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36,004,097 | Andy Bishop got on the end of a Louis Almond cross to nod the hosts ahead, only for Robbie McDaid to respond immediately for the Imps.
Jamie Allen met a Mike Phenix cross to edge Southport ahead before Terry Hawkridge centred for Wood to head home and earn Lincoln a point.
Lincoln remain 11th in the National League, while Southport are 16th. | Bradley Wood scored a last-minute equaliser as Lincoln twice fought back to share the spoils with Southport. |
38,161,983 | The 21-year-old midfielder was brought on by his father, the Madrid coach, at half-time in their Copa del Rey victory over Cultural Leonesa at the Bernabeu.
Madrid won the tie 6-1, beating their third-tier opponents 13-2 on aggregate to reach the competition's last 16.
Norwegian teenager Martin Odegaard, who signed as a 16-year-old in January 2015, also made his full debut.
Former France midfielder Zidane senior, 44, played 227 matches for Real after joining from Juventus for a then-world record £45.8m in July 2001, famously scoring their winner in the 2002 Champions League final.
Enzo, the eldest of Zidane's four sons, made almost 50 appearances for Madrid's reserve team before being given his senior debut. | Zinedine Zidane's son Enzo scored 18 minutes into his Real Madrid debut - with his first shot for the club. |
34,966,116 | Rosie Nelson was 21 years old and a size eight when she was told by a top agency to slim down further.
She said she was "really excited" that her 113,000-signature campaign had attracted so much support.
Ms Nelson will give evidence at a parliamentary inquiry into modelling and health issues, which begins later.
MP Caroline Nokes, chair of an all party parliamentary group on body image, launched the inquiry after supporting Ms Nelson's campaign.
She said they would discuss whether government legislation could be necessary to ensure models were not forced to become "unhealthily thin", and will hear evidence from industry professionals.
Other countries including France and Italy have already legislated in this area, with France creating rules about a minimum body mass index for models and Italy demanding health certificates.
Ms Nelson, from Sandhurst, Berkshire, said she lost almost a stone in weight after being told by an agency to slim.
She said: "When I returned to the same agency they told me to lose more weight, they wanted me 'down to the bone'".
She said she wants to see tighter checks on a model's health: "If a model is being asked to lose weight, she can go to a doctor and say 'I need to get down to 35 inch hips' and the doctor can then say you can lose weight this way'.
"Some girls are doing really drastic things to lose weight, they're eating cotton [wool], they're eating only popcorn."
Ms Nokes, MP for Romsey and Southampton North, said: "Firstly we want the girls working in the fashion industry to be healthy.
"Secondly we want them to be good role models and we want images that young people see in advertising and on the catwalk to be of healthy positive young women."
The Association of Model Agencies (AMA) said its members train staff to recognise symptoms of eating disorders.
Its code of practice states "AMA members have worked with a number of professional bodies to help agents identify models who may be in need of specific advice and support on particular health issues."
The inquiry is open to the public and a report will be published early in the new year. | A model who was asked to slim "down to the bone" has handed a petition to the government calling for better healthcare in the modelling industry. |
34,953,362 | The world governing body defended its conduct after it was implicated in the World Anti-Doping Agency's (Wada) commission into the allegations.
Michael Ashenden was one of two experts enlisted by the Sunday Times to analyse leaked data belonging to the IAAF.
He said the IAAF's 38-page statement on Friday was "deliberately bloated".
In the statement, the federation insisted it had used "every tool available to it to catch blood dopers in athletics and with considerable success".
British marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe, who claimed she had been implicated by a parliamentary hearing, was declared "entirely innocent" by the IAAF and the UK Anti-Doping Agency after what the IAAF called a "gross misinterpretation of raw and incomplete data".
The IAAF said documents showed that it had "consistently been a pioneer" in the war against doping and sought to demonstrate that it had been rigorous in its testing and use of the blood data it held.
But Ashenden responded: "Faced with the life-threatening blood values which they knew existed amongst their athletes, I say they should have tried to push the legal envelope.
"I have argued previously that there is a place for prudence when launching legal actions based on suspicious blood results. But the blood values were so extreme, over such an extended period, that they should have tried to do something, anything. The IAAF were legally timid when they should have been morally strong."
Ashenden continued: "The irony of a disgraced federation casting aspersions is not lost on me. But their deliberately bloated document, no doubt intended to muddy the waters, cannot go unanswered.
"It is not just the Sunday Times or German broadcaster ARD questioning whether the IAAF 'idly sat by and let this happen'.
"The Independent Commission (IC) has identified corruption and bribery practices at the highest levels of international athletics, currently under investigation by Interpol. A complex conspiracy involving the IAAF. Evidence of breaches of processes and rules by IAAF officials.
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"The IC said that the IAAF was inexplicably lax in following up suspicious blood profiles. I witnessed symptoms of that disgraceful behaviour when I inspected a database drenched with suspect blood profiles. I made comment accordingly.
"However, it was not until the IC released its report that I had some insight as to 'why', and 'how', suspect profiles had not been actioned."
Ashenden's colleague Robin Parisotto, who worked with him analysing the data, issued his own statement, describing the IAAF's response as "quite simply breathtaking in scope but of questionable significance when assessed in the context of the gross abnormalities evident in the database".
He added: "I ask the IAAF to perhaps stop shooting the messenger[s] and begin addressing the glaringly obvious problem of not only blood doping in athletics [made evident in the Wada IC first report] but also the potential effects of blood doping on the health of their constituency.
"As a final statement, perhaps the IAAF should take a 'cold shower' and refrain from taking pot-shots until the second Wada IC investigation is over."
Dick Pound, who led the Wada investigation, has already indicated the second part of the report - focusing on claims against the IAAF, and likely to be released in January - will have a "wow factor". | The IAAF has been accused of trying to "muddy the waters" in the ongoing investigation into doping in athletics, by an expert involved in the case. |
27,816,321 | First Minister Alex Salmond made the announcement in the Scottish Parliament.
The inquiry will try to find out why the project - with a final bill of £776m - was delayed and went badly over-budget.
The Scottish capital's trams began running on 31 May, after six years of disruption and cost increases.
Mr Salmond told MSPs it would be a "swift and thorough" inquiry.
The first minister had previously cited "considerable public concern" over the project, which he said had disrupted homes and businesses in Edinburgh.
The problems included a dispute between the city council and its contractor. | The former Lord Advocate Lord Hardie is to chair the inquiry into the Edinburgh trams fiasco. |
39,355,514 | Aleksander Ceferin, president of European football's governing body Uefa, says a "luxury tax" on rich clubs and squad limits could also help to stop elite clubs dominating the game.
He said the "excessive concentration of talent with a few teams" had to change.
"Uefa has a duty to protect the whole of football and not just the elite," Ceferin told a conference in Lisbon.
The Slovenian lawyer, who was elected to the role last September, told a conference in Lisbon that Uefa needed to address a "decrease in competitive balance" within European club football.
"We need to assess whether the transfer market is the best we can do," he said.
"We cannot be afraid to touch it. We do have to examine new mechanisms like luxury taxes and in particular sporting criteria like squad limitations and fair transfer rules, to avoid player hoarding."
He did not give any further details on what he meant by luxury taxes or fair transfer rules, but added that Uefa could work with global governing body Fifa to make changes to the transfer market - or do so via its own licensing regulations.
Some of Europe's smaller leagues have complained about big teams signing up their best players at a young age, only to immediately send them on loan elsewhere.
In the Premier League, Chelsea had more than 30 players out on loan earlier this season, while in Italy champions Juventus have more than 50 players loaned out.
Ceferin also said Uefa would set up a new division entitled "Protection of the Game" to tackle doping, corruption, violence and match-fixing. | The head of European football wants to change the transfer system to stop big clubs "hoarding" the best players. |
35,885,057 | Kathryn Smith said she received £52 a week in income support, some of which was used to buy the Class B substance.
Jurors previously heard she was concerned 21-month-old Ayeeshia Jane Smith may have had a seizure after taking drugs kept at the house.
Ms Smith and ex-partner Matthew Rigby both deny murder.
More on this and other stories from Stoke and Staffordshire
The toddler, known as AJ, died in 2014 at the couple's flat in Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire.
Under questioning from prosecutors, Ms Smith, 23, said she did not initially tell doctors treating Ayeeshia over her fears she had accessed drugs because she feared they would think she was "a bad mother".
She also said she did not tell police about the drugs being at home because she knew they were illegal.
A quantity of cannabis worth £30 was found inside a Tommee Tippee plastic cup at the property on Britannia Drive after Ayeeshia's death but Ms Smith said her daughter did not use the cup as it was broken.
The court heard a senior social worker had reported seeing Ms Smith, of Sandfield Road, Nottingham, looking "spaced out" during a home visit a week prior to Ayeeshia's collapse, although her daughter had not been in the house at the time.
Two social workers had tried to conduct an on-the-spot drugs search at the flat on 17 April 2014, days before Ayeeshia died, after smelling cannabis, but Ms Smith refused to comply.
Text messages made by Ms Smith to Mr Rigby and her parents were mentioned by the prosecution, including one where she threatened her father on the day Ayeeshia died.
Christopher Hotten QC, prosecuting, said the message showed her in a bad temper "on the day somebody killed your daughter in anger".
However, Ms Smith said: "Nobody was angry on that day, or the day before that, nobody was being angry that day."
Jurors at Birmingham Crown Court previously heard her death was caused when her heart was torn by a forceful stamp.
Medical experts said the injuries were normally only seen in car crash victims or people who have fallen off buildings.
The trial continues. | A woman accused of fatally stamping on her daughter used the money she received in benefits to fund her cannabis habit, a court heard. |
36,004,504 | Montrose were heading for a first win in six matches when Graham Webster broke the deadlock in the 58th minute with a curling effort.
Beattie fired home a free-kick in the 90th minute to extend Stirling's unbeaten run to four matches.
Stirling were also indebted to the performance of Chris Smith after the goalkeeper denied striker Gary Fraser. | Craig Beattie netted a last-gasp equaliser to secure a draw in an entertaining League Two encounter. |
19,988,308 | It follows a ruling that the heirs had given up their claim on the character in 1992.
Superman is one of Warner Bros most valuable characters.
The Man of Steel's co-creators, Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel, battled for higher compensation for Superman throughout their lives.
Siegel's heirs have also fought DC Comics - owned by Warner - for a stake in copyrights to Superman.
In 2010, DC Comics sued the brother and sister of Shuster, the artist responsible for Superman, on the basis that they relinquished their ability to reclaim the superhero's copyrights in exchange for annual pension payments from DC Comics.
Shuster's heirs had argued that the copyright agreements could be cancelled under provisions that allowed the creators of works made before 1978 a mechanism to reclaim their rights.
However, Judge Wright ruled that Shuster's sister's decision to accept higher annual payments created a new agreement which cancelled any previous contract.
A lawyer for the Shuster family said in a statement: "We respectfully disagree with its factual and legal conclusions, and it is surprising given that the judge appeared to emphatically agree with our position at the summary judgment hearing."
Warner Bros declined to comment on the ruling.
Superman has generated more than $500m (£310m) for Warner Bros with five films at the US box office and billions of dollars more from television, toys and games, and comic books spanning 74 years.
The latest Superman film, Man of Steel, is due for release in 2013.
Director Zach Snyder told fans at Comic-Con earlier this year that his film would make the superhero more relatable than previous depictions that showed him as "a big blue Boy Scout up on the throne and you can't really touch him." | Warner Bros has won a case against the heirs of one of the creators of Superman allowing it to continue to own all rights to the famous superhero. |
38,440,966 | Ramadan Sobhi and Wilfried Bony are likely to miss out because of the Africa Cup of Nations, while Jonathan Walters is doubtful with a knee injury.
Juan Zuniga and Nordin Amrabat have joined Watford's lengthy injury list after suffering ankle and leg injuries respectively on Sunday.
However, Hornets defender Miguel Britos returns after a one-match ban.
Stoke manager Mark Hughes: "We're giving goals up too readily. We'll address that. A lot of the elements of our play, apart from that, are very good.
We had a good result against Watford not too long back. We just need to revisit our thoughts on that one and play as well as we know we can, but clearly take out the catastrophic errors."
Watford head coach Walter Mazzarri: "We have 50 per cent less time to prepare than Stoke. They had more rest than us.
"It will be very difficult but I guarantee we will do everything possible to defend the badge."
One to watch from behind the settee. Stoke were competitive at Chelsea - not many teams score two at Stamford Bridge. They were also competitive at Liverpool, but no matter how you look at it they have still conceded 10 goals in three games.
Watford simply did not turn up against Tottenham at Vicarage Road, a complete non-performance, and I can see nothing but more frustration for them here.
Prediction: 2-0
Lawro's full predictions v comedian Arron Crascall
Head-to-head
Stoke City
Watford
SAM (Sports Analytics Machine) is a super-computer created by @ProfIanMcHale at the University of Salford that is used to predict the outcome of football matches. | Stoke forward Marko Arnautovic is available to face Watford after serving a three-match suspension. |
28,122,293 | Media playback is not supported on this device
Story of the match:
After 120 tedious and goalless minutes that were in stark contrast to the spectacular shock of the first semi-final between Brazil and the Germans, Argentina prevailed and a repeat of the 1986 and 1990 finals - when they played West Germany - will be played out in Rio.
Goalkeeper Sergio Romero was the hero with penalty saves from Ron Vlaar and Wesley Sneijder, while opposite number Jasper Cillessen was unable to repeat the feats of his deputy, Tim Krul, in the quarter-final win against Costa Rica.
And for Brazil, a nation still coming to terms with their worst defeat after being crushed 7-1 by Germany in Belo Horizonte, there is arguably the even more harrowing prospect of seeing fierce rivals Argentina lift the World Cup in the iconic surroundings of the Maracana.
Germany will be favourites given the manner in which they destroyed Brazil but there is a streak of steel running through Alejandro Sabella's side that offers resilience beyond the genius of Lionel Messi.
Dutch coach Louis van Gaal - who will now complete the formalities by guiding his side in Saturday's third/fourth place play-off before taking over at Manchester United - employed first the returning Nigel de Jong, then Jordy Clasie, to shadow Messi.
The plan succeeded but Van Gaal's problem was his side's failure to pose any attacking threat, with Robin van Persie peripheral and substituted, and Arjen Robben only able to deliver their first shot on target after 99 minutes.
That Argentina's chances were at a premium was down, in large part, to Aston Villa defender Vlaar, the game's outstanding performer at the heart of the Dutch defence. He did not deserve the cruel fate of being one of those to miss a penalty.
"Dutch keeper Jasper Cillessen will be disappointed with that last penalty. That was the one he could have saved with stronger wrists.
"But it was a poor game. A poor level for a semi-final of a World Cup. Let's hope the final is better.
"Argentina have had extra-time, more travelling, you've got to think it's there for Germany to win."
So to Sunday's showpiece and the repeat of the 1986 final, which Argentina won 3-2 to record their last World Cup triumph, and West Germany's 1-0 victory in Rome four years later, which was their last win.
Argentina will see the prospect of winning in Brazil's heartland as the perfect incentive. Earlier in this tournament, their supporters had flooded across the border in thousands in a show of support and they will do so again.
This was not a spectacle of any sort, but as firecrackers went off among Argentina fans and their players celebrated in front of them in the Sao Paulo rain, they did not have a care.
The pattern was set from the opening moments as De Jong's role - upon his surprise recovery from a groin injury - became clear. He was to stay in close proximity to Messi in an attempt to stifle Argentina's main creative force and, to a large extent, it worked.
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Messi, however, cannot be kept completely quiet and he produced the only serious test for either goalkeeper in a stale first half when his free-kick was held comfortably by Cillessen after Vlaar fouled Enzo Perez.
Robben's lack of influence was reflected in the statistic that he only had four touches in the first 45 minutes, also an indication of how the Netherlands had failed to test Argentina's defence.
As heavy rain poured down on the Arena de Sao Paulo's uncovered stands after the interval, and some fans decided to seek shelter out of sight of the game, the stretching Gonzalo Higuain came closest to breaking the stalemate when he steered Perez's angled cross into the side-netting.
Sabella made a double change with 10 minutes remaining, sending on Aguero and Rodrigo Palacio for Higuain and Perez, but still there was no invention or ambition.
Van Gaal even sacrificed the listless Van Persie in extra time - his third change, a move which deprived the coach of the opportunity to introduce Krul again - and the tedium was lifted when Robben produced the first Dutch shot on target after 99 minutes. It was saved easily by Romero.
In a rare spell of excitement, Cillessen saved from Palacio and Maxi Rodriguez but there was no escaping the almost inevitable conclusion of penalties.
Vlaar had his opening penalty saved by Romero and, when Sneijder missed their third, the Netherlands' fate was effectively sealed.
Robben and Dirk Kuyt scored but Argentina were unerring, with Messi, Ezequiel Garay and Aguero on target before Rodriguez's kick sent Sabella's side to Rio.
Match ends, Netherlands 0(2), Argentina 0(4).
Penalty Shootout ends, Netherlands 0(2), Argentina 0(4).
Goal! Netherlands 0(2), Argentina 0(4). Maxi Rodríguez (Argentina) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the high centre of the goal.
Goal! Netherlands 0(2), Argentina 0(3). Dirk Kuyt (Netherlands) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the bottom right corner.
Goal! Netherlands 0(1), Argentina 0(3). Sergio Agüero (Argentina) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the bottom left corner.
Penalty saved! Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands) fails to capitalise on this great opportunity, right footed shot saved in the top left corner.
Goal! Netherlands 0(1), Argentina 0(2). Ezequiel Garay (Argentina) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the high centre of the goal.
Goal! Netherlands 0(1), Argentina 0(1). Arjen Robben (Netherlands) converts the penalty with a left footed shot to the bottom right corner.
Goal! Netherlands 0, Argentina 0(1). Lionel Messi (Argentina) converts the penalty with a left footed shot to the bottom left corner.
Penalty saved! Ron Vlaar (Netherlands) fails to capitalise on this great opportunity, right footed shot saved in the centre of the goal.
Penalty Shootout begins Netherlands 0, Argentina 0.
Second Half Extra Time ends, Netherlands 0, Argentina 0.
Attempt blocked. Dirk Kuyt (Netherlands) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Daryl Janmaat with a cross.
Foul by Arjen Robben (Netherlands).
Javier Mascherano (Argentina) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt saved. Maxi Rodríguez (Argentina) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Lionel Messi with a cross.
Attempt saved. Rodrigo Palacio (Argentina) header from the centre of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal. Assisted by Maxi Rodríguez with a through ball.
Foul by Arjen Robben (Netherlands).
Marcos Rojo (Argentina) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Stefan de Vrij (Netherlands) right footed shot from more than 35 yards misses to the right.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Pablo Zabaleta (Argentina) because of an injury.
Second Half Extra Time begins Netherlands 0, Argentina 0.
First Half Extra Time ends, Netherlands 0, Argentina 0.
Corner, Argentina. Conceded by Daryl Janmaat.
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (Netherlands) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (Netherlands).
Javier Mascherano (Argentina) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Substitution, Argentina. Maxi Rodríguez replaces Ezequiel Lavezzi.
Attempt saved. Arjen Robben (Netherlands) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Wesley Sneijder.
Corner, Netherlands. Conceded by Javier Mascherano.
Substitution, Netherlands. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar replaces Robin van Persie.
Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Lucas Biglia (Argentina).
Foul by Robin van Persie (Netherlands).
Pablo Zabaleta (Argentina) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
First Half Extra Time begins Netherlands 0, Argentina 0.
Second Half ends, Netherlands 0, Argentina 0.
Offside, Netherlands. Georginio Wijnaldum tries a through ball, but Daryl Janmaat is caught offside.
Corner, Netherlands. Conceded by Javier Mascherano. | Argentina will meet Germany in Sunday's World Cup final at the Maracana after winning a penalty shootout to eliminate the Netherlands. |
36,457,848 | Collaroy Beach has narrowed by up to 50m following a massive storm that hit Australia's east coast.
Four people died in the storms and another three are still missing.
Conditions eased in the state of Tasmania on Tuesday and the worst of the weather has passed.
Australia battered by deadly storms
The multi-million dollar waterfront properties on Collaroy Beach lost backyards, decks and a swimming pool after 13m-high waves and a spring tide - known as a king tide in Australia - pummelled the beach.
A second spring tide hit the beach on Monday night, eroding the sand by another 5m and causing additional damage to the houses. A further spring tide is expected on Tuesday night.
Prof Ian Turner, the director of University of New South Wales' Water Research Laboratory, was at the beach on Monday night and said it had narrowed by about 50m, and it was clear a number of homes were badly damaged.
"We could hear [the houses] creaking and groaning. Some of them have clearly suffered a degree of structural damage," Prof Turner said.
"They will require a very careful look before people can go back inside them."
Prof Turner said surveys indicated sand levels on the beach had dropped between 2m and 5m, with 150 cubic metres of sand stripped for every metre along the beach.
Engineers will assess damage to the houses before property owners are allowed to return.
The Insurance Council of Australia told the Australian Broadcasting Corp that many insurance companies excluded actions by the sea from policies.
This means it is likely that at least some of the damaged properties are uninsured.
On Tuesday, the body of Mary Kathleen Allford, 75, was found at Latrobe in northern Tasmania.
Rescuers were not able to save Mrs Allford after her home was inundated, but managed to rescue her husband through the property's roof.
Three other confirmed deaths in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory occurred after vehicles were caught in floodwaters.
Three people are still missing, including Trevor Foster, who was swept into Tasmania's Ouse River from his own backyard on Monday.
Also missing is a man who reportedly jumped into rough seas off Bondi Beach.
Flood warnings remain in place for three rivers in Tasmania, with residents of Invermay and Longford told to evacuate.
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Text us on 61124 or +44 7624 800 100 if you are outside the UK | Exclusive homes located on Sydney's Collaroy Beach are in danger of collapsing after high tides and huge waves caused severe erosion for a second night. |
37,752,380 | Warnock made it seven points from nine since taking charge on 5 October when the Bluebirds won at Nottingham Forest.
But despite a trip to Newcastle looming it is the visit of Wigan, who have sacked manager Gary Caldwell, which has the 67-year-old concerned.
"We've got our most difficult game coming up, I think," Warnock said.
"It's not a top of the league game, but it's a very good Championship team. We've got to try to get three points before we go to Newcastle."
Lying just one place off the bottom of the Championship, Caldwell was shown the door after 18 months in charge despite winning the League One title last season.
Cardiff though have been handed a blow ahead of clash with striker Ricky Lambert set to miss out with a badly cut shin.
But since taking charge following the sacking of Paul Trollope, Warnock has overseen an upturn in Cardiff's fortunes with wins over Bristol City and Forest and a draw at home to Sheffield Wednesday lifting the Bluebirds out of the relegation places.
Warnock revealed the secret behind the transformation was a rather simple one.
"I asked them after the Bristol City game, how do you feel tonight in the dressing room?" added the Bluebirds' boss.
"This is what we want to feel. I've come to enjoy myself. I want them to enjoy themselves and they are, you can see they're enjoying themselves.
"It's hard work, but when you come off with three points and satisfaction, it's a good weekend." | Cardiff City manager Neil Warnock believes Saturday's home Championship match against struggling Wigan Athletic will be his toughest test yet. |
37,614,969 | Freddie Sears sent in a crisp cross for Chambers to head in from close range and end his side's barren run.
Having made the first goal, Sears scored the second late on, latching on to Tom Lawrence's pinpoint pass to score for the first time in 38 matches.
Ipswich's first win in six games pushes them up to 12th in the table, three points above Burton, who drop to 18th.
Burton had rallied after going behind early on, and Lucas Akins should have levelled when he was sent clear by Chris O'Grady, but he shot wide of the near post.
Early in the second half, Ipswich almost doubled their lead but Leon Best saw his shot blocked brilliantly by Ben Turner.
Burton had a few half-chances but Sears clinched the win after a great piece of skill from Lawrence.
Ipswich Town manager Mick McCarthy: "Whether we have played him on the right, the left or in the centre, Freddie has been selfless and never questioned it.
"His pace and energy means he is a constant threat and I have never once considered leaving him out.
"It has not been a nice couple of weeks so it was good to win 2-0 and get another clean sheet."
Burton Albion boss Nigel Clough: "I think our first half was the best we have played all season, but the one thing we couldn't do is put the ball in the net.
"There was plenty to be encouraged and pleased about. I was delighted with our performance and the fact we are Burton Albion coming to Ipswich Town should be put into perspective.
"I am disappointed but I am not disheartened by our performance. We tried to be positive in the first half and that certainly worked. We created some great chances, we could just not finish them off."
Match ends, Ipswich Town 2, Burton Albion 0.
Second Half ends, Ipswich Town 2, Burton Albion 0.
Foul by Marcus Myers-Harness (Burton Albion).
Conor Grant (Ipswich Town) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Offside, Ipswich Town. Kevin Bru tries a through ball, but Grant Ward is caught offside.
Lee Williamson (Burton Albion) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Conor Grant (Ipswich Town).
Attempt missed. Lee Williamson (Burton Albion) right footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high following a set piece situation.
Marcus Myers-Harness (Burton Albion) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Paul Digby (Ipswich Town).
Substitution, Burton Albion. Lee Williamson replaces Jackson Irvine.
Substitution, Burton Albion. Tom Flanagan replaces John Brayford.
Goal! Ipswich Town 2, Burton Albion 0. Freddie Sears (Ipswich Town) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Tom Lawrence.
Attempt missed. Jamie Ward (Burton Albion) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Jackson Irvine.
Corner, Ipswich Town. Conceded by John Brayford.
Foul by Chris O'Grady (Burton Albion).
Paul Digby (Ipswich Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Substitution, Burton Albion. Marcus Myers-Harness replaces John Mousinho.
Substitution, Ipswich Town. Paul Digby replaces Leon Best.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Kyle McFadzean (Burton Albion) because of an injury.
John Mousinho (Burton Albion) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by John Mousinho (Burton Albion).
Tom Lawrence (Ipswich Town) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Jamie Ward (Burton Albion) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Kevin Bru (Ipswich Town).
Attempt missed. John Brayford (Burton Albion) header from very close range is too high. Assisted by Matthew Palmer with a cross following a corner.
Corner, Burton Albion. Conceded by Adam Webster.
John Mousinho (Burton Albion) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Freddie Sears (Ipswich Town).
Jamie Ward (Burton Albion) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Tom Lawrence (Ipswich Town).
Corner, Burton Albion. Conceded by Luke Chambers.
Substitution, Ipswich Town. Grant Ward replaces Teddy Bishop.
Corner, Ipswich Town. Conceded by Ben Turner.
Attempt blocked. Leon Best (Ipswich Town) left footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Conor Grant with a headed pass.
Offside, Burton Albion. Lloyd Dyer tries a through ball, but Chris O'Grady is caught offside.
Attempt saved. Leon Best (Ipswich Town) left footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Teddy Bishop.
Attempt blocked. Teddy Bishop (Ipswich Town) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Leon Best.
Substitution, Ipswich Town. Conor Grant replaces Cole Skuse because of an injury. | Captain Luke Chambers scored Ipswich's first goal in 502 minutes to help his side to victory over Burton. |
33,106,992 | Researchers at Oxford University found that digital subscriptions and online advertising were failing to compensate for the collapse in newspaper sales.
Fully 75% of Britons said they would never consider paying for online news.
Respondents also expressed frustration with so-called "sponsored content" being disguised as news.
The fourth annual Reuters Institute's Digital News Report, which is backed by Google, Ofcom and the BBC, surveyed the news consumption habits of almost 24,000 people across 12 countries, including the UK, US, Australia, Japan and Brazil.
Almost half of those questioned said they accessed news on a smartphone - a significant increase on last year's study - but revealed they were loyal to just one or two news sources on the device.
Additionally, many consumers in the US and UK admitted to using ad-blocking software, eroding many media companies' main source of online revenue.
Ad-blocking, which is installed by default on some browsers, is "reaching epidemic proportions", according to Nic Newman, a research associate at the Reuters Institute.
Publishers were dealt a further blow recently when Apple announced that its latest mobile browser would also come with such a feature.
At the same time, revenue from display ads that do make it through to the reader has continued to fall, particularly for so-called "banner ads" that feature across the top or down the sides of a web page.
Selling ads on smartphones has proven even more challenging, due to the limited amount of screen space.
"The move to mobile is reducing the amount of money news companies can make," says Mr Newman. "The advertising dollars haven't moved across in sufficient amounts yet."
"Unless you've got a massive brand or have a niche, its hard to get people to pay for news," he adds.
The report also highlights how the huge increase in the use of social media sites as a "gateway" for news is affecting traditional brands.
The number of readers heading directly to specific news websites is falling, while in some countries up to 48% of people access news content via Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, WhatsApp and other services.
News organisations are also facing increased pressure from technology and social media companies to publish content directly on their platforms - with The New York Times, the BBC, National Geographic and others recently joining Facebook's Instant Articles scheme.
However, there are some rays of sunshine for the news industry.
The consumption of online video is rapidly increasing - by as much as 10% in Spain - which is welcome news for companies. Video advertising fetches higher premiums - for the moment at least.
The report also showed substantial growth in sponsored or "branded" content - essentially articles paid for by advertisers, but presented in a similar way to news stories.
About a third of respondents said they felt disappointed or deceived after realising they had read a sponsored article.
"Our research documents that most people like news and use news, but they don't want to pay for it, don't want to see advertising around it, and don't want to see it mixed up with sponsored content," says Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, the Reuters Institute's director of research.
"This means sustainable business models remain elusive even for those who succeed in building an audience." | News organisations need to become "more inventive" to arrest a decline in traditional revenue sources, an international survey has warned. |
35,756,578 | Vilson Meshi, 30, was discovered at Pincey Mead near Pitsea Road, Basildon, on 27 February.
The footage, filmed at 02:15 GM, shows a person in a hooded top riding a bike and attempting to open car doors.
Three 16-year-old boys and a 15-year-old boy, all from Basildon, are on bail following their arrest on suspicion of murder.
Mr Meshi used to lived in Pincey Mead but had moved to Glossop, Derbyshire.
A post-mortem examination found he died from smoke inhalation.
Det Ch Insp Stephen Jennings, of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: "Our enquiries have found this person was captured on CCTV in Pincey Mead in the early hours of the morning before Vilson's body was discovered in his Audi.
"I need to find this person to understand what they were doing in the area at that time as part of my work to establish who was responsible for Vilson's death." | Police want to trace a person filmed by CCTV in a car park the same day a man was found dead in a burned-out Audi A4. |
38,339,008 | The striker calmly rolled in his first after running clear, before tapping in a second from close range.
Jordi Alba smashed home a third and David Lopez struck for Espanyol before Lionel Messi added a fourth late on.
Barca are now three points behind leaders Real Madrid, who have played one game fewer after being crowned Club World Cup champions earlier on Sunday.
Barcelona forward Messi produced two moments of brilliance in the second half to give Luis Enrique's side a comfortable victory at the Nou Camp.
The Argentine danced past four Espanyol defenders for Suarez's second, with the Uruguayan quickest to react following Espanyol goalkeeper Roberto's fumble.
A minute later, Messi beat the same number of players before laying the ball into the path of Alba to score.
Messi completed his masterclass performance with a well-deserved goal, poking in through the legs of Roberto from Suarez's lobbed pass.
Match ends, Barcelona 4, Espanyol 1.
Second Half ends, Barcelona 4, Espanyol 1.
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by David López.
Attempt saved. Neymar (Barcelona) right footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Lionel Messi.
Goal! Barcelona 4, Espanyol 1. Lionel Messi (Barcelona) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Luis Suárez with a through ball following a fast break.
Neymar (Barcelona) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Javi López (Espanyol).
Foul by Jordi Alba (Barcelona).
Reyes (Espanyol) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Attempt missed. Lionel Messi (Barcelona) left footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Neymar.
Neymar (Barcelona) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Javi Fuego (Espanyol).
Foul by Jordi Alba (Barcelona).
Gerard Moreno (Espanyol) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Offside, Barcelona. Lionel Messi tries a through ball, but Neymar is caught offside.
Foul by Javier Mascherano (Barcelona).
Papakouly Diop (Espanyol) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Espanyol. Reyes replaces Pablo Piatti.
Goal! Barcelona 3, Espanyol 1. David López (Espanyol) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the top left corner. Assisted by Gerard Moreno following a fast break.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Substitution, Barcelona. Samuel Umtiti replaces Sergio Busquets.
Delay in match Jordi Alba (Barcelona) because of an injury.
Delay in match Pablo Piatti (Espanyol) because of an injury.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Substitution, Espanyol. Melendo replaces Felipe Caicedo.
Delay in match Papakouly Diop (Espanyol) because of an injury.
Rafinha (Barcelona) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Papakouly Diop (Espanyol).
Goal! Barcelona 3, Espanyol 0. Jordi Alba (Barcelona) left footed shot from the left side of the box to the bottom right corner.
Goal! Barcelona 2, Espanyol 0. Luis Suárez (Barcelona) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner.
Attempt saved. Lionel Messi (Barcelona) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Andrés Iniesta.
Substitution, Barcelona. Rafinha replaces Denis Suárez.
Felipe Caicedo (Espanyol) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Lionel Messi (Barcelona) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Felipe Caicedo (Espanyol).
Foul by Jordi Alba (Barcelona).
Pablo Piatti (Espanyol) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Denis Suárez (Barcelona) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Papakouly Diop (Espanyol).
Foul by Sergio Busquets (Barcelona). | Luis Suarez scored twice as Barcelona moved up to second in La Liga with victory in the derby against Espanyol. |
35,137,204 | The 32-year-old, the number one ranked Test bowler, has been out of action with a groin strain since the first Test against India in early November.
But in Cape Town this week he was able to complete two bowling spells at match intensity in the nets, run sprints and do agility tests and fielding drills.
The first of the four-match Test series begins in Durban on 26 December.
Proteas team manager, Dr Mohammed Moosajee said: "Dale has put a lot of work into his training and rehab since his return from India so we are very happy to have him back from injury.
"He was put through a thorough fitness test on Thursday by physiotherapist, Shane Jabaar, he came through the tests without any discomfort and will be available for selection for the first Test match against England."
Steyn has taken 402 wickets in 81 Tests at an average of 22.56, including 46 in 11 matches against England.
South Africa remain at the top of the Test rankings despite a 3-0 defeat in India this month. | South Africa paceman Dale Steyn will be fit for the Test series with England after passing a fitness test. |
21,013,615 | The England players, mouths dry with fear, looked for escape routes - or even potential weapons - in case the mob fell on them.
Bowler Harold Larwood, the focus of the fury, turned to team-mate Les Ames. "If they come," he said, "you can take the leg stump for protection - I'll take the middle."
Never before or since that moment, 80 years ago to the day, on 16 January 1933, had cricket - and arguably any other sport - seen a contest which fired such anger, which reached so far and echoed for so long, as the Bodyline tour.
"In Australia to this day, the word Bodyline carries the stench of underhand or unsportsmanlike behaviour; with the series regarded as Australian cricket's most controversial," said David Studham from the Australian National Sports Museum.
The view of the MCC, which organised the tour, is slightly different. The curator of its museum, Adam Chadwick, said: "Was Bodyline unsportsmanlike? By the standards of the day, yes. By the standards of now, it was a stroke of genius."
At the beginning of the 1930s, the MCC - Marylebone Cricket Club - still ruled the cricketing world from its seat at Lord's in London.
But it had a problem, in the shape of batting phenomenon Don Bradman.
During their 1930 tour of England, Australia - the arch rivals - had dominated the home bowlers, with Bradman averaging a staggering 139.14.
The MCC looked to austere amateur player Douglas Jardine for an answer, making him England captain.
Jardine believed Bradman struggled against balls which bounced into his chest and formed a tactic to exploit this. But the plan needed the right bowler, and that bowler was former Nottinghamshire miner Harold Larwood.
Duncan Hamilton, Larwood's biographer, said: "He had two things. Firstly he was incredibly accurate, he claimed never to have bowled a wide in his career, and accuracy was essential to Bodyline.
"Secondly he was devastatingly fast. All his contemporaries said he was the quickest they had faced. At certain times during that series he must have got close to, if not passed, the 100mph (160km/h) mark.
"Every fast bowler who sees that old footage says, 'Wow, that's quick!'."
Jardine's plan was to use what was known in England as leg theory. Bowling fast, high-bouncing deliveries on the line of the leg stump of the wicket - where a batsman would usually stand.
The batsman had three choices: to move but risk exposing his wicket, to play the ball with his bat and face being caught by a ring of close fielders, or try to duck and risk painful blows.
The tour began in earnest at Sydney in December 1932, ironically without Bradman playing. Bodyline brought England victory.
By Jonathan AgnewBBC cricket correspondent
Bodyline introduced a previously unspoken element into Test cricket - namely the physical intimidation of the batsman.
The placement of fielders, deliberately positioned to catch the ball from batsmen protecting themselves from short, fast deliveries aimed at the ribs and throat, was entirely legal at the time, but seriously threatened the code of sportsmanship that is so central to cricket.
That said, the Australian administrators - who made such a meal of Jardine's tactic at the time - were noticeably quiet when their own fast bowlers Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson were terrifying batsmen with short-pitched bowling in the 1970s.
The authorities acted swiftly after the Bodyline tour to limit the placing of fielders in catching positions on the leg side in an attempt to deter a repeat of the tactic, and also brought in a restriction of the number of bouncers that can be bowled in a single over.
But after Lillee and Thomson, the West Indies' formidable pace attack of the late 1970s and 80s also proved that skilful, intimidatory fast bowling is every bit as effective as Bodyline, even with field restrictions and after the introduction of helmets.
Complaints about the tactic quickly appeared. As the bruises and wickets mounted, the disquiet turned to anger, with claims batsmen were being physically targeted.
Despite Australia levelling the series at the second match in Melbourne, the repeated blows to lightly protected players attracted outraged headlines.
Some batsmen endured hours of punishment and even Bradman looked unsettled.
Mr Studham said: "The tactics employed by Jardine roused intense passions, as they were so out of accord with anything that had previously happened on the cricket field.
"Targeting the bowling along the line of the batsman's body was regarded by the Australian crowds as vicious, unsporting and especially after repeatedly battering the batsmen, 'hitting a man when he was down and certainly no part of cricket'."
With everything to play for, and feelings running at fever pitch, the Adelaide match opened in front of packed stands.
Cricket bible Wisden would later call it "probably the most unpleasant Test ever played".
Australian captain Bill Woodfull was left staggering after being struck just above the heart by Larwood.
The booing lasted for three minutes, despite the fact England had not yet deployed Bodyline tactics in the match.
That would change though, moments later, when Jardine called out to Larwood: "Well bowled Harold," and set the fielders in the hated Bodyline formation. Police had to be deployed on the boundary.
The next day, Oldfield had his skull cracked and Larwood had to be escorted from the ground.
Source: BBC Religion & Ethics
Is fair play important in sport?
The line between gamesmanship and cheating
Can cricket teach children fair play?
It was almost inevitable the problems would overflow from the playing field. But no-one could have predicted it would lead to three events then unthinkable in cricket.
MCC tour manager Pelham Warner, seeking to smooth relationships, was sent packing by the normally placid Woodfull with what were, for some years, the 25 most famous words in sport.
"I don't want to see you, Mr Warner. There are two teams out there. One is trying to play cricket and the other is not."
The comment, made in the previously sacrosanct dressing room, was then leaked to the press.
The next day, Australian Board of Control for International Cricket sent a cable to the MCC which described England's tactics as "unsportsmanlike", the ultimate taboo for guardians of the game.
Mr Chadwick said: "The MCC reacted with incredulity to the Australian messages that the tactics were unsportsmanlike and they felt it was really out of the question that an MCC team led by a gentleman of Douglas Jardine's character could possibly behave in such a manner.
"The archives really do show the feeling was 'Oh, the Australians are being a bit hysterical about it'."
But the situation spiralled. Jardine threatened to withdraw his team from the remaining two matches unless the allegation was retracted.
Stoked by newspaper reports, each country backed its own players.
The standoff only ended when Australian Prime Minister Joseph Lyons told the cricket board a British boycott of Australian goods could cripple the country.
England won the series 4-1. Bradman's batting average was cut to a merely excellent 56. But the shock lasted for years.
Mr Studham said he felt Bodyline was one of those sporting "rite of passage" stories all Australian children learn about.
"The on-field tactics and resulting carnage at the third Test in Adelaide split already strained relations between the teams, the game's governing authorities, and even threatened to split the governments.
"While perfectly legal at the time, it left lasting ill-feeling in Australia where it was seen to be outside the spirit of the game.
"The fact that a few years later the laws of cricket were amended to ban Bodyline bowling contributed greatly to its continuing national disdain."
Mr Chadwick said: "The MCC did not have any advance warning of the tactics which Jardine was using and wasn't really aware of the impact - all they were getting was newspaper reports and telegraph messages of the score.
"When they saw it for themselves they realised this really wasn't the sort of cricket they had always set themselves up to promote as containing the best values of Britishness and gentlemanly fair play."
Jardine retired from first class cricket the following year. Larwood's agony was more extended.
Injured through over-bowling, he was then stunned at his treatment by cricket's hierarchy.
Mr Hamilton said: "He was totally betrayed by the establishment. They treated him like toxic waste.
"He was asked to apologise and he rightly refused, saying he had done what his captain had asked. He got no support for his injury.
"On his return to Nottingham he was met by cheering crowds 10,000-strong. He went from that to being vilified. The whole thing was a tragedy."
Larwood never played for England again. On the advice of some of his old Bodyline foes, he emigrated to Australia in 1950 - becoming firm friends with Bert Oldfield.
He was appointed MBE in 1993, at the age of 88. A statue of him was unveiled in Kirkby-in-Ashfield, close to his birthplace, in 2002. | As Australian batsman Bert Oldfield collapsed, his skull fractured by a lightning-fast ball, the booing from the 50,000-strong Adelaide Oval crowd became a deafening howl. |
33,874,569 | The truces will allow food and medical supplies to be delivered to the rebel stronghold of Zabadani, on the border with Lebanon, and to government-held Fuaa and Kafraya in the north-west.
They were agreed by the rebel group Ahrar al-Sham and Lebanon's Hezbollah movement, an ally of Syria's president.
Meanwhile, dozens of people have been killed in fighting around Damascus.
Rebel fighters fired dozens of rockets at several central districts of the capital on Wednesday morning, killing four civilians and a soldier, officials said.
Activists said the government had responded by carrying out air strikes on the suburbs of Douma, Kafr Batna, Saqba, Hamouriya in the Eastern Ghouta agricultural belt, killing at least 31 civilians and wounding more than 120 others.
It comes after Amnesty International alleged in a new report that the government had committed war crimes against the 163,000 people living under siege in the Eastern Ghouta, with relentless aerial bombardment and shelling magnifying their suffering.
Between January and June 2015, Syrian government forces carried out at least 60 aerial attacks on Eastern Ghouta, killing some 500 civilians, the report says. Many others are believed to have died from starvation or lack of access to adequate medical care.
The 48-hour ceasefires in Zabadani, Fuaa and Kafraya began at 06:00 (03:00 GMT), according to Hezbollah's al-Manar TV.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said no fighting was reported on Wednesday morning. However, the UK-based monitoring group added that talks were continuing on evacuating rebel fighters from Zabadani and ending the sieges of the two government-held towns.
"The ceasefire will begin and some [people] who are in critical condition will be evacuated. Talks will discuss further steps," a source close to the Syrian government told the Reuters news agency.
Zabadani has been under attack for weeks by the Syrian army and fighters from Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed Shia Islamist movement allied to President Bashar al-Assad.
About 45km (30 miles) north-west of Damascus, it is the last significant town held by rebel forces in the Qalamoun mountains, which run along the border with Lebanon.
Last month, the UN envoy for Syria said government barrel-bomb attacks on Zabadani had caused "unprecedented levels of destruction and many deaths among the civilian population".
Fuaa and Kafraya, two neighbouring Shia towns in the province of Idlib, have meanwhile been besieged by a rebel alliance that includes Ahrar al-Sham, a hardline Islamist group, and the jihadist al-Nusra Front, al-Qaeda's affiliate in Syria.
The rebels have driven government forces out of much of Idlib in the past six months, and are now advancing on the coastal province of Latakia, the heartland of the heterodox Shia Alawite sect to which the president and his family belongs.
On Tuesday, a military source confirmed that government troops had been forced to retreat and take up new defensive positions in the Sahl al-Ghab plain in eastern Latakia.
Last month, President Assad acknowledged the army faced a manpower shortage and had withdrawn from some areas in order to defend those he considered most significant
More than 230,000 people have been killed since the uprising against Mr Assad erupted in 2011. Some 11.5 million others - more than half of the country's population - have fled their homes.
The local ceasefires were announced hours before the arrival of Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Damascus.
On Wednesday, Mr Zarif discussed regional crises with Hezbollah's leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, including attempts to "find solutions in more than one country", al-Manar reported. | Forty-eight-hour ceasefires between Syrian rebels and pro-government forces have reportedly begun in three towns. |
37,600,167 | Southgate, 46, has stepped up from his role as under-21 boss to take temporary charge of the senior team following Sam Allardyce's departure as manager.
Former Middlesbrough boss Southgate oversaw England's 2-0 World Cup qualifying win over Malta on Saturday.
"Hopefully he does enough in the next three games," said the ex-Football Association director of development.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Brooking, who appointed Southgate as England Under-21 boss, told BBC Radio 5 live's Sportsweek: "Gareth is a great character but because he is a bit like that he comes across as boring to some people.
"He can be tough, he can be hard.
"I think he should get the job. I am confident he will then get the two years taking us up to the World Cup and with the players that are coming through he can kick on for another two years as well," added the former West Ham and England midfielder.
Times chief football writer Henry Winter speaking to Sportsweek
If a vacancy came up in the Premier League, Gareth Southgate probably wouldn't be on the shortlist - maybe top end of the Championship.
"But this is the situation England are in. It's going to take time to develop a deeper reservoir of coaching talent.
"If you go from the standpoint that the England manager should be English then you have to go with someone like Southgate or Eddie Howe. They are not the greatest but they are the best we have got.
"Southgate is the only candidate now and he will get the job." | Gareth Southgate should be appointed England boss for at least the next two years, says Sir Trevor Brooking. |
40,924,802 | The 29-year-old netted twice to guide Maidenhead to a first victory in non-league's top tier as they beat Hartlepool United 2-1 on Saturday.
Tarpey scored 45 goals to set a National League South record last season as Maidenhead won the title.
"A few people were saying 'could he make the step up?' but I think I'm showing I can," he told BBC Sport.
A goal in either half from Tarpey ensured Alan Devonshire's side had enough to see off Hartlepool, but Tarpey knows there are more tough tests to come.
"There's a lot of teams in this division who are comfortable on the ball and play it quicker between the lines, but I think we've adapted well," he told BBC Radio Berkshire.
"We've not looked out of place and I think we've battled hard in the games so far."
Maidenhead travel to fellow National League new boys AFC Fylde on Tuesday before hosting Ebbsfleet on Saturday. | Maidenhead United striker Dave Tarpey believes he has the ability to be a prolific scorer in the National League. |
40,131,997 | The BA website initially suggested that customers should make a claim on their travel insurance for expenses such as meals during the delays.
But the Association of British Insurers (ABI) and consumer rights experts say responsibility is with the airline.
BA has now updated the language, removing any reference to insurance.
Saturday's IT fiasco grounded hundreds of flights and disrupted the travel plans of tens of thousands of passengers around the world.
Passengers travelling in the EU are entitled to compensation, but insurers were angry with the airline for claims over non-flight expenses such as hotels, meals and phone calls.
BA's website had said: "You should make a claim with your travel insurer in the first instance. If you have expenses that either you were not successful in claiming or which are not covered by your policy, you may claim for only these expenses in the form below."
However, the ABI contacted the airline earlier in the week pointing out that the initial claim should be to the airline, and only if that was unsuccessful would some policies pay out for these costs. A payout from the airline means passengers are more likely to get the full refund, rather than be liable for an insurer's excess.
Revised wording was regarded still to be misleading by the ABI, until all reference to travel insurance was eventually removed from the online form by mid-afternoon.
In an interview on Thursday, Willie Walsh, the head of British Airways' owner IAG, said: "Clearly we will do everything we can to make up [for] the disruption they suffered."
The airline said: "We have been encouraging customers that were affected by the weekend's events to submit claims for their expenses, including those beyond flights, so that we can compensate them.
"We have created a dedicated page on ba.com providing customers with additional information on how to make a claim."
It has now also added a link on its homepage for compensation advice.
Questions still remain over exactly how the IT fiasco occurred. The airline said on Wednesday that a loss of power to a UK data centre was "compounded" by a power surge that took out its IT systems.
An email leaked to the Press Association suggested that a contractor doing maintenance work inadvertently switched off the power supply, although this has not been confirmed.
The email said: "This resulted in the total immediate loss of power to the facility, bypassing the backup generators and batteries... After a few minutes of this shutdown, it was turned back on in an unplanned and uncontrolled fashion, which created physical damage to the systems and significantly exacerbated the problem."
We have all been asked by IT support to "turn it off and on again" - but reports are circulating that doing so was spectacularly catastrophic at BA.
The story that an engineer accidentally disconnected a key data centre's power supply has not yet been confirmed by the airline and its IT contractor has said such speculation is "not founded in fact".
It is possible that a loss of power was compounded by back-up systems that failed to come online in time, but many are still questioning how that could be the case.
In other words, why would a single switch be a fail point for BA's entire operations?
Some IT professionals continue to question whether the age, quality and resilience of equipment in the airline's data centres may not also be to blame.
Until British Airways reveals some details about what happened, we can only keep guessing. | British Airways has changed its advice to customers who claim expenses for the weekend's travel chaos after a row with insurers. |
40,876,538 | Stewart Elliott said his pale barley and citrus aroma Goat's Milk was "lucky on the day" to beat more than 20 others at the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) organised show.
The beer is brewed at Churchend Brewery near Nuneaton, in Warwickshire.
The brewery was founded in 1994 and now employs 30 people and supplies two pubs in Stoke Golding and Worcester.
More updates on this story
Mr Elliott described his champion beer, originally brewed and named for a festival taking place in the Goat pub near Peterborough, as refreshing with a bitter finish.
"We're like a lot of small producers I imagine and we like to let it do its own thing.. eight to 10 days before we cask it and it goes out," he said.
Nick Boley, Camra's national director responsible for the competition held in London, said: "Goat's Milk is a stand out beer - it has a lovely balance of malts and hops and a full flavour.
"It is a very fine example of a bitter and incredibly refreshing."
The beer festival, which opened on Tuesday, will see more than 50,000 people visit to sample more than 900 beers, ciders and wines. | An independent craft brewer has had his beer crowned Supreme Champion at the Great British Beer Festival. |
39,306,561 | Isabel Gentry, 16, was taken to Bristol Royal Infirmary after falling ill on 18 May and discharged four hours later.
Avon coroner Maria Voisin said there were gross failures in Isabel's care at the Bristol Royal Infirmary.
She said a doctor who saw Isabel should have referred her case to a registrar before allowing her to be discharged.
The coroner also noted the doctor did not take an accurate history and diagnosis of viral gastroenteritis was not appropriate and underestimated her condition.
Ms Voisin recorded a verdict of death by natural causes, and called on the government to fund meningitis vaccinations for teenagers.
Isabel's mother Claire Booty said the family believed Isabel would have had a "better chance" at a children's hospital "given her illness is more prevalent in the teenage age group due to their physiology".
She added Bristol Royal Infirmary failed to give Isabel a "thorough and logical" assessment and questioned whether the hospital had "the ability" to learn from her daughter's death.
Isabel, known as Izzy, had been revising for AS level exams when she started to feel unwell on 18 May. She was taken to hospital, by ambulance, at 01:00 GMT but was sent home at 05:00.
Avon Coroner's Court heard the teenager "could hardly walk to the car" when they left the hospital after the initial assessment.
The court heard there had been a possible case of meningitis at her school, St Brendan's Sixth Form College in Bristol, a couple of weeks earlier and all students had been given leaflets explaining the symptoms.
Paramedic Gary White, who was called out on 18 May, said he had been told the patient might have meningitis but said he "couldn't detect any major symptoms such as a rash or photophobia [an intolerance of bright lights]".
However, Ms Booty said Izzy "kept asking for the lights to be turned down" in the hospital treatment room.
The inquest heard Izzy deteriorated over the day and another ambulance was called which took her back to the hospital at 17:30.
The consultant who treated Izzy diagnosed meningitis and told Ms Booty her daughter was "very seriously ill".
The next day an MRI scan detected Izzy's brain was swelling and she died on 20 May.
A spokesman for University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust said it would "carefully consider" the recommendations the coroner made.
He said as a result of Isabel's death a number of measures had been implemented, such as a reviiew of training for doctors taking patient histories and an updated system of early warning scores.
"Our deep regret is that these measures did not ensure that we took steps to prevent Isabel's illness from developing to the point where it could not be treated. Our commitment is to learn all we can from her very sad death," he added. | A teenager's death from meningitis was contributed to by "neglect and gross failures in care" at the hospital where she was treated, a coroner has ruled. |
36,248,467 | Paul Wilson, 38, suffered a severe anaphylactic shock in January 2014 after eating a takeaway from the Indian Garden in Easingwold, North Yorkshire.
Mohammed Zaman, 52, of Aylesham Court, Huntington, denies manslaughter.
The restaurant boss "cut corners at every turn", Teesside Crown Court heard.
When Mr Wilson ordered a takeaway meal from the restaurant, he had made it clear it must be nut-free, the jury heard.
The court was told "no nuts" was written on the order chit and on the lid of the curry he took to his home in Helperby, near Thirsk.
He was found dead later the same evening.
The jury heard Mr Zaman took a "reckless and cavalier attitude to risk" at the restaurants he owned.
Richard Wright QC, prosecuting, told the court Mr Zaman had swapped from using almond powder to the cheaper groundnut powder, containing peanuts, in June 2013.
Despite a warning from his supplier, the prosecutor said, the restaurateur did not warn customers he was using peanut ingredients.
A week before Mr Wilson's death, Mr Wright said, a trading standards officer found evidence of peanuts in another meal which was said to have been peanut-free, and discovered a box labelled blanched ground peanut in the kitchen of Mr Zaman's Jaipur Spice restaurant in Easingwold.
The officer told staff all customers must be informed chefs were using peanuts, the court heard.
"Mohammed Zaman received numerous warnings that he was putting his customers' health, and potentially their lives, at risk," Mr Wright said.
"Tragically for Paul Wilson, Mohammed Zaman took none of those opportunities and ignored all of the warnings he was given."
The prosecution said the restaurateur knew the food he served "posed a serious health risk".
Mr Wright said: "Time and again he ignored the danger and did not protect his customers."
Mr Zaman has also pleaded not guilty to perverting the course of justice by forging a food safety training certificate, an immigration offence relating to the employee who served the contaminated meal, and food safety offences. | A restaurant owner accused of killing a customer who died from an allergic reaction to a curry "put profit before safety", a court has heard. |
35,082,355 | The 8-1 chance, ridden by Richard Johnson, beat stable-mate Champagne West (8-1) by four-and-a-half lengths for his third win of the season.
It was Hobbs's first win in the race since Monkerhostin in 2004, which had also been ridden by Johnson.
"I thought Richard was going too quick but it was just right and he kept going very well," said Hobbs.
"I could hardly have predicted they would be first and second.
"Village Vic looked to be very good and then had an injury but he has come back well."
The winner was carrying only 10st meaning Johnson, 38, had to watch his weight over the last few days.
"I wouldn't do 10st too often these days," he said. "But I always thought he had a great chance and it's been well worth the while."
Earlier, the Jonjo O'Neill-trained More Of That maintained his unbeaten record over fences by beating his two rivals in the Novice Chase and could be aimed at the Gold Cup in March.
The 2014 World Hurdle winner had almost a year off track before returning at the Gloucestershire track earlier this month.
And the fast-improving Old Guard put himself in contention for the Champion Hurdle at the Festival with a thrilling win in the International Hurdle for jockey Sam Twiston-Davies and trainer Paul Nicholls.
Old Guard fought it out with Sempre Medici and Hargam but favourite Peace and Co, who moved to the front early on, was unable to pick up when the pace quickened.
"The clue was perhaps in the weight achieved by Richard Johnson on Village Vic. Just like AP McCoy when he dominated the scene, Johnson, McCoy's runaway heir apparent, rarely diets down as low as 10 stone, the required weight here.
"And his hunger regime - he said afterwards he'd promised himself a big takeaway tonight - was spectacularly worthwhile as they led all the way for a storming success, Johnson's 156th of the first post-McCoy season when surely he will finally be champion." | Village Vic jumped superbly to lead home a Philip Hobbs-trained 1-2 in the Caspian Caviar Gold Cup at Cheltenham. |
18,476,584 | The 102-turbine farm, off Walney Island, was developed by Danish energy company Dong Energy.
It created 60 jobs at the firm's operations centre in Barrow.
It was built in two phases with the second set of 51 turbines completed in six months - a record for the wind farm sector.
Benj Sykes, from Dong Energy, said: "Walney is the first project in the UK to be backed by institutional investors before it was built, a confidence justified by the speed and efficiency of the construction." | An offshore wind farm off the Cumbrian coast, described as the largest in the world, has become fully operational. |
32,965,455 | The 26-year-old quit the Milwaukee Yamaha team two days before racing starts and now rides the Buildbase BMW Superbike he rode to victory last year.
Dunlop secured four wins at both of the last two TT meetings and is sure to figure strongly in every class.
He is set to begin his campaign in Saturday's six-lap Superbike race.
Dunlop had been suffering mechanical issues with the new Yamaha R1 machine at the North West 200 and TT practice.
He will now ride his own superstock spec BMW in the Superstock race and a 600cc Honda in the Supersport events, as well as wearing the Buildbase BMW livery in the Superbikes.
Among those expected to challenge Dunlop's superiority are his brother William and Tyco BMW team-mate Guy Martin, both chasing their first TT successes on the Mountain Course.
The pair have expressed satisfaction with the Northern Ireland team's switch to the German manufacturer, with the elder of the Dunlop brothers hailing his machinery for this season as "the best I have ever had".
William should be a leading contender in his favoured Supersport class aboard a 600cc Yamaha, with the much-in-demand Martin switching to a 675cc Smith's Triumph for the two smaller capacity outings.
New Zealander Bruce Anstey is likely to feature at the top end of the leaderboard on his fleet of Padgett's-prepared Hondas, a year after setting a new absolute lap record at 132.298mph, a speed which he believes could have been better but for losing a few crucial seconds.
John McGuinness and Manxman Conor Cummins fly the flag for the official Honda outfit in the two 'big bike' events, with the Morecambe man, a 21-time winner, keen to make up for lost time after a broken scaphoid hindered his efforts 12 months ago.
Meanwhile Yorkshire's Ian Hutchinson, the only man to achieve five victories in one week back in 2010, displayed a welcome return to form after years of serious injury with a couple of podium finishes at last month's North West 200.
The Bingley man spearheads the Paul Bird Motorsport Kawasaki challenge in the Superbike and Superstock events, but is another who moves to a Yamaha for the two Supersport races.
Two-time winner Gary Johnson crashed out while pushing for the lead in the Superstocks last year, but will have high hopes of adding to his tally of victories on board his GBMoto Kawasakis and Mar-Train Racing 600cc Yamaha.
James Hiller retains his ride under the Quattro Plant Kawasaki awning, while Michael Rutter continues his partnership with Bathams BMW for the blue riband class.
Among those seeking a first podium place are Cookstown Burrows Engineering recruit Jamie Hamilton and Lee Johnston, who campaigns BMW and Triumph bikes with backing from his 'day job' employers East Coast Construction.
Last year's Lightweight victor Dean Harrison represents the official Yamaha UK entry in the blue and white Mar-Train colours, while Dan Kneen breaks new ground as Anstey's team-mate in the Padgett's outfit.
Australian Cameron Donald also rides in the Padgett's livery in the 600cc jousts, but is Norton-mounted for the Superbike and Senior races.
Peter Hickman became the fastest-ever newcomer by lapping at an average speed of over 129mph last year and is fit to return to the saddle after being forced to sit out the North West 200 through injury.
His fellow Lincolnshire man Ivan Lintin will have high hopes after sealing a deal to ride for the RC Express Kawasaki outfit, while Keith Amor and Ryan Farquhar are back in the 1000cc classes following their partial return to the track last year, after initially retiring in 2012.
Farquhar also takes in the Supertwins category and is expected to be one of the main challengers for the top step of the rostrum. | Given his record of recent years, and his surprising last minute split from Yamaha, all eyes will be on Michael Dunlop at the 2015 Isle of Man TT. |
27,593,052 | The Glasgow-based company said sales leapt by £14m (29%) in the first quarter, compared with the same period last year.
Between January and March, bookings for long-haul destinations grew by 40% while cruise bookings also rose sharply.
Barrhead said travellers had been keen to put the winter behind them.
Chief executive Sharon Munro said: "Scottish holidaymakers have been flocking in their droves to book a summer getaway following the poor weather over the winter months.
"January to March is always a busy time for us, however, this year we've enjoyed an exceptional response from travellers looking to jet off to foreign shores.
"Our Barrhead Travel BA charter flights have been a huge success since we launched them four years ago and as a result we've expanded the routes every year since.
"Through the direct flights we've been able to offer new links to popular cruise departure points like Majorca and Venice - which we doubled this year."
She added: "Long-haul bookings are also always popular and this year, with increased capacity through our suppliers, we've been able to offer new routes through Glasgow and Edinburgh - giving travellers more options than ever." | Holiday firm Barrhead Travel has reported a surge in sales, following poor weather over the winter months. |
35,220,930 | I dimly recall clumsily changing nappies, making endless cups of tea for visitors, and a mixture of immense joy and total weariness. What I'm sure I did not do is come up with a plan for a personal robot assistant.
But then I'm not Mark Zuckerberg. Having spent some weeks at home with his new baby daughter, Facebook's founder has come up with an idea.
He has just told the world that his personal mission for 2016 is "to build a simple AI to run my home and help me with my work. You can think of it kind of like Jarvis in Iron Man".
Apparently this "simple" AI will do everything from controlling the heat and lighting in his home via voice commands to acting as a kind of supercharged baby monitor for his daughter Maxima.
Oh, and it will also help him at work to build more services and "lead more effectively", presumably turning Zuckerberg into Tony Stark, though maybe without the Iron Man suit.
So is all of this the result of too little sleep? Absolutely not - it may sound fanciful but Mark Zuckerberg is always deadly serious in his public pronouncements.
He is telling the world that Facebook's investment in artificial intelligence - already pretty substantial - is not some side project but of core importance to the company's mission.
He has looked at what Apple is doing with Siri, Google with Google Now, and Microsoft with Cortana and has decided that these still-crude personal digital assistants could actually be the next big thing in technology.
Maybe he has also played with the Amazon Echo, an intelligent speaker that learns your voice and responds to all sorts of queries and commands.
I'm currently in Las Vegas preparing for the CES show and have borrowed an Echo from Amazon - it only really works in the United States.
So far, it has been pretty good at understanding my English accent, giving me news and weather reports when I ask for them and playing Pulp when I request a bit of Jarvis Cocker.
But it does not understand my need for the cricket score, and when asked for Amazon's current share price, Alexa - the voice of Echo - tells me she does not have that information.
So there is plenty of scope for Mark Zuckerberg - and the world class engineers in his team - to develop a much more useful personal assistant.
What's the betting that in a few years we will all be able to talk to Facebook and get it to arrange our lives and watch over our homes?
One other thing about the new father's plan. By announcing it just days before CES, a show which Facebook does not attend, he has reminded the technology world that whatever is unveiled in Las Vegas his company won't be left behind.
All in all, quite an effective status update. Now he can get back to changing nappies... | It is now a long time ago, but I've been trying to remember my two periods of paternity leave. |
37,909,917 | The incident, which was not seen by the match officials, is alleged to have occurred in the 28th minute of Saturday's 0-0 draw with Barnsley.
The 29-year-old has until has until 18:00 GMT on Tuesday to respond to the charge.
McFadzean joined Burton in the summer from MK Dons and has since made 15 appearances, scoring one goal. | The Football Association have charged Burton Albion defender Kyle McFadzean with violent conduct. |
27,054,366 | The rocky planet, Kepler 186f, is close to the size of Earth and has the potential to hold liquid water, which is critical for life, the team says.
Nestled in the Milky Way, it is part of a five-planet system that orbits around a cool dwarf star.
It was spotted by the Kepler telescope, which has found nearly 1,000 new worlds since its launch in 2009.
"This is the smallest planet we've found so far in the habitable zone," said Prof Stephen Kane, an astrophysicist from San Francisco State University, US.
Kepler 186f is about 500 light-years away from the Earth.
The researchers estimate that is a little bigger than our planet, with a radius that is about 10% larger than ours.
Because of its size, the team believes it is a rocky planet.
Prof Kane explained: "There seems to be a transition that occurs at about 1.5 times the Earth's radius, such that if the planet is larger, then it starts to develop a very substantial atmosphere very similar to what we see in the gas giant planets in our own Solar System.
"And so anything less than 1.5 is probably more like a rocky planet that we are familiar with."
Kepler 186f travels around a small and cool star. Of the five planets in the system, its orbit is furthest out and lasts about 130 days.
The team believes that it has the potential to hold water because with this orbital path it does not journey too close to its star for the liquid to boil away or so far out that it would freeze. Scientists call this region the "habitable zone".
Prof Kane said: "Even though it is orbiting a star which is very different from our Sun, the planet itself - both in terms of size and the amount of energy it is receiving from its star - is the most similar planet to our Earth that we've yet discovered.
"That is great news in terms of looking for planets which might actually be similar to the Earth, especially as the kind of star it does orbit - which is a very small star - are amongst the most common in the galaxy.
"And if all of these very common small stars have lots of terrestrial-sized planets in the habitable zone then that is very good news."
However, these small stars also tend to be more active than stars the size of the Sun.
So if Kepler 186f does have water - an essential ingredient for life - any potential organisms would be bombarded with solar flares and radiation.
The hunt for planets outside of our own Solar System has made remarkable advances in recent years.
The first was found just 20 years ago; now, nearly 2,000 have been spotted - many by the Kepler telescope.
However, a planet that is the same size as Earth, orbiting a star like the Sun, at the same distance has yet to be seen.
Such a find will almost certainly come with future technologies. The European Space Agency recently approved the development of an orbiting telescope called Plato, which will be tuned specifically to detect true Earth analogues.
Follow Rebecca on Twitter | The most Earth-like planet yet has been discovered, scientists report in the journal Science. |
40,866,201 | The motoring organisation's survey of 16,000 members suggests seven out of 10 would look for parking elsewhere rather than use the "pay by phone" meters.
The AA says people are put off by administration fees and voice-controlled phone payment systems.
But councils said that paying by phone was a quick and convenient option.
Nearly eight in 10 pensioners who responded to the AA survey said they would drive on rather than use them, the same proportion as drivers on low incomes.
Jack Cousens, head of roads policy for the AA, said: "Not only can it be a struggle to find a space but now, when you do find one, you may be required to talk to an automated system to pay the charge - not ideal if you have an appointment or just want to get in and get out quickly.
"All providers should make it easier to pay for parking. Not everyone has a smartphone to pay via an app and not everyone is keen to talk to a robot to pay for an hour's stay. For the elderly and low-income drivers, pay-by-phone feels almost discriminatory."
It argued that, while many drivers prefer to pay in cash, there was disgruntlement that some parking machines did not accept the new 12-sided £1 coin and others did not give change.
A spokesman for the Local Government Association, which represents local authorities, said: "Councils offer a variety of ways to pay for parking, and paying by phone can be a quick and convenient way to do so.
"As the AA's own research shows, 76% of councils in England have already converted the parking machines they are responsible for to accept the new £1 coin. Others are well on the way towards doing so.
"Having a range of options to pay for parking, for residents and visitors, is the best way for councils to serve the needs of their local communities."
The AA has also left itself open to accusations of mixed messages by criticising phone payment parking spaces on the same day as it unveils its own card payment system for small businesses.
In the marketing for its new Card Pay project, it says that "cash is a thing of the past for 62% of UK small businesses".
Get news from the BBC in your inbox, each weekday morning | Drivers are avoiding parking spots that require payment by phone as cash remains a more popular way to pay, according to the AA. |
32,950,519 | Footage apparently showing development squad members Tom Hopper, Adam Smith and James Pearson - son of manager Nigel Pearson - was obtained by the Sunday Mirror.
One of the men in the video, which was shot in Thailand, can be heard using a racist insult against a woman.
The club said they would be conducting a formal process of investigation.
A club statement said: "The board of Leicester City is deeply concerned about an incident involving three of our young professionals during a recent trip to Thailand.
"Following a preliminary meeting in consultation with the three players earlier today, the players involved in the incident are now returning to the UK, in advance of the rest of the squad.
"Tom Hopper, James Pearson and Adam Smith would like to convey their sincere apologies for their behaviour - to the women involved in the incident, to the club and its owners, to the club's fans and to their families."
The Premier League team were on tour in Thailand, home of the Foxes' billionaire owners father and son Vichai and Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha.
The club are in a "strategic partnership" with the Tourism Authority of Thailand, and the Amazing Thailand branding appears on the back of player's strips.
Manager Pearson has campaigned against racism and is a patron of the charity Show Racism the Red Card.
A spokesman for football equality charity Kick It Out said it was aware of the allegations and was awaiting a response from the club before it would comment further.
Of the three men, only Pearson has made a first team appearance in the Foxes' Capital One Cup defeat by Shrewsbury Town. | Three Leicester City players who it is claimed appeared in a racist sex tape have apologised for their behaviour. |
36,478,543 | Organisers said there would be 50,266 performances of 3,269 shows in 294 venues over three weeks in August.
It remains the largest arts festival in the world despite a small fall in the number of shows - down 1.3% from 3,314 last year.
Its new chief executive Shona McCarthy promised "unparalleled" breadth and diversity of talent.
She said the Fringe is "still at its core an open access festival which welcomes anyone with a story to tell".
"The Fringe simply wouldn't happen without all the performers and artists who come and take the risk and put their work on show for the benefit for all of us," she added.
The festival will be made up of:
Some of the famous names in the comedy line-up include Rory Bremner, Omid Djalili, David O'Doherty and Shappi Khorsandi.
Actor Richard Wilson will revive one of the UK's best-loved TV characters, One Foot in the Grave's cantankerous protagonist Victor Meldrew, for a one-man show.
In the music category, Colin Hay, former lead singer of Men at Work, will bring a group of international musicians together for his show while Fringe favourite Camille O'Sullivan will debut a new show featuring the music of Radiohead, Nick Cave and David Bowie.
The Queen's Hall will host concerts from big names in folk and traditional music including Capercaillie, The Peatbog Faeries and King Creosote.
Various theatrical performances will celebrate William Shakespeare's legacy as they mark the 400th anniversary of the Bard's death.
Both the UK poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy and Scotland's former makar (national poet) Liz Lochhead are bringing separate shows to the Fringe in the spoken-word section.
There will also be 643 free events on offer across the programme.
The Scottish Government is supporting a "Made in Scotland" showcase, providing a platform for 18 of the country's best performers and companies.
Councillor Richard Lewis, who is in charge of the capital's festivals and events, stressed the importance of the Fringe to locals and businesses alike.
"In terms of finances, the Fringe festival alone brings in £142m to the city.
"In terms of the respondents to our recent survey a full 72% of Edinburgh citizens thought it contributed positively to their quality of life." | The programme for this year's Edinburgh Fringe has been unveiled. |
37,230,484 | The 20-year-old has signed a three-year contract with a further year's option at the Championship club.
Engvall, who has been capped twice by his country, becomes the 12th signing to arrive at Ashton Gate this summer.
"This is another big transfer for us and it's taken a lot of hard work from a lot of people," said head coach Lee Johnson.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | Bristol City have signed Sweden striker Gustav Engvall from IFK Gothenburg for an undisclosed fee. |
35,906,568 | A monitoring group has backed the Syrian government's claim that the city was recaptured overnight by the army.
Military sources say the Syrian army now has "full control" after days of fighting backed by Russian air strikes.
Meanwhile, Syria's antiquities chief said the damage to the ancient city was less than previously feared.
"We were expecting the worst. But the landscape, in general, is in good shape," Maamoun Abdulkarim told the AFP news agency.
He said he felt "indescribable joy" that the city had not been completely destroyed.
An on-the-ground assessment of the destruction will be carried out in coming days in order to develop restoration plans, Mr Abdulkarim said.
More images of the damage caused by IS have emerged since Palmyra's recapture.
President Assad said the recapture of Palmyra showed the success of the army's strategy.
Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Mr Assad, a Kremlin spokesman said.
The Kremlin said President Assad knew the Palmyra operation "would have been impossible without Russia's support".
Why IS militants destroy ancient sites
Palmyra and the logic of loss
IS seized the Unesco World Heritage site and modern town in May 2015.
Palmyra is situated in a strategically important area on the road between the capital, Damascus, and the contested eastern city of Deir al-Zour.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, said at least 400 IS fighters were killed in the battle for Palmyra.
In a statement released on Saturday, Russia's defence ministry said its strikes hit 158 IS targets, killing more than 100 militants.
This is a victory for President Bashar al-Assad, who wants to show the world that he is a partner in fighting terrorism.
Backed by Russian war planes and Shia militias, government forces gained control over the ancient city and are now close to securing a vast area of the country.
But residents and observers cast doubts on why Mr Assad's forces pulled out from Palmyra in the first place, allowing Islamic State militants to get in to the city.
In May 2015, hundreds of IS fighters drove hundreds of kilometres across the desert to reach Palmyra, almost uninterrupted, while government forces were dropping barrel bombs over opposition areas full of civilians.
President Assad has now secured a stronger position in the peace talks. He is certainly seen as a problem-solver, but many say he is the source of the problem.
When IS seized the city it destroyed archaeological sites, drawing global outrage. Two 2,000-year-old temples, an arch and funerary towers were left in ruins.
The jihadist group, which has also demolished several pre-Islamic sites in neighbouring Iraq, believes that such structures are idolatrous.
Palmyra: Blowing ruins to rubble | President Bashar al-Assad has hailed the recapture of Palmyra from so-called Islamic State (IS) as an "important achievement" in the "war on terrorism". |
32,556,226 | The company said the fall in profit was mainly due to a one-off licensing fee of $9m (£5.93m) which it had received in 2013.
Turnover grew by 5% from £325m to £342m.
Almac employs more than 3,300 people in Northern Ireland and at facilities throughout the rest of the UK, the US and Asia.
It is aiming to add another 350 jobs over the next five years as it continues to expand.
In 2014, it paid salaries of £116m, with the highest paid director receiving £605,000.
The company provides services to other pharmaceutical firms, as well as developing its own products, mainly in cancer diagnostics.
It spent £3.6m on research during the year and benefited from almost £1.5m in research and development tax credits.
The firm is one of Northern Ireland's most successful exporters, and about 95% of its business comes from customers outside the UK.
Almac was formed in 2002, borne out of Galen Holdings, which was founded in 1968 by Sir Allen McClay.
Sir Allen died in 2010 and the firm is now owned by the McClay Foundation.
The pharmaceutical sector in Northern Ireland has been one of the strongest economic performers in recent years.
The most recent official figures show the sector growing at an annual rate of almost 10%. | Craigavon-based pharmaceutical group Almac made a pre-tax profit of £12.6m in 2014, down from £19.2m in 2013. |
37,228,475 | Finance Minister Michael Noonan said the Irish government will appeal the ruling.
Independent ministers have sought the recall of the Irish parliament if they are to back an appeal.
The meeting was adjourned until Friday.
After Wednesday's meeting, the Irish government said it had a "thorough discussion" on the European Commission's decision based on Mr Noonan's proposal that an appeal be lodged.
It said the cabinet had received a "detailed briefing" from Mr Noonan.
"Following the discussion, it was agreed to adjourn the meeting to allow further time to reflect on the issues and to clarify a number of legal and technical issues with the Attorney General's Office and with officials," the statement added.
"The government meeting will resume on Friday at 11am to make a decision on the matter."
Irish broadcaster RTÉ reports that independent ministers also sought a strong statement on tax policy if they are to back any government appeal.
Independent minister Katherine Zappone welcomed the adjournment and said it was important to allow time for the issues to be further explored.
Another independent minister Shane Ross said there had been a frank exchange of views at the meeting.
He said they had difficulties with taking any of the courses proposed at the meeting and did not know if those concerns would be met. He confirmed that the recall of the Irish parliament had been discussed.
The Irish government has said it "disagrees profoundly with the commission's analysis".
"Ireland did not give favourable tax treatment to Apple," it added.
"Ireland does not do deals with taxpayers. No fine or penalty has been levied against the Irish State.
"This decision has no effect on the 12.5% rate of corporation tax and is not about Ireland's wider corporation tax regime."
Speaking ahead of the meeting, Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny said time was needed to absorb the European Commission's decision, which runs to 150 pages.
He said the decision created an "unprecedented situation" and it was important people had the opportunity to have any anxieties addressed and to raise questions that they may have.
"The government has made its position very clear as outlined by Mr Noonan so we will have a good discussion with our colleagues around the table about it," he said.
Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe rejected appeals for an early recall of the Irish parliament to discuss the Apple case.
The Independent Alliance said it is reviewing the commission's decision.
The European Commission said Ireland's tax rulings had allowed Apple to pay substantially less tax than other businesses.
The Irish system had allowed profits to be attributed to a head office that "only existed on paper", said Margrethe Vestager, the European Commissioner for Competition.
It all comes down to Ireland's reputation.
The Irish government has been criticised, particularly in the US, for almost being a tax haven similar to the Cayman Islands, something it strongly denies.
But €13bn is a huge amount of money: It would go a long way towards solving the housing crisis in the Republic for example.
Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and Labour are more or less of the view that the government should appeal against the ruling.
But Sinn Féin are calling for an independent assessment of whether or not Apple did get unfair treatment, whether it was human error or whether the system colluded to create this situation as the European Commission seems to believe.
It believes the government should not appeal and should spend the money.
The left-wing parties also believe the money should be spend in citizens' interests.
For them, it is a moral issue as to whether or not Apple are being getting unfair treatment given the amount of money ordinary people pay in their taxes.
Thirteen billion euros is approximately equivalent to a quarter of what the Irish government spends per year, and what it spends on health in total.
The Republic of Ireland's government is a minority one, with Fine Gael being propped up by independents.
It is not clear whether the Independent Alliance cabinet members will vote to appeal the decision.
Apple itself is appealing against the decision, saying: "The European Commission has launched an effort to rewrite Apple's history in Europe, ignore Ireland's tax laws and upend the international tax system in the process.
"The commission's case is not about how much Apple pays in taxes, it's about which government collects the money. It will have a profound and harmful effect on investment and job creation in Europe.
"Apple follows the law and pays all of the taxes we owe wherever we operate. We will appeal and we are confident the decision will be overturned."
The appeal will be made first to the General Court of the European Union in Luxembourg and then to European Court of Justice.
€13bn
demanded in back taxes. Equal to:
ALL of Ireland's healthcare budget
66% of its social welfare bill
15 million iPhones
27% of Apple's 2015 profit
Apple chief executive Tim Cook has said the company is committed to Ireland and plans to continue investing.
Mr Cook has published a message on the company's website reiterating the organisation's commitment to Ireland. | The Republic of Ireland's Cabinet meeting to discuss the European Commission's decision that Ireland granted undue tax benefits of up to €13bn (£11bn) to Apple has been adjourned. |
38,167,190 | Anas al-Basha, 24, was a centre director for the civil society group, Space of Hope.
Government forces have been pounding rebel-held eastern districts of Aleppo as they continue an all-out assault to regain full control the city.
About 250,000 people are living under siege, among them 100,000 children.
There are no functioning hospitals left, and official food stocks are exhausted.
Mr Basha died in an air strike on Tuesday in the Mashhad neighbourhood, the Associated Press news agency reports.
"He lived to make children laugh and happy in the darkest most dangerous place," Mahmoud al-Basha, who identified himself as Anas' brother, wrote on Facebook.
"Anas who refused to leave Aleppo and decided to stay there to continue his work as a volunteer, to help the civilians and give gifts for the children in the streets to bring hope for them."
Mr Basha's parents left the city before the government began its siege of eastern Aleppo in July, according to AP. He married just two months ago, and his wife remains trapped in the rebel enclave.
The government offensive has brought unprecedented shelling and bombardment in recent weeks, reportedly leaving hundreds of civilians dead and prompting more than 25,000 to flee their homes.
On Wednesday, a top UN official warned that the city risked becoming "one giant graveyard".
Mr Basha's supervisor, Samar Hijazi, told AP she would remember him as a friend who loved to work with children.
"He would act out skits for the children to break the walls between them."
"All of us in this field are exhausted, and we have to find strength to provide psychological support and continue with our work," Ms Hijazi added. | A Syrian man who worked as a clown to bring comfort to children in a rebel-held part of Aleppo is reported to have been killed in an air strike. |
33,640,241 | The Sutton Trust study of 34 organisations which sponsor multiple academies says poor pupils in 22 of them performed significantly below the mainstream schools average in 2014.
But disadvantaged pupils in 11 chains outperformed those in mainstream schools at GCSE, the charity says.
Ministers said academies were transforming millions of pupils' lives.
In-depth analysis compared the results at 156 academies between 2012 and 2014 in 34 academy chains with those of mainstream state-funded schools.
The academies were chosen because they had been open and had GCSE results for the past three years.
The report, Chain Effects 2015, highlights how a handful of top performing chains, such as Ark and Harris Federation, with a large number of schools, were leading performance in the academy sector.
Results for disadvantaged students in these academy chains were at least 15 percentage points higher than those in mainstream schools, the report said.
But in many more academies, disadvantaged pupils did worse than those in mainstream schools. One chain performed at the mainstream average for disadvantaged pupils.
The results are significant because the government sees its academies programme as its main engine of improvement.
"Academy sponsorship is not a panacea," the report said.
Report author Prof Becky Francis said: "There is very significant variation in outcomes for disadvantaged pupils, both between and within chains.
"Some chains continue to achieve impressive outcomes for their disadvantaged students against a range of measures, demonstrating the transformational impact on life chances that can be made.
"However, a larger group of low-performing chains are achieving results that are not improving and may be harming the prospects of their disadvantaged students."
The report calls for new, clear and more rigorous criteria to be applied by the Department for Education (DfE) when sponsors are approved and commissioned.
"New chains should not be allowed to expand until they have a track record of success in driving improvement in their existing academies," it said.
"The government must not ignore the negative impact that a number of chains at the other end of the spectrum are having on school quality and (consequently) the life chances of the young people they serve," it added.
And it called for "the DfE to ensure transparency as academies are moved between chains" when standards were not good enough.
A DfE spokesman said: "The academies programme has transformed the lives of millions of pupils, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, as this report shows.
"We are already working with many excellent academy sponsors and are recruiting more to pair with struggling schools so every child has access to the excellent education they deserve."
He added: "We know that for some academies there is more to do - which is hardly surprising when many of these are most likely to include sponsored academies which have a history of low performance in their former schools." | Many academy chains in England are struggling to improve the results of disadvantaged pupils, a report says. |
31,921,474 | Ronald MacNeil, 55, captain of the vessel "Rob Roy", denied being culpable for the errors which allegedly led to the death of the diver, Graeme Mackie.
Mr Mackie, 31, from Tranent, East Lothian, died during a scallop-fishing expedition on 13 June 2011.
Mr MacNeil, from Leven, pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
He appeared at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court to face an indictment alleging he failed to provide proper training, supervision and adequate safety equipment in the run-up to the incident which happened near Methil docks.
It alleges that as "the master of the Rob Roy" and the person in charge of the fishing trip, he failed to ensure Mr Mackie, a father-of-one, was "suitably trained and competent" to dive on the trip.
It is claimed he did not ensure a standby diver was in place to give any necessary help to Mr Mackie while he was working.
The charges add that there was no equipment for monitoring Mr Mackie while he was diving.
Prosecutors said the skipper failed "to provide equipment which could have assisted in the recovery of Mr Mackie from the water onto the vessel, while he was working, in the event of an emergency and in consequence, Graeme Mackie, whilst working as a diver on the project entered the water, resurfaced in distress and thereafter failed to resurface whereby he drowned".
Mr MacNeil is also accused of failing "to ensure the project was planned, managed and conducted in a manner which protected the health and safety of all persons taking part in it, and particularly Graeme Mackie, now deceased, who was employed by you as a diver in relation to the project".
The charges claim the boat boss failed to assess the risk the diver was exposed to and did not ensure there were "sufficient people with suitable competence".
The skipper is also alleged to have put another diver, Alexander Grafton, at risk by failing to provide him with suitable means of communicating while underwater with people on the boat.
The charge said Mr Grafton, while underwater, should also have been provided with a lifeline to a surface marker buoy.
Sheriff Alistair Thornton set a trial date for June at Dunfermline Sheriff Court. | A Fife fishing boat skipper accused of health and safety failures which led to a diver drowning while scallop fishing off Fife is to stand trial in June. |
37,043,420 | The pair have won 14 titles since April 2015, including three consecutive Grand Slams.
However, a 41-match winning streak ended in February and they have failed to advance beyond the quarter-finals in their past four events.
But Swiss Hingis and India's Mirza will reunite to defend their WTA Finals title in Singapore in October.
The self-styled "Santina" team issued a statement which said: "We have mutually agreed that we would each be open to playing with other players for the remainder of the season.
"Perhaps, because of our great past results, we have had very high expectations from our partnership and unfortunately did not get the results we desired recently.
"We would like to clarify that it was a totally professional decision based purely on our recent results."
Mirza will link up with Czech Barbora Strycova at next week's Western & Southern Open, while Hingis is at the Rio Olympics partnering fellow Swiss Timea Bacsinszky. | World number one doubles pair Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza have ended their partnership after 16 months. |
36,402,573 | He becomes the club's first signing following relegation from the Championship this season and has agreed a two-year deal.
Yamfam spent the final weeks of the campaign on loan with the Addicks, featuring for the club's Under-18 and Under-21 sides.
The 18-year-old is yet to make his senior debut.
Yamfam is also Charlton's first signing since Steve Head became chief scout at The Valley earlier this week.
The south-east London club have been without a manager since Jose Riga resigned as head coach on 7 May.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | Managerless Charlton Athletic have signed winger Louis-Michel Yamfam from Stevenage for an undisclosed fee. |
12,011,102 | He told mourners at Laigh Kirk in Paisley, Scotland, that Ms Jones, 28, was very supportive after he witnessed a child dying in an accident.
He had questioned whether he would be able to carry out such a funeral.
"She said to me: 'In tragedy, it is never God's will. God's is the first heart to break and God is the first to shed a tear.'
"We rejoice she is now safe."
Helen grew up in Templand and left Lockerbie Academy with straight As in all her Higher exams.
She was such a brilliant scholar that she began studying divinity at Aberdeen University, aged just 16. She went on to achieve a first-class honours degree.
After this, she took a gap year with the Glasgow City Mission, working with drug addicts, prostitutes and the homeless. During the year, she also went to the US city of Denver to work for a sister organisation on an exchange.
She felt called to the Church of Scotland ministry, but feeling she wanted some "real life" experience before seeking selection, she trained as a chartered accountant in 1998 with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Glasgow.
There, she was known as "Sherlock Jones" due to her ability to sniff out accountancy errors.
In 2002, she moved to London and took up work in the strategic and commercial intelligence department with KPMG, then moved to Phoenix Equity Partners, a job she said she adored.
She lived in Holloway, north London, where she had bought a flat only two weeks before she died.
The last contact she had was with her boyfriend, Clive Brooks, just before she got on the Piccadilly Line that morning.
Her mother Liz Staffell and stepfather David Gould travelled to London to try to find her, but later gave up clinging to the slim hope she was still alive.
Her family said she was a "shining star" who loved parties and traditional folk music.
In a statement, her mother and stepfather said: "Wherever Helen went, she gathered up groups of people and organised them. Helen loved being with people, and was determined always to be involved and involving.
"It was impossible not to like her. She was big-hearted, warm, humorous and downright likeable. She drew people to herself in a unique way. She loved people and people loved her."
At the inquests her mother said a colleague recalled that a typical quiet evening meal out could end up involving most of the restaurant's other customers as she gathered complete strangers up into an amusing anecdote session.
They said Helen loved travelling and her holidays had taken her all round the world, from Australia to Iceland, from the Caribbean to Sweden.
"Into a busy life, Helen had packed more living, more loving and more giving than many of us will achieve in a very long life.
"One phrase has been oft repeated by friends and colleagues alike - her being in a situation made a considerable difference."
Her mother told the inquests that friends and family had contributed to a book of memories about Helen, and her own entry read: "We are infinitely poorer for having lost Helen. We are all infinitely richer for having known and loved her."
Her former neighbour of three years, Julie Roberts, said: "She was a very lively person, she had lots and lots of friends and was a fantastic friend and neighbour. She also used to throw great parties!
"She was extremely intelligent and successful and very, very kind."
Miss Roberts said when water leaked from her flat into Miss Jones's, blew her electrics and caused her kitchen ceiling to collapse, she just laughed and they drank gin and tonics into the early hours.
"I think that is indicative of her attitude to life.
"She was a strong person with an enormous sense of fun and nothing was ever too much trouble. She is very sorely missed."
Three appeals have been launched in her memory.
Donations of £1,026 from Helen's funeral were given to the Glasgow City Mission.
Work on the Eden Valley Hospice Children's Unit in Carlisle started following a £141,000 donation from her last employer, with some £6,000 given by others. The unit opened in December 2007.
The Helen Jones Appeal Fund was launched by the Scottish Trust for Education and Research with assistance of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland to provide grants for young people in Dumfries and Galloway who wish to become accountants. | The eulogy by her close friend, the Reverend David Thom, summed up the strength of Helen Jones. |
29,618,609 | It now expects growth this year to be 1.2%, down from its previous estimate of 1.8%. Next year, it expects the economy to grow by 1.3%, down from 2%.
A slowdown in the eurozone economy has hit German exports in recent months.
Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel said there was no reason for the government to change its economic policies.
The German economy - Europe's largest - contracted by 0.2% between April and June this year, while figures released last week showed that exports fell by 5.8% in August, the largest monthly drop in five years.
These followed weak industrial output figures and recent surveys showing a fall in business confidence.
Announcing the revised growth estimates, Mr Gabriel made it clear the government believed Germany's woes were not the result of troubles at home.
"The German economy finds itself in difficult external waters," he said.
"Domestic economic forces remain intact, with the robust labour market forming the foundation.
"As soon as the international environment improves, the competitiveness of German companies will bear fruit and the German economy will return to a path of solid growth."
For this reason, Mr Gabriel said there was "no reason to abandon or change our economic or fiscal policy".
Concerns about economic growth are not limited to Germany and the eurozone.
Last week, the International Monetary Fund cut its forecast for global economic growth for this year and next, warning that the recovery was "weak and uneven". | The German government has sharply cut its economic growth forecast for this year and next, citing "external" factors for the revision. |
33,728,105 | The suspect entered a Subway store on Monday, and demanded money from the two employees who "did not respond", according to police.
"The suspect became agitated and mumbled something under his breath as he walked out of the business," police said.
Police said the man appears to be middle aged, and wore a plastic bag over his face and a white T-shirt on his head.
Police in Coventry, Rhode Island are seeking the public's help to identify the suspect. | Police are searching for a man who failed to rob a sandwich shop in Rhode Island after being ignored by the teenage employees. |
39,306,593 | The Football Association of Malawi (FAM) also said at the time they would pull out of the 2018 African Nations Championship (CHAN).
But on Thursday, FAM boss Walter Nyamilandu told BBC Sport: "The government has now said not to withdraw, it will find the money.
"I can guarantee we will participate in the 2019 Nations Cup and CHAN 2018."
Malawi have been drawn against Madagascar in their opening match of the 2018 CHAN qualifying campaign which gets underway in April.
They are set to meet the winners of the tie between Comoros and Mauritius at home on 13 June in their first 2019 Nations Cup qualifier. | Malawi will now compete in 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying less than a week after stating they would withdraw. |
35,715,824 | He was taken to hospital with head and leg injuries after two men forced their way into his house in Halsall.
The raiders ran off with jewellery and watches, said police, who described it as an "isolated, targeted attack".
Mr Moores, 69, a member of Merseyside's Littlewoods Pools dynasty, sold the Anfield club to American duo George Gillett and Tom Hicks in 2007.
Fenway Sports Group bought the club from them in 2010.
Mr Moores was taken to Aintree hospital after the break-in on Wednesday night.
Anyone with information about the burglary is urged to contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers. | Former Liverpool owner David Moores has been attacked during a violent burglary at his home in west Lancashire. |
36,225,398 | Healy took over from Warren Feeney in October and the Blues were title contenders until finishing Premiership runners-up behind Crusaders.
Linfield's last Irish Cup triumph was under David Jeffrey when they completed the double in 2012.
Glenavon hope to win the competition for the second time in three years.
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Linfield will have home advantage as the cup final is traditionally staged at their Windsor Park ground in Belfast, Northern Ireland's international stadium.
Healy, 36, enjoyed many memorable moments at the venue, notably Northern Ireland's winner against England in 2005 and hat-trick in the 3-2 victory over Spain the following year.
"Linfield showed a lot of faith in me, giving me the opportunity to be manager," said Healy, scorer of 36 goals for Northern Ireland.
"Personally, winning the Irish Cup would mean a great deal to me. But it would mean a lot to the players as well, especially those who have been at the club for a few years."
Former Rangers and Fulham star Healy will be up against a familiar face in Saturday's showpiece as he has known Gary Hamilton since his youth league days.
"We go back a long way, I played at Lisburn Youth when he was there and I was at Blackburn when he was at Man United, so we saw each other at school every Thursday," said player-manager Hamilton, 35.
"I was lucky enough to be in a few Northern Ireland squad when he was top man and banging the goals in."
Hamilton has earned praise for the progress Glenavon have made since he took over at Mourneview Park midway through the 2011/12 season.
In his second full season in charge the Lurgan club won the Irish Cup and they have finished third and qualified for Europe in the last two campaigns.
Linfield, league runners-up and playing on their own pitch, are favourites with the bookmakers.
But Glenavon, having pulled off a remarkable 4-3 win over champions Crusaders at Windsor in the semi-finals, will fancy their chances of more silverware.
In the two Premiership matches between the sides at Windsor this season, Linfield won 4-3 in September under previous boss Feeney, and February's fixture ended in a 1-1 draw.
Healy missed a chance to land his first trophy as Blues boss in January when they lost 3-2 to Ballymena in the County Antrim Shield final. | Northern Ireland's record scorer David Healy will attempt to win his first trophy as a manager when Linfield take on Glenavon in the Irish Cup final. |
33,668,261 | The blaze was spotted at 07:45 BST on Sunday at the former cinema in Alexandra Street in the resort.
Essex Fire Service's incident commander said: "A large amount of smoke has been generated by the fire so we are advising nearby residents to close their windows."
No casualties have been reported and fire crews were damping down the fire from above. | A fire has broken out in a derelict cinema in Southend. |
36,107,742 | Angry Marseille fans criticised owner Margarita Louis-Dreyfus and described her as an "incompetent rich heiress" during the draw on 11 April.
Another banner held up said: "Go back to your real job, housewife."
The French League (LFP) said that two stands will remain partially shut while an investigation takes place.
England play their opening Euro 2016 fixture against Russia at the stadium on 11 June.
Around 200 supporters were dispersed by police using tear gas at the end of the game.
Marseille, whose coach Michel was replaced by Franck Passi on Tuesday, are 15th in the Ligue 1 standings, six points above the relegation zone with four games left. | Parts of Marseille's newly-renovated Stade Velodrome have been closed after crowd trouble marred a Ligue 1 game against Bordeaux earlier this month. |
37,341,660 | Is there something you have seen or heard that you would like us to investigate?
It could be a burning issue or something you have always wondered about the area or its people.
Use the tool below to send us your questions.
We could be in touch and your question could make the news. | Have you got a question about Birmingham and the Black Country? |
19,725,990 | The Shahed (Witness) 129 had a range of 2,000km (1,240 miles) and could be equipped with bombs and missiles, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps said.
It is reportedly capable of carrying out reconnaissance and combat missions.
Last year, the Iranian authorities displayed a US drone which they claimed to have brought down electronically.
The US insisted that Iran neither shot down the the RQ-170 Sentinel nor used electronic warfare or cyber-technology to force it from the sky. They blamed a malfunction.
Later, the head of the IRGC's aerospace programme, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, said it was trying to build a copy of the drone. It is not clear whether the Shahed 129 bears any resemblance.
The unveiling of the drone follows a major naval exercise in the Gulf by the US and its allies.
Thirty countries participated in the manoeuvres designed to test the international community's capacity to deal with mines that could hamper shipping in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil supply is transported.
The exercises took place amid heightened tensions between the West and Iran over the Islamic Republic's nuclear programme.
On Monday, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he was not concerned by the threat that Israel could launch a military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities.
"Fundamentally we do not take seriously the threats of the Zionists," he told reporters in New York. "We have all the defensive means at our disposal and we are ready to defend ourselves."
He also ignored a plea by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for both sides to avoid "incendiary rhetoric" by saying the modern state of Israel had "no roots" in the Middle East and would eventually be "eliminated".
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently warned that Iran was only six or seven months from having "90%" of what it needed to make a nuclear bomb, and urged the US to draw a "red line" which if crossed would lead to military intervention.
Iran insists its nuclear programme is solely for peaceful purposes. | Iran has unveiled what it says is a new "indigenous" long-range unmanned drone capable of flying over most of the Middle East, state media report. |
35,849,563 | It was the hosts' fourth win in five National League games as they consigned Wrexham to a first defeat in nine.
Disley's drive amid sloppy Wrexham defending from Nathan Arnold's assist gave them Paul Hurst's men the lead at the break.
The hosts went on to deny Gary Mills' side's increasingly desperate attempts to equalise.
The Mariners went close to adding a second when Rob Evans had to hack another Disley shot off the line and Patrick Hoban headed against the crossbar.
Wrexham's best chance was an overhead effort from Connor Jennings, which was cleared off the line by Evan Horwood.
Grimsby boss Paul Hurst told BBC Radio Humberside:
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"As I said, going into the game they were the form team and hadn't conceded a goal in the last six. We managed to put that to bed pretty early. Overall I think it's a deserved win.
"I thought we played very well first half. I think that's the best we've played for a very long time and I said that to the players.
"Training hasn't been great in truth on Thursday and Friday. When it mattered the players produced a performance which we've been asking from them." | Craig Disley struck early on to boost Grimsby's promotions hopes, denting Wrexham's in the process. |
28,033,372 | Raytheon was hired by the previous Labour government to set up an electronic system for counting all travellers in and out of the UK.
It was fired by the coalition in 2010 over alleged poor performance and is suing the government for £500m.
MPs are demanding to know why the case has not been settled.
Instead of fighting it in open court, both parties agreed to go to arbitration, meaning hearings were held behind closed doors in a private court.
The outcome has yet to be revealed by the arbitration panel, even though hearings are thought to have ended a year ago.
The Home Office said in June last year it expected a verdict "soon". Raytheon said in April this year it would probably come in the first half of 2014.
The cost to British taxpayers is likely to run into hundreds of millions of pounds but MPs fear the full details of the dispute will never be revealed.
Conservative MP Mark Reckless, speaking in a Westminster Hall debate on migration statistics on Thursday, asked whether arbitration in private was "really appropriate in terms of public contracts, let alone ones for £750m".
Keith Vaz, chairman of the home affairs select committee, said: "This is about the public knowing. It's public money that's gone into this. We also need to know why it has taken four years.
"We need to know what went wrong so we don't do it again. For all we know, if we don't know what went wrong, this could be happening again and again and it is vital that we get to the problem of e-borders."
E-borders was meant to collate and store on a single database information about all passengers who enter and leave the UK to improve security and identify suspected terrorists and criminals.
The coalition terminated the contract with Raytheon in May 2010 saying it had no confidence in the supplier to address problems with the system.
Raytheon said the government's targets and objectives changed repeatedly through the course of the programme, which covered both Labour and coalition administrations.
At the time, the Home Office said Raytheon would be replaced by a new e-borders supplier "as a matter of urgency".
But in March this year, ministers formally killed off the e-borders name, moving its functions into the Borders System Programme.
This relies on the Home Office Warnings Index, first introduced in 1995, and Semaphore, a pilot system developed by IBM in 2004 that was meant to have been replaced by the Raytheon-led Trusted Borders consortium.
Immigration Minister James Brokenshire told MPs that the aim of counting all passengers in and out of the UK to provide more accurate immigration statistics - one of the original objectives of the e-borders system - had been dropped.
But he said the Office for National Statistics was experimenting with using data from Semaphore to improve the accuracy of its migration figures.
The figures are currently based on a random survey of travellers, a process that has been heavily criticised by the Public Administration Committee for its wide margin of error.
He said the Home Office was still on track to introduce exit checks at international rail, sea and air terminals by April 2015.
And the electronic monitoring system it has been using since 2010 was fulfilling the original mission of e-borders "to target and monitor those seeking to travel to and from the UK who may harm this country's interests".
"It is an extremely valuable tool and, indeed, since 2010 our borders systems have issued alerts resulting in 13,300 arrests, including 60 for murder, 59 for kidnap and 167 for rape," he told MPs.
Keith Vaz said the Labour government he had been a part of had made a "huge mistake" by signing a £750m deal with Raytheon in the first place and the coalition had been right to cancel it.
He said the US multinational, which manufactures missile defence systems and made the computer guidance system for the Apollo 11 moon shot, had been hired because it had delivered similar border security systems in other parts of the world.
But he said the ministers in charge - which did not include himself - had mishandled the contract.
"When they signed the agreement with Raytheon, they did not put benchmarks in that agreement, as a result of that Raytheon was able to turn round and say 'well, we were not told what to do.'
"This is the subject of an arbitration that has been going on, I think, for four years. It could well be the longest arbitration in history. And every time we ask for information, nobody wants to tell the select committee what is going on."
Labour's shadow immigration minister David Hanson backed calls for the full details of the case to be published so it could be held up to public scrutiny.
Mr Brokenshire neglected to address the Raytheon issue in the Westminster Hall debate - but was urged to "take notice" of MPs' concerns by Bernard Jenkin, the Conservative chairman of the Public Administration Committee.
Raytheon executives were quizzed about the e-borders legal battle in April, in a conference call with financial journalists.
Senior vice president and chief financial officer Dave Wajsgras said: "We expect the decision from the panel sometime in the first half of 2014. That's our expectations. But it's behind closed doors and we'll see, you know, when we get a decision. That's all we have." | Ministers are facing calls to reveal the cost of a four-year legal battle with the US defence giant they sacked from the aborted e-borders project. |
36,632,242 | The star talks the way she sings, with an engaging honesty that fans instantly relate to (although her stage patter has better punchlines).
She was on typically fine form during her headline set at Glastonbury. Here are a selection of her best on-stage moments.
"This is mad," Adele declared, surveying the audience after her first song, the appropriately-titled Hello.
"I'll just have to go straight into another one my darlings, cos I don't know what to say to you yet."
"Oh my God, I just burped! I had a dirty burger before I came on, that's why."
"For the last two days I've been spontaneously bursting into tears. I'll be really excited one minute and then I'll think it's the end of the world. I was literally expecting to come on to a soggy hay bale blowing in the wind."
"I did a show in Belfast and two women started having a cat-fight with a pair of stiletto high heels. They get drunk at my shows and they feel all their emotions, and then all hell breaks loose."
"I watched Muse last night, had a Chinese, did some washing up."
"I might have to start again. I'm a bit out of breath from all that dancing. It's also an excuse to wipe my sweaty top lip."
"I'm sure you're aware that I don't really have many upbeat happy songs... but I do have a couple, so I'm going to give one to you now.
"After that, it does get miserable. But let's just be miserable together, alright? Let's just embrace it because I'm not going anywhere for an hour and a half."
"Do you know how rock and roll I am? Not very, but the BBC had to give a warning about my potty mouth before I went on. I bet Muse didn't get that."
"I have had some of the best times of my life on a Saturday night here at Glastonbury. Moments in my life that I'll remember forever. That's why I'm so excited for you because after this some of you are going to have the most incredible, incredible things happen to you. I'm really excited for you. Oh my Gawd, it's a right laugh."
"Do you have anyone in your life that you would rather not be in it? I've had a lot, hence all my albums."
"I didn't do a video because I was nine and half months pregnant and about to drop any day. Who wants to do a Bond video if you don't look like Halle Berry?"
"It's a bit weird all the stuff that's going on at the moment, and we all need to look after each other."
"This is, by far, the best moment of my life. I didn't want to come on and now I don't want to go off."
"I've been dying for my cider. Oh my days, I'm going to have a few." | Adele's concerts have become almost as known for her interaction with fans, as for her music. |
38,651,339 | The Portishead branch line shut in 1964 and is due to reopen in 2020.
The £100m scheme by the West of England Partnership and Network Rail will link the town with Bristol Temple Meads and the Severn Beach Line.
But a report by the partnership has warned the cost of the MetroWest Phase 1 project will surpass its budget.
It cited losing two level crossings on the route and engineering works through the Avon Gorge and South Bristol will "considerably" increase the estimated costs.
The rail firm has not yet revealed details of further costs involved but will do so when it publishes its own report in March.
Discussions are under way with Network Rail and the Department for Transport on "how additional funding can be identified", the report said.
Elfan Ap Rees, deputy leader of North Somerset Council, accused Network Rail of putting up "utterly ridiculous obstacles".
"We've got freight trains using that particular line every day," he said.
"We're talking about five kilometres of new track laid over where there was a railway line before."
Network Rail said it had worked "very closely" with the partnership to undertake "a detailed engineering study to determine the extent of works and associated costs".
"We are now nearing the completion of that study and will be presenting the details of the various options and costs to the West of England Transport Partnership in March this year to enable them to determine the best way forward, " it added. | A £58m project to restore a disused railway line will cost "considerably" more than originally planned, a report has found. |
38,968,289 | The 43-year-old woman was found dead in Hill Street, Kingswood, near Bristol, at about 00:45 GMT on Sunday.
The man, 38, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and failing to stop after an accident. He has been bailed until 6 March.
Police said the woman's injuries were "consistent with her being involved in a road traffic collision". | A man arrested in connection with the death of a woman whose body was found on a road has been released on bail. |
39,843,895 | Information from users' profiles was included in the spam messages.
The Guardian newspaper's publisher, which runs the service, said "human error" was at fault.
Guardian News & Media blamed a third-party technology provider for the problem, which has now been fixed.
The BBC was contacted by one user who said they had started receiving sexually explicit spam emails sent to an account they only used with the dating service.
Their Guardian Soulmates username appeared in the messages.
The person, who requested that they remain anonymous, said they first contacted Soulmates six months ago because they were concerned about what other data may have been taken.
"I basically had been receiving spam […] directly referencing information that could only have come from the Soulmates database," said another affected user, who also wished to remain anonymous.
"It's all information that I was happy to put online at one point anyway, but when it's used outside of context like that it does feel a lot more creepy."
The user told the BBC that they alerted Guardian Soulmates in November last year and received an email confirming what had happened in late April.
While the user - who works in IT - said they understood that incidents like this can occur, they were also surprised to be affected as they had not used the site for several years and were no longer paying a membership fee.
"I'm still pretty miffed that I'll probably forever receive spam from this," they added.
A spokeswoman for the site - which costs users up to £32 ($41.50) per month - added that while only email addresses and user IDs had been exposed directly, such information could be used "to find members' publicly available online profiles".
Details on public profiles, such as a photo, relationship preferences and physical description, could then potentially be accessed.
"We can confirm we have received 27 enquiries from our members which show evidence of their email addresses used for their Soulmates account having been exposed," the spokeswoman said, adding that there was no evidence that the data exposure had been caused by an outside party.
"Our ongoing investigations point to a human error by one of our third-party technology providers, which led to an exposure of an extract of data," she said.
Guardian News & Media had apologised to affected users and would "continue to review" its processes and third-party suppliers, she told the BBC.
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has said it is "aware of a potential incident involving Guardian Soulmates and will be looking into the details".
"The law requires all organisations handling personal data to take appropriate measures to keep that information secure," a spokeswoman said.
"As the regulator, it's our job to act on behalf of the UK public to see whether that's happened."
Data made available by the exposure could have been used in a variety of ways by scammers, said Prof Alan Woodward, a cyber-security expert at the University of Surrey.
He pointed out that Guardian Soulmates was the latest in a long line of incidents where users' personal data has been made public either accidentally or following cyber-attacks.
"It's almost depressing really that it keeps happening - particularly on something like a dating site, which I think most people would consider to be a bit more sensitive," he said.
"When we start using an online service of any nature, we put our trust in people to protect our information."
Users who are concerned that data from their account might have been accessed should contact [email protected]. | Users of Guardian Soulmates have been targeted with sexually explicit spam emails after their contact information was accidentally exposed on the dating site. |
37,811,214 | Alasdair Allan wants the government to approve a more flexible system for those looking for work north of the border after they qualify.
The UK-wide post-study visa scheme was scrapped in 2012.
Since then, the SNP has campaigned for its return.
An inquiry by the Scottish affairs committee earlier this year concluded that removing the visa had made Scotland a less attractive destination to study.
But the UK government rejected the call, saying other visa options were available for former students.
UK Immigration Minister Robert Goodwill said on Friday that restoring the scheme in Scotland would complicate the immigration system.
However, he has now agreed to an "urgent" meeting with Mr Allan.
The post-work study visa allowed overseas graduates to work for two years in the UK after completing their studies.
It was abolished after the Home Office concluded that the system had been open to widespread abuse.
Dr Allan said Mr Goodwill needed to show that he was listening to Scotland to provide an immigration system that met the country's needs.
He added: "There is consensus in Scotland - amongst business, education and every political party in Holyrood - that we need a return of a post-study route to allow talented students to remain and contribute to the Scottish economy.
"We have pressed the UK government for a number of months to meet with us and discuss this issue further and I look forward to hearing what Mr Goodwill has to say to justify this extremely disappointing and mystifying decision."
A UK government spokeswoman said: "The UK continues to welcome genuine students coming to our world-class universities and we are determined to make sure that what we offer brings real benefits to this country.
"As the home secretary announced earlier this month, we will be consulting on what more we can do to strengthen the system to support the best universities - and those that stick to the rules - to attract the best talent.
"This is not about pulling up the drawbridge to reduce student numbers, but making sure that those students that come here, come to study." | Scotland's international development minister is to hold talks with the UK government after it rejected calls for the reintroduction of a work visa system for international students. |
29,703,281 | The ex-diplomat, who has argued for more immigration controls, will sit as a crossbencher in the House of Lords.
Former Commons Clerk Sir Robert Rogers, former MI5 boss Sir Jonathan Evans and education expert Professor Alison Wolf are also honoured after being nominated by Prime Minister David Cameron.
Downing Street said it reflected their proven track record of public service.
The peerages have been approved by The Queen.
Sir Andrew Green founded Migration Watch in 2001 after serving in the Diplomatic Service for 35 years, including as UK Ambassador to Syria and Saudi Arabia.
The organisation, which campaigns for a more managed immigration policy, said the nomination was a "clear endorsement at the highest level" of the work it had done.
UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage said Mr Green had "doggedly applied statistics and hard evidence to the thorny questions surrounding migration into this country".
He added: "Without his clear work, the debate in this country would still be typified by attempts to blank out debate. The political class and the country at large owes him a debt of gratitude."
Sir Robert Rogers served in the historic role of Clerk to the House of Commons and chief executive of the House of Commons Service for three years before his retirement earlier this year, having worked in the House of Commons for four decades.
His retirement triggered a row over the scope and duties of the role with many MPs unhappy about the proposed choice of Australian Carole Mills to succeed him.
The recruitment process, overseen by Commons Speaker John Bercow, has now been paused, with MPs conducting an inquiry.
Sir Jonathan Evans retired as director general of the domestic Security Service, better known as MI5, last year after six years at the top of the organisation.
He joined MI5 as a 22 year old in 1980 and had a key role in shaping the UK's counter-terrorism response to the 9/11 attacks in New York and Washington.
Professor Alison Wolf is an expert on vocational education and training and on the relationship between education, gender and the labour market. She is currently the Professor of Public Sector Management at King's College London.
The majority of non-political nominations for life peerages are made by the House of Lords Appointment Commission, although a handful of crossbench nominations are recommended directly for approval by The Queen by the prime minister.
In a statement, Mr Cameron said he was "extending the criteria for these recommendations to ensure they can properly encompass a range of individuals with a proven track record of public service, not solely public servants on retirement".
The four nominations will still be vetted by the Commission but without the power of veto. | The head of Migration Watch, Sir Andrew Green, is among several public figures to have been awarded peerages. |
36,758,529 | It's usually just a handshake but for Wimbledon he makes an exception - and I think he might even have got a bit emotional.
My mum was teasing him about it while we were on our way to the Champions' Ball, because a few people messaged us with Gifs zooming in on Ivan during the final - his eyes definitely looked a bit red and teary!
I asked him: "Did you have a cry?" He said: "No, of course not. I've just got hay fever."
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There was no dancing for me and [ladies' singles champion] Serena Williams at the ball - I think the tradition had finished until Novak Djokovic wanted to do it last year.
It's a nice thing to do but it never really happened this year, and I was just lucky to leave the stage in one piece.
When Serena and I were coming off the stage together a few people were shouting "dance, dance" - and I got distracted and literally fell down the stairs. I had dress shoes on with slippy soles and things almost got a bit ugly.
Fortunately, I got away with it and think a few of my team definitely woke up feeling worse than me.
I had a few drinks, which I would normally only do to calm down if I'm on a bumpy flight, but some of the others pushed it a bit harder.
I got to bed at about 4am and was up at 8am, and I'm happy to report there was no sore head - although maybe a bit of dizziness!
It was a great night though, everyone enjoyed themselves, and those moments after winning something as big as Wimbledon are really special.
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There was no thought of skipping my regular ice bath after the final - I needed it.
I remembered that the last time I won in 2013, I didn't do recovery after the final - and I then sat in a car and went to the ball.
I felt awful that night. Just standing up was trouble, so I thought I'd better do something this time around. I am 29 now, after all.
The nicest thing for me after the match was the time spent in the locker room with some great champions.
Stefan Edberg was there, Boris Becker, Pat Cash, Richard Krajicek, and obviously Ivan - he wasn't a bad player.
We weren't talking about tennis but just chatting about other stuff, like kids and life in general. That was really nice to be a part of.
It just feels surreal chatting to them about other things and having them come to see me play. When I remember watching them as I was growing up - and even now - I still sometimes look at videos of them playing. It's weird.
To see my name go up on the winners' board for a second time is amazing but it's hard to process where I fit in among all those great names right now.
I think maybe that's something for when I finish playing and look back.
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There might have been a bit more pressure going into the final because it was an opportunity, without Novak on the other side of the net, but I think my experience helped in the tight moments.
I would love to now go on and get to number one in the rankings but it will be incredibly difficult as Novak's consistency has been unbelievable.
I'll need to keep up my level of the last couple of months right through until the end of the year to close the gap.
That means more hard work, and there's no doubt that physically it is very demanding, but there are way worse jobs in the world.
I really enjoy training, it's not something I hate. I like practising, I like going to the gym, I like trying to get better physically.
The hardest part for me is when the cameras are on. That's when there's pressure and it's stressful. But I love the rest of the life. I love the travelling, going to new cities, new countries.
The matches are the hard part and everything that goes on around that, and that's why I've got to make sure I enjoy special moments like this.
Andy Murray was talking to BBC Sport's Piers Newbery. | I knew I must have achieved something special on Sunday because I got a hug from Ivan Lendl. |
35,862,722 | William Robertson, from North Berwick, received the Insignia of Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur.
It was presented by French Consul General Emmanual Cocher.
The 90-year-old's unit was the 5/7th Gordon Highlanders, one of the battalions of 153 Brigade of the 51st Highland Division.
Mr Robertson received the medal at a ceremony in the Hope Rooms, North Berwick.
He said: "I was an enthusiastic 18-year-old Private in the Gordon Highlanders when we crossed the English Channel to France, and saw actions in Belgium, Holland and Germany - including the night assault crossing of the River Rhine on 23 May 1945."
Mr Robertson went to Perth Academy before becoming an articled clerk in London with his uncle's firm, moving on to work for Dunlop and marrying in Perth in 1953.
He was then posted to Rhodesia in 1961 where he became a director of the company 11 years later and he and his wife returned to the UK in 1986. | An East Lothian World War Two veteran has been presented with France's highest military honour for his war service 71 years ago. |
39,972,197 | A problem on the line between Luton and Harpenden left lines in both directions in the area blocked, Network Rail said.
The fault has been fixed but the Thameslink service between Brighton and Bedford will be disrupted until at least 13:00 BST.
Services between London St Pancras and Nottingham, Leicester, Derby and Sheffield are also affected.
Live updates and other stories from the area
Roger Perkins from Thameslink said that while the problem, which started just before 02:00 BST, has been mended, disruption will continue.
"Network Rail have now got the signalling up and running again and we will soon, we hope, be able to start running our trains again, but they really are very much backed up and completely in the wrong place.
"It's such a busy service it takes a really long time to get everything back and running on the normal timetable so there will be disruption right through the morning."
National Rail has warned passengers services may be cancelled or delayed by up to 90 minutes.
Tickets are being accepted on Great Northern, South West Trains and Southern services via any reasonable route, buses between Elephant and Castle and Elstree and Borehamwood, and the London Underground by any reasonable route. | Commuters are facing "major disruption" - including cancellations and delays - caused by a signalling fault. |
38,104,092 | Former servicemen Sean Langton started the festival to help raise awareness of the impact of difficulties war veterans and their families face after service.
The three-day festival at the National Library of Wales will showcase 40 films from 17 different countries.
Mr Langton says film making helped deal with post traumatic stress disorder.
"One thing became clear when I was talking to people was I was coping better with my mental health," said the former British Army engineer.
"The only thing I could contribute that to was the cathartic process of telling my story on film and telling the story of other veterans.
"It shifted the focus from my depression and mental health towards something constructive."
Mr Langton, who served for six years in the Royal Corps of Signals, has made a number of documentaries since leaving the military and set up the charity Veteran Films.
This weekend's film festival is one of just three veterans' film festivals around the world.
Friday's opening is a showing of the 2014 film Kajacki based on a true story of a small unit of British soldiers near the Kajaki dam in Afghanistan.
"It's documenting the stories of the veterans," said volunteer Neil Davies, a former Royal Air Force officer.
"A lot of these veterans have families and it's nice for them to be able to show their children something, because a lot of the time they won't talk about their time serving and what they experienced.
"This gives their children at least a chance to hear what they went through." | A former soldier turned award-winning filmmaker will launch the first UK international veterans' film festival which starts in Aberystwyth on Friday. |
18,160,632 | Gary Connery, 42, used a "wingsuit" to make his descent from 2,400ft (730m) above Oxfordshire.
The 42-year-old said he felt "elated" after landing on a pile of 18,600 cardboard boxes.
He was fitted with a parachute for the jump, which saw him accelerate to 80mph, but it was not deployed.
The entire flight took less than a minute to complete.
During the flight, father-of-two Mr Connery dropped for three seconds before his suit "started to fly".
He used a landing strip of cardboard boxes, known as a box rig, covering about 350ft (100m) by 45ft (15m).
Cameraman Mark Sutton also jumped from the helicopter in a wingsuit but deployed a parachute before landing.
Minutes after landing, Mr Connery said: "I feel incredible, just completely elated.
"I have been training and planning for this record attempt for many years now and I am so proud to have achieved a world first.
"I want to thank everyone involved for their support and belief in me because this really has been a team effort.
"Tonight will be all about celebrating with friends and family. Tomorrow I will be plotting my next daring challenge.
"I was absolutely fine afterwards. I was completely buzzing."
The jump had been planned for early April but had to be postponed due to poor weather conditions, he said.
Mr Connery, who has worked on films including Die Another Day, Batman Begins and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, said performing stunts was "his life".
He has already completed about 880 skydives and 450 base jumps.
Before carrying out the flight in countryside near his home in Henley-on-Thames, Mr Connery, whose wingsuit has the ability to dramatically reduce speed on descent, said he was "100% confident" he would be successful. | A stuntman is thought to have become the first person to jump out of a helicopter and land safely without deploying a parachute. |
32,879,802 | Sir Jonathan previously held the role of senior vice president of design and helped design of some of the tech giant's most popular gadgets.
He was knighted in 2012 for his services to design.
The move was first revealed in an interview with Sir Jonathan in the Telegraph newspaper.
In an internal memo to employees, published later by tech blog 9to5Mac, chief executive Tim Cook said Sir Jonathan's newly created role would now expand beyond its devices and into designing the company's retail stores, new California campus and even office furniture.
Apple is in the middle of building a new campus, also known as "spaceship" for its circular shape that will house about 12,000 workers.
"In this new role, he will focus entirely on current design projects, new ideas and future initiatives," Mr Cook said in the memo.
"Jony is one of the most talented and accomplished designers of his generation, with an astonishing 5,000 design and utility patents to his name."
Sir Jonathan has helped design products like the iPod, iPhone, iPad and smartwatch over the last couple of decades.
There were reports earlier this year that Apple was working on a car and that he could be behind its design.
He will start the new role in July.
Some of Sir Jonathan's previous day-to-day management duties will now be shared by two other executives, who will work under him.
Richard Howarth - another Brit - will take over as the new head of industrial design at Apple, making him responsible for the crafting of its hardware.
His name previously came to prominence during an Apple v Samsung patent fight in 2012, when court filings revealed he had played a key role in the design of the original iPhone.
And Alan Dye - an American - will become vice president of user interface design - putting him in charge of engineering the way consumers interact with its software.
He recently featured in a Wired article, which described the work he had done on the Apple Watch.
Allowing Sir Jonathan to take a step back from some of his previous duties may reflect the fact that he was described as "exhausted" in a recent profile by the New Yorker.
"I just burnt myself into not being very well," he told the magazine, referring to the fact he had suffered pneumonia in the run-up to the release of the firm's smartwatch.
The article, published in February, said Sir Jonathan had wished to discourage the suggestion that he might be preparing to leave Apple.
Confirmation that he intends to stay with the company - albeit while engaging in more travel away from its California base - is likely to reassure investors.
"Jony Ive is intrinsically linked to the Apple phenomenon," commented Ben Wood from the CCS Insight tech consultancy.
"Apple runs through his veins in the same way it did with Steve Jobs, thanks to the focus he has given to the products that it has delivered.
"To be one step removed from that does come with some risks for the organisation."
Apple's market capitalisation currently stands at $763.6bn (£495.3bn), making it the most valuable company in the world. | Apple has promoted British designer Jony Ive to the role of chief design officer at the world's most valuable company, according to reports. |
36,629,331 | She was speaking after a meeting of the Scottish cabinet at her official residence, Bute House in Edinburgh.
Thursday's referendum saw Scotland, London and Northern Ireland vote in favour of Remain - while England and Wales backed Brexit.
Ms Sturgeon has said a new independence referendum is "highly likely".
The cabinet formally agreed to begin work to legislate for a second independence vote, so that the option is "deliverable", while an expert advisory group is to be set up to study what else could be done.
Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson has voiced opposition to a second referendum, saying she wants "stability prioritised".
And while Labour's Kezia Dugdale said her party would "consider all options", she underlined her support for "the union of nations across the United Kingdom".
Ms Sturgeon said: "Most of our discussions this morning centred on what we can do in the here and now and in the negotiations that lie ahead to protect Scotland's relationship with the European Union and our place in the single market.
"Cabinet agreed that we will seek to enter into immediate discussions with the EU institutions and other EU member states to explore all possible options to protect Scotland's place in the EU."
Scottish voters backed the UK staying in the EU by 62% to 38%, contrary to the UK-wide result of 52% choosing Brexit.
Ms Sturgeon said her cabinet had expressed "pride" at the "emphatic vote" from across Scotland to remain, saying a majority of Scots clearly felt "deep disappointment" at the overall result.
She said: "We are determined to act decisively, but in a way that builds unity across Scotland about the way forward.
"We are determined to draw on as much support and advice from across Scotland as possible."
The result has caused upheaval at Westminster, with Prime Minister David Cameron announcing he is to step down.
Ms Sturgeon spoke after Jeremy Corbyn said he will not stand down if there is a challenge to his leadership of the Labour Party.
He is facing a vote of no confidence over what some of his MPs called his "lacklustre" campaigning for Remain in the EU referendum.
Amid this, Ms Sturgeon insisted that her government, which also campaigned for Remain, "will not be taking our eye off the day to day business".
She said: "As Westminster is engulfed in political turmoil and as a vacuum of leadership develops, I want to make it clear that Scotland is led by a stable and effective government.
"We are focused on making sure that Scotland's interests are protected, but we are also determined to continue our work to further improve our schools, our hospitals and our economy."
The first minister also stressed that citizens of other EU countries were still welcome in Scotland, and has invited the consuls general of all EU member states to a summit at Bute House to discuss "how clearly we value the contribution they make".
She said: "Scotland is, and will continue to be, an attractive and stable place to do business.
"One particular group we are anxious to reassure is the community of EU citizens living here in Scotland. People from other EU countries who have done us the honour of choosing to make Scotland their home are welcome here.
"I want to make sure that is a message we get across strongly in the weeks and months ahead."
Ms Davidson, while underlining her opposition to a second referendum, welcomed Ms Sturgeon's plans for an expert panel of advisors.
She said: "The advisory group established by the first minister should encompass the widest possible support.
"The Scottish Conservatives want to be constructive and would like to propose suitably qualified personnel to engage with the group."
Scottish Labour leader Ms Dugdale meanwhile attacked the Tories for taking the "needless risk" of the EU referendum.
She said: "It is clear that, rather than being the party who stands up for the United Kingdom, all the Conservatives have done since the 2014 referendum is put the UK in danger.
"Whether it was English Votes for English Laws, a divisive general election campaign which set Scotland against England, a divisive Scottish election campaign which told Scots all that mattered was whether you were a unionist or a nationalist, and now a Brexit vote which raises the possibility of a second referendum, the Tories have put the future of the UK in danger at every turn."
The Scottish Liberal Democrats are to meet on Sunday to discuss their response to the vote, although leader Willie Rennie has backed Ms Sturgeon in her talks with EU leaders. | First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says she will seek "immediate discussions" with Brussels to "protect Scotland's place in the EU" after UK's vote to leave. |
40,494,300 | The Alwen treatment works, near Cerrigydrudion, serves customers in Conwy, Denbighshire and Flintshire.
Welsh Water said the improvement works - part of a £120m upgrade plan - would provide safe and reliable water for decades to come.
Ian Christie, Welsh Water's Managing Director of Water Services, said the works had been "very challenging".
Clwyd West AM Darren Millar, who opened the upgraded treatment works, said it was a "significant investment" for the area. | A £9m upgrade to improve the quality of drinking water in north Wales has been completed. |
27,286,742 | Offenders will face fines - as much as 50,000 roubles (£829; $1,400) for organisations, or up to 2,500 roubles (£41; $70) for individuals.
Where disputes arise a panel of experts will decide exactly what counts as a swear word.
Books containing swear words will have to carry warnings on the cover.
Russia's Vesti news website says that, according to sociologists' research, swearing is common in two-thirds of Russian companies.
The law will take effect from 1 July and will not apply to cases of swearing at performances before that date.
A leading pro-Putin film director and now MP, Stanislav Govorukhin, was one of the new law's architects.
The law harks back to the conservatism of the Soviet period, when the Communist Party required artists and writers to avoid "decadent" Western fashions and to stick to traditional values.
Traders who fail to give consumers warnings about swearing in videos or other audiovisual products will risk having their licences withdrawn.
It is not clear whether the ban on swearing in the media will also extend to Russian users of international social media such as Twitter and Facebook. | Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law banning all swearing in films, television broadcasts, theatres and the media. |
39,297,456 | Cotter's men face Italy on Saturday after losing 61-21 to England.
It will also be the New Zealander's last match in charge after taking over in the summer of 2014.
But he has discouraged his team from talking too much about his departure. "They're not allowed to," the 55-year-old said.
"They've plenty of other things to think about, like playing for themselves and for the people who support them.
"We'd like to see them put in a great performance against Italy that they can be proud of.
"You can turn frustration from Twickenham into a positive, that's the key thing. Nobody was happy with that and this is an opportunity. Let's see what we can do."
Scotland could yet finish second in the Six Nations table, which would be a first since the championship was expanded in 2000 to include Italy. They would need a bonus-point victory at Murrayfield and also England to beat Ireland and Wales to beat France in Paris without a bonus point.
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Despite the trauma of last Saturday, Scotland are also just two tries away from a record try haul in the Six Nations and five points away from a record points tally. This time three years ago - after the last Six Nations before Cotter's arrival - Scotland had a world ranking of 10th. Currently, they are fifth in the world.
Cotter declined the chance to talk about his reign, saying that it was not yet time. He will wait until after Saturday's game for the grand overview of his time in charge. For now, the focus is purely on beating Italy, a team he describes as "improving" and "innovative".
Italy held half-time leads in their games against Wales and England and only trailed France by five points at the break, but they have lost all four games so far by an average of 30 points.
For them, the real damage has been done in the second half of all these matches. They have conceded 70% of their total points in the second half - that figure has risen from 62% last season - and have conceded an average of 20 points - up from 16 points last season - in the last 20 minutes of the second half.
"We know that you can't get a result in five minutes," said Cotter. "So, we'll have to roll our sleeves up and work hard through the whole 80 minutes if we want that win."
Cotter paid tribute to the medical and strength and conditioning staff for getting all the walking wounded fit again after the debacle at Twickenham.
There were injury doubts, of varying degrees, over six players but all six have made it. The only change in the starting line-up is tactical - Ross Ford coming in for Fraser Brown at hooker. Matt Scott takes over from the injured Mark Bennett on the bench.
The Kiwi says he will be involved in club rugby and coach development for the remaining months of contract before heading off to a new life as coach of Montpellier. "I'll just to try to make myself useful," he added.
It was also announced that Cotter will coach the Barbarians for two games against, England at Twickenham on 28 May and against Ulster in Belfast on 1 June. That's exhibition stuff. Saturday will a different animal entirely. | Vern Cotter has called on his players to use the nightmare of Twickenham as a motivational force in Scotland's final game of the Six Nations. |
36,890,083 | John Edwards, 61, was buried on Friday in Halifax and resurfaced on Monday.
He said he had "brought words of light from the grave" in a bid to reduce the number of addicts' funerals he has to attend.
The Walking Free charity founder works with suicidal addicts and their families.
Mr Edwards streamed his incarceration live via a smartphone and also was in contact on social media.
He said he had talked to "people all over the world".
He thanked his supporters and said he felt a bit "woozy" after his time confined to the 8ft long, 3.5ft high and 4ft wide (2.4m x 1m x 1.3m) coffin.
Mr Edwards said he was "looking forward to using a toilet and having a shower".
During his stay he received food and water through a pipe and a second pipe was connected to a caravan toilet.
He said he had been buried to help give hope to people suffering addiction.
"It's an extreme thing to do, but so is suicide and drug addiction," he said before been buried.
"But extreme times demand extreme measures." | A recovered drug addict and charity worker has been released from a coffin after spending three days buried underground. |
13,051,517 | Harris, a 17-year-old winger, won League Two's apprentice of the year award this season and has made three senior appearances.
Midfielder Scowen, 18, has featured twice for the Chairboys.
Defender Stewart, 18, and 17-year-old midfielder Kewley-Graham have yet to make their senior bows.
Head of youth Richard Dobson said: "I'm pleased that their hard work has earned them this reward, but it's important they carry on working hard and learning as young professionals next season.
"The players that haven't been offered professional deals can hold their heads high with what they have achieved on the pitch and the style of the play they have brought to the youth team."
Boss Gary Waddock added: "I've followed the lads' progress very closely and Richard Dobson has done a fantastic job in preparing them for senior football.
"I'm looking forward to welcoming them into the first-team squad and they have the potential to become very exciting players for the club." | Wycombe Wanderers have handed professional deals to academy players Kadeem Harris, Jesse Kewley-Graham, Josh Scowen and Anthony Stewart. |
11,276,057 | State Councillor Dai Bingguo warned Tokyo to make a "wise political decision" over the matter.
On Friday, China postponed a session of planned diplomatic talks after a Japanese court ruled the boat's captain could be detained for another 10 days.
Prosecutors say his vessel deliberately rammed Japanese patrol boats.
The area where the Chinese trawler was seized on Tuesday is close to uninhabited islands, known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, which are controlled by Japan but also claimed by China and Taiwan.
Closer to Taiwan, the islands and Taiwan itself were ceded to Japan by the Manchu emperor in 1895. After Japan's defeat in World War II, Taiwan was returned to the Kuomintang government, but not the islands.
On Sunday, Mr Dai increased pressure on Japan by summoning its ambassador, Uichiro Niwa, to again demand the release of the fishermen.
It was the fourth time that the Japanese envoy had been called to the foreign ministry over the incident, but correspondents say it is highly unusual for someone as senior as the state councillor to intercede.
Mr Dai advises China's leaders on foreign policy and serves on the State Council, outranking the foreign minister within the Communist Party.
"[He] solemnly stated the Chinese government's major concerns and urged Japan not to misjudge the circumstances and to make the wise political decision of immediately returning the Chinese fishermen and their boat," the official Xinhua news agency reported.
Meanwhile, Japanese coast guard officials took the trawler and its crew out to sea off the southern island of Okinawa to test its capabilities and recreate the circumstances of the collision to help investigators.
Officials are also reportedly trying to ascertain if the boat illegally entered waters which Japan considers its territory.
The Chinese foreign ministry said it firmly opposed any form of investigation by the Japanese authorities into the incident.
"Japan's so-called gathering of evidence is illegal, ineffective and futile," spokeswoman Jiang Yu said. "China urges Japan to stop actions that escalate the situation."
But Mr Niwa gave no indication that Japan was preparing to back down.
"We have maintained the position that we will solemnly handle the case in strict accordance with domestic law", he said, according to the Kyodo news agency.
A Japanese court has allowed prosecutors to keep the captain, Zhan Qixiong, in custody until 19 September before deciding whether to press charges. His crew have been told they are free to return to China. | China's most senior diplomat has called on Japan to immediately release the captain and 14 crew of a fishing boat seized in disputed waters last week. |
40,791,919 | Research commissioned by BBC Radio 4's You and Yours programme reveals a huge shortfall in the number of beds available.
Increasing demand from an ageing population could see that grow to more than 70,000 beds in nine years' time.
The Department of Health said local authorities in England had been given an extra £2bn to help fund social care.
But in the past three years one in 20 UK care home beds has closed, and research suggests not enough are being added to fill the gap.
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The research, carried out by property consultants JLL, found that since 2002 an average of 7,000 new care home beds had opened in the UK every year, but by 2026 there would be an additional 14,000 people needing residential care home places per year.
Lead researcher James Kingdom said: "We're currently building half the number of care home beds every year that we need."
"There are more people living longer.
"We know that over the course of the next decade there is going to be 2.5 million more over-65s, and as a result that means there is going to be demand for care home beds.
"To fix that, we need to double the rate of delivery".
Barchester Health Care is the third largest care home provider in the UK.
It is concerned the gap in capacity means extremely vulnerable people are not getting the care they need.
Chief executive Pete Calveley told You and Yours: "Increasingly, highly dependent people are left at home.
"We feel that leaves them socially isolated and doesn't meet their needs.
"So, one of the ways they reduce demand is by raising the criteria, which I don't think is always appropriate."
But the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services says there is a risk too many people are being placed in residential care.
The association's president, Glen Garrod, said: "There is a danger of looking to residential options when we haven't fully exhausted all those that might help people stay at home - which is where most people would prefer to be."
In the past three years, 21,500 care beds have closed in the UK.
People in the care industry worry that as bed capacity decreases and demand increases, there will be more pressure on NHS beds as elderly people are admitted to hospital because they can't cope at home.
The government estimates this already costs the NHS in England £900m a year.
Pete Calveley, from Barchester Health Care, said it was an increasing feature of the health and social care environment because there was not enough capacity in the community.
The Department of Health said high quality care was not just about providing care home beds.
A Department of Health official said 61% of people "are cared for in their own home, and since 2010 there has been a growth in home care agencies of more than 2,900".
"We've given local authorities in England an extra £2bn boost over the next three years to maintain access for our growing ageing population and to put the social care sector on a sustainable footing for the future." | Up to 3,000 elderly people will not be able to get beds in UK care homes by the end of next year, research suggests. |
18,994,178 | The results include a 23% rise in operating profits at its residential energy division, British Gas, to £345m.
The company said volumes were boosted by the "colder than usual" weather between April and June.
In May, British Gas suggested that bills could increase for customers this winter, blaming rising wholesale gas costs.
Wholesale prices have dropped since then.
The warning came just four months after it had announced a 5% cut in its standard electricity tariff.
But prices in the first six months of 2012 were still higher than a year ago, as electricity prices were raised 16% in August 2011, while gas bills also went up by 18%.
By Robert PestonBusiness editor
In its latest results statement,
Centrica chief Sam Laidlaw said the group had performed well despite "challenging market conditions".
He added that the increase in profits "must be placed in the context of unusually low levels of consumption and profits in the UK in the first half of 2011".
Total gas consumption in the UK went up by 3.5%, while revenues rose by 21% to £3.2bn.
Electricity consumption fell by 0.1%, while revenues went up by 10% to £1.6bn.
BBC business editor Robert Peston said the figures were likely to infuriate many people.
Consumer Focus has accused energy companies of being quick to pass on rising wholesale costs to consumers, but slow to cut prices when they fall.
Its chief executive, Mike O'Connor, told the BBC that the energy industry seemed to be "a recession-free zone".
He said he would like to say to British Gas: "You're making £2m every day of the week; I think it's about time you gave consumers a break."
Ann Robinson, of price comparison website Uswitch, said: "As Britain's largest supplier, if British Gas cuts its prices, other suppliers will be under pressure to follow suit.
"A second wave of price cuts this year will not only help customers to better afford their bills, but would also be an olive branch signalling the industry's true commitment to rebuilding trust and confidence with its customers."
However, Tom Pering, an energy analyst at Inenco, said customers expecting a fall in bills as a result of the profits and the recent fall in wholesale prices were likely to be disappointed.
"British Gas will have already bought much of its supplies for this winter in advance, so it is unlikely to be in a position to take advantage of the recent easing in prices."
He said that prices were unlikely to drop due to dwindling reserves and rising imports.
British Gas is the UK's biggest energy supplier with 15.8 million customer accounts.
Other energy firms have suggested that prices might rise again. Scottish Power warned that rising demand for energy would "inevitably lead to to higher energy costs in the long term" when it cut prices earlier in the year.
Meanwhile, E.On said in May that the overall trend was for rising wholesale prices. However, it has promised that it will not increase UK residential energy prices this year. | Centrica, the owner of British Gas, has reported a 15% rise in first-half adjusted operating profits to £1.45bn. |
38,247,910 | Powys council will start closing the gates at Maesgwastad Cemetery in Welshpool from 3 January.
It said motor homes had been parking in the cemetery for several days without moving, and hearses had not been able to exit and enter for funerals.
Mourners are also having to park a considerable distance away, it said. | Unauthorised parking at a Powys cemetery, meaning hearses struggle to enter, has prompted the council to shut its gates overnight. |
35,869,592 | Yesterday another was added to the list when Stephen Crabb, the new Work and Pensions Secretary, said that the government would not seek any further welfare cuts this Parliament.
Last Thursday, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) warned the Treasury that it had very little "wriggle room" if it was to hit its surplus target of £10.4bn by 2020 - a target many thought already pretty heroic in its assumptions.
That wriggle room has just become a little more cramped.
The welfare announcement takes its place alongside a pledge not to raise income tax, VAT or national insurance; a pledge not to cut the budgets of the NHS, schools, defence or overseas aid; a pledge to ensure pensions rise at the rate of inflation, earnings growth or 2.5%; and a pledge to increase the 40p higher tax threshold to £50,000 and the personal allowance before working people start paying income tax to £12,500 - both, in effect, a tax cut.
Mr Osborne also has his three fiscal rules - a yearly welfare spending ceiling (already breached); that debt as a percentage of national income will fall every year (already breached) and that the government will create a budget surplus by the end of the Parliament (the clock is ticking).
It is clear that on the spending side of the ledger, Mr Osborne's room for action is severely limited.
The Treasury has already announced £3.5bn of cuts to non-protected departments (which includes business and higher education, the home office and justice) to be achieved by 2020.
No details of where those cuts will fall have been revealed.
Osborne to defend Budget ahead of vote
Where else could Mr Osborne look, given his remarkable ability to find spritely rabbits down the back of the ever-forgiving Treasury sofa?
Though not a natural tax-increaser, the chancellor could look to raising the general tax burden.
Many, such as the IFS, have suggested a fuel duty rise as a relatively painless way of increasing government income given the precipitous fall in the oil price over the last 18 months and the consequent fall in the price of a litre of fuel.
That could add to the £27bn already brought in by taxes on petrol and diesel.
Mr Osborne has always fought shy of fuel duty rises, and other tax raising options may appear more palatable.
The Treasury could accelerate the increasing tax burden on large businesses, already facing an increased bill of £9bn by 2020 courtesy of a number of corporation tax changes all being conveniently "booked" in one year.
He could also look to move more of the spending burden onto local authorities, which have faced cuts in central government grants as a quid pro quo for the devolution of local tax raising powers.
With a small Parliamentary majority constantly under threat, the chancellor's allies know that increasing business taxes can be something of a free hit.
And local authority funding changes do not tend to spark marches on Westminster.
Of course, the economy could also take a turn for the better.
The Office for Budget Responsibility, the government's economic watchdog, was particularly gloomy on growth at the time of the Budget.
Its downward revision to 2.1% growth this year was more pessimistic than the Bank of England, which recently said that both productivity and wage growth were improving.
If there is an upturn, that could ease the tricky economic hand Mr Osborne is now playing. | Like Britain's fiendishly complicated tax code, the government's rule book for what it will or won't do when it comes to the tricky matter of running the UK economy is constantly lengthening. |
34,125,461 | The former nanny had been accused of killing one-year-old Rehma Sabir while the child was in her care in 2013.
The prosecution was dropped after a Massachusetts state medical examiner reversed a finding that the death was murder caused by shaken baby syndrome.
Ms Brady McCarthy's deportation was fast-tracked by the US authorities.
The 37-year-old is originally from County Cavan but had been living illegally in the US for 13 years.
Hours after the prosecution was halted, she flew from Boston to Shannon Airport in County Clare and arrived shortly after 06:00 local time on Wednesday.
Irish broadcaster RTÉ reported that she travelled on the flight with her sister and that the pair were accompanied through the arrivals hall by Shannon Airport police.
Ms Brady McCarthy declined to make any comment to waiting media. | Irishwoman Aisling Brady McCarthy, who spent over two years in jail in the US before a murder charge against her was dropped, has returned to Ireland. |
37,184,952 | Felix, who shot to fame as Huddersfield Station's pest controller, began the challenge in support of Fairy Bricks on 12 August.
A GPS tracker was attached to her collar to track her distance.
Andy McClements, of TransPennine Express (TPE), said: "The team here could not be prouder of our resident senior pest controller."
He added: said: "Ever since the beginning of the year when Felix was propelled to superstardom, she's gathered quite a following on social media who track her daily exploits and adventures through Facebook."
TPE said it was delighted the cat's "loyal and supportive fans" had raised the money.
Felix fans wished the cat good luck on the challenge on a Facebook page set up in her name.
The Fairy Bricks charity supplies Lego kits to children in hospital. | A railway station cat has completed a 5km fun "run", raising more than £5,200 for a children's charity. |
34,438,286 | The High Peak Trail is a 17m (27km) route through the Peak District along a former railway line in Derbyshire.
Most of the path is wide enough for horses, cyclists and walkers to use at the same time, but a stretch from Newhaven Crossing is just 30in (75cm).
Thanks to a £42,000 grant from Natural England, the section will be widened and resurfaced over the winter.
The Peak District National Park Authority, which maintains the trail, provided a further £18,000 towards the project. | A traffic free path through a national park is to be widened and resurfaced to increase safety. |
32,885,683 | It is built with straight, parallel strings, promising a superior sound to a regular piano, in which the strings are installed diagonally.
Barenboim launched the instrument at London's Royal Festival Hall, in advance of his Schubert recital series.
He intends to perform the entire series on the new piano.
Modern pianos have become highly standardized, with few changes to their fundamental design over the last 100 years.
They are largely cross-strung, with the bass strings crossing over the middle and treble strings in an "x" pattern, allowing the sound to be concentrated on the centre of the soundboard.
Barenboim was inspired to experiment with the design after playing Franz Liszt's restored grand piano during a trip to Siena, Italy in September 2011.
"The warmth and tonal characteristics of the traditional straight-strung instruments is so different from the homogenous tone produced by the modern piano across its entire range," he said.
"The clearly distinguishable voices and colour across its registers of Liszt's piano inspired me to explore the possibility of combining these qualities with the power, looks, evenness of touch, stability of tuning and other technical advantages of the modern piano."
He developed his idea with Belgian instrument maker Chris Maene, with support from Steinway & Sons.
As well as the straight strings, the Barenboim-Maene piano features a double bridge and horizontal soundboard veins.
According to a press release, the piano "combines the touch, stability, and power of a modern piano with the transparent sound quality and distinguishable colour registers of more historic instruments".
Pianist Gwendolyn Mok, who plays an 1875 straight-strung Erard piano, has said that such instruments possess superior clarity.
"If you look inside your own piano, you will notice that the strings are all crossing each other," she told the San Francisco Examiner in 2013.
"With the straight strung piano you get distinct registral differences - almost like listening to a choir where you have the bass, tenor, alto, and soprano voices.
"It is very clear and there is no blending or homogenizing of the sound. It therefore gives you huge opportunities in experimenting with colour." | Pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim has unveiled a new type of piano, which he says is "radically different" to the standard concert grand. |
35,235,590 | Rather than choose a typical Victorian-style service offered by many traditional undertakers, Ms Grant and her brother arranged for the ceremony to be held in a thatched barn, followed by a woodland burial, with a tree planted on top of the grave.
"It wasn't the slickest funeral ever, but it was lovely, and so many people contributed in different ways," says Ms Grant.
The event also sparked a light-bulb moment for the 46-year-old, who decided she wanted to enter the industry, to help other people looking for more unusual, eco-friendly, or bespoke, funerals.
"It started off as an interest for me," she says. "I wanted to help families create their own farewell rituals."
After gaining experience as a funeral director, Ms Grant founded Natural Endings in Chorlton, Manchester in 2005. Since then she has organised funerals in barns, pubs and at the deceased's home, and arranged burials at woodland burial sites. There are 270 such locations across the UK.
She says: "I spend time with the family of the deceased, and we work out what kind of funeral they want."
Ms Grant also specialises in ethical burials, offering natural and biodegradable coffins made from materials such as bamboo, willow and woven pineapple leaves.
Her business is a far cry from many High Street undertakers, who follow a traditional checklist involving top hat, black limousines, highly-lacquered wooden coffins, and a solemn service with prayers and a few hymns.
However, as a growing number of us demand more choice, a new breed of modern funeral businesses has developed.
They are attempting to shake up the funeral sector, estimated to be valued at £1.5bn, according to the National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD), which represents 3,900 member firms across the UK, and organises funeral industry qualifications, such as a diploma in funeral arranging.
"People are increasingly wanting different formats when it comes to funerals," says Mike Owen, chief executive of the NAFD.
"They want it to be tailored and have a less religious feel. There's more of a focus on celebrating rather than just having a traditional sorrowful service."
Rosie Inman-Cook, manager of the Natural Death Centre, a charity set up to facilitate natural funerals, notes that many of the new, alternative funeral directing businesses are being opened by women.
She adds: "Many are starting such a business because they've experienced a dreadful funeral for a family member and thought, 'I can do so much better'.
"They don't do black, shiny cars and twirling silver canes, unless that's what the family wants."
When the bereaved visit one of Green Endings' three branches in London, they might be offered champagne to raise a toast to a family member, or a slice of cake as they sit on the sofa.
"We don't want people to feel like they're applying for a mortgage," says Jeremy Smith, who took over Green Endings in 2008 when the previous owner retired.
"We want to be more natural, not pompous, and we don't ask if they'd like to see the brass handles [on the coffin] and all that horrible nonsense, when someone has died," adds the 55-year-old. "We want to treat people properly."
Like Natural Endings, Green Endings, as the name suggests, focuses on creating eco-friendly funerals. It also uses a bright pink hearse, and even a tricycle, to transport coffins to funerals.
"In the 15 years I've been working in this business, I've seen the rise of the green burial site as a key trend," says Mr Smith.
"There's so much more interest in being buried in a natural environment without regimented lawns and marble memorials."
Back in 2014 his company organised the funeral for Only Fools and Horses actor Roger Lloyd-Pack, more fondly remembered as "Trigger". Mr Lloyd-Pack was buried in London's Highgate Cemetery in a woven coffin.
With the average price of a funeral in the UK rising by 3.9% to £3,702 over the past year, according life and pensions group Royal London, the sector can be a financially rewarding one to work in.
While some industries feel the strain during a recession, even in tough times the funeral industry holds up, says Ms Owen.
"In some cases families do get into debt [when arranging a funeral], as they prefer to give a good send off," she adds. "So they'll spend a few hundred pounds more, even if they have to pay for that through credit for a few months."
For Green Endings, the rising demand for alternative types of funerals has spurred the company to expand - the business opened its third branch in November, and is set to launch its fourth in east London this year.
To help shatter the taboo around death, and inspire people to think creatively about the type of funeral they want before they die, former fashion editor Louise de Winter launched Poetic Endings, a funeral planning service, back in November.
"I'd reached a point where I want to do something with meaning, and when my granddad died a few years ago, that was my first firsthand experience of a funeral business," she says.
"I was appalled by what I experienced. It was traditional, dry, everything about it was stuffy.
"The idea [of Poetic Endings] is that people spend some time thinking about how they would like their funeral to be," adds Ms de Winter, who also hosts death cafes, where strangers come together to talk about death and dying.
"It's not just about the service, it's about thinking about which funeral directors you'd like to use, what's important to you, how much you want your family to spend. It makes you more aware of the options you have."
While there's many intense challenges to being a funeral director, chiefly being on call 24/7 and constantly dealing with grief, for many it's a vocation.
Ms Grant says: "I feel like I make a difference supporting people at a difficult time.
"I consider myself lucky that I have a job I love and I know my mum would have been proud." | When Rosie Grant's mother died following a terminal illness, she fulfilled her mum's wish to have a personal and unique funeral. |
25,922,514 | The roof was damaged and one of the cows was injured in the blast in the central German town of Rasdorf.
Thanks to the belches and flatulence of the 90 dairy cows in the shed, high levels of the gas had built up.
Then "a static electric charge caused the gas to explode with flashes of flames" the force said in a statement quoted by Reuters news agency.
Emergency services attended the farm and took gas readings to test for the risk of further blasts, said local media.
Cows are believed to emit up to 500 litres of methane - a potent greenhouse gas - each per day. | Methane gas released by dairy cows has caused an explosion in a cow shed in Germany, police said. |
38,468,401 | Para-equestrian Pearson has been knighted, while swimmer Peaty and canoeist Clarke have been made MBEs.
Rio flagbearer Pearson already held the MBE, OBE and CBE for services to equestrianism and to disabled sport.
Peaty, a City of Derby swimmer from Uttoxeter, smashed his own world record at Rio 2016 to take gold in the men's 100m breaststroke.
He won by more than a second and a half, taking the first Olympic gold for a British man in the pool in 28 years.
Clarke, a member of Stafford and Stone Canoe Club, produced a stunning final run to take gold in the kayak K1 at Rio.
At this year's Paralympic Games, Pearson added gold from the individual freestyle grade Ib and silver in dressage to his golds in Beijing and London.
Also honoured are Drayton Manor Park chief executive Colin Bryan who has been made OBE.
Colin Bryan, who runs the park near Tamworth, was recognised for his charity work and contribution to tourism.
He said: "I feel very honoured to receive this OBE. I still love watching our guests have fun, enjoying themselves, knowing I have played a part in that."
Victim Support volunteer Peter Cave, 91, from Newcastle-under-Lyme was also appointed OBE.
"His contribution has empowered victims to being to move on from their experiences as well as helping justice to be done and to be seen to be done," his citation said. | Sporting stars Lee Pearson, Adam Peaty and Joe Clarke have been recognised in the New Year Honours list. |
23,907,465 | Hewitt, 32, is eight years older and ranked 60 places lower than 2009 champion Del Potro.
Elsewhere world number one Novak Djokovic saw off Germany's Benjamin Becker to reach the third round.
In the women's draw, defending champion Serena Williams won in straight sets.
The world number one swatted aside Kazakhstan's Yaroslava Shvedova 6-3 6-1 in one hour and 14 minutes in the early hours of the morning, to set up a meeting with fellow American Sloane Stephens.
before overcoming Argentina's Leonardo Mayer in four, while Czech fifth seed Tomas Berdych also won.
Li Na (Chn) [5] bt Laura Robson (GB) [30] 6-2 7-5
Match report
Novak Djokovic (Srb) [1] bt Benjamin Becker (Ger) 7-6 (7-2) 6-2 6-2
Djokovic, the 2011 champion, saved two set points in the opener before coming through 7-6 (7-2) 6-2 6-2.
"Today was tricky conditions and the first hour I wasn't able to play as well as wanted. After that I felt more confident," said Serb Djokovic, who has reached at least the semi-finals of every Grand Slam event since losing to Jurgen Melzer in the quarter-finals at the 2010 French Open.
His third-round opponent is Portugal's Joao Sousa, who overcame Finn Jarkko Nieminen in a five-set match lasting just short of three hours.
Sloane Stephens (US) [15] bt Jamie Hampton (US) [23] 6-1 6-3
Stephens, 20, will play Serena Williams in the last 16.
Stephens criticised Williams in a magazine interview in May, saying that their relationship had deteriorated since she beat her compatriot in the Australian Open quarter-finals.
But Stephens is now happy with how she and Williams get on. "I think that's all old news now and we've moved on," she said.
"We are competitors, we are co-workers so it is definitely tough, but I think now we are in a good place," she told ESPN.
Lleyton Hewitt (Aus) bt Juan Martin Del Potro (Arg) [6] 6-4 5-7 3-6 7-6 (7-2) 6-1
Hewitt, who lifted the 2001 US Open title as a 20-year-old, beat world number six Del Potro in their most recent meeting at Queen's in June.
"I don't know how many years I have left to play and I was hankering to get out on this court again and put on a show," Hewitt said.
"A couple of years ago, I had a few foot surgeries and I didn't know if I would ever play tennis again. But it's a hell of a lot of fun coming out to play and I cherish every match."
Del Potro, who hit 70 errors in the match, stated after the match that a long-standing wrist complaint was "not the way I'd like".
Hewitt will play Russian world number 102 Evgeny Donskoy in the last 32.
"I hit with him a couple of days ago,'' Hewitt said of his third-round opponent. "First time I'd ever seen him.''
Serena Williams (US) [1] bt Yaroslava Shvedova (Kaz) 6-3 6-1
Williams, 31, is aiming to become the oldest US Open women's champion by winning her fifth title at Flushing Meadows.
She praised Stephens' play ahead of their keenly-anticipated fourth-round encounter.
"It's going to be tough, Sloane is playing so well," she said.
"I'm always so happy for her. She's doing great. I'm really proud of Sloane. It's going to be a really good match."
Agnieszka Radwanska (Pol) [3] bt Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Rus [32] 6-4 7-6 (7-1)
It might have been a straight-sets win for third seed Radwanska, but the 2012 Wimbledon runner-up needed nearly two hours to beat Pavlyuchenkova.
If she wins her next match, against Russian 24th seed Ekaterina Makarova, Radwanska will become the only woman to reach the last eight at all four Grand Slams this year.
Tomas Berdych (Cze) [5] bt Denis Kudla (US) 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-3) 6-3
Berdych in the quarter-finals of last year's event, before being
Andy Murray (GB) [3] bt Leonardo Mayer (Arg) 7-5 6-1 3-6 6-1
Match report
Tommy Haas (Ger) [12] bt Yen-Hsun Lu (Tai) 6-3 6-4 7-6 (7-3)
"It's always about being smart, about how you train and what you do off the court," said the German of still competing at the age of 35. "If your body allows you to do all that stuff, then it's really up to you in many ways."
Ekaterina Makarova (Rus) [24] bt Sabine Lisicki (Ger) [16] 6-4 7-5
Lisicki, who beat Serena Williams en route to the Wimbledon final earlier this year, is still yet to get beyond the fourth round in any of the other three Grand Slams.
Florian Mayer (Ger) bt Donald Young (US) 7-5 6-3 6-4
Mayer came out on top in a match that saw 10 breaks of serve, setting up a third-round clash with defending champion Andy Murray.
Carla Suarez Navarro (Spa) [18] bt Jie Zheng (Chn) 6-2 6-4
Mikhail Youzhny (Rus) [21] bt Alexandr Dolgopolov (Ukr) 7-5 6-1 6-3
Angelique Kerber (Ger) [8] bt Kaia Kanepi (Est) [25] 6-0 6-4
Jelena Jankovic (Srb) [9] bt Kurumi Nara (Jpn) 6-4 7-6 (7-5)
Stanislas Wawrinka (Swi) [9] bt Ivo Karlovic (Cro) 7-5 7-6 (10-8) 6-4
Sara Errani & Roberta Vinci [1] bt Daniela Hantuchova & Martina Hingis 6-3 7-5
Hingis, who was making a return to Grand Slam tennis as a wildcard after retiring in 2007, double-faulted on the final two points of the match.
The 32-year-old, who has won five Grand Slam singles titles during her career, also lost in the mixed doubles. She and India's Mahesh Bhupathi were beaten 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-5) by Sweden's Robert Lindstedt and Taiwan's Chan Yung-Jan.
"God, give me a break," said the Swiss, when asked if she had considered making a singles comeback after her doubles return.
"No, I haven't given any more thought to it. I have a hard time covering half the court and trying to be there. Full court is completely different ball game."
Colin Fleming & Jonny Marray (GB) [12] bt Ryan Harrison (US) & Robert Lindstedt (Swe) 6-3 6-4
Jamie Murray (GB) & John Peers (Aus) bt Feliciano Lopez (Spa) & Andre Sa (Bra) 6-7 (7-9) 7-5 7-5
Treat Huey (Phi) & Dom Inglot (GB) [16] bt Daniele Bracciali (Ita) & Lukas Dlouhy 6-3 6-3
Sandra Klemenschits (Aut) & Andrea Klepac (Slo) bt Vera Dushevina (Rus) & Heather Watson (GB) 6-1 7-5
Laura Robson had a worried look on her face after defeat by Li Na, and it was down to an imminent trip to the dentist to have her wisdom teeth removed. "All the other girls in the locker room are telling me their horror stories," she said. "Oh yeah, I pulled my gauze out and it was just blood. So that's not too nice."
Novak Djokovic has been quizzed as much about his diet as his tennis in week one, and day five was no exception. "The toughest for me [to give up] was definitely chocolate. My father is addicted to chocolate in a way. Was. Not any more. During events I don't have milk chocolate. If I have chocolate I have cacao or dark chocolate - a very little bit."
Li Na is struggling to believe the quality of her own serving, after 11 aces against Laura Robson took her to 21 for the tournament - more than any other woman. "After the match my team said I had over 10, I said 'No like eight or something', my husband said, 'I think even less, maybe six.'"
Sloane Stephens has plenty of confidence off court as well as on. "It's tough to have friends on tour, but I don't lack in the social department. I have some good friends. That's not an area that I struggle in."
"Belgium is a very good team," says Andy Murray when asked to give his opinion about the Scottish football team's next World Cup opponents. "A lot of good, young players. I think they're kind of sort of dark horses for the World Cup. I think they're very, very good. I wouldn't expect Scotland to beat them."
"Everybody has their own issues," says Jamie Hampton when asked about the psychology of tennis. "The girls differ from the guys. Girls are a little bit more emotional. We'll just leave it at that." | Australian Lleyton Hewitt claimed the biggest scalp of the US Open men's draw so far as he beat sixth seed Juan Martin del Potro 6-4 5-7 3-6 7-6 (7-2) 6-1 in four hours three minutes. |
35,665,984 | It sank to a A$972.7m ($704m, £502m) first-half loss following the charge for its Masters hardware business.
Woolworths said last month it would sell or close Masters, which failed to win enough customers.
Brad Banducci, the head of food, will become chief executive.
Grant O'Brien said last June that he was stepping down as chief executive after taking up the role in October 2011.
The retailer issued a series of profit warnings last year amid intense competition in the grocery market and heavy losses from the Masters chain.
Chairman Gordon Cairns said Mr Banducci, who had 25 years of retail experience and previously ran the company's liquor retailing operations, was "uniquely positioned" for the role.
"He clearly understands the Australian market, has a total commitment to our customers, and a great track record of growing valuable businesses," he said.
Sales fell 1.4% to A$32bn, reflecting lower trading in food and general merchandise and the sale of 131 stores at Caltex petrol stations.
"This turnaround is three to five years and it will not be three to five minutes," said Mr Cairns.
Woolworths said it was shifting focus to its supermarket business to compete against rival Coles as well as discounters such as Aldi and Lidl, both relatively recent entrants to the Australian market.
Woolworths shares closed 2% higher in Sydney on Friday, but are still down by a third over the past 12 months.
Excluding the write-offs, the company posted a net profit of A$925.8m ($670m; £479.7m) for the six months to December, down 33% on the same period in 2014.
The company cut its interim dividend by more than a third to 44 cents a share. | Woolworths, Australia's biggest supermarket chain, has reported its first loss in 23 years after writing off 3.2bn Australian dollars on its failed DIY chain. |
35,510,956 | Nathan Austin had a shot cleared off the line before he headed home Steven Campbell's pinpoint cross in first-half stoppage time.
Austin's delivery gave Jamie Insall an easy tap-in to double the hosts' lead.
Arbroath substitute Keiran Stewart found the net with a stunning long-range strike two minutes from time but East Fife held on. | East Fife maintained the pressure on Scottish League Two leaders Elgin City with victory over Arbroath. |
32,408,991 | The Haxby Road crossing in York has seen a "staggering" 25 incidents in the last 12 months, Network Rail said.
It launched an awareness drive on Wednesday in a bid to cut the number of vehicles crossing at the last minute.
Vicki Beadle, of Network Rail, said drivers ignoring warning lights and sirens risked death or serious injury.
Of the 25 incidents recorded, 20 involved vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians going through the red light when it started flashing and two incidents were when groups of children were playing with the barriers while they were closing.
In another, a schoolgirl got caught in a barrier as it was closing,
On one occasion, a barrier hit a bus, and three further reports involved children.
Ms Beadle said: "The level crossing at Haxby Road has seen on average one incident every two weeks for the last year which is extremely concerning.
"As well as the obvious risk of injury or worse, misusing crossings can delay trains and traffic and can lead to prosecution, a fine, penalty points or disqualification." | Misuse of a rail crossing where incidents have been recorded once every two weeks is "extremely concerning", rail bosses have said. |
36,737,265 | NHS England has told three units - in Leicester, Manchester and London - to halt complex surgery on patients born with heart problems by April 2017.
Five other hospitals providing treatments other than complex surgery will have to stop those services too.
The sites affected are already promising to fight the decisions.
One hospital boss even described the announcement as "irrational and reckless".
The services being targeted provide care to people born with congenital heart problems, such as holes in the heart, which affect nine in every 1,000 babies, not other type of heart services.
The announcement comes after attempts to reorganise services had to be abandoned three years ago following legal challenges by local campaigners and the hospitals themselves.
Danielle Westerman's two-year-old son Declan has been a patient at Leicester's Glenfield Hospital.
He has had two open heart operations and is due to have another next year.
Ms Westerman, from Ilkeston, Derbyshire, says she already has trouble getting to Leicester as neither she or her partner can drive and rely on a lift from her elderly grandfather.
She said: "Where would we have to go now? How would we even get there?
"Glenfield is only a hour away from me, this is going to be so difficult. We struggled as it was."
Leicester's Glenfield Hospital: What next for patients?
Last year NHS England established a set of standards that it wanted hospitals to meet to ensure both child and adult patients got high quality care.
These include the requirement that surgeons work in teams of four and see at least 125 patients a year each to ensure they keep their skills up-to-date.
Bosses at NHS England have now announced which trusts are not meeting the standards and which need to close services and transfer care elsewhere.
They have said:
Overall, it means the number of units providing the most complex heart surgery drops from 13 to 11. The number of "level two" units providing treatments other than complex surgery drops to five.
Carrying out surgery on children with congenital heart problems - some of them babies just born - is one of the most complex areas of care in the NHS.
There are fewer than 4,000 operations done each year with 80% of children born with these heart defects surviving into adulthood.
But how and where such surgery is carried out has been at the centre of a fierce debate since the publication in 2001 of a damning report into high death rates among babies undergoing heart surgery at Bristol Royal Infirmary.
Last time plans were put forward in 2011 it led to a bitter fallout, pitting hospitals against senior health bosses. Two years later the proposals were scrapped with NHS bosses told to look again. The decisions announced today, covering both adult and children's services, are the result.
Their argument is that units have to be big enough to allow surgeons to carry out operations on a regular basis. But the response of the hospitals affected suggests this will not be the last word on the issue.
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NHS England said while it would mean some patients travelling further than they previously needed to, the care that would be provided would be safer in the long-term.
Dr Jonathan Fielden, of NHS England, said: "There has been a great deal of uncertainty over the future of congenital heart disease services. We owe it to patients, families and staff to end that uncertainty and provide a clear direction."
NHS England said it would discuss the decisions with the hospitals affected and carry out consultations where necessary, but some hospitals bosses have already vowed to fight them.
British Heart Foundation chief executive Simon Gillespie said while he did not want to comment specifically on which units should close, centralising services in this way was the right move and should happen as "quickly as possible".
"It is absolutely critical that children and adults with congenital heart disease and their families receive safe and effective care, wherever they live."
Royal Brompton and Harefield chief operating officer Robert Craig described the announcement as "extraordinary".
He said stopping surgery would have a knock-on effect and put other services at risk, including paediatric intensive care, respiratory care and other heart services.
"Of one thing they can be sure, we will be working closely with NHS England to ensure that full and frank discussions take place to determine what is behind this irrational and reckless announcement."
John Adler, chief executive at the Leicester trust, said: "We are confident that our clinical outcomes are now amongst the best in the country so we strongly disagree with NHS England's decision and will not sit by whilst they destroy our fabulous service." | Three major hospitals across England that provide complex heart care have been ordered to stop doing so amid concerns over standards. |
36,254,359 | The ship, which featured in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, is undergoing a 13-year, £35m conservation project.
Measurements taken over 40 years show the structure in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard is slowly bulging outwards. It is also suffering from water damage.
More than 130 metal supports are due to be fitted in the vessel's dry dock to stop the structure from buckling.
Andrew Baines, head of historic ships at the National Museum of the Royal Navy, insisted the ship could "absolutely be saved".
"As the upper deck moves down, the ship's sides bulge out. She's falling very slowly away from the bows at the front end of the ship," he said.
A 3D scan of the ship had helped experts "understand what had been causing the ship to collapse" and 136 metal props would be inserted to stop the problem, Mr Baines said.
"The most important thing is to work on the ship's structure to stop us losing any valuable historic material in the ship," he added.
HMS Victory was first floated out from Chatham in 1765. Lord Nelson was injured during the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 and later died aboard the vessel.
Visitors are still able to access the ship and Lord Nelson's cabin was recently opened as part of the renovation project. | Lord Nelson's flagship HMS Victory is slowly collapsing under its own weight, restoration experts have warned. |
33,784,361 | Each year the exact pass mark and the marks needed for individual subjects are agreed after the papers are marked.
This is a safeguard against the inevitable risk of an exam turning out to be a little easier or harder than those set in previous years.
It is designed to ensure consistency within the system.
The pass mark and grade boundaries can be revised up or down.
For instance, in the old Higher history this year candidates needed 54% to pass and 72% for an A while in English they needed 49% to pass and 65% for an A. In the new Higher English, the pass mark was 56% and candidates needed 74% for an A.
Variations like these are, simply, par for the course.
However to reduce the pass mark to 34% is truly exceptional and suggests a serious failure of the system.
There are essentially two possible explanations.
One is that the exam was simply set at too hard a level.
Exam papers generally contain a range of questions of varying degrees of difficulty. Some are relatively straightforward and designed for candidates who merit a C grade pass - others are more demanding and designed for the most able.
Did an unduly difficult or badly set paper get through the SQA's quality assurance safeguards? Were candidates simply unprepared because the paper was unlike the one teachers had expected?
Some claim the paper was produced under an unusually tight deadline.
Another potential - but maybe more controversial - explanation touches on a more philosophical issue.
One aim of the changes to education in recent years under the banner of Curriculum for Excellence is to encourage youngsters to think for themselves and develop what might be termed a "deeper understanding" of a subject.
At Higher level, this sort of skill was always valued. In Maths it could mean that candidates had the knowledge and initiative to attempt to solve unfamiliar problems rather than just questions which may be similar to those in past papers or textbooks.
One senior figure in Scottish education was concerned the paper appeared to have been such a huge challenge for the most able candidates. To get an A grade candidates needed just 60%.
He said he had heard comments from teachers in good state and independent schools about what he called "the supposedly difficult" questions.
He said: "We have to ask if such questions are the kinds of things that we would expect someone competent to be able to answer at this level. I can't help concluding that they are and so that, whatever the explanation, if students can't do it then there is something wrong with the syllabus or with their capacity to exercise ingenuity.
"The most controversial feature is not really the drop in the threshold for a pass - though that is bad - but that an A could be obtained with as little as 60%.
"That is truly disturbing, since one would expect the most able students to be able to cope even with the supposedly 'too difficult' questions."
In the coming school year, only the new Highers will be on offer.
After what, frankly, has been a debacle with the new Higher Maths exam the challenge for the SQA is to ensure that teachers, students and parents can enjoy confidence in the altered qualification. | The pass mark for exams is not always 50%. |
37,020,603 | The three-mile (5k) road is designed to reduce traffic flow through Bedale, Leeming Bar and Aiskew.
The road is a single carriageway between the A684 north of Bedale and east of Leeming Bar, crossing the A1(M) where there is a new junction.
Work had been due to be completed in the autumn.
More on this and other stories from North Yorkshire
About 14,000 vehicles a day use the existing road causing considerable congestion, said North Yorkshire County Council.
A Roman villa uncovered during the scheme has been designated as an ancient monument. | A £35m bypass which aims to cut congestion in North Yorkshire has opened two months ahead of schedule. |
38,614,064 | Kompany has played just three league games this season, and has not appeared since suffering knee-ligament damage against Crystal Palace on 19 November.
That was his 35th separate injury since joining City from Hamburg in 2008.
"We can't deny how good Vincent is, but to achieve that we need time," said Guardiola.
"Everybody needs time when they have been a long time injured, but his mentality is strong," he added.
"What I would like is for him not to put a lot of pressure on himself. He has to feel that his manager and team-mates will give him the time he needs after a long time away from the pitch."
The Belgium international, 30, has made 223 appearances for City in his eight years at the club, winning two Premier League titles, an FA Cup and two League Cups.
Guardiola said he was in contention to return against Everton at Goodison Park on Sunday, but that he was undecided whether to include him in his Champions League squad for the knockout stages of the competition.
One man who will not be playing at the weekend is Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazil forward waiting for his registration papers to be completed.
"When the FA solves the problems, he will be able to play," said Guardiola.
City bought the 19-year-old for £27m plus add-ons from Palmeiras in the summer, but he completed the domestic season in Brazil before joining.
Media playback is not supported on this device | Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany is back in training, but manager Pep Guardiola warned that "he needs some time" to reach his "top level". |
30,859,204 | The victim was fatally injured when she was struck by the bus at about 17:00 GMT on East Hill in Colchester, Essex Police said.
The road was closed following the collision while police carried out an investigation.
A police spokesman said it was believed the woman was from Colchester. He urged witnesses to contact the force. | A woman who was thought to be aged in her 90s died when she was hit by a bus in an Essex town. |
35,757,172 | An inquest into the death of seven-year-old Zane Gbangbola, who died in February 2014 at his home in Chertsey, is due to take place in June.
His parents have been refused legal aid on the grounds the hearing is not in "the public interest".
Green Party leader Natalie Bennett said David Cameron should assist the family.
She said Kye Gbangbola and Nicole Lawler should be treated "fairly and justly".
Tests have suggested carbon monoxide poisoning was the cause of Zane's death, but his parents believe he was killed by floodwater contaminated by cyanide gas leaked from a former landfill site.
Ms Bennett said: "I am in awe of the family's determination to find out what happened that night and I'll do all that I can to support them."
She urged Mr Cameron "to make the necessary moves" to ensure they were given legal aid.
"That is within his gift, he is able to do it, just like in 2014 when he intervened to guarantee legal aid for a family whose two children were tragically killed by fumes whilst sleeping in their hotel room in Corfu," she said.
Mr Gbangbola, who was left paralysed by the same incident that killed his son, said without legal aid he and his partner would have to represent themselves.
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: "Inquests are aimed at helping families find out the circumstances behind the death of their loved one.
"They are specifically designed so people without legal knowledge can easily participate and understand what is happening... legal aid remains available to help families prepare for an inquest and pay for representation, subject to means and merits tests." | The Prime Minister has been urged to overturn a decision not to give the family of a boy who died during Surrey floods legal aid. |
35,906,987 | The incident occurred in Alexander Street at about 19:20 on Thursday.
Emergency services attended and she was taken to Monklands Hospital, where she later died.
The driver and two passengers in the car were uninjured. Police would like to speak to anyone who may have witnessed the incident. | A 79-year-old woman has died after being struck by a car as she was crossing a street in Airdrie in North Lanarkshire. |
36,148,975 | Kevin Doherty, 61, from Main Street, Eglinton, was sentenced at Londonderry Crown Court.
He pleaded guilty to six charges of indecent assault and four charges of committing gross indecency with or towards a child.
The victims said they wanted Doherty "named and shamed".
The pair, who have automatic life-long anonymity, were in court for sentencing and spoke after Doherty had been jailed.
They said that the sentence had given them back their self-esteem and self-respect.
"We want to thank the judge for his sensitivity and for his sentencing comments which we believe are aimed at protecting vulnerable children from the type of sexual abuse we endured.
"We would also encourage other abused people who are suffering in silence, like we did for so long, to report their abuse to the authorities."
The court heard that Doherty's crimes began when he was 18 and the victims were aged six and 16.
When he abused his youngest victim over a prolonged period of time, the court was told that he gave her sweets and instructed her to say nothing.
The court heard that the abuse came to light at a meeting in a local parochial house in August 2013, which was attended by one of the victims, Doherty and by a local priest.
After the meeting one of the abused women went to the police, accompanied by a member of the Derry Diocesan Safeguarding team, and reported her abuse to the police.
In sentencing, the judge said the victims had been subjected to callous and shameful abuse.
He said the maximum sentence of two years, which was in force at the time of the abuse, was "clearly inadequate and a five-year jail sentence is both just and appropriate".
He added that while Doherty deserves some credit by pleading guilty, it took the accused two years to admit his guilt to offences he had initially denied.
The judge said it was clear from victim impact reports that both women still suffered the effects of the abuse.
He said he was also aware that four of Doherty's five children had refused to have any contact with him since he admitted the offences last January.
Doherty was sentenced to five years in jail, with two years on probation after his prison release.
He is also banned to associating with children younger than 16 for an indefinite period and that he must live at an address approved by social services after his release from prison. | A County Londonderry man who admitted abusing two girls over a seven-year period from 1973 has been jailed for five years. |
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