coming out of his mouth."
She went on to explain how the next day the shooting was all over Instagram and that she "put two and two together" and was "screaming in a bad way".
Asked why she came forward to the police, she said it was because she wanted Olivia's mother to have answers.
"It's her little girl at the end of the day. It could have been anyone that night, it could have been anyone's house."
Mr Cashman, of Grenadier Drive, West Derby, Liverpool, denies the murder of Olivia, the attempted murder of Mr Nee, wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm to Olivia's mother, and two counts of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-64914759
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