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33,361,205 | If Sir Howard Davies was in any doubt about the strength of feeling against a third runway at Heathrow, he will have seen it yesterday.
Just an hour or so after the recommendations and MPs were on College Green condemning the environmental impact. The well orchestrated anti-campaign Stop Heathrow Expansion descended on Harmondsworth Village to talk to the media.
While those issues are just as pertinent today as they were in 2009, the debate has changed slightly.
This is a new runway. It has shifted a few hundred metres to the west. There is talk of legal limits on noise and on pollution (similar proposals were in Labour's 2009 runway) and there is a proposal to ban night flights.
Some commentators think a night flight ban is the game changer.
Not everyone thinks it could happen operationally but could that shift opinion? Could the airport expand within its existing environmental footprint?
And you may have got the impression from the media circus in Harmondsworth village that the whole of surrounding Heathrow is against expansion - but that is not the case.
Some have been worn down and want to take the compensation money and move on. Others want expansion and think it will bring jobs.
In the villages where many work at the airport, the subject splits opinion and families.
And another thing has changed; the business pro-lobby have got more organised.
In 2009 you could struggle some days to find anyone to talk on camera about the economic benefits of a Heathrow third runway. Not yesterday, as business groups also orchestrated their pro campaign.
And locally now there is Back Heathrow - condemned as "astroturfers" (fake grass roots) and part funded by the airport - but a group that has nonetheless organised a local pro-business voice.
Of course, this is a political decision and one that politicians have wrestled with since 1968. And there is an argument that the political structures of a devolved Mayor of London means you are always going to get a strong anti-lobby. Would a pro-expansion Mayor of London ever be elected?
History says not - but yesterday David Lammy, one of Labour's Mayoral candidates, welcomed expansion at Heathrow.
These are all small changes. Yes it was a bit like Groundhog Day yesterday but there have been subtle shifts since 2009. | The old placards came out and the dusty banners were unfurled again. |
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So who are the people shaping that government-led vision? And how are they setting about making a bold declaration become a reality? BBC Sport travelled the country to meet them.
Sven-Goran Eriksson
After managing the likes of England, Manchester City and Roma, Sven-Goran Eriksson moved to China in 2013 to coach Chinese Super League (CSL) side Guangzhou R&F. He joined Shanghai SIPG a year later.
Sitting down in a central Shanghai hotel the night before a CSL match against his old club, he reflects on how the sport has radically grown during his time in the country.
"Three years ago it was not like this. The football was OK. But this season it's gone crazy, totally crazy," he says.
"One of the reasons for that is the government. The president of the country is pushing for football.
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"So I guess he's very happy to see the league is getting better and better but he wants China, as a national team, to be big, to be better in football."
Eriksson is enjoying living and working on football's new frontier. He's also excited by the steady flow of big-name players heading eastwards.
Five of the top six global transfers so far this year have involved Chinese sides and the Swede believes more "huge" names will follow their lead in the months ahead.
"Even bigger names will come. I think that and the rumours say that," he adds.
But can leading footballers, used to living in Europe, be attracted to China solely by the vast financial rewards on offer?
Eriksson believes the standard of Chinese football is getting better, with players drawn to play in the CSL for sporting reasons too.
"It's absolutely the right time to be in China for football," he says.
"I think everybody is happy today who works with football in China.
"Three, four or five years ago the big foreign names were not really interested in China - only when they were getting older, on the way down. But now? Even when they are at their peak they are interested in China.
"It's an exciting place to be and football is getting bigger and bigger every day."
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Romain Woo
The boom in Chinese football is part of a wider aim to develop a thriving sports industry.
In downtown Shanghai, the city's upwardly mobile residents are busy shopping at designer boutiques and meeting friends at the artisan coffee shops that populate the area.
Nestled in an office above one such establishment is China's leading football agent, Romain Woo.
With his designer suit, sharp haircut and minimalist office furniture he represents many aspects of modern China: confident, outward facing and ambitious.
After a stint working in Europe with the Dutch club PSV Eindhoven, he now represents 50 of China's leading footballers and coaches through his company Van Hao Sports.
And he is convinced the boom in transfer spending by China's top clubs has only just started.
"It's going crazy right now, it's really going crazy. We have a saying that the only two players who are not coming to China right now are Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi," he says.
"The other names? It's all highly possible. I know most of the big agents in Europe and they are all trying to push their clients to China right now if they're not having a good time in Europe."
During the January window China's transfer record was broken three times in 10 days.
It culminated in Liverpool being beaten to the signature of Alex Teixeira when he moved from Shakhtar Dontesk to CSL side Jiangsu Suning for a fee of £38.4m.
It is not one-way traffic, though, and Chinese players are in demand in Europe.
But with the country set on rising to the top of the world game - and with many clubs backed by huge corporations keen to help the government deliver its aims - opportunities for the best domestic players to go abroad are being blocked.
"Three of my players got chances to go to FC Copenhagen, to Real Madrid and Chelsea in the past three transfer windows," he says. "The problem is that they are way too important to their clubs here and they don't care about how big the transfer fee is.
"Maybe when the contract has expired or at another stage of Chinese football they can go. But now it's a different stage of Chinese football and we want to keep all our best players in the league, together with the foreigners."
Cameron Wilson
Foreign players are helping to drive interest in football and across China the game is a new fascination.
In Nanjing, two hours by high-speed train from Shanghai, sits the home of Jiangsu Suning FC. They are the biggest-spending club in China this year and their fans are anticipating future success as a result.
The atmosphere in their stadium on the night of a CSL match against rivals Shanghai Shenhua is intense.
More than 50,000 supporters are in full voice, with many waving giant flags or shouting into megaphones. Collectively they form a kaleidoscope of Jiangsu's blue and white colours and the noise doesn't stop for the entire 90 minutes.
Watching on is Cameron Wilson. Originally from Dunfermline in Scotland, he moved to China more than a decade ago and has settled in Shanghai with his family.
As the founder of the Wild East Football website, which charts the Chinese leagues, he thinks football provides a valuable insight into the changing nature of the country's society.
"The best thing about Chinese football is the fan culture - it's magical," he says.
"In the past, Chinese football was corrupt and the stadiums were empty. It has been played with these problems but you had fans that love football so much they still wanted to go.
"These are people who are on the edge of society and they're not afraid to stick their neck out a bit and be a bit different.
"And in that respect you can get a look into the future of China and what kind of country it's going to turn into.
"You get to meet the people who are daring to be a bit different and they're taking part in a sub-culture. For me, it's been a huge privilege to see that and be part of it."
Ma Chengquan
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Increased fan participation is welcome news to the boss of China's Super League.
China's government wants to create a £550bn sports industry in an attempt to diversify its economy. Football is the focal point of that effort.
He is eager for clubs to invest in facilities, to have better pitches and to improve their media facilities.
But Ma Chengquan has other matters on his mind too.
China's President, Xi Jinping, wants the national team to rise from its lowly Fifa world ranking of 81st.
And it is mainly through the CSL that China's World Cup dream will be delivered.
Ma rarely speaks to the media but, sitting in the boardroom of the CSL headquarters in Beijing, he discusses his recent journey to the UK: "I travelled to London last year to visit the Premier League and [executive chairman] Richard Scudamore told me that England and China have much in common.
"We both have a great league, with great clubs. But our national teams do not perform as well as the country would like."
One difference between England and China, however, is that there is a collective will amongst CSL owners to deliver the president's demands. This is very much a nation united with one common purpose.
Qualifying for a World Cup is the first target. Hosting the tournament, with 2030 in its sights, and then winning football's ultimate prize remain long-term ambitions.
To do that, China must build a football culture. There is an appreciation from Ma that China cannot just buy one and that the emphasis must be on producing homegrown talent.
"Five years ago I couldn't imagine what's happening right now but we'll definitely see a huge development in the Chinese Super League because we have so much attention from government, private sector and investors," he adds.
"Football education and going into schools will be key. We have public support too and that will help build a firm foundation for the future of Chinese football."
Tom Byer
The small, rural town of Pinggu may be about to enter China's football folklore.
Two hours east of Beijing, in the shadow of the Great Wall, sits Jinhai Hu elementary school
Its pupils are pioneers.
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They attend one of China's first designated football schools - providing a first glimpse of their president's vision of a footballing future.
The unlikely figure forging a new path for the People's Republic is American Tom Byer.
Having achieved cult status in Japan after contributing to their football development, he was headhunted by their neighbours to deliver similar results.
Byer is working with China's Ministry of Education. He will soon visit 64 cities to promote a series of coaching videos which will be played daily within every classroom in the country.
"It was taken from my success of doing TV in Japan," says Byer. "The purpose is to empower children to practise on their own the most meaningful skills and basic techniques of stopping, starting and changing direction."
There's also a book, "Football Starts At Home", which emphasises the need for parents to encourage their children to develop control of the football from an early age.
"One of the big things I recommend is focusing on very young kids - below the age of six," he adds. "There are 209 member associations in Fifa. Only eight have won a World Cup. Why are there only a handful of countries that dominate worldwide?
"If you study football and understand how development takes place, it's not so much about the coaching as it is the culture. So we need to do a much better job of educating Chinese families and young children. How can they start conditioning them from a very young age on how to manipulate a football?"
Byer acknowledges that progress will take time and patience will be needed.
"One of the big indicators is not if China qualifies for the World Cup but is it qualifying regularly for the Under 17 Fifa World Cup? Are they qualifying for regional under-16 tournaments?
"We need to make sure the culture is set up so it's conducive to football development and also to educate families that kids involved in physical activity do better academically.
"You can always hire and fire the best coaches in the world. You can't hire and fire parents. You're stuck with them. So if you understand how important the role that they play is then they are the ones you should be focussing on.
"There's no shortcut for producing a strong footballing country or culture. It all starts with the kids. Unless we get it right with the foundation level then it's going to be a very long road for China.
"But think on this. There are 100 million children under the age of six in this country. Even if you kind of get it right you have to imagine you'll create some world-class footballers.
Mads Davidsen
In the end, China's football ambitions will come down to the personal determination of its players to succeed.
On the outskirts of Shanghai sits an elite government-owned training complex which houses some of the country's best young talent in swimming, rowing and badminton.
It is also the training base for CSL side Shanghai SIPG.
On the training pitch a practice game is under way between members of SIPG's youth team, overseen by their Danish coach Mads Davidsen.
He moved to China five years ago and also works alongside head coach Sven-Goran Eriksson with the first team.
The young players have a focus and intensity to their game, something Davidsen attributes in part to the society they are growing up in.
"In Denmark, we have a very nice society. If you don't make it as a pro player you can walk straight into university. In Denmark we often say 'how can we create hunger in paradise?'
"I have the exact opposite with Chinese players. There is no paradise. This is their chance in life. I have a group of very hungry players who want to train hard and work hard.
"They are here with a mission. They are here because they have to create a career and not only for themselves.
"In Chinese culture when you grow up you have to take care of your parents. It's a big responsibility to have. It's up to you. You're the son - you have to take care of your parents."
Davidsen doesn't see his time in Chinese football as a stepping stone to a job in Europe.
He believes he is well placed to take advantage of football's new frontier given his belief that interest in football will not fade.
"As long as the political will is there it's going to stay, 100%," he adds.
"The only thing that can change, as I see it, is if the political way changes.
"If they suddenly change president or they change direction then of course you never know what will happen. But as long as Xi Jinping has put his name into football then it will continue." | China wants to be a "world football superpower" by 2050 and aims to develop a national team capable of winning the World Cup. |
38,362,694 | The tourists, set a target of 490, began the final day on 382-8 and were on target for a famous victory until Asad Shafiq fell for 137 at 449-9.
Yasir Shah was run out by Steve Smith's direct hit from second slip four balls later as the home side won by 39 runs.
The record for the highest successful Test chase is West Indies' 418-7 to beat Australia in Antigua in 2003.
However, Pakistan's 450 all out equals the third highest score made in the fourth innings of any Test.
Man of the match Shafiq, who reached his century just before the end of day four, had expertly shepherded the tail, sharing half-century stands for the seventh, eighth and ninth wicket - the first time this had happened in a Test - with Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz and Yasir.
But when Shafiq fended off a Mitchell Starc bouncer to David Warner at gully, the Australians were swiftly able to wrap up victory in the 22nd over of the final day of this day-night encounter as Yasir fell after skipper Smith's direct hit caught him out of his crease.
The three-match series continues with the traditional Boxing Day Test in Melbourne on 26 December. | Pakistan fell short of completing a world record run chase in the first Test against Australia in Brisbane. |
26,025,566 | The insects build impressive, metres-high structures even though they can follow only simple rules and have no knowledge of an overall plan.
The Harvard researchers' robot brick-layers do something similar, sensing just the immediate area and taking limited cues from each other.
Nonetheless, as a report in Science magazine shows, the machines can also build large, coherent structures.
The researchers say this decentralised approach to robot programming can have some major advantages over very sophisticated systems.
The team gives the example of swarms of construction bots being sent into hazardous environments, such as in disaster zones or out into space.
In these types of settings, if one or more machines is destroyed, the others can continue to work together to complete the task.
Contrast this with a complex robot following high-levels commands. If it fails for some reason, the whole endeavour might be doomed.
"We're not going to Mars anytime soon, but a more medium-term application might be to use similar robots in flood zones to build levees out of sandbags," said lead author Dr Justin Werfel from the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University.
"That's a kind of classic of robotics: you want to use them in situations that are dirty, dangerous and dull."
Dr Werfel was summarising his research here at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
He and colleagues are addressing one type of challenge in robotics - that of finding low-level rules that can be followed by machines to give specific, predictable outcomes.
In doing so, the team is borrowing a concept from the world of social insects called "stigmergy".
This is the idea that coordinated behaviour can arise from information left in the environment.
When termites build their mounds, they do so by reacting to their surroundings.
An insect will pick up a lump of earth and transport it to a location. If the location is already filled, it just moves on to the next site and dumps the earth there.
Chemical trails left by the termites in front, and the very shape of the rising mound, guide the workers following behind.
The Harvard team has designed algorithms based on stigmergy for their brick-laying machines.
The scientists specify a particular structure - be that a pyramid or a castle - and the system then automatically generates the low-level rules the climbing robots must follow to guarantee the production of that structure.
Individually, the 18cm-long bots need very little information.
"They have only four simple types of sensors: infrared, ultrasound, an accelerometer for climbing, and tactile sensing - push buttons. That makes them robust and easy to program," said team-member Kirstin Petersen from the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
They sense the presence of bricks, other nearby bots and the grid space as they move through it.
They build staircases with their bricks and walk up and down them.
But, importantly, they perceive only their immediate vicinity. They have no information on the current state of the overall structure or the actions of more distant robots.
"They have some traffic rules that tell them how to move through the work space, and these correspond to the particular type of structure being built. That is, if you ask them to build something else, the traffic rules will be different. And they also have some safety checks that ensure they never put bricks that back them into a corner, such as building a cliff they can't then climb over," explained Dr Werfel.
Bots can be removed or even added mid-task and it makes no difference. Likewise, if the structure experiences damage mid-erection, the bots merely resume construction at that point and carry the build to completion.
"You can see how this is more robust," added Dr Werfel. "If you send [the sophisticated Star Wars robot] C-3PO and it is destroyed, you're out of luck. But if you send an army of ants and half get swept away by the river, the rest can keep on working."
Commenting, Dr Judith Korb from the University of Freiburg, Germany, said it was conceivable such robots could also be used to turn the study back on living things and the mechanisms of evolution.
"It's possible you might use this program to test whether the insects do things in an optimal way. It may be that evolution has constrained them such that they follow very good solutions but not quite the best."
[email protected] and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos | US scientists have developed small robots that behave much like termites. |
15,431,829 | Indeed, if anything, they are gaining traction, partly because the students' demands resonate with those of demonstrators elsewhere in the world, from Wall Street to Athens.
Many students here say they now feel part of a wider, international expression of discontent with their rulers.
In Latin America, what has been dubbed the "Chilean Winter" has inspired others to challenge their education systems.
In Colombia, for example, students have been spotted waving Chilean flags during marches.
Last week, Chile's student leaders were in Europe to drum up support. They came back home with a message: "We are not about to give up."
The movement's leader is Camila Vallejo, a young communist and president of Chile's main students' union.
Photogenic and articulate, she has become a key figure, with some journalists comparing her to Sub-Comandante Marcos, the leader of Zapatista rebels in Mexico, or even Che Guevara.
While those comparisons may be a little far-fetched for a 23-year-old geography student, "Comandante Camila" has galvanised the students and become a thorn in the government's side. She has thousands of followers on Twitter and Facebook, and a growing fan club outside Chile.
The students are demanding a strictly not-for-profit education system that is free for everyone.
The government says that is unrealistic and that Chile can only afford to provide free education for the poorest 40% of its children. It also says there is no reason why the rich shouldn't pay.
The government has offered concessions like, for example, lowering the interest rates on student loans, but the students say this is simply tinkering with a dysfunctional system rather than overhauling it.
Earlier this month talks between the two sides broke down and there is no sign of a resolution.
For better or worse, Chile's education system is one of the most privatised in the world.
According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), nearly 40% of all education spending comes not from the state but from households in the form of tuition fees. That is higher than in any other country in the OECD.
Only 16% of higher education spending comes from public sources, compared with an OECD average of nearly 70%. Three-quarters of Chile's universities are privately owned.
The government says this private sector involvement should be welcomed, but the students argue that it effectively turns education into a commodity, governed by market forces.
Even at high school level, the private sector is pervasive. Less than half of Chile's high school pupils go to fully state-funded schools. The rest go to private schools (7%) or subsidised schools (48%), where costs are split between the state and parents.
Pupils have taken over hundreds of schools during this year's protests and barricaded themselves inside, refusing to allow the teachers in.
At some schools, the pupils have jammed chairs and desks into the railings to indicate that their school is under occupation.
At one occupied school, the Liceo Dario Salas in central Santiago, students set up camp inside, with mattresses laid out on the floors of the classrooms. They painted defiant revolutionary murals on the school walls.
"Ever since Chile returned to democracy we've seen how, little by little, they've sold off all of the services that we should have access to, and that includes education," one of the protesters, 17-year-old Fernanda Gonzalez, said.
"Education should be free for all. It should give us the chance to choose different careers and to have a better quality of live."
But these sit-ins have had a devastating impact on the academic year. Some children have not been to school for months.
"Thousands of children have not been able to continue the process of learning normally," said Fernando Rojas, undersecretary for education.
"Even though it's a low percentage of our student population it is still a significant number of students, so it concerns us greatly."
The other major concern for the government is public order. There have been about 40 student marches in Santiago since May and most of them have ended in violent clashes between masked youths, armed with stones and petrol bombs, and riot police with tear-gas and water cannon.
Nearly 2,000 people have been arrested although almost all were released without charge within hours.
Santiago's municipal government says the riots have caused at least $2m (£1.2m) of damage. Youths have ripped up street signs, paving stones and traffic lights to build barricades. In one incident, protesters forced passengers off a bus and set fire to it.
The next big challenge for the government will be to get its 2012 budget approved by parliament. It has earmarked $11.6bn for education spending, an increase of 7.2% from this year.
And yet the students say that is not enough and the centre-left opposition is threatening to block the budget.
The other big issue for the next few months will be tax reform. Last year, the government raised corporate tax rates to pay for reconstruction after the massive earthquake of February 2010.
In theory, those taxes should be reduced again over the next two years, but the students are urging the government to keep rates high and use the extra money to fund education.
The "Chilean Winter" has given way to spring. But there is little to suggest this conflict will be resolved before the end of the year and the onset of the southern hemisphere summer. | Nearly six months after they began, Chile's student protests show little sign of running out of steam. |
39,242,696 | The attack was near the Bab al-Saghir cemetery, which houses Shia mausoleums, with those targeted said to be pilgrims arriving by bus.
Sunni militants often target Shias but attacks in the capital are uncommon.
A nationwide truce brokered by Russia, Turkey and Iran took effect on 30 December after talks in Kazakhstan, but sporadic attacks continue.
There have been two rounds of talks, with another planned next week.
Damascus is mostly under the control of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, but rebel groups are present in outlying districts of the city.
It is not yet clear who was behind the latest attack, which Iraqi foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed Jamal called a "criminal terrorist operation".
Images showed blood stains on the ground near several damaged buses.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a roadside bomb blew up as a bus passed and a suicide bomber also detonated explosives.
A double suicide bombing in the Kafr Sousa district of the capital in January killed at least 10 people.
Former al-Qaeda affiliate Jabhat Fateh al-Sham said it was behind that attack.
The group is excluded from the peace talks and its mainly north-western bases have been regularly targeted by the Syrian army and its Russian allies.
So-called Islamic State is another Sunni extremist group that controls significant areas of Syria. Its Iraqi stronghold of Mosul is currently under attack from Iraqi government forces and their allies.
More than 300,000 people have been killed and 11 million others displaced since the uprising against President Assad began in March 2011. | A twin bomb attack in Syria's capital, Damascus, has killed 40 Iraqis and wounded 120, Iraq's government says. |
40,342,987 | They were rescued from the 11ft (3.4m) vessel after getting into difficulty a mile from Douglas at about 20:35 BST on Monday.
Without power, the yacht had drifted three miles away from the island.
The Douglas volunteer RNLI crew towed the yacht back to the Battery Pier where the coastguards were waiting to assist. No-one was injured. | Four sailors have been rescued from their stricken yacht after its sail became unusable and its engine failed. |
38,302,289 | During its 11-year-long civil war, Sierra Leone became famous for blood diamonds.
Rebel and government groups fought brutally over diamond-rich territory in the north of the country and funded themselves by selling the stones to international buyers.
Fourteen years after the conflict ended, diamond mining operations are still under way in the northern district of Kono.
A South African company, Koidu Holdings, runs a large mine that uses sophisticated machinery to blast through kimberlite and identify diamond-dense areas in the deep earth.
Nearby, artisanal miners line river banks, armed with sieves, spades and buckets.
One of these miners, Philo, has worked in Kono for the past 23 years, but was driven out during the conflict and lived in Guinea as a refugee.
When the war simmered down in December 2000, he returned home and started diamond mining again a year later.
Many artisanal miners will admit that they have not found a diamond in months and are desperately poor.
Yet in a country where there is 70% youth unemployment, mining at least provides some form of livelihood.
Most men mine in a team of three.
Philo works with two friends.
One of them dives to scoop a bucket of mud and grit from the riverbed, while another man holds him down so he does not drift with the tide.
The third collects the bucket and empties it into a mound.
Once there is enough, the sifting begins.
The three men swap roles regularly, to avoid getting too cold.
Philo complains of chills when he gets out of the water and sucks a packet of cheap rum to warm up, saying: "This work is tough and physically straining - if I had the qualifications or opportunity to do another job then I would at once."
The swampy area around the river has been dug out by artisanal miners, who are dotted all over, urgently scooping mud and sifting through it.
At last, after three hours of sifting, Philo is thrilled to have found a tiny diamond.
Some miners are able to invest in what is known as a "rocker".
They use a power hose to squirt water through a layer of mud piled on to fine mesh.
Once the mud is cleared they are more likely to spot a glinting diamond.
However, Philo does not have this luxury.
"We are not able to afford this kind of machinery, we have to manage with just a bucket, spade and shaker [sieve]," he says.
In the local market each shaker sells for 25,000 Leones (about £3.50).
Soon after Philo has discovered a diamond, he packs up early and heads into town with his team.
He is happy, saying: "This was a very good day, we hadn't seen a diamond for nearly a month."
On the way to his house, he bumps into his elder brother outside a shop.
They greet each other in front of the rocky kimberlite mountain that has been created by Koidu Holdings' blasts.
Philo says that he is jealous of their machinery and wealth, especially as diamonds in shallow ground are running out.
Back home, Philo relaxes in his room with his uncle.
During the conflict his mother was shot and killed by rebels, just outside the room in which he is now sitting.
His whole house was burned down and had to be rebuilt.
The following day Philo heads into Koidu town to sell his diamond in an office just off the high street.
The going rate is $3,200 (£2,520) for a carat that is 40% pure, and much less for gems of lower purity.
Philo obtains only $35 (about £28) for his find, but he is pleased as it is more than he had expected. | All photographs by Olivia Acland |
26,118,423 | Redeveloping the derelict Plaza Cinema, where Richard Burton and Sir Anthony Hopkins used to visit, is on the list of proposed work.
Improvements to public transport links and new developments on Aberavon seafront, along with affordable housing, are also planned.
Funding for the proposals has come from the Welsh government.
Its Vibrant and Viable Places scheme is used for regeneration projects which include tackling poverty, building homes and improving community facilities.
"This is again fantastic news for the residents and businesses of Port Talbot and surrounding areas," said Neath Port Talbot council leader Ali Thomas.
"This funding will enable a programme of development which will build on other recent successes such as the completion of Harbour Way, the first phase of the town's Harbourside quarter and the redevelopment of the Parkway station.
"There is now real momentum behind our regeneration programme for the county borough.
"Whilst this remains a very tough time for local councils financially, we are committed to securing the necessary funding to deliver our vision for a prosperous and attractive Neath Port Talbot."
Earlier this month, Network Rail unveiled final plans for an £11.4m redevelopment of Port Talbot Parkway train station which will be completed next year.
It follows on the footsteps of last year's opening of the £107m Harbour Way project - linking the M4 to Port Talbot docks where land is being opened up for development. | Plans to improve key sites around Port Talbot have been boosted by nearly £10m in funding. |
40,306,551 | Twenty years after he was knighted by the Queen, Sir Paul has been bumped up the honours list for services to music.
Former Liverpool boxer John Conteh, 66, is also being honoured with an MBE for services to boxing.
The former world light-heavyweight champion who held the title between 1974 and 1978 expressed surprise and said "it's an absolute privilege".
"I never even thought about the possibility of getting an honour - where I grew up the only letters you got were from the DHSS," he said.
He remains a respected figure in the sport for his charity work and his involvement with the London ex-Boxers' Association.
Conteh, who began boxing at the age of 10, added: "Here I am today, still involved in the sport and with all these letters after my name. I've got the WBC and now I've got the MBE - how much more could I possibly want?"
Sir Paul, who was knighted in the Queen's 1997 New Year Honours, will now be able to wear the initials CH after his name.
Founded in 1917, the Order of the Companions Honour is awarded for service of conspicuous national importance and is limited to 65 people.
The man who, with John Lennon, wrote some of the most popular songs in history has had the most successful solo musical career of The Beatles and is now treated as rock royalty.
Other Merseyside appointments include Angela Paget, formerly head teacher at St Bede's Catholic Junior School in Widnes who is appointed OBE.
Prof Anthony Colin Fisher, from Royal Liverpool University Hospital, becomes an MBE for services to medical physics while Richard Michael Twemlow becomes an MBE for services to scouting in Wirral.
Police detective Tracy O'Hara, a leading figure in Merseyside police's gay and lesbian support network, has received the Queen's Police Medal. | Sir Paul McCartney has been made a Companion of Honour in the Queen's Birthday Honours list. |
35,665,205 | Italy coach Jacques Brunel has made four changes to his starting line-up.
David Odiete returns to replace Luke McLean at full-back having impressed in Paris before missing the heavy defeat by England due to a calf problem.
Lock Joshua Furno and experienced hooker Leonardo Ghiraldini also start for the Azzurri in Rome.
Furno will make his first start of the tournament in place of George Biagi, who has been ruled out after suffering a fractured rib against England.
Ghiraldini, who will earn his 81st cap, returns in place of Ornel Gega after he fractured a cheekbone in the last game.
Having seen Italy come close to upsetting France in their tournament opener, Brunel has sought to replicate his starting XV from match at Stade de France as much as possible.
However, he will have to do without Canna, who had earned praise for his performances despite the losses to France and England.
Haimona, who missed last year's World Cup with injury, will partner scrum-half Edoardo Gori, who will earn his 50th cap against Scotland.
The 25-year-old Gori said: "I feel very humble because every opportunity to play for Italy makes you proud."
Captain Sergio Parisse will earn his 117th cap when he starts at number eight, while Italy's leading cap-holder, Martin Castrogiovanni, who has one more appearance, starts on the bench.
Scotland have beaten Italy nine times in 16 previous Six Nations meetings, with Italy winning seven.
However, Scotland arrive looking to avoid a 10th straight Six Nations defeat, including their loss to the Italians at Murrayfield last season.
Starting XV: David Odiete (Marchiol Mogliano), Leonardo Sarto (Zebre), Michele Campagnaro (Exeter Chiefs), Gonzalo Garcia (Zebre), Mattia Bellini (Petrarca Padova), Kelly Haimona (Zebre), Edoardo Gori (Benetton Treviso); Andrea Lovotti (Zebre), Leonardo Ghiraldini (Leicester Tigers), Lorenzo Citttadini (London Wasps), Marco Fuser (Benetton Treviso), Joshua Furno (Newcastle Falcons), Francesco Minto (Benetton Treviso), Alessandro Zanni (Benetton Treviso), Sergio Parisse (Stade Francais, captain).
Replacements: Davide Giazzon (Benetton Treviso), Matteo Zanusso (Benetton Treviso), Martin Castrogiovanni (Racing '92), Valerio Bernabo (Zebre), Andries Van Schalkwyk (Zebre), Guglielmo Palazzani (Zebre), Edoardo Padovani (Zebre), Andrea Pratichetti (Benetton Treviso). | Fly-half Kelly Haimona will start Italy's Six Nations match against Scotland on Saturday after Carlo Canna failed to recover from injury. |
32,379,929 | Its index of the cheapest deals on the market showed that the cost of annual comprehensive car insurance fell by 1% compared with the previous quarter.
That took the cheapest deals down by £5.58 to £530.47.
The AA said said that drivers aged over 60 saw premiums rise over the same period.
Janet Connor, managing director of AA Insurance, said that other age groups would start seeing insurance costs rise steadily too.
"We are starting to see insurers quoting higher prices. I think that is the beginning of a trend, but the market remains very competitive," she said.
"The rate of increase is not going to be turbo-charged."
The cost of car insurance has fallen by nearly 6% compared with the same quarter a year earlier, the AA said.
Bigger falls were recorded in the cheapest deals for home insurance, according to the insurer.
The average quote was down 9.6%, or nearly £17, among the cheapest deals in the last year for home and contents insurance.
A long period of benign weather had helped keep costs down, Ms Connor said.
"Home premiums are most likely to be affected by extremes of weather and the recent winter has on the whole been notable for its lack of heavy rain, snow, winds and extreme temperatures," she said. | The cost of UK car insurance will rise over the rest of the year, according to the AA, despite a fall in the first quarter of 2015. |
35,354,209 | BBC Wales revealed five Welsh Tory MPs have urged George Osborne to reverse the announcement, made in November.
They said the policy change was "disrespectful" and breached the Conservatives' 2015 election manifesto.
But Cardiff North MP Craig Williams said there was no "big row" and AMs needed "some fiscal responsibility".
Welsh Secretary Stephen Crabb has said devolving income tax powers would mean "better government for Wales".
Some of the MPs opposed to the move hope to raise the issue at a meeting with Mr Osborne on Wednesday.
The five - Byron Davies, Chris Davies, David Davies, James Davies and David Jones - have written to him on the issue
"This is a line in the sand for many of us," one MP said.
Another said it would be "very embarrassing" for the Conservative UK government if almost half of the party's 11 Welsh MPs were to vote against the measure.
The letter said that during the general election campaign Tory candidates "were able to reassure people that the assembly would not get tax raising powers without the consent of the people of Wales".
"To drop the commitment to a referendum would put us in breach of a clear manifesto commitment," it continued.
The Welsh Conservative manifesto for the 2015 general election made reference to an "expectation that the Welsh government will hold a referendum on income tax powers".
The five MPs said people in Wales should not be "treated differently in this respect from the people of Scotland, who did have a separate vote on the issue of tax varying powers" in the 1997 referendum on devolution.
"We frankly feel that to impose such powers without a referendum would be disrespectful to the Welsh people," they added.
Mr Williams responded: "You're going to have cases with business rates being devolved to areas like Manchester, where Manchester City Council might have more fiscal responsibility than the entire Welsh nation," Mr Williams said.
"It's about time they [the assembly] had some responsibility for income of money as well as spending it on their pet projects."
In December, Welsh Secretary Stephen Crabb said he thought public opinion was "fluid" on the matter, but there were "very, very strong reasons for why we need to press ahead" for Wales and the Welsh economy to get stronger.
Splits within the Welsh Conservative group in Cardiff Bay on the devolution of income tax led to the party's leader Andrew RT Davies sacking four members of his front bench team in February 2014.
They were re-instated in the summer.
Mr Davies said he would use income tax powers to take 5p off the higher rate and 1p off the basic rate in Wales if he was first minister.
A spokesman for the Welsh Conservatives said: "The position of the UK government and chancellor is very clear on this matter and we have long called for the Welsh government to be more accountable for the money it raises and spends."
A Plaid Cymru spokeswoman said: "This latest development shows the Tories' true colours when it comes to empowering Wales.
"They support transferring substantial powers, including policing, to English cities without a referendum and yet are trying to block Wales having powers over small proportion of income tax which could be of benefit to the Welsh economy." | A Tory MP backing plans to devolve some income tax powers to Wales without a referendum has said he does not expect the chancellor to reverse his decision. |
38,475,262 | Chris Johnson had the home side in front early on but Miles Hippolyte, Bob McHugh and Craig Sibbald all struck for the Bairns before the break.
Sibbald notched his second shortly after the restart.
Defeat means Raith are without a win in their last eight games and are now five points off fourth-placed Falkirk, who trail Morton by a point.
Ryan Stevenson made his starting debut for Rovers and his presence up front had an immediate impact. The former Hearts striker played in Johnson, and although Falkirk goalkeeper Danny Rogers got a hand to the shot he could not keep it out.
Stevenson's involvement was short-lived as he had to be replaced after a clash with the Bairns keeper. His loss appeared to rattle the hosts and Falkirk capitalised with a stunning equaliser.
Hippolyte was almost 30 yards out but his curling free-kick ended up in the top corner of Kevin Cuthbert's goal.
McHugh then turned the home defence and slid the ball home from the edge of the box.
Rogers made a magnificent one-handed stop to deny Kyle Benedictus an equaliser and it proved to be a huge turning point, with the visitors extending their advantage within seconds.
Sibbald turned well around 20 yards from goal and his shot took a slight deflection on its way in.
And Sibbald again with a strike off the legs of a home defender wrong-footed Cuthbert to stretch Falkirk's lead.
Match ends, Raith Rovers 1, Falkirk 4.
Second Half ends, Raith Rovers 1, Falkirk 4.
Attempt missed. Declan McManus (Raith Rovers) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right following a corner.
Corner, Raith Rovers. Conceded by Aaron Muirhead.
Attempt saved. Myles Hippolyte (Falkirk) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Attempt missed. Mark Stewart (Raith Rovers) right footed shot from the left side of the box is close, but misses to the left.
Bobby Barr (Raith Rovers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Tom Taiwo (Falkirk).
Foul by Jason Thomson (Raith Rovers).
Tony Gallacher (Falkirk) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Substitution, Falkirk. Luca Gasparotto replaces Paul Watson.
Attempt missed. Declan McManus (Raith Rovers) right footed shot from the centre of the box is too high.
Substitution, Falkirk. Scott Shepherd replaces John Baird.
Ross Callachan (Raith Rovers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Myles Hippolyte (Falkirk) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Myles Hippolyte (Falkirk).
Delay in match Mark Stewart (Raith Rovers) because of an injury.
Delay in match Jason Thomson (Raith Rovers) because of an injury.
Corner, Raith Rovers. Conceded by Peter Grant.
Attempt blocked. Ryan Hardie (Raith Rovers) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Ross Callachan (Raith Rovers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Tom Taiwo (Falkirk).
Corner, Falkirk. Conceded by Bobby Barr.
Corner, Raith Rovers. Conceded by Peter Grant.
Substitution, Raith Rovers. Mark Stewart replaces Kevin McHattie.
Corner, Falkirk. Conceded by Kevin McHattie.
Foul by Jordan Thompson (Raith Rovers).
Robert McHugh (Falkirk) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Declan McManus (Raith Rovers).
Tony Gallacher (Falkirk) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Attempt missed. Peter Grant (Falkirk) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses the top left corner following a corner.
Corner, Falkirk. Conceded by Chris Johnston.
Goal! Raith Rovers 1, Falkirk 4. Craig Sibbald (Falkirk) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Robert McHugh.
Corner, Falkirk. Conceded by Iain Davidson.
Second Half begins Raith Rovers 1, Falkirk 3.
First Half ends, Raith Rovers 1, Falkirk 3.
Corner, Raith Rovers. Conceded by Mark Kerr.
Kyle Benedictus (Raith Rovers) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Kyle Benedictus (Raith Rovers).
Robert McHugh (Falkirk) wins a free kick in the defensive half. | Falkirk secured their first win in five matches after coming from behind to defeat promotion rivals Raith Rovers. |
35,863,668 | Iain Duncan Smith's resignation has put the issue at the heart of the government's approach to the economy - whether George Osborne's announcements in the Budget last week were "fair".
Mr Duncan Smith told the Andrew Marr programme on Sunday morning that the Budget was "deeply unfair", as it proposed restrictions to increases in the disability payments budget whilst at the same time provided an effective tax cut for those with higher incomes.
The first, Mr Duncan Smith suggested, was being used to fund the second.
To analyse the impact of the Budget on different income groups, economists turn to what is called a "distributional analysis" which aggregates the effect of tax and benefit changes.
By way of such an analysis, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) says that last week's Budget left the richest 10% of households about £260 a year better off.
The poorest 10%, the IFS says, were no better off and could actually see their net income fall slightly as benefits are reduced.
To understand the differential impact it is worth going back to the pledges made in the Conservative manifesto - to increase the personal allowance before those in work start paying income tax.
And second, to increase the threshold at which the higher 40p tax rate kicks in.
Both policies have a tendency to benefit the better off for two reasons.
If you earn under the new personal allowance announced in the Budget of £11,500 then the tax changes have no effect.
And you only receive the benefit of the increase in the 40p tax threshold if you earn more than £45,000.
Using the IFS's model, many would say that the Budget was "unfair" in that the richest gained more than the poorest.
Which appears to contradict George Osborne's big point in the Spending Review way back in 2010 that those with "the broadest shoulders should bear the greatest burden".
But - the Treasury looks at distributional analysis in a radically different way.
Looking back to 2010, it argues that it is more revealing to consider the proportion of taxes paid and public services received.
On that basis, the top 20% of wealthy households will be paying 52% of all taxes by 2019-20, compared with 49% in 2010/11.
The amount of public spending they receive has remained static at about 11%.
As the IFS says: "The very highest earners - those on over £100,000 a year - have seen significant tax increases."
The Treasury analysis then goes on to argue that the lowest 20% of households will be paying about 6% of total taxes by 2019-20 - the same as 2010-11.
For that, they will receive 25% of all public spending, up a percentage point from 2010-11.
Those figures, the Treasury argues, show that despite the "pie" - the amount of government spending - being smaller the effects have been fairly distributed.
Whether you agree with the pounds and pence approach or the distribution of the pie approach, the argument about Budget "fairness" has also hung on the issue of the disability payments budget.
My Treasury sources tell me that this issue is more to do with controlling a ballooning budget than hitting an overall public spending surplus by 2020.
Digging through the Office for Budget Responsibility's analysis of the government's spending, the rising cost of the disability Personal Independence Payment (PIP) does stand out.
The OBR says that the cost of PIPs has risen by £1.4bn since its November forecast, and by £3bn since its June forecast.
The OBR makes it clear that the "transition from the Disability Living Allowance to PIP has saved less money than expected" and that average awards have been "revised up by 16% to £100 a week".
The government argues that it is "fair" to look at a budget that is rising so rapidly.
Critics say that disabled people are being targeted at the same time as tax cuts are helping higher income groups.
And pensions are being protected.
Whatever the arguments, since the controversy of the Budget the government has agreed to delay any reforms, thereby abandoning plans to cut £1.3bn from disability benefits in 2019-20, the year Mr Osborne has pledged to produce a public spending surplus of £10.4bn.
Does that, as some have suggested, blow a "hole" in the Chancellor's economic plans for 2019-20?
Hardly. In that year alone the government is expected to spend a total of £810bn.
So, £1.3bn is, in macro-economic terms, small change.
A small revision upwards of economic growth projections or tax receipts would easily cover the costs.
Although, of course, those forecasts could go in the other direction - creating a real headache for the resident of Number 11.
My Treasury sources tell me that far from Mr Duncan Smith's former Department of Work and Pensions having to find that £1.3bn saving elsewhere from their budget, the whole issue will be looked at "in the round" at the time of the Autumn Statement towards the end of the year.
And by then, of course, we will know the outcome of the European Union referendum.
Which will put a whole different complexion on the state of the UK economy - for better or worse. | Fairness - a word as easy to shout about as it is difficult to define. |
39,279,076 | The research, based on data collected by GPs between 1991 and 2014, also show an increase in life expectancy for those with the disease.
Between 1993 and 2010, the proportion of obese people across the UK doubled from 13% to 26% for men.
That figure went from 16% to 26% for women.
Wales has the highest prevalence of diabetes in the UK, with 7.1% of people aged 17 and over living with the condition, Diabetes Cymru UK has said.
Rates of the type 2 form of the disease continue to rise, according to Professor Craig Currie from Cardiff University's school of medicine.
He added the increased life expectancy finding could be due to earlier diagnosis of the condition, as well as drugs such as blood pressure tablets and statins for blood cholesterol.
The research also revealed the prevalence of type 2 diabetes increased with age, although this increase is lower in people aged 80 years and above.
Prevalence was also generally higher in men than in women above the age of 40.
Around 90% of the 4.5m people who live with diabetes in the UK have type 2 diabetes.
This form of the disease develops when the insulin-producing cells in the body are unable to produce enough insulin, or when the insulin that is produced does not work properly.
It is treated with a healthy diet, increased physical activity, medication and insulin. | The number of people in the UK with type 2 diabetes has trebled from 700,000 to about 2.8m over the last 20 years, Cardiff University has found. |
37,270,632 | The man, in his 50s, who has not been named, was travelling in a grey Toyota on Chain Hill, Wantage, on Friday, police said.
He was the only person involved in the crash, and died at the scene. Thames Valley Police said his next of kin had been informed.
Chain Hill was closed while emergency services attended the scene and has since reopened. | A man died when the car he was driving left the road in Oxfordshire. |
36,833,273 | Sam Cross is also in the men's 12-strong squad with Luke Treharne a travelling reserve.
Jasmine Joyce is the only Welsh player to make the GB Women's line-up.
"To have rugby sevens on that stage is only going to help grow the game," Davies told BBC Sport.
"For the audiences who don't get to watch rugby as often as some of us do, it is really going to catch the eye.
"The more people that know about rugby the better, and in terms of a worldwide spectacle, the Olympics is the best event for it.
"It goes without saying that winning Olympic gold, silver or bronze would be special.
"I am looking forward to the whole experience, being part of Team GB, it is nice to join the boxing team, the athletics team, I am looking forward to that."
Wing Luke Morgan suffered a knee injury that ruled him out of contention for rugby's return to the Olympics.
Wales and Cardiff Blues centre Cory Allen also misses out.
Megan Jones, an England Sevens player who attended a Welsh language school, is a travelling back-up for the women's team.
Great Britain sevens men: Mark Bennett (Glasgow), Dan Bibby (Putney), Phil Burgess (Farnborough), Sam Cross (Newport), Alex Davis (Bristol), James Davies, (Carmarthen), Ollie Lindsay Hague (London), Tom Mitchell (Wandsworth), Dan Norton (Bristol), James Rodwell (Cotteridge), Mark Robertson (Galashiels), Marcus Watson (Weybridge).
Great Britain sevens women: Claire Allan (Ealing), Abbie Brown (Exeter), Heather Fisher (Birmingham), Natasha Hunt (Gloucester), Jasmine Joyce (Haverfordwest), Katy McLean (South Shields), Alice Richardson (Worcester), Emily Scarratt (Leicester), Emily Scott (Corringham), Danielle Waterman (Bristol), Joanne Watmore, (Chester), Amy Wilson-Hardy (Poole).
*Brackets denote place of origin | Scarlets flanker James Davies is excited to be part of "the greatest show on earth," after being named among four Welsh sevens players who will go to the Rio Olympics with Team GB. |
35,041,144 | Every year, whether through league placings or success in the Scottish Cup, qualifying for Europe has become a measure of a successful domestic season. It excites fans.
Yet, as witnessed again as Scotland's four representatives surrendered their places in Uefa's two club competitions by mid-December, excitement is all too soon replaced by dismay, frustration and the pang of diminished worth that accompanies elimination.
Celtic's draw against Fenerbahce in Istanbul on Thursday was welcome but surely no-one at that club, or any Scottish football observer, will pretend that it masks a disappointing European campaign.
Ronny Deila's side, Scotland's current best, finished bottom of their Europa League group, the first Celtic team to fail to win a group match in continental competition.
When combined with St Johnstone, Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Aberdeen's failure to reach the group stage of the Europa League, it is hard to escape a sense of dejection about Scottish teams' participation in European club football.
In truth, when Scottish teams 'qualify' for Europe, they qualify for the right to TRY to qualify for the main event. It's like 'winning the chance to enter' a prize draw.
Celtic - the league winners - entered Champions League qualifying at the second round and got past Icelandic part-timers Stjarnan and Azerbaijan's Qarabag before a narrow aggregate defeat by Swedish side Malmo in the play-off round.
St Johnstone, however impressive their feats domestically, were knocked out in the first qualifying round of the Europa League, with one win and one defeat against Alashkert of Armenia.
Scottish Cup winners Inverness entered Uefa's secondary club competition at the second qualifying round but lost one and drew one against Romania's Astra Giurgiu.
Aberdeen got past Shkendija of Macedonia and Croatian side HNK Rijeka in the Europa League first and second qualifying rounds before going out 3-2 on aggregate to Kazakhstan's Kairat Almaty.
From four teams to one, and all this before August was out.
Scotland will drop another few places in Uefa's country ranking but it is a measure of how far it has sunk already that it will not yet lead to even fewer teams competing, or at an even earlier stage, of European qualifying in season 2017-18.
Ten years ago, Scotland was 10th in the Uefa country rankings, this based on the five previous seasons' coefficient.
By 2011 it had fallen to 15th.
Scotland's 2016 ranking will be 25th, perhaps apt given Scotland's national team failed to qualify for the 24-team Euro 2016 finals.
If the rankings were based on this season alone and not over five years, Scotland would be 28th. All is not well.
Participation in this season's tournaments was based on the 2014 ranking of 23rd.
When teams compete in Europe they are awarded coefficient points - two for a win, one for a draw in the group stages, and half that in qualifying.
These are then added up to form a total for the season.
Scotland's representatives gathered 12 coefficient points from 22 matches this season. When divided by four, the number of clubs, it gives a coefficient for 2016 of 3.000.
The 2015 figure that will determine participation in the 2016-17 competitions is the same as 2014's - 23rd - despite the poor coefficient for 2009-10 (2.666) dropping off to be replaced by a stronger coefficient for season 2014-15 (4.000).
Mercifully, there is no immediate fall-out from the current disappointing campaign which informs qualification in 2017-18.
Scotland will still have four clubs competing and the reigning league champions will still enter Champions League qualifying at the second round.
The teams finishing second and third in the league will continue to enter at the first Europa League qualifying stage.
However, Scotland dare not slip further than 25th in the Uefa country rankings since to do so would mean that in future years, if Uefa keeps the access list the same as for the 2015-18 cycle, the Scottish Cup winners would enter Europa League qualifying at the first round rather than the second.
Luckily for Scotland's teams, they have some breathing space between them and the chasing pack. The teams in 26-28th place - Azerbaijan, Serbia and Kazakhstan - are about a poor season's coefficient-worth of points behind, yet their five-year totals show a rise year on year, unlike Scotland's.
For all the criticism of Celtic in Europe this season, Scotland's ranking would be much worse without them.
St Johnstone's early continental exertions earned just one of those 12 coefficient points mentioned above while Caley Thistle's draw against Astra Giurgiu gathered a half point.
The stirring efforts made by Derek McInnes's Dons in three rounds of Europa League qualifying contributed a further three.
The remaining 7.5 coefficient points were earned by Celtic: 4.5 in Champions League qualifying, the rest from the draws against Ajax and Fenerbahce (twice) when they were parachuted into the Europa League group stage.
In addition, Scotland's fate in club competitions is hampered by the seeding system that tends to favour the larger and more powerful football nations.
Seedings are determined by the clubs' coefficient, which is determined by the sum of all points won in the previous five years, plus 20% of that country's coefficient over the same period.
Celtic have fallen from 50th to 75th in Europe, with only their Europa League group stage draws earning them their three points.
Southampton, however, a club with a lesser European pedigree than Celtic, are ranked 74th. The English side earned 1.5 club coefficient points compared to Celtic's three, but they benefit from English football's high standing and have 2.125 points added to their club coefficient to take it to 3.625 while Celtic had 0.600 (20% of Scotland's coefficient of 3.000) added for a modest total of 3.600.
For comparison, Aberdeen are ranked 125th for season 2015-16, Caley Thistle 162nd and St Johnstone 167th in the club coefficient standings.
A common complaint made by Scottish teams is that they have to play crunch European matches in July before their domestic season has even begun.
The new format for the Scottish League Cup will bring an element of summer football with ties in July - except for teams competing in Europe.
In the midwinter gloom, with post-Christmas European football to be savoured by others, there is no obvious prospect of Scotland's coefficient matching that of, say, Sweden, Norway or Denmark, a few places ahead, any time soon. | One cannot help but wonder when the allure of "reaching Europe" will lose its potency for Scottish clubs. |
38,163,842 | 1 December 2016 Last updated at 07:21 GMT
The penguins can normally be found living in the Antarctic and they thrive in colder temperatures.
So transporting them 800 miles between Denmark and Birmingham proved quite tricky, as Jenny's been finding out... | A group of Gentoo penguins, who have been living in Denmark, northern Europe, are being moved to a new home at the Sea Life Centre in Birmingham. |
38,982,087 | Germany's largest airline and the Cockpit union have agreed upon an arbitrator's proposal for a new wage agreement that covers about 5,400 pilots.
The firm has agreed to a four-stage 8.7% total wage increase and a one-off 30m-euro (£25.5m) payment.
That works out at some 5,000 euros to 6,000 euros per employee.
Cockpit union spokesman Markus Wahl said although union negotiators had agreed upon the deal, its members would have the final say on whether to accept.
The dispute has seen pilots take part in 15 strikes.
The union had wanted an average annual pay rise of 3.7% for its members in Germany, backdated to 2012.
Despite a record profit last year, the company said it had been forced to cut costs to compete with budget rivals such as Ryanair in Europe and the likes of Emirates on long-haul routes. | Lufthansa has struck a deal to solve a five-year-long dispute with pilots that has cost it millions of euros. |
39,563,581 | Sunday's WRU National Cup final at the Principality Stadium will be no less of an occasion for the two former Wales internationals, who will be on opposite coaching teams when RGC 1404 face Pontypridd.
Ex-Wales, Scarlets and Llanelli wing Jones is head coach of north Wales side RGC 1404 while Sweeney is part of Pontypridd's coaching team.
Ponty are regulars at the stadium - having played in every final from 2011 to 2015 - winning three of them. RGC 1404 are playing in their first national final.
"It's a brilliant day out playing at the national stadium in front of your own supporters on that pitch," said Jones, who scored 13 tries in 47 appearances for Wales.
"That's a pretty big thing and I was fortunate to be part of that. I was conscious that I wanted our players to be able to try and experience that."
Sweeney is now 37 but continues to play for his hometown club, although will nor feature in Cardiff this weekend.
He will be part of a coaching set-up which includes former Sardis Road team-mates Gareth Wyatt and Robert Sidoli.
The fly-half scored 22 points as Pontypridd withstood a spirited Cross Keys comeback in the semi-final to secure their place at the Principality Stadium.
"It's great to go back there," Sweeney told BBC Wales Sport.
"You see how excited the younger boys are about going. It may be the only opportunity they'll get to play in our national stadium.
"That's the bit I'll enjoy about it - seeing how excited people are about going and the great day out it will be for both teams."
After a professional career which saw stints with Celtic Warriors, Newport Gwent Dragons, Cardiff Blues and Exeter Chiefs. Sweeney returned to Sardis Road in 2015.
"I'd come to the end of my professional career and with a business going as well it was a nice transition for me," Sweeney added.
"I was still fit and Gareth [Wyatt] phoned me and said 'do you want to come back and help out for a bit?'
"I'm a bit more relaxed because it's not my first line of work and it's nice to go back and enjoy rugby."
Media playback is not supported on this device
Sweeney was 22 when Pontypridd beat Llanelli 20-17 to win the Principality Cup in 2002.
"It seems such a long time ago but I still have great memories of that time," Sweeney said.
"There was a good group of young boys coming through at Pontypridd at the time and it was a good group of boys who grew up together."
Jones was in that Llanelli team that lost to Pontypridd in 2002.
But he was on the winning side in two other finals the first of which he was a replacement in the 22-12 win over Swansea.
"Thankfully we won more than we lost but I certainly remember that loss against Pontypridd," Jones recalls.
"I know full well what it's like to lose to Ponty in a final."
Jones was on the winning side 12 months later, scoring two tries in a 32-9 win over Newport in the last-ever final before the introduction of regional rugby in Wales.
"It was a pretty special trophy," 2008 Grand Slam winner Jones said.
"We came out pretty handsome winners. It was a memorable day for myself but more importantly for the team."
Jones and Sweeney were Wales team-mates but their association goes back further, playing age grade rugby together.
"His knees are obviously in better condition than mine," Jones laughs.
"Ceri's had a tremendous career as a player and you can see his imprint on Pontypridd.
"I just hope he's not as instrumental in this game as he was in the last cup win at the stadium when we were both playing."
Sweeney acknowledges the work Jones has done at Colwyn Bay-based RGC since his appointment in August 2016 ahead of their debut season in the Welsh Premiership.
"He's gone into coaching and seems to be doing really well with RGC. He's got a good group of boys there and they seem to be playing for that shirt, which is really important.
"They're a really dangerous side. I watched their semi-final and they didn't give up.
"They seem to be building their own culture there and they've got a very good environment by the look of it."
Sweeney, a member of Wales' Grand Slam winning squad of 2005, says he will continue to play for Pontypridd "as long as they need me."
"I think I'm going to have another year next year - they've asked me to stay on," he said.
"I'll probably try not to play as much but try and push these boys through a bit more."
While Sweeney is undertaking coaching duties at Pontypridd, it's a path Jones took after he was forced to retire through injury in 2010.
He spent five years as Scarlets attack and skills coach and was head coach at Rotherham as well as interim attack coach for Wales during 2013.
"My coaching career has been something I've been privileged to be part of," Jones said.
"I've been able to come up to north Wales now and share in the success that we're achieving here together." | Mark Jones and Ceri Sweeney have played for club and country at the home of Welsh rugby on numerous occasions. |
35,172,544 | 23 December 2015 Last updated at 18:27 GMT
The manoeuvre, which saw the van turning around and driving back the wrong way, was captured by Marek Scyzor near junction 33 at Milton, Cambridgeshire.
He sent the footage to the BBC Radio Cambridgeshire.
Cambridgeshire Police said: "Congestion and accidents can cause tailbacks and delays on the county's roads but that is no excuse for this type of driving behaviour." | The moment a van did a three-point-turn on the A14 has been captured by a driver's in-car camera. |
36,829,391 | The two-year-old was found an hour and 45 minutes later after she was tracked via CCTV cameras to a park about three miles away from the Newcastle store.
Sentencing the pair, aged 13 and 14, the judge at Newcastle Crown Court referred to internet searches on a tablet belonging to the younger girl.
These related to topics including children having sex, rape and slavery.
Mr Justice Globe said although the child came to "no actual harm", there had been intent, planning and enticement.
Read more about this story on BBC Local Live
Just before the kidnap, in April, the teenagers, from Tyneside, had shoplifted dummies, baby milk and a bottle. They cannot be named due to their age.
The girls were initially charged with kidnap with the intention of committing a sexual offence but this was dropped after the prosecution accepted a plea to the alternative charge of kidnap.
The judge said the two girls put forward different accounts of the incident, but neither had explained to his satisfaction what actually happened.
He said their accounts "produce more questions than answers", and rejected the proposition they had taken the child "for no reason... with no specific intent".
"I bear in mind no physical harm was caused," he said.
"However, the extensive psychological harm to her mother was devastating. She won't let her daughter out if her sight and won't let her go to nursery,"
He added that it was clear that some aspect of physical or sexual harm or exploitation would have been carried out if the toddler had not been rescued swiftly.
"It was the true reason as to why she was taken. Her [the mother's] fears are well founded."
Mr Justice Globe said the guidelines recommended a five-year sentence and he deducted one third of this because the girls had pleaded guilty.
The initial sentences were three years and four months, but the judge later took off a month after hearing the teenagers had been subject to a curfew since their guilty plea in June. | Two girls who kidnapped a toddler from a Primark store have been detained for three years and three months. |
39,696,450 | The 2014 fashion show photo was shared by fans with the comment: "Rihanna looks like she scams rich white men and Lupita is the computer smart best friend that helps plan the scams".
It caught the attention of Oscar winner Nyong'o a few days ago and now Rihanna has tweeted she is up for it too.
Fans have gone crazy for the idea.
Lupita saw the tweet a few days ago and posted "I'm down if you are @Rihanna".
More than 200,000 liked the tweet and earlier today Rihanna replied saying "I'm in Pit'z" - her nickname for the Star Wars actress.
Another 99,000 liked that tweet and now the two stars had said yes Twitter went into a meltdown with ideas about the film.
One fan then tweeted it over to Selma director Ava Duvernay saying she should direct it and Duvernay loved the idea.
"Lights set. Camera's up. Ready to call action for these #queens," she tweeted back.
It seems Rihanna didn't want to let go of the idea as she retweeted a fan's idea to get Issa Rae, the creator and executive producer of Insecure, on board.
Rae then replied with a Gif of a cat manically typing, which made Rihanna blush.
The idea of a movie based on the photo had been around on Tumblr when the photo was first published - but now the main players have got involved it looks like Twitter may have cast and created a movie.
But with so many fan ideas contributed who takes credit for the concept and gets a cut of the profits?
Most of the fans on Twitter though are just desperate to see it happen.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]. | A photo of Rihanna and Lupita Nyong'o has sparked a film idea on Twitter and they have both taken to the social media site to say they are up for it. |
34,340,617 | Sergeant Peter Lower, of Hill Path, Banwell, North Somerset, met the teenager as he had a "non-existent sex life" with his wife.
At Bristol Crown Court he was convicted of one charge of actual bodily harm.
He did not pay the girl but helped her with what proved to be an unsuccessful application to join the police force.
The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, later joined the special constabulary.
Lower, 52, contacted the girl on an escort website in February 2009 and embarked on a "quite turbulent relationship".
He was cleared of three charges of rape, one charge of assault by penetration, one charge of sexual assault, two charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and a single charge of false imprisonment.
The jury was undecided on one further charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and two charges of assault by penetration.
The Crown Prosecution Service will now consider its position over those three outstanding charges.
During his evidence, the custody sergeant with Avon and Somerset Police insisted the woman had encouraged him to engage in "rough sex" during their relationship.
Lower told the court: "I loved my wife, I still do, and I thought it was the least complicated way of fulfilling that need.
"I had elicited the services of an escort for sex and I will regret that for the rest of my life."
He added: "I should have been giving all my attention to my wife and children and I just fell into this abyss of shame and hatred for myself.
"I felt compassion towards her. I didn't want a proper relationship with her - it had been toxic. I can only describe it as an addiction."
He will be sentenced on a date to be fixed. | A married police officer who had a "turbulent" affair with a 19-year-old escort girl has been cleared of repeatedly raping her. |
37,623,373 | The 20-year-old opener made his debut for the Red Rose in August and hit his maiden century later that month at Old Trafford against Middlesex.
"It's a dream come true for me to play for Lancashire and I couldn't be happier," he said.
Jones will spend this winter in Australia playing grade cricket for South Perth.
He had previously been on a scholarship deal with Lancashire alongside 21-year-old bowler Danny Lamb, who has also agreed his first contract. | Lancashire batsman Rob Jones has signed his first professional contract with the club. |
34,832,127 | The 24th film in the 007 franchise, starring Daniel Craig, made $35.4m (£23.3m) between Friday and Sunday, according to estimates.
The Peanuts Movie held firm at number two, with takings of $24.2m (£16m).
But the Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt drama By the Sea failed to make a splash, taking just $95,440 (£63,000) at 10 screens.
The European art house film stars the real-life couple as a husband and wife struggling to cope in the aftermath of a trauma. The film was also directed by Jolie - her third time at the helm of a movie - and the actress also wrote the script.
The drama, which marks the first time the two stars have appeared together on the big screen since Mr & Mrs Smith in 2005, has been generally panned by critics.
Despite its poor takings, its limited release is thought unlikely to hurt its film company, Universal, too much since it was made for a relatively modest budget of $10m (£6.6m).
Spectre's takings fell 50% in its second weekend, bringing its North American total to $130.7m (£86m).
That is well behind the $161m (£106m) earned by its predecessor Skyfall over the same period.
The Peanuts Movie - the family-friendly adaptation of the beloved Charles Schulz comic strip, featuring Charlie Brown and Snoopy - saw its second weekend takings drop by 45%, bringing its total in the US to $82.5m (£54m).
The rest of the top five saw Love the Coopers, an ensemble comedy about a family gathering starring Diane Keaton and Alan Arkin, enter the chart at number three with $8.4m (£54m).
Old release The Martian dropped one place to number four, while at number five was another new release, The 33.
The film based on the 2010 Chilean mining disaster took $5.8m (£4m) from 2,452 cinemas. | James Bond film Spectre has held on to the top spot at the North American box office in its second week of release. |
39,758,999 | Corey Whitely and Fejiri Okenabirhie's pace were constant threats in a dominant opening period for the Daggers but it was the visitors who took the lead under controversial circumstances just before the 30-minute mark.
Omar Bugiel worked his way into the Dagenham box with some wonderful trickery before being felled by the challenge of Mark Cousins - the German forward drawing contact with the on-rushing goalkeeper - to earn his side a penalty, which captain Liam Noble drilled into the bottom corner to put Rovers ahead.
But the hosts went into the break level as Jordan Maguire-Drew pounced onto a flicked header from Paul Benson to fire in an equaliser in first half stoppage-time for his 15th league goal of the season.
Okenabirhie spurned a decent opportunity after the restart but clear-cut chances were at a premium with both sides happy to remain all-square ahead of the second leg.
Match report supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Dagenham and Redbridge 1, Forest Green Rovers 1.
Second Half ends, Dagenham and Redbridge 1, Forest Green Rovers 1.
Shamir Mullings (Forest Green Rovers) is shown the yellow card.
Substitution, Forest Green Rovers. Keanu Marsh-Brown replaces Liam Noble.
Substitution, Dagenham and Redbridge. Oliver Hawkins replaces Fejiri Okenabirhie.
Substitution, Forest Green Rovers. Ethan Pinnock replaces Drissa Traoré.
Dale Bennett (Forest Green Rovers) is shown the yellow card.
Substitution, Forest Green Rovers. Shamir Mullings replaces Omar Bugiel.
Second Half begins Dagenham and Redbridge 1, Forest Green Rovers 1.
First Half ends, Dagenham and Redbridge 1, Forest Green Rovers 1.
Goal! Dagenham and Redbridge 1, Forest Green Rovers 1. Jordan Maguire-Drew (Dagenham and Redbridge).
Fejiri Okenabirhie (Dagenham and Redbridge) is shown the yellow card.
Goal! Dagenham and Redbridge 0, Forest Green Rovers 1. Liam Noble (Forest Green Rovers) converts the penalty with a.
Substitution, Dagenham and Redbridge. Luke Howell replaces Josh Staunton.
First Half begins.
Lineups are announced and players are warming up. | Dagenham and Forest Green could not be separated as they played out a draw in the first leg of their National League play-off semi-final at Victoria Road. |
36,273,448 | Mark Carney, the Bank's governor, warned that the risks of leaving "could possibly include a technical recession".
Prime Minister David Cameron said the warning amounted to "a very clear message" of the dangers of Brexit.
Vote Leave campaigners have strongly criticised Mr Carney, with one calling for him to resign.
However, a spokesman for Mr Carney rejected the call, saying the Bank had "a duty" to make its judgements known.
The latest minutes from the Bank's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) said that a leave vote may cause both growth and sterling to fall and unemployment to rise.
Mr Carney said the Bank had not compiled formal forecasts about the possibility of a recession - defined as two consecutive quarters of negative growth - resulting from a Brexit vote.
Chancellor George Osborne said the UK now had a "clear and unequivocal warning" from the MPC as well as the Governor of the Bank of England about the risks of a Leave vote,
"The Bank is saying that it would face a trade-off between stabilising inflation on one hand and stabilising output and employment on the other," he said.
How working conditions and pay rates are affected by EU membership.
"So either families would face lower incomes because inflation would be higher, or the economy would be weaker with a hit to jobs and livelihoods. This is a lose-lose situation for Britain. Either way, we'd be poorer."
Jacob Rees Mogg, a Tory MP and Treasury Select Committee member, called on Mr Carney to resign.
"I think it is unprecedented for the governor of a central bank to suggest that people should short his own currency. Suggesting sterling will fall sharply is simply not what responsible central bankers do," he said.
Former Work and Pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith said that Mr Carney needed to be "very careful" about making such comments.
Lord Lamont, the former Chancellor and Vote Leave spokesman, said: "The governor should be careful that he doesn't cause a crisis. If his unwise words become self-fulfilling, the responsibility will be the governor's and the governor's alone. A prudent governor would simply have said that 'we are prepared for all eventualities'."
In response, a spokesman for Mr Carney said: "The Bank of England has not made, and will not make, any overall assessment of the economics of UK's membership of the European Union.
"At the same time, the Bank must assess the implications of the UK's EU membership for our ability to achieve our core objectives and we have a duty to report our evidence-based judgments to Parliament and to the public. That is the fundamental standard of an open and transparent central bank.
"Assessing and reporting major risks does not mean becoming involved in politics; rather it would be political to suppress important judgments which relate directly to the Bank's remits and which influence our policy actions."
The Bank's latest quarterly Inflation Report, released on Thursday, predicted that economic growth would slow in the second quarter of the year, but pick up in the second half. It also cut the growth outlook for the next three years.
The report also forecast that inflation would reach 0.9% in September if long as the UK stayed in the EU.
The MPC unanimously voted to keep interest rates at 0.5%.
In the Bank of England's assessment of the health of the UK economy, one ringing sentence jumps out: "The most significant risks to the [economic] forecast concern the referendum," the Monetary Policy Committee says.
It goes on to reveal that far from this simply being a judgement on what Bank officials describe as the "uncertainty spike" around the fact the referendum is taking place at all - this is a judgement that Brexit would have a material effect on the economy.
In a Bank world of carefully chosen words, "material" means significant. And significantly downwards.
Read more from Kamal here.
The Inflation Report said that uncertainty over the EU referendum was already weighing on economic activity: "There is evidence that a material proportion of the 9% fall in sterling exchange rate since its peak in November could reflect referendum effects.
"It is hard to judge how much of the slowdown reflects a loss of underlying momentum and so may persist and how much is likely to unwind if uncertainty recedes following the referendum. Referendum effects will also make it harder to interpret economic indicators over the next few months."
Nick Stamenkovic, strategist at RIA Capital Markets, said: "The clear message of the Bank of England is that they are in no hurry to do anything until they assess the impact of the outcome of the referendum on the economy."
However, the inflation report noted that in the event of a leave vote, the MPC would face the difficult choice of raising rates to control inflation or lowering them to stimulate the economy.
The Report said that inflation probably fell back to 0.3% in April from 0.5% in March, reflecting the falls in oil and food prices over the last year and the strength of sterling in the same period.
It expected inflation to return to the target 2% level by mid-2018 as these factors faded out. | The Bank of England has given its starkest warning yet that a UK vote to leave the EU could hit the economy. |
28,982,638 | It will determine your legacy - whether you're remembered as a winner or a nearly man.
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What if you knew you only had one shot at achieving your life's ambition and it was all down to the events of this one day.
How would you cope?
This is the scenario facing Belfast boxer Carl Frampton on Saturday 6 September as he prepares for his shot at becoming a world champion, when he faces Spain's Kiko Martinez for the IBF world super-bantamweight title.
Frampton, who is aiming to emulate his manager and mentor, Barry McGuigan, by becoming world champion, explains what this fight means to him.
"To win the world title will be a dream come true. I started this journey at seven years old, and I have had my ups and downs. To become a world champion in my 20th year, in a stadium built for me - it is what dreams are made of," he says.
Frampton will aim to achieve his dream in front of a hugely expectant home crowd, at Belfast's iconic Titanic venue, in an arena constructed just for this fight, such was public demand.
With this unique opportunity comes unique pressure.
So how can elite-level athletes prepare to try to ensure they produce their optimum performance at the defining moment of their careers?
Bill Cole, a world-renowned peak performance coach based in California, says it involves the athlete making a conscious decision.
"The odd paradox of this situation is to not fall victim to the 'do or die' mindset," he says.
"The athlete can choose to use this excitement for extra energy, or become overwhelmed with the gravity of the situation. It really is a mental decision that has to be made.
"Caring too much is the number one reason why athletes fail to produce their optimum performance on the biggest stage."
Dame Kelly Holmes has experience of competing under the most extreme pressure. Ten years ago at the Athens Olympics, she achieved her dream of becoming a double Olympic champion.
She believes a fear of failure can be both a positive and a negative.
"It can be debilitating for some athletes who start worrying about everything that could potentially go wrong, but the fear of failure drove me on as I hated the thought that I could come off the track feeling I hadn't done absolutely everything I could have to win," she says.
"I always tell athletes I'm mentoring there is nothing worse than leaving the track with any regrets."
Cole considers that having an emotional and mental edge is crucial.
"I call this killer instinct. An athlete does not want to be relaxed and easy-going, they want to be keyed up and ready to pounce," he says.
"They want to be the calm centre inside the raging hurricane swirling about them. Experienced and confident athletes call this 'will to win'. Less experienced athletes call it 'fear of failure'. It's a choice the athlete makes in advance, giving them both energy and peace of mind. That is the potent mix that drives champions to the heights."
The pressure of competing in world title fights or Olympic finals can make or break competitors.
Some crumble with nerves, but four-time Olympic champion Michael Johnson, speaking at London 2012, explained how he embraced the pressure of competing in finals during his career.
"I enjoyed it actually because, all other things being equal, it's the person who handles that pressure best at that particular time who is going to have the best performance," he says.
"You're already under tremendous pressure knowing the significance of the moment and knowing that this is what you have been training for all those years and so I saw it as a dream come true to be there."
Cole always asks an athlete, particularly before an important event: "Would you rather be arrogant or be lacking in self-belief?"
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"If they answer 'I don't want to be considered arrogant', that is a trouble sign. I want my athletes to believe that they are as good, if not better, than anyone they will ever meet," he says.
"Self-doubt is an absolute deal-killer and it can plague any athlete. A good athlete always straddles that fine line between lack of confidence and the overblown arrogant cockiness we see in some athletes.
Give me the over-confident athlete, any day. That person I can throttle back and talk sense into. But if there is a lack of fire in the belly, that is extraordinarily difficult to muster out of thin air; impossible, often, on demand before a big event. By then it's too late."
Holmes has previously revealed that in the run-up to the 2004 Olympics she self-harmed and at one point considered suicide. Reflecting on this period now, she says that it was the pressure of competing and living life in the spotlight.
Self-doubt is an absolute deal-killer and it can plague any athlete
"It came about because of the pressure and all the expectation. Competing at the top level is a roller-coaster of emotion. But I never gave up believing in my dream that I would become Olympic champion," she says.
For the 2004 Olympics games themselves, Holmes recalls being totally meticulous in her preparation and determined to stick to her game plan no matter what.
"Key for me was making sure the team around me were the absolute best people and that my preparation was totally spot on. I'd had so many injuries over the previous seven years, but was still winning medals so I knew the talent was there. If I could just be 100% right, then I knew I could perform well. I realised there would be no second chance.
I took the pressure off by not focusing on it being an Olympic final. I knew how to perform as I had done it thousands of times before, so I focused on doing everything exactly as I always did and didn't alter anything. I stuck to my game plan in the final, even when it meant initially being at the back of the field."
Her advice to athletes preparing for their career defining moment is simple: "Remember all the success you have had in the past which brought you here.
"You've done this thousands of times before, have confidence in yourself and don't worry about things you can't control, just concentrate on what you can control."
Cole agrees it is a huge mistake for an athlete to change his or her normal preparation just because they face a major event.
"I suggest the athlete stick to their well-known schedule and training regimen, as far as is possible, within a month leading up to the event," he says.
"Changes after that require a learning curve and can be unsettling. Better to go with the tried and true with conviction, than a half-hearted attempt with techniques you don't really trust yet.
If they can use a sport psychologist a few months out, great. The best sport psychologists teach mental skills and skills take time to learn and master, so they can hold up under pressure."
Holmes believes the importance of being mentally right cannot be overestimated, given that so little separates elite-level athletes.
"The head will make you fail or win. You can be perhaps not 100% right physically because you're carrying a niggling injury and still win, but if you're not 100% right mentally you'll fail," she says.
"For me, for an athlete to win a major competition it's 20% physical, with the training and what we do every day, and 80% is head - the mental aspect."
So what advice does Cole have for Frampton as he embarks upon his career-defining fight?
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"Carl, this is your opportunity. You know there are no guarantees, nor would you want a guarantee if one were offered. You want an adventure and a memorable experience. Isn't that what life, and boxing, is all about?"
As for the fighter himself, he is single-minded and insists he will remain calm in spite of the crescendo of noise all around him.
"Once I'm in there I'm not worried about the crowd. It's just me and him. I had my first fight when I was seven, so I'm more than ready to take the title. I'm not going to let anyone take my dream from me," he says.
As Frampton's dream world title shot gets under way, could it be one concussive shot from the hard-punching Belfast fighter that closes the show, allowing him to realise a 20-year dream? | What if you went into work tomorrow knowing that the project you're working on that day would define your whole career and maybe your life? |
39,990,635 | McGregor, 23, has previously been in Gordon Strachan's squad and has scored four goals in his past five club games.
Strachan will name his selection on Monday and McGregor will be the seventh Celtic player in the squad if his six team-mates keep their places.
Scotland beat Slovenia 1-0 in March and are fourth in Group F.
Celtic's Craig Gordon, Kieran Tierney, Scott Brown, James Forrest, Stuart Armstrong and Leigh Griffiths all started that match at Hampden.
Scotland trail Slovenia by one point and are two points off Slovakia in the race for qualification for the 2018 tournament in Russia.
England lead the group on 13 points, with a four-point advantage over Slovakia. All six teams in the group, which also includes Lithuania and Malta, have five fixtures remaining. | Uncapped Celtic midfielder Callum McGregor is expected to be called up to the Scotland squad for next month's World Cup qualifier against England. |
36,287,385 | Ayshah went to South Africa, home to the largest population of rhino in the world, but where these animals are being poached for their horns.
She met the people risking their lives to defend the species, as well as two rhino that are lucky to be alive.
Guide: What is poaching?
How do you feel about poaching? What do you think should be done to stop it?
If rhino became extinct in your lifetime, how would it make you feel?
Thanks for your comments. This chat is now closed.
Your comments
It should be against the law to poach rhinos and should be banned.
Joseph, 13, Northamptonshire
I think it's good that we have zoos because it means we can protect rhinos.
Angel, 8, Salford
I think there should be a 24 hour watch to keep all animals safe from poachers.
PJ, 12, Ireland | All this week Newsround's been reporting on the fight for survival that rhino are facing. |
38,742,540 | One of the eight places, revealed at a Doncaster Council meeting, could act as a rail park-and-ride site with 1,700 parking spaces.
Opponents living in the rural locations in Doncaster, Rotherham and Wakefield said it would "not benefit Yorkshire".
HS2 said the early proposal would provide "additional access onto the railway for a wider area".
More updates on this story and others in South Yorkshire
Proposed sites
The proposed South Yorkshire HS2 route, part of phase 2b of the project, runs east of Sheffield towards the M18, with a separate spur to take passengers to Sheffield city centre.
Paul Griffiths, phase 2 development director at HS2, said: "We've focussed our attention [at the eight sites] because there are already roads and access, but we are at a very early stage of the development.
"There would be public consultations and the secretary of state would take a view as to whether we can manage this in a way which doesn't have too much impact and whether this does make sense as a proposal."
A study looking into the possibility of a "parkway" station is due to be completed later in 2017.
Christine Jackson, chair of Hickleton Parish Council, said: "I presume you would have greenbelt for a car park, people would struggle to get to it due to a busy A road.
"You would lose its sense of being a conservation area, so I can't see anything positive about it."
Grant Morement, who lives in Hooton Roberts, said: "It doesn't help the capacity, it doesn't benefit Yorkshire, it has no economic benefit, there's just no point whatsoever having it up here."
What will the second phase of HS2 involve?
In November, the government confirmed the route for the second phase - from Crewe to Manchester and the West Midlands to Leeds.
A new HS2 station will be built next to Manchester Piccadilly, with a spur to take HS2 to another new station at Manchester Airport.
The decision on how to run the line to Sheffield has been delayed. The government's preferred option is for the main HS2 route to run east of Sheffield but for a spur to take passengers to Sheffield city centre.
What do we know about HS2? | A shortlist of sites for a potential HS2 "parkway" station to serve South Yorkshire has been revealed. |
36,560,136 | At least 215 people were killed in Langtang, a popular trekking site, when the quake triggered an avalanche that submerged the village.
The International Astronomical Union has now named a 9.8km (six mile) wide crater on Mars as Langtang.
The researcher behind the move, Tjalling de Haas, said it was "a tribute" to the Nepali village.
Dr de Haas, who studies Mars's physical geography at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, told the BBC he chose Langtang because his colleague had worked there while studying Himalayan glaciers.
"It was his base camp for a long period, so we said maybe it's a nice tribute to call [the crater] Langtang," he said.
Langtang was a "scientifically important" crater, Dr De Haas said. "The marks on the top of the crater wall were probably water flows, and below them you can see ridges - the remains of former glaciers."
He has named another crater Bunnik, after his hometown near Utrecht. Both names were approved by the International Astronomical Union Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature. | A crater on Mars has been named after one of the villages worst hit by the 2015 earthquake in Nepal. |
32,993,720 | The first, in November 2014, was a gun attack. And, in May 2015, there have been two devastating suicide bomb blasts targeting worshippers at Friday prayers.
The last two attacks used RDX, a powerful military explosive, and have been claimed by IS's self-styled Najd Province, named after Saudi Arabia's staunchly conservative Sunni heartland, the desert plateau in the middle of the country.
So what is IS trying to achieve and will it succeed?
These attacks are a watershed for Saudi Arabia.
How it reacts now and in the coming months will determine whether the largest and most important Arab state can stave off a wider sectarian conflict between the country's majority Sunni and minority Shia Muslim populations, something that would be disastrous for both communities.
The attacks follow decades of state and religious discrimination against the Shia minority, who constitute about 10% of the population.
Even a senior royal, Prince Abdelaziz Bin Salman Al-Saud, whose father is now king, admitted to me in an interview in 2013 that the Shia of Saudi Arabia had a legitimate grievance and that their situation needed addressing.
Since then, there have been deadly clashes between police and protesters in Eastern Province, and tensions there had only just started to subside.
The Shia are considered by many ultra-religious Saudi Arabian Sunnis to be heretics, outsiders suspected of being more loyal to Iran than to Saudi Arabia, and recently there have been a number of vitriolic speeches and sermons demonising them as apostates.
This narrow, discriminatory view is shared by IS, which despises the Shia even more than it does Christians, and it has frequently targeted Shias in both Iraq and Syria.
"[IS] is trying to weaken the Saudi state by claiming the conservative Salafi Sunni mantle," says Nawaf Obaid, a Harvard senior fellow.
"They will fail, as al-Qaeda did 10 years ago."
So far, the new Saudi Arabian leadership has reacted with surprising speed and sensitivity.
King Salman, who took the throne in January, said he was "heartbroken" by the attacks.
He allowed Saudi Arabian television to broadcast the massively attended Shia funerals in full.
On 3 June, he referred to the Shia volunteers who had died preventing the second bomber from entering the mosque in Dammam as "martyrs" and "heroes" - a significant step for the absolute monarch in a country that has never had a senior Shia minister and where the authority of the ruling family rests on the support of the arch-Sunni clergy.
"[The Saudi leadership] may be saying the right things to calm the situation," says a Saudi Arabian Shia, who asked not to be named for his own protection.
"But all the calls by the Shia leadership for the government to crack down on anti-Shia rhetoric have been ignored.
"These are a precursor to attacks like the ones we have just seen."
IS has come into this delicate diplomatic minefield, with guns blazing and bombs blasting.
It would like nothing better than to trigger a fully blown sectarian war between Sunni and Shia in Saudi Arabia, which is home to the two holiest sites in Islam, in Mecca and Medina.
IS likes to present itself to Sunnis as being the sole force in the region capable enough and willing to push back against the creeping advance of Iran's Shia allies.
As part of that narrative it would like to pull in more of the mainstream Sunni population behind its banners to resist what it sees as a heretical Persian-inspired apostate creed.
The population is estimated at 29.8 million, of which about nine million are foreigners
Sunni Muslims make up the majority of the indigenous population, 75-90%
Shia Muslims make up the remaining 10-25%
"Shia-Sunni relations in Saudi Arabia are already under severe strains due to events in Iraq and Syria, as well as Saudi Arabia's campaign in Yemen against the [Shia] al†| Saudi Arabia has now suffered three deliberate attacks by supporters of Islamic State (IS) on the restive Shia Muslim minority living in the country's oil-rich Eastern Province. |
19,517,692 | A commission chaired by ex-Financial Services Authority boss Sir Howard Davies to examine ways to expand airport capacity will report in 2015.
Options include a third runway at Heathrow and a new four-runway facility in the Thames estuary.
The coalition was initially against Heathrow expansion but leading Tories are now calling for a third runway.
The commission will also look at possible expansion at two other major London airports - Gatwick and Stansted.
London Mayor Boris Johnson, who opposes the expansion of Heathrow, has called the decision to set up a commission a "fudge".
And he strongly criticised Prime Minister David Cameron's decision to remove transport secretary Justine Greening from her post, which he claimed was a prelude to a U-turn on a third runway.
Ms Greening's successor Patrick McLoughlin said the Davies commission would identify and recommend to government "options for maintaining this country's status as an international hub for aviation".
In a written statement, the new transport secretary said: "This is a very difficult debate, but the reality is that since the 1960s Britain has failed to keep pace with our international competitors in addressing long-term aviation capacity and connectivity needs."
He went on: "The government believes that maintaining the UK's status as a leading global aviation hub is fundamental to our long-term international competitiveness.
"But the government is also mindful of the need to take full account of the social, environmental and other impacts of any expansion in airport capacity."
The Davies commission will publish an interim report by the end of 2013, with ideas on how to improve the use of existing runway capacity over the next five years and an assessment of what is needed to maintain the UK's global hub status.
That will be followed, in the summer of 2015, by the commission's final report, which will include a recommendation on the best option for increasing airport capacity.
Mr McLoughlin said he wanted a fair and open process which took account of the views of passengers and residents as well as the aviation industry, business, local and devolved government and environmental groups.
He added: "We would like, if possible, to involve the opposition as part of our work alongside Sir Howard to finalise the arrangements for the commission."
Downing Street also stressed the need for cross-party consensus on an issue that was of "fundamental importance to the long-term competitiveness of the UK".
"This is a contentious issue and if we are going to deliver a lasting solution for the UK, we need to move forward on an agreed evidence base and, if possible, a high degree of political consensus," said the prime minister's official spokesman. | The final decision on UK airport expansion will be taken by the next government, ministers have confirmed. |
29,288,981 | Judges want to question him over claims that his government has withheld documents requested by prosecutors preparing his crimes against humanity trial.
The trial has already been delayed several times.
Mr Kenyatta denies organising ethnic massacres after elections in 2007.
Some 1,200 people were killed and 600,000 driven from their homes.
Two weeks ago, prosecutors asked for the case against him to be adjourned indefinitely, saying they did not have enough evidence because of obstruction by the Kenyan government.
President Kenyatta has repeatedly argued he needs to remain in Kenya to fight militants from the al-Shabab group and take care of state affairs.
In a statement, the ICC said discussions with Mr Kenyatta would focus on "the status of co-operation between the prosecution and the Kenyan government".
African leaders have lobbied for the case to be dropped, accusing the ICC of only investigating alleged atrocities in Africa.
Mr Kenyatta's lawyers have repeatedly said the whole case should be dropped because of a lack of evidence.
Mr Kenyatta was elected in 2013, despite facing the charges. Analysts said he turned the prosecution to his advantage, portraying it as foreign intervention in Kenya's domestic affairs.
In 2007, Mr Kenyatta was a close ally of President Mwai Kibaki, who was declared the election winner despite claims of fraud from his rival Raila Odinga.
The disputes soon turned violent, with targeted killings along ethnic lines, pitting members of the Kikuyu ethnic group of Mr Kenyatta and Mr Kibaki against other communities.
Mr Kenyatta is accused of organising an ethnic Kikuyu gang, the Mungiki sect, to attack rival groups.
His Vice-President, William Ruto, faces similar charges, although he was on Mr Odinga's side during the violence. | The International Criminal Court (ICC) has summoned Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta to appear before the tribunal on 8 October. |
40,199,567 | The 28-year-old West Bromwich Albion forward has been struggling with a leg injury.
Robson-Kanu's place is taken by uncapped 17-year-old Swansea City winger Daniel James.
Liverpool forward Ben Woodburn had earlier pulled out of the trip to because of a calf injury.
Woodburn, 17, was replaced in the 23-man squad by another uncapped player, Marley Watkins.
Watkins, who has agreed a move to Norwich City from Barnsley, had been part of Wales' recent training camp in Portugal.
Swansea's James was a member of the Wales Under-20 side which played at the Toulon Tournament and scored the winner against Bahrain.
Serbia are top of Group D, four points ahead of third-placed Wales with five games remaining.
Forward Gareth Bale and defender Neil Taylor are suspended for the game against Serbia, while defender James Collins and midfielders Andy King and Jonny Williams are injured.
Goalkeepers: Wayne Hennessey (Crystal Palace), Danny Ward (Liverpool), Owain Fon Williams (Inverness Caledonian Thistle)
Defenders: Ashley Williams (Everton), Chris Gunter (Reading), James Chester (Aston Villa), Ben Davies (Tottenham Hotspur), Jazz Richards (Cardiff City), Joe Walsh (MK Dons), Tom Lockyer (Bristol Rovers), Gethin Jones (Everton)
Midfielders: Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal), Joe Ledley (Crystal Palace), Emyr Huws (Cardiff City), Dave Edwards (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Joe Allen (Stoke City), Lee Evans (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Harry Wilson (Liverpool)
Forwards: Tom Lawrence (Leicester City), Daniel James (Swansea City), Sam Vokes (Burnley), Tom Bradshaw (Barnsley), Marley Watkins (Norwich City) | Hal Robson-Kanu is the latest withdrawal from Wales' squad for the 2018 World Cup qualifier against Serbia in Belgrade on Sunday. |
40,877,740 | The RMT has written to Chris Grayling urging him to convene talks with all sides in the 16-month-long row over staffing and driver-only trains.
Union leaders met Southern bosses this week, but the talks "stalled".
The RMT had "frank talks" with Mr Grayling in July but said all parties must get "everything on the table".
Southern's parent firm, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) had said the RMT did not bring any new proposals to Monday's meeting and were unwilling to explore offers the company has made to settle the dispute.
In a message, human resources director Andy Bindon wrote: "No agreements could be reached and no further talks are currently planned with the RMT."
But RMT leader Mick Cash accused the firm of "deliberately misrepresenting" the union's position, adding: "It was the company that knocked back our proposals flat and it is the company that are now selling the message that as far as they are concerned the talks process is over.
"It is crystal clear now that the only way forward is to get all parties around the table - the unions, the company and the Department for Transport as the contract-holders - with everything on that table and with a clear will on all sides to resolve the dispute.
"Chris Grayling is in a position where he can broker those round-table talks and he needs to do so as a matter of urgency."
A spokesman for the Department for Transport said: "We are doing everything we can to resolve the situation on Southern and get passengers the high quality rail services that they deserve.
"We held constructive meetings with both Aslef and the RMT unions, which paved the way for GTR and the unions to restart their negotiations.
"We hope their discussions can bring an end to this dispute." | A rail workers' union has called for "urgent intervention" by the transport secretary to help resolve the Southern Rail dispute. |
31,870,019 | Claimants in Wales currently receive, on average, £335 a week from the Independent Living Fund (ILF).
Local councils will make payments from the new fund from July, helping with things such as eating and dressing.
The UK government's decision to close its fund was ruled lawful by the High Court last December.
The new scheme for Wales will run from July until the end of March 2017.
Health Minister Mark Drakeford said: "I hope the actions the Welsh government is taking will alleviate some of the concerns expressed by ILF recipients and that they will be able to maintain their current care and support packages under a new process and remove employment concerns raised by their carers."
UK ministers have argued that the vast majority of disabled people with care needs are already looked after through the adult social care system. | A new £20m fund to help 1,600 severely disabled people in Wales pay for care will replace a UK scheme being scrapped in June, Welsh ministers have said. |
36,416,641 | Beachgoers in Hampshire and Dorset were among those reporting a "frothy scum" in the water.
Bournemouth Borough Council said the harmless marine algae was "non toxic" while New Forest District Council urged people to "exercise caution".
Naturalist and diver Steve Trewhella said the bloom was on a scale unprecedented in recent years.
Mr Trewhella, who took samples from the sea off Kimmeridge on Saturday, said a "huge" slick of algae was currently floating off the south and south west coast.
He said: "I haven't seen a bloom of this particular species on this scale before."
Mr Trewhella said the slick may have been expanded by sediment from the recharging of beaches.
Bournemouth and New Forest councils said they had received reports from beachgoers who were worried about "pollution".
Jo Lally, who visited Milford on Sea in Hampshire on Monday, said: "The sea is very brown and slimy, roiling with brown, gloopy particles, and... the stench of raw sewage is almost overpowering."
New Forest District Council said early indications were that it was algae and that a deposit of oil was not suspected.
The advice to coastal users while the extent and cause was unknown was "to exercise caution."
The Environment Agency said the "brown frothy scum" seen in Dorset had been identified as Phaeocystis, a non-toxic algae which could be whipped by the wind into a brown foam.
The Agency said: "Once onshore it breaks down into a brown slime which can smell similar to sewage." | A large algal bloom has been blamed for discoloured water and foam sighted off parts of the south coast. |
37,268,320 | Media tycoon Mir Quasem Ali, 63, of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, was sentenced to death two years ago.
He had been convicted of offences including murder and torture.
The tycoon was hanged at a high-security prison outside Dhaka on Saturday evening.
He was arrested in 2010 and convicted in 2014. He declined to seek a presidential pardon, which would have required an admission of guilt.
A huge security operation was staged before and after his execution. Previous executions have led to huge crowds demonstrating both in support and against them.
An ambulance carrying Ali's body emerged from the jail in the early hours of Sunday and took it to his home village in Manikganj for burial.
Ali's wife Khandker Ayesha Khatun told reporters at the jail that the family wanted to bury him in Dhaka, but this request was refused by the authorities.
His execution follows several attacks by Islamist militants in Bangladesh, including an assault on a cafe in Dhaka in July in which 20 hostages, most of them foreigners, were killed.
At his trial, Ali had been accused of involvement in a "reign of terror" in the city of Chittagong. He was found guilty of eight of the 14 charges he faced including the abduction and killing of a teenager who supported the creation of a state independent from Pakistan.
"All along he said he was innocent. He said he is being killed unjustifiably," Tahera Tasnim, one of his daughters told the AFP news agency.
She was among 23 family members who met him for the last time in the prison just hours before he was hanged.
Six opposition leaders have now been executed for war crimes since the Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, set up a war crimes tribunal in 2010. Five were top leaders of the Jamaat party.
The International Crimes Tribunal have so far sentenced 24 people to death and 18 to jail for varying terms on charge of genocide and crimes against humanity.
Critics of the court say the government has been using the tribunal to target political opponents. Human Rights Watch has previously said the court's procedures are not up to international standards.
Ms Hasina's government has defended the trials, saying they are necessary to heal the wounds of the conflict.
Government figures suggest as many as three million people died in the nine-month war to secede from Pakistan, although some say the number of deaths is unverifiable and probably less than that. | A leader and financial backer of the biggest Islamist party in Bangladesh has been executed for war crimes committed during the war of independence from Pakistan in 1971. |
37,883,576 | The Bar Council had demanded Liz Truss respond to criticism from some MPs and newspapers over the decision that MPs should vote on triggering Article 50.
The Daily Mail branded judges "Enemies of the people"; the Daily Express said it was "the day democracy died".
Ms Truss said the "impartiality" of the courts was "respected the world over".
On Thursday, the High Court ruled Parliament should vote on when the government can trigger Article 50, beginning the formal process of the UK leaving the EU.
Three judges found that the government could not start the formal process by using the royal prerogative alone, and would need the backing of both the Commons and the Lords.
The government is seeking to overturn the decision at the Supreme Court - the UK's highest court of appeal - next month.
Following fierce criticism of the ruling, the Bar Council of England and Wales - the professional body representing barristers called for Ms Truss to defend the judges "as a matter of urgency".
But its chairwoman Chantal-Aimee Doerries QC said she would have expected the Lord Chancellor - who is responsible for courts, prisons, probation and constitutional affairs - to make a clearer statement on the "unprecedented" attack which "undermines the rule of law in this country".
She said the court was entitled to rule on the case and she was "surprised by the backlash" because the judges were "doing their job".
The Criminal Bar Association later passed a resolution backing the Bar Council's demands.
In her statement, Ms Truss, who is also justice secretary, said: "The independence of the judiciary is the foundation upon which our rule of law is built and our judiciary is rightly respected the world over for its independence and impartiality.
"In relation to the case heard in the High Court, the government has made it clear it will appeal to the Supreme Court. Legal process must be followed."
By Ben Wright, BBC News political correspondent
It could not be called a comprehensive response.
Having declined all requests for an interview, the Lord Chancellor Liz Truss put out a three-line statement saying the judiciary was independent and impartial.
Considering the vitriol of some press reaction to the High Court judges decision - "enemies of the people" according to the Daily Mail - and the demands for a defence of the judiciary from Labour and prominent Tory MPs, the government's response was the bare minimum.
We know ministers are angry about the ruling and are appealing to the Supreme Court.
But given a chance to say newspapers and politicians should be very wary about attacking the judiciary the Lord Chancellor demurred.
Nor did she say the courts did have the jurisdiction to rule on this dispute.
However, it be a very brave (or foolish?) minister to criticise the press for writing what they like about Brexit. And many voters will share the anger of some newspapers about the decision of the court.
Shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon, who had earlier said Ms Truss's silence was "embarrassing", called her statement "too little, much too late" and said she had failed to "adequately stand up to attacks on [the] judiciary".
He said "pressure from the legal profession, professional bodies, politicians and the public has paid off" and Ms Truss had "finally made at least some progress on this issue".
But he added: "All Liz Truss has done is recite the well-known principle of the independence of the judiciary...
"The last few days mean that much of the legal community now has no confidence in the Lord Chancellor to fulfil her statutory duty to protect the independence of the British judiciary."
Writing on Twitter, Lib Dem leader Tim Farron described the response from Ms Truss as a "weak statement from a weak cabinet minister".
Earlier, Tory MP and former Attorney-General, Dominic Grieve, has compared coverage in one UK newspaper to the Nazi party's newspaper.
He told BBC Radio 5 live: "Newspapers in a free society can do what they like.
"But if you did decide to behave immoderately and whip up frenzied hatred you can do that in a free society if you set about it, and newspapers like the Daily Mail are no different from the Voelkischer Beobachter in Nazi Germany if they run headlines of that type."
Daily Mail columnist Stephen Glover defended his newspaper's stance, saying he did not believe the judges would "feel frightened or worried" by the criticism.
He said they had made a "decisive intervention" in the political process, and "must expect some comeback".
UKIP MP Douglas Carswell is among those who have attacked the judges, calling them "politicians without accountability".
Meanwhile, Gina Miller, the investment manager and philanthropist who led the legal campaign, has said she plans to report online trolls to police after receiving rape and death threats.
"I am really cross at the politicians and the media who are whipping this up because they are the ones inciting racism and violence and acrimony," she said.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, also commented on the row, writing in a tweet: "Horrified by trolling of judges & those going to court; British values call for honest but good disagreeing, need reconciliation not abuse".
He added independent judges were "fundamental to our values" and it was "wrong to attack them for declaring the law",
Prime Minister Theresa May has said she is "confident" the government will win its Supreme Court appeal and is committed to triggering Article 50 by March 2017. | The Lord Chancellor has backed the independence of the UK's judiciary but stopped short of condemning attacks on senior judges over the Brexit ruling. |
35,197,768 | The 26-year-old, who helped Chelsea pip City to this year's WSL 1 title, had been with the club since July 2013.
She started six matches for Chelsea this year as Sweden's Hedvig Lindahl became Chelsea's first-choice keeper.
"It's a brilliant opportunity - one I couldn't turn down - and I'm thankful to Chelsea for letting me take the opportunity," said Hourihan.
"The massive progression the club has made in the last two years and the infrastructure that's in place is second to none," she added to the Manchester City website.
Hourihan will again be battling for the number one jersey with an established international, this time England's Karen Bardsley.
"At Chelsea, I was playing with the Swedish record caps holder so I'm ready for the challenge," said Hourihan.
"I'm looking forward to training with Karen - I can only learn from her and we can help each other and improve each other.
"For me, it's a step in the right direction. Year on year, this football club is progressing and I feel it's the best environment." | Manchester City Women have signed Chelsea Ladies' former England Under-23 goalkeeper Marie Hourihan. |
32,130,758 | Police said that while nights would be getting brighter there could be a risk of poorer visibility in the mornings.
Insp Neil Hewitson, of Dumfries and Galloway's roads policing unit, urged motorists to take extra care.
He also asked drivers to be aware of an increase in the number of motorbikes on the roads as the days lengthened.
He said: "A common cause of motorcycle crashes is the so-called T-boning of the motorcycle by drivers who either pull out of a junction in front of, or across the path of an oncoming bike to turn right.
"These collisions could be avoided by drivers taking more care.
"Drivers should remember that motorcyclists are much more vulnerable than drivers, especially in wet conditions.
"A driver may walk away from a crash that a motorcyclist would not." | Drivers have been urged to take extra care over pedestrians, cyclists, horse riders and bikers after the start of British Summer Time. |
37,181,276 | The original offer was £600,000 but the Championship club increased this by around £100,000.
BBC Scotland has learned there is a substantial gap between this offer and what Hearts are prepared to accept for the 21-year-old.
Paterson was named in Gordon Strachan's Scotland squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifier against Malta.
He made his international debut in May's 1-0 friendly defeat by Italy and has made over 140 appearances for Hearts since 2012.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | Hearts have turned down a second bid from Wigan Athletic for right-back Callum Paterson. |
37,313,945 | Sign up, set up a league with your friends and commence battle for bragging rights across the season.
Each week, former Dundee United, Rangers and St Mirren striker Steven Thompson will take a look at the fixtures in Scotland's top flight and give us his thoughts on how they will pan out.
For his first week, Steven scored correctly predicted four correct results out of the six Premiership matches and one of those was a correct score. So in the Predictor he amassed a decent 70 points (3 x 10 points + 1 x 40 points).
Think you can do better than an ex-pro turned BBC Scotland pundit? What are you are waiting for? Get involved.
"I would've gone for 3-0 had I been totally convinced by Celtic's defence. As much as Celtic have been scoring lots of goals, they've only kept two clean sheets in 11 competitive games this season. Rangers have a strong attack but I feel Celtic have too much for Mark Warburton's side.
"I believe both teams will score but that Celtic will claim victory."
Prediction: Celtic 3-1 Rangers
Result:Celtic 5-1 Rangers
"The Dons' home record is extremely strong and they need to show a reaction to having lost 4-1 last weekend at Celtic Park. Inverness have had a poor start to the season. However, after a good result last week they'll be aiming to get something out of the game.
"Aberdeen are beginning to lose ground on the teams above them, so they need to ensure they win."
Prediction: Aberdeen 2-0 Inverness CT
Result:Aberdeen 1-1 Inverness CT
"County were poor in their last game but I see this game ending in a draw because both teams have the ammunition to score goals. With Liam Boyce featuring at County, and Motherwell's front three, it will be an open game with goals.
"Mark McGhee will be seeking a reaction from his Motherwell players, with them having lost two in a row."
Prediction: Ross County 2-2 Motherwell
Result: Ross County 1-1 Motherwell
"Hearts are on a roll at the minute, having won their last two games. Their last home game was a convincing 5-1 win against Inverness CT - and I don't think Hamilton are that strong defensively.
"It will be difficult for Accies and I expect Robbie Neilson's side to score goals. Their front two of Tony Watt - who scored his first goal last weekend - and Conor Sammon - are causing defences problems."
Prediction: Hearts 3-0 Hamilton
Result:Hearts 3-1 Hamilton
"Partick won all three games against the Saints last season and I see Alan Archibald's men continuing that winning streak on Saturday.
"Thistle have been playing good football without getting the results for all their hard work. However, with them beating St Johnstone last season, I expect a home win: Kris Doolan will score the winner."
Prediction: Partick 1-0 St Johnstone
Result:Partick 0-2 St Johnstone
"The last two occasions the sides faced each other last season the games ended in draws. Paul Hartley's side have drawn their last two games - and Dundee drew 15 games last season. All signs are pointing towards a share of the spoils at Dens Park.
"Kilmarnock, having drawn at home to Rangers, will prove stuffy opponents and try to defend. I fancy a draw."
Prediction: Dundee 1-1 Kilmarnock
Result:Dundee 1-1 Kilmarnock | The Predictor is back for the Scottish Premiership. |
38,192,505 | The clubs, both offshoots of the old Wimbledon FC, have met four times, but never before in a league fixture, and the Dons have now won three.
Neilson's side were the most industrious throughout, restricting Wimbledon to just three shots on goal.
Dean Bowditch scored the game's only goal from the penalty spot after Dean Lewington was felled by Dannie Bulman.
The win was MK's first at home in the league in 16 games, dating back to 5 March last season when they were in the Championship, and the first since Neilson left Scottish Premiership side Hearts to take over from Karl Robinson on 2 December.
Despite the milestone win over a side that started life in the ninth tier of English football in 2002, the hosts remain 10 places and five points adrift of Neal Ardley's men.
While the fixture was another significant part of the two clubs' histories, it lacked the sort of fervour that surrounded their maiden meeting in the second round of FA Cup in 2012, a match with MK Dons won 2-1.
A crowd of 11,185 were at Stadium MK with away support of almost 2,000, despite a boycott by a number of AFC Wimbledon fans.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Match ends, MK Dons 1, AFC Wimbledon 0.
Second Half ends, MK Dons 1, AFC Wimbledon 0.
Attempt missed. Jake Reeves (AFC Wimbledon) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the right.
George B Williams (MK Dons) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Lyle Taylor (AFC Wimbledon).
Attempt missed. Ryan Colclough (MK Dons) right footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the right.
Substitution, MK Dons. Ryan Colclough replaces Kieran Agard.
Foul by Dean Lewington (MK Dons).
George Francomb (AFC Wimbledon) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Chris Whelpdale (AFC Wimbledon) left footed shot from outside the box is too high.
George Baldock (MK Dons) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Lyle Taylor (AFC Wimbledon).
Attempt saved. Chris Whelpdale (AFC Wimbledon) left footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the top left corner.
Ed Upson (MK Dons) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Lyle Taylor (AFC Wimbledon).
Attempt saved. Kieran Agard (MK Dons) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Delay in match David Martin (MK Dons) because of an injury.
George Baldock (MK Dons) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Lyle Taylor (AFC Wimbledon).
Attempt missed. Lyle Taylor (AFC Wimbledon) header from the left side of the box is close, but misses to the left.
Substitution, MK Dons. Daniel Powell replaces Dean Bowditch because of an injury.
Delay in match Dean Bowditch (MK Dons) because of an injury.
Dean Bowditch (MK Dons) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Lyle Taylor (AFC Wimbledon).
Substitution, AFC Wimbledon. Tyrone Barnett replaces Tom Elliott.
Foul by Chuks Aneke (MK Dons).
Lyle Taylor (AFC Wimbledon) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Corner, MK Dons. Conceded by Lyle Taylor.
Attempt blocked. Ed Upson (MK Dons) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Paul Robinson (AFC Wimbledon) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Kieran Agard (MK Dons) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Paul Robinson (AFC Wimbledon).
Substitution, MK Dons. Chuks Aneke replaces Samir Carruthers.
Attempt missed. Chris Whelpdale (AFC Wimbledon) header from the right side of the six yard box misses to the right.
Goal! MK Dons 1, AFC Wimbledon 0. Dean Bowditch (MK Dons) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the bottom left corner.
Penalty MK Dons. Dean Lewington draws a foul in the penalty area.
Penalty conceded by Dannie Bulman (AFC Wimbledon) after a foul in the penalty area.
Attempt saved. Samir Carruthers (MK Dons) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
Chris Whelpdale (AFC Wimbledon) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Paul Downing (MK Dons) wins a free kick in the attacking half. | MK Dons marked Robbie Neilson's first home league game as manager with victory over AFC Wimbledon. |
34,056,323 | The season is in its infancy with only three games gone - but the aims and aspirations of last season's top six will be the same now as they were at this point last season.
As the new campaign starts to settle down, how have they looked so far and what issues will they be looking to address before the transfer window closes on 1 September?
Good: Good news is thin on the ground but things are looking up with Sunday's win at West Bromwich Albion, albeit without Chelsea being at their best.
The £21m signing of Pedro from Barcelona is a fine piece of business and the impression remains that Chelsea will only improve as they grow into the season, especially with the possibility of further additions before the transfer deadline.
Bad: Results for a start. Chelsea were top of the table with a 100% record at this stage last season, had introduced £32m striker Diego Costa and scored 11 goals in their first three games.
This season, on top of manager Jose Mourinho's problems with his medical staff and the demotions of Eva Carneiro and Jon Fearn when they angered him by coming on to treat Eden Hazard against Swansea City, has been a different tale.
Chelsea have been porous at the back, conceding seven goals in their first three games, with Branislav Ivanovic and John Terry looking increasingly vulnerable. Even the midfield defensive wall of Nemanja Matic has not been solid.
Their opponents feel they can be got at - unfamiliar territory for a Mourinho team and one which must be solved.
Transfer 'to do' list: One big, expensive item in the in-tray - namely finding a way of persuading Everton to shift their stance on refusing to sell John Stones.
Chelsea have had three bids, the latest of £30m, rejected out of hand by Everton but Mourinho still wants the 21-year-old England international to be the cornerstone of his defence for the next generation.
Stones has handed in a transfer request but time is running out so Chelsea will need to make their move soon. Everton have been fiercely resistant so far and manager Roberto Martinez will be acutely aware £40m is no use in the bank with little or no time to spend it on reinforcements and replacements. Watch this space...
Did you know? Four points from three games is Chelsea's worst start to a Premier League season since 2000-01 - they also had four points then and went on to finish sixth.
Good: Just about everything. No goals conceded, eight scored and a team that looks lean and hungry again after a poor defence of their title last season.
Vincent Kompany and Yaya Toure look rejuvenated, while David Silva and Sergio Aguero seem as potent as ever. The addition of Raheem Sterling from Liverpool, albeit at an expensive £49m, has given City an added dimension of width and pace. Ominous.
Bad: The only bad news has been for their title rivals. Flawless so far, especially in tough fixtures at home to Chelsea and away to Everton. Eight goals without reply in their three games and with £32m signing from Valencia Nicolas Otamendi yet to figure in defence.
Transfer 'to do' list: Looks like the last main piece of business will be an attempt to complete a £50m deal for Wolfsburg's Belgium midfielder Kevin de Bruyne - and then it remains to be seen whether manager Manuel Pellegrini wishes to thin out his squad.
Did you know? This is the fourth time Manchester City have started a Premier League season with three wins - the last time they did so was in 2011 and they went on to win the title.
Good: Recovered from a very poor start when they lost at home to West Ham United to grind out a tough win at Crystal Palace, then earn a point from a thrilling goalless draw at home to Liverpool.
Goalkeeper Petr Cech also bounced back from a nightmare against West Ham to show his class with a virtuoso performance in the draw against Liverpool, an object lesson in why manager Arsene Wenger was so keen to bring him in for £10m from Chelsea.
Alexis Sanchez is still short of full match fitness so there is plenty more to come from him, while Wenger believes this is the season when Mesut Ozil - a £42.4m signing from Real Madrid in 2013 - will unveil the full range of his talents on a consistent basis.
Bad: Yet another injury lay-off with ankle problems for England midfielder Jack Wilshere, a central defence that saw its soft underbelly exposed against Liverpool when Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny were ruled out through injury and illness respectively, and a midfield that looks like it may be lightweight against opposition of the highest calibre.
Transfer "to do" list: Arsenal fans are still frustrated by Wenger's lack of activity and two areas stand out where he must surely consider additions, even this late in the day.
Olivier Giroud is a good striker but is he a title-winning one? He falls short of that and, with Danny Welbeck not a natural goalscorer, Wenger must pursue more quality at the top end of the pitch.
It costs, however, and Wenger is always reluctant to pay the biggest money if there is the slightest element of a gamble.
Is it too late to prize a big name like Uruguay's Edinson Cavani from Paris St-Germain or Argentina striker Gonzalo Higuain from Napoli? Or maybe even 33-year-old Sweden international Zlatan Ibrahimovic?
Also Wenger needs a powerful, quality defensive midfield player to lessen the load on Francis Coquelin.
Did you know? Arsenal have the lowest shot conversion rate in the top flight so far this term, scoring with just two of their 40 shots (5%).
Good: Solid start without anything spectacular and three clean sheets in the Premier League despite manager Louis van Gaal's decision to leave goalkeeper David De Gea on the sidelines as speculation continues about a move to Real Madrid.
Van Gaal has gone with summer signing Sergio Romero and has been rewarded so far, with a defence that had also been questioned doing the job.
There have been signs of plenty more to come from summer signings Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastian Schweinsteiger, while Memphis Depay has shown his match-winning qualities in the Champions League qualifier against Club Brugge.
Bad: Only two goals in three league games - one of those an own goal from Tottenham's Kyle Walker that gave United victory on the opening day of the season.
United have been a colourless side so far this season, although an efficient one. Questions are being asked about Wayne Rooney already - but he usually answers those.
Chelsea's move to sign Pedro despite interest from United was a blow to the ego and pride of club that labels itself as the biggest in the world.
Transfer "to do" list: Manager Louis van Gaal may seem relaxed but he must find a quality striker from somewhere in the coming days with Robin van Persie gone and Javier Hernandez clearly not regarded as a guarantee for the future.
Usual suspects such as Tottenham's Harry Kane (which surely won't happen) and Edinson Cavani have been touted - but can Van Gaal pluck a name out of left field?
And is the situation of keeping the disaffected De Gea in the stands with the apparent expectation of restoring him once the window is closed without any hangover from the speculation realistic or sustainable?
This must be dealt with before the deadline.
Did you know? United have started a top-flight season with three successive clean sheets for only the fifth time - the first since 2005.
Good: Still waiting on this one. It's been a poor start and even their best 45 minutes of the season, when they went 2-0 up against Stoke City at White Hart Lane, was ruined when they allowed their opponents to come back and earn a draw.
A slow start all-round but coach Mauricio Pochettino is a shrewd operator and he will be confident Spurs will soon be playing the intense pressing game he demands.
Bad: Lack of thrust up front and lack of support for the prolific Harry Kane has been exposed in the first three games and has to be addressed before the transfer window closes.
Transfer "to do" list: Simple. Sign a striker - and most people know who it will be as well.
Spurs have had two offers for West Brom's Saido Berahino rejected, while the player's request to leave The Hawthorns has also been turned down.
There is more to come on this one, which is only to be expected when negotiations are being conducted between Spurs chairman Daniel Levy and his equally tough West Brom counterpart Jeremy Peace, but this does have the appearance of a deal that will be done in time for Berahino to form a strike partnership with his England Under-21 team-mate Kane.
A mouth-watering prospect.
Did you know: Tottenham's Harry Kane has only managed two shots on target in 244 minutes so far. Last season, from his first start in November until the end, he averaged one every 56.5 minutes.
Good: Most things - three games and three clean sheets as Liverpool and manager Brendan Rodgers begin the period of rehabilitation and rebuilding after a dreadful end to last season that saw his position questioned.
Christian Benteke has added physical and aerial presence to attack, while James Milner's solid presence has bolstered midfield. In a defence that was vulnerable last season, new full-backs Nathaniel Clyne and youngster Joe Gomez have given Liverpool a more steely look.
And there may be more good things to come if striker Daniel Sturridge can actually get himself fit.
Bad: Not much so far - although Liverpool have been lucky to be the beneficiaries of two poor decisions when Benteke's winner against Bournemouth was clearly offside and Arsenal's Aaron Ramsey had a good goal ruled out at Emirates Stadium on Monday.
Transfer "to do" list: Pruning a large squad rather than additions. Mario Balotelli is on his way back to AC Milan and Rodgers may try to find a new home for misfits such as striker Fabio Borini and defender Jose Enrique. Midfielder Lucas Leiva has also been strongly linked with a move away.
Did you know? Like Manchester United, Liverpool have also started a top-tier season with three consecutive clean sheets for the fifth time. The last time was in 2013 - and they finished second that season. | Manchester City are setting the pace at the top of the Premier League with a dynamism that demonstrates a serious intent to reclaim their title from champions Chelsea. |
28,612,713 | Spanish-born Nsue, 24, has been capped by Equatorial Guinea and is expected to complete a three-year deal.
"He is a versatile player who I have known for five years. He is a good lad with a good mentality and approach to the game," Boro boss Aitor Karanka told the club website.
"I know the type of person he is, and that is important."
He added: "As a player he can play in different positions and I am delighted we have agreed a deal to sign him."
Nsue's selection for Equatorial Guinea proved costly as the player failed to meet eligibility requirements, with Cape Verde awarded a technical 3-0 win for the two matches in which he played. | Middlesbrough have agreed terms to sign winger Emilio Nsue from Real Mallorca, subject to international clearance. |
38,580,156 | They died in blasts at the governor of Kandahar's guesthouse on Tuesday, where at least six others were killed including the deputy governor, two senior Afghan officials and two MPs.
The governor and the UAE ambassador were among at least 18 wounded.
The attack was one of several in Afghanistan on Tuesday.
The Taliban admitted attacks in the capital Kabul and in Helmand province, but denied the Kandahar attack, instead blaming it on "internal local rivalry".
Afghanistan's Tolo News quoted survivors as saying that the bomb was hidden in a sofa at the guesthouse.
Kandahar police chief Gen Abdul Raziq was among the guests, but was unharmed.
Senior police and intelligence officials were also present, officials say.
There are many theories as to who was behind the guesthouse attack, but three are seen as being most likely:
The first is that the Taliban or their allies in the Haqqani militant network carried out the attack. Kandahar police chief Abdul Raziq, who was present when the blasts took place, has been on the militants' hit list and is known to be staunchly anti-Pakistan. The Taliban denied involvement but may have done this when they realised the victims were UAE officials. The Taliban are on good terms with the UAE and usually avoid attacking diplomats from countries not involved in military operations in Afghanistan.
Regional tensions mean intelligence agencies from other countries could be involved. Pakistan and India have long tried to shape events in Afghanistan and recently Gulf Arabs, led by Saudi Arabia, intensified their efforts to increase their influence. Iran is not happy about this and has established what it calls "contacts" with the Taliban.
The third possibility is that of local rivalries between officials and politicians in Kandahar. They have sometimes been accused of using the Taliban to harm each other. The Afghan government has launched an investigation to identify those who carried out the attack and their motives.
Three days of mourning have been declared in the UAE.
UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed has ordered that flags across the country should be flown at half-mast in honour of its "martyred" citizens.
The UAE said the officials had been carrying out "humanitarian, educational and development projects".
Among the projects was signing an agreement with Kardan University, in the capital Kabul, to offer scholarships funded by the UAE.
More than 62 people were killed and 100 wounded in a string of attacks in Afghanistan on Tuesday.
The deadliest was in Kabul where at least 45 people were killed when a suicide bomber and a car bomb detonated near the Afghan parliament complex.
Tolo News said 36 parliament workers were among the dead.
In Helmand province a Taliban suicide bomber targeted a guesthouse used by an intelligence official, killing at least seven people. | The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has confirmed that five of its officials were killed in a bomb attack in Kandahar in southern Afghanistan. |
36,609,348 | The 21-year-old former West Ham trainee is the fifth new player to arrive at the Wham Stadium so far this summer.
Shaw dropped into non-league football with Billericay and Dulwich Hamlet after he left the Hammers, but made 30 outings during his one year at the O's.
"It's another opportunity for me to push on in my career," he told the Accrington website.
"I just want to really push on now, do well for the club and hopefully we can get promoted."
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | Accrington Stanley have signed left-back Frazer Shaw on a two-year deal after his exit from Leyton Orient. |
38,490,000 | Schlupp's Leicester team-mate Daniel Amartey was included as was another English Premier League player, Andre 'Dede' Ayew of West Ham.
Aston Villa's Jordan Ayew - Andre's brother - was one of three English Championship players named, alongside Christian Atsu of Newcastle and Andy Diadom of Barnsley.
There was no place for Juventus midfielder Kwadwo Asamoah who was struggling to make the cut following a series of knee injuries.
The Black Stars will now go to the United Arab Emirates for a training camp from where Grant will reveal his final squad of 23 by the 4 January deadline.
The tournament kicks off in Gabon on 14 January.
Ghana will be based in Port-Gentil where they will face Mali, Egypt and Uganda in Group D.
The Black Stars' first match will be against Uganda on 17 January.
Ghana Squad:
Goalkeepers: Razak Braimah (Cordoba, Spain), Adam Kwarasey (Rosenborg, Norway), Richard Ofori (Wa All Stars, Ghana)
Defenders: Harrison Afful (Columbus Crew, USA), Andy Yiadom(Barnsley, England), Baba Rahman (Schalke, Germany), Frank Acheampong (Anderlecht, Belgium), John Boye (Sivasspor,Turkey), Jonathan Mensah (Anzhi, Russia), Daniel Amartey (Leicester City, England), Edwin Gyimah (Orlando Pirates, South Africa)
Midfielders: Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu (Udinese, Italy), Afriyie Acquah (Torino, Italy), Mubarak Wakaso (Panathinaikos, Greece), Christian Atsu (Newcastle, England), Ebenezer Ofori (AIK Stockholm, Sweden), Thomas Partey (Atletico Madrid, Spain), Samuel Tetteh (Leifering, Austria), Joseph Larweh Attamah (Başakşehir, Turkey)
Forwards: Asamoah Gyan (Al Ahli, UAE) Jordan Ayew (Aston Villa, England), Abdul-Majeed Waris (Lorient, France), Andre Ayew (West Ham, England), Ebenezer Assifuah (Sion, Switzerland), Bernard Tekpetey (Schalke, Germany), Rahpael Dwamena (Austria Lustenau, Austria) | Ghana coach Avram Grant named a provisional 26-man squad for the Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon on Monday, with Leicester City's Jeff Schlupp a surprise omission. |
39,761,988 | Richard Broughton, 37, was seriously injured by the car at about 19:00 BST on Friday in Welland, Crescent, Elsecar, near Barnsley.
The car, believed to be a Suzuki Swift, did not stop at the scene.
Mr Broughton died in hospital on Sunday. A murder inquiry is under way, and his family is receiving support from specially-trained officers.
Police said: "A post-mortem examination will be carried out in due course and officers are now treating this as a murder investigation.
"Police remain keen to hear from anyone who may have witnessed the incident... or anyone who may hold information about those that may have been involved."
A car matching the description of the one which hit Mr Broughton has been recovered by police. | A man has died from his injuries after he was hit by a car following what police said was an "altercation". |
39,843,775 | Totti, 40, will retire at the end of the season after scoring 307 goals in 783 games since his debut in 1993.
Totti was denied a farewell appearance at the San Siro when Spalletti, who rejoined Roma last year, did not bring him on in a 4-1 win against AC Milan.
"I must manage Totti the footballer," said Spalletti after criticism.
Second-placed Roma were leading 3-1 against Milan when Spalletti decided to bring on Brazilian defender Bruno Peres - his third and final substitution - for the final five minutes.
And questions about why Totti was not introduced left Spalletti clearly irritated in his post-match news conference.
"If I could go back in time, I would never have come to coach Roma," said the 58-year-old, who also managed the Giallorossi between 2005 and 2009.
"When I bring him on for the last five minutes you say I'm making a fool of him and I lack respect. Let's take the time to agree on what I should do.
"When I took over, I said that it's not for me to manage Totti's legacy.
"Next time, we'll form a co-operative. We'll have a collective vote and the ones who get the most votes will play."
Totti has made 15 Serie A appearances for Roma this season, but has only made one start with the other 14 coming from the bench.
The Giallorossi have three matches left this season, with the final game of the season - at home to Genoa on 28 May - set to be Totti's farewell. | Luciano Spalletti says he would not have returned to coach Roma had he known he would be constantly quizzed about Francesco Totti's playing time. |
29,906,947 | The Lancashire seamer hopes to be fit for the tri-series against Australia and India in January and the ICC Cricket World Cup in February.
The 32-year-old will travel to South Africa in December for rehabilitation with the England Performance Programme.
At present he will not be replaced in the squad for the Sri Lanka tour.
The England and Wales Cricket Board said in a statement: "James Anderson has been ruled out of the upcoming one day tour to Sri Lanka to continue his rehabilitation on a pre-existing left knee injury.
"Anderson experienced some knee discomfort during the summer and in preparation for the ICC Cricket World Cup will undergo a graded return to bowling programme over the next two months."
Fellow paceman Stuart Broad, 28, also misses the one-day series in Sri Lanka but hopes to be fit for January's one-day tri-series in Australia.
Broad had surgery in September on a patella tendon of his right knee.
England will take part in seven ODIs in Sri Lanka, beginning in Colombo on 26 November.
England ODI squad to tour Sri Lanka: Alastair Cook (Essex, captain), Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), Ian Bell (Warwickshire), Ravi Bopara (Essex), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Steven Finn (Middlesex), Harry Gurney (Nottinghamshire), Alex Hales (Nottinghamshire), Chris Jordan (Sussex), Eoin Morgan (Middlesex), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Ben Stokes (Durham), James Taylor (Nottinghamshire), James Tredwell (Kent), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire). | James Anderson has been ruled out of England's one-day series against Sri Lanka later this month as he continues to recover from a knee injury. |
38,487,730 | Aberdyfi Search and Rescue Team were called to the summit hut on Cader Idris after a man and woman became stuck at about 15:50 GMT on Saturday.
The Birmingham pair had attempted the walk in "poor conditions" and with "inadequate equipment", the team said.
Other walkers were able to offer them warm and dry clothes before 14 rescue volunteers arrived to escort them down.
Team volunteer Graham O'Hanlon attended the rescue near Dolgellau, Gwynedd.
"It is always great to see people enjoying the outdoors, but it is really important to take the mountain environment seriously, particularly in winter," he said.
"The weather was pretty much as forecast, so to head out into those conditions without the equipment or navigational skills to cope is to invite misfortune. Without the helpful intervention of the other walkers in the hut, the situation for these walkers could have been much more serious by the time rescuers arrived." | Two walkers had to be rescued after they became "disorientated" at the summit of a 3,000ft Snowdonia peak. |
33,817,814 | John Michael Pio Roda denied receiving over $1m (£645,000) from the Iglesia ni Cristo (Church of Christ) for a 31 December concert hosted by the sect for which Brown failed to show up.
Mr Roda has been held at the capital's Bureau of Immigration detention facility for nearly two weeks.
His legal counsel described his arrest as "Gestapo-like."
Brown failed to attend the show in question due to a lost passport.
Iglesia-linked local concert producers Maligaya Development Corp. have asked the justice department to file criminal fraud charges against Brown and Mr Roda, saying they had been advanced their million-dollar fee.
Mr Roda's lawyers said in a statement: "To hold Mr Pio Roda accountable for the entire one million dollars... is not only without legal or factual basis but is a travesty of justice and a continued violation of human rights."
They said Mr Roda, in fact, received $45,000 (£29,000) and that he and Brown received another $578,750 (£372,737) in advance from another company.
Brown was stopped from leaving the Philippines by the immigration bureau for three days in July over the row, having returned to play another show.
"Can somebody please tell me what... is going on? I don't know. I'm reading headline after headline," Brown said in a video that has since been removed from his Instagram account.
"I didn't do nothing," he said in a second video post, while raising both hands in the air.
He got down on his knees and begged the authorities, saying "Please, please, let us leave, please."
Although Brown was later allowed to the leave the country, the fraud complaint hearings against the R&B singer will proceed. | Chris Brown's promoter has refuted claims he defrauded an influential religious sect in the Philippines. |
36,804,926 | Norwegian champions Rosenborg beat Swedish side Norrkoping 3-1 in the second qualifying round first leg.
Craig Harrison's team held Cypriot champions Apoel Nicosia to a goalless draw in the first leg of their tie at Park Hall.
The second leg will be held in Cyprus on Tuesday, 19 July.
Saints reached the Champions League third qualifying round in 2010, losing 6-1 on aggregate to Anderlecht.
The third Qualifying round legs will be played 26/27 July and 2/3 August with New Saints away in the first leg if they overcome Apoel.
Gap Connah's Quay will face Dinamo Minsk of Belarus or St Patrick's of Ireland in the Europa League third qualifying round if they overcome Vojvodina.
Andy Morrison's side lost 1-0 in Serbia in the second qualifying round first leg. | The New Saints will face Rosenborg or IFK Norrkoping in the Champions League third qualifying round if they overcome Apoel Nicosia. |
35,897,728 | The 17-time Grand Slam champion, 34, needed arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn meniscus and is set to make his return at the Miami Open this week.
"I think I was going to run a bath for the girls," he said.
"I made a very simple movement, turned back, heard a click in my knee. I went to the zoo. My leg was swollen."
Federer said he was happy with how surgery went but "very sad" he had needed an operation.
"I thought I was going to get through my career without any," said the Swiss. "It was a big shock and, yeah, disappointing."
Federer is scheduled to face Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro in round two in Miami. | Roger Federer says the knee injury he suffered after the Australian Open in January occurred while preparing a bath for his twin daughters. |
37,468,577 | Closest challengers Hibernian Ladies ran out 5-0 winners against Stirling University, with the match played at Easter Road ahead of their up coming Champions League clash with Bayern Munich.
Elsewhere, Celtic came from behind to beat Rangers 3-1.
And Aberdeen were 1-0 winners at home to Forfar Farmington.
Glasgow City head coach Scott Booth was frustrated despite the 1-0 win.
"We created so many chances and should have been far more clinical in taking some of them," said Booth.
"That said, it is another three points and with only four games left in the title race, another vital three points to keep us clear at the top of the table." | Haley Rosen's first half goal against Spartans was enough to maintain Glasgow City's lead at the top of the SWPL. |
32,928,515 | BBC Radio Sheffield launched a Facebook campaign after learning Winnie Blagden had no surviving family.
It urged well-wishers to send cards to the centenarian, who reached the milestone age on Sunday.
Mrs Blagden told the BBC she would be having a shandy to celebrate her birthday.
A surprise party organised by the radio station earlier in the week saw Mrs Blagden lavished with gifts and cards.
She told the crowd at the city's town hall she was "overwhelmed" by the response to the appeal.
"It's been lovely. I don't know why everyone's making such a fuss, it's [normally] for people who have done marvellous things," she said.
Mrs Blagden, from Sheffield, never had children, and has no relatives following the death of her husband George 30 years ago.
She is looked after by Serenta Homecare.
Sue Pinder, who owns the company, said: "Winnie just can't understand everyone's kindness, in her eyes she's a normal lady who's done nothing.
"But she brings so much joy and pleasure to people, especially those carers, she can't see what she does to everybody."
Mrs Blagden received cards from all over the world, including Taiwan, Singapore and the US.
She will now add a birthday message from The Queen to her collection and a signed card from Dowtown Abbey actor Brendan Coyle, a show which Mrs Blagden is a fan of. | A woman who received 16,000 birthday cards from around the globe after an internet appeal went viral has turned 100. |
31,910,525 | The 38-year-old will replace Martin Guptill as their overseas player in June and return in early August for the rest of the season.
Dilshan has played 87 Tests, scoring 5,492 runs at an average of 40.98, 313 one-day internationals and 62 Twenty20 matches for Sri Lanka.
Elite performance director Graeme Welch said the signing was "a real coup".
He added: "It demonstrates our growing reputation within the game. Dilshan is a proven match-winner who has shown this time and time again on the world stage.
"His record speaks for itself and he brings a wealth of experience across all formats and to the dressing room. He is also committed to helping our younger lads during his stay."
Dilshan is currently with the Sri Lanka side who have reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup and was also a key member of the team that won the ICC World Twenty20 last year.
He had a stint with Surrey in 2014 and will begin his spell with Derbyshire in June by featuring in up to four T20 Blast fixtures and two County Championship matches, before playing in the Caribbean Premier League.
"Derbyshire are an ambitious club with an exciting young team," Dilshan said.
"I'm looking forward to joining them in the T20 Blast and then returning to help them finish the season strongly.
"I am really pleased with my current form and this makes me confident I can make a strong contribution." | Derbyshire have signed veteran Sri Lanka batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan for two spells this summer. |
27,971,598 | The stock dropped around 5% in its first day of conditional trading to 235p, after being priced at 250p per share by the firm.
Shares opened at 244p and dropped as low as 231p at one point, even though it had been over-subscribed.
Its owners, private equity firms Permira, Charterhouse and CVC, sold their entire stakes in the AA.
The motoring association initially said the company would be valued at about £1.385bn, but its market capitalisation dropped to £1.313bn on Monday.
Institutional investors, including Aviva, Blackrock, Legal & General, Invesco, and Lansdowne Partners, backed a management buy-in led by former Green Flag boss Bob MacKenzie, who has been appointed as the AA's executive chairman.
"We will work with the existing management and the AA's loyal workforce to deliver an enhanced experience for all our members and customers, and to serve the broader needs of the UK motorist," Mr MacKenzie said in a statement.
"Our offer will enable the AA to become an independent publicly-listed company and we look forward to creating substantial value for all our stakeholders."
The firm's stock market flotation echoed that of sister company Saga, which closed flat on its debut.
The AA was formed by motoring enthusiasts in 1905 primarily to avoid police speed traps. It is best known for its breakdown recovery service, but also sells insurance and financial products.
The organisation voted to demutualise in 1999 and to be acquired by Centrica for £1.1bn.
Private equity forms CVC and Permira bought the company from Centrica for £1.75bn in October 2004. | Shares in the AA motoring group suffered a disappointing debut on the London Stock Exchange. |
37,103,145 | Sunderland put in a disjointed display in front of a crowd of just 13,979 but won the game when Januzaj blasted in.
Steven Pienaar wasted the best chance of the first half while 17-year-old Joel Asoro went close twice.
Ivan Toney had Shrewsbury's best effort but was denied by Jordan Pickford.
Sunderland travel to QPR in round three.
After the match Sunderland confirmed that Atletico Madrid defender Javier Manquillo - who made 10 Premier League appearances on loan for Liverpool in 2014-15 - was having a medical with them.
Sunderland assistant Paul Bracewell:
"That's one of the reasons why the boss brought him [Januzaj] in. All of a sudden, he can turn, and it was a great finish to get a result on a tough night.
"It's a work in progress. Some things we were happy with and some things we weren't. He's got that ability to deliver something very special like that.
"We had a young team out tonight, one or two lads playing out of position as well. It was a tough game, but all in all the most important thing in the cup games is getting through."
Shrewsbury manager Micky Mellon:
"To come here and be disappointed is a great measure of how we believe the team performed against a Premier League team, so I'm really, really proud of them.
"Of course, there's nothing for second place, but in terms of performance and coming up here and making sure that we represent this football club properly, I couldn't really have asked for any more, to be honest."
Match ends, Sunderland 1, Shrewsbury Town 0.
Second Half ends, Sunderland 1, Shrewsbury Town 0.
Foul by Oliver Lancashire (Shrewsbury Town).
Adnan Januzaj (Sunderland) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Adam El-Abd (Shrewsbury Town).
Oliver Lancashire (Shrewsbury Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Adnan Januzaj (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Adnan Januzaj (Sunderland).
Attempt missed. George Waring (Shrewsbury Town) header from the centre of the box misses to the left.
Delay in match Joel Asoro (Sunderland) because of an injury.
Attempt saved. Joel Asoro (Sunderland) right footed shot from the left side of the six yard box is saved in the bottom right corner.
Oliver Lancashire (Shrewsbury Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Paddy McNair (Sunderland).
Goal! Sunderland 1, Shrewsbury Town 0. Adnan Januzaj (Sunderland) right footed shot from outside the box to the top right corner. Assisted by Wahbi Khazri.
Oliver Lancashire (Shrewsbury Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Wahbi Khazri (Sunderland).
Attempt missed. Wahbi Khazri (Sunderland) right footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left.
Substitution, Shrewsbury Town. George Waring replaces Ivan Toney.
Attempt blocked. Wahbi Khazri (Sunderland) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Foul by Oliver Lancashire (Shrewsbury Town).
Wahbi Khazri (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Corner, Shrewsbury Town. Conceded by Donald Love.
Substitution, Shrewsbury Town. Andy Mangan replaces Louis Dodds.
Foul by Wahbi Khazri (Sunderland).
Joe Riley (Shrewsbury Town) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Adnan Januzaj (Sunderland).
Junior Brown (Shrewsbury Town) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Corner, Shrewsbury Town. Conceded by Papy Djilobodji.
Substitution, Shrewsbury Town. Jim O'Brien replaces Antoni Sarcevic.
Corner, Shrewsbury Town. Conceded by Jordan Pickford.
Attempt saved. Ivan Toney (Shrewsbury Town) right footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
Substitution, Sunderland. Duncan Watmore replaces Steven Pienaar.
Steven Pienaar (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Antoni Sarcevic (Shrewsbury Town).
Attempt saved. Joel Asoro (Sunderland) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
Foul by Joel Asoro (Sunderland).
Gary Deegan (Shrewsbury Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt saved. Ivan Toney (Shrewsbury Town) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Corner, Shrewsbury Town. Conceded by Lynden Gooch.
Lynden Gooch (Sunderland) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. | Adnan Januzaj's first Sunderland goal was enough for Blacks Cats boss David Moyes to collect his first win in charge as they saw off League One side Shrewsbury in the EFL Cup second round. |
34,486,157 | Jean-Claude Juncker criticised US President Barack Obama's description of Russia as merely "a regional power".
EU-US sanctions were imposed on Russia because of its intervention in Ukraine. Mr Obama had a frosty meeting recently with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"Russia must be treated decently," Mr Juncker said in Germany.
"We must make efforts towards a practical relationship with Russia. It is not sexy but that must be the case, we can't go on like this," he said, during a visit to Passau in southern Germany.
Last year the West imposed visa bans and asset freezes on dozens of senior Russian officials.
The sanctions also restricted Russian access to Western bank credits and industrial technology in the defence and energy sectors. In retaliation, Russia banned most imports of Western food and drink.
Passau has become a major transit hub for non-EU migrants seeking a new life in Germany, and Mr Juncker's visit was focused on the EU's efforts to handle the migrant influx.
The civil war in Syria is driving rising numbers of Syrians into Turkey and onwards to Central Europe. Turkey already hosts about two million Syrians in basic refugee camps.
Last week Mr Obama sharply criticised Russia's air strikes in Syria, which began at the end of September.
The US and UK governments are worried that Russia's help for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will keep him in power and weaken the "moderate" Syrian groups fighting to oust him.
Russia insists that its air strikes are mainly targeting the so-called Islamic State (IS), while Western leaders dispute that.
Referring to the current tensions in EU-Russia relations Mr Juncker said "we can't let our relationship with Russia be dictated by Washington".
But he also urged Russia to make a "massive" policy shift. "The way they have acted in Crimea and eastern Ukraine is not acceptable," he said. | The EU must restore a "practical relationship" with Russia and not let the US "dictate" that policy, the European Commission chief has said. |
38,960,579 | McCarthy was responding to a BBC Sport study which found at least 39% of English Football League (EFL) players were not tested in 2015-16.
"To risk a career and getting banned for a couple of years, there really not ought to be any drug testers," he said.
The study also found no tests were carried out in the National League.
McCarthy told BBC Look East that testers had been to Ipswich frequently during the current season.
"They spend that much time here, I don't know how they can get around the rest of the country," he said.
"I can't understand why any player with the riches in the game and the amount of money would take the risk. That should be enough of a deterrent, but quite clearly it's not."
According to UK Anti-Doping (Ukad), which carries out testing on behalf of the Football Association, Brentford midfielder Alan Judge was the only player in England and Wales to breach doping regulations during the 2015-16 season - an offence for which he was reprimanded.
The FA said there were also three failed tests by unnamed players for recreational drugs last season, adding that "like any sport" it prioritised its anti-doping programme "at the elite end".
Martin Allen, manager of National League club Eastleigh, admitted his frustration at a lack of consistent controls and checks throughout the football pyramid.
"I didn't know there was no testing in the National League, but it also doesn't surprise me," he told BBC Radio Solent.
"People at the FA and the EFL, they're just living in their own world and they don't notice what goes on at the lower levels and in non-league football.
"I think they have just turned a blind eye to it."
Meanwhile, former Italy international forward Gianfranco Zola, now manager of Championship side Birmingham City, said "testing should be random and it should be for everyone".
He told BBC WM: "I'm assuming when they do the checks and controls, they are trying to cover all teams and all divisions.
"I think our players have been tested five times so far this season, so they've certainly been to see us." | The threat of a ban from football should be enough of a deterrent without the need for drug testers, according to Ipswich manager Mick McCarthy. |
37,076,995 | The London-based hub will include a team of five officers who will support victims and identify online abuse.
The two-year pilot will cost £1.7m and has received £452,000 from the Home Office, the London Mayor's office said.
A spokesman said there was "no place for hate" in London and there would be a "zero tolerance" of online abuse.
The team, which will be set up in the coming months, will identify the location of crimes and allocate them to the appropriate force. They will work with a team of volunteers.
The Mayor's Office for Policing And Crime (Mopac) said social media "provides hate crime perpetrators with a veil of anonymity, making it harder to bring them to justice and potentially impacting on a larger number of people".
Victims can become "isolated, living in fear of the online behaviour materialising in the real world", it said, adding that the general police response to online hate crime was "inconsistent".
The team will also assist in training police officers and community groups in how to identify, report and challenge abuse.
A Mopac spokesperson said it was the first time a "dedicated police team" had been set up to detect and respond to hate crimes.
"Community groups in London have told us that online hate crime is an issue of increasing concern to them, and one for which the police response has in the past been inconsistent," the spokesman added.
In March, the government announced Mopac had been successful in its bid for £452,000 of Home Office funding. | A new team of specialist police officers is being set up to investigate online hate crimes, including abuse on Twitter and Facebook. |
35,208,879 | Last month four other employees of the same bookshop and publishing house, including its owner, went missing.
Their colleagues believe they have been detained because of their work.
Freedom of the press is guaranteed in Hong Kong, but many in the publishing industry say they are beginning to feel pressure from mainland China.
The latest associate to be reported missing is the man who raised the alarm when his colleagues disappeared in October.
Mr Lee spoke to the BBC when his colleagues disappeared but did not want to disclose his full name at the time fearing reprisals.
He failed to arrive home on Wednesday evening and his wife has been unable to reach him. She told the BBC she is deeply afraid.
One of his colleagues said Mr Lee was taken away by unknown men and the fear is that Chinese officials have reached beyond mainland China to punish them for their work, our correspondent Juliana Liu in Hong Kong reports.
Two of the previous four men who disappeared were last seen in Shenzhen, mainland China, where their wives live; one was last seen in Hong Kong; and the other, the owner of the publishing house, was last heard from by email from Pattaya, Thailand, where he owns a holiday home.
The Causeway Bay Bookstore sells gossipy paperbacks that are highly critical of the Chinese leadership and are said to be popular among mainland tourists visiting Hong Kong.
The bookshop's troubles are not unique. Last year, Hong Kong publisher Yiu Mantin was sentenced to ten years in prison in China on smuggling charges his family believes were retaliation for publishing a book highly critical of President Xi Jinping. And in November, two Hong Kong journalists were tried for selling political magazines in nearby Shenzhen. | Another associate of a Hong Kong bookshop specialising in titles critical of the Chinese government appears to have disappeared. |
40,251,071 | A report by the public accounts committee said it had "grave concerns" about elements of Wales' plan to tackle the problem.
The committee also wants the pace of progress to increase.
The Welsh Government said it "strongly disagrees" with parts of the report.
Coastal flooding and erosion in Wales comes under the remit of several bodies, including Natural Resources Wales, local authorities and water companies and other organisations such as the National Trust, Network Rail and the Crown Estate.
The report said all of them should be part of an "overarching national strategy" produced by the Welsh Government.
Committee chairman Nick Ramsay, Conservative AM for Monmouth, said: "While there are many excellent people delivering on the ground, and a very resilient spirit amongst those faced with the worst of these problems, this does not excuse the lack of direction and leadership provided to date.
"To ensure that the necessary decisions around managed realignment and risk management are taken, it is essential that leadership is provided."
The report also highlights the issue of managed retreat, where it is determined that land should be sacrificed and the coastal line redrawn.
The committee said the Welsh Government had shown a "lack of progress in planning" at Fairbourne, Gwynedd, where managed retreat has been deemed necessary.
Mr Ramsay added: "We want to see the government set out a range of options for managed retreat which doesn't take a 'one size fits all' approach, which gives consideration to other British and international examples, and which considers what is needed to communicate effectively with communities at risk."
A Welsh Government spokesman said: "We are aware of this report from the public accounts committee. We do, however, strongly disagree with some of the report's reflections.
"We will consider the report and its recommendations in detail and the cabinet secretary will provide a formal response in due course" | There is a "distinct lack of leadership" in the Welsh Government's approach to coastal flooding, a national assembly committee has said. |
37,128,554 | Statistics released by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) showed a drop of 956 staff since the creation of the single fire service in 2013.
The losses include 667 whole-time or "retained" firefighters and 289 people employed in support or control room roles.
The service had 8,547 staff in 2013. That fell to 7,591 this year.
There was an 18% drop in the number of volunteers in the service between 2013 and 2016, which saw numbers drop from 417 to 342.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said the figures reflected "planned organisational structure changes" to deliver a more "effective and efficient" service across Scotland.
However, the brigade is planning a firefighter recruitment drive towards the end of this year.
A spokesman said: "We inherited a range of crewing models from Scotland's eight former services and work has been ongoing to standardise these. Our resource-based crewing model will ensure we have the staffing capacity and capability to deal with all incidents within our communities."
He added: "As a national service, we are better placed to look strategically at the needs of the people of Scotland and deploy our resources where they are needed to ensure the safety of our communities across the country."
Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesman Liam McArthur raised concerns about the impact of the service merger in 2013.
He said: "Fire service staff across Scotland save lives every day. We need to ensure that they have the resources they need to do their jobs.
"Since the creation of SFRS, we have lost around 700 fire fighters. These are not only full-time staff but also retained firefighters who provide frontline cover in almost every rural community.
"These figures underline the scale of the impact that SNP centralisation has had on our emergency services.
"We know that more job losses are coming, with plans for the closure of control rooms in the north of Scotland later this year."
A Scottish government spokeswoman responded by saying that the SFRS continued to deliver the "high standard" of services required to "keep Scotland safe".
She added: "The SFRS has worked closely with the Fire Brigades Union to achieve the right level of staffing to meet the needs of a modern service with a greater emphasis on prevention and to remove the duplication of the previous structure, which was designed to support eight separate services.
"There have been no station closures and SFRS operates a policy of no compulsory redundancies. A further recruitment campaign will also begin later this year." | Scotland has lost almost 1,000 fire service staff in the past three years, according to new figures. |
35,771,151 | Helen Steel had a two-year relationship with John Dines in the 1990s before later learning he had been an undercover officer in the Met police.
She told the BBC that when she confronted him in Sydney he said he recognised "what he did was wrong".
Mr Dines told the Guardian he gave her a "personal and unreserved apology".
Ms Steel was one of seven women who received an "unreserved apology" and compensation from the Metropolitan Police for being deceived into sexual relationships with undercover officers.
The relationships took place over the course of 25 years with five officers from two undercover units.
Ms Steel met John "Barker" Dines in 1990 when she was a Greenpeace activist.
They were together for two years, and during that time rented a flat and discussed starting a family before he had an apparent breakdown and disappeared.
Ms Steel said she was left "distraught" by his disappearance and spent years searching for him.
She later learned he was a police officer and had relocated to Australia where he works for a university that trains police officers.
She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme she confronted him at Sydney Airport.
"I basically approached him and said 'You owe me an apology', at which point he said 'Apologies'," she said.
"And then I said that I wanted to talk more and then we went and spoke for a while about what happened and why he had deceived me in the way he deceived me.
"I think he recognises that what he did was wrong."
She said Mr Dines said he also claimed he had been "harmed" by the squad he had been part of.
The officers had worked undercover for the Special Demonstration Squad, part of the Met Police and the separate National Public Order Intelligence Unit.
Both teams deployed officers on long-term undercover operations to infiltrate radical political or social causes, such as environmental campaigns, anarchy and animal rights.
The longest relationship lasted for nine years.
The relationships took place until the units were disbanded in 2008 and 2011. One of the officers fathered children.
In each case the officers eventually disappeared, leaving their partners searching for years for answers.
The women said the Met's "unreserved apology", in November last year, would "never make up for what we have endured".
Mr Dines did not respond to the BBC but told the Guardian: "You will already be aware that I met with Helen Steel on 6 March, where I gave her a personal and unreserved apology for all and any hurt that she may have suffered.
"I do not intend to make any other comment."
A judge-led public inquiry is looking into what happened within the two undercover units. | A woman duped into a relationship with an undercover policeman has told how she tracked him down to Australia more than 20 years after he disappeared. |
36,631,388 | The pair have had seven unsuccessful world title challenges between them and a tight contest was predicted.
But Groves landed more the regular and telling blows and was awarded the verdict 118-110 by all three judges.
Chris Eubank Jr successfully defended his British middleweight title for the first time with a fourth-round stoppage of the previously unbeaten Tom Doran.
Groves, 28, was knocked out twice by Carl Froch in 2013 and 2014 and outpointed by WBC super-middleweight champion Badou Jack last year.
"I think I performed great, but I got caught with punches," Groves told Sky Sports. "Martin Murray is a class act and should be a world champion.
"It was make or break, but I had him out on his feet. That was my first step up since losing to Badou Jack. I did well but hats off to Murray. What a performer."
Murray, 33, has come up short in three middleweight world title fights and was also outpointed by Germany's WBA super-middleweight champion Arthur Abraham in his most recent fight.
Groves, defending his lightly-regarded WBA 'international' belt, looked the sharper in the first three rounds but Murray got a foot-hold in the fourth, pinning his opponent in the corner and unleashing a barrage of blows.
The Londoner's seasoning at the higher weight became evident in the middle rounds and he wobbled Murray with a right uppercut at the end of the seventh.
Murray appeared to be fully recovered by the ninth but he was stiffened by a left-right combination at the end of the round and staggered to his corner.
But just when the St Helens fighter looked like he might be spent, he landed with a couple of monstrous right hands in the 10th, which Groves did well to absorb.
Murray continued to search for a knockout blow over Groves' low left hand in the last two rounds but it was Groves who landed with the more telling shots.
And when the final bell sounded, Murray was almost out on his feet.
Following his defeat, Murray said he would not be quitting boxing.
"I got beaten by a better man. He was good and he hurt me a couple times," he told Sky Sports.
"I'm gutted. I'm sorry I didn't do enough today and I got beat clearly. But I'm not ready to retire.
"People say George Groves is finished but he proved he's not and I definitely have so much more to give."
Eubank Jr, 26, was fighting for the first time since winning the British middleweight belt from Nick Blackwell, who was put into an induced coma after the contest having suffered bleeding on the skull.
Blackwell woke from his coma a week later without requiring an operation, although he has been forced to retire.
Eubank's father, Chris Eubank Sr, admitted he lost his ruthless instinct after his 1991 rematch with Michael Watson, which left the latter with life-threatening injuries.
But Eubank Jr was as effective as ever against Doran, dropping the Welshman three times before the referee called a halt to proceedings.
Eubank is targeting a match with WBA and IBF middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin, who is undefeated and has 32 knockouts from 35 fights.
But, having taken some solid shots from the unheralded but game Doran, challenging the Kazakh knockout artist is likely be a step up too soon.
"It's all about making statements," Eubank Jr told Sky Sports. "I feel I'm at world level now and can be challenging for world titles.
"Gennady Golovkin - everybody's scared of you but I'm coming for you and I'm coming for your belts."
Dillian Whyte returned to action following his defeat by Anthony Joshua last December with a sixth-round knockout of the Czech Republic's Ivica Bacurin.
Birmingham super-flyweight Kal Yafai continued his serene progress in the pro ranks with a first-round stoppage of Hungary's Jozsef Ajtai. Yafai, 27, is unbeaten in 19 paid fights.
Former Olympic bronze medallist Anthony Ogogo got his stop-start career back on track with a first-round victory over Croatia's Frane Radnic.
Ogogo, 27, forced his opponent to retire in his corner to improve his pro record to 10 wins in as many fights, with six of those by knockout.
Conor Benn, son of former two-weight world champion Nigel, made it three wins out of three with a savage knockout of the Czech Republic's Lukas Radic.
But former Commonwealth light-welterweight champion John Wayne Hibbert was stopped on a bad cut in the sixth round by Italy's Andrea Scarpa. The Essex boxer, 31, hoped a victory would lead to a world title shot. | George Groves beat Martin Murray by unanimous decision in a must-win super-middleweight contest in London. |
20,526,380 | It said there had been a "worrying" trend since 2007, with more and more new cases each year.
Nearly half of the 6,280 people diagnosed last year were men who had sex with other men (MSM).
Overall, one in 20 MSM are infected with HIV.
Of those diagnosed in 2011, nearly two-thirds had not been to a sexual health clinic in the previous three years.
HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus and on its own it does not kill you.
The virus can survive and grow only by infecting, and destroying, the immune system.
This continual assault on the immune system makes it weaker and weaker until it is no longer able to fight off infections.
Without treatment, it takes about 10 years from infection to the development of Aids - acquired immune deficiency syndrome.
It is then that "opportunistic infections", ones a healthy immune system could fight off, become deadly.
People can die from pneumonias, brain infections, diarrhoeal illnesses as well as certain tumours such as lymphoma and cervical cancer.
BBC Health: HIV and Aids
The HPA said the figures showed there was "room for improvement" in testing people in at-risk groups.
Dr Valerie Delpech, the organisation's head of HIV surveillance, told the BBC: "Obviously this is a serious illness and it is worrying that we're still seeing a lot in men who have sex with men and this is a record year.
"Transmission in the UK is largely sexual, so safe sex is the best way to prevent yourself getting HIV."
The total number of people living with HIV in the UK rose to 96,000, up from 91,500 the previous year. The issue is most intense in London.
Due to advances in drug treatment, having HIV should not affect life-expectancy.
However, the data suggests that one in four people with HIV are completely unaware of the infection, meaning they cannot receive treatment and may still be spreading the virus.
The chief executive of the National Aids Trust, Deborah Jack, said: "It is vitally important that gay men test at least once a year for STIs [sexually transmitted infections] and HIV, and every three months if they're having unprotected sex with new or casual partners.
"HIV-negative gay men diagnosed with an STI should really treat it as a 'wake up call'. You are at serious risk of getting HIV in the near future and need to take steps to prevent that happening - such as consistent condom use and reduction in number of sexual partners."
Sir Nick Partridge, the chief executive at the Terrence Higgins Trust, said: "HIV is an entirely preventable condition, yet each year we see thousands more people across the UK receive this life-changing diagnosis.
"Reducing undiagnosed HIV by encouraging those in high-risk groups to test more regularly is one way we can put the brakes on the spread of infection." | The number of gay and bisexual men being diagnosed with HIV in the UK reached an "all-time high" in 2011, according to the Health Protection Agency (HPA). |
38,853,455 | Eileen Blane was thrown to the floor and punched in the attack at her home in Stretford, Greater Manchester, on Friday afternoon, police said.
While the attacker searched upstairs, Mrs Blane escaped and alerted her neighbours.
Granddaughter Amy Blane has shared pictures of her "brave Nana" on social media in a bid to find the attacker.
The post has been shared more than 12,000 times.
Ms Blane said the man forced his way through a side door at the house after her grandmother opened the door to him and demanded cash and jewellery.
She said: "After dragging her through the house, throwing her into the lounge and kicking her dog into the wall, he then threatened her life by saying 'you will not get out of this house alive'."
"Despite losing so much, my Nana is heart broken as her late husband died 13 years ago and her precious wedding ring was stolen."
Ms Blane said her grandmother has been left "very shaken" after her ordeal and is "especially upset about her wedding ring".
"Tell your Nanas to keep safe and check in on them as often as possible because, at times like this, you really do realise how important Nanas are."
A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said Mrs Blane "suffered bruises over her face and head" in the assault and asked anyone with any information to contact them. | An 87-year-old woman was beaten in her own home and had her wedding ring taken from her finger. |
36,843,808 | He hosted a morning news show on Radio Vesti and reported for Ukrayinska Pravda, a popular news website.
The bomb went off as Sheremet, 44, was driving a car belonging to his partner, the website's owner Olena Prytula.
Sheremet had lived in Kiev for five years, after quitting Russian TV because of alleged Kremlin pressure.
The Russian authorities accuse Ukrainian media of distorting news from eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russian rebels are defying Kiev's forces.
Ukraine's Interior Ministry spokesman, Artem Shevchenko, called the car bombing "a brazen murder... aimed at destabilising the situation" in Ukraine.
Why was Pavel Sheremet a big name?
In 1997 Sheremet was jailed in Belarus after reporting on political oppression in the ex-Soviet state. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has cracked down on dissent during more than 20 years of authoritarian rule.
In 2004 Sheremet suffered a severe beating in Belarus, where he founded Belarussky Partizan, an opposition news website.
Later he worked for Russia's ORT television and was a news anchor on Vremya (Time), which has a huge audience.
In 2014 he resigned from Russia's state-run Channel One TV, in protest at Russia's stance towards the political crisis in Ukraine.
He moved to Kiev and worked for Ukrayinska Pravda, an independent news website founded by Georgy Gongadze, who was widely seen as a martyr for freedom when he was murdered in 2000.
Gongadze's headless body was found in a forest outside Kiev. The murder fuelled anger that escalated into Ukraine's 2004 Orange Revolution.
That pro-Western upheaval was repeated in 2013-2014, when the Moscow-backed president, Viktor Yanukovych, was forced to flee.
Ukraine's President, Petro Poroshenko, said the death of Sheremet, whom he knew personally, was a "terrible tragedy" and ordered an immediate inquiry.
The car bombing came after a new flare-up in fighting in eastern Ukraine this week.
On Tuesday the Ukrainian military said seven of its soldiers had been killed and 14 wounded in clashes with the rebels - the highest casualty figure for almost two months. The two-year insurgency in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions has claimed more than 9,000 lives.
Nato, Western leaders and the Ukrainian government accuse Russia of sending heavy armour and regular troops to the rebels in eastern Ukraine. Moscow denies that, but admits that Russian "volunteers" are helping the rebels. | A car bomb explosion has killed a leading Belarusian journalist and Kremlin critic, Pavel Sheremet, in the Ukrainian capital Kiev. |
22,284,572 | Ties between Afghanistan and Pakistan have been strained over links between the Afghan Taliban rebels and Pakistan.
Following the talks, Mr Kerry said progress had been made.
But there is no sign that either side is ready to make concessions before Nato's withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2014, says the BBC's David Loyn.
Mr Kerry met the officials at Truman Hall on the outskirts of the Belgian capital.
Following the three-hour long meeting, he said: "It's fair to say that there is a good feeling among all of us that we made progress in this dialogue."
But he added: "We have a lot of homework to do. We are not going to raise expectations or make promises that can't be delivered."
The talks come a day after Nato chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen called on Pakistan to combat militants who used the country as a launch-pad for attacks on Afghanistan.
Mr Rasmussen said: "We need a positive engagement of Pakistan if we are to ensure long-term peace and stability not only in Afghanistan, but in the region."
The 100,000 remaining Nato International Security Assistance Force soldiers are due to be withdrawn by the end of 2014, after which Nato says its role in the country will essentially be a training one.
A secret Nato report on Islamabad's links to the Afghan Taliban, leaked in February, said the Taliban were being helped by Pakistani security services.
The report - based on the interrogations of 27,000 captured Taliban, al-Qaeda and foreign fighters as well as civilians - said Pakistan was aware that Taliban leaders were taking refuge within its borders.
Senior Taliban figures such as Nasiruddin Haqqani were housed close to Pakistani intelligence headquarters in Islamabad, added the report, entitled State of the Taliban.
Pakistan has denied the claims, saying it has no hidden agenda in Afghanistan.
For its part, Pakistan says Afghanistan gives safe haven to militants on its side of the border.
Afghanistan wants Pakistan to use its influence over the Taliban to bring them to the negotiating table, and stop militants crossing the border. | US Secretary of State John Kerry has hosted talks near Brussels between Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistani military chief Ashfaq Kayani. |
37,789,120 | The 31-year-old shot a bogey-free 66 at Sheshan International to finish six under par, two shots behind Sweden's Rikard Karlberg.
American Ryder Cup star Rickie Fowler, playing with Knox, shot a 65 to sit second after the first round.
Knox aims to become only the second player after Tiger Woods to retain a World Golf Championships title.
After starting on the back nine, Knox followed four straight pars with the same number of birdies in succession from the 14th, before picking up further shots on the third and seventh.
"I'm always thrilled with no bogeys and my first round is never my strongest round," said the world number 20 from Inverness.
"I didn't put any pressure on myself. I didn't feel overly tight out there, so I was proud of myself to kind of relax and enjoy it. It can only be your first defence once, so I'll make sure I'm going to have a good time the next three days.
"The conditions were just like this on Sunday last year, very dark and dreich, as the Scots would say, with a little mist and rain. The course played long today, which is fine for me.
"If it's lift, clean and place [preferred lies], as long as I'm on the fairway I can compete around here."
Knox was joined on six under par by American Daniel Berger and Japan's Hideki Matsuyama, with England's Paul Casey on five under, along with Francesco Molinari, another former champion, and Bill Haas.
Spain's Sergio Garcia is a shot further back, while Rory McIlroy ended the day seven shots off the pace after a round of 71.
Surprise leader Karlberg birdied his first four holes and reached nine under par after 16, only to bogey the 18th after finding sand off the tee and thick rough with his recovery.
"Everything was so easy," he said. "It was just one of those days, it was a walk in the park. I committed to a lot of shots, hit them perfect, just as I wanted and I stayed aggressive on my putting all the way around, which I feel was good.
"I hit great shots all day except the last hole and it was a great day. It felt amazing on every part of the game." | Scotland's Russell Knox made a strong start to the defence of his WGC-HSBC Champions title in Shanghai. |
32,338,203 | Member states agreed the target in 2006 in order to address the increasing gap in defence spending between the US and European members.
There is no penalty if a country fails to meet the target, and indeed most do not. Although the UK has been meeting the commitment so far, the government's plan for 2015-16 is expected to leave the country falling just shy of the threshold, according to the House of Commons Library.
UKIP's manifesto, published yesterday, pledged to keep spending 2% of GDP, which the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats have declined to do. But how much would this cost?
Military think tank the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi) looked at what would happen if the UK met NATO's 2% target through to 2020, in a report published last September.
It estimated: "Over the next five years (2016-17 to 2020-21), it would require an additional £25bn to be allocated to defence on top of the amount the MoD is now assuming for planning purposes.
"If the 2% commitment was further extended, through to 2025-26, it would cost an additional £74bn."
Of course, those figures depend on the level of growth in the economy.
What's the truth behind the politicians' claims on the campaign trail? Our experts investigate the facts, and wider stories, behind the soundbites.
Read latest updates or follow us on Twitter @BBCRealityCheck | The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato) has a non-binding target for members to spend 2% of their economic output (GDP) on defence. |
36,360,065 | The cryoshape procedure, carried out at Neath Port Talbot Hospital, involves pumping liquid nitrogen through a special needle into the scar.
Marc Jenkins, 43, was one of the first patients to have the treatment, which takes about one hour to complete.
He said he was "really happy" after scarring on his left earlobe, which was pierced when he was younger, vanished.
So far, four patients have undergone treatment and six more are due.
Mr Jenkins, of Pyle, Bridgend county, said his scarring had not responded to several operations and treatments over the past 15 years.
"Psychologically, the last 15 years have been difficult. Hopefully all that is over now," he said.
"I'm really happy with what they've done. It's amazing. The idea of it is brilliant, I'm fascinated by it."
Max Murison, plastic surgeon and laser specialist, said: "We are now able to remove abnormal scars with a new technique that was developed in Scandinavia.
"It was discovered that people who get frostbite don't get bad scars. They heal beautifully."
He carried out the first procedure in January after receiving approval for funding by Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board.
Neath Port Talbot Hospital is currently the only hospital in Wales carrying out the procedure, and one of few in the UK. | An advanced form of frostbite to remove scar tissue is being used for the first time in Wales. |
35,114,106 | Carl Wood, 58, also denies being the passenger in a white Transit van pictured being driven by one of the robbers over the weekend of the raid.
Mr Wood is accused of involvement in the first part of the burglary on the night before Good Friday.
He is one of four men who deny charges relating to the £14m jewellery and diamonds raid.
The gems were taken on Easter Saturday after raiders bored through a wall into a vault at Hatton Garden Safe Deposit Ltd.
Mr Wood is charged with conspiracy to commit burglary and conspiracy to conceal, convert or transfer criminal property.
His friend Daniel "Danny" Jones has previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary.
Prosecutor Philip Evans presented the jury at Woolwich Crown Court with surveillance images showing a man entering the building where the raid took place.
Mr Evans said: "That man has glasses, lives in Cheshunt, is called Carl, is white, about the right height, and he knows Danny Jones, and is in regular contact with Mr Jones.
"It is you isn't it?"
Mr Wood replied: "I totally disagree. It is not me."
He also denied being party to drilling a hole through the 6ft (1.8m) concrete vault wall and that he got "spooked" on the second night of the burglary.
Mr Evans showed the court a picture of a white Transit and said to Mr Wood: "The person who is driving is Mr Jones (Danny Jones) and you are in the passenger seat."
He also accused Mr Wood of lying about his alibi for the Easter Saturday evening, the second night of the burglary, where he said he was at home with his wife and daughter having a barbeque.
Mr Wood denied he was lying.
His wife told the court she was "shocked" when her husband was arrested on 19 May.
Prosecutor Philip Stott suggested that Mrs Wood would do anything for her husband of 40 years, suggesting she had lied about her husband's whereabouts.
Mrs Wood replied: "I have not lied."
William Lincoln, who is accused of helping to plan the raid and dispose of the loot, told the court he could not have been involved because he was at Billingsgate fish market on the morning of the burglary.
He regularly bought eels for his mother there.
He said he was introducing a man he knew only as 'Jimmy Two-baths' to the fishmongers.
He told jurors he met "Jimmy" at Porchester Hall Steam Baths in Westminster. "(He's called) Jimmy Two-baths because he goes down twice."
Jurors heard Mr Lincoln suffers from sleep apnoea, bladder issues and severe osteoarthritis which has led to him having a double hip replacement.
As a result of his ailments, he is unable to work and receives disability living allowance and employment support allowance.
Daniel Jones, 60, of Park Avenue, Enfield; John Collins, 75, of Bletsoe Walk, Islington; Terry Perkins, 67, of Heene Road, Enfield, and Brian Reader, 76, of Dartford Road, Dartford, have all previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary.
The trial continues.
Defendants and charges | One of the men accused of the Hatton Garden jewellery raid has denied being caught on CCTV during the break-in. |
36,125,142 | The Welshman said club legend Zidane knows "the way to play football" and allows Madrid to express themselves.
Zidane took over from Rafael Benitez in January, with Madrid aiming to be European champions for the 11th time.
The Frenchman described Tuesday's match at Etihad Stadium as a "50/50 game".
Zidane, who says Bale's recent form has been "phenomenal", added City were a "great side".
"If you leave City space they can hurt you," he said. "The players get between the lines and cause you problems. We will try to stop that happening. Then, when we've got the ball we want to express ourselves. That's the plan.
"We'll do the best we possibly can here in this ground. City will put us under pressure and make things hard for us but we're ready for that."
Zidane won the World Cup as a player and was Fifa world player of the year three times.
As well as guiding Real into the last four of the Champions League, he has steered them to within one point of La Liga leaders Barcelona.
"He gives the whole team confidence to go out and express themselves like he did as a player," Bale told BT Sport.
The 26-year-old told a news conference he had "no point to prove" on his first return to England since Real signed him from Tottenham for £85m in 2013.
Bale added he was surprised City have not reached the Champions League semi-finals sooner.
Analysis - Spanish football writer Andy West:
Real's La Liga title challenge would effectively have been over had Bale not scored twice in a 3-2 win over Rayo Vallecano on Saturday.
The former Tottenham man dragged his team back into the game with a brilliant header from a corner and continued to run the home defence ragged, capping his performance with a superb winner as he picked up a wayward pass in midfield, easily surged clear of the defence and fired home a confident low shot.
Zidane piled on the praise, saying: "We needed Bale to step up, and he did so superbly. Like him, I'm very happy because he is making the difference."
Despite spending much less time on the pitch than inprevious seasons, Bale has already scored more league goals in the current campaign (18) than his first two years with Los Blancos (15 and 13).
Indeed, on a goals-per-minute basis, Bale has been more productive in La Liga this season than Cristiano Ronaldo - the Welshman has on average scored every 87.5 minutes, whereas Ronaldo has netted every 98.7 minutes.
To demonstrate his wider importance to the team, he has also been credited with 10 assists in La Liga - more than last season and two behind his tally from his first campaign despite a shortfall of more than eight hours in playing time.
An excellent goalscoring performance in a home win against Sevilla further demonstrated Bale's ability to succeed against top-class opposition, and he has arrived in Manchester with higher expectations than ever before during his time in Spain.
Considering his performances this season and the new-found look of confidence he is exuding, Bale could be poised to become not only an important player for Real, but the important player - the focal point of the team's strategy and a serious contender for personal awards such as the Ballon d'Or.
There is, however, one important caveat: Ronaldo.
It's notable Bale's outstanding display against Rayo this weekend, which saw him become the team's true on-pitch leader for perhaps the first time, coincided with Ronaldo's absence because of injury.
In their Champions League quarter-final, when Real were two down to Wolfsburg after the first leg, Ronaldo was the man to step forward with a tie-winning hat-trick while Bale had a relatively quiet game.
For now, Real remain first and foremost Ronaldo's team and the question of how Bale can find a way to shine without overshadowing the main man - as Neymar and Luis Suarez have largely succeeded in doing with Lionel Messi at Barcelona - remains a key factor in the Welshman's future.
Against City, however, Bale may have another immediate chance to show exactly how much responsibility he is ready and able to take on. Both Ronaldo and Benzema are doubtful with injuries, though Zidane is hopeful both will play.
If he grabs Tuesday's opportunity with both hands, Bale's return to England could prove to be another big step in his ascent towards being not just potentially one of the best players in the world, but really one of the best. | Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale says the team are "thriving" under manager Zinedine Zidane as they prepare to face Manchester City in the Champions League semi-final first leg. |
36,345,131 | Pascal Hess, 51, was one of the 15 French passengers on board flight MS804 when it crashed into the Mediterranean.
He was close to cancelling his ticket after losing his passport, friends said, only for a neighbour to find it on the street days later.
The amateur photographer was remembered as "charming and endearing".
Mr Hess was well-known as an amateur photographer in his hometown of Evreux, in the northern French region of Normandy.
La Depeche d'Evreux, a weekly newspaper, said on its Facebook page that Mr Hess had been travelling to Egypt to spend time with his friend from Evreux, who works as a diving instructor in a Red Sea resort.
Mr Hess had not slept for three days last week due to worry caused by the loss of his passport, La Depeche d'Evreux and Le Parisien newspaper reported.
"It's strange, but he wasn't feeling this trip at all," one friend told Le Parisien (in French). "It's as though he had a premonition."
Mr Hess had a particular interest in photographing rock bands, and worked as a photographer for a large annual rock festival in Evreux, Le Rock Dans Tous Ses Etats (Rock in all its states).
The event's press officer, Nadine Simoni, described Mr Hess for Ouest-France newspaper as a "discreet, charming, polite and endearing" man.
In a 2010 interview uploaded to YouTube, Mr Hess spoke of his passion for his work.
"I don't follow the concert," he said. "I follow everyone's individual gestures, their little particularities - the singing, the guitar-playing, the drums. And if you follow the same band, you learn to become at one with them." | One of the people on board the EgyptAir flight almost did not make the trip after losing his passport last week, his friends told media in France. |
34,525,150 | A Milwaukee jury found that Badger Guns should have realised that a man buying a firearm in 2009 intended to pass it on to the teenager at his side.
The teenager went on to shoot the two officers in the face when they stopped him riding his bike on the pavement.
Officials said over 500 firearms used in crimes had been traced to the store.
Officers Bryan Norberg and Graham Kunisch sued Badger Guns for negligence after teenager Julius Burton was able to get hold of the Taurus .40-calibre handgun by giving $40 to another man, a so-called "straw buyer", to buy it at the store in West Milwaukee.
In the confrontation with Burton, a bullet shattered eight of Mr Norberg's teeth, blew through his cheek and lodged into his shoulder. Mr Kunisch was shot several times. He lost an eye and part of the frontal lobe of his brain and was forced to retire.
Lawyers for store owner Adam Allan claimed he could not be held responsible for the sale and said the sales clerk had been deceived rather than negligent.
But jurors ordered the store to pay Norberg $1.5m and Kunisch $3.6m, along with punitive damages of $730,000.
The officers' lawyer said his clients were "very relieved", but said he anticipated years of appeals.
Burton is serving an 80-year sentence for the attack, while the man who bought the gun for him was jailed for two years.
Officials have described Badger Guns - which has since reopened under a new name, Brew City Shooters Supply, but the same ownership - as the number one crime dealer in America after more than 500 firearms recovered from crime scenes were traced back to it. | A US gun shop has been ordered to pay nearly $6m (£3.9m) in compensation to two police officers severely wounded by a weapon illegally bought there. |
35,522,778 | It will be the third time the singer, who on Sunday performed at the Super Bowl 50 half-time show, has appeared in the north east of England.
Sunderland commercial director Gary Hutchinson said the Formation show on 28 June will be the "biggest concert" held at the stadium.
Previous performers include Take That, Bruce Springsteen and Oasis.
Mr Hutchinson said: "We can't wait to welcome her to the city and the stadium."
Beyonce previously performed in the North East when she visited Newcastle for her I Am tour in 2009 and her Dangerously in Love Tour in 2003.
Stadium of Light 49,000-seat home of Sunderland FC since 1997, has also hosted Pink, One Direction and the Foo Fighters
National Glass Centre Built in 1998 for £17m on the site of a former shipyard, courage needed for glass roof walk
Penshaw Monument Half-sized replica of Athens' Temple of Hephasteus built in 1844, can go to top on summer weekends
Winter Gardens Established in 1846, the first publicly-funded museum outside of London
Rob Jewitt, a senior lecturer in media and culture at the University of Sunderland, said a Beyonce show will be a huge boost to the city.
He said: "She is one the world's biggest acts right now, the queen of pop. She is more than just a singer, she is iconic and one of the most relevant performers in the world who galvanises people's opinions.
"Her concert is causing a lot of excitement, I'm sure it will be a sell out, we will be the first city in the UK to see her new show.
"The Stadium of Light has proven it can host big acts before so Beyonce should enjoy her time there.
"Hopefully she will put a smile on the faces of the people in the stadium - with the city's football going the way it is, we could all use a lift." | Popstar Beyonce will launch the European leg of her world tour at Sunderland's Stadium of Light. |
36,416,506 | The Gotthard rail link has taken 20 years to build, and cost more than $12bn (£8.2bn). It will, the Swiss say, revolutionise Europe's freight transport.
The Alps are sometimes described as Europe's natural trade barriers. From Roman times, the routes across them have been mapped, and fought over.
In the Middle Ages, mule teams trekked painstakingly up the alpine passes, carrying everything from salt to wine, metal and leather goods. Accidents were common, and, in winter, the routes were closed.
So, when the first rail tunnel through the Gotthard opened in 1882 the then president of Switzerland, Simeon Bavier, could not contain his euphoria: "A triumph of art and science, a monument to work and diligence! The barrier which divided nations has fallen, the [Swiss Alps] have been breached. Countries have moved closer to each other, the world market is open!"
Today, Italian olive oil destined for the Netherlands or German cars for Greece all still have to cross the Alps. So too do many thousands of tonnes of goods from China or India: they may dock in Rotterdam, but their final destination could be Rome, Vienna or Zagreb.
The existing routes across the Alps cannot cope: the old rail tunnel is slow and the Gotthard road tunnel, opened in 1980, now sees more than a million freight lorries a year.
Communities in the alpine valleys have long complained about the air and noise pollution. Lorry drivers don't like the tunnel's single-lane structure. In 2001 two lorries collided in the tunnel, causing a fire which killed 11 people.
Plans for a better rail tunnel have been around since the 1940s, but it was not until 1992 that Swiss voters backed their government's plan to build a new high-speed rail link through the Alps.
Two years later the project got added impetus, when Swiss voters also backed a proposal from environmental groups to move all freight travelling through Switzerland from road to rail.
But the plan was ambitious, costly to the Swiss taxpayers who had agreed to pay for it, and fraught with engineering challenges.
The first geologists surveying the proposed route suggested it might be impossible to bore a tunnel straight through the Gotthard, because of the unpredictable quality of the rock.
Once work began, those challenges soon became apparent. In some areas the rock, one engineer remembers, was "as soft as butter" meaning excavation inched along at no more than half a metre a day.
In other places things went more smoothly.
A massive 10m (30ft) diameter tunnel-boring machine could, on a good day, dig out 40m of tunnel a day - a world record.
But the Gotthard is also the world's deepest tunnel, and with 2.3km (1.4 miles) of mountain pressing down on it, gravity constantly tried to close up the space which had been excavated. And so, along the tunnel's length, reinforced steel rings had to be inserted, to prevent it collapsing in on itself.
For 17 years, 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, more than 2,000 people have worked on the tunnel. There have been accidents: nine tunnel miners have died.
But now the tunnel is ready, and Europe's leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and Italy's Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, are all arriving to take a look.
Twin tunnels running in both directions north-south should transport Europe's freight not only much more safely, but much faster. With no danger of collision, trains will race through the tunnel at speeds of up to 250km/h (155mph).
Where older alpine tunnels corkscrewed their way up through the mountains, the new railway line, from Zurich in the north all the way to Lugano in the south, is completely flat and straight.
The ultimate goal is a high-speed rail link, with the Gotthard at its heart, connecting Rotterdam to Genoa.
It is a project the Swiss are immensely proud of. Switzerland's transport minister, Doris Leuthard, is especially happy that her country, not in the European Union but in the heart of Europe, can contribute something so important to the European economy.
"We are a small country, we are landlocked," she explains, "and we know co-operation is key, and this is a very nice project of co-operation... I think it is very important for Europe.
"I think it symbolises what Europe, and what Swiss engineers can do... and they did a fantastic job."
For the engineers themselves, the opening of the tunnel is going to be a little strange, admits the head of construction company Alptransit, Renzo Simoni,
"Well, it's a milestone," he says, "and of course all of us who worked on it are proud.
"But on the other hand things will be different... the tunnel will be handed over to the railways, and we will just be passengers like all the others." | The world's longest - and deepest - rail tunnel opens in Switzerland on Wednesday. |
35,801,569 | The company had warned customers in Derbyshire and Leicestershire on Friday after finding high levels of the chemical at Castle Donington reservoir.
The 3,700 households, which were told not to drink, prepare food or bathe in the water, will get £50 each.
The supply had returned by Sunday despite discolouration in some cases.
Updates on this story and more from Derbyshire
Leah Fry who is head of customer experience at Severn Trent, said: "We do have set standards that we have to adhere to and we have compensation that we pay out according to that.
"It's about £50 per household, then business customers, it's £100, obviously there might be some individual cases that we might need to look at."
The BBC understands the level of chlorine found in the supply at Castle Donington was higher than that of a swimming pool.
Drinking water is usually between 0.2mg and 0.6mg per litre, while a pool can be about 3mg per litre.
Severn Trent said the highest levels of chlorine would not have necessarily reached homes and businesses and the warning had been a precautionary measure.
The company handed out free bottles of water to affected customers at Sainsbury's in Swadlincote, Derbyshire, and Tesco in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire.
Carl Barratt, from Woodville, said the whole of Swadlincote was "solid with traffic and there was no water on the shelves".
When the supply returned customers were told to run taps at full flow for five minutes before using.
Severn Trent warned until the network got back to normal there could be interruptions or discolorations in the supply.
An investigation has begun into what caused the problem. | Severn Trent Water said it will compensate thousands of people who could not use their water because of an abnormally high level of chlorine. |
35,686,121 | The East Midlands Trains service was travelling from Leicester to York when it hit part of a conveyor wagon at Barrow upon Soar earlier this month.
A man working on the lorry was taken to hospital but the train did not derail and no passengers were hurt.
The Office of Road and Rail said it is also investigating.
The train had been travelling at 102mph (163 km/h) when it hit the boom of a conveyor wagon, which was sticking out over the line at Mountsorrel sidings, at 10:27 on 14 February.
The maximum speed for that section is 110mph (176 km/h), the RAIB said.
The driver applied the emergency brake and no-one on board the train was injured but the driver was described as being "badly shaken" by the incident.
The train was then taken at low speed to Loughborough where passengers were put on different trains to continue their journeys.
Both the RAIB and the Office of Road and Rail have confirmed they are investigating. | A worker was seriously injured when a passenger train hit a conveyor belt hanging over the line, the Rail Accident Investigation Branch has said. |
39,182,630 | The Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (CSSIW) made inspections in November 2016.
It wants the council to produce an improvement plan within 20 days, saying care and support needed to be quicker.
The council said it was "committed to making a real and positive difference to the lives of children".
The CSSIW said the council was experiencing a "significant period of change" when the inspection took place.
While it said Anglesey council was responsive when a child might be at risk, "referral information received from partners was poor".
The report added: "All staff were clearly committed to improving the lives of the children and families they worked with but teams did not have sufficient capacity, experience or senior management support to effectively deliver good quality outcomes for children and families.
"Management oversight of decision-making was insufficient."
The council's improvement plan will be monitored with another inspection in 2018.
In response, the council pledged to make "significant improvements".
Assistant chief executive and director of social services, Dr Caroline Turner, said: "Each and every staff member in our children's services is committed to improving the lives of the children and families they worked with.
"Clearly, however, this report raises significant concerns about the service we currently provide children, young people and their families.
"We are committed to meeting our obligations to them and will continue to work with colleagues at the CSSIW and partner organisations to ensure continued improvement in services for children and families." | Care and support for vulnerable children on Anglesey "must be improved" with the council lacking staff to deal with issues, a report has found. |
34,203,165 | Ministers decided in an emergency meeting to give local municipalities the authority to treat local waste.
Protests triggered by rotting rubbish in Beirut quickly grew into a wider attack on the perceived corruption and incompetence of politicians.
Demonstrators earlier pelted eggs at politicians' cars outside parliament.
Breaking the deadlock, Agriculture Minister Akram Shehayeb approved on Wednesday a deal that devolves waste management duties to municipalities - a central demand of the protesters - and authorises the opening of two new landfills.
The rubbish crisis began after the country's largest landfill in Naameh, south of Beirut, shut down in July with no ready alternative. The government has been unable to agree on another site until now.
As part of Wednesday's agreement, Naameh landfill will also be temporarily reopened to dispose of any rubbish that remains there.
But political parties meeting at an earlier "national dialogue" session could not come to agreement on how to elect a new president. The post has been vacant since May 2014, contributing to the months-long political paralysis. Another meeting was scheduled for next week.
Protesters gathered outside the parliament building as politicians arrived for the meeting, some of them pelting eggs at their vehicles shouting "thieves, thieves, get out!"
Security was heightened in anticipation of the protests, with metal barricades erected outside parliament and armoured vehicles lining the streets.
Outside the parliament building, activists pinned a large banner onto barbed wire showing the photos of the 128 members of parliament with the words in Arabic: "You have failed in everything...Go home."
Demonstrators also blockaded a major coastal road leading into Beirut.
Thousands of people have joined the "You Stink" campaign in recent weeks, blaming political paralysis and corruption for the government's failure to resolve the rubbish crisis.
Lebanon has been without a president for more than a year, while members of parliament have extended their own terms until 2017 after failing to agree on a law on fresh elections.
The conflict in neighbouring Syria has also exacerbated political and sectarian divisions, and resulted in the arrival of 1.1 million refugees, putting a strain on the economy and public services. | The Lebanese government has agreed to resume waste disposal after weeks of protests over piles of rubbish left in the streets of the capital Beirut. |
39,549,919 | Teenage full-back Ryan Sessegnon put the hosts in front, bundling in after his first shot bounced off the bar.
Villa's Jonathan Kodjia was then sent off on 22 minutes after seeming to kick Ryan Fredericks as the pair tussled.
Jack Grealish equalised with a superb 25-yard curler, but Sone Aluko's deflected effort and Neeskens Kebano's low finish earned a vital win.
Aluko's close-range strike took a huge diversion off the head of Villa defender Nathan Baker, wrongfooting goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, while victory was no more than the hosts deserved after dominating for large periods.
Ivory Coast forward Kodjia can count himself a little unlucky to have been dismissed, as Fredericks appeared to aim his own kick at the 27-year-old while falling to the floor.
Referee David Coote consulted with one of his assistants before deciding to send off Kodjia and not issue any punishment to full-back Fredericks.
Midfielder Grealish bent home a stunning effort from the left-hand side of the box to equalise for Villa, but Aluko and Kebano ensured Fulham are still in with a chance of a Premier League return for the first time since 2013-14.
Leeds' home defeat against Wolves means Fulham move up into sixth, level on points with Garry Monk's side who are seventh.
Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic:
"Today was a fantastic atmosphere at Craven Cottage, my players believe, and I believe we can finish in the top six.
"We showed the quality and the character. We believe in the way we want to play football. It will encourage us for the last three games.
"It's important for the next steps to concentrate on the next game. I'm not thinking who will be chasing us or which team we will be chasing. We need to concentrate on our work and the next game."
Aston Villa boss Steve Bruce:
"It [Jonathan Kodja's red card] cannot be deemed as violent conduct, surely. I hope the referee looks at it, because the referee didn't give it - the fourth official did.
"We have 3,500 people spending their hard-earned money, it's live on the telly and you never want to see it. They want to see the players perform.
"Two games in 48 hours has cost us the match. We still may not be good enough to beat them but it's still a hell of an advantage for them. It was too much for us."
Match ends, Fulham 3, Aston Villa 1.
Second Half ends, Fulham 3, Aston Villa 1.
Foul by Neeskens Kebano (Fulham).
Alan Hutton (Aston Villa) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Corner, Aston Villa. Conceded by Ryan Fredericks.
Substitution, Fulham. Lucas Piazon replaces Sone Aluko.
Offside, Fulham. Stefan Johansen tries a through ball, but Sone Aluko is caught offside.
Foul by Floyd Ayité (Fulham).
Alan Hutton (Aston Villa) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Stefan Johansen (Fulham).
Gary Gardner (Aston Villa) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Substitution, Aston Villa. Conor Hourihane replaces Scott Hogan.
Goal! Fulham 3, Aston Villa 1. Neeskens Kebano (Fulham) right footed shot from the right side of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Stefan Johansen.
Attempt saved. Sone Aluko (Fulham) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Substitution, Aston Villa. Rushian Hepburn-Murphy replaces Jordan Amavi.
Attempt blocked. Kevin McDonald (Fulham) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Tom Cairney.
Floyd Ayité (Fulham) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by James Chester (Aston Villa).
Foul by Neeskens Kebano (Fulham).
Jordan Amavi (Aston Villa) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Aston Villa. Alan Hutton replaces James Bree.
Attempt missed. Nathan Baker (Aston Villa) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Gary Gardner following a set piece situation.
Foul by Floyd Ayité (Fulham).
James Bree (Aston Villa) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Attempt blocked. Kevin McDonald (Fulham) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Tom Cairney.
Corner, Fulham. Conceded by Jack Grealish.
Corner, Fulham. Conceded by James Bree.
Attempt blocked. Sone Aluko (Fulham) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Attempt missed. Tom Cairney (Fulham) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Neeskens Kebano with a cross.
Ryan Fredericks (Fulham) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Jack Grealish (Aston Villa).
Corner, Fulham. Conceded by Tommy Elphick.
Corner, Fulham. Conceded by Jordan Amavi.
Scott Hogan (Aston Villa) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Marcus Bettinelli (Fulham) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Dangerous play by Scott Hogan (Aston Villa).
Foul by Stefan Johansen (Fulham).
James Bree (Aston Villa) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Goal! Fulham 2, Aston Villa 1. Sone Aluko (Fulham) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Floyd Ayité.
Substitution, Fulham. Neeskens Kebano replaces Scott Malone. | Fulham maintained their Championship play-off hopes with victory over 10-man Aston Villa at Craven Cottage. |
39,280,017 | Well, food safety expert Professor Anthony Hilton from Aston University says the "five-second rule" for eating things dropped on the floor is usually correct.
He says that if food is not on the floor for very long it won't have time to pick up harmful bugs, so unless it's got dirt on it you can actually see it should be okay to eat.
It does depend on what type of food is dropped and on to which type of surface.
It's worse to eat food dropped on smooth floor surfaces like tiles, rather than from carpets, as more potentially harmful bacteria are transferred when things fall on them.
Also if something is sticky, like jam or ice cream, it will pick up more dirt.
Lots of people do it, scientists asked people what they thought and 87% of people admitted they would eat, or had eaten, food from the floor.
But the best way to avoid getting bacteria on your food is not to drop it in the first place! | Some people say if you drop something on the floor and pick it up in less than five seconds it's ok to eat, but is it safe? |
37,574,256 | Pauline Cafferkey, 40, was admitted to Glasgow's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital after being taken from her home in South Lanarkshire at 09:30.
She is undergoing routine monitoring by the Infectious Diseases Team and remains in a stable condition.
Ms Cafferkey contracted Ebola while working as part of a UK team in Sierra Leone in 2014.
A spokeswoman for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: "Ms Cafferkey was admitted to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital under routine monitoring by the Infectious Diseases Team.
"She is undergoing further investigations and her condition remains stable."
Paramedics arrived at the nurse's flat in Halfway, Cambuslang, on Thursday morning.
Residents told the BBC that an ambulance, escorted by police cars left the flats on Lightburn Road, at about 09:30.
Police confirmed that officers had "assisted in the transfer of a patient" on Thursday morning.
Following news that Ms Cafferkey had been admitted to hospital, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: "Sending my very best wishes to Pauline Cafferkey. She has already suffered way too much - & all for trying to help others. Thoughts with her."
Ms Cafferkey contracted Ebola while working as part of a UK team at the Kerry Town Ebola treatment centre in Sierra Leone.
She spent almost a month in isolation at the Royal Free hospital in London at the beginning of 2015 after the virus was detected when she arrived back in the UK.
Ms Cafferkey was later discharged after apparently making a full recovery, and in March 2015 returned to work as a public health nurse at Blantyre Health Centre in South Lanarkshire.
But it was later discovered that the virus was still present in her body, and she was readmitted to the same London hospital in October 2015.
She again recovered, before being treated at the Royal Free for a third time in February of this year due to a further complication related to her initial Ebola infection.
More recently, the nurse faced a number of misconduct charges by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).
These were for allegedly allowing a wrong temperature to be recorded during the screening process at Heathrow on her arrival back in the UK from Sierra Leone in 2014.
The NMC's conduct and competence panel dismissed all charges at a hearing in Edinburgh last month after being told that Ms Cafferkey's judgement had been impaired by illness. | A Scots nurse who was treated for Ebola is in a stable condition after being taken to hospital under police escort. |
37,104,753 | The four passengers were able to get out of the Model S 90D unharmed, Tesla said.
The incident happened in the area of Biarritz and Bayonne, in the south west of the country.
It comes about three years after the firm's shares dropped following other fires in its Model S cars.
Footage of the incident was caught on camera by witnesses.
Three people and a Tesla employee were in the car during the fire earlier this week.
According to local media, the driver had signed up for a test drive on Facebook.
He accelerated on one of the town's main roads when a loud sound was heard coming from the car, the newspaper Sud-Ouest reported.
"In less than a minute, the car was in flames and, in five minutes, it was totally destroyed," the driver, named as Nicolas, was quoted as saying.
A Tesla official said: "Nobody was harmed. The vehicle provided warning and passengers were able to safely exit the vehicle."
"We are undertaking a full investigation and will share our findings as soon as possible," the official added.
In 2013, two instances of Tesla cars catching fire were recorded by US federal regulators, according to Agence France-Presse.
In each, the cars hit debris on the road that pierced the chassis and caused a battery fire.
Both cars were gutted by flames, although the drivers in each incident escaped unharmed.
A third case was also reported in Merida, in Mexico. | Tesla is working with French authorities to find out why one of its electric cars burst into flames during a test drive. |
40,164,887 | Tim Atkins, 48, from Southsea, was pronounced dead at the scene, outside the Harvester pub at the junction of Eastern Road and Burfields Road on Friday evening.
The second male cyclist involved in the crash suffered minor injuries and the man driving the van was uninjured.
Police are appealing for witnesses to come forward.
A statement, released by police on behalf of Mr Atkins' family, said: "You could never hope to meet a man with as big a heart as him.
"A devoted father, son, brother, and uncle, taken far too soon, we as a family are heartbroken and ask to be left to come to terms with our loss."
Investigations into the circumstances surrounding the crash "remain on-going at this time", Hampshire Constabulary said. | A cyclist who died in a crash involving two bikes and a van in Portsmouth had a "big heart", his family has said. |
36,046,939 | Prof Julian Allwood said the only way to save steel jobs was to make high-value products for industries in which the UK leads the world.
New methods could scrub impurities from recycled steel to make products for the aerospace and car industries, he said.
It comes as efforts are being made to save thousands of jobs at Tata Steel's Port Talbot steel plant in south Wales.
The announcement by the Indian company that it is to sell its UK business is the latest blow to an industry which has seen a succession of job cuts.
Prof Allwood said current plans for the steel industry did not go far enough, because they did not utilise the latest technology.
In his six-year study on the steel sector, the predicament of the industry appears stark.
"The global steel industry today has more capacity for making steel from iron ore than it will ever need again," he said.
"On average, products made with steel last 35 to 40 years, and around 90% of all used steel is collected. This is easy because it's magnetic.
"The supply of steel collected from goods at the end of their life therefore lags the supply of new steel by about 40 years."
What's going wrong with Britain's steel industry?
Who might buy Tata in Port Talbot?
Is China to blame for steel woes?
Prof Allwood said the steel market would continue to grow - but all future demand growth could be met by recycling the existing stock of steel.
And it was, therefore, futile for the UK to attempt to compete against low-wage economies for mass market steel.
Reducing industrial electricity costs in Britain would help, but only a little, he said, and the UK should instead concentrate on recycled steel.
That is what is proposed by Sanjeev Gupta, the entrepreneur who has expressed interest in turning the Port Talbot works into a recycling plant.
But Prof Allwood said that plan did not go far enough, because most scrap metal contained impurities that made it suitable for only low-value products, such as steel reinforcing bars, which were subject to heavy international competition.
It would be far better, he said, to harness science to make pure hi-tech steel that met the needs of the UK's leading industries.
"UK taxpayers will have to bear costs of Tata Steel's decision to close the Port Talbot plant," he said.
"If the existing operations are to be sold, taxpayers must subsidise the purchase without the guarantee of a long-term national gain.
"If the plants are closed, the loss of jobs, income and livelihoods will reverberate throughout the UK steel supply chain.
"Instead, the strategy presented here enables taxpayers to invest in a long-term structural transformation.
"This would allow UK innovation ahead of any other large player."
While many will applaud his analysis, some will ask how this theoretical model can be translated into real equipment and jobs - especially as the UK does not have an industrial strategy that would encourage this sort of thing.
Prof Allwood pointed towards the Danish wind industry as an example of successful government strategy to create jobs with a new product.
The steel transformation in the UK could be funded by a long-term loan from the government, which will have to bear the costs one way or another.
It would involve many of the current jobs being saved, but workers would need to retrain.
Prof Allwood said the hi-tech transformation had not happened yet because low margins in the European steel industry had squeezed investment - and China did not have the stock of old steel to make it relevant yet.
He said it might take three to five years to develop the technologies needed to transform the industry.
It would be estimated to cost £1-2bn, which he said was good value compared with the social costs of shutting the industry.
Dr Sarah Green, a metallurgist from Lancaster University, said: "It's common sense to maximise recycling efficacy in the UK steel materials cycle.
"Whether this alone will generate sufficient economic activity on a suitable timescale to offer a substitute for the current steelmaking sector is something that I am less certain of."
Gareth Stace, of UK Steel, told BBC News: "We don't agree that there won't be a new need for virgin steel - we think we need more capacity.
"But we welcome this report - especially the recognition that the steel sector has been starved of investment in technology because of the crisis we have been in for years.
"There are steelmakers in the UK that make world class steel, but we are desperate for more investment."
Another expert also called for more research.
"The task is getting harder at the moment because impurities from copper get greater the more wiring there is in cars," said Prof Sridhar Seetharaman, chair in low carbon materials technology at the University of Warwick.
"Britain could lead the way by government supporting funding in this."
@rharrabin | The UK steel industry is doomed unless it embraces cutting-edge technology, a Cambridge professor has warned. |
35,730,973 | 5 March 2016 Last updated at 10:13 GMT
Brian Starkey found the material at his home in Brampton, Cambridgeshire, with leaflets from the "Yes" and "No" campaigns at the time.
Mr Starkey said he kept them simply because he thought they were "quite interesting", with one leaflet stating "you may never have the chance to make this decision again".
Just over 67% of voters British voters backed the UK's continued membership of the European Economic Community in the country's first nationwide referendum.
This year's EU referendum takes place on 23 June. | A self-proclaimed hoarder recently rediscovered many leaflets from the 1975 European referendum after filing them away more than 40 years ago. |
27,772,070 | More than half of those polled said they followed the news through an established brand, with just 16% using digital-only sites, such as Buzzfeed and Huffington Post.
However, new media companies were found to be very popular in the US and Japan.
The study also found that just over one in ten people paid for online news content in the past year.
The research, carried out by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at Oxford University, is based on a YouGov survey of more than 18,000 people across 10 countries.
Consumers in the US, UK, Germany, France, Denmark, Finland, Spain, Italy, Japan and urban Brazil were questioned about their news habits.
Just 7% of those polled in the UK said they paid for news in the past year - the lowest of all 10 countries - and only 7% said they would be prepared to pay in the future.
"There is a limited pool of people who are sufficiently interested in news to pay for it when there are free alternatives," said Nic Newman, one of the report's editors.
The top subscription sites in the UK were the Times, Telegraph and Sun newspapers.
The number of people using smartphones or tablets to access news grew significantly, while desktop use dropped, but computers still account for well over half of all browsing.
However, the report found the rise of smartphone use has led to people consuming fewer news sources, with 37% of those polled across all countries saying they accessed just one news brand on their handset.
In the UK, 55% said the same.
"People are short of time on a smartphone," said Mr Newman.
"They come back to the source they rely on most."
He added that there was "limited real estate" on mobile phones and not enough screen space for a variety of brands.
However, in general, consumers overwhelmingly preferred news outlets with a range of views over those with a particular political agenda.
WhatsApp, the messaging app recently acquired by Facebook for $19bn (£11.3bn), emerges as a key social network, with 26% of those polled in Spain saying they used the service for news, and 15% saying the same in Brazil.
Users can send links to news stories instantly on the app, which also allows group messaging.
Facebook itself remains the dominant force in the sector, with 35% of those polled across all countries saying they use the site to access news content.
Twitter is very popular in the UK and US, less so elsewhere, and is eclipsed in all the countries by YouTube.
Why are you reading this? Did you stumble across it, read it on a home page or was it recommended to you?
The new report makes it very clear that the era of a news agenda driven entirely by editors, TV bulletins and front pages is over.
There's a new class of press baron, Facebook Superfriends or Twitterati, who are increasingly playing a role in driving the news agenda. But there's so much more in this report. Here are my favourite nuggets:
The report also found that the reputation of individual journalists and columnists is almost as important as well-established brands in attracting people to a news source, especially in Spain, Italy and the US.
People said they would be more likely to pay for content that included work by journalists they knew.
The report's authors highlight the launch of recent news organisations in the US by household names, such as Ezra Klein's Vox Media, Felix Salmon's Fusion and Andrew Sullivan's Daily Dish.
Glenn Greenwald, the journalist who became famous for writing about the revelations by Edward Snowden on the extent of US government surveillance, also established his own company, First Look Media.
"Digital and social media seem to be encouraging journalism with a human face," said Mr Newman.
"There is likely to be an economic premium attached to the very best writers."
The report also highlighted the role of Twitter in the UK in bringing readers to news sources. Almost half of all Twitter users in the UK follow at least one journalist. The most influential UK journalists on Twitter were:
The Guardian was the most dominant news brand on Twitter, followed by BBC News and the Economist.
Perhaps surprisingly, video news was fairly unpopular among those surveyed, accounting for as little as 10% of all traffic in some countries.
Younger users said clips took too long to load, while some did not want to pay for viewing content over their mobile network.
Older users wanted to view video on larger screens, and were generally more keen on the written word.
The report is supported by BBC Global News, Google, Ofcom and others. | Traditional media organisations remain the dominant source of online news in the UK, according to a new report. |
34,775,598 | Margot Kidder, who starred alongside Christopher Reeve in the original films, found her ancestors were farmers in Llanigon in the early 1850s.
She has been searching records in Brecon Library to try to glean more about their history.
Ms Kidder has learned they emigrated to New York from Liverpool in 1854.
Ms Kidder, who was born in Canada, used the 1851 Census for Llanigon to look specifically at Llwynllyrd and the Powell family name to check against those on the ship's manifest.
Although she was not successful, she told staff she plans to return to the area to continue her research.
Branch librarian Susan Jones said Ms Kidder was a "lovely visitor" who was enthusiastic about her research.
Ms Jones said: "It is so exciting to watch people make the first steps to connect with their past.
"You never know where it might lead you or who you will meet on the way." | A Hollywood actress who played reporter Lois Lane in the Superman movies has been using her own investigative skills to research her family ties to Powys. |
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