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22,114,102 | Dennis Green, 81 and his wife Doreen, 80, died in the two-vehicle smash on 5 April at Gate Helmsley, near York.
The couple were described as "treasured and much loved parents, grandparents and great-grandparents".
In a statement released after the crash, their family said: "We will all miss them more than words can say."
Relatives said Mr and Mrs Green, from Strensall in York, loved sequence dancing, took frequent holidays and enjoyed a "very active social life".
They described the couple as "well known and respected" in the village where than had lived for more 50 years, adding "their loss will be keenly felt both there and amongst their wide circle of friends".
The family said: "They had celebrated 60 years of marriage the day before the tragic accident, and a family party had been planned for the weekend.
"Their loss will leave a huge empty space at the head of our close family, but we will draw strength from each other and from the happy memories we all have of them.
"They had a wonderful and happy marriage and we draw some small comfort from the fact that they are still together."
The crash happened at about 13:20 BST, on Northgate Lane, Gate Helmsley.
Mr Green was driving their Citroen Xsara and his wife was a passenger at the time of the collision with a Land Rover Defender travelling the other way.
The driver of the Land Rover, a man in his 20s, was treated for minor injuries at the scene. | A "treasured" elderly couple killed in a car crash the day after they celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary have been named. |
30,960,826 | A review by Action on Hearing Loss Cymru found test waiting times at three of the seven health boards were up.
Meanwhile, patients in two areas did not always get two hearing aids because of restrictions on the number they give out.
The charity said demand would continue to increase given the aging population.
Cwm Taf, Hywel Dda and Powys health boards said patients were waiting longer for hearing tests and reassessments because more people needed help.
Abertawe Bro Morgannwg and Hywel Dda boards both restrict the number of hearing aids they issue, while Aneurin Bevan and Hwyel Dda said they had reduced follow-up appointments because of pressures.
Hwyel Dda also reported reduced staff numbers and reduced aftercare service, at a time when it is planning to reduce its budget for the next year.
Action on Hearing Loss Cymru, formerly RNID, supports 1,300 hearing aid wearers across Wales.
But the free service, which costs £150,000 a year to run, will be cut in 2016 if funding cannot be found. | Health boards across much of Wales are struggling to cope with the demand from people who are deaf or have hearing loss, a report has found. |
40,630,521 | Vaughan, 29, scored 24 goals for the Shakers last term and joined the Black Cats on a two-year deal on 13 July.
Bury signed 33-year-old Beckford in May after his release by Preston North End.
"If you look at the way the team plays, it operates not just around one player. This season there will be goals coming from everywhere," Beckford said.
Speaking to BBC Radio Manchester, he continued: "We've got players who are really good attacking midfielders, we've got good wing-backs, good wingers, we've got goalscorers up top and it's going to be exciting.
"I don't feel that pressure now."
Beckford, who scored for Bury in their 3-1 pre-season friendly defeat by Huddersfield Town on Sunday, acknowledged the loss of Vaughan after they struggled to stay in League One last season.
"It's obviously a huge loss. Somebody like his scoring record, especially last season, no disrespect to a team that was struggling quite a bit, was phenomenal," he said.
"Who scores 24 goals in the league and just about avoids relegation? It's unheard of. To have had interest in him is normal for something like that.
"He'll be missed and all of the boys wished him well. It's sad to see him go but I've no doubt that he'll do well." | Bury striker Jermaine Beckford says he does not feel under pressure to score goals after top scorer James Vaughan's move to Sunderland. |
27,699,859 | She set out plans for better childcare facilities, new furniture, better internet access in barracks and more flexible working hours for some.
The five-year plan will also see extra computers and an easing of the practice of moving service people around.
She said the Bundeswehr (army) needed to compete with civilian employers.
"We want the best," Mrs von der Leyen was quoted by the Associated Press news agency as saying. "People who are young and qualified have a multitude of offers today... and they choose the employer who, among other things, makes the most interesting offers."
Germany abandoned conscription three years ago and is aiming to recruit about 60,000 young applicants a year, she said.
Critics accuse the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) minister, who is seen as a potential successor to Chancellor Angela Merkel, of neglecting more important areas of investment, such as armour development.
Retired General Harald Kujat, once Germany's top military officer and chairman of the Nato Military Committee, said last month that the plans appeared to have been "drawn up by people who don't know the Bundeswehr".
"Rather than kindergartens, it would much more helpful to a soldier's family if they knew that everything is being done for his safety in deployment," he told the Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper. | The German army is to spend 100m euros (£81m; $136m) on making itself a more attractive employer, Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen has said. |
40,300,559 | Emergency services were alerted to the crash on Essich Road in Inverness at about 17:30 on Thursday.
The 37-year-old cyclist was taken to the city's Raigmore Hospital by air ambulance.
Insp Gus Stewart asked any potential witnesses to get in touch with the police, if they have not already spoken to an officer.
The road was closed for five hours to allow for a police investigation but has since reopened. | A cyclist is receiving treatment in hospital after being seriously injured in a collision involving a lorry. |
33,073,683 | They targeted Land Rovers belonging to the Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team (LMRT) in Nant Peris.
North Wales Police is investigating the attack.
On Sunday, LMRT was involved in a rescue near Llanberis waterfall after four swimmers got into difficulty and two men died.
Police said that as well as battery cables being cut, bolts to doors were removed.
Officers said it was only "by chance" that no emergency calls were received on Tuesday, as the rescue teams would not have been able to respond. | Vandals have put mountain rescuers in Gwynedd temporarily out of action by cutting battery cables in three of its 4x4s. |
34,958,877 | Bryony Page finished fifth and Kat Driscoll seventh at the Trampoline, Tumbling and Double-Mini Trampoline World Championships on Sunday.
It is the first time GB have earned two female trampoline spots at an Olympics.
Nicole Short then added to her team silver on Saturday with an individual double-mini trampoline silver medal.
"I wanted to carry on the pattern of three, two, one, but I'm thinking about retiring after this one so it's a little bit emotional," said the 21-year-old from Liverpool, who previously won bronze and silver medals at the Worlds.
Sheffield-based Page, 24, briefly led the women's individual trampoline on 55.295 points while team-mate Driscoll, 29, scored 52.935 as China's Li Dan took gold. | Britain have secured two places in the women's trampoline event at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio after two gymnasts made the world final in Denmark. |
39,751,858 | On Thursday, 7.3% of Welsh local authority seats will be uncontested, with 92 councillors returned without any votes being cast.
One county councillor in Powys has gone unchallenged for his seat for 37 years.
Prof Roger Scully, of Cardiff University's Wales Governance Centre, said it made a "mockery of democracy".
Yscir, in Powys, is the only ward in Wales with no one standing for election as its councillor of 27 years is retiring.
When there is no challenger, no votes are cast and the incumbent councillor is returned to their position.
Half of Wales' 22 local authorities have at least one such ward.
Gwynedd has the largest number of uncontested seats in Wales, with 21, while Powys comes second-highest with 16.
Michael Williams has been a councillor in Powys for 37 years and has not faced an opponent since he was elected.
Now aged 74, the independent councillor for Machynlleth will be re-elected again, uncontested, on 4 May.
Mr Williams, who has also been a Machynlleth town councillor for 43 years, said he had not faced any challengers as he was doing a good job.
"I have always looked at my being a councillor as a partnership with the people of Machynlleth," he said, and added he has no plans to step down any time soon.
But the lack of choice for the electorate in such seats has led to concerns.
Prof Scully, who is an expert in politics, said: "Democracy depends on people having a choice, having no candidates means there is no choice.
"We do have quite a large number of uncontested seats: it's a disaster in terms of democracy, that people don't have a choice.
"It makes a mockery of democracy, it is disastrous for everyone that we have this sort of situation."
Prof Scully said the proportion of uncontested seats in Wales had only slightly improved since 2012, despite not a single seat going uncontested in Scotland at the nation's last local elections.
Twyn Carno
Llanddarog
Llanfihangel ar arth
Llanybydder
Trelech
Beulah
Llanarth
Llandysiliogogo
Llanfarian
Llanwenog
Trefeurig
Troedyraur
Bryn
Caerhun
Eglwysbach
Llansannan
Llysfaen
Pandy
Corwen
Llanbedr Dyffryn Clwyd Llanfihangel
Llandrillo
Rhyl West - two seats
Bagillt West
Broughton North East
Ffynnongroyw
Flint Castle
Flint Coleshill - two seats
Holywell Central
Holywell West
Mold East
Penyffordd - two seats
Treuddyn
Arllechwedd
Deiniolen
Glyder
Llanrug
Pentir
Llandygai
Y Felinheli
Abererch
Llanbedrog
Llanystumdwy
Nefyn
Porthmadog West
Aberdyfi
Brithdir/Llanfachreth/Ganllwyd/Llanelltyd
Corris/Mawddwy
Llandderfel
Llangelynin
Llanuwchllyn
Penrhyndeudraeth
Teigl
Bala
Briton Ferry West
Port Talbot - three seats
Burton
Cilgerran
Clydau
Haverfordwest: Priory
Lampeter Velfrey
Llangwm
Manorbier
Milford East
Narberth Rural
Newport
St Ishmaels
Tenby North
Tenby South
Old Radnor
Llanafanfawr
Llanwrtyd
Yscir - no one standing
Maescar/Llywel
Abercraf
Ystradgynlais
Cwmtwrch
Ynyscedwyn
Tawe Uchaf
Talybont-on-Usk
Llangynidr
Bwlch
Churchstoke
Meifod
Machynlleth
Newtown East
Little Acton
Marchwiel
Minera | Nearly 100 councillors in Wales will be reappointed without being challenged at the local elections. |
33,726,450 | It said its study showed male solicitors being paid up to 42% more than their female counterparts at some stages in their careers.
The law society said there was little difference between male and female earnings when they started out.
But from the age of 36 onwards, women generally appeared to be paid lower salaries than men of the same age.
The society compared average full-time and full-time equivalent salaries for women and men at all career stages.
There are as many women as men among the society's 11,000 members and a quarter of those eligible responded to the survey.
The research showed women were more prevalent in the salary bands up to £65,000 and men in salary bands over £65,000.
It found that women tended to remain associates or assistants rather than be promoted to partner level.
Janet Hood, convener of the body's equality committee, said: "A 42% gender pay gap reflects very badly on what is otherwise a modern and forward-thinking profession - with some female solicitors effectively working for free for five months of the year.
"There are many and nuanced reasons why the gender pay gap exists and the legal profession is certainly not alone - figures from November 2014 show that the overall UK gap was 9.4%.
"However, we have seen little change in the past decade compared to other professions such as accountancy or dentistry and it is a major concern that such a substantial gap persists 45 years after the UK Equal Pay Act."
"Quite simply it is not something we can afford to ignore, for either ethical or business reasons."
There appears to be an issue around assumptions made about women, the society said.
Its report indicated that women earned less than their male counterparts whether or not they had children. | A large pay gap between men and women solicitors has been found in research by The Law Society of Scotland. |
38,292,758 | Lord O'Donnell pointed out that areas which voted for Brexit were those with the biggest inequalities in well-being.
He added if ministers did not take account of constituents' satisfaction levels, people would just "vote against what they feel is the status quo".
He was speaking at a conference in London on improving well-being.
The former cabinet secretary told academics gathered at the London School of Economics that most philosophers and politicians shared a view that they should be striving to improve the quality of people's lives.
This meant trying to enhance their "long-running, sustainable well-being", he told Monday's conference, organised jointly with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Well-being was a very subjective concept, Lord O'Donnell said, describing it as "a democratic measure based on people's feelings, not something handed down on stone from the statistical office".
He praised David Cameron for initiating a process for measuring well-being, but suggested the former prime minister might have conducted a better Brexit campaign if he had used some of the resulting statistics.
"Take the recent referendum on leaving the EU, the Remain case was mainly that leaving would damage economic prospects," he added.
"The leavers said it would give us back control of our country.
"Hillary Clinton argued that her greater experience would lead to better government, growth and reduced inequality: [Donald] Trump said he would make America great again.
"In both cases, and more recently in Italy, people are arguing that the results reflect the rise of populism," he said.
"Yet one common feature is a feeling that the gains from globalisation and technology are not evenly spread.
"The answer is not less globalisation or technical progress - indeed we need more to raise productivity - but better ways of spreading the gains .
"The gainers are not compensating the losers. In the UK, the greater the inequality in well-being, the more likely an area was to vote leave."
He said the trick for politicians was to "get ahead" of their voters' sense of a lack of well-being, "otherwise they will vote against whatever they feel is the status quo".
He urged politicians in France, the Netherlands and Italy, who were facing elections, to study this carefully.
"The relationship between well-being and the future of political incumbents is as you would expect," he added.
Lord O'Donnell also urged ministers to take on board the importance of children's well-being in schools.
He said: "If you want to enhance long-run, sustainable well-being then help children to become more resilient, more fulfilled adults.
"That means focusing teachers and parents on the well-being of their children, yet today we spend all our time measuring exam results." | Politicians need to pay more attention to voters' sense of well-being if they want to win elections, says the former head of the British civil service. |
20,724,621 | The Tour heads through Yorkshire on 5 and 6 July, before moving south for a third stage, finishing in London.
The race last visited the UK in 2007, when London hosted a prologue ahead of a road stage from the capital to Canterbury, attracting two-million spectators.
Not long ago the idea Yorkshire could host the Tour de France may have seemed fanciful in the extreme.
The region faced serious international competition from the likes of Barcelona, Berlin, Venice and Scotland.
So how did Yorkshire persuade the French to bring the Tour to the north of England?
Much of the credit must go to the tourism body Welcome To Yorkshire. Among the many tactics they employed to sway the tour's organisers in favour of Yorkshire was a stunning promotional film highlighting the dramatic Yorkshire landscape.
Yorkshire beat off the challenge of bids from Florence and Edinburgh to host the prestigious event.
However, Edinburgh remains in the running to host the Grand Depart at a future date.
It will be the fourth time the Tour has visited Britain after previous visits in 1974 and 1994.
Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, hosted the 2010 Grand Depart, while the 2012 race started in Liege in Belgium and next year's 100th race will begin in Corsica.
Full details of the route will be announced at a news conference in Leeds and Paris on 17 January.
Leeds will host a festival of cycling and the arts to coincide with the arrival of the Tour.
British Cycling president Brian Cookson said: "Like every other cycling fan, I am thrilled the world's biggest bike race is coming back to this country.
"The huge numbers who turned out to support the 2007 Grand Depart and the London 2012 road races show the passion we have for cycling.
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"I'm sure Yorkshire will give the 2014 Tour de France a welcome which will stand out in the race's rich history."
Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, the agency behind the county's bid, said: "Today is a proud day for everyone involved in the bid and the county as a whole.
"We are honoured that the race organisers have selected Yorkshire to be the host location of the 2014 Grand Depart.
"It will mean that, less than two years after hosting the Olympics, the British public can look forward to another of the world's biggest sporting events coming to the country.
"I am in no doubt they will come to Yorkshire in their millions, lining the length and breadth of the route to cheer on the champions of world cycling and our home grown British heroes."
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Race director Christian Prudhomme added: "Since the resounding success of the Grand Depart in London in 2007, we were very keen to return to the United Kingdom.
"Bradley Wiggins's historic victory last July and the enormous crowds that followed the cycling events in the streets of London during the Olympic Games encouraged us to go back earlier than we had initially planned." | Leeds will host the start of the 2014 Tour de France. |
29,126,451 | Mr Ahmad claims he is owed £500,000 for an unpaid bonus and another £120,000 for legal costs from the Ibrox club.
He had cash ring-fenced after the club said it would be unable to pay bills if a planned £4m rights issue failed.
A judge said granting Rangers the right to appeal would help raise fresh cash and ultimately "benefit both parties".
Rangers are still legally obliged to have the cash set aside.
Mr Ahmad, who had twice lost court bids to have Rangers' assets ring-fenced, claims he is owed £500,000 for negotiating deals and wants another £120,000 to cover legal expenses.
His third attempt was successful at the Court of Session on Friday.
Following the judgement, Rangers said there had been an "error of law" and would appeal the decision.
During a hearing at the same court on Tuesday, Lord Stewart decided that granting Rangers the right to appeal would "facilitate the raising of fresh capital" through the open offer and ultimately "benefit both parties".
He also urged Rangers to come to a deal with Mr Ahmad over security for the sum while the sides wait for the case to return to court.
The club's QC Alan Summers told the court that Lord Stewart had taken a different view to two other law lords who have already examined the case and found there was no "substantial risk" of the club going bust.
He also questioned the decision to ring-fence the club's assets when it claimed it would be in a position to pay any costs by the time the case is ultimately resolved in the new year.
But Mr Ahmad's lawyer Kenny McBrearty argued that Lord Stewart should ignore those claims because, by the club's own admission, its financial circumstances had changed since the case was heard earlier this year.
In the end, it was Mr Summers' claim that the decision to ring-fence cash may "inconvenience" this month's share issue which persuaded Lord Stewart to grant appeal, although he stressed that decision in "no way" implied any judgement about the strength of Mr Ahmad's claim or the eventual outcome of the case.
The judge said: "The granting of the right to appeal may facilitate the raising of fresh capital through the upcoming rights issue and that would only benefit both parties."
The appeal hearing, however, may not take place until November unless an earlier date can be found.
The full hearing for Mr Ahmad's claim to a 5% bonus for setting up the club's £10m kit deal with Puma is due to take place either that same month or in the following January.
Following Tuesday's decision, Rangers said: "The company confirms that the Court of Session in Edinburgh has granted the company leave to appeal the court's decision to grant an order allowing Mr Ahmad to arrest funds in Rangers bank account or the accounts of others who may be due to pay sums to Rangers.
"This is a procedural step in the appeal process and the court has not yet considered the merits of the appeal.
"If the appeal is successful, the court's decision of 5 September 2014 will be overturned and the funds arrested will be released." | Rangers have been granted leave to challenge a decision to freeze £620,000 of club assets in a legal dispute with former commercial director Imran Ahmad. |
33,379,491 | The hosts put on 48 for the first wicket before seamer Jamie Porter (2-24) struck twice in one over to remove Paul Horton (25) and Karl Brown (18).
Liam Dawson trapped Alviro Peterson (14) lbw and then bowled Ashwell Prince (21) to leave Lancashire in trouble.
Only two more overs were played before the weather halted proceedings with the Division Two leaders on 96-4.
All-rounder Dawson's two wickets were his first for Essex since he joined them from Hampshire in a month-long loan deal.
Lancashire wicketkeeper Alex Davies:
"It's been eventful so far but we're probably not in the position we would have liked to have been.
"There were a couple of good balls in there but all in all it was a pretty frustrating day. We scored at a decent rate and the job now is to look to rebuild and get a decent first-innings total.
"The team are a few points clear at the top and we are in a pretty good position but there's a lot more work to be done yet."
Essex bowler Liam Dawson:
"It was nice to make an impact straight away and nice to get a bit of spin out of the wicket as well.
"It was a decent day for us to get four wickets on day one in only a few overs.
"Hopefully, we'll get a full day tomorrow and try to bowl them out as quickly as we can and then try and get a decent score ourselves." | Lancashire's batsmen struggled against Essex before rain ended play early on the first day at Old Trafford. |
35,147,047 | Saturday's 2-1 defeat by Norwich was United's third in a row and saw them slip to fifth in the Premier League.
Moyes was sacked in April 2014 after nine months at the club, as they headed for a seventh-place league finish.
"I wouldn't say it's the lowest moment," said Jones, 23. "I think it became pretty glum under David Moyes."
United's league finish in 2014 was their lowest since 1990, and it was the first time they had ended the season outside England's top three since 1991.
But under Louis van Gaal, who replaced Moyes, they are winless in their past six games, a sequence that has included their elimination from the Champions League at the group stage.
Van Gaal's side were booed off the pitch at Old Trafford following the Norwich defeat and the Dutchman has admitted he is "worried" about his job.
But Jones has backed the former Netherlands coach and said the players need to take responsibility for improving form.
"The manager is doing all he can and is doing a terrific job," said the England international.
"It's not even questionable in the dressing room. The lads are absolutely fully focused on performing well for the manager, the fans, ourselves - week in, week out.
"The players in there aren't hiding behind anyone." | Defender Phil Jones believes the mood at Manchester United is not as bad as it was during David Moyes' ill-fated reign as manager at Old Trafford. |
34,985,148 | The 40-year-old former Manchester United and England defender, part of manager Roy Hodgson's backroom team with the national side, was finalising details of his surprise appointment as head coach of La Liga side Valencia until the end of the season.
Neville, who replaces Nuno Espirito Santo, will not be in charge when Los Che face Barcelona in La Liga on Saturday but will be in the technical area when they host Lyon in the Champions League next Wednesday.
The new Guardiola? Listen to one journalist's opinion on 5 live.
Neville's decision to move away from television punditry, where his forensic analysis has marked him out as an outstanding exponent of the art, into coaching is the clearest signpost that he sees his long-term future in full-time management.
And no-one could accuse him of making an easy start. No easing in down the leagues. Not only straight in with a club of rich pedigree and ambition, but also abroad.
It is a sign of Neville's confidence in himself that he has accepted the challenge at the Mestalla. And in many respects he has served the perfect apprenticeship to start this phase of his career in such pressurised surroundings.
He spent 19 years under the tutelage of Sir Alex Ferguson, arguably Britain's greatest manager, at Manchester United, winning 20 trophies and establishing himself as a figure of significance and influence in a dressing room packed with powerful personalities.
Neville also won 85 England caps and his coaching education has been rounded off even further by his association with the national team, where he has been at Hodgson's side along with Ray Lewington since his appointment in 2012.
With England, he has worked alongside elite players and travelled to major tournaments such as Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine and the World Cup in Brazil last summer. Neville is the sort of character who will have been soaking up vital information like a sponge.
It hardly takes someone close to Neville to work out that this is a man of strong opinions, convictions and deep football intelligence, as well as searingly high standards in all matters involved with football from his days at Old Trafford, where nothing but the best was good enough on and off the pitch.
Listen to his punditry and read his column in a national newspaper and it is easy to detect a single-minded deep-thinker who will have the courage to put his plans and beliefs into practice, whether that is behind the scenes at Salford City - the non-league club of which he is co-owner - or in Spain with Valencia.
He has not entered an easy arena, trying to revive a Valencia side who have been strong in defence but poor in attack this season, and who must beat Lyon in his first game to maintain an interest in the Champions League.
They are also five points off the top four places in Spain, winning only five of their opening 13 league games, but by acting now Valencia believe Neville can correct that shortfall.
He has to start his club career somewhere. He has served his apprenticeship and as with the rest of his career he will not regard failure as a palatable option.
It is a daunting leap from punditry into coaching and management, but Neville is someone who always seemed destined to make his long-term career in the latter, even if this current time away from the studio turns out to be only temporary.
Many modern pundits, such as Ruud Gullit and Alan Shearer, have had mixed careers in management.
Alan Hansen, the celebrated BBC Sport pundit, made it plain he never once considered moving into coaching and, when offering any critique of managers, either on screen or in his website column, always made the point that any comment he made must be shaped by the fact he never took on the job himself. He was never over-critical of those brave enough to take on a job he never did himself.
One of the questions asked of elite players who make the move into management is whether they can they cope with handling players who may not have the same drive, attitude and approach as themselves.
Neville has his standards but will also be a realist. He will accept honest failings but not a lack of professionalism. He speaks the language of players so relating to them should not be a problem.
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As David Moyes pondered his recent sacking from Real Sociedad, one of the criticisms aimed in his direction was that he had failed to grasp the Spanish language during his 12 months in Spain.
Neville, for now at least, only has five months to make his message clear so he has to hit the ground running on and off the field.
His brother Phil arrived at Valencia as a coach in July, having also left his job as a football pundit with BBC Sport. He has been having Spanish lessons to immerse himself in the culture so will no doubt be able offer early help, as will the Salford connection at the club.
Peter Lim, Valencia's Singaporean owner, has a stake in Salford City, which Neville co-owns. He will, no doubt, make every resource and assistance available to make sure his new manager gets his thoughts across.
Neville will also be a firm believer that football is a universal language and maybe even some of the technological and tactical wizardry he used in the television studio might help to bridge the barrier.
Neville has not yet got his feet under the desk at Valencia, but already the future is rich with possibilities should he make a success of his stint in Spain.
If it does not work out, he has an open invitation to return to Sky, such has been the scale of his success since becoming a pundit.
If he succeeds, then many doors will open, from staying in Spain to returning to England and perhaps serving clubs or even his country. There would be no shortage of suitors.
England manager Hodgson regards Neville's move as "another string to his bow" and will benefit the national side as they prepare for Euro 2016 in France.
If England fail to shine in France and the Football Association decides on a change of direction, then success in Spain could put Neville in pole position to succeed Hodgson, especially with Gareth Southgate blotting his copybook with failure at last summer's under-21 Euros.
And what about Manchester United? Ryan Giggs would appear to be primed to succeed Louis van Gaal, whose pragmatic approach is drawing criticism from many supporters and former players such as Paul Scholes.
A reunion of "The Class Of 92" - which would bring the Nevilles back into play - would be seen as the dream ticket in Old Trafford's line of succession and if he comes through this tough Spanish test with flying colours his stock will only increase. | As the odds on Gary Neville taking charge at Fulham tumbled on Tuesday, the bookmakers - for once and along with everyone else - were looking in the wrong place. |
39,814,368 | The authority previously had no overall control, with a power struggle between the Tories and Independents.
The Tories retained control of Hampshire, winning 56 of the 78 seats with a turnout of 36 per cent.
UKIP failed to win a single seat across the region, losing two seats on the Isle of Wight and 10 in Hampshire compared to the last election in 2013.
Councillors across all parties on the Isle of Wight said the majority result would be good for the island.
Election 2017: Full results from across England
Conservative council leader Dave Stewart said: "I'm very pleased.
"The problem with a no overall control council is you're always trying to please everybody and you can't always do that. This shows democracy in action."
In the 2013 election Independents won 20 seats and the Tories 15, while UKIP took two seats, the Liberal Democrats one and Labour two.
Independents now hold 11 seats with Jonathan Bacon - a former leader of the council who resigned in January - among those to miss out.
He said: "Obviously I'm disappointed. Our problem with the previous council was that it was run largely as a no overall control council and the majority of the councillors on the other side eventually chose to abuse that and stop work being done, so a majority council will be a good thing."
In Hampshire, Liberal Democrats won 19 seats, while Labour won two and the Community Campaign group took one seat.
UKIP lost all representation on the authority. | The Conservative Party has seized control of Isle of Wight Council after winning 25 of the 40 seats. |
39,751,666 | Australia, Canada and Malaysia are also interested in hosting the Games, which was stripped from Durban in March.
Liverpool, London and Birmingham are the English cities to have declared an interest in staging the event.
The Commonwealth Games Federation says a final decision is unlikely until early Autumn.
"We are delighted with the level of initial interest expressed by nations across the Commonwealth and look forward to working with all parties as plans develop for a Games to be proud of in 2022," said CGF chief executive David Grevemberg.
"An expert CGF Review Team will work with each country in the evaluation of proposals of potential host cities."
The expression of interest has been submitted by the UK government, who have been canvassing interest from cities around the country.
The Commonwealth Games are held every four years and feature athletes from more than 50 countries, mostly former British colonies.
Britain last hosted the Games in Glasgow in 2014, while the 2002 event was staged in Manchester. The next edition takes place on Australia's Gold Coast in 2018. | England has been confirmed as one of four competing countries to have submitted an expression of interest in hosting the 2022 Commonwealth Games. |
40,669,950 | Men who have sex with men can now give blood three months after their last sexual activity instead of 12.
And sex workers, who were previously barred from donating, now can, subject to the same three-month rule.
Experts said the move would give more people the opportunity to donate blood without affecting blood supply safety.
The Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs - which advises UK health departments - recommended the changes after concluding that new testing systems were accurate and donors were good at complying with the rules.
All blood that is donated in the UK undergoes a mandatory test for Hepatitis B and C, and HIV, plus a couple of other viruses.
Scientists agree that three months is a comfortably long window for a virus or infection to appear and be picked up in the blood.
Prof James Neuberger, from the committee, said: "Technologies to pick up the presence of the virus have greatly improved, so we can now pick up viruses at a much earlier stage in the infection, and therefore it's much easier to tell if a blood donor has the virus."
The rule changes will come into force at blood donation centres in Scotland in November, and in early 2018 in England.
The changes affect groups including men who have sex with other men, people who have sex with high-risk partners - for example, those who have been in areas where HIV is common - and commercial sex workers.
They will now all be able to donate blood after abstaining from sex for three months.
The UK government is also considering relaxing the rules for people who have undergone acupuncture, piercing, tattooing and endoscopy, and for those with a history of non-prescribed injecting drug use.
But these also need changes to current EU legislation.
Deborah Gold, chief executive of National Aids Trust, welcomed the changes to the blood donation rules.
"It's a huge advance for gay and bisexual men to now be able to donate three months from their last sexual activity," she said.
"We are also delighted that NHS Blood and Transplant have said they will now investigate how possible it is for some gay men, depending on degree of risk, to donate without even the three-month deferral."
Alex Phillips, blood donations policy lead at Terrence Higgins Trust, said representatives of the organisation were delighted the ban on sex workers had been lifted.
She said: "The lifetime blood donation ban on anyone who works or used to work in the sex industry in the UK is based on preconceptions rather than evidence, and the rules needed reviewing to fit the facts."
NHS Blood and Transplant said there was not currently a shortage of blood in the UK but 200,000 new donors were needed every year to replenish supplies.
It said there was a particular need for more people from black, Asian and minority ethnic communities to give blood. | Blood donation rules for sex workers and gay men are being relaxed in England and Scotland after improvements in the accuracy of testing procedures. |
37,554,872 | It was the first alcoholic drinks reception the DUP had ever organised at a party conference and it attracted widespread interest on social media.
Under the late Ian Paisley's leadership the DUP had a tee-total reputation.
Mrs Foster brushed off suggestions the event had embarrassed the party, saying she was pleased with the large turnout.
The lunchtime reception was held in an art gallery at the International Conference Centre in Birmingham.
It was packed and it proved so popular there were long queues to get inside.
Mrs Foster was joined at the reception by DUP MPs Nigel Dodds, Gavin Robinson, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, Ian Paisley - the party founder's son - and many party activists.
A number of senior Conservative MPs also attended the event.
The DUP leader told the BBC the event was not originally meant to be billed as a champagne reception but something had been "lost in translation" during the booking.
She said she was pleased with the amount of people who attended and said it "was all good PR". | A champagne reception hosted by the DUP at the Conservative Party conference has been hailed as a success and "all good PR" by DUP leader Arlene Foster. |
37,962,966 | Ibrahim Halawa, 20, the son of Ireland's most senior Muslim cleric, was arrested during anti-government protests in Cairo in August 2013.
He was due in court on Saturday.
Irish Foreign Minister Charlie Flanagan said his priority was to see Mr Halawa return to Ireland as soon as possible.
Mr Halawa was due to appear along with 463 others, charged with inciting violence, rioting and sabotage relating to the protests in Cairo.
Mr Flanagan said: "Our understanding is that the trial has been adjourned until 13 December as a number of the defendants were not present in the court. This is linked to heightened security concerns in Cairo, following planned protests in recent days."
The minister said the Irish Ambassador to Egypt, Damien Cole, led an embassy observer team at the hearing on Saturday and said officials from the embassy had attended all hearings to date.
Mr Flanagan said the Irish government would continue to use "every possible opportunity to underline our concerns" about this case to the Egyptian authorities, both "bilaterally and with the EU and other partners".
"Ibrahim's lawyers have submitted an application for his return to Ireland under Egypt's Decree 140 Law, and the government is giving this initiative its full support," he said.
"The Taoiseach [Irish prime minister] has been in direct contact with President al-Sisi asking him to give positive consideration to the Decree 140 application. I have had a number of contacts with my Egyptian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, endorsing the application for Ibrahim's immediate release.
"I discussed the case with Minister Shoukry most recently on November 1st, when I once again repeated our call for this citizen's immediate return to Ireland."
Mr Flanagan said "in light of today's developments", the Irish government would be pursuing further contacts at the highest levels with Egypt to address Mr Halawa's continued detention and to again call for his immediate return to Ireland.
"I want to reaffirm the government's and my own personal commitment to secure Ibrahim Halawa's return to Ireland as soon as possible and we will be continuing to examine and explore all possible options for action that can help to achieve that objective," he added.
Mr Halawa's solicitor, Darragh Mackin, said it was "deeply disappointing" but "entirely unsurprising" that his trial had been adjourned again.
"This is indicative of the fact that Ibrahim cannot get a fair trial, and therefore it makes the outstanding application for a presidential decree even more important," he said.
Mr Mackin said he had been in contact with the Irish department of foreign affairs and the taoiseach's office to "ensure that urgent action is taken to ensure that maximum pressure is brought to bear in the resolution of the outstanding decree".
Three months ago, Egypt rejected a call from the Irish government for the immediate release of Mr Halawa, whose family live in Dublin, under presidential decree.
The Egyptian government has also rejected allegations by the United Nations about his treatment in prison.
Mr Halawa's trial has now been postponed 16 times.
Earlier this month, Amnesty International held a vigil at Stormont to show support for a campaign calling for Mr Halawa's immediate release.
Mr Halawa's sister, Khadija, attended and called on the Irish government to do more to put pressure on the Egyptian authorities to release her brother.
The family has denied claims that Mr Halawa is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's oldest and largest Islamist organisation.
The Egyptian government has declared it a terrorist group, a claim the organisation rejects.
More than 1,000 people have been killed and 40,000 are believed to have been jailed since President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi led the military's overthrow of Mohammed Morsi, Egypt's first democratically elected head of state, in 2013. | The Irish foreign minister has expressed concern after the trial of an Irishman, who was been imprisoned in Egypt for more than three years, has been adjourned again. |
40,940,007 | A video shows the tree crashing down on a crowded square in a suburb of the main town, Funchal, spreading panic among people enjoying the festivities.
Two children are reported to have been killed, and some of the injured are said to be foreign nationals.
Reports suggest the tree which fell was an oak that was about 200 years old.
As the island declared three days of mourning, Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa arrived in a display of solidarity, telling reporters that "all Portuguese people" shared their shock.
He was due to visit the scene of the disaster as well as a hospital and a civil defence facility.
Madeira, a popular destination for European tourists, is the largest of a group of Portuguese islands in the north Atlantic Ocean, south-west of the Portuguese mainland.
People had gathered outside a church in a village in the hills overlooking the town to celebrate the Roman Catholic Feast of the Assumption, which takes place on Tuesday and is a public holiday. The Lady of the Mount festival is the island's biggest.
The tree came down just after midday (11:00 GMT) on Fountain Square, which has a Catholic shrine and other monuments, and is shaded by plane trees, according to the Funchal town website.
"I heard a great noise and when I looked at the tree it was already falling but was too fast and people started to run and those who couldn't run stayed under the tree," one unnamed eyewitness said.
"It was something we will never forget," said another. "It sounded like shots and it just gave us time to look and run away when we realised there were people under the tree."
Emergency services flooded the area after the disaster, tending to the injured.
Pedro Ramos, health secretary of the local government of Madeira, said the injured included German, Hungarian and French citizens, the Portuguese news site Publico reports.
Witnesses quoted by Portuguese broadcaster RTP say the tree that fell had been shored up for at least two years because the trunk was hollow.
President de Sousa said it was not for him to give an opinion on responsibility for the disaster as that was a "matter for the regional authorities".
"The president of the republic is conveying the clear, total and unconditional solidarity of the Portuguese," he said.
This year's festival would have been all the more special because, Portuguese news site Publico notes, last year's event had to be cancelled due to forest fires.
Danny Savage, BBC News
High above Funchal, looking out across the Atlantic, is the village of Monte. Last night, the Catholic church, which attracts thousands of tourists, stood out like a beacon above the town, floodlit for the Feast of the Assumption.
The cable car linking the town and the church worked late into the night taking thousands of people to and from the festivities. When we visited last week, parishioners were decorating the church altar in beautiful flowers.
Friendly, cheerful, trying to make this year's festival special after wild fires destroyed the surrounding countryside last year leading the event to be cancelled.
Today, thousands of people had gathered around the church again for a procession. A small square, close to where buses drop visitors, was busy when the tree came down.
The crowd would have been mainly Portuguese but there are thousands of people from many other countries here at the moment, some of whom may have been caught up in this disaster. | A falling tree has killed at least 13 people and injured 49 at a religious ceremony on the Portuguese island of Madeira. |
35,333,366 | The Met Office has issued a yellow warning to "be aware" of snow and ice.
A corridor of snow 100 miles (160km) wide is moving from western Scotland, through the English Midlands, to London and south-east England overnight.
BBC Weather's Jay Wynne said a few centimetres (one inch) of snow were likely on low levels, with up to 10cm possible at higher levels in Scotland.
Parts of rural Scotland may see temperatures drop to -10C (14F) for a second night, he added.
The Met Office says clear skies will allow temperatures to fall widely to below freezing on Saturday evening, making untreated footpaths and cyclepaths turn icy.
There were further warnings of freezing fog on Sunday morning, which is expected to be slow to clear.
Latest local information from the BBC
Between one and three centimetres of snow are likely at low levels, with between five and 10cm possible above 200m across western Scotland and Cumbria.
In Scotland, all five snow sports centres were able to open their slopes for skiing and snowboarding.
Climbers and hillwalkers, however, were warned that the risk of avalanches in Scotland's highest hills and mountains was "considerable".
All areas of the UK are affected by the Met Office's yellow "be aware" warnings for either ice or snow or both, except Wales, Northern Ireland, the Grampian region, north-east England and the islands of Orkney and Shetland.
The warning is in place until mid-morning on Sunday.
The Met Office has three categories for its warnings - red, amber and yellow - with red as the most severe.
It said less cold conditions should start to develop during Sunday, allowing some snow to start melting. | Drivers are being warned to take care on the roads as many people across the UK see their first snow this winter. |
35,855,497 | The world champion started from pole position after dominating qualifying but fell back through the field after a bad start. Team-mate Nico Rosberg won.
"I've had much worse in the first race," Hamilton said. "I take this as a real bonus to come back from seventh.
"There's a long, long way to go. I bagged good points today. I'm happy."
Listen to BBC Radio 5 live commentary as Hamilton gets swamped at the start of the Australian Grand Prix
Hamilton was third running into the first corner after Rosberg and Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel made better starts than him and then immediately dropped to sixth after being pushed wide by his team-mate.
Hamilton's team then switched his strategy to do just one pit stop rather than the conventional two, which meant he was seventh when the race was stopped for a massive accident from which McLaren's Fernando Alonso emerged unhurt.
Hamilton gained places as those ahead of him stopped and held off a challenge from Vettel in the closing laps.
"Generally for me it was a great race," he said. "It was really exciting.
"Having to fight back from behind, it's very, very hard to follow [other cars] as we all know from the history here. I'm just really proud of what the team have done.
"Ferrari are obviously there and in the battle so hopefully we have some exciting races coming up ahead of us.
"I did the best I could after a difficult start and I'm just grateful I got back. It was damage limitation really because Nico could have had a lot more points than me."
His remarks are a reference to the start of the 2014 season, when Rosberg won in Australia and Hamilton had to retire with an engine problem.
That meant he started the season with a 25-point deficit which it took him some time to claw back and put him on the back foot for much of the season.
Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff said Hamilton lost about two metres to Rosberg in the first 100m of the race. He said the team did not yet know whether the slow start was down to a systems error or a driver error.
Rosberg said: "It was a great race and I'm really pleased. To win the first race of the season was awesome. It was a good kick-start to the season."
Australian GP results
Australian GP coverage details | Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton said his second place in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix was a "bonus" after a difficult race. |
35,578,636 | A former senior call adviser for the non-emergency hotline claimed in a Daily Mail article staff at the Dorset site were "overworked".
The centre has recently been criticised after the death of a baby in Cornwall.
South Western Ambulance Service, which runs the service, said it "strongly refuted" allegations in the article.
Doubts have been raised about the 111 service, where non-medically trained call handlers work alongside a limited number of clinicians, after the death of baby William Mead in 2014.
A report on his death said he might have lived if call handlers realised the seriousness of his condition.
Whistleblower Sarah Hayes, who is a former member of staff, told The Daily Mail there was "frequently" no on-call clinician at the trust's call centres in Dorset or Devon.
She told the newspaper: "The nurses and paramedics we did have were so exhausted and overworked that some would fall asleep on shift.
"I was angry, of course, but I don't feel it was their fault. Put simply, they were exhausted.
"I think anyone with experience of 111 would say it has problems for young babies, and it's really hard to get a good assessment done."
She said she repeatedly raised her concerns with management but was branded a "troublemaker".
Ken Wenman, chief executive of South Western Ambulance Service, said the organisation had worked to "put the necessary measures in place to prevent something similar from happening again".
He said: "There are a number of allegations made in the Daily Mail that we strongly refute, however, there are actions that Sarah Hayes says she took, for which we can find no paper trail or audit, and therefore an investigation into these allegations has been commissioned.
Joyce Guest, chair of Healthwatch Dorset, described the claims as "very disturbing".
She added: "The service needs to be adequately staffed at all times. Exhausted staff are more likely to make mistakes. And there needs to be enough medically trained staff available at all times, in addition to call handlers."
A spokesperson for NHS regulator Monitor said it would work closely with the trust while it looks into the "issues". | The NHS has started an investigation after pictures emerged showing "exhausted" medics at a 111 call centre seemingly asleep on duty. |
37,646,992 | After Gary Mills' sacking earlier this week, caretaker boss Joey Jones' side went ahead on six minutes through Shaun Harrad.
But a second-half penalty, converted by Lee Beeson, means a replay is needed at The Racecourse on Tuesday, 18 October.
Stamford, who are three divisions beneath Wrexham, were not overawed and created numerous chances. | Managerless Wrexham were held 1-1 at Northern Premier League Division One North side Stamford in the FA Cup. |
26,338,912 | Former Newcastle United striker Nile Ranger, 22, denies rape in January last year.
Newcastle Crown Court heard that the alleged victim sent him a text message calling him a "predator".
The player, who is now with League One Swindon Town, responded by saying she made him sound like Jack the Ripper.
The jury was read an exchange of text messages Mr Ranger sent the women in the weeks prior to the alleged incident.
He repeatedly asked her to be his girlfriend, or to meet him or go out for a drink, but she refused, saying she already had a boyfriend.
In one exchange she said: "No, you're a sex pest, told you I would be mates, nothing more."
Another read: "You're like a crazy sex pest animal let out of its cage on a monthly cycle."
She also referred to him as "a predator, can't deal with that" and described him as "Nile Ripper".
The trial had earlier heard that the pair had been out together in Newcastle, and she woke up naked next to Mr Ranger not knowing where she was.
CCTV footage has also been shown of the pair arriving in a taxi at the Carlton Hotel in Jesmond, Newcastle, where the alleged victim could be seen falling out of the car.
After being arrested, Mr Ranger told police they had had sex twice and she had consented "wholeheartedly" and "enthusiastically".
The prosecution had earlier said that on previous occasion she had gone back to a hotel with him as he said he wanted to talk to her, but she left after he started kissing her neck and touching her leg, the court heard.
The trial continues. | A former Premier League footballer accused of raping a woman in a hotel acted like a "crazy sex pest animal let out of his cage", a court has heard. |
34,501,664 | Werner Hoyer told Sueddeutsche Zeitung that the EIB gave loans to the German carmaker for things like the development of low emissions engines.
He said they could be recalled in the wake of VW's emissions cheating.
The paper reported that about €1.8bn (£1.3bn) of those loans are still outstanding.
Mr Hoyer is quoted as saying that the EIB had granted loans worth around €4.6bn to Volkswagen since 1990.
"The EIB could have taken a hit [from the emissions scandal] because we have to fulfil certain climate targets with our loans," the Sueddeutsche Zeitung quoted Mr Hoyer as saying.
Mr Hoyer was attending the International Monetary Fund's meeting in Lima, Peru.
He added that the EIB would conduct "very thorough investigations" into what VW used the funds for.
Mr Hoyer told reporters that if he found that the loans were used for purposes other than intended, the EU bank would have to "ask ourselves whether we have to demand loans back".
He also said he was "very disappointed" by Volkswagen, adding the EIB's relationship with the carmaker would be damaged by the scandal.
Volkswagen admitted that about 11 million of its vehicles had been fitted with a "defeat device" - a piece of software that duped tests into showing that VW engines emitted fewer emissions than they really did.
Mr Hoyer's comments come days after VW's US chief Michael Horn faced a Congress panel to answer questions about the scandal, which has prompted several countries to launch their own investigations into the carmaker.
On Monday, VW's UK managing director Paul Willis is due to appear before members of parliament at an informal hearing. | The European Investment Bank (EIB) could recall loans it gave to Volkswagen, its president told a German newspaper. |
21,326,831 | Lost in the middle of Tegharghar mountains in the far north-east of Mali, Esel is a an eerie and magical place.
It is dominated by a vast, smooth boulder, as high as a five-storey building and as long as 10 double-decker buses, that sits on top of a warren of caves.
The rock itself has been split neatly in two by the heat of the Saharan sun and the cold of the Saharan night.
The ground leading to it is strewn with ancient stone arrowheads and axes.
In prehistoric times, those caves were home to hunter-gatherers. Now they could very well be sheltering Islamist militants fleeing the advancing forces of France and its African allies.
I visited Esel a few years ago with Ibrahim, the lead singer of Tinariwen, a group of Tuareg guitarists and poets that I was managing at the time.
For him and for many Tuareg, it is a place of reverence and contemplation, like Ayers Rock in Australia or the Grand Canyon in the US.
It also happens to be on the frontline of Operation Serval, France's continuing mission to rid northern Mali of militant Islamist groups.
The Tegharghar mountains give the word "remote" new meaning.
Nearby Kidal, the largest town in a region that is sometimes known as the Adagh des Ifoghas, or The mountains of the Ifoghas tribe, is 1,400 km (900 miles) from the Malian capital, Bamako.
It has been at the epicentre of every single Tuareg rebellion against the central government since 1962.
Until the latest rebellion broke out in October 2011, precipitating an exodus of refugees, about 40,000 people lived in the low-slung buildings that sprawl around Kidal's 90-year old French Foreign Legion fort.
The surrounding landscape is desiccated and featureless, encrusted with black rocks that bake under a merciless sun.
It is the perfect place to fake a moon landing.
Unfortunately for the French, the Tegharghar mountains are also a perfect place for a guerrilla army.
Why Mali's nomads are lying low
The rise of Islamist militants in the Sahara
The annual rains fill up the gueltas, or ponds, with drinking water for nomadic animal herds and insurgents.
The numerous caves offer shelter from sand storms and helicopter gunships.
Impoverished local nomads can easily be persuaded to part with the goats and camels needed to feed a rebel force.
The Algerian border is close and porous enough to keep supplies of food, diesel and ammunition flowing in - as long as corrupt local officials can be bribed or forced to turn a blind eye.
As I write, the French air force is bombing militant positions and arms dumps on the northern edge of the Tegharghar, around the village of Tessalit, a beautiful little oasis located next to a river that floods every June and July, if the rains are good.
France has its eye on the nearby military airbase, a highly strategic facility which it built in the 1950s. It is unclear why its troops have not yet captured the base.
From there, it will be able to fan out and patrol the region from the air.
Any ground convoy of more than three 4X4 vehicles is likely to be targeted, unless it can identify itself in time. The potential for collateral damage is high.
But al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and their allies know the area all too well.
They first set up base here in 2003, using the Tegharghar mountains and the endless desert plains to the north-west as an ideal bolthole in which to hide Western hostages and train new recruits.
Apart from one skirmish in 2009, the Malian army left them to it. Mali has paid the price for that laissez-faire policy.
Until 2009, when AQIM made it too dangerous for Westerners to travel north up the vast flat Tilemsi valley, an ancient riverbed which serves as the region's north-south highway, I was planning to build a holiday home in Tessalit.
In the black basaltic hills that surround the village there are endless little valleys that turn green and verdant after the rains.
Some of the hillsides are littered with pre-historic rock art. The all-pervading sense of timeless calm and abundant space is quite intoxicating.
It is a landscape in which you can feel free and it is that freedom that the Tuareg have been fighting for, these past five decades.
The ultimate mission for Mali, France and the international community, beyond Operation Serval and the global war on terror, is to restore some of that magic and peace to the Adagh des Ifoghas.
It will involve not only ridding the region of Islamist gunmen, but finding long-term solutions to northern Mali's political, social and economic problems.
Right now, those problems seem as huge and immovable as the rock at Esel. | Journalist Andy Morgan describes the remote mountains in the deserts of northern Mali, where Islamist rebels are believed to have fled after French-led forces chased them out of the region's main towns, possibly taking several French hostages with them. |
31,153,964 | Six years on, not only has the 26-year-old learnt how to walk, he won a couple of gold medals at the recent Invictus Games.
And one of the Liverpool fan's reasons for his success? A recent edit on one of his tattoos.
While having his leg amputated, Andy lost the word 'alone' from his 'You'll never walk alone' tattoo by his knee.
Andy told the Metro: "I am a huge Liverpool fan so had the Liver bird and the words to the song You'll Never Walk Alone on my leg.
"The tattoo that I have been left with has always been a bit of a joke. I use it in my motivational speeches."
Now the Royal Marine has his sights on a running world record.
"It is ironic that it says I will never walk as I have gone on to run 10 km in 40 minutes.
"At the moment I am just two minutes off a record for the 10 km for a single leg amputee and I have that in my sights."
Andy recently posted this photo to mark six years since he was injured, it has the caption "Six years ago me + my best mate were blown up in Afghanistan".
As the 26-year-old continues to rebuild his life, he's grown quite attached to his altered ink.
"It is bizarre and I just laugh about it. But it adds to my story I guess.
"The fact is that regardless of what the words says, the operation allowed me to walk and run and do so much else. You have got to see the funny side of it."
Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter, BBCNewsbeat on Instagram and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube | While serving as a Royal Marine in Afghanistan, Andy Grant lost his leg after standing on a mine. |
38,842,671 | The ex-councillor, who was raped by her brother, has become a patron of the National Association for People Abused in Childhood.
Ms Danczuk found fame posting self-portraits on Twitter - though she now believes these were a "cry for help".
She said she hopes to use her media profile to help remove the "stigma" suffered by abuse victims.
Ms Danczuk waived her right to anonymity following the sentencing of Michael Burke in December.
He was jailed for 15 years for a series of sex attacks on his sister and two other victims over an 18-year period.
Ms Danczuk said her fondness for sharing selfies with her 72,000 followers may have been linked to her abuse, which began when she was aged six.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 live, she said: "I think I wanted to be normal. I wanted people to look at me in a way that I probably hadn't been looked at before.
"It was a mental thing, it was a confidence thing.
"I feel quite embarrassed. It was a massive cry for help.
"Now when I look back I think, goodness me, I really was ill, and I really feel sorry for me back then."
Ms Danczuk, who is no longer with her Rochdale MP husband Simon Danczuk, said she now wants to offer support to sexual abuse victims and use her Twitter account to debate mental health issues.
"What drives me is I feel I'm an underdog, and there are millions of people out there like me," she said. "It takes just one person to say 'I'm going to fight this and we're going to take it on'.
"There is a stigma that you should be ashamed if you've been raped.
"I think they're really harsh words and actually, by me coming out and saying actually there is no shame in this, it just helps other people."
Ms Danczuk, who was a Labour councillor from 2012 to 2015, said she would like to get back into politics.
She said: "I've been thinking this past week... I would love to be an MP.
"I genuinely would and I just hope I can get the support out there to enable that, because I think my voice is important. Mixed views should be taken into account."
She added she would stand for Labour but said she would not stand against her former husband. | Karen Danczuk has said she wants to shed her "selfie queen" tag and become an MP to help sexual abuse victims. |
35,608,182 | As part of the 12-month pilot, the company would employ two enforcement officers to target problem areas.
Income from fixed penalties, as well as existing council budgets, would pay for the scheme, according to local authority officers.
The plans were drawn up as reports of dog fouling in the region increased by 16% in 12 months.
People who fail to clean up after their dogs can be issued with a fixed penalty fine of £40.
From 1 April, it will be brought into line with other littering offences and it will rise to £80, or £100 if it is not paid within 28 days.
However, since Scottish Borders Council withdrew their warden service in March 2013, only police and designated council officers can enforce the fines.
Under the proposed scheme, the external contractor's staff would be recruited locally and work from council offices.
As well as enforcing fines for dog fouling, littering and fly-tipping, they would work with schools to educate youngsters about related issues.
Councillor David Paterson said: "During the extensive research carried out by council officers, it has become clear that in order for dog fouling to be tackled properly, a strategy around the wider issue of dog ownership is needed.
"Like many councillors, I know dog fouling is a major concern for members of the public and in the last year I have asked officers to consider a more robust way to combat the issue."
Councillors will be asked to support the proposals at a meeting on 25 February. | A private contractor could be appointed by Scottish Borders Council to tackle dog fouling in the region. |
40,846,542 | Police say the man's body was found near the East Lorengau refugee transit centre on Monday morning.
Australia's Immigration and Border Protection department said Papua New Guinean (PNG) authorities are investigating the death.
PNG police said the man, who is from Iran, took his own life, though reports say other residents contested that.
The man's name has not been released.
Asylum seekers who arrive in Australia by boat are detained at the Manus Island centre and on the nation of Nauru as part of the government's long-standing policy.
Australia agreed to close the Manus Island centre last year after a PNG court ruled that detaining asylum seekers and refugees there was unconstitutional.
Rights groups say conditions in the PNG and Nauru camps are inadequate with poor hygiene, cramped conditions, unrelenting heat and a lack of facilities.
The controversial centre is due to close by 31 October. | An asylum seeker who was being held at the Australian-run detention centre on Manus Island has been found dead. |
39,101,489 | Some 500,000 documents containing medical information, including cancer test results, were mistakenly put in storage rather than being sent to the GP or filed in the patients' records.
An investigation is under way, focusing on the estimated 2,500 patients who may have been adversely affected and need further medical checks.
So far, no harm has been reported.
The error occurred when a mail redirection company hired by the NHS failed to pass on documents that had either been incorrectly addressed or needed re-routing because the patient had moved to a new GP surgery.
The company, NHS Shared Business Services, has expressed regret for the failings, which occurred between 2011 and 2016 in the East Midlands, the South West and north-east London.
An NHS England spokesperson said: "A team including clinical experts has reviewed that old correspondence and it has now all been delivered wherever possible to the correct practice."
Speaking in the House of Commons, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt confirmed that 2,000 of the higher risk cases had now been reassessed by doctors - at a cost of £2.2m - with no harm detected. The remaining 500 are still being assessed.
He said it was "completely extraordinary" that so much data had gone missing unnoticed for so long.
Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth described the "astonishing" failure as an "absolute scandal".
"The news is heartbreaking for the families involved and it will be scarcely believable for these hospitals and GPs who are doing their best to deliver services despite the neglect of the government. We urgently need to know how this was allowed to happen, how many patients were involved and how many have been harmed, and whether patients remain at risk."
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt first disclosed the data error in July 2016, but, at that time, did not say how many primary care patients had been affected.
Dr Richard Vautrey of the British Medical Association said the error would have meant some GPs were treating patients without all the relevant information that they needed.
"That might mean repeat prescriptions, which would be unnecessary, as they have been taken before. And it might mean delay in diagnosis. If that happened it's at best an inconvenience to the patient, and at worst there's a risk of patient harm."
Katherine Murphy of the Patients Association said the episode had the potential to be hugely damaging to patient care and trust.
"Patients trust the NHS to look after their confidential information and this confidence is now eroded."
Prof Helen Stokes-Lampard, chair of the Royal College of GPs, said: "Patient care and safety must always be the number one priority when awarding private companies contracts for any work in the health service. What we are seeing here is companies bidding for, and being awarded, contracts for work that is much more complex that they originally thought.
"We must learn lessons from this - as we must learn from any errors - and ensure that any initiatives to increase efficiency in the NHS are undertaken with caution, and in the long term best interests of general practice, the wider NHS, and our patients." | NHS England is investigating whether any patients have been harmed by an administrative mix-up. |
40,225,600 | The swoon weighed on US markets, offsetting gains in financial and energy stocks.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq index fell 113.84 points or 1.80%% to 6,207.92.
The broader S&P 500 dipped 2.02 points or 0.08% to 2,431.77, while the Dow Jones edged up 89.44 points, rising 0.42% to 21,271.97.
US markets had seen limited movement earlier this week, as markets waited to see the results of the UK election and reaction to the testimony by former FBI director James Comey in Washington.
Mr Trump's firing of Mr Comey, who had been leading the FBI investigation into ties between Russia and the Trump campaign, has drawn a political backlash, threatening the prospects for key business initiatives in Washington.
But the testimony contained little new information and Republicans appeared confident in plans to press forward on key initiatives, such as loosening financial rules.
Financial stocks gained nearly 2% on Friday, while energy stocks rose more than 2% as oil prices stabilised.
But those increases couldn't overcome the fall in technology stocks.
Netflix fell 4.7%, Apple sank 3.9%, Google-owner Alphabet dropped 3.4% Facebook declined 3.3% and Amazon fell 3.2%.
The firms' weeks of success on Wall Street had won it an acronym - FAANG - and led to a steady drumbeat of commentary about possibly inflated values, but it wasn't clear what triggered the widespread sell-off.
It wasn't all bad for internet companies.
Pandora shares jumped 1.2% on Friday, after the music streaming service said it would receive a $480m cash infusion from Sirius XM.
Pandora said the investment by Sirius XM, a satellite radio company, would give it money to grow. It also gives Sirius exposure to the market for online radio. | After weeks of seemingly unstoppable rises, US tech stocks turned sharply down on Friday. |
20,266,662 | "I was more scared of the weather than the enemy," said 86-year-old veteran Herbert MacNeil, from Manchester.
Yet most of the medals adorning Mr MacNeil's crisp blue blazer as he stands at the Middleton war memorial on Remembrance Day have been awarded by the former USSR and the Russian Federation.
He has been honoured four times by the Russians in 1985, 1995, 2005 and 2010.
Winston Churchill said the convoys carried out "the most dangerous journey in the world".
Yet veterans believe they have received scant recognition from the British government for their sacrifices and the enormous risks they ran.
The Arctic sailors received the same medal as those who served on the Atlantic convoys.
"The Arctic was totally different to the Atlantic - somebody needs to tell them in Whitehall," said Mr MacNeil.
"They gave us an Atlantic medal it was like giving us something from a corn flake packet."
Mr MacNeil, who joined the Royal Navy in 1941 age 16, served as an anti-aircraft gunner but a lot of his time was spent battling the elements.
"If you didn't shift the ice the ship could capsize, it was in danger of overturning," he said. "We had to try and chip it off with hammers and scrapers - anything you could lay your hands on.
Source: National Maritime Museum
How an Arctic Convoy helped sink the pride of Germany's battle cruisers
Listen to veteran describe 'absolute hell' of Arctic convoy
"They were terrible conditions. You daren't touch any metal rail on deck as your hand would stick to it.
"When the bows [of the ship] went into a wave you thought they were never going to come out again, you would breathe a sigh of relief and say that's it until the next comes. It was shocking, you did four hours on deck unless it was action stations."
He added: "When you got down below, it was mayhem. All the asbestos had come off the deck heads - the floors were swamped, everything was wet.
"You had no dry clothing and hoped the first lot you had worn had dried out but it never did it stayed wet all the time. You daren't go on the upper deck as it would have frozen to you."
Prime Minister David Cameron told MPs at Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday he had "every sympathy" with the case of the Arctic convoy veterans.
He said a review would look at the general issue of medals, with the Arctic convoys "probably the most pressing".
Mr MacNeil and other veterans believe the Cold War was responsible for their lack of recognition.
"It was a political thing because of the Cold War. We were all for the Russians during the war," he said.
The unspoken hope is that the honour will not be posthumous for those surviving vets.
He added: "It's about time them at the top took their fingers out and did what was right and give us what we're due.
"All it needs is somebody with a bit of common sense to say the Russians have recognised their men it's time for us to recognise our men.
"It would be thanks for a job well done." | For the Arctic convoys of World War II that took supplies to the Soviet Union - braving 70ft (21m) waves and temperatures as low as -50C - the weather and seas were just as deadly as the U-boats. |
39,102,976 | It was taken from the Skippers Bridge in Langholm at about 18:20 on Wednesday.
The scaffolding had been dismantled following the repairs and two men were seen loading it onto a lorry with a white cab at the side of the road.
The value of the scaffolding has been estimated at about £5,000. Police are appealing for witnesses. | Thieves have stolen scaffolding worth thousands of pounds from repair works on a bridge in Dumfries and Galloway. |
31,040,614 | "The poppy, an iconic feature of the rural Tasmanian landscape, has been developed as a tribute to those who fought in World War One," the Rupertswood Farm in Hagley wrote on their Facebook page.
The maze has been created in a field of sorghum, a grass crop which is used for food and animal fodder.
It opens to the public on 21 February.
"It's probably more to reflect all of the people who fought in the First World War," farmer Rowan Clark told ABC News in Australia.
"We grow poppies on our farm, it's our main crop so we thought it was a good fit."
Mr Clark and his wife Anna used GPS technology and a ride-on mower to create the design.
They believe the maze would grow to up to eight feet (2.5m) high.
"Hopefully at the opening, it will probably be about four, five feet high, and then it'll get even bigger after that. I think at the end of last year, our crop maze was about seven or eight feet high," he said.
After the attraction closes, the sorghum crop will be baled for silage.
Last year the pair designed a maze in the shape of a tiger, which more than 2,000 people are thought to have visited.
Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter, BBCNewsbeat on Instagram and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube | A massive maze cut in the shape of a poppy has been unveiled on a farm in Tasmania, Australia. |
32,810,383 | It marks the 75th anniversary of the detention of more than 3,500 women and children in the south of the island during World War Two.
Organiser Pamela Crowe, of Rushen Heritage, said the exhibition was of "international importance".
It was opened at St Catherine's Church by former internee Kathleen Hallgarten.
A baby when she was interned with her mother Ruth Borchard, she spent 18 months in the Rushen camp.
The now 76-year-old, whose parents were from Hamburg, said: "I remember an awful lot from the stories my mother told me - she recalled it as an enormously happy time."
Ms Hallgarten's father was interned separately in the north of the island.
All three were sent to the Isle of Man at short notice because her father worked in the shipping industry in the UK.
She said it is an exhibition of "great historic importance" and an opportunity for those detained to thank the Manx landladies and residents.
"My mother said the worst thing was not knowing when we would be released and the best thing was the friendships forged with both fellow internees and locals.
"In London it was the Blitz and they were sharing half a bedroom with family - here it was tranquil and the hottest summer on record. We just played on the beach".
The Isle of Man was asked by the UK government to accommodate thousands of enemy aliens at camps in Douglas, Ramsey and Peel.
According to Mrs Crowe, the majority of those interned in Port Erin and Port St Mary were refugees who had fled from Nazi Germany.
Even German nationals who had lived in Britain for decades were arrested, as were those who held passports from the Axis powers.
Women were sent to a specially built camp in the south of the island.
Hilda Wolfgang, who was an ordinary housewife and completely loyal to Britain, recalls: "I was interned. Just like that two policemen came and fetched me. People stood lining the streets, throwing stones at you, spitting at you and shouting spies!
"That was horrible. Everyone thought it would be a concentration camp like it is in Germany. Several of them wanted to jump in the water, because they didn't know what was in front of them. When we arrived in the Isle of Man, we had pictures taken with our number on. We already had the feeling that we were criminals."
Mrs Crowe said the Rushen camp was "unique in Europe" as it was a "camp of women, run by women for women."
She said: "It was a wonderful time in so much as they had escaped the bombings in London and arrived in the beautiful towns of Port Erin and Port St Mary with their glorious beaches.
"The women were well-occupied and shared their skills which included sculpture, typing and dress-making. Some beautiful work was produced."
Rushen Heritage Director Hugh Davidson agreed that as the camp was run by the Home Office rather than the military, there was great freedom.
He said: "The local people were within the barbed wire perimeter as well as the internees.
"It was basically a unique form of government by women of women because it was run by the landladies".
Mrs Clarke continued: "We are not suggesting that Rushen Camp was Utopia, since many women internees had wrongly lost their freedom and were loyal to Britain."
All other Manx camps like Knockaloe, which housed 23,000 internees near Peel, were just for men.
During the internment the population of the villages of Port Erin and Port St Mary doubled with the camp remaining occupied for five years.
It eventually closed in 1945 with many choosing to stay on after the war and remaining firm friends for life with the families who had looked after them.
Mrs Crowe added: "From grand hotels to humble homes - all spare bedrooms were requisitioned to house the thousands of women that arrived."
The research for the exhibition was undertaken by volunteers from the Rushen Heritage Trust.
The display is open daily from 10:00-16:00 BST until 14 June. | An exhibition which reveals the previously untold stories of detainees at Europe's only all-female internment camp has opened in the Isle of Man. |
30,853,342 | The problem, as always, is that the figures are not in synch - Wales and Northern Ireland data for accident and emergency waiting times are for the month of December, while NHS England has come up with its latest weekly figures, up till Sunday, 11 January.
And what's happening in Scotland? Well we have no new figures since September and they will not be updated until February.
So what do we learn? There is confirmation, if it were needed, that the pressures on hospitals are being felt around the UK and posing challenges for both Westminster and the devolved administrations which run health.
Wales, like England, is recording the worst outcomes relative to four-hour waiting-time standards since current data-recording protocols were introduced over the last decade.
It is worth noting that in the week ending 11 January, the number of attendances at English A&E units fell slightly and the proportion seen within four hours was up by three percentage points compared with the previous week.
This was the week which saw a dozen hospitals declaring "major incidents" in a bid to clear the backlog in A&E and discharge as many patients as possible to free up beds.
But there will still major pressures on the service and the number of delayed transfers of patients was the highest this winter.
What is described as an "unprecedented increase in demand for ambulance services" has been given as a reason for a change in ambulance response policy in parts of England.
A row blew up in December after a leaked memo suggested that ambulance priorities might be changed because of pressure on the system.
An option under discussion was to reduce the number of conditions labelled as "Red 2", the second most urgent category. The government has now announced its plans.
The statement from Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt sets out a new a policy to be piloted in the South West of England and London.
The conditions branded "Red 1" and "Red 2" will remain the same, with a few actually moving up to "Red 1".
But the length of time before an ambulance is dispatched will be increased from 60 to 180 seconds.
The logic is to give more time to decide on priorities and avoid dispatches to cases which turn out to be less urgent than first believed.
Mr Hunt has made clear the changes have been made purely on clinical advice. NHS England and ambulance chiefs argue they will eliminate " inefficiencies" and "distortions" created by attempts to hit the eight-minute response time national target.
But Labour's response was that in the worst winter for the NHS in years it was the wrong time to experiment or relax operational standards.
A letter to the Health Secretary from Keith Willett, NHS England's director of acute care, suggests he would have liked to go further and downgrade some conditions from "Red 2" because those patients didn't derive clinical benefit from the arrival of an ambulance within eight minutes.
This was the thrust of the leaked memo last month. He acknowledges that the idea needs further discussion and could not be introduced short-term.
Reading between the lines, the Health Secretary seems to have decided that the changes to ambulance protocols flagged up in the December memo are too controversial.
What remains to be seen is whether the more limited shift in policy flagged up today becomes a political hot potato. | The latest news gives us an updated snapshot of the state of the NHS in different parts of the UK at a time when the service is under intense pressure and the subject of heated political debate. |
40,002,218 | The fire service said that a "significant quantity" of material is on fire at the Castlebawn site on Portaferry Road.
The advice has been issued to those in the Court Street and Castlebawn areas.
The fire in the County Down town has been burning for four days, according to the Newtownards Chronicle.
In a statement, the fire service said that it had extinguished one area of the fire.
"We have been liaising with environmental health from Ards and North Down Borough Council and the site owners, and are awaiting a digger to arrive on site to separate the rubbish and rubble to enable us to continue with firefighting operations." | Residents in Newtownards have been told to keep their windows and doors closed against a plume of smoke coming from a "rubbish and rubble fire". |
40,228,323 | Malcolm White, 53, from Pittenweem, was killed while driving on the Ovenstone to Carnbee road near Anstruther between 20:25 and 20:45 on Wednesday.
In a statement issued through Police Scotland, his family described him as "a loving, caring and adoring husband, father, brother and son".
They added: "He will be sorely missed by all who knew and loved him.
"We respectfully request privacy at this most difficult time."
Police have appealed for anyone who may have witnessed the crash, or seen the tractor in the area beforehand, to get in touch. | A man who died after his tractor overturned on a road in Fife has been named by police. |
38,271,767 | With just seconds remaining Richard Wood was sent off for fouling Lucas Joao in the area and Fletcher slammed home from the spot.
Joao had earlier forced a good save from Millers keeper Lewis Price before Rotherham skipper Lee Frecklington had an effort blocked.
Fletcher headed straight at Price in the final minute before the late drama.
The result was harsh on the Millers, who remain 12 points adrift of safety.
They had the ball in the net in the first half but Tom Adeyemi's effort was ruled out for a foul.
Wednesday improved after the break and looked set to be left ruing Fletcher's missed chance when he headed straight at Price when unmarked.
But his late penalty gave Carlos Carvalhal's men victory and moved them up to sixth in the table.
Sheffield Wednesday boss Carlos Carvalhal:
"It was not an easy game; it was a local derby and Rotherham had a lot to play for.
"It has been a long time since we beat Rotherham here. The players had a very good attitude. We broke a wall that Rotherham put up and we don't win a lot of those games so I am very happy.
"We never know in this competition whether it will be easier playing the bottom of the league or the top of the league. Rotherham caused us a lot of problems."
Rotherham caretaker manager Paul Warne:
"It was more a case of the player winning the penalty. Would I be happy if my striker did that in the 93rd minute to win the game? Yes I would.
"But I don't know how that is a sending-off; I am going to speak to him about that. I thought the rules had changed with the double jeopardy.
"For the (disallowed) goal, I've watched it back numerous times and I cannot see where the foul is - I can't even see where it might have been. I will go and speak to the referee and he will tell me something I didn't see.
"To lose at such a late stage is bitter pill to swallow, but I will still go home pretty proud. We couldn't give any more."
Match ends, Sheffield Wednesday 1, Rotherham United 0.
Second Half ends, Sheffield Wednesday 1, Rotherham United 0.
Tom Lees (Sheffield Wednesday) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Aimen Belaid (Rotherham United).
Corner, Rotherham United. Conceded by Glenn Loovens.
Attempt missed. Ross Wallace (Sheffield Wednesday) right footed shot from the right side of the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Lucas João following a fast break.
Goal! Sheffield Wednesday 1, Rotherham United 0. Steven Fletcher (Sheffield Wednesday) converts the penalty with a left footed shot to the bottom right corner.
Richard Wood (Rotherham United) is shown the red card.
Joe Mattock (Rotherham United) is shown the yellow card.
Penalty Sheffield Wednesday. Lucas João draws a foul in the penalty area.
Penalty conceded by Richard Wood (Rotherham United) after a foul in the penalty area.
Attempt saved. Steven Fletcher (Sheffield Wednesday) header from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Sam Hutchinson with a cross.
Steven Fletcher (Sheffield Wednesday) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Darnell Fisher (Rotherham United).
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Dexter Blackstock (Rotherham United) because of an injury.
Foul by David Jones (Sheffield Wednesday).
Darnell Fisher (Rotherham United) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Darnell Fisher (Rotherham United) is shown the yellow card.
Foul by Lucas João (Sheffield Wednesday).
Tom Adeyemi (Rotherham United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt saved. Steven Fletcher (Sheffield Wednesday) header from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by David Jones with a cross.
Corner, Sheffield Wednesday. Conceded by Anthony Forde.
Attempt blocked. Steven Fletcher (Sheffield Wednesday) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Atdhe Nuhiu.
Ross Wallace (Sheffield Wednesday) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Lee Frecklington (Rotherham United).
Attempt missed. Anthony Forde (Rotherham United) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the right. Assisted by Joe Newell following a corner.
Corner, Rotherham United. Conceded by Glenn Loovens.
Attempt blocked. Lee Frecklington (Rotherham United) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Danny Ward.
Attempt missed. Steven Fletcher (Sheffield Wednesday) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Sam Hutchinson with a cross.
Attempt blocked. David Jones (Sheffield Wednesday) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Liam Palmer (Sheffield Wednesday) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Joe Newell (Rotherham United).
Attempt saved. Lucas João (Sheffield Wednesday) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Tom Lees.
Attempt blocked. Adam Reach (Sheffield Wednesday) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Sam Hutchinson with a headed pass.
Ross Wallace (Sheffield Wednesday) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Joe Newell (Rotherham United).
Atdhe Nuhiu (Sheffield Wednesday) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Anthony Forde (Rotherham United).
Atdhe Nuhiu (Sheffield Wednesday) wins a free kick in the defensive half. | Steven Fletcher's injury-time penalty gave Sheffield Wednesday victory over Championship strugglers Rotherham. |
36,562,812 | Daryn Dolan, 26, hit Kieran Barstow, 24, with a bottle which smashed, before using it to repeatedly injure him.
The attack in Ferguson Street, Johnstone, happened on 19 June last year following a row over a noisy car.
Dolan pleaded guilty to a charge of assaulting Mr Barstow to his severe injury and permanent disfigurement.
Jailing him at the High Court in Edinburgh, Lord Glennie told Dolan that he had no other option but to send him to prison for the "vicious" assault.
The court had previously heard that Dolan, of Linwood, Renfrewshire, was the passenger in a car whose engine was being revved.
Mr Barstow's friend, James McCarthur, asked the driver to keep the noise down.
Mr Barstow was then attacked when he tried to stop a fight which subsequently broke out between a woman that was in the car and a girl he was with.
Dolan ran off after the attack and was not placed by police until 20 August.
The victim suffered cuts on his face, scalp, arms, right foot and bruising to his right hand. He also required surgery to repair a 15cm cut to his jawline. | A man who carried out a "vicious" bottle attack on someone who tried to break up a fight in Renfrewshire has been jailed for five-and-a-half years. |
34,008,867 | The move allows the army to be sent in to control the influx.
Macedonia is a major transit point for migrants heading from Greece to wealthier northern EU members.
Some 44,000 people have reportedly travelled through Macedonia in the past two months, many of them fleeing violence in Syria.
The army's involvement would "increase the level of security among our citizens in the two regions and allow for a more comprehensive approach towards the people expressing an interest in claiming asylum," said Interior Ministry spokesman Ivo Kotevski.
There have been chaotic scenes at Macedonia's southern border with Greece in recent days, as migrants attempt to clamber on to trains travelling towards Western Europe.
"Everyone is rushing for himself. There's a lot of danger of people being killed," Najeem, 24, from Afghanistan told the BBC at Gevgelija station.
Kumanovo, near the Serbian border in the north, has also been declared a crisis region.
Meanwhile in Greece, a government-chartered ferry has arrived at Piraeus port near Athens, after picking up almost 2,500 migrants from islands near the Turkish coast.
The ferry was chartered in response to worsening conditions on the island of Kos, where small boats have been arriving every day from the Turkish coast.
Although a newly-opened migrant reception centre will take several hundred of the arrivals, most are expected to head north to the border with Macedonia.
Greece has seen almost 160,000 people landing on its shores since January, the UN estimates, with 50,000 arriving in the past month alone.
By boosting security at its borders, Macedonia could create a backlog of migrants for Greece to cope with, analysts say. | The Macedonian government has declared a state of emergency in two border regions to cope with growing numbers of migrants, state media have reported. |
35,718,818 | The accident happened at Bwlch Pen Barras near Ruthin, just below the Moel Famau beauty spot car park, just before midday on Thursday.
Two Welsh Air Ambulances, the fire service and a mountain rescue team were sent to the scene.
The woman was airlifted to a specialist trauma hospital in Stoke-on-Trent.
Check if this is affecting your journey | A woman has been airlifted to hospital seriously injured after her car came off the road and crashed down a hill in Denbighshire. |
32,490,998 | Andrew Marcus Burke, 36, of HMP Manchester, was convicted of two counts of assault following a trial at Manchester Crown Court.
He shot a 19-year-old in the abdomen and a 20-year-old in the buttocks while they were in a car on Radcliffe Road, Oldham on 29 June.
Both men were taken to hospital and have made a full recovery.
Det Ch Insp Ian Crewe said: "The judge described Burke as an extremely dangerous man and I can only echo that sentiment.
"We believe his attack was based on a previous dispute and the streets are certainly a lot safer now that he is starting day one of a 20-year jail sentence." | A man who shot two men who were sitting in a parked car has been sentenced to 20 years in prison. |
34,724,645 | Speaking at Prime Minister's Questions, David Cameron said Operation Stack - where lorries park on the M20 during cross-Channel disruption - was a "serious problem".
He was responding to a question from Damian Collins, who is the Conservative MP for Folkestone and Hythe.
Stack was used 32 times during summer.
It followed strikes by French ferry workers, migrant activity and disruption to cross-Channel rail operations.
Mr Collins said: "The Channel Tunnel and Port of Dover are major pieces of national infrastructure, but when there are big disruptions to services it causes chaos on Kent's roads.
"As the government completes its final work on the spending review, will the Prime Minister give special consideration to the need for an urgent and long term solution to Operation Stack?"
Mr Cameron responded: "I absolutely recognise the serious problems that were caused to Kent's residents and businesses when it comes necessary to put into place Operation Stack.
"We've already introduced short-term measures to reduce the impact, including using the temporary availability of Manston airfield as a contingency measure.
"I understand the pressures and we'll do everything we can to relieve them."
In October, Kent County Council (KCC) leader Paul Carter said Mr Osborne must set aside funding in his Autumn Statement after the council estimated the disruption had cost the county's economy £45m. | The Prime Minister has said he will do "everything he can" to relieve the pressures caused in Kent by Operation Stack. |
31,655,450 | It said net income rose 59% to €2.3bn in 2014 from €1.4bn a year earlier.
Airbus delivered a record total of 629 commercial aircraft last year, three more than in 2013, although this was below Boeing's total of 723 jets.
The firm said it would increase production of its smaller "single aisle" A320 jets to 50 a month in 2017.
But it will cut production of its wide-body A330 jet to six a month from its current level of 10 a month due to falling demand.
Demand for the A330 is slowing as Airbus starts taking orders for a new-engine version of the plane that it says it will begin delivering at the end of 2017.
Airbus chief executive Tom Enders said the firm could cut production of the aircraft to less than six a month, if it deemed this necessary.
"We have quite a few campaigns ongoing, including some that are essential for filling slots in 2016," he said. "The current assumption is we will go down to rate six, if we find we have to further adapt, we will do so."
Shares in Airbus rose more than 7% on the Paris stock exchange.
Mr Enders told the BBC the only reason that Boeing was currently ahead of Airbus in terms of production was because Boeing's 787 aircraft was "up and running and they are producing it at 100-plus a year and the Airbus 350 is two years behind".
He said in a couple of years Airbus would be competing neck and neck with Boeing once more in terms of output.
Mr Enders said Airbus was producing around 30 A380 superjumbos a year and dismissed talk that his firm could mothball production.
"I have a pretty positive outlook and perspective for our big bird," he said.
In December, Airbus shares fell more than 10% - their worst one-day fall for six years - on concerns that it could halt production of its A380 superjumbo in 2018.
Last month, Airbus parted company with the head of its military programme after governments including Germany, France and Turkey complained about delays to the A400M military transport plane.
Built at a cost of €20bn with orders from several European countries, the A400M was a fixed-priced contract that hit production problems and cost-overruns.
Mr Enders said Airbus was making "good progress on giving customers more visibility on the delivery and status of the military transporter". | European aviation firm Airbus has reported soaring full-year profits despite setting aside €551m (£401m) for delays on its A400M military aircraft. |
38,864,196 | Romain Saiss has returned from the African Cup of Nations, but striker Joe Mason (hamstring) remains out.
Newcastle are not expected to risk the Championship's top scorer Dwight Gayle with his hamstring issue.
Chancel Mbemba and Christian Atsu are back from international duty and Jack Colback (illness) should be available. | January signing Ben Marshall could make his full Wolves debut against Newcastle after coming on in last week's late 2-1 defeat at Burton Albion. |
33,524,274 | The attack took place between 17:30 BST and 20:30 BST in Nunnery Wood, Worcester Woods Country Park, on 9 July.
Det Ch Insp Neil Austin said: "This is without doubt an alarming and distressing incident and specially-trained officer are continuing to support the victim."
The attacker was described as white, middle-aged, with grey hair.
He was thought to be wearing blue jeans.
Mr Austin added: "Additional patrols will remain in place in and around the countryside park and Spetchley Woods areas until further notice."
Anyone who saw anything which could help officers was urged to contact West Mercia Police or Crimestoppers. | Police have put on extra patrols in Worcester after a woman was raped. |
36,118,321 | The home side fought back from 3-0 down with 16 minutes remaining, only for former Shrewsbury midfielder Jon Taylor to then score an injury-time winner.
Taylor had earlier headed Posh in front before Lee Angol added a brace.
Jean-Louis Akpa-Akpro scored one and set up Andy Mangan and Jack Grimmer to make it 3-3, before Taylor won it prior to Ian Black's late sending off.
Town had to play the last five of the 10 minutes' added time with 10 men after Black was shown a second yellow card for a bad foul.
They then had to wait a further half hour before confirmation of the result in the delayed game at Gresty Road, where Doncaster Rovers lost to bottom club Crewe.
Coupled with Blackpool's 4-0 defeat by Wigan Athletic, which sealed the Latics' promotion, that was enough to ensure Shrewsbury's place in the third tier of English football for a second straight season.
Peterborough's win came a week after Graham Westley was sacked as manager, his assistant Grant McCann guiding them to victory in his first game as caretaker boss.
Shrewsbury Town manager Micky Mellon told BBC Radio Shropshire:
"I've never been involved in an experience like that in football. To survive you'd probably say 'job done'. But there are a lot of things going on in my head that I need to work through.
"My job when I first came here when I sat down with the chairman was to get promoted and then keep us up in League One. I've done that. But we have to learn from this.
"We knew it was going to be a tough season, when you lose key players and can't replace them. The important thing is that Shrewsbury learn their lesson and have League One players.
"We looked like we were towing a caravan at times. But that's what pressure can do. It can do strange things to people. It can fuel them on or it can go the other way." | Shrewsbury Town are safe from the threat of relegation, despite losing a seven-goal thriller to Peterborough. |
38,595,045 | Media playback is not supported on this device
Josh McIlwaine scored both goals to move the County Fermanagh men eight points clear of the bottom two.
Carrick, replied through a late Ryan Morris own goal, but defeat means they remain nine points ahead of bottom-placed Portadown.
Gavin Dykes' Mallards have won three of their last five league matches.
That form has hoisted them clear of immediate relegation concern, while Carrick have taken just two points from a possible 21.
Carrick boss Aaron Callaghan delivered on his promise to make changes after the 5-1 Irish Cup drubbing by Coleraine, bringing in new signings Sean Noble, Sam O'Connor and Tzee Mustapha.
McIlwaine put Ballinamallard into the lead in the fourth minute, taking the ball on his chest from a knock-on and smashing a shot past Carrick keeper Brian Neeson.
Carrick went close to equalising when a Mustapha header produced a superb low save by away keeper Richard Brush, and the rebound from O'Connor was blocked.
In the second half, Carrick again pressed for an equaliser but they were stunned when Ballinamallard doubled their lead in the 75th minute.
McIlwaine coolly slotted home his second after a cross into the box was not cleared by the home defence.
Carrick got a goal back late on when substitute Lee Chapman's miss-hit shot was turned into his own goal by Morris. | Ballinamallard United took a huge step towards Irish Premiership safety by beating one-from-bottom Carrick Rangers on Friday night. |
36,822,298 | The visitors failed to cope with Barrie McKay, who was felled by the hapless Ross Barbour for an early penalty.
Martyn Waghorn dispatched it and plundered a Mark McGuigan back pass to add a second after 16 minutes.
The impressive Niko Kranjcar completed the scoring with a precise, controlled finish early in the second half.
Rangers might have added further goals but substitute Kenny Miller had an effort cleared off the line by Steven Bell and then diverted a James Tavernier cross wide from six yards.
But they comfortably maintained their 100% record and have yet to concede a goal after four competitive games, with the next round on 9/10 August.
Stranraer offered little resistance, passing the ball poorly and failing to close opponents down, and Kranjcar, Joey Barton - making his first start - and Andy Halliday controlled the game from midfield while operating at a low tempo.
The home side were capable of bursting into life, though, often when McKay was carrying the ball with impudence and menace towards the Stranraer defenders.
Quick and elusive, he glided past Barbour, whose instinctive reaction was to dive at the attacker and bring him down inside the penalty area.
Referee John Beaton pointed immediately to the spot and Waghorn converted, despite Stranraer goalkeeper Cammy Belford getting a hand to the ball.
The dynamic of the game was set, not least because the Stranraer players were unable to retain possession, much to manager Brian Reid's annoyance.
Waghorn might already have scored a second with a header before he gathered McGuigan's mis-hit pass and clipped a shot over the exposed Belford.
With Barton dictating the pace and range of the home side's play from a deep role in midfield, Rangers racked up dominance and possession, although many of their efforts on goal were from long range.
Reid brought on Craig Malcolm and Kyle Turner at half-time, but the rhythm of the game remained unchanged. Waghorn almost completed his hat-trick only for the ball to be bundled clear as he was about to convert Halliday's cross.
Kranjcar grew in prominence, and added the third when Waghorn brought a high ball under control and the Croatian midfielder drilled a perfect volley low into the corner of the net.
The Ibrox crowd got their first look at former Liverpool youngster Jordan Rossiter when he replaced Barton for his debut just days after returning from England duty at the Under-19s European Championships.
Kranjcar continued to spray passes around the field, and Miller scampered onto one, but Belford and Bell combined to block his shot before clearing.
Rangers boss Mark Warburton: "The boys maintained the intensity, moved the ball well and created lots of chances, so overall it was a good night's work.
"That's four games, four clean sheets and 10 goals scored, so I am pleased.
"We have two days off now before we play Burnley [in a friendly at Ibrox on Saturday] which is very important after four games in nine days."
Stranraer boss Brian Reid: "We were a bit our own worst enemies at times and that start made it very difficult. But some of those boys only finished work at 5 o'clock so it is a good lesson for them.
"It could have been worse but we made a couple of changes, dug in and I felt we were a bit better in the second half.
"But you could see the difference in class with the players Rangers have got."
Match ends, Rangers 3, Stranraer 0.
Second Half ends, Rangers 3, Stranraer 0.
Attempt missed. Martyn Waghorn (Rangers) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right.
Attempt saved. Jordan Rossiter (Rangers) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Corner, Rangers. Conceded by Liam Dick.
Attempt blocked. Joe Dodoo (Rangers) right footed shot from the right side of the six yard box is blocked.
Corner, Rangers. Conceded by Liam Dick.
Attempt missed. Kenny Miller (Rangers) right footed shot from very close range misses to the right.
Attempt missed. Kenny Miller (Rangers) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses the top right corner.
Corner, Rangers. Conceded by Scott Robertson.
Ryan Thomson (Stranraer) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Niko Kranjcar (Rangers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Ryan Thomson (Stranraer).
Attempt saved. Kenny Miller (Rangers) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
Attempt missed. Giuliano Morena (Stranraer) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left.
Hand ball by Lee Wallace (Rangers).
Substitution, Stranraer. Giuliano Morena replaces Mark McGuigan.
William Gibson (Stranraer) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Jordan Rossiter (Rangers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by William Gibson (Stranraer).
Attempt missed. Harry Forrester (Rangers) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left.
Attempt missed. Lee Wallace (Rangers) right footed shot from the left side of the box is too high.
Attempt blocked. Joe Dodoo (Rangers) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Foul by Jordan Rossiter (Rangers).
Liam Dick (Stranraer) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Substitution, Rangers. Joe Dodoo replaces Andy Halliday.
Substitution, Rangers. Jordan Rossiter replaces Joey Barton.
Substitution, Rangers. Kenny Miller replaces Barrie McKay.
Corner, Rangers. Conceded by Steven Bell.
Attempt blocked. Martyn Waghorn (Rangers) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Corner, Rangers. Conceded by Scott Agnew.
Foul by Niko Kranjcar (Rangers).
Scott Agnew (Stranraer) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Martyn Waghorn (Rangers).
Scott Agnew (Stranraer) wins a free kick on the left wing.
James Tavernier (Rangers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Craig Malcolm (Stranraer).
Attempt blocked. Barrie McKay (Rangers) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked.
Andy Halliday (Rangers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Steven Bell (Stranraer). | Rangers cruised into the last 16 of the Scottish League Cup with a fourth straight group win against outclassed League One Stranraer at Ibrox. |
34,539,297 | FC Bayern Worldwide says it will not enter the Emirates for the first five minutes of next week's match because of the "excessive" £64 ticket price.
It comes as the BBC released the Price of Football study, which analyses costs at 227 clubs across Britain and Europe.
In response, Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger said it is "his job to provide value".
The BBC's study found the Gunners have the most expensive match-day ticket in the Premier League at £97, while their away tickets in the league are priced between £26 and £64.
Bayern Munich's cheapest season ticket in the Bundesliga is £140.
"There's a concerted effort at board meetings to block increases and in seven of the last 10 years there haven't been increases in ticket prices," added Wenger, who was speaking before his side's Premier League game with Watford on Saturday.
"There is a will to make tickets affordable.
"Is football more expensive? Yes, but on a Saturday or Sunday if you want to go to rugby you will see the tickets are expensive there as well. It is maybe part of professionalism and a modern society."
In a statement on Facebook, FC Bayern Worldwide claimed the cost of an away ticket, for the Group F game on 20 October, would rise to more than 100 euros (£74) once fees and postage were added.
An Arsenal spokesman confirmed that fans will not be prevented from voicing their opinions, but added: "We would like to point out that 50% of our general admission tickets throughout the season are priced £40 or below. Also, we would like to stress that German football receives significant government funding, which is not the case in England."
Earlier this month, the Football Supporters' Federation co-ordinated protests at all 20 Premier League clubs and 10 Championship teams, to call for a £20 cap on away ticket prices. | A Bayern Munich fans' group is planning a protest during the Champions League game against Arsenal over the cost of the Gunners' away tickets. |
22,027,664 | The Banking Standards Commission said former bosses Sir James Crosby, Andy Hornby and Lord Stevenson were guilty of a "colossal failure" of management.
HBOS collapsed in 2008, wiping out shareholders, costing thousands of jobs and forcing a £20.5bn taxpayer bailout.
On Friday, Sir James resigned as an adviser to investment firm Bridgepoint.
The BBC understands that he was asked to resign by the board of the private equity firm following the publication of the HBOS report.
So far, there has been no response from the three men to the findings.
The Banking Standards Commission was set up to improve the UK's banking system following the 2008 financial crisis.
Its members are MPs, members of the House of Lords and the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Its report criticised the now-defunct City regulator the Financial Services Authority (FSA), saying the watchdog appeared "to have taken no steps to establish whether the former leaders of HBOS are fit and proper persons to hold the approved persons status elsewhere in the UK financial sector".
The Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander, said the government would consider whether more should be done to hold those responsible for HBOS's demise to account.
"Unfortunately, the regulatory regime that was in place at the time was nowhere near tough enough," he said.
"We're just taking action this week as a government to put in place a tougher, new regulatory regime to try and make sure that some of the mistakes that were made can't happen again."
By Douglas FraserBusiness and economy editor, Scotland
Carrying on banking
Who and what bust HBOS
The report, called An Accident Waiting to Happen, paints a damning picture of the management failures leading up to the collapse of the bank at the height of the UK's banking crisis.
It estimates that 96% of shareholder value was wiped out when the bank collapsed, costing taxpayers £20.5bn.
Lloyds Banking Group, formed from the merger of Lloyds TSB and HBOS in 2009, has since cut tens of thousands of jobs and remains 39% state-owned.
The banking crisis also precipitated the economic slump from which the UK is still struggling to recover.
The commission accused the bank of "reckless" lending policies that resulted in losses of £46bn.
Such losses would have led to insolvency, had the bank not been bailed out by the taxpayer and Lloyds TSB, the commission claimed.
The commission concluded that two former chief executives, Sir James Crosby and Andy Hornby, were mainly to blame for the collapse of the bank, together with its former chairman, Lord Stevenson.
"The primary responsibility for the downfall of HBOS should rest with Sir James Crosby, architect of the strategy that set the course for disaster, with Andy Hornby, who proved unable or unwilling to change course, and Lord Stevenson, who presided over the bank's board from its birth to its death," said the report.
"Lord Stevenson, in particular, has shown himself incapable of facing the realities of what placed the bank in jeopardy from that time until now."
In written evidence to the commission last December, Lord Stevenson admitted that the bank took on too much risk in the run-up to the 2008 financial crisis.
Andy Hornby, chief executive of HBOS from 2006
Sir James Crosby, chief executive, HBOS chief executive from 2001 to 2006
Lord Stevenson, chairman of HBOS from 2001 to 2008
The former head of wholesale banking at HBOS, Peter Cummings, was fined £500,000 and banned from working in senior financial roles by the FSA last year.
But the Commission expressed surprise that no-one else had been punished.
While the three executives saw their "Approved Person" status at HBOS lapsing, they did not face any further sanctions.
An Approved Person is someone who is permitted to carry out particular financial functions by the FSA.
"The FSA appears to have taken no steps to establish whether they are fit and proper persons to hold Approved Person status elsewhere in the UK financial sector," said the report.
The report said the strategy set by the board after 2001 "sowed the seeds of its destruction".
That was the year in which the Halifax and the Bank of Scotland agreed to merge, forming HBOS.
Its losses of £46bn included losses of £25bn in its corporate division, and £14.5bn in Australia and Ireland.
Senior executives of HBOS tried to blame the losses on the temporary closure of wholesale markets.
During the financial crisis, banks stopped lending to each other, resulting in their short-term supplies of funding drying up.
But members of the commission said they were disappointed by such explanations, as it was the lending approach that was to blame.
"This culture was brash, underpinned by a belief that the growing market share was due to a special set of skills, which HBOS possessed and which its competitors lacked," said the report.
"This was a traditional bank failure, pure and simple. It was a case of a bank pursuing traditional banking activities and pursuing them badly."
Lloyds Banking Group stressed that the relevant events happened before it owned HBOS.
"We continue to focus our efforts on rebuilding the group for the benefit of our customers, employees and shareholders," its spokesperson said.
Ray Perman, the author of Hubris: How HBOS Wrecked the Best Bank in Britain, said the commission's criticism was unusual in singling out individuals.
"For the first time, blame is squarely pinned on the people who deserve it - the chairman, the two chief executives," he said.
"What they did was to pursue a very fast growth strategy, regardless of the risk and they fooled themselves into thinking that their initial success was [because] they were better than everybody else, but eventually those risks caught up with them."
By Robert PestonBusiness editor
The commission said the FSA's regulation of HBOS was "thoroughly inadequate".
In the three years following the merger, it said, the regulator managed to identify some of the issues that would contribute to the group's downfall, such as its aggressive pace of growth and its reliance on wholesale funding, as opposed to using its own savers' deposits.
But it failed to follow through on these concerns and was too easily satisfied that they had been resolved.
From 2004 to 2007, the FSA was "not so much the dog that did not bark, as a dog barking up the wrong tree", claimed the report.
There was too much supervision at a low level and too much box-ticking, it said.
The report requires the FSA to answer nine questions about its failures. But since the FSA was abolished five days ago, on 1 April, it will not be able to do so.
Instead, its replacement, the Prudential Regulation Authority, said it would be studying the report, "to ensure that the lessons from the failings at HBOS have been fully learned".
A further report into the collapse of HBOS, started by the now disbanded FSA, will be completed by a new regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority. | Financial regulators should consider banning three top HBOS bankers from senior roles in the financial sector, an influential committee has said. |
38,532,338 | The drinking water supply to some 5 million residents in the Syrian capital, Damascus, was cut on 23 December by the Damascus Water Authority, who say rebels have contaminated it with diesel. Rebels deny this, saying bombing by the government has damaged the infrastructure.
The historic water source of Ain al-Fijeh lies in the valley of Wadi Barada, 18km (11 miles) north-west of the capital, where a cluster of 10 villages has been under rebel control since 2012.
Local people joined the revolution early on in protest against government neglect, corruption and land grabs made legal under new state land measures, where whole hillsides were requisitioned for sports clubs and luxury hotels.
On 22 December the Assad government, using barrel bombs dropped from helicopters and supported on the ground by Lebanese Shia militia fighters of Hezbollah, began a campaign to take control of the strategic valley and springs.
The timing was significant, just days before the announcement of the countrywide ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey on 29 December.
The Barada Gorge was cut through the Anti-Lebanon Mountains eons ago by the Barada river, which still runs through the centre of Damascus.
Today the river is just a shadow of its former self, diminished for most of the year by drought and pollution to a dirty trickle by the time it reaches the city centre.
But in earlier times it was the source of the city's legendary fertility, and the reason for its location in an oasis of gardens and orchards known as the Ghouta.
The river was and still is fed by the meltwaters of Mount Hermon, Syria's highest peak. Mentioned no less than 15 times in the Bible, it retains its snow-capped summit till early June.
The amount of snowfall in winter is a direct indication of how much water Damascus will have throughout the year.
The Barada river, known in ancient times as Abana, was supplemented through seven further rivers whose course was diverted by means of elaborate channels constructed as far back as the Roman era.
Guided by aqueducts into the centre of Damascus, the city was fed by a complex network of waterways and channels that allowed water to flow in and out of every house.
Sophisticated Ottoman water distribution points throughout the city also allocated water in agreed quantities to the public bathhouses, mosque ablution areas and public drinking fountains.
Even today most houses have a special drinking tap in their kitchen directly connected to the spring.
In high summer families would come to Wadi Barada on Fridays and holidays, often renting a riverside platform for the day.
Rigged up as tent awnings open only onto the river side, they formed an idyllic private arbour where families could relax, enjoying the coolness of the fast-flowing river.
Little iron ladders were fixed onto the platforms, so that children could climb down and swim.
In the 16th Century it was along the banks of the Barada river on the outskirts of Damascus that the first coffee houses grew up.
Pilgrims would assemble, waiting for the annual Hajj or pilgrimage to Mecca to set off in one huge joint caravan, protected in numbers from raiding desert tribesmen.
Many engravings from the 19th Century show scenes of coffee houses on the banks of the brimming Barada.
Near the village of Souq Wadi Barada, huge gaping holes in the cliff above can be still be accessed.
They are part of the original Roman water system: elaborate tunnels cut into the rock, conducting the meltwaters into the aqueducts of Damascus.
On sections of the old Roman road between Baalbek and Damascus, inscriptions in Greek, the official language, and in Latin, the language of the soldiers, can still be seen, describing how the road was rebuilt higher up to avoid destruction by flooding.
For Hezbollah too the battle is a geographical one. They regard this area as their backyard, connected to their Baalbek stronghold in Lebanon.
The Syrian government claims there are fighters from the al-Qaeda-linked Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra) present in Wadi Barada, to justify its ongoing campaign. Local residents insist there are only Free Syrian Army moderates.
Since both UN monitors and Russian officials have been denied access to the area by Hezbollah checkpoints, the truth remains hidden - as so often in Syria - behind the fog of war, or in this case, beneath the waters of the Barada.
Diana Darke graduated in Arabic from Oxford University and is the author of several books on Middle East society, including My House in Damascus: An Inside View of the Syrian Crisis (2016). Follow her on Twitter. | The flashpoint for Syria's war, six years old this March, has in recent days taken the form of an elemental struggle over water. |
32,596,748 | Data from three-quarters of trusts shows from 2014-15 to 2018-19 income is expected to fall by 8% in real terms.
The forecasts were submitted to regulators last summer - before extra money was promised in the last Budget.
But NHS England said accurate predictions could not be made until a new government set out spending plans.
The revelations come despite promises in recent years that mental health will be treated on a par with physical health services.
The figures seen by the BBC are from five-year plans submitted by 41 mental health trusts setting out what they expect their financial position to be in the coming years.
They show that funding for both adults and children's services in 2014-15 was £5.86bn, but by 2018-19 that is expected to be £5.74bn - an 8% cut once inflation is taken into account.
But since then, extra money - £250m a year over the next five years - was promised as part of a mental health announcement made in the Budget.
But experts said the findings were still worrying. Anita Charlesworth, chief economist of the Health Foundation, said the cuts would pile more pressure on services that were under strain.
"What we are seeing is potentially real-terms resources falling, against a backdrop of growing need and already real concerns about whether there is the quality of care. And that's not just a human imperative, but there's a big economic cost to poor access to mental health services."
This issue includes NHS funding, GP access and social care, particularly of older people.
Policy guide: Where the parties stand
Q&A: Health and care - the background issues
Stephen Dalton, of the Mental Health Network, which represents trusts, said: "These figures won't be a surprise to providers because they have been dealing with cuts to mental health services over the past five years. There is an institutional bias against mental health services."
But a spokeswoman for NHS England said it was not possible to forecast what spending on mental health services would be until the new government's spending review later this year.
She also pointed to figures showing that overall mental health spending had actually risen from £11.36bn in 2013-14 to £11.66bn last year, which amounts to a small rise once inflation is taken into account.
This includes spending by both mental health trusts and other organisations, such as mainstream hospitals and community services, which provide mental health care.
Investing more in mental health has been mentioned by the Conservatives, Labour, the Liberal Democrats, the Greens and UKIP during the election campaign. | Mental health trusts in England are forecasting significant cuts to their funding over the next four years, figures seen by the BBC suggest. |
38,304,842 | Can you plant, grow and harvest a hectare of spring barley using only robots?
If they pull this off, this small team will be the first in the world to manage such a feat.
But it is not going to be easy.
I was there as they started the project and brought robots to the field for the very first time.
The ground rules are simple.
There's a hectare of land which will be fenced off and only robots and machines will be allowed inside with the odd drone flying overhead.
People are completely forbidden - hence the project nickname, "The hands free hectare".
The crop chosen by Harper Adams and Precision Decision Ltd is spring barley, which means after harvest the end result can be used to make robot beer.
So there's everything to play for.
There's a really fascinating argument at the heart of all this.
A modern tractor can drive itself using GPS and decide how much pesticide or fertiliser to apply and where to do it.
In theory making the tractor completely autonomous is the next logical step.
After all that's what is happening with self-driving cars.
But these tractors are also really big.
That means they can crush the soil which reduces yields and their size also limits the accuracy when applying those expensive chemicals.
The alternative is the approach being taken at Harper Adams.
Smaller, lighter, cheaper machines that achieve the same result but leave the soil in better shape and which can tackle weeds and more with pinpoint accuracy.
It's a view that says future farming will involve a flock of smaller robot machines rather than one massive self-driving tractor.
So how likely is all this?
Will we really see driverless tractors quietly moving through fields of wheat and barley?
Well one American report suggested the global market for agricultural robots could be worth £13bn by the year 2020.
Here in the UK, the question of who will be working in our fields post-Brexit is bringing a new focus on to the whole issue of automation.
For now the team is waiting for the delivery of the compact tractor that will be doing most of the work from planting to harvest.
Ahead of its arrival they are testing the robot driving system on a smaller machine.
They have three months to get everything right before they face their first big test, planting the barley.
So will the young, nimble team from Shropshire beat some of the world's biggest machinery companies to this extraordinary goal?
An entire farming cycle carried out by robots?
Well we'll be there every step of the way to find out.
Which is another level of stress for the team because nothing makes technology go wrong like training television camera on it. | In a soggy Shropshire field on the edge of the Harper Adams University campus an amazing experiment is just beginning. |
20,196,879 | The men, aged 51 and 24, were detained on Friday. A 25-year-old man who was arrested on Thursday has also been released.
Mr McKay, who was 36, was shot dead at his home on the Longlands Road last month. His funeral took place on Friday.
At least two armed men were involved in the attack. | Two men arrested in connection with the murder of Danny McKay in Newtownabbey have been released without charge. |
37,886,756 | Media playback is not supported on this device
Hazard put Chelsea ahead with a low shot before adding a superb second.
The 25-year-old forward now has seven goals this season - but Conte focused on his all-round contribution after a win that takes his side top.
"The most important thing I'm seeing with Eden is he's fantastic with the ball and without the ball," said Conte.
Hazard scored just four times in the league last season and cut an unhappy figure in what proved to be the final days of Jose Mourinho's second spell as manager.
The Belgium international appears reborn under Conte and Saturday's match marked the first time Hazard had scored two or more goals at Stamford Bridge in the league since February 2014.
"He played an impressive game. We all know he's a talented player," Conte said. "I see that he's working a lot for the team and I think his team-mates are very happy for this.
"He's a complete player, when he plays in this way - with the ball and without the ball.
"He must continue because he has great talent and he's showing this in every game."
Media playback is not supported on this device
BBC Match Of The Day pundit Ian Wright said: "Eden Hazard was world class against Everton.
"I think Toffees boss Ronald Koeman picked the wrong day to pick three at the back."
Conte's side have been in searing form since switching to the Italian's favoured 3-4-3 system, winning five games in a row, scoring 16 goals and conceding none.
"I'm pleased because when you win in this way it is fantastic," he added. "All the players played in the right way with the ball and without the ball.
"We created many chances to score and it is also the fifth clean sheet in a row. That is fantastic because you look at the past and you can think that this is incredible to reach this result.
"It's a pity that we have to stop now for the international break. I wanted to continue."
Chelsea were disappointing last season, finishing 10th after winning the title in 2014-15 under Jose Mourinho.
However, Saturday's win moved them to the top of the table, one point clear of Manchester City.
"It was one of the most dominant displays of football I have seen," former Tottenham midfielder Jermaine Jenas said on Match of the Day.
"It is unbelievable how fast this Chelsea side has adapted to the way Conte wants them to play.
"The freedom they play with is scary so you can't say they are not title contenders." | Antonio Conte called Eden Hazard the "complete player" after his two goals helped Chelsea to a 5-0 Premier League win over Everton at Stamford Bridge. |
40,921,487 | The UK government has threatened to put bids for the Wales and Borders franchise on hold amid a dispute with the Welsh Government.
But Prof Stuart Cole said any delay could leave ministers just three months to secure the right deal.
He said the deal was "complex" as it included the new South Wales Metro.
Meanwhile Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies claimed the Welsh Government was not "up to speed" on arrangements for taking control of the franchise.
The Wales and Borders franchise - which is one of the UK's most heavily subsidised, receiving between £110m-£160m a year - has also seen passenger numbers rise from 18 million in 2003 to 30 million.
It runs most of the passenger rail services in Wales, including the south Wales valleys network, the north Wales coast line, rural services, and mainline services between Wales and major English cities, except for inter-city services run by Great Western Railway and Virgin Trains.
The bidders for the next franchise are Abellio, Arriva, KeolisAmey and MTR and they had been due to submit tenders on 18 August.
In a leaked letter, released on Sunday, the UK Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling said he wanted the date moved back to 26 September while a dispute over who gets cash for rail improvements is settled.
The current operator of the network, Arriva Trains Wales, pays an annual rebate of about £67m to the Department for Transport (Dft) - which is then given to Network Rail for improvements. It amounts to about £1bn over the 15-year course of the contract.
But the Welsh Government say it should get the cash when it gains responsibility for the franchise when it is devolved to Wales from 2018.
Prof Cole, professor of transport for the University of South Wales, told BBC Radio Wales' Good Morning Wales the funding row could push back the handing of rail powers to Cardiff Bay to September.
He said this would leave the Welsh Government with just three months to secure the deal for the 15-year contract - if it wanted to announce the winner in January and taking Christmas out of the equation.
"It's not just a very simple franchise as normal - there's also things like electrifying the valleys line to really work out" he added.
He said there were "complex elements to do with infrastructure and not just running the trains" that needed to be worked out as part of the deal and he was concerned getting it wrong could affect rail passengers.
"We have to have the right franchise this time," he added.
"We didn't get it right last time [with Arriva Trains Wales], we need the right franchise and that will take, in my view, more than three months."
Prof Mark Barry, of Cardiff University, tweeted that if the funding issues were not resolved there would be no South Wales Metro or Cardiff City Deal.
When the Wales and Borders franchise was awarded by the UK government in 2003, the current contract with Arriva was based on zero growth in usage. That means the route has the same number of trains it had when it began operations - something which has been regularly criticised by train passengers.
A Welsh Government spokesman said the DfT's approach "jeopardises the Welsh Government's ability to award a replacement for the current Wales and Borders franchise, which, if unresolved, will be a major issue for rail users".
He added: "Being willing to subject people to the prospect of continued overcrowding and poor quality rolling stock to resolve a budgetary issue of their own making is no way for the UK government to behave."
A DfT spokeswoman said: "We remain committed to the principles agreed with the Welsh Government in 2014 to devolve rail powers." | A £1bn funding row could lead to a rushed job in getting the "right deal" for the future rail network in Wales, a leading transport expert has warned. |
36,270,386 | World number 38 Baghdatis had to pull out of last season's tournament in the semi-finals because of injury, but will return for the pre-Wimbledon grass-court event, which starts on 18 June.
South Africa's world number 19 Kevin Anderson is the highest-ranked entrant.
Great Britain Davis Cup trio Kyle Edmund, Dan Evans and James Ward will also be in the draw.
They were all part of the Great Britain squad that won the Davis Cup in 2015 - Britain's first title in 79 years. | Former Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis is to play at the Aegon Open in Nottingham next month. |
32,490,645 | Critics of the 51-year-old, who came to power after a civil war which left 300,000 dead, said he should not run again for office as that would be unconstitutional.
His supporters feel he was justified as he was elected by parliament in 2005 - not voters - a view upheld by Burundi's Constitutional Court.
And the former rebel leader takes pride in the fact that his administration has brought peace to Burundi.
It is this image that he is keen to portray - a man of the people working to rebuild the country, one of the poorest in the world.
It has been reported that diplomats arriving for official meetings with Mr Nkurunziza have been whisked away from the capital, Bujumbura, into the countryside, where they find the president digging in the fields with local farmers.
In fact his enthusiasm for planting avocado trees is so well known that many Burundians have renamed the popular green fruit "amaPeter" after him.
"The man's simplicity is remarkable, and he always draws attention, mingling with village people in the remote rural areas where he spends most of his time," his official biography on the Burundian government website says.
This has made him more popular in rural areas, but not in the capital, where most of the opposition resides.
Before the civil war, Mr Nkurunziza, who had graduated in sports education, was a teacher and assistant lecturer at the University of Burundi.
He also coached the army football team, Muzinga, as well as Union Sporting, a Burundian first division team in the 1990s.
He now has his own side, Hallelujah FC, where "he plays as a striker and scores regularly", his biography says.
The name of the team also indicates one of his other great passions: His Christian faith.
His father, a former governor who was killed in the 1972 massacre of ethnic Hutus, was Catholic and his mother Anglican.
Now a born-again Christian, the father of five never travels without his own football team and a choir, where he combines matches against local team with evangelical prayer sessions, according to the AFP news agency.
He and his wife Denise were once reported to have washed the feet of some of those among the crowd.
It is not only the people who the president believes have put their faith in him.
"Mr Nkurunziza indeed believes he is president by divine will, and he therefore organises his life and government around these values," says presidential spokesman Willy Nyamitwe.
His critics, who include about 40 opposition parties as well as human rights groups, paint a somewhat different picture of him.
They accuse him of being a dictator who refuses to give up power.
This perception grew after Mr Nkurunziza decided to run for a third term, rejecting pressure from protesters and foreign governments to step down.
Scores of people have been killed in protests since he announced his re-election bid in April, and more than 100,000 have fled to neighbouring states, raising fears that Burundi could descend into conflict again.
Mr Nkurunziza survived a coup attempt in May when former army loyalist Godefroid Niyombare led the attempt to overthrow him.
Mr Nkurunziza's forces crushed the coup bid, and the opposition says repression has intensified, making July's elections neither free nor fair.
UN human rights chief Zeid Raad al-Hussein has raised particular concern about Imbonerakure, a youth group allied with Mr Nkurunziza.
It is suspected of carrying out summary executions, tortures and beatings, and "could tip an already extremely tense situation over the edge," he has said.
The Hutu CNDD-FDD rebel group that Mr Nkurunziza led during the civil war - sparked by the killing of Hutu President Melchoir Ndadaye in 1993 - was responsible for several atrocities.
These included several ambushes along major roads, killing many travellers, including Tutsis.
He took up arms in a bid to end the long-standing dominance of the country by the minority Tutsi community.
Mr Nkurunziza was sentenced to death in absentia by a Burundian court in 1998 for laying land mines, but received an amnesty under the peace accord that ended the fighting.
Last year, he tried and failed to change the constitution, which limits the powers of his CNDD-FDD party by guaranteeing positions for the minority Tutsi group in all government institutions.
His critics say this stands at odds with his public stance that he wants to overcome the ethnic tensions that led to the civil war. | Pierre Nkurunziza, who has caused controversy with his election for a third term as president, has governed Burundi for nearly 10 years. |
33,363,958 | There were 1,030 vacancies last November, up a third on 2013, the highest number since 2010, when the DfE started compiling figures in November.
Meanwhile, teachers on contracts of between one and three terms filled 3,210 posts, up nearly 38% on 2013.
Teacher numbers, at 454,900, up more than 5,000, were at an all-time high.
The proportion of English, maths and science teachers with a relevant post-A-Level qualification dropped slightly over the same period:
Schools Minister Nick Gibb said: "Recruitment is a challenge as the economy improves and competition for new graduates intensifies, which is why we are focused on attracting more top graduates into the profession, particularly in the core academic subjects that help children reach their potential.
"Our recruitment campaign, Your Future Their Future, is working, with registrations to our Get Into Teaching website up by almost 30% compared with last year.
"We continue to offer bursaries of up to £25,000 as well as scholarships in priority subjects such as physics and maths.
"We are driving forward our £67m package to transform science, technology, engineering and maths teaching and recruit up to 2,500 additional maths and physics teachers."
But education workforce expert John Howson warned the situation was likely to get worse in the near future.
Based on official predictions of how many teachers would be needed, only 93% of primary and 91% of secondary teacher-training courses had been filled last year, he said.
He said: "The acceptances for entry into training in 2015 will not be sufficient... so we now know that recruitment for some schools, especially in and around London, but not exclusively in this area, will again be a challenge in 2016."
Shadow Education Secretary Tristram Hunt said ministers were set to miss recruitment targets for a fourth consecutive year, including in crucial subject areas such as maths and physics.
"This is a very worrying trend that means more children are likely to be taught science by those trained to be PE teachers, and more and more teaching assistants stepping in as teachers," he said.
"Parents expect better and pupils deserve better." | Nearly one in 100 full-time teaching posts in England were either vacant or filled temporarily in 2014, Department for Education figures show. |
35,375,292 | 21 January 2016 Last updated at 17:21 GMT
Linda Fabiani was mid-speech when the lights suddenly went out.
Taking it all in her stride, the SNP MSP quipped: "I'm terribly good at rabbiting on", when a fellow parliamentarian gallantly offered the light of a smartphone to help illuminate her speech.
The lights went back on after a few minutes. | Business proceedings were interrupted in the Scottish Parliament on Thursday afternoon. |
32,842,313 | The star-filled finale attracted nearly 13.8 million viewers on Wednesday evening.
The last time the 68-year-old had so many viewers was in February 1994, when his show aired after CBS' coverage of the Winter Olympics.
Letterman began his late-night career on NBC in 1982, before moving to CBS's Late Show in 1993.
The finale show, which ran 17 minutes over the usual hour, kicked off with a two-minute standing ovation.
Letterman was joined by guests including Steve Martin, Peyton Manning, Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, Tina Fey and Jim Carrey.
Dressed in tuxedos, rock band Foo Fighters performed the host's favourite song, Everlong. The group once performed the song, by request, after Letterman's open-heart surgery in 2000.
And as tributes poured in from fellow celebrities, Letterman joked, "Do me a favour. Save a little for my funeral."
The comedian went on to thank his viewers before signing off for the final time.
"The only thing I have left to do for the last time on a television programme: Thank you and good night,'' he said.
The finale also saw a rise in viewers for The Late Late Show, which followed directly after. Four million viewers tuned in to watch James Corden, the host's highest rating over his first two months in the job.
But as big as the night was for Letterman, it failed to draw in as many viewers as Jay Leno's farewell from The Tonight Show in 2014, which averaged 14.6 million viewers
Stephen Colbert, host of Comedy Central's acclaimed late-night satire programme The Colbert Report, will succeed Letterman. | David Letterman said goodbye to The Late Show with one of the highest-rated shows of his career. |
22,780,150 | Blackman, 51, who takes over from Gruffalo author Julia Donaldson, is the eighth writer to become laureate.
Previous Children's Laureates include Michael Morpurgo, Jacqueline Wilson and Quentin Blake.
Here is my report on her. | The new Children's Laureate is Malorie Blackman - the bestselling author of the Noughts & Crosses series for teenage readers. |
39,845,905 | Emmanuel Macron, 39, has promised to "work for everyone" and sees his programme as straddling both left and right.
First he has to choose a prime minister and candidates to fight legislative elections in June for the party, now rebranded as La République en marche (Republic on the move).
But once his government takes shape, what does he intend to change and how will he achieve the national renewal he has promised?
Overhauling France's economy is vital to the Macron plan. Without significant advances, he will struggle to convince Germany of another big idea, for eurozone reform.
Mr Macron's big challenges are:
His twin aims are to boost investment and set up a "new growth model" that is both good for social mobility and the environment.
Some have described his plan to mix targeted public spending with fiscal discipline as a Nordic model.
In the next five years he wants to make budget savings of €60bn (£51bn; $65bn), so that France sticks to the EU's government deficit limit of 3% of GDP (total output). Public servants would be cut in number by 120,000 - through natural wastage, possibly to soften opposition from France's powerful unions.
He would simultaneously reinvest €50bn and create a separate €10bn fund for renewing industry.
France's retirement age will remain at 62, but sweeping reforms are planned to the generous state pension schemes, to bring them into line with private schemes.
Macronomy: What are Emmanuel Macron's economic plans?
France: The economic challenge
Mr Macron would not scrap France's famed 35-hour work week: the 35 hours is now a threshold triggering overtime payment.
Instead, he would try to introduce further flexibility around a basic legal framework of labour rights and rules, allowing firms to negotiate deals with their staff on hours and pay. Extra hours worked would be free of social security deductions.
He has promised to help businesses by cutting corporation tax from 33% to 25%. But failing businesses would not be propped up, and the focus would be on training those made redundant.
He wants to bring unemployment down to 7% by 2022 and extend unemployment benefits to groups not currently entitled, such as self-employed entrepreneurs and farmers.
People's purchasing power would be boosted by a cut in social security contributions, worth about €500 annually for someone on a monthly net salary of €2,200.
Mr Macron is an unabashed Europhile and he walked on stage to give his first public speech as president-elect to Beethoven's Ode to Joy, the anthem of the European Union. His election was warmly welcomed in both Brussels and Berlin.
Yet he has said candidly that reform is needed in Brussels as well as Paris if the pressing problems facing France are to be addressed. And this may set him on a collision course with Germany, because France and Germany have starkly different conceptions of its future.
Put bluntly, while Germany favours a broad, expansionist union, France prefers a deeper, more integrated bloc.
Mr Macron would give the eurozone a separate budget, finance minister and parliament of MEPs from the 19 countries that use the euro.
He also wants more shared responsibility within the eurozone and believes Germany's big trade surplus has to be rebalanced. Both plans could cost Germany dear.
In Brexit negotiations, Mr Macron will be keen that the UK has "no undue advantages" over the rest of Europe. He will demand that EU single market rules apply fully to all trade partners.
He is also an open proponent of free trade deals like Ceta - the EU-Canada deal and he has spoken publicly of his desire to lure French expats home from the UK.
Will Macron be good or bad for Brexit?
Mr Macron would create a 5,000-strong force of EU border guards, make fluency in French the main qualification for obtaining French nationality and give all religious leaders comprehensive training in France's secular values.
He wants refugees entitled to protection will be welcomed, and asylum claims to be settled within six months. But failed asylum seekers would be returned to their home countries immediately.
Mr Macron supports multilateral institutions such as the UN Security Council, but also supports the promotion of the French language and Francophone institutions as "an essential vector of our influence and a weapon against the spread of radicalism".
He is a critic of Russian policy and backs EU sanctions put in place after the Ukraine crisis.
On Syria, he thinks President Bashar al-Assad should answer for his crimes before an international tribunal. On foreign aid, he would like to increase spending in Africa (raising overseas aid to the European target of 0.7% of gross national income) but wants to help countries stand on their own two feet in defence terms.
Amid an ongoing state of emergency in France following a string of attacks over the past two years, Mr Macron says he will reform police workloads and procedures, recruit 10,000 new police officers and expand prisons to house an extra 15,000 inmates.
He would create an EU defence fund to promote joint military projects and set up a permanent European headquarters.
He has also pledged to raise spending on defence to the Nato benchmark of 2% of GDP by 2025 and review military bases in Africa.
In his manifesto, education is listed as top priority.
In areas of special need - notably poor suburbs (banlieues) - he would limit class sizes in primary schools to 12 pupils per teacher.
He would ban children's use of mobile phones at school, and introduce a "Cultural Pass" for 18-year-olds worth €500 to spend on cultural pursuits such as the cinema, theatre, and books.
Mr Macron opposes MPs working as consultants or employing family members. He would cut the total number of parliamentary deputies and senators by about a third.
Mr Macron calls for half of food provided in school and work canteens to be organic or locally produced. He would promote France as a world leader in developing green technologies and wants to renovate one million poorly insulated homes. | France has chosen for its new president a man who had never stood for election previously and whose party did not exist a little over a year ago. |
32,538,905 | Stuart Young preyed on the children between November 2008 and December 2013 at various locations in Edinburgh.
The High Court in Edinburgh heard the attacks on the one-day-old boy continued until he was aged three months.
A jury convicted Young on two charges of rape and another of sexual assault. Sentence was deferred.
The week-long trial heard how, in November 2008, Young raped a girl who was aged just six months.
He continued to sexually assault her until December 2013 when she was aged five.
In July 2013, he abused a nine-year-old girl at an address in the capital's Stenhouse area.
Following conviction, temporary judge Paul Arthurson QC deferred sentence for the court to obtain reports about Young's character.
The judge warned Young, who lived in Sighthill, Edinburgh, to expect a lengthy prison sentence.
Judge Arthurson said: "You have been convicted of some truly depraved and despicable crimes.
"You should expect a sentence to reflect your level of criminality."
Young, who has previous convictions for non-analogous offences, had entered not guilty pleas and denied any wrongdoing.
The details of the case were so traumatic that jurors have been excused from serving on another jury for five years.
Defence solicitor advocate Ian Paterson told the court that his client realised that he was going to be sent to prison.
He said: "Mr Young expects that a substantial period of imprisonment will be imposed upon him."
Sheriff Arthurson deferred sentence and Young swore as he left the dock with two security officers who were taking him to the court room cells.
Young was also placed on the sex offenders register. He will be sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh on 28 May.
Det Insp Douglas Moran, of Police Scotland, said specialist support was being given to Young's victims and their families.
He said: "Thanks to the bravery of these two little girls in speaking up about the horrific abuse Young inflicted upon them, their physical ordeal is over and their tormentor is now facing a considerable prison sentence. The baby boy was given a voice so he too could be spared further suffering.
"However they, and their families, have had to live through Young's catalogue of offending again since he refused to accept responsibility for his actions and subjected them to a trial.
"Specialist support continues to be provided to the children and their families, and I hope they take comfort that he is now behind bars." | A man has been convicted of raping a one-day-old baby boy and two other young children. |
37,517,287 | This year's line-up includes The Stranglers, Feeder, The Wonder Stuff, Fatherson, Galleon Blast, Little Mammoths and Ullapool Pipe Band.
Loopallu - Ullapool backwards - takes place on Friday and Saturday.
The event, which is now in its 12th year, will also see performances by Eliza and the Bear, Hunter and the Bear, Manran and Lional. | The Loopallu music festival opens later in Ullapool in Wester Ross in the north west Highlands. |
39,017,094 | 19 February 2017 Last updated at 00:04 GMT
Mr Lock, 20, from Chichester, West Sussex, went to Syria to fight against so-called Islamic State.
He died on 21 December during a battle for the IS group's stronghold of Raqqa, while fighting with the Kurdish forces known as the YPG.
Mr Lock, a chef, had travelled to Syria in August 2016 having told friends and family he was going on holiday to Turkey. | Kurdish mourners gathered at Heathrow Airport as the body of Ryan Lock arrived back in the UK on Saturday. |
37,695,109 | More than 10 disgraced figures will appear over eight episodes of Always on the Road - a reference to the government's wide-ranging crackdown on corruption in the Communist Party.
The first episode featured weeping, repentant men and the controversial burial of a tortoise.
It has picked up millions of viewers online since it aired on Monday.
"People everywhere are talking about Always on the Road," the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, which investigates corruption and made the film with China Central Television, said in a statement.
The documentary comes almost four years after President Xi Jinping promised to get tough on corruption in his party, vowing to go after powerful "tigers" as well as lowly "flies".
However, critics say a lack of transparency around the purge means it has been an opportunity for Mr Xi to eliminate political enemies.
Three of the so-called "tigers" accused of taking bribes and abusing power appear in the first episode of the documentary: Bai Enpei, a former party boss who received a life sentence, Zhou Benshun, an ex-party chief awaiting trial, and Li Chuncheng, a former deputy party boss sentenced to 13 years in jail.
The story of Zhou went beyond simple corruption, revealing the former official had buried his tortoise with religious scrolls - despite this being against the law for party officials.
All three confessed on air, but Reuters news agency was unable to reach family members or lawyers for comment on whether this was done willingly. | A new television series showing corrupt Chinese officials making confessions has proved a hit, officials say. |
26,539,569 | The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is to investigate the way they treat borrowers struggling to repay loans.
It has said the review will be one of its first actions when it takes over regulation of the consumer credit sector on 1 April.
It has already outlined several other plans to toughen regulation in the high-cost short-term loans market.
Martin Wheatley, the FCA's chief executive, told the BBC: "I think our processes will probably force about a quarter of the firms out of the industry and that's a good thing because those are the firms that have poor practices. And for the rest - we want them to improve."
The payday loans industry said it was behind action to tackle poor practice.
More than a third of all payday loans are repaid late or not at all, according to the FCA.
Mr Wheatley said the FCA would take action in several areas: "Stopping profits from vulnerable people is one thing; capping the absolute cost of these loans is another; and stopping lending to people who will never be able to repay. They're the ground rules that we will be introducing that will change this industry."
The FCA will look at how firms help people regain control of their debt, as well as examining each company's culture to see whether they are more interested in profit than in the customer.
"We are putting much more stringent affordability criteria in place for lenders, to say you have to take into account whether people can pay, what their free cash flow is, what their income is."
It said the area was a priority because 60% of complaints to the Office of Fair Trading (OFT), which is currently in charge of consumer credit regulation, are about how debts are collected.
The 200 or so payday lenders make up less than 1.5% of the £200bn consumer credit market in the UK.
The lenders' trade body, the Consumer Finance Association (CFA), said its members already offered help to customers in difficulty by freezing interest and charges.
CFA chief executive Russell Hamblin-Boone said: "We have been driving up standards for some time now through our code of practice and from 1 April, there are statutory rules that lenders will have to work to, and I think we will see the worst practices being driven out and only the best lenders continuing to operate."
As part of a wider review of the industry, the FCA has already outlined plans to impose a cap on the amount of interest a short-term lender can charge.
It has also set out rules that would limit to two the number of times a loan can be rolled over, as well as a requirement that lenders must carry out thorough checks to see if customers can afford to take out a loan. | One quarter of payday lenders may pull out of the market under pressure from new regulations. |
37,583,284 | Hythe Ferry runs between the Hampshire market town, across Southampton Water to the city's Town Quay.
The operators said they issued staff with a letter warning of possible redundancies on Tuesday.
The company has not given any further details but said it was holding talks with other operators.
In a statement, Hythe Ferry Ltd said "everything should remain normal whilst talks with other operators and avenues are investigated".
"All avenues are being explored," it added.
Councillor Malcolm Wade, of Hampshire County Council - which currently subsidises the service, said he understood that the authority would continue financial support "to either the current owners or any new owner to ensure this vital service keeps running".
"Local residents are deeply concerned, not just those commuting to Southampton but also business coming in," he said.
"It is important for the economy and also in terms of its historical significance. There has been a ferry service at Hythe for as long as I can remember and it's important we retain this service."
Following a request from Mr Wade, Hythe and Dibden Parish Council said it was looking to speak to the ferry provider "to see what help they would welcome at this time".
It added the issue would also be discussed at the next council meeting on 26 October.
Hampshire County Council has not yet responded to a BBC request for comment. | The future of a ferry service is in doubt after staff were issued with a letter warning them of possible redundancies. |
38,478,757 | They will face fines of up to 100% of the total they helped evade or £3,000, whichever is the highest.
The government will also be able to publicly name culprits who enable tax evasion or help move money offshore.
The powers were announced as part of the 2015 Budget and will come into force on 1 January.
Financial Secretary to the Treasury Jane Ellison said the government has led reform of the international tax system to root out tax evasion.
She added: "Closer to home we are creating a tax system where taxes are fair, competitive and paid.
"The raft of measures we have introduced to tackle avoidance and evasion will create a level playing field for the vast majority of people and businesses who play fair and pay what is due." | Accountants, bankers, lawyers and advisers who assist with tax evasion will be hit with fines as part of a crackdown on the practice. |
40,106,073 | Police, fire and ambulance crews, and a search helicopter attended the incident shortly before 08:00.
The search operation followed a call from a member of the public reporting concerns over a man in the water at the bridge.
Police Scotland said the man was later found safe and well and the incident was a "false alarm with good intent." | A swimmer has sparked a major multi-agency search operation at Stirling Bridge. |
31,135,084 | A spokesperson for the bank said: "All customers can now see their accounts online as normal."
Customers trying to use current accounts, savings and loans - but not credit card services - were affected.
Tesco said it had not received "a huge number of calls", although thousands of accounts could have been hit.
Tesco apologised for the inconvenience caused and thanked customers for their patience.
Earlier in the week one customer who contacted the BBC said she had been unable to access her account for two days.
Tesco Bank said it had alerted customers on its website that there was a problem.
However, a spokesman told the BBC that customers could contact its call centres to process any account services while the problems continued.
The bank said: "We are aware that some of our customers are currently unable to view their accounts in online banking. We are working hard to resolve this matter as soon as possible.
"Customers can still continue to use their accounts as normal and can contact us by phone if they need any help with their account. We apologise for the inconvenience and thank customers for their patience" | Tesco's online banking operation has been restored after being hit by a computer fault, with customers unable to view their accounts. |
32,511,431 | The agency told a parliamentary meeting on Wednesday that they were executed by firing squad on spying charges.
Those killed include two vice ministers who challenged Mr Kim over his policies and members of an orchestra, intelligence officials said.
Mr Kim purged and executed his once-powerful uncle for treachery in 2013.
South Korean politicians were told that one of the officials killed was a forestry minister who had complained about North Korea's forestation plan, Yonhap news agency reported.
"Excuses or reasoning doesn't work for Kim Jong-un, and his style of rule is to push through everything," said Shin Kyung-min, a member of South Korea's parliamentary intelligence committee, quoting an intelligence official.
From outside Pyongyang, it's impossible to know exactly what's going on in Kim Jong-un's inner circle.
The South Korean spy agency may have informants but it also relies on hit-or-miss methods like analysing photographs in the North Korean state-controlled media.
We do know that Mr Kim's uncle, Chang Song-thaek, was executed in 2013 because North Korean media reported it.
Last year, six important officials suddenly vanished from public view and South Korean media reported they had been executed.
If it is true that 15 senior people have been executed in the four months of this year - a rate of one a week - it would indicate that the regime is getting tougher.
Kim Jong-un has been in power for just over three years. He is as secure in his job as any dictator can be, but does he feel secure?
Mr Shin's office told Reuters news agency that the unnamed official had added that the executions were a "showcase" in response to what Mr Kim saw as a challenge to his authority.
Four members of North Korea's Unhasu Orchestra are also believed to have been executed in March.
Reports say that Mr Kim's wife, Ri Sol-ju was a singer in the orchestra before her marriage.
South Korean politician Lee Cheol-woo told Yonhap that the head of the orchestra had been executed, possibly for leaking family secrets.
There has been no confirmation from North Korea about the executions but Mr Kim has purged his opponents before.
In 2013, Mr Kim put his uncle, Chang Song-thaek, to death, along with a group of officials who had been close to him.
Mr Chang was seen as a mentor to Kim Jong-un during the leadership transition from his father Kim Jong-il in 2011. | North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered the execution of 15 people this year, including several top officials, South Korean intelligence says. |
32,130,888 | That is despite an oil price that has halved in the past six months.
Sentiment is buoyed by heavy state spending and much-anticipated reforms to the Saudi stock market.
Lower economic growth is expected in the kingdom this year which is likely to experience its first budget shortfall since 2011.
The deputy governor of SAGIA, Saudi Arabia's government-run investment authority, Prince Saud Al-Faisal, told the BBC in Dubai: "We've seen investor confidence increase in 2015. That's been our observations."
Despite the lower growth forecast, Prince Saud said: "We haven't observed any negative effects to the lower oil prices from our side as an organisation."
Saudi Arabia is in a strong position to weather major cuts to its oil revenues with an estimated $750bn (£507bn) in foreign exchange reserves built up during the boom times.
However, during the oil rush the effectiveness of regulations to help local businesses prosper in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh have worsened, according to a World Bank global comparison report.
From the 13th best placed amongst the nearly 200 countries that featured in the 'Doing Business' report five years ago, it is now 49th. Its business climate is seen as particularly bad when it comes to resolving insolvency, starting a business or enforcing contracts.
Prince Saud, who is president of the National Competitiveness Centre, a think tank set up to improve the ease of doing business in the kingdom, said he is not concerned by the fall as long as the 70-year-old "momentum of change" in Saudi Arabia continued.
"They've changed [the World Bank/International Finance Corporation] the way they calculate specific indicators and reforms. I think this is a positive change and I think it will give us even more incentive to continue with our economic reform process," he told the BBC.
Saudi Arabia's economy still heavily depends on oil, the price of which dropped further on Monday.
That was due to oversupply fears as nuclear talks between Iran and six world powers, including the US, progressed. Should negotiations succeed, sanctions against Iranian oil may be eased.
Saudi Arabia's former intelligence chief, Prince Turki al-Faisal, told the BBC in March that a deal with Iran could lead to a nuclear fuel race in the region. A favourable deal for Iran could lead other states in the region to develop atomic fuel, he said.
However, Prince Saud bin Khalid al-Faisal, a younger member of the House of Saud, described the "huge potential" that the lifting of sanctions would bring if the political differences with Iran could be resolved - namely expanded trade and investment for the region.
"There's a value chain there, so the more investment that we can get in the region, the better. Whether it's any country in the region. Whether it's to the north, to the south, to the east, or to the west," Prince Saud told the BBC. | Investor confidence in Saudi Arabia remains strong, according to the deputy governor of a body which attracts investment to the kingdom. |
38,661,443 | The jobless rate was steady at an 11-year low of 4.8%, the Office for National Statistics said.
The employment rate was steady at a record 74.5%, while wage growth picked up pace.
Average weekly earnings excluding bonuses increased by 2.7% compared with a year earlier.
Growth in pay including bonuses rose 0.2 percentage points to 2.8% for the year to November.
However, the number of people in work slipped by 9,000 to just over 31.8 million, the ONS said.
It was the second consecutive report to show a decline in the number of people in work - the first back-to-back fall since mid-2015.
The number of full-time workers was 209,000 higher at 23.25 million people, while the total of part-time employees jumped 86,000 to 8.55 million.
Employment minister Damian Hinds described the figures as encouraging and highlighted the "strength and resilience" of the UK labour market.
David Freeman, ONS senior statistician, said: "While employment is little changed on the quarter, the rate remains at an historic high."
"The rate at which pay is increasing continues to pick up in cash terms, though it remains moderate," he added.
The claimant count fell by 10,100 in December to 797,800.
Appropriate scepticism is due, but it looks very much like growth in the labour force, which we have taken for granted for years, has ground slowly to a halt from a peak last July.
Within the labour market is another number, more perhaps of political than economic significance. But it is an official statistic and one that those who successfully campaigned for the UK to leave the European Union would point to: where the newly employed people were born.
These data were first published in November and are for the July to September period, but are nevertheless worth noting.
The number of UK-born people working in the UK rose by 37,000. The number of non-UK born people working in Britain rose by 430,000.
Next month we will get the updated numbers for nationality and birth in the workforce and therefore have a better idea of whether it has anything to do with the Brexit vote.
Paul Hollingsworth at Capital Economics said the UK labour market remained resilient despite Brexit uncertainty.
"Employment fell by 9,000 in the three months to November, but this was a much smaller fall than the consensus expectation of a 35,000 drop," he said.
"And the timelier claimant-count measure of unemployment fell by 10,100, in contrast to expectations of a 5,000 rise. Employment growth should maintain a decent pace in the near term."
There were 8.89 million people aged 16 to 64 who were not working and not looking for jobs or available to work - known as economically inactive - for the three months to November. That was 85,000 higher than the June-to-August period, but 63,000 fewer than the three months to November 2015.
The jobless rate for the three months to November in Wales stood at 4.4%, 5.1% for Scotland and 5.6% in Northern Ireland.
In England the South East had the lowest rate of unemployment at 3.4%, with the North East the highest at 6.8%. London also has a higher rate than the national average at 5.6%.
The unemployment figures are based on the Labour Force Survey in which the ONS talks to about 40,000 households, or 100,000 individuals, every three months.
As it is a survey, the results are estimates and have a margin of error.
For example, the ONS is 95% confident that its estimate of a fall in unemployment of 52,000 is correct to within 81,000.
That means we cannot say with 95% confidence that unemployment has fallen at all, so the drop is described as not being statistically significant. | UK unemployment fell by 52,000 to 1.6 million in the three months to November - the lowest level for more than a decade - official figures showed. |
35,056,909 | Paul Gorman, 46, offered £40 to the girl to supply indecent images.
She took the pictures on her mobile phone in the toilets of her school.
Gorman, of Kilwinning, was jailed for 15 months at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court and placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years.
Police were called after a family friend spotted suspicious Facebook messages between Gorman and his victim, who is now 15.
Officers raided his home in Kilbirnie and seized a laptop containing pictures of young children being sexually abused.
Computer forensics experts found Gorman had visited a website which hosted child sex images.
During his trial, Gorman admitted taking or making indecent images at a house in Dalry in May, 2014.
A jury found him guilty of causing a child to engage in sexual activity by photographing herself and sending him pictures, and asking her to make an indecent video.
Four charges of lewd and libidinous behaviour and sexual assault of the girl and her friend, also 13, were found not proven. | A taxi driver who bribed a 13-year-old girl to take sexually explicit photos of herself and send them to him on Facebook has been jailed. |
28,865,068 | Stephen McIlvenna, 40, from Randalstown in County Antrim, crashed on the Mountain Mile section of the TT course on Tuesday.
Race organisers said he was an experienced competitor who had been racing in the event for nine years.
McIlvenna won the 2009 Junior MGP and went on to compete in the TT.
A Manx Motor Cycle Club spokesman said it passed on its "deepest sympathy to Stephen's family and friends".
The coroner has been informed and an investigation into the circumstances of the accident is under way.
Clerk of the course Phil Taubman told the BBC he was "one of a large number of fantastic Irish supporters of Manx road racing".
He said: "The Manx and the Irish have a great affinity for road racing and Stephen was one of those guys who was always there.
"He was a terrific and well experienced rider."
Northern Ireland's Sports Minister Carál Nà ChuilÃn expressed her shock and sadness at Mr McIlvenna's death.
"Stephen was an experienced rider who clearly loved the sport of motorbike racing," she said.
"He was a regular competitor on the Isle of Man and his death is a tragedy." | A former Manx Grand Prix winner has been killed during qualifying for this year's event in the Isle of Man, organisers have confirmed. |
36,973,129 | Former eight-division world champion Pacquiao, 37, had announced his retirement after beating Timothy Bradley in April.
But his promoter Bob Arum said last month that the Filipino boxer would fight again this year.
"Retirement doesn't suit Manny right now," Pacquiao's manager Michael Koncz told the Los Angeles Times.
"Boxing is in his blood. When he trains, it's like a pressure-release valve. You can see a dramatic difference in his mood... he's happy.
"It's amazing what training and fighting does for him."
Pacquiao and his team will meet on 10 August in Manila to discuss whether the bout against 27-year-old Vargas should be staged in Los Angeles or Dubai.
"That's the essence of the meeting," Koncz added. "Not choosing the opponent. That's already been done."
Pacquiao's unanimous decision win over Bradley was his first fight in nearly a year, following his much-publicised defeat by Floyd Mayweather.
He had said he was ending his boxing career to concentrate on politics. Pacquiao won election to the Philippines' senate in May.
Vargas won his belt in March against compatriot Sadam Ali and has won 10 of his bouts via a knockout or stoppage, with his only defeat coming in a points loss against Bradley last year. | Manny Pacquiao will return to the ring on 5 November against American WBO welterweight champion Jessie Vargas. |
36,043,608 | The Red Rose were promoted from Division Two last year, while they also won the T20 Blast title for the first time in August.
Lancashire were relegated in their previous two seasons in Division One, but have won the competition as recently as 2011.
"We don't just want to survive, we want to compete," said Croft, 31.
The all-rounder told BBC Radio Lancashire: "We want to be up there. We want to finish at the top and we want to be champions.
"If we don't, then it is time to consolidate and keep our status in the division, so that would be progress really."
Former England spinner Ashley Giles led Lancashire back to the top flight in his first season in charge after being appointed director of cricket and head coach.
With Ashwell Prince having retired and Paul Horton leaving for Leicestershire, there is an onus on their remaining batsman to replace the runs of those two this in 2016.
"We've got an exciting player like Haseeb Hameed in the top order and a new partnership of him and Karl Brown at the top," said Giles.
"We don't know how it's going to go at the moment. We've tried to prepare as well as we possibly can.
"I think we've got a lot of talent in the squad, but some of it at the moment is unproven and you don't find out until you give those guys an opportunity." | Lancashire captain Steven Croft has backed their squad to challenge for the Division One title this season. |
21,563,644 | The ceremony honours independent movies and is Hollywood's last big pre-Oscars ritual before Sunday's main event.
Silver Linings Playbook, up for eight Oscars, won Independent Spirit Awards for best film, director, screenplay and actress for Jennifer Lawrence.
John Hawkes took best actor for the part of the late disabled journalist and poet Mark O'Brien in The Sessions.
Hawkes said he hoped the film would help change perceptions of disability.
"Mark O'Brien said as a disabled man he felt invisible to people. I hope this film can change that a little bit and we all see each other a little more," he told the audience in his acceptance speech.
His co-star Helen Hunt - who plays a sex therapist in the film, based on an article written by O'Brien in 1990 - won best supporting actress.
Up for the same award at the Oscars, Hunt said backstage: "I'm proud of the movie, I can't believe we got it made."
Matthew McConaughey, who was also nominated for best actor for Killer Joe, picked up the best supporting actor prize for Magic Mike, in which he stars alongside his mother.
He praised the process of making independent films. "The vitality you get from not having enough money and not having enough time… that's what I love about independent films," he said.
The prize for best foreign film went to Oscar favourite Amour, directed by Michael Haneke.
"I feel wonderful, it comes as a complete surprise," he said, after collecting his award. "No-one would think a film dealing with ageing and death [would do so well]."
Best documentary went to The Invisible War, which addresses rape and sexual abuse in the US military.
Producer Amy Ziering made an emotional speech, saying: "This award says to our service members - you are heard, you are not alone and you are no longer invisible."
Like Silver Linings, Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom was up for five awards - but it went away empty-handed.
Accepting the best screenplay award for Silver Linings, writer and director David O Russell said: "The last time I held one of these was 19 years ago for best screenplay and best first feature [for Spanking the Monkey] and my son was one year old.
"Matthew's here today and he gave me this movie."
Russell's son has bipolar disorder and was the inspiration for the film, which features Bradley Cooper's character dealing with the same illness.
Speaking backstage of his Oscar chances, Russell said: "I'm very superstitious so I'm just very happy to be there."
Beasts of the Southern Wild picked up one award out of a possible four, for British cinematographer Ben Richardson.
He said nine-year-old Oscar nominee Quvenzhane Wallis was the reason he took on the job. "It was incredibly eye-opening, I could just see what she was going to do. Her performance is just incredible," he said.
The best first feature prize went to Perks of Being a Wallflower, starring Emma Watson.
Presenters included Daniel Radcliffe, Salma Hayek and Jeremy Renner. | Silver Linings Playbook has won four Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica on the eve of the Oscars. |
37,415,952 | It was hampering NI airport growth by failing to scrap or cut the APD tax, he said.
Mr O'Leary also questioned the wisdom of £7m in aid for City of Derry airport and £9m of support to rescue United Airlines' Belfast to New York service.
He said politicians would have been better using the money to tackle APD.
It is currently £13 on each UK flight.
The executive has previously ruled out abolishing APD on all flights as too expensive, as it would have to repay the Treasury for implementing the tax-break.
Mr O'Leary also questioned the long-term future of City of Derry Airport and said it was likely that, over time, Ryanair's remaining flights there would move to Belfast International.
Last week, Ryanair announced it is to axe its service to London from City of Derry Airport. Summer flights to Faro, in Portugal, are also being dropped while the airline's service to Liverpool is being reduced to twice a week.
Mr O'Leary said the UK Brexit vote has curtailed further route expansion plans from Belfast International, citing the fall in the value of sterling and the expected slowdown of the British economy.
However, the Westminster government said on Tuesday that it may intervene financially to maintain an air route from Derry to London.
In a statement, the UK's Department for Transport said the airport's operators, Derry City and Strabane Council, have been "invited to put forward proposals to keep the route open, with a value for money check to ensure the best outcome for taxpayers".
More than 125,000 people a year use the flight route, according to the department.
Minister for Aviation Lord Ahmad said: "Our airports are vital in supporting local economies, providing connections in the UK and opening up new opportunities.
"That is why the UK government has agreed in principle to support the air route between City of Derry Airport and London.
"In terms of process, it is important that Derry City and Strabane District Council take forward the tender process to secure this route."
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland James Brokenshire said the move was "good news for travellers in the north-west and the wider regional economy".
"Having talked to local business leaders I know the air link with London plays a vital role.
"I am pleased the UK government has been able to step in to help, as part of our commitment to build a Northern Ireland that works for everyone."
The Irish government abolished air tax in 2014.
In 2013, the Executive abolished APD on long-haul flights only - a move which costs it more than £2m a year. | Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary has said it is a "damning indictment" of the Stormont Executive that it has done nothing to address Air Passenger Tax. |
39,229,926 | It announced this week it had agreed a deal in principle with West Coast Motors to be concluded on 25 March.
MSP Christine Grahame raised the issue at Holyrood, seeking reassurances over employment and service provision.
Deputy First Minister John Swinney said the Scottish government was already looking into the proposed sale.
First Group revealed its intention to sell its operations on Wednesday, blaming the impact of the Borders Railway.
It would see its Galashiels depot, Peebles, Hawick and Kelso outstations and all staff transfer to West Coast Motors.
In response to Ms Grahame's question, Mr Swinney said talks were planned to look at any potential impact of the deal.
"We are engaging with the operators and also with the relevant local authorities to understand the situation and any implications for the staff and the travelling public," he said.
"We welcome the assurances that have been given by First that all the jobs, pay and conditions will be protected."
He said the transport minister would be speaking with the managing director of First Scotland East next week to discuss the issue.
"We will consult publicly on measures in the transport bill later this year to address some of the issues that are raised," he added. | Transport Minister Humza Yousaf is to meet with First Group to discuss its plans to sell its operations in the Borders and Midlothian. |
37,928,728 | A judge has banned Jonathan Hughes, 48, from an area of Rhos on Sea, Conwy county, using disorderly behaviour and setting up unauthorised camps.
Hughes has since moved into a flat, the court in Llandudno was told.
He received a three-year criminal behaviour order after admitting harassing a seafront cafe worker.
Prosecutor James Neary said police had received 23 separate complaints about his camp in a shelter near the seafront at Rhos Point, including issues about the smell and litter.
He had previously lived rough at Caernarfon, Gwynedd, which had also prompted complaints, the court heard.
Mr Neary said Hughes' behaviour had had an "impact on the community".
Hughes, who represented himself, was given a 10-week curfew between 16:00-06:00 GMT and he was ordered to pay £100 compensation and £170 costs. | A former homeless man whose makeshift camp opposite a children's park prompted complaints has been told he faces jail if he repeats his actions. |
30,066,997 | 15 November 2014 Last updated at 14:23 GMT
The men were fishing in Troms in northern Norway when the huge mammals made their surprise appearance.
Pictures courtesy Trond Ivarjord | Two Norwegian men came within an arm's length of a group of humpback whales surging to the surface of the sea. |
34,177,580 | Ann Cameron, 52, was in hospital for several days after stepping backwards and plunging through the hatch left open by a fellow member of staff.
The accident happened two years ago at the Park Street social club on the day of the town's Braw Lads celebrations.
The RBL branch admitted failing to ensure the safety of an employee.
The incident was captured on the club's CCTV and the footage was shown at Jedburgh Sheriff Court.
Several people were working behind the bar but moments after the hatch was opened, Ms Cameron stepped backwards without looking and fell down it.
The club's lawyer Zoe McDonnell said a verbal warning was given about the hatch being open but could not be heard because the club was so busy.
She added that a risk assessment was in place but was not sufficient in this case.
Ms McDonnell said the club had taken the matter very seriously.
She said: "It was one of the busiest days of the year. She did not hear the verbal warning.
"The club has made significant efforts since the accident to protect employees.
"The case has served as a clear warning that they must provide a safe environment for employees."
Ms McDonnell explained the club was mainly run by volunteers and had operated at a loss for the past two years.
The club admitted failing to ensure the safety of an employee by leaving a cellar hatch open and having insufficient measures in place to prevent an accident in June 2013.
Sheriff Peter Paterson said it was an obvious breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act.
He commented: "It was an accident waiting to happen."
However, he took into account the club's guilty plea and responsible attitude in taking steps to prevent a repeat by reducing the fine from £12,000 to £8,000. | The Galashiels branch of the Royal British Legion (RBL) has been fined £8,000 after a bar worker was seriously injured falling into a cellar. |
36,691,185 | Bolt, 29, had won the 100m and 200m in Rio and is the only man to win all three sprint events at three Games.
He combined with Asafa Powell, Yohan Blake and Nickel Ashmeade to lift gold in a time of 37.27 seconds.
Japan won a surprise silver and the USA were disqualified to hand Canada bronze and lift Britain up to fifth.
"There you go, I'm the greatest," said Bolt, who has won gold in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay at the last three Games.
He intends to retire after the 2017 World Championships in London and will not compete at Tokyo 2020, at which point he will be nearly 34.
Bolt's haul of nine golds is the joint highest among Olympic athletics.
He is now equal with USA sprinter and long jumper Carl Lewis, who won nine golds over four Games, and Finnish long-distance runner Paavo Nurmi.
"I'm going to stay up late and have fun," Bolt told BBC Sport.
"I never knew this would happen when I started out. My team came through for me tonight. As long as we got the baton round, it was never in doubt.
"It's a brilliant feeling. Iit's been a long road. I'm happy, but I'm relieved. It's great to be in the history books as one of the greatest. I'm proud of myself."
Blake made an attempt to persuade 100m and 200m world-record holder Bolt to continue for another four years, saying: "Usain needs to be immortal and he is immortal. I will encourage him to come back for 2020."
When asked about bowing out of the Olympics, Bolt added: "I'm going to miss the crowds. I'm not going to miss the interviews. I've done, like, 500."
The American team of Mike Rodgers, Justin Gatlin, Tyson Gay and Trayvon Bromell celebrated winning a bronze before they were disqualified.
Gatlin, who won 100m silver, was ruled to have received the baton too early from Rodgers during the first handover.
"We already did the victory lap and then, when we talked to TV, they told us," said Gay. "They said Justin got the stick before the zone. He's saying he didn't."
The GB quartet of Richard Kilty, Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, James Ellington and Adam Gemili finished sixth but were promoted to fifth.
"We are disappointed not to win a medal," said Gemili, who narrowly missed out on 200m bronze. "We know we are capable of it."
Four-time Olympic gold medallist Michael Johnson: "This was an incredible race. USA were in it. Japan were in it. Jamaica just had to get it round to Usain Bolt. He had to chase the Japanese team, but Bolt... flawless. All gold. No silvers. No bronze. A fantastic performance at these championships."
Two-time 110m hurdles world champion Colin Jackson: "Usain Bolt is just too good. Once he got in his stride, nobody was going to catch him. An incredible man, a wonderful athlete and we are all incredibly pleased he has done what he has done."
Former Olympic silver medallist and BBC Sport commentator Steve Cram: "Usain Bolt, the greatest ever. We are all privileged to have been here throughout his career and watched his Olympic performances. They should proclaim him the eighth wonder of the world."
Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox. | Usain Bolt ended his Olympic career by claiming an unprecedented 'triple triple' and his ninth gold as Jamaica won the 4x100m relay final in Rio. |
20,552,365 | The Law Society of Scotland said it had accepted an offer from Kenny MacAskill for a meeting next week.
Defence solicitors boycotted the custody courts at Edinburgh, Glasgow and Paisley sheriff courts on Tuesday.
The changes would see accused people with a disposable income of more than £68 contribute to their defence costs.
Defence lawyers are also concerned about moves for solicitors to collect the money themselves, instead of the Scottish Legal Aid Board.
The Scottish government believes the changes outlined in the Scottish Civil Justice Council and Criminal Legal Assistance Bill would cut Scotland's £98m annual criminal legal aid bill by £3.9m.
Mr MacAskill said he wanted to keep the dialogue channels open after the strike action, which he said was "in nobody's interests".
He said there had been instances where clients appeared in court unrepresented during the strike action, despite the availability of duty solicitors and public defence solicitors.
He added: "This government is concerned that this strike action has arisen while our proposals on criminal legal aid contributions are still under discussion.
"In recent discussion with the Law Society of Scotland, I offered to meet with bar associations to discuss and explain the current issues around criminal legal aid contributions and I am hopeful such a meeting can take place shortly.
"While the Law Society is traditionally the negotiating body for the profession, I want to ensure that there is also the opportunity to have face-to-face conversations with the bar associations themselves about the reasons for the bill, why we are having to make these changes, and the bill's progression through parliament.
"The strike action that has so far occurred is in nobody's interests."
Following a meeting on Thursday evening between representatives from law faculties and bar associations, the Law Society of Scotland reiterated its position that the planned changes were "regressive, unworkable and unfair" but said the requested discussions with Mr MacAskill would happen.
The body said the £68 threshold would mean people were forced to pay towards the costs of their defence "when they simply cannot afford to so".
It also said the proposed system, which would see solicitors collecting in summary cases, was "impractical" and the Scottish Legal Aid Board was the body best equipped to collect contributions in all summary and solemn cases.
A statement said: "The Law Society has now agreed to organise a meeting between the faculties and the Cabinet Secretary for Justice so these concerns can be discussed in detail.
"The meeting is likely to take place early next week." | Talks are to take place between the justice secretary and lawyers' representatives over planned changes to the criminal legal aid system. |
35,409,662 | The tourists lost their last seven wickets for 43 runs on the final morning, bowled out for 101 to lose by 280 runs in Centurion.
England, who were dismissed inside 35 overs, won the series 2-1.
"It was a really feeble way to finish the tour. They've shown no heart," Vaughan told BBC Test Match Special.
"I thought this would be a day where England would graft. I thought they'd last until tea. That's not good enough."
England won the first Test in Durban by 241 runs and the third in Johannesburg by seven wickets to establish an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.
But dropped catches allowed South Africa to establish a first-innings lead of 133 in Centurion, before Kagiso Rabada hurried South Africa to a consolation victory with 6-32 in the second innings and 13-144 in the match.
"There are no dead rubbers in Test cricket," said Vaughan, who captained England in 51 of his 82 Tests.
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"They haven't been on it. Whether you're winning the series or not, if you're a good team you don't relax."
Joe Root, Chris Woakes and Stuart Broad edged drives and Ben Stokes pulled to deep square-leg as England's hopes of saving the game disappeared amid a flurry of reckless shots.
Former England batsman Geoffrey Boycott said: "Get your head down and save the match. There was no effort this morning.
"Coming out and playing shots - does that excuse you after winning the series? No. There's no excuse for that. You have to be professional."
Vaughan added: "Some of those shots this morning were not the shots of a team that was thinking we can really win this Test match."
South Africa captain AB de Villiers said: "To take seven wickets in the time that we did was not part of the thinking. We were ready to go to 5.30 today."
England, having already won the Ashes against Australia in 2015, lost the final Test at The Oval by an innings and 46 runs.
"It's the same feeling we had against Australia at The Oval," said Vaughan. "England were winning the series but they put in such a flat performance."
England captain Alastair Cook said: "We spoke honestly about how we were going about this week; we tried not to do what we did against Australia.
"We always try and play positively but on certain wickets you have to play a different way. We didn't get the balance right.
"Whether that's the end of the tour mentality I don't know."
England are only the second team to beat South Africa, who began the series as the number one Test team in the world, on their own turf since 2009.
"I take my hat off to them," said Boycott. "Winning abroad - winning anywhere - is good. England receive all the credit."
De Villiers added: "They completely outplayed us in the first two Tests. They're possibly the team to beat in the next year or so."
But Cook admitted England's defeat in Centurion left "a bit of disappointment in our mouths".
"Today was a limp batting performance," he said. "If you'd offered me 2-1 before the series I would have snapped your hand off.
"It just shows how much work this side has still got to do and yet we can still win away against the team who were top of the world rankings."
Coach Trevor Bayliss added: "It frustrates not just me but the players as well.
"They are young guys that make mistakes. As a Test team, we're on the rise. They are a team full of talent but talent never won anything."
Listen to Jonathan Agnew and Geoffrey Boycott review England's final-day collapse in the TMS podcast | England "threw in the towel" as they collapsed to defeat in the fourth Test in South Africa, says former captain Michael Vaughan. |
40,884,525 | Great Britain did not field a team in Rio last summer because the four home nation football associations could not come to an agreement.
But FA chief executive Martin Glenn says talks have taken place about entering a team in three years' time.
"They're not going to actively support us, but they're not going to stand in the way," he told BBC Sport.
"We've worked really hard with the other home nations to get them behind the idea that a British team would be good for football both in England but also in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
"We were very disappointed that for the Brazil Olympics we couldn't put in a British team because, for women's football, Olympic tournaments are disproportionately important compared to men's football."
England's FA had put forward the idea of sending Great Britain teams to the 2016 Olympics, but Fifa said it would need the agreement of all the ruling bodies.
Stewart Regan, the Scottish FA's chief executive, was among those to voice concerns that a Great Britain team could impact the home nations at future international tournaments such as World Cups.
A spokesman for the Scottish FA told BBC Sport: "Our position remains that the Scottish FA does not support the playing of Olympic football under the Team GB banner, preferring all organised international football involving Scottish players to be played in the name of Scotland."
In April, chief executive of the Football Association of Wales, Jonathan Ford, said he could now see the "merits" of a GB women's football team.
In a statement to BBC Sport, the Irish Football Association said it "would not be in favour of sending players to a GB Olympic team. This is to protect our independent status within Fifa."
England's women, led by Mark Sampson, won a bronze medal at the 2015 World Cup and earlier this month reached the semi-finals of Euro 2017.
Glenn says the strength in depth through the nations could be key to further success.
"We would want to pick from the best of British talent and there's a number from nations outside of England and we know that would be good for the game."
Team GB entered men's and women's sides at London 2012, organised by the English FA.
Stuart Pearce took charge of the men and Hope Powell coached the women, with both teams being knocked out in the quarter-finals.
Scotland midfielder Kim Little, who represented Great Britain at London 2012
I am Scottish and British and am proud to represent either.
It is a great opportunity for individual players and women's football in general. It is a great platform to raise the game and London 2012 certainly did that. It was a great shame not to have a team at Rio. To show backing for a team at 2020 is great for the women's game in general.
I was grateful and proud to be one of two Scots in the team at London. I can honestly say it was one of the best experiences I have had as a professional footballer. For the other three nations it provides an incentive for players, another platform to perform on at a major tournament.
Since 2012 Olympics, the England team went to the World Cup and were the best European team and they did well at the recent European Championship. I think getting together a GB team with other players from the home nations added to the England team, then whatever team comes together will have a real chance of doing something great.
I love playing football, so to be able to do that as a Team GB athlete and a Scottish athlete, I would be more than happy to do that. | The English Football Association plans to put together a British women's team for the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. |
34,126,102 | But the England Under-21 international, 22, will be fined for comments he made on Twitter that appeared to criticise Jeremy Peace.
The Baggies chairman turned down two late bids for Berahino and criticised Spurs for trying to get him "cheaply".
Berahino will meet with West Brom manager Tony Pulis and other key club officials on Monday.
The forward was due to return to training on Friday but has been given extra time off.
Gordon Taylor, chief executive of the Professional Footballers' Association, says the players' union has been in touch with West Brom and Berahino's representatives and expects them to resolve their differences.
Spurs had two other bids for Berahino rejected in the summer.
The player also had a transfer request turned down and made his dismay public when it became clear he would not be moving to White Hart Lane.
In a tweet, he appeared to suggest he would not play for the Baggies under Peace's chairmanship.
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Peace has made it clear he feels Spurs are to blame in the matter, claiming he had spoken to Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy earlier in the summer to explain his club's stance.
"We have a key player who has been very unsettled by antics which were designed to get him out of our club cheaply," said Peace in a statement on the club's website on Tuesday.
"Those tactics have continued despite my making our position clear in my first conversation with Daniel Levy on this subject in mid-August.
"I said selling Saido so late in the window was not on our agenda.
"We are now left with the task of repairing the damage created by this unfortunate episode."
West Brom also said Tottenham's offer for Berahino was not enough - either the amount they had offered as an initial down-payment or the final total of £22.5m spread over five years.
Levy later issued a transfer dealings statement on Spurs' official website which appeared to explain the club's dealings over Berahino.
"We have never, as a club, spoken about another team's players and I am not about to do so now," it read.
But it continued: "There is hardly a transfer concluded across Europe which doesn't include staged payments. This is particularly so when significant amounts such as £20m-£30m are involved - players don't come cheaply these days.
"Secondly, we do not make anything personal. None of the proposals, discussions or negotiations we undertake involve any personal elements or ego - everything we do is in the interest of what is best for our club.
"Thirdly, we never make anything public, particularly in the best interests of the players involved. Making aspects such as transfer requests public is wholly disrespectful to a player."
Former West Brom striker Jason Roberts says he has some sympathy for Berahino.
"Whatever the communication has been with Berahino, he has thought the transfer will go through," Roberts told BBC World Service.
"It was an amazing reaction to go out publicly to say you will not play for the chairman again - that is a big call from the player.
"I feel some sympathy for Saido as he is in the middle of this but at the same time, it may be a misjudgement to come out and say he won't play for the chairman again."
BBC Sport spoke to Mishcon de Reya's James King about the Berahino saga and the potential fallout of strike action by the player.
He told us the following:
"Berahino won't face the inevitable disciplinary process until Monday when he'll meet leading executives at the club to discuss his expected fine and to see how they can get such a discontented player back onside.
"West Brom's postponement of the meeting is designed to draw some of the sting from the media's focus on this spectacular fall-out between Peace and Berahino.
"But Peace's relationship with the player is nowhere near the as crucial as the role Pulis will play in his reintegration.
"I understand Pulis was resigned to losing such a valuable but disillusioned player, but now he somehow has to talk Berahino round."
West Brom Supporters' Club chairman John Homer believes the club and player need to "take a step back" now and move forward - but it may need Berahino to "show contrition and apologise to the Albion fans".
He told BBC Radio 5 live: "It's always upsetting when a player comes out and says he doesn't want to play for the club and wants away, so that will alienate him with some supporters.
"Football supporters are fickle though and if in a fortnight's time if he were to play against Aston Villa at Villa Park and get the winning goal, we'd have a different viewpoint on the lad."
And referring to the Burundi-born players rise through the ranks and to the fringes of the England national team, he added: "It's a tremendous story and for it to go foul at this stage of his career is desperately sad. It's doing nothing but damaging his prospects."
PFA boss Gordon Taylor told BBC Sport: "Every difficult situation can be resolved. We get called in on a number of occasions where there are disputes between the players and the club and we're more than happy to try and help resolve this one.
"With social media, the players are young lads and we expect them to have old heads on young shoulders.
"I can't recommend any player refusing to play and I hope with the experienced management at the club the situation will be resolved. I would be surprised and disappointed if it wasn't.
"If he chooses not to play it will be difficult to get another club as he will lose his fitness and his form. He's clearly a very talented player with a big future."
For a recap of transfer deadline day, click here. | West Brom will hold talks with striker Saido Berahino after Tottenham's failed deadline-day bid to sign him. |
40,162,173 | Natalia Sharina was arrested in 2015 after a search of her Library of Ukrainian Literature found what officials described as anti-Russian propaganda. She denied the charges.
Her arrest came amid tensions between Russia and Ukraine following the annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Rights groups have condemned the case.
Natalia Sharina, who is Russian, was charged with inciting hatred against Russians and also of embezzlement of library funds.
A judge in a Moscow court gave her a four-year suspended sentence. She said she would appeal.
Speaking in court, Natalia Sharina, 59, said she was shocked, and insisted that the banned literature had been planted in the library by police.
"The state prosecutor admitted herself during the proceedings that this was a political case," she told reporters after the ruling.
"A librarian is such a good, peaceful profession. You sit there, reading books. So the fact that this is happening in the 21st century will probably be remembered in decades to come - like we remember the doctors plot and 1937," she said, referring to Stalin-era public show trials.
It took the judge well over two hours to read her guilty verdict. Every argument presented in the librarian's defence was dismissed, including testimony by witnesses who said they saw police planting the controversial material.
The prosecutor described Natalia Sharina as an agent of Ukrainian nationalism. Her lawyer, Ivan Pavlov, called the high-profile case a farce that was seeped in politics.
She will now have her electronic tag removed, after 20 months under house arrest.
But the library she once ran - that was a symbol of Russian-Ukrainian friendship - has been dismantled. "I'm sorry for the library. That what was created has been destroyed. The books have been packed up and removed," she said.
Her library was closed in October 2015, and her trial started in November 2016.
Human rights group Amnesty International said the case "highlights serious flaws in the independence of Russia's judiciary".
"The prosecution has exploited the highly charged anti-Ukrainian atmosphere that is prevalent in Russia at the moment, while the court simply dismissed key evidence for the defence," Amnesty's Denis Krivosheev said in a statement. | The former head of a Ukrainian library in Moscow has been found guilty of extremism and embezzlement, in a case she says is politically motivated. |
40,883,486 | Forecasters expect air temperatures in the capital, Baghdad, to reach 50C (122F) on Thursday afternoon.
Heatwave conditions are also expected in the cities of Basra and Mosul.
The extreme heat can cause chronic power shortages, depriving homes and businesses of electricity and air conditioning for parts of the day.
Near record temperatures are being experienced across the region and have also affected parts of Europe in recent weeks.
Scientists warn that extreme weather could lead to the deaths of 52,000 people yearly in Europe by 2100 if nothing is done to halt the effects of climate change. | Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has ordered all government staff to take Thursday off work because of exceptionally high temperatures. |
31,037,515 | Media playback is unsupported on your device
29 January 2015 Last updated at 12:40 GMT
In 2014, the 29 volunteers at the station, which has been running for 153 years, responded to 65 call outs and rescued 64 people.
Sunderland RNLI was involved in 54 launches, rescuing 67 people.
Tynemouth operations manager David Stenhouse said the figures "hammered it home" that the station is "very much needed". | Tynemouth RNLI was the busiest lifeboat station in the north-east of England last year. |
34,770,228 | Liam McGrath struck the woman several times in the unprovoked attack at the Outrageous club in Carlisle during a night out in August.
McGrath, 36, of Greenmill Road in Longtown, admitted wounding with intent when he appeared at Carlisle Crown Court.
The victim has been scarred for life, the court heard.
The hearing was told McGrath was so drunk at the time of the attack, which left his victim with two significant wounds to her forehead, he could not remember it.
Recorder Jeremy Lasker told McGrath: "You should be ashamed of what you have done to that lady."
The court heard the victim smiled at McGrath just moments before he launched the attack at 02:00 BST.
One witness said McGrath drew his arm back to get more power in his blows. Another onlooker reported he appeared to hit the woman "as hard as he could".
The court was told McGrath had previous convictions for assaults on women.
Kim Whittlestone, defending, said: "He is at a loss to know why he reacted in the way that he did.
"He sends his apologies to the complainant." | A man has been jailed for six years after repeatedly hitting a bottle over a woman's head after she smiled at him. |
39,430,810 | Rafiullah Hamidy was detained in Taranto, southern Italy, after Kent Police secured a European arrest warrant.
Mr Hamidy, who is accused of raping a woman in the Northwood Road area of Ramsgate last September, was taken into custody at Heathrow Airport on Tuesday.
The 24-year-old, formerly of High Street, Herne Bay, is due to appear at Canterbury Crown Court on Thursday. | A man has been charged with rape after being extradited to the UK from Italy. |
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