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29,850,139 | It has been trying to scrap a "seats for sale" restriction since 2004, one that the airport claims limits its growth.
The rule limits the airport to selling two million departing seats a year.
The inquiry will be held in March 2015.
It was first ordered by then Environment Minister Alex Attwood in 2011 after a series of judicial reviews.
A final decision on the issue will rest with his successor Mark H Durkan, who will take the inquiry evidence into consideration.
The airport's proposal has the backing of Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster, as well as Belfast and North Down councils.
But it faces objections from local people and residents groups.
They fear a busier airport will impact upon their quality of life.
A meeting will be held in November to finalise the arrangements of the inquiry, which will take place on 23 March. | A date has been fixed for a public inquiry into a controversial proposal by George Best Belfast City Airport to change one of the rules of its planning permission. |
40,071,849 | The Briton was asked questions by Chudinov, but produced a display of heart, showcasing variety and power to win the title in the sixth round at Bramall Lane.
After being backed onto the ropes for much of the contest, Groves leapt forward with a right hand to begin a sustained attack and moments later referee Steve Gray stopped the Russian.
Groves raised his arms before slumping on the ropes after finally taking a world strap at the fourth time of asking.
If - and when - Groves publishes a book after retirement, the chapters focused on 2014 through to 2017 will make compelling reading.
Defeats in world-title shots to Carl Froch twice and later Badou Jack in 2015 had prompted soul-searching for Groves, who has since admitted he was confused about his position in the sport having suffered such disappointments.
But a change of trainer - joining forces with Shane McGuigan - has delivered five straight wins, culminating in this admirable display at Bramall Lane, where he finally got what he wanted.
In many ways, the bout itself was a rollercoaster befitting his career. Though he started as an odds-on favourite, Groves faced sustained pressure from Chudinov, who simply walked the Briton down time and again, denying him space.
Even when the pair clinched, Chudinov was aggressive in throwing punches as they grappled and his attacks drew blood above Groves' left eye in the third round.
The underdog was showing the qualities that had previously won him the WBA title that he lost to Felix Sturm in 2016 - though Sturm later vacated the title and tested positive for steroids.
That loss was the only one of his career until now and, in truth, having been the aggressor for so long, he may wonder how the tide was turned so quickly.
But Groves' spring from the ropes to begin his assault was classy and the variety of hooks and straight rights which followed simply overwhelmed his opponent.
This win creates the potential for an all-British unification match between Groves and IBF champion James DeGale.
Groves beat DeGale in 2011 and has sought out a second meeting in the past.
The pair debated the prospect when ringside for David Haye's defeat to Tony Bellew in March and with this win and a subsequent title, Groves now has collateral.
The other champions in the division, WBA king Tyron Zeuge and WBO title-holder Gilberto Ramirez, will not frighten Groves, though meetings with either will hardly offer the pay-per-view potential a clash with DeGale would.
But the next step is a question for tomorrow. Groves is a world champion, at last. | George Groves ended his wait to become a world champion with a gutsy stoppage of Fedor Chudinov to land the WBA super-middleweight title in Sheffield. |
33,476,140 | The Pope was given the item, combining Catholic and communist symbols, by left-wing Bolivian President Evo Morales.
One Catholic bishop suggested that Mr Morales had sought to "manipulate God".
But while some reports said the Pope was taken aback by the present, the Vatican has played down any row.
The crucifix was based on a design by Luis Espinal, a Jesuit Priest assassinated in 1980 by right-wing militia.
Bolivia's communications minister, Marianela Paco, told Bolivian radio: "The sickle evokes the peasant, the hammer the carpenter, representing humble workers, God's people," adding there was "no other" motive behind the gift.
There are differing interpretations of Pope Francis' thoughts on it.
Some reports say the Pope was embarrassed, telling Mr Morales: This isn't good".
But the Vatican spokesman, Federico Lombardi, said it was more likely Pope Francis had expressed surprise at the origins of the gift.
"I don't think I would put this symbol on an altar in a church however," he added.
The Pope himself has been accused of having Marxist leanings, after mounting strong criticisms of capitalism and inequality.
One of the strongest reactions came from Spanish bishop Jose Ignacio Munilla, who tweeted: "The height of arrogance is to manipulate God for the service of atheist ideologies."
"This is a provocation, a joke" said Bolivian Bishop Gonzalo del Castillo, quoted by the AFP news agency.
There was also anger on the Facebook pages of the Catholic News Agency. "One cannot simply combine Communism and Christianity!" wrote one user.
But one comment read: "This is no insult to Pope Francis, this is in memory of the Jesuit Martyr, who died defending the poor and oppressed of Bolivia."
Pope Francis is now in Paraguay, the third and final country on his tour of Latin America, which ends on Monday. | A crucifix sculpted in the shape of a hammer and sickle presented to Pope Francis in Bolivia has caused a stir among Catholic commentators. |
27,809,846 | Robert Hart, 26, was knocked unconscious in front of the main stage at the Parklife Weekender Festival on Saturday.
Police have issued an e-fit of a man they want to speak to.
The attacker is described as a man in his late 20s, 6ft (1.8m) tall, with short, curly, black hair.
Greater Manchester Police described him as mixed-race with a muscular build, wearing shorts and a blue, bomber-style jacket with the letter A in white on the front.
Det Insp Richard Eales said: "We believe a confrontation took place following an inflatable doll hitting Robert's girlfriend and I am specifically appealing for witnesses who recall seeing the inflatable doll and the attack on Robert immediately thereafter."
About 60,000 people attended the two-day festival in Heaton Park. | A man has died following a "brutal assault" at a festival in Manchester after his girlfriend was hit with an inflatable doll, police said. |
34,120,766 | The mathematical model offered "an initial idea" of what a particular level of surveillance could achieve.
The work comes at a time when the number of invasive pathogens, including those affecting crops, is on the rise as a result of global trade and travel.
The findings appear in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
"Surveillance efforts have been getting increasing attention because early detection is crucial in order to control these epidemics," explained co-author Stephen Parnell from the University of Salford, UK.
"If you want to have a chance of controlling them or getting rid of them then you really have to catch them at a very early stage."
One example of an invasive pathogen threatening an important food crop is the arrival of a virulent bacterium in southern Italy.
A report by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in January observed that the pathogen, Xylella fastidiosa, was responsible for a "rapid decline" in affected olive plantations.
"Major consequences", such as reduced yields and costly control measures, would be the outcome if it spread to other olive-producing regions in the EU, it added.
In July, France reported an outbreak on the Mediterranean island of Corisca. The European Commission described the pathogen as one of the biggest threats to plants around the globe.
Detection probability
Dr Parnell told BBC News: "Surveillance is a very expensive process so if you are doing surveillance following an invasive epidemic then you want to know what the probability is of detecting the epidemic at a low prevalence.
"This was an epidemic modelling approach where we could - given the amount of surveillance that was being done, and information about how quickly an epidemic spreads once it invades - we were able to tell you at what incidence you would be likely to detect it.
"If you have that information then the idea is that you could adjust your surveillance effort if you need to detect it at an earlier stage."
He added that there was currently very little information about how well detection efforts were likely to perform in terms of finding invasive pathogens.
"This model is giving just a little more evidence to support and help inform how much surveillance needs to be done for certain disease threats," Dr Parnell said.
"The benefit of this approach is that it is very simple. The only information you need about the epidemic is an estimate of what we call 'epidemic growth rate', that is once the epidemic invades, how quickly does it increase over time?"
Fire fighting
Although maintaining an ongoing monitoring network was costly, the consequences of killer diseases becoming established in an area could have a landscape-changing impact.
"An analogy I often use is of a fire," explained Dr Parnell.
"If there was a fire in a house, you would want to catch it as soon as it lit the tip of a curtain rather than when it has lit up an entire room.
"It is a similar situation with an epidemic, you have to catch it at a very early stage because a lot of the control methods we use, for example with tree health problems, are felling of large stands of forest.
"The area you would need to fell can quickly escalate so it is really, really important to catch it at an early stage." | Researchers have developed a way to help determine the level of surveillance required to detect the arrival of costly invasive diseases. |
36,382,379 | Russian athletes are currently banned from international competition after allegations of state-organised doping.
Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko says the ban should be lifted but Sayers thinks it should remain.
"I'd almost go as far as to say I wouldn't want to compete in Rio if Russia were competing," she added.
"But if they are reinstated and I didn't compete I'd be cheating myself out of another opportunity at the Olympics."
Media playback is not supported on this device
Sayers finished fourth at the 2008 Games in Beijing but could be upgraded to bronze after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to re-test hundreds of samples.
Following those re-tests, Maria Abakumova, who won javelin silver eight years ago, was named as one of 14 Russian athletes to have tested positive.
Russian high jumper Anna Chicherova, who won bronze in Beijing, has also been named by Russian television but has vowed to clear her name.
Up to 31 athletes from six sports could be banned from competing at the Rio Games following the retesting of 454 selected doping samples from the 2008 Games.
The IOC said it would not be revealing the names of athletes who had returned positive results until B samples had been tested and individuals informed.
Sayers said she would be "happy" to received a retrospective bronze medal but also "immensely angry" at missing out on a place on the podium eight years ago.
"I think my career would have taken a totally different trajectory, no doubt," she told BBC Radio 5 live. "It's not the same if you receive a medal through the post." | British javelin record holder Goldie Sayers says she has considered not competing at August's Rio Olympics if Russia are allowed to take part. |
39,455,281 | Sgt Harmit Bahra was awarded more than £200,000 when he won a 2014 employment tribunal against Bedfordshire Police.
He claimed he was passed over for promotion and victimised while serving with the force between 2007 and 2010.
The police watchdog said the conduct of 11 officers and four staff involved in the case was being investigated.
Follow live updates on this story and other Bedfordshire news
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said its investigation had reached a "critical and significant stage" and "serious allegations" had been raised "against a large number of officers and staff throughout Bedfordshire Police".
Of the 15 people being investigated, 10 are retired or no longer serving with a police force, two are working for other police forces and three remain at Bedfordshire - one of these three is a serving police officer the other two are police staff.
The original investigation involved 10 officers and staff but has been widened to include more people.
Deputy Chief Constable Mike Colbourne said referring the matter to the IPCC was "only right".
"We will not tolerate any type of discrimination and work hard to ensure our workforce treats each other and members of the public with dignity and respect in line with the policing code of ethics at all times," he said. | Fifteen police officers and staff are being investigated for gross misconduct in a racial discrimination case against an Asian police officer. |
28,079,720 | Sarah Wollaston, Conservative chair of the Commons health select committee, said the NHS was facing "crunch time".
Her comments were echoed by Lib Dem former health minister Paul Burstow who warned the NHS could collapse within five years without extra money.
The Department of Health said it was confident of making £20bn in savings to reinvest in frontline care.
Mr Burstow put the level of extra funding needed for the NHS to function properly at £15bn over five years.
Dr Wollaston told the BBC the NHS was "coping remarkably well" but that future funding was "under immense pressure".
She said: "We have protected spending on health. It is rising in line - just above - background inflation, but inflation in the health sector is much higher because we have got an ageing population.
"So many more people are living with several long-term conditions and of course we have got amazing advances in technology and we need to be able to fund all those things."
Dr Wollaston said the service was not "doomed to failure" but added: "We know that over the next few years, we are going to run into a real crunch time with funding and what's necessary now is for NHS England to set out very clearly what can be achieved within various funding limits.
"In other words - are we going to be able to increase funding, or will something have to give?"
She added: "Personally, I'd like to see services continue to improve, so I think in order to achieve that we are going to need an increase in funding."
Dr Wollaston said it would be "key" to "get the best value out of the resources we have" over the coming years.
Stephen Dorrell, also a Conservative and her predecessor as chair of the health select committee, said he would be ashamed if the government failed to increase NHS funding when the economy was growing.
"I am in favour of the government not denying what 5,000 years of history tells us is true, which is that every time a society gets richer it spends a rising share of its income on looking after the sick and the vulnerable," he told The Observer.
A Department of Health spokeswoman said: "We've taken tough decisions to protect the NHS budget, which is allowing us to strengthen family doctoring, reform out of hospital care, and improve GP access for 7.5 million people across the country.
"The NHS is also on track to make £20bn [in] savings this parliament to reinvest into frontline care and we are confident that it will continue to make the savings necessary to meet rising demand."
The MPs' comments on funding came as the health secretary spoke of plans to publicly name GPs with a poor record in spotting signs of cancer.
Jeremy Hunt said he wanted to expose doctors whose failure to spot cancer may delay patients receiving potentially life-saving scans.
Doctors found to be missing too many cases of cancer or with patients who are forced to make repeated visits before being referred for tests would be marked with a red flag. Those found with quick referral times for patients would be given a green rating.
The Royal College of GPs said it would be a "crude" system and one that could lead to GPs sending people to specialists indiscriminately. It warned this could result in flooding hospitals with healthy people. | The NHS needs more money to avoid a funding crisis, senior Conservative and Lib Dem MPs have warned. |
32,680,526 | An estimated 40,000 took part in the 10km event, raising money for various charities.
Legendary runner Haile Gebrselassie took part in the men's elite race, with Stephen Sambu taking the win. Betsy Saina won the elite women's race.
The race, which is Europe's biggest 10km event, started as a legacy event after the 2002 Commonwealth Games.
Celebrity runners included actress Denise Welch, boxer Anthony Crolla and BBC Breakfast presenters Louise Minchin and Bill Turnbull.
Former Everton, Sunderland and Ireland footballer Kevin Kilbane, who ran for the Down's Syndrome Association, said: "I think my time was 42 minutes, so I'm happy with that.
"It's a wonderful atmosphere here, it's great to be a part of these sort of events."
Starting in the city centre, the course headed towards Manchester United's Old Trafford home before passing MediaCityUK in Salford Quays.
It then looped back along Chester Road and ended on Deansgate.
Colin Pilkington, 79, took part in the run for the Christie Hospital after losing both his wife Eileen and his son-in-law to cancer.
He said: "When I'm running I picture her face in the clouds and that's what spurs me on.
"I said I would run until I'm 80, so I've another one to do next year." | Thousands of people lined up with some of the world's best-known distance runners for the Great Manchester Run. |
40,821,004 | The pair have impressed for Ireland Wolves this season.
Boyd Rankin and Kevin O'Brien return to the 14-man squad, having missed the last Intercontinental Cup match against Afghanistan in March.
In the spin department Simi Singh and Jacob Mulder are preferred to George Dockrell and Andrew McBrine.
Ireland are currently second in the table and one point behind leaders Afghanistan going into the Malahide encounter on 15-18 August.
YMCA opening batsman Tector scored a century for the Wolves against Scotland A on his home ground last month, while Instonians paceman Smith took five wickets in the rain-affected draw against the MCC Young Cricketers.
"I'm obviously delighted to be included in the squad - it has been a dream of mine for a long time so it's massively exciting," said 20-year-old Tector.
Smith, 22, was equally happy to get his first call-up to the senior ranks.
"It's great to be a part of this exciting time in Irish cricket and I'm looking forward to the challenge," he said.
Ireland squad: William Porterfield (capt) John Anderson, Andrew Balbirnie, Peter Chase, Ed Joyce, Barry McCarthy, Jacob Mulder, Tim Murtagh, Kevin O'Brien, Boyd Rankin, Simi Singh, Nathan Smith, Jack Tector, Gary Wilson. | Jack Tector and Nathan Smith have received their first Ireland call-up for this month's ICC Intercontinental Cup game against the Netherlands. |
35,608,148 | Riders were beaten by Newcastle in January's BBL Cup final in Birmingham.
And following Leicester's two-legged semi-final win over Sheffield Sharks, the sides will meet in another showpiece final later this month.
"If we do our job and win it's not like the cup gets taken away from them," Sullivan told BBC Radio Leicester.
"They would still have the Cup and we would have the Trophy, so it's not a revenge game.
"It's for us to play our style of basketball and see where the dust settles at the end of the game.
"We have a team that can complete with them and can beat them, but we should only be focused on that game and nothing else."
The BBL Trophy final will take place at Glasgow's Emirates Arena on Saturday, 27 February. | Leicester Riders and Great Britain forward Drew Sullivan insists next month's BBL Trophy final against Newcastle will not be about revenge. |
17,719,747 | New owner SSI has spent millions making ready the huge furnace, which was shut down when the plant was mothballed by previous owner Tata Steel in 2010.
Many of the 1,600 workforce who lost their jobs two years ago have been re-employed by Thai-based SSI.
Wills Waterfield, the 11-year-old son of late union chief Geoff Waterfield, performed the ceremonial lighting.
They used a gas lance which was itself ignited by embers from an operational blast furnace, in keeping with steelmaking tradition.
Workers cheered at the sight of flames inside the furnace.
The first steel slabs are likely to be produced over the next three days.
Win Viriyaprapaikit, president of SSI, said: "This is a very proud day for us and for me personally.
"I believe the investment we have made at Teesside will result in a very successful business which will benefit all of the stakeholders involved, including the local community and employees for generations to come."
Phil Dryden, chief executive of SSI UK, said: "I would like to pay tribute to all those who have made this day possible, including the stakeholders for their investment and the people who have worked so hard on the restart project.
"We now look forward with confidence to resuming the long tradition of steelmaking on Teesside and establishing SSI UK as world class steelmaker.
"This is a historic event and a complex and demanding restart programme."
Initially all the steel produced in Redcar will be shipped to Thailand, but it is hoped some could be used in the UK to support the wind turbine manufacturing industry.
There has been months of preparation ahead of the official relighting. The furnace has been heating up since February ready for the moment when super-heated air can be ignited creating the blast furnace.
Tony Pointer, who was a union leader at the plant, said: "It's a historic occasion.
"The area has obviously suffered from the fact that it has not had money from people working at the plant.
"But with the re-opening of the works it'll bring money back into the local economy, which is what this area needs badly."
Business Secretary Vince Cable said: "It is great news that, after a two-year absence, the Redcar blast furnace will be lit again.
"I look forward to SSI starting steel production once again in the North East.
"SSI and its workforce have worked very hard over the last year and should be congratulated on getting to this point."
Former steelworker of 30 years and leader of Redcar and Cleveland Council, George Dunning, paid tribute to union boss Geoff Waterfield, who battled to retain the Redcar plant, but died in August last year.
Mr Dunning added: "I would like to say a big thank you to all those involved in the return of steelmaking to Redcar, including the SSI team and the trade unions.
"A special thank you and tribute should also go to Geoff Waterfield, who truly embodied the passion and determination for steel here in Teesside."
Mr Waterfield, 43, worked at the Corus, Tata and the SSI UK site for about five years before his death last August. He was the chairman of the multi-unions at the Redcar site.
The blast furnace was due to be relit last December, but it was delayed by technical problems and industrial action. | Steelmaking has returned to Teesside - after the blast furnace at the former Corus plant in Redcar was relit. |
40,344,918 | Former Arsenal trainee Rees, 23, spent last season at National League South play-off finalists Chelmsford City.
"I'm really excited about the challenge ahead having spoken to the manager a couple of weeks ago," Rees said.
"Josh is someone we've kept an eye on over the past year and to get him on board is brilliant," Bromley manager Neil Smith added.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | Bromley have signed former Nottingham Forest and Torquay United midfielder Josh Rees. |
36,622,155 | HTM Products, which had its name on the West Stand of the Proact Stadium, had sponsored the club since December 2009.
Evans, 27, signed a one-year deal with the League One side, despite facing an October retrial over rape allegations.
He was jailed in 2012, but the Court of Appeal quashed his conviction in April. Evans was released in October 2014, and has always denied the charges.
The firm, which had its name on the West Stand of the Proact Stadium, had sponsored the club since December 2009.
"In light of recent events, HTM Products has ceased all sponsorship arrangements with Chesterfield football club," managing director Jon Knapp said on the company's Facebook page.
In a statement following the signing of Evans, club chairman Dave Allen said "a great deal of thought" had gone into the decision.
He continued: "Following the court's decision, we are in no doubt that Ched Evans should be welcomed back into his profession as a professional footballer." | A long-standing sponsor of Chesterfield has withdrawn its support of the club following the signing of Ched Evans. |
36,764,233 | The former Sweden under-17 international, 24, joins from Norwegian third-tier side Hamarkameratene.
Mbamba, who began his career at Swedish top-flight club IFK Gothenburg, has signed a two-year contract.
He made his debut for Vale in their 4-0 pre-season friendly win over Newcastle Town on Saturday.
Mbamba is the latest recruit at Burslem as new boss Bruno Ribeiro continues his overhaul of the playing squad.
Ribeiro, who replaced Rob Page on 20 June, has already brought in Curacaoan striker Rigino Cicilia, Dutch defenders Kjell Knops and Calvin Mac-Intisch, French midfielders Quentin Pereira and Anthony de Freitas and Portuguese trio Paulo Tavares, Kiko, and Carlos Saleiro.
"I'm very happy that we've got one more player to help us," Ribeiro told BBC Radio Stoke.
"Now I have a good squad and I'm waiting on two more players to maybe come in on loan. If not, I'm happy with how it is."
Meanwhile, Vale have announced that current Rochdale chief executive/secretary Colin Garlick is to join the club at the beginning of October.
Garlick will work alongside chairman Norman Smurthwaite at up-for-sale Vale.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | League One side Port Vale have made their ninth signing ahead of the new season after agreeing a deal for Swedish winger Christopher Mbamba. |
40,392,839 | Cameroon were banned from global football in July 2013 before the establishment of a Fifa-approved Normalisation Committee led by Joseph Owona.
Tombi A Roko Sidiki and his executive committee then assumed office after elections held in September 2015.
Despite Sidiki's election receiving the approval of both Fifa and the Cameroon government, there have been several challenges to his administration.
Most recently, Cameroonian club Etoile Filante de Garoua argued that Fecafoot had no authority to send a team to the Confederations Cup in Russia, an argument Fifa dismissed.
However, Fifa has acknowledged there is a problem within the Cameroon football family and is taking measures to resolve the problem for good.
In March, the Association of Amateur Football Clubs in Cameroon were notified that Veron Mosengo-Omba, Fifa's director of African and Caribbean Member Associations, would be discussing the issue with Fecafoot.
His visit was due to take place in August having been postponed from June, but in a letter to stakeholders dated 23 June 2017, Veron Mosongo-Omba confirmed the date has been brought forward to 10 July.
"It is important to stress that Fifa has the obligation to promote amicable relations within member associations" he wrote.
"Fifa considers its role to settle internal disputes capable of jeopardizing the interest of football in line with its statutory tasks and autonomy of member associations."
Cameroon is set to host the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations and internal squabbles - if not resolved - may see the prestigious competition withdrawn. | Fifa has brought forward a reconciliation meeting for Cameroon football stakeholders to 10 July in Guinea, as football's world body aims to settle internal problems within the Cameroon Federation (Fecafoot.) |
36,325,674 | The Snowdon Partnership is piloting the idea due to the increased damage caused by the 500,000 people who walk to the summit annually.
Snowdon Race founder Ken Jones welcomed the idea, as long as it was voluntary.
After a consultation, the partnership is trialling a scheme which asks businesses in the area to encourage customers to contribute.
Mr Jones told Radio Cymru's Manylu programme: "Thousands of people visit here and don't spend as much as people claim they do.
"But they're good people and I've asked many of them if they'd be willing to contribute a pound to help maintain the paths and they all say they would."
Although Snowdonia National Park manages the mountain, many different companies, agencies and individuals look after it.
They formed the Snowdon Partnership to look at how to maintain the mountain.
Helen Pye, senior warden for Snowdonia National Park, said: "If we can get people to understand the impact they have on the mountain and not just come here to use Snowdon but also want to protect the area, then I think we can succeed."
The 18-month pilot, which begins in June, involves 18 companies and people can donate by adding money to their bills, leaving it in envelopes in B&Bs or the companies can donate profits.
A total of 100 companies were asked to take part but 82 decided not to.
Money raised through this scheme will be used to conserve the Llanberis path as well as other routes.
Llanberis Lake Railway manager Emlyn Pritchard said the business would donate a percentage of profits from sales of local produce in the cafe, such as traditional Welsh teas and bara brith, which is about £500 a year.
Aneurin Jones, owner of the Dolbadarn Hotel in Llanberis, said: "I don't know why they can't put someone at the start of each route to ask for a pound or two in donation from everyone walking up.
"I don't think it's right for us to ask people who come here to stay to pay for damage done by people who are going to the top of Snowdon."
If the pilot is successful, the plan is to develop it for the whole of Snowdonia so various conservation projects can benefit. | Visitors will be asked to contribute towards the cost of maintaining paths on Snowdon for the first time. |
37,227,587 | The typhoon swept across northern Japan on Tuesday night, bringing up to 300mm (11.8in) of rain. At least two other people are reported dead.
The care home, in Iwaizumi town in Iwate prefecture, was on the banks of a river but had not been evacuated.
Lionrock has now been downgraded to a tropical storm as it moves over Russia.
One emergency official told the AFP agency that the nine died after mud swamped the care facility. The victims have not been identified.
The building is home to elderly people suffering from dementia, NHK reported.
Typhoon Lionrock brought strong winds and heavy rains. It was the first to strike Tohoku, which covers the north-eastern part of Honshu island, from the Pacific since records began in 1951.
Authorities in the area have advised more than 400,000 people to evacuate because of fears of landslides and coastal flooding, Kyodo reported.
Flights and rail services have been cancelled and local manufacturers forced to suspend operations.
On the island of Hokkaido, further north, rivers burst their banks.
Iwate, one of the worst hit areas, is still recovering from the devastating earthquake and tsunami in March 2011. | Nine people have died in Japan when a care home for the elderly was flooded by heavy rains brought by Typhoon Lionrock. |
38,530,485 | The 44-year-old won League Two's manager of the month award for December after four wins from five games.
"The run that we've been on, it's only a small portion of the season. We can't get carried away," said McGreal.
"We've got loads and loads of work left. Our main job at the minute is to keep minds focused on the next game."
The former Ipswich defender took his first job in management in the summer following Colchester's relegation from League One.
The U's struggled at the start of the campaign, including a winless run of 10 matches from September until mid-November, but have taken 19 points from the last 21.
McGreal told BBC Essex: "The small window I've had as a manager, it has been a roller-coaster. There's been some ups and downs but every single moment I've enjoyed it.
"Even on the winless run I've enjoyed it. When we're winning it's great but you just want to keep improving.
"We've had the relegation, we don't want to keep banging on about that, it was tough losing a lot of players, it's a new team and new management team but we're just trying to win games of football."
Colchester will move into the play-off places if they win Saturday's home game against third-placed Carlisle United. | Colchester boss John McGreal says his side must not get carried away after rising from the relegation zone to just outside the play-off places. |
30,011,736 | A local charity has described these figures as conservative.
Despite the increase, the BBC can reveal there is just one full-time Autism Spectrum Disorder coordinator in place across all five health trusts.
Autism NI accused the executive of moving backwards rather than forwards in attempting to address the problem.
According to a 2014 health department report, the rate of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) among school age children has increased by 67% since 2010.
In the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust alone, there are 500 cases waiting to be seen.
While on paper the average waiting time for an initial assessment is 13 weeks, in practice a growing number of families are having to wait up to 12 months before their child is assessed and diagnosed.
As some of these children require a "statement" from their health trust to receive extra help in school, families say their child's health and education are suffering.
Ann Marie Ferguson, from Antrim, said the Northern Health Trust had let down her nine-year-old son Cormac.
"This time last year Cormac walked out in front of a moving car," she said.
"He had had a bad day in school. There had been an outburst and sometimes the school doesn't know how to react. Leaving the school he walked out in front of a car. Understandably everyone was upset and concerned. It was dreadful."
After an initial assessment eight months ago, Cormac was referred to the ASD team at the Northern Health Trust. They are still waiting to hear when that appointment is taking place.
According to his mother, the incident involving the car proved he needs to be seen urgently.
"He said I had told him that when people die they go to heaven and are happy, so in his mind if he died he'd go to heaven where he would be happy," she said.
"That is a scary thought process for a nine-year-old. Basically, he just threw the head up and said this is it."
In a statement, the Northern Health Trust said in the last four years, referrals to its autism service had increased by 80%.
The trust said the majority of children referred had already been assessed by a health professional, such as a consultant paediatrician.
"The outcome of this initial review may result in a referral to the specialist autism team," the statement added.
"Once a referral is received by this team, the information is reviewed and data collected to support the assessment process.
"Assessment for an ASD is a process rather than a single event which can occur over a series of appointments, and take a number of months to complete."
The trust said "service pressures", an increase in referrals and staff vacancies, meant there was a waiting list for appointments, and it was trying to address these issues.
In a separate development, the family learned that their request for an assessment with an educational psychologist has been turned down.
By law a child must be assessed and diagnosed before receiving a statement of special educational needs.
Issued by education and library boards, this statement outlines how a child's special educational needs would be supported. As a legal document, children must receive the help that is detailed on the statement.
Legislation designed to ensure those affected are afforded the same entitlements as those with other disabilities was passed in 2011, but Autism NI said it was disappointed that it had made little impact.
According to the charity, compared to Scotland, health and education sectors in Northern Ireland are failing those struggling with the condition.
Autism NI's chief executive Arlene Cassidy said the executive was moving backwards instead of forwards.
"There has been a significant increase each year in calls to our family support team. So far this year the organisation has dealt with over 2,000 calls. In 2010 that figure was 816," she said.
"These families require help and advice often involving follow-up calls and meetings. They turn to us because either the trust or the board can't help them or help them quickly enough."
Julia Irvine's son Nathan is one of the 500 cases in the Belfast Health Trust, and she said she wrestled with the system for almost a year to get an appointment.
However, 24 hours after her local MP got involved, the Belfast Health Trust called to offer her an appointment within six weeks.
"I was disgusted that my voice was ignored, but they felt threatened after being called by a politician," she said.
"There is no system in place. You try and get a medical referral for your child, but that means nothing really in an educational context because then you have to start fighting for a statement. That's a separate process.
"There is no joined-up thinking. No-one talks to each other. Your educational psychologist may send in a report but that is about the length of it. Everything is a fight." | About 1,300 children in Northern Ireland are waiting to be assessed to find out if they have autism, the BBC has learned. |
38,483,191 | Sean Williams was hit in Lakefield Road, Wednesfield, Wolverhampton, on Thursday afternoon.
The car driver was treated for shock in hospital and was helping police with their investigations. The boy was taken to hospital but died of his injuries.
Sean's parents Elaine and Andrew said he would be "truly missed".
In a statement released by West Midlands Police, they said: "To all family and friends…thank you for your support.
"This is the picture we would like you all to remember of our baby boy. Anyone who knew Sean would know he was an amazing, intelligent, polite, loving little boy."
Sgt Alan Wood, from the regional Collision Investigation Unit, said his team still needed to trace witnesses, in particular the driver of a car waiting at traffic lights at the time of the collision.
He said: "It was a small, light-coloured vehicle stationary at the traffic light junction, in the right filter lane heading from Lakefield Road turning right into March End Road." | A 13-year-old who was hit by a car and died days after Christmas has been described as an "amazing, loving little boy" by his parents. |
39,670,340 | Passenger Luke Fletcher, 19, died when the car left the B2177 near Southwick, Hampshire in January 2016.
Zax Ross-Harris, 22, and Danny Ross-Barringer, 25, were jailed for eight and six years for causing death by dangerous driving and aiding and abetting respectively.
The court heard they had been driving at up to 100mph in bad weather.
Portsmouth Crown Court heard both drivers only had provisional licences. Ross-Harris, from Paulsgrove, had been driving the Nissan Almera in an "idiotic" manner on Portsdown Hill on 23 January.
Performing arts student Mr Fletcher, who was in the back seat, suffered an "unsurvivable" head injury when it left the road and hit a tree.
Another passenger, Sonny Wedge, suffered severe injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Andrew Houston, prosecuting, said Mr Wedge and Mr Fletcher had begged Ross-Harris to stop driving and pull over before the crash.
He said Ross-Harris "cowardly" ran away and denied being in the vehicle when questioned by police.
He later admitted causing death by dangerous driving and while driving unlicensed and uninsured and causing serious injury.
Mr Houston said Ross-Harris had drunk seven pints of lager earlier in the day but because he was not arrested until the day after, his alcohol level at the time of the crash was not known.
In a letter to Mr Fletcher's family, read to the court, Ross-Harris wrote: "My stupidity cost Luke's life, I know sorry will never be good enough."
He was also banned from driving for 14 years.
Ross-Barringer, also from Paulsgrove, admitted he had been "showing off" and said his cousin had been attempting to copy him.
Robert Grey, defending Ross-Barringer, said: "He is truly remorseful for what has happened."
Mr Fletcher's mother, Sarah Hiscutt said in a victim impact statement: "I wish it had been me; it has changed our lives for ever."
After sentencing she, described her son as "one of a kind".
"He was growing into a fine young man, full of life, dreams, ambition and a zest for life. He had everything to live for and wanted so much from life," she said.
Mr Fletcher had recorded a single, Heart of Stone, which was released after his death. | Two cousins have been jailed for causing a fatal car crash through "idiotic" driving. |
38,629,174 | The aircraft left Turweston Aerodrome in north Buckinghamshire but then crashed at Aston Rowant Nature Reserve at 14:35 GMT.
A spokesman for Thames Valley Police said: "Sadly, the pilot of the aircraft, a man, has been pronounced dead at the scene."
Road diversions are in place around the area and an investigation into the crash is under way.
The man's next-of-kin are yet to be informed.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch said it had sent a team to investigate the crash site.
Police have locked down the Aston Rowant Nature Reserve after the aircraft accident, with a steady flow of police vehicles coming in and out of the site.
Conditions around the reserve were treacherous even for drivers on Sunday evening with very heavy fog on the Oxfordshire/Buckinghamshire border.
It is not known yet whether fog or poor visibility had a part to play in the fatal air crash at the nature reserve, which straddles the M40 near Stokenchurch.
What we do know is that recovery and investigations will continue throughout the night, although the fog may affect recovery overnight. | The pilot of a light aircraft has died in a plane crash in Oxfordshire. |
34,570,296 | Dumfries and Galloway Council wants to transfer the properties to local management committees in the final phase of a £283,000 savings plan.
Where local people are unable to assume responsibility, halls will be closed.
Buildings at Drummore, Portpatrick, New Luce, Sorbie, Glenlochar, New Galloway, Thornhill and Eastriggs will be affected by the move.
The council wants to transfer the facilities to local committees by 31 January 2016. Where that cannot be achieved, they will be shut at the end of February.
Council officers will work with community groups affected by any closures to find "reasonable alternative accommodation".
Members of the community and customer services committee will be asked to approve the process at a meeting on Tuesday. | Eight council-run village halls and community centres in the south-west of Scotland could face closure next year. |
38,680,133 | The Hillhead/Jordanhill number eight missed November's Rugby World Cup qualifying defeat by Spain.
Four players who debuted against the Spanish - Louise McMillan, Sarah Bonar, Rachel Malcolm and Lucy Park - are named again by head coach Shade Munro.
The Scots last won a Women's Six Nations match in 2010.
And they have finished bottom in the last six championships.
Munro's side will play English Premiership outfit Aylesford Bulls as part of their preparation for the tournament.
They open at home to Ireland on 3 February and visit France eight days later before hosting Wales on 24 February.
England away is next on 11 March and Scotland welcome Italy for their final match on 17 March.
"The Women's Six Nations is a great platform to develop the squad and benchmark progress as we work towards closing the gap with world-class nations," said Munro.
"We've added more training camps and competitive games this season to better prepare both the new and experienced players for the task ahead.
"We competed for the whole 80 minutes in both games [against Spain] and developed our defence and attack. The players took confidence from that because they can see the improvement.
"In this tournament, our focus is really on us. There's no doubt we have progressed in a number of areas, but there is a lot more we can do to improve."
Forwards: Tracy Balmer (Worcester), Sarah Bonar (Lichfield), Rachel Cook (Murrayfield Wanderers), Katie Dougan (Edinburgh University), Karen Dunbar (RHC Cougars), Jemma Forsyth (Hillhead/Jordanhill), Jade Konkel (Hillhead/Jordanhill), Heather Lockhart (Hillhead/Jordanhill), Rachel Malcolm (Lichfield), Deborah McCormack (Aylesford Bulls), Louise McMillan (Hillhead/Jordanhill), Siobhan McMillan (Cartha Queens Park), Lyndsay O'Donnell (Worcester), Lucy Park (Murrayfield Wanderers), Lisa Robertson (Murrayfield Wanderers), Lana Skeldon (Hillhead/Jordanhill), Lindsey Smith (Hillhead/Jordanhill), Anna Stodter (Saracens), Emma Wassell (Murrayfield/Wanderers).
Backs: Caroline Collie (Bletchley Ladies), Abi Evans (Hillhead/Jordanhill), Megan Gaffney (Edinburgh University), Lauren Harris (Melrose), Gillian Inglis (RHC Cougars), Sarah Law (Murrayfield Wanderers/Edinburgh University), Rhona Lloyd (Edinburgh University), Lisa Martin (Murrayfield Wanderers), Jenny Maxwell (Lichfield), Helen Nelson (Murrayfield Wanderers), Chloe Rollie (Murrayfield Wanderers), Eilidh Sinclair (Murrayfield Wanderers), Lisa Thomson (Edinburgh University). | Scotland's first full-time female professional Jade Konkel has been named in Scotland Women's Six Nations squad after returning from injury. |
33,286,410 | During Thursday's four heats in Eugene, 2007 world champion Tyson Gay clocked 9.85 seconds - faster than any Briton in history - but was still beaten.
Remontay McClain, 22, led the way with 9.82 seconds, while 19-year-old Trayvon Bromell ran 9.84 as all 10 athletes to go under 10 seconds progressed to Friday's semi-finals.
The first three finishers in the final will qualify automatically for the World Championships in Beijing, which begin on 22 August.
The only Briton to break 10 seconds this year is Adam Gemili, who has run 9.97 twice - although on the first occasion with a following wind too strong for record purposes.
Though all of the sub-10 performances in the US trials were wind assisted - half of them beyond the permitted two metres per second - the obvious depth in American sprinting will fuel their hopes of threatening Jamaica's recent dominance.
Team USA finished second in the 4x100m relay at the 2012 Olympics but the form of Usain Bolt, who anchored Jamaica to gold in London, has come under scrutiny.
America's ease of finding sprinters capable of going under 10 seconds contrasts with the struggle Britain has faced since Linford Christie ran 9.87 in 1993 - a year after he won Olympic gold.
There have been six British sub-10 runs since - from James Dasaolu (9.91), Chijindu Ujah (9.96), Dwain Chambers (9.97), Gemili (9.97 twice) and Jason Gardener (9.98).
And while a repeat of the gold medal GB claimed in the 4x100m at the 2004 Olympics looks a long way off, even an American 'B' team could threaten the podium. | Only six British men have broken 10 seconds for 100m - but 10 Americans achieved the feat in one night at their national championships. |
36,548,475 | Kosovan Ardit Ferizi pleaded guilty to charges of providing material support to America's enemies, in a court hearing in Virginia.
The maximum sentence for that crime is 20 years in jail.
He could also be sentenced to a further five years in jail for hacking into a federal computer to steal the list.
"Ferizi endangered the lives of over 1,000 Americans," said US attorney Dana Boente in a statement from the Department of Justice.
The DoJ said: "The case against Ferizi is the first of its kind, representing the nexus of the terror and cyber-threats."
It said Ferizi, who is now 21, handed the list to IS, knowing it could incite the group to attack the individuals named in it.
Information about the names, email addresses, passwords, locations and phone numbers for about 1,351 military personnel and federal staff came from several servers that Ferizi hacked into.
He targeted both machines in US government offices and corporate computers.
During the court proceedings, Ferizi admitted he had passed the list to Junaid Hussain, a British cyber-expert involved with IS who was killed in August last year by an air strike.
"I don't know myself why I did this. I still ask myself why I committed this crime," the Washington Post reported that he had said in court.
Ferizi, who used the Twitter name @Th3Dir3ctorY, was arrested in Malaysia in October 2015 and extradited to the US in January this year.
He is due to be sentenced on 16 September.
After he has served his sentence, he will be deported to Kosovo and barred from re-entering the US. | A hacker who passed a list of American military personnel to the so-called Islamic State group could face up to 25 years in jail. |
37,883,774 | Deplagne, 25, was hurt late in Friday's Ligue 1 game and was substituted.
After the match, he was joined by some of Montpellier's backroom staff to search for the missing tooth but their efforts were in vain.
"Mathieu lost a tooth and we went to look for it, but we couldn't find it," Montpellier boss Frederic Hantz said.
Algeria international Ryad Boudebouz scored twice to give Montpellier a 2-0 lead at half-time.
An own goal by keeper Laurent Pionnier reduced the deficit before Steve Mounie sealed the points for the hosts.
Montpellier moved to 12th in the table, level on points with 10th-placed Marseille, who have won once in five Ligue 1 games.
Marseille's team included winger Florian Thauvin, who is on loan from Newcastle United, and on-loan Tottenham forward Clinton N'Jie.
Match ends, Montpellier 3, Marseille 1.
Second Half ends, Montpellier 3, Marseille 1.
Offside, Marseille. Lass Diarra tries a through ball, but Florian Thauvin is caught offside.
Substitution, Montpellier. Joris Marveaux replaces Ryad Boudebouz.
Foul by Florian Thauvin (Marseille).
Jérôme Roussillon (Montpellier) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Montpellier. Anthony Vanden Borre replaces Mathieu Deplagne because of an injury.
Lass Diarra (Marseille) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Jérôme Roussillon (Montpellier).
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Mathieu Deplagne (Montpellier) because of an injury.
Attempt missed. Andre Zambo Anguissa (Marseille) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Florian Thauvin with a cross.
Offside, Marseille. Doria tries a through ball, but Florian Thauvin is caught offside.
Attempt missed. Romain Alessandrini (Marseille) left footed shot from the left side of the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Hiroki Sakai with a cross.
Attempt missed. Hiroki Sakai (Marseille) left footed shot from the right side of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Lass Diarra.
Attempt missed. Morgan Sanson (Montpellier) right footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high. Assisted by Stéphane Sessegnon.
Corner, Marseille. Conceded by Laurent Pionnier.
Attempt saved. Florian Thauvin (Marseille) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Hiroki Sakai.
Attempt missed. Maxime Lopez (Marseille) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Florian Thauvin.
Substitution, Marseille. Antoine Rabillard replaces Clinton N'Jie.
Offside, Montpellier. Laurent Pionnier tries a through ball, but Steve Mounie is caught offside.
Offside, Marseille. Doria tries a through ball, but Hiroki Sakai is caught offside.
Mathieu Deplagne (Montpellier) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Florian Thauvin (Marseille) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Mathieu Deplagne (Montpellier).
Foul by Maxime Lopez (Marseille).
Ellyes Skhiri (Montpellier) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Montpellier. Paul Lasne replaces Souleymane Camara.
Henri Bedimo (Marseille) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Souleymane Camara (Montpellier).
Attempt missed. Florian Thauvin (Marseille) right footed shot from outside the box is too high.
Goal! Montpellier 3, Marseille 1. Steve Mounie (Montpellier) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Morgan Sanson.
Attempt missed. Steve Mounie (Montpellier) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Ryad Boudebouz with a cross.
Foul by Hiroki Sakai (Marseille).
Stéphane Sessegnon (Montpellier) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Goal! Montpellier 2, Marseille 1. Florian Thauvin (Marseille) header from the right side of the six yard box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Romain Alessandrini with a cross.
Offside, Marseille. Florian Thauvin tries a through ball, but Clinton N'Jie is caught offside.
Foul by Andre Zambo Anguissa (Marseille).
Morgan Sanson (Montpellier) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Corner, Marseille. Conceded by Mathieu Deplagne. | Montpellier defender Mathieu Deplagne appealed for help after losing a tooth on the pitch during his side's victory over Marseille. |
35,470,131 | He spoke at a preview screening of the final episode of his adaptation of War and Peace, which was produced by BBC Cymru Wales.
The Cardiff-born writer, 79, said "almost everybody agrees" the BBC should do drama.
Online providers, such as Amazon Prime and Netflix, do not attract similar audiences, he added.
He said: "They (online streaming services) have huge budgets but until now they still have tiny audiences.
"People say 'everybody's watching Mad Men, everybody's watching the American version of House of Cards'. They're not, it's just people in the business are watching it. Most people are watching Call the Midwife and War and Peace."
Addressing the ongoing discussions over the renewal of the BBC's Royal Charter, Davies said drama was an intrinsic part of the corporation's output.
Davies, who was made a Bafta fellow in 2002, has written numerous adaptations for the screen, including Little Dorrit, Sense and Sensibility and Bleak House, as well as several novels.
Last year, he was honoured at the Broadcasting Press Guild Awards.
"I think that serious drama, or drama that makes an impact, is something that almost everybody agrees is one of the things that the BBC should be doing," he added.
"A lot of the arguments (about the BBC's future) tend to come over expensive entertainment shows, and bought-in shows and that kind of thing.
"But I think something like War and Peace is a great thing to get everybody on the BBC's side. It couldn't have been done without the BBC; who else would have done it?"
Davies's adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's epic novel has attracted favourable reviews and he said he had been "thrilled" by the reaction.
In a question-and-answer session after Monday's screening, Davies revealed that his next projects involved a planned adaptation of Les Miserables "with no music and no singing", and a drama based on Aneurin Bevan and the creation of the NHS.
He also praised the increased levels of drama production in Wales since Doctor Who began filming in Cardiff in 2005.
He said: "BBC Wales drama 20 or 30 years ago was pathetic. They couldn't do anything, and other people's productions would use BBC Wales' money because BBC Wales couldn't think of anything," he added.
"It's been an incredible last 10 years, starting off with Doctor Who. It's thrilling for me, coming from Wales, as I've been working for the BBC for ages but was rarely able to work with BBC Wales because over the years they were just so dozy.
"Now it's a powerhouse, it's extraordinary, and we should be terribly proud of it. But make sure to keep it going."
The final episode of War and Peace will be broadcast on BBC One Wales on Sunday 7 February at 21:00 GMT. | Welsh screenwriter Andrew Davies has said subscription streaming services cannot compete with the BBC for drama. |
37,643,429 | PC Dave Wardell was stabbed in the hand and his German shepherd Finn was stabbed in the head and chest in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, on 5 October.
They had been called in to apprehend a man suspected of robbing a taxi driver at gunpoint.
"Finn was stabbed trying to protect me," PC Wardell said. "He got it first."
"He was taking down an offender as he has done hundreds of times, and in the blink of an eye everything changed."
He rushed Finn to a vet who performed surgery to save the dog's life.
"I stayed until they made me go to hospital then I came back," PC Wardell said.
"The bond between a handler and his dogs is second to none. Seeing my partner stabbed was one of the worst days of my life."
Four days later Finn returned to the home he shares with the Wardell family and sniffer dog Pearl, a spaniel.
A week later Finn is doing well and "being very cheeky", PC Wardell said.
"He found some treats, ripped open the packet and ate the lot."
Pearl, with whom Finn shares a kennel "has been missing him lots".
"Finn's allowed for short walks and goes to the kennel then shows off a bit because he's allowed back inside the house.
"He can't understand why he can't go out and work."
His stitches should be removed next week but it could be several weeks before vets know whether he will be fit enough to work.
A 16-year-old boy from Lewisham, south-east London, has been charged with assaulting an officer and with criminal damage.
Following the charge, a petition was set up on the UK government's petition site, proposing that police animals "be given protection that reflects their status if assaulted in the line of duty".
Since 9 October, 57,000 people have signed "Finn's Law". | The handler of a police dog stabbed while apprehending a suspect has spoken of the animal's brave recovery. |
36,922,797 | Kimberly Hinde, 40, began a relationship with the prisoner while working at HMP Wealstun, near Wetherby, and after she was suspended.
Guards found a copy of the erotic novel and letters to Hinde in the man's cell.
Hinde, who admitted misconduct, was given the year-long ban by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).
Live updates on this story and more from across West Yorkshire
Prison security officers became concerned the substance misuse nurse was involved with the inmate at the category C prison in October 2013.
During a search of his cell, a letter indicating he and Hinde were in a relationship was discovered and the inmate was found to have Hinde's first name tattooed on his arm in code.
Hinde was suspended from her job in early November 2013 but continued to write to and phone the man using a number of aliases, the NMC heard.
She was arrested on suspicion misconduct in a public office in December 2013 and pleaded guilty to the offence at Leeds Crown Court in November 2015.
She was sentenced to nine months in prison, suspended for two years, and ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.
Banning Hinde from nursing for 12-months, the NMC panel said: "A conviction of this nature strikes at the heart of the nurse and patient relationship, undermines the trust and confidence the public place in nurses and brings the profession into disrepute."
Hinde told the hearing: "I accept that I should have removed contact between myself and this prisoner sooner when I realised that we were becoming close." | A nurse who sent money and a copy of Fifty Shades of Grey to an inmate she was having a relationship with has been banned from nursing for 12 months. |
32,997,471 | At least 15 drivers were initially caught filming or taking pictures after four HGVs smashed into each other on the A14 in Cambridgeshire on 28 May.
But the number identified has since risen to 24, police have said.
They are being sent letters informing them about court proceedings.
No-one was badly hurt in the crash, at about 05:45 BST on the westbound carriageway.
Lorry driver Ron Norris, from Northumberland, had to be cut out of his cab by the fire service, but escaped with minor injuries.
"I was totally stunned. I think it hit me a little bit when I was sat on a stretcher facing my truck and I just broke down in tears," he said.
"I couldn't help but think how on earth I'd got away with this."
Asked what he thought about drivers taking photographs of the accident, he said: "They deserve to get prosecuted.
"I could have died. The other driver could have died.
"If they were on their mobile phones when the crash happened, they could have died as well."
About 16 miles of road between junctions 31 and 36 was closed for several hours while the wreckage was cleared.
Two of the lorry drivers were taken to hospital with minor injuries. | More motorists alleged to have photographed the aftermath of a crash involving a lorry full of teddy bears face prosecution for using a mobile phone while driving. |
31,918,732 | The US State Department said the deputy assistant secretary for European and Eurasian affairs, Julieta Valls Noyes, would meet Mr Adams.
She has also met SDLP leader Alasdair McDonnell and UUP leader Mike Nesbitt.
The State Department postponed Mr Adams' meeting with Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken because of Stormont's crisis over welfare reform.
The State Department said: "Given the ongoing efforts to reach a durable accord on welfare reform to get implementation of the Stormont House agreement back on track, we postponed all of Deputy Secretary Blinken's meetings with Northern Ireland officials until such agreement is reached.
"This included meetings with Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams, as well as Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness, who determined that the best course of action would be to postpone their travel to Washington and continue negotiations in Belfast."
In Washington, Mr Adams discussed the Stormont House Agreement and Pat Finucane during his meeting, which he described as "useful and positive".
At the weekend, First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness cancelled plans to go to the US to meet President Obama on St Patrick's Day.
Last week, Sinn Féin withdrew support for the welfare reform bill at Stormont.
In a statement issued at that time, former US senator Gary Hart urged all parties to reach an understanding on the scope of the Stormont House Agreement "so that a successful series of meetings planned for St Patrick's Day can go forward as planned in Washington". | Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams has met US congressional leaders on St Patrick's Day in Washington DC. |
21,780,425 | Jeremy Hunt told the Daily Mail said he wanted to see a clampdown on such practices and would seek to introduce wording into agreements making it clear people could still whistle-blow.
But fellow Tory MP Stephen Barclay has claimed the move may not go far enough in dealing with a lack of transparency.
The use of the clauses in the NHS is thought to have been widespread.
In the last five years, more than 400 compromise agreements outlining special severance payments for departing NHS staff have been approved by the Department of Health.
But the department has said it does not know the extent to which payments were tied to clauses stopping recipients speaking out about any problems of patient safety or care.
Mr Hunt told the Mail a "culture of openness and transparency" was at the heart of trying to drive up NHS standards.
He said: "There has been a culture where people felt if you speak up about problems in the NHS you didn't love the NHS. Actually it's exactly the opposite.
'We are now saying we won't approve any [compromise agreements] with a confidentiality clause that prevents people speaking out about patient safety or patient care.
"We will make sure there is a specific clause in them saying that nothing in them can prevent people speaking out."
By Nick TriggleHealth correspondent
The health secretary's stance sounds good in theory, but the practice of implementing it could prove difficult.
Gagging is a complex subject. Severance agreements are just as common in the NHS as any other industry.
When someone leaves employment over a dispute, it is understandable that both sides may wish to keep the reasons confidential. Hence lawyers are brought in to draw up a contract.
But it is already against the law to stop whistle-blowing over a safety issue. This was made clear by the 1998 Public Interest Disclosure Act.
But something seems to have been going wrong within the health service - as the recent controversy has shown.
Gagging clauses may have been inserted in some contracts, or staff may have felt intimidated and unable to speak out because of the process they have been through.
Either way Jeremy Hunt wants to see this tackled. But the problem is that while the government does sign off some agreements, it doesn't vet them all.
Mr Barclay, a member of the Commons public accounts committee, has sought to uncover how much public money has been spent on compromise agreements.
While welcoming the announcement, he told the BBC that other severance payments to staff made through a different process, known as judicial mediation, may not be covered by the new rules.
This process does not involve the Treasury or the Department of Health, Mr Barclay said.
He added: "The gagging clauses had a chilling effect. In essence it put the legal risk on the whistleblower to prove they were complying with the public interest disclosure act. That's really what led a lot of people to keep quiet.
"It is unclear whether payments made through judicial mediation will be covered by the announcement today.
"Parliament still doesn't know how much has been paid through judicial mediation and whether any changes will be made in terms of gagging clauses in those arrangements."
The move by Mr Hunt follows the scandal surrounding Stafford Hospital, where hundreds of patients are believed to have died after receiving poor care.
"Mid Staffs happened because there was a culture of covering up problems," Mr Hunt said.
"We need to encourage front-line NHS employees who see problems to come forward, in the first instance to tell their own institution about them, but then having the ability to go beyond that if they don't think anything is being done about their concerns."
In the wake of the Stafford Hospital scandal, the government has announced the creation of a new post of chief inspector of hospitals from autumn this year.
Mr Hunt said: "The chief inspector will examine lots of different areas, but one third of the entire score for a hospital will be based on patient experience - the extent to which patients would recommend your hospital to friends and family, the extent to which your complaints procedure actually listens to people.
"In too many places hospitals think that patient care is something you do when you have done everything else."
Fourteen trusts in England are currently being investigated for high death rates.
Controversy over gagging clauses has particularly focused on one of them, United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust (ULHT), after its former chief executive, Gary Walker, broke a gag to speak about his 2010 dismissal and concerns over care.
In an exclusive interview with the BBC, Mr Walker - whose case was dealt with through judicial mediation - complained about "a culture of fear, a culture of oppression" within the NHS.
"These are big problems," he said. "And if you consider that the people that have been running the NHS have created that culture of fear, they need either to be held to account or new people need to be brought in to change that culture." | "Gagging clauses" in severance agreements for NHS staff in England must end, the health secretary says. |
33,085,012 | The charges stem from the beating death of Ronald Spear, 52, in 2012 who was at Rikers Island awaiting trial for burglary.
New York medical officials ruled the death a homicide, but Bronx prosecutors had refused to pursue charges.
Spear had been complaining of medical issues when he was kicked repeatedly.
A verbal argument broke out in the jail's infirmary between Spear and a guard when he requested a doctor's visit.
Brian Coll, a former guard, forced Spear to the ground, placed him in handcuffs, and then repeatedly kicked him in the chest and head, causing his death, according to medical officials.
He is charged with depriving Spear of his civil rights, obstruction of justice, and other counts.
Byron Taylor, a current guard, helped to restrain Spear and lied about his role to investigators, say court documents filed on Wednesday.
He is charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice through his efforts to cover up the assault.
Anthony Torres, a former office, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to conspiracy to obstruct justice.
Spears' family said they hope today's charges "will bring justice for the officers who killed Ronald and covered up his death and also shine a window of accountability into the violence and corruption that pervades Rikers Island".
Manhattan US Attorney Preet Bharara said when announcing the charges that "Rikers inmates, although walled off from the rest of society, are not walled off from the protections of our constitution". | Two prison guards have been charged over the death of a black inmate in New York City, prosecutors in Manhattan have announced. |
34,482,434 | Manager Michael O'Neill and his unsung squad have battled against the odds to reach their first major tournament since the 1986 World Cup in Mexico - and their first European Championship finals.
It is a tremendous story of determination and team spirit - and France will surely be richer for their presence next summer.
This was arguably Windsor Park's most important one-off qualifier since November 1981 when Gerry Armstrong's winner against Israel sent manager Billy Bingham's side to Spain for the next summer's World Cup.
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The nerveless victory against Greece encapsulated a wonderful campaign, an unlikely success story, and by reaching Euro 2016 O'Neill's men have equalled - some would even say surpassed - the achievement of reaching those World Cup finals in the 1980s.
O'Neill's players can take pride of place in Northern Ireland folklore and now start making headlines alongside fellow countryman Rory McIlroy, the golfing superstar who has carried the country's sporting flag so brilliantly in recent years.
McIlroy was in the crowd at Windsor Park lending his support, along with IBF super-bantamweight boxer Carl Frampton, watching new Northern Ireland sporting heroes emerge.
Belfast was alive with anticipation from early on Thursday morning, social media flooded by Northern Ireland fans expressing their hopes and dreams.
In a country of just 1.8 million people, with players pulled in from the game's outposts, O'Neill has led his men from the very depths of despair to the heights of ecstasy that greeted the final whistle after the 3-1 win over Greece had sealed their place in France.
As the players posed for selfies, supporters stayed in their seats long after the final whistle, and the country started a party that might last until next summer, the scale of what they have done bears close examination.
Just seven months into O'Neill's reign, they hit their lowest ebb as they were 129th in the Fifa rankings - they now stand proudly at 35th.
England expect qualification as they call on players from the Premier League's superpowers. Northern Ireland have pulled this off on the international equivalent of a shoestring budget.
And to put the achievement into a recent historical context, it was only two years ago that they lost successive games 3-2 to Luxembourg - only that country's fourth international win - and 2-0 in Azerbaijan.
From threatening to preside over one of Northern Ireland's most embarrassing footballing eras, O'Neill has transformed it into glory that will now be showcased in France.
And the way in which he has manoeuvred a low-key squad means he can rightly take his place alongside Bingham, manager at the 1982 and 1986 World Cups, and Peter Doherty, who was in charge for the 1958 World Cup in Sweden.
What may make this qualification one of Northern Ireland's greatest sporting feats is that while those squads of the 1980s contained some of the country's greats, so many players now have forged a career in the lower leagues.
In those World Cups, Bingham's sides were burnished by the likes of legendary goalkeeper Pat Jennings and Manchester United pair Norman Whiteside and Sammy McIlroy.
He also had players experienced at the highest level, such as Nottingham Forest European Cup winner Martin O'Neill and striker Gerry Armstrong, scorer of that famous winner in the 1-0 victory over Spain on their own turf in the summer of 1982.
Those players were feted as sporting icons of the time alongside world featherweight boxing champion Barry McGuigan, "The Clones Cyclone".
Now O'Neill and his players have the opportunity to write their names alongside those greats in Northern Ireland's sporting history.
England can call on the cream of the Premier League, Wales can pull in a superstar from La Liga in Real Madrid's Gareth Bale - but Northern Ireland cast their net around the lower divisions for the majority of their squad.
And yet they have made the finals in France, getting their vital win without their most experienced defender, West Bromwich Albion's Jonny Evans, after he was injured at the weekend and top scorer Kyle Lafferty, who has scored seven goals in qualifiers but was suspended on Thursday.
Derby County defender Chris Baird was also missing through suspension - no problem for a squad built on passion, spirit and no little ability.
There was a Premier League presence in the starting line-up in the shape of Manchester United youngster Paddy McNair, 35-year-old West Bromwich Albion defender Gareth McAuley and his Baggies' team-mate Chris Brunt.
Watford's Craig Cathcart also played his part, with 30-year-old Southampton midfield man Steven Davis the hero of the night with two goals.
They are among the bigger names, but the likes of 31-year-old Hamiton Academical keeper Michael McGovern, Reading's Oliver Norwood, Blackburn Rovers' Corry Evans, Stuart Dallas of Leeds United, Nottingham Forest's Jamie Ward and Kilmarnock's Josh Magennis, the other goalscorer, all added their names to the list of heroes.
Magennis was not even born the last time Northern Ireland reached a major tournament.
Elsewhere, and equally valuable to O'Neill, are squad members such as Fleetwood Town right-back Conor McLaughlin, who was playing a 1-0 defeat at Scunthorpe United last weekend that left them 23rd in League One.
He was suspended for the Greece game - but has played his part in the Euro 2016 campaign and can now look forward to a drastic change of sporting scenery in France next summer.
It is the way in which O'Neill has moulded this nomadic group together that is a tribute to him and them - and proof that team spirit, shrewd man management and growing confidence can go a long way.
When O'Neill presided over those two humiliating defeats to Luxembourg and Azerbaijan in a dismal 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign, even he would have thought the notion of him as a national hero far-fetched.
Not any more as he can now be bracketed with the great managers of this small, proud sporting country as it prepares for Euro 2016. How wonderfully he has rewarded the Irish FA for keeping faith despite those humbling losses.
The 46-year-old took charge at the end December 2011, shortly after leaving Shamrock Rovers, where he made history as they became the first League Of Ireland side to reach the group stages of a European competition, in the Europa League.
The celebratory scenes of Thursday in Belfast looked far distant after a World Cup Campaign that brought only one win 10 qualifiers, but O'Neill's calm, measured approach - allied to superb man management - has turned Northern Ireland's fortunes around.
A keen devotee of modern football techniques and sports science, he has forged a close bond with his players, perhaps best exemplified by the manner in which the unpredictable and temperamental Lafferty, prone to indiscipline, has become the symbol of his and Northern Ireland's success.
O'Neill had a journeyman's playing career as a forward, starting at Coleraine and moving between England and Scotland with clubs such as Newcastle United, Dundee United, Hibernian and Coventry City. He won 31 Northern Ireland caps, scoring four goals.
His managerial road started at Brechin City before reaching its peak on Thursday night. O'Neill may be understated and not a character to shout from the rooftops - but why should he when results speak so eloquently on his behalf?
And while much focus has been placed on how he has galvanised a group of players, many of whom are under the radar when it comes to profile, it must not be forgotten that Northern Ireland have played with style as well as spirit in this qualifying campaign.
Six wins from nine games, with only one defeat in Romania, leaves them with every chance of topping Group F, three points clear of the Romanians as they go into their last game away to Finland on Sunday.
O'Neill has been the catalyst. His achievement will inevitably catch the eye of clubs - but for now this most focused of individuals can concentrate on his greatest challenge with Northern Ireland.
Northern Ireland's real victory is reaching the Euros when few gave them a chance. Now can they make fresh shockwaves at Euro 2016?
It must not be forgotten they finished fifth in their 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign, below Azerbaijan and just a point ahead of Luxembourg. This is an illustration of the country's rapid football rise.
Reality states that they will travel to France as one of the underdogs - but history also tells us Northern Ireland must never be underestimated.
Memories of 15 June 1982 and the night hosts Spain were beaten in Valencia at the World Cup will be revived.
Northern Ireland's results prove they cannot be taken lightly and O'Neill's men, plus thousands of fans, will travel with confidence. | Northern Ireland ended 30 years of waiting to rejoin football's elite after qualifying for Euro 2016 with victory over Greece at a Windsor Park stadium awash with emotion. |
38,069,228 | Thirty-one of the youngsters, said to be under the age of 18, were reunited with family members in Britain.
Six, who are eligible for asylum, are being helped into more permanent living arrangements.
The Home Office says no more young people are expected to be transferred to the centre near Great Torrington where they arrived on 24 October.
More on the refugees, plus more Devon and Cornwall news
Some local community groups welcomed the child migrants, but there were also protests.
The Home Office, which ran the operation to resettle the children, maintained the hostel was a temporary respite measure.
It was designed to provide a safe and welcoming base before the children were moved to other areas of Britain.
The Jungle camp has since been bulldozed by the French authorities. | All the children brought to a facility in Devon from the so-called Jungle migrant camp in Calais have now left. |
29,437,672 | Cecilio Lopez Sanchez was hoisted out of the cave near Chachapoyas in north-eastern Peru on Tuesday.
Mr Sanchez, a native of Madrid, suffered spinal injuries after an accident in the cave almost two weeks ago.
He was airlifted to hospital in the Peruvian capital Lima, where police say he is in a stable condition.
More than 100 rescue workers cheered as Mr Sanchez was lifted out of the cave after a painstaking operation.
Many of them had travelled from Spain to take part in the rescue.
The operation involved winching Mr Sanchez out of the cave on a stretcher.
Heavy winds, rain and cold temperatures complicated the rescue attempt.
He was airlifted by a Peruvian air force helicopter to a nearby airfield, then flown to Lima for treatment. | A Spanish caver has been freed after being trapped in a 400m deep cave in Peru for 12 days. |
36,457,825 | It has been described as one of the firm's "worst ever" financial periods.
The annual accounts of Short Brothers PLC - the company's Northern Ireland operation - warn "challenges will continue".
The Canadian parent company required a £1bn bail-out last year, as problems with its CSeries aircraft brought the business to its knees.
In February, it announced more than 1,000 jobs would be lost in Belfast.
The accounts for its local division show a major reversal in fortunes from 2014, when Belfast posted a £73m operating profit.
The 2015 loss "effectively negates any profit the company has made this decade".
The losses mostly reflect "write-downs" on the CSeries programme - the wings for the aircraft are manufactured in east Belfast.
Paperwork filed with the accounts states: "The company is striving to win new contracts but ... it has been difficult to identify suitable new business.
"The current focus is to drive for further cost reduction, both internally and in our worldwide supply base."
More recently, Bombardier's fortunes have been boosted by a major order for CSeries from US airline Delta. | Bombardier in Belfast has reported an operating loss of $280m (£194m) in 2015. |
22,984,548 | Mr Assange said he had been in touch with lawyers for Mr Snowden, who fled to Hong Kong before the scandal broke.
Iceland's PM said "informal discussions" had been held with an intermediary of the ex-CIA contractor.
But Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson said Mr Snowden, 29, would need to be in Iceland to apply for asylum.
Mr Snowden, who most recently worked as a contract computer technician for the National Security Agency (NSA), the US electronic spying agency, has vowed to fight any extradition attempts by the US.
The US has yet to file a formal request for his extradition from the Chinese territory.
The leaks, published in a series of articles this month in The Guardian and Washington Post newspapers, revealed that US agencies had systematically gathered vast amounts of phone and web data.
"We are in touch with Mr Snowden's legal team and have been, are involved, in the process of brokering his asylum in Iceland," said Mr Assange in a conference call from the Ecuadorean embassy in London, where he himself is fighting extradition to Sweden.
On Monday, Mr Snowden said US officials had destroyed any possibility of a fair trial by labelling him a traitor.
"The US government, just as they did with other whistleblowers, immediately and predictably destroyed any possibility of a fair trial at home, openly declaring me guilty of treason," he wrote in a live online chat.
Former Vice-President Dick Cheney and two influential members of the US Congress have accused the leaker of betraying his country.
Mr Snowden's father has also urged his son not to commit "treason", using a US TV interview this week to urge him to come home and "face justice".
NSA Director Gen Keith Alexander told Congress on Wednesday that surveillance programmes leaked by Mr Snowden had helped thwart 50 attacks since 2001.
Plans to attack the New York Stock Exchange were among 10 plots targeting the US that had been stopped, Mr Alexander told the intelligence committee of the House of Representatives, adding that the snooping operations were critical.
Julian Assange walked into the Ecuadorean embassy in London on 19 June 2012 when his appeal against extradition to Sweden for questioning on accusations of sex crimes was turned down.
He has always denied the accusations, and said on Wednesday he would stay in the embassy even if they were dropped, as he still feared being sent to the US for releasing secret documents.
Wikileaks made headlines around the world in 2010 after it released more than 250,000 leaked US diplomatic cables. | Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is trying to broker a deal that would see US surveillance programme leaker Edward Snowden granted asylum in Iceland. |
17,873,163 | On 8 March 2011, while reporting on the Libya uprising for BBC Arabic TV, I was picked up at an army roadblock near Tripoli along with two BBC colleagues.
We were imprisoned, beaten and subject to mock executions at Khalat al-Farjan farm behind the Yarmouk headquarters just outside Tripoli. But we were some of the lucky ones. After 22 hours we were released.
A few months later, many of the inmates would be killed, when with rebel forces approaching the capital, the guards were ordered to kill all the prisoners.
The compound where I was held was the scene of one of the worst atrocities recorded in the conflict.
Hussein al-Lafi and his three brothers were among 50 prisoners crowded into a small warehouse when the prison guards attacked.
"We saw them throwing hand grenades inside," said Hussein, saying the first one landed right in the middle of the room amongst the men.
He names a man who he says took a leading role in the attack.
"Between the second and third grenade, Ibrahim Tajouri came in and started shooting," he said.
Hussein told me how he called out to his three brothers in the warehouse, but none of them survived the attack.
"After the shooting stopped, I pushed the dead bodies off me."
Hussein's first brother Jamal was lying on top of a pile of bodies. "His eyes were open, I called him, 'Jamal, Jamal' and he didn't answer."
His second brother Usama had been hit in the heart and in the shoulder and the bottom of his leg was missing.
His older brother Mohammad was next to the wall. "I touched him and I could feel that his leg was missing. He said to me: 'Run away, save yourself, and go tell the world that we've been slaughtered'."
In the confusion of the explosions and the shooting Hussein was one of the few prisoners who managed to escape.
Those left behind did not stand a chance. The soldiers finished off any wounded survivors one by one and set the place on fire.
A few days after the massacre, Ibrahim Tajouri gave himself up to the rebel authorities who had now taken over the city. He has been in custody ever since.
He faces charges over the massacre, but he waived his right to anonymity to tell his story. He alleges he was following orders from his superior.
"When the rebels entered Tripoli, Mohammad Mansour - the prison commander - gave orders to kill the prisoners.
"He came to the detention centre where the prisoners were being held, he threatened us with his gun and said that we must kill them now, so we got some hand grenades and threw them at the prisoners."
The whereabouts of Mohammad Mansour are not currently known.
I asked Tajouri how he feels about what he did now.
"I took drugs, I wasn't in control of my actions. My conscience is full of guilt because of what I have done. I ask them for forgiveness."
Another prisoner, Bashir al-Sadeq, was also held in the warehouse and witnessed Tajouri's role in the attack.
"Yes, he came inside and emptied more than three magazines," he said.
Hussein and Bashir agreed to come with me to face Ibrahim Tajouri for the first time since the massacre.
Bashir confronted Tajouri. "When you entered, you finished off a group which included Sheikh Mohammed Allafi. He was kneeling down and you shot him in the back. That was my brother.
"Then you turned and you shot the group which included the Egyptians and the old Palestinian man who was about 80 years old. You emptied nearly four magazines.
"You killed Sheikh Ramadhan when you turned towards him and shot him four times - Don't tell me you don't remember."
"I don't remember," said Tajouri. "I was under the influence of drugs."
I asked Tajouri what he has to say to the two men who have suffered so much. "I would ask them for forgiveness. Forgiveness in this life and the next," he responded.
But Hussein, who lost his three brothers was not convinced. "If I had a weapon I would finish him off," said Hussein. "But we hope he will be tried quickly."
"Is there any chance for reconciliation?" I asked Bashir. "As far as reconciliation is concerned," he responded, "after they have been punished by the law, then national reconciliation can take place.
"But without justice there can be no reconciliation."
Tajouri is still in jail with no prospect of a day in court.
Libya's Torture Farms will be screened on BBC Arabic TV on Monday 30 April, 2012 at 19:07 GMT | A BBC journalist arrested and held by Muammar Gaddafi's forces during the Libya uprising has returned to the prison where he was held to track down some of the wardens and prisoners housed there and to hear first hand accounts of a massacre. |
35,681,592 | Much of the interior of the castle, which dates from the 11th Century, was destroyed after the Middle Ages.
Archaeologists hope methods such as aerial photography and radar will reveal its secrets, including a chamber block where Henry may have been born.
A Castle Studies Trust grant will help pay for the research.
Aerial photographs taken in 2013 have given glimpses of what lies beneath the surface, with parch marks showing the outline of a number of possible buildings.
Dyfed Archaeology Trust will carry out the work. | Details of the exact location of Henry VII's birthplace at Pembroke Castle could be uncovered by researchers using geophysical techniques. |
31,487,860 | The 34-year-old is the second-highest points scorer in Premiership history, with 2,147 for Leicester, Saracens, Worcester and Wasps.
Goode, who won 17 England caps, turned down the chance to stay at Wasps in a coaching capacity.
"He has a wealth of experience to offer and is also a leader," said Exiles director of operations Bob Casey.
"Andy has proven himself as one of the best fly-halves in the Premiership and we are delighted he has signed for us."
Goode, who is out of contract at Wasps at the end of the season, said he wanted to extend his playing career before making the switch to coaching.
"I have huge respect for the coaches and the players at Wasps, and I am very grateful for them offering me the opportunity to start a coaching career here," he said.
"But I love playing the game and I'm excited to be joining London Irish, which is another club with fantastic opportunities ahead, following a similar re-building process to Wasps.
"The facilities are very impressive and having spoken to the management and coaching staff, it is a club I am really excited to be joining.
"I have had two brilliant years at Wasps and will leave with many fond memories."
The Coventry-born fly-half - and lifelong Sky Blues fan - set a Premiership record of 33 points against the Exiles earlier this season with a fairytale performance on Wasps' first appearance at the Ricoh Arena.
Goode won five Premiership titles and two Heineken Cups during nine seasons with Leicester, either side of a stint at Saracens, before moving to French side Brive, Worcester and then on to Wasps as well as a short spell in Super Rugby with the Sharks.
His England career came between 2005 and 2009, but Goode never truly established himself in the number 10 jersey for his country during a difficult time for the national side.
However, he proved himself a valuable asset at club level, with only Saracens fly-half Charlie Hodgson bettering his points tally in the top flight.
"We would have loved for Andy to stay at Wasps in a coaching capacity next season, but we fully understand his decision to play on at London Irish, during an exciting time for that club as well," said Wasps director of rugby Dai Young.
"Goodey has been a tremendous ambassador for Wasps since joining two seasons ago, both on and off the field. His performance against London Irish at our first game at the Ricoh Arena will live long in the memory."
Meanwhile, London Irish have also signed utility back Andy Short from Bristol on loan until the end of the season.
The 23-year-old former England Under-20 international is set to rejoin Worcester when his Bristol contract expires in the summer.
''The opportunity came up for us to bring Andy in for the rest of the season and it is a good fit for all involved," said Exiles head coach Glenn Delaney. "Andy will suit our style of play and be an asset to the group for the remainder of the season." | Experienced fly-half Andy Goode will leave Wasps at the end of the season to join Premiership rivals London Irish. |
38,087,352 | The result at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday - which leaves Arsenal second in Group A - was their third successive draw in all competitions, although they are unbeaten in 18 matches.
The Frenchman said that the Gunners need to "transform draws into wins".
He added: "Sometimes you go through spells when you win a bit less."
Arsenal were 2-1 up in the second half against the French champions and seeking the win that would have put them top of Group A, but Lucas' header gave the visitors an equaliser 13 minutes from time.
In the Gunners' previous two games, they were held to draws by Tottenham and Manchester United in the Premier League.
"We have a special strength in the squad, a consistency in results," Wenger added. "We are unbeaten in 18 games. But we have to continue without losing and transform draws into wins."
Arsenal have failed to get past the last 16 of the Champions League in the past six seasons, but Wenger refused to concede his team had blown their chances of finishing top of their section after the penultimate game of the group stages.
"At the moment we are second but it's not over," said the Frenchman, whose team will conclude their group games with a trip to Basel on 6 December.
"We have a 90% chance to finish second, and we wanted to finish first. But we've not lost a game in this group.
"Overall, we've done the job well. Will we be lucky enough to finish first? I don't know, and we'd have to wait for the draw.
"You can't guess whether it's good or bad. The advantage if you finish first is to play the second game at home."
BBC Sport chief football writer Phil McNulty
The price Arsenal will pay for not holding on to their lead is likely to be a tougher draw in the last 16.
Wenger had a resigned air post-match but the Gunners can have no complaints at drawing with an excellent PSG side under the stewardship of a real European specialist in Unai Emery, who has won the Europa League in the past three seasons with Sevilla.
Wenger will hope for a final twist when Arsenal travel to Basel and PSG face Ludogorets at home in the final round of games, but he can take satisfaction from the fact his side are in the last 16 once more.
Much is made of Arsenal's exit at that stage in each of the last six seasons, but as Tottenham proved with their demise, that sort of consistency should not be underestimated. | Arsene Wenger says there is no reason to panic after his Arsenal side were held to a 2-2 draw by Paris St-Germain in the Champions League. |
34,670,774 | Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir made the remarks as talks among international foreign ministers on the crisis get under way in Vienna.
Iran is for the first time taking part in such talks, which will also include Russia and Turkey.
Russia and Iran both support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
They have both recently stepped up their military role in the conflict.
The US, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Arab nations have long insisted Mr Assad cannot play any long-term role in Syria's future.
Mr Jubeir told the BBC that there was "no doubt" Mr Assad had to go. "He will go either through a political process or he will be removed by force," he said.
Earlier American Secretary of State John Kerry said the US was intensifying diplomatic efforts to end the "hell" of Syria's civil war even as it increases support for moderate rebels.
Foreign ministers from the UK, France, Germany, Egypt, Lebanon and the EU have also confirmed they will attend the meeting, and other Middle Eastern powers are also expected.
Iran's Quds newspaper sees Iran's invitation to the talks as US "acknowledgement of Iran's influential position in resolving the Syrian crisis".
Saudi Arabia's Al-Jazirah warns of "more Iranian political and military expansion" should Mr Assad remain in power, leading to Tehran "[reshaping] everything for its own benefits".
Lebanese daily Al-Nahar speculates that the US's "sudden decision" to invite Iran to the talks "reflects changes that occurred because of the Russian military intervention".
Jordan's Al-Ra'i notes that Iran's inclusion "would be in support of Russian diplomacy", which was "standing alone" at previous talks.
In a speech at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace think-tank in Washington, ahead of the talks, Mr Kerry said:
"At the end of the day, nothing would do more to bolster the fight against Daesh [the Islamic State militant group] than a political transition that sidelines Assad so that we can unite more of the country against extremism."
But in his speech, Mr Kerry stressed that the US and Russia also shared "common ground", arguing that both want "a united, secular Syria".
Four years into Syria's civil war, and with Russia now conducting its own bombing campaign there separate from that of the US-led coalition, the conflict looks more dangerous than ever.
But it has also created a new urgency to try to find a way out of the fighting.
Some of the impetus comes from Russia, keen to be seen as a major player and anxious, apparently, to keep its air strikes limited.
It is also due to a new readiness by the United States and Saudi Arabia to hear what Iran has to say - especially about the main point of disagreement: what role Syria's President Assad should be allowed to play in any transition.
The Saudis and most Western powers see him as an obstacle. The Russians and Iranians argue he is a vital partner.
The test of this Vienna meeting is whether there is any movement towards a compromise.
But even without tangible progress, the very fact such a high-profile gathering is happening could mark an important step in the search for a way out of Syria's nightmare.
Iran now seen as part of solution to Syria conflict
Washington struggles for clear line on Syria
Iran is believed to have spent billions of dollars over the past four years propping up Mr Assad's government, providing military advisers and subsidising weapons.
However, Syria's political opposition has warned that Iran's involvement will only complicate the meeting in Vienna.
Iran has long acknowledged sending military advisers to Syria, but has denied the presence of any ground forces. Despite that, unconfirmed reports earlier this month said that hundreds of Iranian troops had arrived in Syria.
They were reported to be joining government forces and fighters from the Lebanese Shia Islamist movement, Hezbollah, in assaults on rebel positions in northern and central Syria.
Russia began its military intervention in Syria at the end of last month, launching air strikes in support of Mr Assad.
Washington has accused Moscow of concentrating its air campaign in Syria on moderate opposition groups rather than on the Islamic State militant group.
Why is there a war in Syria?
Anti-government protests developed into a civil war that, four years on, has ground to a stalemate, with the Assad government, Islamic State, an array of Syrian rebels and Kurdish fighters all holding territory.
Who is fighting whom?
Government forces concentrated in Damascus and the centre and west of Syria are fighting the jihadists of Islamic State and al-Nusra Front, as well as less numerous so-called "moderate" rebel groups, who are strongest in the north and east. These groups are also battling each other.
What's the human cost?
More than 250,000 Syrians have been killed and a million injured. Some 11 million others have been forced from their homes, of whom four million have fled abroad - including growing numbers who are making the dangerous journey to Europe.
How has the world reacted?
Iran, Russia and Lebanon's Hezbollah movement are propping up the Alawite-led Assad government, while Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar back the more moderate Sunni-dominated opposition, along with the US, UK and France. Hezbollah and Iran are believed to have troops and officers on the ground, while a Western-led coalition and Russia are carrying out air strikes.
Iran's growing role in Syria's war
Syria crisis: Where key countries stand | Saudi Arabia has said Iran must accept the removal of President Bashar al-Assad as part of any solution to the conflict in Syria. |
19,589,265 | Employers are obliged to pay in as well, with the government adding a little extra through tax relief.
The system - called automatic enrolment - started at the beginning of October 2012 with staff who work for the biggest businesses, with others being signed up over the following six years.
Those who already save in a workplace pension scheme or are self-employed will not be signed up.
Experts and ministers say it is vital people make a start at an early stage in their working lives, to eventually have savings that will top up the state pension.
So who will automatically be enrolled into a workplace pension scheme?
A workplace pension is a saving scheme for retirement organised through an employer. The employer may have their own scheme, offer one from a specialist pension provider, or use a government-backed scheme.
Infographic: Why it pays to start saving early
Under the new system, those who work in the UK, are aged over 22 and under the state pension age, are not already in a scheme, and earn more than £8,105 a year will automatically be enrolled.
Part-time workers who earn less than that can ask to take part if they want to and, if they earn more than £5,564, their employer will be obliged to make a contribution too.
Those aged under 22, or over state pension age and still working, can also opt-in in the same way.
Do I have to take part?
No. You may decide that you need all of your monthly pay to make ends meet or you have a private pension policy you think is sufficient.
Source: Towers Watson
Staff will be given a letter about the scheme when it starts at their workplace. This will explain who the pension provider is. Workers can ask this provider for an opt-out form.
If they fill it in within a month, then their involvement will be cancelled.
If they take longer, then they will start to build up a very small pension pot. This will still exist when the opt-out is processed, but it will just sit there untouched until retirement.
It is worth remembering that by opting out, workers will miss out on the contribution their employer puts into the pension. In the majority of cases, they simply will not get these payments in any other way, such as in their regular pay.
Those who opt out will also be enrolled again every three years by an employer, or after three months at a new job, at which point they will need to complete the opt-out process again.
When will this system start?
It will be introduced gradually over six years.
The first wave has begun, with the largest businesses - with more than 120,000 staff - starting first. As time goes on, smaller firms will start enrolling staff.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) estimates that 380,000 workers will be signed up in October, a total of 420,000 will be enrolled by the end of November, and 600,000 will be in place by the end of the year.
Firms with fewer than 50 workers will not start enrolling their staff until June 2015 at the earliest. But even the smallest employer - such as a plumber employing a full-time assistant - will eventually be obliged by law to enrol staff.
The Pensions Regulator is policing the system to ensure workers are enrolled at the correct time.
How much will I save?
At first, an employee will only see a minimum of 0.8% of their earnings going to their workplace pension. Their employer will be obliged to add a contribution that is the equivalent of 1% of the worker's earnings. Tax relief adds another 0.2%.
However, these amounts will increase to a minimum of a 4% contribution from the employee, 3% from the employer, and 1% in tax relief from October 2018.
This means the equivalent of 8% of a worker's earnings (including overtime, but excluding any earnings over £42,275) will go into their pension pot.
That means that from October 2018, somebody earning £20,000 a year would see £96.24 going into their pension pot every month. For this, some £48.12 will be taken from their take-home pay.
They will not be able to get at the funds until the age of 55 at the earliest so, in the meantime, the money is invested. The pension firm, insurance company, or government-backed organisation that is running the scheme will give each worker a choice on how risky they want these investments to be.
There will also be options for people to choose Sharia-compliant, or ethical funds.
There will be a default option. This generally starts very safely, tries to make a bigger return during a worker's middle age, then plays safe again as he or she approaches retirement.
There will be a charge levied by the pension provider, which is taken automatically each year from the pot.
It is very difficult to predict what sort of pension somebody would have at the end of the process, owing to the impact of the success of investments, changes to people's earnings and the age at which they decide to retire.
However, as a ballpark figure, a 30-year-old who earns £20,000 now, sees a 1% above inflation pay rise each year, makes the minimum contributions permitted, whose investments have a small but regular return and who retires at 70 may receive a pension each year of £2,100 at today's prices.
"For many people this will not be enough [in retirement]," says Malcolm McLean, a consultant for Barnett Waddingham.
However, he says it will be good for people to get into the savings habit, as they may also choose to have parallel savings for retirement.
Has this automatic enrolment system been used in other countries?
A number of countries have implemented schemes aimed at encouraging saving for a pension - many of which have mandatory participation.
The KiwiSaver in New Zealand is the closest relation to the new UK scheme.
A large number of people remain in the system, owing in part to government incentives, clear communication when it was launched and beneficial tax rules, according to a report for the DWP.
Many of the schemes around the world have been introduced in the past 20 years, and - with the exception of the KiwiSaver - there has been little done to review how successful the schemes have been so far. | Millions of workers in the UK will gradually see a slice of their pay packet being automatically diverted to a savings pot for their pension. |
18,595,884 | Since the uprising against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad began in March 2011, there have been almost daily reports of deaths. Among these, eight major incidents stand out as particularly violent episodes. Explore the map below to find out more. | Thousands of Syrians have been killed and injured in the escalating violence that is now threatening to tear the country apart. |
31,526,088 | It is feared schoolboy Cameron Comey, who is from the town, fell into the River Towy on Tuesday after playing with his brother nearby.
The rescue operation has now lasted three days and is scheduled to resume on Friday morning.
A team of 50 are involved in the search including Dyfed-Powys Police, the fire service, coastguard and lifeboat teams.
On Thursday, the specialist dive team from South Wales Police joined the search while the police helicopter was on hand to assist in identifying possible search areas.
Philip Grice, deputy chairman of governors at Queen Elizabeth High School, where Cameron is a pupil, said it was a "terrible time" for everyone.
"Our hearts and thoughts and prayers go out to the young man and his family," he said.
"They are quite a well-known family in the town and they have lived here for many years."
Prayers for Cameron and the lighting of candles will take place in St Peter's Church in Carmarthen at 10:00 GMT on Friday.
Ministers and local vicars of all denominations will be present at the church.
Wet weather has made search conditions more difficult and the river is fast flowing.
Kayaks and boats have been out on the water while dogs and search crews have walked along the river banks near the spot, known locally as "the steels", where Cameron is believed to have fallen in.
It is given that name because of steel plates forming new banks after the river was moved to make way for a new dual carriageway.
Dyfed-Powys police and crime commissioner Christopher Salmon tweeted his thanks to the search teams and the public for their efforts in the search. He added: "Thoughts with family."
Anyone in the area between 14:00 and 16:00 GMT on Tuesday is asked to call the police on 101. | The search for an 11-year-old boy in a Carmarthen river has ended for the day. |
39,339,418 | Monitoring birds for viruses that carry the change could provide early warning of risk to people, they say.
Researchers at the University of Hong Kong studied a strain of bird flu that has caused human cases in China for several years.
Birds carry many flu viruses, but only a few strains can cause human disease.
H7N9 is a strain of bird flu that has caused more than 1,000 infections in people in China, according to the World Health Organization.
Most cases are linked to contact with infected poultry or live poultry markets.
The change in a single nucleotide (a building block of RNA) allows the H7N9 virus to infect human cells as well as birds, say Prof Honglin Chen and colleagues.
They say there is "strong interest in understanding the mechanism underpinning the ability of this virus to cause human infections and identification of residues that support replication in mammalians cells is important for surveillance of circulating strains."
Dr Derek Gatherer, an expert on viruses at Lancaster University, UK, says more surveillance of bird flu viruses is needed.
"The recent flare-up of H7N9 bird flu in China has been the cause of some concern this winter, and the demonstration that the new replicative efficiency mutation is present in this strain is not good news," he told BBC News.
"Also, the observation that this mutation has been present in other bird flu subtypes like H9N2 and spreading slowly for over 15 years shows that H7N9 isn't the only kind of bird flu that is potentially a pandemic risk for humans.
"We need to maintain a broader surveillance of bird flu to identify which strains have this mutation."
The research, published in the journal, Nature Communications, will help scientists understand more about how bird flu viruses adapt to infect humans.
Follow Helen on Twitter. | A change in just a single genetic "letter" of the flu virus allows bird flu to pass to humans, according to scientists. |
37,038,864 | The company said the exam would put drivers out of work.
From 1 October, Transport for London (TfL) will require the qualification of licence applicants from countries where English is not the majority language.
The new rules will apply to anyone seeking a new licence or a licence renewal.
Initial proposals had called for only proficiency in spoken English, but the final draft requires, among other criteria, at least an intermediate language qualification.
Besides the spoken portion, the exam also tests reading, writing and listening skills.
It is referred to as the "B1" level on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
Someone who passes will have the "ability to express oneself in a limited way in familiar situations and to deal in a general way with non-routine information", the framework says.
Uber said it supported the need for drivers to pass a spoken exam but the requirement to pass a written English exam would "threaten the livelihood of thousands of drivers".
In an email to users calling on them to write to the London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, Uber's general manager in London, Tom Elvidge, said: "Fewer drivers will mean longer waiting times or no cars when you need them most."
He also said the B1 qualification would demand more of applicants than the British citizenship test.
In addition, Mr Elvidge said TfL's new rules were more stringent than those the government applied to employees who interacted with the public as part of their duties.
Helen Chapman, TfL's general manager of taxi and private hire, said they were "working to modernise and improve standards in London's private hire industry" and it was appropriate for an English language requirement to apply to private hire drivers.
A TfL spokesman said it was presumed that to pass the black cab drivers' "Knowledge" exam, applicants would need a much higher proficiency in English than the intermediate level to be required of private hire drivers. | Transport bosses have defended new regulations requiring private hire drivers to pass a test in English, following criticism from Uber. |
33,945,950 | Two trains carrying ballast for engineering work collided on the track at Logan, near Cumnock, two weeks ago.
Network Rail said a 130-tonne locomotive engine and 16 wagons were moved from the site by Friday.
Engineers are now working "round-the-clock" to repair the damaged track in time to reopen the line.
Before lifting the engine and wagons, engineers had to first construct a 350m-long haul road, and operating pad, for the 1,000-tonne crane which was required to remove the wagons and the locomotive.
The derailment happened on Saturday 1 August, when two freight trains collided while delivering materials to an engineering work-site on the line, which was closed at the time. No-one was injured in the incident.
The rail line between Kilmarnock and Dumfries has been closed during the work. | Engineers say they are "confident" the rail line through Ayrshire will reopen on Monday after work to remove derailed wagons was completed. |
28,271,989 | In 2008 the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) said all pregnant women should be offered the ultrasound scan and blood test.
But currently only patients in north Wales are offered screening.
The Welsh government said introducing the test across Wales had been "challenging".
The guidelines recommended that all pregnant women are offered a combined ultrasound and blood test which identifies the risk of having a baby with a genetic condition caused by abnormal chromosomes, including Down's syndrome.
Dr Bryan Beattie, a consultant in foetal medicine at the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, said he expected the combined test to be rolled out across Wales from September to November.
He said: "It has been incredibly slow. A lot of mothers who have given birth to a baby with Down's syndrome over the last six years would not have had an opportunity for a combined test.
"The other even sadder thing is that some mothers unnecessarily miscarried a healthy baby [after an amniocentesis].
"They would not have been wrongly flagged up as a high risk if they had had the combined test."
Jane Fisher, director of Antenatal Results and Choices (Arc) said: "We're alarmed that it's taking so long to roll out in Wales.
North Wales Conservative AM Antoinette Sandbach said: "While I am pleased for my constituents, that finally the ultrasound test has been introduced in north Wales, patients in the rest of Wales still face the same dilemma, either to go private or face an out-dated and far more invasive test on the NHS," she said.
In a written answer to Ms Sandbach, Health Minister Mark Drakeford said the screening was being introduced in a "phased manner".
"Implementing this screening test is complex and has proved challenging for health boards," he said.
Mr Drakeford said the additional work required more from midwives, obstetrics and radiology departments, together with upgraded radiology information management system software.
Down's syndrome is a congenital disorder resulting from an extra copy of one chromosome.
This generally causes some level of learning disability and a range of distinctive physical features.
In the UK, 750 babies are born with Down's syndrome each year and screening tests are available for pregnant women.
There are an estimated 60,000 people in the UK living with Down's syndrome.
Source: Down's Syndrome Association
There are two types of tests available on the NHS to test for conditions caused by a fault in a foetus's chromosomes.
The recommended test involves an ultrasound which measures the thickness of fluid at the back of the baby's neck and is known as a nuchal transparency scan. If the fluid is thicker than the norm, it can be an indicator that the foetus has a chromosomal defect, although not all higher readings will mean this.
At the same time, a blood test is done measuring proteins in the mother's blood which are associated with pregnancy. An abnormal level can also indicate problems.
This is carried out between 11 weeks and 14 weeks.
If the combined test is not done, a woman can have a different blood test known as the quadruple test at between 14 weeks and 20 weeks.
Both types of test are combined with the mother's age to produce the individual chance of having a baby with a chromosomal abnormality (for example 1 in 500).
The only two ways to diagnose Down's Syndrome and other genetic conditions is to either have a procedure known as chorionic villus samplin from 11 weeks or an amniocentesis test from 15 weeks, both of which involve passing a needle into the womb and either removing a sample of the placenta or amniotic fluid.
Source: NHS Choices | A new screening test for Down's syndrome is still not available across the Welsh NHS, six years after guidelines said it should be. |
33,902,059 | Security forces surrounded the USDP offices on Wednesday, preventing officials from leaving.
Myanmar is holding elections in three months, its first since democratic reforms began in 2011.
Shwe Mann had been rumoured to be discussing an alliance with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Ms Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) is expected to do well in the 8 November elections, while many believe the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) will perform poorly.
However, Ms Suu Kyi is barred by the constitution from contesting the presidency, so negotiations between the NLD and USDP could help determine who ends up leading Myanmar, also known as Burma.
Read more: Myanmar's 2015 general elections explained
Analysis by Moe Myint, BBC Burmese service
Aung San Suu Kyi and Shwe Mann have often expressed that they have a mutual understanding for future co-operation.
One likely area is thought to be amendment of the constitution, which prevents Ms Suu Kyi from running for the presidency.
But for conservative forces in the ruling USDP party and the military, constitutional change is seen as a threat - because the constitution gives the military an automatic 25% of seats in parliament, and safeguards the traditional alliance between the USDP and the armed forces.
This latest move means an inner circle of the president's has come out on top. It could also worsen the relationships between the ruling elites and the opposition.
Until last night Shwe Mann, one of the most capable generals in the old military regime, had been seen as a likely successor to President Thein Sein, the BBC's South East Asia correspondent Jonathan Head reports.
Thein Sein and Shwe Mann are said to have had a tense relationship, with both men suggesting they would accept the role of president.
The two also disagreed over potential election candidates, reports said.
Sources say Shwe Mann has now been replaced by a conservative known to be close to Thein Sein and formerly military ruler Than Shwe.
Security forces could be seen outside his home on Thursday.
"Shwe Mann isn't the chairman of the party anymore," a USDP member told Reuters. "He's in good health and at home now."
A nominally civilian government was introduced in Myanmar in 2011, ending nearly 50 years of military rule.
President Thein Sein introduced reforms including freeing hundreds of prisoners and relaxing media censorship.
However, the military still maintains massive influence in Myanmar's politics, with a quarter of seats in both parliamentary chambers reserved for the military. | Myanmar's parliamentary speaker Shwe Mann has been ousted from his role as chairman of the ruling USDP party, amid a power struggle. |
40,779,337 | Peter Fasoli, 58, was murdered by "fantasist" Jason Marshall at home in January 2013, the Old Bailey heard.
Mr Marshall, 28, later set fire to the bungalow in Northolt, west London, to cover up the murder, the jury was told. For nearly two years Mr Fasoli's death was thought to have been an accident.
Mr Marshall, of East Ham, in east London, denies murder.
It was only when his family discovered footage on Mr Fasoli's computer hard drive that it was realised he had suffered a worse fate.
The harrowing footage was found by Mr Fasoli's nephew Christopher Murgatroyd, who examined his uncle's fire-damaged computer in November 2014, looking for his uncle's research into his family tree.
Instead he found himself watching his violent death, the jury heard.
Edward Brown QC, prosecuting, told the court the attack was "as shocking as it was determined".
He warned the video evidence showed the actual killing itself, adding: "The issues in this case are such that you will need to watch what on any account is very disturbing evidence."
The defendant first got in contact with Mr Fasoli, who worked as a computer repairman, through gay social networking site Badoo in December 2012 and offered to set up a threesome, the Old Bailey heard.
Mr Marshall invented the persona of a "law enforcement operative" to "dominate" his victim for his own "murderous purposes", the court heard.
An initial investigation into Mr Fasoli's death concluded it was an accident and that a fire had been sparked by a faulty light which may have fallen on to a bed.
But Mr Brown said: "The fire was intended to hide a terrible crime.
"Peter Fasoli was killed intentionally. He had been subjected to a calculated and determined attack by this defendant whom he invited into his home.
"In the end he literally fought for his life but by the time Mr Fasoli fully understood the true motives of the person who had tricked his way into his home, it was too late."
The trial continues. | A man was filmed being terrorised and then killed by a fake policeman during a bondage sex session, a jury heard. |
17,763,547 | The 20-member supervisory board of Europe's largest carmaker agreed to add a 12th brand to its portfolio.
The purchase will be completed when approval from the necessary regulators is received.
Ducati has won 13 rider's Superbike World Championships since 1988, and the deal means Audi's rivalry with BMW will now include superbikes.
However, one expert has questioned the wisdom of the purchase.
"I can't think of a concrete reason for Audi to warrant a business case for buying Ducati," said Stefan Bratzel, director of the Center of Automotive, at the University of Applied Sciences in Bergisch-Gladbach.
"Ducati does not enhance Audi's business model in any way, it is just a trophy in the wall cabinet."
Ducati makes about 40,000 bikes a year across its range of cruiser, supermoto, adventure, "naked" or basic, and superbikes. | Volkswagen's Audi arm has bought Italian motorcycle firm Ducati for an undisclosed sum. |
38,634,384 | Howley names his Six Nations squad on Tuesday, with Wales' opening match in Italy on Sunday, 5 February.
"It would be nice if Rob went away from the status quo and picked players who perform on a weekly basis," Jones said.
"If you're young and good enough, you've got to play. Whoever's playing well needs the opportunity."
Wing Keelan Giles, 18, has impressed for Pro12 leaders Ospreys this season and was called up for Wales' autumn internationals, but did not play.
He was an unused replacement in the narrow win over Japan, but limped out of Ospreys' European Challenge Cup win against Lyon on Saturday.
James says Wasps flanker Thomas Young, 24, could be in contention to be named in the squad.
"I'd like to see him brought in to the squad," James, who won the last of his 48 Wales caps in 2007, told BBC Wales Today.
"I'd like to see Rob be a bit bolder in his selection policy and give a couple of the young guys who have excelled throughout the season a chance to play on the big arena.
"I think you need the right blend, whether you put them on the bench and bring them on gradually as the game is evolving."
Cardiff Blues flanker Sam Warburton's six-year spell as Wales captain seems set to end, with Ospreys lock Alun Wyn Jones taking over the role.
Howley must decide how to handle the absences of vastly experienced prop Gethin Jenkins and highly regarded number eight Taulupe Faletau.
Jenkins, who plays for Cardiff Blues, is not expected to return until the latter stages of the tournament as he recovers from a calf injury.
Bath's Faletau is being treated for a knee ligament injury, having been largely absent during Wales' autumn campaign for the same reason.
The former Newport Gwent Dragons player is not expected to return until after Wales' tournament starts against Italy in Rome.
Like his fellow British and Irish Lion Jenkins, Ospreys flanker Dan Lydiate is a long-term injury absentee. | Interim Wales boss Rob Howley should be "bolder" in his selection policy for this year's Six Nations, says former international Dafydd James. |
37,276,980 | Jessica Hedley, 25, tried to save David Christie with first aid following the crash on the A92 near Freuchie.
She had denied causing his death by careless driving, but pled guilty on the second day of her trial last month.
Hedley had been overtaking a truck at about 04:30 on 21 February 2015.
She hit Mr Christie who was travelling home to Ladybank after going to an all-night garage in Freuchie.
Dundee Sheriff Court heard the 49-year-old was riding a bike equipped with a light and was wearing a high-visibility yellow tabard when the crash happened.
Martin Green, 31, a close family friend of Mr Christie, was the last person to see him before he went out on his bike to make the two mile trip to the garage.
Mr Green said: "I had been with him all day and night. We had been drinking on and off.
"He got changed and went to cycle to Freuchie to get cigarettes.
"I expected him to be back in about 40 minutes but I got concerned when he didn't come back and phoned the police."
Defence solicitor Ross Donnelly said Hedley has been extremely remorseful from the outset.
"This incident has had a considerable impact on her and she has required treatment for panic attacks, anxiety and depression," he said.
Hedley will now face an inquiry by the Nursing and Midwifery Council. | A nurse who killed a cyclist in a head-on smash as she overtook a lorry in Fife has been ordered to perform 200 hours of unpaid work and banned from driving for two years. |
27,194,913 | The big transnational party groups in the EU have nominated their candidates to run the Commission. But later this year the EU governments will have their say - and could well come up with a different shortlist.
The mandate of Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso expires in November.
The biggest TV debate was on 15 May, hosted by the European Broadcasting Union. It was shown on 49 TV channels and in 24 languages. The debates are part of the political campaigning ahead of the 22-25 May European elections.
So who are the candidates?
Jean-Claude Juncker (Luxembourg) - centre-right European People's Party (EPP)
From 1995 to 2013 Mr Juncker was Prime Minister of Luxembourg - a record tenure for a prime minister in the EU.
He is a veteran of EU politics - and of the eurozone crisis. He chaired the Eurogroup, the eurozone finance ministers who had to make tough decisions about struggling debt-laden countries, notably Greece, Cyprus, Ireland and Portugal.
He is an ardent believer in EU integration - many call him a "federalist". He played a big role in the launch of the euro.
He has defended EU subsidies for farmers, one of the EU's biggest budget areas, saying agriculture employs 30 million Europeans.
He also wants the EU to reach a free trade deal with the US, saying it will bring huge benefits to Europe.
Born in 1954, he grew up in a Europe still struggling to rebuild after World War II. He supports the EU's social justice agenda, wary of allowing the free market to dictate policy.
Commentators say he would be a strong contender for European Council President, if a different EPP candidate emerges for the top Commission job.
Martin Schulz (Germany) - centre-left Socialists and Democrats (S&D)
Like Mr Juncker, the outgoing president of the European Parliament is committed to deeper EU integration.
Martin Schulz was born near Aachen in 1955 - a region at the heart of the European project. In his youth he worked as a bookseller and then rose through the ranks of the German Social Democrats (SPD).
Injury dashed his hopes of becoming a professional footballer, but he was elected to the European Parliament in 1994.
In 2003 he famously clashed in the parliament with former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who compared him to a Nazi concentration camp guard. The row escalated into frosty relations between Germany and Italy.
Mr Schulz has championed human rights, reform of financial markets and greater efforts to promote growth in the EU, away from austerity.
In the 15 May TV debate he praised the euro for having delivered record low inflation in Europe. Many economists however consider very low inflation - as in the EU currently - to be a mixed blessing.
Guy Verhofstadt (Belgium) - liberals (ALDE)
Born in 1953, Guy Verhofstadt is a standard-bearer for federalists in the EU.
He served as Belgian prime minister in 1999-2008. Before that he held various posts in Flemish politics and used to hold more neo-liberal or "Thatcherite" views.
During the eurozone crisis he has urged the European Commission to take bolder action, exercise economic governance and steer the member states closer together. He advocates a European Monetary Fund and issuance of common "eurobonds" to bridge the gulf between the EU's debtors and lenders.
The EU needs more cohesion, he argues, because it faces fierce competition from the US, China, India and other powers in the global economy.
In the 15 May TV debate he deplored the fact that the EU had taken in far fewer Syrian refugees than Syria's Middle Eastern neighbours.
In 2004 his name was put forward as a possible Commission president, but the job was given to Mr Barroso. The UK was among the countries which blocked Mr Verhofstadt's bid.
Ska Keller (Germany) - Greens
A rising star in the Green movement, Ska Keller is by far the youngest candidate for the Commission presidency.
She took part in the two biggest TV debates - on 28 April and 15 May - but the Greens actually have two nominees for the presidency - the other is veteran French farmers' champion Jose Bove.
Aged 32, Ms Keller was born in former East Germany, near the Polish border.
She was elected an MEP in 2009 and has specialised in issues affecting migrants, youth unemployment and fair trade.
She got loud applause in the Brussels hall on 15 May when she criticised bankers' behaviour. In general she appeared to have strong support in the audience, and got cheers on several occasions.
She also condemned arms deals between some EU countries and Russia - despite the Kremlin's annexation of Crimea. France has not halted its sale of two new warships to Russia.
And she deplored the fact that the EU loses about 1tn euros (£811bn; $1.3tn) annually through tax evasion - about 8% of total EU GDP. Her statement was derived from official estimates.
Alexis Tsipras (Greece) - European Left
The leader of Greece's main opposition bloc - Syriza - heads a broad coalition of left-wing European parties in next month's elections.
A swing to the left in the elections could put him in a strong bargaining position vis-a-vis the S&D bloc - and that could boost the chances of Martin Schulz.
Syriza stormed to second place in the Greek elections in 2012, as many voters abandoned the traditional parties in anger at the economic meltdown and massive job losses.
Born in Athens in 1974, Mr Tsipras trained as a civil engineer and was a communist in the 1980s.
He opposed the bailout terms imposed on Greece by its international creditors. He wants public services nationalised and blames free market policies for the hardship suffered by millions of Greeks.
In the 15 May debate he denounced "catastrophic austerity policies". He said what had happened in Greece was "not a success story but a social tragedy that shouldn't be repeated anywhere in Europe". | For the first time rivals have gone head-to-head live on TV in the hope of getting the top job in Brussels: president of the European Commission. |
32,973,997 | The recommendation follows a report into the Met Police that highlighted an "overwhelming burden" on officers.
Report author Dame Elish Angiolini also called for legal amendments so if a person is severely intoxicated they lose the capacity to consent to sex.
The Met said the report "shines an honest light" on their failings.
The review found a 68% rise in rape and penetrative offences recorded by the Met from 2005-6 to 2013-14, but there was only a 17% increase in offences charged within that time, the figures show.
Dame Elish said: "Some of the recommendations will require a willingness to undertake radical change in the approach to these cases."
The review, entitled Report of the Independent Review into the Investigation and Prosecution of Rape in London, said decisions on whether to charge people were often being made by officers without any advice from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which the author described as "of concern".
The 46 recommendations, which address areas including resourcing, improved training, enhanced victim care and changing the law regarding alcohol and consent, were made after discussions with rape victims and officers over the course of a year.
Dame Elish also states the system risks being "overwhelmed" by increased reporting of rape.
The report states: "Whatever the reason, it is clear that the increase in reporting is putting an overwhelming burden on staff and concern is expressed about the Metropolitan Police Service's ability to effectively manage its increasing workload."
Members of the force's Sapphire rape investigation team had an average of 15 live cases at one time, the report said.
One officer said the number of cases was "dangerous," while another said the volume of criminal investigations it had to deal with as "virtually nonsensical".
Dame Elish also said the the government would be asked to consider changing sex offence laws so that the impact of severe intoxication - like alcohol intoxication - is embedded in legislation.
Current laws do not provide a definition of whether an alleged victim is "incapable" meaning a jury has to decided if the complainant is so intoxicated they are incapable of granting consent for sex.
In response to the report, Sir Bernard said the Met would give the same priority to sexual offending as it does to counter-terrorism and the force would recruit more officers to deal with the volume of sexual offence reports.
"It's clear we need to do something - we cannot ignore this," he said.
"We have to acknowledge already we have lost 15% of our budget and we believe later this year we will lose a further 15%.
"We will look to government to see if there is anything they can do to support us. But either way, we have got to get better in terms of sexual offence investigations and in terms of reporting."
Sir Bernard has previously said cases like that of London cab driver John Worboys, who was jailed indefinitely after being linked to attacks on more than 100 women, show the Met needs to improve the way it handles rape investigations.
Baljit Ubhey, chief prosecutor for the CPS in London, said: "Many aspects of the recommendations within the review have already begun, but we must never forget that the changes and improvements we make should all be working towards our goals of providing a better service to victims and holding perpetrators to account."
Charity Rape Crisis said the report was encouraging but added that it was "imperative now that encouraging words are translated into real action and cultural change". | Improvements need to be made to the way officers and prosecutors handle rape complaints, an independent review has found. |
36,423,822 | The offensive by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is reported to be directed at Manbij, a town under IS control.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said US-led pre-dawn air strikes on Manbij killed 15 civilians.
The operation aims to cut IS off from an area it uses to move weapons and fighters across the border.
Thousands of forces have been deployed in the offensive, which could take weeks, unnamed US officials told Reuters news agency.
The SDF fighters are being supported by US special forces.
US officials say the SDF force is mostly Arab with a small number of Kurds.
However, the Syrian Observatory (SOHR) said most of the fighters were from the Kurdish Popular Protection Units (YPG) militia.
Turkey considers the YPG a terrorist group and fiercely opposes any Kurdish advances near the border.
The SOHR added the troops were about 15km (nine miles) from Manbij.
The clashes were "fierce and intense", SDF military adviser Nasser Haj Mansour told AFP news agency.
The SDF has emerged as a key ally of the US-led anti-IS coalition over the past two years, leading the fight against the militants on the ground in northern Syria.
They began an offensive last week to expel IS from territory north of Raqqa, the de facto capital of the "caliphate" proclaimed by the group in 2014.
Control of the Turkish-Syrian border is of crucial importance - US-backed Kurdish and Arab fighters are pushing towards the town of Manbij in an effort to deny IS a vital swathe of territory that offers a route for supplies and foreign fighters entering Syria.
Further to the west though towards Azaz, IS has itself gone onto the attack - a sign of the vital importance it attaches to this border zone.
It is here the complexities of the Syrian conflict are most apparent. US backing for Kurdish fighters - the most capable of the forces ranged against IS - outrages the Turkish government.
Turkish border towns have come under sporadic IS rocket or artillery fire while Turkey itself has been happy to mete out punishment to both Kurdish and IS fighters when the occasion demands.
Syria's multiple conflicts are complicated enough but here they clash with the strategic interests of one of the country's most powerful neighbours. | US-backed Kurdish and Arab fighters have opened up a new front against so-called Islamic State (IS) in northern Syria, close to the Turkish border. |
27,703,747 | The allegations, denied by the department, have been sparked by a row over funding.
Three hundred full and part-time RUC officers were killed in the Troubles.
The association was funded by the Northern Ireland Office following a recommendation from the Patten Commission.
It was also funded until recently by the Department of Justice.
Following a change in how it is classified, the association now has to apply for funds from the Department of Justice rather than receiving them automatically.
But since the change, the association has failed to access £38,000.
The Widows Association said it did not wish to comment but the BBC has seen a written complaint to MLAs.
In the written complaint, the treasurer of the association, Danna Cochrane, said: "Members of the association feel the withdrawal of the funding is an insult to all those members of the RUC George Cross (GC) and the RUC GC Reserve who gave their lives, suffered horrendous injuries and who went on duty to prevent total anarchy in the province.
"The sum of money involved is a meagre £38,000, a drop in the ocean I am sure you will agree."
She said their status was changed from public to private sector and they had "no redress as there is no right of appeal".
The Ulster Unionist leader, Mike Nesbitt, who is a former victims' commissioner, has backed the association.
Mr Nesbitt said: "This should be marked in the file 'unbelievable'.
"These are the widows of people who put on uniforms, put themselves in harm's way, to protect the citizens of this country and, for the sake of £38,000, they are being left to feel like they are being ignored, undervalued and dismissed."
However, Justice Minister David Ford accused Mr Nesbitt of making a "cheap political attack".
Mr Ford said: "The reality is that, following the devolution of justice, it was the Department of Finance, not the Department of Justice, who did a formal assessment and said the RUC Widows' Association was a private sector body.
"On that basis, it could only be funded by an application for grant aid.
"My officials have been working with them for well over a year, and have had numerous meetings. They have given all the assistance they can but they are still awaiting a proper application. They have been given plenty of time, they have been given plenty of assistance, but they have to make an application."
A spokesperson for the department said: "While the Department of Justice is no longer able to provide annual funding to the RUC GC Widows' Association, they can avail of the opportunity to apply for grant funding.
"Departmental officials have met with the association on a number of occasions to help progress a grant application.
"An incomplete grant application was received in November 2013.
"A further three meetings took place with the association to offer support and advice on the grant application process, but to date a final completed grant application has not been received by the department."
According to the Department of Justice, it was the Department of Finance and Personnel that had "determined the association's classification as being in the private sector and was therefore, not a function of government".
"The classification essentially changed the nature of the department's relationship with the association.
"As a result, the only mechanism available to the department to provide funding... would be via the grant application process."
The Widows' Association was formed to support the families of bereaved RUC officers by the then Chief Constable, Sir John Hermon in 1980.
The Widows Association said it did not wish to comment. | The RUC Widows' Association has accused the Justice Department of insulting police officers who gave their lives during the Troubles. |
34,957,198 | Stephen Kinnock, the MP for Aberavon and son of the former Labour leader Lord Kinnock, told BBC Wales he opposed the air strikes.
He also accepted leader Jeremy Corbyn did not have the Parliamentary Labour Party behind him "at this time".
Prime Minister David Cameron set out his case for action on Thursday.
Conservative ministers have spent the weekend trying to secure the support of opposition MPs to back a vote on the issue, expected to take place in the coming week.
But speaking on BBC Radio Wales Sunday Supplement programme, Mr Kinnock said he remain unconvinced.
"I am opposed to the bombing of ISIL and Syria because I'm not persuaded by the prime minister's case," he said.
He argued that the issue was "complex" and that strengthened the argument for his leader to give Labour MPs a free vote on the issue.
"My personal views is that Jeremy should have offered a free vote as soon as possible after the prime minister's statement," added the MP, who was elected in this year's General Election.
He said the Labour leader could then have set out his stance against extending military intervention against so-called Islamic State. | The Labour Party leader should allow a free vote on UK air strikes in Syria, one of the party's newest Welsh MPs has said. |
36,791,982 | It happened in the Glenowen area at 23:00 GMT on Tuesday night.
A number of men forced their way into a house and assaulted the male occupant.
The man sustained injuries to his legs as a result of the attack. | A man in his 20s is recovering after being assaulted in what the police are describing as a paramilitary-style attack in Londonderry. |
32,784,979 | How important are trade unions to the Labour Party?
The Labour Party grew out of the trade union movement at the beginning of the 20th Century when, following a special trade union conference, the Labour Representation Committee (LRC) was formed out of unions and other left wing organisations.
The LRC sponsored the first two Labour MPs elected in 1900.
Today many Labour MPs come from trade union backgrounds or have close links to unions. In fact, you must be a member of a trade union to be eligible to seek selection as a Labour candidate, unless for some reason you have been prevented from doing so.
The old system of direct trade union sponsorship of MPs no longer exists, but many Labour MPs receive substantial donations to their constituency party.
What's changed?
In 2013, former leader Ed Miliband proposed historic reforms to the relationship between the party and the unions following a row over candidate selection in Falkirk.
A special Labour Party conference passed party reforms in March 2014, bringing in one member one vote for Labour leadership elections and opt-in for trade union affiliate Labour members.
The old electoral college, which gave unions, party members and MPs/MEPs a third of the vote each, was abolished.
For the next leader, voting will take place on a one-member-one-vote basis in a single section comprising Labour Party members, affiliated trade union supporters and registered supporters.
How much money does Labour get from the trade unions?
The trade unions provide the majority of recorded donations to Labour and in the past it has been income Labour could rely upon.
In 2014 unions donated around £11m to Labour, accounting for about 58% of total donations received that year. Its top donors were Unite, Unison and Usdaw.
The Electoral Commission's donation figures include the affiliation fees that trade unions pay to the Labour Party in return for the privileges of affiliated membership for themselves and their members.
For a union to affiliate nationally, it must pay £3 from its political fund for each member that it wishes to affiliate. But the way in which trade union members affiliate to Labour is undergoing changes at the moment.
Previously trade union members had been automatically affiliated to the Labour Party unless they pro-actively chose to opt out. Now they must choose to opt-in.
Trade unions will still collect a levy from their members but this will go into their own political funds rather than automatically to Labour, though they can still chose to donate this money to Labour if they wish to.
Some argue that this puts Labour's finances at risk, whilst other see it as an opportunity to change the party's funding base.
Labour highlights the income it receives in donations too small to be registered with the Electoral Commission. Figures released to the BBC show that small donations and membership accounted for 35% of Labour's income in 2014.
How many affiliated trade union supporters does Labour have now?
In the 2010 Labour leadership election, about 2.7 million ballot papers were distributed to trade unionists.
No-where near that many trade unionists will be entitled to a say this time around.
Currently the party has just 500 affiliate trade union supporters who have 'opted-in' under the new system, though Labour expects that figure to go up massively in the coming months as the trade unions begin a recruitment drive. | Labour's relationship with the trade unions is under the spotlight again as the party's leadership contest gets under way and following criticism by outgoing Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy of the influence of the Unite union. |
32,106,132 | The party revealed three key themes - to end poverty; to keep public services in public hands and to give more power to local communities.
They said they could send "principled" voices to Westminster to "speak up" for people in Scotland.
Voters throughout the UK will go to the polls on 7 May to choose their next MP.
The Scottish Greens are fielding candidates in 32 of the 59 Scottish constituencies.
Co-convenors Patrick Harvie MSP and Councillor Maggie Chapman both spoke at the Edinburgh launch of the party's manifesto.
Following last year's referendum, the pro-independence supporting party saw an increase in membership, which now stands at about 8,500.
It has made clear it wants an "end to austerity" and would like the minimum wage to be raised to £10 an hour by 2020.
The party backs an environmentally-friendly economy relying less on fossil fuels.
It is also a believer in free university tuition; wants a non-repayable student grant and is fully behind a free publicly available NHS.
Mr Harvie said: "Everyone is tired of the same old Westminster politics.
"Scotland is ready for change and people are eager to vote for ideas they can believe in.
"The Green membership surge means we're in a strong position to send principled voices to speak up for Scotland's communities.
"Our bold vision for Scotland and the UK is a compelling offer that others simply can't match."
Ms Chapman added: "With a £10 minimum wage we could ensure no-one works in a job that keeps them in poverty.
"By rolling back benefits cuts and lifting the punishing sanctions regime, we can restore a society with compassion.
"And with real powers devolved to Scotland and to local communities we can put people not big business in control."
What are the top issues for each political party at the 2015 general election?
Policy guide: Where the parties stand | The Scottish Greens said they had a "bold vision" for Scotland on the day they published their general election manifesto. |
37,348,817 | Osbourne told US TV show The Talk, which she co-hosts, that her family "put me into a facility".
"It's very weird when you suffer from a bad depression... I had a complete and utter breakdown," the star said.
"I woke up in Cedars-Sinai hospital and for probably three days I knew nothing. I couldn't think."
She added: "I couldn't talk. I could do nothing. My brain just shut down on me.
"It's hard enough surviving in this world anyway... I was doing too much of everything, thinking I'm a superwoman, 'I'm so strong. I can handle this, I can handle that'. My brain just totally fused.
"I found, for me, that group therapy was the best thing that I could do. People out there, I want you to realise there is so much help out there.
"It's nothing to be ashamed about."
Osbourne and Black Sabbath star Ozzy got back together earlier this year after splitting due to an alleged affair.
Ozzy Osbourne revealed last month he was undergoing "intense therapy" for a "sex addiction" that was putting his marriage at risk.
The Black Sabbath singer said he was "mortified" at the effect his behaviour had had on his family.
Osbourne made the statement following an interview given by his hair stylist Michelle Pugh.
Ms Pugh told People magazine she had had a "very real relationship" with the rock star which had lasted four years.
The singer and TV star Sharon have been married since 1982.
Their family life with two of their three children, Jack and Kelly, was the focus of a hit fly-on-the-wall MTV series from 2002 to 2005.
Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram, or if you have a story suggestion email [email protected]. | X Factor judge Sharon Osbourne has revealed that she went into hospital in Los Angeles after suffering from a secret "breakdown" last year. |
40,320,485 | MB Aerospace said it would recruit 160 new staff as part of the 10-year agreement with Pratt & Whitney, a division of United Technologies Corporation (UTC).
The Motherwell-based company said the contract was a "milestone opportunity".
MB Aerospace also has manufacturing operations in the US and Poland and employs about 1,600 people.
A majority stake in the Scottish firm was taken by Blackstone private equity in 2013.
Chief executive Craig Gallagher said: "We are hugely respectful of the trust placed in us by United Technologies and Pratt & Whitney to support their programs.
"MB Aerospace and UTC already possess a strong working relationship across Pratt & Whitney's installed base programs, and this contract represents a milestone opportunity for our world class teams to support UTC.
"The MB Aerospace group has already invested more than $50m in machining technology, facilities expansion and in the last year has recruited an additional 100 new full-time employees in support of this growth and ahead of the agreement of this exciting contract.
"Included in our investment in people is a ground-breaking engineering services team of more than 40 technical and programming specialists to support each of our business units from a central hub located in Rzeszow, Poland.
"We plan to grow this team to at least 100 engineering specialists to support our customers through the intense period of growth facing the industry in the next three to five years."
Sam Abdelmalek, Pratt & Whitney vice president, said: "We value our long-standing relationship, and MB Aerospace is a critical supplier in our world-class supply chain.
"As Pratt & Whitney strives for supply chain excellence, suppliers like MB Aerospace that commit to our supplier gold program, cost reductions and contractual governance will have opportunities to grow with us." | A Scottish engineering firm has signed a $1bn (£780m) contract to provide flight engine parts to a US company. |
33,896,234 | Police said he was one of a number of suspects in the murder of Gerard Jock Davison, who was shot dead in May.
Mr McGuigan was shot at Comber Court in the Short Strand on Wednesday night.
Sinn Féin has denied speculation that Provisional IRA may have been involved in his murder. The DUP said there will be "repercussions" if that is the case.
Mr McGuigan, a father-of-nine, was treated by paramedics at the scene before being taken to Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital, but he died from his wounds.
Heavily armed officers set up a cordon in the Short Strand within minutes of the gun attack, which was reported shortly before 21:00 BST.
Police have begun a murder investigation and appealed for anyone with information to contact them.
The victim's elderly mother, Margaret McGuigan, told the BBC that her son's killers would have to live with what they had done.
She added there had been "too many murders" in the area and that she hoped her son's would be the last.
Mr McGuigan had been questioned by police after the murder of Jock Davison in the Markets area of Belfast three months ago.
Mr Davison, 47, was a former IRA commander and a former friend of Mr McGuigan.
The IRA pair were also founding members of the paramilitary group Direct Action Against Drugs (DAAD), which killed more than a dozen alleged drug dealers.
They were later involved in a feud, and Mr McGuigan was shot several times in a so-called punishment attack.
It was claimed that Mr Davison gave the order for that attack on his former friend.
Politicians have condemned the murder and said Mr McGuigan's killer must be caught.
Northern Ireland's First Minster and DUP leader, Peter Robinson, was asked if he was concerned that IRA or former IRA members may have carried out the attack.
"I think everyone should be concerned that would be the case," Mr Robinson said.
"We will speak to the PSNI to see what their findings are in terms of the involvement of any organisation. But let's be very clear, there will be repercussions if that was found to be the case."
But leading Sinn Féin member Alex Maskey said he had "no concerns about IRA involvement" in Mr McGuigan's murder.
"I don't accept for one second that the IRA has been involved in this, it just doesn't register at all," Mr Maskey added.
"We're calling for calm, we're calling for respect for this particular family at this time in the midst of their grief and we're cautioning against unhelpful and unwelcome speculation."
Justice Minister David Ford said: "Those responsible for this appalling crime have left a family grieving and a community in shock.
"There is no place for the gun in our society and it is time to stop these attacks."
Jim Allister, leader of the Traditional Union Voice (TUV), said there must be no cover-up in the murder investigation.
"Police, politicians and all who value truth and justice must face, not fudge, the truth, however uncomfortable it might be," he said.
The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) leader, Alasdair McDonnell, said on Twitter: "Those behind this savagery on our streets must be brought to justice." | A man murdered in a gun attack in east Belfast overnight has been named as Kevin McGuigan Sr, who was a former member of the Provisional IRA. |
32,364,797 | Christopher Furniss-Roe was found dead by his father at their home in Pontypool on 9 July last year.
Earlier that day Christopher had enjoyed his school's sports day.
But Gwent Coroner's Court heard following a minor incident at home with his sister involving a bucket he was sent to his room.
The girl's bucket had somehow broken and she had suffered a cut lip.
Giving evidence, father Jason Furniss-Roe said he told his son to go and have a shower and then go to bed as punishment.
Fifteen minutes later, Mr Furniss-Roe went up to Christopher's bedroom, which he shared with his younger sister, and found his son.
Mr Furniss-Roe cut his son down and performed first aid involving cardiopulmonary resuscitation, but Christopher was taken to hospital and had his life support machine switched off the following day.
Dr Stephen Leadbeatter, a consultant pathologist at the University of Wales Hospital in Cardiff, concluded in his post-mortem examination that the youngster had died as a result of hanging.
Coroner David Bowen said: "[Christopher] had been naughty and as a result he had been sent to his room.
"It was far more probable that he was pretending to hang himself to get sympathy and forgiveness. But it all went tragically wrong.
"A heart-wrenching decision was made to turn that [life support] machine off the following day."
Mr Bowen recorded a verdict of accidental death. | An eight-year-old boy found hanged in his bedroom after a "childish" argument with his sister did not intend to kill himself, a coroner has ruled. |
38,813,606 | King has made 23 appearances for League Two side Stevenage this season after joining on loan in August.
The 31-year-old returned to the Iron at the end of his loan deal, but failed to break back into the first team.
Hinds, 19, has yet to feature for Arsenal's first team.
He has represented England up to under-18 level, and was part of the Three Lions' 2015 Under-17 World Cup squad.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page or visit our Premier League tracker here. | Stevenage have signed Scunthorpe midfielder Jack King until June 2018 on a free transfer, and Arsenal striker Kaylen Hinds on a loan deal until the end of the season. |
36,538,027 | The atmosphere between the two sets of supporters has been "good-natured".
It follows clashes in nearby Lille on Wednesday, where many are staying.
After the game, Gareth Bale said his team's loss was "massively disappointing" but he added that "the tournament is not over yet".
First Minister Carwyn Jones echoed the sentiment, tweeting: "Well played but unlucky today... We've still got a great chance to qualify."
In the fanzone in Lille, Wales fans were still chanting and in an upbeat mood after the game, with some talking about "camaraderie" with England fans.
Wales face Russia in their final Group B game on Monday night and can still qualify for the last 16 stage of the tournament.
There has been a high level of security in Lens and Lille where trouble broke out on Wednesday, with some English and Russian supporters being detained after scuffles.
At least 37 people were arrested as riot police fired tear gas and charged at hundreds of England fans.
The Russian football team have already been given a suspended disqualification from the tournament following attacks by their supporters on England fans at their opening fixture in Marseille on Saturday.
An alcohol ban remains in place at both locations, but Supt Steve Furnham, the Welsh Police Forces' lead for Euro 2016, said it was "very difficult to police".
Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns, who attended the match, said he was in touch with the Home Office and French authorities and appealed to Welsh fans "to be vigilant, and to avoid any provocation".
In the fanzone in Lille, Wales fan Andrew Frost, 46, from Newport, said he was "gutted" about the result but he described the atmosphere with the England fans as "wonderful".
Alan Hall, 46, also from Newport, said the England and Wales fans had been "absolutely brilliant together".
Christopher Facey, of Tonypandy, Rhondda Cynon Taff, said: "It's a bit devastating but I'm proud of the team and I'm proud to be Welsh."
Michelle Airey, who lives in England but grew up in Cardiff, said: "It'll be alright, we can both go through."
Another fan, Jack Taylor, from Swansea, told BBC Radio Wales he had quit his job to follow his team to France.
"I'm having the time of my life, I'm happy I'm here," he said. "I checked my bank balance yesterday and it didn't look great but I'll care about it when I get back."
In Wales, thousands of of people watched the match at fanzones in Cardiff's Bute Park as well as Castle Square in Swansea.
Schools across the country also allowed pupils to watch the game, including children from Gareth Bale's former school Whitchurch High, in Cardiff. | Thousands of Wales football fans cheered on their team in the hotly-anticipated Euro 2016 match with England in Lens which they lost 2-1 after an injury-time goal. |
36,891,611 | He was beaten 7-6 (7-2) 3-6 6-3 in his first match since losing to eventual champion Andy Murray at Wimbledon.
"I'm not going to tell you what I did or didn't do to prepare. I just played pretty bad," said the Australian, 21.
Canadian Shapovalov, 17, is competing in only his second ATP event, and plays Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov next.
Ranked 370 in the world, Shapovalov struck 12 aces in the match against an off-key Kyrgios, who served 18 double faults.
The Australian added: "He played great and he earned it. Obviously he was excited playing in front of his home crowd.
"I know what it feels like to come off one of your biggest junior results and then play in one of your home tournaments." | World number 19 Nick Kyrgios suffered a shock defeat by Wimbledon junior champion Denis Shapovalov in the first round of the Rogers Cup in Toronto. |
35,097,760 | Ms Palin, writing for the conservative news website Breitbart, described the Frenchwoman as "a clear voice of courage and common sense in a country and continent in need of both".
The young far-right candidate reminded her of Joan of Arc, she said.
The FN failed to win control of any of France's regions in Sunday's elections
Ms Marechal-Le Pen came second in Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur.
The Socialist candidate withdrew as a tactical manoeuvre to ensure the FN did not top the poll.
Ms Palin, who was John McCain's running mate in the 2008 US presidential election, highlighted the achievements of both Ms Marechal-Le Pen, 26, and her aunt, FN leader Marine Le Pen.
Marion Marechal-Le Pen and France's far-right charm offensive - A fresh face with a familiar name
Le Pen condemns 'campaign of lies' - FN leader Marine Le Pen defiant after loses
Who comes out of French elections smiling? - No party has reason to cheer
Vive la difference - has France's National Front changed? - At the very least, its supporters have
She praised the younger French politician for being "unapologetically pro-life" and for speaking of "France's 16 centuries of Judeo-Christian history and heritage".
The Tea Party favourite writes of the threat to the West from the so-called Islamic State group and the suspicion by French authorities that some of the Paris attackers - European citizens - travelled to Europe from Syria by posing as refugees.
"Our insane politicians want to import more so-called 'refugees' ... This is why we need to seal the borders," Ms Palin writes.
"As Marion faces the political battles ahead, I wouldn't be surprised if she says a prayer to France's patron saint [sic], for Marion is a reminder of her - Joan of Arc."
Ms Palin, a former governor of Alaska and conservative activist, said in September she would like to serve as energy secretary under a potential President Donald Trump. | Former US vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin has said she has a "political crush" on Marion Marechal-Le Pen of France's National Front (FN). |
34,101,829 | Overnight viewing figures revealed an average of 7.6 million tuned in to watch the 12th series launch, with new judges Rita Ora and Nick Grimshaw.
The show dominated Saturday night TV, with nearly 40% of viewers tuning in.
An average of 8.9 million people watched the opening episode on the same weekend last year.
Last year, the talent show faced competition from BBC One's Doctor Who, with the newly arrived Peter Capaldi.
This year, it was scheduled opposite the National Lottery: Five Star Family Reunion and Casualty, which achieved audience figures of 2.7 million and 4.1 million respectively.
Figures show that the number of X Factor viewers peaked at 7.9 million, with a 39.9% share of the available audience - not including +1 figures which have yet to be released.
The downturn in viewing numbers may come as a blow to judge Simon Cowell, who has been busy promoting his new line-up of judges, as well as presenters Olly Murs and Caroline Flack.
X Factor has been given a thorough shake-up after ratings for last year's final dipped to a 10-year low. An average audience of 9.1 million tuned in to see Croydon's Ben Haenow win the contest, the lowest since Steve Brookstein's victory in 2004.
Speaking ahead of this year's launch show, Cowell, 55, said the X Factor could easily beat BBC One rival Strictly Come Dancing in the ratings war, when that show begins.
"I'd hate to say yes, because I know what will happen if I say yes - it will come back and haunt me," he said.
"This show does feel better, the talent's great, they're interesting, so if it's us versus [Strictly contestant] Peter Andre, I'm going to put my money on us."
Next week will see the two Saturday night stalwarts go head to head with the return of Strictly Come Dancing - however, there will initially be only a 20-minute overlap.
Strictly - which sees the 15 celebrities introduced to their professional partners - will run from 19:15 to 20:35 BST, while the X Factor runs from 20:15 to 21:30 BST. | The number of viewers watching the opening episode of this year's X Factor series has fallen by well over one million, in comparison to last year. |
35,466,664 | In a statement (in Czech), the foreign ministry says they are in "satisfactory health", and a special aircraft will be sent shortly to bring them home.
The ministry did not not say whether a Lebanese driver - who was with the group - was also found.
The Czechs disappeared in the eastern Bekaa Valley last year.
Their empty car with documents and money was found in the Kefraya region.
A security operation was launched immediately amid fears the group was kidnapped.
Media reports at the time suggested that their disappearance may have been linked to the case of a Lebanese man held in the Czech Republic in connection with suspected arms smuggling.
In 2011, seven Estonian cyclists were abducted at gunpoint in the Bekaa Valley and released four months later.
Some areas of the Bekaa Valley, east of the capital Beirut, are notorious for lawlessness and drug trafficking. | Five Czech nationals who went missing in Lebanon in July have been found and are now in the care of Lebanon's security force, Czech officials say. |
34,923,884 | She was beaten and threatened by her Maoist cult father but fought back against his control after reading the books, jurors heard.
Aravindan Balakrishnan, 75, let her read the novels because he identified with the characters, it was claimed.
He denies cruelty to a child under 16 and false imprisonment.
Southwark Crown Court heard there were no records the woman was taken to a doctor, except for her inoculations, or had attended school while living at the south London commune.
She suffers from chronic post traumatic stress disorder and low self esteem, and was also found to have gone through a high degree of emotional trauma.
Prosecutor Peter Clement said: "Post traumatic stress disorder is a recognised mental disorder, namely an anxiety disorder caused by a very stressful, frightening event.
"From birth (the woman) never spent a night away from the collective until 25 October 2013."
She was also found to have a Vitamin D deficiency and probable type one diabetes, he added.
The accused's name was not on his daughter's birth certificate but he was confirmed to be the father after DNA tests.
Mr Balakrishnan, from Enfield, also denies seven counts of indecent assault and four counts of rape against two women during the 1970s and 1980s, and also pleaded not guilty to three counts of actual bodily harm.
None of his alleged victims can be named for legal reasons.
The trial continues. | A woman allegedly held captive in a commune for 30 years was inspired to escape by the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter books, a court was told. |
35,587,685 | The NDNA said underfunding of the scheme meant many nurseries in England would struggle to provide the extended free care for pre-schoolers.
Early years education for three- and four-year-olds is to be doubled from 15 to 30 hours for each week of term time.
The government says the extra free hours will help support families.
Pilots of the scheme are due to begin in the autumn and a full rollout will follow in 2017, under new legislation covered by the Childcare Bill.
But in its annual survey, the NDNA found only 45% of the 485 nurseries questioned said they were likely to extend the number of free hours on offer.
I own two nurseries. I get £3.88 per hour at one setting, and £4 per hour at the other.
My break-even point at both settings is £4.55 per hour, therefore I make a loss on every funded hour in both settings.
The government say they have done "extensive consultation" but that beggars belief.
They talked to 54 nurseries, of which, only two were in south-east England, the majority were in north-west England.
The costings for a nursery in the south east are significantly different to those in the north west.
This government will not listen.
It will find that the whole ethos of free childcare will fail unless they engage with the industry and increase funding.
As an alternative, they could move to allowing top-up funding (from parents) by the providers. This would ensure that parents get a discount and providers make a living wage.
The NDNA - which represents more than 5,000 nurseries out of a total of about 18,000 in England - said nurseries were currently managing to offer 15 hours of free childcare a week by plugging the shortfall in government funding.
In practice, it said, this meant parents paid a higher rate for the hours their child spent in nursery above 15 hours.
The average nursery had to absorb a loss of about £34,000 a year due to the funding gap, with 89% of nurseries making a loss on free places, it claimed.
The majority of respondents (92%) to the poll were private nurseries, with 7% from the voluntary sector and the rest maintained nurseries.
NDNA chief executive Purnima Tanuku said the nursery sector was "fully behind" the principle of more support for parents.
"But serious funding shortfalls stand in the way of nurseries getting on board, despite their desire to help families with free childcare," she said.
"Private, voluntary and independent nurseries deliver most of the government's free places, currently 15 hours per week for all three- and four-year-olds and some two-year-olds.
"But the nursery sector is reluctant to commit to offering more free hours when they already make a significant annual loss - an average of £34,000 per nursery - on the funded places they currently provide."
But education and childcare minister Sam Gyimah said: "We are backing families and funding the sector, with £1bn extra funding every year by 2020, including £300m annually to increase the national average funding rate, to incentivise and attract providers to deliver the full 30-hour free offer to parents.
"This extra funding was based on an extensive consultation with the sector and our review into the cost of delivering childcare, the most comprehensive analysis of this market ever.
"The NDNA's survey shows many providers are likely to offer free childcare and thousands of providers and councils also expressed an interest in taking part in our early implementers programme, well in advance of the national rollout."
In Wales, all three- and four-year-olds are entitled to a minimum of 10 hours of free foundation phase early education.
In Scotland, three- and four-year-olds are eligible for 600 hours of free childcare a year (the equivalent of around 16 hours a week during term time).
In Northern Ireland, under the pre-school education programme, there is an allocation of funded places for children in the year before they start school. | Fewer than half of nurseries will be able to offer extended free childcare planned by the government, the National Day Nurseries Association has warned. |
36,323,546 | The 17-year-old, who cannot be identified because of his age, admitted six charges against him on Wednesday.
He was charged over an October 2014 crash on Belfast's Saintfield Road.
He admitted causing the death of Conal Daly, 18, from north Belfast, and causing grievous bodily injury to 75-year-old Sister Josephine McAteer.
The teenager also pleaded guilty to driving dangerously on the Ormeau Road and Saintfield Road, two counts of assaulting police and one count of causing criminal damage to a police vehicle.
The Jaguar car the teenager was driving crashed into the vehicle being driven by Sister Josephine, who is believed to have suffered two broken legs.
Mr Daly, a former pupil at Edmund Rice College and who was in the back seat of the Jaguar, was fatally injured.
Paramedics had treated him at the scene and rushed him to the Royal Victoria Hospital but he died a short time later.
It was reported at the time the police had been in pursuit of the "runaround" Jaguar from the roundabout at the top of the Ormeau Road when the chase came to an end a few miles along the road.
In court on Wednesday, a defence solicitor said he would be giving a report on the defendant's mental health to the probation service to assist them with their report.
Remanding the teenager back into custody, the judge provisionally listed the sentencing hearing on 24 June, depending on whether reports are ready.
He added that while it "may be academic" the killer driver was now automatically banned from driving. | A teenager has admitted killing his back-seat passenger and injuring an elderly nun by dangerous driving when he was being chased by police. |
32,883,194 | Mr Robinson remains in Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital (RVH) after suffering a suspected heart attack.
Mr Robinson, 66, was taken to the Ulster Hospital, Dundonald, on Monday morning after he became ill.
The leader of the Democratic Unionist Party was then transferred to the RVH where he underwent a procedure.
On Tuesday morning, DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds said Mr Robinson was feeling better and the family hoped for a speedy recovery.
Referring to the major debate on welfare reform at Stormont on Tuesday, he said: "Peter is very determined that today's proceedings should continue."
A statement released by the hospital on Monday said: "Mr Robinson underwent a procedure this morning and is currently recovering in the RVH.
"He and his family have requested the need for privacy from this point onwards."
Mr Robinson has served as first minister and DUP leader since 2008, succeeding lan Paisley in both jobs.
The DUP has asked that the Robinson family's privacy should be respected.
Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted his best wishes to Mr Robinson, wishing him a speedy recovery.
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also sent her best wishes.
Other politicians including Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams, Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt, SDLP leader Alasdair McDonnell, TUV leader Jim Allister and Mr Robinson's Stormont colleague Peter Weir have wished Mr Robinson a speedy recovery.
Last week, Mr Robinson warned that the assembly could not survive the scenario that would unfold if the welfare reform bill was not approved.
The Northern Ireland parties had agreed a deal on Westminster's welfare reform in the Stormont House Agreement last December.
However, Sinn Féin withdrew its support for the bill in March.
Sinn Féin and the SDLP have signed a petition of concern which means the bill appears certain to be blocked on Tuesday as it will not get the necessary cross-community support. | Northern Ireland First Minister Peter Robinson is "stable and improving", his party deputy has said. |
38,865,237 | The Hammers will assess Aaron Cresswell's tight hamstring and Cheikhou Kouyate's dead leg, but Diafra Sakho and Angelo Ogbonna remain out.
West Brom defender Jonny Evans returns after missing five games with a calf injury.
Midfielder Claudio Yacob is also fit after recovering from stomach cramps.
Simon Brotherton: "This is a match between two sides who are going well in the Premier League - but who may find it hard to improve much on their current positions.
"West Ham have won six of the last nine league matches but they were thrashed 4-0 by Manchester City in their last home game, while West Brom were stung by the same scoreline at Tottenham last month on their most recent visit to London.
"Albion have generally been solid though and have only lost once to a team currently outside the top seven all season, in September's 1-0 defeat at Bournemouth.
"West Ham were in the midst of their early-season struggles when they lost heavily at The Hawthorns in the reverse fixture. This game should be much tighter."
Twitter: @SimonBrotherton
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic on striker Andy Carroll: "He brings you everything, everything that you could ask from a centre-forward.
"He is great in the air, he is very physical, has a great touch and a great sense to combine with other players by playing the ball off.
"I don't know if [England boss] Gareth Southgate is a big fan, but when Andy is playing like that every manager would like to have him in his team or squad.
"Andy would help any team. Andy would help the German team, Andy would help the Croatian team, the Spanish team, because he is a top player."
West Brom head coach Tony Pulis: "They [West Ham] are a good team, they've got some good players.
"They've had a season of being very, very good and pretty bad at times and we just go there and hope we can compete.
"We'll have to - with [Andy] Carroll back now, they look a handful."
Both teams are ticking along nicely in the top half, and West Ham are showing what a good team they are now the Dimitri Payet saga is over.
The Baggies have got some talented players too but, away from home, their approach is to try to shut up shop.
Prediction: 1-1
Lawro's full predictions v hip-hop star Loyle Carner
Head-to-head
West Ham United
West Bromwich Albion
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. | West Ham will monitor Andy Carroll, who is nursing a minor groin problem, while Sam Byram and Havard Nordtveit are back in contention after injuries. |
38,895,706 | The answer to this will shed a lot of light on the politically current and intense debate around executive pay.
A year ago, Mr Dudley became the unwilling poster boy for angry shareholders when, at the BP annual general meeting, 59% of shareholders voted against his £14m pay award.
He got the money anyway because the vote was not binding, so the board did not have to do what the owners of the company wanted.
Under rules introduced by the coalition government and championed by then Business Secretary Vince Cable, shareholders can only reject a pay packet or the formula by which it is calculated every three years. That measure gave them more control than they had previously enjoyed but it clearly did not work or go far enough.
Remember, the formula by which Mr Dudley's pay was calculated in 2016 was approved by 95% of shareholders in 2014. Two years later they did not like the answer that formula spat out.
In defence of Mr Dudley, it was not his fault that BP's Deepwater Horizon platform exploded in 2010 killing 11 people and pumping millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico (that was on the watch of his predecessor Tony Hayward).
It was not his fault that the price of oil in 2015 came crashing down from more than $100 (£81) a barrel to around $30 (£24) during that year. Given the hand he was dealt, goes the argument, he did a pretty good job.
Some of the arguments will be the same this year. It is not his fault that he had to put another $7bn (£5.7bn) in the Deepwater kitty, but it is also not to his credit that the oil price rebounded to its current price of $56 (£45).
The chairman of BP's pay committee, Dame Ann Dowling, came in for a lot of stick for not using more discretion in adjusting the final pay award down last year and I understand that she has met with dozens of shareholder groups to avoid the same howls of protest this time around.
This April's vote on 2016 pay will also be non-binding but there will be a binding vote on the formula used to calculate pay packets for the next three years. It would take a particularly tin ear for BP to settle on a formula that finds it at such odds with its shareholders in the future.
Many executives are rewarded with a formula that takes a large account of relative performance. Doing badly - but less badly than the competition - means you did well. Even though the company lost money - you can often take home a hefty bonus.
The merits of this approach will be hotly debated this year as around half the companies in the FTSE 100 have binding votes on executive pay formulas. That will add real edge to a debate that has already been politically sharpened by Theresa May's warnings to corporate Britain over the rocketing disparity between bosses and workers' pay.
We are expecting new proposals on changing the manner, and in whose interests, UK companies are run when the government publishes its green paper on corporate governance in March.
I have presented the economic arguments as to why high performance-related pay is actually bad for companies and the economy here before. In short, it can prioritise cost cutting over investment which damages productivity and ultimately living standards. They are arguments that are gaining currency in Whitehall and it is not only shareholders who are disgruntled.
It may be only February, but this year's shareholder spring promises to be a belter.
*the headline loss of $6.5bn includes the compensation paid for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The number reported in our news story excludes one-off items to give a better sense of the underlying economics of the company. | If BP group chief executive Bob Dudley was paid £14m for delivering a $6.5bn (£5.3bn)* loss last year, what on earth will he get paid for delivering a profit in 2017? |
31,604,143 | The announcement was supposed to bring with it the magical solution for many of Lebanon's ills, among them chronic public debt, power shortages and poor public services.
Back then, the prospect of major oil discoveries off the Mediterranean coast triggered dreams of a prosperous future, but today it seems like the Lebanese were the victims of false advertising.
Governments in Lebanon have a long history of mismanagement that seems to have extended to the country's oil and gas resources.
At the beginning of the 21st Century, seismic scans conducted in the so-called "Levant Basin", in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, suggested the existence of significant oil and gas resources off the coasts of Lebanon, Cyprus and Israel.
The three countries embarked on separate journeys to locate the wealth underneath the seafloor. They hoped not only to achieve energy self-sufficiency at home but also to become exporters.
From the onset, Lebanon has been very careful not to give figures about the size of the prospective resources or the wealth they might generate.
But caution here is more a sign of confidence than uncertainty.
There seems to be a consensus among experts that Lebanon's resources ought to be considerable.
Officials point to the impressive line-up of international oil and gas companies that showed interest in investing in projects in the part of the Levant Basin within Lebanon's territorial waters.
But for almost two years now these companies have been unable to submit their bids and compete for the exploration of specific areas.
They are still waiting for the Lebanese cabinet to approve two pieces of legislation even though the technical details having long been finalised.
One concerns the division of Lebanon's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) into blocs.
The boundaries of two of the blocs are disputed by Israel, though Lebanon maintains they are well inside its waters.
The second piece of legislation concerns the legal relationship between the state and the companies which won the bids to exploit the resources found within each of the blocs.
The process has been so delayed that some companies have become lukewarm about the prospect of doing business with Lebanon.
"One reason for this is the governance of the sector," says oil expert Ali Berro.
"Another might have to do with the international crisis [in the price] of petroleum products. But given the long-term investment, some companies that have excess reserves might be still looking to invest."
Despite widespread condemnation of the impasse within the cabinet, there does not seem to be a clear explanation for the delay.
A source summed up the situation: "On the one hand, there is resistance from some political forces which are not used to having to make such big deals transparently and without any commission being siphoned into their pockets.
"On the other is the long-term concern of some regional powers, which see Lebanon becoming a serious competitor once it starts producing oil and eventually offers it to European markets. These regional powers have their allies in the government."
But as Lebanon remains bogged down by political squabbles, other countries it the region have not lost time in exploiting their resources.
Israel has made the biggest advances so far. It has already started producing gas offshore from the Tamar field, while it has also made a major gas discovery in another field named the Leviathan.
Cyprus has also concluded the second licensing round for companies.
But officials in Lebanon still insist the country has a competitive edge over its neighbours.
Lebanon is connected to the Arab Gas Pipeline, a 1,200km (745-mile) natural gas pipeline that runs from El-Arish in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula to Aqaba in Jordan, and ends next to the Syrian-Turkish border.
Lebanon is connected through a pipeline that connects Tripoli, in the north, to the Syrian city of Homs.
The Arab Gas Pipeline makes it potentially easy to deliver natural gas to Europe as it facilitates access via Turkey to Europe, where energy resources are scarce and countries are looking to reduce their dependence on Russia for gas.
The devastating conflict in Syria, the outcome of which is far from clear, has cast doubts on Lebanon's ability to use the pipeline. However, Mr Berro sees cause for optimism.
"Syria is the only land we have access through. It's the best option for Lebanon to develop its natural gas," he says.
"But Lebanon is not likely to start producing oil before five to eight years. By then things may have changed.
"This way we will be able to compete with other countries in the region because natural gas by pipelines costs much less than liquefying natural gas then re-gasifying it at import terminals."
Cesar Abou Khalil, an adviser to the minister of energy, seems to agree.
"The main competitive advantage that we would have is being able to export gas to Europe in a smooth and cheap way, while others have to build massive and costly structures that would force them to offer their products at a higher price," he says.
That reasoning hinges on the current uncertainty being resolved. It will take a long time for production to begin, and at the moment, politicians in Lebanon do not seem to be in a rush. | Two years ago, billboards across Lebanon declared: "Our country has oil." |
28,865,514 | It has been the most dangerous place in the world for journalists for more than two years, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a New York-based press freedom lobby group.
At least 69 journalists have been killed as a direct result of covering the Syrian conflict since it began in 2011, the CPJ says; most were killed in crossfire or as a result of explosions, but at least six were confirmed to have been deliberately murdered.
The murders show that it is not just the widespread violence in Syria that is so dangerous for broadcasters and reporters; it is also the nature of the conflict itself, with its shifting alliances and ideologies.
Indeed, Syria is a very dramatic example of the way that war, and conflict journalism, have changed over the years in many parts of the world.
It is nowadays quite rare for wars to be between two armies, with a trench-like "frontline".
Journalists - and other civilians - increasingly find themselves in conflicts that involve ideologically driven insurgencies where there is no defined "war zone". In the case of radical Islamist insurgencies, the militants sometimes see journalists who are in any way associated with "the West" as part of the enemy.
"The barbaric murder of James Foley sickens all decent people", said Sandra Mims Rowe, Chair of the Committee to Protect Journalists.
The number of 69 confirmed deaths of journalists in Syria is almost certainly an underestimate because more than 80 have been abducted since 2011 and some 20 are still missing, according to the CPJ.
Some of them are feared dead, but accurate information is extremely hard to come by.
Mr Foley's American nationality has clearly focused international attention on his case, not least because of the Islamic State (IS) statements about American military action.
But CPJ statistics show that the vast majority (88%) of writers and broadcasters who were killed in Syria in recent years were nationals of the immediate region.
An almost random look at the CPJ roll call of journalists killed in Syria reveals the case of Mohamed al-Khal, for example. He was a video journalist who documented clashes between government forces and the rebel Free Syrian Army in the eastern Syrian city of Deir al-Zour.
The New York-based Committee says he was killed by government shelling on 25 November 2012.
Mr al-Khal had contributed hundreds of hours of film, the CPJ said, to the Shaam News Network and some of the footage was used by broadcasters such as al-Jazeera and the BBC.
Another victim was Yasser Faisal al-Jumaili, a freelance cameraman who was murdered in the Syrian city of Idlib on 4 December 2013. In his last known contact, via Facebook, the CPJ says, Mr al-Jumaili told a colleague he had been kidnapped by IS.
Nearly half of the journalists killed in Syria were freelancers - that is, journalists who work for more than one organisation and who are paid fees per piece delivered, rather than salaries.
Some were volunteers or activist "citizen journalists".
Journalists who work for large international organisations have some advantages over freelance colleagues. They are often issued with body armour by their employers, for example, and some have "hostile environment" training, including for first aid.
Crucially, writers and broadcasters who earn salaries may be under less pressure to "deliver" from potentially dangerous situations and so might take fewer risks.
Indeed, in Syria, large established media organisations are increasingly relying on freelancers because they deem the country to be too dangerous for "their" people.
So far this year, 30 journalists have been killed worldwide, the CPJ says.
The most dangerous country is Syria with five deaths since the beginning of 2014. Four journalists have been killed so far this year in each of Ukraine, Iraq and Gaza. | The murder of James Foley by Islamist militants after his kidnap in Syria in 2012 has focused attention on the dangers of reporting from the country. |
37,501,259 | Owen Creaney, from Lurgan, was found dead in a wheelie bin on 5 July 2014.
The ex-partner of Stephen Thomas Hughes, 29, claimed he called her from Lurgan police station and said he had killed 'wee Owen'.
Mr Hughes and Shauneen Boyle, 25, are jointly charged with murder.
They deny the charges.
The ex-partner of Mr Hughes, who is also the mother of his son, broke down in tears several times while giving evidence.
She said that a few days before Mr Creaney's body was found in the green recycling bin, she met the co-accused and noticed blood on his trainers.
The witness told the court that Mr Hughes, whose address was given as HMP Maghaberry, was "OCD" about keeping his trainers clean and that when she asked about the bloodstains she was told to mind her own business.
She added that on the day Mr Creaney was found dead, Mr Hughes called her from the police station and asked her if his house had been boarded up.
She told the court that he said he had killed "wee Owen" and had used the term 'I' instead of 'we'.
She also said Mr Hughes spoke about emptying his green recycling bin.
She said: "I asked him if it was anything to do with the blood on his shoes, he said 'yes'."
A neighbour also gave evidence at Belfast Crown Court and said she saw a man in Mr Hughes' house in a room that "smelled like poo".
The mother-of-two refused to look at the two defendants as she gave evidence and told the court: "I don't want to see them ones."
She said that on 4 July 2014 her family were invited over to the house, where Ms Boyle and her infant son were also present.
The neighbour told the court they had a few drinks and planned a picnic for the next day "just like everything was normal".
She said she went upstairs to use the toilet, where she heard a noise "like snoring" coming from one of the rooms.
She added that after she came out of the bathroom, she noticed the bedroom door was open and saw Ms Boyle, from Edenderry Park, Banbridge, on her knees beside a man on a bed.
The witness said she noticed a syringe in Ms Boyle's hand and when she asked who the man was, Ms Boyle looked at her and did not answer.
"She said the bedroom "smelled like poo" and that "it was a different smell, just not normal".
She told the court that when she asked Mr Hughes who the man was he said it was "just wee Owen".
He said Mr Creaney had been drinking with them and had wet himself, which is why he had been washed and changed.
The court also heard that Mr Hughes said the syringe was being used to give him water.
The trial continues. | One of two people accused of murder called his ex-girlfriend and told her he was going to jail for a "very, very long time" because he killed a man, a court has heard. |
34,902,757 | The change came in the late summer.
Lieutenant General Sean MacFarland took over the US-led coalition against IS known as Operation Inherent Resolve in September.
Upon assuming his new post, the general began studying what worked and what had not worked in the fight against IS up to that point.
Recognising that IS was a different enemy from the one faced during the last decade, he ordered an adjustment to the training and equipment that was being provided to the Iraqis.
As a result, in the past few weeks, the ISF has closed in on the city of Ramadi - which fell in an embarrassing defeat in May.
Colonel Steve Warren, a Baghdad-based spokesman for the US Department of Defense, said in a BBC interview that the success is due in large part to conventional warfare tactics recently employed by the ISF, not the counter-insurgency style tactics they were trained by the Americans to use for several years.
The ISF, up to that point, was largely a product of training that followed the US invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Facing the threat of guerrilla fighters for most of the eight-year conflict, the US and its allies fought a counter-insurgency war and trained the Iraqis to do the same.
"Guerrilla tactics, insurgent tactics - it's all about hit and run, it's all about avoiding a major fight," Colonel Warren said. "The insurgents' mission is to convince the people that you're up against to go away and leave you alone."
But IS's strategy is different - working to seize and hold territory in an attempt to establish a state.
"You can't do that through insurgency, you have to do that through conventional warfare," Mr Warren said.
As an example, the colonel pointed to the strategic city of Ramadi, which has been in the hands of IS but Iraqi forces have this week advanced into the city centre.
There is one main road into Ramadi.
To protect the city, IS have littered the road and surrounding area with improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in way that makes a sort of makeshift minefield. They then aimed machine guns and mortars at the field of explosives, to deter bomb disposal activities.
While IEDs have been used for years in Iraq, the way that IS is using them today is different.
During the mid-2000s, insurgents would use a single IED hidden inconspicuously to, in the words of Colonel Warren, "instil terror, crack morale, kill and wound a group in one vehicle".
But now they are being used en masse and in the open as a deterrent, not as a one-off ambush to inflict fear.
"The army that we trained was a counter-insurgency army," the colonel said, which included training for dealing with single, hidden IEDs, placed in advance by combatants that had long left the scene.
When the improvised bombs were spotted, bomb disposal robots and experts could be deployed to clear the route.
But the clusters of IEDs being used today, along with the machine guns and mortars protecting the explosive field, render these counter-insurgency tactics largely ineffective.
This, Colonel Warren says, is "exactly how you establish a defensive position".
To counter the minefield, the coalition began working with the ISF to introduce traditional, conventional tactics and equip them with systems that were previously not needed.
The colonel pointed to one manoeuvre called an in-stride breach, which involves using an "explosive rope attached to a rocket" to blast a lane through the explosive field, allowing forces to push through rapidly.
The pseudo-minefield is just one way that IS is "using conventional military tactics in a way that does not perfectly align with the way we had trained the Iraqi army", he said.
For more than a year, the US and coalition forces have been carrying out air strikes against IS, which controls a large part of northern Syria and parts of neighbouring Iraq.
And in recent months, the President Barack Obama has found himself regularly defending his anti-IS strategy - sometimes from criticism by those in his own party.
Critics allege that it has cost large amounts of money with little success.
The small change that has helped in the battle for Ramadi does not constitute a wholesale shift in the mission's strategy, and officials regularly say tactics are constantly reviewed and adjusted.
But while it is too early to tell if these tactics will prove effective in the long term, the ISF does seem to be enjoying success with them in recent weeks.
Colonel Steve Warren was speaking to the BBC at the end of November | A switch in tactics has provided the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) with some victories in their battle against the so-called Islamic State (IS), notably in Ramadi, says the US military. |
26,072,551 | The 29-year-old from Evesham is currently recovering from injuries sustained while competing in the World Endurance at Le Mans.
"I'm looking forward to meeting all the team and really seeing what we can do together," Andrews said.
I believe the team will give me a good competitive bike
Andrews will also compete for the team at the North West 200 earlier in May and November's Macau Grand Prix.
The Worcestershire man has almost completely recovered from the serious leg injuries he sustained during the 24-hour race last September.
His career has been blighted by a series of horrendous injuries following crashes at Thruxton, in the 2012 Superbike TT, and then at Le Mans.
Team principal Rico Penzkofer, a former Isle of Man TT and North West 200 competitor, said: "We've been in negotiations with Simon for a while.
"He was scheduled to ride for us at last year's Macau Grand Prix before his accident - so I'm really pleased that we've now signed him."
Andrews' TT record includes four top-15 finishes, including 11th place in last year's Superstock race. His fastest lap of the Mountain Course to date is 126.001 mph.
He added: "I've raced against Rico and know his bikes are well built.
"I've had some success with BMW already when I started on the roads earlier in my career. With the help and support of BMW I believe the team will give me a good competitive bike." | Simon Andrews will ride for the German Penz13.com BMW Racing team at the Isle of Man TT races, which start on 24 May. |
32,289,757 | Bishop Challoner Catholic College, in Kings Heath, said Logan Kehoe, who was in year eight, was "a much loved and valued young student".
Head teacher Kevin McEvoy said: "Our thoughts and prayers are for Logan and his family at this sad time."
He added that Logan was "highly regarded as an excellent young footballer".
Logan played at centre-half for Birmingham City Football Club's under-13s team.
The college said it was working with Birmingham Educational Psychology Service to provide support for children and staff.
Tributes have been posted on Logan's Facebook page.
Amy Porter posted: "Too Young To Be Taken Away From Us All, Gone But Never Forgotten , Gonna Miss U Logan, And That Cheeky Smile You Always Had, Words Can't Describe How I'm Feeling."
Olivia Mullen posted that Logan would "never be forgotten". | A teenager from Birmingham has died while on holiday in Lanzarote, his school has said. |
30,211,617 | From September 2013 over-24s on advanced and higher level courses (A-level equivalents and above) had to fund their education and training.
The number of over-19s in further education fell 10.7% between 2012-13 and 2013-14, suggest the figures.
The fall will hamper the UK's economic recovery, says an education charity.
The National Institute of Adult Continuing Education says its warning about the impact of loans for this group had "so far gone unheeded".
"The situation is stark. Today's overwhelmingly disappointing figures reinforce our call for urgent and radical action to address skills gaps and skills shortages," said NIACE Chief Executive, David Hughes.
NIACE says the figures, published by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills, suggest an overall fall of 27.9% in the number of people aged 25 and over on these courses.
Level four courses, which are pitched at degree level, were particularly badly hit with 34.2% fewer over-25s taking them in 2013-14 than the previous year, says the charity.
NIACE warned a year ago of the possibility of a fall in the number of adults taking advanced and higher level apprenticeships after the introduction of the loans - but the figures show a fall in the uptake of all further education courses for this group.
The government hoped that 25,000 people would borrow about £4,000 to pay for their apprenticeships if their employers did not cover the cost.
In fact the uptake for the three months to the end of November 2013 was just 404.
Previously apprentices had not had to contribute to the costs of their training.
A spokeswoman for BIS said the government had decided to remove apprenticeships from the loans programme "as soon as it became clear that loans were not the preferred route for employers or prospective apprentices".
"As such we look forward to seeing this trend reverse in future and a boost to the number of adult apprentices.
"We are reforming the funding of all apprenticeships to put employers in the driving seat and ensure apprenticeships deliver the skills businesses and learners need to grow and compete."
But NIACE says the loans remain for other advanced and higher level courses and are having a wider effect on the uptake of higher education.
"I want to repeat again that opportunities are reducing for people to get on in work and in life," said Mr Hughes.
"And the impact for employers means that skills gaps and skills shortages will remain, because there are not nearly enough young people entering the labour market in the next 10 years to fill the anticipated vacancies.
"There needs to be urgent action from government to address this serious decline and we call on them to delay, indefinitely, any plans to extend loans to other provision and other age-groups." | The number of adults in further education in England slumped after some were required to borrow to pay for their courses, official data suggests. |
39,538,430 | The boy, thought to be aged in his mid-teens, was discovered by police in Roebourne Way, North Woolwich, on Friday at about 22:45 BST.
He was treated by paramedics but was pronounced dead at the scene.
The other victim was taken to hospital after being found in nearby Claremont Close. Police said his injuries were not thought to be life-threatening.
No arrests have been made.
Scotland Yard said they were in the process of informing the teenager's next of kin and a post-mortem examination would take place "in due course". | A teenager has died and a man, thought to be in his 20s, is injured after they were shot near London City Airport. |
40,778,553 | The two local coaches replace Milutin 'Micho' Sredojevic, who terminated his contract on Saturday over unpaid wages.
Fufa has admitted it owes the Serbian US $54,000 and says it has plans to clear the debt.
"The amount owed will be cleared," Fufa published on social media.
Sredojevic, who has been in charge of the Cranes since 2013, lead Uganda to its first Africa Cup of Nations finals since 1978.
The Fufa president Moses Magogo has blamed the Uganda government for their lack of financial support for their failure to pay Sredojevic
"Other countries like Ghana, Nigeria, Morocco - who we are rubbing shoulders with - are catered for by their governments," Magogo said.
Basena has been assistant coach to Sredojevic while Kajoba is a former national team goalkeeper and will look after Uganda's current crop of stoppers.
The duo will be in charge for Uganda's 2018 Africa Nations Championship qualifier against Rwanda and the double-header with Egypt in World Cup qualifying.
"We have not opened the application process yet. So coaches around the world should not start sending applications as some have already started doing," added Magogo.
The Fufa president also says they had offered Sredojevic an improved contract worth twice the amount he is currently on.
However Sredojevic is not interested.
"It does not make sense to accept a new contract when they cannot even honour the old one," he said.
Magogo added it was always going to prove difficult to retain Sredojevic after his success over the last four years. | The Federation of Uganda Football Associations (Fufa) has appointed Moses Basena and Fred Kajoba as the interim coaches of the national team. |
34,365,183 | The Brown Caps finished 10 points clear of Lancashire after drawing their final match of the season against Northants.
"These guys can be around for a very long time and hopefully the trophy cabinet will be brimming in the coming years," Batty told BBC London 94.9.
"It will be tough [in Division One] but the group is moving forward quickly."
Six of the Surrey team that secured a first piece of silverware since winning the CB40 competition in 2011 - Curran brothers Sam and Tom, Matt Dunn, Jason Roy, Ben Foakes and Rory Burns - are 25 or under.
Batty paid tribute to the role the coaching staff has played in their development, led by director of cricket Alec Stewart and head coach Graham Ford.
He added: "The coaching structure is perfect. You can see the young players, and older ones, are thriving. It's a wonderful environment and a credit to all those people.
"We will enjoy the next 48 hours but we will quickly turn to getting ready for next year." | Surrey captain Gareth Batty is excited to see what his young squad can achieve in the County Championship's top flight after their Division Two title win. |
37,071,890 | Donnelly went down to a split decision against Morocco's current world champion Mohammed Rabii and in truth, the Irishman could have few complaints.
After a tight first round, Rabii took control and one judge's verdict in favour of Donnelly looked dubious.
Flyweight Irvine was outclassed by Uzbekistan's Shakhobidin Zoirov.
Donnelly, 27, appeared to make a decent start as he forced the Moroccan to miss with several attempted big lefts but Rabii began to find his range and was given the round 10-9 on all three cards.
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Rabii set the tone for the second round as he landed with a big overhand right and the Irishman was caught with a number of other decent shots as the Moroccan was given the round by two of three judges.
Another big left from the world champion led to a standing count for Donnelly early in the final round and while the second standing count appeared to be after the Irishman had tripped, the Moroccan had clearly done enough to win.
Rabii was warned by the referee for a clash of heads late in the contest and this appeared to be the reason for one judge giving Donnelly the final round on a 10-8 margin.
"It was a great effort from me against the world champion, I believed in myself and I gave it my all," said Donnelly, who won two previous bouts to put himself on the brink of a medal.
"I'm proud of my efforts here because he's the world number one and I thought I could win, but I'm disappointed not to win a medal."
Irvine, 20, suffered a disappointing Olympic debut as the classy Uzbek fighter clinched a deserved 30-26, 30-27, 30-27 win in the last-16 flyweight bout.
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Zoirov was in total control as he took the first round 10-8 on one card and 10-9 from the other two judges.
The Uzbek fighter continued to catch Irvine at will throughout the contest.
London Olympics medallists Michael Conlan and Katie Taylor are the only members of the eight-strong Irish boxing team still involved in the Games.
Medal hopes Paddy Barnes and Joe Ward were among four Irish fighters who bowed out on the opening week of the Games while their team-mate Michael O'Reilly was sent home from Rio after failing a drugs test.
Conlan and Taylor have still to fight their opening contests in Rio. | Ballymena boxer Steven Donnelly's Rio medal hopes were dashed as he lost his welterweight quarter-final while Belfast man Brendan Irvine also exited. |
37,040,643 | Four-time world champion Scott began his campaign by coming 17th and third in the opening two races on Tuesday.
But the 29-year-old, who started the day in 10th place, came second in the first race on Wednesday, before winning the second one to move ahead overall.
There are six more races in the opening series, with the top 10 sailors taking part in the medal race on 16 August.
Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox. | Great Britain's Giles Scott moved into the overall lead in the men's Finn sailing event at the Rio Olympics. |
36,014,870 | Saturday's 3-1 defeat at Southampton left the Magpies deep in relegation trouble, six points adrift of Norwich with an inferior goal difference.
After the match, boss Rafael Benitez said anxiety was affecting the players.
"On paper our team is ridiculous but we need to show more heart," Lascelles, 22, told BBC Newcastle.
"We need players who care and will look after each other, we've lacked it.
"We've got flair players, tricky players, players with loads of talent but we need more heart, desire and bigger characters on the pitch.
"No matter how good you are, if you don't have that fight and hunger it doesn't matter."
Listen: 'Newcastle would be the best team ever to be relegated'
Benitez's managerial record with Valencia, Liverpool, Chelsea and Real Madrid is littered with trophies, but not even the Spaniard has been able to arrest Newcastle's slide.
The Magpies have lost six of the last seven games, and have Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham among their opponents in their final six matches.
"We had Steve McClaren, a great manager, we've now got Rafa Benitez, a great manager; it's clearly not that, it's the players," Lascelles continued.
"There are no excuses, players hold their hand up, we have to stay positive. We can't dwell on it and if you start thinking about stuff, that's when you really do mess up." | Defender Jamaal Lascelles says Newcastle United need "character, desire and heart" to retain their Premier League status. |
38,101,627 | Loreto Douglas, 64, a child care worker from Derry, was airlifted to hospital but later died from her injuries.
The crash happened on the main Londonderry to Belfast road at about 09:15 GMT on Wednesday.
A man and another woman injured in the crash remain in hospital. Two further men have since been discharged.
On their Facebook page, the Lifestart Foundation in Derry, where Ms Douglas worked, described the loss of their "dearest friend and colleague".
"Loreto has been with Lifestart since the very beginning and she will be sorely missed by everyone who had the pleasure of knowing her.
"Loreto, good night and rest peacefully, your loving Lifestart family xx."
Lifestart's executive director Dr Pauline McClenaghan said Ms Doulglas was the "most generous, personable and kindest of people".
SDLP MLA Mark H Durkan said the family support worker was a "lovely lady who dedicated her life to helping others".
Inspt Ian Armour appealed for anyone who was travelling on the Glenshane Road on Wednesday morning and who witnessed the collision to contact police. | Tributes have been paid to a woman who died after a three-vehicle crash on the Glenshane Pass in Dungiven, County Londonderry. |
34,368,883 | Sarah Teale was filming outside a conference on the subject in Nottingham when a man directed a sexual comment towards her.
The East Midlands Today reporter said she was "genuinely shocked" by what the man said.
She said: "It's not banter, it's not funny and no-one should have to put up with it."
In the clip, Teale can be heard explaining: "An online study showed that a shocking 95% of people said they had been harassed, jeered at, or had obscenities shouted at them in the street and a large proportion said they'd also been groped or grabbed inappropriately in public."
Then, as a comment is made, she can be seen pointing ahead and saying: "Yeah, like that."
People took to social media to comment on what happened, with many posting messages of support.
One post from Helen Briggs simply read: "Shameful."
Another from Neil Harrison said: "Name and shame the moronic... sad pathetic creep."
Some said the man's comments were just part of an internet craze, while others thought the video had been staged to make a point.
Sandy Oestreich said: "I think it was planned or staged."
Mickey Sjv Gregory added he thought it was "someone just cashing in on the trend and trying to be funny".
The TV presenter said it was good people were now talking about the issue but said claims the video was staged were "absolute nonsense".
She said: "It's fairly obvious from my reaction that it wasn't staged.
"If it is a craze it doesn't make it any less offensive."
National press, including the Independent and New Statesman, covered the story, which was also featured on Australian TV. | A BBC TV reporter was harassed in the street while filming a report about street harassment. |
38,938,629 | World number 12 Hawkins, who clinched the match with a break of 120, hit 107 in the fourth frame and made three further half-century breaks.
Marco Fu plays Ryan Day at 19:00 GMT on Saturday for a place in Sunday's final.
Hong Kong's Fu beat Mark King 4-2 earlier on Friday to reach the last four while Day - world ranked 24 - beat defending champion Shaun Murphy 4-2. | Barry Hawkins reached the World Grand Prix final with a 6-1 win over China's Liang Wenbo in Preston. |
33,537,634 | He challenged critics of Tuesday's deal to present a better alternative - seen as a veiled reference to his Republican opponents in Congress.
The UN Security Council will vote next week on a resolution endorsing the agreement, Iran says.
In return for an end to sanctions, Iran will limit its nuclear activities.
The president has said there will be a robust debate with Congress.
His Republican rivals, who hope to scupper the agreement in a subsequent vote, have accused him of appeasement.
But Mr Obama said: "If 99% of the world community and the majority of nuclear experts look at this thing and they say this will prevent Iran from getting a nuclear bomb, and you are arguing either that it does not or that even if it does, it's temporary then you should have some alternative."
He said he had not heard one and insisted there were two alternatives with the issue either resolved "diplomatically, through a negotiation, or it's resolved through force. Through war. Those are the options", he said.
He added the world would risk "even more war in the Middle East" without the nuclear agreement with Iran.
BBC North America editor Jon Sopel said the president came out swinging at a news conference on Wednesday, confident of his argument and keen to make the case that - on the central goal of stopping Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon - the agreement had to be supported.
The deal, reached with six world powers in Vienna, would begin to be implemented by November, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said earlier on Wednesday.
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said the agreement proved that "constructive engagement works".
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, denounced what he called a "stunning historic mistake".
Mr Obama has expressed hopes that the agreement would encourage Iran to "behave differently," citing "its support of terrorism and its use of proxies to destabilise parts of the Middle East."
He said that the US would seek greater co-operation from Tehran on ending the wars in Syria and Yemen. But he added: "We're not betting on it.''
He also urged members of the US Congress to judge the agreement "based on the facts, not on politics".
American lawmakers have 60 days to review the deal.
The UN Security Council passed six resolutions between 2006 and 2010 requiring Iran to stop producing enriched uranium, which can be used for civilian purposes, but also to build nuclear bombs.
After returning to Tehran, Mr Zarif said: "These talks have concluded in a situation when the Security Council - for the first time in its history - will give official recognition to a developing country's enrichment programme through a resolution next week."
Diplomats told the Reuters news agency that the US would circulate a draft text on Wednesday that would terminate the previous resolutions but enshrine a mechanism for the sanctions they included to automatically "snap back" if Iran breached its commitments.
The five permanent members of the Security Council who could veto any resolution - the US, UK, France, Russia and China - were part of the so-called P5+1 group of world powers that signed the deal with Iran, along with Germany.
"We hope that more or less within four months, measures taken by both sides show results and implementation of the deal begins," Mr Zarif said.
President Rouhani told a cabinet meeting that Iran had not "surrendered".
"The deal is a legal, technical and political victory for Iran," he said. "It's an achievement that Iran won't be called a world threat anymore."
Could US Congress torpedo the deal?
Iran deal may force new rhetoric
A good deal, for now?
Will deal make the Middle East less safe?
Iran: Now a business opportunity?
How Iran's media covered announcement
But the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, John Boehner, said it would only "embolden" Iran.
"Instead of stopping the spread of nuclear weapons in the Middle East, this deal is likely to fuel a nuclear arms race around the world," he warned.
Meanwhile Mr Netanyahu stressed that Israel would not be bounded by the deal, suggesting military strikes on Iran's nuclear programme remained an option. "We will always defend ourselves," he added.
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Yukiya Amano, told the BBC he was confident that its inspectors would be able to "detect any diversion or misuse of nuclear material in a timely manner". | Critics of the nuclear agreement with Iran are at odds with "99% of the world and the majority of nuclear experts", US President Barack Obama has said. |
36,801,667 | Martin Hall renovated the shed in Monmouth after seeing its potential due to the views of the Black Mountains.
The £275,000 renovation is now up for the gold medal for architecture at the National Eisteddfod.
Architects Hall and Bednarczyk said the barn was "abandoned for several decades and in a rundown state".
The gold medal recognises architectural excellence and the winner will be announced during the festival in August. | A run-down chicken coop which was transformed into a four-bedroom holiday home has been nominated for an architecture prize. |
35,712,020 | The images by amateur photographer Phyllis Nicklin were found last year when University of Birmingham staff were clearing out a building.
Ms Nicklin, a lecturer from Aston, took the photos between 1953 and 1969.
A selection are on display at the city's Reuben Colley gallery and artists have been invited to interpret the photos.
David Oram, from the university, published Ms Nicklin's photos on his local history website, Brumpic.
He said: "She's captured a time of change in Birmingham where new buildings [were] going up, the [old ones] coming down. This is exactly what happened in the 1950s and 1960s in Birmingham."
The photos were discovered by staff last year. | Hundreds of pictures discovered in a cupboard which show Birmingham in the 1950s and 1960s have gone on display. |
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