id
int64 10.1M
41.1M
| dialogue
stringlengths 15
174k
⌀ | summary
stringlengths 1
399
|
|---|---|---|
40,119,602 | Jack Letts, dubbed "Jihadi Jack", is suspected of going to Syria to fight for so-called Islamic State.
But he claims he is opposed to IS and has left that area.
Mr Letts spoke to BBC home affairs correspondent Daniel Sandford via text and voice messages.
Speaking about leaving IS-controlled territory, Mr Letts said: "I found a smuggler and walked behind him through minefields."
He said he and the smuggler "eventually made it near a Kurdish point where we were shot at twice and slept in a field".
He said he is now in solitary confinement in a jail in Kurdish-held north-east Syria.
Mr Letts converted to Islam while at Cherwell comprehensive school in Oxford.
He travelled to Jordan, aged 18, in 2014, having dropped out of his A-levels. By the autumn of that year he was in IS-controlled territory in Syria.
His family deny he went there to fight and instead say he was motivated by humanitarian reasons.
He married in Iraq and now has a child.
He told the BBC he had been injured in an explosion and had gone to Raqqa, the de facto capital of IS in Syria, to recuperate.
He claimed he became disillusioned with the group about a year ago after it killed its former supporters.
"I hate them more than the Americans hate them," he said.
"I realised they were not upon the truth so they put me in prison three times and threatened to kill me."
He claimed he had escaped from low-security detention and had been in hiding when he managed to find a people smuggler to take him out.
His parents have pleaded not guilty to charges of funding terrorism after being accused of sending cash to their son.
John Letts and Sally Lane told the BBC that, having not heard from their son for several weeks, they suddenly received a message saying he was in a safe zone.
"It was the news we've been waiting for for three years - ever since he went out there - and now we just want to get him home," said Ms Lane.
They believe their son is not being treated badly but are concerned about his mental health. Neither they or the BBC have heard from him since 1 June.
Mr Letts' parents are calling on the British authorities to do "whatever they can" to help him.
The government had told them that they could only help if he left IS-controlled territory but now he is out "no-one wants to take responsibility", said Ms Lane.
Mr Letts, an organic farmer, acknowledges that his son "will have to account for his actions" once he returns to Britain, but the family is not convinced "he has done anything at all", from what he has told them.
"If he has had anything to with IS I want nothing to do with him," said Mr Letts.
"I think there has been so much misinformation, one little piece of information came out and it was manipulated, twisted, as far as I can see," said Ms Lane.
The UK government advises against all travel to Syria and parts of Iraq and a number of people who returned from these areas have been prosecuted.
In a statement, the Foreign Office said: "As all UK consular services are suspended in Syria and greatly limited in Iraq, it is extremely difficult to confirm the whereabouts and status of British nationals in these areas."
Asked by the BBC why the UK government should help him, Jack said: "I don't want anyone to help me.
"I'll just chill here in solitary confinement 'til someone decides it's easier to kill me." | A 21-year-old man from Oxford, who travelled to the Islamic State-controlled area of Syria in 2014, has told the BBC he is now being held by Kurdish forces fighting the group. |
35,903,535 | The granite stones were taken from Findon village cemetery and put on the nearby southbound carriageway of the A24 underneath the camouflage.
The gravestones punctured the tyre and damaged the paintwork of a Range Rover. Police said the driver was unhurt.
PC Paul Waltho described the incident as a "senseless act of vandalism".
"There maybe other drivers whose vehicles may have been damaged who have not come forward," he added.
He appealed for anyone with information about the incident on Monday to contact Sussex Police. | Vandals stole gravestones from a cemetery and hid them under leaves and branches on a major road in West Sussex, causing damage to a car. |
13,710,626 | He described his fellow UMP conservative as "irritable, rash, overconfident and allowing for no doubt, least of all regarding himself".
He praised Socialist Francois Hollande, tipped as Mr Sarkozy's main rival if they stand in the 2012 election.
Some analysts suggest Mr Chirac is taking revenge for perceived slights.
Mr Sarkozy failed to support Mr Chirac during the 1995 election which put him in office and, following his re-election in 2002, made fun of the older man's love of Japan and sumo wrestling - a point raised in the memoirs.
He won the 2007 election, in which Mr Chirac had to stand down because he had served two consecutive terms in office.
Since his retirement, and despite a looming trial on corruption allegations dating back decades, Mr Chirac has enjoyed a popularity which often eluded him while president.
An Ifop opinion poll last summer suggested he was France's most admired political figure, with Mr Sarkozy placed just 32nd.
Volume II of Mr Chirac's memoirs is due to be published next week but extracts have appeared in the French press.
"Sarkozy - Chirac tells all" was the headline in news magazine Le Point.
"We do not share the same vision of France, we do not agree on the basics," Mr Chirac writes in his book.
After describing Mr Sarkozy as "one of the most gifted politicians of his generation", he frowns on his "inappropriate declarations", notably his call to "hose down" crime-ridden housing estates when he was interior minister in 2005.
He suggests he once considered sacking him as a cabinet minister for insubordination but decided against it, in order to avoid a destructive confrontation.
Another news magazine, Le Nouvel Observateur, homed in on the scorn Mr Chirac heaps on Mr Sarkozy's military service record, with the headline "Sarkozy, a special kind of squaddie".
Mr Chirac, who fought as an officer in the Algerian War, sneers at the manner in which Mr Sarkozy set about his 12-month compulsory service as a young man in 1978.
He describes him as a "military service skiver" because, Le Nouvel Observateur explains, he served in the air force in his home city Paris, in a capacity which allowed him to pursue his career as a municipal councillor and his studies as a law student at the same time.
As for Francois Hollande, Mr Chirac describes him as a "true statesman" capable of crossing party lines.
Critics say the memoirs gloss over Mr Chirac's own weaknesses, as well as alleged dirty tricks he and his supporters used in their unsuccessful bid to derail Mr Sarkozy's presidential candidature in 2007. | Former French President Jacques Chirac has mocked his successor and party colleague Nicolas Sarkozy in memoirs covering his 12 years in office. |
28,278,324 | It follows a U-turn by former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey, who said he would back legislation to allow the terminally ill in England and Wales get help to end their lives.
The current Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby says the Assisted Dying Bill is "mistaken and dangerous".
But the Church said an inquiry would include expert opinion and carefully assess the arguments.
Speaking on behalf of the CofE, the Bishop of Carlisle, the Rt Rev James Newcome, said a Royal Commission would allow the "important issue" to be discussed at length.
He said the bill should be withdrawn to allow the inquiry to take place - a call which was immediately rejected by Lord Falconer, the Labour peer who tabled it.
Some 110 peers are already listed to speak when the House of Lords debates the private members bill on Friday.
Bishop Newcome also said the Church was "surprised" by Lord Carey's change in position, which had brought the issue to the public's attention.
Lord Carey wrote in the Daily Mail that he had dropped his opposition to the Assisted Dying Bill "in the face of the reality of needless suffering".
"The fact is that I have changed my mind. The old philosophical certainties have collapsed in the face of the reality of needless suffering."
He said it was the case of Tony Nicklinson, who had locked-in syndrome and died after being refused the legal right to die , who had had the "deepest influence" on his decision.
Lord Falconer's legislation would make it legal for adults in England and Wales to be given assistance ending their own life. It would apply to those with less than six months to live.
Two doctors would have to independently confirm the patient was terminally ill and had reached their own, informed decision to die.
Bishop Newcome said: "We were surprised by both the content and the timing of [Lord Carey's] article, but recognise that actually, quite a lot of good things have come out of it, including that it has brought some of the issues to the forefront of public discussion and highlighted just what an important issue this is.
There's been something of a shocked reaction to what Lord Carey said. Let's remember he's a former archbishop. He still has some influence in the Church, especially among the more traditionalist minded Anglicans.
So what he said really will have some consequences. He'll also have some influence presumably in the House of Lords, having argued in the past strongly against similar legislation.
One of the most telling things about what Lord Carey has said is that he now thinks it's not "un-Christian" to allow people to take their own lives when they're suffering at the end of their lives.
It speaks to a body of people, including in the Anglican church, who now feel they can to some extent re-interpret what it is to be Christian, to be Anglican and how to put that into practice in their everyday lives.
To hear that coming from a stalwart defender of biblical truth like Lord Carey is pretty significant.
"Certainly our hope as the Church of England is that the Falconer Bill will be withdrawn and that because this is such an important issue it could be discussed at length by a Royal Commission."
He said a Supreme Court ruling last month over a case brought by the widow of locked-in syndrome sufferer Tony Nicklinson had "heightened the stakes" over the issue.
However, he added that the Church was in favour of leaving the law on assisted suicide unchanged, because it provided a "good balance" between compassion and protection of the vulnerable.
Meanwhile, Lord Falconer said he did not believe a Royal Commission would be "sensible or appropriate" because it would take "a very long time" and that the issue needed to be discussed urgently.
Lord Carey, who was head of the Church of England between 1991 and 2002, said changing the law on assisted suicide would not be "anti-Christian".
He warned that by opposing Lord Falconer's bill and reform, the Church risked "promoting anguish and pain".
When Lord Carey was still the Archbishop of Canterbury he was among the opponents of Lord Joffe's Assisting Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill, which was successfully blocked in the House of Lords in 2006.
The 1961 Suicide Act makes it an offence to encourage or assist a suicide or a suicide attempt in England and Wales. Anyone doing so could face up to 14 years in prison.
The law is almost identical in Northern Ireland. There is no specific law on assisted suicide in Scotland, creating some uncertainty, although in theory someone could be prosecuted under homicide legislation.
There have already been several attempts to legalise assisted dying, but these have been rejected.
The Commission on Assisted Dying, established and funded by campaigners who have been calling for a change in the law, concluded in 2012 that there was a "strong case" for allowing assisted suicide for people who are terminally ill in England and Wales.
But the medical profession and disability rights groups, among others, argue that the law should not be changed because it is there to protect the vulnerable in society.
In other countries, such as Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, legislation has been introduced to allow assisted dying. France is considering a possible introduction of similar legislation, although there is opposition from its medical ethics council.
Campaign group Dignity in Dying predicts that a lot more countries will follow suit.
The current Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby warned that Lord Falconer's bill would mean elderly and disabled people coming under pressure to end their lives.
"What sort of society would we be creating if we were to allow this sword of Damocles to hang over the head of every vulnerable, terminally-ill person in the country?" he wrote in the Times.
Reverend Rose Hudson-Wilkin, who is the Speaker's chaplain in the House of Commons, said having an assisted suicide law would sanitise death.
"I just happen to believe that matters of life and death in that way is not for us to play with. There are lots and lots of vulnerable people out there... you cannot make a law that is going to have a serious impact on a majority of people."
The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children said Lord Carey's comments were a "blow for those sharing the burden of suffering".
But, Church of England General Synod member the Rev Canon Rosie Harper, vicar of Great Missenden, Bucks, supported Lord Carey's remarks and described his intervention as "mega".
"It means in effect that it is legitimate to be both Christian and hold these views," she said.
"I think it is a game changer." | The Church of England (CofE) has called for an inquiry into assisted dying. |
35,215,453 | In a statement, the club said it was "deeply shocked and saddened". The cause of death has not been given.
Born and educated in Eastbourne, seam bowler Hobden made his first-class debut in 2014 and represented Sussex in all formats of the game.
England's lead fast bowling coach Kevin Shine said: "His potential was huge. He was improving rapidly and I'm certain that he would have played for England."
England's players are wearing black armbands on day two of the second Test against South Africa in Cape Town on Sunday as a mark of respect for Hobden, who made his final appearance in a one-day match against Essex last August.
He took 23 wickets at an average of 47.30 in 10 County Championship Division One games last season.
A Sussex statement read: "Matthew was an exciting young cricketer with a big future ahead of him in the game.
"He was a fantastic individual who had progressed through Sussex's youth and academy ranks, having been born locally in Eastbourne.
"Sussex would like to offer their deepest condolences to Matthew's family and friends at this difficult time."
Angus Porter, chief executive of the Professional Cricketers' Association, said: "Matt was a young seamer with immense potential.
"The PCA will work closely with Sussex to ensure that their players and coaching staff are supported during this difficult period for the club."
Former England and Sussex wicketkeeper-batsman Matt Prior wrote on Twitter: "One of those days when you get a call that puts perspective on things. Live life and love everyday as much as you can! So sad! #RIPhobsy"
The England and Wales Cricket Board said it was "shocked and saddened" by the news.
A right-arm bowler, Hobden was selected for the Potential England Performance Programme for the past two winters.
"As a player, I remember the first time I saw him just thinking 'wow'," added Shine. "He was the strongest, most powerful cricketer I've ever seen on that programme.
"He contributed to the group as much as I've ever seen a player contribute. All the lads, and the staff, loved him." | Sussex cricketer Matthew Hobden has died at the age of 22. |
22,485,455 | Stephen Gough, 54, of Chamberlayne Road, Eastleigh pleaded not guilty to the charges of behaviour likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress.
District Judge Anthony Calloway said members of the public had been "distressed" at seeing Gough nude.
Payment of the £1,800 fine was waived in lieu of time served in custody.
District Judge Calloway said there were "elements of the defendant as an exhibitionist".
Gough was banned from entering Southampton Magistrates' Court after he refused to wear clothes for the trial.
Charles Nightingale, prosecuting, said in several of the offences Gough was seen by parents with young children who were "shocked and alarmed" at seeing him naked.
He said the offences, which occurred in February, took place in various locations in Hampshire including outside a primary school, on country footpaths, in Southampton city centre and at Basingstoke Magistrates' Court.
Tom Stevens, defending, said his client believed his nudity was allowed under Article 10 of the Human Rights Act which protects freedom of expression.
District Judge Calloway said: "The human body is not a shameful thing, it is about context."
Gough remains in custody as he awaits trial for a further charge of an alleged breach of an anti-social behaviour order banning him from being naked in public.
He is due to appear at Southampton Crown Court on 19 June.
Gough gained notoriety in 2003 and 2005 when he walked naked from Land's End to John O'Groats and was the subject of a TV documentary. | A man known as "the naked rambler" has been fined after being found guilty of nine public order offences for walking nude in public places. |
35,083,437 | Warriors' 43-6 home victory lifts them off the bottom of Pool 3, five points behind leaders Racing 92, who thumped Northampton 33-3.
But, despite the good win, Townsend believes his side had to "dig deep".
"When it went to 10-6, it showed what a tough team Scarlets are to break down," Townsend told BBC Scotland.
The Warriors led by only seven points at half-time, having failed to capitalise on several scoring opportunities, while the imposing figure of Australia winger Taqele Naiyaravoro, who would go on to score a hat-trick, had a spectacular try disallowed.
"At that time, I thought we were playing well and we had opportunities, but the passes weren't sticking," Townsend said of the first half.
"We needed to play better and we did in the second half.
"The pressure told and I thought we played very well.
"The collective mindset of always taking the game to Scarlets and the discipline were the key factors in our win."
Townsend was full of praise for Naiyaravoro, 24, a summer signing from the New South Wales Super Rugby franchise, the Waratahs.
"An excellent performance," said the head coach. "He ran hard on the ball and is a difficult man to tackle.
"He's played pretty well since he's come here. I think he's scored a try in every second game.
"At times, it's been difficult getting the ball to him, but he's a danger. We've got to make sure the players inside him are making the right decisions on whether to pass or take the line inside themselves."
Having lost their opener at home to Northampton, Glasgow now travel to Llanelli to face Scarlets again next weekend.
And, despite saying his players will have been buoyed by Saturday's emphatic win, Townsend says they still have it all to do to qualify for the knockout stages.
"We've got four games left, three of them away from home against teams leading their own leagues," he cautioned.
"It will be tough, but the players will have got a lot of confidence from today.
"We'll have to play better next weekend at Scarlets as they have an excellent home record, but if we do then we are right in this competition." | Glasgow head coach Gregor Townsend says his side's attacking mindset was integral to their six-try European Champions Cup win over the Scarlets. |
17,853,458 | But it appears that defiance has finally came to an end with his shock disqualification from office by Pakistan's Supreme Court.
Its announcement came two months after it convicted the premier of contempt because of his refusal to ask Swiss authorities to reopen corruption cases against President Asif Ali Zardari.
Mr Gilani's strategy of not appealing against his conviction so as not to antagonise the court appears to have failed.
His determination to stand up for himself helped Mr Gilani grow in stature in the eyes of many Pakistanis.
He became the longest-serving prime minister in the history of Pakistan, where civilian governments have been repeatedly overthrown by the powerful military, often with the support of the Supreme Court.
When he was appointed to the job in March 2008 many commentators did not expect his tenure would be long. But he repeatedly rose to the challenge and fended off his critics.
In April 2012, Mr Gilani seemed in a stronger position than at any point during his confrontation with the Supreme Court.
Although he was found guilty of contempt, the court gave him only a symbolic sentence and he did not have to serve any time in jail. The prime minister had argued that the president, who rejects the charges, had immunity as head of state.
In April, the court in effect backed down from its efforts to remove the elected prime minister, and its symbolic judgement and token sentence were seen as something of a personal victory for Mr Gilani - the judiciary, the army and the opposition had apparently failed in their efforts to remove him.
It is not clear whether Mr Gilani will now try to appeal against his disqualification. The ruling Pakistan People's Party should have the necessary majority in parliament to elect a new prime minister.
In spite of his conviction, Mr Gilani emerged from his trial with his reputation enhanced, having succeeded in portraying himself as a man defending democracy in the face of a politically motivated campaign against him and his government.
Throughout his time in office it was clear that whatever the criticisms levelled at him - from poor governance to corruption - no party wanted to be seen as the one to bring down yet another elected government in Pakistan.
Supporters said that his long period as PM reflected Mr Gilani's sound political judgement and staying power.
He refrained from followed the bidding of former President Pervez Musharraf, despite heavy pressure by his government to coerce him into joining many of his Pakistan People's Party (PPP) colleagues in switching sides.
Mr Gilani's refusal to do a deal with Mr Musharraf is much admired within his party.
He went to jail in 2001, serving five years following a conviction over illegal government appointments that were alleged to have taken place during his term as Speaker of parliament between 1993-96.
A tall, softly-spoken man with an air of authority, he has acquired a reputation for doing the right thing.
Yousuf Raza Gilani was born on 9 June 1952 in Karachi in the southern province of Sindh, but his family comes from Punjab.
The Gilanis are among the most prominent of landowners and spiritual leaders in the south of Punjab province. Their home town is the ancient city of Multan.
The family's prominence naturally led to its members vying for political power.
Mr Gilani's grandfather and great-uncles joined the All India Muslim League and were signatories of the 1940 Pakistan resolution. This was the declaration which eventually led to partition.
His father, Alamdar Hussain Gilani, served as a provincial minister in the 1950s.
Mr Gilani joined up in 1978 when he became a member of the Muslim League's central leadership.
This was soon after he completed his MA in journalism at the University of Punjab. His first term as a public servant was as a nominee of General Zia-ul-Haq.
The then Pakistan army chief had been the country's dictator since overthrowing elected Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto in a 1977 coup.
Mr Bhutto was executed in 1979, an act that forever soured the relationship between the army and the PPP.
Mr Gilani joined Mr Bhutto's PPP in 1988, months before Gen Zia's death brought an end to its political exile.
Observers say it is his loyalty and his disdain for politicking within the party that earned him the nomination for prime minister.
"[Mr Gilani] was perhaps the only man among the top leadership who did not badger Zardari for this or any other position," says one PPP insider. "This along with the fact of his proven loyalty, earned him the nod."
But it was his independent thinking that won him many admirers after taking over as the country's chief executive.
Correspondents say his first few months were uncomfortable, with many doubting whether he had the charisma and standing to lead the country.
This feeling was strengthened when Mr Zardari, the PPP chairman, was elected president.
It was felt Mr Zardari would now take a more hands-on approach to government - leaving Mr Gilani as little more than a figurehead.
That did not happen and Mr Gilani grew in stature as his term progressed.
He had to contend with some of the worst crises in Pakistan's history, including extensive flooding, rising Taliban militancy and deteriorating relations with the US after the killing of al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden. | Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has proved himself to be a wily and resilient political operator who up until June 2012 had persistently defied his critics and the might of the judiciary to cling onto his job. |
19,849,141 | Sunday, 7 October is the 60th anniversary of the barcode patent, filed in the US in 1952.
However the distinctive black-and-white stripes did not make their first appearance in an American shop until 1974 - because the laser technology used to read them did not exist.
GS1 said the QR code was not a threat to the traditional linear barcode.
A QR (Quick Response) code is an image made up of dots, which can contain more data than a barcode.
"They have different purposes - the barcode on the side of a tin of beans is for point-of-sale scanning. It ensures the consumer is charged the right amount and updates stock records," said Gary Lynch, chief executive of GS1 UK.
"The QR code's main purpose is to take the person that scans it to an extended multi media environment. Technically you can combine the two but nobody's asking for that right now."
The first item to be scanned by a barcode was a packet of chewing gum in an Ohio supermarket in 1974.
But the black-and-white stripes did not get a universal welcome, with some wine manufacturers refusing to incorporate barcodes onto their labels for aesthetic reasons.
Now it occasionally doubles as body art, with US singer Pink among those who sport a barcode tattoo.
"Barcodes are an icon and rightly so - we're quite pleased about it," said Mr Lynch.
"But if one of my daughters had one in homage to her father I'd be rather upset." | There are now more than five million individual barcodes in use around the world, according to regulator GS1 UK. |
37,283,937 | More than 350 scientists will attend the four-day British Science Festival at Swansea University from Tuesday.
It features talks and lectures from experts in different fields.
Hilary Lappin-Scott said there was a shortage of core workers in Wales and it was important to bring in more girls and keep women in those careers.
The university is running a session on promoting women in science and how to get girls interested.
Ms Lappin-Scott, who is also a microbiologist, told BBC Radio Wales: "I'm so committed to getting our young girls through the Swansea region and south Wales so that they get a passion for science - that they meet women scientists and engineers just like me and others and realise we're just pretty normal people really, and then we can have a bright future."
"Bringing in more girls and keeping women in stem careers, it'll make such a difference to our Welsh economy."
She added that making the stem subjects science, technology, maths and engineering "cool" was key.
"We do need all to work with our young children and give support to school teachers and parents.
"Maths, science, these are at the base of everything we do in everyday life. [There are] ways that we can make science cool as well, and you come along to the festival and you get that by the bucket load," she told Good Morning Wales. | Making science appeal to more girls will help the Welsh economy, the pro vice chancellor of Swansea University has said. |
36,295,481 | Russia was banned from international competition after a damning report by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada).
But Vitaly Mutko argued not lifting the ban for the 2016 Rio Olympics would be "unfair and disproportionate" and that clean athletes should not be punished.
They will have been rigorously tested by Rio, he wrote in the Sunday Times.
Wada's report depicted a culture of systematic state-sponsored cheating by Russia's athletes, with even the secret services involved.
It said the All-Russia Athletics Federation (Araf), the Russian anti-doping agency (Rusada), and the Russian Athletics Federation had failed to comply with anti-doping procedures.
"We do not deny having a problem in Russia, and we are doing everything possible at state level to eradicate doping, including punishing athletes and coaches found to have violated anti-doping rules," Mutko wrote.
"But doping is a global problem, not just a Russian problem."
Mutko said by the time Rio gets under way in August, Russian athletes hoping to compete will have been through a minimum of three anti-doping controls by the sport's world governing body - the IAAF - in addition to in-competition testing.
"These are men and women who have sacrificed years of their lives striving to compete at the very highest level, who have dreamed of taking part in the Olympic Games, and who now face having their sacrifice wasted and their dreams shattered," he said.
"The reasons for the All-Russian Athletics Federation being suspended from the IAAF have been well documented.
"They are weighty. Serious mistakes have been made by the federation management, along with athletes and coaches who have broken anti-doping rules and neglected the principle of fair play, so fundamental to sport, for immediate benefits.
"Let us be clear. We are ashamed of them."
However, Mutko stopped short of admitting the doping scandal was state sponsored.
"We are very sorry that athletes who tried to deceive us, and the world, were not caught sooner. We are very sorry because Russia is committed to upholding the highest standards in sport and is opposed to anything that threatens the Olympic values," he said.
He added that measures put in place since the ban - including handing over all testing to the UK Anti-Doping Agency until Russia's own programme is restored, changing the leadership of Russian athletics and handing over alleged doping cases to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne - mean testing is now "extra transparent".
"No other country's athletes will have been placed under the spotlight to the same degree as ours will be," Mutko wrote. "Such an intense glare does not allow anywhere for cheats to hide.
"We have done everything that has been asked of us by the IAAF in order to be reinstated.
"It would be unjust to demand all these changes and measures, witness them happen, and then still punish Russia's athletes." | Russia is "very sorry" and "ashamed" of cheating athletes who were not caught by its anti-doping systems, the country's sports minister has said. |
36,226,650 | North Kessock-based Charlie Phillips has spent years observing and photographing the mammals along the firth's Highland and Moray coastlines.
Many of the dolphins can be easily identified by the WDC field officer and others who work for the charity.
The animals are known by names including Zephyr and Yoda.
Among the animals photographed by Mr Phillips on Thursday was Zephyr's baby.
An estimated 102 individual dolphins breed and feed in the firth, according to a recent survey of the animals.
The Moray Firth and North Sea provide habitat for the world's most northerly resident population of bottlenose dolphins.
The species is protected by European Union rules. | The Moray Firth's bottlenose dolphins have been documented hunting and playing in a series of images by a Whale and Dolphin Conservation officer. |
20,384,428 | He told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show UK authorities should do more to stop it.
However, he said that tackling the issue required international agreement as well as domestic action.
His comments came after executives from Starbucks, Google and Amazon were grilled by MPs, although the firms say they operate within the tax rules.
The executives were questioned earlier this month by the Public Accounts Committee about how they used favourable European tax jurisdictions for their UK businesses.
Starbucks, for example, has made a taxable profit only once in its 15 years of operating in the UK. As a consequence, the company is thought to have paid just £8.6m in corporation tax over the period.
During the hearing with MPs, Starbucks admitted the Dutch government had granted a special tax deal on its European headquarters, which receives royalty payments from its UK business.
Mr Cable told Andrew Marr: "The best off in society have got to contribute more, and that includes companies."
He acknowledged that smaller companies, many of which face competitive pressures from the major firms, will be angered by the situation.
"There's nothing more galling to small and medium-sized enterprises when they are paying (tax), and others are dodging it," Mr Cable said. "Our own tax authorities have got to be very tough on things like royalty payments, which is where a lot of the subterfuge takes place."
However, he said that finding a solution was difficult, especially as the UK had to make itself attractive to inward investors. "The big question is whether you can get wider (international) agreement," he said.
As companies are using favourable tax jurisdictions overseas there needs to "a combination of action at the international level as well as beef up our own capacity to deal with it".
Mr Cable said: "It is quite difficult to drill down to what the problems are. Starbucks claims they are actually making losses in the UK. I don't know whether they are not but you would need some pretty intensive investigation by the Inland Revenue to establish what exactly is going on, whether their transfer prices and their royalties are being fiddled or not."
All the companies under fire over the amount of corporation tax paid said that they operated within the tax rules and regulations and have done nothing wrong. | Business Secretary Vince Cable has condemned corporate tax avoidance as "completely unacceptable", saying there are "appalling stories of abuse". |
40,397,953 | James Brindley was talking to his girlfriend on his phone when he was attacked in Aldridge town centre shortly before midnight on Friday.
Det Insp Jim Munro said four boys aged 16, leaving their school prom, helped Mr Brindley and called his parents.
West Midlands Police has released CCTV of four vehicles seen near the scene.
Mr Munro appealed for people in the cars, which were travelling along Little Aston Road towards the town centre at the time of the incident, to come forward.
"We are very keen to speak to the occupants of those cars, two light in colour and the other two darker, as they may have seen what happened and could lead us to the killer," he said.
Describing the attack as "callous", Mr Munro said "the motive is unclear".
"This is an awful incident which has taken place in Aldridge town centre. He had been on a night out and had been enjoying time with his friends and has ended up dying in his parents' arms," he said.
Mr Munro said the attack "lasted just seconds" and the four teenagers, who were first to help Mr Brindley, gave him first aid and called the emergency services.
A post-mortem examination found the 26-year-old died from a single stab wound to his heart.
Officers are conducting "extensive searches" for the murder weapon, which could be a knife or other sharp object.
Mr Munro said: "James' family and friends are devastated by his loss and we need to bring his killer to justice.
"Someone will have knowledge of this attack and I would ask them to search their conscience and do the right thing. If you can't speak to police then please call Crimestoppers anonymously." | A 26-year-old man who was stabbed in the heart after a night out with friends "died at the scene in his parents' arms", police said. |
30,292,761 | Devon and Cornwall Police said officers and the Royal Navy Bomb Disposal team were called to the beach in Dawlish Warren at about 09:10 GMT.
A 200m (655ft) cordon was put in place to keep people away from the area.
Petty Officer Mark Cocking from the Royal Navy Bomb Disposal team said it was better to be safe than sorry.
He said: "We always work along the lines 'Don't touch an item if you suspect it, contact police or coastguard'." | A suspected bomb found on a beach in south Devon was actually a car tyre, police said. |
35,544,545 | More than half of the inmates at HMP Cornton Vale in Stirling will be relocated to HMP Polmont, near Falkirk, later this year.
It marks the first phase of plans to close the facility.
Mr Matheson has also said that construction of a new national women's prison will begin in mid 2018.
The Scottish government announced plans to build the facility, which will cater for 80 offenders, last summer.
It will be built close to the existing Cornton Vale prison and will house the country's most serious female offenders.
Another five regional units will also be created by 2020 to house up to 20 female prisoners each.
Mr Matheson said the move to Polmont's newest accommodation, Blair House, would offer improved facilities for women in custody until the new units are complete.
He added: "By housing these women in smaller, community bases units closer to their families, alongside providing additional support to address the underlying issues which fuel their crime such as drugs, alcohol or mental ill-health, we can stop them from committing further crimes in the future.
"It is totally unacceptable that we have the second highest female prison population in northern Europe. This government continues to prioritise efforts to reduce the number of men and women serving custodial sentences.
"The actions we are taking are about tackling this problem head on through smarter approaches which can reduce prison numbers in Scotland."
Mr Matheson blocked previous plans for a new 300-inmate jail in Inverclyde in January 2015.
Cornton Vale, which was built in 1975, has had a notorious history, being nicknamed "the Vale of death" after 11 prisoners killed themselves there between 1995 and 2002.
Despite attempts to improve conditions, ministers decided Cornton Vale would close after former Lord Advocate Dame Elish Angiolini's 2012 report said it was "not fit for purpose".
The most recent tally of women prisoners in Scotland put the total at 412, with 76 of them being on remand.
Of the total, 222 were being held at Cornton Vale.
Scottish Prison Service chief executive Colin McConnell said: "Cornton Vale has been a serious concern for our service and for the justice system for far too long and it's truly rewarding that with the government's support and leadership we are now on the journey to seeing the back of it.
"The move for a large number of women to the fresh and modern conditions at Polmont will in itself be a significant improvement, making things better for them but also better for those who will remain at Cornton Vale for now." | The closure of Scotland's only female prison will begin this summer, Justice Secretary Michael Matheson has confirmed. |
36,371,790 | The star is filming the newest instalment of the blockbuster series in County Kerry.
He took a break from the set to visit Scoil Fheirtearaigh National School in Ballyferriter on Monday.
The visit was arranged after some pupils sent impressive artwork to director Rian Johnson.
Principal Mairín Ní Chartúir said the school heard about the possible visit last Friday.
"We received a call from the production team asking could they pay a surprise visit to the kids on Monday.
"Of course, we said yes and were told to not let anyone know about the visit and the parents were told on Monday that the kids would be staying an hour later for the surprise.
"Chewbacca walked in with the production team and took photos with the children and watched them perform the Star Wars theme tune that the kids had learned, as we are quite a musical school."
The cast did not leave empty handed as some of the children had made replica figures for them and even taught them some Irish.
"Its not in the teaching manual when Star Wars visit so it was a great day for a small school," added Ms Ní Chartúir. | Chewbacca, Star Wars' world-famous wookiee, has left pupils at a Republic of Ireland primary school star struck after landing for a visit. |
34,014,601 | Lord Morris of Aberavon said the inquiry committee was a "disgrace" for delaying its report, and parliament could vote to force it to publish.
Chairman Sir John Chilcot has previously written to the PM to say he cannot set a timetable for publication.
The independent inquiry was set up in 2009 and was meant to report in 2011.
Costing £10m to date, it was commissioned by the Labour government under Gordon Brown to investigate the background to UK involvement in the Iraq War, which began when Tony Blair was prime minister in 2003.
Speaking during a visit to Norwich on Friday, Mr Cameron said: "It's frustrating. We want this inquiry finished, it's for the good of the families, it's for the good of the country.
"People want to know the truth, they want this inquiry out, and so do I."
He has previously demanded a timetable for publication be set out "pretty soon".
British forces lost 179 personnel during the conflict, of whom 136 were killed in action.
Tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians died, and many were also killed later as a result of sectarian attacks and a violent insurgency.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Lord Morris said families of those killed, and the public, had waited for "an unfair amount of time" for its findings, and were "not served well".
He said the prime minister "could pull the plug if parliament gives a decision".
"It's parliament ultimately that is the guardian of independence, if an inquiry of this kind shows no sign of resolving itself.
"The prime minister has said repeatedly he's lost patience, the chancellor has said he's lost patience - but there they are wringing their hands, and parliament hasn't had a debate in months and months on this issue."
A spokesman for the Chilcot inquiry told the BBC in a statement that "Sir John and his colleagues understand the anguish of the families of those who lost their lives in the conflict".
He added: "A timetable for the completion of the report will be provided once the Maxwellisation process is complete."
Much of the anger over the delay is focused on the "Maxwellisation" process, which gives the opportunity to individuals facing possible criticism in the report to respond.
Sir John has said he is making "significant progress", but is still awaiting responses.
But Lord Morris, who was chief legal adviser in Tony Blair's first administration from 1997 until 1999, said "Maxwellisation" could not be "elevated as a doctrine to the exclusion of the need of the public to know".
Fellow peer Lord Butler, chairman of the 2004 review which found that intelligence used to justify the invasion of Iraq was flawed, warned against rushing the inquiry.
"People have got to have confidence in it that it is right. All reasonable speed is the thing and where people would make a mistake is setting up an artificial timetable," he told the Daily Telegraph.
Sir Menzies Campbell, former leader of the Liberal Democrats, said some of his sympathy for the scale of the inquiry's task is "ebbing away".
"It ought, in ideal circumstances, to have been judge-led... supported by trained counsel, capable of presenting and cross-examining evidence," he said.
Sir Menzies also cited the recent judge-led Leveson Inquiry as an example of how to conduct similar proceedings.
"Sir John should give a general indication of when he's likely to publish. I find it very difficult to see why he won't do that.
"He should also tell us... how many people are being subject to the Maxwellisation process.
"He should say to [them], they have a legitimate private interest, no-one would deny that, but there is a legitimate public interest which they ought to observe."
Lord Owen, former Labour foreign secretary in the 1970s, said the main reason proceedings have taken so long "has been the withholding of evidence which the committee wanted, and had every right to demand, and that was particularly not what President Bush said to Tony Blair, the then prime minister, but what Tony Blair said to Bush".
Former Attorney General Dominic Grieve has told the BBC he disagreed with Lord Morris in calling for a parliamentary vote on the inquiry, to speed up publication.
He also called for "gentle pressure" from Parliament, rather than "shouting on the sidelines".
Chancellor George Osborne has also said the public were "running out of patience" - but in response to a question in parliament he indicated that the government would not step in.
The inquiry was "completely independent of government and we do not determine when it publishes its conclusions", he said. | Prime Minister David Cameron could step in and "pull the plug" on the Chilcot inquiry into the Iraq war, Tony Blair's former attorney general has said. |
22,631,197 | The animal, which was suffering from a rare condition in its belly called balloon syndrome, had swollen to twice its normal size.
Vets in Bude, Cornwall, think the animal swelled up after picking up an infection and gas was produced by bacteria.
The hedgehog is now being fed worms before being released.
Adam Revitt, of Locke and Preston Vets, who looked after the hedgehog when it was brought to them in early May, said: "If it had continued to blow up it could have ruptured.
"More concern to me was that the air was putting pressure on the hedgehog's chest so it couldn't breath or move, therefore there was a danger of it suffocating or starving to death.
"I used a needle and syringe to drain the air. It took about five minutes to drain all the air out." | An inflated hedgehog has been saved from "rupturing" by vets who pricked it with a needle. |
33,003,424 | Mubarak was cleared in a retrial in November 2014 after originally being jailed for life over the death of 800 people during the revolution.
He was separately convicted of corruption and sentenced to three years in jail earlier this year.
Mubarak, 87, is currently in the Maadi military hospital in Cairo.
The judge at the Court of Cassation said Mubarak would be retried on 5 November. It will be the third time the case has been heard.
Mubarak had been convicted of conspiracy to kill in June 2012, but a retrial was ordered on a technicality the following year. The decision to drop the charges sparked protests, with demonstrators clashing with police near Tahrir Square.
The former president, who was in power for nearly 30 years, stepped down in February 2011 after mass protests against his rule.
He has faced a series of trials and retrials over the killings and corruption and the time he has spent in custody means he has already served his three-year jail term for embezzlement. | An appeals court in Egypt has ordered former President Hosni Mubarak to stand trial again over the killing of protesters in 2011. |
33,283,700 | Of the 64.7 million calls made by taxpayers between April 2014 and March 2015, 27.5% - 17.8 million - were either unanswered or resulted in a busy tone.
HMRC's chief executive apologised for the figures and said the revenue's service had not been "up to scratch".
The service has pledged to invest £45m in about 3,000 customer services staff.
Another 2,000 staff will be moved temporarily from within the HMRC to help with the tax credits deadline and letters and forms, it said.
HMRC set a target to answer 80% of calls.
But the figures showed that in some months only about two in three (65.5%) of phone calls were answered.
In September 20.8% of people heard busy tones and could not join a phone queue when they called, while 13.7% of calls were not answered.
In total 7.2 million calls made to the HMRC last year - 11% of all calls - ended with people hearing a busy tone.
Lin Homer, HMRC chief executive, said: "Despite our best efforts, our call performance hasn't been up to scratch and we apologise to all those customers who have struggled to get through to us."
Ms Homer said the HMRC had already invested in new telephone equipment and online services.
The new £45m investment will come from current HMRC funding rather than from additional revenue from the Treasury, the HMRC added. | More than a quarter of phone calls to HM Revenue and Customs went unanswered in the last year, figures have shown. |
39,828,780 | 18-year-old Billy Monger, from Charlwood in Surrey, was involved in a bad accident during a race at Donington Park on 16 April 2017.
He was badly injured, lost his lower legs and has spent nearly a month in hospital. But now he's on the mend.
Billy, who was 17 when the crash happened, thanked everyone for all the support he's received and said "I'll be back racing as soon as I can."
Motorsport fans have raised more than £800,000 for his future.
Formula 1 superstars Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button are among those who have sent positive messages.
Billy and his family said they are massively grateful to the nurses and doctors who looked after Billy after his accident.
His 16-year-old sister Bonnie said: "The first week was hard when he was in intensive care, but as soon as he woke up he was in such good spirits and that's lifted up everyone around him."
The family will now return to their home in Charlwood after Billy was told he could leave hospital. | A teenage Formula 4 driver who had a really bad crash says he wants to drive again. |
40,404,102 | "I am perturbed by the fact that in my country, cows are considered more important than a woman, that it takes much longer for a woman who is raped or assaulted to get justice than for a cow which many Hindus consider a sacred animal," Delhi-based photographer Sujatro Ghosh told the BBC.
India is often in the news for crimes against women and, according to government statistics, a rape is reported every 15 minutes.
"These cases go on for years in the courts before the guilty are punished, whereas when a cow is slaughtered, Hindu extremist groups immediately go and kill or beat up whoever they suspect of slaughter."
The project, he says, is "his way of protesting" against the growing influence of the vigilante cow protection groups that have become emboldened since the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, came to power in the summer of 2014.
"I've been concerned over the Dadri lynching [when a Muslim man was killed by a Hindu mob over rumours that he consumed and stored beef] and other similar religious attacks on Muslims by cow vigilantes," Ghosh said.
In recent months, the humble cow has become India's most polarising animal.
The BJP insists that the animal is holy and should be protected. Cow slaughter is banned in several states, stringent punishment has been introduced for offenders and parliament is considering a bill to bring in the death penalty for the crime.
But beef is a staple for Muslims, Christians and millions of low-caste Dalits (formerly untouchables) who have been at the receiving end of the violence perpetrated by the cow vigilante groups.
Nearly a dozen people have been killed in the past two years in the name of the cow. Targets are often picked based on unsubstantiated rumours and Muslims have been attacked for even transporting cows for milk.
Ghosh, who is from the eastern city of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), says he became aware of "this dangerous mix of religion and politics" only after he moved to Delhi a few years ago and that "this project is a silent form of protest that I think can make an impact".
So earlier this month, during a visit to New York, he bought the cow mask from a party shop and, on his return, began shooting for the series, taking pictures of women in front of tourist hotspots and government buildings, on the streets and in the privacy of their homes, on a boat and in a train, because "women are vulnerable everywhere".
"I photographed women from every part of society. I started the project from Delhi since the capital city is the hub of everything - politics, religion, even most debates start here.
"I took the first photo in front of the iconic India Gate, one of the most visited tourist places in India. Then I photographed a model in front of the presidential palace, another on a boat in the Hooghly river in Kolkata with the Howrah bridge as the backdrop."
His models have so far been friends and acquaintances because, he says, "it's such a sensitive topic, it would have been difficult to approach strangers".
Two weeks ago when he launched the project on Instagram, the response was "all positive. It went viral within the first week, my well wishers and even people I didn't know appreciated it."
But after the Indian press covered it and put out their stories on Facebook and Twitter, the backlash began.
"Some wrote comments threatening me. On Twitter people started trolling me, some said I, along with my models, should be taken to Delhi's Jama Masjid [mosque] and slaughtered, and that our meat should be fed to a woman journalist and a woman writer the nationalists despise. They said they wanted to see my mother weep over my body."
Some people also contacted the Delhi police, "accusing me of trying to instigate riots and asking them to arrest me".
Ghosh is not surprised by the vitriol and admits that his work is an "indirect comment" on the BJP.
"I'm making a political statement because it's a political topic, but if we go deeper into the things, then we see that Hindu supremacy was always there, it has just come out in the open with this government in the past two years."
The threats, however, have failed to scare him. "I'm not afraid because I'm working for the greater good," he says.
A positive fallout of the project going viral has been that he's got loads of messages from women from across the globe saying they too want to be a part of this campaign.
So the cow, he says, will keep travelling. | A photography project which shows women wearing a cow mask and asks the politically explosive question - whether women are less important than cattle in India - has gone viral in the country and earned its 23-year-old photographer the ire of Hindu nationalist trolls. |
35,536,619 | The first Champions League of Darts, featuring the world's top eight players, will be shown live across the BBC and staged at Cardiff's Motorpoint Arena between September 24-25.
"Darts is a huge deal in Wales and this was like the general election results for us," Hearn told BBC Wales Sport.
"We picked Cardiff because it is the fastest-selling venue we had."
He added: "We have 16 Premier League darts venue and always have a little race to see who sells out first.
"Cardiff has consistently won that race over the last three years, so we know there is the demand there.
"So two days, with the best eight players in the world, that's our way of saying thank you to Cardiff."
Hearn believes the event being on the BBC is a boost for the sport and his organisation.
"Being on the BBC is big news and another statement of how far the PDC has come," he said.
"It's good news they can announce a really world-class sporting event for their screens. I'm overjoyed."
Barbara Slater, director of BBC Sport, said: "Darts has always had wide appeal and it is great that audiences will get the chance to see all the action from the world's top players live on BBC Two and across our platforms." | Professional Darts Corporation chairman Barry Hearn says "the fans deserve" top level darts to be played in Cardiff. |
29,174,929 | Writing in the Journal of Aesthetic Nursing, clinicians say there is a growing trend for under-25s to seek the wrinkle-smoothing injections.
But the research suggests "frozen faces" could stop young people from learning how to express emotions fully.
A leading body of UK plastic surgeons says injecting teenagers for cosmetic reasons is "morally wrong".
Botox and other versions of the toxin work by temporarily paralysing muscles in the upper face to reduce wrinkling when people frown.
Nurse practitioner Helen Collier, who carried out the research, says reality TV shows and celebrity culture are driving young people to idealise the "inexpressive frozen face."
But she points to a well-known psychological theory, the facial feedback hypothesis, that suggests adolescents learn how best to relate to people by mimicking their facial expressions.
She says: "As a human being our ability to demonstrate a wide range of emotions is very dependent on facial expressions.
"Emotions such as empathy and sympathy help us to survive and grow into confident and communicative adults."
But she warns that a "growing generation of blank-faced" young people could be harming their ability to correctly convey their feelings.
"If you wipe those expressions out, this might stunt their emotional and social development," she says.
The research calls for practitioners to use assessment tools to decide whether there are clear clinical reasons for Botox treatment.
Several assessment scales exist that take into account how thick the skin is, how sun-damaged it appears, and the depth of any wrinkles, but experts warn that some Botox clinics are putting financial gain first.
Ms Collier calls on therapists to spend time helping young people boost their confidence rather than reaching for injections.
She adds: "Though most of the effects of the toxin are temporary, research suggests the muscles don't fully recover from injections.
"We really need to understand the consequences of starting treatments too soon."
Dr Michael Lewis, a researcher in psychology at Cardiff University, says: "The expressions we make on our face affect the emotions we feel.
"We smile because we are happy, but smiling also makes us happy.
"Treatment with drugs like Botox prevents the patient from being able to make a particular expression and can therefore have an effect on our learning to feel emotions naturally."
Rajiv Grover, president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, says: "Injecting teenagers with Botox for cosmetic purposes is morally wrong and something that no ethical practitioner would do.
"This can only exacerbate body image issues at a vulnerable time."
Ms Collier's research will be presented at the Clinical Cosmetic and Reconstructive Expo in October. | Giving young people Botox treatment may restrict their emotional growth, experts warn. |
40,026,940 | People will be able to use it to report crimes, pay fines and get information by tapping a touchscreen on its chest.
Data collected by the robot will also be shared with the transport and traffic authorities.
The government said the aim was for 25% of the force to be robotic by 2030 but they would not replace humans.
"We are not going to replace our police officers with this tool," said Brig Khalid Al Razooqi, director general of smart services at Dubai Police.
"But with the number of people in Dubai increasing, we want to relocate police officers so they work in the right areas and can concentrate on providing a safe city.
"Most people visit police stations or customer service, but with this tool we can reach the public 24/7.
"It can protect people from crime because it can broadcast what is happening right away to our command and control centre."
The robot, a customised Reem model from Pal Robotics, was unveiled at the Gulf Information and Security Expo and Conference on Sunday.
At present it can communicate only in Arabic and English, but there are plans to add Russian, Chinese, French and Spanish to its repertoire.
A second Reem robot could join it on patrol next year depending on funding, the government in Dubai said. | Dubai Police have revealed their first robot officer, giving it the task of patrolling the city's malls and tourist attractions. |
12,658,349 | In the city of Madison, filmmaker Michael Moore told them: "We're going to do this together. Don't give up."
Republican Governor Scott Walker has proposed stripping collective bargaining rights as part of a budget-cutting bill.
State Democrats fled to Illinois to prevent any legal vote on the bill.
Their absence deprives the state legislature of a quorum.
Senate Republicans voted on Thursday to hold the missing Democrats in contempt and force police to bring them back to the capitol.
Governor Walker on Friday sent out redundancy warning notices to unions representing state workers following the failure to pass the bill.
He says the measures are needed to tackle a $3.6bn budget gap over the next two years.
Mr Moore said: "Madison is only the beginning. The rich have overplayed their hand."
Senator Chris Larson also urged protesters to remain strong.
"We've been here for the last 16 days [and] we'll continue to be here until worker's rights are removed as the target in this budget repair bill by our governor," he said.
Mr Walker has said his proposal would balance the state's budget without raising taxes or cutting jobs.
The bill, which must pass in both chambers of the legislature, is part of a broader economic policy that aims to get the deficit under control in part by restricting public employees' collective bargaining rights and by requiring them to contribute more to their pensions and healthcare.
State unions have said they will agree to Mr Walker's proposed changes to their benefits - which would amount to an 8% pay cut - as long as they retain collective bargaining rights.
Critics of Mr Walker's proposal say it is intended to weaken the power of the unions, which tend to back the Democrats in elections.
Republicans, who in November took control of the US House of Representatives and state capitols across the country, have praised Mr Walker's bid to balance the budget without raising taxes. | Thousands of people have joined protests in the US state of Wisconsin against proposals that will limit the power of trade unions. |
35,161,459 | Kyle Perkins, 25, of Cwmaman, crashed on Bryn Terrace, Aberdare, on 3 August.
Sammy-Jo Davies, 19, died and six others suffered serious injuries.
At Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on Tuesday, Perkins pleaded guilty to three charges, including causing death by dangerous driving.
Both his and his victims' families had to be kept at opposite ends of the courtroom and police officers were present after angry confrontations.
Perkins confirmed his name and pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving, causing death by dangerous driving, and aggravated vehicle taking, along with admitting driving without insurance.
Judge Richard Twomlow told him he was adjourning sentencing until January so a report could be prepared.
He warned: "It will be a considerable and substantial sentence." | A driver who crashed and killed a teenage girl after squeezing seven friends into a stolen van in Rhondda Cynon Taff has been warned he faces a substantial jail sentence. |
32,480,655 | On a campaign visit to Barry, he told BBC Wales an extra £350m would come to Wales from new taxes within the first year of his party taking power.
He said the longer-term picture would depend on the results of a spending review once Labour settled into office.
Mr Miliband said the party's "broad approach" was to have "fair" taxes, cut the deficit, and "balance the books".
"As a result of the tax changes that we've announced like the mansion tax, the bank bonus tax and other tax changes, £350m extra will be coming to Wales and that'll be happening within about the first year of a Labour government," he said.
"As for the decisions on the precise allocations of the budget in terms of what happens overall, that's going to wait for our spending review in government because we've got to look at the books.
"We've said we're going to protect key areas like health and education and that will obviously have a positive effect on the block grant for Wales.
"But we're going to get the deficit down and we're determined to do so."
Mr Miliband also set out Labour's plan for action on immigration within 100 days of taking office.
It includes an extra 1,000 border staff, full exit checks and measures to stop serious criminals entering Britain.
This issue includes EU and worldwide migration, border controls and rules on work and benefits.
Policy guide: Where the parties stand
Attacking the government's record, Mr Miliband said: "David Cameron once promised to cut net immigration to tens of thousands and told people to throw him out of office if he didn't deliver. He has broken that promise, with net migration standing at 298,000.
"Nothing damages people's faith in politics more than broken promises like that."
Elsewhere on the campaign trail on Tuesday, the Welsh Conservatives were promoting a plan to help people buy their first home.
The Help to Buy ISA, announced in the Budget in March and due to take effect in the autumn, will give first time buyers a 25% bonus on savings made towards a deposit on their first home.
The Tories claim it could help 45,000 people in Wales get onto the housing ladder in the next five years.
Welsh Conservative chairman Jonathan Evans said theirs was "the party of home ownership and aspiration".
"For many thousands of people across Wales the idea of owning a home was once a distant dream," he added.
"Thanks to the changes we have brought in over the past five years, such as amending the way Stamp Duty is collected and introducing the Help to Buy mortgage guarantee scheme, buying a home has become a real possibility."
Meanwhile the Liberal Democrats have launched a manifesto specific to Cardiff, with local priorities including cleaner streets, keeping local libraries open, and a "city deal" of investment to boost the local economy.
Welsh leader Kirsty Williams said: "This is an ambitious manifesto for the people of our capital city, building on our Wales and UK manifestos with truly local priorities to ensure we create opportunity for everyone in Cardiff."
Also on the campaign trail on Tuesday, Plaid Cymru is promising to end what it calls a "postcode lottery" over funding for patients to get new drugs and new types of treatment on the NHS.
Health spokesperson Elin Jones said the party would ring-fence a £50m rebate from drugs companies to spend on the scheme, and would set up a national panel to ensure equal access to such treatment for patients wherever they lived in Wales. | Ed Miliband has declined to say whether Wales will be safe from funding cuts under a future Labour UK government. |
38,238,558 | Media playback is not supported on this device
The visit to Turf Moor takes place on the first anniversary of the stillbirth of Arter's daughter Renee.
The 26-year-old starred in a 2-1 win over Manchester United just days after Renee's death last December.
"It will be a strange sort of moment against Burnley," Arter told BBC Radio Solent. "We see Renee's birthday as a milestone, which will be difficult."
Arter's family raised £13,000 through a charity auction in aid of other bereaved families in the months after Renee's death.
But approaching the anniversary, Arter admits emotions on and off the pitch will be high.
"It's always going to be a memory for my family either a year or 20 years on," he said. "We'll never be able to forget it and it's not something I would want to be able to forget.
"When it comes to the game, I'll be professional and put my head down and family matters will have to be pushed to one side to deal with after."
His fiancée Rachel is currently well-advanced in her second pregnancy, with a baby girl due early next year.
"That's helped with a bit of hope, but it doesn't change the loss you have," the Republic of Ireland international added.
"When you lose a baby, you naturally just want to have one. We've got to make sure Rachel stays strong and her mind is focused." | Bournemouth midfielder Harry Arter will put personal heartache to one side when he faces Burnley on Saturday. |
40,350,538 | On Monday images emerged showing security force officers apparently firing on protesters.
President Nicolas Maduro also announced the recruitment of 40,000 new police officers and national guardsmen.
Meanwhile Venezuela faced accusations of human rights abuses, at a meeting of the Organization of American States.
The military reshuffle includes the removal of Gen Antonio Benavides Torres, the head of the National Guard, who protesters accuse of being behind many of the attacks against them.
Mr Maduro also said he was replacing the heads of the army, navy and the central strategic command.
There was public outrage after photos emerged appearing to show members of the National Guard firing directly at protesters in Caracas on Monday. Another demonstrator was shot dead.
The government has blamed the opposition for the violence at the protests saying it uses teenagers and children as "cannon fodder".
In May, Venezuela's attorney general, Luisa Ortega said she had witness statements that a protester had been hit by a tear gas canister fired at close range by the National Guard.
She said the security forces had broken international rights law.
Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez also warned the security forces this month not to commit "atrocities" after police were filmed attacking and robbing demonstrators.
At a meeting of the 34-nation Organization of American States (OAS) in Mexico, 12 countries called on President Maduro to respect human rights and announce an election timetable.
In response, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez accused the Secretary General of the OAS, Luis Almagro, of trying to plunge her country into civil war.
She described Venezuela's critics as "lapdogs of imperialism".
Despite huge oil reserves, Venezuela is facing a shortage of basic items, including food and medicines as well rampant crime.
The opposition says the socialist governments of Mr Maduro and his predecessor, the late Hugo Chavez, have wrecked the economy and increasingly suppressed dissent.
It is calling for early elections and the release of jailed opposition politicians. | Venezuela's president has replaced four top military commanders over the use of live bullets by security forces during months of unrest. |
37,616,537 | Bamba, 31, has signed until 2018 and joins ex-QPR winger Junior Hoilett at the Bluebirds.
Ivory Coast international Bamba will help bolster a defence that has conceded 19 league goals this season to leave Cardiff 23rd in the Championship.
Striker Marouane Chamakh is also expected to join Cardiff before they host Bristol City on Friday.
Warnock told Cardiff's website: "I tried to sign Sol a few years ago when he was at Leicester, on a couple of occasions. They didn't come off then, but now is the right time and opportunity to bring him in.
"Sol's a leader and he's another good addition for us."
Injury forces Andy Powell to quit rugby
Cardiff 'well-placed' for new T20 team
Wife helped Warnock choose Cardiff City
Bamba said: "I'm excited to be here. I always want to work with the gaffer, so as soon as this chance arose I jumped at it.
"I know the league very well and am looking forward to offering my experience and leadership."
Chamakh, a 32-year-old Moroccan who was released by Crystal Palace, had previously attracted interest from Bluebirds boss Warnock.
Centre-back Bamba left Leeds for personal reasons in September.
Bamba, Hoilett and Chamakh are set to be involved against Bristol City, which will be Warnock's first game since taking charge.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | New Cardiff City boss Neil Warnock has made ex-Leeds United defender Sol Bamba his latest recruit. |
39,541,858 | Tune in to the April the Giraffe livestream and all you'll see is a giraffe in an enclosure - yet she's been captivating people worldwide.
It is not clear exactly when April's waters will break.
In the meantime, feast your eyes on some of the animals born in zoos since April's livestream started.
Spoiler alert: One of them is a giraffe.
Born: 7 March
Species: Rhinoceros
Zoo: Amneville, France
Born: 18 March
Species: Ring-tailed lemur
Zoo: Schoenbrunn, Austria
April the giraffe's popularity has gone far beyond anything anticipated even by the staff at the Animal Adventure Park in Harpursville.
They have been so overwhelmed with questions they have had to ask people to stop emailing in.
But they have capitalised on the excitement of the surely-soon-to-happen birth by releasing merchandise and a paid-for text alert system.
Born: 19 March
Species: Elephant
Zoo: Cologne, Germany
Born: 21 March
Species: White tiger quadruplets
Zoo: Borysew, Poland
Born: 25 March
Species: Orangutan
Zoo: Leipzig, Germany
Born: 25 March
Species: Elephant
Zoo: Amersfoort, the Netherlands
Born: 27 March
Species: Bornean orangutan
Zoo: Twycross, England
Born: 2 April
Species: Bornean orangutan
Zoo: Chester, England
Born: 3 April
Species: Rothschild's giraffe
Zoo: Chester, England
We hope you enjoyed these pictures and wish all the best to April when labour finally kicks in. If you'd like to see more baby animals, try these stories: | Millions of people have been watching and waiting online for more than six weeks for a giraffe at a US zoo in New York state to give birth. |
31,167,593 | Media playback is not supported on this device
Rather than join the 10th British club of a nomadic career after leaving Gateshead, the 25-year-old midfielder headed for India to join champions Bengaluru FC in the I-League.
"India was somewhere I'd never even thought of going on holiday, let alone to play football," Walker told BBC Inside Out.
"The things I was being offered to stay in the United Kingdom, I thought, it's time to try something new."
Culturally, the move to India has given him a new perspective.
As his Bangalore-based team's 'marquee' signing for 2014-15, Walker is a player to be respected and an ambassador for the growing league - featuring on billboards to promote football to a cricket-mad population.
"It's different, sights you see on the road and the street," the Tynesider continued.
"You might find a few cats on the streets in England but here you see a load of cows just roaming the streets.
"The fans are that fanatical, you're known. It makes you more professional because you're an idol to them."
If Walker was unsure of the lifestyle he would encounter, his on-the-field experiences were even more of a surprise.
However, he had heard good things from former Boro academy team-mate John Johnson who was already with Bengaluru, and was also reunited with another man he used to play with in manager Ashley Westwood.
"The football is a lot better than what I imagined," Walker said.
"I didn't know anything about Indian football until John came out here.
"Since I've been here there's some real talent, we've got some good young Indian players and the Indian captain."
The I-League - not to be confused with the high-profile Indian Super League tournament which started last year - was set up in 2007 and features 11 teams.
Walker's team are fifth in the league and had an average attendance last season of 7,038 - a far cry from Gateshead's 886.
For the lad from Killingworth in Newcastle to find himself in India at all is something of a surprise, given his early promise.
After making the grade with Middlesbrough, to the extent that he made his Premier League debut at the age of 17, Walker says he found not being involved tough to take as a hungry young player.
"I wanted to play week in, week out in the Premier League at 17," he said.
"I'd find myself knocking on managers' doors at 17 or 18 asking why I wasn't playing. I look back and to be honest I cringe at myself."
Current England Under-21 manager Gareth Southgate was team-mate and then manager of Walker during his Boro career.
"He was a really good professional from a really young age, with a great attitude to the game and he captained England at youth level for a couple of years," Southgate said.
"You always wonder whether to give youngsters their debut and we did - he did really well.
"It's a new opportunity and a great life experience for him."
Walker is not the only player out of contract to consider the switch to new climes.
"It's become more of a thing because it is tough at home," team-mate Johnson said.
"When you take a step abroad you can see it's exciting and different, it's a definitely a thing that will become more and more popular with English players."
In addition to Walker and Johnson, ex-Bristol Rovers striker Daryl Duffy, former Rochdale winger Leo Bertos and Romuald Boco - who made more than 100 league appearances for Accrington Stanley - are other known names in this growing entity.
For some it is the experience, for others the attraction is purely financial.
"I'm out here for a year and only here to save enough money to be able to buy our house - we bought a house in the summer," said Curtis Osano, whose professional career in England took in Luton, Reading and Rushden & Diamonds.
"There's no way I'd have stayed in England for 10 years grafting and trying to get as much money as I can, borrowing money from wherever to put money down on a house with the way the climate is in the UK."
The only downside for Walker is the distance between him and his partner, not to mention a two-year-old daughter.
Yet the rewards are great and he would consider bringing his family over to India if he is successful during his spell at Bengaluru.
"I don't have any regrets about coming, not at all," he said.
"It's incredibly hard missing my daughter and I miss her everyday but at the end of the day I've got to work and this is my job.
"My career was going nowhere back home. I got an opportunity here and I'm going to grab it with both hands." | When former England Under-20 captain Josh Walker found himself without a club last summer, a move to a place where "a load of cows just roam the streets" intrigued him more than any other. |
35,461,445 | The University of Strathclyde's Fraser of Allander Institute is investing in new research and postgraduate fellows.
A new director designate will also join the institute in April, while a board of advisers featuring leading economists will be created.
It also plans to expand its economic research services for the third sector, government, business and industry.
The university said the move was "particularly timely", with the Scottish Parliament soon to assume greater tax and spending powers.
It added that the expanded institute would be able to provide decision-makers, the media and the public "with even greater leading-edge independent economic analysis than before".
The institute's new director designate will be Prof Graeme Roy, a former senior economic adviser in the Scottish government.
The board of advisors will be chaired by Prof Andrew Goudie and include the chief economists of both the Scottish and UK governments.
Further details will be announced at an event at the Scottish Parliament to mark the institute's 40th anniversary.
Ahead of the event, University of Strathclyde principal Prof Sir Jim McDonald described the investment as a "step change" for the institute.
He said: "At a time when the Scottish Parliament is gaining significant new powers and responsibilities and the future of the UK's economic and financial system is undergoing a major re-think, the need for independent economic and fiscal analysis has never been greater.
"With more than four decades of economic forecasting experience behind it, the Fraser of Allander Institute is uniquely placed to provide the independent research and analysis needed to inform public debate and decision making.
"This new investment will enable the institute to spearhead new research into public spending and finance that will be of relevance not just in Scotland and the UK, but also internationally."
The institute regularly publishes an economic commentary, which includes forecasts and detailed analysis of the Scottish economy.
It also carries out surveys of the economy on a regular basis. | A leading economic institute is to mark its 40th anniversary by boosting its research capabilities. |
36,026,703 | Part of the area at Llanberis in Gwynedd was home to a former RAF ammunitions store that was cleared in the 1970s.
A report for the developers suggests some unexploded munitions could remain buried in the former quarry.
But it said German nerve gas was removed and destroyed decades ago.
The power company Snowdonia Pump Hydro (SPH) want to use the old Glyn Rhonwy quarry as the site of a 600 MWh pumped electricity storage facility.
Those proposals are now being considered by the UK's Planning Inspectorate.
However, opponents of the scheme in the area have concerns over possible contamination at the Glyn Rhonwy workings.
The slate quarry was used as a secret munitions store during WW2, and later it was used to dispose of old and surplus bombs, bullets and grenades.
Thousands of tonnes of weapons ended up in quarry pits there, prompting a massive RAF clean-up operation that only ended in the mid-1970s.
The 'Concerned about Glyn Rhonwy' group said they believed that chemical weapons may have also been dumped or buried at the site..
A consultant's report confirmed that 70,000 German tabun nerve gas shells seized following WW2 were held at the Llanberis quarry for a short time.
They were later moved to another facility near Caernarfon, and eventually dumped at sea.
SPH commissioned consultants Zetica to examine issues surrounding unexploded munitions at the site, as part of the planning process.
"Nobody takes this issue lightly," stressed a spokesman for the hydro power company.
"We rely on the information in the Zetica report. It confirms that the German tabun bombs were held for a short time in a secure area at Glyn Rhonwy. There is no evidence that they were stored in any other area."
The consultants stated that an official UK board of inquiry in the 1960s found "all German chemical weapons appeared to have been successfully removed from RAF Llanberis".
But the Glyn Rhonwy campaigners have insisted that there can be no guarantees that every single tabun shell was removed.
"We think there is at least one discarded tabun bomb on the site," said Jeff Taylor, from the campaign group.
He said that was based on documents uncovered in an archive relating to the quarry, which showed images of tabun bombs in Germany, and what appears to be the case of a similar bomb lying in a slate rock crevice.
"It is circumstantial evidence, but it is pretty damaging circumstantial evidence," argued Mr Taylor.
Chemist Dr Dave Peskett, who has carried out research on the issue for the campaign group, said he had seen documents suggesting discarded mustard gas shells had also been dumped at the quarry in the past.
The allegation is also disputed.
But Dr Peskett added: "It is not just the munitions that are the issue here. There's a huge pile of toxic residue there.
"Someone has to come in and remediate that site before any development takes place."
The spokesman for SPH said tests had been carried out on water samples in the quarry in both 2012 and 2015, and no contamination was found.
They added that "in the unlikely event" that unexploded ordnance was uncovered at Glyn Rhonwy, it would be dealt with in a "rigorous" process.
"It will ensure the safety of the people and the environment," said the official.
BBC Wales has asked the Ministry of Defence to respond to concerns surrounding the site.
However, a freedom of information request for details regarding the German nerve gas at Llanberis by the Concerned group was rejected stating that "release of the information would enable ill-disposed persons or organisations to act against the national interest, and that therefore on balance the information should be withheld". | Campaigners opposed to a planned hydro-electric pumping station in Snowdonia say the site could be contaminated by World War Two nerve gas. |
39,827,552 | However, Adlene Guedioura is close to a first-team return after recovering from a groin strain.
Southampton boss Claude Puel may include striker Charlie Austin, who has been out since December with a dislocated shoulder.
Defender Matt Targett could also make his return after a long-term absence.
John Roder: "Back in August, I was at the Riverside for Match of the Day for Middlesbrough's return to the Premier League. Following the 1-1 draw with Stoke there was an optimistic view that Boro could avoid an immediate return to the Championship, where they had spent the previous seven seasons.
"Nine months later relegation was confirmed at Chelsea on Monday, with Middlesbrough having won only five times in 36 league matches.
"Sofiane Boufal scored a wonderful goal for Saints when these teams met at St Mary's in December.
"However, goals have been at a premium for Boro all season and just recently for Southampton, who have to regain their scoring touch to ensure a top-10 finish. "
Twitter: @johnrodercomm
Middlesbrough head coach Steve Agnew: "After the disappointment of the other night, it has been an emotional time and understandably so, and I am no different. I feel responsibility for what has happened.
"But it's not about my future, it's not about my situation, it's about Middlesbrough Football Club.
"It's about us understanding where we are, it's about how we finish strongly in these last couple of games and then we regroup, have a good summer and make sure that we're in the fight to bounce back to the Premier League as quickly as we possibly can."
Southampton manager Claude Puel: "There's the possibility to finish in the first part of the table and that is very important to us.
"If we can have a good result against Middlesbrough, we can prepare for our last two games at home with good possibilities, good intensity."
Let's give Claude Puel some credit for what he has done in his first season at Southampton, because he has been without some key players for long periods, on top of the talent that left the club in the summer and then in January too.
Saints have still always been comfortable in mid-table, and reached the final of the League Cup.
Middlesbrough, meanwhile, went down with a whimper.
Prediction: 1-2
Lawro's full predictions v tennis world number one Andy Murray
Head-to-head
Middlesbrough
Southampton
SAM (Sports Analytics Machine) is a super-computer created by @ProfIanMcHale at the University of Salford that is used to predict the outcome of football matches. | Middlesbrough's head coach Steve Agnew is again likely to be without Daniel Ayala, Gaston Ramirez and Victor Valdes because of injury. |
39,767,961 | Landlords who fail to meet the "tougher" minimum standards would face fines of up to £100,000, Labour said.
The proposals include requirements for safe wiring and appliances, freedom from damp and general good repair.
But the Conservatives said the plan could increase people's rent.
Shadow housing secretary John Healey said the proposals would empower renters to "call time on bad landlords" by setting standards to ensure homes were "fit for human habitation".
The party would also introduce new powers for councils to license landlords and fine those who break the rules.
It cited the example of Labour-run Newham Council in east London, where landlords pay £150 per property for a five-year licence and are fined up to £20,000 if they fail to do so.
Mr Healey said: "Our homes are at the centre of our lives, but at the moment renters too often don't have basic consumer rights that we take for granted in other areas.
"In practice, you have fewer rights renting a family home than you do buying a fridge-freezer.
"As a result, too many are forced to put up with unacceptable, unfit and downright dangerous housing."
Labour said its own analysis, based on the 2014 English Housing Survey, showed that tenants in England were spending £800m a month - or £9.6bn a year - on homes the government classes as "non-decent".
About a quarter of this, £2.3bn a year, was paid by housing benefit, the party said.
Mr Healey said the introduction of "proper minimum standards" would put renters "back in control".
"Most landlords provide decent homes that tenants are happy with, but these rogue landlords are ripping off both renters and the taxpayer by making billions from rent and housing benefit letting out sub-standard homes," he said.
"After seven years of failure the Conservatives have no plan to fix the housing crisis."
But Conservative housing minister Gavin Barwell said licensing landlords would hit renters because the cost of the licences would be passed on in higher rent.
Mr Barwell said: "This is just another misjudged and nonsensical Jeremy Corbyn idea: a town hall 'tenants' tax' that would hit every tenant in the pocket with higher rents.
"We want to help people have good quality housing, which is why we have taken targeted action against the small minority of rogue landlords, without hitting every single home with expensive municipal red tape that will force up costs and reduce supply." | Labour has promised a "consumer rights revolution" for renters in England if it wins the general election, with the introduction of new legal standards for rented homes. |
25,814,454 | A signal confirming its alert status was received by controllers in Darmstadt, Germany, at 18:17 GMT.
Rosetta has spent the past 31 months in hibernation to conserve power as it arced beyond the orbit of Jupiter on a path that should take it to Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in August.
Engineers will now finesse the probe's trajectory and prepare its instruments for the daring encounter.
One of the highlights of the mission will be the attempt to put a small robotic lander, Philae, on the surface of the 4.5km-wide comet. This will occur in November.
There were nail-biting moments in the Darmstadt control room as its flight engineers waited for the signal to come through. Three quarters of the way through the hour-long window of opportunity, they got what they were waiting for.
Gerhard Schwehm, mission manager for Rosetta, said: "After 31 months in hibernation, what is 45 minutes to wait?"
Andrea Accomazzo, the spacecraft operations manager, said: "I think it was the longest hour of my life, but also one of the most rewarding."
Monday's message, when it arrived, was a simple one - just a spike on the screens here at the European Space Agency's operations centre.
It was picked up in California by a 70m dish belonging to the US space agency, and then routed to Germany.
The signal contained no spacecraft telemetry, but its mere receipt from 800 million km away confirmed to controllers that Rosetta's automated systems were operating as expected.
In the coming hours and days, the Darmstadt team will talk to Rosetta to establish the full status of its systems.
It will be a slow process. The huge distance between the probe and Earth mean telecommands have a one-way travel time of 45 minutes.
Rosetta was put into hibernation in June 2011 because its trajectory through the Solar System was about to take it so far from the Sun that its solar panels would harvest minimal energy. The decision was therefore taken to put the spacecraft in a deep sleep.
Now that it is arcing back towards the Sun, more power is becoming available to operate the probe.
"From now until mid-March, we have planned virtually no activities on the spacecraft. We can afford to run only some basic check-outs," explained Andrea Accomazzo.
"But from mid-March to the end of April, we will be switching on the instruments one by one. We'll check them out and in a few cases even update their software."
From May, Rosetta will begin firing its thrusters to begin zeroing in on Comet 67P. Today, the separation is nine million km away. By mid-September, it will have been reduced to just 10km.
Launched back in 2004, Rosetta has taken a rather circuitous route out to its target.
This has involved making a number of flybys of the inner planets, using their gravity to pick up sufficient speed for the eventual encounter.
It has already delivered some fascinating science, particularly from the close passes it made to two asteroids - the rocks Steins, in 2008, and Lutetia, in 2010.
The plan is for Rosetta to escort the comet as it moves closer towards the Sun, monitoring the changes that take place on the body. The Philae lander will report changes that occur at the surface.
Comets - giant "dirty snowballs", as some have called them - are believed to contain materials that have remained largely unchanged since the formation of the Solar System 4.6bn years ago.
Rosetta's data should act therefore as a kind of time machine, to enable researchers to study how our local space environment has changed over time.
"We will sample the physical and chemical composition of the comet," said Matt Taylor, Esa's Rosetta project scientist.
"This will give us knowledge on how and where the comet was formed, and about its subsequent journey through the evolution of the Solar System.
"We can connect that as well to the formation of the planets themselves. And, in addition, the elemental make-up of the comet can be considered 'star stuff' - it will provide us knowledge of the formation processes within the Sun itself."
Rosetta is being billed as the big space event of 2014, and it is clear from the general and social media reaction to Monday's wake-up that interest in the mission is considerable.
"Science in general catches the public's imagination," said Thomas Reiter, Esa's director of human spaceflight and operations.
"In general, we try to find answers to fundamental questions, such as where do we come from, what will be our destiny and will we have to stick to this planet?
"The knowledge we get from missions like Rosetta - which is now moving into a very interesting stage - gets us closer to answering those types of questions."
[email protected] and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos | Rosetta, Europe's comet-chasing spacecraft, has woken from its slumber. |
38,155,507 | Versatile forward Henderson, who scored a try in Ireland's 27-24 win over Australia in Dublin, is expected to overcome a slight shoulder problem.
McCloskey is set to return after suffering a fractured bone in his foot against Glasgow earlier in the season.
Andrew Trimble and Jared Payne will miss the game through injury.
Both Irish internationals are major doubts for a crucial forthcoming series of fixtures, including the European Champions Cup double-header with Clermont Auvergne in December.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Trimble and Payne sustained injuries in the hard-fought victory over the Wallabies at the Aviva Stadium and are still waiting to find out the full extent of their problems.
Trimble is suffering from an ankle injury, while Payne has a rib injury which means he is likely to have played his last game of 2016.
Centre Stuart Olding damaged a hamstring while training with the Ireland squad at Carton House, but his injury is regarded as the least serious of the three.
Rory Best and Paddy Jackson will miss the trip to Cardiff under the IRFU's player management programme, but prop Rodney Ah You is available after not featuring since the Champions Cup triumph over Exeter in October.
Flanker Chris Henry is in line for his first appearance of the season after being named in the line-up for the home game against Zebre, which was called off on Friday night because of a frozen pitch.
Ulster have dropped to sixth in the Pro12 table after suffering four consecutive defeats, but have a game in hand over their rivals above them in the standings following the postponement of their game with the Italians. | Ulster hope to have international pair Iain Henderson and Stuart McCloskey available for Saturday's Pro12 game against Cardiff Blues. |
32,704,937 | The 44-year-old, from Aberdeen, will take up her role as a vocal coach at the Glasgow school for music, drama and dance in the next academic session.
Milne has performed in many of the world's finest opera houses, opera companies and festivals.
The RCS graduate said she was looking forward to working in a "world-leading musical environment".
"I am delighted to be joining the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland," she said.
"I'm looking forward to working in such a vibrant and world-leading musical environment.
"As an alumna of the RCS, I appreciate the training that goes on behind the scenes and I cannot wait to get started, working colleagues and students to ensure the continued visibility of the RCS's reach nationally and internationally."
Milne was awarded an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours in 2005 for services to opera and music.
The renowned recitalist has appeared at the Aix-en-Provence, Edinburgh and City of London festivals, the Oxford Lieder Festival, London's Wigmore Hall, the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, and at the Schumannfeste in Dusseldorf.
RCS Principal Professor Jeffrey Sharkey said she would bring unique qualities to the school.
"Lisa is one of the world's leading opera singers with an enormously distinguished international career," he said.
"She is an inspirational performer and teacher and her passion for her art will motivate the next generation of opera singers from the RCS.
"I am delighted she will be returning to her alma mater where students can learn from one of the finest singers in the world." | The renowned Scottish soprano Lisa Milne is to become a teacher at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS). |
26,768,415 | The magazine published photographs of Mr Hollande and Ms Gayet arriving separately at an apartment in January.
The payout was far lower than the 50,000 euros the actress had sought.
The Paris court ordered the magazine to publish the ruling on the front page of its next edition.
Closer caused a political storm in France on 10 January when it published images purporting to show Mr Hollande and Ms Gayet arriving at a Paris flat for alleged trysts.
Although he refused to comment on the allegations, President Hollande announced that he had "put an end" to his "shared life" with long-term partner Valerie Trierweiler shortly afterwards.
During court hearings, Ms Gayet's lawyer said she had been "hunted" by journalists.
"She was assaulted by swarms of photographers... it was like the hunt of a wild animal," he said.
Closer's lawyer maintained that the magazine was justified in publishing the photographs, saying they were in the public interest because they raised questions about Mr Hollande's "duty of transparency".
Ms Gayet has also filed two criminal complaints: one for a breach of privacy over photographs taken of her inside a car and another accusing paparazzi of "endangering others" while chasing her.
The mother of two, who has acted in more than 70 films over a 20-year career, has kept a low profile since the scandal broke.
During a rare public appearance in New York earlier this month she fended off questions about her relationship with President Hollande, saying: "My private life is my private life." | A French court has ordered Closer magazine to pay Julie Gayet 15,000 euros (£12,000) over a breach of privacy for revealing her affair with President Francois Hollande. |
36,140,715 | The youngster made the statement during a recorded police interview after the two-year-old was found dead at a house near Glenrothes on 22 March 2014.
Rachel Fee, 31, and Nyomi Fee, 28, deny murdering Liam and harming two other boys.
The boy also said he felt "unsafe" with the two accused.
In the interview footage shown to the jury on day 11 of the trial at the High Court in Livingston, the boy claimed he suffered a catalogue of abuse at the hands of the two accused.
He said Nyomi Fee told him she had killed his father with a drill-like saw because she did not like liars.
He added: "I didn't like it. I was thinking I would be dead."
The interviewers, a police officer and social worker, told him his father was still alive.
The boy said he felt unsafe at the Fees' house and was made to take cold showers "for 15 or 20 minutes" if he wet the bed.
He said the showers made him shake and Nyomi Fee told him to "stand still".
He also said he was made to hit the boy the women are accused of falsely blaming for Liam's death 20 times with an action figure, and was told by Nyomi Fee to "whack him really hard".
In previous evidence, he said the other boy was responsible for Liam's death because Nyomi Fee had told him so.
The jury has already been shown a video interview with that boy, who told police he had "strangled" Liam but that the toddler had been sitting up and watching television afterwards
Rachel Fee and Nyomi Fee, who are originally from Ryton, Tyne and Wear, deny a series of mistreatment and neglect charges against two other children, as well as the murder charge.
The trial at the High Court in Livingston continues. | A young boy has said one of the accused in the Liam Fee murder trial told him she had "killed his dad" with a type of saw. |
39,830,440 | Originally from Damascus in Syria, they, daughter Naya and son Nael arrived as refugees in Montreal in the depths of winter.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wasn't there to greet them at the airport, as he did with other Syrian refugees.
But the couple felt they had to give their thanks to him in some way - so have named their newborn son after him.
Justin Trudeau Adam Bilan was born on Thursday in his parents' new city of Calgary. (His first name is Justin Trudeau, not Justin, by the way.)
In Damascus, Muhammad, now 29, worked as a barber. But he had once been targeted by the Syrian army and detained.
After he was freed, his family learned the authorities were looking for him again, and that he could face further detention - a fate from which many have not emerged.
Their chance to leave came when they found out Canada was starting to take in Syrian refugees after Mr Trudeau took office. Five years into Syria's war, they jumped at the chance.
After spending some time in Montreal, in the eastern province of Quebec, the family was eventually moved to Calgary, in the western province of Alberta.
"Canada is much more safe - there's no war, nothing," Afraa Bilan told the BBC by telephone. "Everything is different, everything is good - nothing like Syria."
The Canadian businessman who sponsored 200 refugees
The unique scheme to bring refugees to Canada
From Somali refugee to Canada's parliament
Afraa admitted to having been "a little bit distressed" on arriving in Canada, and to have found it difficult to adapt - especially to the winter weather.
But she now speaks fluent English and Muhammad works part-time in a grocery shop.
They hope baby Justin Trudeau will one day meet his rather more famous namesake.
"He is a really nice man," Afraa said. "He helped us a lot. This was a small thank you for bringing us to Canada. We want to thank him and all the Canadian people."
Between November 2015, when Mr Trudeau became prime minister, and January this year, more than 40,000 Syrian refugees have been resettled in Canada. About 1,000 of them moved to Calgary.
In late January, after US President Donald Trump imposed a ban on immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries, Mr Trudeau took to social media to confirm his government's commitment to helping "those fleeing persecution, terror & war".
In Ontario in February, another Syrian couple named their newborn Justin in tribute to the prime minister, but Justin Trudeau Adam Bilan is thought to be the first baby Justin Trudeau (not counting the original Justin Trudeau, of course). | When Muhammad and Afraa Bilan arrived in Canada in February last year, they were starting a new life in a completely new country. |
17,989,463 | The men, from Rochdale and Oldham, "groomed" girls, one as young as 13.
Liverpool Crown Court heard the men plied their victims with drink and drugs so they could "pass them around" and use them for sex.
The case, involving Asian defendants and white victims, sparked protests by far-right groups but police insist the grooming was not "racially motivated".
The offences which centred on Heywood included rape, trafficking girls for sex and conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with a child.
Two of the defendants on trial, Qamar Shazad and Liaquat Shah both of Rochdale, were acquitted and walked free from court.
The court was told that the abuse, which began in 2008, took place at two takeaways in the town involving a group of men aged between 24 and 59. The takeaways are now under new management.
A failed police investigation in 2008 allowed the abuse to go undetected for another two years.
The oldest defendant, a 59-year-old man from Oldham was found guilty on all counts but cannot be identified for legal reasons.
Some of the girls were beaten and forced to have sex with "several men in a day, several times a week", the jury was told.
One teenager told the jury she was forced to have sex with 20 men in one night.
Another recalled being raped by two men while she was "so drunk she was vomiting over the side of the bed".
Police said the victims were from "chaotic", "council estate" backgrounds. The girls were targeted in "honeypot locations" where young people were seen to congregate, such as outside takeaways.
Rachel Smith, for the prosecution, told the jury: "No child should be exploited as these girls say they were."
In court, many of the defendants argued that they were not aware the girls were underage.
But Senior Investigating Officer Det Insp Mike Sanderson said this was no defence.
"What we are dealing with here is the deliberate targeting of young, vulnerable girls by a group of older and in most cases much older men who simply saw them as 'fair game'.
"They preyed on the fact that the young girls were extremely vulnerable and impressionable."
Mohammed Shafiq, chief executive of of the Ramadhan Foundation, accused Pakistani community elders of "burying their heads in the sand" on the issue of on-street grooming.
"There is a significant problem for the British Pakistani community," he said.
"There should be no silence in addressing the issue of race as this is central to the actions of these criminals.
"They think that white teenage girls are worthless and can be abused without a second thought; it is this sort of behaviour that is bringing shame on our community."
But Assistant Chief Constable Steve Heywood of Greater Manchester Police (GMP) denied that the ethnicity of either the defendants or the victims was a factor.
"It is not a racial issue," he said. "This is about adults preying on vulnerable young children.
"It just happens that in this particular area and time the demographics were that these were Asian men."
It was also revealed in court that a 15-year-old victim who became pregnant by one of the defendants went to the police in August 2008.
After the verdicts, GMP and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) apologised for failing to bring her case to trial following her cry for help.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission is spearheading an investigation into that failed inquiry.
It can also now be reported that the trial was delayed by two weeks when two Asian barristers quit saying they had been intimidated outside Liverpool Crown Court.
All those convicted were found guilty of conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with girls under the age of 16.
A 59-year-old Oldham man - who cannot be identified for legal reasons - was convicted of two rapes, aiding and abetting rape, sexual assault and trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation. | Nine men have been convicted of being part of a child sexual exploitation ring in Greater Manchester. |
36,795,144 | Homes on Yorkshire Housing's Hob Stone site were built out of position by as little as 11cm, reports The York Press.
The association must now apply for a Variation to a Condition order as the Acomb development does not match the plans approved by City of York Council.
Yorkshire Housing said it was still working to ensure new residents could move in as soon as possible.
Properties on the site have been built between 11cm and 75cm out of place and the location of an access road also varies from the agreed plans.
Of the 55 homes, 14 have been sold and 41 rented.
A spokeswoman for Yorkshire Housing said the discrepancies were spotted during a review of the site by contractors.
She said a Variation to a Condition application was submitted last month but advised that it could take up to 13 weeks for the council to process.
"This is the first time an issue like this has come to light on one of our schemes, we are investigating how this has happened," she said.
"Yorkshire Housing employ a building contractor to execute the scheme in accordance with planning permissions.
"We are keeping customers who are renting or buying the affected homes up-to-date with progress and will do as much as possible to make sure that people can move into the homes they are renting or buying as soon as possible."
A City of York Council spokesman said: "Once all necessary detail has been provided and we have the full context of the plans we can proceed." | A housing association is facing a planning hurdle after building 55 new homes in the wrong place. |
29,027,995 | He told the BBC it was possible to have "proportionate, targeted and effective" measures to stop suspects returning.
While the option of removing passports would be examined, the UK always needed to act within the law, he said.
He also said the UK would reserve the right to take military action in Iraq without consulting Parliament first.
Mr Clegg said he supported the "convention" that the government should seek MPs' approval before undertaking any military action, but he told BBC Radio 4's Today there may be circumstances where emergency action had to be taken quickly where it might not be "pragmatic" to do so.
BBC political editor Nick Robinson said there was a growing sense the UK might be willing to take part in "punitive action" against Islamic State fighters in Iraq.
Prime Minister David Cameron did not rule out UK participation in further air strikes when he updated MPs on events in the Middle East on Monday.
The government's proposals are
Mr Clegg defended planned new anti-terror measures after the reviewer of terror laws, David Anderson, said there were "significant difficulties" with preventing UK-born terror suspects from re-entering the country.
The prime minister has pledged to hold all-party talks on whether it is possible to remove the passports of UK nationals returning from conflict zones likely to present a threat to domestic security.
But Mr Anderson said there were legal issues and warned that the UK could end up in a "game of pass the parcel" with other countries' suspected terrorists.
Mr Clegg said it was right to "examine the options" but insisted: "We are not going to do something which flouts international and domestic law. Of course we can't do that. We must act within the law."
He rejected claims that his party, the Liberal Democrats, had watered down the government's response by blocking plans which could result in terrorist suspects effectively having their citizenship removed.
"It is not a question of whether I will let it happen. It is important to underline this is not an argument between two political parties.
"This is about a government across the coalition seeking to do what is proportionate, effective and targeted to keep this country safe in keeping with our long-standing legal and judicial principles."
He said it was possible to "square the circle" by giving the police greater powers to temporarily confiscate the passports of people suspected of travelling to Iraq and Syria to fight as well working with airlines to stop returning fighters from boarding planes to return to the UK.
He also insisted plans to re-introduce powers to relocate terror suspects under the government's terror prevention and investigation measures was not a return to the system of control orders scrapped by the coalition in 2011.
Labour said the government was in "complete disarray" over the way forward, with no guarantees of new laws or details about when any new powers would come into force.
"Over the weekend, the government said they intended to block suspected British terrorists from returning to the UK," said shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper.
"Yesterday they admitted they had to comply with international law and could not remove citizenship after all. But the prime minister still claimed to have vague plans to stop people even though no-one at all can explain what he is talking about."
While he sensed the terror response was not a source of tension between the coalition partners, Nick Robinson said there was a striking mismatch between the government's rhetoric last week about what it was intending to do and the actual detail of what had been announced. | The UK can take action to stop British jihadists re-entering the country without flouting international law, Deputy PM Nick Clegg has insisted. |
35,572,389 | His Australian team-mates called him "Sir Voges" after he took his average above Bradman's 99.94 before it settled on 97.46 when he was out for 239 in the first Test in New Zealand on Sunday.
"I'm happy it's back under 100, it was never going to stay there," said Voges.
New Zealand ended day three on 178-4 in their second innings, 201 runs behind.
Voges' second Test double century, which propelled Australia to 562 in their first innings, should have ended when he was bowled for seven by Doug Bracewell.
However, he was reprieved by a no-ball call, that was later shown to be a legitimate delivery by television replays.
"I thought I was out," said Voges. "But to have that bit of luck and then capitalise on the second opportunity, I'm very happy.
"It was a bad leave and I turned around and looked at the stumps, went to walk off and saw the umpire's arm out. It was a little bit of luck."
Voges' 364-ball knock, which featured three sixes and 30 boundaries, was finally ended when he was caught and bowled by Mark Craig, a record 614 runs since he was last out.
He has now scored 1,267 runs since making his debut last year at the age of 35 against the West Indies.
New Zealand openers Tom Latham and Martin Guptill put on 81 for the first wicket but both were deceived by well-flighted deliveries from off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Guptill (45) was the first to fall, top-edging a delivery that was well caught by Mitchell Marsh, while Latham (63) hit a poor shot to Usman Khawaja at mid-off.
In between, Kane Williamson was restricted by Josh Hazlewood's disciplined bowling and he edged the Australian seamer to wicketkeeper Peter Nevill to depart for 22.
Captain Brendon McCullum was then given out leg before wicket to Marsh in the final over, a call that was upheld by the decision review system, to leave the Black Caps perilously placed. | Adam Voges said he was uncomfortable with comparisons to legendary Australia batsman Sir Donald Bradman, despite both having a Test average in the 90s. |
36,094,915 | If Real were to get a draw at Etihad Stadium on Tuesday, I would fancy them heavily in the second leg. So the first game is key for City.
Real's firepower means they will have chances in Manchester, of course, but City have match-winners too and they have to go for it while being clever and cautious at the same time.
It is going to be interesting who City manager Manuel Pellegrini goes with in midfield, where he needs to find that very delicate balance between trying to put Real on the back foot, while keeping the back door locked.
Yaya Toure's injury means City are likely to be without a key player and one of their main goal threats, but the form of Kevin de Bruyne means that is not as big a blow as it once would have been.
Although he was fit, there was no room for Toure in the second leg of City's quarter-final win over Paris St-Germain because of the partnership of Fernandinho and Fernando.
Playing at the heart of City's midfield in Pellegrini's 4-2-3-1 formation, the Brazilian duo gave City legs, discipline and defensive cover.
Fernandinho and Fernando protected the back four so well, allowed the full-backs to get forward and gave the front players a great platform to work from.
Should they be picked together there again against Real? Yes, 100%.
Two dedicated holding midfielders are very important against such a good attacking side because City are going to come under pressure at times.
In central defence, Eliaquim Mangala and Nicolas Otamendi played well against PSG.
But Vincent Kompany is fit again and, if he is sharp enough after being rested against Stoke on Saturday, I would pick him and play Mangala alongside him for his powerful, physical presence.
In a game like this one, you are looking for players who can conjure up a moment of brilliance in the final third to make something happen out of nothing.
It is in this area where Pellegrini has the most options, even with Toure unavailable.
Toure can score from anywhere at any time so, in a game where City need goals, he will be a big miss.
But one advantage of him being out is that, while De Bruyne has the legs to play wide, he is better in that number 10 role. So, by playing him there you use him in the position where he is most effective.
Because of how good De Bruyne's end product is, Pellegrini will want him on the ball as much as possible.
There are times when you can be nullified centrally if a team packs out their midfield and the only space is wide but, more often than not, you get more touches of the ball in the centre and that will mean De Bruyne can create more.
Playing there he is also likely to have more chances to score himself too.
The £55m Belgian scored crucial goals in both legs of the quarter-final and the onus will be on him and Sergio Aguero to provide the main goal threat again.
The problem with using De Bruyne as the number 10 is that it means pushing David Silva out wide, usually to the left.
That does not help to give the team width or protect his full-back, because he likes to drift inside himself.
Every time Silva does not track back, City will be vulnerable down the flanks because the Real full-backs will definitely push on when they are attacking.
From that point of view, Jesus Navas and Raheem Sterling offer the most pace and, with it, the most defensive cover.
But City need goals on Tuesday, so they cannot play both of them.
They lose a goal threat by playing Navas - he does not score enough - but Sterling has not played enough recently to get the nod in a game as big as this.
Silva is City's most creative player, which makes up for what he lacks defensively, so I would pick him on the left of De Bruyne, with Navas on the right.
Ideally all three of those players would offer a goal threat, but that trio gives the side balance and it is still an attacking selection.
I think that offers City their best hope. The away leg will be different, of course, but because they are at home and because they need goals, I would go with those three.
The simple fact is City, with the players they have got and the way they usually set up, are not capable of sitting off, parking the bus and trying to nick a goal.
There is no way changing their tactics and philosophy at this stage of the competition will get them a result anyway. They have to believe in their ability, and really go after Real to cause them problems.
It won't be easy, though. You can get at Real defensively but I don't think they will take their eye off the prize in the same way they did in the first leg of their quarter-final, when they lost 2-0 in Wolfsburg.
Even then, they still turned the tie around at the Bernabeu.
If he is fit, Cristiano Ronaldo is their main threat because of the sheer number of goals he scores - more than anyone else in the team - but clearly they have other danger men like Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema too.
Both teams are set up to score goals and I think we are going to see a terrific tie.
Can Man City do it? Possibly. But Pellegrini's side will have to play really well in both matches and ride their luck at times to win the tie over two legs,
I make Real favourites but, if they get it right on Tuesday, I think City have got a chance.
Danny Murphy was speaking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan | Manchester City definitely need to take a lead to the Bernabeu next week to give themselves a chance of winning their Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid. |
40,936,582 | Rahul, from Barnet in north London, impressed quizmaster Richard Osman by answering questions such as: "What is the scientific name for apricot?"
Rahul has an IQ of 162, which qualifies him to be a member of Mensa.
Twenty contestants aged eight to 12 will be whittled down to one winner over the course of a week.
Rahul also achieved full marks in a spelling test, correctly reciting the letters in words like garrulous, accouchement, and hyponatraemia (low level of sodium in the blood).
In a timed memory round, he answered 14 questions out of 15 correctly, but did not have time to answer the final question. He scored higher than any other participant.
Contestants will have their knowledge of maths tested on Tuesday.
Rahul's father, IT manager Menish, said: "As a comparison Rahul is as clever as Albert Einstein or Stephen Hawking."
Rahul, who says his favourite language is Latin, said: "I think I'm a genius.
"I'm good at mental maths, general knowledge and I find it quite easy to memorise stuff."
End of Twitter post by @StaceyAplin
End of Twitter post by @Dandare07
On Twitter, Stacy Aplin wrote: "Rahul is my new favourite person. He's such a CUTIE! #ChildGenius."
Dan Williamson wrote: "Fabio and Rahul are on another level, they will go far. #ChildGenius."
Although Rahul received the highest marks in the first round of the knowledge show, he was not the only person to capture the public's imagination.
Brother and sister Fabio and Olivia also sparked debate, while their ambitious mother Susan was the source of some amusement.
During the hour-long show Susan described herself as a "helicopter mum" who pushed her children to excel.
In an unorthodox move, the stay-at-home mum openly favoured her nine-year-old son Fabio over 12-year-old Olivia.
She said: "I love my daughter dearly, but I'm rooting for Fabio."
End of Twitter post by @noofs
End of Twitter post by @RedTracyHasting
Both siblings made it to the second round.
Twitter user Ruthie Gignell said: "The hardest thing about watching #ChildGenius was the heartbreaking, blatant favouritism Fabio and Olivia's mother showed towards her son."
Although the show has been criticised for putting children under pressure, the host said he "didn't mind people going through a bit of trauma".
"I don't mind people going through difficulty," Osman told the Radio Times.
"I don't mind people crying. Because that happens in life." | A 12-year-old contestant on Channel 4's Child Genius has stunned audiences by correctly answering every question he was asked on the show. |
37,082,501 | Staff at London's Palace Theatre have been told to refuse entry to anyone with tickets that have been resold.
One ticket for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which normally has a face value of up to £70, is currently for sale on a secondary website for £6,200.
Producers called the secondary ticket market "an industry-wide plague".
Sonia Friedman and Colin Callender said it was a matter "which we as producers take very seriously".
In a statement, they added: "Our priority is to protect all our customers and [we] are doing all we can to combat this issue. From the outset, accessible pricing has been of paramount importance to us.
"We have already been able to identify, and refuse entry to a significant number of people who purchased tickets through resale sites and will continue to track down touts and refuse entry to anyone who has knowingly bought a ticket from a tout through the secondary market."
On average, around one person per day has been turned away since previews of the play began in early June.
Tickets for the two-part show have been in huge demand, and fans have cursed touts who sell them on for inflated prices.
Re-selling tickets is not illegal, but the producers warn that any tickets that are advertised for sale on the internet, in newspapers or elsewhere will be "automatically void".
Only those bought from the two official ticketing platforms - Nimax and ATG - are allowed.
The show is sold out, although there is an online lottery every Friday in which 40 tickets are released for every performance the following week.
At the time of writing, one ticket to watch one part of the show from the stalls is on the Viagogo website for £6,213.76, while Stubhub is offering two tickets for both parts for £4,999 each.
Viagogo has not returned a request for comment. StubHub has previously said its sales were "driven by supply and demand" and that sellers "set the price for what they think the market will bear".
Meanwhile, the script of the play, written by Jack Thorne and approved by Potter author JK Rowling, has become the UK's fastest-selling book this decade.
Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram, or email [email protected]. | About 60 people have been turned away from the new Harry Potter play after buying tickets from unauthorised retailers, producers have said. |
28,783,713 | The idea came from designer Wayne Hemingway, part of the Dreamland planning team, who found the old illuminations in a yard in Blackpool.
"There were a fair amount basically rotting outside on an industrial estate near the airport," he said.
Blackpool councillor Graham Cain said it was a pleasure to be involved.
Dreamland closed in 2003 and its Grade II* listed Scenic Railway ride was damaged in an arson attack in 2008.
The site is being redeveloped with historical rides from around the UK as well as classic sideshows, vintage cafes, restaurants and gardens.
"We haven't got an awful lot of money to play with and one of the ideas was to see if there were any old seaside artefacts not being used around the country," said Mr Hemingway, who grew up in Morecambe.
"Obviously I know a lot about Lancashire and I thought 'I wonder what happens to all those illuminations in Blackpool?'."
The donated lights include light fountains, giant snowflakes, angels and devils and lettering from one year's Hawaiian theme.
"We've got all these big things that say 'aloha' but we are cutting them up and changing the letters round and spelling new things," said Mr Hemingway.
Mr Cain said Blackpool had many more illuminations than it could use in its six-mile display, which this year will be switched on on 29 August.
"We have got some great jewels here but its just that we haven't got the the space for them," he said.
"I'd like to see what our illuminations are like in another town.
"We're really really proud to be part of it and I'm looking forward to visiting Dreamland." | Lights from Blackpool Illuminations have been donated to Margate to be used in the Kent town's heritage theme park due to open at Dreamland next year. |
38,535,568 | The 23-year-old left-back came through the youth system at the Addicks, before making his debut for them in 2014 after a loan spell at Notts County.
Fox has made 116 appearances in total for League One Charlton.
He is cup-tied for the Owls FA Cup game at Middlesbrough on Sunday, but could make his debut in the next league match against Huddersfield on 14 January.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page or visit our Premier League tracker here. | Defender Morgan Fox has joined Championship side Sheffield Wednesday from Charlton for an undisclosed fee. |
38,479,727 | The 46-year-old who received an OBE in the New Year's Honours List, had been favourite to be Swansea new manager.
The Swans are now expected to appoint Paul Clement but Roberts says Coleman could manage his hometown club one day.
"It is an honour to manage your country and Chris has been doing that with great success and he would be reluctant to walk away from it," he said.
"I think it is inevitable that he is linked with most of the top jobs that are available at the moment, and since the summer, because of the fantastic job he has done with Wales.
"So I think that is quite natural. But of course, he is in a job and it is a fantastic job. It is an honour to manage your country and he has already stated publicly that this will be his last campaign.
"He will want to finish this campaign, hopefully by arriving in Russia in 2018. So if it all goes to plan - and we know that things change quickly in football - that would be his wish and hopefully it pans out like that.
"That is purely because this is probably Chris' one and only chance of managing Wales."
Media playback is not supported on this device
Coleman led Wales to the semi-final of Euro 2016 and Roberts thinks it is possible that he will one day want to manage Swansea, even if his immediate focus could be on a stint abroad.
"As he has stated already, his preference is to go back into club football, whether that be domestically or abroad [when his contract expires]," Roberts told BBC Radio Wales Sport.
"I don't think any job is bigger than managing your country.
"Perhaps there will be an opportunity to come and manage Swansea at the Liberty in the future, who knows? Whether he will want to do that or not remains to be seen.
"But Wales have some big games coming up and that is what our sole focus is on." | Wales assistant manager Osian Roberts says Chris Coleman will see out the remainder of his Wales contract. |
34,750,068 | The Moyola Park pro had been on course to qualify for next week's Tour School after sharing fifth spot at the halfway point in the pre-qualifier at El Saler.
But a wrist injury forced him to pull out before round three on Sunday.
The other Ulster hopefuls in the various pre-qualifiers in Spain look to be facing exits.
Alan Dunbar still has an outside chance of claiming a top-15 spot at Lumine in Tarragona.
Dunbar shot a one-under 70 to move to four under par which is five shots outside the current likely qualification mark.
Open Championship hero Paul Dunne also has work to do after a 71 left him sharing 25th spot two shots ahead of Dunbar while another Walker Cup player Gary Hurley is tied for 21st at the same venue on seven under.
Caldwell's hopes are over at Panoramica in Castillon after a third-round 77 left him on four over and 14 shots outside the current qualifying mark.
At the same venue, Warrenpoint man Colm Campbell is eight shots away from a qualifying position on two under after a 70 with Jack Hume also sharing 44th spot after his 72.
Brian Casey is on course to progress to PGA Catalunya next week after his superb 64 left him in second spot at Panoramica on 19 under.
Michael McGeady is six shots off a qualifying postion at El Saler after a 69 left him on two over while Richard Kilpatrick's hopes were extinguished after an 80 left him way off the pace on 10 over.
Rory McNamara's prospects also appear to have faded at the Valencia venue after a 73 left him sharing 54th spot on three over. | Chris Selfridge's hopes of staying on course for a European Tour card were wrecked as he was forced out of the qualifier in Valencia on Sunday. |
37,587,787 | Barkhuizen's opener in the rescheduled game was a volley that squeezed under Adam Collin from Michael Rose's cross.
The second was despatched from the spot after a handball by Louis Laing.
Vadaine Oliver scored late on, with Jon Stead, Alex Rodman and Jonathan Forte among those denied in a second-half flurry.
But the Shrimps held out, with former Nottingham Forest keeper Barry Roche in inspired form.
Torrential rain brought an early end to the initial fixture on Saturday, 1 October.
Match ends, Notts County 1, Morecambe 2.
Second Half ends, Notts County 1, Morecambe 2.
Attempt saved. Alex Rodman (Notts County) header from the centre of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.
Goal! Notts County 1, Morecambe 2. Vadaine Oliver (Notts County) header from the centre of the box to the top right corner. Assisted by Matt Tootle.
Corner, Notts County. Conceded by Alex Whitmore.
Substitution, Morecambe. Paul Mullin replaces Kevin Ellison.
Attempt missed. Richard Duffy (Notts County) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left following a corner.
Corner, Notts County. Conceded by Ryan Edwards.
Attempt blocked. Thierry Audel (Notts County) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Carl Dickinson (Notts County) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Kevin Ellison (Morecambe).
Foul by Jonathan Forte (Notts County).
Alex Whitmore (Morecambe) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt missed. Alex Rodman (Notts County) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left from a direct free kick.
Ryan Edwards (Morecambe) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Vadaine Oliver (Notts County) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Ryan Edwards (Morecambe).
Attempt blocked. Alex Rodman (Notts County) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Corner, Notts County. Conceded by Liam Wakefield.
Attempt saved. Alex Rodman (Notts County) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
Substitution, Morecambe. Ntumba Massanka replaces Michael Rose.
Attempt missed. Jonathan Forte (Notts County) left footed shot from the left side of the box is close, but misses to the left.
Attempt missed. Vadaine Oliver (Notts County) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left.
Substitution, Morecambe. Peter Murphy replaces Lee Molyneux.
Corner, Morecambe. Conceded by Louis Laing.
Jonathan Forte (Notts County) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Jonathan Forte (Notts County).
Andrew Fleming (Morecambe) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Attempt missed. Kevin Ellison (Morecambe) right footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left.
Jordan Richards (Notts County) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Andrew Fleming (Morecambe).
Substitution, Notts County. Vadaine Oliver replaces Jon Stead.
Substitution, Notts County. Aaron Collins replaces Graham Burke.
Substitution, Notts County. Thierry Audel replaces Haydn Hollis.
Louis Laing (Notts County) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Alex Whitmore (Morecambe).
Matt Tootle (Notts County) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by James Jennings (Morecambe).
Goal! Notts County 0, Morecambe 2. Tom Barkhuizen (Morecambe) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the centre of the goal.
Penalty conceded by Louis Laing (Notts County) with a hand ball in the penalty area. | Striker Tom Barkhuizen's two goals secured a 2-1 win at Notts County that lifts Morecambe into the League Two play-off places. |
38,624,641 | The tourists began day three on 80-4 in reply to the Proteas' 423, which had been anchored by centuries from JP Duminy (155) and Hashim Amla (134).
But Sri Lanka were skittled for 131 before lunch and asked to follow on.
They fared little better second time around in Johannesburg, only opener Dimuth Karunaratne (50) providing any resistance as they crumbled for 177.
Visiting skipper Angelo Mathews, dismissed twice for 19 and 10 in Johannesburg on Saturday, admitted his side had struggled in South African conditions.
With the Wanderers ground traditionally assisting seam bowlers with pace and bounce, a four-strong pace attack of Wayne Parnell (4-51), Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada and debutant Duanne Olivier did the damage - with the Proteas only needing to bowl one over of spin in the entire match.
"I have been part of many defeats, but as a captain it is certainly the worst defeat," said Mathews.
"We did our best by preparing pitches in Sri Lanka with lots of grass but unfortunately we couldn't handle it.
"Teams come to the subcontinent and struggle. We beat Australia 3-0 but we need to find a way to win overseas as well."
Find out how to get into cricket with our inclusive guide.
South Africa, having lost the number one Test ranking spot after their home defeat by England almost exactly a year ago, are now firmly in third place after this success, combined with Pakistan's 3-0 loss in Australia which has seen them drop to fifth.
Proteas captain Faf du Plessis said: "We want to get back to number one, although it could take a bit of time with the number of games India are playing there."
South Africa now meet Sri Lanka in three Twenty20 matches, beginning at Centurion on 20 January, and five one-day internationals. | South Africa wrapped up a 3-0 Test series whitewash after thrashing Sri Lanka by an innings and 118 runs. |
37,514,518 | Mills won gold in Rio with her partner Saskia Clark sailing in the 470 class.
But the 28-year-old from Cardiff is seeking a new challenge and will experiment with the FX class.
"I think this next year's a good opportunity for me to try something else just to keep it fresh and, in a years' time, I can make a decision of where I want to go," said Mills.
"I've been sailing in the 470 class now for 10 years. It's such an amazing boat and I've learnt so many amazing sailing skills from it.
"The new boat is a lot faster quite a different challenge. I'm really excited to try something new."
The FX is a two-person boat and is one of the five sailing classes open to women in the Olympics.
"We have a national competition coming up in November and that'll be my first opportunity racing that boat," Mills added.
Mill's sailing partner Saskia Clark was one of several British athletes who had their medical records leaked earlier this month.
The records showed Clark was given a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) to treat her asthma during the Beijing and London Olympics.
TUEs allow banned substances to be used for medical reasons.
"For us in sailing it's not a massive factor. There aren't many TUEs in sailing aside from something like an asthma inhaler," said Mills.
"We aren't even that aware of what even people could take and get a TUE for. It's something that needs to be under scrutiny to make the process better and to make sure all the athletes are happy.
"I've spoken to Saskia and she totally relaxed. It's hard for us to even comprehend that it would be an issue because in sailing there's so much going on. Fitness is a huge part of it but there are 50 million other things we have to worry about." | Wales' Olympic sailing champion Hannah Mills is considering changing boats ahead of the Tokyo Games in 2020. |
34,260,212 | The local authority's cabinet gave the go-ahead for the facility that will cater for youngsters aged three to 19.
It will include a revamped library, community cinema and sporting facilities.
It is also hoped it will be a catalyst for attracting further investment, such as in a proposed international standard 3G playing field. | More than £10 million will be invested in a new learning campus on the site of Ysgol y Berwyn, Bala, Gwynedd. |
40,174,407 | The 29-year-old moved to City in 2014 from Arsenal Ladies, having also played for Leeds United Ladies after starting her career at Sunderland Women.
She has won 85 caps for her country and has led the national side since 2014, as well as playing for Great Britain at the London Olympics in 2012.
"I've only ever seen my future at the club," she told the club website.
"This will be my fourth season and I've loved every single minute of it. I had no intention of going anywhere else and this is my home now."
The length of Houghton's new contract has not been disclosed.
Media playback is not supported on this device | England captain Steph Houghton has signed a new contract with Manchester City Women. |
29,056,829 | This year's prize focused on garden cities, and the government said it was watching with interest.
Winner David Rudlin suggested Norwich, Northampton, Oxford and Rugby were among places which could be expanded as part of the scheme.
Many of the towns could be doubled in size, providing hundreds of thousands of new homes, he said.
The question for entries was: "How would you deliver a new garden city which is visionary, economically viable and popular?"
A government-run process on identifying options for new garden cities is already under way.
Garden cities are large-scale developments in which, according to the government, certain features can be "hardwired into designs from the beginning".
The government has said it does not want to "impose any definition of what garden cities are", but features can include "quality design, gardens, accessible green space near homes, access to employment, and local amenities".
Britain's oldest garden city is Letchworth in Hertfordshire, dating from 1903.
Mr Rudlin, of urban design consultancy Urbed, said the next government should introduce a Garden Cities Act under which towns and cities could bid for garden city status, but he said settlements should not have it imposed on them.
The towns and cities he identified for possible expansion also include Reading and Stafford.
In 2013, the construction of 109,370 new homes was completed in England - the lowest figure for four years - but government figures suggest 221,000 new homes are needed every year in England and Wales.
Oxford was one of the cities identified by Mr Rudlin, and Oxfordshire County Council leader Ian Hudspeth said he welcomed the "stimulus" that the Wolfson Prize had given to the debate.
"Our economic plan proposes that 80,000 new jobs and 100,000 new homes need to be built by 2031 across the county," he said.
"Therefore, we cannot rely on small, short-term fixes - we need to think of larger, bolder solutions."
Prize founder Lord Wolfson said he was "delighted" the competition had attracted "so many powerful and creative proposals".
"David's entry is a tour de force of economic and financial analysis, creative thinking and bold, daring ideas," he said,
"I congratulate him and his team on a fantastic contribution to the debate on how we can deliver great new places for future generations to live, work and play in."
BBC local government correspondent Mike Sergeant said Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg had been a "particularly vocal supporter" of new garden cities, taking inspiration from long-standing garden cities including Letchworth and Welwyn.
The Wolfson Prize is said to be the second-biggest cash award in economics - after the Nobel Prize.
A £50,000 runner-up prize was given to housing charity Shelter, which proposed a settlement of up to 48,000 people at Stoke Harbour on the peninsula between the Thames and Medway rivers. | A plan to give "garden city" status to up to 40 English towns has won the £250,000 Wolfson economics prize. |
33,747,169 | The SFO said the matter was related to corruption in Somalia.
In a statement, Soma said it was "confident" that there was "no basis" to the allegation.
The company's directors include former Conservative Party leader Lord Howard and Lord Clanwilliam, but Soma said "no suspicion whatsoever" was attached to either man.
The SFO released a statement saying whistleblowers were "valuable sources of information".
It added: "We welcome approaches from anyone with inside information on all our cases including this one - we can be contacted through our secure reporting channel, which can be accessed via the SFO website."
Soma said the allegations were from a third party, not from a current or former employee.
"Soma Oil and Gas has always conducted its activities in a completely lawful and ethical manner and expects this matter to be resolved in the near future," it added.
The BBC understands that a UN monitoring group has also been investigating Soma over a capacity building programme which it signed with the Somalian government last year.
Many major oil companies withdrew from Somalia in the early 1990s when civil war began.
According to the company website, Soma Oil and Gas was founded in 2013 to "pursue oil and gas exploration opportunities in Somalia". | The Serious Fraud Office has opened a criminal investigation into British company Soma Oil and Gas. |
11,341,139 | At the heart of the dispute are eight uninhabited islands and rocks in the East China Sea. They have a total area of about 7 sq km and lie north-east of Taiwan, east of the Chinese mainland and south-west of Japan's southern-most prefecture, Okinawa. The islands are controlled by Japan.
They matter because they are close to important shipping lanes, offer rich fishing grounds and lie near potential oil and gas reserves. They are also in a strategically significant position, amid rising competition between the US and China for military primacy in the Asia-Pacific region.
Japan says it surveyed the islands for 10 years in the 19th Century and determined that they were uninhabited. On 14 January 1895 Japan erected a sovereignty marker and formally incorporated the islands into Japanese territory.
After World War Two, Japan renounced claims to a number of territories and islands including Taiwan in the 1951 Treaty of San Francisco. These islands, however, came under US trusteeship and were returned to Japan in 1971 under the Okinawa reversion deal.
Japan says China raised no objections to the San Francisco deal. And it says that it is only since the 1970s, when the issue of oil resources in the area emerged, that Chinese and Taiwanese authorities began pressing their claims.
China says that the islands have been part of its territory since ancient times, serving as important fishing grounds administered by the province of Taiwan.
Taiwan was ceded to Japan in the Treaty of Shimonoseki in 1895, after the Sino-Japanese war.
When Taiwan was returned in the Treaty of San Francisco, China says the islands should have been returned too. Beijing says Taiwan's Kuomintang leader Chiang Kai-shek did not raise the issue, even when the islands were named in the later Okinawa reversion deal, because he depended on the US for support.
Separately, Taiwan also claims the islands.
The dispute has rumbled relatively quietly for decades. But in April 2012, a fresh row ensued after outspoken right-wing Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara said he would use public money to buy the islands from their private Japanese owner.
The Japanese government then reached a deal to buy three of the islands from the owner in a move to block Mr Ishihara's more provocative plan.
But this angered China, triggering public and diplomatic protests. Since then, Chinese government ships have regularly sailed in and out of what Japan says are its territorial waters around the islands.
In November 2013, China also announced the creation of a new air-defence identification zone, which would require any aircraft in the zone - which covers the islands - to comply with rules laid down by Beijing.
Japan labelled the move a "unilateral escalation" and said it would ignore it, as did the US.
The US and Japan forged a security alliance in the wake of World War II and formalised it in 1960. Under the deal, the US is given military bases in Japan in return for its promise to defend Japan in the event of an attack.
This means if conflict were to erupt between China and Japan, Japan would expect US military back-up. US President Barack Obama has confirmed that the security pact applies to the islands - but has also warned that escalation of the current row would harm all sides.
The Senkaku/Diaoyu issue highlights the more robust attitude China has been taking to its territorial claims in both the East China Sea and the South China Sea. It poses worrying questions about regional security as China's military modernises amid the US "pivot" to Asia.
In both China and Japan, meanwhile, the dispute ignites nationalist passions on both sides, putting pressure on politicians to appear tough and ultimately making any possible resolution even harder to find. | Ties between China and Japan have been strained by a territorial row over a group of islands, known as the Senkaku islands in Japan and the Diaoyu islands in China. |
35,949,775 | The American four-division world champion failed to make the weight for Friday's WBA bout in Washington.
The fight at the DC Armory still went ahead, but only Theophane, 35, was eligible to win the world title.
However, referee Luis Pabon halted the contest in the ninth round, meaning the belt remains vacant.
Theophane, who weighed on the 140-pound limit, was on the ropes in the second round and had a swollen eye by the fourth.
The Briton recovered to land solid punches in the sixth, seventh and eighth rounds, but the bout was stopped in the ninth after Broner hit back with a body shot and a right hook.
"I always could do better but I did what I had to do to get the victory," Broner, 26, said.
"I've been going through a lot this week and to come in here and bottle everything up and stay focused and get it done, I want to give a pat on the back to myself." | Britain's Ashley Theophane failed in his attempt to claim the World Boxing Association super lightweight title after being stopped by Adrien Broner. |
39,264,234 | DUP MP Sammy Wilson told the BBC Monday's shooting was part of an ongoing paramilitary feud in the area.
The victim is understood to be a high-profile loyalist.
Mr Wilson said things had escalated to the point where one side "in broad daylight and unmasked had taken the opportunity to try to kill".
There has been an ongoing feud between loyalist factions in Carrickfergus for months, and Mr Wilson said there was a chance of retaliation in the area.
"There is no point in me or anyone else appealing to the two sides to back off, the police should make quick arrests and put people behind bars to send out a message that if this continues then people will be caught and they will serve long times in jail," he said.
The gun attack happened at Pinewood Avenue in Woodburn on Monday afternoon.
The ambulance service received a call at about 14:15 GMT following reports of a man with a gunshot wound, and he was taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast.
DUP MLA David Hillditch said: "When guns are brought on to the street in broad daylight in a heavily built up area, it only brings home the dangers that are involved in this type of feud.
Alliance MLA Stewart Dickson said the attack had "cast a shadow" over the area.
"Any attack of this nature where a weapon is discharged is incredibly scary for the community," he said.
"Who knows what the risks are - obviously an individual has been seriously injured, but on top of that there there are people living in houses locally, there are schools and businesses in the area that are vulnerable to this type of attack.
"It is absolutely appalling."
The shooting came after a serious assault on a door man at a nearby bar on Sunday.
Two brothers and another man from Carrickfergus appeared at Belfast Magistrates' Court on Monday charged with attempted murder. | A man who is in a critical condition after being shot in the neck in Carrickfergus, County Antrim has been named locally as George Gilmore. |
36,682,140 | The "modern memorial" involved about 1,500 voluntary participants appearing in public spaces across the UK.
Photos and reactions to the project quickly spread across social media, connected by the #wearehere hashtag.
Each carried a card with the name of the soldier they represented and his age - if known - when he died.
The Battle of the Somme, one of the bloodiest of World War One, began on 1 July 1916. All of the 1,500 men represented died on the first day of fighting.
More than one million men were killed and wounded on all sides during the five-month conflict, with the British suffering a total of nearly 60,000 casualties on the first day alone.
The project, entitled We're Here Because We're Here, was commissioned by 14-18 NOW, the UK's arts programme for the World War One centenary.
The day-long event - code-named Project Octagon - saw "ghost Tommies" appear at shopping centres, train stations and high streets and beaches.
The Royal Exchange in Manchester, Birmingham Repertory Theatre and the National Theatres of Scotland and Wales were among 25 organisations involved.
According to organisers, it "broke new ground in terms of its scale, breadth, reach and the number of partners and participants involved".
Turner Prize winner Deller said he wanted to make "a contemporary memorial... that moved around the UK with unpredictability".
Norris described the work as "a truly national piece of theatre" that offered "a powerful way to remember the men who went off to fight 100 years ago."
The volunteers, who were drawn from a range of professions, were aged between 16 and 52, reflecting the ages of the men who would have fought in the Somme.
Jenny Waldman, director of 14-18 NOW, said the project had given "hundreds of young people across the UK the chance to find out more about... the bloodiest day in British military history."
Comedian Dawn French was among those to post a picture on Twitter, asking: "Has anyone seen WW1 soldiers on their commute this mornin?!"
Many others have posted their own pictures of soldiers they have sighted in locations as far afield as Chester, Glasgow and Newcastle.
Norris and Deller are appearing live on BBC Radio 4's Front Row at 19:15 BST to discuss the project.
Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram at bbcnewsents, or email [email protected]. | National Theatre head Rufus Norris and artist Jeremy Deller were behind a Somme commemoration project with men dressed as World War One soldiers. |
38,484,217 | 1 January 2017 Last updated at 16:31 GMT
It is the fourth time the Peak District open air pool has opened on the first day of the year.
Assistant Manager George Foy said regular swimmers and some novices enjoyed their dip in the 10C pool. | Hundreds of people took an outdoor plunge in the Hathersage Lido in land-locked Derbyshire to celebrate New Year's Day. |
35,722,733 | Cardinal Pell met privately with a group of survivors who flew to Rome to watch him testify to an Australian Royal Commission into child abuse.
The cardinal gave his evidence from Rome via video link due to ill health.
A spokesman for the survivors, David Ridsdale, said they had "an honest dialogue" at Thursday's meeting.
"There were no formalities... it was extremely personal in terms of what everyone was allowed to say and responded to," he said.
"This has been a very long, long process and this is just another step in that it doesn't change drastically the reality of institutional systemic abuse across the world that was covered up, it doesn't change that."
The group initially refused to see Pell, but said they met on a "level playing field" after some conditions surrounding the discussion were removed.
Cardinal Pell described the two-hour-long meeting as "hard", "honest" and "occasionally emotional".
He told reporters he was committed to working with the group to help stop suicides and end suffering.
"One suicide is too many. And there have been many such tragic suicides," he said.
On his fourth day of testimony on Thursday, Cardinal Pell admitted that a student told him a priest was "misbehaving with boys" in the 1970s.
He told the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse that he did not act because the student did not ask him to do anything about the complaint.
The cardinal also said it was a "disastrous coincidence" that five paedophiles came to be at the same school and parish in Ballarat in Victoria state the 1970s.
The Catholic Church in Australia has already accepted that there were hundreds of cases of abuse by paedophile priests over more than 80 years. | Vatican treasurer Cardinal George Pell has promised to help lower suicide rates among people who were abused by Catholic priests as children. |
22,354,517 | Scientists have converted two of the 43 bunkers at the former Loring Air Force Base, Maine, which has been a wildlife reserve since the mid-1990s.
The artificial hibernacula are designed to safeguard bats from the disease that was first recorded in the US in 2006.
White-nose syndrome (WNS) has killed up to an estimated 6.7 million bats so far and is continuing to spread.
(Source: US Fish & Wildlife Service)
Bats videos, news and facts from BBC Nature
The disease, first described in a cave system in the state of New York, affects hibernating species is now found in 22 US states and five Canadian provinces.
The once secretive site in Maine, which was the closest US-based airbase to Moscow and a key asset for the US Strategic Air Command during the Cold War, was closed in 1994 before being reborn as the Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge.
Steve Agius, the refuge's assistant manager, said that staff felt the derelict grass-roofed bunkers had more potential ecologically than just offering nesting sites for sandpipers and sparrows.
"The bunkers remained a curiosity for years and biological staff speculated that perhaps the structures could provide overwintering hibernacula for bats," he said.
The devastating impact of WNS on a growing number of US bat species led to the bunkers being assessed as potential winter homes for hibernating bats.
As a result, one of the bunkers was modified by US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) staff, and 30 male little-brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) arrived at their new winter home in December 2012.
The bunker's conversion included installing roosting places for the bats and CCTV to monitor the hibernating mammals.
Ann Froschauer, the USFWS WNS spokeswoman, explained the merits of using these artificial caves in the battle against the killer disease.
"One of the problems about WNS is that the fungus persists in the environment for an unknown amount of time and does not require bats as a host," she explained.
"If there are no bats then the fungus goes back to doing its normal soil function, such as degrading organic matter. Then, if any new bats come into the area, they are exposed to it."
Highlighting a fundamental barrier in curbing the transmission of the disease, Ms Froschauer added: "We cannot go into a natural cave or mine that has a lot of diversity - a lot of naturally occurring fungi - and then spray some sort of chemical.
The US has 45 recorded species of bat living in the country. More than half hibernate in order to survive the winter months.
To date, experts have said that 11 species have either been directly affected by WNS or the disease poses a risk to their long-term survival.
Species with recorded WNS cases:
(The gray bat and Indiana bat are federally listed as endangered species)
Species that have tested positive for the fungus (Geomyces destructans) but have not developed WNS:
(Source: Whitenosesyndrome.org)
"But in a human-made structure, like a bunker, we can go into a site like that [after the bats have left] and we can actually scrub a place down."
However, she said that even if the vast resources - financial and technical - needed to build a network of refuges for bats were available, the process of hibernation still held secrets waiting to be unlocked by science.
"Hibernation is something we are getting a lot better handle on but we do not really understand all of the things that are going on," she told BBC News.
"It is tough to hibernate bats and make sure we have all the right conditions - there are a lot of challenges."
The challenges facing attempts to extend this possible solution across the country were highlighted when biologists found that only nine bats - less than a third of the artificial colony - survived the winter.
Steve Agius observed: "While some of the bats survived the capture, transportation, and hibernation, it is clear that increasing the overwinter survival rate is essential when considering the value of further developing artificial hibernacula."
WNS has been described by some biologists as the worst wildlife health crisis in the US in living memory.
It is named after a white fungal infection that appears on the muzzle and/or wings of infected animals.
Researchers say the fungus (Geomyces destructans) thrives in the dark, damp conditions - such as caves and mines.
Studies suggest the fungus arrived in the US after it was somehow transported (probably via humans) from Europe or possibly Asia.
No turning back
Ms Froschauer said frontline efforts were focused on biosecurity in the guise of decontamination and restricting access to places where the disease was known to be present.
She explained US Geological Survey scientists had been able to cultivate viable fungal spores from tiny samples of soil, raising fears of a nightmare scenario of WNS being transported by humans or freight to western US states.
"A tiny chuck of soil - smaller than a US Dime - could easily be stuck in the tread of your shoe could easily be moved, especially if you were to jump on an aeroplane and not even be aware of it," she observed.
In order to minimise the risk of the disease being transported to unaffected areas, the USFWS and other agencies have produce decontamination documents for cavers, researchers and other groups that could come into contact with the fungus.
Even though efforts are being made to stop the disease spreading rapidly, WNS is still extending its range. In its recent update, the US FWS said the disease had been confirmed in Quebec, Canada - the most northerly case to date.
This suggests that the pathogen has not yet reached its limits in terms of how far it can spread geographically, meaning that bat experts and conservationists in these areas have to be on alert for signs of the disease.
Ms Froschauer said experts were resigned to the notion that strategies would have to focus on how to manage the disease, rather than eradicate it from the landscape.
"I expect to see over the next few years the spread continuing in those areas that are just getting the disease," she observed.
"We appear to be observing some sort of timeline between when the disease arrives to when we start to see these population level effects.
"To date, it is not slowing down, it is not stopping its spread."
She said evidence seemed to suggest that there was about a two to three year period between the disease first arriving in an area and signs that it was having an impact at a population level.
"We are getting a lot better at detecting the presence of the fungus earlier, we are finding the fungus in advance of seeing the disease manifest itself.
"A couple of years ago, the only way we knew there were affected bats was because we saw bats with the visible fungus growing on them and observing the behavioural changes."
Ms Froschauer explained that the scientific consensus was that this disease was here to stay and it was not going to be possible to "unpick what had been done".
"We will never see bat populations in the eastern US and Canada at pre-WNS levels in our lifetimes, or for generations afterwards," she warned.
"Our best bet now is to work towards how we can contain the disease while we are working on the science side of things and the other things that could interrupt the cycle of the disease and allow us to work towards the conservation of bats." | Cold War nuclear bunkers are the latest attempt to safeguard US bat populations under attack from white-nose syndrome. |
37,887,937 | After an emergency cabinet meeting, Arvind Kejriwal promised a raft of measures to combat the extreme air pollution.
All construction and demolition work has been banned for five days in the city.
Water will also be sprinkled on main roads to help suppress dust.
Mr Kejriwal advised Delhi-ites to stay indoors as much as possible and work from home if they can.
Polluted Delhi has 'become a gas chamber'
Delhi chokes after Diwali fireworks
Delhi 'car ban' policy fails to dent pollution
Other measures announced by the government include fighting fires at landfill sites, and shutting down the coal-based Badarpur power plant.
About 1,800 municipal schools had already been shut in the capital on Saturday because of pollution.
The move came after levels of PM2.5 - tiny particles that can clog people's lungs - soared to over 90 times the level considered safe by the World Health Organization (WHO) and 15 times the Indian government's norms.
Hundreds of people wearing face masks held protests at Delhi's Jantar Mantar monument on Sunday, sharing their fears and frustrations on social media using the hashtag #MyRightToBreathe
India's NDTV quoted an official of the India Meteorological Department, who said visibility in Delhi was just 200m (656ft) at 8.30am local time, "caused by the heavy fog and smoke".
Mr Kejriwal called on India's national government to help control the smog which has enveloped the city since Diwali.
The Hindu Festival of Lights is widely celebrated with fireworks, which release soot and dust into the air.
During the winter months, Delhi's pollution is aggravated by many of the city's poor burning rubbish at night to stay warm.
Agricultural waste is also set on fire around Delhi to clear cropland, and burns for days on end. Technically such fires are banned, but attempts to impose cash fines on farmers who break the law have done little to stop them.
Delhi's air pollution levels have been a concern for some time, and the Indian capital has vied with Beijing for the unwanted title of "world's most polluted city".
The Delhi government has tried various schemes to contain the problem, including a crackdown on diesel vehicles, and a car rationing scheme where those with odd and even registration numbers were banned from the roads on alternate days.
Air pollution is a leading cause of premature death in India. WHO figures show that about 620,000 people perish every year from pollution-related diseases. | Delhi's chief minister has shut all schools in the Indian capital for three days as its citizens struggle with choking smog. |
37,529,829 | Media playback is not supported on this device
Allardyce left his role after the Daily Telegraph claimed he told undercover reporters posing as businessmen how to "get around" player transfer rules.
Frenchman Arsene Wenger, who manages Arsenal, and Tottenham's Argentine boss Mauricio Pochettino have said they would be open to taking the job.
"We have to be managed by an English person," Shearer told Football Focus.
Football Association chief executive Martin Glenn has said he is not "wedded to the fact" Allardyce's replacement has to be English.
He added Wenger, 66, would "fit the criteria perfectly".
Media playback is not supported on this device
Shearer, who scored 30 goals in 63 appearances for England, believes the FA needs to better utilise players who have recently retired from international football.
The 46-year-old believes they can provide valuable guidance on "what has gone wrong in previous years".
"We've got to try and find ways to incentivise our former international players who are coming towards the end of their careers to stay in the game," he said.
"A lot of them now are multi-millionaires so there is no incentive for them to stay in the game.
"We've got to try to find a way to keep Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Rio Ferdinand in the game."
Media playback is not supported on this device | Sam Allardyce's successor as England manager has to be English, says former Three Lions captain Alan Shearer. |
40,628,317 | The man, who was suffering from back pain, was on the Wipeout ride at Pleasurewood Hills in Suffolk.
Firefighters had to use a cherry picker to reach him on Sunday afternoon.
Park-goer Bryony Davies said the incident lasted at least two hours. "Wipeout got stuck at the top and staff did incredibly well to get people down," she added.
Around 20 firefighters rescued the man in his 40s, who was taken to hospital in Gorleston from the park, near Lowestoft.
More news from Suffolk
Group Commander Ali Moseley said by the time fire crews had arrived, park staff had "managed to get the rollercoaster car down to an elevated platform after it seemed to get stuck in a very high position".
He added: "The car was about three metres off the ground in an awkward position as there was only an angled platform to stand on around the car to get access to him.
"The incident was caused because there seemed to be a fault with the ride. It didn't result in any massive injury, but there was some injury to the individual."
Mr Moseley said the other people on the ride were "quickly evacuated before the fire service arrived".
Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service described it as an "unusual" call-out.
A spokeswoman for Pleasurewood Hills said it was "a minor incident that was dealt with by [our] team". | A man had to be rescued by firefighters after a rollercoaster became stuck "in a very high position" on its tracks. |
40,764,950 | The Uefa Women's U19 Championship represents so much more for the teenage student from Ballynahinch in County Down.
To prove Northern Ireland can mix it with the continent's elite, the chance to catch the eye of professional clubs and to inspire girls to get on the football pitch and follow in their footsteps.
It's an opportunity to be seized with both hands and the Cliftonville Ladies midfielder is determined not to miss out.
"We're not here just to make up the numbers - we're a very good side and we aim to show that in the tournament," said Chelsea fan Emma.
"It's fantastic that Northern Ireland is hosting such a big event and it opens up possibilities for all us.
"There will be plenty of scouts at the games so a few good performances could make a big difference to our careers.
"We all dream of playing professional football, like some of the Northern Ireland senior women's team, and it's an added incentive to impress when it all starts next week.
"It would also be great if the tournament encourages more girls to play football and hopefully we'll have plenty of young fans at the matches."
Emma's passion for the game was ignited at the age of four, kicking a ball about in the garden with her sister.
Team football meant playing alongside boys but Emma excelled and was marked out early as a leader by skippering her side.
Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard were childhood heroes but now her footballing role models, including England winger Karen Carney, are found in the female ranks.
It reflects the growth and increased profile of women's football, with Northern Ireland but one example.
From a starting point of 18 teams in the 1970s, the NI Women's Football Association now boasts 55 sides.
There is also the elite Women's Premiership, a seven-team league formed last year and where Emma hones her skills.
Media coverage is on the increase and Northern Ireland's three group games will be streamed live on the BBC Sport website.
"The publicity has been brilliant so far and and it's really encouraging for us that so many people will following our progress in the tournament," added Emma.
"I was just treated as another player in the boys team and being a girl has never been a barrier for me, I've always been encouraged.
"The women's game is really taking off here and it would be great if in years to come it became semi-professional like the men's Irish Premiership.
"Simone Magill is at Everton and is among many in the senior international team to play in England - I'm just 18, I've plenty of years ahead of me and they are an inspiration, showing what is possible for us."
Northern Ireland kick off the tournament on Tuesday against a Spain side which has reached the final four times in the last five years.
Celtic neighbours Scotland are next up at Windsor Park before a final group game against six-times champions Germany.
It's a tall order for Alfie Wylie's team but they are high on confidence after two impressive wins over Wales a fortnight ago in the Super Cup NI youth tournament.
Media playback is not supported on this device
An opening 3-1 victory at the Ballymena Showgrounds was followed by a 4-0 hammering, which included a top-corner cracker from the Northern Ireland captain.
"That was definitely my best international goal and it was a superb performance from the team," said Emma.
"Our preparations are going so well and there's a real buzz in the squad, we can't wait to get started on Tuesday.
"We're massive underdogs but that suits us fine as we're determined to prove the doubters wrong and hopefully spring a surprise.
"Yes, it's going to be tough but this is Northern Ireland's first time in the finals and we are relishing the challenge." | Leading out the hosts in a major European tournament will be just one box ticked for Northern Ireland skipper Emma McMaster. |
40,495,870 | After United's Europa League final win against Ajax on 24 May, Mourinho said he had given executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward a list of transfer targets.
Senior United figures spoke privately about signing three or four players.
There could be developments later this week, but so far the only new signing has been 22-year-old defender Victor Lindelof from Benfica for £31m.
It is understood Mourinho wants at least one forward to compensate for the loss of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 35, because of injury, as well as a holding midfield player.
Efforts to sign Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann, 26, for a fee that would have come close to the world record £89m United paid Juventus for midfielder Paul Pogba 12 months ago were compromised by Ibrahimovic's major knee injury, which will keep him out until the New Year.
Atletico were also banned from buying players during the current transfer window and Griezmann signed a new contract, retaining a 100m euros release clause.
Another potential target, Everton striker Romelu Lukaku, 24, is thought to be more interested in joining Chelsea, so Real Madrid's Alvaro Morata, 24, has emerged as United's preferred striking option.
However, efforts to do a deal with Real have, thus far, met with frustration.
His father and agent met with Real officials at the Bernabeu on Monday and although it is still anticipated a transfer will happen, United's departure for their five-match pre-season tour of the USA on Sunday has created an artificial deadline there is no certainty of meeting.
Tottenham's Eric Dier, 23, and Chelsea's Nemanja Matic, 28, have been spoken of by club officials as possible additions to fill the holding midfield role.
However, any attempt to get Dier would involve protracted discussions with Tottenham, which United have never found easy.
It is understood Chelsea will not even entertain the prospect releasing Matic until they have completed the transfer of 22-year-old France midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko from Monaco.
United officials also spoke to Inter Milan about winger Ivan Perisic, 28, but that move is hampered by the Italian side's improved financial situation, meaning they have no urgent need to sell.
The situation is somewhat different to 12 months ago, when Ibrahimovic, centre-half Eric Bailly and midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan were all signed two weeks before United went on their pre-season tour of the Far East, with Pogba coming in later.
Mourinho is mindful his squad needed improving, as - despite winning the EFL Cup and Europa League last season - they finished sixth in the Premier League.
Tour matches against Manchester City, Real Madrid and Barcelona in particular will offer an indication about how much improvement is required. | Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is unimpressed by the club's lack of summer transfer dealings. |
39,584,969 | Network Rail and British Transport Police figures show an 11% rise in incidents to 8,265, compared with 2015.
Some 115 people have been killed on rail tracks over the past five years, with almost half of them aged under 25.
Network Rail and the police said taking a short cut was the most common reason given for trespassing, followed by thrill-seeking.
CCTV shows 'shocking' railway trespassing in Yorkshire
Simon Munn was one such person who took a short cut, and lost his leg as a result.
When he was 22, he trespassed over a track on the way home from the pub to avoid an extra five-minute walk to a crossing.
"As I crossed the track I got my foot caught," he said.
"I don't know how long I was there, but I heard the train coming. I couldn't move.
"Trains moving that fast can't stop in time to miss you and they can't swerve. It's too late by then."
He had to have his leg amputated and spent weeks in hospital.
"Now I really know what the cost of trespassing and taking short cuts can be.
"I was lucky it wasn't my life," added Mr Munn, who has since represented Britain at the 2012 and 2016 Paralympics in wheelchair basketball.
The number of people trespassing on tracks started being recorded in 2007.
Now, on average, one person commits the offence nearly every hour, according to the statistics.
Allan Spence, Network Rail's head of public and passenger safety, said there was a "huge" and "worrying" rise each year.
"Britain has the safest railway in Europe but still too many people lose their lives on the tracks," he added.
"The dangers may not always be obvious, but the electricity on the railway is always on and trains can travel up to 125mph.
"Even if they see you, they can't stop in time." | More than 8,000 people trespassed on railways across the UK in 2016 - the highest number since records began. |
28,036,063 | Sgt Joseph Campbell, a father-of-eight, was shot dead as he closed Cushendall RUC station in County Antrim in 1977.
"Senior RUC officers and management had information on a very specific threat and failed to respond," Police Ombudsman Michael Maguire said.
But he said he did not believe the RUC colluded in the murder.
In his report, published on Friday, he said senior RUC officers failed to act on warnings from junior officers concerning a specific threat against Sgt Campbell, made long before he was murdered.
Speaking on BBC NI's Good Morning Ulster on Friday, Dr Maguire said the head of special branch at that time knew about this threat and it was "highly likely" that the chief constable at the time, Kenneth Newman, also knew.
However, Mr Newman told the ombudsman investigation that he did not remember this.
"There was no corrective action taken by the RUC to warn Joe Campbell, increase patrols or move him from his position, none of that happened," Dr Maguire said.
"There was a prolonged failure in duty to the Campbell family."
Dr Maguire said the original investigation into the murder was "very poor" and that the 1980 investigation had been undermined by a lack of information.
"The impact of the murder of Joe Campbell reverberated throughout RUC at the time, I was surprised the chief constable did not recollect it," he said.
"There is no doubt in my mind that the Campbell family were failed by the RUC."
In his 50-page report, Dr Maguire found that the two criminal investigations into the shooting had been flawed, and hampered by the withholding of sensitive intelligence information, including the threats to the victim's life.
The Campbell family has welcomed elements of the ombudsman's report, but said they were unhappy that Dr Maguire's investigation did not find evidence of RUC collusion with loyalist paramilitaries.
Sgt Campbell had been a well-known and respected police officer in the County Antrim community for many years.
The shooting took place on the evening of 25 February 1977 and since then, his widow and children have campaigned for more information about the circumstances surrounding his death.
The Campbell family believe that the killing was carried out by a loyalist paramilitary - Robin Jackson - with the aid of rogue elements of the security forces.
Jackson was a member of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF).
Joe Campbell Jr told BBC Radio's Good Morning Ulster programme that he had been in his father's police station in connection with an unrelated matter shortly before the murder.
"He came down to the station, he was unexpected there and as I was leaving, he opened the gate for me and told me to get home quickly," Mr Campbell said.
"I didn't think anything of it at the time, but not more than 10 minutes later he was murdered at the gates he had let me out of."
Another son, Tommy, said his father's moods had changed dramatically in the months before the murder.
"He had become more conscious about his own personal security. He was careful about what we were doing and where we were about," he said.
"It's well documented that on the night this happened, a phone call was received.
"He went to the station. He put on his own personal protection weapon, which he never wore. He just didn't wear a gun at all at any stage.
"While we are aware at the time that something a bit different was going on, it's only after the murder, and in latter years, that we could contextualise it."
While the family has alleged a wider conspiracy of a cover-up, Dr Maguire said he had been unable to substantiate all of their allegations.
However, he found both the victim and his family were failed by the actions of the RUC before and after the shooting.
Dr Maguire said: "I have to conclude that Sgt Campbell, a dedicated community police officer in the Glens of Antrim, was failed by senior members of the police service, of which he was a respected member."
He added that there was "sufficient, reliable evidence that senior police officers throughout the RUC's command structure" were aware of the threats to Sgt Campbell's life and "failed to act upon them".
Dr Maguire said he uncovered the systematic destruction and removal of RUC documents, and adds that some retired RUC officers refused to cooperate with his investigation.
There were two RUC investigations into the murder of Sgt Campbell, carried out in 1977 and 1980.
As a result of the 1980 investigation, a member of RUC Special Branch in Ballymena, County Antrim, was arrested and tried for the murder.
The Crown case had been that a "rogue" Special Branch member had been carrying out criminal activities, including armed robberies in County Antrim, and had murdered Sgt Campbell to prevent him from passing on information about him.
The Special Branch officer was acquitted of murder.
Thirty years later, Police Ombudsman inquiries into the killing uncovered new evidence, but the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) decided no further prosecutions would follow.
The Police Ombudsman's investigators heard from Special Branch officers who had passed their concerns about Sgt Campbell's safety on to their senior officers, including that "Joe was to be lined-up to be murdered".
Army intelligence officers had also been aware of the risk to Sgt Campbell.
One police officer was told by a member of the public that there was a link between a bank robbery in Cushendall in early 1977 and the murder of Sgt Campbell several weeks later.
The officer passed this statement on, and said he was always surprised that he was never asked about it.
In conclusion Dr Maguire said: "The inadequacies of those investigations further undermined the prospect of effective investigation of the murder of Sgt Campbell and promoted an atmosphere of suspicion in which allegations of a wider conspiracy, whether correct or incorrect, have subsequently thrived and the family of Sgt Campbell have been failed."
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), which replaced the RUC in 2001, expressed its sympathies to the Campbell family and said the ombudsman's report made "difficult reading".
PSNI Deputy Chief Constable Alistair Finlay said: "It is clear there were significant shortcomings in the RUC handling of information prior to the murder and in both subsequent police investigations into Sgt Campbell's murder."
Mr Finlay expressed disappointment that "a number of retired officers felt unable to engage with this Police Ombudsman's investigation".
However he added that policing "back in 1977 operated in a very different context" and said RUC officers investigated 112 troubles-related murders that year. | The murder of a police officer 37 years ago could have been prevented by senior Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) commanders, the police ombudsman said. |
34,542,037 | Vueling will operate direct flights three times a week from Scotland's capital to Rome Fiumicino, Paris Orly and Alicante.
Fiumicino and Orly are new routes for Edinburgh Airport, with Vueling flying to both from 29 March next year.
Its flights to Alicante will start from 16 June next year.
Gordon Dewar, chief executive of Edinburgh Airport, said: "It is tremendous that we have two new routes to Rome and Paris and we have increased our service to Alicante - this offers our passengers even greater choice and is further confirmation of Edinburgh Airport's position as a key driver for Scotland's economy.
"This commitment from Vueling, a strong European airline, shows that we've listened to our passengers and recognise the need for greater choice and European connectivity, this expansion in service is good news for business and leisure travellers, for Edinburgh and for Scotland as a whole.
"With over one million passengers through the doors at Edinburgh Airport last month - and in every one of the last five months - we are continuing to grow, create jobs and make a positive contribution for Scotland's economy." | Three new regular passenger flights to major European destinations have been confirmed at Edinburgh Airport. |
41,022,771 | FedEx Cup holder McIlroy intends to play in all four play-off events in the US over the next month before competing in the Dunhill Links event in Scotland.
The play-offs begin with this week's Northern Trust Open as McIlroy aims to get in contention to retain the title.
"I'm OK to play these next four out of five weeks," McIlroy told ESPN.
"But then I do need a prolonged break at some point in 2017 to be ready for 2018."
McIlroy had said he might not compete again in 2017 after finishing in a share of 22nd place at the US PGA Championship but last Friday confirmed his intention to attempt to defend his FedEx Cup crown.
McIlroy is 43rd in the FedEx Cup standings and will need to move into the top 30 in order to earn entry to the concluding Tour Championship.
The Northern Irishman won the second play-offs event in 2016 before clinching a £7.8m bonus as he topped the FedEx Cup standings after triumphing at the Tour Championship.
The play-offs begin with the New York event before next week's Dell Technologies Championship in Boston.
After a week's break, the series resumes with the BMW Championship in Illinois before the Tour Championship in Atlanta.
McIlroy said on Tuesday that Harry Diamond will continue to caddie for him during the play-offs after he split with his long-time bagman JP Fitzgerald following The Open.
The US PGA was only McIlroy's 13th tournament of a season in which he has not won.
McIlroy took six weeks off after losing out in a play-off for the South African Open in January and also missed the PGA Championship at Wentworth and the Memorial Tournament. | Rory McIlroy says he aims to play in five more events this year before taking an extended break to aid his recovery from a rib injury. |
37,748,277 | The plenum kicks off a big year for China, building up to next year's party congress, a twice-a-decade event.
While this week's gathering is largely pre-scripted, a communiqué is usually released at the end of event - and that should help the outside world figure out which way China is headed.
Political considerations - especially party leadership, succession issues and a "code of conduct" for party cadres - are likely to dominate proceedings. But here are three things I'm watching for on the economic front:
A recent Pew poll showed that corrupt officials are the top concern of Chinese people. So the key theme of this meeting - discipline - is an issue close to the hearts of many in China.
Cracking down on corruption, both within the party and in business circles, has been key to President Xi Jinping's reform agenda. It's thought that more than a million officials have been punished in his anti-corruption drive over almost four years.
But critics say that arresting individuals is the easy bit and that President Xi has done little to get to the root of the problem. There have been no meaningful moves towards regulation or systems that allow whistle-blowing for example they argue.
Analysts say President Xi believes that the only way for him to realise his "China Dream" (his vision of China's economic and military rejuvenation) is if the Chinese Communist party remains disciplined, and graft-free. Of course, the anti-corruption drive has also had a knock-on effect on the economy: there's been less spending in provinces than in previous years because of fears that excessive wealth might bring with it unnecessary and unwanted attention.
As Michael Clauss the German Ambassador to China wrote in a recent editorial in the South China Morning Post, "it is hard to hide…[the] disappointment" when it comes to opening up China to non-state competition.
State-owned enterprises dominate China's business landscape, and that makes it very difficult for other firms - both local and foreign - to compete.
China has consistently said it is cleaning up the so-called "zombie" firms but it has so far been unwilling or unable to shut down many of these bloated companies.
Part of the reason is unemployment. The slowdown in the steel and iron sectors means we've already seen massive job losses, resulting in millions of migrant workers heading back to their villages. The Communist Party doesn't want to risk the social instability that may arise from widespread rural joblessness.
Which brings us back to the whole rebalancing thesis which China started spouting a few years ago to explain its gradual, managed slowdown.
The idea was that China needed to rein in growth after years of double-digit GDP data. And it was going to be a controlled deceleration, as the economy shifted gears and changed focus to keep growing.
Under that vision, old pillars of the economy like manufacturing, exports and government spending become less central, with consumption and services having a greater emphasis. The problem though is that that's not what the data is showing.
While consumption is picking up - it's still largely debt that's helping to drive the economy forward. The central bank has already warned about high levels of credit, especially in the property market, as I've written about before.
All of these considerations will weigh heavily on the minds of China's leaders this week. And even though we're unlikely to hear what China's leaders really think about the shift in the economic focus, the communiqué released later this week might just give us some clues. | China's top Communist party officials are in Beijing for a four-day, behind-closed-doors meeting this week. |
40,728,101 | 27 July 2017 Last updated at 06:38 BST
These tiny little mammals are nocturnal, which means they only come out at night.
This means they are rarely seen.
But conservationists say their numbers are dropping and now a team is trying to save the small creatures.
Check out the video to find out what is being done to help! | You might not have heard of a hazel dormouse and to be honest you probably won't have ever seen one either. |
30,532,889 | Prosecutors said the 40 men were involved in attacks which swept through the southern city of Assiut last year.
The court acquitted 61 others involved in the case.
The Egyptian authorities have jailed more than 16,000 people since last August.
At least 1,400 people have also been killed in a wide-ranging crackdown against opponents of the government.
Following the ousting of Mr Morsi in the summer of 2013 there was unrest across the country.
In Assiut, several police stations were set alight along with five churches and a number of shops.
Delivering its verdict the city's criminal court sentenced two defendants to 15 years in prison, AFP news agency reported, while others were handed jail terms ranging from one year to 10.
Dozens of Mr Morsi's supporters have been sentenced to death in mass trials over the past year.
Mr Morsi and fellow leaders of the now banned Muslim Brotherhood organisation are also being held in jail or on trial facing the death penalty. | Dozens of Egyptian Islamists accused of torching churches and police stations after the ousting of former President Mohammed Morsi have been jailed for up to 15 years. |
30,094,045 | Erick Maina, 15, was found in Fazakerley, Liverpool, on Saturday. The cause of death has not been revealed.
Racist comments about him were later found daubed near his school, Maricourt Catholic High School in Maghull.
An 18-year-old man from Netherton and a 17-year-old from Bootle are accused of racially aggravated criminal damage. Both are due before Sefton magistrates.
On Monday, the school's head teacher Brendan McLoughlin paid tribute to the "bright and intelligent" pupil.
"Erick was a popular and well-liked pupil at the school. He represented his peers as form captain and was a member of the school council," he said.
Detectives are investigating the boy's death on behalf of the Sefton coroner. | Two teenagers have been charged over racist graffiti that appeared hours after the death of a black teenager. |
34,535,604 | While not fully self-driving, the software means the Model S and new Model X can "automatically steer down the highway, change lanes, and adjust speed in response to traffic".
Tesla chief executive Elon Musk said the autopilot mode was designed to increase driver confidence on the road.
However, Mr Musk said users adopting the software - available in North America from Thursday - should exercise caution while using it.
"It should not hit pedestrians, hopefully," he told the media. "It should handle them well."
He added that if the car is involved in a collision, the driver is still liable.
"The driver cannot abdicate responsibility. That will come at some point in the future."
Other regions of the world would be updated in the next couple of weeks pending regulatory approval.
The software uses a combination of cameras, radar, ultrasonic sensors and mapping data to determine its position and navigate.
When the car has arrived at its destination, it is able to scan for an available space and park itself.
Unlike Google, which is aiming for a fully-autonomous vehicle, Tesla's approach is to gradually introduce features which take away the need for drivers to carry out certain functions.
Currently there are limitations to the software which would improve over time, Mr Musk said.
"If there's heavy snow it's going to be harder for the system to work, so we'd advise caution.
"Essentially it's like a person - how well can a person figure out what route they should take. Over time it will be better than a person.
"Long term it will be way better than a person. It never gets tired, it's never had anything to drink, it's never arguing with someone in the car. It's not distracted."
Other car manufacturers such as BMW and Volvo are also developing, and implementing, autonomous features to their cars.
Google's entirely self-driving car has clocked up well over one million miles on public roads, mostly in California.
Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC | Tesla has launched a software update for its vehicles - enabling the cars to have an "autopilot" mode. |
38,588,525 | The 29-year-old from Caerphilly failed to report for an out-of-competition test on 1 December 2015.
Clabby was playing in the Welsh Premiership for Bedwas at the time.
His ban is backdated from 28 January 2016 until 27 January 2020 and he becomes the 15th registered WRU player to be on UK Anti-Doping (Ukad)'s list of banned sportspeople.
Clabby was told by Bedwas coach Steve Law that he was among four players who had to submit a sample following a training session, but could not be found or contacted by telephone when the anti-doping official had dealt with a colleague.
He later claimed to have had a work emergency, but his supervisor gave evidence that he had tried to call Clabby without success before the training session.
Clabby was found to have deliberately avoided the drug-testing official to evade his test.
Ukad chief Executive Nicole Sapstead said: "Kurt Clabby's decision to evade sample collection is not just a serious breach of the rules but it also goes against the spirit of sport and his responsibility as a sportsperson.
"We treat violations such as this with the upmost seriousness and we will always seek to impose the maximum possible sanction on any individual who decides to consciously cheat the system."
A WRU statement said: "Following a four-year suspension to Kurt Clabby of Bedwas and Nelson for evading, refusing or failing to submit a sample collection, the WRU has reiterated its call for players to 'stay onside'.
"The Welsh Rugby Union has increased its level of anti-doping education across all levels of Welsh rugby and has invited community clubs to nominate club integrity officers to receive further guidance.
"There is no place for doping in Welsh rugby." | Welsh rugby union player Kurt Clabby has been suspended for four years after missing a drugs test. |
35,678,411 | The delegation from Visit Britain visited museums and other local attractions.
Hull will host the year-long UK City of Culture arts festival next year.
Garry Taylor, from Hull City Council, said the visit was "incredibly important" in promoting the city to an international audience.
"Visit Britain are incredibly influential," he said.
"The role they play internationally in changing perceptions, them experiencing Hull first hand is incredibly important.
"The conversations we've having, it's not the place that they were expecting it to be."
Hull is undergoing a £25m revamp ahead of next year's festival.
Streets are being repaved and new lighting installed to highlight the city's landmark buildings.
More than £15m is being spent refurbishing the New Theatre and the Ferens Art Gallery. | Hull has been visited by a group from the UK's international tourism body in an attempt to promote the city around the world. |
11,961,685 | The main parliamentary opposition, the Muslim Brotherhood, was reduced from 20% of the seats in the previous parliament to zero.
The second largest group, the liberal Wafd party, won a mere three seats in the first round of elections (out of a total of 518 seats). The results strained the credulity of even those most sympathetic to the regime.
Egypt has in the past at least allowed the appearance of democracy, though not necessarily the substance. Within constraints, the opposition was allowed to participate.
The parliament, while ultimately dominated by the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP), had, in recent years, come somewhat alive. There was a relatively boisterous independent press. Elections were rigged but not stolen outright.
None of this, of course, changed the outcome - a repressive regime that refused to share power - but it did, at least, give the opposition an opening.
That opening is now gone. It is worth noting that the results of 28 November were genuinely surprising to nearly everyone, including NDP officials who had hoped for a more "credible" result.
It would be misleading to say that Egypt is "on the brink" - as several experts have recently claimed - although it may be.
Analysts have long warned that the Egyptian regime, while seemingly durable, is increasingly unpopular and perceived as illegitimate.
Meanwhile, Egyptians themselves, long accused of political passivity, have taken to the streets in unprecedented numbers, protesting against their country's economic and political deterioration.
This does not mean Egypt, one of America's closest allies in the region, will fall. But with these most recent elections, the regime has over-reached.
In opting to wipe out its opposition, and with such lack of subtlety, it has made a major and potentially debilitating miscalculation.
The regime has lost whatever legitimacy it had left. More importantly, however, it has breathed new life into what was just one month ago an aimless, fractious opposition that couldn't agree on whether or not to boycott the elections.
Repression, when it reaches a certain level, can help unify an otherwise divided opposition. The Brotherhood and the Wafd, wary of each other in the lead-up to elections, are now promising greater co-operation. They will have to; the regime no longer has anything to offer them.
Meanwhile, Egypt will have a parliament but one with virtually no opposition. The Egyptian regime appears unaware of something its neighbours have long known: the most effective autocracies are the ones that manage rather than destroy their opposition.
And with no-one to fight, the NDP may very well end up fighting itself. Rather unwittingly, the ruling party has created the very political context most likely to tear it apart.
There are reports, and much speculation, about internal rifts within the regime over who will succeed the ailing president, Hosni Mubarak, now nearly 30 years in power. And for the first time since he took over, no-one is quite sure who the next president will be.
Gamal Mubarak, the president's son, has long been the favourite but there are those in the NDP who are searching quietly - and sometimes not so quietly - for an alternative.
Political scientists Guillermo O'Donnell and Philippe Schmitter, in their book Transitions from Authoritarian Rule, write that "there is no transition whose beginning is not the consequences - direct or indirect - of important divisions within the authoritarian regime itself". Those divisions, in Egypt, are only likely to grow.
For the NDP to make a strategic blunder at such a crucial moment in Egypt's history suggests a regime that is nervous, unsure of itself and increasingly incoherent.
This was the first such mistake. Whether there will be more - and whether the opposition manages to capitalise - will determine the course Egypt takes in the coming, critical months.
Shadi Hamid is director of research at the Brookings Doha Center and a fellow at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution. This is the first of a series of three viewpoints on Egyptian politics in the aftermath of the 2010 parliamentary elections. | Egypt may very well have just experienced the most fraudulent parliamentary elections in its recent history. |
28,707,075 | Police found a corroded sawn-off shotgun, another shotgun in poor condition and an antique pistol at Richard Watt's home.
He admitted firearms offences at the High Court in Edinburgh.
Watt was warned only exceptional circumstances could prevent a minimum sentence of five years.
The court heard the guns were found in the former gun enthusiast's Corthan Crescent in September last year.
Defence counsel Jonathan Crowe said that about 20 years ago a work colleague of Watt, who knew of his interest in guns, offered him two shotguns.
He took them home to examine than and found the bag also contained the component parts for a sawn-off shotgun.
Mr Crowe said Watt returned them to the colleague and said he did not want them - but the colleague also did not want them.
The defence counsel said he knew he should have taken them to the police, but thought he might get himself or the colleague into trouble.
He said Watt thought he would put them in the gun room in his cellar and "forget about them".
He said they lay there gathering dust and added: "There is no suggestion the guns were recently used or fired."
Mr Crowe said: "He did not know that the court must consider sending him to jail for a minimum of five years."
The defence counsel said he intended to make a plea that exceptional circumstances existed in the case which could allow the minimum sentence to be avoided.
He said the guns had been kept in relatively secure conditions and there was little chance of them "falling into the wrong hands".
He told the court: "There is no suggestion, other than the possession of the guns, that Mr Watt was in anyway involved in criminality."
Mr Crowe said that once background reports were available "it may be apparent that to imprison a 76-year-old, who is a first offender, would be perhaps arbitrary and disproportionate".
Deferring sentence, Lord Burns said: "Parliament has dictated that unless exceptional circumstances exist a minimum sentence of five years should be imposed."
The judge told Watt not to read anything into the fact that he had granted bail. | A 76-year-old Aberdeen first offender who left unwanted guns "gathering dust" in his basement has been warned he could face a five-year jail sentence. |
38,559,353 | The 24-year-old has made 14 appearances for the Latics since moving to the DW Stadium from fellow Championship club Wolves in August.
The former Tottenham and Swindon player is Addicks boss Karl Robinson's fourth signing of the transfer window.
"Nathan can be phenomenal going forward, is very quick and will add energy to the squad," Robinson said.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page or visit our Premier League tracker here. | League One side Charlton Athletic have signed Wigan winger Nathan Byrne on loan until the end of the season. |
33,292,788 | She has been named locally as Lorna Carty, from Robinstown in County Meath.
The attack happened in Sousse, a popular tourist resort, and most of those killed are believed to be British.
The Irish department of foreign affairs has said there are "grave" concerns for two other Irish people believed to have been caught up in the attack.
Islamic State extremists have said they were responsible.
So far, five Britons have been confirmed dead by the Foreign Office, and the Tunisian health ministry said eight Britons had been identified among the dead.
Tunisia's prime minister Habib Essid said the majority of the 38 people killed in the attack were British.
He has announced a clampdown on security and said army reservists would be deployed to archaeological sites and resorts.
David Cameron, the UK prime minister, said the country must be prepared for a high British death toll.
Thomson and First Choice have said their customers were among "a number of fatalities", and they have sent 10 planes to bring home 2,500 tourists.
On Friday, Charlie Flanagan, the Irish minister for foreign affairs, said his department was working to establish if any other Irish citizens had been killed or injured in "these brutal attacks".
He said they were advising people planning to travel to Tunisia to "exercise extreme caution".
"For those Irish citizens who are due to travel to Tunisia over the coming days and who now do not wish to travel, they should discuss their arrangements with the relevant travel companies," he said.
"Irish citizens in Tunisia should remain extremely vigilant and follow the instructions of the police, tour operators, and their hotel staff."
Irish embassy staff, including Irish Ambassador to Spain David Cooney, who is also accredited with Tunisia, arrived in Sousse on Friday night to provide consular assistance to citizens caught up in the attack.
Ms Carty, who was in her 50s, was on holiday with her husband who made contact with the Irish consular authorities.
Irish politician Ray Butler said he had spoken to her husband.
"It was one of the hardest phone calls I've ever made and it's so sad to hear what happened, for this lady to be enjoying her holidays out on the beach and to lose her life," the County Meath representative told Irish broadcaster RTÉ.
"I've been told that one of their family relations had given them the holiday as a gift, because her husband had undergone heart surgery, so they could go and enjoy themselves."
Tunisia has been on high alert since March when militants killed 22 people, mainly foreign tourists, in an attack on a museum in the capital Tunis.
The attack on Friday happened at a beach near the Hotel Imperial Marhaba, officials said.
Tunisia is a popular destination for Irish tourists.
Dublin woman Elizabeth O'Brien, who was on holiday with her two sons in Sousse, told RTÉ how they had to run for their lives.
"I saw a (hot air) balloon collapse down, then rapid firing, then I saw two of the people who were going to go up in the balloon start to run towards me - because I thought it was fireworks," she said.
"I thought 'oh my God, it sounds like gunfire', so I just ran to the sea to my children and grabbed our things and as I was running towards the hotel, the waiters and the security on the beach started saying 'run, run run!' and we just ran to our room."
Travel blogger Johnny Ward, from Kilkeel in County Down, is in the Gammarth resort, close to the capital Tunis, with his mother.
Gammarth is about 100km north of where the attack happened, and Mr Ward said there was "outrage from the locals here just as much as there is from the tourists".
Security appeared to have been tightened in the country and the atmosphere "feels quite on-edge", he added.
"That adds to the whole nervousness, because the fact there is a police presence would suggest everything is not right." | An Irish woman is among at least 38 people killed in Tunisia in an attack on a beach near two tourist hotels. |
34,082,958 | Marie Cooke, from Nottinghamshire, said the MP placed the cup on her table during a break at a rally at the Albert Hall in Nottingham on 20 August.
Ms Cooke, who works for Age UK, said she saw it as a "cheeky" opportunity to raise money for the charity.
She said about 4,000 people watched the item on eBay, and it was eventually won after 22 bids on Thursday evening.
Ms Cooke was outside the Nottingham Playhouse when Mr Corbyn asked her if she minded if he put his cup on her table.
"We were happy to oblige," she said.
"[When] he went back into the Albert Hall to deliver his speech we thought we'd be a bit cheeky and take the cup and put it on eBay.
"[On Thursday] it just went mad with over 4,000 people looking at it, and we raised £51."
The fundraiser said she would attempt to get Mr Corbyn's autograph to prove it was his cup.
The cup was won by a student in Oxford, according to Ms Cooke.
"I think they are going to turn it into some kind of relic," she said. | A disposable coffee cup believed to have been used by Labour leadership hopeful Jeremy Corbyn has sold for £51. |
34,336,832 | The Scottish government's #inspiringteachers campaign will focus on science, technology, engineering and maths.
It will feature people in public life sharing their memories of teachers who inspired them.
The move comes as councils in northern Scotland prepare for a summit to try to tackle local teacher shortages.
Details of the campaign were announced by the Education Secretary Angela Constance at the Scottish Learning Festival in Glasgow.
Ms Constance also announced funding for projects to boost resources for schools in disadvantaged areas.
The government said the £1.5m Access to Education Fund would give young people access to additional resources to remove barriers to learning and raise attainment.
This could be delivered in several ways, for instance through improved IT, mentoring schemes and projects to enhance language skills.
Ms Constance said: "We all remember a teacher who inspired us, who brought their subject to life, and we want everyone to share their stories to help attract the best talent into educating young people today.
"We hope that the #inspiringteachers campaign will attract more high-quality, passionate teachers into the profession, particularly in science, technology, engineering and maths where we know there is a demand.
"This is alongside action we are already taking to maintain teacher numbers, encourage and support extra graduates into hard-to-recruit subjects and rural areas. For example, the first students graduating from the part-time distance course we funded at the University of Aberdeen are now teaching in Aberdeenshire and Highland Council schools as probationer teachers."
Next month six councils in northern Scotland will hold a summit meeting to discuss how to tackle local teacher recruitment problems which have left vacancies unfilled.
The issues facing the councils include high housing costs and the broader challenge of attracting people into rural communities. | A campaign is being launched to try to encourage more people to enter the teaching profession in Scotland. |
28,706,461 | Russian state TV's coverage of the crisis has been consistently sensationalist, using a wide repertoire of propaganda techniques to incite revulsion and hostility towards the authorities in Kiev.
Television in Ukraine has fastened on the role of the Kremlin and decries Russian media "lies", though with less emotive language than Moscow-based channels.
A constant refrain of Russian TV's reporting of the Ukraine crisis has been its attempts to equate the current authorities in Kiev and their supporters with fascists.
One of the ways they have done this is to brand them as banderovtsy, followers of controversial Ukrainian nationalist and wartime partisan leader Stepan Bandera.
Bandera was demonised by the Soviets and still is by Vladimir Putin's Kremlin as a Nazi collaborator, but is revered as a hero in parts of Ukraine.
The word junta is often used on Russian television to describe the Ukrainian government, suggesting a lack of legitimacy following the ouster of pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych in February.
More emotive is the use of the words "fascist" and "Nazi" in many Russian TV reports. They are words used in several contexts, from portraying the far-right Right Sector as Ukraine's real driving political force, to drawing parallels with World War Two.
Russian state TV widely uses the term "punitive operation" when referring to Ukraine's security operation in the east.
The term, which normally refers to wartime German reprisals on Soviet territory, was first heard during a speech by Mr Putin on state TV in March, in which he said that supporters of Mr Yanukovych were being threatened by "repressions and punitive operations".
Russia's state channels Rossiya 1 and Channel One have each used the term in more than 500 reports, and the word "punishers" more than 100. Their use is not universal, however. Gazprom-owned NTV has used the term sparingly, and has never used "punishers".
In Ukrainian newscasts, stories about Russia portray the country in a negative light but language has been restrained in comparison to that on Russian TV. There has also been mild criticism of the country's military commanders.
Coverage has evolved in recent days from suggestions of Russian involvement to direct accusations. Russian forces, which were previously described as "someone helping from the neighbouring state", are now openly accused of taking part in the fighting. According to one report on the 1+1 channel, Ukrainians "are being killed not only by terrorists, but also by Russia".
Pro-Russian separatists are routinely referred to as "terrorists" as Ukrainian channels follow the government line, irrespective of ownership or leaning.
Much Ukrainian coverage has been devoted to accounts of torture and kidnapping by pro-Russian fighters, and rebutting what it calls Russian media "lies" about the Ukrainian government's self-declared "anti-terrorist operation".
If the Russian stance on any issue is mentioned, it is invariably dismissed as "Kremlin propaganda" with Oleksandr Dubynskyy, a journalist working for Ukrainian 1+1 TV, referring to the Russian pro-Kremlin LifeNews rolling news channel as "liars and scoundrels".
Stronger editorial criticism of the Russian authorities can be seen away from news broadcasts, with documentaries and live discussion programmes promoting strong anti-Moscow views, and it is on live talk shows where the most outspoken views on Russia are heard.
The Freedom of Speech programme on ICTV and Shuster Live on Kiev's state-run UT1 both feature harsh criticism of Russia, voiced by numerous Ukrainian officials and politicians.
However, alternative opinions are also aired, and presenters make no attempt to block dissent.
BBC Monitoring reports and analyses news from TV, radio, web and print media around the world. For more reports from BBC Monitoring, click here. You can follow BBC Monitoring on Twitter and Facebook. | Television channels in Russia and Ukraine are using emotive language in their coverage of the conflict in the east of Ukraine, with Moscow-based channels employing particularly strong terms to compare Ukrainian authorities with Nazism. |
39,339,958 | The Avengers star has been signed up to "talk to the animals" in Universal's The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle.
Syriana director Stephen Gaghan will lead the remake of the story of the eccentric physician who lives with a host of animals he claims to converse with.
Downey Jr will follow actors Rex Harrison and Eddie Murphy in the role.
The character of the doctor was created by children's author Hugh Lofting in the 1920s.
But as Universal haven't released any details of how their film will look, we don't know if their story will be set in that era.
The original big-screen version was a colourful, costumed period piece when British actor Harrison, of My Fair Lady fame, took on the role in 1967.
That movie went on to be nominated for best picture at the Oscars.
In 1998, Murphy then played the character in a comedy version of the film, which earned a 2001 sequel.
There was also an animated Doctor Dolittle TV series which ran from 1970-1972.
Downey Jr will next be seen in Spider-Man: Homecoming this summer as well as Avengers: Infinity War next year.
He is also due to play Sherlock Holmes for a third time.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]. | Robert Downey Jr's linguistic skills are in for a boost as he gears up for his latest role. |
30,786,709 | They come to the Detroit Motor Show in droves, eager to get a peek at the latest offerings from the big three US car makers and the European manufacturers who are competing for market share in the lucrative car market.
But car firms here, while continuing to focus on horsepower, are beginning to turn their attention to processing power.
That's because most analysts agree that if car makers want to appeal to a younger generation, who are driving approximately 23% less than they used to, they'll need to shrink cars into, well, iPhones.
"If you look at the buying decisions of the younger generation, they're a little worried about the navigation system that gets you from point A to point B, but mainly they're interested in texting and being able to communicate with their friends," says Gary Silberg, the national automotive sector leader at consultancy KPMG.
"Whoever gets that right, that's who will win in the marketplace."
Dieter Zetsche, the boss of Mercedes, put it more bluntly.
"The car of the future [is] a smartphone on wheels," he told the BBC.
While only about 10% of cars are connected to the internet today, that number is expected to balloon to 90% by 2020, according to the consulting group Machina Research.
The big question is who will be behind the software that connects cars - traditional car manufacturers like Mercedes and General Motors, or Silicon Valley giants like Apple and Google, who have turned their attention towards Detroit?
Both tech firms have come out with in-car entertainment operating systems in the last year.
"There is a huge battle between the tech giants and auto firms right now," says Bryan Reimer, a research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT's) AgeLab and the associate director of the New England University Transportation Center.
"The question is: are you going to go to the dealer five years from now and have the choice of an Apple interface, an Android interface or a [traditional] manufacturer's interface?"
Special Report: Global Car Industry
For now, most of the car firms, whose offerings are on display in Detroit, are playing it safe by keeping their options open - while keeping their ears to the ground about what's happening in Silicon Valley.
Take Ford, for example.
Mark Fields, the company's chief executive, told the BBC that the company was planning to open a Palo Alto office next week, to ensure that it remained close to Silicon Valley while considering its options.
"I think there are a lot of interested parties in what they call the fourth screen now - the screen within the vehicle," says Mr Fields.
"There are a lot of competitors that we recognised, a lot of competitors we didn't recognise, and there are probably a bunch of competitors that haven't been born yet that want a piece of the auto industry."
Ford's strategy has been to continue to develop its software in house, while making sure that it is compatible with the latest tech offerings from elsewhere.
It unveiled the latest version of its in-car entertainment software, Sync 3, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) last week, which featured upgrades like the ability to update the software wirelessly, as well as enabling it to interact with apps such as Spotify and AccuWeather.
Notably, the company also switched from using Microsoft software to Blackberry's QNX operating system.
Yet Don Butler, Ford's executive director of connected vehicle and services, said the company was still committed to remaining "device agnostic".
"Whether you've got a Blackberry, iPhone, or any of the various flavours of Android device, your phone will be compatible with the Sync system," says Mr Butler.
The crucial challenge for everyone will be to keep up with changing technology.
"We're willing to toss out a smartphone every year or so but vehicles need to last 10 years," says MIT's Mr Reimer.
"No-one is going to have their iPhone 6 in their hands 20 years from now."
This need to predict what consumers will want in five, 10 or 20 years is complicated by the fact the industry suffers from a data problem.
Special Report: The Technology of Business
The 'Uber' for India's tourist guides
Lookahead 2015: 'The future is here'
Technology predictions fly into 2015
Why 2014 was good for retail robbers
While Apple might know every app you open on your iPhone, and Google may know exactly what you search for on its engine, car firms really don't have a good sense of what exactly people want to do and interact with while in their cars.
Do we really want to be able to update Facebook while on the go? Or would we settle for being able to sync our Pandora playlists while in traffic?
And then of course there is the possibility that all of this might be made semi-irrelevant by the introduction of driverless car technology, which would free up our hands altogether.
"We're just at the beginning of a remarkable era where the car is going to change dramatically," says Guggenheim Partners senior managing partner John Casesa.
"And all of us are at the moment just trying to figure out how long it will take us to get there." | Detroit in January is largely filled with just one group of people, petrolheads. |
34,902,925 | Olly Martins has issued a statement in advance of the government spending review later this week.
Bedfordshire had a high concentration of potential extremists, he said.
"Neighbourhood police underpin counter-terrorism strategy because they can pick up local intelligence about radicalisation and plots," he said.
"If this local intelligence is not passed on, national agencies are not going to be able to deal with threats."
The Home Office declined to comment ahead of the spending review.
But, Chancellor George Osborne refused to rule out cuts to the number of frontline police officers in an interview with the BBC's Andrew Marr on Sunday.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu, from the UK government's Counter-Terrorism Policing Network, has called on members of the public to provide "information needed to defeat terrorism", Mr Martins said.
Mr Basu described information-gathering at street level as a "lifeline".
"The level of the threat is complex and ranges from lone attackers intent on carrying out crude, simplistic and violent attacks to sophisticated networks," he said.
"There is now an increased desire among these terrorists to spread terror by attacking civilians at their most unguarded moments."
Mr Martins said Bedfordshire had one of the lowest ratio of police officers to population in England and was regarded as a rural force, but its crime statistics reflected a largely urban character.
Further cuts would make intelligence-gathering at neighbourhood level on the scale needed "inadequate".
An online petition he has raised on the government website has already attracted 10,000 signatures, which will secure a written answer from the government.
However, 100,000 signatures are needed to trigger a parliamentary debate, his main objective.
During his interview with Andrew Marr, Mr Osborne said the counter-terrorism budget was being increased and more money would be spent on defence. | Further cuts to community police in Bedfordshire could hamper the flow of intelligence to security agencies, the police and crime commissioner claims. |
30,309,411 | Lord Advocate Frank Mulholland said the test was simple: "If it would be illegal to say it on the street, it is illegal to say it online."
The Crown Office said it would not pursue satirical or mildly offensive humour or provocative statements.
But it promised a "robust" response to hate crime, stalking or credible threats of violence
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service has previously sought clarity on where the legal boundary lies in such matters.
The guidelines state that communications should be considered for prosecution if they:
The Lord Advocate said the aim was not to deny freedom of speech, but the law would target internet trolls posting sectarian, homophobic or violent messages or pictures.
In an interview with the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme, the Lord Advocate was asked how "grossly offensive" could be defined when it could be seen as relative.
He replied: "The guidance sets out that it would not include, for example, humour, satirical comment, which is part of the democratic debate, so there's guidance to prosecutors as to what's not included.
"It doesn't include offensive comment because we recognise that, in a democratic society, with use of social media you can have offensive comment which wouldn't be criminal but it's really the category above the high bar grossly offensive which has a significant effect on the recipient of the comment.
"We've all seen on the media reports of what you described, internet trolls, where this kind of comment, grossly offensive comment, is sent out to directly wound and has quite a significant effect."
He added: "There's very detailed guidance of all the factors that prosecutors will take into account when they assess whether or not to raise criminal proceedings in relation to grossly offensive comments posted on social media." | Prosecutors have set out new guidelines on whether messages posted on social media should be treated as a crime. |
35,247,783 | So pledges being made this week on fares by the 2016 mayoral contenders are worth examining closely.
Mind you, how far such retail offers affect voting intentions is a difficult one.
In 2012 Ken Livingstone pledged to cut fares and opinion polling suggested it was popular. But it wasn't enough to return him to City Hall.
Yet Boris Johnson was definitely worried by the Livingstone pledge and knew he had to pull out the stops to counter it.
It clearly affected his thinking.
In 2008 Johnson had promised to deliver consistent annual fare rises of two per cent above inflation to allow TfL's business plan to be fulfilled and maintain levels of investment.
He explicitly ruled out stop-go fare decisions.
But two years into his second term - and with a general election looming - he and the Conservatives too succumbed.
For three years now, fare increases have been pegged to the rate of inflation only.
Now Labour's Sadiq Khan is promising a four-year freeze in cash terms - in other words, not even allowing them to go up in line with inflation.
He claims this will cost £450 million a year, which he says will be compensated for by efficiencies and better property deals.
Caroline Pidgeon - if Liberal Democrat mayor - would introduce half-price fares before 7.30am at a cost, she estimates, of £30m a year.
The Greens' Sian Berry promises a flat fare and the abolition of zones which, taken together with other measures, would cost about £260m a year.
With all the pledges, the big unknown is how much extra income might be generated from a resultant increase in ridership.
The Conservative Zac Goldsmith has said that it is rash to promise fare freezes, not least when the Chancellor is turning off the grant tap - cutting £2.8bn over the next four years.
This will all revive the debate about whether over these last few years Londoners have been paying fairly today for improvements tomorrow.
And whether the burden has been shared reasonably - with taxpayers across the country - of modernizing the transport system of the "engine-room" of the UK economy.
But in the end, fares will be just one - albeit important - area which voters chuck into the mix when they consider the candidates' overall credibility and credentials to be mayor. | With its £11bn budget accounting for about two thirds of City Hall spending, transport is the mayor's biggest financial responsibility. |
32,656,491 | It was a good night for the Conservatives across the South East - as it was across the country (apart from in Scotland).
In Kent, the Conservatives' strategy to decapitate the UKIP leader, Nigel Farage, worked and he failed to win South Thanet, losing out to the Tory's Craig Mackinlay.
The party also claimed another UKIP scalp in Rochester and Strood. Where candidate Kelly Tolhurst, who lost to Mark Reckless in last November's by-election, won convincingly.
The Tories also did well in some of the Sussex marginals. Labour threw a huge effort at winning Hastings and Rye but Amber Rudd held on and more than doubled her majority.
In nearby Brighton Kemptown, Simon Kirby was defending one of the slimmest majority's in the South East but he also retained his seat.
The Tories made most of their gains across the country at the expense of the Liberal Democrats. And in the South East it was no different.
The former Home Office minister and Lib Dem MP Norman Baker lost his seat in Lewes to the Conservative, Maria Caulfield.
And his fellow Lib Dem, Stephen Lloyd, also lost his Eastbourne seat to the Tories.
In fact it was a catastrophic night for the Lib Dems.
They were very confident of holding on to their two Sussex seats and also thought they would make a gain in Maidstone.
So much so that Nick Clegg spent quite a bit of time canvassing here. In the end, as elsewhere, they've been wiped off the map.
For Labour, the glimmer of good news in the South East was that their candidate, Peter Kyle, successfully took Hove. But otherwise it was a truly dreadful night for them.
They disappeared off the map in the South East at the last election and five years on there is no sign of a resurgence.
Ed Miliband appeared to have given up on Kent but Labour did pour resources into the marginals in Sussex.
In fact, the shadow chancellor, Ed Balls, was one of the big-hitters who made several campaign trips to Brighton and to Hastings.
Having been one of the biggest casualties of the night - having lost his own seat in Morley and Outwood by just over 400 votes - he may now regret trying to woo voters in Sussex.
It was a good night for Caroline Lucas, who increased her majority in Brighton Pavilion, but she remains her party's only MP.
There is already talk of her taking over again from Natalie Bennett as leader - she said it would be up to the party to decide. Watch this space.
And as I touched on earlier, it wasn't a good night for UKIP. The party's leader.
Nigel Farage, failed at his seventh attempt to become an MP. He finished second to the Tories, with Labour in third place. However, shortly after the result he said he "had never felt happier" and the "weight had been lifted" from his shoulders.
In almost record time, following his defeat, he announced he would resign as leader. He said he would take the summer off. But, crucially, he didn't rule out standing again - the message seemed to be he wants a rest but he may be back.
It was also not a good night for UKIP in terms of seats - they come out of this election with fewer than they went in with and now have only one - Clacton, in Essex. But in terms of their share of the vote the party has done pretty well, with its share of the overall vote increasing.
UKIP supporters will feel very sore that despite winning almost 4m votes, and being the third party in terms of share, they retained only one MP, compared with the SNP, which has 56 MPs for a very much smaller share of the vote - about 1.4m.
So, I think today's result will increase calls for electoral reform and also calls for UKIP to be represented in the House of Lords.
Nigel Farage may not be an MP but with UKIP now the third party in terms of share, I wouldn't bet against him becoming Lord Farage in future.
The results are in, the counting done and we now know what the new political landscape looks like in the South East. | The pollsters certainly didn't predict this outcome. |
40,219,092 | David Crompton was suspended following the Hillsborough inquests in April 2016 with Dr Alan Billings citing an erosion of public trust in the force.
Dr Billings said he would be "seeking permission to appeal against the outcome".
The Hillsborough victims' families also reacted angrily to the ruling.
Live updates and more stories from Yorkshire
But, Mr Crompton said the court's decision "speaks for itself".
"I welcome today's decision by the court to overturn the Police and Crime Commissioner's decisions first to suspend me, and then to require me to resign," he said.
"The court's judgment concludes Dr Billings acted unlawfully from start to finish, branding his course of decision making 'irrational', 'perverse', 'unreasonable', 'misconceived' and 'wholly disproportionate'."
He added the judgment repeated "almost all of the arguments made originally by Sir Thomas Winsor (Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary) nearly a year ago in his advice under the statutory process to the Police and Crime Commissioner".
The pair had clashed in the wake of the April 2016 inquest findings into the deaths of 96 people in the Hillsborough stadium disaster in 1989.
Reacting angrily to the ruling Margaret Aspinall of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, whose son James died in the disaster, defended Dr Billings saying he had "made the correct decision" in calling for Mr Crompton to resign.
"Nothing at all surprises me what goes on, what annoys me is that this senior officer can win this case, yet we, the [Hillsborough families], went for judicial reviews and lost them," she said in a statement.
In a statement the day after the Hillsborough inquests concluded, Mr Crompton alluded to "other contributory factors" to blame for the deaths of 96 football fans.
However, the judgement said: "It would be impossible for any fair-minded observer to conclude that the Chief Constable was challenging the conclusion of the jury that Liverpool football supporters had been blameless.
"The only contributory factors identified by the jury had been the conduct of parties unconnected to Liverpool supporters."
Sitting in London, Lady Justice Sharp and Mr Justice Garnham ruled in Mr Crompton's favour.
Dr Billings said the decision had "potentially serious implications for the governance arrangements for the police service generally and not just in South Yorkshire".
He added he would consult with the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (PCC) before proceeding as he recognised the process had been expensive.
The office of the PCC told the BBC it had incurred legal costs of £72,000 in the process. An additional £85,000 in legal fees has also been invoiced to the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for the Judicial Review. | A police commissioner's decision to suspend the chief constable of South Yorkshire and then ask him to resign was unlawful, the High Court has ruled. |
39,792,885 | Bairstow, who was dropped on 71, struck seven sixes and 16 fours in a stand of 189 in 25 overs with Joe Root (55).
His was the third century of the day as Stephen Cook (106) and Michael Richardson (100no) saw Durham to 335-5.
Bairstow and Root both fell to James Weighell (3-60), but Yorkshire reached 339-4 with 14 balls to spare.
The White Rose county, who last lifted a limited-overs trophy in 2002, have won all three games so far, while Durham have one victory from three.
Keaton Jennings set the visitors on their way with 72 before a brilliant boundary catch by Peter Handscomb brought his innings to an end.
South Africa Test opener Cook's 108-ball century was his first for Durham, while Richardson reached three figures from only 87 balls with two runs off the final delivery of their innings.
However, they were overshadowed by Bairstow, who revelled in his new role at the top of the order and raced to his hundred from 70 balls.
He was particularly punishing on the leg-side and had the chance to become only the third batsman after Surrey's Alistair Brown and Ravi Bopara of Essex to make a double century in a List A game between two first-class counties.
The 27-year-old was caught behind from the final ball of the 34th over, leaving Yorkshire to score 87 from the final 16.
England Test captain Root played on during an unproductive period when they failed to find the boundary between the end of the 33rd and middle of the 39th overs.
Skipper Gary Ballance, though, hit three successive boundaries off Paul Coughlin in the 41st over in his 29 before trod on his stumps, leaving Handscomb (47 not out) and Tim Bresnan to finish the job. | England's Jonny Bairstow hammered 174 off 113 balls as Yorkshire beat Durham at Headingley to maintain their 100% start to the One-Day Cup. |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.