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29,754,769 | The company said it has chartered additional P&O Express sailings to assist with "high demand".
Manannan will operate an extra five return trips from Liverpool and an additional four return sailings from Larne.
Bookings for the additional sailings will open at 08:30 GMT on 3 November.
The IOMSPC will also increase capacity for motorcycles travelling to the island for the road-racing festival by building a mezzanine deck on the Manannan.
Chartered freight vessel MV Arrow will also be in service, freeing up the Ben-my-Chree to accommodate additional vehicles.
Chief executive Mark Woodward said: "There was a marked increase in demand when bookings for the 2015 TT opened in May, with first-day bookings up 41% on the previous year.
"We are delighted that the charter of P&O Express has allowed us to add additional sailings from Northern Ireland and on the popular Liverpool route." | The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company (IOMSPC) has announced extra sailings from Liverpool and Northern Ireland during next June's TT races. |
36,460,749 | Ralph Clarke, of Birmingham, is accused in relation to alleged attacks on three children between 1974 and 1983.
Mr Clarke, of Holly Lane, Erdington, appeared at the city's crown court to deny 17 charges of indecent assault and 12 of indecency with a child.
He also denies two counts of trying to commit a serious sexual offence.
Mr Clarke will appear for trial at Birmingham Crown Court on 5 December.
The former lorry driver, who left court on unconditional bail, was told that six witnesses are due to give evidence at his trial.
More on this and other stories Birmingham and Black Country | A 101-year-old man who is thought to be the oldest defendant in British legal history has pleaded not guilty to a total of 31 child sex abuse charges. |
33,292,855 | Johnson was England boss in New Zealand four years ago when off-field incidents led to heavy criticism.
Raucous behaviour in a bar and Manu Tuilagi jumping off a ferry were among the unwelcome headlines in New Zealand.
"It's not rocket science is it; don't get into trouble," said Johnson, who captained England to victory in 2003.
Speaking to BBC Sport the former second row added: "You have to know what the line is between right and wrong.
"Ultimately when you go there [to a World Cup] you have to be able to trust everyone.
"I think the players know where the line is and they know what they need to be doing or not doing."
The Rugby Football Union chief executive Ian Ritchie has recently sought Johnson's advice about how to avoid disciplinary problems this time round.
England head coach Stuart Lancaster has already dropped Leicester centre Tuilagi and Northampton hooker Dylan Hartley from his World Cup training squad following breaches of discipline.
Hartley was cut from the 50-man party after being banned for a head-butt during the Premiership semi-final between Northampton and Saracens, and Johnson has backed his successor's stance.
"Dylan has had numerous occasions when it has happened," Johnson said, whose England side were knocked out at the quarter-final stage in 2011.
"I think Stuart made the right call. If that happens at a key moment it could cost everyone. So Hartley almost made the choice for him."
Tuilagi caused controversy at the last World Cup when he received a police warning for jumping off an Auckland ferry, and will miss this year's tournament after pleading guilty to assault.
"It's unnecessary. He's a fantastic player but he's lost an opportunity and ultimately only got himself to blame," Johnson added.
But Johnson - who won 84 caps for England between 1993 and 2003 - says he has sympathy for the current generation of players when it comes to life away from rugby.
"They are young guys, and part of it is letting your hair down a little bit. But it is more difficult to do that now," he added.
"Everyone has a camera and you can construe one situation as something different.
"Your memories as a player are both on and off the field, and I feel sorry in a way for some of them because it is easy for someone to try and deliberately catch you out.
"It's a bit unfortunate, but that's the way it is."
Johnson is one of four World Cup winning captains featured on the official England Rugby 2015 tournament tickets, and he believes this year's showpiece is too close to call.
"I think a lot of teams will think it's their best chance in a long, long time to get to a final," he said. "So it's going to be very interesting what plays out.
"What happened in February when they played each other last time [during the Six Nations] is mainly irrelevant. Playing in a World Cup the games are huge, the pressure is massive.
"It's who can deal with that." | Former captain Martin Johnson has urged England's players not to repeat the mistakes of the 2011 World Cup in the upcoming 2015 edition on home soil. |
37,738,915 | The Mi-8 helicopter carrying 22 people, mostly oil and gas workers, went down on Friday in the Yamalo-Nenetsky region.
President Vladimir Putin has expressed his condolences to relatives of the victims, according to his spokesman.
The helicopter "fell on its right side and the victims could not get out," a military spokesman said.
Three survivors were flown to the hospital but fog and poor visibility had hindered search and rescue operations, according to officials.
A criminal probe has been launched but investigators suspect the crash could have been caused by a violation of flight safety regulations, a mechanical problem or poor weather conditions.
The helicopter was flying from an oil and gas field in the Siberian region of Krasnoyarsk to the small settlement of Urengoi.
The region's governor Dmitry Kobylkin has announced a day of mourning, calling the crash a source of "great sorrow for all of us." | A Russian helicopter has crashed in north-western Siberia killing at least 19 people, officials say. |
34,115,824 | The Rhinos retained the cup on Saturday but for the second year running found a fired-up Saints who prevented them going six points clear at the top.
Saints halves Travis Burns and Luke Walsh were dominant, with the latter scoring 16 of the 32 points.
The win puts the visitors level on points with third-placed Huddersfield.
Castleford, who lost at the Giants on Thursday night, are now under pressure to beat St Helens when the two meet at the Jungle next Thursday - as defeat would end their hopes.
Having been so clinical in the Challenge Cup final victory against Hull KR, Leeds lacked the same accuracy and execution with crucial errors throughout.
They were without key players Zak Hardaker, Kallum Watkins and Rob Burrow, although stand-in full-back Ashton Golding emerged with credit on his 19th birthday.
Keiron Cunningham's side took full advantage of the hosts' mistakes to score the opener on the back of Danny McGuire's error through Tommy Makinson, although Jimmy Keinhorst burst through for a reply on the back of work from Mitch Garbutt and McGuire.
Adam Cuthbertson and Garbutt's mix-up on the restart gave Saints field position and they twisted the screw with repeat sets that led to Josh Jones' try on the left.
Mitch Achurch twisted over as Leeds kept pace but sublime footwork from Walsh took him across, and after a penalty goal Adam Quinlan took a delicious inside pass from Travis Burns in the second half to further extend the lead.
Ryan Hall's well-worked score lifted spirits around Headingley but once Jon Wilkin crossed late for a 100th try a controlled St Helens had a comfortable lead to see them through to the hooter.
Leeds Rhinos coach Brian McDermott on potential Challenge Cup hangover:
"There is a bit in that, I wouldn't put it all down to that. I thought Saints played very direct and aggressive.
"There was too much dropped ball near their try-line and, as the game started to bite, too many fellas dropped off tackles.
"I thought the team we had out there was good enough. We looked decent for spells in the game. Defensively I thought we were solid for the most part, but as we got tired, which we thought we would, we started to drop off."
St Helens coach Keiron Cunningham:
"You saw the leadership that Jon Wilkin gives the team, I thought Luke Walsh was phenomenal and Alex Walmsley just gets better every week.
"We were really determined tonight, I could see it on the faces of the players in midweek. A few people like to kick you when you're down but we're together and we quite like the idea that everyone had written us off. It's not the best we've been with the ball - we need a lot of improvement in our attack - but defensively I was really happy with the intent from minute one.
"I'm pleased for the team. We've been in a bit of a dark place over the last four weeks but the break definitely did us good and I'd like to think we can move on."
Leeds Rhinos: Golding; Briscoe, Keinhorst, Moon, Hall; Sinfield, McGuire; Garbutt, Cuthbertson, Peacock, Ablett, Ward, Delaney.
Interchanges: Singleton, Achurch, Lilley, Leuluai.
St Helens: Quinlan; Makinson, Percival, Jones, Swift; Burns, Walsh; Amor, Roby, Savelio, Wilkin, McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Turner.
Interchanges: Walmsley, Flanagan, Richards, Greenwood.
Attendance: 16,142
Referee: James Child | St Helens spoilt Challenge Cup winners Leeds Rhinos' Headingley return, sealing a first win in five games to boost their Super League top-four bid. |
37,922,047 | Workers from North Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire, Teesside, Scotland and Wales are among 10,000 people in Europe taking part in the demonstration.
They are demanding cheaper Chinese steel be halted coming into the EU.
Tata Steel announced in April that it looked to sell its UK business, but decided to pause the process in July.
Unions said the industry has also been hit by new laws and rules that increased operating costs for steel plants.
Unite national officer Harish Patel said the protest involved members from Tata Steel, which owns plants in Dalzell, Hartlepool, Port Talbot, Rotherham and Stocksbridge - and British Steel in Scunthorpe.
He said the industry was "hanging in the balance with the steel crisis still very much far from over".
Mr Patel said it was "vital the UK government supports action to halt the flood of cheap Chinese steel and secures tariff-free access to the single market in Brexit negotiations" and it had to "insist on using British steel for infrastructure and defence projects".
Paul McBean, multi-union chairman at British Steel in Scunthorpe, said: "A vibrant steel industry is vital to the infrastructure of any country but over the last eight years we have seen widespread redundancies throughout the UK and across Europe.
"It is imperative that action is taken to protect the industry and safeguard thousands of jobs throughout Europe."
The UK government previously said a "great deal of work" had been done "to support the steel industry including tackling the dumping of cheap imports into the EU and buying British".
"The recent reopening of the plate mills in Scotland and the British Steel site at Scunthorpe, which has since hired more people, shows the sector can remain competitive with the right investment," a spokesman added. | About 100 UK steelworkers have joined a march in Brussels calling for action to protect the industry and safeguard jobs. |
30,341,606 | Officers were called to Springfield Drive just after midnight after the woman's body was found in a bedroom.
The death is being treated as suspicious as officers work to establish her identity and the cause of death.
A spokeswoman for Police Scotland confirmed that a man had been detained in connection with the incident.
Local area commander Ch Insp Mandy Paterson said: "Our inquiries into how the woman died are ongoing, and detectives and forensic officers are carrying out a thorough investigation at the scene.
"For this particularly quiet area within the community this will be an unsettling time, however, I can confirm that we currently have a man in police custody.
"I would ask residents to be patient with us while we carry out the necessary door-to-door inquiries and we are committed to returning the area to normality as soon as possible." | Police Scotland have launched a murder investigation after the body of a woman was found at a house in Falkirk. |
26,782,147 | In the Republic, energy company EirGrid has yet to seek planning permission with the Republic of Ireland's planning authorities, An Bord Pleanala.
The issue of overground pylons versus underground cabling has become one that may well feature in this year's local and European elections.
Paula Sheridan and her husband Mike live in Drumree, County Meath, about a 45-minute drive from Dublin.
Both keen gardeners, their house is 50 metres from an electricity pylon.
The wires over their property can carry up to 400,000 volts of electricity and they say the proposed north-south interconnector will double that capacity.
Paula describes the nearby pylon as "a monstrous tombstone" hanging over their home.
"What price have we paid for electricity?" she said. "Our house is worthless. We tried to sell it, nobody would buy it. Our health has been destroyed; our children's inheritance is gone. Nobody has considered that in the equation. What price have we paid?"
Paula Sheridan was treated for colo-rectal cancer last year; Mike for prostate cancer three years ago.
And while they accept it cannot be proven that the pylon caused their cancers, Mike believes there is a link.
"Having spent an awful lot of time over the last 30 years out in the garden there, I would make a link between my exposure and the cancer that I had, yeah," he said.
Those opposed to electricity pylons say the metal towers are ugly and ruin the landscape, they lower property prices, but most damning of all, they are a health risk.
But the Irish Minister for Communication, Energy and Natural Resources, Pat Rabbitte, is adamant there is no evidence that overground wires cause cancer.
He said that expert advice from the World Health Organisation suggests there is no reason for health concerns.
"It's a fairly fantastic proposition, to allege that any government or state agency would engage in infrastructural build-out that posed a health risk to people. That really is unconscionable," he said.
The planning appeal process will hear submissions in favour of putting the wires underground - a much more expensive and technically difficult process according to Mr Rabbitte, which is why, he said, more than 95% of cabling is overhead in the developed world.
He also said going underground would put 3% on electricity bills for the next 50 years.
But Colin Andrew, a chartered engineer, a geologist and a member of the North East Pylon Pressure Committee believes the extra cost of putting the cables below the soil, for the two administrations and the two electricity companies, is worth paying.
"There is a better way and all we are requesting is that the governments, north and south, and SOMI in the north and EirGrid in the south, look at the better way, which is acceptable to the communities," he said.
"We believe the total cost to the average bill-payer of undergrounding the north-south interconnector will be less than 70 cents a month or 50p a month in the north."
Overground or underground has yet to be decided on.
But the need for more electricity is not in doubt, especially for Northern Ireland, according to a senior well-informed source.
Mr Rabbitte said he accepts that people have genuine concerns about the visual impact of pylons and how they affect property prices.
However, he added: "There always has been a trade-off between the comforts of modern civilisation and an element of intrusion into the way we live.
"That's unavoidable if you are going to have electricity supply, mod cons and the power to provide jobs and industry in the regions."
For governments, voters and planners the issue of pylons, it seems, is part of the age-old dilemma - what price progress? | The north-south electricity interconnector is in the news in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. |
39,808,477 | Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority (GMWDA) said it would seek to cancel its 25-year private finance initiative deal with Viridor Laing Ltd.
GMWDA, which signed the contract in 2009, faces financial challenges, Viridor's parent company Pennon said.
It indicated the firm would seek compensation over the termination.
Viridor Laing is a consortium of the waste and resources firm Viridor and construction group John Laing Infrastructure.
In December last year, John Laing PLC reported that GMWDA said it was "not satisfied with the current status" of the project and that it continued to "seek significant cost savings and efficiencies".
In a statement, GMWDA confirmed it had agreed to terminate the deal.
The authority added: "The decision allows for delegation for officers to progress termination. At this time we are unable to comment further."
Dominic Nash, a financial analyst at Macquarie, believes it could be "up to three years before there is any clarity".
He said: "The main driver is to save money. It does not come down to Viridor Laing doing a bad job because I don't think they have. The council budget is lower and they will want to reduce bills for customers."
Mr Nash said jobs would be transferred to any new contractor, and compensation would be paid.
He warned: "How the compensation is calculated is a good indicator for investment perception in the UK...If it is handled badly it has the potential to damage investor sentiment, as it would increase risk for investors."
GMWDA provides waste disposal services for councils in Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside and Trafford. | A £3bn contract signed to recycle waste and use some of it as fuel to generate electricity is to be terminated 17 years early over "cost savings". |
25,468,587 | The high court deemed laws prohibiting brothels, communicating in public with clients and living on the profits of prostitution to be too sweeping.
The ruling follows a court challenge filed by former and current sex workers.
The justices' decision gives the Canadian government one year to craft new legislation.
All nine of the court's judges ruled in favour of striking the laws down, finding they were "grossly disproportionate".
"It is not a crime in Canada to sell sex for money," Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin wrote in Friday's decision.
Canada's criminal code currently makes it illegal to keep a brothel, communicate in public about acts of prostitution or live off its proceeds.
But Justice McLachlin wrote: "Parliament has the power to regulate against nuisances, but not at the cost of the health, safety and lives of prostitutes.
"The prohibitions at issue do not merely impose conditions on how prostitutes operate.
"They go a critical step further, by imposing dangerous conditions on prostitution; they prevent people engaged in a risky - but legal - activity from taking steps to protect themselves from the risks."
Under the ruling, the Canadian parliament has 12 months to rewrite the legislation or it will be withdrawn.
Anti-prostitution laws will continue to be enforced in the meantime.
Canadian Justice Minister Peter MacKay said the government would reflect on "this very complex matter".
"We are reviewing the decision and are exploring all possible options to ensure the criminal law continues to address the significant harms that flow from prostitution to communities, those engaged in prostitution and vulnerable persons," his statement said.
A Canadian women's rights group condemned the court's decision, saying it was a "sad day".
"We've now had confirmed that it's OK to buy and sell women and girls in this country," Kim Pate, executive director of the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies, told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
"I think generations to come - our daughters, their granddaughters and on - will look back and say, 'What were they thinking?'"
A constitutional challenge by three women with experience in the sex trade, Terri-Jean Bedford, Amy Lebovitch and Valerie Scott, prompted the case.
In March, the Ontario Court of Appeal upheld a ban on communicating for the purpose of prostitution, a decision which Ms Bedford challenged.
The federal and Ontario governments appealed against two other parts of that decision: striking down the law against brothels; and limiting the ban on living off the avails of prostitution.
The Canadian authorities argued that they should be entitled to legislate against prostitution as they "see fit".
Lawyers for the Ottawa government reportedly claimed "if the conditions imposed by the law prejudice [sex workers'] security, it is their choice to engage in the activity, not the law, that is the cause".
But the Supreme Court ruled it was not a choice for many.
"Whether because of financial desperation, drug addictions, mental illness, or compulsion from pimps, they often have little choice but to sell their bodies for money," Justice McLachlin wrote. | The Supreme Court of Canada has unanimously struck down the nation's anti-prostitution laws. |
30,799,922 | The man was hit by a grey Volkswagen, outside Sainsbury's on Bower's Parade, Harpenden, at about 11:30 GMT, police said.
An ambulance service spokesman said the pedestrian in his 60s "had suffered serious head and chest injuries" and was declared dead at the scene.
Two people in the car, one of whom was an elderly woman, have been taken to Luton Hospital.
Harpenden High Street, between Sun Lane and Vaughan Road, was closed following the crash, but has been re-opened.
An air ambulance landed on Harpenden Common, close to the Harpenden Arms, in order to treat the man who later died.
The East of England Ambulance Service sent two ambulance crews, a rapid response vehicle and two ambulance officers to the scene. | A pedestrian has died after being hit by a car outside a supermarket. |
29,899,605 | Ann Barnes, the ??85,000-a-year Police and Crime Commissioner, said she had delivered all her election pledges.
She is also under investigation over a recent car crash.
But, Councillor Craig MacKinlay said the people of Kent "would give her a resounding one out of 10".
Mrs Barnes is currently being investigated by the Independent Police Complaints Commission over whether she was insured when she was involved in a road accident last year.
She outlined her view of the achievements made, during presentation of her annual report to Kent and Medway Police and Crime Panel.
Her report comes in the wake of her first youth commissioner, Paris Brown, resigning in April 2013 over comments posted on social media.
Ms Brown's replacement, Kerry Boyd, stopped doing public engagements in the summer after reports of a relationship with a married man - but Mrs Barnes praised her work, which was re-focused after the allegations were made.
Mrs Barnes went on to be accused of making Kent Police a "laughing stock" when she appeared in a Channel 4 TV documentary.
But she maintained there were a number of successes, including the appointment of new chief constable, Alan Pughsley, last January.
She said Mr Pughsley shares her vision of putting victims "at the heart of all that we do".
And she said the public could now trust Kent Police's crime figures, whose accuracy had previously been criticised by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary.
Mr MacKinlay, who represents Medway Council's River ward, campaigned against Mrs Barnes during the Police and Crime Commissioner elections.
He told BBC Radio Kent she "lost" previous chief constable Ian Learmonth, who stood down after three-and-a-half years, she wasted lots of taxpayers money on an office move and made an "absolutely risible programme that made The Office look rather sensible".
"The elements of her being a retired primary school teacher are coming through very clearly in the annual report," Mr MacKinlay added.
"It was a self report that she's done for herself and given herself 10 out of 10.
"There's no red marks over it, even though there are a few spelling mistakes. I think the voting public and the taxpayers of Kent would give her a resounding one out of 10." | Kent's police boss has declared the second 12 months of her tenure "a very successful year indeed" despite controversies over her new youth commissioner and a TV documentary. |
38,661,982 | Eight-year-old Saros Endris and his sister Leanor, six, died following the blaze at their home on Holland Road, in Hamstead, Birmingham, on 28 October.
Mohammed Endris, 46, was found with life-threatening injuries in a fire-damaged car in Staffordshire the same day. He was arrested in November.
He appeared before magistrates on Wednesday in a hospital gown.
More updates on this and other stories in Birmingham and the Black Country
Mr Endris, also of Holland Road, was charged on Tuesday after his release from hospital, West Midlands Police said.
He stood in the dock at Walsall Magistrates' Court - also accused of the attempted murder of the children's mother Penil Teklehaimanot - with a bandage on his head.
The siblings were pronounced dead at hospital after they were found at their home in Holland Road.
Post-mortem examinations were carried out and forensic tests are ongoing to establish the cause of death, police added.
Their father was remanded in custody to appear at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Friday. | A father has been charged with murdering his two young children who died after a house fire. |
40,701,112 | The research followed more than 56,000 women from Australia and New Zealand who had undergone IVF.
It found that 33% of women had a baby as a result of their first IVF cycle. By the eighth cycle, the success rate had increased to between 54% and 77%.
The study offers a clearer estimate of the chances of success from undergoing multiple cycles, the researchers said.
Success rates are often quoted on one round alone, they said.
"If you keep coming back for more treatment, your success rate ends up being higher," said co-author Prof Michael Chapman from the University of New South Wales.
However, he said outcomes varied significantly depending on age.
The study, published in the Medical Journal of Australia, found the overall chance of having a baby by the eighth cycle was at least 54% and possibly as high as 77%.
The range was given because some women in the study did not complete eight rounds. The lower estimate - 54% - assumes that women would not have had a baby if they continued with more IVF after an unsuccessful cycle.
Although repeated attempts increased the overall success rate, results varied according to the mother's age.
Sydney couple Debora Gallo, 39, and Nina Ponten, 35, went through five "rollercoaster" fertility treatment cycles before they had their baby girl, Juliette.
"We did not get clear estimates of success rates at all - we were just going in blind and thinking we will give it another go," said Ms Gallo.
The couple started their first fertility treatment two-and-a-half years ago and completed three rounds of IUI (intrauterine insemination) followed by two IVF cycles, which Ms Gallo described as "incredibly emotional".
She said the pair found the IVF process draining and invasive, after hoping to conceive during the first cycle.
"We look at her and it is all worth it," Ms Gallo said.
"For women starting treatment before the age of 35, 44% will take home a baby after their first cycle," Associate Prof Georgina Chambers told the BBC.
"Two out of three [women under 35] will have a baby after three cycles, and this will increase to between 70-90% after eight cycles."
But the likelihood of success decreases significantly with age.
"If we look at women who start treatments between the ages of 40 and 44, 11% will take a baby home in their first cycle and by the eighth cycle about 20-38% will have a baby," said Associate Prof Chambers.
She said women who commenced treatment after 45 have "very low success rates" using their own eggs.
"Whether IVF treatment should be commenced or continued should ultimately be a decision for the patient and her fertility clinician," said Associate Prof Chambers. | Going through multiple rounds of IVF increases the chances of having a baby, a new study has found. |
38,183,045 | Up to five wells will be drilled before hook-up and commissioning activity starts on the Mariner A platform next summer.
First oil is expected to be produced from Mariner in 2018.
The pre-drilling campaign is expected to support about 500 jobs in the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS).
Mariner, which lies about 93 miles (150km) east of Shetland, is one of the largest projects currently under development in the UKCS.
The heavy oil field has reserves estimated at more than 250 million barrels of oil, with an average plateau production of about 55,000 barrels per day.
Hedda Felin, managing director of Statoil Production UK, said: "This is an exciting period for us as a UKCS operator as we transition from the planning phase to active offshore operations.
"Pre-drilling enables production to reach plateau levels more quickly after the start of operations on Mariner A.
"It will also be an important learning period for us, in terms of understanding the reservoir and identifying potential efficiencies for future wells, with safety and the protection of the environment being our fundamental priorities."
One of the world's largest jack-up rigs, The Noble Lloyd Noble, is currently positioned over the Mariner jacket, which was installed in 2015.
The first production wells will be drilled through a well deck on the jacket.
Up to five wells will be drilled before the platform topside modules arrive in mid-2017. They are currently under construction in South Korea.
Statoil said that up to 100 reservoir targets could be drilled over the lifetime of the Mariner field, based on the current development strategy.
The operator had hoped to get production under way next year. However, in October 2015 it announced it was postponing the start, citing delays at construction yards in South Korea.
Statoil has a 65.1% stake in Mariner. It co-venturers are JX Nippon Exploration & Production (UK) Ltd (20%), Siccar Point Energy (8.9%) and Dyas Mariner Ltd (6%). | Production drilling has started in the massive Mariner oil field in the UK North Sea, operator Statoil has announced. |
32,841,435 | The A563 Palmerston Way in West Knighton was flooded after a "trunk" pipe burst early on Friday.
Severn Trent Water apologised after more than 1,000 homes were affected but said water supplies were now back to normal in the city.
The road is closed between A6 Leicester Road and Welford Road and motorists have been told to expect delays.
Overdale Infant and Junior Schools in Eastcourt Road are also closed.
Sarah Jane O'Kane, from Severn Trent Water, said the burst pipe was classed as a "trunk pipe" which meant it held a large amount of water.
"We can only apologise for any traffic problems or any water supply problems that people are going to see." | A major road in Leicester could be closed for several days after a water main burst. |
27,754,188 | Operation Griffin, involving Scotland Yard, City of London Police and British Transport Police will brief and remind the public to stay vigilant.
The operation will include automatic number plate recognition and high-visibility patrols across all 32 boroughs until 15 June.
Cdr Simon Bray said: "The threat to London from terrorism remains real."
As part of the operation, briefings will also be held for officers in each borough to ensure continuity between national and neighbourhood policing.
Assistant Chief Constable Steve Thomas of British Transport Police added: "It is vitally important that we do not get complacent, and the vigilance of passengers and staff remains a crucial element." | A drive to remind people in London of the "ongoing threat from terrorism" has started. |
36,484,134 | 8 June 2016 Last updated at 20:48 BST
Pete Ganton regularly uses Great Western Railway (GWR) to transport his bike from Reading to London, but now has to book a space on the train for his bike.
When followed by a BBC reporter on a service he reserved a space on he was prevented from getting on the train because he did not have any paperwork, according to the train guard.
GWR began the policy in May, meaning bicycle users must book two hours in advance.
The BBC's Ben Moore reports. | A rail company's new mandatory bike reservation policy "discriminates against cyclists", according to a regular commuter. |
26,382,589 | It is one of the biggest migrant surges into Melilla in recent years.
Many of the migrants suffered cuts scaling the fence. During the incident, migrants threw stones, sticks and bottles at police, officials say.
This month there have been similar mass break-ins in Melilla and Ceuta - another Spanish city in North Africa.
The break-in happened at about 06:00 local time (05:00 GMT) at Ben-Enzar, a crossing point on the Spain-Morocco border.
The migrants, many of whom said they were from Cameroon and Guinea, sang triumphantly as they made their way to the Melilla migrant reception centre, Spain's El Pais daily reported.
They are likely to be expelled from Melilla. The reception centre is already overcrowded - built for 480, it now houses 1,300 people, its manager Carlos Montero said.
On 6 February at least 14 migrants drowned when hundreds tried to swim into Ceuta.
The two Spanish territories have become a magnet for migrants seeking work or asylum in Europe. | More than 200 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa have broken into Spain's North African enclave of Melilla by scaling the border fence. |
36,763,083 | The fine was later cancelled but Dave Hedley started a petition against the policy, to help other parents.
The issue was debated by MPs after the petition attracted 200,000 signatures.
Schools Minister Nick Gibb accepted there was confusion following a recent High Court victory against a fine.
Term-time holidays: What are the rules?
However, Mr Gibb said parents could still be fined for taking their children on holiday out of term-time - and confirmed the Department for Education would fund an appeal against the recent judgment.
"Although the government are disappointed with the High Court judgment on school attendance, we are clear that children's attendance at school is non-negotiable, and we will take the necessary steps to secure that principle," he said during the Westminster Hall debate.
"We managed to get away for a surprise break the week after the Easter holidays," said Mr Hedley, from Stapleford in Nottinghamshire.
"We had no way of informing the school apart from via email but it was the one week we had in between my wife's operations and her radiotherapy starting."
"As my wife was undertaking radiotherapy at the time I just found this utterly disgusting," he said.
"The more I looked into it the more I decided that something had to be done to end the process."
Steve Double, the Conservative MP for St Austell and Newquay, led the debate on Monday and said the policy is "draconian".
"We are discriminating against those on low incomes by saying that if they cannot afford the high prices charged during the school holidays, they do not deserve a family holiday," he said.
He said parents who work in tourism, and many public sector workers such as those in the NHS, are not allowed to take time off during school holidays.
He argued the policy "denies the value of a holiday to a child's development and education" and called for discretion to be put back in the hands of head teachers.
"Just last week I spoke to a primary school head teacher in my constituency and was surprised by what he said 'The best thing that could happen to some of the children in my school would be for their parents to take them on a week's holiday, even in term-time'," he said.
"I recognise that the High Court judgment has created uncertainty for parents, schools and local authorities," Mr Gibb said during Monday's debate.
"Given its importance, it is essential that the matter is clarified, which is why we decided to support Isle of Wight Council's request for permission to appeal to the Supreme Court, and why I wrote to all schools and local authorities in England to make it clear that the High Court judgment does not establish that a pupil's attendance above 90% is regarded as regular attendance."
Other MPs supported Mr Double's arguments.
Rosie Cooper, Labour MP for West Lancashire, said there is a "fundamental lack of transparency, fairness and consistency in how the fines are being applied".
Michelle Donelan, Conservative MP for Chippenham, said that the children who are restricted from taking time to go on holiday "tend to be socially deprived and from impoverished backgrounds".
Derek Thomas, Conservative MP for St Ives, said the policy has an adverse impact on NHS services.
"The population of areas such as Cornwall increases significantly during the summer holiday months, which places extra pressure on health services at the very time when medical staff are forced to take their holiday," he said. | MPs have argued for "draconian" rules on school absences to be changed, after a father was fined for taking his children on holiday as a treat while their mother had cancer treatment. |
40,580,897 | Google and its London-based DeepMind division springs to mind. Facebook has hired some of the biggest thinkers in AI. Then there's IBM with its Watson project - and of course China is pouring vast sums into research, as it tries to replace factory workers with robots.
But today another contender is shouting out: what about us? Microsoft, the company that dominated the era of desktop computing, is holding an event at which it is showing off its expertise in artificial intelligence, and in effect demanding a bit more respect from the world.
The event is being held in London - a marker of how much the UK is now seen as a centre of AI research - and Microsoft's top scientists have flown in from around the world to demonstrate their work and lay out their vision of what direction this technology should take next.
One of the applications on display today is Seeing AI, a way to help people with a visual impairment get information about their world through the camera of a smartphone.
I got my own demo from one of the developers, Saqib Shaikh, who is himself blind.
He pointed his phone at a document and it read the text aloud. Then a series of bleeps guided him to the barcode on a drinks can and the app told him what it was. Next, he switched into "people mode" and the camera spotted me. I was described as a 52-year-old man, looking first neutral, then happy.
This may sound relatively straightforward but, as Saqib pointed out, behind the application are years of research into giving computers human skills such as vision, hearing and the ability to spot different emotions.
Steve Clayton, whose title is Microsoft chief storyteller, wove for me a convincing tale of 25 years of artificial intelligence research that had culminated in projects such as Seeing AI.
"The first three groups that were part of Microsoft Research were focused around AI - speech, language and vision," he explained.
"What you see in that application is that work really coming to life and taking computers into a new era where they can see, recognise and understand the world in a similar way to humans."
As well as showing how its AI expertise was feeding into products - from live translation for PowerPoint presentations to a system that scans closed-circuit video images to recognise specific events - Microsoft was keen to show it had a wider mission than just its own commercial interests.
It unveiled an initiative called AI For Earth, to give charities and other organisations access to tools that use the technology in areas such as combating climate change. As concern mounts about the potential of artificial intelligence to cause harm or reinforce prejudices, the firm also published what it called its design principles for AI.
Emma Williams, general manager for the Bing search engine, says at the heart of all this is putting the human first.
"The human is the hero - and we are creating AI technology that amplifies human ingenuity so that this can unlock a new era for human innovation and creativity."
I put it to her that this all sounded very nice but there were hard decisions to be made - for instance about bias in the algorithms that will have growing influence over our lives.
But she insisted that "fairness, accountability, transparency and ethics" would be at the heart of all their research. The company stresses that the ethics of AI is going to be a cross-industry issue where it is determined to be a leading voice.
Microsoft seems frustrated that all of its work in this field has made less of an impression on the public than Google's DeepMind, with its eye-catching victories at the Chinese game of Go, or IBM's Watson, now being promoted as an all-purpose AI service for all sorts of businesses.
Azeem Azhar, who writes the weekly Exponential View newsletter about artificial intelligence developments, says he can understand why Microsoft urgently wants its voice heard.
"AI, like many areas of technology, is likely to be a winner-takes-all game. We've seen that with firms like Google or Facebook, and if AI follows the same pattern, particularly with its demand for lots of data, those who come in the first ranks will win all the rewards and those who come in the second echelon will get nothing."
He does think, however, that Microsoft's pervasive presence in the world of business gives it a chance to be among the winners.
Having missed out on the mobile revolution and having been late to cloud computing, Microsoft has decided that it must not be left behind this time in a technology that some are comparing to electricity in its potential impact.
Now it just has to make the world listen. | Who is doing groundbreaking research into artificial intelligence right now? |
36,047,268 | Brian Purcell, chairman of Deeside Liverpool Supporters Club, organised two coaches to take local fans to watch the FA Cup semi final on 15 April 1989.
Ninety-six fans were fatally injured in a terrace crush at Sheffield Wednesday's ground.
Deeside club member John McBrien, 18, from Holywell, was among them.
Mr Purcell managed to leave the ground safely, along with his son, Andrew. But when he and another committee member, Roger Parry, checked their lists, they realised Mr McBrien was missing.
Mr Purcell said: "Roger and I decided to stay in Sheffield to try to find John who was the only one missing from the group we took up.
"We went everywhere. We went in the Hallamshire hospital, we went in the community centres. Eventually, we went back to the Hillsborough football ground.
"We were ushered in, we reported who we were to the police...there was a board with all the photos on.
"Eventually, I said to Roger, and Roger agreed, it was a photo of John... and we were led into the gym, and we then identified John."
Mr Purcell said he has carried the memory of the events of that day as much as anybody else and that going to the memorial services each year at Anfield had been a help.
"When you go in that ground you get the feeling that we're all together and we stand together in it."
He said he understood why Friday's service would be the last, because of the toll the intervening 27 years had taken on the Hillsborough Family Support Group.
"It will certainly never be forgotten by us," he said.
The Hillsborough Family Support Group said it hoped the final service would "provide the families with some closure" as the conclusion of the new inquests approaches. | A Liverpool fan from Flintshire who was at Hillsborough 27 years ago said he understands why a memorial service at Anfield will be the last. |
40,588,194 | Mami Karino scored the winner from close range after three minutes.
England had five shots on target from their 12 goal attempts but could not find a way past Japan goalkeeper Megumi Kageyama.
Danny Kerry's team are fourth in Pool A after beating Poland in their opening game and next face Germany on Wednesday at 17:00 BST.
Their final pool match is against Ireland on Sunday.
Kerry said: "Japan started quicker than us and it was a big contrast to playing a slow game against Poland in our first match.
"In the second half we controlled the game and Japan had little to no opportunity whilst we had a number of chances which just didn't quite fall right for us.
"Importantly we played well in the second half and we need to focus on that rather than the result."
The World League Semi-Final is a 10-team tournament consisting of a group stage - made up of two pools of five - with the top four from each section going through to the knockout rounds, which start on 18 July.
Four teams from the Johannesburg tournament will go through to the World League Finals in New Zealand in November. | England were beaten 1-0 by Japan in their Women's Hockey World League Semi-Final group match in Johannesburg. |
33,573,495 | At the time, it was reported that three people with knives threatened a woman before stealing her car in Talbot Street on 24 November 2014.
The 28-year-old accused faces a number of other charges including dangerous driving, aggravated vehicle taking and driving away and obstruction.
He will appear in court next month.
Police have also charged the man with driving whilst disqualified and having no insurance. | A man has been charged with hijacking, having an offensive weapon and failing to stop for police in connection with a car theft in Belfast last year. |
31,916,393 | Kensington Palace said the prince is to end his 10-year military career after a four-week secondment to the Australian Defence Force, starting in April.
The fourth in line to the throne said his Army experience would stay with him for the rest of his life.
The prince said he was still considering his employment options.
Prince Harry saw action in Afghanistan twice, most recently in 2012 as an Apache helicopter co-pilot and gunner.
In a statement released by Kensington Palace, the prince said he was at a "crossroads" and quitting the Army had been a "really tough decision".
The prince, who took up a staff officer role with the Army last year, said: "I consider myself incredibly lucky to have had the chance to do some very challenging jobs and have met many fantastic people in the process.
"From learning the hard way to stay onside with my Colour Sergeant at Sandhurst, to the incredible people I served with during two tours in Afghanistan, the experiences I have had over the last 10 years will stay with me for the rest of my life.
"For that I will always be hugely grateful."
While in Australia, the prince will spend time at an army barracks in Darwin, Perth and Sydney where he will carry out unit-based activities, training exercises and domestic deployments.
He will also join his father, the Prince of Wales, at the Gallipoli commemorations in Turkey on April 24 and 25.
After his stint in Australia, he will undertake an official royal tour to New Zealand.
When he leaves the Army in June, he will do voluntary work with a conservation project in Africa and with disabled veterans back in the UK.
Analysis by Peter Hunt, BBC royal correspondent
We know what Prince Harry's giving up.
We don't yet know what will fill the considerable void that the absence of a military career will leave in his life.
It's no surprise that Harry describes quitting the Army as a "really tough decision".
He's cherished doing a job which he was given on merit - and not because he's a prince.
It's a job which, when he was in Afghanistan, included targeting and killing Taliban fighters.
In the coming months, as he undertakes voluntary work in Africa and the UK, he'll have to decide how to occupy himself in the years that lie ahead.
He's rejected, for now, the option of becoming a full-time senior royal.
Officials will be hoping he embraces something which fulfils him and which doesn't give him time to once again be cast as a party prince.
It's little wonder Harry himself talks of being at a crossroads.
Read more about Prince Harry on Peter Hunt's blog
Prince Harry started his full-time military duties as an officer cadet at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in May 2005.
He was commissioned as an Army officer in April 2006, joining the Household Cavalry (Blues and Royals). In late 2007, he spent 10 weeks in Helmand province in Afghanistan but was pulled out after the media reported his secret deployment.
He began training as an Army Air Corps pilot in January 2009, becoming a fully operational Apache attack helicopter pilot in February 2012.
Later in 2012, he undertook an operational tour of Afghanistan as an Apache pilot.
Gen Sir Nicholas Carter, Chief of the General Staff and the professional head of the Army, paid tribute to the prince.
"Captain Harry Wales, as he is known affectionately in the Army, has achieved much in his 10 years as a soldier," he said.
"He has been at the forefront throughout his service. He has insisted on being treated the same as his peers."
He praised his skill, judgment and professionalism in Afghanistan where as an Apache helicopter pilot he "selflessly" supported those on the ground. | Prince Harry has said he is looking forward to a "new chapter" in his life after it was confirmed he will leave the Army in June. |
27,177,518 | Ten Wirral Cricket Club batsmen were out for ducks, only the number 11 troubled the scorers, with the other runs coming from two leg byes.
It left Wirral some way short of the 109 they needed to beat Haslington in a Cheshire League Division Three fixture.
While an embarrassing loss, it was not a world record lowest score - Somerset club Langport were dismissed for zero against Glastonbury in a 1913 match.
The lowest score in a first-class match is six, made by "The B's" against England at the old Lord's ground in 1810. And the lowest total in a Test match is 26, posted by New Zealand against England in 1955.
At one point Wirral were 0-8 after six overs before the pair of extras and Connor Hobson - who finished one not out - dragged the innings out until the 10th over.
Unsurprisingly, Haslington needed only two bowlers. Ben Istead captured six wickets in his five overs for the concession of the solitary run, while new ball partner Tom Gledhill returned a rather economical 4-0 from 4.2 overs.
Discussing Wirral's collapse, Matt Garrett, who came in at number nine with the score at 0-7, told BBC Radio 5 live Weekend Breakfast: "It all happened in a bit of a blur really.
"I think I headed into the changing rooms to get my pads on when we were three down and got out to the middle just in time to take my guard when the seventh wicket fell.
"The reaction in the back of your mind is, 'I think we can still do this' but, two balls later when you're following all your team-mates back to the clubhouse, you think perhaps it's not your day."
Wirral CC tweeted: "1st XI lost by 105 runs today... Sadly the opposition only scored 108!"
The club also used social media to ask former England internationals Michael Vaughan, Andrew Flintoff, Phil Tufnell and David Lloyd for some coaching, adding the hashtag #weneedit. | A cricket team were humiliated after only scoring three runs between them. |
13,467,846 | Although some would say that HMV has sold the UK's largest high street book retailer for a knock-down price, and the group's latest trading results are frightful, I have learned that the group expects to reach agreement with its banks on a new £200m (or so) borrowing agreement within the next two weeks.
Or to put it another way, HMV isn't going bust (or at least not this year).
Its banks, led by Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds, have decided in principle to back the plan of Simon Fox, HMV's chief executive, to revive HMV stores by switching more of their stock into electronic goods, especially tablets (see my note, "Can HMV reinvents itself", for more on this).
That rescue plan also involves the closure of 40 HMV and 20 Waterstone's stores, of which more than half have already been closed, together with the sale of the Waterstone's business, to reduce debt and the complexity of the group at this challenging time.
Formal agreement from the banks is expected by early June, when HMV will send a document to shareholders detailing the reconstruction of HMV and asking for their approval.
The assent of the Pensions Regulator is also required, because the single group pension scheme will henceforth be funded by an HMV that no longer contains Waterstone's - so the Pensions Regulator has to be persuaded that HMV isn't being weakened by the sale of Waterstone's.
It would be difficult, I think, for the Pensions Regulator to block the disposal of Waterstone's - because the alternative, almost certainly, is that HMV would collapse into administration. And it is hard to see how HMV's current and future pension would benefit from the death of HMV.
So much for the good news. The rest of what HMV had to say wasn't exactly cause to crack open the bubbly.
Like-for-like or underlying sales at HMV in UK and Ireland continue to shrink at a scary and accelerating rate. So in the 10 weeks to 1 January, they were down 14.1%. Since then, in the 17 weeks to 30 April, the shrinkage has been 15.1%
Or to put it another way, HMV's problems run a lot deeper than that horrendous pre-Christmas snow which was blamed by everyone from ministers to business leaders for the weakness of the consumer side of the economy at the end of last year.
But in the six stores where HMV has been experimenting with its new tech-heavy format - all those bloomin' tablets - sales were only a bit worse than flat. Result!
Here's the bad joke: for HMV it's plainly a case of keep taking the tablets.
As for Waterstone's, the Russian purchaser, Alexander Mamut, looks like he may be getting quite a bargain, something a bit better than Waterstone's staple twofers.
Viable future?
He is paying cash of £53m for a business that was turned round by Mr Fox and his team in the past year. So in the 12 months just finished Waterstone's made a trading profit of somewhere between £10m and £12m, I understand, up from £2.8m in the previous year.
The Russian plutocrat gets 296 stores and gross assets of £283m that are free of debt or any UK pension liability. And annual sales of Waterstone's are about £500m.
So HMV's woes may well turn into Mr Mamut's good fortune. That said, book retailing also faces formidable structural challenges from the rise and rise of e-books, online retailers and supermarkets that sell best-sellers.
But if the sale of Waterstone's is what it takes to persuade HMV's banks to provide the group with the finance necessary for its survival - and therefore protects some 13,000 jobs - then few will doubt that it was necessary.
Here is where HMV hopes that the magic of restoring financial confidence will make all the difference. In just a few months, HMV's net debt has shot up from £130m to £170m, in part because some of HMV's suppliers have been demanding cash for their goods, rather than supplying the DVDs, CDs and the rest on credit.
With any luck, once they see that the banks are standing behind HMV, then HMV will be able to trade with them again on normal credit terms. Which would take HMV out of the vicious cycle of rising debt and rising financing costs.
Now for the genuinely hard bit, after all that slog for HMV's senior executives led by Simon Fox in winning round the banks. All they have to do is deliver a recovery in sales via an almost total reinvention of the look and stock of their stores, so that next year or the year after HMV's creditors don't change their minds about the group having a viable future. | Sometimes good news comes in a form that doesn't really look like good news - and so it is with HMV's statement on trading and the sale of Waterstone's this morning. |
38,622,499 | Dyma un cynnig sydd yn cael ei ystyried gan Lywodraeth y DU.
Pe byddai yn cael sêl bendith, fyddai teithwyr ddim yn gorfod talu rhwng 22:00 a 06:00.
Mae'r llywodraeth wedi dweud yn barod ei bod yn ystyried gofyn i geir, faniau a bysiau bychain dalu £3 am groesi'r pontydd erbyn 2018.
Mae gweinidogion hefyd yn ystyried trefn newydd fyddai'n golygu na fyddai llif traffig yn cael ei effeithio wrth yrru trwy'r tollau.
Byddai'r drefn yn golygu cael gwared ar y bariau tollau wrth i gamerâu gael eu gosod a fyddai'n adnabod ceir sydd yn croesi'r pontydd.
Mae'r holl faterion yn cael eu trafod fel rhan o ymgynghoriad sydd yn dod i ben Mawrth 10. | Gallai pontydd Hafren fod yn rhad ac am ddim i groesi yn y nos. |
23,366,059 | More recently we've seen the rise of the touchscreen. But other attempts at re-imagining controls have proved vexing.
"It's one of the hardest problems in modern computer science," Michael Buckwald, chief executive and co-founder of Leap Motion, told the BBC.
But after years of development and $45m (£29m) in venture funding, his San Francisco-based start-up has come up with what it claims is the "most natural user interface possible."
It's a 3D-gesture sensing controller that allows touch-free computer interaction.
Israeli firm Primesense has been making headlines in recent days thanks to a report that it is in talks to be bought by Apple - something the 3D sensor firm says is an unfounded rumour.
Rather than trying to make consumer products of its own, the company licenses its depth-sensing tech to others.
Its sensors are used in Microsoft's original Kinect, a 3D scanner by Matterbot and iRobot's Ava - a device that guides itself through hospitals allowing doctors to use it to "visit" patients without leaving their office.
Primesense recently showed off Capri - a second-generation sensor that is 10 times smaller than the previous version and needs less power.
It has fitted the component to one of Google's Nexus tablets to stir up interest and also suggests it could be built into smartphones.
But rather than fitting the sensor to the front of devices to recognise owners' gestures, the firm suggests the best use would be on their backs to look out into the surrounding environments.
"Object recognition is something that is very easily do-able," chief executive Inon Beracha tells the BBC.
"Imagine you scan something - you would get an identification and then you could get the price for an object."
Although the sensor won't feature in the Xbox One games console's new Kinect - which is using Microsoft's own tech - Mr Beracha says to expect news of a tie-up with another big player "in the next months".
Using only subtle movements of fingers and hands within a short distance of the device, virtual pointing, swiping, zooming, and painting become possible. First deliveries of the 3in (7.6cm)-long gadget begin this week.
"We're trying to do things like mould, grab, sculpt, draw, push," explains Mr Buckwald.
"These sorts of physical interactions require a lot of accuracy and a lot of responsiveness that past technologies just haven't had."
He adds that it's the only device in the world that accurately tracks hands and all 10 fingers at an "affordable" price point, and it's 200 times more precise than Microsoft's original Kinect.
It works by using three near-infrared LEDs (light emitting diodes) to illuminate the owner's hands, and then employs two CMOS (complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor) image sensors to obtain a stereoscopic view of the person's actions.
Hundreds of thousands of pre-orders have poured in from around the world, and thousands of developers are working on applications, Mr Buckwald says.
Leap Motion is convinced it has a shot at making gesture controls part of the mainstream PC and Mac computing experience.
But some high-profile Silicon Valley leaders doubt Leap Motion will render the mouse and keyboard obsolete anytime soon.
They include Tom Preston-Werner, chief executive and founder of Github, a service used by developers to share code and advice.
Coders will still have a need for keyboards and computer mice for years to come, he says, adding that sticking your arm out and waving it for any length of time will be uncomfortable and tiring.
For developers who work long hours, Mr Preston-Warner says he prefers approaches like the forthcoming Myo armband, which wirelessly transmits electrical signals from nerves and muscles to computers and gadgets without being tethered to a USB port.
Other Silicon Valley programmers like Ajay Juneja, aren't convinced Leap Motion's touch-free controller has entirely solved the human-computer interface problem either.
"It's a tool for hobbyists and game developers," says the founder of Speak With Me, a firm that develops natural-language voice-controlled software.
"What else am I going to use a gestural interface for?"
Of course, Leap Motion has lots of ideas.
The company already has its own app store called Airspace with 75 programmes including Core's Painter Freestyle art software, Google Earth and other data visualisation and music composition apps. The New York Times also plans to release a gesture-controlled version of its newspaper.
Mr Buckwald says he doesn't expect a single "killer app" to emerge. Instead he predicts there will be "a bunch of killer apps for different people".
Kwindla Kramer, chief executive of Oblong Industries - which helped inspire the gesture-controlled tech in the movie Minority Report - considers Leap Motion's controller "a step forward".
His firm makes higher-end devices ranging from $10,000 to $500,000 for industry.
Leap's "accuracy and pricing" is great, he says, but adds that the "tracking volume" - the area where the device can pick up commands - is somewhat limited.
Still, most experts believe the user interfaces of the future will accept a mash-up of different types of controls from a range of different sensors.
Meanwhile, Leap is already looking beyond the PC and says it hopes to embed its tech into smartphones, tablets, TVs, cars and even robots and fighter jets in future. | The keyboard and mouse have long been the main bridge between humans and their computers. |
29,314,030 | The Bluebirds have been without a manager since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer stepped down on Thursday.
Slade, who held talks with Orient owner Francesco Becchetti regarding his own position last week, said he was "proud" to be linked with Cardiff on Saturday.
The 53-year-old has been in charge at Brisbane Road since 2010.
"On Friday morning, we were contacted by a lawyer close to Cardiff City and Russell Slade, who asked us to give the permission for Cardiff to talk to Russell," said a Leyton Orient club statement.
"On Friday evening, Russell asked the club for the authorisation to talk to Cardiff. On Saturday the general manager of Cardiff approached us in order to ask us the permission to talk to Russell.
"In all cases, we denied Cardiff the permission to talk to Russell and did not authorise Russell to talk to Cardiff."
Slade led the O's to third place in League One last season but saw his side beaten on penalties by Rotherham in the play-off final.
The former Yeovil and Brighton manager has since come under pressure from Becchetti following a slow start to the new campaign, with Orient currently 17th in the table.
Cardiff, who drew 2-2 at Derby on Saturday, are 16th in the Championship.
Veteran Cardiff defender Danny Gabbidon and former Bluebirds team-mate Scott Young took charge of the match at the iPro Stadium, with the duo likely to remain in charge for Tuesday's League Cup fixture at Bournemouth. | Leyton Orient have rejected an approach from Cardiff to talk to boss Russell Slade about the vacant managerial post at the Championship club. |
33,175,649 | The event, which showcases Scottish farming, food and drink and rural living, will run until Sunday 21 June.
The event will include the showcasing of thousands of livestock, equestrian shows, forestry events and cooking competitions and demonstrations.
In 2014, the show attracted nearly 180,000 visitors, and had an estimated economic impact of £47m.
The show, organised by the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland, has a particular focus on food production this year, to tie in with 2015 being Scotland's Year of Food and Drink. There will be live tastings and cooking demonstrations designed to educate both children and adults on how the food they eat is produced.
Meanwhile, the show serves a practical purpose for those working in the agricultural sector, as the trade show gives farmers a chance to look into the industry's latest technologies and developments.
The first Royal Highland Show was held in 1822 in Edinburgh's Canongate, on a site now occupied by the Scottish Parliament. Until 1960, it moved location every year.
It has been held at Ingliston every year since 1960 - except in 2001, when foot and mouth disease meant the show was cancelled. | The 175th Royal Highland Show is to open at the Ingliston showground in Edinburgh later. |
20,799,970 | The award is presented for excellence in poetry, with previous recipients including WH Auden, John Betjeman and Philip Larkin.
Agard, who writes for both adults and children, moved to the UK from Guyana in 1977.
He said he was "touched" to be the winner of an award which had been won by such illustrious names in the past.
He has been recognised for his most recent work Alternative Anthem: Selected Poems, as well as his book of children's poems, Goldilocks on CCTV.
"When told the news out of the blue by the poet laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, I couldn't believe my ears and it took a little time to sink in," he said.
"I am delighted, as well as touched, to be in the company of such names as Charles Causley, Norman MacCaig, Gillian Clark, Stevie Smith, Derek Walcott."
The Medal was first presented in 1933 by King George V. Recommendations are put forward by the poet laureate and chosen by a committee.
Duffy said: "John Agard has always made people sit up and listen. He has done this with intelligence, humour and generosity.
"He has the ability to temper anger with wit, and difficult truths with kindness."
She added: "In performance he is electrifying - compelling, funny, moving and thought-provoking. His work in education over the years has changed the way that readers, writers and teachers think about poetry,"
Agard was born in Georgetown, Guyana, moving to the UK in the '70s where he worked in London as a touring speaker for the Commonwealth Institute, and for the National Maritime Museum. He now lives in Lewes, East Sussex. | Guyana-born poet John Agard has been named as the recipient of The Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry for 2012. |
37,216,881 | Some 40 co-ordinated rescue missions took place about 20km (12 miles) off the Libyan town of Sabratha, it added.
Video footage shows migrants, said to be from Eritrea and Somalia, cheering and some swimming to rescue vessels, while others carried babies aboard.
On Sunday more than 1,100 migrants were rescued in the same area.
The instability in Libya has made the country a hub for people-trafficking.
Monday's operations involved vessels from Italy as well as the EU's border agency Frontex and the NGOs Proactiva Open Arms and Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF).
The migrants had set off in overcrowded and unseaworthy vessels with enough fuel to reach waiting rescuers, AP reported.
Last year more than one million migrants - many fleeing the civil war in Syria - arrived in Europe, sparking a crisis as countries struggled to cope with the influx, and creating division in the EU over how best to deal with resettling people.
In March, the EU struck a deal with Turkey to try to stop migrants crossing from Turkey to Greece while Balkan nations closed their borders to migrants. As a result, the number of arrivals using the so-called eastern Mediterranean route has fallen.
However, migrants from African countries such as Eritrea and Somalia as well as west African nations such as Nigeria and the Gambia are continuing to attempt the crossing from Libya to Italy.
Some migrants are seeking economic opportunities in Europe - others are fleeing war, instability or authoritarian governments.
About 106,000 people have arrived in Italy so far this year while 2,726 have died in the attempt, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
The IOM says there are a further 275,000 migrants in Libya waiting to travel.
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Overall, about 284,000 migrants have entered Europe so far this year through various transit routes across Africa, Asia or the Middle East.
Several vessels run by humanitarian organisations help patrol the route but risks were highlighted earlier this month when MSF said one of its boats was fired on by armed men.
A note on terminology: The BBC uses the term migrant to refer to all people on the move who have yet to complete the legal process of claiming asylum. This group includes people fleeing war-torn countries such as Syria, who are likely to be granted refugee status, as well as people who are seeking jobs and better lives, who governments are likely to rule are economic migrants. | About 6,500 migrants have been rescued off Libya, the Italian coastguard says, in one of the biggest operations of its kind to date. |
34,731,456 | But turning your "killer app" or web service into a global giant attracting millions of users and stratospheric valuations is much more difficult.
Yes, we've had the likes of Google, Facebook, Airbnb, Uber, and Spotify, but the reality is that 90% of all early stage businesses fail, whether through lack of investment, customers or sales.
There are just 143 tech "unicorns" worldwide, according to research company CB Insights - defined as privately held tech start-ups worth more than $1bn (£650m) - and over half are based in the US.
So how do you build your own tech giant?
Clearly, every tech business begins with an idea.
Mark Zuckerberg dreamt up Facebook in his college dorm room and Chris Barton thought up Shazam, an app that recognises songs, in the bath.
But very few ideas actually come from "pure inspiration", says Ajay Chowdhury, partner and managing director of venture capital firm BCG Digital Ventures and former chairman of Shazam.
"What I call 'research' innovation is far more prevalent," he says. "This is where you're looking for pain points in an industry and saying how do we address those pain points."
In other words, what problem does your technology solve? What service does your tech provide that has never been provided before?
He gives the example of Airbnb, which tapped into the $550bn global hotel market by enabling people to rent out their spare rooms.
Its co-founder Brian Chesky once advised other tech entrepreneurs to "build something 100 people love, not something one million people kind of like."
Having a good idea is only part of the battle, though.
"People can come up with a great idea but it might not be a real business," says John Somorjai, executive vice president of Salesforce Ventures, an investment subsidiary of cloud-based sales and analytics platform, Salesforce.com.
"Before we invest we consider the size of the market opportunity, the quality of the management team and whether they are building customer traction."
Greg Wolf, of corporate finance house Widebridge Group, adds that an idea must also be "protectable".
This is because in many sectors there is only room for one market leader, particularly if you're targeting a consumer audience, he says.
"The software for social networking is pretty easy to build, but you don't see anyone displacing Facebook," he says.
"Similarly, there is only one really big e-commerce business in Amazon and one big search business with Google. It really can be a winner-takes-all game."
One major challenge for a fast-growing tech company is retaining its culture and values as the number of employees swells, says Zack Sabban, founder and chief executive of Festicket, a London-based start-up specialising in packaging music festival tickets with accommodation, travel and other services.
"If you have a strong company culture, people will be more independent, autonomous and entrepreneurial," he says.
"Keeping the same culture while you are tripling your team size, and therefore need more corporate processes in place, is very challenging."
Another related challenge is finding enough skilled people who share your vision for the company, says Chris Morton, co-founder and chief executive of online fashion platform, Lyst.
"If you hire great people, then good people will want to work for you; if you compromise then you won't be able to attract talent," he says.
Where you set up shop may also influence how successful you are.
More than 60% of today's biggest privately held start-ups are based in the US, with 23% in Asia and 13% in Europe, says CB Insights.
California's Silicon Valley still dominates the global tech scene, attracting "the world's best engineers and an abundance of capital", says Mr Wong. That concentration of money and skills produces "a lot of successful ideas," he says.
According to Dow Jones, European start-ups raised $8bn in venture capital in 2014 while US companies raised about $52bn.
Mr Chowdhury believes this is because investors in Europe are simply too risk averse.
"Historically, Europe's venture capital firms have been staffed by bankers and accountants and they are not usually risk-taking people.
"In the US, the investors have often been tech entrepreneurs and built successful companies, and they are more willing to take a chance on a new idea."
That's not to say you can't grow your own tech giant outside the US.
Skype, the internet phone and video company founded by a Dane and a Swede, was sold to Microsoft in 2011 for $8.5bn.
Sweden's music-streaming service, Spotify, is now valued at more than $8.5bn, while peer-to-peer payments firm TransferWise, founded by two Estonians, has processed about $3bn of payments to date.
And China's online retail phenomenon, Alibaba, now has a US stock market valuation of more than $210bn.
There's no shortage of funding for the right idea either, it seems. Lyst has raised $60m of investment over the last four years, while the younger Festicket has raised nearly $4m.
"Raising money hasn't been an issue," says Lyst's Mr Morton. "All of our money has come from fashion savvy cities like London, New York, Hong Kong and Paris."
US tech start-ups have the advantage of having a huge ready-made - and largely monolingual - market on their doorsteps. Non-US start-ups don't have that luxury - China notwithstanding.
"Companies really need to think globally from the start, but many do not," says Mr Wolf.
In 2013 - against the advice of some of his investors - Jens Wohltorf took the bold decision to expand his Berlin-based Uber-style taxi service, Blacklane, into 100 cities in 100 business days.
This meant automating a lot of processes, recruiting a lot of new drivers, and promoting the service in many new languages.
"These were all challenges we had to overcome," he says. "But the effort we put in to doing this paid off."
Blacklane now operates in 180 cities worldwide and has raised €25m ($27m; £18m) in venture capital funding.
But perhaps the best way to ensure your tech start-up blossoms into a tech giant is to resist selling out the moment Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Apple come knocking, chequebooks in hand. | Launching your own tech start-up propelled by dreams of becoming a paper billionaire is undoubtedly exciting - and relatively easy these days. |
27,394,691 | It said the data included departure times and routes for buses, ferries, trains and trams in England, Scotland and Wales.
It is not the first app to do so. Rome2Rio's UK Transport Search app already provided similar coverage.
But the body supplying the data said that the huge popularity of Google's service meant its move was significant.
"It's an amazing shop window for our operators' services," said Julie Williams, chief executive of Traveline - a partnership of Great Britain's transport operators and local authorities.
"The presentation and way Google has pulled together the data looks exceptional - we've not seen anything like that before."
The search giant will also make the information available via its desktop Maps service.
Of the other big-brand services:
"Google is the all-dominant leader in mapping, but it has to keep innovating because that's what stops its competitors nibbling into its market share," said Chris Green, principal technology analyst at the Davies Murphy Group consultancy.
"If it doesn't keep making changes it would leave the door open for somebody else."
While Google had previously provided transit data for parts of Great Britain, it had lacked coverage in much of Wales, the Midlands and northern England.
A search for transport between Llandysul and Cenarth, for example, brought up no results despite it taking less than an hour to travel between the two Welsh destinations by bus.
Gaps such as this have now been plugged, with the firm using Traveline's data to create graphics that compare how the various available options differ.
In total, schedules from nearly 1,500 different transport operators have been integrated, including more than 17,000 different routes and more than 330,000 pick-up points
"It's a frightening amount of data," Google's public transport product manager David Tattersall told the BBC.
"It's every single train, bus, tram and ferry right down to the small request stops as well as the major National Express coaches."
Traveline was created in 2000, and has allowed the public to search its timetables via the state-funded but basic-looking Transport Direct website or by calling its call centres
It also began offering others access to its raw data three years ago.
"I was surprised initially that we didn't get more people taking it," said Ms Williams.
"Open data users said they wanted to do stuff with it, but after we produced it they said: 'Well, that's quite complicated.'
"One of the things that Google is able to do because of its size is put money into processing that data and bring it into its own system."
While Rome2Rio's app sometimes has to redirect users to the Transport Direct site, Google avoids this by converting all Traveline's data into the General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) file format its systems recognise.
This means it can also make the information available to other app creators via its Maps application programming interface. This is provided free of charge to services with relatively low traffic but at a cost to others.
"Third-party developers will be able to take advantage of this and basically mash up [their services] with the API," Mr Tattersall said.
He added that Google would also use the data to enhance its own anticipatory search service, which suggests information before a user asks for it.
"If you're in Sheffield but live somewhere else, around home time Google Now will use this transit data to suggest some ways back," he gave as an example.
For the moment, such results are based on preset timetables rather than live transport information, with the exception of London where real-time data is used.
But Mr Tattersall said that his team was keen to make the wider transit service more reactive in the future. | Google has added coast-to-coast public transport information for the whole of Great Britain to its Maps app. |
39,557,933 | The British retailer's directors appointed administrators after failing to find a suitable buyer for the struggling clothes business.
Jaeger has 46 stores, 63 concessions, a head office in London and a logistics centre in King's Lynn.
The firm has suffered from intense competition on the High Street and falling sales.
Jaeger, which was founded in 1884, has counted actresses, royalty and Arctic explorers among its fans.
However, it has struggled to keep up with rivals such as Burberry or see off competition from fast-fashion chains including Zara and H&M.
It was acquired by private equity firm Better Capital in 2012, but was put up for sale for about £30m after struggling to boost sales.
Peter Saville, the joint administrator, said: "Regrettably despite an extensive sales process it has not been possible to identify a purchaser for the business.
"Our focus now is in identifying an appropriate route forward and [to] work with all stakeholders to do this."
Reports had suggested that the clothing retailer Edinburgh Woollen Mill was interested in the business.
The Scottish firm, which owns Jane Norman and Peacocks, bought some parts of the menswear retailer Austin Reed when it closed last year.
Jaeger's problems are partly because it has "struggled for years to truly understand its core clientele", according to analysts at retail consultancy Kantar Worldpanel.
Glen Tooke at Kantar said the firm also relied too heavily on special offers, estimating that discounts accounted for over three quarters of Jaeger's sales.
"This constant stream of sales and offers has discouraged shoppers from paying full price and has lessened their trust in the quality of the Jaeger product - one of its fundamental selling points," he said.
Last year the firm said its annual sales fell 4% to £78m, while it reported a pre-tax loss of £17m.
Jaeger started by selling woollen long johns and its clothes were worn by the explorer Ernest Shackleton on an Antarctic expedition.
In the 1950s and 1960s its celebrity fans included the actress Marilyn Monroe and the model Twiggy, before more recently being worn by the Duchess of Cambridge. | The fashion chain Jaeger has gone into administration, putting 700 jobs at risk in the UK. |
36,186,391 | The Mail said Cainer was "quite simply, Britain's greatest astrologer" and that his death was a "tragedy".
Cainer was the newspaper's astrologer from 1992 to 2000, returning to write the column again from 2004. His horoscopes were translated into Japanese, Spanish, Italian and Chinese.
The Mail said Cainer had died from a suspected heart attack but that this had not been confirmed.
A Daily Mail spokesman said: "A much-loved contributor to the Daily Mail for 20 years, his wisdom and compassion were unmatched.
"Millions of readers couldn't start the day without him - and would end it marvelling at the uncanny accuracy of his forecasts.
"It's an absolute tragedy that Jonathan has passed away at such a young age and we have no doubt his countless fans will join us in expressing heartfelt condolences to his family. "
A statement on Cainer's website said: "'Didn't he see it coming?' is a question that will inevitably be asked. Jonathan was always adamant that astrologers should not look to predict the time of a person's demise.
"He said there was the danger of creating a self-fulfilling prophecy.
"But he was well aware that one day he might not be physically present to supply the predictions that so many people rely on."
The statement also said Cainer had already written a number of forecasts and predictions, which would be published in future.
Cainer's own Sagittarian horoscope for Monday was "uncannily prescient", the statement added.
He had written: "We aren't here for long. We should make the most of every moment. We all understand this yet don't we forget it, many times? We get caught up in missions, battles and desires. We imagine that we have forever and a day.
"In one way, we may be right - for are we not eternal spirits, temporarily residing in finite physical form?"
The former nightclub manager was married and had eight children from several relationships.
He got his first astrology column in 1986 with the now-closed Today newspaper.
He also worked at the Daily Express and the Daily Mirror, but was best known for his Daily Mail columns.
Cainer was born in Surbiton, Surrey, in 1957 and had six brothers and sisters.
He left school at 15 without qualifications, first working as a petrol pump attendant before later moving to the United States in the 1980s to manage both a nightclub and his brother's musical career.
Upon his return to the UK, he studied at the Faculty of Astrological Studies in London before embarking upon his newspaper career.
His newspaper columns, phone lines and website meant his work became followed by people in many different countries.
According to the Daily Mail, he employed 30 people as a support team for his business, which had a reported annual turnover of some £2m. | The Daily Mail's horoscope writer Jonathan Cainer has died aged 58. |
36,866,152 | As well as how quickly ambulances arrive, the statistics which come out every three months also tell us how patients were treated, how long it takes for ambulances to be able to hand over patients once they arrive at hospital.
They also tell us how many hours are wasted by ambulances having to stand around waiting to transfer over patients at hospitals.
The latest figures come nine months into a trial of a new system for handling 999 calls.
'Red' category emergency calls
For the last nine months, calls have been split into red, amber and green.
The red calls are assessed as those with an immediate threat to life: it could be someone having a heart attack, unconscious or bleeding.
The idea is by prioritising these calls, more lives will be saved. The old 65% target for arriving within eight minutes still stands for these.
Under the new system, far fewer calls are designated as red.
Whereas before around 40% of 999 calls were subject to a eight minute time target - now it is just the most critical 10% or so.
When we look at the number and percentage of red category calls arriving within eight minutes we see more than 10,000 in the nine months until the end of June.
In February and March, the ambulance service barely made the 65% target - 65.8% and 65.7% - suggesting the pressures the NHS is under over the traditional winter months although the number of "red" calls was higher in three other months.
Median response times
Another statistic is to look at the average waiting time for patients after 999 has been dialled.
The median response times show how quickly ambulances on average take to arrive.
You can see from the graphic above that last October, the median response time for red calls was five minutes 44 seconds. In the last two months, it has come down to just over five minutes.
"Amber" calls include patients who may need taking quickly to hospital or could be treated at the scene. But there is no immediate danger. So, these type of calls are taking longer. From 11 minutes 10 seconds last October, to an average 12 minutes 16 seconds in June.
But ambulance management say rather than crude time measurements they are looking carefully at the type of treatment patients are getting - and these quality indicators are harder to achieve.
The thinking is, that as long as the patient gets the treatment they need, waiting a little longer for an ambulance will not affect their overall health in the end.
The "green" calls are far less urgent and can often end up with local treatment at a GP surgery. If an ambulance is dispatched for this type of call it used to take a median 23 minutes 38 seconds but in June it was 26 minutes 51 seconds.
"The more people we can manage over the telephone and provide care by signposting them to the right part of the NHS, means we have more ambulances available to go to those life-threatening calls," said Richard Lee, director of operations for the Welsh Ambulance Service.
Routes other than hospitals
There is also a measure about how many 999 calls result in a patient not being taken to hospital.
Nearly 8% of callers are transferred to NHS Direct for further advice.
Around 30% of 999 patients do not end up being taken to hospital. In the last three months, 14,262 patients were either treated at the scene or transferred to another care provider.
"Not everybody who goes into an emergency department needs to go into an emergency department and in some cases it was the wrong place for them to go," Stephen Harrhy, chief ambulance service commissioner for Wales, said.
He said the number of patients not going to emergency departments was increasing and he fully expected that to rise.
58.2% October to December 2015
50.5% January 2016
48.3% February
46% March
53.7% April
58% June
Number and percentage of notification to handover within 15 minutes of arrival at hospital
These figures look at the time ambulances have to wait outside hospitals before they can hand over the patient.
This is not so much a measure of the performance of the ambulance service as to how the whole hospital system is working.
You can also see how the winter pressure problems have their effect here - with the percentage of patients being handed over within 15 minutes dropping.
At major A&E units, the percentage drops from nearly 61% in December to less than 46% in March.
In terms of numbers, 35,000 patients were handed over within 15 minutes in the three months to the end of December, while it dropped to nearly 29,000 in January to March.
Number of lost hours following notification to handover over 15 minutes
The ambulance service has previously calculated it costs £76 for each "lost" hour an ambulance spends outside hospital.
The figures show how in the nine months since October this could be more than £3.5m, with more than 46,671 lost hours.
This is the equivalent of nearly five and a quarter years.
Richard Lee said the ambulance conveyance rate was a priority to end queues outside emergency units - and it was ultimately about only taking patients to hospital when they really needed to be there.
"When we send an ambulance to assess and treat the patient, the more often we can refer them to a community service means we don't take that patients to hospital," he said.
"We only get queues of ambulances outside hospital when we take patients to hospital so the system has to be re-set to keep more patients into the community."
Number of frequent callers
1,691 frequent callers
15,094 number of incidents raised
4.2% percentage of all 999 calls (Oct-Dec)
4.5% percentage of all 999 calls (Jan-March)
4.5% percentage of all 999 calls (April-June)
There are concerns that ambulance "frequent callers" who make several or multiple 999 calls a year are tying up ambulance vehicles and paramedics and could be costing the service thousands of pounds.
More than 15,000 have been made since last October.
Measuring the number of calls made by these individuals allows the service to judge the scale of the problem.
Frequent callers may or may not have an urgent medical need - but often those who regularly call the service may have developed an unhealthy pattern of dependent behaviour - and could be offered support or care in a different way.
The new model means the ambulance service can for example work with social services to identify and support those who frequently dial 999.
Some callers were found to be calling 100 times a year. In one example, a Cardiff patient had an alcohol dependency problem which led to them making 36 999 calls, taking up nearly 32 hours of ambulance time.
It was arranged for meetings with the patient's GP and an admission for treatment and the number of calls was drastically reduced.
A woman from Barry was jailed on Tuesday after making more than 400 times in two years. The ambulance service said court action was taken "as a final deterrent" after an escalation in her behaviour.
Quality over time
While the time targets have been scrapped for all but the most urgent of calls, all of them are being measured against a new set of criteria which aims to assess the quality of the care given to the patient.
For example there are indicators which look at whether or not patients who have had a stroke, heart attack or have fallen and broken their hips get the right type of care when it is needed
And there will be more of these "clinical measures" introduced as the model evolves.
The argument is that the previous system was too blunt focused entirely on speed.
The new model is a more refined taking into account the effect on patients. | We now have a far more detailed picture of how the Welsh Ambulance Service is performing, thanks to a new set of figures. |
36,935,851 | Thirty people escaped just before the Iskcon Temple in Leicester exploded on 3 September 2010.
A Leicester family donated a former bank in Granby Street to Iskcon, and renovation work to the Grade II building has now been completed.
The monks are taking residency on the upper floors.
The space also includes a meditation area, kitchen, classrooms and offices.
Temple president Pradyumna Dasa said: "We're very happy to have reached this milestone in the special year of Iskcon's 50th anniversary.
"Since the gas blast in 2010, this journey has been a miracle to a dream.
"We are indebted to everyone who has supported the development of this project."
The explosion was caused by a leaking gas cylinder that had been used for cooking.
Firefighter Bill Smith said it was "a miracle" no-one was killed.
"The person who disconnected the cylinder realised the danger of the gas leaking. He ran out and got everybody to run over to the other side of the road," the fire fighter said at the time.
"Within 30 seconds there was a large explosion. He has no doubt saved the lives of many people with his actions."
The Iskcon community has met at various community centres and halls around the city since the explosion.
The new building on Granby Street was acquired in 2014, and the community has been meeting in the main hall there but without heating or kitchen facilities. | Hare Krishna monks have finally moved into their new home after an explosion that destroyed their former temple six years ago. |
35,710,191 | Maeso is set to return to the Triangle circuit after recovering from injuries sustained in a high speed crash at the Isle of Man TT in 2013.
He has signed for the Ballyclare based Longshot racing team and will compete on their Kawasaki ZX6R machine.
"I cycle, run and ride MX and trial bikes every day to prepare for the 2016 North West 200," said Maeso.
Maeso has undergone extensive rehabilitation on a broken knee suffered in the TT crash.
He secured a top-10 finish in the Superbike race on his last NW 200 appearance in 2013.
"I've been in a wheel chair for six months so it is very difficult to predict the future - some people even doubted that I could ever walk normally again," added Maeso.
"My intention for this year is just to be able to get back to where I left it and that would be a victory in itself.
"I intend to set up a deal with a team for other classes for the Isle of Man TT and to make my debut at the Ulster Grand Prix later this summer." | Spanish rider Antonio Maeso will make his North West 200 comeback this year in the Supersport class. |
39,805,715 | Eman Abd El Aty, said to have weighed around 500kg, was flown to India for treatment on a special chartered plane.
She has left for Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, to receive further treatment. She was flying business class on a passenger flight.
Her bariatric surgeon had said it was a "mistake" to move her.
The final days of Ms Abd El Aty's stay in India were marred after her sister, Shaimaa Selim, released a short video on social media alleging that her sister was still unable to speak or move, and had not lost as much weight as the hospital was claiming.
The hospital strongly denied the allegations.
The surgeon, Dr Muffi Lakdawala, told an Indian news channel that Ms Selim had wanted her sister to stay in hospital until she was able to walk again, but orthopaedic specialists had told her Ms Abd El Aty would never walk again.
He said this had prompted Ms Selim to make her allegations and also take the decision to move her to Abu Dhabi.
"I am heartbroken to have Eman leave my care and to be told that I cannot continue my treatment of her in phases, as I had planned to. However, I have confidence in her own ability to heal and we will always wish her the best in our hearts," he said.
Bariatric surgery, also known as weight loss surgery, is used as a last resort to treat people who are dangerously obese and carrying an excessive amount of body fat.
The two most common types of weight loss surgery are:
Gastric band, where a band is used to reduce the size of the stomach so a smaller amount of food is required to make someone feel full
Gastric bypass, where the digestive system is re-routed past most of the stomach so less food is digested to make someone feel full | An Egyptian woman who was believed to have been the world's heaviest has left an Indian hospital where doctors claim she lost more than 250kg. |
29,879,717 | Murray signed Nicky Featherstone and Dutch winger Schmeltz on Friday, and the latter came on to inspire a second-half comeback against Newport County.
Schmeltz's cross was fired home by Michael Duckworth to seal a 2-2 draw.
"I know what he'll do for the crowd and the other players, getting the best out of them," Murray told BBC Tees.
The 25-year-old played in the Eredivisie in his native Netherlands with Willem II before moving to Oldham in June 2013, where he worked with Murray prior to his release last summer.
"I know the fans were thinking 'what are we taking someone like that for?' but I know what Sidney is capable of," said Murray.
"I'm sure once he gets fully-fit he'll do some damage to the full-backs in this league - but he's not ready to start at the minute."
After defeat by Cambridge in Murray's first match in charge, the point against Newport ended a three-game losing streak for Pools.
And for Murray, the manner in which the draw was earned was another positive.
"When I was here as a player, we did capitulate at times," he admitted.
"To show that spirit and desire to get back in the game and to nearly win it was superb. That has to be the catalyst to get us up the league." | Hartlepool United manager Paul Murray believes Sidney Schmeltz will have a positive influence following his move to Victoria Park last week. |
33,121,447 | He is to stand down from the Northern Ireland Assembly later this summer but will remain as MP for South Belfast.
The move is in response to criticism of "double-jobbing" but some grandees within his own party have said he cannot lead the SDLP from Westminster.
But Dr McDonnell said he has "robust" support from grassroots SDLP members.
He said he was unfazed by the public criticism from senior SDLP members, who included former party leader Mark Durkan, and former deputy leaders Seamus Mallon and Brid Rodgers.
After last month's Westminster elections, in which Dr McDonnell successfully defended his South Belfast seat, Mr Mallon said he should give up the leadership.
Speaking on the BBC's Inside Politics, Dr McDonnell said his party had the option of challenging his leadership when it holds it annual party conference in November.
"I will put what I've done, my track record and my programme going forward, to the conference and I'm quite confident that I will be re-elected again," he said.
"The grassroots of the party are very, very robustly behind me and I want to deliver for them.
"I believe I've spent all my life delivering on my promises. I don't make a lot of promises but the few I do make, I keep," the SDLP leader added.
Alasdair McDonnell's interview can be heard again on BBC Radio Ulster when Inside Politics is repeated at 13:30 BST on Saturday, 13 June. | Alasdair McDonnell has said he is confident he will remain leader of Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) despite giving up his MLA job. |
29,699,579 | Media playback is not supported on this device
The Red Devils twice came from behind, with Marouane Fellaini and Daley Blind, late on, cancelling out Stephane Sessegnon and Saido Berahino strikes.
"I'm disappointed because we played our best match of the season and the result is not good enough," said Van Gaal, 63.
"We could have won but that does not count in our world."
United are still without a victory away from home under Van Gaal, who replaced David Moyes in the summer after steering the Netherlands to the World Cup semi-finals.
While the Red Devils had 63% of possession and registered 22 shots, with seven on target, they looked vulnerable at the back as the Baggies exposed their inexperienced backline on numerous occasions, scoring with both of their shots on target.
Despite that, Van Gaal remained positive about his side's display.
"I have to be happy because we created lots of chances and West Brom only had two chances," he said. "We gave it away, which is a pity because we could have had a new start if we had won.
"There were individual errors and they were forced because West Brom were playing more narrow in midfield and we had to push up."
The Dutchman insisted his team would not sacrifice any of its attacking flair in order to prevent similar defensive mistakes.
"I don't think that is the solution," he said. "Football is made to play attractively for the fans.
"And I think today the fans have enjoyed, not only the Manchester United fans but also the West Bromwich Albion fans, because it was a great game.
"I am happy about our style of play but not happy about the result."
Van Gaal introduced Fellaini as a half-time substitute, and the move paid instant dividends when the Belgian netted his first goal for the club with a stinging shot from the edge of the area, equalising after Sessegnon had smashed home the opener.
Berahino restored the home side's lead with a cool finish after being played in on goal but Blind equalised in the 87th minute with a low shot from 20 yards.
United face Premier League leaders Chelsea at Old Trafford on Sunday before a visit to second-placed Manchester City seven days later.
"I don't think it was a good result for us because the next two games will be difficult," midfielder Fellaini, 26, told BBC Sport. "The manager asked me to put pressure on the box and to keep fighting. I did and I managed to score."
West Brom manager Alan Irvine said his side were "disappointed" not to hold on for all three points against a team they beat at Old Trafford last season.
"We were so close to getting a fantastic result and for us to be in our dressing room feeling bitterly disappointed is a feeling we won't experience much," said Irvine. "We thought the three points were there for the taking.
"We scored two fantastic goals with two fantastic moves. Saido Berahino has good role models here. He is a good finisher with both feet and is very composed in those situations, I wasn't surprised when he scored.
"I enjoyed tonight and I'm enjoying the job, the players are so responsive. We're making progress and I can't praise them enough for how they've reacted since I came to the club." | Manchester United produced their best performance of the season in a 2-2 draw against West Brom at The Hawthorns, according to manager Louis van Gaal. |
36,161,889 | 28 April 2016 Last updated at 14:32 BST
This year's Wray Scarecrow Festival, which has been running since 1993, features an "explorers" theme.
Straw-stuffed spacemen, space dogs and a scarecrow version of Star Wars character Chewbacca were among the attractions.
Another scarecrow paid tribute to the late pop star David Bowie.
BBC North West Tonight finds out more. | Weird and wonderful scarecrows have gone on display at an annual festival in Lancashire. |
26,043,872 | The protests seek to persuade sponsors of the event to speak out over Russia's controversial laws on homosexuality.
The gay rights protests were organised in 19 cities around the globe.
The Olympic torch has arrived in Sochi, having visited 135 cities in the 122 days since leaving Moscow.
It will spend three days in and around Sochi before arriving in the Olympic stadium to light the Olympic cauldron during Friday's opening ceremony.
Wednesday's protests took place in cities including Melbourne, London, Paris and St Petersburg, with more expected during the evening.
Activists want Olympic sponsors such as McDonald's, Coca-Cola, Samsung and Visa to speak against Russia's new laws on homosexuality.
Last year, Russia banned the promotion of "non-traditional" sexuality - widely seen as an attack on gay rights.
The law makes providing information on homosexuality to under-18s a crime, punishable by a fine.
Critics say its loose interpretation effectively stops gay rights protests in Russia.
Marie Campbell, a director at the equality campaign group All Out, told the BBC that the new Russian laws went against the spirit of the Olympics.
"All our members, as well as everyone else around the world, want to celebrate the Olympic values of personal strength and endurance and integrity," she said.
"All we are saying is that we can't just ignore the fact that this is happening in Russia where these anti-gay laws are preventing the Olympic values being lived and enjoyed by millions of people."
In a corporate blog post, AT&T condemned Russia's stance, saying it stood "against Russia's anti-LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender] law".
The telecommunications giant is not an IOC sponsor but it does sponsor the US Olympic Committee.
Last month, President Vladimir Putin said homosexuals would be welcome in Sochi for the Olympics but added: "Just leave the children in peace."
"We don't have a ban on non-traditional sexual relations," he said. "We have a ban on the propaganda of homosexuality and paedophilia."
Meanwhile, President Putin has arrived in Sochi amid growing disquiet about whether preparations will be complete by Friday.
Hundreds of visitors arriving this week found that their hotels were unfinished.
The BBC's Daniel Sandford in Sochi says that while the venues themselves appear complete, the areas around them still resemble building sites.
Our correspondent says that what President Putin had hoped would be a showcase event is still proving to be a headache.
The estimated cost of the Games has soared from $12bn (£7bn) to over $50bn.
The ratings agency Moody's released a report on Wednesday suggesting Russia was unlikely to receive an overall macroeconomic boost from the event - something which, correspondents say, President Putin had banked on.
It said Sochi and the surrounding area would struggle to maintain Olympic facilities after the event, and it was unclear whether they would receive the hoped-for boost in tourism revenues.
Addressing journalists in Sochi on Tuesday, Mr Putin insisted that the enormous construction effort to prepare the city for the games had greatly improved the environment.
However, environmentalists have accused the Russian authorities of damaging the area during construction for the games. | Gay rights activists across the world have been holding a day of protests against the Russian government, just two days before the Winter Olympics begin in the southern resort of Sochi. |
40,290,767 | Bellevue FC aims to give foreign nationals access to competitive sport, as well as the chance to make friends from other countries.
The team features players from Poland, Romania, Albania, Portugal, Syria, Eritrea, Sudan, and some from Wales.
As well as those studying or working in Wales, the team has also welcomed refugees who have fled their homes.
They include 21-year-old Yacub Amin, from Syria, who said: "I left Syria and came to the UK because of the horrendous troubles in Syria.
"It was really bad. Every day people were killed... we would be in their position if we hadn't left."
He described the team as a "colourful family", adding: "Football is one of the things that brings people together."
Another player, Tamam Lencho, who was tortured during conflict in Ethiopia, said he would have been killed if he had not fled the country.
His journey to the UK took him through Sudan, Libya and Europe.
He said the new club had a "very nice team", adding: "We play together and we share our problems as well."
Co-founder Delwyn Derrick said Wrexham had a Portuguese-only team, a Kurdish team and other nationalities but none that brought different countries together.
He added: "I find it hard to believe no-one has done it before."
The team has been accepted into the North East Wales Football League and hopes to attract sponsors and funding. | A new football team has been launched in Wrexham for players from black and ethnic minority groups. |
37,962,741 | Emergency services struggled to reach the Shah Noorani shrine in Kuzdar.
Worshippers were performing dhamal - a trance-like dance - when the bomb hit. So-called Islamic State says one of its suicide bombers carried it out.
Sufism, a tolerant, mystical practice of Islam, has millions of followers in Pakistan but is opposed by extremists.
The shrine attracts Sufi devotees from all over the country, as well as neighbouring Iran.
Officials say the bomb blast took place while hundreds of worshippers were present, taking part in the dhamal, which is staged every sunset.
Because the shrine is in rough, hilly terrain, rescue efforts are difficult.
A renowned charity, the Edhi Foundation, says it has sent 50 ambulances which are now carrying people to hospitals in Karachi, 100km (62 miles) away, but officials say they need helicopters to save more lives.
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condemned the attack and called for speedy rescue efforts.
Imran Khan, former cricketer and head of the Tehreek-e-Insaf party, said the attack had targeted the "core of our society".
The BBC's Charles Haviland says that because Sufism includes music and dance and reverence for saints, religious zealots often target its sites in Pakistan.
In June a famous Sufi singer, Amjad Sabri, was assassinated by two gunmen in Karachi.
Extremist groups in the province of Balochistan have frequently targeted civilians this year.
In October, dozens were killed in an attack on a police college in the city of Quetta and in August an attack on a hospital there killed 70 people.
But doubt has been cast over IS claims of previous attacks in the country. | An explosion at a remote Sufi Muslim shrine in the Pakistani region of Balochistan has killed 52 people and injured more than 100, officials say. |
36,490,923 | Wanderers have been without a full-time boss since Neil Lennon left in March.
It had been thought that former Bristol City head coach Steve Cotterill and ex-Sheffield United manager Nigel Adkins were the frontrunners for the job.
But the League One club have instead turned to Parkinson, 48, who took charge of City in 2011 and helped them earn promotion from League Two in 2013.
The former Colchester, Charlton and Hull boss also oversaw the Bantams' run to the League Cup final in 2013, and led them to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup in 2015.
However, he was unable to guide Bradford to a further promotion in 2015-16, as a fifth-placed league finish was followed by defeat in the play-off semi-finals by Millwall.
Bolton suffered relegation from the Championship last term, having dealt with serious financial troubles off the pitch.
Wanderers appointed academy boss Jimmy Phillips as their interim manager following Lennon's departure, but he won only one of his nine games in charge.
"This appointment is one which makes sense - and despite the challenges which clearly lie ahead for the new manager, it could well turn out to be worth the wait.
"He already has a promotion from League One to the Championship, when he guided Colchester to a higher division, achieved on a relatively low budget.
"Further managerial spells have been with Hull City, Charlton and Bradford, where he guided the Bantams to promotion to League One, a League Cup final, and a never-to-be-forgotten FA Cup win over Chelsea." | Bolton will name Bradford City boss Phil Parkinson as their new manager on Friday, BBC Radio Manchester reports. |
24,523,310 | One of the first things to strike Staffordshire's incoming PCC, Matthew Ellis, was the escalating cost to his force of dealing with people with mental illnesses.
He tells us: "When you get a couple of police officers taken off an entire shift simply to look after an individual who hasn't committed a crime and is simply ill, but still sees the inside of a police cell with two police officers checking them to make sure they're ok, it's not the right use of resources and it's certainly not something police officers are qualified to do."
What he is not saying is that it is never the job of the police to intervene, especially out of hours, when mental health-related incidents require urgent and decisive action.
But he is convinced that the police are all too often the agency of last resort when ideally other caring services might have prevented problems escalating to crisis-levels requiring the services of the police.
And inevitably at a time when the police are having to make ever more stringent savings, there is mounting concern about the cost of dealing with people who are mentally ill, estimated at nearly £1m in Staffordshire alone last year.
In 2012, the force attended 15,000 incidents and arrested 169 people solely for the purpose of mental health assessments.
But the cost argument works both ways. If Mr Ellis wants NHS teams to take more active roles upfront, they too would need to be funded to do so.
Would he and his fellow PCCs be prepared to contribute to a single pot of money to make this happen?
The North Staffordshire Combined NHS Trust tell us they work closely with the police in custody facilities to help officers deal with mentally ill detainees. But inevitably, they have strict budget limits of their own.
But it's not just the cost or the resources that worry Matthew Ellis.
His other big concern is that when mentally ill people fall through the gaps in the system and into the hands of the police, their paraphernalia of handcuffs and custody cells is not exactly the kind of therapeutic response these unfortunate people really need.
Staffordshire's Mental Health Review, commissioned by Mr Ellis, makes 12 main recommendations. Among them:
Mr Ellis will be with me in the studio for this week's Sunday Politics from 11:00 BST on BBC One.
This is by way of a co-production with our colleagues on Inside Out Midlands who have been out on patrol with Staffordshire Police to experience some of the challenging realities confronting them out on the ground.
See their findings exclusively on Inside Out with Mary Rhodes at 19.30 on BBC One on Monday. | Almost a year since the new-style directly-elected Police and Crime Commissioners (PCC) came into office, some of them are clearly making their mark. |
39,744,451 | The Welsh region had a bonus point in the bag within half an hour with two tries by Steff Evans and one each for Johnny McNicholl and Liam Williams.
Craig Ronaldson's score for improved Connacht after the break was answered by DTH van der Merwe's 78th-minute try.
It was not the send-off the home team would have planned for coach Pat Lam's last home game in charge.
Scarlets will be away to be away to either Leinster (19 May) or Munster (20 May) in the semi-final having all-but ended Ulster's play-off hopes by winning in Connacht.
Ospreys, who Scarlets play in their final game of the regular season on 6 May, are likely to the other semi-finalists but need a point from that match to be sure.
The 2015-16 Pro12 champions Connacht will face a play-off for a place in next season's European Champions Cup.
Lam had made 10 changes from Connacht's previous outing against Leinster and his new-look side were blown away in the early stages on a windy night in Galway.
Playing into the teeth of the wind, the Welsh region were ahead in four minutes as full-back McNicholl broke down the left wing.
Evans' tries were equally easy on the eye before Williams secured the bonus point in the 30th minute.
However, they rarely threatened the Connacht line with only Rhys Patchell's penalty to show for their efforts after the break unti Van der Merwe's late try after Gareth Davies' sharp break.
Scarlets coach Wayne Pivac said: "It was a good first-half performance, and to get that result and a place in the play-offs is very very satisfying.
"We'll enjoy the fact that we've qualified now with a round to go, and at the start of the season after three rounds it wasn't looking too good, so it's been a great fight-back by the guys and they've been very consistent for the last 18 matches really."
LINE-UPS
Connacht: Tiernan O'Halloran; Darragh Leader, Tom Farrell, Eoin Griffin, Cian Kelleher; Marnitz Boshoff; Caolin Blade; Finlay Bealham, Dave Heffernan, Dominic Robertson-McCoy, James Cannon, Andrew Browne (captain), Sean O'Brien, Jake Heenan, Eoghan Masterson.
Replacements: Shane Delahunt, Denis Buckley, JP Cooney, Quinn Roux, John Muldoon, John Cooney, Craig Ronaldson, Danie Poolman.
Scarlets: Johnny Mcnicholl; Liam Williams, ;Jonathan Davies, Hadleigh Parkes, Steff Evans; Rhys Patchell, Jonathan Evans; Rob Evans, Ken Owens (capt), Samson Lee, Jake Ball, Tadhg Beirne, Aaron Shingler, Will Boyde, John Barclay
Replacements: Ryan Elias, Wyn Jones, Werner Kruger, David Bulbring, Josh Macleod, Gareth Davies, Scott Williams, DTH van der Merwe
Referee: Mike Adamson (SRU).
Assistant referees: Lloyd Linton (SRU), Helen O'Reilly (IRFU).
TMO: Charles Samson (SRU).
For the latest rugby union news follow @bbcrugbyunion on Twitter. | Scarlets secured their place in the Pro12 play-offs with a dominant first-half against a much-changed Connacht. |
35,541,540 | Moore's last game in charge was a 2-1 loss to Stevenage at Victoria Park on Tuesday, a result that leaves the club four points above the bottom two.
"This is an extremely difficult decision but one we feel is right," said chairman Gary Coxall.
The 63-year-old was appointed manager in December 2014, and saved the club from relegation last season.
Despite a remarkable 'Great Escape', which saw Pools overhaul a 10-point deficit to preserve their Football League status, Moore has been unable to steer the club away from trouble this term.
Four wins in all competitions from the first four games lifted the club up to third, but form has dipped dramatically.
Tuesday's result was their fourth successive game without a win, and their 16th league defeat of the season.
However, a number of postponements mean Hartlepool have played fewer games than any of the bottom six clubs, including five fewer than Stevenage.
"Ronnie has worked tirelessly to bring success to the club and we thank him sincerely for those efforts and wish him well for the future," added Coxall.
Moore, who was Hartlepool's ninth manager of the decade, lost 29 of his 59 games in charge, but admitted the Stevenage loss was critical to his future.
"It's a devastating result for me," Moore told BBC Tees. "This is a game I looked at where I thought we could win this.
"The fans are frustrated, we all want to win. We had enough of this last season and we wanted to kick on, but at this present time we're not having that." | League Two strugglers Hartlepool United have parted company with manager Ronnie Moore by mutual consent. |
39,643,089 | Media playback is not supported on this device
Thirteen out of the 20 sides are failing to provide the required number of wheelchair spaces, says the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).
It says only seven clubs have larger, fully equipped toilets, while seven clubs are breaking Premier League rules on providing information to fans.
The Premier League said clubs were working hard to improve facilities.
A BBC report in 2014 found that 17 of 20 clubs did not provide enough wheelchair spaces.
Clubs later set a self-imposed deadline to meet standards by August 2017 and the Premier League has pledged to publish a report then to highlight the work carried out.
EHRC chair David Isaac said it would launch an investigation into clubs who had failed to meet the minimum requirements and did not publish a clear action plan or timetable for improvement.
"The end of the season is fast approaching and time is running out for clubs," he said.
"For too long Premier League clubs have neglected the needs of their disabled fans
"The information we received from some clubs was of an appalling standard, with data missing and with insufficient detail. What is clear is that very few clubs are doing the minimum to meet the needs of disabled supporters.
"The Premier League itself does not escape blame. They need to make the concerns of disabled fans a priority and start enforcing their own rule book. We will be meeting individual clubs and asking them to explain themselves and tell us what their plans are."
Clare Lucas, activism manager for learning disability charity Mencap, said clubs should have 'changing places' toilet facilities, with more space and equipment including a height-adjustable changing bench and a hoist.
"For too long Premier League clubs have neglected the needs of their disabled fans, many of whom are forced to be changed on toilet floors, because clubs are yet to install proper facilities. It is simply inexcusable," she said.
According to the EHRC, the following clubs have not met requirements in particular areas:
Wheelchair spaces: Failing to provide the minimum number - Arsenal, Burnley, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Everton, Hull, Liverpool, Man Utd, Stoke, Sunderland, Tottenham, Watford, West Brom
Toilets: Without larger, fully equipped toilets, known as 'changing places' toilets - Bournemouth, Burnley, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Everton, Hull, Middlesbrough, Stoke, Sunderland, Swansea, Tottenham, Watford, West Brom
Information: Not publishing access statements to give disabled fans information about their ground - Burnley, Crystal Palace, Hull, Man Utd, Middlesbrough, Stoke, West Ham
"In September 2015 Premier League clubs unanimously agreed to improve their disabled access provisions by meeting the Accessible Stadia Guide (ASG) by August 2017.
"Clubs are working hard to improve their facilities and rapid progress has been made. The improvements undertaken are unprecedented in scope, scale and timing by any group of sports grounds or other entertainment venues in the UK.
"Given the differing ages and nature of facilities, some clubs have faced significant built environment challenges. For those clubs cost is not the determining factor.
"They have worked, and in some cases continue to work, through issues relating to planning, how to deal with new stadium development plans, how to best manage fan disruption or, where clubs don't own their own grounds, dealing with third parties.
"Clubs will continue to engage with their disabled fans and enhance their provisions in the coming months, years and beyond."
2014: A BBC investigation finds that 17 of the 20 clubs in the top flight at that time had failed to provide enough wheelchair spaces.
September 2015: The Premier League promises to improve stadium facilities for disabled fans, stating that clubs would comply with official guidance by August 2017.
September 2016: Campaigners say up to a third of clubs will miss the deadline to meet basic access standards.
October 2016: Leading disability campaigner Lord Holmes tells MPs that legal action against clubs and the Premier League remains an option if standards are not met.
January 2017: A report by MPs says some clubs could face sanctions because they are not doing enough. Manchester United,Liverpool and Everton announce plans to develop their grounds to accommodate more disabled supporters.
February 2017: A Premier League report outlines the detailed work the clubs are undertaking to make sure they meet guidelines but adds that at least three clubs will miss the August 2017 target.
April 2017: Premier League clubs have made limited progress on improving access for disabled fans, says the Equality and Human Rights Commission. | Premier League clubs have made limited progress on improving access for disabled fans, campaigners have said. |
35,755,732 | Labour is backing the Remain campaign, and Mr Corbyn - who has often been critical of the EU - has been urged to make a more high-profile case.
At a meeting of MPs, he was told the referendum could be "lost" unless the party made a more "passionate" case.
His spokesman said he would be making a "big" speech on the EU "in due course".
Speaking on a visit to Dagenham, Mr Corbyn said there were issues on which the EU should be challenged, but "at the moment we're campaigning because we want this sense of unity across Europe".
Labour is campaigning "on issues of social justice across Europe" including the social chapter, which sets out EU policies on workers' rights, and the Working Time Directive governing the hours employees can work, he said.
Mr Corbyn said he had held meetings with socialist parties across Europe on how they can support his campaign.
During Labour's leadership race, Mr Corbyn refused to rule out campaigning to leave the EU, but after winning the contest he confirmed his party would back Remain after calls from MPs to clarify his position.
At Monday evening's Parliamentary Labour Party meeting, backbench MP Barry Sheerman criticised Labour's campaign so far and warned of the need to mobilise the party's machine.
Speaking on the BBC's Question Time, shadow chancellor and Corbyn-ally John McDonnell said Labour had been "crowded out" with Conservative splits dominating the headlines and said it was time "for us to come out a bit more in terms of explaining our views". | Jeremy Corbyn has defended Labour's campaigning on the EU referendum, saying his party is pushing for "a social Europe". |
39,501,938 | Glasgow City, who have won 10 Scottish titles in a row, launched a purple and white kit featuring the words "You can't be what you can't see".
Club manager Laura Montgomery said more women on sports pages would create role models for the next generation.
She said female athletes were too often consigned to media lifestyle sections.
In a 2014 TEDx talk, Ms Montgomery said: "Quite simply you can't be what you can't see without visible role models.
"How do girls grow up thinking they can be anything other than sexualised objects, which is how the media currently portrays women."
She said she wanted to inspire future generation of women to be active, healthy and to work hard to achieve their dreams.
Ms Montgomery set up Glasgow City Football Club in 1998 with Carol Anne Stewart.
She said the pair were ridiculed when they pledged to create the best team in Scotland and one of the best teams in Europe.
It is now the most successful Scottish women's team of all time.
She said youth players were supported by the first team and also trained alongside them.
"Every single youth player that we have absolutely idolizes all our first team players and that's because they want to be what they can see," she said.
The strip was launched with a promotional video featuring players Leanne Ross and Jo Love.
The club pointed to Women in Sport statistics which suggested that women's sport makes up 7% of all sports media coverage in the UK.
As a result, it said commercial investment in women's sport was lacking, with women's sport sponsorship accounting for 0.4% of total sports sponsorship between 2011 and 2013. | A lack of media coverage of women's sport has been highlighted in a message on a new away kit for Scotland's most successful women's football team. |
38,944,110 | But successive defeats by South Africa and Bangladesh have left the Scots with an uphill task to progress to the Super Six stage in Colombo.
They would need to beat Pakistan on Monday by a big enough margin to overtake Bangladesh on net run rate.
Rachel Scholes top-scored with 35 as Scotland made 169 in their 50 overs.
There were useful contributions from Olivia Rae (22), Kari Anderson (26), Fiona Urquhart (24) and Liz Priddle (31) before Abbi Aitken was bowled by Pauke Siaka - who despite being the eighth bowler used, took an incredible 6-19 from seven overs - off the last ball of the innings.
Papua New Guinea - who were bowled out for 40 by Pakistan - enjoyed a 72-run opening partnership at the Mercantile Cricket Association Ground before Kathryn Bryce ran out Tanya Ruma (32).
Anderson (3-35) then took the first of her three wickets, including top scorer Brenda Tau for 46, with Kirstie Gordon grabbing 2-27 and Priyanaz Chatterji (2-22) chipping in with the final two wickets as Papua New Guinea fell seven runs short of their target.
On Friday, Scotland lost to Bangladesh by seven wickets after being bowled out for 140 at the start of their final over.
Anderson, after her half-century against South Africa in the opener, was again Scotland's top scorer with 28.
Fargana Hoque's unbeaten 53 helped Bangladesh reach their target with more than 12 overs remaining.
The top three teams in each group progress to the Super Six stage, from which the top four qualify for the World Cup, which takes place in England this summer.
All matches played in Colombo & start at 04:30 GMT. CCC = Colombo Cricket Club | Scotland recorded their first win of the ICC Women's World Cup Qualifier tournament with a seven-run victory over Papua New Guinea. |
39,435,541 | He was speaking after Prime Minister Theresa May refused to be drawn on whether she believed in the "principle" of a fresh vote.
The focus on Scotland's constitution comes on the day the UK government formally began the Brexit process.
Mrs May has insisted "now is not the time" for an independence referendum.
However, when journalist Andrew Neil asked the prime minister during a half-hour BBC interview what time would be acceptable, she did not answer the question directly.
Instead, Mrs May said: "If I can just explain why I've said now is not the time because I think this is relevant to the wider question.
"I think now is not the time to focus on a second independence referendum or to be looking at that second referendum.
"Now is the time we need to pull together as a United Kingdom.
"We need to be talking about how we can work together to get the best possible deal for everybody across the whole United Kingdom. Focusing on an independence referendum isn't about that."
Responding to Mrs May's view, Holyrood's Brexit minister Mr Russell said it was "democratically unacceptable" that Scotland could not have a vote on its future.
Earlier this month, First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon confirmed she would ask for permission to hold a second referendum on Scottish independence.
Her call was backed by MSPs at the Scottish Parliament this week.
Ms Sturgeon's SNP-led administration, supported by Scottish Green MSPs, argued a new vote was needed in light of last June's referendum when voters north of the border backed the UK retaining EU membership by 62% to 38%.
Voters in the whole of the UK chose to Leave by 52% to 48%.
Asked by BBC Scotland's Gordon Brewer what the Scottish government could do about holding a referendum without UK government support, Mr Russell said: "There has never been a moment in devolution in the last 18 years where the UK government has refused to have a conversation with a devolved administration - so that is a new low we are going to.
"And whatever happens in this there will have to, at the end of the day, be negotiation.
"So, what the first minister said, is first of all we will inform the UK government of the vote - the majority vote of the parliament, two parties voting together based on manifesto commitments - and then if there is no movement on that, the first minister will come back to the parliament - as rightly she should - and outline the options we have."
Mr Russell would not go into detail on the options and he said he would not "escalate it by speculation".
But he insisted "believe me there are options and they will be used" and there would be "proper negotiations".
The politician also confirmed that his counterpart at Westminster, UK Brexit minister David Davis, had rejected the Holyrood government's request for Scotland to be a member of trading organisations EEA and Efta.
Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale said: "What I would say is, however much and however damaging Brexit is going to be to Scotland's economy, it is not going to be anywhere near as a bad as what independence would mean.
"We know that the reality is Nicola Sturgeon has been looking for another excuse, another grievance, any opportunity possible, to pursue a second independence referendum, but what she can't tell us is really what she wants to do with regards to membership of the EU."
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie said: "We made a clear manifesto commitment that we would stand against independence and another independence referendum. If you look at the mandate that the SNP say they have got, it is based on a campaign where they are using the European Union to get the referendum.
"But they can't guarantee to get the European Union as a result of the referendum. The mandate is not substantial."
Scottish Green Party co-leader Patrick Harvie said: "We very clearly said our preferred means of discussing a future independence referendum was by that public participative measure [gathering a million signatures]. It was never supposed to be the only way that it could happen.
"To be honest, I would still prefer we were in that situation. What the UK government has done over the last year is not only hold a reckless referendum but take a narrow leave mandate as a mandate for had Brexit - that takes us way beyond what they said in their manifesto. Scotland is now stuck between a rock and a hard Brexit." | Scottish government minister Mike Russell has said a date for a second independence referendum "will have to be negotiated". |
37,589,921 | The numbers raise "serious concerns about the accountability" of the system, said Meg Hillier, chairwoman of the Commons Public Accounts Committee.
More than half of England's secondary schools are run by self-governing academy trusts.
The government said financial oversight of academies was "more robust than in council-run schools".
The DfE's Education Funding Agency investigated one academy trust, Lilac Sky Schools, over its financial governance.
It runs nine primary schools in Kent and East Sussex. The most recent accounts show a deficit of £665,972.
And last year one of its schools was threatened with closure because of poor academic performance.
In the year 2013-14, Lilac Sky Schools Trust (LSST) paid £800,000 to outside companies set up by co-founders Trevor Averre Beeson and his wife Jane Fielding.
The Education Funding Agency has since ordered that payments to these companies cease.
Ms Fielding, who was an LSST managing director, was also paid a salary totalling £200,000 over the years 2014 and 2015.
Mr Averre Beeson's daughter, Victoria Rezaie, who was employed by the trust as a principal, received a salary of £63,298.
Another daughter, Samantha Busch, was employed by LSST for £16,593.
In November, the Regional Schools Commissioner's office for London and south-east England issued a pre-termination warning notice to the trust over "unacceptably low" standards at LSST's Marshlands academy in East Sussex.
The trust now has to hand nine schools to other trusts before the end of the year.
"At first it looked like this would be a good thing," said the parent of a child at a Lilac Sky School.
"Parents were impressed. Very soon the school was flooded with 'Lilac Sky' managers, and 'outstanding achievement coaches', of course all wearing something lilac.
"But soon afterwards problems began to emerge with the departure of experienced staff, and their replacement by less experienced teachers."
The parent added: "All the time the pressure was on results, results, results and that meant the less able got left behind.
"Many of the non-core, fun things that are an everyday part of most primary schools were cut - swimming lessons, music lessons, school trips.
"However money was made available to send children who were soon to sit Sats on Sats booster courses at other Lilac Sky schools in the county.
"As far as I'm concerned this was all about business and making money and little to do with educating children."
Trevor Averre Beeson responded by saying: "We are extremely proud of Lilac Sky Schools Limited.
"Since 2009 we have run over 17 schools and worked in hundreds more, nine of which were removed from special measures in very quick time, four improved significantly and four new schools opened to Ofsted's satisfaction.
"The deficit for the trust in 2015 was due to costs associated with setting up four new primary academies. The individual schools themselves were all in surplus."
He said that his wife and daughter had been employed by the trust "because they were already successful teachers".
And he added: "We voluntarily decided that our companies should stop providing services to the trust when I also resigned as CEO and trustee in early 2015."
The scale of the deficits accumulated by academy trusts was revealed in a Freedom Of Information request obtained by BBC 5 live Investigates.
Perry Beeches, which runs five schools in Birmingham, had a deficit of £2.1m in the last financial year.
Former chief executive Liam Nolan, who quit earlier this year, was criticised for receiving £80,000 a year as a consultant to the trust in addition to his £120,000 salary as head teacher.
Mr Nolan declined to comment.
Meg Hillier said some trusts "show a complete disregard for the use of public money".
She added: "This is not their money they are spending, it's our money. There are rules about how this is done for a good reason.
"This is not about whether the academy system is good or bad for education, it's about how taxpayers' money is spent.
"These figures raise serious concerns about the transparency and accountability of the system."
In a statement, the Department for Education said: "All academies operate under a strict system of financial oversight and accountability, more robust than in council-run schools. Where issues are identified we can and do take direct action.
"All academy trusts must balance their budgets from each academic year to the next. Only a tiny number (4%) of academy trusts reported a deficit at the end of the academic year 2014-15 and we continue to monitor them very closely."
The programme will be broadcast on BBC 5 live on Sunday 9th October at 11:00 BST. Listen online or download the programme podcast | Debts run up by 113 academy trusts in England amount to almost £25m, figures obtained by the BBC suggest. |
38,511,372 | Visits to university websites also spiked in the weeks following the election.
Some attribute this rise to fears over Donald Trump's looming presidency.
But others say it has more to do with recruitment strategies and the growth of international education, than any political development.
While many celebrities had threatened to flee the US if Trump were to be elected, the biggest export may be students.
"If we live in a country where so many people could elect Donald Trump, then that's not a country I want to live in," 17-year-old Lara Godoff told the Associated Press.
Ms Godoff is applying to a number of Canadian universities, and she's not alone.
The University of Toronto saw a 70% increase in applications from the US this autumn, compared with the same period last year.
At McGill University in Montreal it was an increase of 22%.
US applications to the University of British Columbia in Vancouver increased by 44% compared with the same period in 2015.
McGill University registrar Kathleen Massey says it's too soon to be certain whether this phenomenon is because of the election.
"It is possible that the change in the American political landscape may be contributing to the increase in applicant numbers from the USA," Ms Massey said, but she couldn't confirm such a trend, "because we have not surveyed the applicants to ask them directly".
International applications, including those from the US, were up at many schools in Canada.
Ms Massey said there was also an increase in US applications last year, although not as pronounced.
Ted Sargent, vice-president international at the University of Toronto, attributes the "thousands" of applications coming from the US to both timing and strategy.
"We've been engaging in a kind of crescendo over the past couple of years," he told the BBC, but "evolution of the political landscape could be a factor as well".
Rhonda Lenton, vice-president academic and provost of York University in Toronto, also thinks international recruitment efforts have especially paid off this year.
Website traffic from the US to York's main recruitment webpage has grown 134%.
But, she says, the impact of the US election is difficult to ignore.
"On the one hand I can't necessarily attribute this increase to any particular political situation that might be happening in the US," Ms Lenton said.
"But this is a noticeable increase."
However, Graeme Menzies, director of recruitment for the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, says such numbers should be taken with a pinch of salt.
International recruitment at his school, like others, has been growing for years.
Reports of increased applications this cycle include those submitted before the election, and it's not clear whether the growth was spurred by Trump's win.
"That said, world events like the US election, Brexit, the global economy, regional conflict, currency fluctuations, and natural disasters are among the factors that consistently impact our recruitment plans and activities," Mr Menzies wrote in an email.
He said website traffic also increased in the days before the election, and subsided after it.
But beyond the geographic origin of the web visitor, Mr Menzies said, it's not known if those visitors were prospective students, parents or US citizens, | Canadian universities have seen a rise in applications from US students since the election, school administrators say. |
37,053,928 | Kenya said sprint coach John Anzrah "presented himself as an athlete" and "even signed the documents" for the doping test.
"We cannot tolerate such behaviour," said Kip Keino, chairman of the National Olympic Committee of Kenya.
Anzrah is the second Kenyan official to be sent home over doping issues after track and field manager Michael Rotich.
Rotich was dismissed following allegations that he was prepared to warn coaches about drugs tests in return for £10,000.
Keino said Kenya's Olympic body had not facilitated Anzrah's travel to Brazil, adding: "We don't even know how he came here."
It was not clear which athlete Anzrah was pretending to be.
However, a senior Athletics Kenya source said he had spoken to the athlete, who claims Anzrah used his accreditation purely to obtain free meals from the athletes' village.
"When the anti-doping officials met him, they assumed he was the athlete and that he was lined up for testing," added the source.
"The coach, for fear of being exposed or discovered, did not explain to the anti-doping guy that he is actually not the athlete. Hence he played along and went for the test."
Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox. | A Kenyan athletics coach has been sent home from Rio after allegedly posing as an athlete and giving a urine sample. |
32,246,440 | In programme notes being released before the U's match on Saturday, Dave Doggett said problems had occurred since promotion to the Football League.
He said the club had identified 10 troublemakers, some aged in their 50s and 60s, and was working with police.
Cambridgeshire Police said it had seen a rise in football-related violence.
The concerns were raised as the club launches its campaign under the national Kick it Out umbrella to stop violence and antisocial behaviour.
Recent fights include a man suffering serious head injuries outside a pub in Southend.
In the match-day programme to be released at the home tie with Accrington Stanley, Mr Doggett says: "Unfortunately football clubs still attract an undesirable element of society that appear determined to ruin the enjoyment of real supporters of football clubs.
"Our promotion to the Football League appears to have encouraged our 'risk' from the 1980s to come out of retirement.
"Many of them are grandparents trying to encourage the next generation to join their 'gangs'.
"It sounds pathetic but unfortunately it is reality. We are working closely with police."
He said problems had mostly occurred at pubs and not at the Abbey Stadium, which he stressed was still safe for families.
Many fans who caused problems in the 1980s are still banned from Cambridge's ground and others internationally.
Insp Steve Kerridge said disorder had risen among a small minority of people, adding events such as that in Southend were "sickening".
"The club is working hard with us to ensure that those who use football as a vehicle for violence and disorder have no place in the terraces or association with Cambridge United," he said. | Football hooligans from the 1980s are out of retirement and encouraging the next generation to join their "gangs", Cambridge United's chairman has said. |
35,165,038 | Alfred Rouse tried to fake his own death by leaving a man to burn in his Morris Minor in Hardingstone, Northamptonshire, in 1930.
DNA testing based on people with an unbroken maternal line back to a relative from the time have so far failed to identify Rouse's victim.
Techniques that do not require this link will be used to widen the search.
Forensic science expert Dr John Bond, from the University of Leicester, said: "It's looking at more of the genome and it's more sensitive to the nuclear DNA, which means we're not solely reliant on the mitochondrial DNA anymore.
"Hopefully we will at some point reach a positive outcome and be able to put a name on the gravestone finally in Hardingstone Cemetery."
Philanderer Rouse, 36, was in financial trouble when he set his car alight - and was later hanged for the murder.
A DNA profile was found in an archived slide in 2013 and has been used to disprove theories of family connections to the case.
With nine families' claims ruled out earlier this year, Dr Bond said he may have been "somewhat naive" to believe it would be a relatively short search.
"What I hadn't appreciated was just how many families had people who just disappeared around 1930," he said.
Dr Bond said it was believed Rouse, who lived in London, could have tempted the victim to travel with him on the pretence of finding him work in Leicester.
"There were a lot of people at that time of Depression when it would have been difficult to find work, might have had difficulties holding down family life, might have been tempted by the offer of work somewhere else around the country and thought Rouse was doing them a favour," he said.
Dr Bond hopes a renewed appeal based on the next generation sequencing tests in the spring will encourage people with connections to London or Leicester to come forward.
"There's at least two other families who in the past we've had to say no to as they couldn't supply this unbroken maternal line, so in the fullness of time we hope to be able to say 'we'd be able to help you now'," he said.
"He's got to be somebody's relative, we've just got to hit on the right family." | The identity of a man who was burned to death 85 years ago could be revealed through a new batch of DNA tests. |
35,490,825 | Giulio Regeni, 28, disappeared on the evening of 25 January, after leaving his home to meet a friend.
His body was found beside a road in Cairo's western outskirts on Wednesday.
Senior prosecutor Ahmad Nagi said the cause of death had yet to be determined but Mr Regeni's body had bruises, knife wounds and cigarette burns.
He said the injuries covered "all of his body, including his face". Mr Regeni was found naked from the waist down and appeared to have suffered a "slow death", Mr Nagi added.
Earlier, another Egyptian official had suggested that Mr Regeni, a PhD student at Cambridge University in Cairo to conduct research, may have died in a road accident.
The Italian foreign ministry in Rome summoned the Egyptian ambassador to express its concern on Thursday morning.
A statement said the ministry expected "maximum collaboration", adding that the ambassador "assured us Egypt will co-operate fully in finding those responsible".
Mr Regeni, a PhD student at the department of politics and international studies at the University of Cambridge, was a visiting scholar at the American University in Cairo (AUC).
He is reported to have been carrying out research on trade unions and labour rights in Egypt - a sensitive topic in recent years.
"It has become increasingly difficult and dangerous to conduct research," said Amy Austin Holmes, head of the sociology department at the AUC. She said she knew of researchers who had been denied entry to Egypt or arrested.
Friends said Mr Regeni left his flat at 20:00 local time on 25 January, planning to take the metro to central Cairo to meet a friend.
"Bewilderment" is the word used by the Italian foreign ministry to sum up its furious reaction to the conflicting versions of the circumstances of Giulio Regeni's death.
Initial reports from Egypt said his body showed signs of torture. These were then contradicted by claims that the 28-year-old might have been the victim of a traffic accident. But a prosecutor now says Mr Regeni suffered stab wounds and cigarette burns, pointing to a "slow death".
These contradictions are making headlines in the Italian media and were enough for the government to issue a harsh statement which said it had summoned the Egyptian ambassador - and urged Cairo to "immediately" launch a joint investigation to ascertain what happened to Mr Regeni.
There was a heavy police presence in the capital that day because it was the fifth anniversary of the start of the uprising against former President Hosni Mubarak.
Several activists were arrested, while others went into hiding.
The area where Mr Regeni was going to meet his friend was near Tahrir Square, the symbolic centre of the 2011 uprising.
Cambridge University said: "We are deeply saddened to hear news of the death of Giulio Regeni. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.
"The vice-chancellor and the Mistress of Girton College [where Mr Regeni was studying] have been in contact with Giulio's family." | The body of an Italian student who disappeared last week in Cairo has been found and shows clear signs of torture, a senior Egyptian prosecutor has said. |
35,116,844 | Harlequins flanker Robshaw was captain throughout Stuart Lancaster's reign and in 42 of his 43 England games.
Joe Launchbury of Wasps has been tipped as a future skipper, but it is thought Jones wants a more confrontational character to lead the side.
Hartley was dropped from the World Cup after being banned for a head-butt.
It was the latest in a long list of disciplinary issues for the Northampton hooker, who has been suspended a total of 54 weeks in his career
However, the 29-year-old's total of 66 England caps makes him one of the most experienced players available to Jones heading into the Six Nations, which starts on 6 February.
Hartley, who captained Northampton to the Premiership title in 2014, has been out of action for a number of weeks with concussion.
He will again be absent for Friday's European Cup match with Racing Metro, but director of rugby Jim Mallinder expects him to return to soon.
Although he is unlikely to continue to lead the side, Robshaw remains firmly on the England radar, but as a blind-side flanker rather than on the open side, where he has won the vast majority of his caps.
Meanwhile, Jones met with former head coach Stuart Lancaster on Wednesday and is in the process of finalising his coaching team.
Jones began overhauling his backroom team by getting rid of Mike Catt, Andy Farrell and Graham Rowntree.
Steve Borthwick has been appointed as forwards coach, although the RFU remains in dispute with his club Bristol, while Saracens defence guru Paul Gustard is expected to join the team in the new year.
Jones is also meeting this week with Northampton attack coach Alex King about a possible role, although Jones will be in charge of shaping England's attacking plan himself.
Jones, 55, was named as England's first foreign head coach last month and met Robshaw, who made his international debut in 2009, on Saturday.
The new coach, who led Japan at the World Cup, has previously said Robshaw, 29, was not "outstandingly good in any area" following England's early exit from the recent World Cup.
England won only one of their opening three matches and became the first sole hosts to be eliminated at the group stage of the tournament.
BBC Radio 5 live's Chris Jones:
Hartley's poor disciplinary record is well documented but, at the age of 29 and with 66 international caps, he is hugely experienced.
His ballast and technical ability were badly missed by England during the World Cup.
Although Robshaw may lose the captaincy under Jones, he remains firmly on the radar as a blind-side flanker. | Chris Robshaw will not continue as England captain under new head coach Eddie Jones, with Dylan Hartley a leading contender to replace him. |
32,343,401 | The city went from Liberal Democrat yellow to Conservative blue in 2010, but that's only part of the story.
The Conservatives are still the biggest party on Herefordshire council but they've lost their overall majority to a combination of independent candidates.
When voters go to the polls on 7 May, they'll have a wide range of independent candidates to choose from on their local ballot paper, but when they look at their general election slip it will be a much narrower choice: Conservative, Lib Dem, Labour, UKIP or Green.
Many of the people at our market stall said they were sceptical about the record of national political parties.
Dorian, from Hereford, said: "We should scale back government, reducing expenditure and tax.
"We should focus only on the police, the military and the court systems. And we should eventually get rid of those too."
The number of women in government is a major issue for Sue, who thinks there should be more.
"They'd do a much better job at running the country than a bunch of men," she told me.
During the afternoon we had visits from people concerned about the future of the NHS, the impact of a possible EU exit on farmers and from people wanting to hear more about how politicians would help encourage tourism into the area.
As with Kidderminster and Worcester, the NHS came out as the top issue among people who visited the stall.
Our 'get on your soapbox' tent was busy with people saying what they'd do if they were prime minister.
Joe from north Herefordshire would prioritise building houses.
"Young people are looking at incredibly high house prices, we could end up renting until we're fifty or older.
"There's a feeling that there just aren't a lot of opportunities around for young people at the moment," he said.
In a county with such a rich independent streak, it wasn't particularly surprising to find such a wide range of issues, opinions and suggestions being thrown around the stall.
You can find a comprehensive guide to the general election in Herefordshire and Worcestershire here - it includes videos and interviews with every one of your candidates and loads of stuff from our market stalls and pub debates. | Our general election 'market stall' pitched up in Hereford this week. |
37,237,194 | Gray originally had until Wednesday to reply to the Football Association, but now has until 5 September.
One tweet from the 25-year-old striker's account appeared to condone killing gay people.
The tweets from four years ago were posted when Gray was playing for non-league Hinckley United.
Gray, who is charged with bringing the game into disrepute, has apologised and asked "for forgiveness" for the posts, insisting he is now a "completely different person" and did not "hold the beliefs written in those tweets".
The posts, which also contained offensive terms, were deleted soon after being highlighted.
Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox. | Burnley have been given an extension for Andre Gray to respond to his misconduct charge over homophobic posts on Twitter in 2012. |
31,127,704 | Senator Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, made the comments on Monday during a speech criticising business regulations.
"Let them decide" such issues, the newly elected lawmaker said.
His argument was that restaurants which did not require workers to wash their hands would quickly go out of business.
"But I think it's good to illustrate the point, that that's the sort of mentality we need to have to reduce the regulatory burden on this country," Mr Tillis said.
He suggested that restaurants that did not require hand washing would have to alert customers with prominently displayed signs - itself a regulation.
Mr Tillis stood by his comments when interviewed later at the US Capitol.
"Sometimes there are regulations that maybe we want to set a direction, but then let those who are regulated decide whether or not it makes sense," Mr Tillis told the Associated Press news agency.
"They might pay a huge price," he said, but "they get to make that decision versus government."
The comments come as some Republican presidential hopefuls have questioned vaccine regulations amid a measles outbreak.
At least two hopefuls have said parents are justified in sometimes having their children avoid vaccinations generally required for attending school. | A US senator has suggested that restaurants should not have to make their employees wash their hands after toilet visits. |
38,213,422 | The 21-year-old made his Premier League debut against Burnley in October.
He made his first Saints start against Inter Milan at the San Siro in the Europa League four days later and has now agreed new terms until 2021.
"The last couple of months have been amazing for me and this new contract really just rounds that off," said McQueen.
Southampton's executive director of football Les Reed said: "Having come through the club's academy alongside James Ward-Prowse and Harrison Reed, Sam is yet another example of our philosophy to bring players through from the academy and into the first team." | Southampton defender Sam McQueen has signed a new four-and-a-half-year contract with the club. |
40,404,021 | A licensing system will be in place for the 10th year running, which limits the number of people allowed to gather cockles.
Recent surveys show "very good stocks" which Natural Resources Wales said was "due in part to the way the fishery was managed last year".
There are 53 licensed cocklers on the Dee.
Before licensing was introduced, there was a "boom and bust" cycle in the industry.
When stocks were high, the beds would be cleared quickly by hundreds of cocklers, which resulted in the beds being closed for several years.
They were also closed for a period in 2015 due to over harvesting and illegal picking. | Fishermen in Flintshire are preparing for the reopening of the Dee Estuary cockle beds on 1 July. |
38,951,901 | Media playback is not supported on this device
They are one point above the drop zone after Sunday's 2-0 defeat at Swansea.
Foxes boss Ranieri, who was given a vote of confidence by the club's board last week, is now considering changes.
"It is difficult when you achieve something so good you want to give them one chance, two chances, three chances. Maybe now, it is too much," he said.
"It is something I can change because in this way it is not possible to continue.
"I always question myself but I always say: 'Come on, we can do something good.'"
Having confounded the odds to win a remarkable Premier League title last season, Leicester have been in startling decline this year.
The Foxes are the only side in the top four English divisions without a league goal in 2017 and, with defeat at Swansea, they became the first reigning champions to lose five consecutive top flight matches since Chelsea in 1956.
Leicester's decline is embodied by striker Jamie Vardy and midfielder Riyad Mahrez, both of whom are shadows of the players who were so pivotal to the club's title success.
Last season Vardy scored 24 goals, but has just five so far this campaign, while Mahrez scored 17 goals and made 10 assists, compared to three goals and three assists this year.
Despite their current failings, Ranieri has stuck with the vast majority of the players who starred for Leicester last season - and believes they are capable of transforming their fortunes.
"Every time I speak to the players and the players speak to me we are always confident we can change the situation," the 65-year-old Italian added.
"But now there are a few matches in front of us so we have to find a solution very, very soon. There are two matches in front of us, one in the FA Cup and one in the Champions League but our mind is on the Premier League.
"I think the strength of the man is to have the right balance. Not to be so high when you win; not to be so down when you lose. You can remember what we did last season but you need to stay with your feet on the ground and say we have to react together."
Leicester have a two-week break from their Premier League struggles as they turn attentions to the FA Cup and Champions League.
Ranieri takes his team to League One side Millwall in next weekend's fifth-round tie, before a trip to Spanish title hopefuls Sevilla in the Champions League last 16 on 22 February.
The Foxes could be bottom of the league by the time they host Liverpool on Monday, 27 February.
Media playback is not supported on this device | Claudio Ranieri says he may have been too loyal to his Leicester players as their Premier League title defence has descended into a relegation battle. |
40,498,292 | "Not many people know that lots of our clothes are made of plastic," says Imogen Napper, a PhD student at Plymouth University, "polyester, acrylic."
Ms Napper and Prof Richard Thompson study marine microplastics - fragments and fibres found in the ocean surface, the deep sea and the marine food chain.
And in a recent lab study, they found that polyester and acrylic clothing shed thousands of plastic fibres each time it was washed- sending another source of plastic pollution down the drain and, eventually, into the ocean.
"My friends always make fun of me because they think of marine biology as such a sexy science - it's all turtles, hot countries and bikinis," says Ms Napper.
"But I've been spending hours washing clothes and counting the fibres."
It might not be exotic, but this painstaking "laundry-science" has revealed that an average UK washing load - 6kg (13lb) of fabric - can release:
That is from every load of synthetic laundry from every UK washing machine. "A lot more fibres were released in the wash than we expected," Ms Napper says.
"They're going down the drain, so they are making their way into the sewage treatment works and maybe, from there, into the marine environment."
Prof Thompson says washing clothes could be a "significant source" of plastic microfibres in the ocean.
"When we sample, we find plastic fibres less than the width of a human hair - in fish, in deep sea sediments, as well as [floating] at the surface."
Changes need to happen "at the design stage", he says; better, harder-wearing and less "disposable" clothing would last longer and be good for the environment.
"The garments [we washed] were similar fleecy garments, and some were shedding fibres much faster than others," Prof Thompson says.
"We need to understand why some garments wear out much more quickly than others, so we can try to minimise unnecessary emissions of plastic."
And scientists now have the backing of possibly the most wholesome of British organisations; the Women's Institute, decided just last month to campaign for what they called "innovative solutions" to the problem of microplastic fibres in the ocean.
Prof Richard Blackburn, head of the sustainable materials research group at the University of Leeds, agrees that textile-makers need to think about what happens "in use", when we wear and wash our clothes.
"People don't consider it," he says. "So, potentially, the pollution could be caused by us - the consumers - rather than the manufacturers."
Prof Blackburn's colleague in Leeds, Philippa Hill, was also drawn to the subject of laundry - by chemical coatings being washed off outdoor clothing.
The waterproofing most high-end, rain-proof jackets are treated with consists of perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs), which are persistent and potentially toxic pollutants.
Coating textiles and other materials with PFCs makes them resistant to stains, grease, and water. They are also used in some non-stick pans and food packaging.
These molecules sit on top of the (usually nylon) outer fabric like a protective layer of chemical barbed wire - the tip of every barb pushes away water molecules, which are too large to pass through the spaces in between. Air molecules can pass through freely, resulting in a non-sweaty, breathable, waterproof jacket.
But, as Dr Andrew Sweetman, from the Lancaster Environment Centre, points out, lab and field studies have shown that some PFCs can accumulate in the tissues of fish and other wildlife as they consume contaminated food and water - building up a dose that can become harmful.
Essentially, they don't degrade," he explains to BBC News. "So if we take samples from waterways, as a result of their widespread use and persistence, we basically find them wherever we look."
And while textiles manufacturers have to abide by regulations to limit the pollution they release into waterways, Prof Blackburn says, "there are no limits on what we can release from our own homes".
Prof Blackburn and Ms Hill compared PFC-coated fabric with that treated with more benign oil-based coatings that also repel water.
"We took samples of fabrics that had been coated with the different treatments," says Prof Blackburn.
"And we'd carry out industry-standard tests - showering them with water and measuring their performance.
"We demonstrated that new coatings - that are not based on [fluorochemicals, or PFCs,] give just as good water-repellency as the fluorochemical coatings that have been around for decades."
A campaign last year by Greenpeace spurred several outdoor brands to promise to end their use of PFCs in their clothing
And a representative of the European Outdoor Group (EOG) - the body that represents the outdoor industry - said of Prof Blackburn and Ms Hill's research: "This is the kind of data we need to make decisions on.
"It's a real challenge, but brands are very keen to have this information and to move away from PFCs."
However, Prof Blackburn also makes the point that in comparison with the environmental footprint of the natural fibre cotton, many synthetics are actually "pretty clean".
"I always tell my new students that to grow 1kg of cotton consumes the amount of water you've drunk in your lifetime," he says.
And bringing into the mainstream what are currently relatively niche "bio-plastic" fabrics could help clean up the industry further.
These bio-synthetics are available and gradually becoming more popular:
Henry Ford developed soybean-based plastic fibres. Casein fibres - made from milk - have also been developed.
But, Prof Blackburn says, "these never received the research focus or attention, with the advent of the petrochemical synthetic fibre industry".
He cites further examples, of fibres made from fermented food waste and fruit skins.
"Poly[lactic acid] fibre or PLA is made by fermenting waste corn to make lactic acid, which is then polymerised to make this bio-polyester," he says.
"That's a great fibre, but has largely been used for packaging - the [fabric research] has fallen by the wayside."
But while the new research puts pressure on the textile and clothing manufacturers to clean up their act, there is something we can all very easily do to reduce the impact of what we wear on the environment.
"We are unsustainably addicted to consumption," says Prof Blackburn.
"I cannot emphasise enough how much of a step-change it would be for sustainability if we bought fewer items of clothing per year, wore them for longer and threw them away less often."
Follow Victoria on Twitter | In an indoor "Manchester-drizzle-simulating" rain room at the University of Leeds, and in a laundry lab in Plymouth, research is revealing the unexpected environmental cost of the very clothes on our backs. |
41,007,210 | It happened at about 23:50 BST on Sunday after a fight began on the dance floor.
The suspect is believed to have left in a taxi outside James Street South. He was with a female at the time.
He is described as being 5ft 7in (173cm) tall with short dark hair and a tattoo on his neck.
Police are appealing for anyone with information to come forward. | A man in his 30s has had part of his ear bitten off in a bar on Amelia Street in Belfast city centre. |
39,157,683 | Olive McIlroy and Elaine Holmes, who both suffered severe complications following mesh implant surgery, claimed the final report had been watered down.
It follows claims that an entire chapter has been removed from the report ahead of its publication.
Scotland's Health Secretary Shona Robison has said she will meet with the women to discuss their concerns.
Correspondence seen by the BBC shows that one expert member of the review group has written to its chairwoman to raise concerns about the report.
The letter states that an entire chapter, which highlighted concerns about the use of mesh in some procedures and contained tables displaying the risks of treatment, had been taken out.
Transvaginal mesh implants are medical devices used by surgeons to treat pelvic organ prolapse and incontinence in women, conditions that can commonly occur after childbirth.
What's the issue with mesh implants?
Over the past 20 years, more than 20,000 women in Scotland have had mesh or tape implants but some have suffered painful and debilitating complications.
There are more than 400 women currently taking legal action against Scottish health boards and manufacturers as a result of mesh implant surgery.
In 2014, campaigners gave evidence to the Holyrood Petitions Committee. Several of them were in wheelchairs, unable to walk because of surgical complications.
As a result Alex Neil, the Scottish government's health secretary at the time, wrote to health boards requesting a suspension in the use of mesh implants by the NHS in Scotland pending the review group's investigation into their safety.
An interim report was delivered in October 2015 and the final conclusions are expected to be published soon.
However, Ms McIlroy and Ms Holmes - who are part of the Scottish Mesh Survivors campaign - have resigned as patients' representatives on the group, saying the report had "changed beyond recognition from the interim report".
The women said they were saddened and appalled to discover that an entire chapter had been removed from the review group's final report.
They said the group and its final report now lacked integrity and independence.
Their resignation letter to the chairwoman of the review group states: "The remit suggests 'consensus' - if patient-friendly, shared-decision tables are destroyed and replaced with clinician's directive counselling then obviously there will not be consensus.
"The ridiculous amount of tables now included in Chapter 5 only serves to confuse, not explain.
"There is no clinical interpretation to explain what the results actually mean to the lay person and if the findings are scientifically and or clinically significant."
Elaine Holmes, from East Renfrewshire, told BBC Scotland she had seen a draft of the final report and it was like "night and day" when compared to the previous one.
She said: "We looked at one chapter and it was completely biased.
"It would speak of the benefits of mesh but not the risks.
"For the non-mesh equivalent, which is called colposuspension, it would talk about the risk but not the benefits. It was just so biased it was unbelievable."
Ms Holmes said that despite contributing to the review group for almost three years her voice had been ignored.
Olive McIlroy, from Renfrew, also said the new report was "unrecognisable" from the one 18 months ago.
She said: "To me it is that they just diluted the content in favour of mesh procedures.
"It seems to me unacceptable that they can risk even one patient suffering severe complications.
"It's not about the numbers, it's about the severity of the complications when things do go wrong."
Ms McIlroy added: "The colposuspension non-mesh procedures have been going on since the sixties.
"There is no litigation with them, there is no campaign of patients who have been severely adversely injured through the procedure."
She said that was not the case with mesh implants.
"Alarm bells are ringing all over the world," she said.
"It's not just us and it's not just here.
"We are not trying to sensationalise or make a point, we are just trying to get at the truth and they don't want the real truth to come out."
Labour MSP Neil Findlay, who has been campaigning on the issue, said: "This is a truly astonishing turn of events.
"Elaine and Olive took part in the mesh review group in good faith and, despite their pain and disability, put their heart and soul into it to try and ensure that no more women would be horribly injured like they were."
He added: "The mesh scandal is a global scandal but in Scotland we had the chance to lead the world in protecting women from life-changing injuries, but instead of doing so the government has shown themselves to be complicit in one of the biggest medical cover-ups in the history of Scotland's NHS."
Scottish Conservative MSP Jackson Carlaw said: "Nicola Sturgeon promised me in parliament only a few weeks ago that the sudden resignation of the previous chair of the review and her replacement with a health board official with a direct interest in mesh implants would have no impact on the independent conclusions reached.
"Now we find that the conclusions in the interim report appear to have been abandoned, even while mesh is reclassified across Europe as a "high risk procedure", in favour of what Elaine & Olive and thousands of Mesh survivors believe is a "whitewash"."
The latest resignations come after the chair of the review group stood down in December.
Public Health expert Dr Lesley Wilkie quit just months before the final report was due to go out.
In December, the BBC revealed that hundreds of mesh implant operations had been performed in Scotland despite ministers recommending their suspension.
Figures obtained by the BBC revealed that 404 women had received mesh and tape implants since the health secretary called for the suspension in June 2014.
The Scottish government said the position had been made clear.
Those boards still using mesh implants said they discussed all the potential risks with patients before surgery.
In a statement, the Health Secretary Shona Robison said: "I have been made aware of the resignations of two of the inquiry's members.
"I intend to meet with them so I can hear their concerns directly.
"The independent review continues its work to produce its final report and we expect them to publish it this Spring. I am grateful to all members for their expertise and considerable efforts over the years." | Two patient representatives have quit the independent review group looking at the safety of mesh implants. |
36,690,448 | The French quartet of Philippe Rozier, Kevin Staut, Roger Yves Bost and Penelope Leprevost gave France their second equestrian title in Rio after team success in eventing.
The United States were second and Germany third after they beat Canada in a jump-off for bronze.
Defending champions Great Britain failed to reach the final.
Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox. | France's show jumpers won Olympic gold in the equestrian team event at the Rio Games. |
39,444,285 | Tiler, 18, finished 10th at Rio 2016, but UK Sport cut all funding for British Weightlifting as they did not believe they possessed a 'credible' medal chance for Tokyo 2020.
"I want to prove to them I can still be the best," Tiler told BBC Sport.
The championships run from 1-9 April, with Tiler competing on the fifth day.
UK Sport stopped funding for the male weightlifters in 2014, but continued supporting the women's programme for Rio 2016 on the basis that they had the potential to attain success at future Games.
Media playback is not supported on this device
However, after injury saw leading British candidates Zoe Smith and Jack Oliver ruled out of the Olympics, the results achieved by Tiler and Sonny Webster were not enough to convince UK Sport of the athletes' long-term potential.
Tiler, who won European bronze medals in 2016, moved from her family home in Keighley, West Yorkshire, last year to live full-time in Loughborough and be close to the sport's training base.
"It's been really hard and losing the funding has had a really big impact on me," said Tiler,
"I'm not sure what's going to happen and I may have to get a job, which is not something I want to do as I just want to continue training and making improvements."
British Weightlifting chief executive Ashley Metcalfe said the funding loss will "inevitably" cause disruptions, but insisted he will work to "minimise" the impact on the GB athletes.
"We will continue to maximise the investment that is available to us, which includes increased funding from Sport England, in order to give our lifters the best possible opportunity of competing at the highest level," he said.
Find out how to get into weightlifting with our special guide.
Tiler will compete in the -69kg division and is part of a five-strong British squad - made up of all-English lifters - for the Europeans.
Sarah Davies (-63kg) and Emily Godley (-69kg) complete the women's line-up with Rio Olympian Sonny Webster (-94kg) and Owen Boxall (-105kg) in the men's team.
London Olympian Zoe Smith has been ruled out of the event as she continues her injury rehabilitation following shoulder surgery.
The European Championships offer athletes the opportunity to record a top-12 result, which would put them in contention for Team England selection for the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia. | Rebekah Tiler aims to show UK Sport were wrong to doubt her Olympic medal credentials, beginning with the European Championships in Croatia. |
37,012,892 | The 53-year-old took temporary charge of the top-flight newcomers after Steve Bruce left the club on 22 July.
Phelan held lengthy talks with Hull vice-chairman Ehab Allam on Monday. Radio Humberside reports the agreement is for one game but could be extended.
A host of names have been linked with the Hull vacancy, including Wales boss Chris Coleman and Gianfranco Zola.
The Welsh Football Association rejected an approach from Hull to speak to Coleman, while former West Ham and Watford boss Zola has been interviewed.
Hull secured their return to the Premier League by beating Sheffield Wednesday 1-0 in last season's Championship play-off final at Wembley.
But Bruce ended his four-year stay after a breakdown in his relationship with vice-chairman Ehab Allam.
Bruce's departure has been just one chapter in a summer of turmoil at the KCOM Stadium.
Owners the Allam family opened talks with an interested party over the sale of the club in May but put takeover talks on hold until September to "ensure stability during the transfer window".
However, Hull have so far been inactive in the transfer window despite the departure of several members of last season's promotion-winning squad and a long injury list.
Long-term injuries to the likes of Allan McGregor, Alex Bruce, Moses Odubajo and Michael Dawson depleted Hull's ranks in the weeks before Bruce's exit, while Harry Maguire, Jake Livermore and Tom Huddlestone have also spent time in the treatment room.
They have since lost Mohamed Diame to Championship side Newcastle despite offering the Senegal midfielder a new, improved contract.
Curtis Davies is Phelan's only fit senior centre-back on the eve of the new season, while the expected return of Shaun Maloney from a groin injury will still leave the club with just 13 fit senior players.
Hull fans are planning to protest against the club's owners this weekend.
"I wouldn't say this has been my worst pre-season because you always take something from it, but it's certainly been a disruptive one," Phelan said in an interview with the Hull Daily Mail. | Caretaker boss Mike Phelan will take charge of Hull in their Premier League opener against Leicester on Saturday. |
29,319,465 | The area around Nuns Street, Derby, has been sealed off after the business reported the mistake at 17:30 BST.
Derbyshire police have erected a cordon and evacuated the area while they wait for the bomb squad to arrive.
The University of Derby's Nunnery Court halls of residence is one of the evacuated buildings.
Buildings in Mill Street, Bridge Street and Nuns Street have all been evacuated and residents sent to rest centres.
Chf Insp Steve Pont said: "There's a company on Nuns Street that used chemicals. They have mixed up chemicals in the wrong way and made a substance that may have explosive potential."
Nunnery Court has about 300 rooms. | Hundreds of students have been forced to leave their halls of residence after a potentially explosive chemical was accidentally prepared nearby. |
24,378,091 | The Bletchley Park Trust has put a "roll of honour" online, with details of over 10,000 people who worked at the Government Code and Cypher School.
Now the museum wants more veterans, whose identities were closely guarded secrets, to add pictures and stories about their work.
A trust spokeswoman has assured them, "you can tell us now".
Workers at Bletchley Park used the Bombe machine, which was developed by a team including mathematician Alan Turing, to break codes generated by the German Enigma machine.
It was used by the German navy, air force and army to send encrypted messages.
Some historians believe the work done at the Buckinghamshire site may have shortened the war by up to two years.
All the workers had to sign the Official Secrets Act when they first arrived, and their stories only started to come to light in the 1970s.
An online database now lists all those believed to have worked in signals intelligence there, and at other locations.
The trust wants those on the list to add pictures and experiences, plus anybody not already mentioned to come forward.
Katherine Lynch from the trust said: "Although the habit of secrecy has remained for some veterans after it was so ingrained into them, it would now help us bring to life this unique heritage site by telling the stories of the people who achieved incredible success and shortened the war.
"The more we know about not only what [veterans] did but who they were and how they lived, the richer this vital archive will become."
Ms Lynch says the archive allows veterans to find out how they fitted in with the rest of Bletchley's work, as they were only kept informed about their own input.
"Many are fascinated to learn what else was going on," she said.
"We have had Bombe operators who only heard about the Enigma machine when its story was revealed in the 1970s." | The home of the World War II codebreakers is trying to name every person who worked there. |
27,634,553 | The distressed woman was outside the Shropshire Arms pub in Chester when the grey squirrel began to drive her nuts.
Det Con Nigel Thake attended and managed to send the persistent animal on its way.
Police in Chester later Tweeted from an official account: "Welcome to the varied day of a police officer."
The unusual drama was documented on Chester Inner Police's Twitter account, referring to Det Con Thake as "Dr Doolittle".
The officer posted: "Days like today are why we joined the police."
A spokesman for Cheshire Constabulary said: "At around 7.40pm on Thursday, police received a call from a woman at the Shropshire Arms pub in Northgate Street, Chester, reporting that a squirrel had climbed inside her handbag and would not leave her alone.
"DC Nigel Thake attended the incident and released the squirrel back into the wild."
Grey squirrels are not native to the UK and are a threat to the indigenous red squirrel.
Under section 9 of the Wildlife & Countryside Act, it is an offence to release a grey squirrel into the wild.
According to Red Squirrels Northern England, an organisation which works to protect red squirrels: "This means if you trap one, you are obliged to humanely dispatch it.
"You must not let it go as this act would be illegal."
The police spokesman added: "I'm sure the squirrel in this case had managed to escape before a cage could be found." | A mischievous squirrel was the unlikely subject of a bizarre call to police - after the rodent jumped into a woman's handbag and refused to leave. |
40,760,773 | Floyd Ayite's low cross spun in off Norwich captain Russell Martin's heel to put the hosts ahead at the break, in a really open half.
Neeskens Kebano hit the post as Fulham chased a second to finish the game off.
It proved costly, as Oliviera tucked Wes Hoolahan's ball past David Button to snatch a share of the points.
It looked as though Fulham had done enough to begin the season with a win on the back of last term's Championship play-off disappointment, creating a glut of chances with just Martin's own goal to show for it.
Norwich had Daniel Farke - Huddersfield head coach David Wagner's successor at Borussia Dortmund reserve-team boss - in the dugout for the first time and his side played their part in an exciting and open encounter.
The Canaries too created some decent chances, two of which fell to debutant Marley Watkins, while the encouraging debut in goal of Angus Gunn - the son of former Canaries goalkeeper Bryan Gunn - included some key saves to frustrate the home side.
Fulham boss Slavisa Jokanovic:
"I am frustrated as I could not complain about offside. I'm not sure if it was legal or illegal, simply we have dropped two points.
"I see no point in complaining - it's about looking forward, not about the past.
"It's always disappointing to concede at that late point in the game. We are in a similar situation to last season when we were creating chances but not scoring enough."
Norwich manager Daniel Farke:
"Nelson is from Portugal and very emotional. It was really kind of him to show me the shirt (after scoring the equaliser).
"Hopefully that was not a sign for me because I can't do without him.
"He's a really good guy and has a good character but sometimes emotions burn a little bit in him. But there are no problems."
Match ends, Fulham 1, Norwich City 1.
Second Half ends, Fulham 1, Norwich City 1.
James Maddison (Norwich City) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by James Maddison (Norwich City).
Ibrahima Cissé (Fulham) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt missed. Tom Cairney (Fulham) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Ryan Fredericks.
Attempt missed. James Maddison (Norwich City) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the left. Assisted by Wes Hoolahan.
Nélson Oliveira (Norwich City) is shown the yellow card for excessive celebration.
Ryan Fredericks (Fulham) is shown the yellow card.
Goal! Fulham 1, Norwich City 1. Nélson Oliveira (Norwich City) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Wes Hoolahan.
Offside, Norwich City. Josh Murphy tries a through ball, but Russell Martin is caught offside.
Corner, Norwich City. Conceded by Sone Aluko.
Stefan Johansen (Fulham) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Nélson Oliveira (Norwich City) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Stefan Johansen (Fulham).
Attempt missed. Aboubakar Kamara (Fulham) right footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high. Assisted by Denis Odoi.
James Maddison (Norwich City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Denis Odoi (Fulham).
Attempt saved. Nélson Oliveira (Norwich City) left footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by James Husband.
Substitution, Norwich City. Wes Hoolahan replaces Harrison Reed.
Foul by Harrison Reed (Norwich City).
Neeskens Kebano (Fulham) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Nélson Oliveira (Norwich City) right footed shot from more than 35 yards is too high from a direct free kick.
Hand ball by Tomas Kalas (Fulham).
Attempt missed. Harrison Reed (Norwich City) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the right.
.
Attempt blocked. Russell Martin (Norwich City) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by James Husband with a cross.
Attempt missed. Ryan Fredericks (Fulham) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Tom Cairney following a corner.
Corner, Fulham. Conceded by James Husband.
Foul by Nélson Oliveira (Norwich City).
Denis Odoi (Fulham) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Aboubakar Kamara (Fulham) right footed shot from a difficult angle on the right is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Stefan Johansen.
Substitution, Fulham. Denis Odoi replaces Ryan Sessegnon.
Attempt missed. Josh Murphy (Norwich City) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the right. Assisted by James Maddison.
Attempt blocked. Nélson Oliveira (Norwich City) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Josh Murphy.
Foul by Mario Vrancic (Norwich City).
Neeskens Kebano (Fulham) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Tom Cairney (Fulham) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
James Maddison (Norwich City) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Tom Cairney (Fulham).
SAM (Sports Analytics Machine) is a super-computer created by @ProfIanMcHale that is used to predict the outcome of football matches. | Striker Nelson Oliveira came off the bench to earn Norwich City a point at fellow pre-season promotion favourites Fulham, who wasted a host of chances. |
36,543,468 | French police said the arrests had been made throughout Wednesday - adding that 16 people had been taken to hospital.
On Wednesday night, riot police used tear gas and charged at hundreds of England fans, as flares were set off.
Uefa this week threatened to disqualify England, - who play Wales later - from Euro 2016 if there was more violence.
England play Wales in the nearby city of Lens at 14:00 BST.
Thousands of the English and Welsh supporters have been staying in the larger city of Lille ahead of the match.
Russian and Slovakian supporters have also been in Lille for their game at the city's Stade Pierre-Mauroy on Wednesday.
It follows clashes between mainly English, Russian and French fans in Marseilles at the weekend.
The Russian football team was given a suspended disqualification from the tournament following attacks by their supporters on England fans in Marseille.
BBC sports editor Dan Roan, who is with the England team, says concern about the disorder will have "intensified" overnight.
England were now "skating on thin ice" in terms of the team's participation in the tournament and the threat of disqualification will "inevitably" have an effect on the players, our correspondent added.
Darkness brought a dramatic escalation in tensions between English fans and French police.
Hundreds of supporters engaged in scuffles with the police, who used tear gas, flash bangs and baton charges to disperse them.
The fears earlier in the day had been of attacks by hardcore Russian hooligans, but this was very much an English problem.
They sang their chant "Please don't send me home" and threw bottles in challenge at the police.
After funnelling fans down the city's streets, the police withdrew and some fans were left to stay in the city centre, if in a less boisterous mood.
It's unclear what caused the situation to escalate, as earlier in the day the police had been happy to contain the fans and keep them separate.
The city was tense, but disturbances were low-key, with running battles quickly stopped by the police.
Now the fear is what will happen when ticketless fans watch the England v Wales game in the city.
French authorities said those arrested on Wednesday included six Russians involved in the violence in Marseille.
Another five people were arrested for public drunkenness on a train from London that was stopped before it got to Lille and then allowed to continue.
Earlier, some English and Russian supporters had been detained after scuffles. Hundreds of England fans were surrounded by riot police in the city's main square.
They were then pushed back into the corner of the square by police in riot gear, before the square was cleared.
England supporter Oliver Larkworthy, from Norwich, is in Lille and was caught up when police fired tear gas at fans at the city's railway station.
"I saw a massive crowd running down the street - English fans, Slovakian fans and locals mainly, a real mix," he said.
"There is a massive mob of Russian fans standing outside the station just waiting to cause trouble. The whole thing is a disaster waiting to happen. It's like a massive tinder box waiting to go off any minute."
Six England fans, aged 20 to 41, have received jail sentences ranging from one to three months in relation to disorder surrounding the England-Russia game, which finished 1-1 on Saturday.
On Wednesday, Russia's foreign ministry summoned the French ambassador to Moscow, as well as sharply criticised policing at the Euro 2016 tournament.
"Further stoking of anti-Russian sentiments... could significantly aggravate the atmosphere in Russian-French relations," the ministry said.
Michel Lalande, prefect of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais Picardy region, said a drinking ban was in place in some parts of central Lille and the stadium.
Shops selling alcohol in the city closed from 18:00 local time (17:00 BST) on Tuesday and will reopen at 06:00 (05:00 BST) on Friday, he said.
However, the BBC's Geraint Owen, in Lille, said small supermarkets were still selling alcohol on Wednesday afternoon, and drinking was taking place openly on the streets.
Vince Alm, of the Football Supporters' Federation Cymru, said the ban was not enforceable. "There are so many outlets around it's impossible," he said.
Fans are being discouraged from travelling if they are without a ticket to the England-Wales game, and the authorities have also asked those with tickets to delay travel until the day of the game.
Those without match tickets can watch the match in the city's fan zone, where lower-strength beer will be sold.
Mr Lalande also said anyone carrying out violence would be removed from the country.
British Transport Police officers travelled with fans on Eurostar trains on Wednesday.
Eurostar is running some alcohol-free services, with no alcohol allowed through check-in or purchased at departure lounges or on board. | At least 36 people have been arrested in Lille following clashes between French police and football fans at the Euro 2016 tournament. |
36,748,510 | The one-tonne, £2,000 animal was lost for 48 hours in the storm drain on peatland near Ben Aketil Wind Farm on the Isle of Skye.
The bull vanished from the place it was kept last Friday before being found on Sunday.
Firefighters and local crofters took 20 minutes to free the animal, which was hungry but unharmed.
Fifteen people were involved in the operation with firefighters from Portree, Broadford and Dunvegan involved.
Broadford firefighter Martin Benson said: "The bull had been stuck for a considerable amount of time and had lost a lot of weight.
"We cut the peat bank as best we could around the bull which was about three feet below ground level - and stuck at either side when we arrived.
"Eventually we managed to carve out some room for the bull to wriggle itself free."
He added: "The first thing the animal did was shake itself down and go for something to eat.
"In such a remote, agricultural area these rescues are sometimes necessary - and it's nice to have a happy outcome."
Crofter Ian Duncan last saw the animal on Friday morning and began to worry on Saturday afternoon.
He said: "He disappeared on the Friday while searching for cows.
"It's not uncommon for a bull to go missing in such a large area but this bull had never gone missing for such a time before.
"When we found the animal I was surprised at how far he'd travelled.
"I called the fire service right away and they did a magnificent job of digging him out."
He added: "He's been eating a lot more - but apart from that he's looking okay." | A bull has been rescued from a deep, muddy hole it fell into while roaming around looking for cows. |
38,314,711 | Interim chief executive Bill Barron said the unnamed officials believed they had been unfairly treated in a controversy embroiling the commission.
This year has seen the body involved in a public row with groups of crofters.
Its board has made a public apology for its handling of this row and sought the resignation of its convener, who says he has done nothing wrong.
Wednesday's meeting in Inverness was the first to be held since a private gathering of board members and convener Colin Kennedy last week, and September's formal meeting of the board in Brora when Mr Kennedy was asked to stand down by the board after he had walked out.
Mr Kennedy has argued that the board's vote on asking him to resign was not valid.
In October, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Scottish government ministers had the power to intervene in the affairs of the troubled Crofting Commission.
Ms Sturgeon said ministers would not ordinarily get involved in the internal operations of the commission.
However, during a First Minister's Questions session in Holyrood, she said legislation did give ministers the power to intervene if required. | Two senior officers at the Crofting Commission refused to attend a meeting of the public body in Inverness. |
29,697,973 | It started out in 1995 as a maker of rechargeable batteries with just 25 employees. Its batteries soon became standard parts for a large number of the world's mobile phones, and it rapidly expanded into cars and solar energy.
By 2009, founder Wang Chuanfu was China's richest man with a net worth estimated at $5.8bn (£3.6bn) and the firm employed some 150,000 people.
World renowned investor Warren Buffett also bought a near 10% stake in the firm.
In less than two decades BYD had come from nowhere to become one of the largest firms in China.
And then it suddenly faltered. Profits fell sharply and in 2011 it was forced to lay off significant numbers of its car sales staff.
"In 2008 and 2009, the growth rate of China's car market almost reached 40%, disguising our problems in retailing. As the growth rate slowed down, we had to face those problems," says Mr Wang.
He admits the firm "grew too fast". Its decision to move into cars meant it had to switch from selling its products to other companies, to selling directly to consumers - a completely different proposition.
It opened too many dealer networks too quickly, many of which made a loss.
Getting its rate of expansion right took three years to fix, but Mr Wang says the firm is now back on track.
"It was a good path, [I] just had to persevere through it," he says.
While it's easy to suggest this is hubris getting its just reward, in China, this extraordinary rate of expansion - or hyper growth - is relatively common.
When the Chinese government began to open up the economy in the 1980s, it rocketed from a small emerging economy to a heavyweight, growing many times faster than its western rivals. Yet as BYD demonstrates, such rapid expansion makes it hard for some companies to adapt quickly enough.
"Once a company is in hyper growth mode it's important not to lose sight of what made the firm a success in the first place," says leadership expert Steve Tappin.
Victor Koo, chief executive of video-sharing giant Youku Tudou, often dubbed China's YouTube, has seen dramatic changes since it launched in 2006.
Initially, its users were accessing content almost entirely on desktop computers, now more than 60% of users access content via their mobiles.
To ensure its firm could react quickly enough to take advantage of the rapid changes, its philosophy used to be "do before we say and think before we do". But now, Mr Koo says, that is just not fast enough.
As a result, it has shaken up its organisational structure to create "quick task teams" which work across different departments, can brainstorm ideas and come up with new ways of doing things.
"If you overthink it or you spend too much time thinking about it the opportunity has already passed. And as you experiment [and] explore, your strategies actually formulate themselves. Don't sit still".
For an eight-year old firm like Youku Tudou, where ways of working are less established, it can be easier to embrace a more flexible approach, but for older firms it's often harder to shake up the status quo.
Online media company Sina Corporation was established 15 years ago and listed on the Nasdaq, the US technology exchange, soon after. This year it listed Weibo - its Twitter-like micro-blogging service - on the Nasdaq in a separate listing.
Chairman Charles Chao says that because Weibo was part of Sina, its value and the fact that it was growing much faster than its existing businesses, had not been recognised by investors. The separate listing was aimed at addressing this.
But right from the very outset, he says they tried to keep the businesses separate, because Weibo was a very different business to Sina and he didn't want the original company to hold back innovation at the new firm.
"I don't think there's a scientific way or a bible you can follow in terms of how to run a high growth company. Our approach is that we separate, we try to create a system that more resembles start-up companies."
Deng Feng, chair of Northern Light Venture Capital, a Chinese venture capital firm, says ultimately what can help firms survive or even thrive in a period of rapid expansion is having the right internal culture.
He started his own firm in Silicon Valley at the end of 1997 and listed it on the stock exchange just four years later.
Despite its ultimate success, he said during the four years there were three occasions when it was close to collapse, due to key people leaving and because at times it had "no money in the bank". At one point it was acquired by another firm which subsequently collapsed. In the end, it managed to get out of the acquisition.
"Head hunters tried to recruit them [the staff]. Here, the Chinese culture actually helped. The key engineers that were Chinese, they stayed together and they helped the company and we solved the problem," Mr Deng says.
This feature is based on interviews by leadership expert Steve Tappin for the BBC's CEO Guru series, produced by Neil Koenig. | Chinese firm BYD, short for Build Your Dreams, has a particularly apt name. |
31,881,419 | A search operation was launched after a fishing vessel saw the kayak floating about three miles offshore with no-one on board at 17:45 on Friday.
A man was subsequently spotted in the water off Musselburgh, close to where the River Esk flows into the Firth.
Aberdeen Coastguard said that a search and rescue helicopter recovered the man's body from the water.
Police Scotland said that they had been called to Goose Green Place, near the shore in Musselburgh, after the man was found.
A police spokesman said: "Inquiries are continuing to establish the full circumstances surrounding the death."
The RNLI Kinghorn lifeboat, two fishing vessels and search and rescue helicopter 131 from RAF Boulmer had been involved in the search.
The kayak had been found about three miles off Port Seton. | A man's body has been found after an empty kayak was spotted in the Firth of Forth, police have said. |
40,451,454 | Andy Haldane told BBC Newsnight that businesses had not invested enough to give the productivity improvements necessary to push up pay.
Low pay had contributed to low interest rates, which will remain relatively low for "a pretty long time", he added.
Earlier he told BBC Wales the Bank needed to look at raising rates.
"We've gone through, for most people, a pretty extraordinary, almost unprecedented period of real take home pay having flatlined for the better part of a decade, and that is well beyond anyone's historical experience.
"And understandably people are feeling frustrated and squeezed by that squeeze on their purchasing power in the shops," Mr Haldane said.
UK inflation rate at highest since 2013
Spending squeeze to worsen, warns Bank
Farewell to pay growth
He said productivity - how efficient workers and firms are - was also flatlining, and this was one of the biggest contributing causes to lack of pay growth.
Only between 1% and 5% of firms were "high-innovation" businesses who had embraced "the rise of the robot" and are "taking the productivity high road," he said.
"The root cause of the stagnation in productivity and pay is that long lower tail of firms. They're taking the low-productivity road."
Businesses need to benchmark themselves against other firms to see whether they are performing above average, he said.
Pay growth has been falling rather than rising over the past year, which has taken the Bank and the rest of the world "somewhat by surprise" given buoyant UK jobs growth and falling unemployment.
Nevertheless, lack of pay growth is "a factor that has contributed to rates in the UK remaining at their currently very low levels".
He said the Bank is "watching closely for any signs of pay picking up. That's one of the key indicators we look at when judging the stats."
Over the past 300 years, average interest rates has been about 5%, compared with the current record low interest rates of 0.25%.
Mr Haldane said: "Rates currently, and if you believe financial markets, prospectively, are set to remain pretty low for a pretty long time. I mean not just the lowest in the last 300 years, possibly the lowest in the last several thousand years, I would say."
He added that for people planning getting long-term loans such as mortgages, any future rate rises would be "gradual and to a limited extent".
"By which we mean the numbers that may have been in people's heads from the past are probably on the high side relative to what we might expect in the future. Let me not put a number on that. But limited and gradual is the name of the game."
Interest rates have been held at a record low since last year.
But at its last rate rise meetings, three of the eight members of the Bank's Monetary Policy Committee surprisingly voted to raise interest rates, jolting financial markets.
Mr Haldane has also said he expects to vote for rate rise this year.
Earlier he told BBC Wales that the Bank "need to look seriously at the possibility of raising interest rates to keep the lid on those cost of living increases." | People in the UK feel "frustrated and squeezed" because their pay has flatlined for a decade, the Bank of England's chief economist has said. |
33,269,779 | In 2013 a five-year plan was announced to electrify the route from London to Sheffield through the East Midlands.
The government has now said it can be improved in other ways while the electrification project "is paused".
Experts said the decision will widen the north-south divide and damage the regional economy.
The Secretary of State for Transport Patrick McLoughlin announced other changes - including "speed improvement works" - which he said would provide better services in the short term.
"Work on electrification will be paused. I want it to be done and done well. It will be part of our future plans for the route," he said.
Malcolm Prentice, chief executive of engineering firm Garrandale Group, said the delay will widen the north-south divide and is at odds with a recent visit to Derby by the chancellor, George Osborne.
He described the region as Britain's "engine for growth".
Mr Prentice said: "Why are we taking away electrification when we want a greener environment [by] removing the diesel engines?"
Nottingham City Council leader Jon Collins said promised investment could be lost.
"The investment in electrification was a centrepiece of investment in infrastructure and it will be very damaging to the East Midlands economy," he said.
Clive Betts, MP for Sheffield South East, said successive secretaries of state had made personal promises about the line.
"Prior to the general election, David Cameron and Patrick McLoughlin were promising people and businesses all the way along the Midland Mainline that electrification would result in significant improvements... in the lifetime of this parliament.
"It is clear today they already knew that was a promise they were going to break." | The halting of a £500m project to electrify the Midland Mainline is potentially "very damaging" to the economy, experts said. |
39,842,404 | More than 30 firefighters tackled the blaze at the site near to Rosary Road in Oldham, Greater Manchester, at about 16:45 BST on Sunday.
Nearby residents were told to keep their windows and doors closed as there was suspected asbestos in the derelict building.
The fire service is "damping down" and an investigation into the cause will take place when the site is safe. | A major fire has gutted a disused school. |
33,635,839 | The company is being spun off from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. The firm did not reveal the expected price range or number of the common shares.
UBS Investment Bank, BofA Merrill Lynch and Santander are underwriting the flotation, the company said.
Ferrari intends to list its common stock with a fundraising target of $100m.
The company was set up by former Alfa Romeo race car driver Enzo Ferrari in 1939, and produced its first car, the 125 S, in 1947.
The symbol of the firm, a prancing horse - 'Cavallino Rampante' - was adopted by Ferrari after being used by an Italian World War 1 pilot, Francesco Baracca, who had it painted on the fuselage of his aircraft.
The 'Ferarri red' was the colour assigned by the International Automobile Federation to all Italian grand prix cars early in the 20th century.
In 1969, Mr Ferrari sold the Fiat Group a 50% stake in the company, which was increased to a 90% stake in 1988. | Italian sports car manufacturer Ferrari has applied to list its shares on the New York Stock Exchange. |
35,192,055 | Williams, who played a starring role in New Zealand's Rugby World Cup win, was in Lebanon as a Unicef ambassador.
On Tuesday night he tweeted graphic images of two bodies, adding, "What did these children do to deserve this?"
But the UN children's agency objected to his use of the images, and said Williams had not consulted its staff.
"We see it as a fundamental infringement of those children's rights," Unicef spokesman Patrick Rose told the New Zealand Herald.
Although it was clear that Williams had been deeply moved by his visit to Lebanon, Mr Rose said it was better to provide a "positive framework for people to respond" by offering children clean water and counselling.
The rugby player also provoked a mixed response among his 556,000 followers on Twitter, with some users praising him for his honesty and others questioning his judgment.
"Please use trigger warnings by putting 'TW: dead children' in the tweet next time. It's very triggering as someone who has seen dead bodies like this before growing up," one user wrote.
No further details were shared about the location of the photos or the identity of the children.
Williams visited refugee camps in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley earlier in December, where he met Syrian children and their families.
"This was such an eye-opener… [I was] so ignorant as to what was going on over this way," Williams said in a video.
"It's been an amazing few days, it's definitely changed me for the better, and I'll definitely look at things in a different light when I get back.
"This summer share a thought for the innocent lives lost every day in war."
Williams made international headlines at the Rugby World Cup in October when he gave his winner's medal to a young pitch invader following the All Blacks' 34-17 victory over Australia.
He is a major figure in both New Zealand and Australia, where he played professional rugby league for the Canterbury Bulldogs. | Rugby union star Sonny Bill Williams has posted graphic images of dead children on Twitter after a visit to Syrian refugee camps in Lebanon. |
37,697,715 | A couple of weeks after using the Royal Prerogative to appoint a new press secretary, was it really the executive's considered media strategy to reveal important correspondence from Downing Street live on Radio Ulster's Nolan Show?
And only in the event that an SDLP MLA happened to ask a DUP MP whether the letter from the Prime Minister had arrived?
Surely if this was the plan, Stormont Castle could have saved themselves a lot of expense by appointing East Belfast MP Gavin Robinson as its press secretary?
The first minister brushed the complaints of opposition MLAs aside, insisting that the prime minister's letter had been published in the assembly library at the same time as it was released to the media.
A couple of hours after Arlene Foster spoke, the assembly library finally tweeted the prime minister's comments.
So much for the "inside the Stormont beltway" focus on how the letter was published.
Its contents appears, in the main, a restatement of UK government policy. The mantra of "no return to borders of the past" is now getting to sound very tired.
But, some Stormont sources pointed to the emphasis on the continued free movement of people and goods across the island of Ireland as worth noting.
Free movement of goods? Is that in the sense that lorries will be free to drive north and south unhindered or an indication that those goods will be free from customs tariffs? If the latter, then how would this equate with the UK potentially withdrawing from the European Single Market?
Certainly the hard Brexiteers aren't happy with the prime minister's letter.
The TUV said any arrangements that "retains free movement of labour and goods only for Northern Ireland should be unacceptable to any unionist, because the practical effect would be to push the border back to the Irish Sea".
"Free movement of goods" the TUV argued "can only be secured for the whole UK, or not at all".
Equally, UKIP described Mrs May's letter as very worrying, claiming it "appears to be a capitulation to letting unlimited border crossing into the United Kingdom from anywhere - via the Irish Republic".
"We must press for clarification on Mrs May throwing open a porous border," the party added.
Coming just a day after MLAs rejected "special status" for Northern Ireland within the EU, the Downing Street letter underlines the fact that - when it comes to the UK's departure from the EU - everything is still extremely tentative.
In England, car manufacturers and city traders are pressing their special cases for exemptions from the worst repercussions of a hard Brexit.
In Northern Ireland, food processors and cross-border businesses need to make their voices heard.
Both London and Dublin may want as little as possible to change on the island of Ireland after Brexit.
But, Theresa May and Enda Kenny will have to persuade other EU leaders of the merits of this approach and how it can be squared with fundamental changes in the UK's relationship with the rest of the EU.
Both leaders may get an opportunity to sketch out their thoughts at a Brussels summit they are due to attend later this week. | The way Theresa May's letter on Brexit to Stormont Castle emerged raised a few eyebrows around the assembly. |
38,253,323 | Ritchie Sutton's first half header from Jeff Hughes's free-kick proved to be the only goal of the game.
Jordan White should have levelled for Wrexham before the break but his header was acrobatically saved by Scott Davies.
Former Wrexham midfielder Jay Harris could have scored a second in stoppage time but he fired over the crossbar.
Wrexham manager Dean Keates told BBC Radio Wales Sport: "It was a better performance but we're obviously disappointed with the result.
"Jordan White had a great chance in the first half with a great header and if that had gone a yard either side it would have been a goal.
"If we would have got a goal you might have seen a different outcome and score." | Tranmere Rovers progressed to the FA Trophy second round with victory at National League rivals Wrexham. |
35,968,353 | The Greens and Conservatives campaigned about transport infrastructure, while SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon continued her tour of the northern isles.
Elsewhere, Labour and the Lib Dems promoted their financial policies on education and council tax ahead of the election on 5 May.
Ruth Davidson got behind the wheel at the Knockhill race track, chasing down a red car - symbolising Labour - in her Tory blue vehicle.
The Scottish Conservative leader said Scotland's roads were in a "terrible state", calling for better infrastructure to keep the country moving.
She pledged £20m a year to fix potholes over the next parliament, from a special roads maintenance fund for local authorities.
Ms Davidson added: "It is one of the top doorstep issues and 80% of Scottish drivers say they've had to swerve to avoid a pothole in recent weeks - it's clear we need action to fix our roads infrastructure."
Green party co-convenor Patrick Harvie campaigned at a busy intersection in central Edinburgh while highlighting his party's call for improved bus services.
Mr Harvie ran a campaign called Better Buses during the last session of parliament, and said the Greens were taking the issue seriously.
He said: The SNP has ploughed extra millions into new motorways and dual carriageways while commuters and rural residents without access to a car are left behind.
"We need more electric or hybrid buses to reduce the air pollution harming public health, and we need a renovation programme for bus stations to make them attractive public spaces."
Nicola Sturgeon continued her tour of Orkney and Shetland by visiting Kirkwall.
The SNP leader said she was committed to devolving more powers to the islands, saying: "We want to work with our island communities to further empower them to make sure that the decisions that shape the lives of people living in Orkney and Shetland are taken here."
Ms Sturgeon also defended the memorandum of understanding she signed with a Chinese consortium which has been criticised over corruption allegations.
She said: "There is no agreement to invest, this is about exploring opportunities and if there are any specific proposals for investment then full due diligence will be done."
Kezia Dugdale promoted her plans for a new system of council tax while campaigning in Glasgow.
The Scottish Labour leader said the SNP had broken its promises to "scrap the unfair council tax", but said her party would make good on this pledge with a new system based on recalculated property values.
She said: "People deserve bold proposals from the next Scottish government, not broken promises.
"Labour's fair plans will see 80% of households pay less - that means the average household will be better off by £111."
Willie Rennie visited Step Change, a Glasgow charity which provides people with free financial advice.
The Scottish Lib Dem leader said his party would help families with the cost of early years care and support families through the education system while closing the "attainment" gap in school performance.
Mr Rennie aims to introduce a "targeted pupil premium", worth £1,400 for primary pupils from more deprived backgrounds, paid for by adding 1p to income tax bands.
He said: "We know that putting extra investment into education is crucial to raising attainment across the board and ensuring that people get the skills they need to thrive in the workplace." | Scotland's party leaders have focused on finance and transport during a busy day of Holyrood election campaigning. |
24,339,815 | The city-state transformed itself from a British colonial outpost into the country with the third highest average income in the world within a matter of decades.
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Not only that, it has become an international financial centre attracting expatriates from across the globe. Foreign workers make up 40% of Singapore's labour market.
Exporting consumer electronics has been the driver of growth for Asia since the 1960s, including for Singapore, which has also made the most of one of its few natural advantages, a deep water sea port.
For Working Lives, the BBC's Linda Yueh has been meeting people around the island.
Wang Han, a young Singaporean design engineer, is the type of highly skilled worker that leads international companies to set up plants in such an expensive country.
She works on the innovative digital motor that powers hand dryers and vacuum cleaners for UK company Dyson. The motor is made in Singapore, but the products using it are assembled in Malaysia and sold around the world.
That international outlook and the government's promotion of skilled workers also attracts foreigners to Singapore.
Frazer Macdonald Hay came to teach young Singaporeans how to integrate design into engineering. He heads a 10-year programme between the Glasgow School of Art and Singapore's Institute of Technology.
Chris Gill was attracted by the government's promotion of the financial sector, and a safe, clean environment to bring up his young family. He is the general manager of a global insurance company's Singapore branch.
Property developer Satinder Garcha, who according to one survey is Singapore's 46th richest person, plays polo each afternoon in the middle of the city, giving him a rather enviable work-life balance.
But it's not just the rich who have a good standard of living. Office cleaner Liew Siew Giok works all day on her feet but goes home to a meal cooked by her Burmese maid. She lives with her extended family, who pay for the domestic help and her flat.
The influx of foreigners has created social tensions and the rapid growth of the financial sector has raised some concerns about the future.
However, what is clear is that Singapore has grown by being at the leading edge of know-how, giving not just the rich, but most people, a good quality of life. | Singapore has achieved what only a handful of countries have - joining the so-called First World from the developing world. |
39,035,538 | The visitors made the brighter start and almost went ahead in the fifth minute, with Gus Mafuta freed by Danny Johnson to win a corner that James Bolton narrowly put wide.
The Silkmen were having the best of the possession but they were struggling to convert it into chances until two minutes before the break. Chris Holroyd latched on to a long ball and got round Gateshead goalkeeper James Montgomery - but Manny Smith was on-hand to clear.
Defender Smith opened the scoring in the 75th minute, stabbing home after Scott Flinders had initially saved Paddy McLaughlin's effort.
However, the home side rescued a point just seven minutes later when John McCombe rose highest to head home a free-kick.
Meanwhile, Macclesfield have re-signed Bury winger Jack Mackreth on loan until the end of the season.
The 24-year-old, who was previously at the club between 2012 and 2014, spent the first half of the current season with the Silkmen, making 25 appearances in all competitions after returning on a free in June, before leaving for Bury in January.
Match report supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Macclesfield Town 1, Gateshead 1.
Second Half ends, Macclesfield Town 1, Gateshead 1.
Substitution, Macclesfield Town. Dan Cowan replaces John McCombe.
Gus Mafuta (Gateshead) is shown the yellow card.
Goal! Macclesfield Town 1, Gateshead 1. John McCombe (Macclesfield Town).
Manny Smith (Gateshead) is shown the yellow card.
Substitution, Macclesfield Town. James Thorne replaces Kingsley James.
Goal! Macclesfield Town 0, Gateshead 1. Manny Smith (Gateshead).
Substitution, Macclesfield Town. Mitch Hancox replaces Jack Mackreth.
Substitution, Gateshead. Tom Beere replaces George Smith.
Second Half begins Macclesfield Town 0, Gateshead 0.
First Half ends, Macclesfield Town 0, Gateshead 0.
First Half begins.
Lineups are announced and players are warming up. | Gateshead's six-game National League winning run was brought to an end as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Macclesfield. |
35,059,898 | The runner-up is a similar-looking red, white and blue design.
The final result will be announced on Tuesday after late and overseas votes are counted, and may change as the winning margin is narrow.
A second referendum will be held in March to decide whether to adopt the new flag, or keep the existing one.
New Zealanders were asked to choose which of five designs they preferred.
About 48% of eligible voters took part in the first referendum, which has divided opinion in New Zealand over its cost and timing.
The preliminary winner and runner-up flags were both designed by architect Kyle Lockwood, and feature New Zealand icons the silver fern and the Southern Cross.
The second-runner-up was Red Peak, which was added to the ballot after a social media lobbying campaign.
Voting officially closed at 19:00 local time on Friday (06:00 GMT).
The decision to choose a new flag has been backed by Prime Minister John Key, who has said the current one is too similar to Australia's and that it is time to remove the Union Jack from the flag.
He said the turnout, which was higher than had been expected, showed "people are engaging" with the debate, the New Zealand Herald reports.
Four designs were initially announced in September and Red Peak, was added weeks later.
The entire exercise is expected to cost around NZ$27m (£12m, $18m). | New Zealanders have picked a blue and black design with the silver fern as the preliminary winner in a referendum on a possible new national flag. |
38,761,572 | The 42-year-old, the former coach of Cagliari and Bologna, replaces Eugenio Corini, who resigned on Tuesday.
The Sicilian side have only managed two wins in 21 matches and are one point above last-place Pescara in Serie A.
Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini has overseen about 60 coaching changes in 30 years as a club owner.
Last season alone, there were eight changes and this campaign there have been a further three replacements. | Struggling Serie A side Palermo have made their 11th coaching change in two seasons by hiring Uruguayan Diego Lopez. |
25,032,180 | Gerald Laing, who spent a large part of his life in the Highlands, created the artwork shortly after the shooting of the US president 50 years ago.
Laing's New York dealer refused to exhibit it and it was put in storage.
The pop artist, who was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, had been living on the Black Isle when he died in 2011.
He spent much of the 1960s working in New York and was a close friend of artists Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein.
Lincoln Convertible was considered too controversial to be displayed so soon after Kennedy's death in Dallas 1963.
It was kept in storage for about 30 years before galleries felt comfortable enough to exhibit it.
Almost 3m (9.10ft) long, the painting is based on film footage of the assassination taken by Dallas resident Abraham Zapruder.
The painting - in which Laing used coloured dots for the first and only time in his career - depicts the Lincoln car in which the president and his wife had been travelling.
Jackie Kennedy can be seen in her pink pill-box hat, while her husband leans over having been shot.
The American flag is seen going off the screen to the right and below are the legs of secret service men running across the grass towards the car.
The bottom of the canvas shows in part an earlier frame of the film, where the head of the Kennedy's chauffeur and the American flag are visible.
The painting is owned by the artist's estate.
Laing's most famous works included images of actresses Brigitte Bardot and Anna Karina.
In October 2011, he showcased a series of paintings and drawings of Amy Winehouse in London.
Laing was also a sculptor and created a statue of Sherlock Holmes that stands in Edinburgh and also the Exiles, a statue at Helmsdale that recalls the Highland Clearances in Scotland.
Four Rugby Players at Twickenham Stadium, Ten Dragons at London's Bank Underground Station and The Glass Virgins at Standard Life's building in Edinburgh are among his other sculptures.
He settled in the Highlands and made 16th Century Kinkell Castle, near Inverness, his family's home. | Lincoln Convertible, the only known contemporary painting of the assassination of John F Kennedy, has gone on display at Tate Britain. |
29,309,307 | It said Tian Tian's hormone levels have returned to normal and a reabsorption of the foetus may have occurred.
The zoo said data gathered since conception took place indicated she was expecting and likely to carry to full term but this did not happen.
Tian Tian is said to be in good health and the outdoor viewing area of her enclosure has reopened to the public.
Iain Valentine, director of giant pandas for the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, said: "Tian Tian's hormone levels have now returned to normal, so we can confirm that she is no longer pregnant.
"Panda reproduction and biology is complex, all data gathered since conception took place pointed to a pregnant panda likely to carry to full term, sadly this did not happen.
"There is no evidence she has had a miscarriage, so late reabsorption of the foetus could have occurred.
"Although Tian Tian has not successfully given birth, it is important for her individual biology as a female giant panda and for the future of giant panda conservation across the globe that we tried.
"We will also be reviewing all our data and procedures from this year and last." | Edinburgh Zoo has confirmed its female giant panda is no longer pregnant, having warned something was "amiss". |
20,020,936 | The Hong Kong dollar is fixed against its US counterpart and hit a high of HK$7.75 on Friday, the upper limit of its trading band.
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority sold HK$4.67bn ($603m) of foreign bonds.
The Hong Kong dollar acts as a proxy between the US and Chinese markets.
Because of its status as a Chinese financial hub with its own currency and legal system, foreign investors generally consider Hong Kong as a gateway to mainland China and the yuan - a currency that is not freely tradeable.
Investment from people - including wealthy Chinese - fleeing the eurozone debt crisis and weak US economy have parked themselves in Hong Kong, which has seen its stocks and property market surge in value. The local Hang Seng index is close to a six-month high.
The Hong Kong dollar is allowed to trade in a band between HK$7.75 and HK$7.85 against the greenback.
The last time the HKMA intervened in its currency was in 2008 at the height of the financial crisis, when it moved to weaken the currency. | Hong Kong has moved to weaken its currency for the first time in three years as demand from investors fleeing Western markets has caused a sharp increase in its value. |
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