id
int64 10.1M
41.1M
| dialogue
stringlengths 15
174k
⌀ | summary
stringlengths 1
399
|
|---|---|---|
34,894,219 | A car was set alight in Dunclug Gardens at about 3:30 GMT on Sunday.
The other car was set on fire in Dunclug Park shortly before 05:00 GMT.
It is understood the vehicles belong to two men from eastern Europe.
Police have appealed for information.
Sinn Féin MLA Daithà McKay said the attacks were "totally wrong and must be condemned outright".
The North Antrim representative added: "It is those behind these attacks who are not welcome in our society - not those who they targeted." | Police are treating two arson attacks on vehicles in Ballymena, County Antrim, as hate crimes. |
36,951,662 | A violent scuffle broke out as hundreds of residents queued at Barnburgh Primary School near Doncaster on Monday evening to find out about the revised rail route.
One man was pushed to the floor and another was pinned against a wall.
South Yorkshire Police were called but no arrests were made.
More updates on this story and others from BBC Local Live: Sheffield and South Yorkshire
Residents were furious they could not get in and a second meeting was held later to accommodate them.
On 7 July, HS2 announced it would scrap the proposed station at Meadowhall in favour of a stop in Sheffield city centre.
The meeting was not organised by HS2, but representatives attended.
An HS2 statement said: "We recognise that making sure communities know as much as possible about HS2, and how it may affects them, is extremely important and understand that people will have concerns.
Earlier this month, protests and public meetings were held in reaction to the news that houses will be affected by the new route
"Our community engagement on the new route through Yorkshire has seen us speak with more than 3,000 residents at a series of HS2 public information events over the last two weeks.
"We will continue to hold these events, including one tomorrow in Crofton, to provide information and answer questions about the proposed route and next steps."
A South Yorkshire Police spokesman said officers were called to the Church Lane meeting at about 19:00 BST.
"It was reported that a significant number of people were trying to enter the premises to attend the meeting, which caused some disruption.
"Upon officer arrival, there was a significant number of people at the location but no criminal offences were reported and no arrests were made."
The proposed new route would see up to two trains per hour leave the HS2 line near Clay Cross in Derbyshire and join the existing line into Sheffield before rejoining HS2 east of Grimethorpe.
It will run east towards the M18 before rejoining the original route south of the M62.
High-speed trains would use existing tracks to access Sheffield, stopping at the city's Midland station. | Trouble flared at a meeting about the HS2 route through South Yorkshire, resulting in residents grappling on the floor. |
40,578,976 | The Mirror, The Irish News and the News Letter all feature the story of six-year-old Donnacadh Maguire who died playing in the street on Tuesday.
The police have said his fatal injuries were most likely to have been caused by a collision.
A photograph of the blonde six-year-old features on the front of both the Mirror and the News Letter, while the Irish News offers a photograph of forensic experts on Tyrconnell Street in Londonderry, where the boy died.
'Horror as child found dying on street,' is the headline in the News Letter.
The Irish News reports that the "close-knit" community was in shock last night at the death.
"Donnacadh Maguire was found badly injured on Tyrconnell Street in the city's Bogside at around 10:30am yesterday and died in hospital," it reports.
"Passers by came to his aid and an ambulance service spokesperson said paramedics were on the scene within 11 minutes."
The paper also reports that the child's family only moved to Derry recently from Scotland.
A man in his 50s was arrested in connection with the incident yesterday.
Independent councillor Sean Carr described the street in the Irish News: "It is a very narrow, steep street with cars parked on either side."
The Mirror reports that Donnacadh's uncle, Cahir Killen, said: "We still don't really know what happened.
"He was a fantastic, happy wee boy who brightened our lives.
"That light has gone out and we feel lost."
The Belfast Telegraph reports a second road death, that of a cyclist who was killed during a club cycle in Bangor yesterday.
The man, in his 40s, died in hospital after the crash.
"The riders were all members of North Down cycling Club and had been on a ride together," the paper reports.
"One club member was in a critical condition in hospital and another was in a stable condition."
It is understood a fourth cyclist was injured in the crash but did not require medical attention.
A 59-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the incident.
Elsewhere in the paper, there's a look forward to today's annual Twelfth commemorations.
While there are plenty of stories of controversy around Tuesday night's bonfires, the Belfast Telegraph shares some of the more unusual stories of people preparing for today's parades.
They have spoken to one family who will have three generations taking part in marching later for the Twelfth.
'Drumroll, please.' reads the headline above a picture of some of the members of the Russell family.
Johnny Russell, 38, a Lambeg drummer, will be joined by his father Ivan, 63, and his son Craig, six, who is eager to follow in his father and grandfather's footsteps at the demonstration at Richill, County Armagh, later.
They are all members of Tamnificarbert LOL 17 and young Craig will be carrying on the family tradition by playing a small drum that his father also had at that age.
"He did a bit of a parade last year, but this will be his first time out for the full march," Mr Russell told the Belfast Telegraph.
He conceded the famous Lambeg drum was heavy but said members of the lodge took it in turns.
Also taking part in today's marches are two snow-white Akita dogs, Angel and Ghost, who will be part of the parade in Belfast and Colerain.
Their owner, Sam Dickson, said they had become known as 'Ulster's marching dogs' and were very popular with spectators.
Mr Dickson said he gets requests every day for the dogs to attend events and has taken them to Scotland and England to attend parades.
Finally, in the Irish News there's a story that may not surprise many people who live, work or shop in Belfast.
'Belfast is the second-most-difficult city in UK to find parking space,' suggests a study.
Belfast was overtaken only by London as the place where parking spaces are in shortest supply. | Wednesday's papers all lead with stories of tragedy on the roads in Northern Ireland. |
40,058,889 | Chris Anderson has taken home 17 double Gloucester cheeses in 12 years, after chasing the hefty 8lb (3.6kg) cheeses down Cooper's Hill.
The 29-year-old is now three races shy of current record holder Stephen Gyde.
Mr Anderson said: "I've been up a few times because I was worried I'd lose my bottle but I feel quite good."
Each year thousands of spectators turn out to watch thrill-seekers hurl themselves down the 1:2 gradient, chasing wheels of double Gloucester cheese.
However, injuries are inevitable for competitors chasing a 70mph cheese down a rough, uneven hillside.
In 2005, Mr Anderson won the race but broke his ankle and in 2007 he suffered "quite bad concussion".
"You go slower if you stay on your feet," he said.
"You have to stay on your on feet to about halfway down and once you fall you have to pick yourself up and start running again."
With his quickest time clocked at eight seconds, Mr Anderson's reward - as with all winners - is to take the cheese home with him.
"I don't really like double Gloucester, it's too strong so I give it out around the family," he admits.
With the prospect of matching the all-time record on Monday, the cheese-rolling champion said it was actually more important to "keep a local person winning".
"I'm getting older and wising up - I don't want to get injured," he said.
"It's a bit worse each year but this year I do feel quite good." | A champion cheese-roller is hoping to match the all-time record for the most cheeses won when he takes part in this year's festival in Gloucestershire. |
34,701,876 | The research, funded by Tenovus Cancer Care, found cancer survivors need greater support from health organisations following treatment.
University of South Wales researcher Jonathan Tigwell is presenting his initial findings at the National Cancer Research Institute conference.
The full report will be published in February next year.
Mr Tigwell conducted the study with 15 women, 13 of whom were Welsh, to get a detailed understanding of their experiences.
"There is increasing scientific evidence linking work to health maintenance and that work may help with recovery for conditions such as cancer," he said.
"If breast cancer survivors are returning to work at the wrong time, this can significantly affect their long term health, negatively impact on their wider relationships and create avoidable unemployment that would lead to further economic impact."
Rhiannon Skilton of Tenovus Cancer Care said: "We have supported more than 2,600 women with breast cancer during the last year, many of whom will have already gone, or will be considering going, back to work."
Case study
Amanda Symonds, 48, from Gwaelod y Garth, near Cardiff, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014 and discharged from Velindre Hospital on New Year's Eve.
The single mother-of-one said: "The thought I had in my mind then was, 'I'm not just closing a chapter on this year, I'm closing the whole book'. But it wasn't to be.
"I would go as far as to say I found this year much harder to deal with than last year."
She said her treatment and support at Velindre had been "amazing" but felt she lost her "comfort blanket" when she was discharged.
"They do tell you you're going to feel rubbish for a while after your treatment's finished, it's very tiring, but I wasn't prepared for how rotten it's made me feel."
Ms Symonds had a phased return back to work and her employer, United Welsh Housing Association had been "absolutely marvellous", but two months in she was going to bed as soon as she finished work.
She said she had seen a cancer psychologist, but her worries were not about the cancer coming back, they were about getting back to normal and having her life back. | Support for breast cancer patients should not end when they are cured, according to a new study. |
30,780,041 | After most terrorist attacks, authorities, the families of victims and broader communities are left to ponder the meaning of such wanton violence, and reconstruct the motives and tactics of those responsible.
Thanks to a remarkable conversation between a French reporter and one of the brothers responsible for the attack on Charlie Hebdo, we have some insight if not yet all the answers.
"We are not killers," Cherif Kouachi told France's BFM TV hours before a confrontation with French security forces at a printing plant outside Paris.
"We defend the prophet. If someone offends the prophet then there is no problem, we can kill him."
He claimed an affiliation with al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
"I went there and it was Anwar al-Awlaki who financed me," Cherif Kouachi said.
Incongruously, Amedy Coulibaly, who was killed the same day after killing and holding hostages at a Kosher grocery store, told the same French network BFM TV he "coordinated" his actions with the Kouachis, but was part of "Daish" or IS, an offshoot but rival of Al-Qaeda.
Supporters of both groups praised their actions, but it remains unclear if either group directed the attacks given the years between their radicalisation and action.
Awlaki himself was killed in 2011 in a drone strike in Yemen.
So what does Paris tell us about the evolving Islamist terrorist threat and what to do about it?
Notwithstanding the emergence of Islamic State, a hybrid that is part terrorist organisation and part insurgency, the threat to the West centres on self-activating individuals or small groups inspired by, but not necessarily controlled by, radical networks.
They identify with the global struggle, but their focus is local.
This localisation may result in more incidents - the past two years have seen attacks at the Boston Marathon, Parliament Hill in Ottawa and a cafe in Sydney, for example - but none involving the ambition of 9/11 or even Madrid in 2004 or London in 2005.
The Paris perpetrators are less soldiers than malware circulating in local networks that can go off at any time.
Rooting them out before they can do damage is easier said than done.
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls rightly declared this challenge as "war."
But this is an era of persistent threat, more like the Cold War in complexity and duration.
This is a generational struggle where the political, economic and social elements will be just as decisive as the military, intelligence and law enforcement.
War involves a broad commitment of resources and will.
At the international level, countries need to continue to enhance cooperation including the exchange of information on known extremists.
The Kouachi brothers were on the no-fly list but there were evident gaps in surveillance.
There also needs to be a stronger consensus regarding the tools that governments need to better monitor known and unknown extremists, even while acknowledging that perfect security is impossible.
In light of Paris, European countries need to renew the debate launched by Edward Snowden two years ago regarding the line between privacy and security.
At the local level, there needs to be improved community prevention, interceding with young men (and some women) before they succumb to the appeal of the likes of the Islamic State.
This is the first and best line of defence, but does not occur in a vacuum.
The intolerance manifest in the Charlie Hebdo attack has already been a catalyst for a broader debate within France and across Europe.
An estimated two million people marched in Paris yesterday, joined by a broad cross-section of political and religious leaders.
They voiced support for freedom of expression but also tolerance, understanding and non-violence.
The question is whether this dramatic display will be joined within the Islamic world.
Many national leaders rightly condemned the violence in Paris.
British imams released a statement calling the Paris murders "offensive to the Prophet Muhammad."
These words are powerful, but not enough.
There is the urgent need for a broader debate within Islam regarding tolerance and pluralism, and religious interpretations that are used to justify violence.
But this is a dialogue governments seem to fear.
The same day French authorities moved decisively against the Charlie Hebdo perpetrators, Saudi Arabia flogged a blogger, Raif Badawi, the first instalment of a sentence that includes 1,000 lashes, 10 years in prison and a fine of more than $266,000.
His crime - encouraging a debate regarding the Kingdom's conservative interpretations of Islam.
The best response to speech perceived as offensive is more speech and respect for different points of view.
To succeed against violent political extremism, that lesson must be applied in Europe, but also in the Middle East, where repression provides oxygen for the Islamic state, al Qaeda and the powerful yet illegitimate rationale behind their murderous theology.
PJ Crowley is a former US Secretary of State and now a fellow at The George Washington University's Institute for Public Diplomacy & Global Communication. | Three days of terror attacks in Paris, claiming 17 lives, emphasise the need for international cooperation to tackle violent fundamentalism. |
35,890,765 | In 2014 the 70-year-old was convicted of raping and murdering teenagers Helen Scott and Christine Eadie in 1977.
He was ordered to serve life in prison with a minimum term of 37 years - the longest sentence ever imposed by a Scottish Court in a murder case.
Sinclair argued the sentence was excessive but appeal court judges upheld the decision on Thursday.
Appeal judges described Sinclair as somebody with an "immeasurable capacity for evil, depravity and sadism".
The 17-year-olds were killed after a night-out at Edinburgh's World's End pub in October 1977, with their bodies discovered the following day in East Lothian.
Sinclair was found guilty of the crimes after a five-week trial and, on sentencing, judge Lord Matthews said Sinclair was a "dangerous predator, who is capable of sinking to the depths of depravity".
The conviction brought to a conclusion one of Scotland's most infamous unsolved cases and marked the first prosecution since changes to the country's double jeopardy law.
The legal change meant Sinclair, who has been in prison since the 1980s, could be retried after the court case against him collapsed seven years previously.
The judge ordered him to spend a minimum of 37 years in jail - the same number of years that the families of the girls had waited for justice.
Last year, Sinclair dropped an appeal against the conviction but continued in a bid to have the term reduced, arguing it was "excessive".
A hearing was held in November but judges have now refused the appeal, meaning the punishment part of Sinclair's sentence will stand.
Among the submissions from Sinclair's legal team was the question of whether 37 years was "necessary, appropriate and fell within the judge's discretion".
They also argued about whether or not some of his earlier convictions should have been taken into account in determining the punishment part of the sentence as they were events which came after the 1977 murders.
Lady Paton, Lady Clark and Lord Malcolm delivered their opinion in a written judgment published on Thursday.
They said: "We do not accept that the sentencing judge selected 37 years because that represented the length of time which had passed since the commission of the murders.
"As the sentencing judge explains, he had concluded at the outset that a punishment part 'in the high 30s' should be imposed. That was his assessment of the gravity of the case.
"As he puts it, it was only 'coincidentally' that the period selected mirrored the passage of time since the murders. In the result we are not persuaded that there is any merit in this argument."
They also rejected the arguments relating to his criminal record and refused the appeal.
A Crown Office spokesman said: "We note the decision of the appeal court.
"This brings to an end the long wait for justice for the families of Helen and Christine.
"This was made possible by the hard work and dedication of all senior investigation officers, police officers, procurators fiscal, forensic scientists, police surgeons, forensic pathologists, forensic soil scientists, toxicologists and other witnesses who willingly gave their time and expertise to bring Angus Sinclair to justice." | The World's End murderer Angus Sinclair has had an appeal over the length of his jail sentence rejected. |
37,338,450 | The victory in Val di Sole, Italy, completed a perfect season for Atherton, 28, who had already won all seven 2016 World Cup events.
"Racing is just mad, there is nothing else like it. I wish everyone could experience it," Atherton said.
She was three seconds quicker than French runner-up Myriam Nicole.
Atherton recorded a time of four minutes 20.187 seconds to retain her title.
She has now won four World Championships titles and five World Cup crowns.
Hart, 24, - on the back of three successive UCI Mountain Bike World Cup victories - took his second world title after success in 2011 with a run of three minutes 32.484 seconds.
Elliot Heap was Britain's best finisher in the junior men's event in sixth, with 17-year-old Aston Tutt eighth in the junior women's event. | Rachel Atherton claimed a fourth UCI Mountain Bike World Championships downhill title with fellow Briton Danny Hart winning the men's crown. |
32,320,466 | He delivered the message at the launch of his party's Scottish manifesto.
Alongside Scottish leader Ruth Davidson, Mr Cameron said that together the Labour Party and the Scottish nationalists posed a threat to the UK.
The manifesto was published as the Scottish Lib Dems, the SNP and Scottish Labour continued spreading their campaign messages on the doorsteps.
In front of party activists, Mr Cameron said: "We've got Labour and the SNP on opposite sides - slugging it out - but if you take a step back they're really on the same side.
"You have a weak Labour Party, who want more spending, more borrowing, more debt and more taxes.
"And the people who will prop them up, the SNP - who want even more spending, more borrowing, more debt and more taxes.
"Together, they pose a clear threat to the future of our United Kingdom. A coalition of chaos."
He added that the result would be job losses, massive tax rises and an economy "back on the brink of bankruptcy".
By Brian Taylor, BBC Scotland political editor
David Cameron has repeatedly - and I mean repeatedly - argued that Labour and the SNP are mutually interchangeable; that they favour broadly the same economic approach (a flawed one, according to the PM); and that they would form a pact in the Commons, by dint of enforced arithmetic.
Why make this point so frequently? I discern a dual purpose. In Scotland, the calculation is that folk of a Unionist inclination - whether Tories or not - will respond to the Tories' claim that such a deal would advance the prospect of a second independence referendum. And will vote accordingly.
South of the Border, the calculation is that the good and sensible people of England - or, more precisely, those of a Tory leaning - may be exercised by the prospect that Alex Salmond (and they always cite Mr Salmond, deliberately, as the bogey-man) will have influence over the governance of the UK.
It is, therefore, entirely a negative campaigning tactic. But then who said politics was purely about the positive?
Read more from Brian.....
Although Mr Cameron highlighted the prospect of a Labour/SNP coalition, the Labour Party's Ed Miliband has officially ruled out such a move.
However, he has not discounted another type of arrangement, including a possible vote-by-vote deal.
Voters in Scotland join the rest of the UK by going to the polls on 7 May to choose their next MP.
The Conservatives are defending one seat north of the border with polls suggesting the SNP would win the majority of Scotland's 59 Westminster seats.
Nationwide, polling has indicated that no one party will have a clear majority of constituencies, leading to speculation there will be a hung parliament.
At the Emirates Stadium manifesto launch, Mr Cameron also pledged more powers for the Scottish Parliament, but he also defended plans to give MPs from England a veto on English taxation, once Scottish income tax rates and bands are devolved.
Other key priorities in the Scottish Tory manifesto included;
Following Mr Cameron's address, Ms Davidson told the Glasgow gathering that Labour's Mr Miliband, his shadow chancellor Ed Balls and the party's Scottish leader Jim Murphy had turned down "chance after chance after chance" to rule out working with the SNP.
Main pledges
Policy guide: Where the parties stand
She added that the Scottish nationalists would have a "price list and a check list and a shopping list" for supporting Labour in government.
Ms Davidson said; "We know what it is, we know that is reducing our defences, increasing the deficit, increasing borrowing.
"But don't think that snuck in at the end of that shopping list, there won't be more things to bring us closer to the independence we all just voted against.
"That's why we need to point out to the voters of this country that that dodgy deal is being done by the Labour Party and shame on them for doing it."
As SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon prepares for the BBC's election debate later, the party's John Swinney was on the campaign trail.
During a visit to Leith to promote the SNP's jobs plan, he said the Scottish Tory manifesto was "irrelevant".
He told the BBC: "They [Conservative Party] want to cut Scottish MPs out of decision making at Westminster, when issues decided at Westminster are still affecting the people of Scotland.
"And they are pursuing an austerity agenda which is hugely damaging to the people of our country and Scots are facing real hardship as a consequence of austerity. We need a strong group of SNP MPs elected on 7 May to bring that austerity to an end."
However, Mr Murphy said Mr Cameron was "desperate" for the SNP to beat Labour so that his party would have a chance of clinging on to power.
Speaking from the Scottish Gas training academy where he was visiting apprenticeships, Mr Murphy explained: "In every election, going way back to 1924, the biggest party has gone on to form the government.
"So David Cameron is desperate for the SNP to beat Labour and he's talking up the SNP in the hope that Scots go out and vote for them, to reduce the size of the Labour party in parliament so that he can cling on to power."
Scottish Liberal Democrat, Sir Malcolm Bruce, said the best option for voters was to stick with his party.
He added that the Lib Dems were determined to retain the 11 Scottish constituencies they won at the 2010 General Election. | Tory leader David Cameron has urged the electorate in Scotland not to vote for the Labour/SNP "coalition of chaos". |
35,643,487 | The 24-year-old winger, whose current deal ends at the end of 2016, has turned down a four-year contract offer.
"He should be a regular fixture in the starting line-up every single week," Bonner told BBC Scotland.
Media playback is not supported on this device
"I would love him to stay at Celtic because there is no better place if you are playing really well."
Forrest came through the youth ranks at Celtic, making his debut in 2010.
The Scotland midfielder has scored twice in 32 appearances this season.
Norwich and Queens Park Rangers are interested in the player but Bonner, who made over 640 Celtic appearances, thinks Forrest should remain where he is and prove himself.
"James is a wonderful talent," said the former Republic of Ireland keeper, who spent his entire club career at Celtic Park. "He has great ability on the ball.
"The problem with James is inconsistency. He's had his injuries, but for me it looks like a mental thing.
"As soon as you walk on to the pitch you've got to make things happen, especially if you're playing at home for Celtic, especially if you're playing out on the wing - because some great players have played in that position over the years.
"There are times when I'm surprised he's not in the team and there are times when he is that I'm surprised he's not effective enough.
"When he is effective, there's nobody better at getting the fans up out of their seats.
"But it's up to him, no one can do it for him."
Forrest has made 13 Scotland appearances, starting on seven occasions.
"He is still a young man and he also has an international career to think about," added Bonner, who won 80 caps.
"The only way you're going to progress yourself for Scotland is to be playing every week and being successful and he can do that with Celtic.
"Sometimes, going away for more money might not be the right decision.
"Maybe he feels a wee bit stagnated and thinks he needs a change of scenery just to kick on. That can happen, of course." | James Forrest has been urged to stick with Celtic and "become a main player" at the Scottish champions by the club's former goalkeeper Pat Bonner. |
30,601,903 | Mobein Ali, 20, of Cromwell Avenue, Whalley Range, has been remanded in custody and is due in court on Friday.
He was detained after a 37-year-old woman and man, aged 45, were hit by a car in Hulme on Tuesday night.
Three other people detained in connection with the case are on police bail.
Greater Manchester Police said the woman was declared dead at the scene of the crash, in Princess Road at the junction of Greenheys Lane, and the man died later in hospital.
Mr Ali is due to appear at Manchester City Magistrates' Court on Friday.
A man, aged 59 and two women aged 19 and 47, who were arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, were earlier released on bail. | A man has been accused of causing death by dangerous driving after two road crash victims died in Manchester. |
32,485,823 | The music, fine cigars, rum and pristine beaches have enticed visitors to the island since before the Cuban Revolution.
Add the 1950s cars gliding through the streets of one of the last communist strongholds in the world, Cuba boasts something unique in the international tourism market: that intangible stamp of "authenticity" which so many visitors demand.
Today, even though the diplomatic ice between the United States and Cuba is melting fast, Washington's decades-old travel ban on US citizens visiting the communist island is still officially in place.
But in the minds of many US tourists, the ban is no longer worth the paper it is written on.
"I really don't care whether I'm breaking the law in their eyes", says David, a musician from Illinois who is on his second trip to Cuba in 10 years without the right paperwork.
"I thought it was a ridiculous and arbitrary rule in the first place."
Every day, more Americans feel equally emboldened to visit the once-forbidden island, particularly after seeing their president sit down with Raul Castro for historic talks at a regional summit in Panama.
To them, it seems unfair, even illogical, to ban travel to a country you are on increasingly friendly terms with.
Traditionally, US citizens who travel to Cuba illegally do so via Mexico, Canada or the Bahamas.
But since December, travel visas for Americans have been more readily available in 12 key categories, from cultural and religious exchanges to sporting events.
Furthermore, many US visitors have simply lost their fear of being fined by the US government if they travel to Cuba without prior approval.
Charter flights to Havana from New Orleans and New York have begun and companies like MasterCard and AirBnB have announced plans to operate on the island.
The result is an unprecedented rise in demand for flights and accommodation.
One New York tour operator told the Associated Press recently that its bookings to Cuba had jumped by almost 250% in March alone.
It is a trend echoed by travel agent Mayra Crespo of the California-based Marimar Tours.
"The best word is hope", she says as she accompanies a group of American classic car enthusiasts to the island.
"I've never seen such excitement. They're waiting for us, they want us here, and my job is to be the bridge."
As a Cuban-American who left the country as a child, Ms Crespo says people like her are uniquely placed to take advantage of the expansion in Cuban tourism.
"My generation doesn't have the same anger [towards the Castro government] as our parents did. I want to be able to help Cuba, to be part of the solution."
Of course, the key question at this stage is whether the country's ageing tourist infrastructure can cope with such a sharp spike in visitors.
Not only is the number of American visitors likely to go up this year from 600,000 a year to around one million, but the number of non-US tourists could also double over the same period.
There is a palpable sense of urgency among some European and Canadian tourists to try and experience Cuba "before the Americans arrive".
The Cuban government says it has prepared for the boom with an airport expansion plan and new luxury hotels under construction in both Havana and popular beach resorts like Varadero.
"We all have to get ready, little by little", says Alfredo Lachos, the general manager of the luxury Iberostar Parque Central Hotel in Old Havana.
"Our brand has been working for years to prepare for an expansion like this. I think we're ready."
But it is already getting difficult to find available rooms in the hotels or reserve tables at popular restaurants - particularly during high season.
"There's no room at the inn", jokes Lucy Davies, a British tour operator with Cubania travel, which specialises in cycling holidays.
"If you don't have your hotel rooms booked in advance, you may have to make do with something else."
If the state-run hotels cannot cope with the boom, there are plenty of people willing to step into the breach.
Thousands of private homes offering bed and breakfast - known as casas particulares - have cropped up since Raul Castro began to relax the rules on private enterprises a few years ago.
As AirBnB also enters the Cuban market, that may help alleviate the potential demand.
But the website assumes one key thing - that the homeowner has access to the Internet - which, in Cuba, is not always the case.
For decades, Cuba has been a country of movement and migration.
Now it seems the tide of people leaving the island may be replaced by waves of tourists visiting it instead. | It is not hard to see why Cuba is so popular with tourists. |
32,049,006 | The £400,000 compartment fire simulator is part of an expanded partnership between the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd.
Similar facilities will be installed in airports in Inverness, Stornoway and Kirkwall over the next two years.
Bosses said the scheme would improve access to training across the country.
SFRS Chief Officer Alasdair Hay welcomed the expansion of the partnership with HIAL.
He said: "Our primary aim is to ensure all employees have the skills and knowledge required to perform their role competently, with the focus of increasing firefighter safety and reducing risk to our local communities.
"Improving the quality, efficiency and infrastructure of training provision and commercial opportunities through this partnership enables us to ensure that effective training is provided to all employees in a consistent, professional standard and quality - irrespective of geographical location."
David Hackett, airport fire service operations manager for HIAL, added: "As one of the largest airport fire groups in the UK, our professional firefighters train for a wide variety of potential scenarios, which are quite distinct from the challenges faced by SFRS firefighters.
"We therefore welcome the opportunity to work with the team at SFRS and share best practice. It will be a valuable learning experience for both partners, and we look forward to expanding this partnership approach at other HIAL airports." | The first of a number of new fire service training facilities has been unveiled at Dundee Airport. |
16,943,651 | Media playback is not supported on this device
The deduction puts the Championship club just above the relegation zone.
Portsmouth had been issued with a winding-up petition by HM Revenue and Customs on 3 January, freezing the club's bank accounts.
The administrator will be Trevor Birch of PKF, a firm with a track record of dealing with clubs in administration.
Portsmouth had asked the court to appoint Andrew Andronikou, who oversaw the club's last administration two years ago, and is currently handling the same process with Pompey's parent company.
The administration order enables Portsmouth to access their bank accounts and continue trading while Birch, who was proposed as administrator by HMRC, searches for new owners.
In a statement, HMRC said it had been concerned about a possible conflict of interest had Andonikou been appointed.
The statement continued: "HMRC is pleased that the Court agreed with our view that the creditors of any business have a right to expect that the administrator in these circumstances is completely independent."
Mr Birch said he hoped the club's supporters would also be happy to see a new face in charge.
"The intention is to try and sell the club as a going concern," he said.
"I'm used to dealing with clubs in crisis. You could say most of the Championship is in crisis, with 30% of clubs paying wages in excess of 100% of their turnover.
"You have to travel hopefully and confidently. Maybe the new appointment will encourage someone to come out of the woodwork and bid [for the club]."
During the hearing at the High Court, it was revealed that Portsmouth currently owe around £2m to business creditors, as well as a similar sum to the Inland Revenue in unpaid tax.
By going into administration other opportunities will come up for investors, who would have been reluctant to buy the club with a winding-up order hanging over it
Among those creditors are fellow football clubs West Bromwich Albion, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Bristol City, as well as the Football League itself. Portsmouth City Council is owed £78,000.
It also emerged electricity and gas suppliers have been threatening to cut off power to the club's Fratton Park stadium for non-payment.
And, although Pompey are set to be docked 10 points for going into administation, they could lose further points at the discretion of the Football League as a result of it happening for the second time in such a short period of time.
Remarkably, this is the third time Portsmouth have gone into administration in recent years. The club also went into administration in December 1998, prior to being taken over by the Serbian businessman Milan Mandaric.
Pompey then became the first Premier League side to enter administration in February 2010, following which they were relegated to the Championship.
Going into administration for a second time in such a short period was "disappointing" but the only way the club could go forward, according to Portsmouth North MP Penny Mordaunt.
"By going into administration other opportunities will come up for investors, who would have been reluctant to buy the club with a winding-up order hanging over it," she said.
Earlier this week it emerged Portsmouth had received their parachute payment from the Premier League early, however, chief executive David Lampitt told BBC Radio Solent it would be up to the administrator how money in Pompey's bank account - understood to be around £2.5m - is spent.
Pompey's parent company, Convers Sports Initiatives, entered administration in November, forcing the Championship club to search for new owners.
CSI administrator Andronikou then revealed that Pompey had missed two tax payments of £800,000 to HMRC.
It later emerged they currently owe HMRC £1.9m in unpaid tax as well as between £4m to £7m from the previous regime.
The club announced in January that their players and staff had not been paid their wages for that month, as a result of having their bank account frozen.
They later failed to gain a validation order to gain access to their accounts, leaving players and staff at Fratton Park still waiting to be paid.
Former owner Balram Chainrai last week said he was flying to the UK to sort out the stricken club's future.
The Hong Kong-based businessman, who owned the club with Israeli Levi Kushnir through a company called Portpin, is still owed £17m.
BBC South understands that any new purchaser would need to provide £12m as proof of funds, and assurances they could meet another £20m in repayments to former creditors, Chainrai and Alexandre Gaydamak.
However, the Portsmouth Supporters' Trust have claimed that Andronikou is asking them to provide £100m in proof of funds before any meeting between them could take place.
In a statement issued after the Administration order was confirmed, the PST said it believed the time had come for the club to be owned by the 'city and community'.
"A new model of ownership should be developed which will make sure the shameful events of the past few years are not repeated. Pompey fans never want to see their club in court in these circumstances again." | Portsmouth Football Club have been penalised 10 points after entering administration for the second time in three seasons. |
38,693,189 | Media playback is not supported on this device
Costa, 28, was left out of last week's win at Leicester after a disagreement with a fitness coach, amid widespread reports of interest from Chinese clubs.
Chelsea said his omission was due to a back injury, and that training alone for two days was part of his recovery.
"He is very happy to play with us. I don't see any problem," said Conte.
"I heard a lot of speculation about Diego, but now the most important thing is he trained with us this week, he does not have any pain in his back and can play.
"He is an important player for us and we all know this. When he stays in good form he has always played with me."
In the days leading up to Chelsea's 3-0 win at Leicester, Costa was linked with a move to China worth a reported £30m a year.
The owner of Chinese Super League club Tianjin Quanjian said he would like to sign Costa, but new rules limiting the use of foreign players had forced a rethink.
BBC Sport understands Chelsea do not wish to sell Costa and the Blues' top scorer this season is under contract until June 2019.
Conte did not confirm if Costa - who has played 99 times for the club - would start against Hull.
But he said the Spain international reaching 100 appearances would be a "fantastic" achievement.
Asked if he would like Costa to sign a new contract, Conte added: "Now is better to be focused on the present, not the future."
Chelsea are seven points clear at the top of the Premier League before Sunday's visit of 18th-placed Hull.
Meanwhile, Conte said the club are "evaluating" an offer for goalkeeper Asmir Begovic.
He added the 29-year-old Bosnia international, who has been linked with a move to Bournemouth, is a "very important member of the squad". | Striker Diego Costa wants to stay at Chelsea and will be available for Sunday's Premier League game against Hull City, says manager Antonio Conte. |
15,721,075 | In a country where killings in the name of honour are not uncommon and canoodling couples are beaten up on Valentine's Day, Mr Kumar has set himself up as a defender of love.
He launched the party on Valentine's Day in 2008, embarking on a journey that has taken him from being a lone crusader and an object of ridicule in the community to the leader of a political party with more than 100,000 registered members.
Sitting on a wooden bench inside his one-room office in the Chennai (Madras) suburb of Kodambakkam, Mr Kumar, 34, talks with animation about his cause.
A computer covered with a transparent plastic sheet sits on a table, under which folders labelled with his party's name are stacked neatly.
Mr Kumar's face is framed by a faded wall calendar carrying a sepia image of Mahatma Gandhi. To one side, atop a television set, a yellow, heart-shaped clock provides a suitable backdrop for Mr Kumar's long discourse on the politics of love.
Mr Kumar says it was the problems he faced during his own days as a "lover", as well as the situation experienced by many couples who had fallen in love but found it difficult to get married in the face of parental opposition, that prompted him to launch a political party to support the cause.
Since then Mr Kumar has supported, with his presence and his money, more than 15 weddings among "lover couples".
In other cases, he counsels, mediates and does everything possible to ensure a happy ending for the pairs, ie marriage.
After all, that is the stated agenda of his political party. Its mission statement, spelled out on its website, says: "Its objective is to heal the wounds inflicted in the hearts of lovers by society."
While this may not exactly be very specific, Mr Kumar is very particular about who he helps.
First, he checks the basic details (age, address and willingness) of the prospective bride and groom and, if possible, has a conversation with the parents.
"I do not support anything wrong like extramarital affairs," he says.
In cases where there are serious threats against the couple, he sends the material on to the Police Commissioner's office, where he is well known.
"In Tamil Nadu, the police are friends of true lovers," he says with a dramatic flourish, a statement that couples routinely harassed by officers on the sands of Marina Beach would contest.
Mr Kumar's own story sounds like something out of an Indian movie, beginning with his bus journey at the age of 16 to Chennai after a fight with his parents in his village in Andhra Pradesh.
Mr Kumar came to Kodambakkam with the dream of becoming a film star, finally ending up as a make-up artist after a prolonged struggle.
And somewhere in those years, he added the extra syllables Sri Sri to his name ("numerology for luck") and also met, fell in love and married his wife and primary supporter Mangala Devi.
When Mr Kumar launched the ILP, he had 5,000 rupees ($100) in his pocket and three assistants whose job was to stick posters around the city - "not supporters but helpers who worked for money".
But he says the three-and-a-half-year journey has been carefully planned.
"I am slowly laying the basement now and soon I will build on it," he says with a smile.
For Mr Kumar, getting lovers married is not the sole goal, though at present it is his primary aim.
He clearly sees this cause as one that is attractive to youth, and that is where the votes lie.
In the recent state assembly elections, he stood from the Chennai suburb of T Nagar and won more than 3,000 votes.
He says he has already been getting feelers from various political parties within the state.
Not everyone is convinced though. Publisher at New Horizon Media and Chennai political blogger and commentator Badri Seshadri dismisses him as a "crank", calling the idea of the party a publicity stunt.
He says: "Every party has - and needs to have - a clear political goal, but the Indian Lovers Party does not seem to have any political goal.
"'Lovers' do not belong to a political class and as such, they do not require a political party."
For his part, Mr Kumar is eagerly looking forward to the day when he gets to pick the election symbol of his choice - once his political party is registered and recognised at the national level.
For now, he is content with the symbol given to him: a cup of ice-cream.
And he points with pride to the party flag that he has designed with great thought and love; a Taj Mahal (his ultimate symbol of love), enclosed by a white heart (the white, he says representing Christians) outlined with three colours - pink (for love), orange (for Hindu) and green (for Muslim). Not to forget the yellow arrow that pierces through the heart. | "In the next 10 years, the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party are going to have a new rival to contend with... my Indian Lovers Party," says Kumar Sri Sri. |
38,220,861 | Ministers have published guidelines for such staff, including people on zero-hours contracts.
The Welsh Government has pledged to ensure zero-hours contracts are not misused in devolved public services.
Plaid Cymru has criticised ministers for not banning them in social care.
Staff on such contracts can request a review "with a view to changing their contractual arrangement" if they have been working regular hours - for example four hours a week for three months.
The guidelines say devolved public services should regularly review whether non-guaranteed hours are appropriate.
Employers are also told they should involve trade unions as part of a "'Welsh Way' of social partnership". | Public sector staff on contracts without guaranteed hours will be entitled to reviews if they work regular shifts, under proposals from the Welsh Government. |
38,452,985 | They said the move had cross-party support in the senate.
President-elect Donald Trump has rejected claims of Russian interference.
Outgoing President Barack Obama is expected to announce retaliatory measures as early as Thursday.
These could include economic sanctions and changes to diplomatic relationships.
Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova responded in a statement: "If Washington really does take new hostile steps, they will be answered.
"Any action against Russian diplomatic missions in the US will immediately bounce back on US diplomats in Russia."
Earlier this month, CIA officials told US media they had "high confidence" that Russian hackers had attempted to sway the US election in Mr Trump's favour.
The Trump team responded to those reports by saying "these are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction".
Republicans John McCain and Lindsey Graham, and Democrat Amy Klobuchar, voiced their support for sanctions on Wednesday while visiting the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which are Nato members close to Russia's western edge.
Mr Graham told CNN the proposed sanctions would "hit Russia hard, particularly (President) Putin as an individual.
"I would say that 99 of us (senators) believe the Russians did this and we're going to do something about it."
He told reporters: "Russia is trying to break the back of democracies all around the world. It is now time for Russia to understand - enough is enough."
The EU is still sanctioning Russia over its 2014 annexation of the Crimea peninsula. The sanctions, which target Russian arms exporters, banks and individuals blamed for the pro-Russian insurgency in Ukraine, have taken a heavy economic toll on Russia to date. | Three prominent US senators have warned that Russia and its president may face sanctions over the country's alleged interference in last month's presidential election. |
40,723,993 | They are concerned that the government has become less committed to the idea of a Northern Powerhouse after David Cameron and George Osborne departed.
The cities are Liverpool, Newcastle, Sheffield, Manchester and Leeds.
Minister Jake Berry said the mayors were "scaremongering" as billions were being spent across the region.
The mayors and council leaders said statements from Transport Secretary Chris Grayling in particular had caused them "confusion and concern".
BBC political correspondent Iain Watson says the flashpoint appears to have been the possibility that not all of the TransPennine rail route will now be electrified.
This has been seen previously as a symbol of the government's commitment to the Northern Powerhouse.
The local government leaders are hoping their summit will put pressure on ministers to re-commit to the project before Parliament resumes in September.
A Department for Transport spokesman said more than £1bn would be spent on improving the rail infrastructure over the next five years, and a decision would be taken next year on how to improve journey times and increase capacity on the TransPennine route.
He added that northern English cities would also benefit from the investment in the HS2 high-speed rail link.
The summit comes after ministers announced their backing for Crossrail 2 - a proposed north-south rail route across London - but said the Manchester to Newcastle rail link may not be fully electrified despite promises from the previous government.
Mr Grayling and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan are said to be in agreement that there is "no doubt London needs new infrastructure to support its growth and ensure it continues as the UK's economic powerhouse".
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said there would be "widespread anger" at the decision to support Crossrail 2.
Shadow cabinet minister Angela Rayner said: "This is a real kick in the teeth again, showing that the Conservatives don't care about us in the north.
"If we're really going to be a powerhouse across the north then they've got to give us that infrastructure.
"If you look at how much money is spent in London on infrastructure compared to how much money is spent in the North West on infrastructure, there's thousands of pounds per head difference."
But Mr Berry, a Northern Powerhouse minister in the communities department, said it was "simply untrue" to suggest the government's commitment to upgrading transport infrastructure in the north and generating investment was waning.
"The Northern Powerhouse is a long term government priority, and we have already agreed ground-breaking devolution deals with several of our great Northern cities," he said.
"The Combined Authority Mayors in the North are symbols of the Northern Powerhouse and we want to work with them to deliver our vision.
"I would expect all of the Mayors to make the most of government investment through devolution and join with us to deliver the next phase of Northern Powerhouse, rather than take part in unnecessary scaremongering." | Mayors and council leaders from five cities in northern England will hold a summit with business leaders next month to press ministers for more investment. |
33,702,738 | Garba Shehu told the BBC this was there was now trust between those contributing troops since the election of President Muhammadu Buhari in May.
He was speaking ahead of the Nigerian leader's visit to Cameroon.
A boosted force with 8,700 troops from Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria is to become fully operational next month.
Relations between Nigeria and Cameroon have been fraught for years because of territorial disputes, in particular over the Bakassi peninsula.
The oil-rich region was eventually awarded to Cameroon by an international court.
BBC Nigeria analyst Naziru Mikailu says Mr Buhari is trying to smooth over these diplomatic tensions as he meets President Paul Biya as both nations now face a new enemy threatening their territorial integrity.
On Tuesday, Cameroon announced it would deploy an extra 2,000 troops along its northern border with Nigeria to fight Boko Haram.
It follows an upsurge in suicide attacks in northern Cameroon blamed on the Nigerian militants.
With the help of troops from Chad and Niger, earlier this year the Nigerian army managed to retake most of the areas taken over by the militants in north-eastern Nigeria.
Although the militants have lost their strongholds, they are still active and there has been an upsurge in suicide attacks since Mr Buhari took office.
"Boko Haram is in disarray and it is doubtful they have any central command," Mr Shehu told the BBC's Newsday programme.
President Buhari has made the multinational force central to his government's strategy in tackling the insurgency.
The force of soldiers, police and civilian personnel will be based in Chad's capital, N'Djamena, which has also been affected by the violence.
"All the countries agreed this operation will not recognise international boundaries - wherever terrorists are they will be chased to these locations and they will be fought until they are finished," Mr Shehu said.
At least 17,000 people have been killed since Boko Haram launched its insurgency in northern Nigeria 2009, according to Amnesty International.
Will new military base help defeat Boko Haram?
Why Boko Haram remains a threat | Multinational troops fighting Boko Haram in West Africa will be able to pursue the militants across borders, Nigeria's presidential spokesman says. |
40,497,162 | One group that poses as children and waits for predators to make contact said it had more than 100 potential cases on its books.
The Home Office and police said it was inappropriate for the public to conduct undercover work.
Authorities urged anyone with information to instead pass it to them.
Gwent police and crime commissioner, Jeff Cuthbert, told BBC Wales' Week In Week Out programme he understood the "frustration" of the public.
"I understand in this and many other aspects of crime or anti-social behaviour that there is often an impatience and I can understand that when people want to get on with things.
"What we don't know of course is how many potential perpetrators have got away with it because it's not been done properly or walked away because it's not stood up in court, so it's a question of balance.
"The message is lets work together."
Mr Cuthbert said he was prepared to raise the issue with other senior police figures.
"Of course there are training implications, it would have to be done in a planned way - the right way - but I think in terms of the principle, it's the right way forward."
Since December 2016, seven predators in the Gwent Police area have been convicted with the help of the groups.
Jason Benger, 48, Ivor Gifford, 92, Ian Rothery, 53, Alan Mullen, 67, Carl O'Hehir 27, Jamie Nicholas 22, and Christopher Lane, 24, all sent explicit messages to what they thought were underage girls.
Bernard Merrells, 52, of Clydach, Swansea, was also convicted, with other cases involving hunter groups still pending.
One group, Petronus, is made up of parents who speak to potential offenders using apps.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, one mother said she started hunting because she was groomed as a 15-year-old.
She said if it could help save at least one child's, it was "a good thing".
Another member, a former police officer and survivor of child sexual abuse, said his aim was to "make it much much harder for these men to feel comfortable on the internet".
He added: "Prior to the internet, if you were the sort of man who'd target children you'd probably have to get yourself out there out of your house where you could meet children face to face - that put you at risk of exposure, but the internet has done away with that.
"It's a double life I think for a lot of these men, it's part of the thrill... but it's highly illegal and it's targeting vulnerable children."
The group does not criticise police - it said they have been efficient in dealing with the cases passed to them - but members also claim officers do not have the resources to do such regular, intense, undercover work.
Police said they would always respond to allegations and wanted undercover investigations left to them. 　
Different hunter groups use different tactics, with some filming "stings" and broadcasting live on social media.
When 24-year-old Christopher Lane was confronted at his home near Blackwood, Caerphilly county, his family was caught on camera.
The video was viewed more than 10,000 times. His parents have said the house had since been targeted.
His disabled mother who has cancer and his father said they were too scared to stay in their home of 26 years and have been moved to a secret location.
Assistant Chief Constable Jonathan Drake, lead officer for Operation Netsafe which tackles online child exploitation, said it had "invested significantly".
"We work with law enforcement agencies globally, we work with the National Crime Agency and use cutting edge technology," he said.
"We'll continue to do that until we're sure children are safe online."
In Operation Netsafe's first nine months, 179 people were arrested for offences including indecent images and grooming, with 125 children protected from harm.
The former head of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Agency, Jim Gamble, described the problem as a "tsunami" which he said was "almost overwhelming" for his former colleagues.
"I doubt there are more than 30 officers across the UK who are actually online at this very moment masquerading undercover to engage that lower hanging fruit which is out there.
"They simply haven't got the resources to meet this head on or to even create an active and meaningful deterrent.
"They have to be extremely unlucky to be caught in some instances so we do need to turn the tables."
Mr Gamble called for 1,500 volunteers to be recruited, which he estimated would cost less than £2m a year.
"I'd like to see the government engage in a sensible conversation about how we can empower and educate ordinary citizens across the UK by giving them the opportunity to sign up to a special digital detectives programme."
The National Police Chiefs' Council said there were more than 30 officers involved, but would not say how many more.
The Home Office declined to comment on Mr Gamble's suggestion, but said it had given the National Crime Agency an extra £30m between 2015 and 2020 to tackle child sexual exploitation online.
"The issues of child protection understandably matters greatly to people, but they should allow the police and law enforcement agencies to do their vital work by not taking the law into their own hands," it said. | There are calls for so-called "paedophile hunters" to be given a greater role in the fight against online child sexual exploitation. |
41,105,659 | The 26-year-old has been the subject of three bids from Italian club Roma since expressing his desire to leave the 2015-16 Premier League champions.
The FAF said he had been given permission to miss training to agree a deal before the transfer deadline.
Barcelona, Manchester United and Chelsea are also said to be interested.
But Arsenal are not in contention to sign the winger.
Roma's third bid was reported to be £32m and the club have said they are now looking at other options.
A statement from the FAF said Mahrez "was authorised by the national coach Lucas Alcaraz and the Algerian Football Federation to make an express trip to Europe to formalise on Thursday his transfer to his new club. The national team will fly without him on Thursday morning to Lusaka to face Zambia on Saturday."
Mahrez was named the PFA Player of the Year after playing a key part in Leicester's title-winning season.
He has featured in all three of the Foxes' Premier League fixtures so far this term. | Riyad Mahrez has been allowed to leave the Algeria squad to "formalise" his move from Leicester City, according to the Algerian Football Federation (FAF). |
38,909,472 | Neil Parsons needed 167 stitches after he was attacked at a lobster festival at Hardwick Hall, Sedgefield, County Durham, in April 2012.
Teesside Crown Court heard John Mullen, 50, from Manchester, missed Mr Parsons' carotid artery by millimetres.
Mullen admitted wounding with intent and was jailed for seven-and-a-half years.
The court was told Mr Parsons runs a portable toilet business and was working at the event with his son, who witnessed the attack.
After the stabbing, Mullen, from Kearsley Road, Manchester, fled the country, flying to Abu Dhabi and then Bangkok.
He was eventually arrested in February last year when he arrived in Sofia, Bulgaria.
The hearing was told that during the event, Mr Parsons stepped in after a man was headbutted in the hotel reception and up to 20 people became involved in a scuffle which caused terrified hotel staff to lock themselves in an office for safety.
Mr Parsons suffered a 5cm (2in) V-shaped laceration in his neck and four glass fragments were stuck in the wound.
In 2014 three men were sentenced for their part in the fighting. | A man who stabbed a businessman with a champagne flute, causing him to lose six pints of blood, has been jailed. |
40,910,463 | Forsyth featured as Scotland beat Russia 4-3 in Friday's Championship II semi-final to secure a place in the 2019 EuroHockey Nations Championship.
It is the first time Scotland's men have achieved that feat since 2005.
"It's amazing - there's no-one in our current team that's played in the A division top tier hockey," Forsyth told BBC Scotland.
"We got a bit of a taste of it at World League in June when we got to play against teams that are in the top 10 in the world.
"We're currently 23rd but we've proved we can compete with these teams.
"This is just an incredible milestone for Scottish hockey."
Forsyth's brother Alan scored in Scotland's victory over Russia, which the Scots led 4-0 at one stage.
It means the squad can go into Saturday's final against Wales knowing their mission of promotion is already complete.
"We've sometimes complained about funding and felt hard done by, but we've gone out and worked really hard and finally got the results we deserve," added Forsyth.
"With the Commonwealth Games next year and then the European A division in two years' time, it's going to be a really exciting time for the whole squad going forward." | David Forsyth says Scotland's promotion to hockey's top tier is an "incredible milestone" for the country. |
37,728,802 | Madeley won acclaim for her role as a disabled mum in BBC Three drama Don't Take My Baby.
Kirby played Kunta Kinte in the History Channel's $50m remake of slavery mini-series Roots.
This year's crop of Bafta Breakthrough Brits were unveiled at Burberry in London on Tuesday.
A jury of industry experts including Gone Girl actress Rosamund Pike and Suffragette director Sarah Gavron selected this year's list from the worlds of film, television and gaming.
Madeley, who was nominated for best actress at this year's Bafta TV awards for her debut lead role in Jack Thorne's Don't Take My Baby, said: "I still feel I'm starting out. I think this will be a massive help to my development."
The actress, who can currently be seen in ITV crime drama The Level, is working on a documentary and hopes to move into comedy.
"It would be nice to do something quite light hearted," she told the BBC. "So it's not always about social services trying to take my baby away."
Kirby, who also appears in the current season of Black Mirror on Netflix, said he was looking forward to working with a mentor to help with the next stage of his career.
"Roots was one of many moments in my career," he told the BBC, "but it felt like I'd progressed because it was on an international scale."
Others on the 18-strong list include Oxford actress Florence Pugh, whose films include The Falling and Lady Macbeth, and actor and writer Kayode Ewumi, who created YouTube comedy #HoodDocumentary.
"I finished uni in June and I'm sitting here now. It doesn't make sense, does it?" Ewumi said.
Tom Davis, another honouree, is best known for his surreal BBC Three comedy series Murder in Successville, in which he plays DI Sleet, and also for his work with Keith Lemon.
"I wasn't expecting to get that call," he admitted. "I'm one of the older people here so it feels a little bit like Rocky. I've had a couple of fights before - but this is a world title one!"
Among the guests at Tuesday night's reception, hosted by BBC Radio 1 presenter Greg James, were actors Rosamund Pike, Jennifer Saunders, Joanne Froggatt and Will Poulter.
BAFTA BREAKTHROUGH BRITS 2016
Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram, or if you have a story suggestion email [email protected]. | Bafta-nominated actress Ruth Madeley and Roots actor Malachi Kirby are among the names on Bafta's 2016 list of brightest future talent. |
38,621,421 | Evans, 26, led 4-2 in the first-set tie-break but eventually lost 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 against Luxembourg's Gilles Muller.
However, he is already guaranteed to climb to a new career-high ranking just outside the top 50.
Murray and Brazilian Soares were beaten 6-3 7-5 by Dutch duo Wesley Koolhof and Matwe Middelkoop.
World number 34 Muller was the highest-ranked player on the tour to have never won a singles title, and the 33-year-old was visibly emotional after beating Evans and ending his 16-year wait for a trophy.
"It just means so much to win for the first time in front of my boys and my wife," he said. "It's been a great ride so far. What a night."
Elsewhere, American world number 23 Jack Sock won the Auckland Classic with a 6-3 5-7 6-3 victory over Portugal's Joao Sousa.
Sock's success comes after he was forced to retire because of illness in last year's final against Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut.
Belgian qualifier Elise Mertens beat Romanian third seed Monica Niculescu to win the Hobart International for her first WTA title.
The 21-year-old, ranked 127 in the world, lost nine of her first 10 points before taking control to beat world number 40 Niculescu 6-3 6-1.
The first Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open in Melbourne, begins on Monday. | Dan Evans lost in his first ATP Tour final, while fellow Briton Jamie Murray and partner Bruno Soares were beaten in the doubles in Sydney. |
40,491,372 | The 29-year-old midfielder, who helped Sevilla win three successive Europa League titles after joining them in 2013, has signed a four-year deal.
The Spanish side announced a deal had been agreed earlier this week.
Iborra played against Leicester in both legs of the Champions League tie last season when the Foxes knocked out the La Liga side in last 16.
He has made 172 appearances for Sevilla, scoring 30 goals, since joining them from Levante.
Spanish media have said the fee is in the region of 12 million euros (£10.5m).
"I'm starting to hit a certain age, trains pass and it was the moment to take it," Iborra told Sevilla's website.
"Destiny is fickle, but it's a project that I find very attractive."
The defensive midfielder has been allowed to leave after the club re-signed Ever Banega from Inter Milan.
"Iborra has shown exemplary behaviour in his time at the club and has won the unanimous respect and love of all Sevilla fans," Sevilla said in a statement.
"His achievements with the club are colossal but he will also be remembered for his leadership on and off the pitch, and for the dignity with which he wore the captain's armband."
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | Leicester have signed Sevilla captain Vicente Iborra for an undisclosed fee, believed to be £10.5m. |
35,695,420 | Any club can still sign unattached players if they left their old clubs before the January deadline. Clubs can buy players again on a permanent basis in the summer.
Keep up to date with all of the confirmed deals in our list below.
You can also catch up with what the papers are saying in today's gossip column, or for manager ins and outs, see our list of current bosses.
Toni Martinez [Valencia - West Ham] Undisclosed*
*Deal to be completed on 1 July
Michael Hefele [Dynamo Dresden - Huddersfield] Free*
*Deal to be completed on 1 July
Jake Kean [Norwich - Swindon] Loan
Jack Storer [Stevenage - Birmingham] Undisclosed*
*Deal to be finalised in May
David Lowe [Kaiserslautern - Huddersfield] Free*
*Deal to be completed on 1 July
Freddie Ladapo [Margate - Crystal Palace] Undisclosed
Franck Moussa [Unattached - Southend]
Luke Pennell [Dunstable - Dagenham & Redbridge] Undisclosed
Charlie Adams [Unattached - Stevenage]
Keith Keane [Cambridge - Stevenage] Loan
Max Clark [Hull - Cambridge] Loan
Tarique Fosu [Reading - Accrington] Loan
Vladimir Gadzhev [Unattached - Coventry]
Kyle Lafferty [Norwich - Birmingham] Loan
Manuel Lanzini [Al Jazira - West Ham] Undisclosed*
Andy Little [Preston - Accrington] Loan
Kevin Long [Burnley - MK Dons] Loan
Remi Matthews [Norwich - Doncaster] Loan
Piotr Malarczyk [Ipswich - Southend] Loan
Connor Oliver [Blackpool - Morecambe] Loan
Louis Pedro [Unattached - Carlisle]
Matthew Pennington [Everton - Walsall] Loan
Liam Shephard [Swansea - Yeovil] Loan
Jack Stacey [Reading - Carlisle] Loan
Ivan Toney [Newcastle - Barnsley] Loan
Tyler Walker [Nottingham Forest - Burton] Loan
*Contract effective from 1 July
Hiram Boateng [Crystal Palace - Plymouth] Loan
Jack Hendry [Wigan - Shrewsbury] Loan
Gary McSheffrey [Scunthorpe - Doncaster] Loan
Jack Rose [West Brom - Crawley] Loan
Jerell Sellars [Aston Villa - Wycombe] Loan
Conor Wilkinson [Bolton - Portsmouth] Loan
Jacob Blyth [Leicester - Blackpool] Loan
Bradley Pritchard [Leyton Orient - Stevenage] Loan
Tom Thorpe [Rotherham - Bradford] Loan
Daniel Udoh [Ilkeston - Crewe] Undisclosed
Jamal Campbell-Ryce [Sheffield United - Chesterfield] Loan
Andrew Crofts [Brighton - Gillingham] Loan
Darren McKnight [Unattached - Morecambe]
Tommy Rowe [Wolves - Doncaster] Loan
Benjamin Siegrist [Aston Villa - Wycombe] Loan
Michael Smith [Sunderland - Carlisle] Loan
Cian Bolger [Southend - Bury] Loan
Nathan Delfouneso [Blackburn - Bury] Loan
Tareiq Holmes-Dennis [Charlton - Oldham] Loan
Jodi Jones [Dagenham & Redbridge - Coventry] Loan
Chris Neal [Port Vale - Bury] Loan
Stefan Scougall [Sheffield United - Fleetwood] Loan
Darius Charles [Burton - AFC Wimbledon] Loan
Liam Feeney [Bolton - Ipswich] Loan
Peter Ramage [Coventry - Leyton Orient] Loan
Glen Rea [Brighton - Luton] Loan
Leandro Rodriguez [Everton - Brentford] Loan
Chris Taylor [Blackburn - Millwall] Loan
Emmanuel Dieseruvwe [Chesterfield - Mansfield] Loan
Vincent Dorel [unattached - Plymouth]
Quade Taylor [Bolton - Dagenham & Redbridge] Loan
Deji Oshilaja [Cardiff - Gillingham] Loan
Greg Luer [Hull - Stevenage] Loan
Scot Bennett [Notts County - York] Loan
Federico Macheda [Cardiff - Nottingham Forest] Loan
Jamille Matt [Fleetwood - Plymouth] Loan
Rhys Murphy [Oldham - AFC Wimbledon] Loan
Peter Odemwingie [Stoke - Bristol City] Loan
Timmy Thiele [Burton - Oldham] Loan
Rajiv van La Parra [Wolves - Huddersfield] Loan*
*Deal to become permanent in June for undisclosed fee
Andrew Boyce [Scunthorpe - Notts County] Loan
David Gregory [Crystal Palace - Leyton Orient] Loan
Jordan Houghton [Chelsea - Plymouth] Loan
Liam McAlinden [Wolves - Crawley] Loan
Tommy O'Sullivan [Cardiff - Newport] Loan
Emmanuel Eboue [Unattached - Sunderland]
Perry Kitchen [Unattached - Hearts]
Lewis Alessandra [Rochdale - York] Loan
Danny Gardner [Chesterfield - Bury] Loan
Chris Konopka [Unattached - Ross County]
Luke Rooney [Crawley - Arizona United] Free
Mark Tyler [Luton - Peterborough] Loan
Adam Matthews [Sunderland - Bristol City] Loan
Oliver McBurnie [Swansea - Bristol Rovers] Loan
Stephen Warnock [Derby - Wigan] Loan
Sean Clare [Sheffield Wednesday - Bury] Loan
Simon Gillett [Yeovil - Peterborough] Loan
Thomas Grant [Unattached - Fleetwood]
Zeli Ismail [Wolves - Cambridge] Loan
Leroy Lita [Unattached - Yeovil]
Jonathan Mitchell [Derby - Luton] Loan
Jake Mulraney [QPR - Stevenage]
Matty Cash [Nottingham Forest - Dagenham & Redbridge] Loan
Jordy Hiwula [Huddersfield - Walsall] Loan
Ryan Liburd [Reading - Wycombe] Loan
Riccardo Calder [Aston Villa - Doncaster] Loan
Callum Connolly [Everton - Barnsley] Loan
Rob Jones [Doncaster - Hartlepool] Free
Liam Smith [Newcastle - Blackpool] Loan
Isak Ssewankambo [Derby - Molde] Undisclosed
Alex Baptiste [Middlesbrough - Sheffield United] Loan
Charles Dunne [Blackpool - Crawley] Loan
Sullay Kaikai [Crystal Palace - Shrewsbury] Loan
James Roberts [Oxford - Barnet] Loan
The page covers signings by Premier League, Championship and Scottish Premiership clubs, along with selected deals from overseas and the Scottish Championship. | The January transfer window closed on 1 February, while the loan transfer window for Football League clubs opened on 9 February and closes on 24 March. |
34,953,765 | Early diagnosis in children can prevent a possibly life-threatening condition, called diabetic ketoacidosis.
DKA happens when a severe lack of insulin leads to the body starting to break down other tissue as an alternative energy source to glucose.
About one in four children diagnosed with type 1 diabetes already have DKA.
Warning signs of type 1 diabetes can include increased thirst, feeling more tired, losing weight and needing to go to the toilet more often.
Jane-Claire Judson, director of Diabetes Scotland, said: "A diagnosis of type 1 diabetes is a lot for any child and their family to take in and respond to.
"It fundamentally changes a child's life and has significant repercussions for the family and how they live their lives.
"What can make this transition even harder is if your child's symptoms are not picked up early and they experience severe diabetic ketoacidosis."
She added: "This is an avoidable situation and one that is traumatic and can have long-lasting impact on the child and the family.
"DKA can lead to coma and brain damage. GPs will see more children displaying the signs and symptoms of type 1 diabetes than they will meningitis, and yet awareness of type 1 is lower."
Scotland has the fifth highest incidence of type 1 diabetes globally and this is increasing by about 3% a year in common with most western countries.
The condition is not associated with lifestyle factors and the reasons why rates are increasing are not fully understood.
Public Health Minister Maureen Watt said: "Sadly, there are still children who are seriously ill by the time they are diagnosed with onset type 1 diabetes.
"This causes unnecessary suffering to them and to their families. By spotting the early warning signs and getting tested, all this can be avoided.
"If your child has lost weight, is going to the toilet more often, is feeling constantly tired or is more thirsty, take them to the GP as soon as you can.
"Your doctor will carry out a simple test and, if necessary, they will be referred to a specialist." | A campaign has been launched in Scotland to encourage warning signs of type 1 diabetes to be spotted earlier in children. |
35,370,357 | That includes workers who made a progression up a pay scale. Overall, 55% of NICS staff received an increase.
At senior civil service grades, 81% got an increase, compared to 40% at administrative assistant level.
The details are contained in a report from the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency.
The figures also show that the typical basic salary of NICS staff is £24,728, which remains unchanged from 2014.
The report stated that lower-grade staff are better paid than their counterparts in the rest of the UK, although the reverse is true for those among the upper ranks.
Twenty-one staff - likely to include permanent secretaries of Stormont departments - earned more than £100,000 in 2015. | More than half of the employees in the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) received a pay rise in 2014-15. |
35,728,413 | The University of Brighton has three sites in Hastings, but it is feared they may close following a review being considered by the board of governors.
"It would be a massive loss to Hastings, the uncertainty is a huge worry," said student Sophie Hewitt.
The university said it had struggled to recruit enough students to make the Hastings campus sustainable.
Student Alice Naylor said many of those studying in the East Sussex town were mature students with children.
"Not having a university in Hastings would mean that some people wouldn't be able to access a university at all," she said.
The university's board of governors will meet on Tuesday with an announcement due on Wednesday.
The Hastings campus opened 13 years ago and has received £12m of public investment.
"The whole community - elected politicians, business leaders and heads of schools - are all absolutely united that we will fight to keep the university here," said Amber Rudd, Conservative MP for Hastings and Rye.
"We will be making a strong case for why it's such a great place to live and work."
The university said it was committed to the regeneration of Hastings through its sponsorship of nine academy schools as well as higher education.
"We have invested £14m in the development and running of the Hastings campus," it said.
"We have consistently struggled to recruit the overall numbers of students required. One of the biggest drivers of student choice is location.
"This means that Hastings has to compete with Brighton and other campuses in the region and nationally.
"The implementation of any changes will be require careful consideration and our partners, staff and students will be fully involved." | Campaigners fighting to a keep coastal town's university campus open said it would be devastating to lose it. |
22,812,253 | Participants' neural activity was recorded by using sensors implanted in their brain, which were linked to a computer that translated electrical impulses into actions.
The researchers believe people will be able to perform increasingly complex tasks just by thinking them.
The study is published in PNAS journal.
The subjects in the study moved from thinking about a task to automatically processing a task, in a similar way to how other motor movements are learnt - like playing the piano or learning to ride a bicycle.
This was shown by the areas of neurons that were active in the brain, which changed as subjects became more adept at a mental task.
Scientists analysed the results of a mind control task on a brain-computer interface (BCI) of seven participants with epilepsy.
They were asked to play a computer game where they had to manipulate a ball to move across a screen - using only their mind.
Recent studies using BCIs have shown that our minds can control various objects, like a robotic arm, "but there is still a lot of mystery in the way we learn to control them", said Jeremiah Wander from the University of Washington in Seattle, US, who led the study.
"It's similar to learning a new motor task, but in other ways it's really different as there is no sensory feedback coming to your brain."
He believes his research could help individuals master more advanced levels of mind control.
"If we slowly work to add in more and more difficulty, we can push the limits on how complex the devices are that people can control.
"We now have an understanding from the brain signals themselves, as to whether or not a user has developed proficiency with the current level of complexity of a task," he explained.
Ian Daly from the University of Reading, UK, who works on non-invasive BCIs, said that the study would help other scientists build BCIs that are more useful for analysing the different interactive paths of the brain.
"We expect from previous reports in the literature that there's a similar response in the brain when you make a movement and when you imagine a movement.
"The novelty of this study does not come from discovering the area is involved in learning. What is novel is studying the learning effect of subsequent trials in a BCI context," Dr Daly told BBC News.
"This paper highlights that neural networks of the brain are not static; they are dynamic and they change over time." | Activity observed in the brain when using a "mind machine" is similar to how the brain learns new motor skills, scientists have found. |
35,714,059 | Nuraini Noor, also known by her stage name Tuti, was recently unveiled as one of 14 contestants in the latest season of Asia's Next Top Model.
The news triggered online comments from Malaysians saying it was wrong for a Muslim woman to take part.
However, Ms Noor told the BBC she respected everyone's opinions, but did not like to put labels on anything.
"What really separates us is not skin colour nor religion. It's opportunity," she told the BBC via email.
Malaysia is known to be a moderate Muslim country, but has seen rising religious sentiment in recent years.
Ms Noor is said to be the show's first ethnic Malay participant. Malays make up the majority of Malaysia's population and are mostly Muslim.
The critical comments reportedly began surfacing online shortly after organisers unveiled the contestants in February, with some calling for her withdrawal.
The show is the Asian spin-off of popular US television show America's Next Top Model, and will begin airing across the region on 9 March.
"For me, this programme [is] not for us Muslim[s], we have rules!" said one commenter on the show's Facebook page.
"This is not a matter of pride for Malay people, who are mainly Muslim. Furthermore in this event people are told to wear clothes that are not proper, and can be touched by boys," said another Facebook user in comments reported by The Malay Mail.
But other Malaysians have defended her saying they were glad she was representing their country.
"Different people have different point[s] of view and I am not in control of that. I respect each and everyone's opinion," Ms Noor said.
"I don't like to put labels on anything. I'm a citizen of the world. I'm that kind of girl who chase[s] her dreams."
The 24-year-old said she did not face such controversy in the past when she took part and won modelling competitions in Malaysia.
As a Muslim model, "that really depends on how you approach the task. You need to be open to the producers, photographer, stylist and everyone involved on issues such as this and the sensitivities attached to it."
"At the end of the day, the ultimate goal is to produce good photos and to fulfil your brief and that's what I intend to do every time," she said.
Malaysia has seen a rise in religious sentiment in recent years.
Last year religious authorities condemned an incident where Korean pop stars were seen hugging girls onstage, while a satirical video poking fun at an Islamic party prompted death threats as well as a police investigation. | A Malaysian model has hit back at critics who say it is inappropriate for her to compete in a modelling TV show. |
30,381,476 | The Urban Health & Wellbeing Programme aims to better understand what makes a "healthy urban environment".
People living in cities face a number of health risks, such as air pollution.
The majority of people now live in towns and cities and the global urban population is growing by an estimated one million people each week.
The launch of the programme comes amid a growing body of research that links urbanisation with growing health risks.
Growing pains
"Historically, a lot of the focus in health has been on rural health," explained Prof Anthony Capon, director of the UN University's International Institute for Global Health, based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
But since 2008, more people live in towns and cities than rural areas. Currently, an estimated 3.9bn people live in urban areas.
This total is projected to increase to in excess of six billion people by the middle of this century.
Prof Capon told BBC News: "When we take an overview, urban areas are very important determinates of health.
"The way we live on a day-to-day basis in cities affects our health in so many ways, whether it is the air that we breath, or the fact that many people in cities around the world are very sedentary (sitting at a desk in an office or sitting in a car to get to and from work) - and many people are also eating very unhealthy foods.
"We are facing global epidemics of non-communicable diseases - heart disease, diabetes and so on - and mental health problems. We are also seeing the health impact of climate change, such as heat-stress in cities and changes in the distribution of infectious vector-borne diseases."
But he added that the programme offered hope: "Now that most people live within cities, we have got the opportunity to rethink the way that we live in cities and the way we plan and develop cities.
"The essence of this programme is about scientists working with urban decision makers. It is about identifying problems together, and how we might better understand those problems and developing better ways of responding to rapid urban population growth. Much of it is happening in low- to middle-income countries and that is why the United Nations is particularly concerned about the issue.
"I think the key is understanding that cities are really about people. We are attracted to cities for economic, educational and social opportunities. When we live in cities, they need to work for us. It is not just about the economic efficiencies of these cities."
Balancing act
Commenting on the establishment of the programme, Dr Franz Gatzweiler of the International Council for Science (ICSU) said: "One of the questions we need to address in this programme is: 'How many health risks are people willing to take for the benefits that come with urban lives?'
"Citizens and policymakers need to be able to make that decision and become active agents of urban change."
The consortium behind the Urban Health and Wellbeing Programme, which will provide a hub for "interdisciplinary scientific knowledge", include the International Council for Science, the InterAcademy Medical Panel and the United Nations University.
The programme's secretariat will be hosted by the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Urban Environment in Xiamen, China. | A global scientific research programme has been launched in China to examine the unintended consequences of urban policies on human health and wellbeing. |
37,379,939 | Abedul Karou and his wife escaped Syria earlier this year after being told nine-year-old son Mohamed had been killed in a bombing raid.
They later discovered the youngster was alive - but all borders have been closed and Mohamed is trapped.
Mr Karou, now living in Penicuik, said he just wants to hug and kiss his son.
The Home Office has said Mohamed must have a DNA test to prove he is the couple's son before he can be brought to the UK.
But there are no test centres in Syria due to the devastating civil war, and the nearest are in neighbouring countries which have closed their borders to Syria.
Prime Minister Theresa May has now vowed that the case will be looked at.
Mr Karou said: "My sister sent me a picture and I saw him and cried, because he has no clothes.
"He's not eating well because there is no food of course. I don't know if he's being covered in the night - how he sleeps, how he eats, how he's living. We don't know."
The family were separated after a bombing attack in Homs, in the west of Syria.
Mr Karou said: "My mind was saying he is dead but there was something, a small light of hope in my heart, that he was still alive. Unless I see his dead body I wouldn't believe he had died."
He said he was "very happy" when he learned his son was alive but was very worried for him now.
Mr Karou said his son was in a "miserable situation" and is concerned he may be kidnapped by jihadis and trained by them.
Midlothian MP Owen Thompson has now written to Home Secretary Amber Rudd to ask her to help after receiving an assurance from Theresa May at Prime Minister's Questions that the case would be looked at.
He said: "This family have gone through an unimaginable amount of pain: from finding out that their son is still alive to the agony and frustration of the last six months trying to get Mohamed out of Syria.
"A Red Cross chaperone has been offered to take Mohamed across the border but the Home Office has advised against this because it is just too dangerous. This little boy is in an extremely vulnerable position and urgently needs our help to ensure that he can be reunited with his family in Scotland.
"In light of the exceptional circumstances in this case, I call on the Home Secretary to take immediate action to remove Mohamed from the imminent danger he faces."
Mr Karou added: "When I came here and when I see people, communities start talking about my case and they try to open a big conversation about it, my hope is getting bigger and I really feel happy now.
"It's like every father who is responsible for a family. He wants to see a complete, happy family. He wants to get back after a long day and see a complete family waiting for him. He wants to hug him he wants to kiss him." | A Syrian couple living in Scotland after fleeing the war-torn country fearing their son was dead have pleaded to be reunited with him. |
35,980,386 | One of the women gave birth to twins after the treatment.
But her partner, who was the biological mother, had to go to court to be declared a legal parent - because the wrong forms were filled in at the clinic.
The case is among 15 similar ones brought to the High Court.
The president of the Family Division, Sir James Munby, said the clinic's lawyers had been "grossly insensitive" in their handling of the case.
He granted the woman - identified only as X - a declaration that she was a legal parent of the twins in February.
Giving his reasons for Wednesday's judgement, he said the women had been left "shocked and angry" when the clinic's error came to light.
Sir James said the women had paid more than £15,000 for their treatment with IVF Hammersmith Limited.
He described how the clinic's solicitors sent a "crass and insensitive" letter to the women, offering them £1,000 in compensation.
Sir James said in his ruling: "The offer of money, whatever the amount, was merely adding insult to injury.
"If an offer of financial compensation was appropriate at all, the idea that £1,000 began to approach a realistic figure was so wide of the mark as to be not merely insulting but almost offensively so.
"If ever there was a situation calling for empathy, understanding, humanity, compassion and, dare one say it, common decency, never mind sincere and unqualified apology, it is surely this."
The clinic's director had expressed regret in a witness statement and said there were now procedures to try and avoid any repeat of the situation.
Sir James described this as a "mealy-mouthed observation".
This case is among eight, involving a number of clinics, which have been resolved at the High Court, after the UK's fertility regulator identified the form-filling errors.
A further seven cases are still awaiting a final court hearing. It is thought as many as 85 couples could be affected in total.
A spokeswoman for IVF Hammersmith said: "We understand the stress the process and hearing has caused and we are sorry for this.
"We would like to reiterate that we have learned from this case.
"To safeguard all other patients receiving donor sperm, since 2013 we have introduced witnessing to the process, run dedicated staff training and operated continuous audits." | A senior judge has strongly criticised an IVF clinic in London over errors with paperwork for a lesbian couple. |
38,672,564 | Melanie Woolcock from Porthcawl was given an 81-day sentence by Bridgend magistrates in July 2016 for failing to pay £10 a week towards her debt.
She spent 40 days behind bars before a charity helped secure her release.
In a decision on Wednesday, Mr Justice Lewis ruled she should never have been imprisoned.
Ms Woolcock told BBC News she happened to walk into the prison library and found details of a charity which helps women in prison and contacted them, which helped to secure her release.
She said she has since been approached by university law departments asking her to support efforts to change the law, to stop others ending up in a similar situation.
London's High Court heard Ms Woolcock owed more than £4,700.
She said she was too sick to work and struggled to pay rent and feed herself and her teenage son, so had defaulted on repayments.
She told BBC News she has never committed a crime or had a parking ticket.
"When I came home [from prison], I didn't realise the effect it had on me, I couldn't sleep.
"My son was traumatised in the manner I was taken. I had to leave my son screaming, crying."
She said she was up to date with the payments when she was jailed, but was told she had paid too late.
"I think it's wrong that if you're struggling with a bill that you are sent to a prison full of criminals when I've never committed a crime in my entire life, never had a parking ticket."
A Bridgend county council spokesman said authorities had a legal responsibility to collect unpaid council tax, but offer support and help to anyone who is experiencing difficulty and prosecution is always a last resort.
He added: "We understand that the resident in this case was jailed after failing to meet the requirements of the suspended sentence issued by the magistrates' court.
"Our advice to anyone who is experiencing difficulty paying their council tax is to contact us as early as possible so that we can help and advise them." | A woman jailed unlawfully over council tax bills has said she wants laws changed to stop others going through the ordeal. |
32,112,072 | The male, possibly accompanied by a second man, approached the boy as he made his way from the store entrance to the car park at 20:00 GMT, police said.
The boy quickly ran to the car where his father was waiting.
The man is is described as wearing black trousers, a black walking type jacket with a blue trim, and a hat.
Det Insp Neil Harrison said: "North Wales Police are investigating the incident and are speaking further with the young boy involved." | An investigation has been launched after an eight-year-old boy was approached by a man outside an Asda in Llandudno on Saturday. |
34,953,096 | A man was filmed on CCTV trying to set fire to the mosque at 20:25 GMT on Friday, before fleeing the scene on a moped.
Scotland Yard said the arson attempt in St Thomas' Road was reported on Saturday morning.
The suspect was described as a white man who was wearing a hooded top. No arrests have been made yet.
"At this early stage police are treating the incident as a hate crime," a Met Police spokesman said.
An appeal for witnesses has been made. | An attempted arson attack at Finsbury Park Mosque in London is being treated by police as a hate crime. |
36,935,636 | The animal, believed to be an American Bulldog, was shot dead after officers were unable to bring it under control, Northumbria Police said.
It happened at about 17:00 BST on Saturday in a garden on Millbrook in Felling, Gateshead.
Ch Insp Dave Gould said it was an "horrific attack by a dog that was highly agitated and a danger to other people".
"Officers at the scene spent more than an hour attempting to bring the dog safely under control but, unfortunately, despite best efforts, it continued to remain highly agitated and posed a real danger," he said.
"We did not want to have to destroy the animal but our main concern has to be public safety - we already had one young girl who had been seriously injured and we had to do what we could to prevent anyone else from coming to harm."
Shooting the dog was a "last resort" after other options had been considered, he said.
The teenager has been treated in hospital for serious, but not life-threatening, arm injuries.
American Bulldogs are not banned in the UK, although they are in some other countries. | A 14-year-old girl has been seriously injured by a "highly agitated" dog. |
37,984,319 | The blaze at the Fir Vale MOT Centre on Herries Road, near the Northern General Hospital, was fought by about 40 firefighters and was out by 02:00 GMT.
The alarm was raised before 20:00 on Monday. Five houses were evacuated and a cordon put in place, South Yorkshire Fire Rescue said.
Nobody was hurt and the cause of the fire is not known.
All nearby residents have been able to return to their homes.
Firefighters worked for several hours during the blaze to stop the fire spreading to other properties, the fire service said. | An investigation is being launched into the cause of a fire in Sheffield that destroyed a building and three cars. |
38,948,221 | Pictures of the incident, in Aberystwyth last August, were published before Saturday's Wales v England match by the Sun newspaper.
They appear to show Mr Davies holding a shoe and chasing a man during the late-night incident.
The player apologised, saying he "reacted wrongly to the situation".
Dyfed-Powys Police said no further action was taken at the time due to insufficient evidence, but "as a result of new video evidence" the force was reviewing the incident.
Mr Davies is said to have reacted after a woman was allegedly pushed to the floor
A woman is heard in the footage saying: "Gareth please, you will lose your job for this."
He apologised after Wales' 16-21 Six Nations defeat at Cardiff's Principality Stadium, the Sunday Times website reported.
"I reacted wrongly to the situation and have learnt from it and understand that I have a responsibility to the game at all times," he said.
The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) said the matter had been dealt with internally.
A spokesman said: "As with all players, Gareth has been reminded of his responsibility as an international rugby player." | Wales scrum-half Gareth Davies has apologised after footage emerged appearing to show him scuffling with bouncers in Ceredigion. |
20,881,560 | Staff at the force's control centre at Aykley Heads, on the outskirts of Durham City, reported a "small explosion" in the early hours.
Nobody was injured in the blast, which was believed to have been caused by a lithium battery overheating.
A spokesman for the force said that fire crews were able to quickly contain the blaze. | Firefighters were called to the headquarters of Durham Police following an explosion in the building. |
26,681,580 | The law is intended to bring civil law, where a man is only allowed one wife, into line with customary law, where some cultures allow multiple partners.
But male MPs voted to amend the new marriage bill to allow men to take as many wives as they like without consulting existing spouses.
Traditionally, first wives are supposed to give prior approval.
Kenya's same-sex marriages
Correspondents say about 30 of Kenya's 69 female MPs were in the 349-member chamber for the debate but were outnumbered by their male counterparts.
The women walked out in disgust over the matter.
The marriage bill now passes to the president to sign before it becomes law.
MP Samuel Chepkong'a, who proposed the amendment, said that when a woman got married under customary law, she understood that the marriage was open to polygamy, so no consultation was necessary, Kenya's Daily Nation newspaper reports.
Mohammed Junet, an MP representing a constituency from the western Nyanza province, agreed.
"When you marry an African woman, she must know the second one is on the way and a third wife… this is Africa," Kenya's Capital News website quotes him as saying.
But female MPs argued that such a decision would affect the whole family, including the financial position of other spouses.
"It behoves you to be man enough to agree that your wife and family should know," Capital News quotes Soipan Tuya, the women's representative from Narok County, as saying.
The BBC's Angela Ngendo in the capital, Nairobi, says the new marriage legislation has been under discussion for several years and some initial proposals were scrapped at committee stages.
Plans to ban the payment of bride prices were dropped - although a person must be 18 to marry and this will apply to all cultures.
Proposals to ensure equal property and inheritance rights were also watered down - a woman will be entitled to 30% of matrimonial property after death or divorce.
Under current Kenyan law, a woman must prove her contribution to the couple's wealth.
There was also a proposal to recognise co-habiting couples, known in Kenya as "come-we-stay" relationships, after six months, but this too was dropped.
It would have allowed a woman to seek maintenance for herself and any children of the union had the man left. | Female MPs in Kenya have stormed out of a late-night parliamentary session in a row over the legalisation of polygamy. |
40,761,395 | Former Barrow striker Inih Effiong took just 18 minutes to open his Woking account, tapping in on the rebound after Heed goalkeeper James Montgomery saved his initial effort.
Danny Johnson, who notched 18 times for the visitors last season, equalised with a thunderous low volley from just outside the area after 26 minutes, but Joe Ward put the hosts back in front after being picked out superbly by Bobson Bawling just before the interval.
Chez Isaac skimmed the crossbar for Woking with a spectacular strike from 25 yards after 50 minutes while Effiong also spurned an open goal to make it 3-1 soon after, but they had already done enough to hand former Southampton and West Ham academy coach Limbrick his first win.
Match report supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Woking 2, Gateshead 1.
Second Half ends, Woking 2, Gateshead 1.
Substitution, Woking. Kane Ferdinand replaces Joe Ward.
Substitution, Gateshead. Richard Peniket replaces Russell Penn.
Substitution, Woking. Jamie Philpot replaces Bobson Bawling.
Substitution, Gateshead. Robbie Tinkler replaces Fraser Kerr.
Second Half begins Woking 2, Gateshead 1.
First Half ends, Woking 2, Gateshead 1.
Goal! Woking 2, Gateshead 1. Joe Ward (Woking).
Goal! Woking 1, Gateshead 1. Danny Johnson (Gateshead).
Substitution, Woking. Charlie Carter replaces Fabio Saraiva.
Goal! Woking 1, Gateshead 0. Inih Effiong (Woking).
First Half begins.
Lineups are announced and players are warming up. | Anthony Limbrick kicked off his Woking tenure with a fine 2-1 victory over Gateshead in stormy conditions at Laithwaite Community Stadium. |
37,757,146 | The collection - housed in the south of Glasgow - has been closed to allow work on a multi-million pound project.
When it opens to visitors in 2020, the basement of the building will become part of the exhibition space.
The Burrell collection consists of more than 8,000 artefacts but fewer than a fifth of them have been on show at any one time.
The treasures were donated to the city by collector Sir William Burrell in 1944.
It is estimated that the total cost of the refurbishment project will be between £60m and £66m.
Under the modernisation plans, a new roof and high performance glazing will make the museum more energy-efficient.
Two new floors of exhibition space will be created so that 90% of the 8,000 objects can be viewed by the public.
Sir Angus Grossart, the chairman of Burrell Renaissance said: "The designs will see the museum undergo the most comprehensive modernisation since opening to international acclaim in 1983.
"The proposals will deliver the high quality and innovative solutions for this exciting project.
"We expect to be able to show previously unseen works from this rich collection, and strengthen the reach of this extraordinary world-class museum."
Architects John McAslan and Partners will work on the project.
Director Hannah Lawson said: "The Burrell provides an inspiring setting for shipping magnate Sir William Burrell's vast collection of art and antiquities within a category A listed building of international significance.
"John McAslan and Partners are delighted to be leading a team dedicated to the comprehensive repair and refurbishment of this architectural masterpiece.
"By providing a new circulation core we can open up new parts of the gallery to visitors and greatly increase the display area for the collections." | The first design images of the refurbished Burrell collection building in Glasgow have been made public. |
35,569,295 | The 24-year-old made seven appearances for the Seasiders in a loan spell towards the end of 2015, keeping three cleans sheets for the club.
He has yet to feature for League One leaders Burton, who beat Chesterfield 1-0 on Friday, this season.
"It's a good move for Dean as he wants to get out and play," Burton boss Nigel Clough told his club's website.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | Blackpool have signed goalkeeper Dean Lyness on loan from fellow League One side Burton Albion until 22 March. |
31,999,770 | The medal, stolen from her home in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, in February was found by postman Martyn Siviter earlier this month.
Sotherton's medal was returned to her by West Midlands Police on Friday.
More medals stolen during the burglary are still missing. Anyone with information should contact police.
Sotherton had appealed on Twitter for help to find her missing medals and an appeal also featured on the BBC's Crimewatch programme.
Also found with the Commonwealth gold in a postbox in Sutton Coldfield was Sotherton's English Schools "AA" medal.
Sotherton said she was "really thankful" the medals had been found.
The medal, won at Melbourne in 2006, was the only major championship gold of her career.
She won bronze at the 2004 Olympics in Athens and the World Championships in Osaka in 2007. | Former heptathlete Kelly Sotherton has been reunited with her Commonwealth Games gold medal, stolen during a burglary. |
37,984,671 | Newshub reported that their owner, Derrick Millton, dug a track and herded them down to a safer area.
A geologist told the news portal that the Herefords may have "surfed" the land as it crumbled and left them marooned several metres above ground.
The two adult cows and one calf are now safe, but "quiet... they've had a terrible ordeal," said Mr Millton.
He added: "You're a clever cow to skip and dance while the land beneath you is disappearing down the hill."
The cows were among 14 which were rescued after the land collapsed. Mr Millton told Newshub that he had lost other cattle.
The rescued cows "desperately needed water, cows don't like living without water so that was the first requirement, and I think one or two had lost calves in the earthquake so they were a bit distressed," he said.
The incident took place at a farm near Kaikoura, northeast of Christchurch and the town hardest hit by Monday's 7.5-magnitude earthquake. Rescues are ongoing at Kaikoura. | Three cows stranded on a tiny island of grass after Monday's earthquake in New Zealand have been rescued. |
33,658,409 | US healthcare firm Anthem said it would pay $54bn (£35bn) to buy smaller rival Cigna in a move aimed at slashing costs.
The biggest healthcare insurer in the US will be created by the historic deal, the largest in the sector.
The tie-up comes weeks after Aetna said it would buy rival Humana for $37bn.
If they are approved by regulators, the two mega-deals would transform the US healthcare industry, consolidating the country's five biggest health insurers to just three, including UnitedHealth.
Forrester analyst Alex Cullen said the deals are being driven by the "huge pressure" on healthcare firms to reduce costs.
"The landscape has changed completely. Firms are now competing to be the 'Amazon' of the healthcare sector. It's a much more consumer-orientated landscape, " he said.
The deal frenzy comes in the wake of rapid change, largely linked to "Obamacare" - President Obama's Affordable Care Act.
The 2010 law was aimed at extending health insurance care to all Americans, including those not covered by their employers, as well as the poor and the elderly.
But the conditions it has imposed on insurance firms, such as banning them from denying health coverage to people with pre-existing health conditions and allowing young people to remain on their parents' plans until the age of 26, is forcing them to become more efficient.
The law has also resulted in marketplaces - with websites akin to online travel and shopping sites - where individuals can compare prices as they shop for coverage, which have also added to pressure to minimise costs.
Merging will give the firms better negotiating powers with drug companies, but critics say the smaller number of providers mean that consumers could end up paying more.
"The business motives are relatively obvious, but we don't know yet if it's good for consumers," said Mr Cullen.
The US spent $2.5 trillion - or 17.4% of GDP - on health care in 2013, according to official figures. Per capita the figure has risen from $4,129 in 2000 to $7,826 in 2013. | Americans will have just three big companies to choose their health insurance from rather than five if the latest deals get the go ahead. |
12,003,742 | Her dream to become a midwife though was never realised. Her life was cut short at 24, when she boarded the southbound Piccadilly Line Tube on 7 July 2005.
Her half-brother James Bowles was the last to hear from her at 0845 BST when she was at King's Cross station and about to head towards Russell Square, where a bomb exploded.
At the inquest into her death, her parents Sarah and Nick Jenkins said Emily had been on a path of fulfilment when she was killed.
The youngest of four children, Emily was born in Hammersmith, west London.
At school, she showed signs of the caring woman she was to become - often befriending the lame duck of the class.
She started ballet classes, and continued to dance until she was 18, passing all her exams with high grades.
In class at Surbiton High, in south-west London, she did well until A-levels when her rebellious streak took over.
The following year, she had a gap year in South America, learning to speak Spanish, rough it and support her group.
She tried university but only lasted a term. Salamanca in western Spain was her next stop. She stayed for a year, before heading to Australia with no plans in place. There, she lived with a group of self-sufficient people in Melbourne, working when she ran out of money.
On returning to the UK, she tried to settle in Cornwall.
At her inquest, her parents said this did not work out as she missed London and her family.
"At last Em had a goal and decided that she wanted to be a midwife but, sadly, she did not have biology at the right level."
She found work at AYH, a project management company in London, soon becoming PA to her boss, and living in a flat in Peckham.
By this time, she was an aunt to two nieces, a role she adored.
"She was the last person who would always be digging sandcastles on the beach and babysitting at every opportunity," Mrs Jenkins said, at the inquest.
"She had a large, varied group of friends and was extremely sociable and popular.
"She was the only grandchild to get away with teasing my austere mother and father."
Shortly after her death, her family said in a statement: "She had a love of life and a great ability to bring out the best in people. Emily will be remembered for her enthusiasm and her deep passion for her family and friends."
Rachael Oliver-Redgate, who was an A-level classmate of Emily's at Surbiton High School, said: "I always remember her with a cheeky smile on her face.
"She was a lively and funny girl, always surrounded by her friends. She was also extremely kind and caring and would have made a great midwife." | Emily Jenkins was never one to follow the easy path and it took a trip halfway around the world before deciding what she wanted to do in life. |
36,563,882 | "She became purple, stopped breathing and passed out. Then I remembered how to do cardiac massage and did it. That's how she came back to life."
Nivea is one of the 1,581 Brazilian babies diagnosed with microcephaly caused by the Zika virus.
Brazil Zika: The mothers fearing for their babies
Zika fears: The women postponing IVF
And like many of them, she has been having respiratory problems related to the malformation in her brain.
In some cases, those problems have resulted in death.
In the absence of official records for the number of babies who fell ill or died in the past few weeks, mothers' support groups have been trying to keep track.
One support group which communicates via messaging app Whatsapp reported that five or six babies had been taken to hospital within the space of a month.
Another group said at least 10 babies had been taken to hospital since May.
All of them had similar complaints: difficulty breathing, constant colds or pneumonia, choking and passing out after being fed.
After a week in hospital with her baby, the explanation doctors gave for what happened to Nivea is etched on her mother's brain.
"They [the babies with microcephaly] have a hard time swallowing. When the baby was being breastfed, she took the milk into her lungs", she says.
Specialists who have been following the progress of the babies expected this would happen.
"When you're born, suckling, breathing and swallowing are reflexes. Our brain manages to organise this so we don't breathe and swallow at the same time. But this doesn't happen in the most severe cases of microcephaly," says neurologist Vanessa van der Linden.
"They might be able to suckle properly when they are born, but as they get older, they lose their reflexes and the brain has trouble organising these functions properly. "
Early studies show that about 70% of the Zika-related microcephaly cases in Brazil are severe.
For those babies, the first year of life is the hardest because parents and doctors are still discovering the extent of the babies' limitations, says Dr van der Linden.
During this period, respiratory problems are the biggest threat to their lives.
Claudilene Pereira, 31, is from Paraiba, the state with the second most cases of microcephaly in Brazil,
She has also had to take her baby, Matheus, to hospital after a respiratory crisis last month.
Apart from microcephaly, he also had cerebral palsy and epilepsy.
"In the first months he cried 24 hours a day and we didn't understand it. He became red and his head felt really hot. I recorded videos of this on my mobile phone. When I showed it to the neurologist, she told me they were seizures."
The difficulties of getting access to the medicines he needed - which are provided by the government but are not always available - show another facet of the families' ordeal.
"Some months he wouldn't be able to take it and his crisis would get worse," she says.
In May, Matheus was taken to hospital. He had serious trouble breathing, but was only admitted to an intensive care unit after three days, following an appeal his mother made on TV.
This story is the same in other states. With a shortage of places in intensive care units, mothers have been turning to the media to put pressure on the health authorities to admit their babies.
Matheus died from a convulsive cardiac arrest during his first night in the ICU, three days before his first birthday.
In the battle for their babies to survive the first year, mothers have been fighting not just the serious consequences of Congenital Zika Syndrome but also a lack of information and a public health system which is itself struggling.
Family and friends are the closest they have to an army to support them.
Ms Silva's husband left her when Nivea - the couple's third child - was born with microcephaly. Her neighbours took his place in caring for the little girl.
"They help me a lot. One of them comes home from work at night the same time as me.
"She goes straight to my house and stays with the baby while I cook dinner and spend time with the boys.
"Later we switch places and have dinner together in my house. That's the only way I can handle it," she says.
Ms Pereira's life remains difficult after her baby's death.
"I still have many debts from the care Matheus needed. But I know I did everything I could for him," she says.
She now dedicates part of her time to offer support and information to other mothers.
"The fact that I lost Matheus does not mean this is not my problem any more. Their children are my children.
"Many mothers have no support. I was lucky [in that I had support], but not everyone is." | "I saw my daughter dead in my arms," says Severina Carla da Silva, 32, describing the moment that her six-month-old baby Nivea Heloisa passed out after being breastfed. |
39,920,749 | Goldenbridge Cemetery in Dublin was the first non-denominational graveyard on the island of Ireland - and was used by people of all religions and none.
O'Connell, an MP who led the campaign to end religious discrimination against Catholics, opened Goldenbridge in 1828.
It shut over a dispute with the British War Office but reopened at the weekend.
Until now, the gates of the two-acre site in the Dublin suburb of Inchicore had been locked and visits were permitted by appointment only.
About 250 people attended a rededication ceremony at the graveyard on Sunday, which marked the opening of the site as a historical landmark and a working cemetery.
The attendees heard an extract from one of O'Connell's speeches, in which he said: "We wish to live on terms of amity and affection with our brother Protestant fellow-countrymen.
"We earnestly desire to be united with them in our lives, and not to be separated from them in death".
The Irish barrister and politician founded the graveyard at a time when Catholics were banned from having their own dedicated cemeteries.
They were also banned from taking seats in the House of Commons and many other public offices.
That began to change when O'Connell, a Catholic Irish nationalist from County Kerry, won a Commons seat to represent the County Clare constituency in 1828.
His election helped to pressurise the government into passing the 1829 Catholic Emancipation Act, which restored some of the civil liberties they had lost after the Reformation.
Goldenbridge cemetery is now run by the Glasnevin Trust, and members of the public will now be able to buy new grave plots at the site.
The trust is the largest provider of funeral services in the Republic of Ireland and is governed by the Dublin Cemeteries Committee, which O'Connell established in 1828.
The chairman of trust, John Green, told BBC News NI that the British military authorities originally objected to Goldenbridge over fears that the burials would contaminate their water supply.
He said the cemetery was close to Dublin's Grand Canal, which at that time was used as a source of drinking water by British troops based at nearby Richmond Barracks.
The complaint went all the way to the Lord Chancellor's office, before a decision was taken to shut the graveyard.
However, Mr Green added that an inspection of the site revealed it had good drainage, and said a more likely reason for the military objection was that troops frequently ended up in pubs with mourners after the many funerals held at the site.
The project to reopen the cemetery coincided with the refurbishment of Richmond Barracks as an exhibition centre.
Sunday's ceremony was held on the eve of the 170th anniversary of O'Connell's death and a wreath was laid in his memory.
Among the graves at Goldenbridge is that of first leader of the Irish Free State - William Thomas (WT) Cosgrave.
He served as the first President of the Executive Council - effectively the first Irish prime minister - from 1922 to 1932.
Cosgrave's legacy divides opinion and his grave has been vandalised in repeated attacks.
Last year, it was one of 12 graves badly damaged days before the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising.
However, at the time Mr Green told the BBC he could not be sure the vandalism was politically motivated, as the site was regularly a target for serious anti-social behaviour, including drug dealing.
It is hoped the reopened graveyard will have potential as a tourist attraction. | An Irish cemetery founded by Daniel O'Connell in the early 19th Century has reopened to the public after almost 150 years. |
35,891,100 | Turnover at the club grew from £11.8m to £14.6m in the latest accounts.
That coincided with Bath reaching last season's Premiership final and the high-profile signing of Sam Burgess.
"Off the pitch, we are close to achieving our ambition of operating as a self-sustaining club," managing director Tarquin McDonald said.
"This means that we can continue to invest in the club's future and it also provides the club with greater flexibility in terms of financing a new stadium."
Bath, who are currently ninth in the Premiership, lost to Saracens in last year's Premiership final.
Burgess has since returned to rugby league with NRL side South Sydney Rabbitohs. | Premiership club Bath Rugby have announced a reduction in net losses to £1.8m in the year to 30 June 2015, down from £3m in the previous period. |
33,306,984 | The Who, Kanye West and Florence and the Machine headlined the event, while Lionel Richie, Pharrell Williams and Paloma Faith got some of the most enthusiastic reactions from the crowd. And that was just on the main stages.
Meanwhile, some rain fell, giving revellers a chance to slide around in some traditional Glastonbury mud.
Here, fans reveal their highlights and lowlights from the weekend - from the star performances to the weather and the toilets.
"My absolute highlight was Dancing on the Ceiling by Lionel Richie," says Ben Sinclair without hesitation.
"All of my mates had been on someone's shoulders at some point but I hadn't and my mate said 'get on my shoulders'. Just thinking about it makes me tingle."
The low point, he says, was the stage invasion during Kanye West's set. "That idiot Lee Nelson ran onto the stage trying to get attention for himself and ruined what could have been something very special," he says.
"But I still got something out of that gig. I'm not going to watch anything with Lee Nelson in ever again."
What was the best bit? "Getting my hand signed by Dynamo!" nine-year-old Daisy Livingstone shouts immediately. "She wouldn't bring it out in the rain today," her dad Adam says, explaining that she did not want it to wash off.
For seven-year-old sister Freya, the highlight was the climbing wall in the Kidz Field. "She went up it about 10 times," Adam says. "It's been a really good year."
His wife Susan picks out the circus and cabaret fields for praise. "They are always amazing," she says. "The Mexican Flying Men were really good. "From a family point of view there's loads to do. There's something to do all the time. They're never bored. Even in the rain."
That was the only small negative this year, Adam says. "The rain and the mud. As always."
"Lionel Richie and Pharrell Williams were definitely the highlights," declares first-timer Shelley Jones (second left). "Both had a really good atmosphere and got everyone going. Everyone was happy and singing the songs."
But she adds: "Kanye West was definitely not a highlight. People say Glastonbury's not just about the headliners. I didn't really understand that before, but I get it being here. There's a lot more to it than the headliners."
Steve Jones, meanwhile, has been before - but not since 2002. "It's changed loads," he says. "I think the legends' slot is now the headline slot. Looking at Kanye, the field was half empty.
He adds: "There's so much more here than there used to be. Everything's improved. Even the toilets have improved."
During Kanye West's performance, Carl XXX (he shows me his driving licence - that is his real name) lost interest and stumbled upon the highlight of his weekend.
"I found a little rave tent playing psychedelic '90s trance and had a full-on stomp for about an hour. It was brilliant."
He drives recycling lorries on site and his low moment came when one started skidding in the mud early on Sunday morning. "I stopped but that was a scary moment," he says.
"People were off their face and not aware that you're a lorry and they're a person, and they walk out in front [of the lorry]."
Jax Noble and Adele Bruce agree on their musical highlight. "I became a fan of Paloma Faith," says Adele. Jax adds: "She knocked spots off everyone else."
She continues: "The circus fields are wonderful. Even if you never went to a main stage you could spend all day in there.
"Whoever's organising this needs to be running the country."
The pair struggle to think of any disappointments before Jax finally says: "The downside is it doesn't go on for longer."
At her first Glastonbury, Sharon Wasley from Newcastle, who came with son Jacob, was impressed by how children were catered for.
"We love the Kidz Field," she says. "And we love the NCT [National Childbirth Trust] tent at the back of the children's field, where you could get free juice and coffee."
As for the music, she and Jacob rated Paloma Faith and Lionel Richie.
The downside? "The crowds," she says. "I didn't realise it was going to be so busy. We researched and the trike [a type of buggy] was the best thing to buy, but pushing it through the crowds was hard. People wouldn't give way."
For Jenny Scott from Sheffield, two things stand out. "The Libertines because we didn't know they were going to be performing," she says.
"And last night Arcadia was amazing." Arcadia is a dance area with a giant mechanical spider that is at the centre of a spectacular laser, fire and acrobatics show every night.
This was the first Glastonbury for Jenny and Steve Scott. "The first night we wondered if it's a bit overrated," Jenny says. "But we saw Arcadia and thought, no, you wouldn't get this at any other festival."
The worst bit is the exhaustion, she says. "It's pretty hard work because you want to see as much as you can."
Pharrell beat Kanye hands down, according to Ken John. "He's a musician. I'm a musician and his music is an inspiration. Lionel Richie was good too."
Ken comes every year and says there were no low points.
"This year's better than last year," he concludes. "Last year it was Maxi Priest and Dolly Parton, but the line-up was better this year."
"My highlight was Andy Fairweather Low in the Acoustic [tent] with Nick Lowe and Paul Carrack," says Linda Hewitt (right) from Weston-super-Mare, who is working in the festival car parks for the Festive Lizards charity.
"The atmosphere in there was absolutely electrifying.
"The lowest point was when we were up in the Green Field when the rain came down on Friday and we couldn't get out of it."
Another tricky point came when they tried to cut through the Pyramid Stage crowd to get to their accommodation while Kanye West was on. "We are first-timers and we were stupid enough to think we could get through," she says.
"Lionel was a big highlight," says Tori Gibson. "And Kanye was a big fat disappointment."
And she picks out some much-maligned festival facilities for praise. "I've been impressed by how clean the toilets have been this year," she says.
And the weather was not a problem for Tori and boyfriend Andy London. In fact, Andy says: "We like a little bit of mud, You need some Glastonbury mud." | The Glastonbury Festival has finished for another year, and 177,000 dazed festivalgoers are now heading back to civilisation. |
32,352,047 | In the short window of good weather that blows across the Himalayas before the summer monsoon, several hundred climbers are hoping to make it to the top.
But, not far from everyone's mind, will be the tragedy that struck the start of Everest summit season last year.
On 18 April 2014, falling blocks of ice killed 16 Sherpas as they attempted to fix guide-ropes through the glacial Khumbu Icefall at the base of the peak.
The accident led to angry protests by the mountain guides who demanded more compensation and higher insurance payouts from the government.
It also highlighted a recent increase in tension between Sherpas and Western climbers, which boiled over into a heated confrontation in 2013.
After the avalanche, the Sherpas cancelled summit season in honour of their dead comrades and hundreds of disappointed mountaineers were forced to return home.
A year on, much of this anger appears to have dissipated and the Sherpas are returning to work.
"Almost two-thirds of our demands have been fulfilled," says 39-year-old Pasang Sherpa, who scaled Everest seven times. "The rest are under implementation."
The government has increased the amount of insurance coverage for high-altitude workers by 50% to $15,000 (£10,000) and raised medical insurance by a third - with these increased costs paid for by expedition companies.
It has also provided more medical staff and helicopter rescue cover.
Most importantly it has moved the route through the treacherous Khumbu Icefall away from overhanging ice-blocks that could break free and fall on climbers. The route is now further to the right - a path that is considered harder but less avalanche-prone.
This is important to the Sherpas who make the journey many times to bring supplies up and down the mountain, though experts say it's impossible to know whether the route is actually safer.
Representatives of the Sherpa community say they are satisfied for the moment, but would still like to see more done.
"The government also needs to make arrangements to provide education for the children of mountain guides," says 32-year-old Phura Geljen Sherpa, who was involved in the rescue effort after the avalanche last year.
"And if good climbers are provided with pensions on their retirement, then their future will be secure," he says.
But the government say they are doing as much as they can.
"We have to look at our ground reality," says Tulasi Gautam, director-general of the Department of Tourism.
"If we continue to increase the facilities, the cost of climbing goes up. Foreign climbers then may opt to climb from the Chinese side or go to other countries for mountain climbing."
It's not just the Sherpas who would like to see the government invest more in the Everest industry.
"There has never been a formal inquiry into the avalanche," says Simon Lowe, managing director of the British mountaineering company Jagged Globe.
"We need to try to work out what factors led to the tragedy. But no-one took statements. It's one of the frustrations of dealing with Nepal."
Lowe has issued his Sherpas with avalanche transceivers that transmit a continual beep to help search teams locate them if they become buried.
But without an inquiry into last year's accident, he says he doesn't know how useful they are.
"We don't know whether the Sherpas died from trauma from being hit by falling ice, or whether they were buried. If they were buried these will help get them out," he says.
Special Report: Climbing Everest
Lowe would also like to see the government change its business model.
At the moment Nepal charges $11,000 for a group permit to climb Everest, an increase of $1,000 from last year.
It would be better, says Lowe, if the government forced Everest hopefuls to scale lesser Nepal-based peaks first, and to charge them more for doing this. He believes this could generate increased income as well as solve the problems of overcrowding and inexperienced climbers on Everest's slopes.
It's clear that the changes brought in this year are just the start of much-wanted reform of the Everest-climbing industry.
But, despite the continuing issues and danger, the allure of conquering the tallest peak on earth has not diminished.
"Disasters happen," says Pasang Sherpa.
"I was once swept away by an avalanche and was unconscious for almost an hour. But I came out of it and have still not lost my interest in climbing." | This week, mountaineers from across the world are inching their way over moving blocks of ice and craggy rock faces on their way to the summit of the world's tallest mountain. |
40,518,763 | Smith, 24, made 86 league starts for Northampton before leaving at the end of last season.
Ex-Scunthorpe trainee Slocombe, 29, had a spell at Oxford and helped Blackpool to promotion to League One last term.
Rovers offered previous stopper Steve Mildenhall, 38, a goalkeeping coach role earlier this summer, while fellow keeper Will Puddy was released.
Manager Darrell Clarke told the club website: "I am delighted to be signing two excellent goalkeepers who will provide us with competition for the number one spot."
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | League One Bristol Rovers have signed unattached goalkeepers Adam Smith and Sam Slocombe. |
35,296,347 | National Assembly speaker Henry Ramos Allup said there was no quorum. He has scheduled a new session for Wednesday.
The Supreme Court has said all actions of the assembly are void until three banned members are removed from office.
The three members had been suspended for alleged electoral irregularities during the 6 December polls.
But the majority in the National Assembly defied the ruling and swore them in last week.
Government legislators say the lack of quorum shows that the opposition to President Nicolas Maduro is divided.
"The opposition bloc is made up of many factions and they are facing a dilemma," said Socialist Party MP and Venezuela's First Lady Cilia Flores.
"Some of them want to abide by the ruling, others have different views," she told Telesur television.
Mr Ramos Allup said the session had been suspended "because both government and opposition legislators failed to turn up".
The Supreme Court said its ruling applied to all acts that have been taken or will be taken by the current assembly.
The opposition bloc had vowed to continue meeting and working at the assembly as usual.
An amnesty law for imprisoned opposition politicians and activists was due to be tabled by the National Assembly leadership on Tuesday.
Four lawmakers were barred by the Supreme Court - three from the opposition and one allied with the government - after the Socialist Party alleged irregularities during last month's vote for a new congress.
The opposition claimed the the ruling was designed to strip it of crucial two-third majority which gives it extra powers such as removing judges from the top court.
Without the four legislators, the opposition has 109 seats and the government, 54. With the four banned legislators, the opposition gets the 112 seats it needs to get the so-called "super-majority".
The four politicians are all from the rural and sparsely populated south-western state of Amazonas.
"The logical, sane and democratic step is for the National Assembly's leadership to revoke the swearing-in of these lawmakers," said the Socialist Party deputy leader and former National Assembly President Diosdado Cabello.
If their swearing-in is revoked, the four seats will remain empty until a final decision by the Electoral Court on the alleged irregularities.
Venezuela's Supreme Court has almost always ruled in favour of the government during the last 17 years of socialist government under President Maduro and his predecessor, the late Hugo Chavez. | Venezuela's opposition-held National Assembly has failed to meet for the first session since a controversial Supreme Court ruling on Monday. |
30,648,504 | A firm in north Wales wants to bring the PooPrints service from the United States to the UK with up to 15 councils reportedly interested in the scheme.
Councils could make owners in problem areas register their dogs to a database which involves a mouth swab taken.
Then, DNA could be taken from mess left on a street, path or grass and used to find a match on the database.
Gary Downie, managing director of Streetkleen Bio in Ruthin, Denbighshire, believes local authorities can use new powers granted by the Antisocial Behaviour and Policing Act 2014 to force dog owners to comply.
"The purpose of the system is to get cleaner, safer open spaces," he said.
Councils the company is in talks with include Kingston-upon-Thames in south-west London, Aberdeen and Cheshire East. | DNA in dog mess could be used to catch owners who fail to clear up their pet's mess. |
36,231,702 | Media playback is not supported on this device
Anderson, who turns 34 in July, is England's all-time leading Test wicket-taker with 433 from 113 matches.
"I have spoken to a few people about retirement and what they felt when they retired," said Anderson, who is set to play for England in the first Test against Sri Lanka on 19 May.
"They all said 'keep going because you're retired for a long time'."
When asked if this summer would be his last, the right-arm pace bowler told BBC Sport: "Definitely not."
Anderson, who signed a new two-year contract with Lancashire in October, added: "As long as I'm fit and I've still got the hunger and passion to play then I'll keep doing it as long as possible." | England bowler James Anderson says he has discussed retiring but this summer will not be his last in the game. |
40,069,459 | A woman made a 999 call at about 22:20 BST on Friday. Coastguard crews from Ballycastle and Coleraine were sent to the scene.
A rope rescue specialist was lowered down and coaxed the springer spaniel, before securing the dog in an animal rescue bag.
The dog was shaken, but was not believed to be injured.
The Coastguard's Ryan Gray said: "We would urge dog walkers to keep their dogs on a lead when out walking close to cliffs."
The rescue operation ended at 23:45 BST. | A dog which fell more than 30 feet at cliffs close to the Giant's Causeway has been rescued by the Coastguard. |
40,655,133 | The 29-year-old underwent a medical on Wednesday after agreeing personal terms and a three-year contract.
Mannone, who joined the Black Cats from Arsenal in 2013, made 13 appearances in all competitions last season.
The Italian's arrival bolsters Jaap Stam's goalkeeping options following the departure of Ali Al-Habsi to Saudi club Al-Hilal.
Sunderland also sold England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford to Everton earlier this summer.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | Reading have signed Sunderland goalkeeper Vito Mannone for an undisclosed fee, reported to be £2m. |
36,081,345 | On Monday, party candidate Andrew Atkinson said there was "around £1bn a year's worth" of waste in the NHS.
Mr Davies said on Tuesday the figure was based on comments to AMs by a senior NHS manager in 2009.
Rival parties have called Mr Atkinson's claim "wild, "ridiculous" and potentially "devastating" for the NHS.
The Conservatives have pledged to increase spending in the Welsh NHS in real terms over the next five years and say efficiency savings would be re-invested in the health budget.
The annual budget of the Welsh NHS is around £7bn and local health boards currently face efficiency savings of 3% a year.
Mr Atkinson, Conservative candidate for Wrexham, told BBC Radio Wales: "There is around £1bn a year's worth of waste in the NHS year on year.
"We would make sure that we clamp down on that waste to make sure we are using that budget more appropriately and in a more targeted way."
Defending the £1bn claim, Mr Davies said: "This figure does stand there because it was given by the finance director at the time, in 2009, to an assembly finance committee, so I'm assuming he knew his brief and he was talking about the facts as he saw them.
"We've all known for some time that we need to move services out of the acute sector, i.e. big district general hospitals and into the community, because that's where most people like to be treated.
"We do know from the public health point of view as well that community pharmacists can play a far bigger role in delivering service as well, so those are two instant access points that can be developed in the community that can deliver a cheaper way of developing services."
Plaid Cymru has already set out plans for annual NHS savings of £300m, but its health spokeswoman Elin Jones said: "Plaid Cymru will not cut a single penny from the NHS budget, we are committed to investing in front line services such as more doctors and nurses and faster diagnosis.
"What the Tories are talking about here is the equivalent of around a seventh of the entire Welsh NHS budget and could have a devastating impact on services leading to even greater waiting times and fewer staff on hospital wards."
A Liberal Democrat spokesman said the party believed the NHS "needs to be more efficient" but "to cost your policies on a billion pound of 'savings' is nothing short of ridiculous".
"The Tories will savagely cut our public services to the bone to fund their uncosted pledges," he warned.
UKIP said it would "conduct a full independent inquiry into the NHS in Wales to determine where there is flagrant waste and where we should put more resources into front-line services".
"There is chronic underfunding in certain departments leading to unacceptable waiting times and lack of treatment choice but also too much spent on middle management," a spokeswoman added.
Labour First Minister Carwyn Jones said efficiency savings were a euphemism for cuts, and called on the Conservatives to provide evidence that the Welsh NHS was wasting £1bn a year.
"It's one thing to make wild claims, it's another thing to back them up," he said.
'It's almost as if they've decided they're not going to win, so they can make any number of promises." | A Conservative claim £1bn savings, or 14%, could be found from the Welsh NHS's annual budget, has been defended by Welsh Tory leader Andrew RT Davies. |
37,109,718 | Rankin, 32, will miss the rest of the season after fracturing his leg.
"The cover is starting to be there and we have other wicket-takers in the squad," said Porterfield.
"That's great to have when the likes of Boyd goes down. It's not potentially as big a blow as it would've been before."
Among Ireland coach John Bracewell's fast bowling options for the ODIs against Pakistan. which take place at Malahide on Thursday and Saturday, is Durham paceman Barry McCarthy.
"Barry made his debut against Sri Lanka in June, bowled fantastically well and carried that form into the matches with Afghanistan in Belfast," added the Irish skipper.
"It's good to have lads like that around the squad and doing very well. It shows the character he has and I think he's got a big future."
Ireland famously defeated Pakistan in the 2007 World Cup and almost repeated the feat when the countries last met on Irish soil.
"We tied in Dublin the last time they were here and it's a game we potentially could have won," observed Porterfield.
"We are still a side that is learning but hopefully we are learning very quickly.
"If it's a bit colder it might suit us a little bit better than Pakistan but they are a professional side and have shown what they can do in having a very good series against England. They will take a lot of confidence into these games."
Ed Joyce starred in the recent drawn series with Afghanistan, scoring two centuries as an opening batsman, and Porterfield expects him to continue in the role.
"There is competition to open the batting but Joycey, I think, is going to stay at the top. The way he's been playing and the form he is in, it would be wrong if he didn't stay there," argued the Irish captain.
Joyce indicated that he had enjoyed watching Pakistan's recent drawn Test series with England and was "expecting two good pitches at Malahide".
He said: "We are the underdogs, they are obviously a good side and go in as favourites. Hopefully the weather will be kind to us."
After the two encounters with Pakistan, Ireland will finish their season with further one-day internationals against South Africa on 25 September and Australia on 27 September - both in Benoni, South Africa. | Ireland captain William Porterfield says his squad has enough strength in depth to cope without injured paceman Boyd Rankin ahead of their two one-day internationals against Pakistan. |
35,732,777 | Hill achieved her first national senior mark as her winning time of 29.15 seconds cut 0.25 seconds off Aisling Cooney's 2011 mark.
Ferguson cut 0.06 off Karl Burdis' 2009 Irish mark as he was second in 25.34 behind Shane Ryan (24.94).
Bethany Firth won the women's 100m free in a new personal best of 56.58.
Firth is using the Bangor event as part of her preparations for her Paralympics challenge with the British team in Rio later this year.
Former US team member Ryan, 22, is set to become Irish qualified in May as he aims to secure a spot at the Olympics.
Ryan won the 100m freestyle in 50.14 on Friday with Bangor youngster Jordan Sloan taking third in 50.80.
Ryan will be in action in the 100m backstroke with Ferguson at the Swim Ulster international meeting on Saturday.
Donegal youngster Mona McSharry achieved the European Senior Championship qualifying standard as she broke Sycerika McMahon's 2011 Irish junior breaststroke record by 0.17 by triumphing in 1:09.07.
In the same race, Niamh Coyne took bronze in 1:10.96 to secure qualification for this year's European Junior Championships.
In the men's 100m breaststroke, Alex Murphy booked his spot at the European Championships with the personal best of 1:01.01 as he finished 0.03 behind Commonwealth Games gold medallist Ross Murdock. | Larne swimmers Danielle Hill and Conor Ferguson set Irish senior 50m backstroke records on day one of the Dave McCullagh Memorial meet at Bangor. |
39,864,097 | The injury puts him out of Saturday's European Champions Cup final against Clermont Auvergne at Murrayfield.
The 28-year-old winger was named as part of Gregor Townsend's first Scotland squad on Monday for matches in Singapore, Australia and Fiji.
"Sean is unfortunately out for the rest of the season," said McCall.
"It may or may not need surgery, but we won't find out for a few days. It's cruel luck for a player who has been in such great form."
Scotland will play a Test against Italy in Singapore on 10 June before facing Australia in Sydney on 17 June and Fiji in Suva on 24 June.
New-Zealand-born Maitland joined Glasgow Warriors in 2012 from Crusaders and qualified to play for Scotland through his Glaswegian grandparents.
He scored on his Scotland debut against England at Twickenham the following year and has gone on to score five tries in 28 international appearances.
Backs:
Back three: Damien Hoyland (Edinburgh Rugby), Ruaridh Jackson (Harlequins), Lee Jones (Glasgow Warriors), Sean Maitland (Saracens), Tim Visser (Harlequins); Centres: Alex Dunbar (Glasgow Warriors), Nick Grigg (Glasgow Warriors), Matt Scott (Gloucester), Duncan Taylor (Saracens); Fly-halves: Finn Russell (Glasgow Warriors), Peter Horne (Glasgow Warriors); Scrum-halves: Ali Price (Glasgow Warriors), Henry Pyrgos (Glasgow Warriors), Sam Hidalgo-Clyne (Edinburgh)
Forwards:
Props: Alex Allan (Glasgow Warriors), Allan Dell (Edinburgh Rugby), Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors), Willem Nel (Edinburgh Rugby), D'Arcy Rae (Glasgow Warriors), Gordon Reid (Glasgow Warriors); Hookers: Fraser Brown (Glasgow Warriors), Ross Ford (Edinburgh Rugby), George Turner (Edinburgh Rugby); Locks: Jonny Gray (Glasgow Warriors), Richie Gray (Toulouse), Tim Swinson (Glasgow Warriors), Ben Toolis (Edinburgh Rugby); Back row: John Barclay (Scarlets - captain), Magnus Bradbury (Edinburgh Rugby), John Hardie (Edinburgh Rugby), Rob Harley (Glasgow Warriors), Josh Strauss (Glasgow Warriors), Hamish Watson (Edinburgh Rugby), Ryan Wilson (Glasgow Warriors).
10 June - Scotland v Italy, Singapore National Stadium, Singapore (KO tbc)
17 June - Scotland v Australia, Allianz Stadium, Sydney (05:00 BST)
24 June - Scotland v Fiji, ANZ Stadium, Suva (KO tbc) | Sean Maitland has emerged as a doubt for Scotland's summer tour as Saracens head coach Mark McCall has revealed he has suffered ankle ligament damage. |
37,466,171 | Neil Rhodes posted a message on his Twitter page claiming police officers in Lincoln and Boston "ended up working as ambulances last night".
He added that the East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) "needs to be properly resourced".
EMAS said it was awaiting more information from Mr Rhodes "about which incidents he is referring to".
Pete Ripley, associate director of operations at EMAS, said: "We work closely with our colleagues in the Police to ensure that patients they encounter are properly assessed by our control team to determine what response they need."
Mr Rhodes is retiring from his post in February after serving as a police officer for 31 years. | The chief constable of Lincolnshire has criticised a lack of ambulances in the county. |
33,448,633 | Kevin Lane, 47, was jailed for shooting dead car dealer Robert Magill in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire in 1994.
Lane always said he was innocent and claimed a corrupt detective meant his conviction was unsafe. He took his case to the Court of Appeal last month.
But a judge said his arguments were "speculative" and rejected his appeal.
Lane's barrister told the court the detective who dealt with the case, Det Supt Chris Spackman, was "spectacularly corrupt".
He was jailed in 2003 for plotting to steal £160,000 from Hertfordshire Police, the Court of Appeal heard.
Lawyers argued his "reckless dishonesty" meant Lane's conviction for murder was "manifestly unsafe".
Lady Justice Rafferty told the hearing: "The arguments are generalised criticism of Spackman's corrupt and dishonest behaviour.....which was adverse to Kevin Lane.
"We are not persuaded that the safety of the conviction is in doubt and this application is rejected." | A convicted murderer who spent two decades in prison for a crime he denies committing has failed in his bid to clear his name. |
24,461,679 | Documents leaked by former US National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden in September have suggested that the NSA spied on Petrobras, Brazil's state oil giant.
The allegations caused uproar in Brazil, and prompted President Rousseff to cancel her state visit to Washington, where she had wanted to showcase Brazil's energy riches to potential investors.
Even though over a month has passed since the allegations were broadcast on Brazil's TV Globo, the United States has so far failed to reassure Brasilia about the aims of its surveillance programme.
The report on TV Globo, co-authored by Rio-based US journalist Glenn Greenwald, raised the question whether the NSA might have been engaging in industrial espionage against Brazil.
It is an allegation which has been firmly denied by Washington, but one that has touched a sore spot in Brazil.
Petrobras is Brazil's largest company and a major source of revenue for the government. It is also developing Brazil's massive deepwater oil reserves.
On 21 October, Brazil will auction off the rights to develop the biggest of these new oilfields, Libra, to international companies.
So the allegation that the NSA engaged in industrial espionage - and targeted Petrobras in particular - came at the most sensitive of times.
But Timothy Edgar, who was the White House director of privacy and civil liberties from 2006 to 2009, believes the rationale for spying on a country such as Brazil could be better explained by the strict rules within which the NSA operates.
"I can tell you that the US does not engage in industrial espionage," he told the BBC.
"If there were security reasons why intelligence was being gathered in Brazil, it would be legitimate if it was done under a framework [of national security].
"If it was for industrial purposes, it would be basically a violation of US policy," he explained.
He says that, in general, the US intelligence agencies' priorities are about preventing international terrorism, curbing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and fighting international drug trafficking.
But information about military and political leaders of other countries - especially those perceived as opponents of the US in the international arena - can also be flagged up as intelligence priorities, according to Mr Edgar.
Despite a recent warming of relations between Washington and Brasilia, many analysts say it would not come as a surprise if Brazil had been included among these priorities.
Brazil has used its strategic assets, including those in the energy sector, to expand its geopolitical sphere of influence and to strengthen its bonds with other emerging powers in the southern hemisphere.
In the process, Brasilia has often gone counter to US interests on issues such as the war in Syria and the containment of Iran's nuclear programme.
Mr Edgar says that from the point of view of intelligence-gathering, spying on Brazil would make sense if there was a security-related reason, a "legitimate intelligence nexus", for example, to understand the energy supplies within the hemisphere.
But it is this "intelligence nexus" which Washington has so far failed to provide.
The US intelligence services remained tight-lipped about their reasons for allegedly monitoring Brazil's electronic communications, including those of Ms Rousseff herself.
Washington's silence further compounded Ms Rousseff's anger prompting her not only to cancel her state visit scheduled for 23 October, but also to deliver a harsh criticism of the US during the United Nations General Assembly last month.
She called the US surveillance programme an attack on the "sovereignty and the rights of [Brazil's] people and businesses".
She also dismissed Washington's explanation that its monitoring of communications was for Brazil's own good, saying emphatically that Brazil "knows how to protect itself!".
President Barack Obama has promised that a current review of NSA procedures will reassure "allies" such as Brazil, by ensuring that intelligence collected by the secret services amounts to "information that's necessary to protect our people".
It is unclear how long the review will take and whether it will reassure Ms Rousseff.
But with Mr Greenwald saying he plans to reveal more information about US surveillance practices in the coming weeks, Ms Rousseff's Washington visit seems unlikely to be rescheduled for the near future. | It was not quite the kind of attention Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff wanted to attract to her country's mining and oil riches. |
23,955,942 | Dr Glenys Williams, of Aberystwyth University, also claimed that fewer GPs were applying for jobs in rural areas.
The university is hosting the conference on the future of rural health services.
The Welsh government said it was committed to ensuring people in all areas could access health care.
Former Ceredigion MP Lord Elystan Morgan, who will chair the discussion, was asked in 2009 by the then Health Minister Edwina Hart to look into the provision of care in rural areas and how it could be improved.
The resulting report published a year later made a number of recommendations about how to improve rural healthcare.
It said doing nothing was not an option but it was essential to gain the trust and support of local communities.
The organiser of Wednesday's debate, Dr Williams, of the university's centre for Welsh legal affairs, said rural people did not receive the same care as those in urban areas.
Dr Williams said: "This is because of things like problems with travel, lack of public transport.
"GPs, for example, don't want to work in the country and we're getting fewer and fewer GPs applying for surgeries that operate in rural areas, and indeed many surgeries that operate in rural areas are closing because of that very problem."
Last month a family doctor service across parts of rural north Wales said it needed an urgent increase in GPs within 12 months.
Dr Phil White, secretary of the North Wales local medical committee, said current workloads for GPs were "unsustainable".
Dr Williams said the conference, at Aberystwyth University's international politics main hall between 16:00 and 18:00 BST on Wednesday, would discuss Lord Morgan's report.
Dr Williams added: "Interest continues to be shown in the important issue of the delivery of healthcare services in rural Wales.
"This is especially pertinent in Ceredigion, where there has been protracted debate as to the future of Bronglais hospital and other cottage hospitals in the county.
"Debate also surrounds, for example, the shortage of doctors and dentists, out of hours services and the closure of rural surgeries.
"Matters have, of course, moved on since then, but this (Lord Elystan's) document remains the basis for continued discussion."
A Welsh government spokesperson said the health minister met with the Institute of Rural Health over the summer to discuss the particular issues facing rural communities.
"We are committed to ensuring that people in all parts of Wales, including those in living in isolated areas, are able to access the healthcare they need.
"While we expect the quality of services to be consistent across Wales, the ways in which services are designed and delivered will vary according to local circumstances."
The spokesperson said "exciting and cutting edge innovation" was being used by the NHS in rural areas, including telemedicine, which could also benefit urban areas.
"We are aware that there are workforce trend and recruitment issues in certain areas of the country that need to be resolved.
"We are working closely with health boards, GPC Wales and the Wales Deanery to develop innovative training and recruitment initiatives for GPs in Wales." | People in rural areas do not receive as good a service from the NHS as people in towns and cities, claims the organiser of a healthcare conference. |
30,832,130 | 15 January 2015 Last updated at 14:23 GMT
In Harbin some of the world's most amazing ice sculptures go on display every year.
The festival started in 1963 and is the largest annual winter festival of its kind attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors.
Amongst the impressive ice sculptures, this year multicoloured ice slides have become a real hit with tourists.
Watch Hayley's report to see a slider's-eye view of the chilly fun!
Read more: Pictures: China's amazing ice festival | The Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival is in full flow in China and the Ice slide is a big hit with the visitors attracting long queues to have a go. |
35,934,436 | The 26-year-old has scored six tries in 19 appearances since joining the club in February 2015.
"Ahsee has been a good player for us over the past year and we're delighted that he's agreed to stay with us," said director of rugby Jim Mallinder.
Saints have also agreed contracts for next season with prop Matt Beesley and hooker Charlie Clare, both 24.
Clare will join from Championship club Bedford, while former Yorkshire Carnegie academy player Beesley has been training with the Saints for a number of weeks.
"Matt has impressed while he's been training with us, with his technical abilities and willingness to learn," forwards coach Dorian West told the club website.
"Charlie has a solid grounding from his time with Leicester and Bedford. He has been one of their standout players in an impressive season." | Samoa international Ahsee Tuala has agreed a new deal with Northampton Saints for next season. |
40,490,760 | Ralston Dodd, 25, was jailed in November after he admitted stabbing a man three times in the back following an argument on a north London street.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said such releases in error were "extremely rare" and it was investigating.
A warrant for Dodd's arrest has been issued.
Dodd attacked a 21-year-old man with a knife in Islington on 18 September 2016, before going on the run.
He was arrested on 11 October and was sentenced to nine years' imprisonment at Blackfriars Crown Court on 11 November after pleading guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent.
After his sentencing, Det Insp Will Lexton-Jones said the inquiry had "ultimately led to an extremely dangerous offender being jailed".
He added: "This was an appalling act of violence that almost cost a man his life. The seriousness of this offence is reflected in the extensive prison sentence."
Dodd, from Islington, was being held in custody at HMP Thameside in south-east London before his release.
The Sun newspaper reported that after he was released he was spotted in a car by his victim.
His father told the newspaper his son "could have died" in the attack.
"I held my son and thought he was going to die. How can this happen without anyone noticing?," he said.
An MoJ spokeswoman said such releases in error are "extremely rare but we take any case very seriously".
"We are urgently investigating so we learn the lessons to prevent it happening again," she said.
"Public protection is our priority."
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said it wished to trace a man "for being unlawfully at large". | An "extremely dangerous" prisoner has been released early from a nine-year jail term after his sentence was recorded in error as nine months. |
37,529,610 | Mr Sanchez stood down after losing a vote by the party's federal committee over supporting the formation of a conservative-led governing coalition - a move he had strongly opposed.
The past week had already seen almost half of the party's executive resign.
Spain has been in a political limbo for the past nine months.
The results of a general election in December 2015 left a hung parliament. The majority Popular Party (PP) under acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has sought to form a coalition government but Mr Sanchez repeatedly blocked their attempts.
In attempt to break the stalemate, a second election was held on 26 June 2016 but, again, no party won an absolute majority.
The Socialist Party (PSOE) has long been divided between supporters of Mr Sanchez and those who want to end the stalemate by supporting a coalition.
Many delegates at Saturday's federal committee meeting at party headquarters in Madrid had turned up hoping to force Mr Sanchez out.
On Wednesday, 17 of the 35 members of the PSOE executive resigned in protest at Mr Sanchez's stance. | The leader of Spain's opposition Socialists, Pedro Sanchez, has resigned, in a move that could end months of political deadlock. |
35,460,995 | The charity says delays between being referred to an autism specialist and diagnosis are "unacceptably long" and putting "families into crisis".
A report by Public Health England has shown there is a huge disparity in waiting times across England.
NHS England says it is committed to reducing waiting times.
The NAS says it can take on average over two years for children and adults to get a diagnosis, if the time it can take to get a referral from a GP is considered.
Jane Harris, director of external affairs at the NAS, told the Victoria Derbyshire programme the situation had to change.
"At the moment people are waiting months - if not years - for a first appointment. If they're adults that might mean losing their job, if they're children they might be excluded from school. It can be really difficult.
"You can know that there's something wrong but not what. At least when you know, there's then a coping mechanism to deal with it, people know where to get support."
The Public Health England report, published last month, showed that some people in the South West of England were waiting as long as 95 weeks between a referral to an autism specialist and a diagnosis.
The wait was as long as 90 weeks in South East and 84 weeks in Yorkshire and Humber.
The median wait across England was 13 weeks. The national guidelines from NICE say the wait between referral and diagnosis should not exceed three months.
The NAS says an increase in autism awareness has led to more referrals, meaning there are huge delays in the system.
But it says the real issue stems from a lack of monitoring. The reasons for the delays could differ in each region and without monitoring of waiting times, it is hard to know why there are backlogs, and what is needed to fix the problem.
Ms Harris added: "The NHS needs to look at autism in the way it looks at other treatments - there's a waiting time for conditions from depression to hip operations."
An NHS England spokesman said: "Diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders should of course happen as soon as possible, but is often complex and involves many different professionals and agencies.
"This is an issue we take very seriously and we have committed to working with local areas to identify and overcome the reasons behind long waiting times. We'll continue to work with NAS and others to make sure people with autism can get the help they need, when they need it".
A Department of Health spokeswoman said: "The guidelines on autism make it crystal clear that families should wait no more than three months to start diagnosis. Every bit of the NHS should be adhering to these guidelines and NHS England is working with local areas to make sure these waiting times are cut."
The Victoria Derbyshire programme is broadcast on weekdays between 09:15 and 11:00 on BBC Two and the BBC News channel. | The amount of time it takes for autism to be diagnosed should be monitored by NHS England, the National Autistic Society (NAS) says. |
36,241,781 | Crews were called out to Hulk Moor Drove, near Street, just after 22:00 BST on Saturday, where they found the pigeon loft, a caravan and several outbuildings alight.
The fire follows the theft of pigeons from the same address 12 months ago.
Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue said the cause of fire was deliberate and an investigation is under way.
The owner of the birds, Stuart Russell, has bred pigeons for at least 50 years.
Posting on Facebook, his daughter Pat Russell wrote both her parents were "devastated by this cruel act".
"It was a year ago yesterday he had most of his pigeons stolen," she added.
Five engines were at the scene until 04:00 BST on Sunday. | A pigeon loft containing dozens of prize-winning birds was destroyed in a Somerset arson attack. |
39,938,821 | Nazir Afzal was the North West's chief crown prosecutor between 2011 and 2015.
He overturned a decision not to prosecute nine men who ran a child sex exploitation ring and they were jailed between four and 19 years.
He said BBC One's new drama Three Girls brought back a very painful time for him when the "far right" went for him.
He said: "The film ends on a good news story… namely, justice.
"What it doesn't show it what happened to me afterwards - because the far right decided to go for me.
"Death threats, an online petition calling for me to be killed, sacked, deported... it was a horrific experience."
He said the three-part drama "reminded me of how painful it was" and "it became very real again".
"When they discovered that a member of the minority brought the prosecution in the first place, they decided to create lots of fake news... that maybe I was involved in the earlier decisions [not to prosecute], when I didn't even live in the north-west of England."
He said it led to thousands of emails - including ones sent to then-US president Barack Obama and the UK prime minister - "calling for me to be sacked and deported", and a demonstration by English Defence League (EDL) protestors outside his home.
Mr Afzal said he had a police officer outside his home for security for his family.
He said: "I wasn't prepared for it. They were desperate to undermine me and to hurt me."
He added: "My pain was nothing compared to those victims who weren't believed and who suffered for years because they weren't taken seriously."
The EDL said in a statement: "The people who would have been involved in any action against Mr Afzal left the EDL at the time of Tommy Robinson's departure from the organisation in 2013.
"We have heard about the action against Mr Afzal, but only through media reports. We have no 'corporate memory' of the incident(s)."
Mr Afzal left the Crown Prosecution Service as part of efficiencies.
Watch Three Girls on BBC One at 21:00 BST on Tuesday 16 May. | A former chief crown prosecutor says he received death threats after the Rochdale grooming gang was convicted, as a drama based on the case starts. |
40,886,728 | The 64km (40-mile) long construction will reach a depth of 40m (131ft) below and 6m above ground, at a cost of 3bn shekels ($833m).
An Israeli army commander said the barrier should be completed in 2019.
Israel has sought to neutralise the threat of cross-border tunnels since its war with militants in Gaza in 2014.
During 50 days of fighting, militants from Gaza's ruling Hamas faction used tunnels to infiltrate Israeli territory on four occasions, killing 12 soldiers.
Israeli troops destroyed more than 30 tunnels and have found two since the end of the war.
The conflict left at least 2,251 Palestinians dead - including more than 1,462 civilians, according to the UN - and 11,231 injured. On the Israeli side, 67 soldiers and six civilians were killed, and up to 1,600 injured.
At a briefing on Wednesday, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Maj Gen Eyal Zamir said the hi-tech barrier would be completed, even at the risk of renewed conflict with Hamas.
"If Hamas chooses to go to war over the barrier, it will be a worthy reason [for Israel] to go to war over. But the barrier will be built," Israeli media quoted him as saying.
Last year, Hamas's leader in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh, said the group was still digging tunnels, without specifying whether these extended into Israel.
Part of the new barrier will protrude into the Mediterranean Sea, in an apparent effort to thwart attacks by frogmen.
Four such Hamas militants tried to swim out to attack an Israeli army base during the 2014 war, but were killed by the IDF.
According to local media reports, the machine used to dig the new the barrier will destroy any existing tunnels, while the barrier itself will be equipped with sophisticated technology to detect any new tunnels being built. | Israel is to accelerate the building of a huge barrier along its boundary with Gaza aimed at preventing militants from tunnelling under the border. |
38,507,015 | She said she shares 17th-century Drottningholm Palace, with "small friends ... ghosts".
"It's really exciting. But you don't get scared," she said.
The building, near Stockholm, is the permanent residence of the queen and her husband, King Carl XVI Gustaf.
The documentary, Drottningholm Palace: A Royal Home, was made by public broadcaster SVT and airs in Sweden on Thursday.
"You sometimes feel that you're not completely alone," the queen told the filmmakers, insisting her alleged cohabitants are "all very friendly".
Princess Christina, the king's sister, backed the queen's claims when she was interviewed for the film.
"There is much energy in this house. It would be strange if it didn't take the form of guises," the princess said.
Swedish website The Local joked that "brave amateur ghost hunters" could visit the palace to put the rumours to the test.
It said: "Drottningholm Palace is open to the public year round, with the exception of the rooms in the southern wing, which are reserved for the royals. And their spooky friends, presumably."
Queen Silvia, 73, married King Carl 40 years ago and is now Sweden's longest-serving queen.
She is the daughter of a German businessman and a Brazilian woman.
In a 2015 book, The Royal Year, she told an interviewer that she had been lonely in her first year as queen and found it hard living in a palace dominated by men.
"Everybody had kind intentions. Everyone wanted to support me and was there. And the king was wonderful. [...] But it could be lonely," she said.
She was admitted to hospital just before Christmas, after experiencing dizziness, but was released two days later. | Queen Silvia of Sweden believes her royal palace is haunted, according to a documentary to be aired on Swedish public television on Thursday. |
40,765,716 | The Swans have rejected £40m offers from Everton and Leicester City for the Iceland midfielder, who they value at £50m.
Sigurdsson missed Swansea' 2-0 friendly win over Birmingham on Saturday because of the transfer speculation.
"It's not something that we want [or] will be allowing to drag on until the deadline," said Clement.
"The deadline I want it to be is imminently for everyone involved at Swansea and Gylfi included. I'm not going to put an actual day on it, but imminently means in the very near future."
If Everton improve their offer for Sigurdsson, a new bid could include Toffees defender Callum Connolly.
The 19-year-old full-back had a spell on loan at Wigan Athletic last season and was a part of the England team which won this summer's Under-20 World Cup.
Sigurdsson did not travel with Swansea for their tour of the United States with his omission from the match at St Andrews coming despite the player resuming training with the first team after spending part of the close season with the under-23 squad.
"It was the best decision for everybody involved that he wouldn't take part in games at this point, but as I said recently we want a resolution to this situation soon," added Clement.
Asked if Sigurdsson had said he wanted to leave Swansea, Clement replied: "He hasn't said that.
"Gylfi is a player with Swansea, he has three years left on his contract, he's a very good player, we rate him very highly, we want him to stay.
"But at the same time if another club wants him they have to play what this club feels is the right valuation for the player.
"With either situation, assuming it's done in the right way in the right time it's going to be a win-win for us as a club because either we get the valuation we want and we can reinvest and improve the team or we get to keep a very good player."
Clement confirmed that "all parties" are still talking about the potential transfer, but it is understood Everton have not improved on their initial offer, believed to be £40m. | Gylfi Sigurdsson's future needs to be decided "imminently" says Swansea City manager Paul Clement. |
34,233,410 | The Dons have made their best ever start to a campaign, with six consecutive victories.
And, after, losing all four league meetings with Celtic last term, McInnes was "delighted" to end that sequence.
"It was important that we see that improvement and the improvement has to come with results," he said.
"The performance was probably similar to a lot of the games last year but nobody really is bothered too much about that, it's the results that play the part in past comment.
"It was important we got the result, rather than performance.
"For us, it is three points. There's no point in doing that and then not winning the game on Tuesday at home to Hamilton so we know that each and every game presents a challenge because we're not wholly better than anybody else but we do have a confidence that if we perform to our levels we're capable of winning games.
"I think it is important for the supporters to see, it makes it more genuine and that's great, that's what being a supporter is."
The Dons were urged on by a passionate home crowd as they came back from a goal down to win, with Paul Quinn's late winner coming after the hosts had Jonny Hayes sent off for a challenge on Mikael Lustig.
"You see the atmosphere today, it was absolutely rocking, it was brilliant and that's what you want," added McInnes. "That's what you anticipate that it can be like.
"You see what it meant to them but my players were measured with their celebrations, we know it's three points and it was an important three points but it's early on in the season and we've got work to do all the same.
Media playback is not supported on this device
"My kit man said 'that felt like 20 years ago' in terms of the atmosphere. It's the best I've seen, it was absolutely brilliant. I think you could see the need and the urge from them.
"They played their part, without question, especially when we go to 10 men but my players have got that. My players play like supporters, not in terms of their ability but in terms of their passion.
"Every game we play's got the same importance but today possibly had that bit more importance on it."
Celtic took the lead through a Leigh Griffiths penalty but Adam Rooney levelled from the spot after Graeme Shinnie had been bundled over by Dedryck Boyata.
"Delighted, we get our just rewards," McInnes told BBC Scotland. "I thought we were the better team first half and then we go behind.
"But the response was terrific. I said to the players at half-time that the script's already getting written. The journalists up there'll be writing the story, 'good old Aberdeen but fall short again' and it's only us that can change it.
"No more than we deserved when Shinnie gets brought down for the penalty.
"You always feel there's another opportunity coming and delighted big Quinny gets the winning goal."
As well as disagreeing with Hayes dismissal, McInnes thought his side were due another spot-kick for a handball by Charlie Mulgrew.
"Having seen it again, my impression was that we should have a penalty and Jonny shouldn't be red-carded," added McInnes.
"It's not a two-footed challenge. If he (the referee) sees again, I'd be surprised if he thought it was a red card but it is what it is. We had to deal with it and we dealt with it." | Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes stressed the importance of getting the win after beating Celtic 2-1 to go top of the Scottish Premiership. |
40,193,949 | The Fermanagh rider sustained three broken vertebrae, a broken tailbone, a fractured thumb and a broken finger in Saturday's supersport practice crash.
Johnston has also revealed that he had a bleed in his brain after the crash.
"If I can get fit again within a month or a month and a half I plan to be at Dundrod in August," said Johnston, 28.
"I want to get back out as soon as possible and I want to try and be fit for the Ulster," said Johnston.
The 28-year-old was released from Noble's Hospital on Wednesday and made his way to the TT grandstand to catch some of the racing action.
"As well as my other injuries, I had some bleeding on the brain but that has stopped and that is why they thought I was stable enough to let me out.
"It's testament to all my safety gear that I am fit and walking about so soon.
"It is a very fast place and a very dangerous place to come off and I remember nothing of the crash, the air ambulance or arriving at hospital," added the Northern Irishman.
Johnston is disappointed to miss racing at this year's event on the Isle of Man but is grateful for the many messages of support from road racing fans.
"It's frustrating as I had really good bikes but all the messages of support show how much the road racing community care for each other. It's been crazy.
"I won't be retiring anyhow. That thought hasn't entered my head. I'm too afraid of having to get a real job." | Lee Johnston hopes to race at the Ulster Grand Prix in August despite suffering multiple injuries in a practice crash at the Isle of Man TT . |
30,871,699 | The tournament has been held at the venue since 1977, and 2017 will be its 40th anniversary.
A new deal, extended by two years, has been agreed by the organisers World Snooker and Sheffield City Council.
"It's really good news. We love the history of the tournament and the uniqueness of Sheffield," World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn told BBC Sport.
He said organisers were committed to the city despite speculation the tournament could be moved out of the UK.
Last year, the current world champion Mark Selby said he believed Sheffield would eventually lose the championship to China.
The tournament, which is broadcast by the BBC and watched by an estimated global audience of 285m viewers, is worth £5m to the city.
Selby will look to defend his title at the 2015 event, which takes place from 18 April to 4 May. | Sheffield's Crucible Theatre will host the World Snooker Championship for at least the next three years. |
31,068,842 | A spokesman said they wanted to trace 31-year-old Henry Hanratty Stephen urgently.
He is known to have links in Aberdeen and north Aberdeenshire.
He has been described as being white, 5ft 10in tall and of medium build. He has short, brown hair and often has dark stubble.
Anyone with information should contact police. | Police Scotland have released an image of a man they want to trace in relation to a number of serious violent crimes. |
25,430,437 | Hundreds of seals were moved after coastal flooding hit the Donna Nook reserve earlier this month.
Staff had opened gates and cut holes in a fence along a viewing area to allow the seals to escape the surge of water.
The dead seal is believed to have become disorientated and failed to find its way back.
The accident happened on Tuesday evening on Marsh Lane - a minor road leading to the reserve.
Rachel Shaw, of Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, said because of the damage to the fence the seals had managed to go much further inland than they normally would.
Three other seals were also found stuck in a ditch about three miles away, she said.
It was the first time she had ever heard of a seal from Donna Nook being involved in an accident with a car.
In 2011, about 75 pups died after a series of high tides hit the colony, but they perished as a result of being separated from their mothers.
For most of the year, grey seals at Donna Nook are at sea or on distant sandbanks.
In November and December, up to 60,000 visitors come to see the pups along the six-mile stretch of beach - based on an active Royal Air Force weapons range.
However, because of the damage caused by the tidal surge the reserve has been closed for the rest of the season. | A grey seal at one of the largest reserves in the UK has been run over and killed after being displaced by a tidal surge. |
36,467,980 | Her Majesty's relatives discussed her music taste in BBC documentary Our Queen: 90 Musical Years.
"The Queen loves the theatre and musicals like Showboat, Oklahoma! and Annie Get Your Gun," her cousin, Lady Elizabeth Anson, told the programme.
"These were the tunes that remained in one's head and were very danceable to."
She added: "The Queen is a fantastic dancer. She's got great rhythm."
Speaking to the Radio Times, the programme's presenter, Eve Pollard, described the Queen's music taste as "mainstream, no airs and graces."
A playlist featuring the Queen's 10 favourite songs has been unveiled as part of the BBC Radio 2 documentary.
In addition to songs from musicals, they include The White Cliffs Of Dover by Vera Lynn and Cheek to Cheek by Fred Astaire.
More recent tracks on the list include Sing, performed by Gary Barlow and the Commonwealth Band featuring the Military Wives - which was co-written by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Lady Anson told the programme the Queen is particularly knowledgeable about military music and is a fan of pipe bands.
"We did a lot of singing at Kensington Palace," Lady Anson said.
"Nobody thought it was odd after dinner if we put on a record and all sang Doing the Lambeth Walk, so music has always been part of her life."
Our Queen: 90 Musical Years, will be broadcast on BBC Radio 2 on 12 June at 7pm.
The Queen's 10 favourite pieces of music: | Hymns, show tunes and tracks by Gary Barlow and Vera Lynn are among the Queen's favourite pieces of music, it has been revealed. |
40,245,353 | David Le Conte took the five images from an observatory in Guernsey on 10 June.
He managed to take the pictures in 1.3 seconds, as the space station crossed the middle of the sun.
The keen astronomer said: "I'm very pleased because it was a one-off opportunity, really."
More on space station photos and other Guernsey stories
The ISS is regularly visible at night as it crosses the sky, but it is rare for it to be seen during daylight.
Jean Dean processed the photos, and enlarged one that clearly shows the shape of the ISS.
Mr Le Conte explained: "You can see its solar panels and you can see the body of the space station. There are normally six astronauts on board it and at that time it was over 400 miles away travelling at a speed of 17,000 mph."
To take the photos, he attached solar filters to a telescope at the Astronomy Section of La Société Guernesiaise in St Pierre-du-Bois | A rare series of clear photos of the International Space Station (ISS) crossing the face of the sun have been taken in the Channel Islands. |
37,691,070 | The Strictly Come Dancing star, who lost his seat in the 2015 general election, joked that performing on the show "wouldn't be the smartest move" had he hoped to return as an MP.
Mr Balls danced the Paso Doble to Holding Out For a Hero on Saturday, dressed as a matador.
Despite being the lowest-scoring celebrity, he was saved by the public.
BBC Breakfast presenter Naga Munchetty, and her professional dance partner Pasha Kovalev, became the third couple to leave the competition.
Ed Balls told the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme that after 20 years of politics he was happy to move on from Westminster.
The former Labour MP - who served as education secretary from 2007 to 2010, and shadow chancellor from 2011 to 2015 - has become a favourite among many viewers on this year's Strictly Come Dancing.
His most notable performance was a samba inspired by the film The Mask - for which he wore a yellow suit and had his face painted green to mimic Jim Carrey's famous portrayal.
But Mr Balls described his latest dance - the paso doble - as "utterly appalling", saying: "I got a step wrong and I lost it."
He said, mid-performance, he had asked his professional dance partner Katya Jones "what do we do?" following the mistake, who told him to continue.
Mr Balls told Victoria Derbyshire he had "surpassed [his] expectations" by simply getting through the first week, but said he hoped to remain in the competition because his wife, Labour MP Yvette Cooper, had told him he had "got another stone (in weight) to lose".
Asked about a return to politics, he said: "If I was trying to go back to politics wearing a yellow suit and a green face wouldn't necessarily be the smartest move
"I did that for 20 years, I'm doing new things now. It's so wild in politics at the moment that who knows? But realistically I've had my time."
On Saturday, he will be dancing the foxtrot, which he said - despite his fears over Brexit, the current Conservative government and the future of the Labour Party - was his most pressing worry.
Last week, former Labour leader Ed Miliband called Mr Balls a "national treasure" following his performances, while former Conservative cabinet ministers George Osborne and Michael Gove have also pledged their support.
The Victoria Derbyshire programme is broadcast on weekdays between 09:00 and 11:00 on BBC Two and the BBC News channel. | Former shadow chancellor Ed Balls has said said he thinks his "time" in politics is over. |
37,596,948 | Biggar is Wales fly-half while Davies is challenging him for the regular starting spot for the Swansea-based team.
Davies started Ospreys' 46-24 Pro12 win over Cardiff Blues on Friday, with Biggar appearing off the bench.
"We're obviously going to have to share the games and I think that's only going to be good for us," said Davies.
"And I think we both bring something different."
Biggar, 26, is on a dual-contract with Ospreys and the Welsh Rugby Union, who pay 60% of his salary and also limit the number of games he plays during the season.
Davies has started four of Ospreys' six Pro 12 games to date at fly-half with Biggar starting the matches against Ulster and Leinster before his rival returned for the first Welsh derby of the campaign.
Davies added: "It's been brilliant. Biggs wasn't here for the first few games and I just had to play as well as I could and I think, thankfully, I did that.
"I just want to keep the momentum going now and keep playing when my opportunities arise and keep leading the team forward."
Davies also believesrivalries of positions can only assist Ospreys' cause.
"It helps massively and I think we're starting to build a real squad here with some strength in depth," he said.
Ospreys dropped to third in the table as Leinster overtook them to go second by beating Munster 25-14 in Dublin,
Ospreys' European Challenge Cup campaign begins on Friday, 14 October when they host Newcastle in Pool 2, which also includes Grenoble and Lyon.
Biggar said: "We've started this season a lot better so we need to just keep building on our wins and hopefully we'll take that into Europe and see where that takes us in a few months." | Sam Davies believes he and Dan Biggar will have to share Ospreys' fly-half duties this season. |
34,809,704 | Mark Drakeford has launched a campaign urging them to take up training places in hospitals and GP practices.
It includes a YouTube video outlining the positives of choosing Wales as "a great place to be".
He also promised "discussion, negotiation and agreement" in dealing with the controversial contracts issue.
It comes following a dispute over a new contract for 50,000 junior doctors in England with the British Medical Association claiming some medics stand to lose up to 15% of their salaries.
The old contract still operates in Wales but ministers will be keeping an eye on what happens in England.
BMA Wales called the Welsh government's commitment to negotiation "the sensible way to achieve consensus and agreement".
In his video message, Mr Drakeford said the Welsh government would take a partnership approach.
"Does it mean we agree all the time on absolutely everything? Of course not," he said.
"But what it does mean is that when there are difficult issues which have to be addressed we do it by getting around the table - and putting that issue in the middle of the table - and making sure we solve that issue in a way that's common to us all.
"That's the way we do things in Wales and that's the way we're going to approach our part of the contract negotiations. We won't be changing anything here in Wales until we know we have a proper way ahead."
Mr Drakeford also points to Wales' record in medical research and a General Medical Council survey which found satisfaction among trainee doctors in Wales was 83% - higher than other parts of the UK.
He lists attributes from the national football team, music, Ashes test cricket and the prospect of extreme sports and recreation in a small country "which really does offer it all".
A medical careers website has also been launched.
Dr Bethan Roberts, chair of the Welsh junior doctors committee at the BMA said Wales was a "strong choice" for junior doctors.
"There are excellent and varied training opportunities and the fact that the junior doctor contract will remain unchanged in Wales adds to the pull factors," she said.
"Wales values junior doctors and that's the message we want to establish". | Premier League football, rugby, beaches and mountains have been used in a direct appeal by the health minister to attract junior doctors to Wales. |
30,880,972 | Media playback is unsupported on your device
20 January 2015 Last updated at 06:58 GMT
In a democracy, people get to elect their leaders and have more say in how their country is run.
That's something a lot of people around the world are still fighting for.
Ayshah went to the Houses of Parliament in London to find out how laws are made in the UK. | Ayshah's been finding out how the UK is run as part of the BBC's Democracy Day. |
29,794,632 | Spare electricity capacity, which ran at about 5% over the winter months last year, would be nearer 4% this year, National Grid said.
Three years ago the margin was 17%.
But National Grid said it has contingency plans in place to manage supply, including paying big firms to switch off on cold winter evenings.
Dismissing fears of possible electricity blackouts, energy minister Matthew Hancock told the BBC: "We are absolutely clear we are taking the measures necessary in order to have secure energy supplies this winter."
Professor Jim Watson of the UK Energy Research Centre, said: "I think it's… very unlikely we will see blackouts in the UK, but what it does mean, this tight situation, is that lots and lots of extra measures are having to be layered on top of an already complicated policy framework."
National Grid's assessment, made in its 2014/15 Winter Outlook report, is based on similar demand to last winter but a fall in supply, due to generators closing and breaking down, and new plants not coming online quickly enough to replace them.
Since 2012, 15 power plants have been closed or partially closed, taking out a large chunk of the UK's energy-generating capacity.
The network operator said it is finalising contracts with three UK power stations to provide reserve power in case of higher-than-expected demand.
Additional reserve contracts with Littlebrook, Rye House and Peterhead power plants to provide 1.1GW of power could increase this margin to more than 6%, said the operator.
The three stations were chosen following a tender process in which eight power stations offered a total of 5.4GW of power.
"The electricity margin has decreased compared with recent years, but the outlook remains manageable and well within the reliability standard set by the government," said Cordi O'Hara, director of market operations at National Grid.
Caroline Flint MP, Labour's shadow energy and climate change secretary, said: "The security of our energy supply has not been helped by the fall in investment under this government. With a quarter of our power stations closing this decade it is vital that we bring forward investment in secure and clean energy for the future."
The traditional approach to electricity is building capacity to meet consumer demand, but one way of keeping the lights on is reducing demand for power in the first place.
Using more efficient appliances and insulating buildings is one way. Another is paying energy users to have their power switched off at peak times.
Large industrial plants go off the mains for a while and on to their own diesel generators.
Marriott Hotels in the UK switch off their air conditioning system for a few hours to save energy and money. Its spokesman says guests don't even notice because the temperature barely changes.
Studies suggest this all reduces the need for new power stations, helps the grid cope with intermittent renewable power, and saves money for customers.
Eventually individual householders may have intelligent appliances like freezers which switch themselves OFF to save electricity - and money - when demand is high.
In the event of disruption of Russian gas supplies to Europe, National Grid said more expensive gas could be imported.
This would only happen in the "most extreme scenario", it said.
"The current uncertainty surrounding Eastern European gas supply stability due to the enduring tensions between Russia and Ukraine, could lead to curtailment of gas supplies in to Europe," said the owner and operator of the UK's power network.
Although the UK does not receive any gas directly from Russia, gas flows to Europe could be affected, which would in turn affect supplies to the UK, it added.
If necessary, the UK could import more liquefied natural gas from elsewhere, but this would cost more and could have implications for household bills.
Overall, however, gas supplies, storage and network capacity were "well in excess of maximum expected demand", the operator said. | National Grid has warned that its capacity to supply electricity this winter will be at a seven-year low due to generator closures and breakdowns. |
40,609,179 | Although the Scottish club did not take up their allocation for the match, it is expected some of their fans will have managed to purchase tickets.
Linfield say Celtic supporters should enter the Windsor Park stadium via Boucher Road and go to the Kop Stand.
They are instructed not to arrive until after 15:30 BST.
Media playback is not supported on this device
The statement from Linfield adds: "Celtic fans will not be admitted to any other part of the ground and Linfield fans should not enter the stadium from the Boucher Road.
"No further tickets for the game are available and we would urge all spectators to behave in a respectful and sporting manner."
Because of security concerns, the first leg of the second round qualifier kicks of at 17:00 BST, instead of the customary 19:45.
After the draw was made, the Scottish champions opted not to take their ticket allocation for the game due to fears of trouble among the club's supporters and Linfield's loyalist fans.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland has insisted that that decision was taken "solely by the football club and was not made by PSNI".
However, Celtic officials later said they were surprised by the PSNI's statement.
"This is clearly not our understanding of the situation," the club said. | Linfield have issued advice to Celtic supporters who have tickets for Friday's Champions League qualifier in Belfast. |
38,552,377 | Vehicles were having to use the hard shoulder due to congestion at junction 23A for Magor Services and queues were stretching 11 miles.
One lane was shut near the exit slip road after the crash at about 06:30 GMT, but all lanes have since reopened and the vehicles involved have been moved aside.
Check if this is affecting your journey | Traffic on the M4 eastbound has now eased following a crash on Monday morning. |
35,537,974 | Two others were wounded and taken to a hospital, the defence ministry said in a statement.
No group has claimed responsibility for the device.
Mali has been threatened by various armed groups and has fought Islamist rebels in the north for a number of years.
The incident happened in Mondoro, next to the border with Burkina Faso, the statement said.
Why Mali is an insurgent hotspot
Mali profile
Al-Qaeda-linked militants have been fighting the army in northern Mali and France, the former colonial power in the country, intervened in January 2013 to stop their advance south to the capital.
But attacks across the country have increased recently, including a shooting at a hotel in the capital, Bamako, that left 22 people dead in November. | Three Malian soldiers were killed when their vehicle hit a landmine in the central region of Mopti, officials say. |
29,201,970 | The man, who was aged in his 40s, was found in the skip wagon in the car park adjacent to the Apollo Theatre on the A57 Hyde Road in Ardwick, at about 05:30 BST.
Police said his family has been informed although he has yet to be formally identified.
A post-mortem examination is due to take place. | A body found burning in a skip on a main road into Manchester city centre has been identified by police. |
31,570,966 | Koeman, whose side face Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday, has acknowledged that it is difficult for him to keep hold of players.
Liverpool signed Adam Lallana,Dejan Lovren and Rickie Lambert for a total of around £49m last summer.
"A reason to move is not always for the player to do [with] football," the Southampton manager said.
"Maybe it's about money and we can't pay salaries like the big teams pay. It's always less here."
Koeman said that Southampton's players are motivated by football rather than financial reward.
"If you stay here, you stay for different reasons," the Southampton manager said.
"You stay for the fact you are more sure that you play every weekend."
Southampton lost manager Mauricio Pochettino to Tottenham in May before five key players also left during the summer. Midfielder Lallana, defender Lovren and striker Lambert moved to Liverpool, while left-back Luke Shaw signed for Manchester United and Calum Chambers joined Arsenal.
Yet despite being made relegation favourites by a number of bookmakers, the club are fifth in the Premier League.
Koeman, who became Saints boss in June, says he asked Chambers not to go to the Gunners.
"I said to Chambers: 'Really, I don't think it's a good moment to change and to go to Arsenal because I think you need to develop yourself much more,'" he said.
"Normally, you will play here much more than you will play at Arsenal, but finally it's always the decision of the player."
Southampton can go third if they beat Liverpool at St Mary's Stadium and Koeman maintains it is "a possibility" that his team can finish in the top four.
"But it is a good possibility for other teams as well," said the manager.
"These kind of teams are never struggling a whole season, they're always coming back. They have real quality in the team and numbers in the team to finish in a good position in the table." | Southampton manager Ronald Koeman says some players at rival clubs are motivated by money. |
32,519,331 | Poppy Smart said she reported workmen at a site in Worcester to police after being regularly singled out over the course of a month.
Builder Ian Merrett, who admitted wolf-whistling at Ms Smart, said "no harm was intended" by his actions.
West Mercia Police said it was a matter for the men's employers.
Mr Merrett said harrassment accusations had been "blown out of all proportion".
"It's always been part of it [the trade]," he said.
"No harm was intended. It's all got out of hand, no offence meant.
"I can understand her comments. Some girls don't mind it, some girls do.
"I may have annoyed her, I've maybe upset her a bit, but as far as harassment goes, if she'd come up to me or one of the other builders and said 'I don't like it, can you stop it', I'm sure we would have taken that into consideration."
Ms Smart said she had faced whistles and cat-calls from several builders over a few weeks and "eventually it got to the day where I had enough".
She said it was time the "culture was brought up to date" and that she found the behaviour "intimidating and distressing".
Mr Merrett said he had come forward as other builders, many innocent, had been unfairly shown on television and in news reports.
He said the contractor had told employees to stop whistling and the call had largely been respected.
"I've been on building sites since I was 18. Loads of people used to do it [wolf whistle]," he said.
"If you were sat there with your mates in the sun having a fag and a nice bit of totty walks past, yeah we used to wolf whistle and we never got into trouble for it."
However, he said he would now think twice about doing it again after the "hassle". | A builder responsible for directing wolf whistles at a 23-year-old woman has described the gesture as "a bit of banter". |
33,196,075 | The current owner, Graphite Capital, is selling its majority holding to the club's management team with backing from the investors.
The investors' group includes Alcuin Capital Partners, which owns the Caffè Nero coffee chain and the Krispy Kreme doughnuts UK franchise.
The cost of the deal was not disclosed.
However, according to reports, the sale was worth as much as £40m ($63m).
In a statement, Groucho chief executive Matt Hobbs said that the new owners would "continue to upgrade the old and worn out parts of the Club".
"We have also begun to look for a property in lower Manhattan so that we can have a long overdue home for members in New York," he said.
Founded in 1985, the Groucho Club became popular among the city's artistic and media crowd.
It has three bars, two restaurants and 20 bedrooms spread over several floors, and counts Rachel Weisz and Stephen Fry among its celebrity clientele. | The Groucho Club, a famed London private members' venue, is being sold to a group of investors that plan to open up a branch in New York. |
37,514,784 | Mr Street, who calls himself a "proud Brummie", was formally selected by local party members to fight the election in May next year.
He has handed in his resignation at John Lewis and will leave within a month, a member of his team said.
Labour's candidate is Siôn Simon, an MEP for the West Midlands.
Beverley Neilsen, a former chief executive of the Heart of England Tourist Board, has been chosen as the Liberal Democrats' candidate.
Mr Street, who grew up in Birmingham, tweeted: "Truly proud to be selected as the Conservatives' candidate for the mayoral election. The campaign starts now."
At the party's conference in Birmingham this weekend, he will "set out his plans to make the West Midlands an even more prosperous and successful part of the country".
Since he became managing director in 2007, the John Lewis department store chain has enjoyed a 67% increase in sales to £3.7bn last year.
John Lewis is expected to make a statement on Friday regarding its future leadership. | John Lewis boss Andy Street will leave the department store after being chosen to run as the Conservative candidate for West Midlands mayor. |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.