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37,433,343 | Scrolls bearing the name of each victim were presented to their families along with a medal to denote the city's "highest honour".
Dalglish's wife Marina was also honoured, as were the former Bishop of Liverpool, and Prof Phil Scraton.
Their medals were presented during a ceremony at St George's Hall.
In April, an inquest jury found the fans who died as a result of a crush at the 1989 FA Cup game in Sheffield were unlawfully killed.
Mr Dalglish, who was manager at the time of the tragedy, ensured the club was represented at the fans' funerals and, along with his wife, helped support the bereaved families.
He said: "We only did for the families what they did for us - support us."
Former bishop, the Rt Rev James Jones led the Hillsborough Independent Panel, which uncovered evidence in 2012 about the disaster.
Prof Scraton led the panel's research team and his book, Hillsborough: The Truth, first published in 1999, is widely accepted as the definitive account of the disaster.
The victims' families were awarded freedom of the city of Liverpool in 2009. | The 96 victims of the Hillsborough disaster and former Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish have been awarded the Freedom of Liverpool. |
34,526,827 | Brothers John and Geof Bitmead constructed an adult-sized copy of a Little Tikes toy car, which takes petrol, has a tax disc, and can reach speeds of up to 70mph (110km/h).
The modified Daewoo Matiz also includes an airbag, headlights and mirrors.
But Geof said his company Attitude Autos, based in Bicester, was selling the car after it failed to bring in enough revenue.
The brothers said they had the "nutty idea" to build the motoring marvel after noticing the similarity of the front and headlamps of the Daewoo to the Cozy Coupe classic toy.
But while it captivated passers-by, the car which cost about £30,000 to build, failed to turn into the money-spinner they had intended.
"We were hoping it would be out on a regular basis, create some revenue and recoup the money used to build it," he explained.
"But in real life it ended up going out four or five times in two years. So we thought we might as well sell it and if anyone's interested in buying it that will bring back some money for us."
The captivation around their "Big Tike" is down to the design being a "part of people's childhood and their children's childhood", Geof said.
"They're amazed to see the real thing on the road. I've seen people with tattoos all up their arms walking along the road just cheering at us.
"There was that kind of response to it. Everybody recognised it. It's part of our life. We see these things in people's front gardens, and now you can see it on the road."
The car sale does not mark the end of the Bitmeads' wacky schemes. They hope to put the money received towards creating an Addams Family-inspired "creepy" camper van. | A roadworthy version of a children's toy car has gone on sale for £21,500. |
35,391,034 | Sears, 58, coaches Ana Ivanovic and was watching her match with Madison Keys on Rod Laver Arena. The match was suspended for an hour before resuming.
Murray was not made aware of what had happened as he was playing Portugal's Joao Sousa at the time.
Sears later told the BBC he hoped to be released from hospital on Sunday.
Immediately after his four-set win, Andy Murray left the venue, along with his mother Judy, to visit his father-in-law in hospital.
Sears' daughter Kim is not in Melbourne in support of Murray as she awaits the birth of their first child in a few weeks' time.
Ivanovic, the 20th seed, was a set up when the incident occurred and went on to lose 4-6 6-4 6-4 to 15th seed Keys.
Sears is in his second spell working with Ivanovic after he was reappointed the Serb's coach in July last year.
He has previously worked with Daniela Hantuchova and Amanda Coetzer and was also captain of the British Fed Cup team.
It is the second time this week that one of Ivanovic's matches had been suspended due to an incident in the stands.
Her second-round match against Anastasija Sevastova was held up for 26 minutes when a woman fell in the stands at the same showcourt. | Andy Murray's father-in-law Nigel Sears is being treated in hospital but says he is "feeling fine" after collapsing at the Australian Open. |
37,443,406 | One section which bans dogs between May and September each year runs from near St Helen's rugby ground to west pier near the marina.
Swansea council wants to shift it west to start at Brynmill Lane and end at the marina's observatory.
It has extended its consultation until 31 October. | Plans to move an exclusion zone for dogs on Swansea's seafront has prompted responses from more than 1,800 people. |
36,446,483 | The question: Julian asks BBC Radio 4's PM programme "How much has/will the referendum cost?"
Reality Check verdict: The estimated cost of the referendum is £142.4m, according to the written statement to Parliament by the Cabinet Office.
"This includes the expenses incurred by counting officers in running the poll, grants to the designated lead campaign organisations [of up to £600,000], the delivery by Royal Mail of campaign mailings from those organisations, and the cost of the central count," it says.
There is no limit to the amount of donations campaign groups can accept from "permissible donors", which include individuals on the UK electoral register and UK-registered companies.
However, during the official referendum period, from 15 April to 23 June 2016, the designated lead campaign groups - Vote Leave and Britain Stronger in Europe - have to abide by a spending limit of £7m.
The spending limit for other registered campaigners (excluding political parties) is £700,000.
Read more: The facts behind claims in the EU debate | According to a written statement to Parliament by the Cabinet Office from March 2016, "the estimated cost of conducting the referendum is £142.4m". |
32,216,878 | Quite literally - LA-based street Artist Plastic Jesus (famous for his cocaine-snorting Oscar statue) got annoyed with being held up in traffic recently by a paparazzi scrum surrounding one or another of the sisters leaving a shop.
So he decided to do something about it.
He came up with the idea of banning the family from parking in several Los Angeles hotspots.
The artist created several signs which he bolted to other notices around Melrose Avenue, Robertson (near the Ivy restaurant) and elsewhere, reading No Kardashian Parking Any Time.
The artist explained to Newsbeat what the signs were inspired by.
"There is gridlock caused whenever one of the Kardashian family do simple basic things, shopping, eating out or pumping gas.
"The Kardashians have become a media cultural phenomenon, sadly at the expense of real news."
He said that the installation was intended not as an attack on the Kardashians, but on "us, both the media and the consumer".
He went on: "Media is circulation-driven, or more recently by hits on websites. Without our unending desire to consume this content this will continue."
The LAPD reportedly view the signs as vandalism, something Plastic rejects.
"The signs are only intended to be a temporary installation, like many other parking and driving signs around LA, they will be removed in the very near future."
UPDATE: As of Thursday morning, the official Plastic Jesus Twitter account confirmed his team has taken down the signs.
Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter, BBCNewsbeat on Instagram and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube | You can't move for Kardashians at the moment, they seem to be everywhere. |
21,731,760 | Argentina has constantly reiterated its claims to the islands, 30 years after it was repelled by a British task force in a 74-day conflict.
The islanders decided to hold the vote in response to Argentine pressure for negotiations over sovereignty.
Some 1,672 British citizens - out of a population of about 2,900 - can vote.
Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has said the inhabitants' wishes are not relevant in what is a territorial issue.
Most Argentines regard the islands, which they call Las Malvinas, as Argentine and their recovery is enshrined in the national constitution.
By Alastair LeitheadBBC News, Buenos Aires
While the 1,600 or so eligible Falkland Islanders vote in the referendum, the government here in Argentina calls it both "illegal" and "utterly meaningless".
Their position is clear - this is an issue of sovereignty between the two countries, and that the people on the island do not have the right to self-determination.
The result, expected to be a resounding yes to remain a British overseas territory, will not affect the government position that Las Malvinas, as they are known here, belong to Argentina. It's a view reflected by the majority of people - in a recent poll, 75% of Argentinians took this position.
It's been suggested domestic pressure on President Kirchner has led to increased diplomatic rhetoric over the islands, a request for the UN to look at the issue and sanctions on companies working there.
The inflation rate is estimated to be more than 25% but Argentina blames the UK for escalating the issue by intensifying oil exploration efforts.
Dick Sawle, a member of the island's legislative assembly, played a leading part in pushing for the vote.
He told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show he hoped the result would reaffirm the principle of self-determination and send a message to both the international community and to Argentines.
"I would hope that whilst the government of Argentina may not listen to us, I hope the people... will listen to us, because I think there are many people within Argentina who are not in tune with their government."
He rejected President Kirchner's suggestion they were an "implanted" population, saying the Falklands had been settled throughout history in the same way as South America, but with no indigenous population to displace.
Despite the clarity of the history, he added, there was the fundamental right to self-determination "to which no-one can attach conditions".
Sukey Cameron, UK representative of the Falkland Islands government, said the territory could become independent in the future.
"That may well happen in 50, 70, 100 years' time, but now we are very happy with our relationship as it stands with the UK," she told Murnaghan on Sky News.
"There are some people on the island who may vote 'no' but voting 'no' isn't necessarily voting 'yes' to Argentina," she added.
BBC defence correspondent Caroline Wyatt, in Port Stanley, said in the cafes and shops of the Falklands capital there was no mistaking the sentiment - union flags fly everywhere from cars to bunting in the windows, and posters ask islanders to vote "yes" to staying British.
She said many people queuing at the capital's polling booths showed their British allegiance by dressing in the union flag.
Our correspondent added that mobile polling stations had been sent out to help the more isolated islanders cast their vote, overseen by an international observer to guard against vote tampering.
The competing claims over the Falklands
Julie Clarke, owner of the Bittersweet cafe in Port Stanley, said: "Without a shadow of a doubt, it'll be a big fat 'yes'.
"These are our islands, this is our home, and I think the rest of the world needs to hear us and see us for who we are."
Pam Devino, who runs a beauty salon, said: "Really, hopefully, that will get Argentina to back off, stop giving us so much hassle and it will let Britain know as well that we want to be British and part of them, and we're thankful for their support."
Falkland Islander Keith Grimmer added: "It's important to show Mrs Kirchner that we want to be British and not Argentine. It's cold here but it's going to be even colder for Mrs Kirchner. Yes is the answer."
Election observers from different countries are overseeing the vote, including representatives of Chile and Mexico - despite an Argentine request for Latin American countries not to take part.
Argentine forces invaded the Falkland Islands on 2 April 1982. The garrison of Royal Marines was overwhelmed and other British South Atlantic territories including South Georgia were also seized.
In two months of fighting, 255 British and about 650 Argentine servicemen were killed, along with three Falklands civilians, before Argentine forces surrendered. | The people of the Falkland Islands have begun voting in a two-day referendum on whether to remain a British overseas territory. |
35,267,169 | David Cumming, head of equities at Standard Life, said oil needed to be over $60 rather than the current $33.
He said the fund manager would oppose the deal when it goes to a shareholder vote later this month.
But Shell has said it remains confident of winning the vote.
A Shell spokesman said: "We continue to believe we have the broad base of shareholder support we need for the deal to complete."
Shares in Shell fell 0.8% to £13.64 when the FTSE started trading on Monday, while BG dropped 1.3% to £9.27.
The firm announced its intention to buy BG - an oil and gas exploration company - in April 2015 for £47bn.
But Mr Cumming said that the risk of further oil price falls and financial risks connected to BG's Brazilian assets make the deal undesirable.
"The problem we have with the deal is that a lot's changed since the bid was announced in April last year - all of it negative," he told the BBC's Today programme.
"The current oil price is $33 and Shell still needs an oil price well over $60 to make it work financially," he said on Monday.
Shell and BG shareholders will vote at separate meetings on 27 and 28 January respectively.
Mr Cumming said Standard Life would not want to see Shell chief executive Ben van Beurden forced out if the deal failed.
"He's doing a good job in our view. It's just the deal we don't like. We have to put financial logic above management loyalty in this instance, and we would recommend other shareholders do the same," Mr Cumming said.
Standard Life is the 11th largest holder of Shell's B shares, with a 1.7% stake.
Shell B shares make up the share component in the cash-and-share deal that is expected to be completed on 15 February.
Standard Life is also the 16th biggest shareholder in BG, according to data from Bloomberg.
Shell has won the support of Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), an influential advisory firm, which recommended on Friday that Shell shareholders support the deal.
Another influential advisory group, Glass Lewis, also issued its guidance late on Friday, joining ISS in advising shareholders to vote in favour.
ISS, which advises about 5% of Shell's medium and small shareholders, said it supported the deal "given the compelling strategic rationale, and the significant positive economics to be realised within a relatively short time frame".
Glass Lewis, which says it advises 12 of Shell's top 50 shareholders, said the deal "could lead to significantly improved financial results and the creation of substantial shareholder value".
Shell will become the world's top liquefied natural gas trader after the deal.
In December Shell said it would cut 2,800 jobs as a result of restructuring the companies into one unit. | A key investor in Royal Dutch Shell has said the oil company's proposed takeover of BG Group does not work at current oil prices. |
39,723,573 | The Manchester City boss said the former England player, 35, is at the same level as Spanish World Cup winners Xabi Alonso and Sergio Busquets.
Carrick, who joined United in 2006 from Tottenham, has made 31 appearances for the club this season.
"He's one of the best holding midfielders I've ever seen in my life, by far," Guardiola said.
Carrick has made more than 400 appearances in total and is United's second-longest serving player after Wayne Rooney.
The City boss, whose team play United in a rearranged Premier League fixture on Thursday, said that English football was "safe" with players such as Carrick and team-mate Marcus Rashford.
Carrick has picked up 34 England caps in an international career that started in 2001, while teenager Rashford has made eight senior appearances.
"I am a big fan of Michael Carrick. Marcus Rashford is a good talent. You have outstanding players, you can do it with the national team."
City claimed a 2-1 victory when the two Manchester sides met at Old Trafford in September but United have not lost a league game since October - a run of 23 matches.
"They are good, good rivals, good quality, in good form. They've had big series without defeat in the Premier League," the Spaniard continued.
"They have a lot of quality, history. We're looking forward to the game."
Media playback is not supported on this device
Both Manchester sides are vying for a Champions League spot, with Guardiola's fourth-placed side currently one point ahead of Manchester United in fifth.
Hosts City have dropped 15 points at home this season and are unlikely to finish higher than third.
"I've been managing for nine years and this is my first year without a trophy. Sometimes it has to happen and it happened this year," Guardiola added.
"If I extend my career long, I'm sure there will be many years in the future it happens. But there's also a lot of teams in Europe who are not going to win a trophy."
City spent £175m on players last summer - the most of any Premier League team - with Manchester United second on the list after parting with around £150m.
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte said on Tuesday that spending the most money on players does not guarantee success and cited both Manchester clubs.
However, Guardiola said that Conte could not forget the Premier League leaders' own summer spending.
"It is not just United or City and this summer it's going to happen again," he said.
"I agree but I think he cannot forget that all the players Chelsea have, have cost a lot of money." | Pep Guardiola has called Manchester United's Michael Carrick "one of the best midfielders I've ever seen". |
37,328,765 | Fresh from winning two gold medals at the Rio Olympics, he pulled away in the last mile to win the half marathon from Newcastle to South Shields.
Tens of thousands of people are taking part in the 36th annual race.
The main race was started by Olympic 800m champion David Rudisha and County Durham bronze medallist Amy Tinkler.
Live Great North Run updates.
The 13.1-mile run, has grown from 12,000 runners in 1981 to 57,000, many of whom raise money for charities.
Beginning in Newcastle, the half-marathon course finishes at South Shields and takes in iconic sights including the Tyne Bridge.
The men's wheelchair race was won by Mark Telford and the women's race by Vivian Cheruiyot.
The event also featured participants from 178 UN member states, more than any other running event in history, organisers say.
Rock bands Kaiser Chiefs and Kodaline, which has a band member taking part in the run, will perform at the inaugural "run, rock and raise" event at the Newcastle Metro Arena, with charities benefitting from the money raised.
The run completes a weekend of events including the Great North 5K, mini and junior Great North Run and the Great North City games, which took place on Tyneside on Saturday.
Earlier on Sunday morning, paralysed woman Claire Lomas who started her Great North Run on Wednesday wearing a "bionic suit" completed the route in South Shields. | Four-times Olympic gold medallist Mo Farah has won the Great North Run, becoming the first man to achieve three consecutive wins. |
36,094,002 | Goram believes Rangers can challenge for the Scottish Premiership title next season - if the squad is strengthened.
He says King has to support Warburton to allow him to sign the "four or five players" the squad will require.
"Dave King has already said in public that he has £20m to spend. He's got to come and do it now," Goram said.
"The players [Warburton] has brought in - Wes [Fotheringham], [James] Tavernier, [Martyn] Waghorn - have hit the ground running. He knows what he's doing.
"The big thing for us is if we manage to win the cup final (against Hibs) and get into Europe, because that will attract a better class of player.
"[Accrington midfielders] Josh Windass and Matt Crooks are coming already, so if we could sign another three, four or five then we've got a right chance next season.
"We've laid down a wee marker [by defeating Celtic in Sunday's Scottish Cup semi-final]. That doesn't mean we're going to win it next year, but we've planted a seed and with Celtic in a bit of turmoil just now, it looks as if the tide has turned a wee bit.
"The gap's not that big. Celtic haven't been great this season, but we're not the finished article either."
Goram was impressed with Rangers' performance in the penalty shoot-out win over their Old Firm rivals.
He saw it as a reflection of Warburton's talent as a manager, and insists the Englishman will want to finish the job he has started at Ibrox rather than return south early.
"People say Celtic didn't play too well, but I thought Rangers made them look not too great," Goram added. "Rangers were brilliant. Individual performances were fantastic but as a team we had a great game. Mark Warburton got it spot on and we did a wee turn on them.
"He reminds me so much of the [former Rangers] gaffer, Walter Smith, the way he goes about it, the way he speaks. He's got that calmness, he knows what he's doing.
"His stock has gone up with what he's done this season and the way he's gone about it, but he's got a job to finish and I think he looks at it that way.
"I can't see him going anywhere next season. He'll stay, hopefully get into Europe and have a right challenge at Celtic.
"I think that's what he came for, he's brought all these players in with him and he's bringing in more, so there's no point walking away." | Former Rangers goalkeeper Andy Goram has urged chairman Dave King to back manager Mark Warburton by providing transfer funds in the summer. |
37,932,108 | Cardiff council approved a residential development on Wednesday.
It will see 102 flats built on land off Trade Street, as well as the demolition of most of Williams Court, which is home to the band's Faster Studios.
The development will be up to nine floors, with retail units on the ground floor and a car park.
The band was unavailable for comment. | The Manic Street Preachers are to bid farewell to their Cardiff base after more than a decade. |
30,306,317 | Morgan's attorneys have accused the retailer of using the truck driver at the centre of the accident to block a resolution to the 30 Rock star's case.
The driver, Kevin Roper, is trying to put Morgan's legal action on hold while he faces separate criminal charges.
Mr Roper was at the wheel of a Walmart truck that crashed into Morgan's bus.
Comedian James McNair died in the crash on the New Jersey Turnpike last June, while Morgan suffered a traumatic brain injury and broken bones.
Mr Roper, who is not named in Morgan's action, has been charged with death by vehicle and four counts of assault by vehicle.
Last month he filed a request to delay the comedian's federal lawsuit while his criminal case proceeds in New Jersey's state court.
Walmart said the accusation that it was "somehow behind Mr Roper's motion in an attempt to delay discovery is simply false".
Its statement followed claims from Morgan's legal team that Walmart was "attempting to gain an unfair advantage" and using Mr Roper's request as "a ploy to further delay this trial".
Morgan's legal team has accused Walmart of being "careless and negligent" in requiring Mr Roper to drive while fatigued.
Walmart have contended that Morgan's injuries and McNair's death were partly their own fault because they were not wearing seatbelts. | US retail giant Walmart has rejected that it is deliberately stalling a legal action related to a car crash which injured comedian Tracy Morgan. |
39,478,419 | Ice Factor Group will operate the indoor complex planned for Middlehaven, Middlesbrough.
The project got the go-ahead from councillors last week.
Ice Factor Group owns Snow Factor Braehead near Glasgow and Ice Factor Kinlochleven, the world's largest indoor ice climbing centre.
Running the Middlesbrough complex will be the first time the group has operated outside of Scotland.
The new centre is expected to create more than 300 jobs.
It will include a 557ft (170m) ski slope, climbing area, indoor sky-diving centre, shops and cafes.
Developer Cool Runnings (NE) expect the centre to attract more than two million visitors a year.
Building work is due to start early next year, with a forecast opening by the summer of 2019.
Middlesbrough Council described the scheme as a "massive step" in the town's regeneration plans. | The operator of two indoor winter sports sites in Scotland has won a contract to run a new £30m snowsports centre in England. |
35,959,546 | The 46 year-old Italian will join up with the London club after completing his role as Italy coach at the European Championships in France.
Guus Hiddink, who replaced Jose Mourinho, will remain in charge of the Blues until the end of the season.
Chelsea are currently 10th in the Premier League and will not feature in Europe next season.
Conte is a former Italy midfielder who made more than 400 appearances for Juventus, winning five league titles and a Champions League.
He will be the fifth Italian in charge at Stamford Bridge. | Chelsea have announced that Antonio Conte will take charge of Chelsea this summer on a three year deal. |
40,944,672 | Semi Ajayi headed the visitors into an early lead before Philip Billing converted a penalty for Huddersfield.
Joe Lolley then made it 2-1 to the hosts with a low finish.
Rotherham finished strongly, going closest when Kieffer Moore's strike was cleared off the line.
Match ends, Huddersfield Town 2, Rotherham United 1.
Second Half ends, Huddersfield Town 2, Rotherham United 1.
Foul by Laurent Depoitre (Huddersfield Town).
Alex Bray (Rotherham United) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Corner, Rotherham United. Conceded by Michael Hefele.
Danny Williams (Huddersfield Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Jonson Clarke-Harris (Rotherham United).
Attempt missed. Anthony Forde (Rotherham United) left footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left.
Attempt saved. Kieffer Moore (Rotherham United) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
Michael Hefele (Huddersfield Town) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Danny Williams (Huddersfield Town) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Ben Purrington (Rotherham United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Ben Purrington (Rotherham United).
Foul by Laurent Depoitre (Huddersfield Town).
Richard Wood (Rotherham United) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Delay in match Michael Hefele (Huddersfield Town) because of an injury.
Foul by Scott Malone (Huddersfield Town).
Alex Bray (Rotherham United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Huddersfield Town. Tom Ince replaces Joe Lolley.
Substitution, Rotherham United. Alex Bray replaces Dominic Ball.
Delay in match Collin Quaner (Huddersfield Town) because of an injury.
Michael Hefele (Huddersfield Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Kieffer Moore (Rotherham United).
Substitution, Huddersfield Town. Elias Kachunga replaces Kasey Palmer.
Foul by Michael Hefele (Huddersfield Town).
Kieffer Moore (Rotherham United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt saved. Laurent Depoitre (Huddersfield Town) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Attempt missed. Jonson Clarke-Harris (Rotherham United) right footed shot from outside the box is too high.
Foul by Philip Billing (Huddersfield Town).
Jonson Clarke-Harris (Rotherham United) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Substitution, Rotherham United. Jonson Clarke-Harris replaces David Ball.
Attempt missed. Joe Lolley (Huddersfield Town) left footed shot from outside the box is too high.
Corner, Huddersfield Town. Conceded by Kieffer Moore.
Corner, Huddersfield Town. Conceded by Will Vaulks.
Attempt saved. Kieffer Moore (Rotherham United) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Kieffer Moore (Rotherham United) because of an injury.
Attempt missed. Collin Quaner (Huddersfield Town) header from the centre of the box is high and wide to the right.
Michael Hefele (Huddersfield Town) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Jon Taylor (Rotherham United). | Huddersfield recorded their third straight win of the season as the Premier League side came from behind to beat League One Rotherham in the EFL Cup second round. |
31,111,005 | He criticised a target of degrees for 50% of young people set by the last Labour UK government, calling on Welsh ministers to focus on apprenticeships.
Mr Crabb said Wales was "not doing well enough" educating "our young talent".
The speech, at the Sony factory in Pencoed, was the latest salvo in a row with Labour over education standards. | Sending young people to university is a "disaster" for those who are more suited to apprenticeships, Welsh Secretary Stephen Crabb has said. |
36,638,749 | Changes to financial regulations will inevitably change in time following the UK's vote to leave the EU.
But, a recorded message on the HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) helpline says that nothing has changed in the immediate aftermath of the vote.
An accountancy group said the reassurance message was sensible.
The HMRC message says: "There are no changes to any taxes, tax credits, child benefits or other HMRC services as a result of the vote on the EU referendum.
"Everything is continuing as normal. No laws have changed. There is no need to contact HMRC as a result of the EU referendum."
The recorded message was added to the helpline in line with plans made before the vote, not in response to calls from taxpayers, the tax authority said.
A change of prime minister and new look to the government is likely to lead to tax changes, said Chas Roy-Chowdhury, head of taxation at the ACCA accountancy body, but he added that nothing had changed straight away.
"People and businesses still need to get returns in or make tax payments - they can't slack under the fog of the referendum result," he said.
There is no "moratorium on deadlines", he said, with the next tax deadline for half-year tax payments for those in the self-assessment system coming on 31 July.
He added that there was a danger that if businesses, in particular, were not urged to carry on as normal, that the UK could "talk itself into a recession". | The UK's tax authority is stressing that "no laws have changed" and that tax rules remain the same following the EU referendum. |
35,989,967 | British 100m record-holder Dina Asher-Smith is up against world 200m champion Dafne Schippers in the women's 100m.
Adam Gemili, who ran a time of 9.97 seconds in 2015, will compete in the men's 100m race again.
The 800m world record-holder David Rudisha of Kenya will step down to the men's 600m, a race he won in 2014.
European 800m champion Lynsey Sharp, who has won three British titles at the Alexander Stadium, will be looking to emulate her 2014 performance when she won with a time of 1:59.14.
Further British interest comes from European 100m hurdles champion Tiffany Porter, who claimed a third successive World Indoor medal in Portland last month by finishing third in the women's 60m hurdles. | Double Olympic and world champion Mo Farah is among a number of elite athletes to compete at the Birmingham Diamond League on 5 June. |
37,401,849 | The attacker rammed a car carrying explosives into General Mohamed Jimale Goobale's convoy near the defence ministry headquarters in Mogadishu, Somalia's capital.
Al-Shabab claimed the attack and accused the general of plotting against them.
He had survived several previous assassination attempts.
Who are Somalia's al-Shabab?
Somalia hopes for a better future
Witnesses in Mogadishu reported hearing a huge explosion.
"The suicide car bomb hit the car they were in. May God rest their souls," police colonel Abdikadir Farah told the Reuters news agency.
A radio station linked to al-Shabab reported a "martyr" had killed the general.
Voting for a new parliament begins on 25 September in Somalia. Lawmakers will then choose a president on 30 October.
Al-Shabab opposes the government of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who is backed by Western powers and seeking re-election. | A Somali general and at least six of his bodyguards have been killed by a suicide car bomber, police say. |
39,217,595 | In a speech on Thursday, the health secretary said it was "critical for patient safety".
The target of seeing 95% of patients in four hours has been missed in England since July 2015. There was a record low of 85.1% in January.
Mr Hunt demanded progress this year and said the target should be hit next year after new funding in the Budget.
Chancellor Philip Hammond announced an extra £2bn for social care over the next three years.
This comes after warnings services were under threat with councils, which are in charge of services, reportedly £1bn short of the £19.7bn they need this year.
Mr Hunt said the new money would help tackle the problem of patients who were fit to leave hospital having discharge delayed because of a lack of suitable care in the community. This is thought to have contributed to overcrowding in trusts.
The health secretary said: "It is absolutely essential we get back to the 95% target. That is critical for patient safety."
To coincide with Mr Hunt's speech, bosses at NHS England and NHS Improvement, which run the health service, wrote to hospital chief executives giving them a deadline of March 2018 to get back on track.
They said the social care money would play an important part in relieving the pressure as it could help to free up between 2,000 and 3,000 beds which are occupied by patients who have finished their treatment.
If this is achieved it would represent a halving of the delays that are currently being seen.
But the two regulators also want hospitals and the ambulance service to take some steps themselves. These include:
The development comes after ministers and NHS bosses have given serious consideration to dropping or changing the target. Earlier this winter Mr Hunt suggested it was being looked at amid concerns the growing numbers seeking care at A&E units was making it very difficult for hospitals to hit the target.
Chris Hopson, of NHS Providers, which represents hospitals, said: "Given how far we are currently behind the target and without the required funding we think it is unrealistic to expect trusts as a whole to meet the 95% A&E target within a year." | Jeremy Hunt has told NHS hospitals they must get back to meeting the target for seeing patients swiftly in A&E. |
30,257,076 | The Magpies took the lead when Cisse slotted in after Gary Cahill missed Sammy Ameobi's low cross.
An Eden Hazard shot hit a Newcastle upright before Moussa Sissoko set up Cisse for another tap-in.
The hosts had Steven Taylor sent off but, despite Didier Drogba pulling one back, held on for the win.
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Chelsea piled forward late on and striker Diego Costa had a shot tipped over by 21-year-old goalkeeper Jak Alnwick, who was making his debut having come on as a half-time substitute for the injured Rob Elliot.
Newcastle had beaten the Blues in their last two league games at St James' Park but a repeat appeared unlikely considering the marauding form of their visitors.
However, a heroic defensive performance, marshalled by centre-back Fabricio Coloccini, was the foundation of a victory which ended Chelsea's hopes of setting a new club record of 24 matches unbeaten in all competitions.
The defeat will also end talk of the Stamford Bridge side repeating Arsenal's 'Invincibles' by going the whole league season without losing, and gives the London side's title rivals the chance to make up ground.
Mourinho had insisted that it was "impossible" to remain unbeaten all season and he was proven right as his side were frustrated by a disciplined and organised Newcastle side, much in the way they were in a goalless draw at Sunderland last weekend.
Before the break, Chelsea were limited to a couple of Willian strikes wide, a Cahill header over and a well-struck Oscar overhead kick past the frame of the goal.
The hosts gradually grew in confidence as they quelled the Blues' threat and might have taken a surprise lead.
Ameobi found Ayoze Perez and his sliding pass released Colback, but the midfielder was thwarted when Chelsea keeper Thibaut Courtois saved his close range shot with a foot.
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It was easy to see how Newcastle had lost just once in nine games but they suffered a setback when goalkeeper Elliot failed to emerge for the second half, having injured himself taking a goal-kick.
That meant a debut for Alnwick, whose first piece of action was to punch away a Cesc Fabregas free-kick assuredly.
Alnwick should have been tested again when another Fabregas free-kick found John Mikel Obi in space at the near post only for the midfielder to head wide.
The miss was immediately punished when, at the other end, Cahill missed a low Ameobi cross and Cisse slotted in gleefully.
Chelsea exerted more pressure but, 38 seconds after a Hazard shot came back off a post, Newcastle extended their lead when Cisse scored after a swift counter-attack.
A Taylor foul on Andre Schurrle earned the defender his second yellow card left the Magpies a man down.
And, in a dramatic finale, Drogba gave Chelsea hope when he nodded in a Fabregas free-kick.
However, Newcastle stood firm as Mourinho was left still searching for his first league win at St James' Park in five attempts as Chelsea manager. | Premier League leaders Chelsea suffered their first defeat of the season as they were beaten at Newcastle in their 15th top-flight game of the campaign. |
28,467,118 | Kimberley, 26, secured her country's first gold, beating India's Sushila Likmabam courtesy of an ippon in the -48kg weight category.
The Lanarkshire native's crowning move sparked jubilant scenes at the Scottish Exhibition & Conference Centre (SECC).
Louise, 31, then overcame England's Kelly Edwards in a nervy -52kg final.
With only three seconds remaining, the British number one's opponent was disqualified for collecting four penalties.
Both judokas were cautioned during the bout for various infringements with Edwards's decisive fourth penalty coming for a shido, a light penalty awarded for a minor violation.
Kimberley, unable to watch her sister's final live because she had go through anti-doping procedures, admitted it was tough watching Louise's tense victory on television.
"I was screaming at the TV," she told BBC Sport. "I ran down to see her and the first time I saw her, someone's trying to take a photo of us.
"I saw the medal ceremony. I saw her getting the crowd involved. She's taken the showboating from me - and people say I'm the poser."
Earlier, Kimberley, a Pan American Open bronze medallist, showed little emotion as she walked into a wall of sound on entering the arena, her composure belying her inexperience at this level.
But after quickly seeing off her rival she couldn't hide her feelings, smiling broadly as she left the mat to a standing ovation and the crowd's din ringing in her ears.
"I am so happy - I wanted to see the team off to a great start," she told the BBC afterwards.
"The crowd just make you believe that you can do it."
The younger Renicks' smile was still a fixture when she reappeared for the medal ceremony.
She was led back into the arena by a bagpiper to receive her gold medal, her first on the international stage, before sparking a passionate rendition of the national anthem.
Despite appearances, Kimberley admitted she had to fight back the tears after her win.
"Everyone said to me, there was a waver there of the lip but I held it in," she added, laughing.
"I was half crying when I came off the mat as well. I was so emotional I didn't know what to do. It's the best medal I've got."
Louise added: "I couldn't stop smiling. I thought I was going to cry a bit more but I was just smiling." | Sisters Kimberley and Louise Renicks won Scotland's first gold medals of the Commonwealth Games with thrilling judo victories before a raucous home crowd. |
34,019,742 | The capital side kick off their Pro12 season at Meggetland against Leinster on Friday, 4 September.
"We built the side through our conditioning, our defence, our set-piece and a structured game plan," said Solomons.
"Now this season we need to evolve our attack."
Edinburgh have been temporarily dislodged from their home stadium to allow preparatory work for a concert at Murrayfield the week after the Pro12 opener.
South African Solomons inherited a disparate playing group largely bereft of order and direction upon taking the reins in the Scottish capital two seasons ago.
The rebuilding process has been challenging, with Edinburgh recording consecutive eighth-place finishes, but reaching the European Challenge Cup final in May.
"This season I would like us to be a side that is capable of playing in a variety of ways," added Solomons. "To do that we need to continue to evolve our attack and like all teams, where we can win with style, absolutely we want to do that.
"Our outside backs on that are key. What's key this season are guys like Chris Dean, Damien Hoyland, that those boys come through. There's no doubt they've got the wherewithal; they don't have the experience, but we need some firepower in the outside backs.
"Bearing in mind our injuries (last season), we lacked a little bit of that firepower and that also played its influence.
"We have spent a lot of time in pre-season on conditioning games, but we've spent a lot of time on our skills. We've really worked like crazy on that. You've got to understand it's a building process, we're looking this season to hit that balance."
The 65-year-old, who coached throughout his homeland, and had stints in charge of Ulster and Northampton Saints on British soil, highlighted Scotland centre Matt Scott's lengthy absence through shoulder problems as the most detrimental among a spree of injuries to key players.
Rugby World Cup duty is set to deprive Edinburgh of a hefty forwards contingent, but they are perhaps not likely to be as depleted as many of their domestic counterparts.
Capitalising on the early Pro12 fixtures could prove crucial to attaining the top six spot and European Champions Cup qualification Solomons has benchmarked.
"We are going to miss, for sure, our whole front-row and Stuart (McInally)," he said. "Grant Gilchrist, for sure. Dave Denton, for sure. But we've got a good enough pack to cope with that.
"Everybody's the same, we can't afford injuries, but it is important we hit the ground running in this thing. The players are aware of it. The young boys are ready for it, they're excited about it."
After confirming the capture of Tongan winger Otulea Katoa on Thursday, Solomons does not expect any further additions to his squad, although summer signing Michael Allen has sustained a shoulder injury.
"Not to my knowledge," he added. "We've got to see how we track, but our squad is pretty much done." | Edinburgh will look to add flair to their structured, uncompromising forwards game plan this season, head coach Alan Solomons has announced. |
38,925,790 | Winger Hayes, 29, signed a new deal tying him to the Pittodrie side until 2019, having first joined from Inverness Caledonian Thistle in 2012.
The Dons had rejected bids from Cardiff City for the Republic of Ireland international, who has scored 25 goals in 190 Aberdeen appearances.
"I'm so pleased," said McInnes, 45, of Hayes' new deal.
"It's a huge boost for everybody - team-mates, supporters, myself - because there was a stage in January, certainly the Dundee game, the last game before the window closed, there was a feeling that it may well have been his last game. There was a real possibility of that.
"And the fact we have managed to get him, not just until the end of the season, but to commit beyond that, is great news.
"We try to work with all our players and pitch at the right level to keep them. We have always been quite good at that.
"The better the team does and the better individuals do within the team, it becomes more of a challenge to be able to keep everybody happy.
"But I spoke to Jonny continuously throughout January about where we were, if something didn't happen for him maybe to extend. So it was something he was willing to do."
Premiership rivals Ross County stand between Aberdeen and a place in the Scottish Cup quarter-finals with the sides meeting in Dingwall on Saturday in one of three all top-flight fifth-round ties.
Aberdeen have not won the tournament since 1990 but did reach the final of this season's League Cup, losing to Celtic.
"A strong cup run can help your league form as well," said McInnes, whose side are second in the Premiership.
"There is benefit for attendances and financial gain for the club. But, more than that, the supporters can get excited by a good strong cup run.
"I thought we suffered from that last season [losing in the fourth round].
"As good as we were in the league [finishing second in the Premiership], there was a feeling towards the end of the season that it wasn't quite the season we wanted to be, and a big part of that was not progressing as far as we wanted in the cups." | Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes says Jonny Hayes' new contract is "a huge boost" for the club. |
32,671,427 | Beacons were lit on Friday evening at the castles in Cardiff, Kidwelly, Beaumaris, Burry Port, Swansea, Welshpool, Brecon, Blaenau Gwent and Craig-y-Dorth in Monmouth.
It followed a two minute silence observed across the country on Friday.
On 8 May 1945 hundreds of beacons were lit to celebrate the end of the war.
Events this weekend in Wales include VE Day exhibitions, bell ringing at cathedrals and numerous 1940s themed parties and celebrations.
Please send your VE Day event pictures to [email protected] | A series of events will be held across Wales this weekend to commemorate the 70th anniversary of VE Day - the end of World War Two on the continent. |
35,883,905 | The trial, which attracted a flurry of media attention, has spurred debate about how victims of sexual assault are treated by the Canadian legal system.
Mr Ghomeshi's three accusers came under intense scrutiny from the defence during the eight-day trial.
He is charged with sexual assault and choking his victims.
Mr Ghomeshi, 48, has denied the charges. He has said the encounters were consensual, describing them as "rough sex".
If convicted, he could be sentenced to life in prison.
Police said the assaults took place in 2002 and 2003.
During the trial, defence lawyer Marie Henein questioned why his accusers remained in contact or on good terms with Mr Ghomeshi after the alleged assaults.
One sent Mr Ghomeshi a picture of herself in a bikini after she said he had punched her in the head. She told Ms Henein that she wanted to bait Mr Ghomeshi into incriminating himself.
But prosecutor Michael Callaghan said "post-assault contact was not relevant to the sexual assault that took place" and every victim coped with assault differently.
Some advocates for sexual assault victims worried that women were being put on trial rather than the alleged attacker.
Others were concerned the scrutiny would discourage other victims from coming forward in future cases.
Mr Ghomeshi, who hosted the radio show Q, was sacked by Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) in 2014 after the allegations became public.
The CBC began an inquiry into Mr Ghomeshi's sexual activities after the Toronto Star newspaper began investigating allegations by an ex-girlfriend that he had engaged in non-consensual, violent sex with her.
The report found that CBC management knew about Mr Ghomeshi's behaviour, or should have known. It said the members of management did not take steps to stop it.
A number of women came forward after the Star's report, accusing him of punching, strangling and battering. | A Canadian judge is expected to deliver a verdict on Thursday in the sexual assault trial of Jian Ghomeshi, once one of the country's top broadcasters. |
36,744,470 | They become hidden after a certain period of time chosen by the author, the firm said.
It is part of a new "secret message" service having a limited trial, Facebook announced.
Senders must choose one device to use it on, as messages sent this way are stored on the device itself.
Those flagged to "disappear" will be deleted from the device as well.
"Starting a secret conversation with someone is optional," it said.
"Secret conversations can only be read on one device and we recognise that experience may not be right for everyone."
Facebook listed health and financial issues as examples of messages that people may wish to keep more private - while others have mentioned love affairs.
The idea is being trialled on a "limited basis", Facebook said, but added that it would be more widely available over the summer.
Video and GIFs cannot be shared secretly at the moment.
The service will also have extra features for reporting abuse - and once this is introduced, there will be a delay in the deletion of messages to enable flagging.
"Facebook will never have access to plain text messages unless one participant in a secret conversation voluntarily reports the conversation," it explained in a technical document.
The service is built on the Signal protocol by Open Whisper Systems, which is widely used by messaging apps, said cybersecurity expert Professor Alan Woodward from Surrey University.
"Signal is well tested and those who developed it are well regarded in the cryptography community," he said.
"But the problem with something effectively becoming an open standard in this way is that if ever a problem were found it could have widespread impact."
Prof Woodward added that the technical report released by Facebook was "not as complete as many would like" in terms of assessing the service's security.
"If I were to choose any messaging system I would look for it to be based on Signal at present.
"However, I'd like to know more about exactly how it is implemented, or at least know that those who can analyse such systems have scrutinised the code." | Private messages that can disappear are being trialled by Facebook as it experiments with a new option for those using its Messenger app. |
36,888,343 | The Elite League speedway side previously feared their future relied on ground share deal.
After talks with the new landowner, who plans to develop the site for housing, there is the possibility of a further two-year extension to the new lease.
Bees owner Mick Horton, however, admits the club's long-term future remains "a concern".
"There can be no doubt that this offer has given the speedway team some security in the short-term," Horton told the club website. | Coventry Bees will continue to race at Brandon Stadium for another year after being offered a new lease from 2017. |
35,838,833 | England have clinched the Six Nations title but victory in Paris on Saturday will complete five wins out of five.
"We haven't done anything yet," said Jones. "We've got the Six Nations trophy, but it doesn't feel like that."
Scrum-half Danny Care and prop Mako Vunipola come into the side that beat Wales last weekend.
France have finished in the bottom half of the table in the past four Six Nations while England will be looking to win a Grand Slam for the 13th time.
"If you look at their team, they have got very talented individuals. We are certain they will play a traditional French game based on forward power and off-the-cuff rugby," said Jones.
"We have just got to be intense and physical to not allow them in the game. They have got a new coach who likes a certain style of play and they are trying to develop that play."
Full team news for France v England
Jones also said his predecessor Stuart Lancaster deserved credit for doing a "great job" developing the team.
Lancaster, 46, left his post in November after three and a half years in charge, following England's early exit from their home World Cup and Jones told BBC Sport that Lancaster should be "congratulated on the job he did".
The 56-year-old Australian added: "I'd be remiss not to say that a lot of the success has got to be put down to what Stuart Lancaster did with this group of players."
England had the youngest squad at the World Cup, with an average age of 26.2 years.
Jones, the first foreign coach of the England team, added: "He did a great job developing this team up to the stage they were, so we're all thankful to him." | Coach Eddie Jones says his England are a "better team" than France as they look to win the Grand Slam for the first time since 2003. |
39,479,731 | The 302ft (92m) long aircraft, which is part plane and part airship, nosedived after a test flight at Cardington Airfield in Bedfordshire on 24 August.
No-one was injured in the accident, but the cockpit was effectively destroyed.
The auxiliary landing system has "airbags" which are stowed during flight, Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV) said.
More news from Bedfordshire
It is one of a number of changes which have been made since the crash when Airlander climbed to an excessive height because its mooring line became caught on power cables, an Air Accidents Investigation Branch report found.
"We had to look at how you stop 35 tonnes of airship coming down and squashing that composite flightdeck area," programmes director Nick Allman said.
"It will give us no drag [and] no change in how the aircraft flies normally."
As the craft comes in to land air from inside the craft's body will inflate the airbag feet in "about 15 seconds".
"What we've done is put in 63 changes - some to the aircraft but most to process, procedure, and training - so that sort of event is extremely unlikely to ever happen again," Chris Daniels from HAV added.
The company said the repairs and changes were now complete and, following "an extensive test phase", it is hoped Airlander will take to the skies again by the end of April.
Airlander 10 in numbers | The world's longest aircraft - the £25m Airlander 10 - has been given a pair of "giant inflatable landing feet" as part of improvements following a crash. |
36,486,427 | Media playback is not supported on this device
West Brom defender Gareth McAuley headed in Oliver Norwood's perfectly delivered free-kick before a hailstorm in Lyon forced the players off for two minutes.
When they returned, Niall McGinn finished a rebound in stoppage time to give Northern Ireland their first victory at a major tournament finals in 34 years.
Germany's 0-0 draw with Poland later on Thursday eliminated Ukraine, meaning Northern Ireland will finish at least third in Group C. A win against Germany in Paris on Tuesday in their final match would guarantee their place in the last 16, while they might already have done enough to qualify as one of the best third-placed teams.
Player ratings: Ukraine 0-2 Northern Ireland
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O'Neill gambled by making five changes, including relegating top scorer Kyle Lafferty to the substitutes' bench.
Lafferty's place went to 24-year-old Conor Washington, the QPR striker who was working as a postman and playing for St Ives in the ninth tier of English football the last time the Euros were staged in 2012.
But it paid off fantastically as Northern Ireland clinched their first win at a major tournament since famously beating hosts Spain at the 1982 World Cup.
Washington and Jamie Ward proved a handful for a Ukraine team who had kept 21 clean sheets in their previous 39 games.
Northern Ireland's strength from set-pieces told again as McAuley, 36, brilliantly got on the end of Norwood's well-taken free-kick for the first goal.
After a hail shower that saw the players withdrawn and substitutions, six minutes of stoppage time were added on.
But Northern Ireland's nervousness disappeared when Aberdeen winger McGinn pounced to seal victory.
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It was a night on which Northern Ireland made footballing history on several fronts.
As well as winning for the first time at the European finals, McAuley became the second-oldest scorer at the Euros and McGinn netted the latest ever goal at the tournament.
Once again, the green-shirted fans really got behind their team with loud vocal support.
They also remembered 24-year-old Darren Rodgers, who died in an accidental fall in Nice after the Poland match, with respectful applause in the 24th minute.
The green and white army will celebrate long into the night in Lyon before turning their thoughts to Tuesday's meeting with the world champions.
Defeat would have seen NI's great Euro 2016 adventure fall flat, now they go to Paris with hope in their hearts and buoyed by one of the greatest results in their history.
Northern Ireland boss Michael O'Neill: "We have given ourselves a great chance. It will take various permutations for us not to finish third. That gives us a shout at least. What we need to do is try to nick a point [against Germany]. We will let the players enjoy this and then the minds will switch to the Germans.
"It's hard to put into words and absorb it all at this time. Everything good about Northern Ireland was in that stadium today."
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Goalscorer Gareth McAuley: "Nobody has given us a chance. Lots of people said we wouldn't get a point.
"We weren't at it against Poland - to our standards, the intensity we wanted to play at - but tonight was a lot better.
"It's special to score, it'll sink in probably over the next few days. We've got a tough game to look forward to now, and we've got something to play for - that's what we wanted."
Northern Ireland will face Germany on Tuesday at Parc des Princes in Paris, while Ukraine will look for their first Euro 2016 point against Poland in Marseille.
Match ends, Ukraine 0, Northern Ireland 2.
Second Half ends, Ukraine 0, Northern Ireland 2.
Goal! Ukraine 0, Northern Ireland 2. Niall McGinn (Northern Ireland) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner.
Attempt saved. Stuart Dallas (Northern Ireland) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Josh Magennis.
Jonny Evans (Northern Ireland) is shown the yellow card.
Foul by Roman Zozulya (Ukraine).
Jonny Evans (Northern Ireland) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Andriy Yarmolenko (Ukraine) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Stuart Dallas (Northern Ireland).
Substitution, Northern Ireland. Patrick McNair replaces Corry Evans.
Foul by Denys Garmash (Ukraine).
Oliver Norwood (Northern Ireland) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Yevhen Konoplyanka (Ukraine) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Yaroslav Rakitskiy.
Attempt blocked. Yevhen Konoplyanka (Ukraine) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Andriy Yarmolenko (Ukraine) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Jonny Evans (Northern Ireland).
Attempt saved. Andriy Yarmolenko (Ukraine) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Attempt missed. Viacheslav Shevchuk (Ukraine) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left.
Artem Fedetskiy (Ukraine) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Steven Davis (Northern Ireland).
Stuart Dallas (Northern Ireland) is shown the yellow card.
Attempt saved. Oleksandr Zinchenko (Ukraine) header from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Viacheslav Shevchuk with a cross.
Substitution, Northern Ireland. Josh Magennis replaces Conor Washington.
Substitution, Ukraine. Oleksandr Zinchenko replaces Viktor Kovalenko.
Corner, Ukraine. Conceded by Jonny Evans.
Offside, Ukraine. Artem Fedetskiy tries a through ball, but Andriy Yarmolenko is caught offside.
Attempt missed. Viktor Kovalenko (Ukraine) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left.
Substitution, Ukraine. Denys Garmash replaces Serhiy Sydorchuk.
Foul by Serhiy Sydorchuk (Ukraine).
Oliver Norwood (Northern Ireland) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Viktor Kovalenko (Ukraine) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Stuart Dallas (Northern Ireland).
Foul by Roman Zozulya (Ukraine).
Jonny Evans (Northern Ireland) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Ukraine. Roman Zozulya replaces Evgen Seleznyov.
Attempt missed. Viktor Kovalenko (Ukraine) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses the top right corner. Assisted by Evgen Seleznyov.
Substitution, Northern Ireland. Niall McGinn replaces Jamie Ward.
Offside, Ukraine. Artem Fedetskiy tries a through ball, but Andriy Yarmolenko is caught offside.
Serhiy Sydorchuk (Ukraine) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Serhiy Sydorchuk (Ukraine). | Northern Ireland beat Ukraine to earn their first win at a European Championship and remain in contention for a place in the last 16. |
34,535,778 | Weald of Kent school in Tonbridge will open a site in Sevenoaks, Kent - side-stepping a ban on new grammar schools.
But Education Secretary Nicky Morgan said this would not "open the floodgates" to more schools being allowed to select by ability.
Labour described the decision as a "hugely backward step".
The decision to allow the new grammar school site, with places for 450 girls, has raised expectations of similar bids in other parts of the country.
But Mrs Morgan said this was a "genuine expansion" of an existing school - describing it as "one school, two sites" - and it "does not reflect a change in this government's position on selective schools".
The education secretary said that the ban on new grammars would remain.
"I don't want to fight the battles of selective and non-selective... This is one particular application with one particular set of circumstances. Why would I deny a good school the right to expand?"
"I don't think this will open any kind of precedent or floodgates."
Any bids from other grammar schools would still face the "statutory prohibition" on new selective schools and would need to "meet the criteria for being a genuine expansion", said the education secretary.
The school in Sevenoaks is due to open in September 2017, after a long campaign by supporters.
Sean Coughlan, BBC education correspondent
This will be seen as a symbolic reversing of the tide, after many decades in which grammar schools were seen as a receding emblem of the educational past, rather than an expanding destination for the future.
While this decision will be warmly welcomed by traditionalists in the Conservatives' ranks, it will be a double-edged sword for the government. Their education reforms, promoting academies and free schools, have made a prime virtue of raising standards for all, rather than focusing on the academically most able. That policy sits uneasily beside a rejuvenated 11-plus exam.
When David Cameron had the shadow education brief for the Conservatives, one of his clearest steps was to distance himself from the ideological trench warfare of the pro and anti-grammar campaigners.
Ministers won't want the return of grammars to drown out their education policy, so they will want to play down suggestions that this decision could open the floodgates to a wave of such satellite selective schools.
Grammar schools: What are they?
Grammar school decision a political risk
The persistent appeal of grammar schools
Labour passed laws in 1998 banning the creation of new grammars - which are selective state schools - but existing schools are allowed to expand if there is sufficient demand.
A previous plan for such an extension of the Weald of Kent Grammar School was turned down, when ministers were not persuaded that it would be a branch of an existing school rather than the creation of a new institution.
Andrew Shilling, of the Sevenoaks Grammar School Campaign, said the decision was a "victory for parent power".
"Today's news is overdue recognition of the fact that a Sevenoaks grammar school is supported by the vast majority of local parents."
In last year's GCSE results, 99% of pupils at the Weald of Kent Grammar School achieved five A*-C grades. The national average for England is 63%.
Local MP Michael Fallon welcomed the announcement as ending the "absurd situation of Sevenoaks being the only area in Kent not to have a grammar school".
"It will also help to ease the growing pressure on school places in west Kent."
But Ofsted chief Sir Michael Wilshaw says that while he backs the idea of a "grammar school ethos" such selective schools needed to "make sure they admit children from all backgrounds and particularly poor backgrounds".
"Remember this - for every grammar school you create, you create three secondary moderns and I can't see parents queuing up to send their children to more secondary moderns," said Sir Michael.
There will now be an expectation that others among the 163 remaining grammar schools could seek to open branches in other towns. There are some local authorities, such as Kent and Buckinghamshire, which have retained grammar school systems.
There has been a strong campaign by some Conservative MPs for greater availability of grammar schools, arguing that they drive social mobility by providing high-achieving schools for bright pupils, regardless of where they live or family income.
Grammar school supporters will see this as a symbolic boost for a type of school that was phased out in most parts of England more than 40 years ago.
Grammar schools
But opponents of selective education were highly critical.
Melissa Benn, of Comprehensive Future, said that academic selection at the age of 11 was "unfair, unnecessary and divisive".
Ms Benn said it was "absurd" to suggest that the school would be an annexe, rather than a wholly new school, adding the decision could have "far reaching consequences".
Graham Brady, chairman of the Conservative backbench 1922 Committee and a prominent campaigner for grammar schools backed the decision.
"This is a small but positive step. It improves choice for parents," said Mr Brady.
The Sutton Trust, which promotes social mobility, highlighted research that less than 3% of pupils in grammar schools were entitled to free meals, compared with an average of 18% in the areas they serve.
Labour's shadow education secretary Lucy Powell said the grammar expansion was a "new school in all but name" - and she called on Mrs Morgan to publish the advice given to her by civil servants.
Ms Powell also accused the grammar school system of being a barrier to social mobility.
"They do not increase equality of opportunity, they make it worse. Tiny numbers of children from disadvantaged backgrounds pass their tests because they are the preserve of the privately tutored," she said. | England is to get its first "new" grammar school for five decades after ministers allowed a grammar school to build an "annexe" in another town. |
32,592,247 | Northfield UK Solar's subsidiary company RAF Desb plans to install the panels on a 276 acre (112 hectare) site at RAF Desborough.
The firm aims to generate electricity for about 15,000 homes per year.
The planning application has been submitted to Kettering Council, with a decision expected by the end of July.
The scheme also includes a number of buildings involved in the production of electricity and deer fencing to restrict access and "protect the scheme from theft and vandalism".
RAF Desborough was an airbase between 1943 and 1953.
The agent for the developers, Peter Brett Associates, said in a report to the council that the UK is committed to providing 15% of its energy from renewable source by 2020 and this solar farm would make an "important contribution". | Plans to turn a former World War Two airfield in Northamptonshire into a solar farm with hundreds of solar panels have been submitted. |
39,605,063 | Bird headed-in from a yard on the hour after Mark Randall's shot had been saved by Marek Rodak.
Hartlepool's defeat by Barnet means the Exiles are out of the bottom two just six weeks after being 11 points adrift.
The loss was a blow to Accrington's rapidly diminishing chances of a place in the play-offs.
Accrington are five points adrift of seventh place with two matches remaining.
Meanwhile Newport find themselves two points ahead of Hartlepool and could secure League Two survival with a win at Carlisle on 29 April.
Newport County caretaker manager Mike Flynn told BBC Radio Wales Sport: "It feels absolutely amazing, but we're keeping grounded, there's nothing done yet, nothing achieved.
"We've just got ourselves in a good position and we've got to keep going now until the end of the season.
"It has been a great turnaround and the boys have been fantastic. I would have wanted a few more goals but I'll take another couple of 1-0 wins before the end of the season."
Match ends, Newport County 1, Accrington Stanley 0.
Second Half ends, Newport County 1, Accrington Stanley 0.
Tom Owen-Evans (Newport County) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Tom Owen-Evans (Newport County).
Janoi Donacien (Accrington Stanley) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt blocked. Shay McCartan (Accrington Stanley) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Foul by Tom Owen-Evans (Newport County).
Matty Pearson (Accrington Stanley) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Joss Labadie (Newport County).
Shay McCartan (Accrington Stanley) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Newport County. Jaanai Gordon replaces Alex Samuel.
Sean Rigg (Newport County) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Shay McCartan (Accrington Stanley) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Shay McCartan (Accrington Stanley).
Tom Owen-Evans (Newport County) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Scott Brown (Accrington Stanley).
Delay in match Alex Samuel (Newport County) because of an injury.
Joss Labadie (Newport County) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Matty Pearson (Accrington Stanley).
Corner, Newport County. Conceded by Harvey Rodgers.
Substitution, Newport County. Jazzi Barnum-Bobb replaces Mark Randall.
Alex Samuel (Newport County) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Harvey Rodgers (Accrington Stanley).
Substitution, Accrington Stanley. Terry Gornell replaces Mark Hughes.
Alex Samuel (Newport County) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Scott Brown (Accrington Stanley) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Scott Brown (Accrington Stanley).
Foul by Aaron Williams (Newport County).
Scott Brown (Accrington Stanley) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Sean Rigg (Newport County).
Matty Pearson (Accrington Stanley) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Aaron Williams (Newport County).
Sean McConville (Accrington Stanley) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Substitution, Accrington Stanley. Jonathan Edwards replaces Jordan Clark.
Foul by Mark Randall (Newport County).
Matty Pearson (Accrington Stanley) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Corner, Accrington Stanley. Conceded by Mark O'Brien.
Substitution, Newport County. Aaron Williams replaces Ryan Bird.
Sean Rigg (Newport County) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Matty Pearson (Accrington Stanley). | Newport County's fourth win in five matches lifted them out of the League Two relegation zone as Ryan Bird's goal saw-off Accrington Stanley. |
39,879,759 | After the first leg had ended 3-3, Exeter led when David Wheeler pulled back for Ollie Watkins to net early on.
Watkins bent in his and Exeter's second on 79 minutes, but Jason Kennedy soon scrambled one back as Carlisle rallied.
John O'Sullivan headed a late leveller but there was still time for Stacey to drill into the top corner to win it.
Paul Tisdale's side will face Blackpool in the final on Sunday, 28 May for the right to play in League One next season.
The Tangerines beat Luton in the other semi-final - also 6-5 on aggregate and also courtesy of a 95th-minute winner on a remarkable night for League Two.
The Hatters had looked to be on course for Wembley when Danny Hylton's penalty put them ahead on aggregate, but Armand Gnanduillet's equaliser and a last-gasp own goal from goalkeeper Stuart Moore sent the Tangerines to the final.
Carlisle, who spent much of the campaign in the automatic promotion places, had a strong first-half penalty appeal turned down when Troy Brown appeared to handle a Luke Joyce cross.
Keith Curle's visitors came from two goals down in both legs of the tie, with 25 goals now scored between the sides in their past five meetings.
O'Sullivan, who scored off the bench in each leg, got the Cumbrians' ninth equaliser against Exeter over that period but they had no time to respond to Stacey's fine winner, the Reading loanee's first goal for the club.
The former Carlisle loanee's stunning strike saw Exeter - who were last in League One in the 2011-12 campaign - finally beat a fellow play-off side this season at the eighth time of asking.
Exeter were bottom of League Two in November, with only Newport and relegated Leyton Orient spending more days in the drop zone than them this term.
Exeter boss Paul Tisdale told BBC Radio Devon:
"If it had gone to extra time we would've won it, because we had that mentality.
"Once they scored their goal there was a strange acceptance that we'd have to score another.
"They've come back at us so many times - they're so good at it - that we just thought 'crikey, we're just going to keep attacking'.
"It's been a very determined last 30 games to go from the bottom of the league to the play-off final, and we've still got more to go."
Carlisle boss Keith Curle told BBC Radio 5 live:
"I'm very proud of the players and the football club - we can walk out of here with our heads held high.
"We gave a very good team a run for their money.
"I had to walk into the changing room and listen to what success sounded like in Exeter celebrating and that hurts - that has to be a spur for us individually.
"The building blocks, the foundations are here - we've had to put them in place over a short period - you look at Exeter, the manager's been here for eight, nine, 10 years to do that."
Match ends, Exeter City 3, Carlisle United 2.
Second Half ends, Exeter City 3, Carlisle United 2.
Goal! Exeter City 3, Carlisle United 2. Jack Stacey (Exeter City) left footed shot from outside the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Jake Taylor.
Jake Taylor (Exeter City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Nicky Adams (Carlisle United).
Attempt saved. Ryan Harley (Exeter City) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Joel Grant.
Goal! Exeter City 2, Carlisle United 2. John O'Sullivan (Carlisle United) header from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Nicky Adams with a cross.
Jordan Tillson (Exeter City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Jamie Proctor (Carlisle United).
Offside, Carlisle United. Gary Liddle tries a through ball, but Shaun Miller is caught offside.
Attempt missed. Joel Grant (Exeter City) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the left. Assisted by Ollie Watkins.
Goal! Exeter City 2, Carlisle United 1. Jason Kennedy (Carlisle United) right footed shot from very close range to the bottom left corner following a corner.
Attempt blocked. John O'Sullivan (Carlisle United) right footed shot from very close range is blocked. Assisted by Jason Kennedy.
Attempt blocked. Shaun Miller (Carlisle United) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Luke Joyce with a headed pass.
Attempt blocked. Danny Grainger (Carlisle United) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Corner, Carlisle United. Conceded by Jordan Moore-Taylor.
Goal! Exeter City 2, Carlisle United 0. Ollie Watkins (Exeter City) left footed shot from the right side of the box to the top left corner. Assisted by David Wheeler.
Attempt blocked. Ryan Harley (Exeter City) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Joel Grant.
Attempt missed. Danny Grainger (Carlisle United) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Nicky Adams with a cross following a corner.
Corner, Carlisle United. Conceded by Jordan Moore-Taylor.
Substitution, Carlisle United. Jason Kennedy replaces Michael Raynes.
Attempt saved. Joel Grant (Exeter City) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Jordan Tillson.
Attempt blocked. James Bailey (Carlisle United) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Attempt blocked. Jamie Proctor (Carlisle United) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Luke Joyce.
Attempt missed. Luke Joyce (Carlisle United) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left. Assisted by Michael Raynes.
Attempt missed. Luke Joyce (Carlisle United) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Jamie Proctor.
John O'Sullivan (Carlisle United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Craig Woodman (Exeter City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by John O'Sullivan (Carlisle United).
Joel Grant (Exeter City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Tom Miller (Carlisle United).
Attempt blocked. Luke Joyce (Carlisle United) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
David Wheeler (Exeter City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Michael Raynes (Carlisle United).
Attempt missed. Jordan Moore-Taylor (Exeter City) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Craig Woodman with a cross following a set piece situation.
Hand ball by Luke Joyce (Carlisle United).
Substitution, Carlisle United. John O'Sullivan replaces Reggie Lambe.
Offside, Carlisle United. Nicky Adams tries a through ball, but Shaun Miller is caught offside.
Corner, Exeter City. Conceded by Mark Gillespie.
Attempt saved. Ollie Watkins (Exeter City) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. | Jack Stacey's 95th-minute winner saw Exeter beat Carlisle to reach the League Two play-off final after an extraordinary 6-5 win on aggregate. |
39,783,990 | The team, who looked at wild bumblebees caught in the English countryside, say the insecticide, thiamethoxam, reduces egg development in queen bees.
They say this is likely to reduce bee populations later in the year.
Thiamethoxam is one of three neonicotinoid insecticides currently restricted for use by the EU.
They have been restricted amid concerns about their impact on wild bees.
The study, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, investigated the impact of thiamethoxam on four species of bumblebee queen which had been captured in the wild in spring.
The effects of the insecticide at levels deemed similar to those encountered in the wild were investigated in the laboratory.
After two weeks of exposure, two of the four species of bumblebee took in less food.
And there were effects on egg development in all four species.
"We consistently found that neonicotinoid exposure, at levels mimicking exposure that queens could experience in agricultural landscapes, resulted in reduced ovary development in queens of all four species we tested," said lead researcher, Dr Gemma Baron of Royal Holloway University of London.
"Impacts of neonicotinoid exposure on feeding behaviour were species-specific, with two out of four species eating less artificial nectar when exposed to the pesticide.
"These impacts are likely to reduce the success of bumblebee queens in the spring, with knock-on effects for bee populations later in the year."
The scientists say the work provides "a major step forward" in understanding the impact of neonicotinoids on wild bees - both generally and in specific species.
They say bumblebee queens are not currently considered in pesticide risk assessments for pollinating insects.
Prof Mark Brown of Royal Holloway University of London said: "Future studies across different species are likely to demonstrate further variation in the impact of neonicotinoids, and conducting such studies needs to be a priority for scientists and governments."
Bumblebees are social insects, living in colonies. When the queens emerge in early spring, having spent the winter hibernating alone, they go out in search of food and a place to nest.
They are likely to be exposed to pesticides as they forage on flowers in agricultural areas.
Each queen forms its own nest, lays its eggs, and produces a few hundred daughter workers.
Towards the end of the season, males and new queens hatch, then emerge from the nest to go in search of a mate.
Only fertilised queens go on to hibernate, after feeding heavily on pollen and nectar to build up fat stores.
Bumblebees are in decline globally, due to threats from pathogens, loss of habitat and pesticides.
Follow Helen on Twitter. | Use of a common pesticide in spring could have an impact on wild bumblebees by interfering with their life cycle, a UK study suggests. |
22,993,098 | Some 93% of 294 firms surveyed for the Confederation of British Industry and education group Pearson felt they knew best what employee skills they needed.
Last year a key government review said the traditional relationship between employer and trainee had been lost.
The CBI says skill shortages in key sectors may hamper economic recovery.
More than a third (39%) of the firms surveyed said they were currently struggling to recruit workers with the advanced scientific, technical, engineering and maths skills they needed. Some 41% said they expected difficulties within the next three years.
Almost half of those surveyed (45%) reported that many applicants with the right technical skills did not have the right attitude for work, while 39% said they often lacked any general work experience.
Skill shortages are particularly acute in the engineering, hi-tech, computing and science sectors.
Businesses also expressed dissatisfaction with the current skills of their workforce, with 62% worried about poor computing skills, 55% about literacy and 51% about numeracy.
About a third of employers said school leavers lacked basic literacy and numeracy, and a third that they lacked technical skills.
Some 80% of firms said the top priority was better designed qualifications, more focused on employers' needs and industry standards. Public money should be focused where training is most needed, says the report.
"The most important thing is to ensure funding flows to the parts of skills provision most helpful to employers, but public resources committed to training and development have often been poorly targeted," it goes on.
At the moment the CBI says there is little incentive for smaller businesses to invest in training. It calls for the system to be fine-tuned to different sizes of employer with devolved funding and less red tape.
In particular it calls for "local training clusters... to enable employers of all sizes to take a leadership role" in training.
Last year an independent review of apprenticeships for the government by Doug Richards warned that too many training schemes had become government-led initiatives, shaped by training professionals rather than employers.
He called for new qualifications to be redefined by employers, with less "bureaucratic box ticking assessment", and for funding for training to go directly to businesses.
The CBI wants the government to implement these recommendations and to protect funding for skills training and apprenticeships.
CBI director general John Cridland said: "We are facing a critical lack of skills in some key industries. just as the economy starts to pick up. There are few better ways of underpinning long-term growth than investing in skills.
"Firms are already investing in training but they cannot do it on their own. We want to see the skills budget protected as far as possible, while focussing on business needs.
"That means routing funding more directly to firms. We can't afford for funding to be badly targeted or sucked up by bureaucracy."
Skills minister Matthew Hancock said: "This report highlights a serious problem. For far too long our education and skills systems have not been rigorous and have been distant from the needs of employers".
He added that government reforms would tackle skill shortages in England, add rigour and make the whole system more responsive to employers' needs.
"We are also giving employers greater control through a £250m fund that allows them to design their own training programmes. Later this year we will put in place reforms so employers can design their own apprenticeships." | UK employers overwhelmingly want more control over training, with qualifications better tailored to their needs, a major annual survey suggests. |
39,721,582 | Ahead of polls opening on 4 May, you asked us to tell you about the mayor's powers, the funding they will have at their disposal, and how the region will function as the new devolution model takes shape.
We've put your questions to the BBC's North West political reporters and political editor.
Q. Will the creation of a regional mayor call into question the need for 10 borough councils as they currently exist?
No. Arguably your local borough council will be more important than ever.
That's because the mayor will be required to seek the approval of council leaders on major issues including housing, planning, transport and justice. The council leaders are, of course, decided by how the parties perform at local elections.
The 10 leaders who agreed the devolution deal were adamant the mayor should not come in over and above them, so they agreed a structure in which the mayor will effectively be an "11th leader" - with just one vote at the Combined Authority, just like them.
Clearly the mayor has total control in some areas. But even then, to be successful, they'll need to work collaboratively with the councils who will still be making all their own decisions on the local services that they run, such as libraries and bin collections.
Q. Will the mayor ensure young people get free public transport? Will council tax come down?
Labour candidate Andy Burnham and English Democrat mayoral hopeful Steven Morris have both pledged free public transport for young people.
This would be funded by reducing profits made by bus companies, and using some of the apprenticeship funding which will be handed down from central government.
Part of the bill for providing free public transport for young people could be paid for from the precept which is included in council tax bills each year.
The new mayor will take over as Police and Crime Commissioner, and will be the head of Fire and Rescue. Under those powers, he or she will decide the level of precept charged.
The 10 local authorities will still set their own their own council tax rates in the same way they do now. Some candidates have promised not to increase the precepts above inflation, but nobody has said they will reduce it.
The devolution deal also says the mayor can raise funds for "general functions", though it isn't clear how much that might be.
Q. How will the mayor fight funding cuts to the police and NHS in the north of England? London takes everything. How will the mayor redress the balance?
It will be tough. But the candidates feel they are in a better position to represent the 2.7 million people of the region as one single voice.
Liberal Democrat candidate Jane Brophy says she will be seeking more than £6bn that has been handed down for health and social care, for example.
Q. What will the mayor do to protect our greenbelt? Are all of the planned housing developments necessary?
Along with the council leaders, the mayor will be responsible for coming up with an overall plan for Greater Manchester to meet the chronic need for housing.
He or she will also control a £300m housing budget. Only one candidate, Conservative Sean Anstee, is endorsing the current spatial framework plan.
The other candidates believe it needs to be redrawn. Every candidate has pledged to build on brownfield sites before any greenbelt is touched.
Q. Will the mayor stand up and resist austerity measures being implemented by the government, which increase poverty and homelessness?
All of the candidates have said they will be banging on the doors of Whitehall to secure more funding for Greater Manchester.
The mayor will already have £900m of investment to spend over 30 years, which is a start.
But the mayor won't be able to affect votes in Parliament, which determine national policy. So the level of benefits, for example, will not be within the mayor's remit.
Depending on what they make of the role, however, they could be in a strong position to lobby MPs at Westminster. | You've been sending in your questions about the Greater Manchester mayoral election. |
37,598,963 | Media playback is not supported on this device
Wane, a player and coach at Wigan before taking charge as head coach in 2011, steered his side to a 12-6 victory despite numerous absentees.
Sam Tomkins, brother Joel and winger Dom Manfredi were among those missing.
"Even as a player, I've been here for 30 years, that's the best win we've had," Wane told BBC Radio Manchester.
"The adversity we've put up with is unbelievable, to get the win with this close-knit group of players, never say die attitude, I'm so pleased."
Those injuries, which also include Michael McIlorum - who missed almost the entire season with a broken ankle - and Tony Clubb are a measure of the adversity they have faced in 2016.
Young players such as Grand Final try-scorer Oliver Gildart, Ryan Sutton and Lewis Tierney have emerged as key players as Wigan have made coming back from behind a hallmark of their play this term.
"Even when the game was 15 minutes to go, the way we've won games we've stayed in until the last second," Wane added.
"I was confident we could get this game - every respect to Warrington, a champion club, and to get the win against them was really special."
Amid the key personnel that missed out, Wigan were able to turn to talismanic skipper Sean O'Loughlin in their hour of need.
The England international, 33, had hamstring and calf problems that saw him miss the tail-end of the Super 8s but came through all the fitness tests put before him to feature.
His presence from off the bench proved a calming one, as the patched-up Warriors overpowered Warrington in the second-half.
"He's the best player in the world," Wane added.
"I feel sorry for Jake Shorrocks [who missed out of the 17-man squad], but what Lockers brings is priceless."
Two players who will not be back at Wigan next season, Dan Sarginson and matchwinner Josh Charnley, both delivered on the big stage to bow out in Cherry and White.
Gold Coast-bound Sarginson put the kick in that Charnley, who now heads to rugby union with Sale, pounced upon to score.
"I'm sorry to see them leave, but for Josh to get the final try was fantastic," Wane continued.
"We've sent Dan away with a ring, and I hope he goes well at Gold Coast."
For Warrington, their 61-year wait for a championship goes on, having once again led at half-time in a major final.
They were ahead in 2013 when Wigan came back to succeed, and again in this year's Challenge Cup final against Hull FC.
"This will spur us on, we'll bring one home soon," he told BBC Radio Merseyside.
"We've got some young guys there who are developing and will learn from this, will get stronger.
"I don't think you have to lose a final to win one but you do get more determined - that's what we'll use it for." | Wigan boss Shaun Wane says their Super League Grand Final win over Warrington is the club's greatest achievement in his three decades of service. |
39,064,042 | The company said pre-tax profit climbed by more than 15% in 2016 to £7.8m, while sales were 6.3% up at £179.8m.
There was a strong performance from its packaging distribution business, which increased sales by 9% to £155.9m.
Macfarlane said organic sales growth was "challenging" in the first six months of the year, but strengthened in the second half to 3%.
Its performance was boosted by contributions from a series of acquisitions last year, including Nelsons for Cartons and Packaging, Colton Packaging Teesside and the packaging business of Edward McNeil.
Sales in Macfarlane's manufacturing operations were down by 9%, at £23.9m, which the company largely attributed to "management actions to rebalance the mix of products in our labels business".
As a consequence of its acquisitions, the group's net bank borrowing at year-end stood at £15.3m, up from £11.6m the previous year.
Chairman Graeme Bissett said: "We will continue to focus on opportunities in sectors with strong growth prospects (including internet retail, third party logistics and national accounts) and to deliver high standards of service to all customers across a wide range of sectors.
"We will also maintain our programme of acquiring good quality businesses to augment organic growth.
"This is a strategy based on taking positive action, which has served all stakeholders in our business well in recent years and we remain confident that it will continue to do so." | Glasgow-based packaging firm Macfarlane Group has reported its seventh consecutive year of profit growth. |
38,580,579 | It was a passionate speech that touched on a number of different issues and the hopes that Mr Obama had for the American people.
Here are three of the main issues that President Obama mentioned in his speech:
According to Barack Obama, America is a better place than it was when he first started his Presidency in 2008.
He said that more jobs have been created, America has built better relationships with other countries and gay people have been given the right to get married.
This section of his speech was controversial, as not everyone in America agrees that the things Mr Obama has done as President have made America better. Many people think he's made the country worse.
The people of the United States are very divided and President Obama said several times that he wants all citizens to be treated equally.
He said the American people should stick together.
"For all our outward differences, we are all in this together.... we rise or fall as one."
However he admitted that more needs to be done to help make relationships between different groups of people in America stronger - as the country still suffers from racial prejudice.
That's where people are treated differently because of the colour of their skin or the community they come from.
"Going forward, we must uphold laws against discrimination - in hiring, in housing, in education and the criminal justice system. "
Mr Obama left America with one clear message - to pull together and believe in themselves.
"I am asking you to believe. Not in my ability to bring about change - but in yours."
He asked Americans to take a more active role in how the country is run.
"If you're tired of arguing with strangers on the Internet, try to talk with one in real life. If something needs fixing, lace up your shoes and do some organizing... Show up. Dive in. Persevere."
President Obama ended his speech the same way he started his campaign more than eight years ago:
"Yes We Can. Yes We Did." | After eight years Barack Obama has given his last speech as President of the United States of America. |
40,337,970 | Armed police patrols will be part of the security response at Scottish mosques, according to the Scotsman.
The Sun says the man now in custody was saved from an angry crowd after the attack following an intervention of an imam at the mosque.
Taking a similar line, the Daily Record reports the man was saved by the people he was trying to kill.
The Daily Telegraph believes the suspect turned against Muslims following recent attacks in London.
He is described as a jobless "lone wolf" with mental health problems in The Times.
The i headlines with a quote that the incident is an "attack on all of us".
A quote from the prime minister that evil will never succeed is the focus for the Daily Express.
The Daily Mail carries an alleged quote from the man that he would do the same again.
The twisted face of hate is how the Daily Star describes its image of the suspect.
In other news, the National reports on the first day of Brexit negotiations, which it calls a shambles.
The Courier says a woman has died following a crash involving a mobility scooter. | The Herald reports details of the father-of-four from Cardiff who has been arrested following an attack on a London mosque. |
38,656,701 | Media playback is not supported on this device
A low-scoring match saw the pair share the first two frames before the Australian opened up a 4-1 lead.
England's world number 14 Carter pulled it back to 4-3, but the 2012 Masters champion won the next before clinching victory with a 117 break.
Earlier, Marco Fu beat Judd Trump 6-5 in a thrilling final-frame decider.
Hong Kong's Fu had fallen 3-0 and 4-2 behind, but recovered to make breaks of 80 and 102 in the last two frames.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Englishman Trump started brightly with breaks of 102, 87 and 67, and further runs of 79 and 112 took him one away from victory, before Fu fought back.
Fu, runner-up in 2010, faces Northern Ireland's Mark Allen in the next round at Alexandra Palace on Thursday.
A high-class encounter saw the pair make 14 breaks over 50 in the best-of-11 match.
Fu's victory was the third first-round match to go to a decider following O'Sullivan's win over Liang Wenbo and Allen's victory over John Higgins.
"I have done it the hard way," he told BBC Sport. "I missed three balls and was 3-0 down. I just tried to concentrate on the good things I had been doing.
"Maybe there was a few nerves at the start. No matter how many tournaments you have won, this is an extra buzz."
Last month, Fu was 4-1 down before winning eight frames in a row to beat Higgins in the Scottish Open final to claim the third ranking title of his career.
Fu added: "When I am in good form, I handle the mistakes better now. I feel stronger when I miss a few balls, it does not matter to me, I can keep going."
1991 world champion John Parrott on BBC Two
I feel sorry for Judd, he did not have a single chance in the final frame but Marco took those last few balls well.
It was an absolutely wonderful spectacle. Fu is 39 and playing the best snooker of his career. | Former Crucible winner Neil Robertson set up a Masters quarter-final with defending champion Ronnie O'Sullivan by beating Ali Carter 6-3. |
37,612,320 | Templemore Baths in east Belfast will use it to help restore, extend and reopen as a leisure and fitness facility.
Opened in 1893, the baths and swimming pool were the last in a series opened in Belfast in the late 19th Century.
It provided washing facilities for the families who came to live in the area. | The last surviving Victorian public baths on the island of Ireland has received a £5m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund grant. |
37,403,542 | It was ousted from the state coalition with the centre-left Social Democrats.
Meanwhile right-wing anti-migrant party Alternative for Germany (AfD) will enter the state parliament for the first time with 14% of the vote.
Mrs Merkel's popularity has waned since her decision last year to allow more than a million migrants into Germany.
The CDU won 17.6% of the vote - its worst-ever result in Berlin.
It is the party's second electoral blow this month, having been pushed into third place by AfD in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. AfD will now be represented in 10 out of 16 state parliaments.
Mrs Merkel told reporters that, if she could, she would turn the clock back many years to prepare the government better for the influx of migrants and refugees.
The Social Democrat SPD emerged as the strongest party with about 22%, in spite of losing almost 7% of their voters, and said it would hold talks on forming a coalition with all parties except AfD. It is expected to drop the CDU as a coalition partner in favour of the left-wing Die Linke and the Greens.
AfD co-chairman Joerg Meuthen said the party was strongly positioned for next year's national elections and colleague Beatrix von Storch predicted that it would become the third-largest political force in Germany in 2017.
"We're witnessing in 2017 Angela Merkel's battle for survival," she said.
It's being described as the "Merkel malaise".
For the second time in a month, Angela Merkel's conservatives have suffered a humiliating defeat at the regional ballot box.
Both votes are widely seen as a verdict on Mrs Merkel's refugee policy. But the result also reflects growing disillusionment with Germany's establishment parties. The Social Democrats may have won the election here but they lost voters; their success is being described as the weakest victory of all time.
Germany's political landscape is changing. The anti-migrant, anti-Muslim rhetoric of AfD resonates with the electorate. The party is now almost certain to win seats in the national parliament next year which could complicate coalition building. Commentators predict the start of a more complex politics.
And many blame Angela Merkel. For the first time, the chancellor's political future feels uncertain. Don't expect her to stand down any time soon. But, increasingly, her own party views her as irrevocably tainted by her refugee policy. She needs to convince them - and the public - that she's in control.
Angela Merkel acknowledged that the refugee crisis would change Germany. Arguably, the most seismic shift thus far is at political level. And Mrs Merkel is on shaky ground.
Bavarian Finance Minister Markus Soeder, from the CDU's sister party CSU, was quick to call it the "second massive wake-up call" in two weeks.
"A long-term and massive loss in trust among traditional voters threatens the conservative bloc," he told the Bild daily, adding Ms Merkel's right-left national coalition had to win back support by changing course on its immigration policy.
Mrs Merkel appeared to shift her position on migration at the weekend when she distanced herself from a phrase she used at the height of the influx of migrants at the end of August 2015.
"Wir schaffen das" (we will manage it) was at the time an expression of sentiment that many would recognise, she told a business website on Saturday. But she now saw it as dated and too much had been read into it: "so much so that I'd prefer not to repeat it because it's become something of a simplified motto, an empty formula".
Sunday's election in Berlin, a city-state of 3.5 million people, was dominated by local issues including poor public services, crumbling school buildings, late trains and a housing shortage, as well as problems in coping with the migrant influx.
"Protest election turns capital into tatters," proclaims daily tabloid Bild, which describes Berlin's SPD mayor as Germany's "weakest election winner of all time".
The rise of the right-wing AfD is driven by voters who feel "forgotten and marginalised", says Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
On the fate of the chancellor, Spiegel says that while her CDU "crashed", she is likely to be able to blame local factors, rather than anger at her welcoming stance on migrants. Sueddeutsche Zeitung sees a party revolt as unlikely: "No-one knows how things will carry on without her." | Germany's CDU, the party of Chancellor Angela Merkel, has described the party's historic losses in Berlin state elections as a "bitter defeat". |
35,840,332 | A man, 22, has been arrested on suspicion of murder after the 18-year-old was found in St Marks Crescent, Ladywood, at 18:45 GMT on Thursday.
The victim, named locally as Kenichi Phillips, was from Birmingham but had moved away, said police.
It is the fourth fatal shooting in the city since October, but "it is too early to speculate if it was gang-related," said Det Supt Mark Payne.
"There were a group of people in the street we want to come forward."
Latest on the shooting and more Birmingham stories
Mr Phillips had been driving a black Seat Leon before his death, said police.
In January, police expressed "great concerns" over a spike in gun crime in Birmingham.
Chief Constable Dave Thompson said he had not known such frequent shootings during his five years with the West Midlands force.
However, overall gun crime figures for the city dropped from 524 in 2014 to 357 in 2015.
Det Supt Payne said while there has been a recent surge of gun crime in the city he could not pinpoint a single root cause.
The force has secured 80 firearms-related convictions since the beginning of the year and taken 38 guns off the streets, he said.
The victim's family was "devastated" said Det Supt Payne.
"This is the loss of an 18-year-old child. It's a tragic event. We've seen too many of these events and too many distraught families in these circumstances," he added.
Talking to the BBC at the scene, community campaigner Desmond Jaddoo said: "This is a residential area. It's where [families] are and it's happening in the street. It's a concern.
"There are times when [gun crime] appears to be treated as the flavour of the month.
"There are knife [amnesty] bins all around the place but if anyone knows someone who has a gun, we need them to encourage others to hand them in." | A teenager has been shot dead in a Birmingham street. |
33,687,294 | Set to music specially commissioned to mark the anniversary, singers, dancers and acrobats took to the stage at the Deportivo Madryn centre.
Wearing traditional dress, they re-enacted the arrival of the Welsh settlers in 1865, with performances of Welsh hymns and songs including Calon Lan and Ar Lan y Mor.
There were indoor fireworks and streams of white, red and green paper fell from the ceiling on to a cheering crowd of several hundred spectators.
Wales' First Minister Carwyn Jones, who was a guest of honour at the event, said the performance was "spectacular".
"It goes to show how much they value their Welsh roots in this part of the world," he said.
Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner had been due to attend the concert but she was ill with laryngitis.
The concert was held on the eve of the arrival of the first wave of settlers to the Argentine region on 28 July 1865, following a two-month journey.
They sailed on the converted tea clipper Mimosa from Liverpool to Puerto Madryn with the aim of creating a new colony where they could preserve their culture, language, and Protestant nonconformist religion, free from English influence. | Events to mark the 150th anniversary of the creation of a Welsh settlement in Patagonia got off to an explosive start with a "grand spectacle" concert in the city of Puerto Madryn. |
36,126,193 | Wilson, 24, outplayed Allen to lead 7-1 after the first session but the world number seven responded by taking the first four frames of the next.
The Northern Irishman knocked in two century breaks in the first two frames of Sunday evening's play.
Kettering's Wilson hit back to secure the final four frames of the session.
Wilson punished a series of poor Allen safety shots as breaks of 50, 55, 93 and 103 helped him win the first seven frames of the best of 25-contest at the Crucible Theatre.
Allen, who won his third ranking event, the Players Championship, last month, took the final frame of the morning session and looked transformed as he reeled off four in a row to mount a stirring comeback.
Wilson scored just one point in the first three frames of the night, with Allen compiling breaks of 122, 103 and 60.
A further break of 66 enabled the 2009 semi-finalist to reduce his deficit to two at the mid-session interval.
The Shanghai Masters champion fought back as a break of 82 made it 8-5, and Wilson went on to clinch the next three frames, the last on the black.
Allen must recover his best form on Monday if he is not to extend a run which has seen him fail to progress beyond the second round since 2011.
Sign up to My Sport to follow snooker news and reports on the BBC app. | Kyren Wilson remains in control of his World Championship second round match against Mark Allen as he takes an 11-5 lead into Monday's final session. |
40,441,018 | The engineering giant said it would be investing the majority of the £150m in a new test bed in Derby.
This facility would test large civil aero-engines creating up to 200 jobs.
There will be no compulsory redundancies in Derby, or Hucknall and Annesley in Nottinghamshire - safeguarding 7,000 jobs for five years.
Rolls-Royce has further axed plans to close a precision machining facility in Derby, which would save about 150 jobs.
Live updates from the East Midlands
Simon Hemmings, from the Unite union, said the deal was "a once in a generation type of investment and a big commitment to the UK".
"It's about keeping jobs in Derby for 25 years plus and we are hoping it will bring hundreds of millions of pounds to the city," he added.
"We are so proud, it's brilliant news."
Eric Schulz, president of civil aerospace at Rolls-Royce, said: "This investment comes at a time of unprecedented growth in Rolls-Royce.
"We are doubling the production of new engines at the same time as introducing three new engines to the market."
Business Secretary, Greg Clark MP, said: "The UK and Rolls-Royce are known throughout the world as pioneers of advanced engineering technology.
"I welcome the confidence the company is showing in the UK." | Rolls-Royce has secured more than 7,000 jobs in the East Midlands after announcing its biggest single investment in the UK for over a decade. |
40,399,706 | The 28-year-old is a former Australian NRL Rookie of the Year award winner.
Sydney-born Mortimer, who has also played for Sydney Roosters, Gold Coast Titans and Cronulla Sharks, began his career at Parramatta Eels in 2009.
"My friend, Salford's Marwan Koukash, tipped me on Daniel and the possibility of getting him over early," Leigh owner Derek Beaumont told the club website.
Mortimer added: "I have been following Leigh closely now for the past six weeks and I hope I can play a significant role for the club between now and season's end.
"Playing overseas has always been an attraction and I am lucky that a great club like Leigh took the initiative to recruit me."
In addition, Wales international forward Sam Hopkins, 27, has agreed a new three-year contract with Leigh. | Super League club Leigh Centurions have signed stand-off Daniel Mortimer until the end of the 2019 season. |
35,242,789 | Police in Scotland have formally identified the body of the 22-year-old, who was found at a private property in the Forres area on Saturday.
Hobden had been celebrating the New Year with friends at the property on the Moray coast near Inverness. His cause of death remains unexplained.
Post-mortem tests have taken place and a file passed to the Procurator Fiscal.
In a brief statement, Hobden's family asked to "be left alone to deal with the tragic circumstances that have unfolded".
Enquiries into the right-arm bowler's death continue, but Police Scotland say there are not thought to be any suspicious circumstances.
Tributes to Hobden have been made since news of his death emerged. Sussex opened a book of condolence at the county ground in Hove on Monday.
Following on from England's cricketers wearing black armbands as a mark of respect on day two of the second Test against South Africa in Cape Town, players from Australian Big Bash franchises Melbourne Stars and Hobart Hurricanes paid a similar tribute earlier on Wednesday.
Luke Wright, Hobden's captain at Sussex and currently playing for Melbourne, was among them as he scored a half-century.
Hobden made his his first-class debut in 2014 and represented Sussex in all formats of the game. | The family of Sussex bowler Matthew Hobden have said they are "deeply saddened" by his death. |
31,913,469 | A 220-acre reserve will be created around Solihull's Elmdon Park by the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust - thought to be the first of its kind in the UK.
The animals are under threat nationally because of a loss of hedgerows and habitats, the trust said.
Hedgehog numbers are to be closely monitored in the area, while hedgehog-friendly routes will be created.
Simon Thompson, in charge of the project for Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, said small holes would be used to link up green spaces, while local residents would be encouraged to make holes in their garden fences to allow hedgehogs to move freely.
"Making these connections between our own fenced-in islands of green spaces creates a continuous habitat corridor through which hedgehogs can forage, seek shelter and even rendezvous with potential mates," he said.
Research by Oxford University four years ago found Britain's hedgehog population had dropped from about 30m in the 1950s to just 1.5m.
The conservation area will be managed by a team of volunteers and includes the wildlife trust's Elmdon Manor nature reserve and Solihull Council's Elmdon Park.
The wildlife trust said it hoped to create a central "sanctuary" to allow hedgehogs to recolonise the surrounding area.
The project has been funded by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society.
Source: British Hedgehog Preservation Society | A huge hedgehog conservation zone is to be set up in a park - aimed at boosting their chances to forage and meet mates. |
27,721,972 | An Ulster statement said the agreement would "result in significant investment for the game of rugby at all levels".
The global company has been a sponsor of Ulster Rugby since 1999.
The agreement is understood to be a multi-million pound deal although the precise figures have not been released.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Ulster's announcement of the stadium naming rights deal for the redeveloped south Belfast ground mirrors the Irish Rugby Football Union's 2009 decision which saw the old Lansdowne Road venue in Dublin becoming the new Aviva Stadium.
Many other major sports stadiums throughout the world have gone through similar naming rights processes in recent years and Ulster argue that financial imperatives leave them with no option but to follow the same path.
"It's critical we get good quality investment into the stadium that we can reinvest in all of the game," said Ulster Rugby's chief executive Shane Logan.
When pressed on the sum of money involved, the Ulster chief said it was "substantial" and that the deal was "right up there at the top end" when compared with naming rights deals agreed by other top European rugby clubs in recent years.
Logan acknowledged that Ulster's decision may not go down well with traditionalists but indicated his confidence that the vast majority of supporters will be won over.
"I don't think we expect everybody to immediately get used to the name but as the with Aviva, the Etihad and other leading stadia, it does happen through time.
"We look upon it a bit like a marriage. When my daughter gets married, her name will change. It's perhaps a little bit similar. It's progress," added the Ulster chief executive. | Ulster Rugby has announced that their Ravenhill ground will be called Kingspan Stadium from now on following the signing of a 10-year agreement with the Cavan-based insulation company. |
34,234,043 | The driver, who has not been named, was still behind the wheel when it landed in two feet of water in Avonwick, Devon at about 05:00 BST.
He was taken to Derriford Hospital with injuries after being removed from the van by fire crews and paramedics.
Devon and Somerset Fire Service used special rescue equipment to recover the van and the driver.
In 2008, a vehicle also crashed over the bridge into the River Avon. | A van landed on its roof in a river after the driver crashed and went over the concrete barriers of a bridge. |
19,798,897 | Ten UK universities are in the top 100 of the Times Higher Education World Rankings for 2012-13, compared with 12 last year and 14 in 2010-11.
Excluding Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College, Durham and University College London, several top universities slipped down.
The table's authors warned that many UK universities faced "a collapse in their global position within a generation".
Of the leading research-intensive UK institutions, Bristol fell eight places to 74th and Sheffield is down nine places to joint 110th.
The Leeds University fell nine places to joint 142nd, the University of Birmingham is down 10 places to joint 158th and Newcastle is down 34 places to joint 180th.
In Scotland, the University of Glasgow fell 37 places to 139th and the University of Aberdeen is down 25 places to joint 176th.
Source: Times Higher Education
The University of St Andrews (falling from 85th to 108th) and the University of Sussex (down from 99th to 110th) have both lost their top 100 places.
And the University of Dundee has fallen out of the top 200 into the 201-225 band on the "best of the rest" list.
However, a few UK institutions have improved their ranking - the London School of Economics has risen from 47th to 39th place, the University of Edinburgh has climbed from 36th to 32nd and the University of York has leapt from joint 121st to 103rd.
Durham University also bucked the trend, climbing 3 places from 83rd to 80th.
In total, the UK has seven universities in total in the top 50, and 31 in the top 200, down one from 32 last year.
The United States dominate the rankings, with seven of the top 10 places and 76 of the top 200.
Phil Baty, editor of the Times Higher Education rankings, said: "Outside the golden triangle of London, Oxford and Cambridge, England's world-class universities face a collapse into global mediocrity.
"Huge investment in top research universities across Asia is starting to pay off. And while the Sun rises in the East, England faces a perfect storm - falling public investment in teaching and research, hostile visa conditions discouraging the world's top academics and students from coming here, and serious uncertainty about where our next generation of scholars will come from, with a policy vacuum surrounding postgraduate study.
"Given the seriousness of the funding cuts facing England and the strength of the competition, the tripled student tuition fees introduced this year look increasingly like a sticking plaster for an amputation."
Mr Baty said Scotland's position was no better.
"Some Scottish institutions have fallen far," he said.
"While there are current policies protecting investment in universities there, they are unlikely to be enough to meet the challenge posed by massive spending in the East. These disappointing results may resurrect the debate about charging tuition fees in Scotland."
Dr Wendy Piatt, director general of the Russell Group of leading universities, said they "continue to punch above their weight, with 10 in the top 100".
But she added: "If we are serious about staying on top, the government must concentrate investment where it will have the most impact - in our world-class research-intensive universities.
"Our global competitors are pumping billions into research-intensive higher education and leading Asian universities - especially in South Korea, Singapore and China - are rising fast.
"The UK cannot afford to be outmanoeuvred by other countries that clearly recognise that investment in their leading universities is the key to growth."
Universities minister David Willetts said the UK's system had maintained its "world-class status", but warned: "We cannot be complacent". | Leading UK universities are slipping down an international league table. |
37,356,512 | Nama, the Irish state asset agency, sold its entire Northern Ireland portfolio for £1.2bn in 2014.
The Comptroller and Auditor General's (C&AG) report is expected to point to "irregularities" and "shortcomings".
It is expected to say failings may have led to "hundred of millions" of euros not being realised for Irish taxpayers.
The Republic of Ireland's opposition has called for the establishment of a commission of investigation into the €1.6bn (£1.36bn) transaction.
Taoiseach (prime minister) Enda Kenny has pointed to legal issues concerning the ability to compel witnesses and documents as two jurisdictions are involved.
Speaking on Wednesday morning, he said the report must be read and analysed before any decision is taken on how to proceed.
Nama has always insisted the deal was conducted with integrity, and is expected to contest the report's conclusions.
The report will be published on Wednesday or Thursday.
Controversy around the Northern Ireland portfolio sale has centred on the role of the businessman and former Nama advisor Frank Cushnahan.
While working as an advisor to Nama, he began talking to a US investment fund, Pimco, which was interested in buying the portfolio.
He then left his Nama role and went on to assist the fund with its bid.
He was due to be paid £5m if the bid succeeded - but it collapsed when Nama learned of Mr Cushnahan's role.
Subsequently, only two other firms made offers to buy the Northern Ireland portfolio.
The highest bid of £1.24bn - a fraction above the minimum reserve price - was made by Cerberus.
The other offer from Fortress was for £1.1bn, which was below the reserve.
Earlier this year, the BBC's Spotlight programme broadcast a covert recording in which Mr Cushnahan claimed he was also due to be paid a fee in relation to the Cerberus deal.
Mr Cushnahan has always denied any wrongdoing in relation to his Nama role.
Cerberus has said that the sales process for the loan portfolio was "conducted with full integrity" on its part. | A report examining the value for money aspects of the controversial Nama Northern Ireland deal has been discussed by the Irish cabinet. |
40,050,781 | In a game of few chances, keeper Doherty made two great saves to deny Marc Griffin early in the second half.
Doherty then denied Jake Hyland in the 88th minute although Derry substitute Rory Holden headed a great chance wide in injury-time.
Derry's Mikhail Kennedy tested Drogheda replacement keeper Robbie Coulter.
Coulter had to be introduced early in the contest after Stephen McGuinness was stretchered off because of a head injury.
Before Friday's match, Derry City boss Kenny Shiels had spoken about the importance of playing entertaining football but his players were unable to deliver that on Friday evening.
Derry had an early let-off as Sean Brennan fired wide after a mistake by Dean Jarvis.
After keeper McGuinness had been replaced, Derry had a penalty shout as Drogheda's Kevin Farragher fouled Kennedy but referee Keith Kennedy adjudged that the offence had happened just outside the box.
With Ronan Curtis providing Derry's only real attacking threat, the home defence were being asked few questions whereas Doherty had to react brilliantly to deny Griffin twice after the resumption.
Replacement keeper Coulter pushed away Kennedy's shot on 70 minutes but Doherty had to maintain his concentration right to the end as he pushed away Hyland's effort on 88.
Substitute Holden could have won in for Derry as he headed a corner wide but in truth a winner in this low-quality contest would have been an injustice.
Derry remain in fourth place, two points behind third-placed Bray, who drew 2-2 at home to Sligo Rovers on Friday night.
Leaders Cork City's 4-1 home win over Shamrock Rovers keeps them 15 points clear of defending champions Dundalk, who won 2-0 at St Patrick's Athletic. | Derry City had Gerard Doherty to thank as they extended their unbeaten run to nine games by drawing 0-0 in Friday's Premier Division game in Drogheda. |
35,764,860 | The meeting of cousins Taulupe Faletau of Wales and England's Billy Vunipola is being touted as one of the key confrontations at Twickenham.
Wales captain Warburton agrees with that assessment.
"If either has a very good game it's going to go a long way towards that team winning the match," he said.
Wales coach Warren Gatland has called the game a cup final which will probably decide the tournament.
England are top of the table after winning their first three games and are up against a Welsh side who are also unbeaten after recording two wins and a draw.
Vunipola's performances have been a key factor in England's success, and he is the leading ball carrier in the tournament.
Wales' success has been built on an unyielding defence in which Faletau has been an outstanding figure.
"Toby's one of the best players I've played with," added Warburton.
"He's gifted in the sense that he can do everything. I don't think anyone could find an attribute that he can't do on the field.
"I think that's going to be a massive battle between those two number eights.
"Billy's been a class act for the past three matches and I've always been impressed with him when I've watched him for Saracens and he's always been one of England's go-to players."
Wales second row Alun Wyn Jones, who will make his 98th appearance for Wales at Twickenham, agrees that Gatland's side will have to contain Vunipola.
"Very much so, and hopefully they'll be thinking the same about Toby," he said.
"It's one of the battles within the game.
"Both players are in a fine burst of form, but probably Billy's been the stand out eight in the competition thus far, no disrespect to Toby, I think everyone would agree with that.
"Billy's been the talisman in their pack, he's given them go-forward off the back of a good set piece but also linking up wide with their backline because he's having a bit more licence to play wide and he's been effective doing that." | The battle of the number eights will go a long way to deciding Saturday's Six Nations match between England and Wales, according to Sam Warburton. |
40,033,330 | Acting dean, the Reverend Canon Nigel Hand, said it was taken to put increased security arrangements in place.
The building will reopen on Thursday, he said.
Some services took place publicly in Cathedral Square while the building was closed.
See more stories from across Birmingham and the Black Country here
Nobody takes a decision to close a cathedral lightly. For centuries they have been places where people have sought sanctuary. The modern expression of that is often seen in the numbers visiting them to light candles and say prayers at times of national grief.
Birmingham has done its best to recognise the public need while still closing its doors. It has continued with acts of worship in its grounds - aided by good weather. The dean and others will have been uncomfortable at having to close.
Birmingham Cathedral does appear to have gone further than any other in the country. Closing its doors outstripped the response at York Minster where security has been tightened. Other cathedrals have seen a higher police presence too.
However, it was doing what it's been told it should by security advisers outside the church. They were mindful that to do the opposite of the agreed policy would leave them open to severe criticism especially if something happened. Better to take time to consult and reflect. Having done that they can now feel confident to adopt a change of direction and reopen.
The decision was made following Monday's Manchester Arena attack, which left 22 dead and 64 injured.
Read more: Manchester attack
The Rev Canon Hand said: "We have relationships with counter terrorism, who have encouraged us to have a rapid response policy in place should the terrorist rating go to critical.
"The closure of the cathedral afforded us the time to make the necessary decisions and arrangements to ensure that we will open the cathedral tomorrow, with increased security presence in place."
Elsewhere, York Minster said it had increased security measures following the terror attack with extra high visibility patrols by its cathedral constables around the cathedral and its precinct.
It also introduced random bag searches at its visitor entrances, while large bags and suitcases are no longer allowed inside the cathedral. | An "unprecedented" decision was taken to shut Birmingham Cathedral in response to the national terror threat level being increased to critical. |
17,572,015 | Mr Nesbitt, 54, defeated South Down assembly member John McCallister by 536 votes to 129 in the contest at the UUP annual general meeting in Belfast.
He said he wanted the UUP to become "the party of choice for every pro-union voter in Northern Ireland".
"I want everyone in this country to get out of bed with a sense of purpose," said the former broadcaster.
"I want this party to wake up with a sense of purpose.
"I want us to reach out to become the party of choice for every pro-union voter in Northern Ireland, including those who still say they want a united Ireland, but privately accept there is no longer a single reason not to enjoy their continued membership of the United Kingdom."
At the centre of the campaign was whether to back Mr Nesbitt's plan to remain part of the coalition Northern Ireland Executive and keep the party's one ministerial position, or to go into opposition as favoured by Mr McCallister.
Mr Nesbitt takes over from Tom Elliott, who announced earlier this month he was standing down as leader after just 18 months in the job.
Mr Nesbitt is a former presenter of UTV news.
He began his career as a sports presenter at the BBC, and he anchored the flagship Good Morning Ulster radio programme for a number of years.
At UTV, he presented its evening news programme for 10 years before leaving in 2006. He became a Victims' Commissioner in 2008.
He left the commission when he joined the UUP in 2010. | Strangford MLA Mike Nesbitt has been elected the new leader of the Ulster Unionist Party. |
35,390,725 | The world number two easily took the first set but allowed Sousa back in before recomposing himself in a 6-2 3-6 6-2 6-2 win against the number 32 seed.
The 28-year-old Briton will next play Australia's Bernard Tomic, seeded 16th.
As Murray was on court, news broke of his father-in-law Nigel Sears collapsing in the Rod Laver Arena.
Sears coaches Ana Ivanovic and was watching her match against Madison Keys. Murray's brother Jamie told reporters that the 58-year-old, who has been taken to hospital for tests, was "conscious, talking and sitting up".
Sears' daughter Kim is not in Melbourne in support of her husband Murray as she awaits the birth of their first child in a few weeks.
Murray, unaware of what was happening, went from dominating the opening set to being broken in the first game of the second, with Sousa going on to level.
But the Scot raised his game to secure what was in the end a comfortable victory, breaking Sousa's serve twice again in the fourth and final set.
Immediately after the match Murray left with his mother Judy to visit his father-in-law in hospital, with his post-match news conference cancelled.
"It was tricky. I didn't feel I was in a great rhythm and wasn't hitting the ball cleanly at the start. He was hitting the ball great, close to the lines, and making me do a lot of running," he said in a statement released through tournament organisers.
"Once I started to hit the ball a little bit cleaner towards the end of the match I was able to get him in his backhand corner and dictate more of the points.
"I just tried to keep fighting. At the end I was actually hitting the ball well and felt better at the end. It was good to get through that one." | Andy Murray recovered from a second-set slump to see off a spirited challenge from Portugal's Joao Sousa and move into the Australian Open fourth round. |
33,078,969 | Vytautas Jokubauskas, 57, of Mayor's Walk in Peterborough has been charged with murdering Ramute Butkiene.
The body of Ms Butkiene, 42, who was formally indentified earlier, was found with no arms, legs or head at a house in Mayor's Walk last Friday.
Mr Jokubauskas will appear at Huntingdon Magistrates' Court on Thursday.
Mother-of-one Ms Butkiene was an agency worker in the city, Cambridgeshire Police said.
Officers said "some body parts" had been found and searches were continuing.
The torso was found after other tenants in the shared house reported a "pungent smell" and called police.
A post-mortem examination failed to establish how Ms Butkiene died.
Ms Butkiene's family members in Peterborough and Lithuania have been informed, a police spokesman said.
The murder is being treated as an isolated incident and a dedicated team has been set up to investigate. | A man has been charged with murder following the discovery of a woman's torso inside a suitcase. |
39,456,770 | About 4,000 households in England earning more than £100,000 annually are in the Help to Buy Equity Loan scheme.
Official figures to December 2016 show more than 20,000 households who are not first-time buyers have been helped.
The initiative, which started in April 2013, aims to make buying a home more affordable.
But research conducted for the government found that just over half of those who signed up to it said they could have afforded to buy without access to the scheme.
Help to Buy was launched by then Chancellor George Osborne to attempt to encourage more housebuilding.
The government offers a 20% equity loan to buyers of newly-built properties and 40% in London, on properties worth up to £600,000.
The buyers have to put down a 5% deposit and, when the property is sold, the government reclaims its loan.
This means if the value of the home goes up, the government will make a profit.
Similar schemes were set up and have now ended in Scotland and Wales.
£4.6 billion
worth of equity loans
100,284
loans taken
£17.7bn total value of properties sold
£46,301 average equity loan
£229,608 average purchase price
81% were first time buyers
Labour's shadow housing secretary John Healey said: "While the number of younger people who own a first home is in freefall, the number of government-backed affordable homes to buy has fallen by two-thirds since 2010 and badly targeted schemes like Help to Buy are not focused on those who most need a hand up.
"Labour would change that and make helping first-time buyers on ordinary incomes the priority for Help to Buy."
Gavin Barwell, the housing and planning minister, said: "We're committed to helping more people find a home of their own with the support of a range of low-cost home ownership products.
"Our Help to Buy Equity Loan scheme continues to make home ownership a reality for thousands of people, especially first-time buyers right across the country."
The government said it had committed £8.6 billion for the Help to Buy Equity Loan scheme to allow it to run in England until 2021. | Nearly half of the people who have received taxpayers' money to help them buy a home under a government scheme did not need it, according to research. |
39,614,392 | Fire crews wore breathing apparatus as they entered the property in Goldsmith Avenue, Southsea, shortly after 12:00 BST.
A passer-by who helped rescue the dog was commended as "very brave" by a Hampshire Fire Service spokesperson.
The woman suffered smoke inhalation and was taken to hospital for treatment. Her condition was not thought to be serious, the spokesperson said.
The cause of the blaze is not yet known and an investigation has been started.
Police cordoned off the road while firefighters extinguished the flames. | An elderly woman and her pet dog have been rescued from a burning house. |
35,469,598 | Harjit Singh Dulai, 44, from Uxbridge, was attacked in Rosedale Park, off Albion Road, Hayes, on the evening of 27 January. He died later in hospital.
The accused is due before Wimbledon Youth Court later.
As well as murder, he is also facing a charge of possession of an offensive weapon.
Five other men were arrested on suspicion of murder. Four have been bailed and one released without charge. | A 16-year-old youth has been charged with the murder of a man stabbed to death near tennis courts in a west London park. |
36,256,391 | As the saying almost goes, an Englishperson's home is their castle. But for the benefit of those who would rather a castle was their home, BBC News takes a look at some that have been up for sale.
Wigmore Castle may seem a bit of a disappointment to those seeking a baronial lifestyle, as it is now a ruin.
But don't let that put you off. The castle, originally a wooden edifice, is believed to date back to the 10th Century. Its past, involves murder, treachery and, brilliantly, a woman called Lady Brilliana.
It was Lady Brilliana who was responsible for turning the castle into ruins, when in 1643 she ordered Parliamentarian troops to dismantle the walls to prevent it from being used by opposition forces.
As an added bonus, the Grade I-listed building is in the guardianship of the secretary of state, so the new owners would have no liability for repairs.
As well as the ruins, situated near Leominster in Herefordshire, the buyer will get about 32 acres, including a moat, some woodland, a jousting field, workshop and orchards.
Perhaps the jousting field will attract a new owner from the US state of Maryland - jousting became its official individual sport in 1962, and the state holds tournaments throughout the summer.
The official team sport, by the way, is lacrosse.
Driffield Castle is perhaps even less prepossessing than Wigmore Castle, being a grassy mound.
But the earthwork monument, on Moot Hill, is protected because it's archaeologically important.
Underneath the 11th Century motte and bailey fortress are believed to be the remains of Aldfrith, the king of Northumbria (685-704).
If you are lucky enough to find one of the silver sceattas - coins minted in his reign - they sell for more than £1,500. They have Aldfrith's name on one side, and a creature - which experts have variously described as a lion or a horse - with a three-pointed tail on the other.
Driffield Castle was sold in 2011 for £23,000.
Caverswall Castle, currently up for sale for £3m, is a tad more luxurious than most. It has 16 bedrooms, a moat, three converted turrets, an orangery and a dungeon.
It was built on the site of an Anglo-Saxon Manor in 1275, and the earliest recorded owner was Ernuf de Hesing. The castle then passed to Sir William de Caverswall, who in 1230 received a "license to crenellate" or fortify the house.
The castle fell into decay until 1615 when the Mayor of Stafford Matthew Cradon, a wealthy merchant, bought and rebuilt it as a Jacobean mansion in about 1625.
During the English Civil War it was used as a garrison by Parliamentary forces, and the Wedgewood pottery family lived there during the 1880s.
Perhaps the occupants who left the most lasting legacy was an order of Benedictine nuns.
The castle became became a sanctuary to the order which had escaped the French Revolution. It is rumoured one of the nuns haunts the place.
Dinton Castle, which sold in 2012 for £56,000, is an octagonal folly built in 1769 on a Saxon burial ground by Sir John Vanhattem.
Sir John used it to store his collection of fossils - not inside the building but set into its walls.
Rumours abound that the folly is haunted by John Bigg, who died in 1696.
Known as the "Dinton Hermit", his shoe is on display at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.
Bigg was a clerk to Simon Mayne, an Aylesbury magistrate and MP, who owned Dinton Hall.
Mayne was one of the judges at the trial of King Charles I in 1649, and it is said Bigg may have been one of the hooded executioners of the king.
Mayne was eventually tried and sentenced as a regicide and died in the Tower of London in 1661.
Bigg became a hermit, living in an underground cave at Dinton Hall, until his death.
Some believe it was because he feared retribution for his involvement in the royal execution, while others suggest it was due to the remorse he felt over the king's death.
His shoe was given to the museum by Sir John Vanhattem. It's made up of hundreds of patches of leather, which the hermit nailed on top of each other as each piece wore out.
An 18th Century illustration of Bigg shows the rest of his clothes were also made up from patches of leather and he wore a strange horned cloak. It is said that he lived by begging silently for food but only ever asked for leather - and, presumably, nails.
Westenhanger Castle, which went on the market in 2013 for £2.6m, was owned by King Cnut - the ruler who pointed out even a monarch could not stop the tide coming in.
Cnut gave it to a local archbishop in 1035 in the hope it would ease his passage to heaven.
In 1540 the property was transferred to the Crown by Henry VIII who, until his death seven years later, entertained lady friends there.
His daughter Queen Elizabeth also used the castle, hosting house parties of more than 300 people.
The current building is Grade I listed and on the site of a 14th Century fortification with ruins.
Westenhanger Castle also has a full-size replica of the Discovery - one of the three ships that sailed to Jamestown, Virginia - where the first permanent English-speaking settlement in the New World was established - forming a base for what would later become the United States of America.
Westenhanger used to be owned by Thomas Smythe, a collector of customs duties. His son, another Thomas, became the treasurer of the Virginia Company and obtained settlement rights in Jamestown.
Blenkinsopp Castle is thought to have been built in 1339 by Thomas de Blecansopp. One of his descendants, Bryan de Blenkinsopp, was said to be so motivated by wealth he married a woman who was unattractive but had an awful lot of gold.
The chest containing her riches was supposedly so heavy it took 12 men to carry it.
But Sir Bryan did not benefit from his mercantile marriage. His wife refused tell him where she and her servants had hidden her chest and, true to form, he left her - after which she disappeared.
It was hinted at the time that the lady was an imp of darkness, sent with her wealth to ensnare Sir Bryan's greedy soul. Legend has it that she haunts the castle, and is known as the White Lady.
Less ghoulishly, another famous inhabitant was Violet Loraine, who married Edward Joicey who bought the castle in the late 19th Century.
Loraine was a Forces sweetheart who sang, along with George Robey, the 1916 duet If You Were the Only Girl (In the World).
The castle, which was badly damaged by fire in the 1950s and extensively rebuilt, is on the market for £325,000. | The chance to be king (or queen) of a castle rarely comes along, but as an ancient structure - complete with jousting field - is put on the market, aspiring royalty have the opportunity to buy Wigmore Castle in Herefordshire. |
39,293,262 | Animators from Scotland and Europe worked on The Illusionist, a critically acclaimed film released in 2010.
The feature film, which was set in Scotland, went on to receive Oscar, Bafta and Golden Globe nominations.
However, a report commissioned by Creative Scotland found that few of the filmmakers who worked on the production remain in Scotland.
Scottish animation struggles to retain talent, with many graduates moving to hubs in London, the south-west of England, or abroad.
The arts agency said that there were hopes the release of The Illusionist could lead to a "burgeoning animation sector".
But during its review of the country's animation sector, consultees told them they believed "an opportunity was lost to capitalise on its success".
The Review of the Scottish Animation Sector was compiled by BOP Consulting and it draws on evidence from individuals and organisations in the industry.
It found that the industry was made up of a small number of talented, passionate professionals who produced high-quality work.
It pointed to the success of the Bafta award-winning children's show Ooglies, produced by Ko-lik and BBC Scotland, and to the track record of Red Kite Animation, which makes the Dennis the Menace and Gnasher series.
And it was clear that there is "potential" in the animators and producers north of the border.
But it warned that the volume of work produced in Scotland was small and the industry struggled to compete on a global stage.
There are fewer than 50 animation companies in Scotland - mainly clustered in the central belt - and many of them employ just two or three people.
A "feast or famine work cycle" is highlighted in the report, as filmmakers are often so busy working on one project, they do not have time to pursue other work.
Among a series of recommendations, it calls for a revival of the Scottish Animation Network, which has been dormant in recent years, which could "promote, advocate and facilitate networking and collaboration at home and internationally".
Ken Anderson, of Red Kite Animation, was among those who contributed to the report.
He said: "The review gives a great summary of the diverse animation ecosystem in Scotland and highlights the need for everyone across government, broadcast, education and industry to work closely together to build on the huge potential that this sector holds.
"The recommendations are a terrific starting point for leaders in business and government to work together and to put time, resources and funding behind an industry that will be one of the key areas of development and growth for Scotland in the decades to come."
Natalie Usher, director of screen at Creative Scotland, said the report showed "highly-skilled, talented and ambitious individuals generating high levels of excellence and innovation".
She added: "However, the study also identifies a number of challenges to the sustainability of careers in the sector and how best to develop the necessary scale whilst maintaining quality, ambition and reach.
"We want Scotland to reach its potential and be recognised as an international centre of excellence for animation.
"Following today's publication, we will bring together sector representatives and other industry partners to consider the findings of the Review and develop a cohesive and co-ordinated response that works towards the sustainable growth we all want to see." | Scotland's animation industry missed the opportunity to capitalise on its Oscar success, according to a report. |
34,379,334 | Berg, released by Middlesex at the end of last season following persistent shoulder injuries, scored 674 runs and took 43 wickets in first-class cricket.
"From not playing anything last year to having a decent year this season, it's fantastic," he told BBC Radio Solent.
Michael Carberry and Fidel Edwards claimed the county's batsman and bowler of the year awards respectively.
Berg, 34, made a valuable first-innings 72 against Nottinghamshire in Hampshire's final match of the season as they guaranteed their Division One status in the County Championship.
"It's a very humbling experience for me," he said. "I've got to give a lot of credit to the backroom staff, the physios and strength and conditioning team here to get me to where I am this year.
"I surprised myself in terms of lasting a whole season and more so in terms of the wickets and runs. To have a season completely out of the game and then take more than 40 wickets and score more than 600 runs is a fantastic achievement."
Teenage leg-spinner Mason Crane was named the county's breakthrough player of the year, with Sean Ervine collecting the clubman of the year for his work with charity Hampshire Cricket in the Community. | Hampshire all-rounder Gareth Berg has been named the county's supporters' and players' player of the year. |
36,604,481 | Robbie Brady scored a late header to give his country a 1-0 victory over Italy.
That meant they qualified for the last 16 as one of the best third-placed sides.
The Republic of Ireland will play the hosts France next - on Sunday afternoon.
Wales and Northern Ireland will play each other on Saturday for a place in the quarter-finals.
England will play Iceland on Monday, after Iceland qualified thanks to a dramatic late winner over Austria.
Iceland are the smallest nation ever to qualify for a major tournament. | England, Wales and Northern Ireland will be joined by the Republic of Ireland in the Euro 2016 knockout stages. |
33,566,681 | Sgt Robert Rigler, 98, served with the Dorsetshire Regiment in France after D-day in 1944 and also earned a Mention in Despatches at Arnhem.
He was presented with the Legion d'Honneur medal at his nursing home in Hamworthy, Poole.
He said: "I can still see one of my mates we had to leave by the wayside."
He added: "It's wonderful to have all my friends and family here."
Maj Nick Speakman, of the Keep Military Museum in Dorchester, said: "A number of survivors of the Dorsets who fought in Normandy have been awarded the Legion d'Honneur by the French Government and rather sadly they arrived in the post.
"So with the help of Dorset House and the Keep Military Museum where much research on Bob Rigler was carried out, we arranged today's presentation.
"As a regiment we wanted to make sure Bob had a good parade in front of all his friends and a number of old comrades and members of staff from the Keep and we're pleased to support him in this way."
Mr Rigler has previously been awarded the Dutch Order of the Bronze Lion for his actions at Arnhem when he twice crossed the river under heavy fire taking part in the rescue of two boat loads of Airborne soldiers. | A World War Two veteran has been honoured by the French government for his role in liberating the country from Nazi occupation. |
40,510,406 | Mae'r cladin ar y Ysgol Uwchradd y Rhyl wedi'i gynhyrchu gan yr un cwmni a wnaeth y deunydd oedd ar Dŵr Grenfell.
Bu farw degau o bobl mewn tân yn y tŵr hwnnw yn Llundain fis diwethaf.
Dywedodd Cyngor Sir Ddibych y byddai "asesiad risg llawn" ar adeilad yr ysgol dros y deuddydd nesaf.
Cafodd rhieni wybod am y penderfyniad i gau'r ysgol mewn llythyr gan y pennaeth ddydd Mercher.
Yn eu datganiad, dywedodd y cyngor sir bod "dim i awgrymu bod risg uwch o dân" yn yr ysgol, wnaeth symud i safle newydd yn 2016.
Dywedon nhw eu bod yn "credu bod y mesurau gofal tân a'r profion eang" ar y safle newydd "yn ddibynadwy".
Nododd y cyngor hefyd bod "gwahaniaethau mawr" yn y ffordd oedd y cladin yn cael ei ddefnyddio ar Dŵr Grenfell ac ar adeilad yr ysgol.
Ond bydd yr ysgol yn cau "rhag ofn" tra bod profion yn cael eu cynnal.
Dywedodd pennaeth yr ysgol, Claire Armitstead, y bydd hi'n rhoi diweddariad i rieni mewn datganiad ddydd am 15:00 dydd Gwener. | Fe fydd ysgol yn y Rhyl ar gau am weddill yr wythnos oherwydd pryderon am orchudd waliau'r ysgol. |
26,943,935 | Neath Port Talbot council's scrutiny committee met to approve the new complex on Aberavon seafront before the cabinet unanimously voted in favour.
The old Afan Lido was wrecked by fire in 2009 and demolished in 2011.
The replacement includes an eight-lane pool, cafe, fitness centre, dance studio and sports hall.
"It's the final stage of a long process but one we're very pleased to see moving now," said the council's chief executive Steve Phillips. "It has been important to take the community with us on this. What we've got now is a consensus with the community and a facility that's fit for the 21st Century."
He added: "It's not going to be cheap but we think it represents value for money. This council is determined to continue investing in our leisure facilities in our regeneration programme despite the budgetary constraints that we face."
The local authority said last week the overall budget for the project - which features a "wave roof" to reflect its seafront location - had increased by £232,000.
The original Afan Lido was opened in 1965 by the Queen, and its first manager was Graham Jenkins, the brother of the late Hollywood star Richard Burton.
In its early days the venue hosted major concerts by Spencer Davis and Pink Floyd and in recent years Coldplay and McFly.
More than 2,600 people took part in a Neath Port Talbot council consultation on replacing the facility.
Although many said they would like to see an identical rebuild, the council said just keeping the old lido going was costing £700,000 a year. | Work on a £13m replacement for a leisure complex which was destroyed in a fire more than four years ago could start by the end of April. |
13,307,385 | At the end of the inquests, relatives differed over whether to draw a line under events or begin a new chapter and seek more answers.
Most urged MI5 and emergency services to heed the recommendations.
Grahame Russell said that he backed the report but it would not bring his son, Philip, back.
Mr Russell, who lost Philip days before his 29th birthday, said each one of the families in court had their own concerns, whether about the security services, emergency services or the government, but he needed to let go of his to avoid becoming bitter.
John Taylor, father of 24-year-old Carrie who was killed in the Aldgate blast, said: "The inquest for us was not about pointing fingers at people. Things went wrong and we accept that."
However, he said, he worried about the future.
"The warning shots were there after 9/11. We stepped up our security, but I feel after a year, a year-and-a-half, two years, we got complacent. I fear that could happen again," he said.
In a joint press conference in central London, Mr Taylor criticised MI5, saying the security service appeared as though it had expected not to be called on to give evidence.
Mr Russell said the chaos in Transport for London's control room had caused him concern, while Graham Foulkes, father of 22-year-old David killed at Edgware Road, said MI5's poor record-keeping had been "a recipe for disaster".
There were also calls for a public inquiry. Marie Fatayi-Williams, whose 26-year-old son Anthony died on the number 30 bus in Tavistock Square, said: "For me, these are the issues that still need to be known - what did MI5 know before and how has it come to light or not come to light?"
Speaking outside court, Sean Cassidy, whose son Ciaran, 22, died in the Russell Square blast, said he accepted Lady Justice Hallett's finding that none of the victims could have been saved.
However, that did not excuse emergency services arriving an hour late, he said.
"We're talking about the injured here as well, people crying out on Tubes for assistance," he added.
Before the coroner's verdict, relatives had drawn up a list of recommendations.
Among them was a call for ambulance staff to prioritise patients whose airways may be closing and require basic life-saving dressings, ahead of attaching triage cards to the dead and injured. This formed part of one of the coroner's nine recommendations.
"Some of the emergency services, if they call themselves the best in the world... I don't know who the second best are; I wouldn't like to deal with them," said Mr Cassidy.
"All the medical staff, all they're doing is triaging. I mean, how many people do we need to triage? It needs to be something better done about the triaging system."
Not all the victims had family in court to hear the coroner's final remarks.
John Falding was on the phone to his girlfriend, Anat Rosenberg, when a bomb blew the top off the bus she was travelling on.
He did not attend any part of the inquests and had tried to avoid the news coverage, but during the course of the inquests he changed his mind over the need for a public inquiry.
The remit, had in effect, made it a public inquiry, he said, and any further inquiry would be a waste of time and money.
He said he now wanted to draw a line under events on that day. "I will now put that operational side of it behind me and will carry on grieving as normal," he said.
Witness Tim Coulson, who was in court, gave evidence in November of how he smashed his way out of a carriage at Edgware Road to try to save father-of-two Michael Brewster.
He said he felt justice had been "seen to be done, properly and effectively" and praised the coroner for taking all of the evidence, all of the gore and still pursuing what others would have given up on.
Earlier, he met Mr Brewster's wife, Sandra, for the first time and said the emotions had been intense.
"Her expression was that I was the man who last held the hand of her husband so I found that particularly traumatic," he said. | Families of the 52 people killed in the July 2005 London bombings have welcomed a coroner's recommendations, but several vowed to seek a public inquiry. |
33,470,499 | Murray and Australian John Peers beat Jonathan Erlich and Philipp Petzschner 4-6 6-3 6-4 6-2 to reach their first Grand Slam men's doubles final.
The 13th seeds were helped by Erlich struggling with a knee injury.
Jamie's younger brother Andy lost to Roger Federer in his singles semi-final on Friday.
Jamie Murray, who won the mixed doubles title at SW19 in 2007, has never reached this stage of the men's competition before in any Grand Slam.
With his mother Judy looking on, the 29-year-old and Peers, 26, were impressive winners.
They will play Dutchman Jean-Julien Roger and Romanian Horia Tecau in Saturday's final on Centre Court.
Murray said: "We got off to a slow start, especially me. We were helped out by Erlich struggling but we had to put it out of our minds.
"It will be a great match for Andy tomorrow, they have played so many times and I am sure tomorrow will be no different.
"People come and talk to me because they want to talk about Andy, which is fair enough. That's how it goes. I accept that."
When Murray won the mixed doubles in 2007 with Serb Jelena Jankovic, the pair split prize money of £90,000.
The Scot began playing with Peers two and a half years ago and they have won five Tour titles together.
Reaching the final at Wimbledon means they are guaranteed prize money of at least £85,000 each.
Murray said: "We are getting our rewards and we are excited to be here." | Britain's Jamie Murray ensured at least one Murray brother will be in a final at Wimbledon by winning in the semi-finals of the men's doubles. |
37,328,192 | 11 September 2016 Last updated at 09:31 BST
He won his race in just 10.81 seconds and told Newsround it felt 'absolutely crazy' and 'amazing' to take the gold.
Jonnie said: "Everything is possible. If you get yourself with the right team and keep your head in the game, you can achieve what you want to do."
Watch Martin's interview to find out more... | Jonnie Peacock held on to his T44 100m victory on Friday, claiming gold at the Paralympics in Rio. |
30,744,834 | Michael Lynton said his firm had "no playbook" on how to respond.
In a wide-ranging interview with the Associated Press, he also described the scale of the attack, which the US government has blamed on North Korea.
But one security expert said that Sony should have spotted the danger and prepared contingency plans.
Lynton said that, immediately after the attack came to light, his company scrambled to restore communications, digging out old phones and working out how to pay staff with paper cheques.
"We are the canary in the coal mine, that's for sure," he told the Associated Press.
"There's no playbook for this, so you are in essence trying to look at the situation as it unfolds and make decisions without being able to refer to a lot of experiences you've had in the past or other people's experiences. You're on completely new ground."
And he told the agency of the scale of the data loss his company had suffered.
"They came in the house, stole everything, then burned down the house. They destroyed servers, computers, wiped them clean of all the data and took all the data."
He insisted his firm was "adequately prepared" but "just not for an attack of this nature", which he said that no firm could have withstood.
After a series of embarrassing leaks, the hackers threatened further attacks over Sony Pictures' film The Interview, which imagined the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Several cinemas refused to show it on its planned Christmas day debut and Sony Pictures pulled the film altogether.
But it was later released online. Lynton insisted that the studio always planned some sort of release but did not know how to carry it out.
He said he called Google's chief executive Eric Schmidt, who told him: "This is what we've been waiting for."
Schmidt agreed to help get the film out on Google Play and YouTube. Sony built its own website and Microsoft's Xbox and Apple's iTunes also ultimately agreed to release the film, Lynton said.
"We probably in retrospect should have said we're exploring other options, because that's exactly what we were doing."
But, according to security expert Brian Honan of BH Consulting, his company should have been better prepared and should have detected such a large data loss.
"It is hard to understand how more than 100 terabytes of data would leave someone's network undetected."
He pointed out that it was not the first assault on Sony's systems and said the company could have been better prepared to deal with both the attack and its fallout.
He suggested that, in the light of lawsuits brought by Sony Pictures employees over the loss of their personal data, Lynton's comments could be "damage control".
He said the Sony Pictures chief executive could be "trying to use the fact that the FBI has said it was the North Korean state and super cyber-ninjas, that an ordinary company using ordinary defences would not be able to defend itself".
"If he can say they took reasonable precautions, they cannot be blamed," he told the BBC.
Lynton's comments came after the FBI director James Comey said his agency was sure North Korea was behind the attack because the hackers "got sloppy".
"In nearly every case, [the hackers] used proxy servers to disguise where they were coming from in sending these emails and posting these statements. But several times they got sloppy.
"Several times, either because they forgot or because of a technical problem, they connected directly and we could see that the IPs they were using… were exclusively used by the North Koreans." | There was no precedent for how to deal with a hacking attack on the scale of that which hit Sony Pictures, its chief executive has said. |
36,683,928 | Sergei Fedorovtsev tested positive for Trimetazidine in a routine test by Russia's Anti-Doping Agency on 17 May, the World Rowing Federation (WRF) said.
Fedorovtsev, 36, competed a week later at Olympic qualifying in Lucerne, where Russia finished first to qualify.
New Zealand, who were third, will now take Russia's sculls place in Rio.
Following the positive test, the WRF announced "the results of all competitions in which the rower participated after 17 May 2016 are therefore automatically disqualified".
The WRF said the rower's 'A' and 'B' samples both contained the substance, which is a banned metabolic modulator.
The International Olympic Committee last week announced prospective Olympians from Russia in track and field disciplines would have to pass individual anti-doping assessments before being considered eligible for competition.
Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox. | Russia's men's quadruple sculls team have been disqualified from the Rio Olympics after one member tested positive for a banned substance. |
32,683,194 | It follows the resignation of Jim Wells last month after he made remarks linking child abuse with same-sex relationships.
Arlene Foster replaces Mr Hamilton as the finance minister, in a reshuffle of the DUP's ministerial positions.
She is being replaced at the Department of Enterprise Trade and Investment by party colleague Jonathan Bell.
The new junior minister is Michelle McIlveen.
Ms Foster, an assembly member for Fermanagh and South Tyrone, held the enterprise portfolio since 2008.
Mr Hamilton, a Strangford assembly member, has been finance minister for just under two years. However, after the controversy involving his predecessor Jim Wells, he was made a stand-in health minister.
He is now takes over the full health portfolio, giving him stewardship of almost 50% of the Northern Ireland Executive's budget.
He said: "The health and social care sector in Northern Ireland is something we should all be very proud of and it is a privilege for me to hold the position of minister.
"I can assure the public that despite the budget and resource challenges I face, I will continue to strive for excellence in the care we provide.
"There will be tough decisions ahead, but I will not shy away from doing what's right."
A spokesman for the Department of Health said the minister would be expected to issue new abortion guidelines "as a matter of urgency".
"The former health minister had indicated that he intended to bring guidelines for health professionals on termination of pregnancy to the executive within weeks," the spokesman said.
"We would expect that Minister Hamilton will consider this issue as a matter of urgency."
Among the issues he faces are abortion legislation and pending court action over maintaining a ban on blood donation from gay men.
Mr Hamilton's brief will also include prescription charges to pay for specialist drugs, potential hospital closures and negotiating with unions.
He said: "I would like to pay tribute to all staff in the health and social care sector, as well as staff from the ambulance and fire service.
"I know that they feel the stresses and strains of their work and I, along with the public, am grateful for their dedication and commitment."
BBC News NI health correspondent Marie-Louise Connolly said the new health minister is "arriving to a brimming in-tray".
"It's a massive brief, that deals with around half of the executive's budget and crosses over all other ministerial departments."
Mr Bell, 45, has been a junior minister and is also a Strangford assembly member.
Correction, 25th May 2015 : An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Jonathan Bell had been appointed to the position of Health Minister. | Democratic Unionist MLA Simon Hamilton is to become Northern Ireland's new health minister. |
36,777,537 | The 22-year-old made his international debut in the Euro 2016 quarter-finals and appeared in the host nation's 1-0 defeat by Portugal in the final.
The five-year contract contains a buy-out clause of 60m euros (£50m).
Umtiti made over 150 appearances for Ligue 1 side Lyon and won the Coupe de France in 2012.
Barcelona confirmed Umtiti had completed his move on Tuesday after announcing in June they had agreed to sign the player. | Spanish champions Barcelona have completed the signing of France centre-back Samuel Umtiti from Lyon for £21m (25m euros). |
33,676,354 | Supermarket produce was allowed in some competition categories in the show in Quedgeley, near Gloucester.
A Quedgeley Community Trust spokesman said the bought items were not judged directly against home-grown ones.
Trust chairman Kevin Tudor described the reaction in national newspapers to the decision as "a storm in a teacup".
He said supermarket fruit and vegetables were allowed, but only in a small number of categories in which the award was for a display, rather than the produce itself.
"It's quite clear in the schedule that we're not judging shop-bought against home-grown produce," he said.
"It's like in flower arranging, you don't need to have grown the flowers to enter a display.
"It's a storm in a teacup. We've been doing it [like this] since 2012."
He added that it was "only because a parish councillor, who said it was disgusting, brought it up that we're talking about it, and she didn't know the full facts".
As well as for vegetables, there were awards in categories including flower arranging, art, photography and cake-making at the show, which took place on 11 July. | Organisers of a village show have defended a decision to allow shop-bought produce to be displayed alongside home-grown vegetables. |
40,328,290 | The bank now expects growth of 1.2% this year compared to the previous forecast of 0.8% and an original forecast of just 0.5%.
However, it expects the growth rate will slow to 1% in 2018 as inflation hits household spending power.
Many economists have revised short-term forecasts after the Brexit vote.
Danske Bank economist Conor Lambe said: "There were a number of positive data releases for Northern Ireland which pointed to a very strong end to 2016.
"And, on the whole, the data for the beginning of 2017 suggests that the economy continued to grow during the first three months of this year.
"Taking all this into consideration, we have revised our forecast for economic growth in 2017 up to 1.2%, though we do anticipate a slight slowdown in 2018."
Mr Lambe said that despite increasing inflation, he still expects consumer spending to drive growth this year.
He is forecasting growth of almost 3% in the hospitality and leisure sector and more than 2% in the retail sector.
Meanwhile, a survey of 315 chartered accountants across all sectors of the Northern Ireland economy suggests they believe Northern Ireland's economic prospects are weakening.
The survey by Chartered Accountants Ulster Society found that its members regarded political uncertainty and Brexit instability as key issues likely to affect the economy over the next 12 months.
Cuts in government spending, concerns around the increasing cost of doing business and rising inflation also featured as negative factors affecting Northern Ireland's economy. | Danske Bank has again upgraded its growth forecast for Northern Ireland as the economy has performed better than it expected after the EU referendum. |
39,505,823 | The sport involves athletes standing on a board and using a long paddle to move - a cross between kayaking and surfing.
The International Surfing Association (ISA) says it has organised competitions for years in the sport.
But the International Canoe Federation (ICF) says the use of the paddle makes it part of its organisation.
The sport has enjoyed huge growth in recent years and it could join both canoeing and surfing as an Olympic sport in the future.
"Up until last year there was no interest from the ICF," said ISA president Fernando Aguerre. "The interest arose when we were to bring the sport to the 2018 Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires."
But ICF secretary general Simon Toulson rejected Aguerre's comment about his organisation's recent arrival to the sport.
"The ICF has been involved in the sport for a number of years and did not start last year," he said.
"Many of our federations have the sport recognised by their National Olympic Committees running national and international competitions."
The two federations met with the International Olympic Committee a few months ago to sort out the issue but a solution has yet to be found.
"ICF statutes state clearly that a person using a paddle as a main form of propulsion whilst on a craft in water is canoeing/paddling," added Toulson.
"The issue is really which organisation is responsible at Olympic level." | Surfing and canoeing bosses are falling out over which organisation should control the increasingly popular sport of stand up paddle boarding (SUP). |
38,528,729 | CASEY AFFLECK
Age: 41
Nominated for: Manchester by the Sea
The character: Lee Chandler, an odd job man near Boston, who has a painful past and who suddenly finds himself with extra responsibilities.
Oscar record: A best supporting actor nomination for The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford in 2008.
The critics said: "Barricaded inside the shell that's become of him, Lee peers at the world through guarded eyes, only just summoning the basic drive to get up every morning, shuffle out, and carry on his tasks. He's played by Casey Affleck, in a clenched and riveting performance which fulfils all the promise he's ever shown, and then some." [Daily Telegraph]
ANDREW GARFIELD
Age: 33
Nominated for: Hacksaw Ridge
The character: Desmond Doss, a World War Two medic who became the first conscientious objector to win the prestigious US Medal of Honor.
Oscar record: None.
The critics said: "He's found a great fit for his talents in Hacksaw Ridge, which asks him to be a sweet Virginia boy courting a sweet nurse... and then a shell-shocked but determined man of valour in a lunar hellscape. Gosh, do we root for this kid." [Vanity Fair]
RYAN GOSLING
Age: 36
Nominated for: La La Land
The character: Sebastian Wilder, a jazz pianist chasing his dreams in Hollywood.
Oscar record: Best actor nomination for Half Nelson in 2007.
The critics said: "Mr Gosling's performance is understated, with a tinge of touching earnestness, but it's also witty and commandingly smart. What's more, he does Seb's fluent piano playing without benefit of doubles on screen or on the sound track, an achievement I found astonishing." [The Wall Street Journal]
VIGGO MORTENSEN
Age: 58
Nominated for: Captain Fantastic
The character: Ben Cash, a hippy father who has raised his children in a remote home, far from the pressures of modern life.
Oscar record: One previous nomination for best actor, for Eastern Promises (2008).
The critics said: "The movie really belongs to Mortensen, who allows Ben to be exasperating, arrogant and impatient but also warm, loving and caring. He's a tough but adoring father, a grieving widower and an angry defender of his wife's final wishes, and Mortensen plays all these notes and more with subtlety and grace." [The Wrap]
DENZEL WASHINGTON
Age: 62
Nominated for: Fences
The character: Troy Maxson, a Pittsburgh sanitation worker and former professional baseball player.
Oscar record: Two Oscar wins - best supporting actor for Glory (1990) and best actor for Training Day (2002). He also has a best supporting actor nomination for Cry Freedom (1988) and three best actor nominations for Malcolm X (1993), The Hurricane (2000) and Flight (2012).
The critics said: "While Denzel Washington's direction might leave a little to be desired, his acting has never been more relentless and fierce." [Cinema Blend]
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]. | Find out about the best actor nominees for the 89th Academy Awards, which will take place on 26 February 2017. |
37,032,547 | The Belfast man became the first Northern Ireland boxer to win world championships at two different weights when he beat Leo Santa Cruz.
The Tiger's Bay man defeated the Mexican in New York at the end of July.
Footage from Frampton's fights will be shown on big screens during Friday's event.
"I am honoured that the city of Belfast is hosting a homecoming event for me," the champion, nicknamed the Jackal, said.
"I'm a working-class lad from Belfast and I'm delighted that I'll be able to celebrate my world title win with the people of this great city."
The reception is being jointly hosted by Lord Mayor Brian Kingston and Sports Minister Paul Givan.
Mr Kingston said the whole city would want to pay tribute to "a fantastic fighter".
"He is hard working, determined, focused and a first-class ambassador for Belfast - he never forgets where he comes from and often pays tribute to it and its people," the mayor said.
"At Friday's event, our people can pay their own well-deserved tribute to him - an extraordinary champion and an even more extraordinary man who has his roots firmly planted at home."
Mr Givan said that Frampton had "once again put Northern Ireland on the sporting map".
"I was keen for an event to be staged as soon as possible once Carl came home to mark his success so that all fans could come together to celebrate his success,".
"I trust it will be a great occasion."
Frampton, 29, won his first world title - the IBF super-bantamweight crown - on 6 September 2014, defeating Spain's Kiko Martinez.
He became unified world champion at that weight when he defeated WBA champion Scott Quigg in February of this year.
Frampton moved up a weight and gave up his belts to fight the previously undefeated Santa Cruz in July. | A homecoming party for WBA featherweight champion Carl Frampton is to take place at Belfast City Hall on Friday evening. |
34,733,919 | This is the first time in 25 years that Somalia is to expel foreigners for overstaying their visas.
The men have also been fined $10 (£6.50) for each day they were in the country illegally.
The BBC's Mohammud Ali says job opportunities for foreigners have opened up as peace has gradually returned to Somalia.
Judge Hashi Elmi Noor said that the case was a warning to others who are found to be in the country illegally.
It is not clear how long the deportees had stayed in Somalia.
Our correspondent says that a growing number of foreigners are taking up jobs in the construction and hotel industries, while others are getting teaching jobs in colleges and schools.
According to a recent Somali law, work permits are now mandatory for all foreigners and employers are urged to give first priority to Somali nationals.
The government is trying to create job opportunities for young people but the damage to the education system caused by the civil war has left many without crucial skills.
Years of anarchy in Somalia followed the downfall of President Mohammed Siad Barre in 1991 and more than a million Somalis fled the country as a result, with nearly half a million ending up in Kenya.
The current government, backed by the African Union, is slowly gaining control of Somalia as it battles with the Islamist militant group al-Shabab.
For its part, the Kenyan government has accused some Somali refugees of links to al-Shabab, which has staged several attacks in Kenya.
About 400 Somalis were rounded up and sent to Mogadishu from the Nairobi district of Eastleigh, which is home to many ethnic Somalis.
It also threatened to start mass deportations from the refugee camps but later drew back under intense pressure.
Kenya has also started building a barrier along its long border with Somalia but progress has been slow so far. | A Somali court has ordered the deportation of 27 Kenyans found to be in the country illegally. |
36,242,226 | Sinn Féin had called on him to withdraw the comments he first made on Facebook about Raymond McCartney.
The former republican prisoner was elected to represent Londonderry's Foyle constituency on Saturday.
Speaking to BBC Radio Foyle on Monday, Mr Campbell said it was nothing he had not already said before.
"There is a link which is available which shows an interview by Raymond McCartney when he was on hunger strike.
"He said, 'we are going to go through with this and we are prepared to die'. He didn't go through with it and he didn't die.
"What does that mean? It means that he's a failed hunger striker," said Mr Campbell.
Raymond McCartney took part in a hunger strike in 1980.
Sinn Féin's Pat Sheehan has called the remarks "vile and disgusting".
However, DUP MLA Christopher Stalford said the comments were a "throwaway, jokish remark".
Mr Campbell first made the remarks on Facebook writing that he was "breaking the habit of a lifetime to send best wishes to Raymond McCartney".
"Because he's a bit more successful at electioneering than he was at hunger striking," he added.
Mr Sheehan, who was also a hunger striker, said the East Londonderry MP should "withdraw his remarks immediately".
That call was echoed on BBC's Sunday Politics programme by Sinn Féin's John O'Dowd, who also called Mr Campbell "a fool".
"I think in this era they should be withdrawn.
"We're talking, ourselves and the DUP, about going into discuss a programme of government and having mutual respect, mutual trust and mutual understanding within that.
"But Gregory Campbell is a fool, and he's away to Westminster to retire.
"And I wish him well staying over there out of the road."
He said that Mr Campbell was a "loose cannon in the DUP" and he "doesn't represent" the vast majority in the party.
Mr Stalford said that the reaction to Mr Campbell's comments included a "lot of contrived anger".
"I think if the worst that Gregory Campbell does to a Sinn Féin representative is insult them, there are people from a republican background who have done a lot worse to Gregory Campbell over the years and I include attempts to murder him and his family."
He added that if Mr Campbell was a fool "he would not have been elected so many times by the people of the East Londonderry constituency".
The Alliance Party's Naomi Long said the comments were "childish and pathetic".
"I genuinely think that it is time that Gregory stops trying to be funny because it falls flat on every occasion," she said.
"Frankly, somebody should take over his social media account and I would give the same advice to a lot of other politicians, including Gerry Adams over the last while.
"Somebody needs to manage their accounts because when they go on these outbursts they do politics no service."
The East Londonderry MP said that some people "just want to create a controversy".
"They can call (on me to withdraw comments) as much as they like, people who have refused to apologise for a terror campaign killing people for 30 years.
"Thankfully now its over, thankfully they've moved on and we all need to move beyond that," Mr Campbell said. | The DUP MP Gregory Campbell has refused to apologise for calling a Sinn Féin MLA "a failed hunger striker". |
35,439,212 | The 26-year-old, who has won 12 international caps for Scotland, has made 81 appearances since joining Sarries from Bedford Blues in 2011.
"I don't think he gets the credit for the wonderful work he can do with and without the ball," director of rugby Mark McCall said.
"His work-rate and contribution to this team is enormous."
Sarries have not disclosed the length of Taylor's new deal at Allianz Park. | Saracens centre Duncan Taylor has signed a new long-term contract with the Premiership champions. |
35,535,383 | Viacom's revenue fell by 6% to $3.2bn (£2.2bn) compared to a year earlier.
The company, which owns the cable channels Comedy Central and Nickelodeon was hit by lower advertising revenue.
Viacom announced a leadership change last week, replacing 92 year-old Sumner Redstone, with chief executive Philippe Dauman as chairman of the board.
"2015 was a challenging year operationally as we redesigned ourselves and adapted to significant industry disruption. Our first fiscal quarter of 2016 reflected these challenges," said Mr Dauman.
Analysts had been expecting the company's overall revenue to come in at $3.26bn.
The company's profit fell 10% to $449m in the quarter, as global advertising revenue fell by 3%.
Viacom's cable channels have struggled to maintain audiences as younger viewers switch to watching television on mobile devices and computers.
Paramount pictures also struggled. The movie studio's revenue fell 15% and it experienced an operating loss of $146m.
Mario Gabelli, the second-largest owner of voting shares in Viacom after the Redstone family, said Mr Dauman had six to nine months to turn the company around and focus more on digital and mobile advertising.
On Tuesday, Viacom announced it had reached a deal with social media company Snapchat. The deal gives Viacom exclusive rights to advertise around Snapchat content. | Shares of Viacom - owner of Paramount Pictures movie studio - fell over 14% after the company announced a steep drop in quarterly revenue. |
35,086,478 | Irishman McGregor, 27, beat the long-time champion by landing a strong left hand with his first connecting punch to secure the fastest ever knockout in a UFC title fight.
McGregor claimed in the build up to the fight that he would "embarrass" Aldo with a first-round knockout.
"Precision beats power, timing beats speed," McGregor said afterwards.
"I feel for Jose. He's a phenomenal champion. He deserved to go a little bit longer."
It was also Brazilian Aldo's first defeat in 10 years after winning 18 straight fights.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Dubliner McGregor has been credited, along with former women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, with widening the appeal of mixed martial arts.
Before the fight, he described his meeting with Aldo "as one of the biggest in combat sport history".
He also told BBC Sport that he expected it would generate upwards of $100m (£65.7m). | Conor McGregor knocked out Jose Aldo after just 13 seconds at UFC 194 to win the featherweight title in Las Vegas. |
35,512,177 | The crash happened in the early hours on New Dover Road, Capel-le-Ferne.
Firefighters used cutting gear to release the injured people trapped in the minibus. A number of people were treated by the ambulance service and taken to hospital.
Highways authorities attended to clear a spillage from the road. | Eight people have been injured in a crash between a minibus and a car near Folkestone in Kent. |
30,326,257 | A judge in Nantes ruled that it was a "religious emblem" and incompatible with the French principle of "religious neutrality in public spaces".
Town officials have reluctantly removed a figure of baby Jesus, plaster animals and a desk-sized stable they had erected in the local council building.
A local senator denounced the ruling.
France's strict secularism laws mean that religious symbols are banned from public spaces such as schools, hospitals and local councils.
Secularism was a founding principle of the French Republic and was enshrined in a 1905 law separating Church and State.
"This decision is grotesque," said Senator Bruno Retailleau in a statement. "Next we'll be banning epiphany cakes at the Elysee Palace."
He also argued that it was unfair as in Paris the mayor hosted a dinner celebrating the Muslim month of Ramadan every year.
Jean Regourd, a member of the secular Free Thinking Society, lodged the complaint against the nativity scene but denied attacking a tradition that is now part of secular French culture.
"It's a child in a stable with a cow and a donkey," he said. "It is clearly a religious symbol, there's no doubt about it. And these local council buildings were built in the 1980s so there is no local nativity tradition to speak of."
Sen Retailleau has said he will appeal against the ruling but admits that keeping the nativity on display would be an "illegal act of civil disobedience".
And for a French senator, that would be going too far. | Officials in the western French town of La Roche-Sur-Yon have had to dismantle a nativity scene, in the latest row over the country's secular traditions. |
19,422,198 | The region will ask for 4.5bn euros (£3.6bn; $5.6bn), more than had been suggested when it first made the plea earlier this summer, a spokeswoman confirmed.
This week, debt-ridden Catalonia also asked for a bailout of 5bn euros.
A 18bn-euro public fund was set up by Madrid to aid its 17 autonomous regions, which are in deep debt.
Valencia, along with Murcia, had already indicated in July that it would need help.
The area has become symbolic for its so-called white elephant projects, absorbing large amounts of government spending. For example, Castellon Airport, which cost billions, has yet to have a flight take off or land.
As a nation, Spain's struggling economy has declined for three consecutive quarters, as it continues to suffer from the effects of its property bust caused by the financial crisis.
In June, Spain requested 100bn euros of loans from the eurozone's bailout fund to help support its banks, which are struggling with bad debts from loans made in the property sector.
Speculation has persisted that the country will have to request a full financial rescue. | Valencia has said it will need a bigger bailout from Spain's central government than it previously expected. |
27,964,264 | The 26-year-old, who has played more than 100 games in three seasons with Liege, is new manager Bob Peeters' first signing at The Valley.
Charlton also hope to complete a deal for FC Copenhagen's Igor Vetokele.
The clubs have agreed a fee for the striker, who is expected in London next week to discuss personal terms and undergo a medical. | Charlton Athletic have signed midfielder Yoni Buyens on a season-long loan from Belgian club Standard Liege. |
38,238,779 | "As they have an office in Thailand and Thai reporters work there they must be prosecuted when they violate Thai law," Prayuth Chan-ocha told reporters.
The BBC Thai-language website published the article last week after King Maha Vajiralongkorn ascended the throne.
The BBC has yet to be told if formal charges have been laid against it.
"BBC Thai was established to bring impartial, independent and accurate news to a country where the media faces restrictions, and we are confident that this article adheres to the BBC's editorial principles," a BBC spokesperson said.
Police have visited the BBC's Bangkok office as part of their investigation. It began after complaints about the article - which was published in the UK and has since been blocked online in Thailand - by royalists who accuse the BBC of defaming the king.
Profile: Thailand's new king
Thai crown prince proclaimed new king
Thailand's lese majeste laws explained
At the weekend, an opponent of Thailand's military-backed government was arrested after sharing the profile on his Facebook page.
He is thought to be the first person charged with defaming the monarchy since the new king succeeded his father.
Human rights groups accuse the military-backed government of using the royal defamation law as a way of cracking down on opponents.
King Vajiralongkorn's father, the revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej, died on 13 October at the age of 88 after seven decades on the throne. | The BBC could be prosecuted in Thailand if a profile it published of the new king is found in breach of lese majeste laws, the prime minister has said. |
33,574,078 | All-rounder Howell (102) was trapped lbw by Clint McKay (3-93) immediately after bringing up his ton.
Kieran Noema-Barnett (61) hit his first half-century of the season and Michael Klinger (60) helped the home side post 321 in their second innings.
Leicestershire closed on 11-0 chasing a testing 325 to win.
After 22 wickets fell over the first two days, the action was much more attritional on day three in Cheltenham.
Only wicketkeeper Gareth Roderick (19) and Klinger fell up until tea as Howell and Noema-Barnett added 139 for the fifth wicket to move the home side into a healthy lead.
Howell's four-hour knock included 12 fours and one six - his second fifty coming off 47 balls - before he lost concentration and missed a straight one from McKay the delivery after reaching three figures.
Following his dismissal, Gloucestershire chased quick runs in order to have a bowl at the Foxes before the close and were all out for 321, with seamer Charlie Shrek (5-82) starring with the ball.
The visitors safely negotiated a potentially tricky eight-over period before stumps but face a challenge to avoid defeat. | Benny Howell's maiden first-class century put Gloucestershire in a winning position going into the final day against bottom-club Leicestershire. |
38,766,620 | Stephen Bannon also told the New York Times that news organisations had been "humiliated" by their failure to anticipate Mr Trump's election victory.
Media outlets have clashed with the White House over the number of people attending Mr Trump's inauguration.
They have also questioned his claim about millions of illegal ballots.
In a telephone interview with the newspaper, Mr Bannon said that "the media should be embarrassed and humiliated and keep its mouth shut and just listen for a while".
"The media here is the opposition party," he said and later added "not the Democratic party".
Mr Bannon also argued that news outlets "don't understand this country".
"They still do not understand why Donald Trump is the president of the United States."
During the interview he was mostly referring to the "mainstream" or "elite" media, however he specifically mentioned the The New York Times and The Washington Post.
He spoke in blunt but calm tones, peppered with a dose of profanities, The New York Times said.
Mr Bannon had been in charge of right-wing Breitbart News website until August, later becoming the campaign CEO for Donald Trump in the final campaign months before the November election. | President Donald Trump's chief strategist has described US mainstream media as "the opposition party", saying it should "keep its mouth shut". |
19,436,214 | The 16-year-old from Seaforde led after 50 metres and went on to win in a personal best time of 1:08.93.
Firth was second in her S14 heat and qualified fourth fastest overall at the Aquatics Centre. on Friday morning.
Rostrevor's Laurence McGivern came eighth in the 100m backstroke final of the S9 class in 1:06.11.
McGivern took almost two seconds off his personal best in the heats, with a time of 1:05.35, and qualified sixth for the final.
Firth was followed in by Australia's Taylor Corry and Marlou van der Kulk of the Netherlands in the final.
She struggled with shoulder injuries earlier this year but looked impressive when clocking a time of 1:10:33 to finish second fastest in heat two.
Firth will also compete in the 100m breaststroke and 200m freestyle events.
The schoolgirl claimed silver in the 200m freestyle at the European Championships last year. | Northern Ireland teenager Bethany Firth has clinched a gold medal at the Paralympics by winning the 100 metres backstroke final in London. |
12,517,909 | Calls for people to protest and shout "we want food, we want work, we want housing, we want fairness", were circulated on Chinese microblog sites.
The message was first posted on a US-based Chinese-language website.
Several rights activists were detained beforehand and three people were arrested in Shanghai, but the call for mass protests was not well answered.
Reports from Shanghai and Beijing said there appeared to be many onlookers curious about the presence of so many police and journalists at the proposed protest sites, in busy city-centre shopping areas.
Police in the two cities dispersed small crowds who had gathered. There were no reports of protests in 11 other cities where people were urged to gather on Sunday.
The BBC's Chris Hogg in Shanghai says the men arrested there were roughly handled as they were dragged away shouting "why are you arresting me, I haven't done anything wrong".
Our correspondent says it was not clear what prompted the arrests and the men had not shouted any political slogans.
China's authorities blocked searches for the word jasmine on the internet.
Protesters in Tunisia who overthrew President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in January called their movement the Jasmine Revolution.
On Saturday President Hu Jintao called for stricter controls on the internet "to guide public opinion" and "solve prominent problems which might harm the harmony and stability of the society". | Police in China showed up in force in several major cities after an online call for a "jasmine revolution". |
35,785,322 | Sharapova tested positive for the drug which the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) added to their list of banned substances on 1 January.
Head wants Wada to scientifically prove why the drug should be banned.
The company believes the drug should not be prohibited but instead come with a dosage limit.
Russia's Sharapova tested positive at the Australian Open in January.
The five-time Grand Slam champion, 28, will be suspended from 12 March and could face a four-year ban.
She has already lost the backing of key sponsors, but Head, who plan to extend their contract with Sharapova, said she made an "honest mistake".
Britain's Andy Murray, who is also sponsored by Head, said the manufacturer had taken a "strange stance".
A statement from Head said: "We question Wada's decision to add meldonium to its banned substances list in the manner it did; we believe the correct action by Wada would have been to impose a dosage limitation only.
"In the circumstances we would encourage Wada to release scientific studies which validates their claim that meldonium should be a banned substance."
Meldonium, also known as mildronate, was developed to treat diabetes and various heart-related diseases.
Sharapova has taken the drug since 2006, after frequent bouts of flu, abnormal electrocardiogram results and some indicators of diabetes.
Meldonium's inventor Ivars Calvins told BBC Radio 5 live that athletes could die if they are denied access to the drug. | Racquet manufacturer Head has questioned the decision to ban the use of meldonium, as they continue to stand by Maria Sharapova. |
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