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36,789,972 | He replaces Philip Hammond, who becomes chancellor. Ex-Energy Secretary Amber Rudd is home secretary and Eurosceptic David Davis is the Brexit secretary.
Ex-chancellor George Osborne was fired, the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg said.
On arriving at Downing Street, Mrs May vowed to lead a government that works for all, not just the "privileged few".
The UK's second female prime minister promised to give people who were "just managing" and "working around the clock" more control over their lives.
Downing Street said she took a number of "congratulatory phone calls" from other European leaders on Wednesday evening, where she told them "some time" would be needed to prepare for EU exit talks.
In her appointments announced so far, Michael Fallon continues as defence secretary, and Liam Fox, who resigned as defence secretary in 2011, has a new role as secretary of state for international trade.
Mrs May has spoken of the need to reunite the Conservative Party after the EU referendum, in which she backed a Remain vote.
Her new line-up includes big jobs for prominent Leave campaigners Mr Johnson - who was initially tipped as the next prime minister after the Brexit vote - Mr Fox, and Mr Davis, whose job title is "secretary of state for exiting the European Union".
UKIP leader Nigel Farage tweeted that the appointments of Mr Fox and Mr Davis were "inspired choices", adding: "I feel more optimistic now."
On Twitter, Mr Osborne, who was chancellor throughout Mr Cameron's tenure, said the job had been a "privilege", adding: "Others will judge - I hope I've left the economy in a better state than I found it."
The BBC's political editor Laura Kuenssberg said Mr Osborne had been "told his services were no longer required" because his "brand" was seen as "too tarnished".
Mr Johnson said he was "very humbled" to be appointed foreign secretary.
He said Mrs May had made a "wonderful speech" earlier, saying there was a "massive opportunity in this country to make a great success of our new relationship with Europe and with the world".
But Lib Dem leader Tim Farron predicted Mr Johnson would "spend more time apologising to nations he's offended" than working as foreign secretary.
The new prime minister had spoken by phone to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny, Downing Street said late on Wednesday.
A Number 10 spokeswoman said the PM had "emphasised her commitment to delivering the will of the British people to leave the European Union".
She added: "The prime minister explained that we would need some time to prepare for these negotiations and spoke of her hope that these could be conducted in a constructive and positive spirit."
The biggest surprise is the appointment of Boris Johnson, the Tory members' darling, as the foreign secretary - one of the greatest offices of state, with a hugely different role as the UK contemplates life outside the EU.
There will be arguments in the coming days of course about how that role will compare and possibly pull against the newly-created "minister for Brexit", a role that's been filled by arch Eurosceptic David Davis, a serial campaigner for civil liberties who is difficult to placate. The Eurosceptic Liam Fox is in charge of drumming up trade.
But the decision that marks the clearest break with the past is the sacking of George Osborne, David Cameron's fixer and political friend for so long.
Read more from Laura
Earlier, after returning from Buckingham Palace, where she was formally appointed as prime minister by the Queen, Mrs May made a speech from outside 10 Downing Street.
Her husband Philip was standing behind her as she highlighted the "precious bond" between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and between "every one of us".
"That means fighting against the burning injustice that if you're born poor you will die on average nine years earlier than others," Mrs May said.
For an "ordinary working class family", she added, "life is much harder than many people in Westminster realise".
"When it comes to opportunity, we won't entrench the advantages of the fortunate few, we will do everything we can to help anybody, whatever your background, to go as far as your talents will take you," Mrs May said.
Mrs May also paid tribute to her predecessor, David Cameron, saying he had been "a great modern prime minister".
Mr Cameron earlier gave his final speech as prime minister, saying it had been "the greatest honour" of his life and that the UK was "much stronger" than when he took over. | New Prime Minister Theresa May has made Boris Johnson, the former London mayor who led the Brexit campaign, foreign secretary in her new government. |
36,005,945 | McDowell, who looked well placed after an opening 72, hit an 81 which included eight bogeys and a double bogey and missed the cut by three shots.
Clarke, possibly playing in his final Masters round, slumped to an 84 which included four double bogeys.
The European Ryder Cup captain's 160 total was 10 outside the cut mark.
Clarke's round got off to a bad start as he double bogeyed the opening hole and his fate was sealed by a run of three more double bogeys and a bogey from the 11th.
The 47-year-old's five-year exemption for the all the game's four majors following his 2011 Open championship triumph will expire after the US Open at Oakmount in June.
But while McDowell, 36, and Clarke suffered disappointing exits, their compatriot Rory McIlroy is well placed to complete the career Grand Slam as he goes into the third round a shot behind leader and defending champion Jordan Spieth.
Never want to miss the latest golf news? You can now add this sport and all the other sports and teams you follow to your personalised My Sport home. | Graeme McDowell and Darren Clarke both missed the cut by some distance at the Masters after failing to break 80 on a day of tough conditions at Augusta. |
35,464,131 | Swansea forward Ryan Hedges, 20, has also joined Boro on a one-month loan.
O'Connor, 32, scored nine goals in 20 league appearances for Rovers this season and joined Boro on an initial one-month loan in January.
He has appeared in all three matches since joining and signs on an undisclosed-length deal.
Hoban, 24, has scored five goals in 33 games this term.
Hedges, who scored two goals in 17 appearances while on loan at Leyton Orient last season, joins Boro on a youth loan.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | Stevenage have signed striker Aaron O'Connor on a permanent contact from Forest Green and Oxford forward Pat Hoban on a one-month loan. |
37,416,403 | Messages are relayed between the booth outside East Oxford Community Centre and the 9,000-strong camp, with some translated from Arabic and Farsi.
The idea came from Oxford Brookes University student Isobel Tarr, who called it a way of showing solidarity and support.
Asylum Welcome welcomed the initiative.
Director Kate Smart said: "I can't think of a more powerful way for Oxford people to connect with refugees at our borders."
Ms Tarr said: "For people at the camp I hope it can show that people in the UK support them and welcome them, and are capable of listening to them, in a situation where they don't generally feel heard.
"For people in the UK, some have commented that it has helped them to think about what it means to find solidarity with others... having connected with an individual person rather than a mass of people."
The camp has become the focal point of France's migrant crisis. It consists of people mainly from the Middle East, Afghanistan and Africa, many of whom want to claim asylum in Britain.
The Home Office is planning to begin construction of a UK-funded wall to step up security.
Oxford linguist Fuchsia Hart, who has been working at the camp, said people were often unsure what to say at first, but later felt "empowered" because they had been heard.
"It's important that people send messages back from the UK to show that they hear their struggle, and try to make a connection with the people as individuals," she said.
A hand-held recording device is set up at each site. Messages are checked and emailed to France, and vice versa, though organisers are looking to set up an app for future projects.
More than 100 people have either recorded or listened to the messages so far. The project runs from 10:00 to 15:00, weather depending, until Saturday. | Recording booths have been set up in Oxford and the "Jungle" migrant camp in Calais to enable people to swap voice messages. |
37,058,662 | The 27-year-old joined the Saints in summer 2014 from FC Twente and has since scored 13 goals for them.
"The club showed a lot of effort to keep me," he said. "There were also other possibilities.
"But, we recognised that the best is that I stay in Southampton, and I want to mention they put in a lot of effort for that, and I appreciate that."
Southampton host Watford in their opening game of the Premier League season on Saturday at 15:00 BST. | Southampton forward Dusan Tadic has signed a new four-year contract at the club. |
34,730,937 | 5 November 2015 Last updated at 13:20 GMT
Jenny has been speaking to an expert about how some people may feel pressured by sites such as Instagram.
Grace Barrett set up the Self Esteem Team, to help school children with their confidence, and how they can deal with the pressures of looking 'perfect'.
Take a look at her chat with Jenny here. | Do you feel any pressure to appear 'perfect' on social media? |
36,132,650 | Mat Waybourne, 42, from Tupsley, Herefordshire, spent two months and £800 building the two-storey wooden house for seven-year-old Lilly.
It features a balcony, ladders and windows that overlook other gardens.
Herefordshire Council has advised Mr Waybourne he can choose to appeal against the decision.
However, he said paperwork sent to him stated a fee of £344 must be paid to the authority if he does go ahead.
Mr Waybourne said: "My daughter always wanted a tree house. That's why I'd built one. I don't feel it's safe for the kids to play in the streets.
"[The council] is wasting money on silly things like this. Hopefully I'll be able to afford [the appeal]."
A council spokeswoman said: "The council has served an enforcement notice upon Mr Waybourne for a breach of planning regulations, relating to a four metre construction he has erected within two metres of his land boundary.
"He has a right to appeal against this." | A man who was ordered to pull down a tree house he built for his daughter without applying for planning permission could launch an appeal. |
41,091,745 | The assembly said it would pursue those it accuses of supporting US economic sanctions against the country.
Washington approved the measures last week in response to what it called the "dictatorship" of President Nicolás Maduro.
President Maduro has accused the US of trying cripple Venezuela's economy amid an ongoing economic crisis.
On Tuesday, members of the assembly unanimously approved a decree calling for the investigation of "traitors" who supported the economic sanctions, but did not name specific people.
The constituent assembly, which is made up of government supporters, assumed the powers of the opposition-led parliament earlier this month.
Former Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez, who runs the assembly, said the body would urge the chief prosecutor to begin investigations immediately, Reuters reported.
The country's former chief prosecutor and government critic, Luisa Ortega, was replaced by the constituent assembly on its first day in office.
She fled the country, and was replaced by a supporter of President Maduro, Tarek William Saab.
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on 25 August to ban trade in Venezuelan debt or the sale of bonds from its state oil company.
His reasons included "serious abuses of human rights" as well as the creation of the "illegitimate" constituent assembly, which the US accuses of usurping the democratically elected parliament. | Venezuela's new constituent assembly has voted to put opposition leaders on trial for treason. |
37,473,276 | The fundraising flyer also featured a photo of Grasmere in the Lake District - despite there being no plans for fracking in the area.
A draft report from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said the charity failed to substantiate its claims about the dangers.
FOE said they "would not be silenced".
The provisional ruling, which was apparently leaked to The Times newspaper, was produced after the ASA received a complaint from energy firm Cuadrilla.
What is fracking and why is it controversial?
The BBC understands the watchdog found the group had breached its code by failing to substantiate "misleading statements".
FOE had claimed 25% of chemicals used during the fracking process could cause cancer, and suggested there was a risk of contamination to drinking water.
Campaigner Tony Bosworth said the ASA had not yet made a final decision, and FOE had submitted more information to the watchdog.
"The bottom line is that the evidence against fracking is clear: it poses a risk to people's health and the environment," he said.
An ASA spokesperson said the watchdog would publish its complete findings in due course.
Fracking - or hydraulic fracturing - was suspended in the UK in 2011 following earth tremors in Blackpool, where Cuadrilla previously drilled.
The first fracking operation since the ban was approved earlier this year for a site in North Yorkshire.
The government is expected to make a final decision by 6 October on whether two sites in Lancashire - Preston New Road and Roseacre Wood - can be test fracked for shale gas.
The decision is significant because Cuadrilla wants to carry out unconventional fracking - that means drilling wells vertically and horizontally - which has never been done before on mainland Britain. | Friends of the Earth (FOE) misled the public in a leaflet which claimed fracking can cause cancer, the advertising watchdog has said. |
35,279,419 | Media playback is not supported on this device
Houston has been named Scottish Championship manager of the month, while Rogers has the player prize.
Falkirk won three of their league games, including beating leaders Rangers, and drawing with Hibernian.
Houston's side have leapfrogged Hibs into second place, although the Edinburgh side have a game in hand.
Both sides are three points behind leaders Rangers, who have also played one less game than the Bairns.
Their wins during December included a 2-1 home success against the Glasgow side and they also defeated Livingston and Dumbarton.
Rogers, who is on loan from Aberdeen, only conceded two goals in those four games.
News of the 21-year-old's award comes a day after Liverpool's decision to recall current Dons number one Danny Ward from his loan at Pittodrie.
Rogers, who was born in the United States but has played three times for Republic of Ireland Under-21s, has made 24 appearances for Falkirk this season.
He has had previous loans with Airdrieonians and Dumbarton.
Rogers had another clean sheet in Falkirk's first game of 2016 - a 1-0 victory over Alloa Athletic. | Falkirk goalkeeper Danny Rogers and manager Peter Houston have won an awards double after their side's fine form during December. |
36,416,386 | Reddish, 31, currently plays for Super Rugby side Otago Highlanders but will join Quins in the autumn.
He has made more than 50 Super Rugby appearances since 2011 and has also represented New Zealand Barbarians.
"Mark's physical and uncompromising style will make him an invaluable part of the squad," Harlequins director of rugby John Kingston said. | Premiership club Harlequins have added New Zealand-born second row Mark Reddish to their squad for next season. |
33,690,383 | The only difference between him and his contemporaries was the fact he was actually born a slave himself.
While his colour would have denied him the vote in his native Caribbean, he passed judgement on white people as a justice of the peace in Monmouthshire.
Records show that owners frequently fathered children with their slaves. But very few offspring went on to own the plantation on which they were born or achieve what he did.
Born on St Kitts in 1779, Nathaniel was the son of William Wells, a sugar planter and merchant, and his enslaved house worker, Juggy.
Instead of facing a life of slavery himself, he was sent away to school in London at 10. Nathaniel then went on to marry the daughter of George II's royal chaplain, and served as justice of the peace, high sheriff and church warden from his country estate near Chepstow.
While such a rise to prominence would have been rare, it is likely that a quirk of fate helped Nathaniel.
"William Wells' English wife had died shortly after he arrived on St Kitts, so although born a slave, Nathaniel was his only surviving heir," said doctor Nick Draper of University College London's Legacies of British slave ownership project.
"In truth his story is so unusual that it's difficult to read too much into what it says about the prevailing attitudes of the time."
Dr Draper says Nathaniel Wells would have known very little of the slave life, as William Wells sent him to be educated in London from the age of 10.
Although contemporary sources comment on his colour, his manners, education and wealth meant he was able to fit into British society.
"In the late 18th and early 19th Century there was still an attitude that people from other societies could be taught to live up to British ideals. Ironically, had he been born fifty or a hundred years later after slavery, it's doubtful that he'd have been able to rise to such an extent, as attitudes to race hardened somewhat in the Victorian age," Dr Draper added.
Typical of the kindly yet curious reactions Nathaniel Wells faced was that of landscape painter Joseph Farington, who described Wells in 1803 as "a West Indian of large fortune, a man of very gentlemanly manners, but so much a man of colour as to be little removed from a negro."
Nevertheless, he was able to rise through society to such an extent that he became Britain's first black high sheriff and only the second black man to hold a commission in the British Army.
When Wells' father died in 1794, he inherited a fortune estimated at £200,000, much of which he used to purchase his Piercefield House estate, as well as contributing generously to a fund to construct the distinctive octagonal tower on his parish church of St Arvans.
He was said to have been a firm but fair justice of the peace, sitting in judgement over white people.
Yet his benevolence in Wales seems to have been in stark contrast to his attitude towards his fellow slaves in St Kitts.
Upon inheriting his father's estates, Wells only freed a handful of his mother's relatives.
In the 1820s, his estate managers were also strongly criticised by abolitionists for exceeding the maximum 39 lashes punishment they were allowed to dole out to slaves.
Yet, perhaps tellingly, Wells himself intervened to prevent a critical report on this from being suppressed.
Dr Draper said: "Wells relied on his enslaved people for his fortune. But at the same time you have to ask what else he could have done beyond simply selling out.
"On larger islands like Jamaica, freed slaves could survive as subsistence farmers, but on islands like St Kitts there simply weren't the social or economic structures in place to allow them to survive independently, enslaved people were utterly tied to the plantations.
"Even slave-owners who were queasy about slavery were very reluctant to take steps they saw as disruptive of the settled order of a slave society. Instead they depended on the British state to provide an overall solution - including compensation for the slave-owners, which Wells himself also received."
After his death in 1852, his estate was divided between the 10 children of his first marriage to Harriet Este, and the 10 from his second marriage to Esther Owen.
"You can see how the way he chose to settle his estate dissipated that vast wealth quite quickly," Dr Draper said.
"But fortunes such as this fed back into society and laid the foundations for canal-building, the railways and ultimately the Industrial Revolution."
Chepstow Racecourse sits on his old Piercefield estate.
Perhaps the biggest testament to both the way in which Wells "fitted-in", and of the age in which he lived can be found on his memorial at St Arvans Church.
It simply describes him as "a Magistrate and Deputy Lieutenant", making no mention of either his slave heritage or ownership. | In many respects, Monmouth's Nathaniel Wells was a typical 19th Century gent, with his fortune built on the back of slavery. |
37,935,090 | Thameslink trains are suffering delays due to signalling problems resulting from damage to overhead wires at Luton on Tuesday.
The operator was still running a "limited service" on Thursday.
Network Rail said it expects disruption "until the end of service, but it may yet continue tomorrow".
Get the latest updates and more stories from Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire
Trains were disrupted after a signalling wire came into contact with overhead electric lines, it said.
Robert McIntosh, from Network Rail, said: "What we do know is one of our signalling cables did come away.
"A signalling system that normally carries 24 volts had a sudden injection of 25,000 volts. It has caused quite extensive damage, which is why it's taking us so long to put this right."
Thameslink is running a limited service across the network, with services cancelled, revised or delayed by up to 90 minutes.
It is offering bus replacement services to link up with other lines where passengers can use tickets.
Passenger services director Stuart Cheshire said: "Work carried out by Network Rail overnight has allowed us to run some more trains today between Bedford and St Pancras but the service is still severely reduced, meaning very difficult journeys for our passengers for the third day running and for this we sincerely apologise." | Disruption to train services between Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and London could last until Friday, Network Rail has said. |
39,068,660 | Karl Milgate will continue as head coach, working alongside former Arsenal reserve-team coach Cook.
Former management duo Les Taylor and Jonny Edmunds left their positions at the club in November.
"I will be hoping that every player and staff member is ready to fight and work to better the club every day," Cook told the club website.
General manager Ruth Senior added: "I am really excited to work with Andy on our long-term vision for the club." | Women's Super League Two club Oxford United have named Andy Cook as the club's new first-team manager. |
36,575,687 | Unlike executable program files, Javascript documents do not always trigger a security warning on Windows or require administrator access to run.
Named RAA, the malware is disguised as a document and starts encrypting files immediately when opened.
One security expert said the approach was likely to fool many victims.
"It's an interesting approach to ransomware," said Ken Munro of security company Pen Test Partners.
"Using Javascript as an attachment to an email is likely to result in many victims accidentally installing it."
The RAA ransomware was discovered by security researchers known as Benkow and JamesWT.
It is sent to victims by email and if opened on a Windows machine uses the "Windows Based Script Host" to run its code.
Typically an executable program such as an .exe or .bat file would be automatically screened and blocked by the operating system, but Windows allows .js files to run.
If opened, the ransomware sets about encrypting the victim's files and displays a ransom note written in Russian. It demands a fee of $250 (£171) for the files to be restored.
In April, Microsoft reported that it had seen an increase in malware being spread through Javascript email attachments.
"It is interesting to note that an Office attachment with malicious macros typically requires two or more clicks on the document to run it. One click to open the document and another click to enable the macros," the firm said in a blog post.
"On the other hand, the Javascript attachments only take one or two clicks to start executing."
Mr Munro said people should avoid opening attachments from unknown sources to stay safe.
"The .js (Javascript) file type is automatically blocked in some email packages, particularly Outlook," said Mr Munro.
"But interestingly Gmail doesn't appear to block it. Don't open unknown attachments, particularly those with a .js extension.
"While we're there, don't open macro enabled Office docs either (such as .docm and .xlsm files) - and keep your anti-virus right up to date."
Additionally, Windows can be instructed not to start the "Windows Based Script Host" when a .js file is double-clicked.
Virus blog Bleeping Computer reports that there is currently no way to reverse the RAA encryption without paying the ransom.
Often, restoring files from a back-up copy is the only way to get files back without paying - although some examples of ransomware have been cracked. | Security researchers have discovered a new strain of ransomware coded entirely in Javascript, which could increase its chances of being activated. |
35,292,325 | While, even in the first few days of this year, thousands have shown themselves willing to undertake the perilous journey, with dozens of lives already lost at sea, there are signs that a whole battery of measures planned to restrict the traffic in people is starting to have an effect.
This week Frans Timmermans, Vice-President of the European Commission, has been in Turkey to discuss how €3bn (£2.25bn) promised last November to limit the migration will be spent.
UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond is expected to discuss these and security issues later this week.
A range of measures, from stepped-up patrols, visa restrictions and rule changes designed to make deportation easier seem to have changed the atmosphere.
"We have given up on this," a 23-year-old Syrian who we'll call Ghassan told me by phone from one of the Turkish ports.
"We have tried too many times and failed - and also I am thinking again about Europe and whether we are really welcome there."
Ghassan and a friend from Syria entered Turkey in November and have since tried three times to cross the narrow waters between that country and one of the Greek islands.
Twice the Greek coastguard caught them and disabled their smugglers' boats, once the Turkish authorities intercepted and turned them back.
So what do Ghassan and his friend plan to do now?
"We will stay in Turkey legally and study," he said.
EU funding to boost education for Syrian refugees will soak up a significant part of the promised cash, Mr Timmermans said in Ankara on Monday, adding he was awaiting a list of projects for funding "so Syrian children can go to school".
Europe is also pressing Turkey to grant more work permits for Syrian refugees.
Of course, these measures will take time, and steps to increase the appeal of staying in Turkey are only part of the picture.
Frontex, Europe's border agency, in December deployed 15 patrol vessels to assist the Greeks in catching people smugglers, and a more muscular follow-on, the EU Border Force, is intended for deployment later this year.
Even so, plenty of people are getting through, though the winter weather and new measures have reduced arrivals in the Greek islands to around half of the 2,700 per day average for 2015, and about one-fifth of the 7,000 who got through each day as last year's migration peaked in October.
Despite the reduction, with arrivals in Greece still continuing at well over 1,000 a day, Mr Timmermans said last week that Europe was "a long way from being satisfied" with Turkey's actions.
Further enforcement measures are under way, with raids stepped up on Turkish hostels where those seeking a crossing to Greece wait, and preparations being made to detain more of the non-Syrian migrants.
Turkey has also just scrapped a scheme whereby Syrians who entered from third countries (such as Lebanon or Jordan) could do so without visas, as a means of trying to stop the country being used as a thoroughfare to Europe.
While Syrians still make up the biggest single group trying to use this route to Europe, the picture is changing as new measures are put in place in Turkey.
A Turkish journalist we sent to speak to people waiting in hostels around the Aegean port of Bodrum reported back: "Many of them seem to be Afghan and Pakistani."
This impression is confirmed by statistics from the International Organization for Migration, which indicate 37% of the thousands who arrived in the Greek islands during the first few days of 2016 were Afghan (compared with 21% in 2015), 12% from Iraq, and 6% Iranian.
The flow of those seeking a new life in Europe has not only fallen, for the time being, but it also seems fewer Syrians are attempting the journey.
In addition to the measures focused on Turkey and the Aegean, Balkan countries continue to tighten their border controls.
Viktor Orban, the Hungarian Prime Minister and Europe's leading hawk on immigration issues, this week proposed that a new fence should be built along Greece's northern border in order to cut the route through Macedonia taken by many of those who move on from Greece's immigration facilities.
In 2015, about 850,000 migrants crossed into Greece via Turkey, with the Turkish authorities detaining about 80,000 people in the attempt (it is not known how many of that lesser figure got through on subsequent tries).
This year, the aim is to cut substantially the number crossing and improve the efficiency of border enforcement, an enormous and multi-faceted task.
If, when finer weather returns to the Aegean in spring, fighting intensifies in Syria as well, the numbers could easily swell once again.
But now there are so many different measures being tried and enormous resources applied to prevent this happening that many may conclude, as the Syrian refugee Ghassan did, that the journey to Europe is just not worth it.
Mark Urban is diplomatic and defence editor for BBC Newsnight. You can read more on his blog and follow him on Twitter | From the waters of the Aegean, to capitals from Athens to Ankara the battle lines are being drawn for 2016's contest between migrants seeking to reach Europe and those who would stop them. |
40,455,460 | Wednesday's and Thursday's concerts unexpectedly drew the curtains on an epic global odyssey that has taken her to almost 50 cities in 20 different countries.
The "devastated" singer said on Friday night that she had sought medical advice after damaging her vocal cords and could not perform her final two gigs at Wembley on Saturday and Sunday evening.
The 29-year-old singer has been on the road since 29 February last year, performing one sold-out gig after another to her adoring legions of fans.
There have been plenty of memorable moments along the way - and plenty of bad language too. According to The Sun, her Wembley date earlier this week contained 56 swear words.
Here are six classic moments that ensured it wasn't just her vocals that her fans went home remembering.
If Adele's fans want to stand up to watch her sing, they can damn well stand up.
It's a lesson one steward at Melbourne's Etihad Stadium learned to his cost in March this year for conduct that saw him get an ear-bashing from the main attraction.
"Excuse me sir, I know you work here but can you stop telling people to sit down?" she can be heard saying in one fan video.
"This is a music show," she continued. "If people can't see, then they can stand up."
While performing at the ANZ Stadium in Sydney, Adele found time to attack magazines for speculating about her private life.
Her diatribe, captured on Twitter, singled out "those terrible trashy gossip celebrity magazines".
"I can't even read them anymore because they're normally writing [nonsense] about me," she went on - using a slightly different word to nonsense. "I swear to God it's all lies."
The rant came just a few days after a concert in Brisbane in which she casually confirmed she had married her long-time partner Simon Konecki.
Brisbane was also the location for the memorable moment when Adele lost her cool over a rogue mosquito.
"There's a bug on me!" she was seen screaming in one YouTube video. "I'm sorry, I'm not Australian - I don't like bugs.
"It was sucking my blood!" the singer went on. "They're everywhere, they're all trying to kill me! Oh my god, how embarrassing."
Adele was in more forgiving mood while performing in New Zealand, enlisting the aid of an audience member to shoo some beetles off the stage.
Marriage proposals were a regular occurrence during Adele's concerts, much to her delight.
It all began on her opening night in Belfast on 29 February last year, when she encouraged an audience member to accept a leap-year proposal from his female partner.
A few weeks later a fan proposed during one of her London concerts - a moment the singer called "the most beautiful thing I've ever witnessed at one of my shows".
In May last year, while performing in Copenhagen, Adele looked on as a fan proposed to his boyfriend. She then offered to be the surrogate mother of their children.
Further proposals followed in Zurich, Barcelona, Toronto and Melbourne, as documented by this article on Vulture.
Adele is usually tight-lipped about her private life off stage. On it, though, she can be an open book.
While performing in Nashville in October, for example, she was hilariously candid about her plans to give her son Angelo a sibling.
"My son is about to turn four very, very soon," she was quoted as saying. "I'm starting to get very emotional about it because I feel like once they turn four, they're not really your actual baby anymore.
"So my womb is starting to ache a little bit. It's like, 'Baby, baby, baby. Need a baby, need a baby.'"
But she immediately insisted she was not pregnant and had no plans to become so "until the end of the tour".
Adele made the news again earlier this week by encouraging fans at Wembley Stadium to donate money to help those affected by the Grenfell Tower blaze.
"It's our job as human beings to be compassionate," she told the 98,000 present on Wednesday. "You'll be hearing a lot more from me about [Grenfell] in the days and weeks and probably years to come.
"They're not receiving the things we think they are," she said the following night. "No information is getting through, people feel helpless. It's chaos."
Her plea followed her attendance at a vigil for victims of the fire and the visit she made - with cake - to see firefighters at Chelsea Fire Station.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]. | Thousands of fans hoping to catch the finale of Adele's world tour are missing out after it came to an abrupt end at Wembley Stadium. |
31,627,068 | Stuart Gulliver, group chief executive, said it had caused "damage to trust and confidence" in the company.
He and chairman Douglas Flint were answering questions from UK Members of Parliament of the Treasury Committee.
Mr Flint said he felt shame and would "take his share of responsibility" for Swiss private bank failings.
But when asked by MPs who was most responsible for the problems in HSBC's Swiss private bank, Mr Flint said: "The individuals most accountable for the data theft and the behaviour that was unacceptable to our standards, was the management in Switzerland.
"Most culpable were the relationship managers [in the Swiss private bank]."
Mr Flint estimated that some 30% of those relationship managers were still employed by HSBC.
Information about some 30,000 accounts at the Swiss private bank operation were leaked in 2007 to French tax authorities who passed it on to the UK tax authorities (HMRC).
Former director of public prosecutions Lord Ken Macdonald QC said last week that there was sufficient evidence for the bank to be investigated for conspiracy to defraud the UK tax authorities.
However, Jennie Granger, director general enforcement and compliance at HMRC told the Treasury committee: "What we had was intelligence, not evidence. It was stolen data, it's quality was not good.... and we were dealing with a jurisdiction that would not accept stolen data as evidence."
Lin Horner, chief executive of HMRC, said that earlier this week the French authorities had approved wider use of the stolen Swiss data.
HSBC has been involved in a range of banking scandals, including foreign exchange manipulation and rigging of international interest rate benchmarks.
When asked about the wider list of allegations and investigations into HSBC by international regulatory authorities Mr Flint said: "it's a terrible list."
Despite reforms, he said he could not exclude the possibility of further problems emerging.
He said the task of reforming HSBC will "always be ongoing".
The Committee's chairman, Andrew Tyrie, asked him what the prospects were of "another rotten bit of HSBC popping out of the woodwork".
Mr Flint replied: "In relation to not having line of sight to what's happening at lower levels in the organisation, I think the control environment because of the progressive implementation of a single set of standards is very much stronger than it was in the past."
Mr Gulliver, who has worked for HSBC for 35 years and became chief executive in 2011, told the committee that his personal holding of a Swiss bank account through a Panamanian company had "no tax purpose".
He said the arrangement only reflected a desire for privacy from his colleagues at HSBC in Hong Kong.
He said: "It was purely about privacy from colleagues in Hong Kong and Switzerland. We had a computer system back in the day that allowed everybody to inquire into staff accounts ... I was amongst the highest paid people and I wished to preserve my privacy from colleagues. Nothing more than that."
Mr Gulliver told the committee he had "followed the letter of the law" of the UK non-domicile rules,
He said: "The important point is I've paid UK tax on my HSBC earnings during that entire period [since being based in the UK], so the amount of tax I have paid is the fair and appropriate amount." | The two top HSBC bosses have apologised for "unacceptable" practices at its Swiss private bank which helped clients to avoid tax. |
36,611,451 | Algerian national Mehdi Midani, of no fixed address, attacked eight women aged in their 20s and 30s in Clapham and Brixton between 22 and 31 October, 2015.
The 28-year-old was found guilty at Inner London Crown Court of six assaults and admitted a seventh.
He was also found guilty on one count of common assault.
The court heard Midani preyed on lone women, following them from busy areas near tube stations to quiet residential areas where he groped them on their doorsteps.
On one day, he attacked four women in the space of four hours.
Judge Nicholas Madge said Midani still posed a danger to the public and ordered that he serve an extended period of two years on licence after being released.
The court heard the UK Border Agency had no record of Midani entering Britain and he would be deported after serving his sentence. | A man who carried out a string of sex attacks over ten days on women in south London has been jailed for eight years. |
38,091,365 | NHS Highland's plan for the future shape of maternity services at the hospital in Wick was raised at First Minister's Questions (FMQs).
The move is opposed by a local campaigners who want obstetricians to still be available to the hospital.
Pregnancies with complications are to be handled in Inverness under the plan.
Inverness' Raigmore Hospital is about 102 miles (165 km) from Wick.
At FMQs in Holyrood, Conservative MSP Edward Mountain told how a woman was in labour in an ambulance while being taken from Wick to Inverness.
He said women giving birth faced a journey time of two-and-a-half hours to get from Caithness to the city hospital by road ambulance, and longer if the weather was bad.
Caithness General maternity services
Ms Sturgeon said NHS Highland's plan was backed by a review of maternity services at Caithness General.
She said the health board was not proposing to consult on setting up a Community Midwife Unit (CMU) at Wick, and the plan would not be put before ministers.
The first minister said: "However, they are proposing to consult widely on the proposal to strengthen services in Raigmore and provide facilities for parents to make sure they meet local concerns.
"I hope all members will recognise that where a report makes a recommendation on the basis of patient safety, and it is clearly on the basis of patient safety, it is incumbent upon the local NHS board to act accordingly." | Nicola Sturgeon has said the setting up of a midwife-led maternity unit at Caithness General would be done in the interests of patient safety. |
35,051,034 | Known as Juice, the mission is due to leave Earth in 2022 and arrive at the giant planet 7.5 years later.
The 350m-euro deal struck between industry and Esa will see the assembly of the 5.5-tonne probe being led from Toulouse in France.
Components and instruments will be sourced from across Europe, however.
There will also be American participation as well, through the US space agency (Nasa), and from Japan via its space agency (Jaxa).
When all these contributions are summed - including launch and operations - the full price for the JUpiter ICy moon Explorer is expected to exceed one billion euros.
Tuesday's contract was signed in the presence of Alvaro Gimenez, director of science and robotic exploration at Esa, and Eric Béranger, head of space systems programmes at Airbus Defence and Space.
As prime contractor, Airbus must now pull together a consortium of companies across Europe to build, assemble and test the satellite, making it ready for its launch on an Ariane 5 rocket in six years' time.
Juice will carry a sophisticated scientific payload - including cameras, spectrometers, a laser altimeter and an ice-penetrating radar. The mission will also feature a magnetometer, plasma and particle detectors, as well as radio science hardware.
To power all those instruments at Jupiter - a distance of 780 million km from the Sun - Juice will need the biggest solar array system ever flown on a planetary mission. This generator will have a collecting area of almost 100 sq metres.
To put that in some context: the Rosetta mission to Comet 67P has a collecting area of 64 sq metres; Nasa's Juno mission, scheduled to arrive at Jupiter next year, has an array surface measuring 72 sq metres.
After launch, Juice will use a series of gravitational flybys of Earth, Venus and Mars to hurl itself out to the Jovian system.
On arrival, the probe will swing around the planet to initiate a series of close passes of its moons Callisto and Europa. Juice will then put itself in a settled orbit around Ganymede.
The research emphasis will be "habitability" - trying to understand whether there is any possibility that these moons could host microbial life.
Callisto, Europa and Ganymede are all suspected to have oceans of water below their icy surfaces. As such, they may have environments conducive to simple biology.
"Galileo's discovery of the giant moons of Jupiter four centuries ago caused a revolution in how we saw our place in the Universe," commented Prof Mark McCaughrean, Esa's Senior Science Advisor.
"By studying the icy crusts and deep sub-surface water oceans of Ganymede, Europa, and Callisto, Juice promises to open our eyes once again: could such places provide habitats for extraterrestrial life?"
Ganymede is the largest moon in the Solar System and the only one to generate its own magnetic field.
The magnetometer instrument that will be central to investigating this feature will be supplied from the UK.
Juice is the first Large Class mission selected by Esa in its co-called Cosmic Vision programme. That decision was made in 2012.
Member states have subsequently chosen to fly two further projects, one in the late 2020s and one in the early 2030s. These will be an X-ray telescope, and a trio of satellites to study gravitational waves.
[email protected] and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos | Airbus and the European Space Agency have signed the contract that will lead to the construction of a satellite to go to study Jupiter and its icy moons. |
37,129,332 | Police were called to Bath Street shortly after 17:00 following reports the men had climbed up scaffolding on the St John's Church bell tower.
The first man came down not long after police negotiators arrived.
The second man, who is 35, came down at about 00:40. He is expected to appear at Greenock Sheriff Court later. | Two men have been arrested after they climbed up a clock tower in Gourock on Thursday. |
30,395,466 | The investigation into Emstrey Crematorium in Shrewsbury will be led by former Dorset County Council chief executive David Jenkins.
It comes after the BBC found just one out of 30 sets of ashes were given to babies' families since 2004.
The inquiry, commissioned by Shropshire Council, is due to begin on Wednesday.
But parents said they should have been consulted over the appointment.
"All we are asking for is a fair hearing," said Glen Perkins, founder of the Action for Ashes campaign group, which called for the inquiry.
Mr Perkins's four-month-old daughter Olivia was cremated at Emstrey Crematorium in December 2007 but the family was told by the funeral director there would be no remains.
He said he did not trust the council investigation to be truly independent or rigorous.
"I think the hardest thing to presume is that we will get an answer about what happened to Olivia," he said.
"I don't think I will ever know.
"I can look at her picture but I can't go where she should be and that hurts."
Mr Jenkins, a solicitor who has led reviews of other authorities and public service organisations, was recommended for the role by the Local Government Association.
The inquiry findings are due to be published in April.
Shropshire Council leader Keith Barrow said: "I'm really pleased that David has agreed to chair the inquiry and I'm confident that he is the right person to carry out this very important role.
"He has all the right experience and qualifications and, importantly, is independent."
Emstrey Crematorium has been managed by Co-Operative Funeralcare on behalf of Shropshire Council since 2009. | An ex-council chief has been appointed to head a probe into why a crematorium failed to recover ashes from baby cremations for more than a decade. |
35,048,394 | The media world had been abuzz with rumours about what Yahoo will or won't sell ever since the board convened its annual general meeting last week.
And now it appears that its 15% stake in China's e-commerce firm, the Alibaba Group - which is worth some $30bn - is no longer on the block. Well, at least not for now.
Tax implications are deemed to be behind the about-face on the decision.
It seems that spinning Alibaba off would cost Yahoo more in tax - about $10-12bn - then selling another part of its business.
Think about what that means for a second.
It means the tax Yahoo would have to pay on an Alibaba sale is worth more than another part of its core business. It's clear the Chinese e-commerce firm is still the most valuable part of Yahoo.
So selling Alibaba - Ms Mayer's brainwave - doesn't make much sense, at least when you look at the figures. And that's what some of her most vocal and least supportive shareholders have been telling her.
According to media reports, Yahoo has also been thinking about what to do with its stake in Yahoo Japan - of which it owns about 35%.
It is worth about $8.5bn at current exchange rates.
Now if you've done the maths, you'll have figured out that these numbers don't add up.
The reason this isn't reflected in Yahoo's final valuation is because of that mega tax bill we talked about earlier - from profits it's made in China and Japan - which would see around $10-13bn shaved off its value.
It's remarkable that a company that arguably defined the internet for people of a certain generation is today only able to stay afloat as a viable business by dodging a hefty tax bill.
Yahoo's trademark exclamation mark symbol was a sign of the enthusiasm in all things technology at the time.
But how the mighty fall.
Yahoo is now seen as one of the laggards in the global tech industry, unable to keep up with nimbler and more modern entities such as Google and Facebook.
The company's new chief executive - the much criticised and scrutinised Marissa Mayer - was brought in primarily to bring her Google expertise to Yahoo and to revitalise the company three years ago.
But it's not been easy.
Ms Mayer has attempted to freshen up Yahoo - making acquisitions, adding services for mobile phones and smart devices, and also creating new tools for digital advertising - but so far, these measures don't appear to be working.
Although Yahoo sites are amongst the most visited in the world, it has lost advertising space on mobile, while its rivals have been forging ahead.
But don't write Yahoo off just yet. Even though revenues and profits have been falling, it still has a global audience of more than 600 million - behind only Google, Microsoft and Facebook.
Many of these users are in fast-growing emerging markets in Asia, such as Indonesia.
So one strategy could be to sell off the core internet arm of Yahoo - while keeping Alibaba, so as to avoid paying a huge tax bill.
But what would Yahoo be without its internet business? Just a shell company, and a far cry from the firm it first set out to be. | After days of humming and hawing over whether it would sell Alibaba, Yahoo came out with a decision that most people had been saying made sense from the start: hold on to the only really valuable part of its business. |
37,478,150 | But the Swansea-bred pundit says if they are going to sack Guidolin, it must happen before January.
They are a point above the relegation zone after Saturday's 3-1 defeat by Manchester City.
Hartson told BBC Radio Wales: "I genuinely feel he should be given another six or seven games."
The former Celtic striker says Guidolin's stewardship after succeeding Garry Monk and replacing interim boss Alan Curtis in 2015-16 underlined his case to stay in charge.
"He earned that time - steering Swansea away from the danger zone with some terrific results at the back of last season," said Hartson.
However, Hartson says even if the club are intent on replacing the Italian, money must be made available to bring in new players in the January transfer window.
"If a manager is going to come to Swansea, he's going to want money to spend and I think there will be some money, either for Guidolin, if they keep him, or if a new manager comes in in January.
"The club need to make a decision before then. Do they trust [Guidolin] to bring in the right players in terms of the recruitment?
"If they don't feel he's the right man, then the new manager is going to want those funds to come into Swansea in January."
Hartson's fellow former Wales international Ryan Giggs, Italian Gianfranco Zola and American Bob Bradley have been linked with the Swansea job.
The Swans host Liverpool on Saturday, followed by a trip to Arsenal and Hartson says they need to rediscover their playing identity.
"Those fixtures are scaring the fans to death at the minute and scaring the team and the manager and the staff, whereas two or three seasons ago Swansea welcomed all-comers to the Liberty," said Hartson.
"We were quite confident going away at tough grounds and getting results and I just think at this moment in time the team is lacking that little bit of identity.
"I think we need a bit more competition at the top of the field from [£15.5m record signing] Borja Baston, who's only made the odd appearance so far this season.
Hartson also cited a lack of pace in wide areas and urged the manager to settle on his team and tactics.
"I'm not too sure whether Guidolin actually knows his strongest side," he said.
"He needs to do that quickly and Swansea need to get back to having their identity where they have pace, they keep the ball.
"We used to pass teams to death at the Liberty. We would pass and pass and pass and always have more of the ball in terms of stats than the opposition."
Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox. | Former Wales striker John Hartson says Francesco Guidolin has "earned" the right to prove he can turn Swansea City's season around. |
36,507,268 | Media playback is not supported on this device
The four-time major winner recorded a motivational video which was shown to Michael O'Neill's men on the eve of the biggest match of their NI careers.
He said representing his country meant an enormous amount.
"Coming home as a major champion was one of the proudest moments of my career so far," said McIlroy, 27.
"It's an honour to represent Northern Ireland around the world - and to put our wee country on the sporting map.
"Tomorrow you will write the next chapter in our long and famous sporting story.
"When you walk out at that stadium in Nice, take a moment to think about our sporting icons, what they achieved, and how this is your chance to take your place alongside them."
McIlroy was at the match against Greece when Northern Ireland clinched qualification for Euro 2016 and met up with the squad at their Carton House training base near Dublin a few weeks ago.
Northern Ireland boss Michael O'Neill says he has no worries about how his players will cope with the pressure of a first major tournament appearance.
The manager's expected line-up for Sunday's Group C opener against Poland in Nice contains just five current Premier League stars.
But O'Neill is not overly concerned about how they will deal with Europe's top marksman Robert Lewandowski.
"I have never prepared a team as well as this," said the 46-year-old manager.
"It is exciting to be here after four weeks of preparation," added O'Neill, speaking alongside skipper Steven Davis at a media conference at the 35,000-capacity Stade de Nice on Saturday.
"We are confident we are in a strong position. We know Poland's strengths and their weaknesses. They came through a tough qualifying group and have quality players."
O'Neill reiterated that there were no doubts over striker Kyle Lafferty's fitness.
Poland have been to the European Championship finals twice before, but have yet to win a match, finishing bottom of their group on both occasions.
But O'Neill pointed to their obvious strike power.
"Lewandowski is, in my opinion, one of the top two centre-forwards in the world," he said. "The other plays in the South American championship.
"But there are other threats. We have done a lot of work on Poland and it has been time well spent.
"Our back three are all in the Premier League and play against the top teams every week."
Northern Ireland are tournament outsiders, but have the longest unbeaten of any of the 24 competing nations.
O'Neill's men have gone 12 games without losing, their last defeat coming in a friendly against Scotland in March 2015.
O'Neill has been praised for his meticulous planning in the build-up to the tournament. For example, in training for set-pieces, some of his players wore bibs bearing the names of their Polish opponents.
But it is not just tactical nous and diligent homework on opponents that have won O'Neill admirers. The team boss has gone to great lengths to make his players feel at home as they get ready for their tournament debut.
O'Neill added personal touches like placing family photos in the bedrooms of the players at the secluded team hotel.
Manchester United's Paddy McNair, 21, is expected to start against Poland, having impressed in the right-sided position in warm-up games.
That would be a disappointment for Fleetwood Town's Conor McLaughlin who was a regular during the qualifying campaign.
Leeds United's Stuart Dallas is likely to be the choice on the left, ahead of Millwall man Shane Ferguson.
Poland manager Adam Nawalka said his players were prepared physically, mentally and tactically.
"Northern Ireland's strength comes from team work and team efforts," said Nawalka, who played for Poland at the 1978 World Cup.
"We will be ready to face them. There are no weak teams in this tournament." | Northern Ireland will go into Sunday's Euro 2016 match against Poland with a message of support from golf star Rory McIlroy ringing in their ears. |
33,971,042 | It happened at Dundonald on the outskirts of east Belfast in the early hours of Tuesday.
The family called the fire service after being alerted to the blaze by their pet dog, Bella.
Firefighters using breathing apparatus put out the fire in the kitchen and led the family out down the stairs.
They were treated at the scene by ambulance staff and then taken to hospital. | Four members of a family are being treated in hospital after being trapped upstairs in their home while their kitchen was on fire. |
40,597,493 | Both Labour and Tory peers urged her to visit in person to break the deadlock between Stormont's biggest parties.
They included a former Northern Ireland secretary, Lord Murphy of Torfaen.
"Isn't it about time the prime minister actually goes to Belfast and talks directly with the parties and the Irish government?" he asked.
"Until that happens, I fear we will make little progress," the former Labour minister warned.
Northern Ireland has been without devolved government since January, after the power-sharing coalition led by the Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Féin collapsed.
The parties initially clashed over a green energy scandal involving the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme.
However, after months of talks and missed deadlines, they have been unable to reform a government due to long-running disagreements over several issues, including Irish language legislation and same-sex marriage.
At question time in the House of Lords, Conservative peer, Lord Cormack, added his voice to calls for Mrs May to intervene in person.
"There is no substitute for a visit," he said, urging her to go to Northern Ireland and "talk on the spot" with Stormont's parties.
Responding for the government, Viscount Younger of Leckie said Mrs May was taking "a very close interest" and had "close involvement" in the Belfast talks.
"Should she see fit, she will indeed travel to Northern Ireland," he said.
Last month, Sinn Fein urged Mrs May and the Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Leo Varadkar to intervene and "take direct responsibility" for the Stormont negotiations.
The parties had just missed their latest government deadline to restore coalition government.
Meanwhile, the lack of a devolved government meant Northern Ireland was not represented when leaders from Scotland and Wales met the EU's chief Brexit negotiator on Thursday.
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and First Minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones, met Michel Barnier in Brussels on Thursday.
The meeting took place on the same day that the UK government published a bill to convert EU law into British law.
The legislation, known as the repeal bill, will ensure the same rules apply in the UK after Brexit, while giving the UK Parliament power to change them.
However, the Welsh leader described the bill as a "naked power-grab" and an "attack on the foundations of devolution".
Both he and the Scottish first minister said they cannot back the repeal bill "as it currently stands".
They claimed the bill "does not return powers from the EU to the devolved administrations, as promised". | Prime Minister Theresa May should go to Northern Ireland for fresh talks to help restore a power-sharing executive, the House of Lords has been told. |
39,798,679 | One of the lorries shed its load of spuds in the crash near Knutsford and police said it took three hours to clear the road.
"They filled the carriageway," said bee farmer Henry Baxendale, whose farm is close by. "I didn't see any injuries but there were a few bruised potatoes."
A police spokeswoman said: "One man tried to sweep them up but he failed."
Police and others chipped in to clear the crop that had blocked Chester Road near The Smoker Inn pub shortly after 10:00 BST. | A potato spillage blocked roads after a smash involving two lorries in Cheshire. |
25,415,501 | This year alone there have been two nationwide referendums on executive pay, one of which approved strict limits on bonuses and banned golden handshakes.
Now two more votes are on the way, the first on the introduction of a minimum wage, and the second, and most controversial, on a guaranteed basic income for all legal residents, whether they work or not.
A universal basic income sounds very radical, but it is not a new idea - Thomas More proposed it in his work Utopia in the 16th Century.
On the left, universal basic income is thought to be fairer, while on the right it is seen as the policy that would make welfare payments obsolete.
For Enno Schmidt, a key supporter of universal basic income, Switzerland is the perfect place, and 2013 the perfect time, to launch a campaign to introduce it.
"Switzerland is the only place in Europe, and maybe in the world, where the people have the right to make something real, [through] direct democracy," he says.
That system of direct democracy means the Swiss could vote for free beer if they wanted to.
To hold a nationwide referendum, all citizens have to do is gather 100,000 signatures calling for a vote, and the ballot must be held - the result is binding.
The anger among many Swiss voters at the news that some of their biggest banks, such as UBS, had continued paying top executives huge bonuses while also reporting huge losses, has led to a heated debate about salaries, and more widely, about fairness.
In that context, it was easy to gather the 100,000 signatures to hold the vote on universal income, and the government is expected to name a date for the referendum soon.
Swiss business leaders have reacted with dismay, one calling it a "happy land" proposal, the product of a younger generation that has never experienced a major economic recession or widespread unemployment.
Many have also suggested it could provide a major disincentive to working at all, something that could pose problems for Swiss companies already finding it hard to recruit skilled workers.
Mr Schmidt denies this, saying the proposed amount for Switzerland, 2,500 Swiss francs ($2,800; £1,750) a month is scarcely enough to survive on, and that anyway a society in which people work only because they have to have money is "no better than slavery".
Instead Mr Schmidt argues that universal income would allow people more freedom to decide what they really want to do.
"The thought is not that people will work less, the people are free to decide - more, or less," he says.
That argument has found some enthusiastic supporters among young Swiss voters.
They have adopted a rather clever campaign technique, borrowing eight million five-centime pieces and displaying them around the country as a symbol that Switzerland can afford to pay its eight million inhabitants a universal income.
Che Wagner is one of the campaigners. He is 25, studying for a master's degree at Zurich university and working for a pizza delivery company.
"I have a daughter," he says, "and so of course I am there for my daughter, I look after her."
"But it is also a struggle - I have to work, so we can live.
"I think with a basic income I would still have to work, but I could… maybe [also] say, 'OK let's spend a week with my daughter.'"
And, when Che and his colleagues dumped their eight million coins outside the Swiss parliament, the politicians inside did not dismiss the campaign out of hand.
"The idea makes sense in a certain way," says Luzi Stamm, member of parliament for the right-wing Swiss People's Party.
But Mr Stamm adds, it would be a risky move for Switzerland to take as long as it remains inside Europe's free movement of people agreement.
"It certainly does not work in a country like Switzerland. In a country which is wealthy, and has open borders it is suicide."
Meanwhile on the left, economist and former social democrat member of parliament Rudolf Strahm backs a minimum wage but is against a universal income, believing it would undermine the famous Swiss work ethic.
"There will be no incentive for young people to learn a job or study," he says.
So how much exactly would such a scheme cost?
No-one is offering precise figures, although there is surprisingly little debate about whether Switzerland could afford it - the consensus seems to be that, financially, the scheme would be doable.
Income tax would not necessarily rise, but value added tax - on what people buy rather than what they earn - could rise to 20% or even 30%.
In the long run, supporters say, money might actually be saved because a basic universal income would replace means tested welfare payments.
But the main motivation behind the campaign is not economic but cultural, a bid to make people think more carefully about the nature of life and work.
Mr Wagner points out that the whole debate can make people uncomfortable, presenting them with choices that so far have been unimaginable.
"The idea goes to the personal question - what are you doing in your life, is it actually what you want to do?" | Switzerland, one of the world's wealthiest countries, is engaged in an intense process of soul searching - about money. |
36,411,633 | The park reopened in a blaze of publicity in 2015 after an £18m restoration but operator Sands Heritage went into administration on Friday.
Thanet council leader Chris Wells said they had failed to produce the volume of people they had hoped for.
Administrator Duff and Phelps said it was looking for a new operator.
It said Dreamland would remain open and continue to operate as normal.
"They just have not produced the volume of people coming through that they would have hoped and predicted," said the council leader.
"The operators have, in effect, told us that they are not creating enough cash flow."
Despite the setback, Mr Wells said administrators were "very confident" Dreamland had a future as an ongoing business.
Sands avoided administration in December under a company voluntary arrangement (CVA), which gave it five years to repay nearly £3m of debts.
The council, which is owed £50,000, is among the creditors. It has also invested another £900,000 in the site, for which it is the leaseholder.
Duff and Phelps was also the administrator for Fantasy Island in Skegness, which went into administration in 2014 and was earlier this year sold to Leisure company the Mellors Group - which also owns a theme park in Dubai.
Mr Wells said he hoped going into administration was "the beginning of the beginning" rather than the end for Dreamland.
"The park has a very fine future and will continue to trade throughout this summer," he said.
But former Thanet councillor Ian Driver said he feared it might close.
"It would be a tragedy to come back here in two months' time to find it boarded up and non-operational," he said.
"I think if the council doesn't get its finger out that's the situation we could easily be in." | Failure to attract enough visitors forced Margate's Dreamland amusement park to call in administrators, the local council leader says. |
37,790,730 | The photograph was taken by Fran Hockley, 29, of Stackpole, when she was diving off the coast of Skomer Island.
It was highly commended in the British Sub-Aqua Club's (BSAC) nationwide Great British Diving photography competition.
Ms Hockley said it was a "really lucky shot" but she was "delighted" with the recognition.
"There were lots of mums with their pups playing around and I took a few shots, but it wasn't until I got home that I realised how well this one had come out," she said.
About 340 photographs were entered into the competition and more than 2,300 people voted for the best image. | A scuba diver from Pembrokeshire has won national recognition for her photograph of a grey seal poking its nose out of the water. |
35,236,467 | The 19-year-old has played 25 times for the National League South side, who have lost just one league game since the end of August.
"I think we've proved a lot of people wrong and I feel like I've been a big part of that," said Riley-Lowe.
"Coming to Truro has helped to develop other parts of my game that I wouldn't have developed as quickly at Exeter." | Truro City have extended the loan of Exeter City left-back Connor Riley-Lowe until the end of the season. |
38,514,903 | The paper said the move was aimed at preventing readers in China "from accessing independent news coverage".
Apple said they had been informed the app violated Chinese regulations but did not say what rules had been broken.
Western media have long been facing difficulties making their content available in China with many outlets frequently or permanently blocked.
According to the New York Times, Apple removed both the English-language and Chinese-language apps from the App Store in China on 23 December.
The paper cited an Apple spokesperson as saying the firm had been "informed that the app is in violation of local regulations" which meant it had to be taken down.
"When this situation changes, the app store will once again offer the New York Times app for download in China," the spokesman said.
The New York Times said they had asked Apple to reconsider the decision.
The paper's website has been blocked in China since 2012 after it published a number of reports on the private wealth of members of the political elite and their families.
The New York Times attributes the request to pull the app to new regulations officially designed to curb activities "such as endangering national security, disrupting social order and violating the legitimate rights and interests of others".
"The request by the Chinese authorities to remove our apps is part of their wider attempt to prevent readers in China from accessing independent news coverage by The New York Times of that country, coverage which is no different from the journalism we do about every other country in the world," the paper's spokeswoman Eileen Murphy said.
Users who have their accounts registered on an App Store other than the Chinese one can still download the apps.
Apps from some other international media outlets can still be accessed, including the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, BBC News, the Financial Times, ABC News, CNN, and Reuters.
In the case of the BBC, the Chinese-language website is blocked while the English version occasionally has some human rights or political stories blocked on both the website and the app.
A number of other Western websites like Google, YouTube and Facebook are also blocked in China. | Apple has withdrawn the New York Times from its China App Store, following a request from Chinese authorities. |
38,761,461 | A brain-computer interface was used to read the thoughts of patients to answer basic yes-or-no questions.
One man was able to repeatedly refuse permission for his daughter to get married.
The study on four patients in Switzerland - published in PLOS Biology - also showed they were happy despite the effects of being "locked-in".
The patients all had advanced forms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, in which the brain loses the ability to control muscles.
It eventually traps people in their own body - they are able to think, but incapable of moving or talking.
When they become "locked in", it can still be possible to develop ways of communication using eye movements.
But all the patients in the study, at the Wyss Center in Switzerland, were "completely locked in" and could not even move their eyes.
The activity of brain cells can change oxygen levels in the blood, which in turn changes the colour of the blood.
And scientists were able to peer inside the brain using light to detect the blood's colour, through a technique called near-infrared spectroscopy.
They then asked the patients yes-or-no questions such as: "Your husband's name is Joachim?" to train a computer to interpret the brain signals.
The system achieved an accuracy of about 75%.
It means questions need to be asked repeatedly in order to be certain of a patient's answer.
Prof Ujwal Chaudhary, one of the researchers, told BBC News: "It makes a great difference to their quality of life.
"Imagine if you had no means of communicating and then you could say yes or no - it makes a huge impact."
In one case a daughter wanted the blessing of her completely locked-in father before marrying her boyfriend.
But eight times out of 10 the answer came back no.
"We don't know why he said no," said Prof Chaudhary.
"But they got married… nothing can come between love."
The form of communication is being used for more practical day-to-day means such as finding out if patients are in pain or want a family visit.
Prof John Donoghue, the director of the Wyss Center, told the BBC: "If a person who is totally locked-in is able to communicate, you're freeing the mind to interact with the world around them.
"That is remarkable." | Patients with absolutely no control over their body have finally been able to communicate, say scientists. |
37,628,634 | The incident took place at Brunel University in Uxbridge between 19:30 BST on Saturday and 01:30 on Sunday.
The man was held on Tuesday afternoon on suspicion of public order offence but has been bailed.
On Tuesday a student apologised for a "chainsaw-wielding clown" prank filmed on the university grounds.
The self-described YouTube prankster, who said he was a media studies student and gave his name as Kenny, told BBC Radio London he was "only chasing his friends" in a video shot on Brunel University campus.
A man in his 50s was also arrested by police in Hayes, west London, on Tuesday after reports of a man in clown mask possessing what looks like a firearm in a car.
Police said they were assessing three incidents for potential criminal offence.
The Met said it had received several reports of "killer clowns" frightening people across London since last week.
Commander Julian Bennett said: "We are currently assessing a small number of reported 'killer clown' incidents in London, three of which meet the threshold of a criminal offence.
"Our primary responsibility is indentifying and investigating those incidents where a criminal offence has occurred.
"However, anti-social behaviour can leave people feeling scared, anxious and intimidated and I would urge those who are causing fear and alarm to carefully consider the impact their actions have on others."
Officers will carry out "additional reassurance patrols" in the run up to Halloween, he added.
6 October: A man walking towards Latimer Road Underground station in west London was confronted by a man wearing a clown mask and carrying a hockey stick. The suspect jumped out from behind shrubbery and chased the victim. No arrests have been made.
8-9 October: Reports are received of a man in a clown costume deliberately frightening several people at the Brunel university campus. A 19-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of a public order offence. He has been bailed until later this month.
10 October: Reports of a woman being chased by a man wearing a clown mask with a knife in Marlborough Road, Islington. Officers said the victim was walking when she saw the suspect on a bicycle and that he followed her before fleeing the scene in the direction of Hornsey Road. No arrests have been made.
Manor House Gardens, Hither Green: A 13-year-old girl said she was chased by someone wearing a clown mask and wig, and possibly carrying a small penknife. No arrests have been made.
11 October: Police were called to Bonham Road in Dagenham to reports of two children on their way to school seeing a person wearing a clown mask. The children ran away.
Church Green in Hayes: A man in a car wearing a clown mask and possessing what appeared to be a firearm reported to police at 15:45 BST. Heathrow Armed Response Unit responded and stopped a car in Uxbridge Road in Hillingdon. An imitation firearm was recovered and a man in his 50s was arrested on suspicion of possessing an imitation firearm. | A 19-year-old has been arrested after reports of a man dressed as a clown scaring people at a west London university campus, police have said. |
34,497,754 | Media playback is not supported on this device
The Commonwealth champion beat fellow Brit Tom Reed by ippon in the under-81kg category final.
Philip Awiti-Alcaraz took under-100kg silver and Stuart McWatt, Andy Burns, Frazer Chamberlain, Ben Fletcher and Theodore Spalding-McIntosh won bronze.
As well as the gold medal, Livesey secured 100 ranking points towards qualification for 2016 Olympics in Rio.
Ashley McKenzie, who also won gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, was unable to mark his return to action after injury with a medal.
He lost out on under-60kg bronze by ippon to France's Vincent Manquest. | Owen Livesey won gold as Great Britain's judo players claimed eight medals at the Glasgow European Open. |
38,978,385 | Sgt Maurice McCabe had claimed there was corruption in the Republic's driving licence penalty points system.
There will also be an independent review of police operations.
The Independent Alliance, part of the coalition government, had sought the review as part of the government's response to the controversy.
It is understood the review will involve an international policing expert.
Sgt McCabe was investigated by the Republic's child and family agency (Tusla) following allegations of abuse, that were later found to be untrue.
Irish Finance Minister Michael Noonan said Supreme Court judge Peter Charleton has agreed to lead the inquiry into Sgt McCabe's treatment.
Mr Noonan said the judge expects to begin work next Tuesday and to have completed his work in nine months.
The tribunal will prioritise allegations against Sgt McCabe, with other high-profile whistleblowers expected to be looked at in a separate module.
The terms of reference will include Tusla and the Health Service Executive, where relevant, and are understood to state that the tribunal will look at any negative patterns between the Garda (Irish police) and Tusla.
The tribunal is expected to issue an interim report within three months.
Another Irish policeman also wants his case to be included as part of the inquiry into the alleged smear campaign against Sgt McCabe.
Keith Harrison, who is based in County Donegal, has also said that he was the subject of untrue abuse accusations.
Meanwhile, speaking after a meeting with taoiseach (prime minister) Enda Kenny on Wednesday, the Independent Alliance said the review of police operations would examine the culture, administration and ethos within An Garda Síochána (Irish police).
The controversy began more than three years ago when two whistleblowers - Sgt McCabe and the now retired John Wilson - alleged there was widespread corruption with the Republic of Ireland's driving licence penalty points system.
The Garda commissioner last week denied telling journalists that Sgt McCabe was facing sex crime allegations.
The claim against Nóirín O'Sullivan was made by Irish Labour Party leader Brendan Howlin in the Dáil.
Ms O'Sullivan said she was surprised by and refuted Mr Howlin's claim. The commissioner reiterated her position on Monday.
A commission has been established to examine whether there was a smear campaign against Sgt McCabe, orchestrated by senior police officers. | The terms of a public inquiry into the handling of false allegations against a police whistleblower have been agreed by the Irish government. |
40,789,307 | Sarah Harding was part of the hugely successful band Girls Aloud, formed on the talent show Pop Stars: The Rivals.
She's since taken part in shows including Celebrity Masterchef and Tumble, and has also turned her hand to acting with roles in BBC credit crunch drama Freefall, with Dominic Cooper, plus Coronation Street and St Trinian's.
Shaun Williamson is best known for his role as Barry in EastEnders and has also starred in Ricky Gervais's Extras and opposite Warwick Davis in Life's Too Short.
He's no stranger to the stage either, with the roles of Baron Bomburst and Lord Scrumptious in the UK tour production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang among his credits.
Medium and psychic Derek Acorah is known for Living TV's Most Haunted.
He also does regular live shows and has just finished his Whispers from Heaven tour around the UK. According to his website, he is currently working on a new TV project called Beyond the Grave.
Paul Danan became a household name in the '90s when he played Sol in Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks.
Others might remember him as one of the most entertaining contestants in ITV's Celebrity Love Island back in 2005. TV fans will be hoping he also brings fireworks to the Big Brother house.
Helen Lederer is a comedian, actress and writer whose screen roles have included magazine journalist Catriona in the Absolutely Fabulous television series.
She's already taken part in several celebrity game shows including Celebrity Masterchef and Splash.
Chad Johnson is best known as the star of US dating show The Bachelorette.
His antics made him the contestant that everyone loved to hate. He went on to star in Bachelor of Paradise but was booted out for his unacceptable behaviour. So sparks may fly.
Sam Thompson is familiar to Made in Chelsea fans for his turbulent relationship with Tiffany Watson.
He followed in his big sister Louise's footsteps - she was one of the hit show's original cast. But how will Sam fare mixing it with the hoi-polloi in CBB?
Sandi shot to fame on Channel 4 show Gogglebox, where she entertained the nation alongside her friend Sandra with their hilarious takes on TV shows.
Sandi left the show last year and has been replaced by Sandra's daughter Chanchez. Last year she took part in Celebrity Fat Fighters on TLC.
Karthik Nagesan may not have won The Apprentice last year but he was a big hit with audiences, who loved his unabashed cockiness even though he wasn't always great at the tasks.
He described himself as the ultimate "human magnet" and cited his role model as Alexander the Great.
Marissa Jade is a reality TV celebrity in the US - she became a star in the US show Mob Wives, which features the lives of wives of ex-prisoners.
She recently tweeted a picture of herself outside the gates of Buckingham Palace. Not quite sure the Big Brother house will live up to expectations.
Ex on the Beach contestant and Ibiza Weekender Jordan Davies is also known for being the ex-boyfriend of Towie's Megan McKenna.
Brandi Glanville was a successful model before becoming a household name in the US as a regular in The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
She was once married to CSI: Miami actor Eddie Cibrian, with whom she had two children. They divorced and he went on to marry singer LeAnn Rimes.
Singer Amelia Lily came third on the X Factor in 2011, the year that Little Mix won.
She released three singles but then turned to the theatre with roles in the UK tour of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Green Day musical, American Idiot.
Trisha Paytas is a YouTube star with nearly three million followers. Her frank vlogs have made her a minor celebrity in the US.
Glamour model Jemma Lucy is no stranger to reality TV, having appeared on MTV's Ex on the Beach. She also took part in Katie Price's model scouting show, Signed by Katie Price.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]. | The latest series of Celebrity Big Brother has started on Channel 5 in the UK - featuring the usual mix of the famous, the little bit famous and the "we're not quite sure" contestants. |
37,034,337 | The Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) says this is due to the fall in sterling where military equipment purchases have been made in US dollars.
After the referendum, the pound fell to its lowest level against the dollar in more than 30 years, making imports from the US more expensive.
The MoD said real terms spending on defence was rising year on year.
Prof Trevor Taylor, from the RUSI think tank, told BBC Radio 4's The World at One that the extra costs could lead to a "budget black hole", presenting a serious problem for the UK's defence stance.
Sterling has been steadily falling in value as the referendum result and the Bank of England's efforts to shore up the economy have pushed investors into selling the pound.
The former head of the Royal Navy and Labour peer Lord West described the issue as a "perfect storm" for the MoD.
A source with experience of the issue at a high level of government said it could push an already stretched budget "to breaking point".
But another former insider, who did not wish to be named, argued sterling could well recover and the issue was merely a "headache" for the MoD.
Prof Taylor said the UK paid the US about $10 billion a year for defence products.
The MoD, he said, had already committed to buying nine P8 maritime patrol aircraft, 138 F-35B aircrafts and 50 Apache aircraft to replace the existing ones, all from the US.
On top of this, the MoD will also have to buy spares and support services for their existing aircraft and defence systems such as Chinook helicopters, Trident missiles and the AWACS surveillance system, he added.
The UK has committed to spending 2% of GDP on defence, a minimum set by Nato.
The chairman of the House of Commons defence select committee, Julian Lewis, a Brexit supporter, said defence had "fallen too far down the scale of national priorities".
Dr Lewis said the 2% of GDP was "nowhere near where we need to be spending" and argued the figure should be more like 3%.
Lord West criticised the government for delaying the purchase of frigates; a decision he said would push up their costs.
The former head of the British Navy said the 2% figure was "a good figure", but that if the UK's GDP shrinks, this would result in a reduced spending figure.
Major Tim Cross, a retired British Army officer who supported the Leave campaign, acknowledged that defence spending overall was "struggling".
But he called for time to be spent assessing the situation post-Brexit, rather than "running around like headless chickens".
In a statement, the MoD said it took "appropriate financial precautions in all its procurement contracts" and "remained committed to the procurement set out in last year's defence review". | The Ministry of Defence is facing extra costs of up to £700m a year following the UK's Brexit vote, experts warn. |
30,332,040 | They will be provided with a "disclosure pack" which "they may consider undermines the conviction in a specific case," a spokesperson said.
Three live cases where Mr Mahmood - dubbed the Fake Sheikh - was due to give evidence have also been dropped.
Mr Mahmood has previously said he used legitimate investigatory methods.
The decision to contact defendants was made after the CPS reviewed prosecutions following the collapse of the trial of former X-Factor judge Tulisa Contostavlos in July.
The judge in that case said there were strong grounds for believing that Mr Mahmood had lied at a hearing before the trial started.
Subsequently, in a BBC Panorama investigation, one of Mr Mahmood's former colleagues at the News of the World claimed that they created elaborate stings to target celebrities unfairly.
As a result, former attorney general Lord Goldsmith told the same BBC programme that Mr Mahmood's record needed to be re-examined.
Lawyer Mark Lewis has been contacted by 16 people over possible civil claims against Mr Mahmood, including some not convicted of a crime.
He predicted that payouts to alleged victims if convictions are overturned could be "in financial terms, bigger than phone hacking ever was" because people have "lost their livelihoods, their homes and their incomes".
Mr Mahmood has previously said he has spent his career investigating crime and wrongdoing through legitimate investigatory methods, bringing many individuals to justice.
He said any criticism of him usually came from those he had exposed or people he had worked with who had an "axe to grind".
He is currently suspended from the Sun on Sunday following the collapse of Ms Contostavlos's trial.
A spokeswoman for the Sun said: "We are aware of the CPS statement. Mr Mahmood remains suspended and we are continuing our internal investigation into the matter."
A CPS spokesman said on Thursday that no defendants were currently in custody in cases involving Mr Mahmood.
In three live cases, prosecutors decided there was not a realistic prospect of conviction.
The spokesman added: "We are now considering past cases which resulted in a conviction in criminal courts in England and Wales based on evidence provided by Mr Mahmood, and have identified 25 cases.
"As part of this process, over the coming weeks, CPS Areas will be contacting representatives of the defendants - or defendants themselves as necessary - convicted in these cases in order to provide them with a disclosure pack - details of material which they may consider undermines the conviction in a specific case."
In September, several cases involving evidence from Mr Mahmood were halted.
The CPS offered no evidence against Dr Majeed Ridha and pharmacist Murtaza Gulamhusein, who were accused of illegally supplying an abortion drug.
Leon "Starino" Anderson and co-defendant Ashley Gordon also had drug charges dismissed. | The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is to contact defendants in 25 cases where evidence was given by journalist Mazher Mahmood. |
34,577,735 | He is expected to spend the remainder of a five-year prison sentence at his uncle's home in Pretoria.
He shot Reeva Steenkamp through a locked bathroom door in 2013 but said he thought she was an intruder.
Ms Steenkamp's relatives say they think Pistorius is "getting off lightly".
Oscar Pistorius, 28, was found guilty of culpable homicide, or manslaughter, of his 29-year-old girlfriend at a trial in October last year.
A case lodged by the prosecution appealing against that decision is due to be heard by the Supreme Court of Appeal on 3 November. State prosecutors say Pistorius should have instead been convicted of murder.
The athlete was released on Monday evening, a day earlier than expected, according to a spokesman from the Kgosi Mampuru II prison, where Pistorius was being held.
"Oscar Pistorius was placed under correctional supervision tonight," Manelisi Wolela confirmed in a statement.
"The handling of the actual placement is an operational matter of the local management, and how they handle it is their prerogative that is carried out in the best interest of all parties concerned, the victims, the offender and the Department of Correctional Services," he added.
Oscar Pistorius was driven under cover of darkness to his uncle's house 20 minutes away, a premature departure designed presumably to avoid the media glare, says the BBC's Karen Allen in Pretoria.
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It is understood he will not be electronically tagged but he will have restrictions on his movement, she adds.
His parole conditions include gun ownership restrictions and continued psychotherapy sessions. The disabled sportsman is also expected to do a period of community service.
South Africa's justice minister blocked an earlier attempt to get the Olympic athlete's release in August in a surprise move.
Speaking earlier to the BBC, Reeva Steenkamp's cousin Kim Martin said the family might consider visiting Pistorius when the time is "right". But she also said she felt he was "getting off lightly".
Her parents have previously said that the time served by Pistorius was "not enough for taking a life".
Under South African law, the double amputee was eligible for release under "correctional supervision" having served a sixth of his sentence.
Meanwhile, a close family friend of the athlete said he was in poor physical shape, adding that his return to athletics would be unlikely.
Pistorius competed in the 400 metres at the London 2012 Olympics, wearing carbon-fibre blades to run against able-bodied athletes.
If the prosecution is successful with its appeal next month, Pistorius could face a lengthy sentence back in prison. | South African Olympic and Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius has been released under house arrest nearly one year after he was jailed for killing his girlfriend, prison officials say. |
35,128,747 | "We should adopt a position by July [on the force]", European Council President Donald Tusk said.
It would have a stronger mandate than the current Frontex border agency, which suffers from a lack of resources.
Record numbers of migrants have reached Italy and Greece by boat this year.
Greece is the biggest headache for the EU, as many migrants travel north from there without being registered.
Hungary was the first to build a fence to stem the flow, but more fences have gone up. The return of many border controls has undermined the Schengen freedom of movement principle.
Worries about the 26-nation Schengen zone - where passport checks are largely absent - dominated the Brussels summit.
EU members are "failing to protect our external borders", Mr Tusk said.
But Mr Tusk stressed after talks that "we can be a bit more optimistic because all the leaders agreed to protect Schengen".
He also said that extra Frontex staff would be deployed in Greece this month.
Concern about the infiltration of jihadists soared after last month's atrocities in Paris, adding to concerns about people traffickers and other criminals crossing EU borders easily.
But Hungary and Poland insist that the new EU border force must not undermine national sovereignty.
The European Commission plan says the EU must have authority to deploy the force even to a country that did not request it, if necessary. But it would still operate alongside national border staff.
Also on Thursday, EU leaders discussed a bid by British Prime Minister David Cameron to reform his country's relationship with the EU.
European Council president Donald Tusk said the talks represented a "make or break moment".
Source: Luxembourg EU presidency
The fight against terrorism is expected to feature heavily on Friday after it emerged at least two of the Paris attackers used the migrant route to travel to France.
But writing in his summit invitation, European Council President Donald Tusk was keen to keep migration and terror as separate issues.
"The protection of our external borders is not intended to scare off those who flee wars or persecution," he said.
Many of the migrants are refugees from the conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.
924,147
arrivals by sea up to 11 December
219,000 arrivals in 2014
3,619 dead or missing in 2015
64% of arrivals to Greece are from Syria
As a tumultuous year draws to a close, European leaders are struggling to maintain unity, the BBC's Chris Morris in Brussels says.
The UN's refugee agency says 954,481 migrants and refugees have landed on Europe's shores this year, and more than 800,000 of them have arrived in Greece.
Most travel north via the Western Balkans to countries such as Germany and Sweden. | The EU will move rapidly towards setting up a new joint border and coastguard force over the next six months, EU leaders have said. |
36,697,713 | The man got into the Vauxhall Astra after the children's mother parked and left the car in Kempe Road, Enfield on Saturday at 12:45 BST.
The 12-year-old girl managed to get out of the vehicle as he drove off, but the baby was still inside. The child was later found on a doorstep in Cheshunt.
Police said the car was abandoned nearby. They are searching for the man.
The 11-month-old boy, who was not injured, was found by a member of the public in Guinevere Gardens who then contacted police.
The black Vauxhall Astra was discovered in Coopers Walk, Cheshunt, later that afternoon.
Metropolitan Police described the driver of the stolen car as a white man, in his late teens, with light spiky hair. They have appealed for witnesses to contact them. | A man stole a car and drove away with a baby boy and a young girl sitting in the back in north London. |
39,356,824 | Ibrahim Halawa, now 21, was 17 when he was arrested with three of his sisters during a siege at a Cairo mosque.
He has been on hunger strike and has become so weak that jail staff used a wheelchair to bring him to see his relatives last week, his lawyer said.
On Wednesday, his trial was adjourned for the 20th time in almost four years.
In a statement after Wednesday's hearing, his sister, Somaia Halawa, said: "The sad reality is my brother is dying in an Egyptian prison, facing a mass trial, which at this rate will take over 10 years.
"Given Ibrahim's current mental and physical state we don't believe he will be strong enough to survive that delay."
She added: "The flawed trial process and conditions to which Ibrahim has been detained can no longer be accepted."
The family has called on the Irish government to begin legal proceedings against the Egyptian state at the International Court of Justice.
Mr Halawa, who was born and raised in Dublin, is the son of the most senior Muslim cleric in the Republic of Ireland.
Before the latest hearing, Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Enda Kenny said he was "disturbed" by reports that Mr Halawa is in a wheelchair and wanted his health to be assessed "from an Irish medical point of view".
On Sunday, Sinn Féin MEP Lynn Boylan said that after more than three years in custody, the prisoner's spirit had finally been "broken".
Speaking to Irish broadcaster, RTÉ, she said he was being "kept alive" with glucose injections.
Mr Halawa's Belfast-based solicitor, Darragh Mackin, said on Wednesday: "It is inarguably clear that the current trial process does not meet the standards required by international law."
His firm, Kevin Winters Law, intends to lodge a legal opinion with the Irish government within days on how the claim should be lodged.
The trial has been adjourned until 5 April.
For several years, Mr Halawa faced the death penalty if he was found guilty, but in January, President Sisi's told a delegation of Irish politicians he would offer a pardon Mr Halawa once his trial is over.
The Egyptian parliament has previously objected to calls from the Irish parliament to release the Dublin man, saying the request would interfere in the affairs of the Egyptian judiciary.
He had been through a "horrific experience", said Amnesty International, spending 1,313 nights "unjustly incarcerated".
"Amnesty International continues to be gravely concerned for his mental and physical wellbeing," said the charity in a statement.
"We reiterate our call on the Egyptian authorities to drop all charges against Ibrahim and to order his immediate and unconditional release. We also urge the Irish government to continue working on his behalf and to use every means at their disposal to secure his release" .
At the time of their arrests, the Halawas were on family holiday in Egypt.
Their trip coincided with violent anti-government protests in Cairo, staged in support of the ousted President Mohammed Morsi.
The family were arrested, along with many others, when Egyptian security forces stormed the Al-Fath mosque in August 2013.
Mr Halawa's three sisters were released after about three months and were allowed to return home to Dublin, but he has remained in jail. | The family of an Irishman who has been imprisoned without trial in Egypt since 2013 has called on the Irish government to take international legal action. |
34,709,873 | The former Tottenham, Manchester United and England forward retired from playing in 2008.
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Sheringham's assistant Kevin Watson was also registered ahead of Wednesday's game against Welwyn Garden City.
But the club later posted on Twitter that "contrary to speculation", neither would feature in the match.
"With a number of squad injuries and the FA Youth Cup game just 48 hours before this fixture, both were registered in case they were required," the statement added.
Earlier in the day, Boro had confirmed that registering Sheringham and Watson was "not an uncommon occurrence at the club" as members of previous management teams had played in the county cup competition.
Boro's former goalkeeping coach Dave Beasant was named on the bench for their League Two play-off first leg against Southend United last season at the age of 56.
Sheringham, who scored 11 goals in 51 international appearances for England, originally quit playing at the age of 42 at the end of the 2007-08 campaign.
He was appointed Stevenage boss in May following a spell as attacking coach at West Ham. The club are currently five points above the League Two relegation zone. | Stevenage manager Teddy Sheringham has opted not to turn out in the Herts Senior Cup after registering himself as a player at the age of 49. |
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The US have lost five of the last six contests, including the most recent match at Medinah in 2012 after Europe's thrilling final-day comeback.
"The American team has to get back on track," Watson said. "The loss at Medinah should stick in their craw."
Ex-Europe captain Bernard Gallacher has called the appointment of eight-time major winner Watson a "masterstroke".
Watson has captained the US once before, winning at the Belfry in 1993, and the 65-year-old told BBC Sport he was desperate to be given a second chance.
"I wanted to be captain, in the worst way," Watson said.
"When I got the call a couple of years ago, I said to myself, 'I've been waiting for this call for almost 20 years.'"
And Gallacher, who lost as captain to Watson's American team in 1993, believes it was an inspired decision by the PGA of America to approach Watson again.
"I thought it was absolutely a masterstroke," said Gallacher, whose nephew Stephen will compete for Europe at Gleneagles.
"If anybody can keep the interest going on the American side, [it's Watson].
"It's not just about the players, because the players obviously want to play in the Ryder Cup, but you're really thinking about the American public - keeping them." | United States Ryder Cup captain Tom Watson says the American team must "get even" at Gleneagles later this month. |
28,840,586 | A big white dustcart emerges from over the horizon. It drives up, stops, sighs, grunts then spews household rubbish all over his plants.
Hoe on shoulder, Bafing, 35, marches up to the truck. ''This is my field. I have been here for three months. Will you please stop dumping here?'' he pleads, showing a bleeding gash on his foot from a piece of glass.
Crew leader Facinet Coulibaly feels for him but says he has no choice.
''This is the site designated for us by the town hall. We have been appalled to discover there is no safety provision. Men, women and children walk through the site. But our company is a going concern. What are we to do with the rubbish?'' asks the 30-year-old general manager of Macrowaste.
Authorities have given start-up company Macrowaste the go-ahead to operate their rubbish collection in Bamako, even though the city does not have a functioning waste disposal plant.
The company is expected to do exactly as the city does with its own dozen dustcarts: fly-tip on spare land.
There is no doubting Bamako's dire need for waste solutions. The city's open sewers are packed with rubbish.
In the central market area you have to step over waves of discarded plastic packaging, bags, old tyres and rotting food remains.
Thousands of small-scale waste entrepreneurs, with donkeys and traps, make a living collecting rubbish.
They charge households 2,000 CFA francs per month ($4; £2.40). Amidst the rubbish they find waste that can be resold, like aluminium cans, electronic circuit boards and thick plastic. Then they tip the remainder wherever they can.
Macrowaste is the brainchild of two Malians living in the United States - Abdoulaye Tangara, 29, and Lamine Dembele, 35. ''We met on an online forum,'' says Abdoulaye, 29, whose day job is in financial services in Georgia.
''I was doing research into the waste management sector when I met Lamine, who runs a janitorial firm in Philadelphia.
The BBC's business teams across Africa meet the continent's entrepreneurs who are starting up new enterprises and seeking to create big opportunities.
Read more: New Entrepreneurs
"I obviously took notice when I realised he was Malian. It turned out that we are not only from the same country, our parents come from the same village. Lamine had a longstanding dream to create a waste company in Mali. Soon our conversation grew into how we could do it together.''
They started the firm in 2011 but the March 2012 coup - followed by an Islamist invasion of the north and a national governance crisis - meant business did not get off the ground in earnest until early this year.
Now the company has five dustcarts, imported from France, and nine staff.
Three embassies have signed up for regular rubbish collection, as well as the Fofy foam company, a bank and the office of Prime Minister Moussa Mara. Prices for weekly rubbish collection start at 40,000 CFA francs per month.
General manager Facinet Coulibaly, who has a law degree, handles the day to day running of the company.
''We talk online several times a day, even at night sometimes. Fortunately, the partners are Malian so they understand the complexities of working here, like taxes and fees, problems of water, electricity and internet connectivity.''
Despite reports of widespread corruption in Mali, he denies paying any bribes to start Macrowaste. But he admits it is a ''challenging'' business environment.
''The round of official paperwork can drive you mad. For instance at customs, you go for one signature, only to be told that someone else has to validate it. Only then can you return to the first person for the release of the goods.
''The internet provider offers no after-sales service. If the line goes down, you call once, twice. A day passes and no-one comes. You call again. A second and third day pass. In the end, we have to privately pay the internet provider's technician to do his job,'' he says.
None of which is a consolation to farmer Bafing Traore. However, he admits that the land on which he is growing cucumbers, groundnuts and okra is not officially his - it is public. ''I would have bought it if I could,'' he says. ''But I can't read and write.''
Bamako councillor Abdoulaye Bassole claims the conflict of use on Macrowaste's dumping site is beyond his control.
''When we designated the site there was no-one farming there. Bamako is growing so fast that new people are settling on the outskirts every day. At the same time a company like Macrowaste is a really positive thing because the city cannot keep up with the waste challenge.''
Facinet Coulibaly says the ''big hope'' for the city is a huge hole currently being dug 45km (28 miles) from the city centre by a Chinese contractor.
Once the waste site is operational, probably later this year, the dustcarts operated by the city authorities and Macrowaste will have a place to dump their loads. | Hoe in hand, Bafing Traore tends his cucumbers in a field on the outskirts of Mali's capital Bamako. |
32,369,645 | Media playback is not supported on this device
The Mercedes driver took his fourth pole in four races this season on Saturday, but fears the strong long-run pace Ferrari showed in practice.
"They are very quick this weekend. They have great race pace," Hamilton said.
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"Hopefully our positioning does help and we'll be taking all measures to make the tyres go as long as they can. But I think we're in a good position."
Hamilton had similar fears about Ferrari's long-run speed in China last weekend and the Englishman won by controlling the pace of the race, treating the tyres gently by going artificially slowly, until unleashing his real pace only around the pit stops to ensure he stayed in front.
But in China he had extra protection from team-mate Nico Rosberg, who qualified second and held that position at the start, whereas the German could manage only third on the grid in Bahrain.
Vettel, who won in Malaysia three weeks ago thanks to better tyre usage than Mercedes, said: "Lewis said we will be difficult to beat and I hope he's right.
"Hopefully we can have a good start and a good race from there. I think in the race we are maybe a bit closer, so we will see what happens."
Rosberg blamed his failure to join Hamilton on the front row on what he said was his mishandling of qualifying.
He said he drove relatively gently on the set of tyres he used in second qualifying - the one on which the drivers have to start the race - so they were in better condition for Sunday.
But he said that meant he had not enough experience of driving flat-out to maximise his final lap when it mattered.
"I didn't get into the rhythm," Rosberg said. "That's where I went wrong. Disappointed, because Sebastian beat me.
"If I was second it would have been still damage limitation, but being third, that's really not ideal."
Bahrain GP qualifying results
Bahrain GP coverage details
Media playback is not supported on this device | Lewis Hamilton says he expects Ferrari will be "very hard to beat" in Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix. |
40,361,513 | Star shooter Lisa Bowman got 49 goals as the home side won 51-35.
Northern Ireland also defeated the Republic of Ireland and Singapore earlier this week.
The girls in green need to beat Barbados again in Friday's Quad series final to secure their spot at the Gold Coast games next spring. | Northern Ireland's netballers took a big step towards qualification for the 2018 Commonwealth Games with victory over Barbados in Lisburn on Wednesday. |
37,271,542 | Media playback is not supported on this device
The hosts dominated in a dour game as Northern Ireland played their first match since the Euro 2016 finals.
"I'm happy with a point - we showed great spirit when they put us under pressure in the second half," he said.
"The first half was good and we broke on the counter-attack but our final ball or run was disappointing."
Northern Ireland rarely threatened in a disjointed and sluggish display and only poor finishing from the Czechs saw O'Neill's side make an unbeaten start in Group C.
O'Neill is on course to achieve an early points target but he is concerned that some of his players are missing out on first-team club action.
"We said at the outset that we want seven points from our first four qualifiers," O'Neill told Sky Sports.
"This sets us on our way and we have to win our home games against San Marino and Azerbaijan.
"It showed in the second half that three or four players have not been playing club football.
"It would be great if we had players who were playing on a regular basis."
This group includes Norwich City striker Kyle Lafferty, who struggled to make an impact and was substituted before the hour mark.
Jonny Evans was Northern Ireland's top performer in Prague, with the West Brom defender a formidable barrier against the Czechs.
"I'm satisfied to get a draw from the game - they had a lot of pressure near the end and we battled hard to keep a clean sheet," said Evans.
"You could see the effort we put in throughout the side and it's always important to take something from the opening game." | Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill was pleased to come away with a scoreless draw in the opening World Cup qualifier against the Czech Republic. |
26,066,367 | Lydia Bishop got her neck caught in a rope on an outdoor slide in September 2012, on what was her first full day at York College nursery.
Sophee Redhead, 25, of York, had denied manslaughter by gross negligence.
She was cleared, although York College was found guilty by the jury at Leeds Crown Court of health and safety breaches in relation to the nursery.
The college operated the nursery, which has since been closed, for children of staff, students and members of the public.
Lydia died after a rope attached to a slide at the nursery became entangled around her neck.
She lay undiscovered for 20 minutes before Miss Redhead found her.
The trial heard the rope had been attached to the slide by nursery staff and was supposed to have been removed at the end of every supervised play session.
However, the rope had been in place for about two months at the time of Lydia's death.
The trial heard that Lydia's mother Rebecca Dick had just enrolled on a course at the college and had been for introductory sessions with her daughter.
The day Lydia died was her first full day at the nursery, the jury was told, and her mother was assured children were not left alone outside to play on the apparatus.
Following the verdict, Det Ch Insp Nigel Costello, of North Yorkshire Police, said: "This was an extremely tragic case for all concerned, not least for Lydia's family who have been left devastated by the loss of their daughter."
Alison Birkinshaw, principal and chief executive of York College, said: "We deeply regret what happened and can't begin to imagine the pain experienced by Lydia's family and everyone affected by this terrible tragedy."
The judge, Mr Justice Coulson, said York College would be sentenced next week.
Miss Redhead was also acquitted of an alternative charge of failing to take "reasonable care" of the girl under health and safety legislation. | A former nursery worker has been acquitted over the death of a three-year-old girl in her care. |
35,686,700 | Media playback is not supported on this device
Chester was dismissed as Rovers coach after just three games of the 2016 Super League season after two defeats and a draw by his side.
Assistant Willie Poching took charge for Friday's home defeat by St Helens.
"It's the sport we play, it's the reality," Campese told the BBC's Super League Show.
"It's a cut-throat business - players go out on loan, players get injured, you can get a change of staff."
Former Halifax, Wigan, Robins and Hull FC back-rower Chester took over at Craven Park following the departure of Craig Sandercock in 2014.
He guided the club to the Challenge Cup final in 2015, his one full season in charge, but they were beaten by Leeds Rhinos at Wembley.
Despite a third defeat in four games against Keiron Cunningham's Saints, Rovers showed signs of revival with four tries under caretaker boss Poching.
The New Zealander, 42, was previously on the staff at Warrington under Tony Smith, and also Samoa at international level.
"It's always tough when a head coach leaves, there's a big disruption but the boys handled it well," Campese added.
"In the first half you wouldn't have thought we'd had the week we did, we went out there and played some enjoyable footy.
"[Willie's] been assistant coach for the past year or so and our defensive coach, I thought he relished last week,"
"It's something he's been waiting for. the boys turned up for him and hopefully they can do this weekend too." | Australia international half-back Terry Campese says the sacking of Hull KR head coach Chris Chester shows rugby league is a "cut-throat business". |
36,844,945 | The Remains of Henry Kirke White by Robert Southey belonged to Maria Bronte, mother of Charlotte, Anne, Emily and Branwell.
Haworth's Bronte Parsonage Museum acquired it with £200,000 from the National Heritage Memorial Fund.
It was one of a few possessions saved from a shipwreck shortly before Maria married Patrick Bronte in 1812.
The purchase of the book was paid for with £170,000 from the National Heritage Memorial Fund.
The remaining money came from the V&A Purchase Grant Fund and Friends of the National Libraries.
Museum collections manager Ann Dinsdale said it was "much-treasured by the Bronte family" and "clearly well-used and of great sentimental value to the Bronte children, who lost their mother while they were very young."
Patrick: Priest and author, father of Charlotte, Branwell, Emily and Anne. Born 1777, died 1861 outliving all his children and his wife Maria.
Maria: Mother of Charlotte, Branwell, Emily and Anne. Born 1783, died 1821 a few months after Anne was born. She met Patrick in 1812 when visiting her aunt and uncle in Yorkshire.
Charlotte: Born April 1816, she was the eldest of the siblings to reach adulthood but the last to die. She wrote Jane Eyre, Shirley and Villette, and died in March 1855, aged 38.
Branwell: Born 1817, the only Bronte brother. He was a writer and painter and died in 1848, aged 31.
Emily: Born 1818, wrote Wuthering Heights but died of tuberculosis aged 30 in December 1848, two months after the same illness killed her brother.
Anne: Born 1820, wrote Agnes Grey and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Died May 1849, aged 29.
Two older sisters, Maria and Elizabeth, died during childhood.
Source: BBC History.
Inside the salt-water-stained book is a Latin inscription in Patrick Bronte's writing. It reads: " ...the book of my dearest wife and it was saved from the waves. So then it will always be preserved".
It also contains notes, markings and sketches by various members of the family, a poem and prose by a teenage Charlotte Bronte and a letter by her husband, Arthur Bell Nicholls, written shortly after her death in 1855.
Bronte specialist Dr Juliet Barker said: "The book alone is a valuable acquisition because of its rare associations with Mrs Bronte before her marriage to Patrick.
"But its importance is immeasurably increased by the unpublished manuscripts tipped into it."
It was sold after Patrick's death in 1861, spent most of the last century in the United States, and is currently available to view as part of the museum's Treasures Tours.
It will go on public display in the former home of the Bronte family, now The Bronte Parsonage Museum, in 2017. | A book annotated by the Bronte family has been returned to their former home in West Yorkshire. |
37,672,977 | Trew put the League Two club up for sale in February after his family were subjected to "foul and mindless abuse".
Hardy, chief executive of the Paragon group and owner of the Nottinghamshire Golf and Country Club, has previously made two offers to buy the Magpies.
Trew, who also met potential buyers from the United States and China in March, has not yet concluded a deal.
He bought Notts County from Peter Trembling in 2010, taking on debts of more than £1.5m, which were built up during five months under the ownership of Middle Eastern consortium Munto Finance.
The club are 12th in League Two, one point outside the play-off places.
BBC Radio Nottingham's Notts County correspondent Colin Slater:
"The approach to Alan Hardy in the last few days was made by one of Ray Trew's advisors and came out of the blue.
"After Trew put Notts up for sale in February, Hardy unsuccessfully made two written cash offers to become the Magpies' owner and it was assumed, wrongly as it turns out, that any possible deal between them was not going to happen.
"Hardy has yet to respond to Trew's latest overtures but I understand he will first be seeking opportunities to establish Notts' latest financial position.
"Hardy was at Meadow Lane on Saturday to see Notts draw with Crewe while Trew was away on other business." | Notts County chairman Ray Trew has approached local businessman Alan Hardy over a potential takeover. |
40,307,407 | But now a source close to the player now says he "doesn't want to stay in Spain" because he is "upset" after being accused of tax fraud in the country.
Ronaldo, 32, joined Madrid from Manchester United for a then world-record £80m in 2009.
The Portugal legend has scored a club-record 406 goals in his 394 appearances for Real.
Only two weeks ago, he helped Zinedine Zidane's side win a 12th European Cup with two goals in a 4-1 victory over Juventus in the Champions League final in Cardiff.
Will that turn out to be his last appearance for Los Merengues? Where could he go? And what would Madrid do without him?
Ramon Calderon, Real Madrid president between 2006-2009, speaking to BBC Radio 5 live
Maybe he's just upset. Maybe it is something he said in a moment when he's really angry. We don't know yet. He's been happy here, he helped us to win three Champions Leagues over the past four years, so I hope he will stay.
But, if he's made his mind up, I don't think it's going to be easy to change. He's very strong-minded and clear in what he wants. If he leaves I don't see him in a place like China or the Middle East. He will be always playing for a big club and trying to get more titles and more personal awards.
He's a fighter and he's in good shape. He can play again for the best club and I think that club now is Real Madrid. I can't tell you what he's doing but I hope he will stay, I'm sure he'll stay.
Richard Martin, sports correspondent in Spain for Reuters
This is not the first time Cristiano Ronaldo has sought to demonstrate his power at Real Madrid by flirting with leaving. In 2012 he used a pitch-side interview to declare "I'm sad and the club know why," provoking panic among fans and at boardroom level.
This latest move, using a newspaper from his own country to declare his discontent, feels remarkably similar. It should also be noted that sources close to Ronaldo called the offices of all Spanish newspapers last night to inform them of the impending front cover story in A Bola.
This latest power struggle is likely to have the same outcome as the last: the offer of an improved contract to legislate for the damage caused by the tax scandal. There is also more than a whiff of deflecting attention from his wrongdoing to a soap opera of where his future lies, emphatically shifting the agenda.
Although he is their all-time top scorer, Ronaldo does not feel undying loyalty to Madrid and has repeatedly aired his grievances at being occasionally booed by supporters.
Even so, the four-time world player of the year believes he still has plenty to give at his 32 years and he knows there is no better club for him than the European and Spanish champions, which is why, in reality, he is going nowhere.
Pete Jenson, Madrid-based football writer
Ronaldo's intention of leaving Real Madrid may well come to nothing, but if he does not back down and looks to force his way out of the club, Madrid will not stand in his way providing they find a club prepared to make it worth their while.
The reaction in Madrid on Friday was one of calm acceptance. The player has indicated a desire to leave before, most notably in 2012 when he complained of not being supported by the club's directors.
The question will be: who buys him? His 1bn euro (£874.88m) buyout clause is beyond everyone's reach but Madrid would probably accept closer to 150m euros (£131m) and immediately look to reinvest it in 18-year-old Monaco forward Kylian Mbappe.
His former club Manchester United would be the romantics' choice to take him but Paris St-Germain are perhaps more likely suitors.
They have long been admirers and their president Nasser Al-Khelaifi is a friend of the Portugal international. Ronaldo would fill the hole left 12 months ago by Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Rob Wilson, football finance expert and lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University
Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Juventus would have the financial resources to put together a competitive offer within the realms of Financial Fair Play rules.
The other side of the question would be whether they would want to commit so much on one player.
It would be interesting to see what kind of fee Madrid would demand. I would estimate something in the region of £100-120m. To put that into a wider context, that's like a Premier League club spending the entirety of its TV deal money on one player. Plus of course, there's the wages on top of that.
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Another point to bear in mind is that this would not be a 'Galactico' move, where the value of commercial endorsements and merchandise sales would help a club recoup money spent on the transfer fee.
Ronaldo comes surrounded by a group of very well-informed advisors, who already have all various commercial deals in place. For a potential buyer like Manchester United, they might look to leverage something from the story of his return to the club, somehow make that commercially attractive, but we are scratching around on the margins really.
Where you can start to make leverage on players is when they are younger - which is why a player like 18-year-old Monaco striker Kylian Mbappe would be a far more attractive proposition. A buying club knows they can make an awful lot back.
BBC Sport's Simon Stone
Manchester United and all of their fans would love to have Ronaldo back. He made 292 appearances in his time at the club, scoring 118 goals. Wayne Rooney has played double the number of games and scored double the number of goals, but he is held in nowhere near as high esteem.
The fans still sing Ronaldo's name, and all the talk on social media today has been encouraging United chief executive Ed Woodward to get him back.
The problem for United is that they have been down this road before. They have thought they could get players from Madrid in the past, notably defender Sergio Ramos in 2015, who ended up signing a new deal with the Spanish club.
United will be surveying the situation, keeping their head down. They won't be telling anyone that yes, they want to sign Ronaldo, but if they got the chance they would be straight in there.
The word is that he and Jose Mourinho fell out when the latter was in charge of Madrid, but if you were to ask United fans to choose between the two, they would say Ronaldo.
It would be up to Jose to make it work, because I don't think many United fans would understand if they did not take the chance to sign him - if the option was there.
Ronaldo is only one of four players in the club's history to have won the Ballon d'Or while still a United player. The other three - George Best, Dennis Law and Bobby Charlton - have a statue outside the stadium.
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Eduardo Alvarez, Madrid-based football writer speaking to BBC World Service Sport
The reaction among Madrid fans has been one of shock and frustration after a fantastic end to the season. If the Spanish taxman wants him to pay his taxes and he feels mistreated there is not a lot the club can do. You cannot replace 50 goals a season for the past nine seasons. It would be huge if he left Madrid.
It just seems the wrong moment to do this, especially to say it through a Portuguese paper. But it is obvious he feels unfairly treated. He can voice his concerns but the reaction of many supporters is that he should talk to the club instead of talking to the press.
It is unbelievable, most Madrid fans felt like they had a good five years of success ahead of them. The fact that the top scorer seems to be leaving suddenly, out of nowhere, no-one will have expected that. | Cristiano Ronaldo signed a new five-year deal with Real Madrid in November that helped him become the best-paid athlete in the world. |
34,334,794 | If Tube journeys are too fast, relative to going by road, then the model predicts an increase in the overall level of congestion.
This is because key locations outside the city centre, where people switch transport modes, become bottlenecks.
By contrast, New York's layout is such that faster trains will always help.
Reporting their findings in the journal Royal Society Interface, the researchers calculate that London's system would function best with underground trains travelling about 1.2 times faster than the average speed on the roads. This makes the optimum Tube speed approximately 13mph (21km/h); the current average is 21mph (33km/h).
Dr Marc Barthelemy, the paper's senior author, said it was a theoretical study and more data would be required to make specific recommendations.
"Giving exact numbers is a tricky thing," he told the BBC. "But the fact is that these networks are coupled to each other. Optimising something on one network can bring bad things on another network."
Transport for London (TfL) chose not to comment on the research.
Dr Barthelemy, a statistical physicist at the CEA research centre in Saclay, France, is fascinated by the interplay between coupled networks. And transport networks, such as the roads and train lines in his study, are becoming increasingly interconnected.
In a report on urban mobility published on Tuesday, the LSE Cities group at the London School of Economics describes a trend towards "multimodal" journeys, where travellers switch - for example - from train to bus or car.
This is partly driven by smartphones and apps which search for the fastest route, even if it involves a change or two. But in big, expansive cities like London, multimodal trips are inevitable, Dr Barthelemy said.
"In London there's a clear increase in the number of modes with distance," he explained. "It's a very clear effect."
To test how these different transport networks can affect each other, he and his colleagues built computer models based on the exact structure of the road and underground train networks of both London and New York.
Then, they connected these two layers based on the proximity between streets and subway stations. "We create these connections, and then we make an assumption, which is: When someone wants to go from A to B, they look for the quickest path - whatever the mode."
Using this relatively simple system, the researchers measured various aspects of the "connectedness" of different points in the two networks.
This painted a distinctive picture of how they function together; the underground network, for example, tends to decrease congestion centrally but increase it where the underground lines finish.
And there were key differences between London and New York. "Surprisingly enough, the network in New York is much more centralised than the one in London," Dr Barthelemy said.
This means that, according to the model, levels of congestion in downtown Manhattan are so high that the city would benefit from faster trains "even if that increases the congestion at some peripheral points - the entry points to the subway".
In London however, those bottlenecks tip the balance in favour of a compromise on train speed - with possible planning implications.
"Maybe making Crossrail as fast as possible isn't the best solution in terms of global congestion," Dr Barthelemy commented.
This study is based entirely, however, on a model which includes no passenger data from the transport system itself - as Prof Michael Batty, a planning expert at University College London, pointed out:
"It really is just a network model. There are no capacities on the network - it's not really a flow model, like the ones that Transport for London actually use."
Nonetheless, Prof Batty said the findings were perfectly plausible. "If you join networks together, then you get unanticipated effects," he said.
"I think the point they're making is well worth considering."
The problem of interacting networks probably applies equally to the capital's distinct, overlapping train networks, he said.
Follow Jonathan on Twitter | A mathematical study of transport in London and New York suggests the British capital should be wary of its trains travelling too quickly. |
21,739,486 | The Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (Alva) said the London venue attracted 5.6 million visitors.
Artist Damien Hirst's retrospective contributed to a 9% rise in Tate Modern visitors, which had 5.3 million.
Despite bad weather and the Olympics, there was an overall 5.1% increase in visitors at all UK attractions, from 87.7 million in 2011 to 92.1 million.
Visitors were briefly deterred from central London during the games, but Alva director Bernard Donohue called the recovery "almost immediate".
At the British Museum, the exhibition curated by Turner Prize-winning artist Grayson Perry, which explored the depths of the museum and showed 170 objects alongside 30 of his own creations, was in part responsible for helping it continue its reign as the most popular visitor attraction.
However its 5.6 million visitor figure was a 4.7% drop year-on-year.
Tate Modern on London's South Bank moved up a place to second position with 5.3 million visitors - a 9% rise from 2011.
1. British Museum - 5,575,946
2. Tate Modern - 5,318,688
3. National Gallery - 5,163,902
4. Natural History Museum - 5,021,762
5. V&A - 3,231,700
Source: Association of Leading Visitor Attractions
The Victoria & Albert Museum had its best year on record, with a 16% rise to 3.2 million visitors, thanks to its Hollywood Costume exhibitions in Autumn 2012.
While The National Portrait Gallery's Lucian Freud Portraits exhibit helped moved it up one place to eighth position and saw an increase of 12%, with 2.1 million visitors.
Although the Olympic and Paralympic Games affected visitor numbers in Central London for a brief period, it was the weather that had the biggest impact in 2012.
Of the 30 attractions which saw more than a 10% drop in numbers, 27 were gardens or outdoor attractions.
Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum in Glasgow achieved a 5.8% increase with around one million visitors, making it the most visited combined art gallery and museum.
One of the largest rises year-on-year (53%) was seen by the new Museum of Liverpool, which opened in July 2011 and was the most visited museum in England, outside of London.
Other galleries in Liverpool - the Walker Art Gallery and the Tate - also saw increases.
"We are delighted with the visitor figures," said Mr Donohue.
He added: "This year, 2013 looks like it is going to be a promising year for Alva members. The Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich is likely to see a marked increase in visitors because of its role as a backdrop in the hugely popular and award-winning film Les Miserables."
Openings in 2013 include a £35m heritage project to build a museum to house Henry VIII's warship, the Mary Rose, in Portsmouth.
Kenwood House, Robert Adam's 18th Century masterpiece and home to an extensive art collection, will also re-open in November after being closed for 20 months due to repair work and refurbishments. | The British Museum was the UK's most popular visitor attraction in 2012 - the sixth year running it has been so. |
39,360,457 | Saul Haydon Rowe texted a friend for help in explaining email evidence he had been asked to interpret.
He is an expert witness in a trial of ex-bankers accused of rigging Libor.
Asked about the texts, Mr Rowe agreed: "They are basic questions, so I could make sure I got the basics correct."
He was testifying on Wednesday as an expert on trading in the trial of two former Barclays traders, Stelios Contogoulas and Ryan Reich.
The court heard Mr Rowe had failed to disclose the text messages in previous Libor trials, in which he had given evidence.
The defendants stand accused of conspiracy to defraud between 2005 and 2007 by trying to move the key interest rate benchmark, the London Interbank Offered Rate (Libor), in order to advantage their banks' trading positions.
Libor has been used to determine the cost of thousands of commercial mortgages and, notably in the United States, residential mortgages.
Until recently, it was arrived at by averaging submissions made daily by 16 contributor banks. At each bank, a Libor submitter would state what interest rate they thought the bank would have to pay to borrow cash from other banks.
An element of the defence case, is that in making requests of the submitters for a higher or lower Libor, within a range of interest rates at which their bank might have borrowed, they were carrying out normal commercial practice, known of and allowed by bosses and regulators.
The court heard Mr Rowe had given sworn evidence as an expert on Libor and credit derivatives in earlier trials including the 2015 trial of former UBS trader Tom Hayes.
His text messages included one sent in June 2015, during the trial of Tom Hayes, where he said: "Got caught out on a couple of points, eg where yen Libor futures contracts trade. Not my area, and I didn't get one sound bite in that I wanted to get."
In another trial last April, after being directed by a judge not to talk about the case while his evidence was in progress, Mr Rowe texted a trader friend saying: "I don't know the usual trades stir [short-term interest rates] people put on but I'm learning."
The trader replied: "Trouble is, out of context it's actually quite hard to interpret. You get used to the methodology of the people around."
Mr Rowe replied: "Yes I agree. That's what I see on all my cases but it doesn't help when I have to explain a few emails and look knowledgeable."
In another text he asked the meaning of 'delta', which measures the amount of money at risk if a benchmark such as libor moves up or down.
"Delta…what is it measuring exactly?" he texted.
The next day he emailed a colleague saying: "We'll get a stir specialist on any future work as this mission has crept well beyond me."
Mr Rowe repeatedly said he had had conversations with the Serious Fraud Office about whether they still wanted him as a witness, given that he had not been a trader of investments based on short-term interest rates. But he said the SFO asked him to stay on.
The court heard that, under the Criminal Procedure Rules 2015, expert witnesses are obliged to disclose all the sources of information they have consulted and to draw the court's attention to questions outside their area of expertise.
Asked if he had read those rules, Mr Rowe said he did not know. But he acknowledged signing a truth statement saying that he had read the rules.
In the truth statement, Mr Rowe also said that a report he had given as an expert witness was his own work.
However, much of the report, used in all four UK trials of traders for manipulating Libor, titled "Libor and Interest Rate Markets, Products, Concept and Terminology", was in fact written by a colleague, the court heard.
Mr Rowe said that he considered if he had reviewed the work and could defend it in cross examination, he thought it was fair to say it was his work.
Adrian Darbishire QC, who is representing one of the defendants, said: "I suggest that you have misrepresented your expertise to the SFO and to the juries in front of which you have testified; I suggest you have failed to comply with your basic duties of disclosure; and that you have concealed, rather than revealed, the sources of statements which you have presented as your own opinion. Do you understand the suggestion?"
"There are many suggestions," Mr Rowe replied, "And I think I disagree with them all."
The case continues. | A prosecution witness called by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) as an expert on trading has admitted texting friends in the middle of his trial evidence to ask basic questions. |
39,799,871 | GDP grew at an annual rate of 0.7% in the first quarter - the slowest rate since the first quarter of 2014.
But the US central bank said it expected growth to pick up again, and decided to keep a key interest rate on hold in a range of 0.75% to 1%.
The Fed has only raised interest rates three times in the last decade, most recently in March this year.
Most analysts expected there to be no action on rates this month.
But they were watching to see if policymakers would hint at a possible rate rise in June, despite recent weak economic data.
The central bank said it viewed "the slowing in growth during the first quarter as likely to be transitory" and still expected economic activity to "expand at a moderate pace".
The statement, released after the Fed's May meeting, pointed to stronger business investment and downplayed modest growth in household spending.
Traders reacted by increasing the probability of a rate rise next month.
Ryan Sweet, senior economist at Moody's Analytics, said: "The Fed is communicating its mantra of gradual rate hikes. The next time they will likely raise rates would be June."
Brian Coulton, chief economist at Fitch Ratings, said: "There is nothing in here to change our view of two more rate hikes this year."
The Federal fund interest rate peaked in the early 1980s at nearly 20%.
But it has been at record lows since the financial crisis as central bankers sought to boost the economy. | The US Federal Reserve has said it expects a recent slowdown in the US economy to only be temporary. |
34,397,272 | The billionaire, who is the current frontrunner in the Republican race for the White House, told a New Hampshire rally: "If I win, they're going back."
It marks a reversal in policy - earlier this month he told Fox News the US should take in more refugees.
A migrant crisis has gripped parts of Europe and the US has pledged to take 10,000 refugees from Syria next year.
Rival Republican candidate Jeb Bush called Trump's pledge "a horrible thing".
"The idea that you would send back refugees - when in American history has that ever happened?" the former Florida governor told NBC News. "We have to stand for certain values."
Half a million people have crossed the Mediterranean into Europe in 2015, with the largest number from Syria, where 250,000 people have been killed in a civil war.
On Wednesday night, Mr Trump told an audience at Keene High School: "I hear we want to take in 200,000 Syrians. And they could be - listen, they could be Isis [Islamic State]."
Describing them as a "200,000-man army", he later added: "I'm putting the people on notice that are coming here from Syria as part of this mass migration, that if I win, if I win, they're going back."
Mr Trump has made immigration a central plank of his election campaign, pledging to build a wall on the southern border.
He was harshly criticised after saying undocumented Mexican immigrants were "bringing drugs, they're bringing crime, they're rapists".
His latest comments about sending Syrians home are more in line with his hardline immigration policy, although at odds with what he said earlier this month.
Asked whether he thought some of the migrants travelling into Europe should be allowed in the US, the business mogul said: "I hate the concept of it, but on a humanitarian basis, with what's happening, you have to."
He blamed President Barack Obama for the crisis and added: "It's living in hell in Syria. They are living in hell."
The US has allowed 1,500 Syrians to re-settle since the start of the conflict four years ago.
A number of Democrats, including Hillary Clinton, have urged the US to increase the number of Syrians from 10,000 to 65,000.
US Secretary of State John Kerry has pledged to take more refugees worldwide, raising the yearly cap from 70,000 to 85,000 next year and to 100,000 in 2017. | Donald Trump has said he would send home all Syrian refugees the US accepts, if he becomes president. |
17,704,116 | The analysis appears in Environmental Science and Technology
, carried out by Steve Yim and Steven Barrett, pollution experts from MIT in Massachusetts.
They estimate that combustion exhausts across the UK cause nearly 5,000 premature deaths each year.
The pair also estimate that exhaust gases from aeroplanes cause a further 2,000 deaths annually.
By comparison, 2010 saw, 1,850 deaths due to road accidents recorded.
Overall, the study's findings are in line with an earlier report by the government's Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants (COMEAP)
, which found that air pollution in 2008 was responsible for about 29,000 deaths in the UK.
The new study arrives at a slightly lower annual figure of 19,000, a difference the lead author of the COMEAP study, Fintan Hurley, attributes to differing methodology.
Breaking down pollution
The latest study adds to the debate by breaking down mortality rates according to sector - transport, energy and industry.
The researchers combine models of atmospheric circulation and chemistry with source data and clinical studies to arrive at their independent figures for the health effects of pollution.
Although the popular perception of air pollution involves images of smoke stacks billowing out toxic black fumes into the atmosphere, industry and the power sector turn out to kill fewer than vehicle emissions, the data shows.
"Cars and lorries emit right by where people live and work and so have a greater impact," explains lead author Steven Barrett.
The findings also pinpoint where the deaths happen: 2,200 every year in Greater London, another 630 in both Greater Manchester and West Midlands.
Because the model includes Europe-wide weather patterns, it also reveals how far the deadly effects of air pollution can reach.
Of the 19,000 annual UK deaths estimated, 7,000 are due to pollutants blown in from the continent. In London, European pollutants add 960 deaths each year to the 2,200 caused by UK combustion fumes.
But the international trade in deaths goes both ways. More than 3,000 European deaths can be attributed to UK emissions the authors say.
"We are all in this together," agrees Fintan Hurley of COMEAP.
"If one city were to clean up its traffic, it would still be dealing with pollution from traffic elsewhere."
The propensity for air pollution to straddle boundaries has political, as well as medical, implications.
The UK is currently facing the threat of prosecution by the European Union for serial violations of air-quality standards.
But the new study suggests that 40% of the key pollutant, PM2.5 (particles up to 2.5 micrometres in diameter) comes from abroad.
"The EU-attributable particulates in London are likely to have significantly contributed to the violations, because they raised the background concentration on which local short-term peaks were superimposed," explains Steven Barrett.
Not that these legal niceties are of any help to those most at danger from polluted air. The analysis identifies key improvements that would help reduce the health burden of air pollution.
Practical measures include the reduction of black carbon emitted in car exhausts - especially from older cars that fail to burn their fuel completely.
Reductions in nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions would also help, though perhaps at a cost of making vehicles less efficient.
Far more effective, experts say, would be to invest in public transport, taking cars off the road altogether.
Such improvements would come at a cost, but so does continuing with business as usual.
"We estimate the premature deaths are costing the UK at least £6 billion a year," says Steven Barrett, "and perhaps as much as £60 billion."
For comparison, Crossrail is projected to cost £14.8 billion to build and expected to remove 15,000 car journeys during the morning peak.
Meanwhile, Steven Barrett is moving his attention to another form of public transport, and hopes soon to conclude a detailed assessment of the health impacts of either a third runway at Heathrow and of the alternative Thames Estuary Airport proposal. | Road pollution is more than twice as deadly as traffic accidents, according to a study of UK air quality. |
35,251,357 | Mr Trump has threatened to withhold £700m of investment if he is prevented from travelling to the UK.
A petition started by Suzanne Kelly calling for the US presidential hopeful to be refused entry has been signed by more than 570,000 people.
Ms Kelly said Mr Trump had "thrown a temper tantrum" over the issue.
She started the petition, which is to be debated by MPs in the House of Commons later this month, in the wake of Mr Trump calling for a temporary ban on Muslims travelling to the US.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Trump Organisation said any move to restrict the US presidential hopeful's travel would immediately bring an end to all future investments it is contemplating in the UK.
It said this would include £200m plans to develop its Trump Turnberry golf course and a further £500m investment earmarked for its Trump International Golf Links at Menie in Aberdeenshire.
But Ms Kelly, from Aberdeen, questioned the value of Mr Trump's investments in Scotland and the number of "permanent, desirable jobs" they had created.
She said: "Donald Trump is a man that knows the cost of everything - well, a hugely inflated cost of everything - and the value of nothing.
"He's threatening Scotland once again, as he did over the offshore wind farms, that if he is barred from entering the UK, he'll pull out of his Scottish golf courses.
"The irony of a man who wants to ban Muslims from entering the US throwing a temper tantrum over being similarly banned himself is apparent to everyone except the tycoon himself."
Mr Trump has previously threatened to pull investment from his Aberdeenshire golf resort if a planned wind farm off the coast gets the go-ahead, with the US billionaire taking legal action in a bid to halt it.
Ms Kelly said Mr Trump "had promised millions flowing into our economy every year" from the Menie resort.
But she claimed the reality was "a man who's stopped our experimental offshore wind farm programme thereby costing thousands of jobs and who has cost untold sums in fighting his court appeals, which finally failed".
She added: "If our electors value money more than the rights of Muslims - and everyone else he has denigrated - then we may need new electors.
"Some might consider this to be blackmail on his part - and as such there's more than a little deja vu about it."
Although MPs are to debate Ms Kelly's petition on 18 January, there will be no vote.
It will remain a decision for Home Secretary Theresa May whether or not Mr Trump should be prevented from travelling to the UK.
A rival petition urging the UK government not to ban Mr Trump has received 41,000 signatures and will also be debated on 18 January.
Prime Minister David Cameron has previously condemned Mr Trump's remarks about Muslims as "divisive, stupid and wrong", but has also made clear he did not support banning him.
But Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon last month joined the calls for Mr Trump to be considered for exclusion from the UK.
In its statement on Wednesday, the Trump Organisation said the UK would "create a dangerous precedent and send a terrible message to the world that the United Kingdom opposes free speech and has no interest in attracting inward investment" if Mr Trump was barred from the country.
And it said any action to restrict his travel "would force the Trump Organisation to immediately end these and all future investments we are currently contemplating in the United Kingdom." | The campaigner behind a petition calling for Donald Trump to be banned from the UK has accused him of attempting to blackmail Scotland. |
38,942,860 | Mewn hanner cyntaf di-fflach fe aeth Greg Halford yn agos i Gaerdydd gyda pheniad o gic rydd Craig Noone, tra bod Allan McGregor wedi arbed cic rydd Chris Wood ar y pen arall.
Ar ôl 52 munud fe aeth yr Adar Gleision ar y blaen wrth i'r capten Morrison benio cic rydd Noone i gefn y rhwyd.
Dyblwyd y fantais gydag ugain munud i fynd wrth i Aron Gunnarsson greu cyfle i Zohore rwydo.
Cafodd Liam Bridcutt gerdyn coch hwyr i Leeds, wrth i Gaerdydd sicrhau tri phwynt gwerthfawr yn eu hymgais nhw i ddringo i hanner uchaf y tabl. | Roedd goliau yn yr ail hanner gan Sean Morrison a Kenneth Zohore yn ddigon i gipio buddugoliaeth i Gaerdydd oddi cartref yn Leeds. |
39,891,863 | Yafai meets 31-year-old Japanese Muranaka in Birmingham.
The 27-year-old became the city's first world champion when he beat Panama's Luis Concepcion in December.
"Unification bouts are very much part of my plan, and sooner rather than later," he said.
"Whatever my team puts in front of me, that's what I'll take. I've got the best team in the business around me who advise me what to do and when to do it, so I listen to them first and foremost.
"But I like to take it all one fight at a time. I've got to concentrate on this fight and then we'll go from there and see what is next."
Muranaka's countryman Naoya Inoue holds the WBO belt, Filipino Jerwin Ancajas is the IBF champion, and Thailand's Wisaksil Wangek claimed the WBC title from Roman Gonzalez in March.
"Ancajas could be the likeliest of unifications, but it depends on when they are available," Yafai added.
"I'd love to fight Gonzalez. Obviously he's the name in the division. In the rematch, which seems to be on the cards, I think he'll beat Wangek convincingly.
"If I had to hold out and have another defence or two before fighting Gonzalez, then I'd do that." | Kal Yafai is preparing to make the first defence of his WBA title defence against Suguru Muranaka on Saturday, with plans to unify the super-flyweight division already on his mind. |
38,731,241 | Cook, 34, will appear for Durham as an overseas player before he is likely to join up with his country for their Test series with England in July.
Durham lost top-order batsman Mark Stoneman and Scott Borthwick to Surrey at the end of 2016.
"He's got some old school opening batting qualities," Lewis said.
He told BBC Newcastle: "He loves to bat long, he's got a real appetite for scoring runs. When he gets in, he goes big.
"In just nine Tests he's already got three hundreds against three different nations, home or away so he adapts well. His mental strength is one of the major facets of his game."
Cook's journey to Test cricket was a long one, having played 16 years in the domestic game before his debut.
He became only the sixth South African to make a century in his maiden Test when he scored 115 against England in January 2016.
"Mike Hussey (Australia batsman who made his debut at the age of 30) was quite late in his career before he got a look in and made the most of it," Lewis said.
"Stephen was well into his thirties, he worked really hard to get into that side and wants to continue with that for a while yet.
"We've got him for the first part of the summer. There's the England v South Africa series from July so he should be selected, but we should see him for the first part of the summer without interruptions." | South Africa batsman Stephen Cook will bring mental toughness to Durham's batting order during his Riverside stint, says head coach Jon Lewis. |
30,343,326 | The loan marks the first time any of the artefacts from the Greek Parthenon have left the UK since they were brought to London by Lord Elgin at the turn of the 19th Century.
Shrouded in secrecy, the transfer has raised questions about the statue's security amidst fractious relations between the UK and Russia.
The reaction of those campaigning for the return of the Marbles to their original Greek home will also be closely watched.
According to the British Museum's Neil MacGregor: "The Hermitage had been planning its 250 year anniversary for some time - and they are really the twin of the British Museum - so a couple of years ago the director, Mikhail Piotrovsky, asked if we might make one big loan to mark the fact we are both the great enlightenment museums.
"The trustees said 'yes' and the Hermitage decided what they wanted more than anything else was a symbol of the great shared European heritage and the greatest one of them is one of the Parthenon sculptures."
According to The Times, which followed the journey of the Marbles to Russia, it was carefully boxed up on 20 November after a "good dusting" and kept in storage until Tuesday. It was then loaded on to a passenger plane bound for St Petersburg. Among the passengers, only its courier was aware of the important artefact stowed in the cargo hold.
Neil McGregor said: "The British Museum lends great sculptures all around the world. There are lots of sculptures from the British Museum elsewhere in the world.
"Anyone who has been to the Parthenon gallery in the past week will have seen that it's not on show and we simply said it was being prepared for a display."
The British Museum will have ensured the standard procedures for loaning works are in place.
It has an official letter from Russia's Ministry of Culture guaranteeing the statue will be under the protection of the Russian Federation.
The UK has made similar assurances to Russia in the past. In 2007, parliament implemented a law to protect Russian paintings from being impounded on British soil because of disputes over ownership.
The change in legislation was brought forward at the behest of the Russian culture ministry, which had threatened to block the export of the paintings by Van Gogh and Matisse, amongst others, for an exhibition at the Royal Academy.
Sir Anthony Brenton, who was British Ambassador to Russia during the time of the law change, says not.
Recalling the negotiations, he told the BBC that Russian had given no assurances it would introduce reciprocal legislation for "immunity from seizure".
However, his advice was that Russia is not so law-bound that it would be possible for an artwork to be seized against the wishes of the government.
He added that the government had promised to return the Marbles and so that will happen - particularly because it wants other institutions to lend it artworks in the future.
Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras pulled no punches in his reaction to the news.
"The decision by the British Museum to give out on loan one of the Parthenon sculptures for exhibit in St Petersburg is an affront to the Greek people," he said.
"The Parthenon and its Marbles have been looted. The sculptures are priceless. We Greeks are one with our history and civilization, which cannot be broken up, loaned out, or conceded.
Speaking earlier on BBC Radio 4, the British Museum's Neil McGregor had expressed his hopes for a more positive response.
"I hope that they will be very pleased that a huge new public can engage with the great achievements of ancient Greece.
"People who will never be able to come to Athens or London will now, here in Russia, understand something of those great achievements in Greek civilisation."
But the chairman of the Marbles Reunited campaign, Liberal Democrat MP Andrew George, said: "Neil MacGregor justifies his decision by claiming that these sculptures should be 'shared and enjoyed by as many people... as possible'.
"But these sculptures have not been 'shared and enjoyed' by the Greeks for over 200 years, since they were purloined in a dodgy deal by Lord Elgin during a period when Greece was occupied by the Ottomans." | The British Museum has loaned part of the Elgin Marbles to Russia's Hermitage Gallery in St Petersburg. |
38,251,312 | The failings came to light in a report about a severely disabled boy who went without speech and language therapy for two years.
The boy's family had to complain twice to the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) before they were given help.
The council has apologised to the family and is now supporting the boy.
The boy, who has not been named in the report, has severe complex speech, language, communication, sensory and physical needs.
He also had a Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEN) statement in place, which means he is legally entitled to specialised support.
The family's first complaint to the LGO in 2015 was upheld. But after a tribunal ordered more support for the boy, the family was forced to complain a second time as support was still not in place.
The Ombudsman's report said the council's children's services had "showed a level of ineptitude in funding, commissioning and delivering a statutory service".
This led to "vulnerable and disabled children missing out on the support they require", it added.
Dr Jane Martin, from the LGO, said: "At the heart of this case is a vulnerable young disabled boy who has been left without the support he needs to help him make friends and get on with his lessons."
Somerset County Council has paid the family £300 for having to complain twice and £1,000 for the boy's educational benefit.
A council spokesman said: "Our sincerest apologies have been extended to the family and we have continued to work alongside them to find the appropriate therapy for their son.
"We're happy that this has now been resolved and that additional therapy sessions took place throughout the summer."
It also said lessons had been learned in commissioning therapies for the 3,000 children it looks after.
During the investigation, the LGO also found two more Somerset families who were affected by delays.
The LGO is now appealing for others who have experienced issues to come forward. | A council's "ineptitude" led to vulnerable and disabled children in Somerset missing out on vital support, according to an ombudsman's report. |
35,826,088 | Gayle struck 11 sixes in his 47-ball hundred, the joint-third fastest in T20 internationals, and became the first man to score two tons in the World T20.
He took West Indies to their target of 183 with 11 balls to spare.
Joe Root earlier made 48 in a total of 182-6, the highest score England have failed to defend in a Twenty20.
England, champions in 2010, next meet South Africa on Friday knowing that defeat would push them to the verge of elimination.
Despite lifting the trophy six years ago, England have lost 15 of the 27 matches they have played in World T20 tournaments.
England's chances of success were always going to rest on containing Gayle and, at first, he was kept quiet by only facing 18 of the first 48 balls in the West Indies innings.
However, he exploded to life by hitting Adil Rashid for two huge sixes over long-on and, after that, decimated the England attack.
Ben Stokes was twice sent over the square-leg fence, while three successive straight maximums off Moeen Ali in the 14th over effectively ended the contest.
Two more leg-side sixes off David Willey took him through the 90s and a single off Stokes saw Gayle match the three figures he reached in the very first World T20 match against South Africa in 2007.
The suspicion before the tournament was that England's bowling could be a weakness - though captain Eoin Morgan said pre-match that he was not worried - and the inaccuracy of the attack was exposed by the brilliant Gayle, who was barely asked to hit square of the wicket on the off side.
The evening dew made gripping the ball difficult, but the pace attack still failed to use English-style conditions of a green-tinged pitch and swing in the air.
Too often the pace quartet of Willey, Chris Jordan, Stokes and Reece Topley missed their lengths, either with short balls or full tosses, while England also managed to bowl 10 wides.
Rashid briefly impressed with his leg-spin before he was belted out of the attack by Gayle.
England were well placed when Root and Alex Hales shared 55 for the second wicket, but stalled after Hales was yorked by left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn.
They had reached 92-1 from 11 overs but, after Hales' departure, added 36 in the next five overs, finding the boundary only three times as West Indies took pace off the ball.
Root's classy 48 was ended when he slapped Andre Russell to mid-off, with scoring given a late boost by three sixes from Jos Buttler and Morgan's unbeaten 27 from 14 balls.
England's total looked competitive. Gayle proved it was anything but.
Man of the match Chris Gayle: "It was a fantastic innings and I'm really happy to have finished the game, I didn't leave it for anyone. Sulieman Benn said to me I had to go out and entertain him, that gave me that spark as well."
England captain Eoin Morgan: "I thought it was a competitive total. We would have liked 200, 220 probably would have been a winning total but we never really took the game away from them. Once Gayle gets himself in he's hard to stop."
West Indies captain Darren Sammy: "It's always a joy to watch Chris - the universe boss, as he renamed himself from world boss. England batted well but we were happy to chase 182. We thought at one time we would be chasing 220, but they never really accelerated."
England lost the two T20s on their tour of South Africa and meet the Proteas in Mumbai on Friday (14:00 GMT). West Indies play defending champions Sri Lanka on Sunday. | Chris Gayle's brutal unbeaten century sent England to a chastening six-wicket defeat by West Indies in their opening match of the World Twenty20 in Mumbai. |
39,438,834 | Tenth seed Konta gave up the only break of the first set but hit back to race into a 3-0 lead early in the second.
Third seed Halep recovered to force a tie-break but Konta dug deep to take it to a decider, which she won at a canter en route to a 3-6 7-6 (9-7) 6-2 win.
Konta now faces either Venus Williams or world number one Angelique Kerber.
The other semi-final will be between Caroline Wozniacki and Karolina Pliskova.
Halep, who saved a match point in her win over Sam Stosur in the previous round, edged an even first set thanks to a lone break of the Konta serve, but struggled at the start of the second as Konta took control.
The Briton was just a point away from opening a 4-0 lead but that was the cue for Halep to push again, claiming a vital hold and breaking in the next to get the set back on service.
"I went up to a 3-0 lead and had chances to go 4-0 up, but she's an incredible player and I knew it wouldn't be over until we shook hands," said Konta.
An unpredictable second set was decided in Konta's favour after a scrappy tie-break, after which a clearly rattled Halep was unable to find her rhythm as Konta eased away to victory in two and a half hours.
"I'm really happy to have come through and am looking forward to the next round," added Konta. "It's going to be a tough one."
In the men's event, Italy's Fabio Fognini beat second seed Kei Nishikori of Japan 6-4 6-2 to become the first unseeded player in 10 years to reach the semi-finals.
Fognini, 29, had beaten Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Feliciano Lopez to reach the last eight and will now play either Rafael Nadal and Jack Sock.
In the men's doubles, Britain's Jamie Murray and partner Bruno Soares bowed out at the quarter-final stage after a 2-6 6-3 10-8 loss to sixth seeds Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo. | British number one Johanna Konta produced a superb battling display to reach the Miami Open semi-finals with victory over Romania's Simona Halep. |
39,882,488 | Mother-of-two Tracy Kearns, 43, of Kinmel Bay, has not been seen since about 20:00 BST on 7 May.
A 48-year-old man, who police said is known to Ms Kearns, has been arrested.
Supt Sian Beck, of North Wales Police, said Ms Kearns' mother alerted officers on Wednesday after she failed to meet a friend as arranged.
She added there would be an increased police presence in Kinmel Bay as officers continue their search and carry out inquiries.
Ms Kearn is described as 5ft 3ins (1.6m) tall with sandy coloured shoulder-length hair. | A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder by police searching for a missing woman in Conwy county. |
39,126,812 | Primary 3 and 4 pupils at Papdale School in Kirkwall gave Bubbles and Freddy a traditional Norse ceremony to start their journey to Valhalla.
The fish become class pets for Christmas but both died recently.
The children, who had been studying the Vikings, wrote down their memories of the fish and read them aloud before the boat set sail.
The school blog revealed they "decided to send our fish to Valhalla with a Viking style burial in a longship we made that day".
The blog added: "While we will miss Freddy and Bubbles, we certainly enjoyed giving them a good send off to Valhalla." | Two goldfish have been given a flaming Viking burial boat send off by Orkney primary schoolchildren. |
20,965,207 | Special Report: The Technology of Business
Predicting technology in 2013
Sailing into the future of global trade?
Getting it right in 2013
Rise of the warehouse robots
Much more than a fancy calculator
As technology makes flexible working easier, the maxim: "Work is not where you go, it's what you do," looks ever more realistic.
But one thing that might hurry the flight from the traditional office is the thought your canteen could be serving up meals grown on the walls of the building.
While you may have a sneaking suspicion the catering staff already do this, there is a real chance such delicacies will feature on the menu some time soon.
This culinary delight was one of a number of concepts presented at a recent British Council for Offices conference, where delegates looked at the next generation of "intelligent" buildings.
"This is not just about automation, an igloo could be said to be an intelligent building," says Derek Clements-Croome, emeritus professor at the University of Reading.
"These buildings will respond to the needs of people, there will be an increased amount of personalisation - you will be in control of the environment and be able to tune it to your needs."
This means your office may look very different indeed in a few years.
Designers talk of digital walls, which have sensors embedded so you can interact with them.
Or, if you want the professor's technical explanation, "dye sensitised solar cells with titanium oxide layers on a surface with light absorbing dye molecules adsorbed on surface which can generate electricity".
These walls will build up a profile of you and change your working environment accordingly.
This could mean the lighting around your desk dims slightly when you arrive, or a pre-determined microclimate is created for your meeting.
The technology that enables this interaction, known as "nano-coating", will basically turn your cold, unfeeling office into an expressive medium
It could mean the moment you enter the building your workspace starts preparing itself for your imminent arrival - even if you are hot-desking.
This is far from being science fiction, according to John Monaghan from Cisco, who is already pushing ahead with such technology.
"When someone walks in [our technology] can recognise who they are and then offer them the appropriate level of service," he says.
"It's about creating a seamless pleasant user experience."
And that's just on the inside.
The building industry is latching onto advances made by other industries like aviation to create innovations such as self-healing and self-cleaning materials.
Self-cleaning concrete, for example, uses titanium dioxide to break down unsightly pollution into its chemical constituents, which rain then washes off the walls.
A noted example is the Air France headquarters at Roissy-Charles de Gaulle International Airport near Paris, which has remained white despite all the attendant aviation pollution.
All of which brings us to why your meal options in the canteen might benefit from this evolving building technology.
Sean Affleck, from Make architects, is a big fan of "living facades".
He describes these as "vertical fields", where plants are grown up the walls, absorbing carbon dioxide (CO2) and releasing oxygen as they go.
This could help in the fight against global warming Mr Affleck says.
"Growing living facades could cool cities down like in a forest, where you find cool woodland glades because of all the evaporation going on around you," he says.
A similar option is harnessing the green power of algae.
"Algae is 200% better at absorbing CO2 and producing bio-mass than, say, oil seed rape," Mr Affleck says.
He envisages buildings wrapped in algae tubes, into which gaseous waste products from the building are pumped.
The algae, having done its cleansing work, would then be harvested for power.
One example where this is already happening is the Red Hawk power plant in Arizona, USA.
There carbon dioxide rich gases created during production are passed through tubes of algae, which take out 80% of the gas and release oxygen.
The algae is then recycled through biomass generators to create biodiesel.
But if we don't want to turn our offices into power plants, there are other applications.
Mr Affleck cites a project in Mumbai (Bombay), India, where a firm is turning algae grown on fences wrapped around the building into cosmetics.
And, returning to the culinary theme, you could also turn it into products like spirulina jam - perfect on your lunchtime pasta.
Pushing plant use even further, some suggest using their roots to fix buildings to the ground.
If that sounds ridiculous, proponents point out trees tend to survive earthquakes when offices do not.
Of course there are numerous barriers in the way to any of these advances, one of which is simply taking the plunge in the first place.
"A lot of the best ideas demand someone takes a big risk," says Andrew Hunter, technical services director at Skanska.
"They lose a lot of money and the rest of us pick up the pieces."
But there are major drivers that could mean these intelligent buildings are on the way.
The first is economics, as offices tend to be a company's second most expensive cost after staff.
Buildings that are automated and where systems effectively interact not only with you, but with each other as well, could ultimately be cheaper to run.
They will use less energy and water, and create less waste.
Meanwhile the more pleasant working environment they foster will encourage higher productivity.
Secondly, issues such as energy, water and waste management are key parts of companies' sustainability agendas.
They are likely to grow in importance as the threat of global resource shortages advances and environmental concerns build.
Innovative use of buildings could help head off such risks and make a positive contribution at the same time.
"We talk about being carbon neutral now, but if we look at buildings being power generators themselves in the future, suddenly we are thinking about being carbon positive," says Prof Clements-Froome.
The elephant in the conference room at the British Council for Offices remains the question of whether we will still be heading into the office at all in the future.
Unsurprisingly, the architects, designers and IT experts at the Intellibuild event seem unanimous in their disdain for the idea, citing the innate need for humans to congregate and engage with one another.
Although perhaps not over a bowl of algae spaghetti. | There's a lot of debate over what place the office might have in tomorrow's working landscape. |
35,020,195 | The A985 at Valleyfield was closed in both directions following the incident at about 07:00.
It involved a Vauxhall Astra travelling east and a westbound Peugeot Boxer. Police said a 56-year-old man was also treated at the scene.
Traffic was diverted via the A977 while emergency services investigated the crash. The road reopened at 11:50. | A 25-year-old man is being treated in hospital for serious injuries after a two-car crash in Fife. |
38,931,731 | Durham County Council is seeking someone educated to degree level, with experience of organising workshops.
But the eyebrow raising job title does not refer to the required personality traits, rather it is a role recording invertebrates with a nature project.
The advert was for internal applicants only, but could be viewed externally by anyone using a search engine.
The temporary post, to cover maternity leave, is for a co-ordinator with the Cold-blooded and Spineless Project at the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) Partnership Staff Unit.
The advert for the role, based in Stanhope, Weardale, was shared more than 1,350 times, with many people suggesting others who were "ideally suited" and telling them it was their "lucky day".
The advert also inspired a Reddit thread, with comments including: "I can do the cold blooded. Is 'spineless' an optional requirement?".
Another said: "Maybe the dude who rejected the waitress applicant with a crying emoji could try for it", referring to a restaurant chain's rejection gaffe.
The authority said that it had advertised the post on behalf of the North Pennines AONB Partnership, and so would not be making any further comments. | A council has advertised for a "Cold-blooded and Spineless Officer" - do you know anyone who fits the bill? |
32,755,280 | Four events will be held inside the grounds of Windsor Castle between May 12 and 15, with members of the Royal Family due to attend each night.
The Queen will herself attend the last event, a theatrical show that will be broadcast live on TV.
The birthday events will feature more than 1,200 participants and 550 horses.
Performers will include singers - including Katherine Jenkins - musicians and dancers as well as actors, actresses and artists.
The event is also expected to celebrate her "dedication to the Commonwealth", with international performers due to come from New Zealand, Fiji, Canada, Oman, South Africa and Chile.
Event producer Simon Brooks-Ward, who was responsible for the Diamond Jubilee Pageant in Windsor, said there would be "a very happy and celebratory feel" to the event.
"We have been delighted with the level of response from funders and participants. It should be a very special and memorable occasion," he added.
Any proceeds from the event will be donated to a number of the Queen's charities, which will be selected by an advisory committee. | Plans to mark the Queen's 90th birthday next year will celebrate her "love" of horses and "deep involvement" with the Armed Forces, organisers have said. |
38,152,765 | The President-elect added that "ISIS is taking credit for the terrible stabbing attack", which left 11 people injured.
An IS-affiliated news agency claimed business student Abdul Razak Ali Artan as a "soldier".
The 18-year-old's mother says he acted normally on the day of the rampage at Ohio State University in Columbus.
Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said on Wednesday that investigators had found "no direct link" between Artan and any terrorist organisation.
FBI special agent in charge Angela Byers said separately that Artan may have been inspired by al Qaeda cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, who was killed by a 2011 US drone strike in Yemen.
Artan was a refugee who moved with his family in 2014 to the US from Pakistan, where he had been living since 2007.
US officials have said no negative information was found during background checks on Artan when he was allowed into the US and when he became a legal permanent resident in 2015.
Police say he drove his car at a group of people on the campus as students were returning from the Thanksgiving holiday.
After his vehicle jumped the kerb, he then began attacking them with a "butcher's knife" before being shot dead by a campus police officer.
Mr Trump has vowed as president to institute an "extreme vetting" programme to limit immigration to the US from countries that are believed to be at a heightened risk of terrorism.
He had previously called for a "total and complete shutdown" on Muslim immigration to the US.
Hassan Omar, president of the Somali Community Association in Columbus, Ohio, spoke to Artan's mother, who said he had driven his siblings to school as usual on the day of the attack.
"He woke up and he went to school," Mr Omar said, relaying the conversation that he had with Mrs Artan on Monday afternoon.
She told him that she did not know anything was wrong until police arrived at her house.
Minutes before the rampage, Artan posted to Facebook about "lone wolf attacks".
He said that "we will not let you sleep unless you give peace to the Muslims. You will not celebrate or enjoy any holiday".
His post also complained about treatment of Muslims around the world.
He warned that some Muslims were in sleeper cells, "waiting for a signal. I am warning you Oh America!"
But a friend said the attacker "actually loved America".
Ameer Kadar, who last saw Artan two weeks ago, told NBC News: "He loved the fact of the opportunity he had here to go to school.
"He loved the fact that he was able to get a college degree."
Artan grew up in Somalia, but moved to Pakistan in 2007. | Donald Trump has said a Somali refugee student who went on a rampage at an Ohio campus on Monday "should not have been in our country". |
37,018,051 | Rob Page's side started the better and almost went ahead after seven minutes as Matthew Taylor's free-kick - swung in from the left - was beaten away by goalkeeper Connor Ripley into the path of Alex Revell, who could only direct a first-time effort well over the crossbar.
Lee Erwin went closest for Latics in the first half. Left-back Charles Dunne made a raid into the 18-yard box and, as his shot was blocked into Lee Croft's path, he teed up Erwin, whose right-footed attempt from the edge of the area was cleared off the line by Aaron Phillips.
The second half was a drab affair with few scoring chances.
Kenji Gorre poked tamely wide from a promising break in the 88th minute as the hosts looked to break the deadlock, while Oldham substitute Calaum Jahraldo-Martin fired just over from the edge of the penalty area in added time as Stephen Robinson's hosts were left still searching for a first league goal of the campaign.
Report supplied by Press Association.
Match ends, Oldham Athletic 0, Northampton Town 0.
Second Half ends, Oldham Athletic 0, Northampton Town 0.
Aaron Phillips (Northampton Town) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Darius Osei (Oldham Athletic) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Aaron Phillips (Northampton Town).
Attempt missed. Calaum Jahraldo-Martin (Oldham Athletic) left footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high.
Foul by Darius Osei (Oldham Athletic).
David Buchanan (Northampton Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Oldham Athletic. Marc Klok replaces Ryan Flynn.
Foul by Josh Law (Oldham Athletic).
Kenji Gorré (Northampton Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt missed. Kenji Gorré (Northampton Town) left footed shot from the left side of the box is close, but misses to the left.
Darius Osei (Oldham Athletic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Zander Diamond (Northampton Town) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Zander Diamond (Northampton Town).
Attempt missed. Charles Dunne (Oldham Athletic) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses the top right corner.
Attempt blocked. Darius Osei (Oldham Athletic) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Marc Richards (Northampton Town) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Peter Clarke (Oldham Athletic) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Peter Clarke (Oldham Athletic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Marc Richards (Northampton Town).
Attempt missed. Calaum Jahraldo-Martin (Oldham Athletic) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses the top left corner.
Substitution, Oldham Athletic. Darius Osei replaces Billy McKay.
Corner, Oldham Athletic. Conceded by Aaron Phillips.
Foul by Ousmane Fane (Oldham Athletic).
Marc Richards (Northampton Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Ousmane Fane (Oldham Athletic) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Zander Diamond (Northampton Town).
Corner, Oldham Athletic. Conceded by Zander Diamond.
Substitution, Northampton Town. Marc Richards replaces Alex Revell.
Corner, Oldham Athletic. Conceded by Gabriel Zakuani.
Substitution, Northampton Town. Joel Byrom replaces John-Joe O'Toole.
Foul by Ousmane Fane (Oldham Athletic).
Harry Beautyman (Northampton Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt saved. Cameron Burgess (Oldham Athletic) header from the right side of the box is saved in the top right corner.
Gabriel Zakuani (Northampton Town) is shown the yellow card.
Corner, Oldham Athletic. Conceded by Gabriel Zakuani.
Calaum Jahraldo-Martin (Oldham Athletic) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by David Buchanan (Northampton Town).
Matthew Taylor (Northampton Town) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. | Northampton extended their unbeaten league run to 27 matches after a hard-fought goalless draw at Oldham. |
30,851,580 | Almost 100 metres of paper were used to create the 3.7m long boat - which can carry one person at a time.
The boat was launched by school children on Southwark Park boating lake. Engineer Morwenna Wilson captained the maiden voyage.
She said: "I really want to show young people that this career can open doors to amazing opportunities and adventures."
The paper boat, designed by a group of engineers, was launched to promote The Big Bang Fair - a celebration of science and technology for young people which takes place at the NEC, Birmingham, from 11-14 March. | A giant origami paper boat has been launched on a lake in south London. |
18,907,001 | Media playback is not supported on this device
It's number one for me - the biggest win of my life
Murray beat the Swiss world number one in straight sets, 6-2 6-1 6-4, on a raucous Centre Court.
The 25-year-old is the first British man to win the Olympic singles gold medal since Josiah Ritchie in 1908.
He had never beaten Federer in a best-of-five-sets match and lost to him in this year's Wimbledon final.
Murray's triumph came four weeks to the day since that 6-4 5-7 3-6 4-6 loss to Federer at the All England Club.
"It's number one for me - the biggest win of my life," said Murray.
"I have had a lot of tough losses in my career and this is the best way to come back from the Wimbledon final."
Media playback is not supported on this device
Murray later faced a second Olympic final in a day, but he and mixed doubles partner Laura Robson could not overcome Belarusian top seeds Victoria Azarenka and Max Mirnyi. They lost 2-6 6-3 10-8 in a champions' tie-break decider and had to settle for silver.
Team GB remain third in the London 2012 medal table, with Murray's singles triumph in just an hour and 56 minutes the 16th gold medal of a glorious Games for the host nation.
Afterwards he climbed into the stands to celebrate with his girlfriend, family and support team as Federer again missed out on the one accolade missing from his CV.
Murray then mounted the podium with Federer and bronze medallist Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina, who beat Serbia's Novak Djokovic 7-5 6-4 in an hour and 48 minutes earlier in the day.
There were no obvious tears, but it was clear how much this meant to Murray as he sang along to parts of the national anthem and then draped himself in a union jack.
Having suffered a shock first-round defeat by 77th-ranked Yen-Hsun Lu in Beijing four years ago, he will be delighted to have contributed this time round.
"What a response from 28 days ago. To win 6-2 6-1 6-4 on Centre Court... he's not only beaten Federer, he's taken him apart. To go from 2-2 in the first set to 6-2 5-0 - that doesn't happen to Roger Federer. There were tears of disappointment after the Wimbledon final but he should enjoy every minute of this."
Murray becomes the first Briton to claim an Olympic men's singles medal since Charles Dixon took silver at the 1920 event in Antwerp.
Victorious over Djokovic in the semi-finals, Murray troubled an error-strewn Federer from the outset. After saving two break points in the opening game of the match, he broke serve in game six before holding for 5-2 with two booming aces.
Murray buried a backhand passing shot to wrap up the 37-minute first set but, given he also took the opener in the Wimbledon final, there remained a sense of caution around the stadium.
That caution turned into belief when a forehand pass clipped a net cord to elude Federer in game two of the second set and he then saved six break points to hold for 3-0.
Federer looked agitated and his fans dejected and a rare double fault let Murray strike again before the Scot swiftly served out to extend his advantage.
The Scot's performance continued to improve as his opponent's faded and Federer's delivery was breached decisively in game five of the third set as Murray powered towards the finishing line, dropping just one point on serve as he closed out with an ace.
"I didn't expect that at the start of the week," added Murray after collecting his gold medal. "I thought I'd go deep into the tournament but I felt so fresh today. It's amazing." | Andy Murray captured the biggest title of his career with an emphatic victory over Roger Federer in the Olympic men's singles final at Wimbledon. |
39,323,083 | McIlroy (69) and Hatton (71) were two shots back of Australian winner Marc Leishman, who finished on 11 under par.
Leishman's closing five-under-par 67, which included an eagle to take the lead on the 16th hole, was enough to earn him his second PGA Tour title.
Americans Kevin Kisner and Charlie Hoffman were tied second on 10 under.
"I thought going out today if I could shoot anything in the 60s it would be a good score," McIlroy told Sky Sports.
"Obviously I was trying to shoot a couple lower than that, but overall played well. I'm really pleased with how I went this weekend and can take a lot of positives from it."
England's Tommy Fleetwood shot a four-under-par 68 on the final day to finish tied for 10th at six under, with countrymen Justin Rose and Matthew Fitzpatrick two shots further back in a tie for 13th.
McIlroy and Hatton will be back in action next week at the World Golf Championship Match Play event in Texas. | Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy and England's Tyrrell Hatton finished in a tie for fourth at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. |
39,576,834 | It may sound counter-intuitive, but for a host of talented non-league strikers it is advice worth heeding.
That is because it comes from John Morris, the man who discovered Leicester City and England star Jamie Vardy, and is the co-founder of his V9 Academy.
Morris believes non-league football is full of talented players ready to take the top-level by storm.
But those who are going to make it need four vital ingredients - mental, physical, tactical and technical qualities.
There are certainly plenty of players scoring goals by the truckload in non-league football.
Ricky Miller's 40 goals for Dover Athletic in the National League saw him snapped up by Peterborough, Danny Rowe at AFC Fylde was only four short of 50 league goals for the campaign, while 10th-tier star Leon Lobjoit's 62 goals in 36 games for Buckingham earned him a move to Northampton Town.
If they are looking for footsteps to follow, they need to look no further than those of a 25-year-old snapped up for £1m who has gone on to win the Premier League and play for England.
The Jamie Vardy story is as well told as it is spectacular - and he and Morris are so confident it is one that could be repeated they are putting their money where their mouths are with the formation of a new academy.
The V9 Academy will host 42 non-league players at Manchester City's training complex in early June.
"I really do think there are good enough players in non-league football," said Morris.
"Clubs have to be prepared to coach players. Many want instant success, especially when it comes to lads from non-league football.
"If they are not going to get that coaching they are setting them up to fail."
Morris believes goalscorers will generally find their level.
"It looked obvious with Jamie," he said. "I was asking 'has anyone else seen this?' He's very similar now to when he was in non-league.
"I've looked at other lads who are scoring loads of goals and said 'that is his level'. Scoring goals isn't always enough.
"The massive thing for me is work ethic. Look at Jamie - if he's playing Atletico Madrid or in the non-leagues he will give you the same shift."
According to Morris, one factor top clubs put a premium on is the age of a player.
"Clubs want 17 to 23-year-olds. If they are too old for the under-23s, clubs say they need to be able to start in the first team. My argument is some people mature mentally and physically later," he said.
V9, as a result, will look at players aged 17 to 30, some of whom, may have missed out on being picked up by big clubs because of work commitments or by spending years doing a university degree.
Two players looking for those vital breaks spent this season battling it out at the top of the scoring charts in the Northern Premier League Premier Division, the seventh tier of English football.
Luke Benbow and Daniel Maguire have both flirted with the big time.
These days, in true non-league style, they are banging in the goals while working as a builder and a plumber respectively.
Stourbridge striker Benbow, a former Birmingham City trainee and graduate from Glenn Hoddle's Football Academy, hit 32 league goals this season.
"It is the most goals I've scored," said the 25-year-old, who has also had trials at Charlton and Burton.
He trained as a bricklayer's apprentice after realising he had to do something "if the career didn't work at football".
Maguire netted 30 times in the league for Blyth Spartans.
The 24-year-old made headlines for scoring a hat-trick in 11 minutes in 2014-15, attracting the attention of Halifax Town. He eventually joined the then National League outfit.
However, his booming plumbing business won a major contract. With the Halifax deal being on a part-time basis and the potential of a five-hour round trip for training twice a week, Maguire opted to return to Blyth just three months, one pre-season and no appearances later.
"It is hard when you have mid-week games away to be up at 7am the next morning," he said.
"If Halifax had been full time and the wages a bit better it might have been different."
Morris, who spotted Vardy when the England striker was playing in football's seventh tier, believes the number of talented players in non-league football is increasing as more youngsters are rejected by Premier League academies.
"How many 18 or 19-year-olds are coming through and playing in first teams?" he said.
"There are probably more players in the Premier League who have come through non-league football than the Chelsea academy - look at Jamie Vardy, Andre Gray, Michail Antonio and Chris Smalling."
He said many players "go in to their shell and give up on the dream".
One such player is AFC Fylde's Rowe, who was released by Manchester United at the age of 16 and, he admits, "lost a lot of enjoyment out of the game".
Despite having played alongside the likes of Tom Cleverley and Danny Drinkwater, Rowe found himself "just playing with my mates really".
The 28-year-old was later picked up by Fleetwood, where he was a teammate of Vardy's for a time.
"We knew he was good and would go to the Football League," said Morris. "But even he wouldn't have thought he'd have done what he has."
As a scout, Morris said the mental side of the game is huge: "Are you really tough enough? Can you take not being in the team? Can you turn that into a positive?"
He also stressed the importance of assessing what players are like off the pitch, who they associate themselves with, whether they are good or bad trainers and what they are like in the dressing room.
Players, said Morris, have to be robust to play in the Premier League where "even small players are powerful, strong lads".
He stressed the technical and tactical side of their game can be worked on.
"Are they a bit raw? If he's technically not good enough, that is a coach's job," he said.
"If they've got those four ingredients nailed on they probably aren't playing non-league football.
"We are not always looking for the best players. We are looking at the lads who will give everything.
"These lads aren't the finished article. They need to work on tactics to get up to the next level."
It is not impossible to make a successful career in non-league football. One player who has done just that is North Shields' Gareth Bainbridge.
The former Hartlepool, Middlesbrough and Darlington trainee's brightest moment came when he scored for Shields in the FA Vase at Wembley.
"I have realised dreams I may not have at a professional level," he said. "Some players never get to play and score at Wembley."
Although he has called time on his own English Football League ambitions, 30-year-old Bainbridge says there has never been a better time for non-league players to be spotted.
"There is so much more coverage and respect for non-league football," he added.
Perhaps, for some, scoring goals will be enough. | Scoring goals isn't always enough. |
32,247,820 | The former Kingsteps Quarry at Nairn will be examined for the remains of aircraft instruments which were illuminated using radioactive paint.
Highland Council, which owns the site, said the tests followed "word of mouth" suggestions of buried planes.
The tests will be done on 18 and 19 April.
In 2013 at Kinloss and Findhorn, along the Moray Firth coast from Nairn, testing for radioactive contamination from WW2 aircraft was started.
It is thought more than a 1,000 aircraft were broken up, burned and buried near an RAF station at Kinloss.
Armstrong Whitworth Whitley bombers were among the aircraft that flew from the site during the war.
William Gilfillan, Highland Council's director of community services, said the test at Nairn were a precautionary measure.
He said: "There have been word-of mouth accounts of planes being deposited in the quarry but no documentation has been found to support this.
"The surveys will also check that any potential contamination from historical activities in the area does not pose an unacceptable risk to human health.
"Residents have requested that more could be done to encourage access in this area and carrying out these surveys will contribute to an understanding of the site that will inform future decision-making."
Mr Gilfillan added: "The survey results will be analysed - and if required - appropriate actions will be taken to remediate the area for continued public access."
The remains of other war-time activity have been found in and around Nairn in recent years.
Two mortar bombs were discovered at the town's East Beach in March 2012 and were disposed of by bomb disposal experts.
Nairn's beaches were used to prepare soldiers and sailors for the Allied landings in Normandy in June 1944.
Military personnel were based at nearby Fort George at the time.
The remains of tanks used in the rehearsals have previously been found further east along the coast from Nairn.
A Valentine tank was lost by the Royal Hussars at Culbin Forest and two others in Burghead Bay. | Tests for radioactive contamination will be done at a quarry following suggestions military aircraft were buried there after World War Two. |
36,748,512 | Aberdeenshire Council said the Scottish government was "content" with the project and the processes taken to reach the final proposed design.
However, the local authority will hold a public hearing into its plans.
An inquiry can take evidence from a wider range of interested parties, while a hearing normally hears from a council and affected landowners.
Aberdeenshire Council hopes construction work can start on the scheme next year.
Stonehaven has been affected by severe flooding for many years.
Flood events led to the evacuation of homes several times between 1988 and 2012. | Plans for a flood protection scheme for Stonehaven will not go to a public inquiry. |
36,405,668 | Hampshire Constabulary branded the air rifle attacks in Hartley Wintney "disgusting".
Another duck was shot in the head with an air rifle but was taken by a villager to a vet, and is expected to make a full recovery.
The shootings happened between Monday evening and Tuesday afternoon, police said.
PC Geoff Hill said: "The duck pond is at the heart of the village and has provided amusement for generations of families.
"It is disgusting that someone should curtail this by killing innocent and defenceless wildlife." | Three ducks, a moorhen and two baby geese have been shot dead at a village pond. |
36,207,046 | The Ospreys need a bonus-point win and for other results to go their way to clinch a place in next season's European Champions Cup.
A bonus-point win for Ulster will see Kiss' side into the Pro12 play-offs.
"I think the Ospreys will chance their hand and we need to be ready for that," said the Ulster boss.
The Welsh side have never previously failed to qualify for the top tier of European competition.
However, while Kiss is expecting the Ospreys to come out firing at the Liberty Stadium, he remains confident that Ulster are capable of securing the bonus-point victory that will secure their semi-finals berth.
"If we're smart, organised, have discipline in our game, we can deliver something that is important for us, whether it's a four-point win or a bonus-point win."
An Ulster win, without a bonus point, would mean the Scarlets could pip the Irish province for a semi-finals spot if they manage to come away from their game against Munster at Thomond Park with a maximum five-point haul.
"We may have to rely on Munster yet," accepts Kiss.
Asked about the possibility of defeat and the prospect of missing out on a semi-finals spot, Kiss said such an outcome would be "gut-wrenching".
However after seeing off Leinster last weekend, Ulster should not lack confidence going into Saturday's game.
"The result was important last weekend but the way we went about our business and the excellence of our work was there for all to see," added Kiss.
"We kept putting pressure on them and they couldn't recover. We were quick of mind and quick of tactics and we delivered.
"But the deal is not done yet. I think we've got a team that is hungry enough to do it this weekend. I just hope we've got the nous and the performance to get over the line." | Ulster's director of rugby Les Kiss says his side need to be prepared for an Ospreys onslaught in Saturday's vital Pro12 game in Swansea. |
25,560,771 | The 18 metre (50 foot) inflatable duck suddenly collapsed on Tuesday, only 11 days after it had been put on display in the port at Keelung.
Organisers are unsure as to the cause of its demise, but one theory is that it was attacked by eagles.
The duck was designed by the Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman to be a giant version of a popular bath toy.
Last month a similar duck was damaged elsewhere in Taiwan, when an earthquake triggered a power cut that caused it to deflate.
A third Taiwanese duck was brought ashore in September because of an approaching typhoon.
A large crowd had been anticipated in Keelung Port for New Year celebrations, and the rubber duck was due to be an important part of the festivities.
But video footage showed the giant inflatable suddenly bursting in front of scores of people gathered on a quayside.
"We want to apologise to the fans of the yellow rubber duck," organiser Huang Jing-tai told reporters. "We will carefully examine the duck to determine the cause."
The original duck designed by Hofman has been transported around the globe since 2007, visiting cities including Sydney, Sao Paulo, Hong Kong and Amsterdam.
The artist hopes the works will bring people together and encourage a connection with public art.
Despite the ducks' misfortunes, they have been a big hit among the Taiwanese.
The duck at Kaohsiung, which had to be deflated during Typhoon Usagi, attracted four million visitors during its one-month display, | A giant yellow rubber duck on display in a Taiwanese port has burst in unexplained circumstances. |
40,725,153 | If not the face of indigenous Australia, he was certainly its voice.
Known for playing an "upside-down" guitar, Dr G Yunupingu sang mostly in his native Yolngu language and spoke little English. The blind singer-songwriter who sold more than half a million albums worldwide, died on Tuesday night in Darwin, aged just 46.
The biggest-selling Aboriginal artist in history, Yunupingu had suffered chronic liver and kidney problems for several years, stemming from his contracting Hepatitis B as a child.
His death triggered a wave of tributes from the Australian music community and beyond. Midnight Oil frontman Peter Garrett tweeted that his "dear friend" was "a truly great musician", adding: "Very sad news. Too young, so much left to give. Heart goes out to family."
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said Yunupingu was "a remarkable Australian sharing Yolngu language with the world through music". The singer's Darwin-based record company, Skinnyfish, said it was mourning "the loss of a great Australian" and "one of the most important figures in Australian music history", noting his 2011 single, Bayini, was the first indigenous language single to reach the Australian top five.
Yunupingu gained the honorary degree of Doctor of Music from the University of Sydney in 2012. Prof Anne Reid, dean of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, which conferred the degree, said on Wednesday that the singer made an outstanding contribution to music.
"Dr Yunupingu was a musician of the highest calibre," Prof Reid said.
"His music spoke to the soul of people worldwide enabling them to understand the importance of place and culture in their lives. His exquisite and tender voice, coupled with his innovative approach to instrumental music, created a sound world that reached the essential core of listeners alerting them to the beauty of land and our place within it. His music transcended culture and he will be missed hugely."
Hailing from tiny Elcho Island, 500km (310 miles) east of Darwin, Yunupingu was born blind, yet never learned Braille or used a walking aid. He taught himself to play a toy piano and piano-accordion before he was four. At five, the left-hander picked up a conventional right-handed guitar, and taught himself to play it "upside-down", which was how he would play throughout his life.
Intensely shy, yet known to be fond of a joke among his friends, Yunupingu began his big-time musical career with prominent Aboriginal band Yothu Yindi, who had an international hit with Treaty in the early 1990s.
His debut solo album (simply titled as his first name) went triple-platinum in Australia after its 2008 release, with sales of around 210,000, and silver in the UK, where it sold 60,000 copies. Around the time of the album's release, Yunupingu played as a support act for Elton John on his Australian tour. Like his first album, his second and third - Rrakala and The Gospel Album - reached number three on the Australian charts.
Yunupingu won five of Australian music's most prestigious awards - the Arias - with his first three offerings named Best World Music albums. He finished his last - and what promoters call his most powerful - album, two months ago.
Former Sydney Morning Herald music writer Bruce Elder wrote in 2008 that Yunupingu had "the greatest voice this continent has ever recorded", and one "which is so beautiful and so emotion-laden that it invests every song with a passion and pathos which are quite overwhelming".
"It is as though Yunupingu has reached into a wellspring so deep it transcends cultural barriers. He has found an emotional bridge which is genuinely universal."
Yunupingu performed for the Queen at her 2012 Diamond Jubilee Concert, where he also met his idol, Stevie Wonder. He sang in front of the Pope at World Youth Day celebrations, and for Mr Obama at the White House in 2015.
Yunupingu has also been described as an important figure in fostering understanding between non-indigenous and Aboriginal Australians.
Yet the singer's death has been tinged with some controversy over concerns about the treatment of indigenous Australians in the health sector.
After Yunupingu was treated at Royal Darwin Hospital in 2016, his management at Skinnyfish questioned whether he had received delayed care in the hospital's emergency department due to being racially profiled.
The hospital firmly denied the suggestion. Still, Yunupingu's death again shines a light on health problems for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, whose life expectancy is 10 years shorter than that of non-indigenous Australians.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation quoted a friend of Yunupingu's, Vaughan Williams, as saying his death was "preventable".
"I feel he was trapped in the same cycle of bad health that so many indigenous people are trapped in," Mr Williams said.
To respect tradition the BBC along with many other media outlets adheres to long-standing cultural protocol not to publish a picture or the name of the indigenous person who died.
While the naming taboo differs across different indigenous communities, there's a general belief that doing so would jeopardise the spirit on its journey to the afterlife.
Speaking the name of a dead person is thought by indigenous people to potentially undermine that journey, calling the departed spirit back to world of the living.
This restraint is customary for the entire mourning period - depending on local practice, that can last for weeks, months or years. | He was the other-worldly singer who counted Elton John and Sting among his fans, and who played for the Pope, the Queen and Barack Obama. |
18,517,355 | French consular agent Pascal Mazurier was arrested on Tuesday morning and faces charges of rape.
He was produced before a magistrate late Tuesday night amid tight security.
The official was questioned on Friday after his Indian wife alleged he sexually abused their three-year-old. The envoy has made no comment as yet.
India's Foreign Minister SM Krishna said on Wednesday that Mr Mazurier "does not have diplomatic immunity and will be tried as per Indian law".
The French official has been remanded into 14 days' judicial custody and is being held in the crowded Parapanna Agrahara jail, on the outskirts of Bangalore, which houses more than 4,000 convicts and undertrials, police said.
"It's not over. This is just the beginning. Let the trial begin," Mr Mazurier's wife, Suja Jones Mazurier, told The Times of India newspaper.
Mrs Mazurier has written to the French ambassador in India and the Indian government calling for her husband to be prevented from leaving the country until all legal proceedings are complete.
She has also asked the French embassy for financial support for herself and her three children, who are French citizens. | A French official accused of sexually abusing his daughter has been sent to jail for 14 days in the Indian city of Bangalore. |
39,854,501 | 10 May 2017 Last updated at 09:29 BST
The Channel Islands are made up of five small islands: Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney, Herm and Sark.
They sit in the English Channel between England and France, and were taken over by the Germans during World War Two.
Each year on 9 May islanders take part in special Liberation Day parades through the streets, and share memories of what life was like at that time.
Children who live in the islands have been talking about why it matters to them. | People in the Channel Islands have been celebrating the day their islands were freed from Nazi rule - 72 years ago. |
36,770,277 | The No 10 meeting took place ahead of a speech by the MSP in which she will say holding a second Scottish independence referendum would be "irresponsible".
Ms Davidson said she chatted with Mrs May, who will become PM on Wednesday, about our "future work together".
Scotland's first minister has also spoken about Mrs May's new role.
Nicola Sturgeon said she was "determined to work constructively wherever possible on issues of common interest and concern".
She added: "Top of those is the issue of our continued place in the European Union, and I expect early engagement with the incoming prime minister on that subject as we look to maintain Scotland's EU status, in line with the democratic wishes of the people of Scotland."
Ms Davidson was in London where she met not only Mrs May but outgoing PM and Conservative Party leader David Cameron.
He tendered his resignation after the UK voted for Brexit by 52% to 48%.
In Scotland people voted by 62% to 38% for Britain to retain membership.
Following the Downing Street meeting, Ms Davidson told the BBC's Norman Smith: "I met with both the PM and with Theresa May afterwards to thank the PM for his work in government and also to talk to Theresa about our future work together and the way in which she, and her new government, can engage with Scotland.
"I suggested very strongly and she agreed to make sure there is constructive and positive engagement with the Scottish government it would be a real priority there. I think it is important that any PM engages in a positive manner with devolved legislations."
Ms Davidson added that she discussed with Mrs May the importance of the single market to Scottish business, along with the need to "champion defence jobs north of the border".
Later Ms Davidson will address journalists at Westminster in which she will say that a second independence referendum is "not in the best interests of Scotland".
Ms Sturgeon has already said the European referendum result and Scotland's vote to stay in make another ballot on Scotland leaving the UK "highly likely".
Ms Davidson will say: "The SNP is, as usual, trying to seize on a moment of doubt and uncertainty to declare that the shining star of independence is the answer.
"And it's trying to claim that, as a result of Brexit, there is now a massive groundswell for a second independence referendum.
"This is simply not true. Even after the EU vote, only four in 10 people in Scotland say there should be an independence referendum."
The Tory MSP will claim that "bluster" from senior SNP MPs that a second referendum will now happen is "utterly unjustified and it is completely irresponsible".
However, Ms Sturgeon believed that "words of contrition and apology" from Ms Davidson would be "more appropriate".
She added: "It is the selfish and reckless irresponsibility of the Tories which has brought Scotland to the brink of being taken out of EU against our will, with all the damage and upheaval which that would entail for many years to come for our economy, society, rights and place in the world."
Angela Eagle, who is challenging Jeremy Corbyn for the leadership of the UK Labour Party, told BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme that Scottish independence was not the answer.
She said: "I think that we need to ensure that we can move forward as a country. I understand the problems that the EU referendum vote caused both in Scotland and Northern Ireland but I believe that we are better if we stick together.
"The people have voted. We've now got to see what we can do to create the best possible circumstances when we leave the EU that do the least damage. I fought very hard on the Remain side of the argument, but unfortunately that has been lost and we have to recognise that democratic reality." | Scotland's Conservative Party leader Ruth Davidson has told Theresa May she should have "positive engagement" with the SNP-run Scottish government. |
35,922,020 | Media playback is not supported on this device
Nathaniel Ferris put the Ports ahead at Stangmore Park but Dungannon hit two late goals with Gary Liggett on target before Andrew Mitchell's winner.
Portadown have won just one of their last 14 league games and stay ninth.
Scullion fired home on two minutes at the Oval before Coleraine squandered numerous chances to equalise.
Curtis Allen's pinpoint cross was fired home by Scullion and the Glens remained in front as Coleraine faltered in front of goal.
Jamie McGonigle sent a weak header straight at keeper Elliott Morris before dragging a shot just wide.
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Ruairi Harkin skewed wide from six yards after the break and Darren McAuley netted, but his close-range effort was ruled out for handball.
It was a frustrating night for the visitors as they slipped to a third straight defeat while the Glens held firm to make it three league wins in a row.
Ports defender Garry Breen headed against the bar before Cormac Burke rifled wide for the hosts.
Ferris scored on his first Portadown start by heading in after 30 minutes from Matty Parker's cross.
Liggett capitalised on hesitant Portadown defending, getting a touch to push the ball past keeper David Miskelly for the 83rd-minute equaliser.
Mitchell volleyed home in added time to clinch the points with the Ports remaining just five points above bottom spot. | Portadown remain in relegation trouble after a 2-1 defeat by Dungannon Swifts while David Scullion's strike gave Glentoran a 1-0 win over Coleraine. |
37,166,340 | Robert Gregg, 39, assaulted Rory Morrison with the blades at Marmion Road, Galashiels, on 19 December 2015.
The High Court in Edinburgh heard how he knocked Mr Morrison to the ground before plunging the weapons into him.
Gregg, a prisoner of HMP Edinburgh, had previously admitted assault to severe injury and danger of life.
Sentence had been deferred for the court to obtain reports.
Defence solicitor advocate Jim Stephenson told judge Lady Scott that his client regretted attacking Mr Morrison.
Lady Scott said that the nature of the attack and the fact that Gregg had 24 previous convictions meant jail was the only sentence open to the court. | An attacker who repeatedly stabbed his victim with two knives on a street in the Scottish Borders has been jailed for six-and-a-half years. |
32,109,756 | Representatives of the FA had planned to commemorate the deaths of 39 supporters before the 1985 European Cup final between Liverpool and Juventus.
Juventus, who will host the friendly, said they appreciated the gesture.
However, they do not want to detract from their own planned memorial in May. | The Football Association will not be permitted to lay a wreath to mark the 30th anniversary of the Heysel Stadium disaster when England play Italy in a friendly in Turin on Tuesday. |
32,016,077 | Members of 202 Squadron at RAF Lossiemouth organised the Elgin celebration so personnel and the local community could say a joint farewell.
The Sea Kings will be mothballed next month and replaced with helicopters run by the private sector.
The RAF said concerns about election rules were behind the decision to cancel the celebration.
It is now looking at alternatives.
The Sea Kings at Lossiemouth have been used for more than four decades.
They will be taken out of service next week.
Moray SNP MP Angus Robertson said: "It is a great shame that the Moray community are being denied the opportunity to personally thank personnel.
"There is massive respect from the public in Moray and right across Scotland for the RAF, with the familiar yellow Sea King regularly seen in the air heading to challenging rescues in the North Sea, in the Cairngorms and further afield." | The cancellation of a party marking the retirement of Sea King helicopters has been met with anger. |
39,792,565 | The striker began his European career with in 1997 at Dutch club Ajax.
He went onto play for clubs in Spain, Portugal and England during his career.
"At times I didn't want to even play anymore because I couldn't take it, people calling you all kinds of things," he said.
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"It's not my fault my skin is darker than others. I was born this way."
McCarthy said he learnt to deal with it over time despite the distress it caused him.
"It used to give me more energy when people are so ignorant and racist, they make you play better, they make you want to beat their team so bad," he added.
Twenty years after McCarthy arrived in Europe, the issue of racism is still in the headlines.
On Sunday, Pescara and Ghana midfielder Sulley Muntari walked off the pitch after he complained of racist abuse during a match against Cagliari.
Muntari was banned for a match after he was booked for dissent after asking the referee to stop the match claiming he was being racially abused.
The 32-year-old ex-Ghana international then walked off the pitch in protest - for which he received a second yellow card, officials have now confirmed.
I was very surprised that in England you don't hear monkey chants from opposition fans,
Cagliari were not punished by the authorities in Italy for the abuse saying not enough fans took part in the abuse to trigger action.
McCarthy said his worst period was when he played for Celta Vigo and Ajax Amsterdam.
"You find the whole stadium making monkey noises and throw bananas," said McCarthy as he reflected on his playing days in Europe," he explained.
"For me colour is just a reflection, we are all human beings, we are the same.
""In Portugal when you play for your club, they love you but when you play outside your club, it's different, you suffer, you face racism."
Things were however different for him in England, where he played for Blackburn and West Ham United.
"Of my journey, England was probably the most respectful. I was very surprised that in England you don't hear monkey chants from opposition fans," the 39-year-old continued.
"They swear and throw personal insults, call you useless but racism - no.
"I applaud the the Premier League for having such a strong regime and football clubs for making sure that their fans are respectful to ethnic African minority players." | Former South Africa captain Benni McCarthy says he nearly walked off the pitch because of the incessant racism during matches when he played in Europe. |
30,644,472 | From Saturday, Central Line trains will not stop at Tottenham Court Road.
Transport for London (TfL) has advised people to change at Oxford Circus or Holborn for alternative routes.
The work is intended to improve access to Central Line platforms, with new entrances and lift access from the ticket hall and to the Northern line.
Northern Line trains will continue to stop at Tottenham Court Road.
By 2016, TfL said the station will be fully accessible and the ticket hall will be five times larger than its current size.
Currently around 150,000 people use Tottenham Court Road daily but TfL expects this to rise to more than 200,000 when Crossrail serves the station in 2018.
The station will have eight escalators, five lifts, new Art on the Underground installations, improved CCTV cameras and better lighting.
The refurbishment of Tottenham Court Road Tube station is part of London Underground's (LU) £10bn programme of modernisation.
Central Line services are expected to return to Tottenham Court Road next December. | Tube passengers are set to have their journeys disrupted for almost a year when Central Line trains cease stopping at one of London's busiest stations. |
23,694,400 | Ignacio Ibanez, director general for foreign affairs, said the row would not end until a new artificial reef was removed from waters off Gibraltar.
Spain has tightened border controls with the British territory, prompting the UK to threaten legal action.
But Mr Ibanez denied the border controls were retaliation for the reef.
The extra border controls have caused lengthy traffic queues, and Madrid has suggested a fee of 50 euros (£43; $66) might be applied to every vehicle entering or leaving the British territory.
A British spokesman said on Tuesday that Prime Minister David Cameron was "very disappointed" by Spain's failure to remove the checks over the weekend and that "unprecedented" legal action through the EU would be launched.
The row began after Gibraltar created an artificial reef which, the Spanish say, is in a special conservation area and will disrupt fishing there.
Speaking to the BBC's Tom Burridge, Mr Ibanez said: "We are ready to discuss but to discuss we need an environment where you trust each other and, with what happened over the fisheries, it is difficult to trust the UK."
He said it was up to the British government to intervene with the Gibraltarian authorities to get the reef removed.
As for the new border controls, he accused the Gibraltarian authorities of failing to control smuggling. It was, he added, a busy time of year for cross-border traffic.
Asked by our correspondent if it was wise for Spain, a Nato ally of the UK, to seek Argentine diplomatic support, Mr Ibanez said the issue of Gibraltar had similarities to that of the Falkland islands, which he called by their Argentinian name, the Malvinas.
A Downing Street spokesman called the actions of Spain, which has been gripped by economic and political troubles this summer, "disproportionate and politically motivated". | A top Spanish foreign policy official has said it is difficult to trust the UK, amid a dispute between the two countries over Gibraltar. |
34,125,119 | They say the "pro-business" policies of the Narendra Modi-led BJP government will put their jobs at risk and hurt ordinary people.
The unions are demanding the government drop plans to sell off stakes in state-run companies and change labour laws.
Response to the strike has been mixed. Some banks are closed and public transport has been disrupted.
Reports say some 150 million workers - mainly in banking, manufacturing, construction and coal mining industries - belonging to 10 major unions are expected to stay away from work on Wednesday.
The strike appears to have hit public transport, with long queues of commuters and school children seen at a bus stops in many cities, including the capital, Delhi. Many passengers were also stranded at railway stations and airports.
A large number of schools and businesses were shut in the states of West Bengal and Kerala, where unions enjoy significant clout, and public transport was disrupted, reports said.
Mr Modi won in a landslide at the general election last year, promising to revive a slowing economy and introduce reforms.
But the opposition has blocked some of his key tax and land acquisition reforms, and unions are also angry over the moves.
India's economy grew at an annual rate of 7% between April and June, official figures have shown. | Workers across India are staging a day-long strike to protest at the economic policies of the government. |
37,285,705 | But the semi-autonomous region Puntland region is among some federal states defying the ban.
Khat is popular in Somalia but it is grown in Ethiopia and Kenya.
Hundreds of Kenyans, including farmers, could be affected by the decision, which has been criticised for coming without any warning.
BBC Somali Service editor Farhan Jimale says it is equivalent to a major city like London banning imports of alcohol overnight.
But as khat has to be taken fresh, there are no stockpiles.
Economic hit: Analysis by BBC Somali Service's Ahmed Adan
More than 15 cargo flights full of khat arrive in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, every day from Kenya. According to Somali anti-khat campaigner Abukar Awale, they bring in about 12,000 bags of khat a day, which have a total retail value of $400,000 (£298,000).
Mr Awale, a former khat addict, argues that the stimulant contributes to domestic violence and other abuses.
The normally bustling Beerta khat market in Mogadishu has been practically deserted because of the suspension.
One khat seller in Mogadishu, Fartun Mohamed, told the BBC that her family's livelihood has been put in jeopardy because of the suspension as this was the only way she managed to feed her 10 children.
The planes from Kenya arrive in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, in the morning and the leafy stimulant, which is not cheap, is usually chewed after lunch, mainly by men, in the afternoon and into the evening.
Civil Aviation Minister Ali Ahmed Jangali, who announced the ban on Monday, did not give a reason for the suspension, which is understood to be temporary.
He denied that it was because Somalia was hosting a meeting on Saturday for the regional body, Intergovernmental Authority on Development (Igad).
Workers at a khat-exporting company in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, were told not to report to work on Monday.
The Kenyan government has in the past pledged to support the growers of khat, which is also known as miraa in Kenya, after it was banned in much of Europe.
Khat is also banned in a number of other countries, including the US and Canada.
Source: Talk to Frank | Somalia's ban on Kenyan flights carrying the herbal stimulant khat has come into force, with no explanation as to why or how long it will be in place. |
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