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35,990,508 | Williams replaced Dougie Freedman as boss last month, but Forest have since slipped to 17th in the Championship table after losing three and drawing one of his four matches in charge.
Williams told BBC Radio Nottingham talk of Fawaz interfering were "not true".
"I can categorically say I have picked the team and tactics," Williams added.
"Maybe the results haven't gone the way we would have liked, but it's been totally down to me. As staff we all discuss players and teams and how we will set up. But the final word is always down to me."
And Williams said he had "no concerns" when asked if there was any truth in rumours he was close to quitting.
You can see the interview with Paul Williams by clicking on the BBC Nottingham Sport Facebook page. | Paul Williams says he will not resign as Nottingham Forest head coach and has denied that chairman Fawaz Al Hasawi has been picking the team. |
38,892,112 | Adams is up against Natalie Portman, Ruth Negga, Emma Stone and Felicity Jones in the best actress category.
Jones' nomination is one of nine for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, while Arrival picked up seven nods.
The winners, voted for by the public, will be announced at a ceremony in London next month.
The Star Wars spin-off film is also in the running for best male newcomer (Riz Ahmed), best film, best sci-fi/fantasy film and best director (Gareth Edwards) along with several technical categories.
Up for best actor are Ryan Gosling for La La Land, Ryan Reynolds for Deadpool, Casey Affleck for Manchester by the Sea, Eddie Redmayne for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Benedict Cumberbatch for Doctor Strange.
Portman is recognised for Jackie, Negga for Loving and Stone for La La Land.
While there was an absence of female filmmakers in the best director Oscar nominations, Andrea Arnold (American Honey) found herself a place among a field of male competitors in the Empire nominations.
She will take on Taika Waititi, Denis Villeneuve, Ken Loach and Edwards.
Competing against Rogue One for best film are Hunt for the Wilderpeople, La La Land, Arrival and Deadpool.
I, Daniel Blake's Hayley Squires is up for best female newcomer.
Empire's editor-in-chief Terri White said: "This year has once again seen the fans out in force to vote for their favourite films in the Empire Awards. Which is why we are the only awards ceremony in the world to recognise Hunt For The Wilderpeople, Deadpool, Captain America: Civil War and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story alongside La La Land and Arrival!"
The Three Empire Awards will take place at The Roundhouse in Camden, north London, on 19 March.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]. | Amy Adams may have missed out on an Oscar nod for her critically acclaimed turn in Arrival but the Empire awards have come good for the Hollywood star. |
39,989,108 | The Chiefs face Wasps in next weekend's final at Twickenham after dramatically beating European champions Saracens in Saturday's semi-final at Sandy Park.
"We're in a much different place. Even in the changing room after the game it feels different," Exeter fly-half Steenson told BBC Sport.
"We've talked very much about building and being champions this year."
Exeter, who were promoted to the top flight for the first time in 2010, lost to Saracens in last season's Twickenham showpiece after a poor first half.
But they made amends by scoring in the final seconds in front of a partisan home crowd to overcome Sarries, who looked to be heading for a shot at a third successive domestic title after a late try of their own.
"Maybe last year wasn't exactly the same way of thinking, maybe we were just happy to be in that final," added Ulsterman Steenson, who kicked eight points in Exeter's win.
"It was our first experience and a lot of people say you've got to go through finals and lose them to put yourself in a good position."
Steenson's thoughts were echoed by forwards coach Rob Hunter, who felt Saturday's win over Saracens was the high point of his Exeter career.
"It was probably, in some respects, bigger than the final last year," said Hunter.
"The final was a grand day out last year, it was all very new to us, whereas this year we're a different side, we expect a little bit more of ourselves.
"We've been there before, we're a bit more resilient, we've got a bit more experience.
"Two months into this season we did what we should have said in the changing room last year after the final, which was 'how do we win this next year', rather that 'it's been a great season'." | Exeter Chiefs have improved enough this season to win their first Premiership title, says captain Gareth Steenson. |
30,666,557 | Djokovic, the world number one, said he was unfit to play ahead of the final of the exhibition event on Saturday.
"I've been sick today with a fever and I'm not fit to play," said the Serb, who beat Switzerland's Stan Wawrinka 6-1 6-2 in the semi-final.
The Australian Open gets under way in Melbourne on 19 January.
Djokovic's withdrawal handed the Abu Dhabi title to Murray, who had looked in good form as he beat Feliciano Lopez in round one and then swept aside Rafael Nadal 6-2 6-0 in the semi-final on Friday.
Murray, 27, had revealed after that match that he felt pain in his left shoulder, but he was reassured by the results of a scan on Saturday.
"It's fine," he said. "There aren't any tears, just soreness."
After collecting the trophy, Murray confirmed that he would fly to Perth on Saturday and continue his build-up to the Australian Open at next week's Hopman Cup.
The Scot will team up with Heather Watson to represent Great Britain at the mixed team event, with their opening match against France on Monday. | Andy Murray won his first title of 2015 after Novak Djokovic withdrew from the Mubadala World Tennis Championship final in Abu Dhabi because of illness. |
40,555,122 | The outage affects southern Somalia, and was caused by damage to an undersea fibre-optic cable more than two weeks ago.
Somali Post and Telecommunications Minister Abdi Anshur Hassan has called the incident a "major disaster", costing Somalia "more than $130m".
He said the cable was being fixed and service will be restored "this week".
Africa Live: Updates on this and other stories
Somalia's internet 'culture shock'
After more than 20 years of conflict, internet usage is low in Somalia, with just 1.6% of the population online in 2014, according to estimates by the International Telecommunication Union.
That same year, 3G mobile phone services in southern Somalia were cut off because of a threat from al-Shabab Islamist militants and the ban has stayed in place ever since.
Satellite internet is available, but users complain that it is costly and slow.
Internet cafes have therefore proved popular in towns and cities, as they provide more reliable connectivity. | Somalia's government says an ongoing internet outage is costing the country $10m (£7.7m) each day. |
39,934,646 | The Reverend Rola Sleiman is now expected to attend the Church's General Assembly on Saturday.
The Church said she was initially denied a visa by the Home Office but "common sense prevailed" and the decision was reversed.
A Home Office spokeswoman said it would not comment on individual cases.
She added that each application is considered on its individual merits based on the evidence provided and in line with the UK's immigration rules.
Ms Sleiman is the first female pastor in the Arab Christian world.
She is a representative of the National Evangelical (Protestant) Church of Syria and Lebanon and she took up a new post as parish minister in Tripoli, Lebanon, in February.
The Church of Scotland said its world mission council confirmed to the UK Visas and Immigration department last month that Ms Sleiman's expenses would be covered during her eight-day stay.
But Ms Sleiman received a letter from the Home Office on 8 May saying that it was not satisfied that her income was what she claimed and that the Church was going to support her financially.
However, after the situation received media coverage on Tuesday, the case was reviewed.
The Church of Scotland said it had been informed by the British Embassy in Amman in Jordan that Ms Slieman had now been granted permission to enter the UK.
The Very Rev Dr John Chalmers, principal clerk of the General Assembly, said: "We are grateful to the Home Office who have heard our request and granted a visa waiver enabling the Rev Rola Sleiman to travel and join us at the General Assembly in Edinburgh.
"It was clear from the support that we received overnight from the media, the public and the church that people felt a mistake had been made and an important voice might be missing from our Assembly.
"In the end common sense prevailed and it has all happened in time for us to complete Rola's travel arrangements.
"We now look forward to welcoming her." | A Syrian pastor has been granted permission to travel to the UK after initially being refused entry, the Church of Scotland has said. |
38,994,986 | The Welsh county's 2016 player of the year suffered a shoulder injury while diving in the field during the Netherlands' draw in Hong Kong.
Van der Gugten, 25, did not return to action after the injury on the first day of the game, bowling only seven overs and was unable to bat.
Glamorgan start their Championship campaign at Northampton on 7 April.
It is unclear how long Van der Gugten will be out for but he is expected to be in a fitness race to make the beginning of the campaign after having treatment in Australia.
The paceman, who was born in New South Wales, claimed 82 wickets in all formats in his debut season in the UK.
Meanwhile, Glamorgan are currently trying to finalise the signing of South Africa fast bowler Marchant de Lange for the 2017 season.
They already have Michael Hogan, Graham Wagg, Craig Meschede, Ruaidhri Smith and teenager Lukas Carey among their seam-bowling options. | Glamorgan's Dutch fast bowler Timm van der Gugten could be in doubt for the start of the season. |
39,451,528 | Four banks had wanted to negotiate with Apple to gain access to its payments technology for their own apps, avoiding having to pay fees to Apple.
But the country's competition watchdog has now barred them from collectively bargaining with Apple.
The decision is the first of its kind and could set a global precedent.
In its final ruling on the case on Friday, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said that the collective threat to boycott Apple was "likely to reduce or distort competition".
They wanted their own apps to have access to the contactless payment technology used in iPhones.
The near field communication (NFC) system allows users to settle bills by holding their phone to a small terminal, with the money deducted from a bank card registered with Apple Pay.
Commonwealth Bank, Westpac, National Australia Bank and Bendigo & Adelaide Bank together command around two-thirds of Australia's credit card market.
But so far, they do not allow their cards to be used with Apple Pay because they have never reached agreement on the conditions.
Doing so would have put them in a much stronger position against Apple.
They wanted to convey to Apple that unless it gave them access to its iPhone technology, they would continue to prevent their customers from using Apple Pay.
Apple Pay collects a fee from the bank for each transaction, meaning Apple risked a significant loss.
But the commission said that ruling in favour of the banks would have reduced competition by forcing Apple to act more like Google, who's more open Android operating system allows contactless payments from individual apps.
"It is a tricky issue for a competition regulator to force one competitor to adopt a strategy of the other competitor," ACCC chairman Rod Sims explained.
It certainly looks like it.
They can still negotiate with Apple individually, but with much less bargaining power than they had hoped for.
If a single bank blocks its customers from using Apple Pay, it might well be the bank that loses out. Customers could be unhappy about being left out and switch to another bank.
In fact, some of the other Australian banks that do allow their cards to be uses for payment via Apple have seen an increase in customers since the gridlock between Apple and that group of four.
Representative for the banks said they were "disappointed" by the decision and would review their future strategies. | Apple has won a major regulatory battle in Australia that will likely see it retain control of its contactless payment technology. |
40,176,440 | Sir Ben Ainslie is currently leading the bid to become first British success in the world's oldest sporting event.
When asked whether she would like to be involved in the future, Mills, who won Olympic gold in Rio, said: "Definitely, it's an incredible event and something I have loved watching for many years.
"Along with the Olympics, it's the other pinnacle of our sport.
"I would love to be involved in some way in the future."
There are no women in the crews of the six boats in the 2017 America's Cup and Leslie Egnot is the only woman to helm a boat in the event, skippering the all-female crewed Mighty Mary in 1995.
Mills accepts there would need to be a change to enable women to compete in future events with roles becoming more physically demanding.
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"It's a really interesting discussion topic," said Mills.
"If you look at it in terms of the physicality now, there are four roles on that boat that mean there is absolutely no way genetically a woman could match a man, which you have to accept.
"But the rules of the boat could change a little bit and a few more roles in the crew become a little bit more specifically sailing skills-based. If physicality wasn't the dominant factor, then it could be an option.
"It's like all walks of life with equality and giving people a chance to prove themselves and breaking through that barrier.
"Hopefully in the future, we will get there."
Four times Olympic champion Ainslie is leading the Great Britain charge in his Land Rover BAR boat as they continue their quest to become the first British crew to win the America's Cup which was first staged in 1851.
In his crew is Mills' fellow Welsh competitor Bleddyn Mon.
"It's amazing to see him out there and he has worked so hard to get there," said Mills.
"We know a lot of the guys out there. It's very exciting to watch and if anyone can pull it round, it's Ben for sure."
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Mills, 29. is currently competing in a World Cup Series final event in Santander with Eilidh McIntyre in the 470 discipline which the Welsh woman won Olympic gold in Rio last year with the now retired Saskia Clark.
Mills has been considering switching to the 49erFX event for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics but has yet to find a permanent partner.
Mills is planning to compete in the 470 world championships in Greece in July and the 49erFX global equivalent in Portugal at the end of August.
"I hadn't sailed a 470 since the Olympics," said Mills, who was third after the first day in Spain with the medal race on Sunday 11 June.
"A great opportunity came up to sail with Eilidh who was reserve in the Olympics.
"I feel rusty right now. It's just about having fun and seeing whether this is a viable partnership if I am going back into the 470.
"I am keen to do the World Championships with Eilidh next month.
"I am struggling on the crew front in terms of the 49erFX and still looking for a partner.
"This year is just about enjoying the journey with Tokyo being three years away." | Olympic sailing champion Hannah Mills says she would love to be involved in a future America's Cup. |
36,460,328 | The businesses all rely on the US company's cloud computing division - Amazon Web Services - to power their internet operations.
Amazon has acknowledged that some of its servers lost power early on Sunday morning.
This coincided with a major storm.
Local reports have linked the severe weather conditions to the blackout, but this has not been confirmed by Amazon.
Affected services included:
AWS's status dashboard indicated that its automated systems had managed to restore the majority of its affected compute servers within 70 minutes.
However, it noted that "a couple of unexpected issues" had caused problems to persist into Monday.
By this point, however, most of the affected services were working as normal again.
AWS is designed so its customers can choose to power their online services via several of its data centres at the same time.
In theory, this means that even if one site stops working, the client's online service should continue uninterrupted.
It is not clear whether the affected services had made use of the facility.
Amazon competes with Microsoft, Google and others to sell virtual computing facilities.
They suggest they can save companies the greater cost of building and maintaining their own servers.
Sunday's fault - and others before it - highlight a potential risk in centralising online services together in this way.
But one expert highlighted how quickly AWS had been able to handle its blackout.
"The speed at which Amazon got stuff back up and running is impressive and represents one of the big plus points of going down the distributed cloud route," said Chris Green, a tech analyst at the consultancy Lewis.
"When problems do happen, it can rectify them or shunt systems off to another data centre far faster than most companies could do in-house."
Several banks in Australia also reported problems with their apps over the weekend.
Some customers were unable to make online purchases, while others could not use smartphone fingerprint sensors to log into their accounts.
Melbourne-based Members Equity Bank blamed "server issues that have affected several banks following the storms on the east coast".
An AWS spokesman told the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper that it was not involved with the banks' issues. | Australian food-ordering and ticket-selling apps, TV-streaming platforms and a car-sharing site temporarily stopped working because of problems at one of Amazon's data centres. |
20,705,370 | He landed in Miami, after being escorted to the airport in Guatemala City and placed on board an American Airlines flight.
Mr McAfee said before leaving he was "perfectly happy with the decision".
He was detained a week ago after fleeing from Belize, where he is wanted for questioning in connection with the murder of a neighbour.
The 67-year-old has denied any role in the killing. The authorities in Belize say he is not a suspect in the investigation.
He has spent more than a month on the run with his girlfriend, blogging about his exploits.
As he left Guatemala City, Mr McAfee said he was happy to be going home.
"I've been running through jungles and rivers and oceans and I think I need to rest for a while. And I've been in jail for seven days," he said.
He said he had no immediate plans when he reached Florida, only that he was going "to hang in Miami for a while".
Passengers on the same flight as Mr McAfee said that he had been taken off the plane before everyone else.
A spokesman for Miami International Airport said he would be escorted by federal authorities after clearing customs. It was not immediately clear where he was heading or what his legal status was.
In an interview with Bloomberg Television ahead of his departure, Mr McAfee said he wanted to apologise to the Guatemalan president for putting him in an awkward position during negotiations on a territorial dispute with Belize.
His lawyers blocked an extradition request from Belize, where he has been named a "person of interest" in the murder of Florida businessman Gregory Faull.
Mr McAfee says he is happy to talk to Belize police but did not want to be remanded in their custody.
He claims he is being persecuted by the authorities in Belize, whom he accuses of corruption.
Belize Prime Minister Dean Barrow had a more prosaic explanation: "I don't want to be unkind to the gentleman, but I believe he is extremely paranoid, even bonkers."
Belize police spokesman Raphael Martinez said Belize's extradition treaty with the US extended only to suspected criminals, a designation that did not currently apply to Mr McAfee.
"Right now, we don't have enough information to change his status from person of interest to suspect," he said.
After making his fortune from the anti-virus software which bears his name, Mr McAfee has lived an eccentric life, funding start-ups, flying small planes low over the desert, and most recently, attempting to synthesise antibiotics from jungle plants in Belize. | The software tycoon John McAfee has arrived in the United States after being deported by Guatemala. |
36,293,793 | Suarez took his tally to 40 goals as Barca beat Granada to win the title.
Suarez, who scored 14 in the final five games, finished five clear of Real Madrid's Ronaldo - last year's winner.
Diego Forlan was top scorer seven years ago for Atletico Madrid, with Messi and Ronaldo each winning three Pichichis.
Messi, who plays alongside Suarez for Barca, was third this season with 26.
Former Liverpool striker Suarez, who played 35 times in La Liga this season, has scored 60 goals in 52 games in all competitions in 2015-16.
"I score goals thank to hard work and the help of my team-mates," said Suarez. "They give me the chances and I just put them away.
"[The Pichichi] would not have meant anything if we had not won the league."
Check out La Liga's top scorers list here. | Barcelona striker Luis Suarez signed off with a hat-trick as he became the first player other than Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to finish as La Liga's top scorer since 2009. |
19,580,747 | The charity, which combines skating with education for street children, says its priority now is to continue working after a suicide bombing that left four of its students dead.
"This tragic incident will not deter Skateistan from continuing our activities in Kabul," media officer Rhianon Bader told the BBC.
"We have many street working kids coming each week, and this incident only makes it more clear how important it is that we provide them with a safe space to have fun and gain access to education.
"More than the despair we are experiencing, we know that keeping the skate park open remains a light in the dark for the children here."
Those killed in the attack by a teenage Taliban bomber included Nawab, 17, and Khorshid, 14, who were instructors at Skateistan.
Khorshid's sister Parwana, eight, and student Mohammad Eesa, 13, also died, as did Assad - Khorshid and Parwan's cousin. Navid, a 14-year-old volunteer, is in hospital, seriously injured.
They were a tight-knit group, hawking scarves and chewing gum on the streets of the Afghan capital one day, donning helmets and kneecaps and gliding down skating ramps the next.
It's the second time the charity has been directly affected by the conflict in Afghanistan which has claimed hundreds of young lives in recent years.
Last December, four former female students were killed in a suicide attack targeting Ashura religious celebrations. Four of the charity's current students who were begging in the area were seriously injured.
Skateistan was started in 2007 with 10 skateboards by Oliver Percovich, an Australian now aged 37, who had moved to Kabul with his girlfriend.
He recalls how many kids shrieked in excitement when they saw him skateboarding. Some of them boldly came forward to borrow his skateboards. And when those boards came back to him in tatters after a few days, his decision was made.
"These kids are trying to break the shackles of old mentalities in Kabul. They are not scared. If they hadn't come after me every day, I would've left a long time ago," he told the BBC two days before Saturday's bombing.
Mr Percovich was unavailable for comment after the attack.
Skateistan
Kabul's fallen skateboard fanatics
Afghanistan has some of the toughest conditions in the world for children, with many working on the streets selling scarves, trinkets and chewing gum.
Skateistan started small, offering daily practice sessions in public spaces in Kabul. Street kids went along, as did children from richer families and it was a chance to bring them together, organisers say. Soon it was time to take the next obvious step: to build a skate park.
Mr Percovich admits that, at the beginning, he struggled to get by on only $10 a day. But eventually, donations started to flow in and he managed to get help from the Danish and Norwegian embassies.
Companies like Black Box Distribution contributed skateboarding equipment. The final step was persuading the Afghan Olympic Committee to donate land to set up the park.
The charity, whose logo is an assault rifle snapped in half by a skateboarder's wheels, hopes to open a new facility in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif later this year.
Today, nearly 400 children take part in Skateistan, 40% of whom are girls - making it the largest female sporting federation in the country.
In conservative Afghanistan, girls cannot be seen associating with men in public after they hit adolescence.
Recruiting girl students into Skateistan is a detailed and complicated process, says the charity's education co-ordinator, Benafsha Tasmim, 23.
"Parents allow girls on a number of conditions, the most important of which is that they practice in a female-only environment. We have classes for boys and girls separately."
Employing female instructors like Khorshid who died in the bombing helped in solving the problem.
One organiser says Khorshid was "always smiling no matter what troubles she had to deal with every day. She knew what she wanted in life and wasn't afraid to fight for it despite having more responsibilities and sorrows than a child should ever have."
The school will conduct memorial services throughout the week, providing assistance to families who lost their children in the attack. | Skateistan, Kabul's first skateboarding school, is perhaps the most unlikely non-profit sporting organisation in Afghanistan. |
38,668,268 | The Welsh side went 15 points down inside quarter of an hour as Soso Bekoshvili and Taku Ngwenya.
Tries for Tavis Knoyle and Sarel Pretorius restricted the half-time deficit to 22-14.
Pretorius grabbed a breakaway second, but Brive's forwards drove over twice to seal the win.
Brive's victory owed much to their forward dominance as they drove the Dragons backwards in scrums and forced a string of penalties in the contact area.
The Dragons ended with no reward from any of their three away matches in the group.
They got off to the worst possible start as prop Bekoshvili drove over from a line-out after four minutes, while veteran American wing Taku Ngwenya finished off a fine move.
But Knoyle scored after a break by number eight Ed Jackson in the 20th minute, O'Brien converting.
Another sweeping move from half-way saw Ngwenya and powerhouse centre Seremaia Burotu put prop Damien Lavergne over to make it 22-7.
With home centre Romain Cabannes yellow-carded on his own line, the Dragons stayed in contention as replacement Pretorius - on for the injured Knoyle - sniped over from close range.
The South African grabbed a second with an opportunist effort from 70 metres at the start of the second half.
But Brive turned the screw with tries from by Bekoshvili and Patrick Toetu from driving mauls to end Dragons' hopes.
Brive ended as comfortable pool winners with 23 points.
Newport Gwent Dragons captain Lewis Evans told BBC Wales Sport:
"After about 60 minutes we were in with a chance to get the bonus-point win, unfortunately there were one or two errors in execution and it let a team like Brive, with a very good power game, pin us back in our own 22.
"Besides the first five minutes we were in the game, Sarel [Pretorius] coming off the bench injected a real intensity but it's one which did get away.
"It's a competition we've done well in in previous years, so it's a shame we can't progress any further.
"We thought we could go over [to face Enisei] and do a job quite comfortably in Russia but they did overpower us, while Worcester's scrum was outstanding and we paid the price there."
Brive: Gaetan Germain; Taku Ngwenya, Romain Cabannes, Seremaia Burotu, Guillaume Namy; Matthieu Ugalde, Vasil Lobzhanidze, Damien Lavergne, Thomas Acquier, Soso Bekoshvili, Jan Uys, Sisa Koyamaibole, Fabien Sanconnie, Poutasi Luafutu, Petrus Hauman (capt)
Replacements: Francois Da Ros, Kevin Buys, Patrick Toetu, Johan Snyman, Dominiko Waqaniborutu, Jean-Baptiste Pejoine, Christopher Tuatara, Benjamin Lapeyre.
NG Dragons: Carl Meyer; Adam Hughes, Sam Beard, Adam Warren, Pat Howard, Angus O'Brien, Tavis Knoyle; Sam Hobbs, Thomas Rhys Thomas, Lloyd Fairbrother, Nick Crosswell, Cory Hill, Lewis Evans (capt), Ollie Griffiths, Ed Jackson.
Replacements: Rhys Buckley, Phil Price, Craig Mitchell, Rynard Landman, Nic Cudd, Sarel Pretorius, Dorian Jones, Harri Keddie.
Referee: Craig Maxwell-Keys (England)
Assistant referees: Christopher Ridley (England), Clare Daniels (England)
Citing Commissioner: Wayne Sheridan (Ireland) | Newport Gwent Dragons went out of the European Challenge Cup with a 36-19 defeat against pool leaders Brive in France. |
37,692,323 | We are certainly in a different world from 40 years ago when inflation flirted not with 1% but 30%.
Control of the "price beast" kept politicians awake at night. Inflation eroded incomes and savings.
Since the financial crisis, inflation has more or less disappeared as a political issue, squeezed out of the economy by collapsing growth and de-leveraging as the public and businesses paid off their debts.
Now, inflation is creeping up the political agenda.
And the fall in the value of sterling is only going to exacerbate that trend.
To be clear, today's increase is not "explicitly linked" - to use the Office for National Statistics' own phrase - to the pound's 17% decline since the referendum.
Fuel and clothing prices were at low levels this time last year, and today's inflation figure is a comparison with those numbers.
That is not to say that inflationary pressures are not building.
Input prices, that is the cost of raw materials and labour that goes into making things, rose by 7.2% in the year to September, the third monthly increase.
This is the key quote from the Office for National Statistics: "The recent return to positive producer price inflation can be partly attributed to the changes in the sterling exchange rate.
"All else equal, a depreciation of sterling increases the prices of imports, with a corresponding impact on the prices paid by producers for imports. If these producers raise their prices in turn, then movements in the exchange rate can influence output producer prices."
And that is likely to mean higher prices for consumers in the shops, following the trend already set at the fuel pump.
The return of higher levels of inflation is likely to be one of the defining issues for Theresa May's government.
The reason for that is simple.
Once the figure for inflation rises above the figure for wage growth - at present running at just over 2% - then incomes start falling in real terms.
That is politically uncomfortable for any government, particularly one that has staked its reputation on making the economy work "for everyone".
As Mark Carney, the Governor of the Bank of England, made clear on Friday, the first to feel the impact of a rise in inflation - at its most basic an increase in the price of essentials like food and fuel - are the "just managing classes" who spend a high proportion of their income on daily staples.
These are people in work but who feel very far from comfortably off.
Add to that the benefits freeze announced by the government last year, and the toxicity of even relatively low levels of inflation becomes clear.
Before the freeze, those on working age benefits or tax credits would be shielded to an extent from inflation by an automatic increase in benefits in line with the headline figure.
With that connection broken, real incomes for those on benefits and in work will be more adversely affected.
As the Institute for Fiscal Studies said this morning: "This policy [the benefits freeze] represented a significant takeaway from a large number of working age households.
"But it also represented a shifting of risk from the government to benefit recipients.
"Previously, higher inflation was a risk to the public finances, increasing cash spending on benefits.
"Now the risk is borne by low-income households: unless policy changes, higher inflation will reduce their real incomes."
It is important to remember as UK inflation ticks upward, we still live in a largely deflationary world.
The engine of that deflation is China, where weakening demand and a weakening currency has led to commodity price falls and markets flooded with cheap exports.
Poor growth across Europe is adding to that downward pressure.
Inflation - even in Britain - will not become "rampant". And of course some inflation is good for economic growth, as it encourages investment as businesses are motivated by the prospect of higher prices and higher profit margins.
Yes, an inflation increase is likely to be politically dangerous for Theresa May.
But we are not going back to the 1970s. | To a resident of the 1970s the headline "inflation soars to 1%" would seem as baffling as being told that in some distant time in the future people would walk around with telephones in their pockets and photographs of someone called Kim Kardashian would regularly threaten to "break the internet" (whatever that was). |
34,787,029 | Politicians attended a ceremony in Parliament Buildings to mark Armistice Day on Wednesday morning.
The national anthem was not on the event's order of service, but the Traditional Unionist Voice's (TUV) press officer began the singing.
Unionists denied the singing at the end of the event was politically-motivated.
Sinn Féin's Carál Ní Chuilín attended the service along with her party colleague Martin McGuinness, the deputy first minister.
She said a "small group of unionists" started singing "in an attempt to embarrass those in attendance".
The service had been "respectful and inclusive", she said, but some unionists "chose to disrespect the spirit of the event" with the unannounced singing of the national anthem.
"The event itself, led by assembly speaker Mitchel McLaughlin, received wide support from right across the political spectrum," Ms Ní Chuilín said.
"I welcome the fact that other unionist representatives came to me to express their anger and disappointment at how the civic remembrance event had been disrespected."
Ulster Unionist Party leader Mike Nesbitt approached Mr McGuinness after the event and said he was sorry for what he told the deputy first minister was a "stunt".
Later, he said it was "highly regrettable" that some nationalists felt "ambushed" by the singing of the anthem.
"The national anthem should be part of the ceremony, but everybody should know and it should be part of the running order.
"Today it was clear that the close of the ceremony left some people feeling very uncomfortable.
"I don't think it's good that people feel embarrassed - I wouldn't want that to happen to me."
The TUV's Sammy Morrison was the person who began the singing.
He said Sinn Féin should reconsider attending remembrance events if they had an issue with the singing of the National Anthem.
"I've been attending the act of remembrance every year since my boss, Jim Allister, was elected to Stormont in 2011.
"This is the first year it didn't appear on the order of service. I didn't see why it was left off.
"It was sung every other year - nobody that attended those events in the past was offended by it, I don't see why anybody should be offended by it this year.
"The vast, vast majority of people who attended obviously felt we should have been singing the national anthem as well because they joined in with me."
Democratic Unionist Party MLA Peter Weir said the singing had not been "a stunt or a politically-motivated gesture".
"There is an annual act of remembrance within Parliament Buildings, which usually closes with the singing of the national anthem," he said.
"Those of us who participated in the spontaneous singing this year did because it is normal for the anthem to be sung at such events."
"To avoid any confusion in future it would perhaps be beneficial if the national anthem was again placed on the order of service next year." | A rendition of the national anthem at an act of remembrance service at Stormont was a "childish stunt", a Sinn Féin MLA has said. |
38,719,324 | Gonzalo Higuain tapped in a brilliant Alex Sandro cross and Sami Khedira smashed home after Paulo Dybala stepped over a Higuain cross.
Dybala hit the post with a 25-yard effort in the second half as the champions eased to victory.
Sassuolo's best chance came when Matteo Politano and Alessandro Matri forced a double save from Gianluigi Buffon.
Juventus, chasing a sixth consecutive title, are now four points above second-placed Roma, who lost 3-2 at Sampdoria having led twice. Juve also have a game in hand on the capital side.
In Sunday's late game, third-placed Napoli drew 1-1 with struggling Palermo. They are two points behind Roma.
Elsewhere in Serie A, AC Milan lost 2-1 to Udinese and Genoa drew 3-3 at Fiorentina, with Giovanni Simeone scoring twice.
Diego Falcinelli scored a hat-trick as 18th-placed Crotone beat Empoli to boost their slim survival hosts. They are now eight points adrift of their opponents, who sit 17th.
Cagliari and Bologna - who had two men sent off in the closing stages - drew 1-1, as did Torino and Atalanta.
Match ends, Sassuolo 0, Juventus 2.
Second Half ends, Sassuolo 0, Juventus 2.
Alex Sandro (Juventus) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Luca Antei (Sassuolo).
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Stephan Lichtsteiner (Juventus) because of an injury.
Foul by Gonzalo Higuaín (Juventus).
Francesco Acerbi (Sassuolo) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Substitution, Juventus. Tomás Rincón replaces Juan Cuadrado.
Foul by Alex Sandro (Juventus).
Matteo Politano (Sassuolo) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Antonino Ragusa (Sassuolo) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Gregoire Defrel.
Foul by Alex Sandro (Juventus).
Matteo Politano (Sassuolo) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Domenico Berardi (Sassuolo).
Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Domenico Berardi (Sassuolo).
Substitution, Juventus. Marko Pjaca replaces Paulo Dybala.
Substitution, Sassuolo. Antonino Ragusa replaces Alessandro Matri.
Alex Sandro (Juventus) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Domenico Berardi (Sassuolo).
Foul by Miralem Pjanic (Juventus).
Federico Peluso (Sassuolo) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Alfred Duncan (Sassuolo).
Attempt missed. Mario Mandzukic (Juventus) left footed shot from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Juan Cuadrado with a cross.
Attempt missed. Mario Mandzukic (Juventus) header from the left side of the six yard box is too high. Assisted by Miralem Pjanic with a cross.
Attempt saved. Gonzalo Higuaín (Juventus) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Juan Cuadrado with a through ball.
Foul by Alex Sandro (Juventus).
Domenico Berardi (Sassuolo) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Gregoire Defrel (Sassuolo).
Federico Peluso (Sassuolo) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Federico Peluso (Sassuolo).
Juan Cuadrado (Juventus) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Paulo Dybala with a cross following a corner.
Corner, Juventus. Conceded by Luca Antei.
Alex Sandro (Juventus) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Luca Antei (Sassuolo). | Champions Juventus went four points clear at the top of Serie A with a comfortable win over Sassuolo. |
37,549,153 | Greggs, which has shifted from being a traditional bakery to focusing on food-on-the-go, said total sales rose by 5.6% in the 13 weeks to 1 October.
Like-for-like sales, which includes shops that have been open for more than a year, rose by 3.4%.
The company's new menu includes gluten-free options and lower calorie soups.
"The popularity of our summer menu including an extended range of Balanced Choice salads and yoghurts supported sales growth in the period," it said in a statement.
"We also saw continued strong growth at breakfast time, helped by our strong coffee offer and value deals."
The Newcastle-based firm said it had opened 103 new outlets so far this year, including 41 franchises. It closed 58 stores, leaving it with a total of 1,743 shops, 143 of them franchises.
It has refitted 145 stores and by the end of the year expects to have completed 200 refurbishments.
The company is now two years into its five-year strategic plan to shift from being a traditional bakery to focusing on the £6bn food-to go market.
Earlier this year, it announced the closure of three of its 12 bakeries as part of the plan to refocus the business. In its latest statement it said the Twickenham bakery would close next month.
The company is also investing in its supply chain and said its new distribution centre in Enfield would open in the the next few weeks.
Greggs said its expectations for the year as a whole remain unchanged and that while it anticipated "general industry-wide cost pressures" next year it expected to make further progress with its strategy. | High Street food chain Greggs has reported rising sales over the summer, helped by demand for its healthier options such as salads and yoghurts. |
39,570,263 | Two converted first-half tries from winger Vincent Duport, allied to a penalty from Luke Walsh, earned a 14-0 Dragons lead at the break in Perpignan.
The hosts scored four second-half tries through Krisnan Inu, Richie Myler, Tony Gigot and Duport, for his hat-trick.
Salford's only reply came from Justin Carney's second-half breakaway try.
Gareth O'Brien added the extras, but Salford were well beaten, Australian Walsh converting five of his side's tries, as well as adding two late drop-goals to his earlier penalty, for a 14-point individual haul.
Following their 12-6 Good Friday local derby win over Leigh, Salford had two days' less rest than their opponents, who won 29-22 at Huddersfield on Wednesday night.
The Red Devils brought in Aussie Todd Carney, making his first start for Salford against his old club, but their task was made more difficult with the loss of first Logan Tomkins (concussion) and then Junior Sa'u (adductor) through injury.
Only briefly did they entertain any hope of a comeback when, on the hour mark, another Catalans kick to the right was plucked out of the air by Justin Carney, who raced 100 metres to score.
But, just three minutes later, Walsh's kick downfield sat up and evaded O'Brien and bounced perfectly into the hands of the chasing Myler.
Gigot then scored his third try in as many appearances when he intercepted Robert Lui's pass and raced 70 metres to score before the oddity of two late Walsh drop-goals when the game was already won, followed by Duport's hat-trick try, from Thomas Bosc's kick to the left corner.
Catalans head coach Laurent Frayssinous:
"I'm pleased with the last few weeks and especially tonight with our defence. That was our best performance of the season in defence.
"I know that Salford played on Friday and there was some tiredness there but we did our job, which is really pleasing. Like every team in the competition, we have our bruises and our injury problems but I'm really pleased with how the squad is reacting and putting their hands up to play for us.
"We lost Justin Horo in the second half with an Achilles problem. I feared the worst when I saw it, but the medical staff don't think it is a rupture, And Krisnan Inu played with a sore knee too after he picked up a knock in the Huddersfield game. It is a credit to him for putting his hand up to play."
Salford head coach Ian Watson:
"Tiredness affected us massively. There were points in the game where it was there to be won and we just didn't have that little bit of energy.
"To be fair, it's not why we've lost the game and we won't make a big deal of it. Catalans did a great job. They played really well. They played smart at certain times.
"But to ask professional athletes to have a two-day recovery and travel for over 10 hours, get here late at night, then go and compete against professional athletes who have had a five-day turnaround, then the RFL need to have a look at themselves really and what they've made us do."
Catalans: Gigot; Duport, Inu, Thornley, Yaha; Walsh, Myler; Garcia, Anderson, Horo, Moa, Casty, Aiton.
Replacements: Bousquet, Bosc, Simon, Margalet.
Salford: O'Brien; Johnson, Welham, Sa'u, J Carney; T Carney, Dobson; Walne, Tomkins, Tasi, Jones, Flanagan, Krasniqi.
Replacements: Lui, Kopczak, Griffin, Lannon.
Referee: Phil Bentham (RFL). | Salford's five-match winning run came to an end at the Stade Gilbert Brutus as Catalans Dragons claimed their third victory on the trot. |
34,655,077 | Speaking to college students in Delhi, Mr Zuckerberg said expanding Internet access was key to economic growth.
Reports say some 900 students turned out for the session at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT).
Last month, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the headquarters of Facebook in California.
With more than 130 million users, India is Facebook's largest market outside the United States.
"If you really have a mission of connecting every person in the world you can't do that without connecting people in India," Mr Zuckerberg told the students.
"We have the second biggest community in India and we want the next billion to come online."
Mr Zuckerberg said Internet access helped create jobs and lift people out of poverty.
Last month, Mr Modi hailed the political power of social media during his visit to the Facebook headquarters.
Mr Modi has said he wants to connect all India's villages to the internet - around a billion Indians currently lack internet access.
Facebook says its internet.org project, which offers free access to a bundle of mobile phone web apps, can help get the developing world online.
But it has drawn criticism in India, accused of favouring Facebook over local services.
"We have a moral responsibility to look out for people who do not have the Internet... and make sure the rules don't get twisted to hurt people who don't have a voice," the Facebook CEO said on Wednesday.
Mr Zuckerberg visited the Taj Mahal on Tuesday.
"It is even more stunning than I expected. It's incredible what people can build - and what love can motivate us to build," he wrote on Facebook. | Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg has said India will be crucial to getting "the next billion online" and helping to combat poverty. |
28,683,496 | In closing statements, jurors were told Theodore Wafer, 55, should not have acted as "judge, jury and executioner" in shooting Renisha McBride, 19.
Mr Wafer has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder in the 2 November killing.
He said he fired because he refused to be a victim in his home.
On Wednesday, the jury began deliberations in the case.
In their arguments closing the two-week trial, prosecutors said Mr Wafer had easier options than to confront Ms McBride directly when she banged on the door of his house in Dearborn Heights in the early hours of the morning.
Ms McBride had crashed her car into a parked vehicle close to Mr Wafer's house hours before the shooting. It is unclear how and why she arrived at his house - the two did not know one another.
A toxicology report later showed that she had a blood alcohol level of 0.218%, well above the state's drink-driving limit.
"She was a young girl looking for help,'' said prosecutor Patrick Muscat.
"What he did had to be immediately necessary and it wasn't. It was reckless. It was negligent. I don't know how to describe it. It was horrific."
Mr Wafer has argued he acted in self-defence because he was afraid for his life.
In her closing statement, his defence lawyer Cheryl Carpenter asked jurors to put themselves "in his shoes".
"He did not know it was a 19-year-old who got in a car crash at 01:00," she said. "What he knew was someone was trying to get in."
On Monday Mr Wafer described how on the night of the killing he was woken by banging on his doors and thought there could have been more than one person outside his home.
He said he had been sleeping in a recliner and could not immediately find his phone to call the police for help.
Instead, he told jurors he took his 12-gauge shotgun and opened his front door slightly and saw the outer screen door was damaged. He said he pulled the trigger to defend himself.
"It was them or me," he said.
When police arrived, they found Ms McBride's body in a pool of blood just off the porch. She had been shot in the face.
Under state of Michigan law, Mr Wafer must convince the jury he had a reasonable and honest fear for his life.
If convicted, he could face a life sentence with the possibility of parole. | A man who killed an unarmed black woman on his suburban Detroit porch should have called the police if he was afraid, prosecutors have said. |
34,996,604 | His announcement followed another bloody year in the US in which thousands were killed and tens of thousands wounded by gunfire.
Here's a look at some of the statistics behind the violence.
Mass shootings: There were 372 mass shootings in the US in 2015, killing 475 people and wounding 1,870, according to the Mass Shooting Tracker, which catalogues such incidents. A mass shooting is defined as a single shooting incident which kills or injures four or more people, including the assailant.
Source: Mass Shooting Tracker
School shootings: There were 64 school shootings in 2015, according to a dedicated campaign group set up in the wake of the Sandy Hook elementary school massacre in Connecticut in 2012. Those figures include occasions when a gun was fired but no-one was hurt.
Source: Everytown for Gun SafetyResearch
All shootings: Some 13,286 people were killed in the US by firearms in 2015, according to the Gun Violence Archive, and 26,819 people were injured [those figures exclude suicide]. Those figures are likely to rise by several hundred, once incidents in the final week of the year are counted.
Source: Gun Violence Archive
How the US compares: The number of gun murders per capita in the US in 2012 - the most recent year for comparable statistics - was nearly 30 times that in the UK, at 2.9 per 100,000 compared with just 0.1.
Of all the murders in the US in 2012, 60% were by firearm compared with 31% in Canada, 18.2% in Australia, and just 10% in the UK.
Source: UNODC.
The home front: So many people die annually from gunfire in the US that the death toll between 1968 and 2011 eclipses all wars ever fought by the country. According to research by Politifact, there were about 1.4 million firearm deaths in that period, compared with 1.2 million US deaths in every conflict from the War of Independence to Iraq.
Source: Politifact.
Total number of guns: No official figure exists but there are thought to be about 300 million in the US, held by about a third of the population. That is nearly enough guns for every man, woman and child in the country.
The NRA: The right to own guns is regarded by many as enshrined in the Second Amendment to the US Constitution, and fiercely defended by lobby groups such as the National Rifle Association, which boasted that its membership surged to around five million in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook school shooting.
Gun violence and terrorism: The US spends more than a trillion dollars per year defending itself against terrorism, which kills a tiny fraction of the number of people killed by ordinary gun crime.
According to figures from the US Department of Justice and the Council on Foreign Affairs, 11,385 people died on average annually in firearm incidents in the US between 2001 and 2011.
In the same period, an average of 517 people were killed annually in terror-related incidents. Removing 2001, when 9/11 occurred, from the calculation produces an annual average of just 31. | In his first weekly address of 2016, Barack Obama vowed to take executive action to increase background checks on gun buyers. |
39,655,072 | 21 April 2017 Last updated at 12:58 BST
This is the person who makes important decisions in their country.
There are 11 people who want the job.
But there is one candidate in particular, Marine Le Pen, leader of the party Front National, that many people have been talking about.
Martin has been looking into why people have very different opinions about her. | Adults in France are about to vote on who they want to be their next president. |
37,383,259 | The Switch Guarantee service was launched exactly three years ago, but the numbers using it have fallen consistently.
In the year to the end of June 2016, the number of switches averaged 88,031 a month.
That compares with a monthly average of 92,448 in the previous year.
Most account holders have steadfastly refused to move, despite incentives worth up to £220 being offered by banks and building societies.
Bacs, the organisation responsible for the switching service, will launch the new advertising campaign in newspapers, social media and online this weekend.
The adverts will feature a man reading a newspaper with a headline claiming that more than three million people have moved account since September 2013.
Official figures show there have been 3.2 million switches over the period, including those who have moved more than once.
There are as many as 68 million current accounts in the UK.
There will also be a new website to show people how to switch within seven days.
As part of its recent inquiry into current accounts, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) required that there should be a publicity campaign to persuade more people to move their accounts.
The government has been keen to encourage greater switching levels, to encourage new entrants into the banking market. | A new advertising campaign is being launched to persuade more people to switch bank accounts - because not enough people are doing so. |
39,038,545 | The team looked at adolescents who were generally more impulsive than their peers - a trait sometimes linked to the misuse of drugs.
They found teenagers who had a particular pattern of activity on brain scans were more likely to misuse drugs.
The early work appears in the journal Nature Communications.
Scientists asked 144 adolescents who had not previously used recreational drugs to fill in questionnaires and take part in behavioural tests to assess how impulsive they were and how attracted they were to trying new things.
Researchers then conducted a range of brain scans, while asking the adolescents to carry out tasks that could win them cash prizes at the same time.
The tests were designed to look at how particular parts of the brain responded to the prospect of getting a reward.
They found those teenagers who had less nerve activity in these brain areas during these tasks, were more likely to have drug problems two years later.
One theory behind this, the scientists say, is that teenagers who are more likely to take drugs have less motivation for traditional rewards like money, and more for less conventional rewards.
Prof Brian Knutson, at Stanford University, says he hopes with more work, these types of tests could help identify vulnerable teenagers who could be offered help before problems arise.
Meanwhile Prof Derek Hill, of University College London, said the study was "interesting" with carefully collected and analysed data.
But he cautioned that the methods used in the study were still experimental.
He added: "It is therefore important that results like this are replicated in separate studies before the results in this paper should be used to change the way these young people are diagnosed and treated." | An international team of scientists say the way teenagers' brains are wired may help predict whether they will develop drug problems in the future. |
36,853,760 | The 29-year-old pulled out of the 100m final at the Jamaican Olympic trials, but will race in his first 200m of the season in London on Friday.
"My hamstring is good. I have no issue right now," Bolt said.
"I had a strain. If I'd competed I probably would have torn my hamstring really bad, but I was never really worried. I know I'm in good shape."
Bolt will return to the Olympic Stadium in East London, scene of his three gold medals at the London 2012 Games, in his final competitive race at the Anniversary Games before he attempts the "triple triple" of 100m, 200m and 4x100m Olympic golds in Rio next month.
"I'm here to win," he said. "I'm always excited to be here and it is going to be a lot of fun.
"I needed a 200 race. I hadn't run all season, so I'm happy to run my first one here."
Asked about his rivalry with American Justin Gatlin, whom he beat in both the 100m and 200m at last year's world championships, Bolt said: "I am definitely a tough competitor.
"Last year, Gatlin was just not ready, it was the first time he was being chased, he was usually the one winning by far, but he had a tough competitor and it was hard for him. This year, I am in much better shape so I won't leave it to the last second."
Bolt won the 200m in 19.55 seconds in Beijing last year, and asked if he could beat his 2009 world record of 19.19 in Rio, he said: "It's possible.
"I'm happy I didn't get a really bad setback this season and I think the competition of the 100m will help my focus in trying to break the 200m record."
Media playback is not supported on this device | Olympic sprinting legend Usain Bolt insists he has no fitness problems after a recent hamstring injury scare. |
37,037,733 | Thousands attended the official opening by the Queen Mother, an occasion marked by a first day cover and even a 7" single by local teenagers Peter and Alison.
"The realisation of an idea that first caught the imagination of Dundonians more than 40 years ago", a contemporary newsreel commentator noted, was now a "splendid reality."
But while the bridge ushered in a new era of convenience for motorists, it sounded the death knell for the much-loved "Fifies" - the Tay Ferries that transported vehicles and generations of passengers between Dundee and Newport-on-Tay.
The last Fifie sailed just hours after the new bridge opened and was overseen by relief skipper John Lewis Squibb.
His daughter Margaret Wright said: "That was quite a sad day, especially for my dad.
"The ferry was doing the last crossing to Dundee and my dad was able to throw the last rope onto the boat before it took off.
"It was a lovely evening and the whole family was there which made it very special.
"I think he was very emotional, but progress, it was what was needed.
"The ferries could not take the quantity of traffic that was coming in.
"We needed the bridge."
Although work on the £4.8m bridge began in March 1963, there had been an appetite for such a crossing for decades.
Eventually, in 1958, test bores were taken and a traffic census was carried out, before William A Fairhurst's design was given the go-ahead two years later.
The construction involved a low temporary bridge which allowed the digging of coffer dams for the road bridge's pillars.
Conditions could be harsh and five men died in the bridge's construction, with three men lost when part of the temporary bridge collapsed in November 1965.
Bert Smith was due to work that evening but swapped his shift with John McQueen, one of the men who died.
He said: "I didn't want to work that night because my wife wasn't well, so I got a change with John McQueen.
"So I went home that night and it was not long after that, that the incident happened.
"He was killed when it should have been me. It still brings the hair up on the back of my neck yet, it really does.
"I think about them every November."
Mr Smith worked on the bridge for the whole of its three-and-a-half year construction.
He said: "It was a hard job, just because of the nature of the job. You had to be fit and able to work.
"It's a nice strong bridge.
"There's no reason for it not being there in 100 years time, because I remember all the piles that went into the foundation and the amount of concrete and steelwork that was involved."
In July 1966, the final girder was put in place and the Tay Road Bridge was complete.
Spanning 1.4 miles, the bridge rose from a height of 32 feet above sea level at Dundee to 125ft at Newport-on-Tay.
A viewing platform sat atop the toll booths, a feature of the bridge until tolls were abolished in 2008.
The five men who perished in the bridge's construction, along with William Logan, managing director of the main building contractor, who died in a plane crash in January 1966, are commemorated in memorial plaques beside the bridge.
Current bridge manager Alan Hutchison said it had become a "major piece of Scottish heritage transport infrastructure".
"It's been incredibly important when you consider the links it's created," he said.
Currently carrying 26,000 vehicles a day, anticipated traffic on the bridge in 1966 was less than a fifth of that figure.
Mr Hutchison said the crossing has weathered the rigours of half a century of traffic "incredibly well".
He said: "We now get 44-tonne European lorries and a few years ago the bridge was strengthened to accommodate the additional loading from these.
"So, with regular maintenance and inspections, it will continue to cope very well indeed."
Supervisor Jim McDonald, who has worked on the bridge for 34 years, oversees these inspections.
He recalled one of the bridge's more unusual travellers, a runaway bull called Bertie which escaped from a nearby abattoir in July, 2000.
"They nicknamed it Houdini because it escaped over a six-foot wall," he said.
"The abattoir was about half a mile from the bridge and it came onto the ramp and went on the northbound approach before they darted it."
The bull was captured after making it to Fife and following a plea for mercy by TV comedy writer Carla Lane, it was transferred to her animal sanctuary in West Sussex.
Mr McDonald also remembers the legendary Tay Road Bridge Jif lemon tree, where plastic lemons were placed on a tree beside the toll booths by workers for almost three decades.
He said: "It was just for fun to keep people's spirits up and all the children liked it.
"Every year we'd put them out in April and then in October or November, you'd bring them in again.
"Some people thought it was a real lemon tree and would take photos of it."
The trees and the tolls are no more - but the bridge is still going strong fifty years on.
A weekend of celebrations will take place in Dundee and Fife to mark the anniversary.
A mural designed by Fraser Gray and Martin McGuinness, which includes a portrait of William Fairhurst is being painted underneath the Dundee bridge approach road.
Alan Hutchison said: "The Tay Road Bridge is an incredibly well-maintained bridge.
"When bridges are designed they typically have what engineers call the design life of 120 years.
"We're only 50 years into that, but there's no reason why it won't go on forever." | Fifty years ago today, a new link between Dundee and Fife roared into life with the opening of the Tay Road Bridge. |
37,362,853 | The goal was announced by the president of the European Union's executive body, Jean-Claude Juncker, in his annual state of the union address.
He also wants at least one city in each EU country to have deployed a 5G mobile network by 2020.
However, one expert cast doubt over whether the public would benefit.
European officials have struggled to deliver an earlier promise to abolish mobile roaming fees.
The new pledges may not apply to the UK because it may have quit the EU before the end of the decade.
Mr Juncker said digital technologies were "permeating every aspect of life", so everyone should be able to get online.
"Everyone benefiting from connectivity means that it should not matter where you live or how much you earn," he said.
"So, we propose today to equip every European village and every city with free wireless internet access around the main centres of public life by 2020."
A factsheet for his Wifi4EU plan states that it applies to parks, squares, libraries and public buildings.
However, it makes clear that the commission plans to spend a maximum of €120m (£102m) to install the necessary equipment, and that local bodies will have to cover subscription costs, maintenance and other expenses.
Mark Newman, chief analyst at the telecoms consultancy ConnectivityX, said: "€120m doesn't sound like a huge amount of investment.
"In many towns and cities, people can already find free wi-fi on the High Street.
"I would question whether frugal councils will really see it as a priority to deliver free wi-fi in all their buildings and squares."
Mr Newman said the 5G pledge was also less impressive than it sounded.
"The 5G standard itself won't be ready until 2018," he said.
"And I can't see any spectrum licences being allocated until the next year or the one after that.
"So, the only deployment in 2020 would be in highly targeted areas - something like a shopping precinct or Trafalgar Square.
"That means there will be limited coverage and very few devices available to access it, so saying it should launch in major cities by that date isn't actually saying very much."
Additional goals set for 2025 included:
The EU's digital economy commissioner backed his president, suggesting the targets would help focus minds.
"Europe has the ambition to lead on the deployment of 5G," said Gunther Oettinger.
"It is time to move to a gigabit society and make sure all Europeans, whether in the countryside or the cities, can get access to a quality internet connection."
The European Commission has faced criticism of its handling of a promise to stop its citizens being charged roaming fees when using their handsets in a different European country to their own.
The executive first proposed the idea in 2013.
But when it published a detailed plan, earlier this month, it said there should be a 90-day limit to the commitment.
Its intention was to prevent people living in one country buying a plan from another to cover their day-to-day use.
But the move caused a backlash, and last week Mr Juncker called for the scheme to be rethought.
"The draft was not technically wrong," Mr Juncker said in his state of the union address.
"But it missed the point of what was promised.
"And you will see a new, better draft as of next week.
"When you roam, it should be like at home." | The European Commission wants free wi-fi to be provided in public spaces across its member states within four years. |
33,034,542 | Police said the privately-owned helicopter crashed in the valley just off the Ramsey to Douglas Mountain Road at about 09:00 BST.
It is believed there was only one person on board the aircraft, a man who was not thought to be from the Isle of Man, police said.
The annual TT motorbike racing festival was due to start this weekend but the opening race was delayed by the winds.
Det Insp Steve Maddocks of the Isle of Man Constabulary said the aircraft crashed into the fields near the 33rd Milestone.
Officers said they were unable to reveal the condition of the helicopter crash casualty.
The six-lap Superbike event was due to be staged on Saturday but has been postponed until Sunday.
Mountain Road has been closed between Ramsey and Creg Ny Raa until further notice while the cause of the crash is being investigated by police, the Isle of Man Rescue Service and air crash investigators. | A helicopter has crashed in the Isle of Man during high winds. |
37,134,791 | Media playback is not supported on this device
No individual GB female athlete has won gold in three successive Games but Jones, Laura Trott and Charlotte Dujardin might achieve that in 2020.
Reigning boxing champion Nicola Adams could join the list if she wins her flyweight final in Rio on Saturday.
"I will definitely go for it again," said double Olympic champion Jones.
Her coach Paul Green says the world number one could become Britain's greatest taekwondo athlete ever as the 23-year-old from the north Wales town of Flint looks for a third Olympic crown at the 2020 Games in Tokyo.
Cyclist Trott and dressage rider Dujardin could also look to make British Olympic history in Japan but Jones has already spelt out her desire to add to her London 2012 and Rio 2016 wins.
"I am only 23-years old and I love taekwondo, I love to fight," she said.
Jones retained her Olympic taekwondo title - winning GB's 22nd gold of the 2016 Games by winning a thrilling final 16-7 to defeat Spain's Eva Calvo Gomez in the -57kg category.
Two head kicks in the third round sealed victory for Jones - who has now won both GB's taekwondo golds since its introduction as a medal sport in 2000.
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Her success means Welsh athletes have now contributed 10 medals, including four golds, at the Rio Games.
Sailor Hannah Mills and cyclists Owain Doull and Elinor Barker have also won gold in what has been a record medal haul for Wales.
"Yeah, it feels different this time, but I still can't believe I won in London to be honest," admitted Jones.
"I knew I was good enough to come here and win and I would have been disappointed with anything less, but in taekwondo anything can happen and until you have that medal around your neck nothing is certain.
"I know I am better and have the talent to beat all these girls, but mentally you have to be right on it, every move is crucial, you cannot make a mistake.
"Winning again was another amazing moment, I've trained so hard and there was so much pressure. But all the training and hard work was worthwhile.
Day-by-day guide to what's on
Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox. | Jade Jones has confirmed she wants to defend her Olympic taekwondo title in Tokyo where she could become a British Olympic record breaker. |
34,679,720 | The 46-year-old was placed in an induced coma after the fall in the World Young Horse Championships on 17 October.
British Eventing said on Friday that his condition had improved but he remains in a French hospital.
Fox-Pitt is GB's most successful rider with 20 major championship medals.
"His family remain hugely grateful to the fantastic team looking after him and to everyone for all the messages and support," the governing body said.
Fox-Pitt fell from his horse Reinstated, who was unharmed, at Le Lion-d'Angers. | British eventer William Fox-Pitt is out of intensive care following a "head trauma" suffered in a fall nearly two weeks ago. |
34,224,491 | The idea appears in proposals to allow elected Police and Crime Commissioners to take over fire services in England.
The consultation says a fire chief with no experience as a constable could run both services, under a PCC.
The national body for police chiefs has already said it is "surprised" by the idea.
The proposals are part of a broad and detailed strategy to merge parts of emergency service planning and management.
Elected PCCs currently oversee the work of each police force and they have the power to appoint chief constables - while a separate body made up of local councillors oversees fire and rescue services.
In the consultation, published by the Home Office, ministers say that they want to encourage more "efficiency and effectiveness" by placing a legal duty on all emergency services to work together.
They say this could ultimately include some PCCs taking over fire and rescue authorities - and that would mean creating a single organisation made up of police and fire staff.
That new body would need a chief officer answerable to a PCC - and this post would have to be a chief constable.
"The post of chief officer would be open to both senior police officers and fire officers, since they will have relevant experience," says the document.
"To achieve this, we will remove the requirement for senior fire officers applying for chief constable roles to previously have been a constable."
While proposals to bring fire services under PCC control have been expected, the National Police Chiefs Council did not appear to know ministers would were going to propose allowing fire chiefs to seek the top job.
Chief Constables Lynne Owens and Giles York, who speak for the police on national emergency services and workforce issues, said: "It was surprising to see the suggestion that a chief fire officer would be eligible to apply for the chief constable post included in the government's proposal.
"This seems to suggest a fundamental change to the current position in which chief constables hold the office of constable and are experienced in the exercise of those powers.
"We will look to work with the Home Office and College of Policing to better understand what is proposed to enable a full and thoughtful response to this issue, grounded in public, not self, interest."
Policing minister Mike Penning, a former firefighter, said: "It simply doesn't make sense for emergency services to have different premises, different back offices and different IT systems when their work is so closely related and they often share the same boundaries.
"Directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners are accountable to the people they serve and uniquely placed to improve the way the emergency services are delivered at a local level."
The Local Government Association has already said it sees no "pressing need" to change the way fire services are governed - and the Fire Brigades Union said it would fight any plans to merge the service with police.
"Police are law enforcers, while fire and rescue is a humanitarian service with a very different remit and culture," said FBU general secretary Matt Wrack.
"Firefighters need to be seen to be neutral within the communities they serve."
But Kevin Hurley, the PCC for Surrey, and both a former firefighter and police officer, said: "The key principles of both the fire service and the police are the same - to keep the public safe and act in their interests. As such, I see no reason to exclude senior fire officers from holding the position of Chief Officer for both services. I have already written to the Home Office to inform them that I would be keen to lead on collaboration between the police and fire service within Surrey as a 'Public Safety Commissioner'."
The consultation closes on 23 October. | Fire chiefs could become chief constables despite no previous experience of arresting criminals, the government has proposed. |
39,815,806 | Greg Clarke has ordered a report into whether it is appropriate to have official partnerships with gambling and betting.
"The sport has a duty to consider and ask itself what is right," Clarke told The Times.
The FA board is expected to make a decision this summer.
It has commercial agreements with the alcoholic drinks companies Carling, Budweiser and Carlsberg, as well as a long-term deal with betting firm Ladbrokes.
In April, Burnley midfielder Joey Barton was banned from football for 18 months after admitting charges in relation to betting.
The 34-year-old was fined £30,000 and warned about his future conduct after being charged with breaking FA rules for placing 1,260 bets on matches over a 10-year period.
But Barton questioned the FA and said it should "look at its own dependence on the gambling companies" instead of "blaming" the players.
Clarke added: "We are actively considering what our position will be and should be. It is right we consider it and then make a positive decision on what we are going to do or not." | The Football Association is "considering" its relationship with gambling firms and alcohol companies, says the governing body's chairman. |
30,846,652 | Kevin Pietersen's been showing off his latest inking, which is a map of all the places he's scored centuries (more than 100 runs) during his England career.
And yes - we know it's back to front. He took the selfie in a mirror.
Pietersen said on Instagram: "#tattoo #globalcitizen #stars It isn't the wrong way around. It's just the reflection!"
He told followers on Twitter to "work the stars out yourself".
Can you do the KP test? (Scroll down for the answers.)
Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter, BBCNewsbeat on Instagram and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube | He's got a few tattoos already but this one's - how shall we put it - a bit different. |
37,488,804 | Now, a group of parents who are aged over 60 and look after disabled children are calling on the assembly to change that.
Sherol Matthews, from Bangor, County Down, has been the main carer for her son William since he was knocked down by a car in 1990.
He was six years old. "Life just changed in a second," she said.
"It was a long haul after that. He was unconscious in hospital for nearly five months.
"It was traumatic. We didn't know if he was going to make it or not, but thankfully he did.
"It was difficult to register that we had actually lost the William that we had, but we had got a new one in his place with lots of different character qualities.
"But, we're so thankful that he's still with us - he's a different character than he was but there's still the rascal side to him and he has a great sense of humour."
What Sherol was not prepared for was the additional battle over the years with social services for help in caring for her son.
She said the most frustrating aspect was dealing with different people every time the family needed help and that, even after filling out multiple forms, there was no guarantee that help would be available.
"I think if they see you managing, then you're left to manage," she said.
"You have to go through such a ream of forms and, even then, it's often turned down.
"I'm not alone in this and it's awful always feeling that you have to beg and battle for each little thing."
The last five years have been especially hard with no respite, Sherol said.
"There was a place that I'd battled for years to get him into but because he was a wheelchair user, it wasn't readily available to him."
Finally, after telling her story at a conference two months ago, William was offered four days a month in a respite facility.
"He loves it, he's very happy there. And it means I can go to bed when I want and get up when I want on those four days.
"And I can even go out some night after tea time because I don't have to do the night-time routine."
Sherol's biggest concern is what will happen to William when she can no longer look after him.
He is getting bigger and heavier, and Sherol said she is struggling morning and evenings after the personal care she has carried out for over 25 years.
The charity Positive Futures has been helping Sherol, and many other families, put together a proposal for a Carer's Charter.
"The charter asks for things like the simplification of process, the simplification of paperwork" said Agnes Lunny, the charity's chief executive.
"We're asking for a single point of contact for families with health and social services and, above all, we're asking for joined-up government."
Sherol is hopeful that future carers will not face the battle she has faced.
"There have been many times when I've reached crisis point and I've had to walk away and go into a room and cry.
"But, we got over it.
"I never want to put him into care because William is very much a sociable person but he's happiest in his own surround so that's why I want his future care to be in his own home where he's happiest." | Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK where the protection of carers is not enshrined in law. |
33,849,721 | For more than a decade, the Berkshire-based company has used the address to direct shoppers to a Star Wars section of its Jokers' Masquerade store.
But in July, Nominet, which oversees .uk domains, backed Disney's ownership claim.
The last time anyone successfully appealed against a Nominet ruling was in 2013.
The costume store's parent company, Abscissa, was also told to give up a further six domain names used for the same purpose:
Chief executive Mark Lewis said Abscissa had used two of the addresses for more than 12 years without being challenged.
"I can't believe that over the last two decades that someone from either Lucasfilm or Disney did not do a WhoIs [search] and find that that starwars.co.uk and star-wars.co.uk were not registered to them," he told the BBC.
"There has to be a point in time, surely, where a registrant has to be able to hold some title."
He added that Lucasfilm had owned star-wars.co.uk for a time prior to 2003, but had chosen not to renew it.
"We cannot find any case where a complainant lets a domain lapse, then files a complaint," he said. "I believe this case sets a precedent."
Nominet requires a complainant to prove that a domain name registration is "abusive" for it to agree to transfer ownership.
Its initial ruling supported Disney's claim on the basis that consumers visiting the sites would have "falsely inferred a commercial connection" between the fancy dress store and the film franchise.
But Mr Lewis disputes this conclusion.
"We haven't abused them," he said.
"We haven't rented them, we haven't offered them for sale - the internet domains point to legitimate Star Wars-branded costumes that we've been selling for the past 13 years."
He added that he did not believe the two sides would be engaged in the legal battle at all had Nominet not introduced shorter "name.uk" domains last year.
Disney bought Lucasfilm - the production company behind Star Wars - in 2012 for $4.1bn (£2.6bn). It plans to release a new film - The Force Awakens - in December.
A spokesman for the entertainment giant could not be reached for comment.
Nominet's initial rulings are determined by single expert, but appeals go to a three-person panel.
Since 2001, just 48 cases - representing 1.8% of the body's rulings - have led to an appeal. Of those appeals, 20 resulted in the original decision being overturned.
A spokesman for Nominet said it was unable to comment on the Star Wars case while it remained active. | A fancy-dress retailer is appealing against a ruling it must surrender its starwars.co.uk web address to Disney. |
38,309,313 | Judith Thompson said they are "utterly disillusioned" by the failure to reach agreement on how to deal with the past.
The victims commissioner said that she believes progress is still possible on the issue.
But she added that it will require political courage because all sides have something to fear.
Ms Thompson was responding to Secretary of State James Brokenshire who said a public consultation on how to deal with the legacy of the Troubles is on hold until he achieves "broad political consensus".
In a BBC interview, she accepted that going public with proposals that have not been agreed could "kill the process", but said progress must be made.
"It's going to require a lot of courage on all parts because what will come out through the proper investigation of these 2,000 deaths is not going to be comfortable for anybody," she said.
"But the consequences of not doing it are very, very far reaching and will bring us back to this point again at some point."
The Stormont House Agreement set out a plan for dealing with the legacy of the Troubles two years ago.
The British government and DUP are at loggerheads with Sinn Féin on the issue and the two sides have been unable to reach agreement on how that will be done.
In recent weeks, each side has blamed the other for the lack of progress.
"This is something that is far, far too important to be playing political ping pong around whose fault it might be," said Ms Thompson.
"I have sat down with victims' groups over the last number of days, and I think people feel utterly disillusioned.
"What people have said to me is, look people bring us in, everybody says they care about us, everybody says we are at the centre of what is happening and then they don't do anything.
"So what does that tell us? It tells us that we actually aren't important at all."
Asked if she also felt disillusioned by the lack of agreement on the issue, the commissioner said she desperately felt the "injustice" of the situation.
"Yes, there are political objectives, there are strategies and long-term strategies for all the players in the political arena, for where they want to get to, but the people I talk for, they don't have that time," she said.
One of the main sticking points in the negotiations on legacy is the issue of national security, and how much sensitive information the government and security agencies have said should be released into the public domain.
The commissioner has previously said the government cannot use national security as a rock under which to hide from Troubles-related issues.
Ms Thompson said she believes efforts to reach agreement on the past are now "teetering on the edge", and that victims have been let down.
"Collectively everybody has (let them down). Collectively victims have not been served well in the out-workings of our peace, and our peace has served most of us very well," she said. | The commissioner who represents victims of the Troubles has said they have been let down by politicians. |
31,643,047 | Sir Derek Myers, Stella Manzie, Malcolm Newsam, Mary Ney and Julie Kenny will head the council until 31 March 2019.
They replace the cabinet following the Casey Report's criticism of its woeful response to child exploitation.
Last year the Jay Report found 1,400 children had been subjected to abuse.
Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has also promised £250,000 to help set up an outreach project to help victims.
He said the commissioners would remain in control of Rotherham Council until the end of March 2019, but added that powers would likely be passed back to the local authority throughout that period.
He said: "I expect that there will be a phased roll back of powers to the authority as and when there can be confidence that the authority could exercise a function in compliance with the best value duty, and in the case of children's social care, to the required standard."
Sir Derek will be lead commissioner and command fees of £800 a day, Ms Manzie will take the role of the managing director commissioner with an annual fee of £160,000 and Mr Newsam will be nominated as children's social care commissioner.
Ms Ney and Ms Kenny will be supporting commissioners. The latter three will all be paid fees of £700 a day.
Rotherham Council has been told it will be expected to pay the commissioners' fees plus any "reasonable expenses".
The youth project funding will be provided with the aim of setting up an organisation similar to the Risky Business project, which repeatedly raised the issue of child abuse in the town before effectively being closed down by the council.
"Risky Business is now missing from Rotherham," said Mr Pickles. "This should not continue, and historic victims of child sexual exploitation should be given the help they need."
Mr Pickles said elections would be held in Rotherham in 2016 but rejected a Ukip call to put the whole council up for election in the forthcoming May poll.
He said: "I have carefully considered this, but I am clear that making such a change only some two months before the elections is neither practicable nor desirable."
Councillors elected in Rotherham next year will have to work under the instructions of the commissioners.
Sir Derek was knighted last year for services to local government in London.
Until he retired in November 2013, he was chief executive of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea at the same time. | Five government commissioners have been selected to run Rotherham Council after a report found the local authority "not fit for purpose" over its handling of child sexual exploitation in the town. |
36,925,698 | The Portugal Under-23 international, 22, spent last season on loan at Monaco and is the Championship club's first signing since Chinese investors Fosun International completed their takeover.
Wolves say they are also close to a deal for another Portuguese player - Atletico Madrid defender Silvio.
They also confirm the club's interest in another Benfica midfielder, Pele.
Wolves' only previous summer signing was goalkeeper Andy Lonergan from fellow Championship club Fulham on a two-year contract.
Wolves have also confirmed that striker Nouha Dicko will not be fit for the start of the season.
After having a staple removed from his knee at the start of July, the club now say it will take three or four more weeks before he is ready for first-team duty.
It means that Dicko will have missed an entire year since being injured in the 2-1 home win over Charlton in August 2015.
Costa spent last season on loan in France with Ligue 1 side Monaco, scoring three times in 25 appearances.
He came through the ranks at Benfica, starting his senior career in their 'B' team.
He was on loan in the Spanish top flight in 2015, making six appearances from the bench for Deportivo La Coruna.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | Wolves have signed winger Helder Costa from Portuguese giants Benfica on a season-long loan. |
28,799,381 | Keiji Furuya and Yoshitaka Shindo visited the shrine to mark the 69th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War Two.
The Yasukuni shrine commemorates Japan's war dead, including convicted war criminals.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe did not visit the shrine but sent a ritual offering instead.
Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Yoshitaka Shindo, a regular visitor to the shrine, said he was not worried that his visit would cause diplomatic tension.
"Many valuable lives perished in the war. I came here to pray so that something like this will never happen again," he said.
The shrine is dedicated to souls of Japanese nationals who died in wars, but those venerated include 14 convicted Class A war criminals.
A museum in the shrine's grounds is also deeply controversial because of the way it presents Japan's World War Two history.
Visits to the shrine anger China and South Korea, who see it as a symbol of Japan's World War Two aggression and accuse Tokyo of failing to show adequate remorse.
China said it resolutely opposed such visits, calling the shrine a "spiritual tool of Japanese militarism".
"Only when Japan earnestly faces up to and deeply reflects on its history of aggression and completely makes a clean break from militarism, can it be possible for Sino-Japanese relations to achieve a healthy and stable development," said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying in a statement.
South Korea's foreign ministry said it "cannot help deploring" the visit and Mr Abe's offering, according to Yonhap news agency.
South Korean President Park Geun-hye also called on Japanese leaders to show sincerity over historical issues, in a speech commemorating the end of Japanese colonial rule.
Ties between Tokyo and its two closest neighbours have been severely strained by both historical issues and separate territorial disputes.
While Washington has been mediating relations between Seoul and Tokyo, tensions between China and Japan remain high.
Mr Abe paid a visit to the shrine in December, prompting a rare US rebuke.
He and the Chinese president have not yet held a formal summit, but met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in St Petersburg last year.
The two sides are reported to be eyeing a similar meeting at a regional forum later in the year. | Two Japanese cabinet ministers have visited the Yasukuni shrine, angering neighbours South Korea and China. |
39,317,475 | The Chile international was substituted with 12 minutes left of Saturday's 3-1 defeat by West Brom.
Sanchez was injured in the first half, when he was fouled by James McClean.
"He should not have played in the second half but he insisted that he wanted to," Wenger said. "In the end we had to take him off."
Arsenal's next match is at home to Manchester City in the league on 2 April, but Sanchez is in Chile's squad for World Cup qualifiers against Argentina and Venezuela, the first of which is on Thursday.
Asked whether Sanchez would be fit to play for his country, Wenger said: "If it's only a kick, he will play. If the ligament is damaged, he will not play."
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Arsenal lost goalkeeper Petr Cech to a calf injury at The Hawthorns as they suffered their fourth defeat in five league games.
They are now five points behind fourth-placed Liverpool in fifth, albeit with a game in hand.
Speaking after Saturday's match, Wenger said he has already decided whether he will remain at the club he has managed since 1996.
"I know what I will do," said Wenger. "You will know soon." | Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez's right ankle is in "an absolutely terrible state" and he may have ligament damage, says manager Arsene Wenger. |
35,124,560 | Celebrity supporter Rod Stewart said after the end of Celtic's European campaign that he felt the Norwegian was out of his depth.
Despite having won two trophies last season, Deila acknowledges he is not beyond criticism.
"At Celtic, when you don't achieve what the demands are, you have to prove yourself," he said of his critics.
"But you have to get the chance to do it and I will do everything I can to prove that and make them swallow their words."
Deila, whose side could still complete a domestic treble this season, admitted he was a big admirer of singer Stewart.
"He's a good ambassador for the club," said the manager.
"I met him once when we won the league trophy, so hopefully I can meet him again in that (scenario).
"When you don't get the result you want, of course people will be critical of what's happening and I have no problems with that.
"I've had a lot of positive critics as well, before the European campaign this year, so this is also something I have to manage.
"The only thing I think of now is to finish this season in a very good way and we need to make the improvements I know can make us successful." | Celtic manager Ronny Deila accepts he still has to prove the job is not too big for him. |
35,417,777 | He will be available for three Championship games, eight in the T20 Blast and three in the One-Day Cup between 9 June and 18 July.
The 25-year-old scored 2,633 runs for New Zealand in 2015 across all formats, including eight centuries.
"His value as a player is beyond question," said Yorkshire head coach Jason Gillespie.
"His attitude, work ethic and leadership as an overseas player is brilliant."
Williamson and England's Joe Root, a Yorkshire team-mate, are currently joint second in the International Cricket Council Test batting rankings behind Australia captain Steve Smith.
The White Rose county have won the Championship title for the past two seasons and are looking to become the first side to do so three times in a row since their Yorkshire predecessors from 1966-1968.
"I am looking forward to joining the team for a third term this summer," Williamson told the Yorkshire website.
"It is enjoyable being part of a successful team that are hungry for ongoing success." | County champions Yorkshire have re-signed New Zealand batsman Kane Williamson for part of the 2016 season. |
28,462,197 | The miner, which will be erected on a plinth in the heart of Laxey, is currently being constructed in Bali by an artist called Ongky Wijana.
The Great Laxey Mine employed more than 600 miners between 1825 and 1929.
Co-ordinator Ivor Hankinson said: "The miners were so brave, and this statue will mean they are remembered forever."
He added: "In addition we will have a plaque on the wall showing the names of 32 people who died in the mine. I think that is important because they did so much for the Isle of Man and worked so hard at a very difficult job."
Once erected on its plinth, the stone miner statue will stand at about 13ft high.
It will replace a wooden carving of a miner which was removed in 2008 after it disintegrated with age.
Funding for the statue was provided by a benefactor, a Laxey resident who left money for the project in her will.
"This lady died in 2012 at the age of 97, but she would have been so pleased that one of her final wishes is coming to fruition," said Mr Hankinson.
"She was saddened when the wooden miner had to be taken down so this would have meant a lot to her - as it will for everybody in the village."
Stone Carver Ongky Wijana said: "I was honoured to be asked to do the Laxey piece. It's a big public piece of work so I'm very proud that people from all over will be able to see it and it will represent Laxey, which is such a beautiful town."
The Laxey mines were among the riches sources of zinc, lead and silver anywhere in the British Isles in the latter half of the 19th Century. | A stone statue has been commissioned in the east of the Isle of Man as a tribute to the "bravery" of those who worked in the Great Laxey mines. |
40,893,432 | The Lincolnshire rider set an average speed of 134.210mph during the third lap of the circuit on his Smith's BMW.
Hickman won by two seconds from Silicone Engineering Kawasaki's Dean Harrison with Bruce Anstey a further 0.3 seconds back on a Padgett's Honda.
Anstey won the Lightweight 250cc race, with Ballymoney's Paul Robinson taking the Moto3/125cc honours.
New Zealander Anstey enjoyed a 39-second lead over Ballymena man Neil Kernohan at the chequered flag, with Davy Morgan making up the top three.
The Kiwi's fastest lap was 117.020 on his first appearance on a 250cc machine at the Dundrod circuit.
Robinson edged out Christian Elkin by half a second and set a new lap record for the Moto3s on 110.311, while Adam McLean completed the rostrum positions.
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Having dominated practice for Saturday's Ulster Grand Prix, Hickman stamped his authority on the six-lap Superbike race to clinch the second victory of his career over the 7.4-mile course.
Harrison, Anstey, Dan Kneen and Michael Dunlop all lapped at over 133mph, with Yorkshireman Harrison and Dan Kneen bettering their previous best lap speeds at the event.
Manxman Kneen finished fourth on the Tyco BMW, followed by Michael Dunlop on his Bennetts Suzuki and Fermanagh's Lee Johnston.
Teenager Joe Thompson was awarded the win in the National race which was red-flagged after three laps, Davey Todd taking second.
The Challenge race was abandoned after being halted twice because of accidents at Leathemstown and Budore, while the planned Supertwin race did not take place as the organisers called an end to proceedings for the day at 20:00 BST.
Roads closed - Wednesday and Thursday 9 and 10 August - 10:00 BST to 21:30 BST; Saturday 12 August - 09:30 BST to 20:30 BST
Thursday racing - Dundrod 150 - Race 1 - Dundrod 150 National Race (5 laps); Race 2 - Ultralightweight/Lightweight (5 laps); Race 3 - Dundrod 150 Challenge (5 laps); Race 4 - Dundrod 150 Superbike (6 laps); Race 5 - Dundrod 150 Supertwins (5 laps)
Saturday racing - Ulster Grand Prix - Race 1 - Superstock (6 laps); Race 2 - Supersport (6 laps); Race 3 - Ultralightweight/Lightweight; Race (5 laps) Race 4 - UGP Superbike (7 laps); Race 5 - Supertwins (5 laps); Race 6 - Supersport (6 laps); Race 7 - Superbike Race (6 laps). | Peter Hickman set a new absolute lap record in winning the Dundrod 150 Superbike race on Thursday. |
35,068,443 | David Headley appeared before a court in Mumbai via video conference and agreed to give full details of the planning and execution of the attacks.
Headley, 52, pleaded guilty and co-operated with the US to avoid the death penalty and extradition to India.
More than 160 people were killed by gunmen in the November 2008 attack.
The Mumbai court told Headley that his pardon was conditional and it expected him to fully disclose all the information he had on the attacks.
He appeared before the court through a video link from an undisclosed location in the US.
"He has become a government witness. The court decided to pardon him because his testimony will give more details of the attacks. He will testify on 8 February," Indian prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam told journalists in Mumbai.
Headley's US lawyer John Theis told BBC Hindi that he did not "expect anything substantially different from what he (Headley) has already said and it will be consistent with his testimony in Chicago".
"It [Headley's pardon in India] also doesn't affect the 35 year jail term that he's serving in the US," Mr Theis added.
Headley was sentenced in the US in 2013 on 12 counts, including conspiracy to aid militants from the Pakistani group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) which India blames for carrying out the attacks.
After initially denying the charges, he eventually pleaded guilty and co-operated with the US to avoid the death penalty and extradition to India.
He admitted to scouting potential target locations in Mumbai ahead of the attacks.
Headley was born Daood Gilani to a Pakistani father and American mother but changed his name to David Coleman Headley in 2006 "to present himself in India as an American who was neither Muslim nor Pakistani", US prosecutors had said.
Headley is alleged to have told US prosecutors that he had been working with LeT since 2002.
He was arrested by FBI agents in Chicago in October 2009 while trying to board a plane for Philadelphia.
The 60-hour assault on Mumbai began on 26 November 2008. Attacks on the railway station, luxury hotels and a Jewish cultural centre claimed 166 lives. Nine gunmen were also killed.
The only surviving attacker, Pakistani Mohammad Ajmal Amir Qasab, was executed in India last November. | A US man sentenced to 35 years in jail for his role in the 2008 Mumbai attacks has been pardoned by an Indian court after he agreed to be a witness. |
40,122,299 | Only one case has been discovered in Ryan's string but the yard near Thirsk has been placed under quarantine by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA).
The nearby stables of trainers Bryan Smart and Michael Herrington have also been quarantined as a precaution.
The BHA said they are working with Ryan and staff to ensure the correct disease control measures are in place.
"The risk of the virus being transmitted in a controlled race-day environment is relatively small," said David Sykes, the BHA's director of equine health and welfare.
"[But] it is in theory possible that horses from the yard in question may have been infectious some time before the disease was diagnosed.
"For this reason we have taken measures to alert trainers, as well as racecourses and veterinary surgeons, to be vigilant to the clinical signs."
The equine herpes virus can cause respiratory disease and abort foetuses, while a less common neurological form of the virus can cause co-ordination problems and paralysis, and is potentially fatal.
The National Stud breeding site in Newmarket was closed last year following the discovery of the neurological herpes virus infection.
Ryan won the French Derby and Irish Champion Stakes in 2014 with The Grey Gatsby and is a four-time winner of the Ayr Gold Cup, including the 2016 edition with Brando. | Trainer Kevin Ryan has been suspended from running horses after a case of equine herpes was found at his yard. |
27,116,036 | This is the full statement to the inquests from his mother, Janet Spearritt:
Adam Edward Spearritt died on 15 April, 1989 after becoming unconscious in his dad Eddie's arms.
Eddie also lost consciousness and woke up in hospital the next day to be told that the son he had tried so desperately hard to save was dead.
Adam was 14 years and 10 months old. It may seem odd to mention the 10 months, but for a life ended so soon every moment matters.
I could write a book about what Adam meant to us and the heartache his death and the Hillsborough tragedy caused, but for this purpose, suffice to say these few words.
Profiles of all those who died
He was our first child, born on 13 June, 1974 at Liverpool Maternity Hospital. He opened up our hearts to the joys of being parents.
From the moment he learned to walk, he had a ball at his feet. He got tiny football boots for his third birthday and goalposts for his fourth.
At weekends, I would take him to watch his dad play football. One of the first sentences he spoke as a toddler was, 'Come on, Mickey lad, take it down the line', giving us such a laugh.
When our second son, Paul, was born some years later, his birth announcement in the Liverpool Echo read: 'A second beautiful son, brother and goalkeeper for Adam'. And so he was, albeit not straight away.
We were lucky to have a large garden that Adam made good use of as a football pitch, tennis court, cricket pitch or mini golf course, learning to play these games first with his dad, or me when his dad was at work, his cousin Robert, who lived around the corner, his grandma when she came to stay - even the window cleaner or postman were invited to kick a ball with him, and sometimes did.
When he wasn't outside playing football, he would be inside enjoying his 'Roy of the Rovers' comics, filling in his Panini football sticker album or playing Subbuteo.
We have glued many a broken Barcelona, Real Madrid or Liverpool player back onto their bases, assembled a stand to sit tiny figures on, put together TV gantries and floodlights so that England could beat Brazil in the World Cup.
These items are now stored up in the attic, ironically alongside the many boxes and files containing 25 years' worth of transcripts, letters, newspaper articles and other matters relating to the disaster.
As Adam grew older, his passions centred on football and golf. I remember his dad telling me about a game of golf they played with two of his dad's friends, which reduced Adam to tears of laughter on the course because of their antics and pathetic attempts to play.
He was such a joy growing up, laughing a lot, telling jokes and doing impersonations. Even on the day he died, his dad said the drive across the Snake Pass to Sheffield was full of fun and laughter, again with the same two friends they played golf with.
At one point, one of the friends got out to go to a sweet shop and the driver played stop/start as he tried to get back in. Adam was helpless with laughter.
He loved school, first attending St Mary's Junior School and then on to Norton Priory. He was doing well, his school reports always saying what a polite, hard-working pupil he was.
Naturally, sport was one of his favourite subjects. He played for the school football team and also a local team, Bridge Athletic, making many friends along the way.
I recall attending a PTA meeting where the staff were discussing the school football team being in the final of the Cheshire Schools' competition and of course, as a proud mum, I stated that it was my son who scored the winning goal in the semi-final.
A teacher came up to me afterwards to introduce herself and tell me what a lovely student he was. This was shortly before he died. Adam never got to play in the final, but his Dad went and supported the team as they won.
He loved being on the Kop at Anfield watching Liverpool play. His heroes, of course, were Kenny Dalglish and Alan Hansen.
Despite going to Anfield often, the Hillsborough match was his first away game.
Every year, a golf tournament is played in memory of Adam made up of his old school friends, his brothers, cousins, uncles, and friends of his dad. Also, each year in Runcorn an under-15s football tournament is played for the Adam Spearritt Memorial Cup.
Adam and his dad were friends as well as father and son and Eddie struggled to forgive himself for not saving Adam. He would say it was his job to protect Adam and he failed.
Sadly, Eddie died three years ago, without really knowing that his efforts in helping to fight for a new inquest were coming to fruition.
To everyone, Adam was just an ordinary boy, but to us, as every child is to their parents, he was extraordinary.
He had a kind, caring and considerate nature. We all loved him dearly and he in return loved all of us, but more than that, he loved life itself. | A schoolboy from Runcorn, Adam Spearritt travelled by car with his dad, Eddie Spearritt, and some friends, all of whom survived. |
36,171,811 | Wallace scored 169 runs in a second team match after being dropped for the first time in 15 years, but Chris Cooke will wear the gloves in Canterbury
Kent's New Zealand opener Tom Latham is set to make his debut in the match.
The 24 year-old can also keep wicket but Kent stick with Adam Rouse as deputy for Sam Billings, who is playing in the IPL.
Glamorgan are still without batsman Colin Ingram, who has missed the last two games with a knee injury.
Seamer Harry Podmore, on loan from Middlesex, could make a debut if Glamorgan decide to rotate their bowling attack.
Kent may also make a change in their bowling attack, with England under-19 paceman Hugh Bernard added to the line-up which found it tough going at Leicester.
Latham replaces all-rounder Alex Blake.
Both teams are still searching for their first wins of 2016 after Kent's rain-hit draw away to Leicestershire and Glamorgan's weather-ruined stalemate away to Derbyshire.
Kent won the 2015 encounter in Cardiff by a massive margin of 316 runs, after Glamorgan had hung on for a draw with nine wickets down in their earlier encounter in Canterbury.
Kent (from): Bell-Drummond, Latham, Dickson, Denly, Northeast (capt), Stevens, Rouse (wk), Haggett, Coles, Claydon, Riley, Bernard.
Glamorgan (from): Jacques Rudolph (capt), James Kettleborough, Will Bragg, Chris Cooke (wk), Aneurin Donald, David Lloyd, Graham Wagg, Craig Meschede, Andrew Salter, Michael Hogan, Timm van der Gugten, Harry Podmore. | Wicket-keeper Mark Wallace has been left out of Glamorgan's team to face Kent in the County Championship. |
38,364,011 | Zoe Morgan, 21, and Lee Simmons, 33, were found dead near the Queen Street store on 28 September at 5:50 BST.
They had been in a relationship since July.
Andrew Saunders, 20, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to murder at Cardiff Crown Court on Monday. He will be sentenced in the New Year.
The discovery of the bodies of the couple led to the street being closed as police began their investigation.
Saunders was arrested later that day and then charged with their murder.
Miss Morgan, who worked as a window dresser, had recently graduated from the University of South Wales with an honours degree in fashion marketing and retail design.
It is believed the couple struck up a romance while working together.
In a tribute following the deaths, Miss Morgan's family said she was a "beautiful daughter, sister, granddaughter and auntie who had a heart of gold and would do anything for anybody."
Mr Simmons was a described as a genuine and lovely young man by a childhood friend, who added: "he always had a smile on his face and he was well loved".
Hundreds also attended vigils in memory of the couple around the city.
Judge Eleri Rees, the Recorder of Cardiff, remanded Saunders into custody.
The defendant, who had short brown hair and a beard and wore a blue hooded top, spoke only to confirm his name before entering guilty pleas.
He will be sentenced next year by Mrs Justice Nicola Davies.
Prosecutor Michael Jones said she would have to watch "disturbing" CCTV footage. | A man has admitted murdering a couple found stabbed on a street near the Cardiff city centre Matalan shop where they worked. |
35,189,942 | The regions of Cantabria, Asturias and the Basque Country are worst affected, with high winds spreading the flames.
Spain's forestry association said the unusually high temperatures did not explain the origin of the fires.
Association head Raul de la Calle suggested "cattle farming interests" could be responsible.
He said some people believed the fires would make the pasture more "appetising" to the animals, El Mundo reported.
More than 80 fires are currently burning in Cantabria, where 2,000 hectares (5,000 acres) of land of "very high ecological value" have been destroyed, regional president Miguel Angel Revilla said.
However none of those fires are currently threatening inhabited areas, he added.
About 100 soldiers have been sent to the region.
In Asturias there are 38 fires, of which 31 have been contained.
Spain's interior ministry has warned of continuing high winds in the north. | Firefighters are battling more than 120 forest fires in northern Spain, some of which may have been started deliberately, officials say. |
40,481,950 | Saffie Roussos was among 22 people killed in a bombing at an Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena on 22 May.
Her father Andrew, said Saffie was a "huge character" and was "stunning".
Mr Roussos said he has not thought or asked questions about what happened because he "can't get Saffie back".
In his first interview since the attack, Mr Roussos, from Lancashire, told the BBC: "She was a joker. She was a huge character.
"She was just everything you could wish for in a little girl."
"She loved dancing, music, gymnastics. If she wanted something, she would do it," he added.
"[She loved] fame, stardom.
"I knew that Saffie would love her pictures to be on, and to be spoken about on TV."
Saffie had been at the concert with her mother Lisa and 26-year-old sister Ashlee Bromwich.
Mrs Roussos has undergone multiple operations and was placed in an induced coma by doctors.
When she awoke she knew her daughter had died, Mr Roussos explained.
"I was dreading it. She just looked at me and said 'she's gone isn't she?', and I said 'yeah'. She goes, 'I knew'."
Mrs Roussos is improving at a much quicker rate than doctors had expected and the rest of the family were "all strong for each other", he added.
Saffie's sister Ms Bromwich said: "She was Ariana Grande-obsessed.
"She kept on going, 'come on Ashlee you promised me you'd get up and dance' - so we had a little dance. She was so happy, she was elated all night, grinning."
But everything changed at the end of the show when suicide bomber Salman Abedi detonated a home-made device in the foyer of the arena.
"I remember I was thrown to the ground and, my next instinct, I just sort of I rolled over and crawled because I couldn't walk," Ms Bromwich said.
Mr Roussos said "hell broke loose" and he remembered arriving to discover Ms Bromwich being treated at the scene, while Saffie and his wife were missing.
"We just walked round and all the police were there. It was chaos.
"You're panicking and worrying. You don't know what's going on," he said.
Mr Roussos, with the help of a friend, eventually received confirmation from Salford Royal Hospital that they were caring for his wife. But he heard nothing of Saffie.
"As the hours went on, I thought the worst," he said.
His faint hope, he added, was "that she was in one of the hotels".
He was later informed by a detective that Saffie had died.
"I couldn't take it in. I just sat there looking at him," he said. "It's just your worst nightmare. I didn't know what to say, I didn't know what to think."
When asked about their thoughts on Abedi, Mr Roussos said: "It doesn't matter what I think, It doesn't matter what I feel, how much anger I've got, it doesn't matter how much love I've got, it doesn't change a thing.
"It doesn't, so I haven't even thought about it because if I could think about it, analyse it, break it down, sort it out and get Saffie back I'll do it but I can't.
"I've not even asked questions, I don't even know what's happened, I'm not interested."
Ms Bromwich said she "didn't want to know, I'm not interested".
Saffie's brother Xander Roussos, 11, said it is "quite hard to cope with", adding there are "times when you're sad and times when you're happy".
"We do a little bit of laughing, a little bit of joking, a little bit of crying and cuddling, and that's how we get through the day," Mr Roussos said.
Mr Roussos said he had met Ariana Grande before her One Love Manchester concert in June.
"I wanted to tell her what she meant to Saffie," he said. "I wanted to tell her from a father's point of view that she's got nothing to be sorry for... It wasn't her fault."
"All she could say to me was, 'I'm sorry', and I said, 'You've got nothing to be sorry for. You made Saffie so happy with what you do'.
"She thanked me," he said. "She appreciated me telling her that."
Mr Roussos said he was thankful Saffie managed to enjoy the entire show before she died.
"I'm grateful she got to see all of it," he said. | The youngest victim of the Manchester attack was "everything you could wish for in a little girl", her father said on what would have been her ninth birthday. |
17,222,934 | The 75-year-old, dubbed the "King of Romance", is best known for his 1967 hit Release Me, which kept The Beatles' Strawberry Fields Forever off the number one spot.
The singer said it was "an absolute honour" to be taking part and was "excited and raring to go".
This year's competition will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, on 26 May.
The song Humperdinck will perform has yet to be announced but the BBC said it would be recorded in London, Los Angeles and Nashville.
It will be written by Grammy award-winning producer Martin Terefe and Ivor Novello winner Sacha Skarbek, who co-wrote James Blunt hit You're Beautiful.
Humperdinck - who was born Arnold Dorsey - has sold more than 150 million records worldwide during his 45 year career.
Born in Chennai to a British army officer, he took his stage name from a German composer best known for his opera Hansel and Gretel.
He scored a UK number one with The Last Waltz and had other hits including There Goes My Everything and A Man Without Love.
His last UK top 20 single was 40 years ago with Too Beautiful To Last which reached number 14.
The singer has received four Grammy nominations, a Golden Globe for Entertainer of the Year and is one of only a handful of artists with a star on both the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the Las Vegas Walk of Fame.
"It's an absolute honour to be representing my country for this year's Eurovision Song Contest," the singer said.
"When the BBC approached me, it just felt right for me to be a part of an institution like Eurovision. I'm excited and raring to go and want the nation to get behind me!"
Humperdinck is the oldest ever Eurovision contestant and if he wins, will be the UK's first victor since Katrina and the Waves 15 years ago.
"Engelbert's age isn't the reason why we chose him to represent the nation for Eurovision, but it's nice to break a few records along the way," a BBC spokeswoman said.
Katie Taylor, BBC head of entertainment and events said: "Not since the 70s have we had such an established international musical legend represent the nation.
"We couldn't be more delighted. Engelbert's experience leaves us in no doubt that he will be able to deliver a standout performance in front of 120 million viewers worldwide." | British crooner Engelbert Humperdinck is to represent the UK at this year's Eurovision Song Contest. |
32,852,333 | 14-year-old Harrison Cushing was found hanged at his home in Peel and died later at Noble's hospital in Braddan.
An inquest in Douglas on Friday heard that the child, a Year 9 student at Queen Elizabeth II High School, died from "asphyxia due to hanging".
A school spokesman said Harrison was an "articulate and confident young man" and a "pleasure to teach".
He added: "Harrison had a very keen and quick sense of humour, appreciated by his classmates and teachers alike.
"Anyone who knew Harrison could not fail to like him and he will be very deeply missed by his close friends, his classmates in Year 9, his teachers and the wider school community.
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to Harrison's family at this very sad and difficult time".
Coroner John Needham has adjourned the inquest to a date yet to be fixed.
Education psychologists are providing professional support at the school for students and staff. | An Isle of Man school has paid tribute to an "articulate and confident" teenager who died last Sunday. |
36,697,998 | Fifty firefighters tackled the height of the blaze at Bowlshaw Lane, near Shelf, Halifax, as police advised motorists to seek alternative routes.
Supt Owen West said fuel tanks on vehicles inside the premises exploded and advised people to stay inside for safety.
Diesel, LPG and acetylene is on the site, West Yorkshire Fire Service said.
Major blaze at Morrisons supermarket depot in Yorkshire
The A644 Brighouse Road closed both ways between A647 and A6036 and there were diversions for traffic in the area.
Supt West said the fire was at a garage containing scrap vehicles, there had been no reported injuries and the "smoke plume looked more serious than it is". | Fire crews will remain at the scene of an industrial estate blaze featuring 25 lorries throughout the night. |
34,289,766 | Thai-based SSI took over the former Tata Steel complex in Redcar after it was mothballed in 2010.
The company said preparations were under way to cut production during the day and cited ongoing issues with the supply of raw materials and services.
A spokesman said the announcement was made with "great regret" but a union leader described it as "devastating".
Operation of the South Bank Coke Ovens, which employs 150 people, will cease first before production stops.
Labour MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, Tom Blenkinsop, said: "I know unions will be working closely with those workers to offer all the support they can but my heart goes out to those workers and their families."
The Redcar Coke Ovens and the Power Station will continue to operate but at a reduced level.
Chief operating officer Cornelius Louwrens, said: "We are deeply aware of the concern it will give to our employees and their families.
"Our parent company and other stakeholders have given great support to the business, and the decision to pause our iron and steel production has been taken reluctantly and in a scenario where no other practical options are available at present.
"Discussions will be held as soon as possible with our trade unions and employee representatives to clarify the effect the production pause will have on our employees."
Roy Rickhuss, general secretary of steelworkers' union Community said: "This is devastating news. Our first thoughts are with the workers who will be affected by today's announcement.
"We will be seeking urgent talks with SSI management to find out the full extent of the impact this will have on both SSI employees and contractors.
"In the coming days we will do all we can to support our members."
MP for Stockton South and Northern Powerhouse Minister, James Wharton, said: "It's not necessarily the end of the story for steel on Teesside...but it's clearly a difficult time."
He added: "There's no denying it's significant and it's not good news. We have to make sure the impact is minimised and we do everything we can to try to mitigate what the knock-on effect could be on the economy on Teesside and in the UK."
Last month the company warned the plant's future was at risk, citing a slump in demand for steel in China and Russia for its problems.
Mr Louwrens said the price paid for slab steel had plummeted from $500 (£318) a tonne to below $300 (£191) over the past year.
Business Minister Anna Soubry, said: "This is disappointing news. The government stands ready to assist workers where needed.
"The steel industry is going through a tough time. The price of steel has plummeted as worldwide production rises and sales fail to pick up.
"Government can't fix the price of steel but we are doing what we can to help."
Gareth Stace, director of UK Steel, said the time for "warm words" from the government had passed and its promise to "hold a crisis summit" about the industry "cannot happen soon enough".
He said the government needed to act decisively otherwise "the damage to one of the most important industries underpinning our entire manufacturing industry will be irreversible".
At full capacity the Redcar plant produces up to 400 slabs of steel a day, each weighing up to 33 tonnes.
About £1bn has been invested in reopening the blast furnace. | Production at a Teesside steel plant which employs up to 2,000 people will be "paused", the company said. |
35,922,000 | Matthew Rigby, 22, denies murdering Ayeeshia Jane Smith at their home in Staffordshire in May 2014.
Ayeeshia's mother, Kathryn Smith, also denies murder.
The girl had a heart injury usually seen in people who have fallen off buildings or been in a car crash, Birmingham Crown Court has heard.
Mr Rigby denied inflicting any injuries on the girl after being accused by Ms Smith's barrister of taking out his frustrations over the couple's dysfunctional relationship on the child.
When asked why he had changed his story Mr Rigby, from Nottingham, said his former partner, 23-year-old Ms Smith, had told him what to say to police.
He initially told detectives he had seen Ayeeshia, known as AJ, "on the potty" in her room as Ms Smith went to get some juice for the girl.
But in court on Tuesday he said he was not present while the child went to the toilet.
Ms Smith's barrister, John Butterfield QC, asked him why would he have lied.
"At that point I didn't think there was any foul play with Ayeeshia," he replied.
"At that point, I had no reason to doubt what Kathryn had said."
But Mr Butterfield QC said: "You've backed away because you know you got up to no good in that bedroom at that time."
Mr Rigby responded: "That's wrong, that's really wrong."
The court heard Mr Rigby describe AJ as a "lovely little girl" who had had a positive impact on his life.
But he admitted his relationship with her mother was volatile, with police often being called to their flat in Burton upon Trent.
On one occasion when AJ apparently needed hospital treatment, Mr Rigby told the court Ms Smith, also from Nottingham, had disappeared from their flat to buy cannabis.
The trial continues. | A stepfather accused of stamping a toddler to death has told a jury he did not hurt her and said her mother must have been responsible for her death. |
40,380,071 | They were given 15-month suspended jail terms and ordered to pay €165,000 (£145,000; $185,000) each, with half the sum suspended.
They were accused of holding more than 20 servants they brought with them on a 2008 visit in near slavery.
But they were acquitted of the more serious charge of inhumane treatment.
The princesses had denied all the charges.
Their lawyer, Stephen Monod, said he was "satisfied to note that the Belgian justice has appropriately assessed this case which has generated many misconceptions for nearly 10 years".
Raped, pregnant and afraid of being jailed
Kuwait's abused domestic workers have 'nowhere to turn'
He was unable to confirm that his clients would pay their fines, saying they had not yet decided whether to appeal.
Sheikha Hamda al-Nahyan and her seven daughters did not attend the trial and rights activists said it was highly unlikely that the UAE would extradite them had they been jailed.
The case came to light when one of the servants escaped from the hotel where the princesses had hired a floor of luxury suites.
They said they were forced to be available 24 hours a day, had to sleep on the floor, were never given a day off, were prevented from leaving the hotel and were forced to eat the princesses' leftovers.
But the case took nine years to get under way, partly due to legal challenges to proceedings by the defence.
Myria, a Belgian rights group which helped bring the case to court, said the importance of Friday's judgement "can hardly be overstated".
"Not because it is the end stage of a procedure that has been epic in length and complexity, nor because the location of the transgression was a prestigious hotel and the main perpetrators princesses.
"Domestic personnel hailing from all over the world, employed in an administrative and social limbo, in a secluded area presumed beyond the reach of the rule of law, were heard in a court of law and recognised as victims of human trafficking."
At the time of the trial, Nicholas McGeehan, an expert on migrant workers in the Gulf for Human Rights Watch, told the BBC that it would be "hugely significant" if one of the wealthiest families in the world was publicly linked with trafficking and slavery.
He argued that despite being abolished in law, domestic slavery continues in Gulf states - "perpetuated by ruling elites for whom it serves an important societal purpose in conferring status".
He added: "It's top-down and tolerated." | Eight princesses from the UAE have been convicted of human trafficking and degrading treatment of their servants by a Brussels court. |
32,057,948 | The King's Fund review said waiting times for A&E, cancer care and routine operations had all started getting worse, while deficits were growing.
It said such drops in performance had not been seen for 20 years.
But the think tank acknowledged the NHS had done as well as could be expected, given the financial climate.
Professor John Appleby, chief economist at the King's Fund, which specialises in health care policy, said: "The next government will inherit a health service that has run out of money and is operating at the very edge of its limits.
"There is now a real risk that patient care will deteriorate as service and financial pressures become overwhelming."
He said in terms of how standards were slipping - not how low they had reached - the situation was the worst it had been since the "early 1990s".
The report noted much of the deterioration has happened in the second-half of the Parliament with many measures of performance being maintained in the first few years.
It said the next government had to address the funding situation, adding the extra £8bn a year NHS England says is needed by 2020, was the "minimum" that would be required.
The report - a review of performance this Parliament - highlights a range of problems as well as achievements. These include:
The report is the second part of the King's Fund pre-election review of the NHS this Parliament.
Last month it warned the coalition government's reforms of the health service had been "damaging and distracting".
The King's Fund report should make worrying reading. The reference to the 1990s conjures up images of - for the NHS at least - a bygone era.
The think tank's point was not that waiting times had reached the level they were at then, rather that this is the first time in two decades of almost continuous improvement that there has been a sustained drop in performance.
In many ways, that had to happen. Services cannot keep getting better for ever.
Nonetheless, the findings are crystal clear: the NHS is at a critical juncture.
But what is less easy to determine is to what extent the coalition's policies have contributed to the difficulties.
The think tank has already provided a critical analysis of the government's reforms - and when pushed, acknowledged the health service may have been "in better shape" if they had not happened.
But the more significant issue for the health of the health service this Parliament has been the squeeze on finances. Even though the budget has been increased, it has felt more like a cut to many because demands have risen so quickly.
On this though, the King's Fund accepted that the government's hands were tied. Given the state of the economy, ministers did about as much as they could have.
Read more from Nick
Royal College of Nursing general secretary Peter Carter said politicians needed to take note of the warnings made by the King's Fund.
"Morale is low, and more and more staff are being made sick with stress because of the intolerable pressure they are under," he added.
Katherine Murphy, of the Patients Association, said: "The findings echo what we are hearing on a daily basis on our helpline. It is clear to the public that the future of the NHS is one of the most important issues facing the nation and it should be a central issue in the election campaign."
Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham said: "Five years ago David Cameron stood on a promise to protect the NHS. This report provides authoritative proof that he has broken that promise."
But a Department of Health spokesman said: "As the King's Fund says, the NHS has 'performed well in the face of huge challenges', but if we are to continue to invest in the NHS going forward it needs to be backed by a strong economy." | Services in the NHS in England are deteriorating in a way not seen since the early 1990s, according to a leading health think tank. |
38,663,640 | The pair, who took over from Ian Davies in the summer, have agreed to stay at the Mennaye until May 2019.
Both had long playing careers with the club and were assistants to Davies before taking over after cost cuts forced him to leave.
The Pirates have also brought in former England forward and Nottingham coach Martin Haag on a part-time basis.
Paver and Cattle have led the Pirates to fifth place in the Championship this season, one point off the play-off places.
"We've been very fortunate to have a chance to come straight out of playing and coach at Championship level," Cattle told BBC Sport.
"I think we've made a made a decent fist of it this year, there's been a lot of off-pitch matters that gave us that opportunity, but we're chuffed that the board have given us the chance."
The pair were teammates for over a decade and Cattle says the friendship they built up in that time makes it easy to organise their roles in joint-charge.
"If you don't agree with something you can be open and honest and if you don't have that relationship you might have to tiptoe around a topic," he added.
"Working with him is pretty easy, we're two different characters and in terms of our coaching approach, we know how each other works and know when to step away, and we have a good relationship off the pitch as well." | Cornish Pirates coaches Alan Paver and Gavin Cattle have signed new contracts at the Championship club. |
35,780,777 | Investigators found that 1,300 women had been raped last year in oil-rich Unity State alone, it said.
The army operated a "scorched earth" policy to deliberately target civilians for killing and rape, which amounted to war crimes, the UN said.
The government denies its army targeted civilians but says it is investigating.
"We have rules of engagement and we are following them," a spokesman for President Salva Kiir, Ateny Wek Ateny, told the BBC's Newsday programme.
According to the UN report, militias operated under a "do what you can and take what you can" agreement that allowed them to rape and abduct women and girls as a form of payment.
They also raided cattle and stole personal property, it added.
The scale and type of sexual violence committed in South Sudan constitute some of the most horrendous human rights abuses in the world, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said.
One woman said she had watched her 15-year-old daughter being raped by 10 soldiers after her husband was killed.
The UN said government forces and allied militias gang-raped girls and cut civilians to pieces. It also accused opposition fighters of committing human rights abuses.
In a separate report, Amnesty International says more than 60 men and boys were suffocated in a shipping container by government forces.
Researchers from the UK-based campaign group said bodies of those suffocated had been dumped in a field after they were killed last October in Leer Town, Unity State.
"Dozens of people suffered a slow and agonising death at the hands of government forces that should have been protecting them," said Lama Fakih from Amnesty.
"These unlawful killings must be investigated."
The civil conflict erupted in December 2013 after Mr Kiir accused his sacked deputy, Riek Machar, of plotting a coup.
Mr Machar denied the allegation but then formed a rebel army to fight the government.
Tens of thousands have died and more than two million have been displaced since then.
Amid a threat of sanctions from the UN, the two sides signed a peace deal in August last year but are yet to form a transitional government of national unity.
Q&A: South Sudan conflict
What is South Sudan fighting about? The world's newest nation gained independence from Sudan in 2011. But two years later the country descended into violence after President Salva Kiir accused his sacked deputy Riek Machar of plotting a coup. Mr Machar denied this but then formed a rebel army to fight the government. The East African nation is rich in oil but it is also one of the least developed regions on earth - only 15% of its citizens own a mobile phone.
Why is the conflict so vicious? Millions of South Sudanese have known hardly anything but war. Before the country broke away from Sudan, the first north-south civil war lasted from 1955-1971, and the second was even longer (1983-2005). Ethnic tensions are largely the main source of the latest conflict and have deepened animosity between the Nuer and the Dinka, the country's two biggest ethnic groups.
What is being done? Several internationally brokered peace agreements were violated by the warring factions in the past. However, in August, the government and the rebels signed a power-sharing agreement, essentially fine-tuning a return to the status quo. But eight months later, the transitional government is yet to be formed.
Read more about the conflict | Militias allied to the South Sudanese army have been allowed to rape women in lieu of wages while fighting rebels, a UN report says. |
38,958,379 | The 23-year-old centre-back, who has previously had spells with Gillingham and Brighton, scored one goal in 11 appearances in WSL 2 in 2016.
"It is a dream of mine to join a pro club so to be here is an amazing feeling," she told the club website.
"I have worked my way through the ranks and am delighted to have done enough to earn a contract with Chelsea."
Chelsea have not disclosed the length of Cooper's contract.
The Blues begin the WSL Spring Series against Manchester City on 23 April. | Women's Super League One side Chelsea Ladies have signed defender Deanna Cooper from London Bees. |
31,016,261 | Addressing his first cabinet meeting since Sunday's victory, Mr Tsipras said he would negotiate with creditors over the €240bn (£179bn; $270bn) bailout.
"We won't get into a mutually destructive clash but we will not continue a policy of subjection," said the left-wing Syriza party leader.
Greek bank stocks lost more than a quarter of their value on Wednesday as prices fell for a third day.
Piraeus Bank lost nearly 29%, Alpha Bank 26%, and National Bank and Eurobank around 25%, AFP reported.
Germany's vice-chancellor said it was unfair of Greece to expect other states to pick up its bills.
"I cannot imagine a haircut [debt reduction]," Sigmar Gabriel said.
As Mr Tsipras made his debut cabinet speech, Greek government bond yields rose to their highest since the 2012 debt restructuring, amid investor concern that the anti-austerity coalition was gearing up for a clash with international creditors.
The Athens Stock Exchange fell by 8% in response to Mr Tsipras's remarks, and as it emerged that his government was putting on hold major privatisation projects, including the port of Piraeus and the main power company, the Public Power Corporation of Greece.
Greece has endured tough budget cuts in return for its 2010 bailout, negotiated with the "troika" - the EU, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and European Central Bank (ECB).
Its economy has shrunk drastically since the 2008 global financial crisis, and high unemployment has thrown many Greeks into poverty.
Alexis Tsipras sought to strike a balance - defiant about negotiating debt relief from the eurozone, while reassuring his European partners. Across the eurozone, governments oppose a debt write-off for Greece.
The Netherlands has added its voice to that of Germany and France in insisting that Greece stick to its previous commitments. The Dutch finance minister, who heads Eurozone group of ministers, will be in Athens later this week for discussions.
Both sides will try to stick to their positions and it may come down to which will blink first.
Mr Tsipras's speech is, perhaps, an olive branch extended from Athens after hardline pre-election rhetoric, but there is no sign that the new government will back down on its opposition to austerity.
Five things Syriza wants to change
Tsipras faces great expectations
Vowing to defend Greek dignity, Mr Tsipras said a renegotiation of the Greek debts would aim for a "viable, fair, mutually beneficial solution". He did not give any details.
Mr Tsipras promised "realistic proposals" for an economic recovery and vowed to fight corruption and tax evasion. His recovery plan, he said, was aimed at preventing deficits in the future.
The new coalition government - with the right-wing but equally anti-austerity Greek Independents - was sworn into office on Tuesday.
Its chief economics spokesman, Euclid Tsakalotos, has argued that it is unrealistic to expect Greece to repay its huge debt in full.
The current bailout programme of loans to Greece ends on 28 February. There are still 1.8bn euros of loans that could be disbursed to Greece if it meets the conditions imposed by the troika.
Economists estimate that Greece needs to raise about 4.3bn euros in the first quarter of 2015 to help pay its way, with Athens possibly having to ask the IMF and eurozone countries.
Mr Gabriel, who is also economy minister and leads the junior partner in Angela Merkel's coalition government, said: "Our aim must be to keep Greece in the eurozone but solidarity and fairness work both ways."
"Citizens of other euro states have a right to see that the deals linked to their acts of solidarity are upheld," he said.
"Every country in Europe has its own history and cannot separate itself from this through new elections."
He urged the Greek government to talk to its partners before going ahead with decisions such as halting the privatisation of the port of Piraeus.
"Things that Greece itself won't do cannot be shunted on to the taxpayers and employers in neighbouring states," the German Social Democrat leader said.
Greek 10-year bond yields climbed above 10%, reflecting fears that investors may not get their money back.
The yield of a bond is inverse to its price: as the price goes down, the yield grows. | New Greek PM Alexis Tsipras says his country will not default on its debts. |
36,294,216 | Brambilla, 28, began the 186km stage from Foligno to Arezzo one minute 56 seconds behind Dutchman Tom Dumoulin.
Etixx Quick-Step's Brambilla was part of an early break and went on to win by a minute and six seconds from compatriot Matteo Montaguti.
Dumoulin finished 38th - 2mins 51secs back - to slip to 11th overall.
Brambilla's first Grand Tour stage win - and a 10-second time bonus - gave him a 23-second advantage over Russia's Ilnur Zakarin in the general classification before Sunday's 40.5km individual time-trial from Radda to Greve in Chianti.
Brambilla and Montaguti were part of an early 13-man breakaway.
Montaguti broke clear later but Brambilla caught and passed him on the white chalk road of the Alpe di Ponti, the final climb of the day, with around 25km of the stage remaining.
The Giro - the first of the three Grand Tours in the year before the Tour de France and the Vuelta a Espana - finishes in Torino on 29 May.
Stage eight result:
1. Gianluca Brambilla (Ita/Etixx Quick-Step) 4hrs 14mins 5secs
2. Matteo Montaguti (Ita/AG2R) +1min 6secs
3. Moreno Moser (Ita/Cannondale) +1min 27secs
4. Jaco Venter (SA/Dimension) +1min 28secs
5. Alessandro De Marchi (Ita/BMC) +1min 33secs
6. Alejandro Valverde (Spa/Movistar) +1min 41secs
Overall standings:
1. Gianluca Brambilla (Ita/Etixx Quick-Step) 33hrs 39mins 14secs
2. Ilnur Zakarin (Rus/Katusha) +23secs
3. Steven Kruijswijk (Ned/Lotto) +33secs
4. Alejandro Valverde (Spa/Movistar) +36secs
5. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita/Astana) +45secs
6. Esteban Chaves (Col/Orica) +48secs | Italy's Gianluca Brambilla claimed the Giro d'Italia leader's jersey from Tom Dumoulin with a brilliant ride on stage eight in Umbria. |
35,260,169 | The teenager was attacked at 15:30 on 6 January at Kings Langley School in Love Lane, Kings Langley, police said.
He suffered a serious head injury and was taken to Watford General Hospital before being transferred to a London Hospital where he remains "stable".
A 14-year old boy has been arrested and bailed in connection with the incident.
Further updates and stories from Beds, Herts and Bucks
Hertfordshire Police said investigations were continuing but no-one else is believed to have been involved and it will continue to work closely with the school.
School head Gary Lewis said an "altercation" had occurred between two year nine boys at the end of school on the afternoon of Wednesday, with no one else involved.
"The incident resulted in one of the students being punched," he said.
"Unfortunately, this student is now being treated in hospital for a head injury and his condition is currently causing serious concern.
"Our thoughts are very much with the student, his family and friends and we are doing everything possible to support everyone involved.
"The police are currently investigating the incident and therefore it would not be appropriate for us to comment further at this time." | A 13-year-old boy is in a critical condition with a serious head injury after he was punched at a Hertfordshire school. |
36,593,815 | More than 100 people have contacted an investigating commission to report abuse between the 1960s and 1980s.
They told the inquiry that "vicious and humiliating" attacks were often part of initiation rituals.
The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse was set up in 2013.
Thousands of people have made submissions since it began its work investigating the abuse of children in institutions across Australia.
Much of its recent investigation has focused on abuse by Roman Catholic priests in the 1970s and '80s.
Some former Australian Defence Force (ADF) recruits told the commission on Tuesday they were physically punished and threatened with dishonourable discharge when they complained.
The commission is also investigating child protection measures in the military's current cadet programme, which has 25,000 members and encourages young people to pursue a career in the armed forces.
A total of 14 witnesses are expected to give evidence to the ADF in person. | Former teenage military cadets have told an Australia child abuse inquiry they were raped and forced to have sex with each other during their training. |
37,083,093 | Passengers and a driver were stranded when the train stopped in a tunnel between the Central and Monument stations in Newcastle city centre.
Witnesses described seeing sparks and fire outside the carriage.
A total of seven trains came to a standstill between stations at about 13:00 BST, operator Nexus said.
One witness told the BBC: "The train just pulled up at Monument and about 20 minutes later it was like a firework display.
"It seemed like the cables had come down, all the tunnel just lit up, and then the lights just went out on the Metro. We were stuck down there for about 40 minutes."
Another added: "We just left Monument leaving towards Central Station and there were lots of sparks, and the train lit up really brightly, there was fire on the outside.
"All the power just went out, we were left in darkness."
Firefighters led those stuck on the train to safety. An investigation is under way to determine the cause of the power surge.
Trains have resumed across the system except for services between South Gosforth and Shiremoor in North Tyneside.
Nexus has advised passengers to use alternative methods of travel. | More than 70 people had to be rescued by firefighters after a power surge brought Tyne & Wear's Metro system to a halt underground. |
38,613,027 | Deputy prime minister Lodewijk Asscher said support was falling across Europe over the way it has been implemented.
Free movement, which allows any citizen of an EU country to work anywhere across the bloc, had led to wages being undercut and jobs lost, he said.
Mr Asscher argued the Brexit talks were a chance to look again at the policy.
Reform, he told the BBC, would mean "less immigration" across the EU if undercutting wages was banned.
The stark attack on the way freedom of movement operates could be helpful to Theresa May as Britain looks to gain privileged access to the single market at the same time as controlling EU immigration once the UK has left the EU.
Mr Asscher is the leader of the Dutch Labour Party, which is in a coalition government with the People's Party for Freedom, led by the Netherlands' prime minister, Mark Rutte - who is seen as an ally of the UK.
Although Mr Asscher made it clear that he supported the principle of free movement, he said the rule had been used as a "business model" for lowering wages.
"In essence [what] we have seen happening [is] that free movement has become synonymous with a race to the bottom, with undercutting of wages, with unfair competition in the labour market and that has to do with the rules Europe has produced itself," said Mr Asscher, who is also the Dutch employment minister.
"It is not the principle, it is the rule that has become such a big issue. It means that here in the Netherlands, like in other countries, on the scaffolding [site] you can see a Romanian or Portuguese painter doing the exact same work as a Dutch painter right next to him that is allowed to earn two, three, four hundred euros less than the Dutch worker.
"That means, of course, that the Dutch painter is out of work, out of a job," Mr Asscher said.
"It means the smaller company that cannot afford to hire internationally is out of work.
"It means the support for the principle - which in essence is good - is eroding.
"It has to change if we want to preserve the principle, if we want to preserve the support for the European Union.
"The problem is that it has become a business model, a business model for lowering wages.
"I think there would be less migration if the principle of equal pay for equal work had been honoured."
Whether free movement of workers has actually led to lower wages and fewer jobs - a key part of the referendum debate in the UK - is controversial and has been disputed.
The Dutch government is preparing for elections in March where immigration is one of the key issues.
Geert Wilders' far-right Freedom Party is running on a tough anti-immigration ticket and has called for a referendum on whether the Netherlands should leave the EU.
It has been gaining support and could be the largest party after the election.
Mr Asscher's move on freedom of movement is seen by some as an effort to shore up support for the Labour Party.
The deputy prime minister said that although the Netherlands was a natural ally of the UK, the EU would negotiate as a bloc and that Britain could not "have its cake and eat it", cherry picking which parts of the EU rule book it wanted to abide by in return for special access to the economically important single market.
"I think what is important with what both Angela Merkel [the German Chancellor] and my Prime Minister have said [is] that you can't just say 'I want this to happen' and have everybody else say yes.
"You need to make sure the change is to the benefit to all members.
"Not just because you want something done, you only want the dessert and not the other things.
"It would however be a mistake, a serious political mistake, if we don't use the Brexit momentum to look at what is wrong with the current European Union. We need it to change.
"It would be my hope, because we are so close to the UK, that there is a good deal between the EU and the UK.
"We have always been allies, and we are very important trading partners.
"We should not go out there to punish the Brits, we want them to prosper with us.
"However, a negotiation is a negotiation." | One of the most senior Dutch government ministers has said a fundamental EU principle, freedom of movement, needs to be radically reformed. |
39,453,847 | Harry Clarke was also ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work and will be tagged for four months.
At an earlier hearing Clarke, 60, admitted culpable and reckless driving nine months after the fatal crash.
He had his licence withdrawn for medical reasons following the bin lorry crash on 22 December 2014.
Clarke, from Baillieston, pleaded guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court to driving a car on 20 September 2015, despite knowing he was unfit to drive.
Clarke admitted driving the car in the knowledge that he had suffered a loss of consciousness while at the wheel of a moving refuse collection vehicle the previous December.
The charge stated he also knew he had suffered a loss of consciousness or episode of altered awareness while at the wheel of a stationary bus on 7 April 2010.
Clarke was not prosecuted over the bin lorry crash.
However, his licence had been revoked for 12 months on 27 June 2015.
Passing sentence, Sheriff Martin Jones QC said: "You must understand that the decision you made to drive your vehicle on the road, even for a short distance, was one which was wholly irresponsible and reprehensible.
"It was highly culpable and placed the safety of the public at risk. That was a risk which had been fully explained to you and led to the revocation of your driving licence on medical grounds.
"You must have been acutely aware of the possible consequences of you suffering a loss of consciousness while driving following the tragic consequences arising from the incident on 22 December 2014."
Senior Fiscal Depute Mark Allan told the court a neighbour spotted Clarke driving out of the car park of his home in the Baillieston area of Glasgow at about 20:00 on the evening of 20 September 2015 and called the police.
He said: "Mr Clarke was rummaging in the boot of his car and the neighbour went home and told his girlfriend, and they looked out of the window.
"After watching for 30 seconds to two minutes, both saw the accused get into the driver's seat, switch on the lights and drive out of the car park onto Buchanan Street. He was the sole occupant of the car.
"Both were suspicious about his ability to drive because of the media coverage and they did some research online and found that his licence had been revoked on medical grounds. They called the police at 8.04pm.
"While waiting for the police between 10.15pm and 10.20pm, they saw his car return again to the car park and it parked up in the usual space.
"He got out and went to the boot to get carrier bags."
After Clarke was cautioned and charged, the court was told, he said to police: "I have never been out on a public road, I've just moved the car in the private car park."
The restriction of liberty order enforced by the tagging means he will not be able to leave his home between 19:00 and 07:00.
Ross Yuill, defending Clarke, said his client had driven the car for about 30 yards on the public road.
He added: "He wholly accepts that that decision was a gross error of judgment."
In relation to the 2014 bin lorry crash, the Crown Office insisted there was insufficient evidence to raise criminal proceedings against Clarke.
However, in a rare legal move, relatives of three crash victims sought permission from senior judges to bring charges against him in a private prosecution.
Despite that, judges at the Appeal Court in Edinburgh ruled in November last year that the family could not launch a private prosecution.
Jack and Lorraine Sweeney, 68 and 69, and their granddaughter Erin McQuade, 18, Stephenie Tait, 29, Jacqueline Morton, 51, and Gillian Ewing, 52, died in the incident.
A fatal accident inquiry (FAI) heard Clarke had a history of health issues but had not disclosed his medical background to his employers or the DVLA.
Sheriff John Beckett QC, who chaired the FAI, ruled the crash might have been avoided if Clarke had told the truth about his medical history.
It also emerged that he had previously blacked out while working as a bus driver but failed to disclose it when he became a bin lorry driver with Glasgow City Council. | The driver of the bin lorry that crashed in Glasgow killing six people has been banned from driving for three years. |
35,329,373 | 15 January 2016 Last updated at 21:09 GMT
A specialist robot with a high-pressured jet has been imported from The Netherlands for the job in Houghton Regis - the first time it has ever had to be used in East Anglia.
There are still a few days' work left to remove the fat, which has set like concrete over some years, despite the job starting on Monday.
Anglian Water has warned about people pouring fat down the sink, saying blockages cost bill payers £15m a year. | A series of "fatbergs" stuck along a 100m-long (328ft) pipeline in Bedfordshire are being removed by Anglian Water. |
38,197,277 | Explaining that Celtic assistant Chris Davies had refused a handshake, McGhee said there were "no problems" with Rodgers after the visitors' 4-3 win.
He then added: "Some of the other staff are not really Celtic-quality in terms of their behaviour."
Rodgers responded by saying McGhee's comments were "unfair".
The Celtic boss went on to say: "My staff are exemplary in their behaviour. We know what we are representing. We have integrity."
Rodgers was unhappy that the Scotland assistant boss had tried to interfere with his side's pre-match shooting practice.
"He comes up into our warm-up before the game to ask our players to warm up in a different area," he said.
"He shouldn't be doing that. I don't think that is very befitting of an assistant manager of a national team and manager of Motherwell."
Fir Park captain Keith Lasley later told BBC Scotland that Celtic have been the only team not to comply with requests to not use the goalmouth prior to kick-off.
"There is usually a set of goals next to the main goals for shooting drills," he told Off The Ball.
"It might sound like a trivial thing, but the pitch has been pretty poor in recent seasons and now we've got it into a great state. It's just courtesy that you use the other area, so you're not ploughing up the goalmouth.
"Every other club has done it. I think the groundsman politely asked them if they could move and that was declined.
"Mark marched up and got involved for 30 seconds, which didn't go down too well."
On his touchline snub from Davies, McGhee said: "I don't know his name actually - you [the media] have told me his name. He wasn't shaking hands with me. He seemed for some reason to be angry that they won. Explain that to me?"
Rodgers was keen to focus on his side's comeback from 2-0 down in a remarkable game but was drawn further on the spat.
"I said congratulations to the groundsman here before the game because the pitch is very good," he added.
"But why can't we do our warm-up here at Motherwell? The one we have done in every stadium in the world we have been to so far this season.
"So I don't know what the issue was there and maybe that's where it sparked from.
"But that isn't the story of the game. The story is that my team were brilliant in the second half." | Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers defended his "exemplary" backroom staff after critical remarks from Motherwell boss Mark McGhee at Fir Park. |
34,077,223 | The Nevin Spence Centre was opened on Thursday at Ulster's Kingspan Stadium in Belfast.
Visitors can explore the history of rugby and see the benefits of the game.
In 2012, Spence was killed along with his brother Graham and father Noel in a slurry tank accident at the family's farm near Hillsborough.
"It has been an honour to come and see how Nevin's name has been remembered," said the player's sister Emma.
Media playback is not supported on this device
"Every time somebody walks into Ulster's ground, they will see his name above the door and it is a privilege that he has been given such a legacy.
"Nevin was special to us, and now we find this centre special.
"I hope when people go there they will learn a bit about Nevin and the character he was.
"It is humbling that this honour has been given to him.
"We have learned very quickly that life is precious and that you have to make the most of life.
"We are just very privileged that Ulster are letting Nevin's legacy, and the person he was, live on."
The centre was officially opened by Sports Minister Carál Ní Chuilín and the ceremony was attended by Nevin's mother Essie, and sisters Emma and Laura.
It is housed in the Memorial End stand which was constructed as part of a major redevelopment of the Kingspan Stadium. | The family of an Ulster rugby star killed in a farming accident say they are honoured to have an educational centre established in his name. |
36,798,167 | A green Ford Focus hit the pair on Captain's Road just before 15:00.
A woman with serious injuries and a man with "not so serious" injuries have been taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.
Police Scotland said the road would remain closed for "the foreseeable future". | Two pedestrians have been freed and taken to hospital after being trapped under a car that knocked them down on an Edinburgh road. |
12,808,447 | The United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust faced the bill for filling its vacant consultant posts over the past financial year.
The trust had an overspend of £14m in its £384m budget for the past year.
It has 22 consultancy vacancies, but five new consultants have been recruited while another six positions were being advertised, the trust said.
Roswyn Hakesley-Brown from the Patients' Association said it was a problem that needed to be addressed quickly.
"They are already in deficit in relation to their existing budget... money is going to be reduced in terms of front-line services to patients and the impact on patients could be considerable."
A trust statement said: "Over the past 12 months we have actively engaged with international recruitment initiatives to help recruit to our hard-to-fill posts, including those in A&E, paediatrics, haematology and emergency medicine.
"We have significantly reduced the number of consultant vacancies in our hospitals over the past few months, and are continuing to recruit to consultant posts in the coming months."
Dr Mark Porter, chairman of the British Medical Association's consultants committee, said the current shortage of hospital consultants was probably "a blip" and should resolve itself.
"From time to time you are going to get an occasional mismatch … but that will probably resolve itself in a short while … just by the swings and roundabouts of the way that planning for workforce graduates goes."
Unison representative David Kirwan said the main problem facing the trust was that it cannot attract enough consultant candidates because of budget constraints.
The trust has three main hospital sites in Grantham, Lincoln and Boston. | A shortage of hospital consultants has left a health trust in Lincolnshire paying £20m for emergency cover. |
36,725,084 | The 38th (Welsh) Division paved the way for control of the woodland - nearly a mile wide and more than a mile deep - in northern France. Its capture was of key importance in the Battle of the Somme where Allied forces would fight the Germans on a 15-mile front for five months.
During a bloody five-day battle, 3,993 Welsh soldiers were killed, missing or injured, putting their division out of action for almost a year.
In the first of two written documentaries, Lt Gen Jonathon Riley, late of the Royal Welch Fusiliers, described the events leading up to and during the battle. Here, in the second part, he explores the battle itself and the extraordinary literary legacy of Mametz Wood.
Gen Riley is a former Commander British Forces Iraq and Deputy Commander NATO forces in Afghanistan; now Visiting Professor in War Studies at King's College London and Chairman of the Royal Welch Fusiliers Regimental Trust. Editor of Llewelyn Wyn Griffith's memoir Up to Mametz - and Beyond and author of 17 other books.
Royal Welch Fusiliers rested on 2 July and on the night of 3 July was ordered, with the 2nd Royal Irish Regiment, to move up and secure a line from the south of Mametz Wood to Strip Trench, Wood Trench and the Quadrangle as far as its junction with Bottom Wood Alley.
It was believed that the position was only lightly held. This was not the case and the two battalions withdrew.
They were ordered to mount a formal attack during the night of 4-5 July, in conjunction with the 17th Division.
After a deal of confusion in the dark, the battalion gained its objectives, using once more the new bombing tactics, for the loss of eight killed and 55 wounded.
It was here that Siegfried Sassoon won his Military Cross, bringing in a wounded NCO from the German lines under fire. However there was more, as Robert Graves recalled in Goodbye to All That:
Siegfried had then distinguished himself by taking [on 3 July] single-handedly a battalion frontage that the Royal Irish Regiment had failed to take.
He had gone over with bombs in daylight, under covering fire from a couple of rifles, and scared the occupants out.
It was a pointless feat; instead of reporting or signalling for reinforcements he sat down in the German trench and began dozing over a book of poems which he had brought with him.
The colonel [Stockwell] was furious. The attack on Mametz had been delayed for two hours because it was reported that British patrols were still out. "British patrols" were Siegfried and his book of poems.
The bulk of Mametz Wood was, however, still in German hands.
The task of clearing it was now allocated to XIV Corps under Lt Gen Sir Henry Horne.
Horne decided to attack the wood from two directions using two divisions: the 17th Division would attack from the West, out of 1 R.W. Fusiliers' objective, Quadrangle trench at 02:00 on 7 July, to capture Quadrangle Support Trench and Pearl Alley.
If this succeeded, a combined attack on the wood would be mounted by the 17th and 38th (Welsh) Divisions, with 38th (Welsh) Division attacking across open ground from the east out of Caterpillar and Marlborough Woods.
If the first attack by 17th Division succeeded, the second attack would go in at 08:00; if it did not, there would be an additional 30 minutes of artillery preparation and zero-hour would be 08:30.
At its longest, Mametz Wood was about a mile (1,500m) from north to south and about the same in width. However, about half-way down, its width narrowed to no more than 500 yards and then tapered to a point.
Mametz Wood was a mature deciduous wood, with large trees and very thick undergrowth. It was dissected by a series of lateral rides running east to west and one long vertical ride running south to north.
The other woods around Mametz were smaller, but equally thick, and all were incorporated into the German defence scheme. Between the woods, the slopes were chiefly open meadows typical of chalk down land.
38th Division was to attack in echelon, that is, with the first assault brigade, 115, leading, followed by the second brigade, followed by the third.
The line of assault would take the troops parallel with the German second line trenches and without suppressing artillery fire and a smoke barrage, the troops would be raked by flanking fire from German strong-points in Sabot and Flat Iron copses.
Not long before the start of the Somme battle, Llewelyn Wyn Griffith had been posted as a staff learner to Headquarters 115 Brigade, which consisted of 17th Royal Welch Fusiliers, 10th and 11th South Wales Borderers, 16th and 19th Welch along with a field artillery brigade, machine-gun company, trench mortar battery and a field ambulance company.
The brigade commander, Brig Gen Horatio Evans, was an old soldier not at all in the mould of Price-Davies.
As Wyn Griffith recalled, Evans thought the attack plan was mad.
"The general was cursing last night at his orders," recalled Wynn Griffith in his memoir Up to Mametz.
"He said that only a madman could have issued them. He called the divisional staff a lot of plumbers, herring-gutted at that."
The first attack by 17th Division failed and so the second phase went in at 08:30.
16th Welch and 11th South Wales Borderers were stopped by heavy machine-gun fire and the attack failed to get within 300 yards of the wood, not least because the supporting artillery fire did not arrive.
A second attempt was made at 11:00 with a similar result.
Wyn Griffith - who was concerned with taking down messages to coordinate movements or resupply or artillery support, and sending them back or forward as required by runners and field telephone - met up with Evans and the Brigade Major, CL Veal, late in the afternoon
"I stood on a step in the side of the trench, studying the country to the east and identifying the various features on the map," he wrote.
"The thought of the day's torment, doomed, as I thought, from its beginning, to bring no recompense, weighed like a burden of iron."
A third attempt was ordered for 16:30. It had been raining hard all day, the ground was sodden, the trenches half filled with mud and water and the approach to the wood, which was down a slope which in places was almost a cliff had become near-impossible, and all the telephone lines used to call in artillery fire support had been broken.
Gen Evans was convinced that another attack under these conditions would end in disaster.
He had tried to get through to the divisional commander without success, but Wyn Griffith, who had been speaking to an artillery officer, took him to a captured German dugout, where a heavy artillery brigade had established a forward command post.
Here, after a cup of tea, a hard-tack biscuit and some cheese provided by Wyn Griffith from his knapsack, Evans spoke to the divisional headquarters and after some argument, got the operation called off, thus saving many hundreds of lives - but he knew that it had put an end to his career.
"You mark my words," he told Wyn Griffith, "they'll send me home for this. They want butchers not brigadiers... I shall be in England within a month."
He was in fact posted to a home appointment directly after the battle - found wanting in the offensive spirit by the high command, no doubt.
The next afternoon, 113 and 114 Brigades were ordered to attack the wood again on 9 July with 115 Brigade in reserve; this attack was postponed until dawn on 10 July because the conditions had not improved.
At this moment, Major-General Ivor Phillips was removed from command of the 38th Division - a serious decision by Haig and the corps commander who had lost confidence in Phillips's ability to plan and then control a complex operation.
That said, Phillips had been a political appointment based on his Liberal credentials with Lloyd-George, and he had long been resented by many regular officers.
Maj Gen Thomas Pilcher was also removed from command of the 17th Division for similar reasons.
Maj Gen Herbert Watts, from the 7th Division, was moved in to take over temporary command of the 38th Division in the middle of the battle - no easy task at any date, never mind July 1916.
114 and 113 Brigades were ordered to adopt bombing tactics similar to those used by 1 RW Fus - who had been in Watts' division - and move slowly and methodically up the wood.
There would be three lifts of the artillery barrage within the wood.
For 45 minutes hour from 04:15, the guns would bombard the southern edge of the wood with smoke. The fire would then lift at 05:00 and the infantry would take the southern edge of the wood, pushing through to the first lateral east-west ride, 113 Brigade on the left and 114 Brigade on the right, the boundary being the long central north-south ride in the wood.
The guns would now be firing on the area beyond the second ride and at 07:00 the fire would then lift again to the north edge of the wood, at 08:15 to the German second-line trenches beyond the Wood.
The artillery fire was to be supplemented by medium machine-gun fire from Marlborough and Caterpillar Woods onto the German communications trenches; while medium and heavy trench mortars suppressed Cliff trench; but remember the earlier point about the infantry having to conform to the supporting fire and not the other way around.
To everyone's astonishment, the attack succeeded.
Coloured handkerchief
113 Brigade was composed of four RW Fus battalions - the 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th. 14th and 16th were to lead. The commanding officer of 16 RW Fus, Lieutenant Colonel Ronald Carden, spoke to the battalion before the assault.
"Make your peace with God," he said. "You are going to take that position, and some of us won't come back - but we are going to take it.'
Tying a coloured handkerchief to his walking-stick he said: "This will show you where I am."
The attack, once in the wood, became a very confused affair not least because of the dense undergrowth and the destruction caused by the artillery.
However, junior officers and NCOs kept a grip on the men and the first ride was reached, with many prisoners taken; the 13th and 15th Battalions were ordered to take over the attack so that at one point there were 11 battalions in the wood.
The 15th got into Wood Trench with the 16th but Wood Support was still held by the Germans; they were bombed out by 13th RW Fus and the artillery fire was shifted to the northern part of the wood.
Although the Germans still held on, by dark, the advance was reported to be within 100 yards of the northern edge of the Wood.
In the evening, 115 Brigade was ordered to relieve the two assault brigades and take over the defence of the wood against German counter-attacks.
Wyn Griffith recorded that Evans and the Brig Maj, CL Veal, went up to the Wood and that he followed slightly later.
'Gory scenes met our gaze'
Soon afterwards, Veal was wounded and Wyn Griffith found himself as acting Brig Maj.
In his book Up to Mametz, Wyn Griffith describes the scene in the wood in some detail: the shattered trees, the bursting shells, the litter of discarded equipment, the mangled corpses of the dead - an experience that stayed with him all his life and came back to him in snatches of nightmare.
Emlyn Davies, who had joined 17th RW Fus with Wyn Griffith's brother Watcyn, later wrote Taffy Went to War.
He said this of the inside of the wood: "Gory scenes met our gaze. Mangled corpses in khaki and in field-grey; dismembered bodies, severed heads and limbs; lumps of torn flesh half way up the tree trunks... Shells of all calibres burst in plenteous continuance; furies of flying machine gun bullets swept from three directions."
David Jones' poem is also very largely based on these same horrific scenes
When the shivered rowan fell
you couldn't hear the fall of it.
Barrage with counter-barrage shockt
deprive all several sounds of their identity,
what dark convulsed cacophony
conditions each disparity
and the trembling woods are vortex for the storm;
through which their bodies grope the mazy charnel-ways -
seek to distinguish waling men from walking trees and branchy
moving like a Birnam corpse.
The relief was completed at first light on 11 July.
There was a lot of wild shooting all night, with groups of men firing on one another, mistaking each other for the Germans.
British artillery fire continued to fall, much of it dropping short onto the Fusiliers.
Evans made what reconnaissance he could and found that the line was not as far north as had been reported and was about 300 yards short of the north-eastern extremity, diagonally to a point just above Wood Support Trench.
He proposed to straighten the line from the north by a surprise attack at 15:30 that afternoon, without a preliminary barrage - but before he could put this plan into operation, the brigade again came under fire from British artillery falling short of the German trenches.
This fire not only pinned down the brigade, but put a stop to any prospect of a surprise attack for the Germans were now thoroughly roused. Progress was made, however, on the western side and the line was brought up to within 300 yards from the northern end of the wood.
Around this time, Wyn Griffith met the brigade signals officer, whom he calls "Taylor". He told him he had met a Chaplain, referred to as "Evans". Evans had been walking the battlefield for days, trying to find his son, who had been reported killed.
Wyn Griffith knew the boy.
Taylor did not speak much Welsh and felt this keenly: "You could not," he said, "talk English to a man who had lost his son."
Evans never did find the boy or his grave.
The Padre was later identified by Patricia Evans as the Rev Peter Jones Roberts, a Welsh Methodist minister from Barmouth who had joined up as a chaplain aged 51, beyond the usual age limits.
He had four sons, all of whom were commissioned into the RW Fusiliers. The son second was captured in late 1916; the third badly wounded in 1918. The youngest got into the war in 1918 and survived.
The boy whom Roberts was looking for was his eldest, Glyn, who had been commissioned in 1915 and was serving in the 9th Battalion, which was not in the 38th Division but was close by. He had been killed on 3 July and Roberts had spent a week searching for him.
But there was much worse to come for Wyn Griffith.
The brigade signals officer had sent relays of runners back during the preparation for the surprise attack, to get the unwanted artillery fire stopped. One of these runners was Wyn Griffith's younger brother, Watcyn, who had enlisted into the 17th RW Fus and then transferred to the Divisional Signal Company.
Watcyn got through with his message, but on the way back he was hit by a shell and killed at once. Wyn Griffith learned of Watcyn's death within an hour - and clearly blamed himself.
As Brigade Major, he had ordered the signals officer to get a message through. "I had sent him to his death," he said, "bearing a message from my own hand, in an endeavour to save other men's brothers."
Watcyn's body was never found and he is one of those whose grave is unknown.
That night, the 38th Division was relieved in the line by the 21st Division and pulled back into rest.
Robert Graves was with the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Welch Fusiliers in the 33rd Division when they entered Mametz Wood shortly afterwards and he described the scene thus in Good bye to All That:
"Mametz Wood was full of the dead of the Prussian Guards reserve, big men, and the Royal Welch and South Wales Borderers of the new-army battalions, little men.
"There was not a single tree unbroken... There had been bayonet fighting in the wood. There was a man of the South Wales Borderers and one of the Lehr Regiment who had succeeded in bayoneting each other simultaneously.
"A survivor of the fighting told me later that he had seen a young solder of the 14th Royal Welch bayoneting a German in parade-ground style, automatically exclaiming as he had been taught: "in, out, on guard..."
The 38th Division, much reduced by casualties, was moved away into rest.
A total of 190 officers and 3,803 NCOs and men of the 38th Division were killed, wounded or missing.
Casualties were especially heavy among junior officers and sergeants - leading from the front - but five of the infantry battalions lost their commanding officers.
It was this level of losses, approaching a quarter of the division's strength and probably one-third of the combat units, combined with the severity of the conditions, that made such a mark on the art and literature of the battle, so much of it created by Welsh officers and men.
And made such a mark on the individual and collective memory of the Welsh soldiers, who had endured something which to us is unimaginable.
It was also an experience that created an extraordinary bond between those who had been there - something that could not and cannot be understood by anyone who was not there.
Robert Graves's poem Two Fusiliers, which explicitly refers to Fricourt in one of its verses, and which captures this feeling, provides some fitting last words:
And have we done with war at last?
Well we've been lucky devils, both
And we've no need of bond or oath
to bind our lovely friendship fast.
By firmer stuff
Close bound enough
Show me the two so closely bound
As we, by the wet bond of blood,
By friendship blossoming from mud,
By Death: we faced him, and we found
Beauty in Death,
In dead men, breath.
The casualty rolls are incomplete, but the losses amounted to somewhere between one third and a half of the division's fighting strength. | On the eve of the 100th anniversary of the battle of Mametz Wood - the first major offensive of World War One for many Welsh soldiers - memorial services are being held across the country. |
39,813,185 | The world number 1,536 was investigated by the Tennis Integrity Unit and found guilty at a hearing on Thursday.
He approached fellow Greek player Alexandros Jakupovic in 2013, offering payment for the outcomes of nominated sets, and for games to be thrown.
Mikos, 25, also operated two betting accounts from which bets were placed between March 2012 and December 2013.
He is banned from all professional tennis with immediate effect and is not allowed to compete in, or attend, any tournament or event organised or sanctioned by the governing bodies of the sport.
Jakupovic has already been banned having been the subject of a separate TIU investigation in 2015. | Greek tennis player Konstantinos Mikos has been banned for life after breaching betting rules. |
35,959,534 | The content of the app, in the Pashto language, included official statements and videos from the Afghan movement.
The hardline group blamed "technical issues" for its disappearance shortly after it launched on 1 April.
However the BBC understands it was taken down because it violated a Google app policy which prohibits hate speech.
It was discovered and reported by a US-based organisation called Site Intel Group which monitors jihadist activity.
Google declined to comment on specific app issues.
"Our policies are designed to provide a great experience for users and developers. That's why we remove apps from Google Play that violate those policies," it said in a statement.
A spokesman from the Taliban told Bloomberg the app was "part of our advanced technological efforts to make a more global audience". | Alemarah, an app for Android phones created by Islamist fundamentalist group the Taliban, has been removed from Google's Play Store. |
33,663,780 | Media playback is unsupported on your device
25 July 2015 Last updated at 11:36 BST
Back then there were a million, now there are only around 270 thousand.
The Bee Farmers Association is trying to tackle this problem by starting a program to get more people interested in keeping the insects.
Rebecca is the first bee apprentice in the UK and she hopes other people will follow her lead.
Check out Newsround's guide to bees. | There are now just a quarter of the bee hives than there were in the UK 100 years ago. |
26,271,935 | It found 31% of 16 to 24-year-olds were fairly or very interested in the subject, compared with about half of those aged 55 and over.
But almost two-thirds of adults of all ages thought they would be seriously neglecting their duty if they failed to vote, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
40,000 households were questioned.
The analysis was based on research conducted in 2011-12 by the Institute for Social and Economic Research at the University of Essex for its UK-wide Understanding Society survey.
Of those in the youngest group - aged 16 to 24 - 42.4% stated that they had no interest in politics. This fell to 21% for over-65s.
The survey's publication follows a row over comedian Russell Brand urging people not to vote because all politicians are corrupt and untrustworthy.
But it is broadly in line with findings last year in the British Social attitudes survey, which found that older people were more likely to see it as their civic duty to vote and had a stronger party allegiances than the young.
This research suggested the younger electorate were becoming increasingly disengaged with the democratic system - but it also suggested they were more likely to express themselves politically in other ways, such as boycotting environmentally unfriendly products.
Younger voters have significantly lower turnout rates at elections than the middle-aged and elderly, with only 44% taking part in the 2010 general election.
However, the ONS survey suggests that this is not echoed in the level of contentment with the UK's political system.
Just 45% of the 45 to 54 age group said they were quite or very satisfied with the way democracy works, compared with 52% of those aged 16 to 24.
Will Brett, head of media at the Electoral Reform Society, said: "It suggests that young people simply aren't as cynical. It suggests there's an opportunity here. Maybe young people have more faith in the system and the key thing is not to waste that opportunity."
Mr Brett added that many young people were becoming involved in politics in more informal ways, such as social media campaigns, but he added: "We need to find ways of getting them more interested in our system of representative democracy. It's extremely precious." | Less than a third of young people express any interest in politics, according to an official survey. |
35,511,821 | Media playback is not supported on this device
Van Gaal is still in position and has a contract that ends in 2017 - but United's move for Mourinho increased the likelihood the Dutchman will leave at the end of the season, with 'The Special One' succeeding his old mentor.
No job offer has been made to Mourinho as United make their soundings out, but the man sacked by Chelsea in December, seven months after winning the title, now looks certain to be in opposition to old adversary Pep Guardiola when the Spaniard takes charge at arch-rivals Manchester City.
Mourinho has always been a divisive figure throughout a combustible career, liberally sprinkled with controversy - and when it was suggested just days after he left Chelsea that he might be Old Trafford-bound, opinion was mixed.
Since then Van Gaal's stock has fallen even further among United's fans, with the prospect of Mourinho taking the reins becoming increasingly appetising.
Mourinho is the man who can rekindle the fight, defiance and colour in Manchester United after the drab flourishes applied to "The Theatre Of Dreams" by David Moyes and Van Gaal since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement in 2013 after 26 years.
And Old Trafford's appetite for Mourinho's unique combination of abrasive self-confidence mixed with consistent success will have been sharpened by City's coup in luring Guardiola, the world's most celebrated coach, to the Etihad.
Put simply, post-Van Gaal, United fans will demand someone who can stand toe-to-toe with the iconic Guardiola, not just in fighting their corner, but in bringing success - Mourinho's track record makes him that man.
Chelsea's fans may have mixed emotions to see the manager they worshipped battling them on all fronts - but they will also accept it was not his decision to leave Stamford Bridge.
Mourinho's career has been characterised by success but his detractors would suggest it has come at a price that has put pragmatism before football that is pleasing on the eye - how would that sit at Old Trafford?
One of the main criticisms of Van Gaal is that £250m spent on new players has delivered a functional, joyless style that has dulled Old Trafford's senses, including a run of 11 home games without a first-half goal this season.
The shadow of the flamboyant, all-out attack of the Ferguson era has hung heavily over both Moyes and Van Gaal, and there will be pressure on Mourinho to alter his usual functional template.
He might argue, with plenty of justification, that any reservations about his methods are eased by the fact he is a virtual guarantee of trophies - something Old Trafford's traditionalists may accept as a price worth paying for the Mourinho ticket.
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And is it a valid argument anyway?
When Chelsea won the title last season, their early season performances - inspired by summer acquisitions Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas - were the perfect blend of exciting attack and defensive steel that is Mourinho's trademark.
Chelsea scored 73 league goals, 10 fewer than second-placed Manchester City, but two more than Arsenal - with Arsene Wenger's side often held up as the purists' delight.
And when Mourinho won his second title with Chelsea in 2005-06, they equalled the goal tally of runners-up Manchester United with 72, but only conceded 22 to Manchester United's 34.
Mourinho also gave the lie to the image with Real Madrid when they won La Liga in 2011-12. They scored the most league goals in a season with 121, had the best goal difference in a season of +89, the most points in a season at 100 - 87.72% of points they contested. He is not a one-trick pony.
Mourinho has observed Old Trafford for long enough to know what is required - and while his first priority is always to win, he is wise enough to know that a certain style is demanded.
Silverware will do for starters. And few managers are better at that.
Manchester United are not the sort of club to be bounced into big appointments - but Guardiola's arrival at Manchester City will have concentrated minds fiercely.
It left them in the shadow of the so-called "Noisy Neighbours", whose recent growth has enabled them to secure the most coveted coaching name in world football - a man of such reputation he would have been welcomed with open arms by United fans.
It needed a response given the uncertainty surrounding Van Gaal's long-term future. The next manager, should Van Gaal go, needs to be a manager of iron will, character and a proven winner.
United surely cannot risk putting a rookie in the shape of Ryan Giggs - no full-time management experience and nothing to suggest he will succeed - against Guardiola.
Once Guardiola's arrival was confirmed by Manchester City, the chances of Mourinho arriving at Old Trafford rose instantly.
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Louis van Gaal has been in defiant mood in recent weeks, but he has been around long enough to know the credits are rolling, with United sounding out possible successors.
United would not be doing their duty if they ignored a succession plan, and Mourinho's availability and Van Gaal's struggles appear to have brought that forward.
The Dutchman, 64, was already working under a shroud of uncertainty and revelations that negotiations have been held with Mourinho's representatives will only make that darker - but he is a proud man and will not leave quietly.
Van Gaal still believes United can end the season with a trophy - but he will surely know the talks with Mourinho's people push him closer to the door.
Giggs has sat silently at the side of Moyes and Van Gaal since Ferguson left - would he be prepared to do it again should Mourinho arrive? And would it do him any good?
There is only so much managerial experience Giggs can pick up as a sidekick, even if Mourinho wants to introduce an "outsider" into the trusted backroom staff he takes everywhere with him, such as Rui Faria and Silvino Louro.
If Giggs is passed over as Van Gaal's successor then surely it is time for that member of the influential 'Class Of 92' to strike out on his own and prove his worth as a manager to make his case as a future United boss?
It would be time for Giggs to be more than a silent partner.
If Mourinho arrives, that will surely spell the end of any late and lingering hopes that Cristiano Ronaldo would return to Old Trafford.
The pair's relationship fractured totally at Real Madrid, so that can be forgotten - and even suggestions United might want to pay £65m for Everton's Romelu Lukaku may go on ice as Mourinho did not trust the striker at Chelsea and agreed to his £28m sale in summer 2014.
One Everton player who might be of interest to Mourinho is John Stones, who is expected to leave Goodison Park in the summer and was the subject of a £38m bid when he was Chelsea manager last summer.
Mourinho is also a long-term of admirer of Real Madrid's Gareth Bale, whom United have coveted for years, but he would not be alone there. Plus Real's outstanding young defender Raphael Varane might also be on his list.
It may be bad news for Juan Mata, a popular and influential figure at Old Trafford. He was, however, also popular and influential at Chelsea, but was not Mourinho's type and was willingly sold to United for £37.1m in January 2014.
Manchester United pride themselves on a certain style - and may well insist Mourinho ditches the confrontational approach that has brought so many bad headlines over the years.
Sir Bobby Charlton is not a decision-maker at Old Trafford, but the opinion of a man of such stature always carries weight and he may have pointed up areas of concern in an interview some years ago.
When Mourinho gouged at the eye of the late Tito Vilanova, then Barcelona's assistant coach, in the 2011 Spanish Super Cup, he said: "A United manager wouldn't do that."
He added: "He is a really good coach but that is as far as I would go, really. He pontificates too much for my liking. He is a good manager though."
History tells us, however, that Mourinho has always shown respect bordering on reverence for United - particularly when returning for Champions League games with Inter Milan and Real Madrid.
Was he preparing the ground and burnishing his image for his potential appointment? We may soon find out. | Jose Mourinho moved a step closer to Manchester United and a Premier League return after his representatives held talks with the Old Trafford hierarchy as they line up a successor to Louis van Gaal. |
40,562,277 | The governing body needed to pass a proposal at Saturday's annual general meeting to ensure its governance met UK Sport and Sport England rules.
TTE needed 75% of its members to vote for the proposal but only 74.93% did, meaning its funding has been frozen.
"This has put our future at risk," said chairman Sandra Deaton.
"Despite being told of the consequences, the action of a small number of the individuals, some with their own agendas, have meant the association is now in a suspended state of business.
"Table tennis has become the first sport to fail to deliver on the government's requirements for funding."
The proposal in question concerned changes relating to the appointment of board members.
Some opponents at grassroots level believe it would create a risk of having people "with little table tennis experience or knowledge" in charge of the game.
TTE expected to receive about £9m from Sport England between 2017 and 2021, but the latest tranche of that money will not be released.
Deaton said she hoped TTE could convince Sport England to release the next scheduled funding payment.
"Then, and only then, can we consider the next steps to ensure full compliance with the code," she added.
In October 2016, Sport England and UK Sport released a code for sports governance, which outlines the standards required of organisations requiring funding.
It demands greater transparency, sets targets for gender diversity on boards, and requires constitutional arrangements that make boards the ultimate decision-makers.
A Sport England statement said its policy was "clear", adding: "Organisations that don't meet the code for sports governance will not be eligible to receive public investment.
"Therefore, no further investment can be made in Table Tennis England until changes are made.
"We note that members rejected the proposed changes by a narrow margin, so Table Tennis England will be working to make improvements, and we hope that in the future they are able to meet the code to be eligible for public funding again." | The chairman of Table Tennis England (TTE) has criticised "individuals with their own agendas" after the sport lost access to £9m in funding. |
39,620,327 | The news came after more bodies were found following Friday's disaster at Meethotamulla on the city outskirts.
A number of those killed were children. Angry residents say their warnings of risks posed by the dump were ignored.
The 300ft (91m) high pile of rotting debris shifted after floods and a fire, destroying dozens of homes.
Residents had been demanding the dump's removal for years, saying it was causing health problems.
One man who spoke to BBC Sinhala's Azzam Ameen said he had lost his wife and one of his children in the landslide.
Their bodies had been found - but Sivakumar was still looking for his other daughter.
The authorities do not know how many people were caught up in the landslide.
"We have not received adequate information to find out how many people were living in the area at the time," Brig Roshan Senaviratne told the BBC.
He said troops were having to dig down as deep as 20-30ft in places to look for bodies.
"Even with machines, it's difficult because the muddy soil means it takes time to complete the process."
Some 400 families have been moved to temporary shelters in schools, the AFP news agency reports.
The government has now announced the closure of the dump. Reports said 800 tonnes of waste were added to it every day.
Officials say rubbish will now be placed in two other sites.
Last month, a landslide at a rubbish dump in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, killed at least 113 people. | At least 30 people are still missing and 28 are now confirmed dead after a huge rubbish dump collapsed in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo, officials say. |
35,674,917 | He won the required simple majority in the third round, after the inconclusive first two stages of voting in Pristina.
Some opposition lawmakers were earlier banned from voting after they released tear gas in the parliament building.
Mr Thaci, 47, was a guerrilla leader during a conflict that led to Kosovo - a mainly ethnic Albanian province - declaring independence from Serbia.
"I pledge to build a new Kosovo, a European Kosovo and to deepen our relationship with the US," he said after Friday's vote.
Mr Thaci - who had also served as prime minister - fell out with many opposition groups after helping to negotiate with Serbia a deal that gave more autonomy to Kosovo's minority Serbs.
Serbia - and many other countries around the world - does not recognise Kosovo's self-declared independence in 2008.
Mr Thaci succeeds Atifete Jahjaga as head of state.
Kosovo: At a glance | Kosovo's MPs have elected Foreign Minister Hashim Thaci as president, at the end of a day marred by protests. |
39,225,752 | The award-winning bass baritone will be starring in the classic opera, Tosca, at Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod, Denbighshire, this summer.
Organisers are looking for boy sopranos or trebles to audition for the role of the shepherd boy.
Sir Bryn was knighted by the Queen on Tuesday.
Lithuanian tenor Kristian Benedikt and Latvian soprano Kristine Opolais will also star in the concert in July, which will be part of the festival's 70th anniversary celebrations. | A search has been launched to find a young singer to perform with Sir Bryn Terfel and two other global opera stars. |
36,897,945 | Having been without a home to call their own for over a decade, the nomads of the Irish League could see light at the end of the tunnel.
But it all fell through as the anticipated lease from the local borough council did not materialise.
Undeterred, club chairman Brian Adams and his team are not giving up.
They have just been promoted back to the Irish Premiership and play their first match against Cliftonville on 6 August.
The club have two big aims - getting a ground in their home town of Newtownards and staying in the Irish League's top flight.
The County Down side have been homeless since playing their last game at Castlereagh Park in 2001, the ground being sold because of spiralling debts.
For 15 years, they have been hopping from ground to ground with no firm solution in sight.
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Now, there are fresh plans for a ground in place, and the future of Ards is starting to look brighter.
"When I came on board we discovered debt of just under £250,000," said chairman Adams who joined the board a few years after the sale of Castlereagh Park.
"We had to get rid of all the players and as a result we got relegated. We couldn't afford to keep the wages and run the club the way it was."
Adams admitted there had been several false dawns on the issue of a new ground.
"We have asked the rugby club to talk. We had a greyhound idea with the council, a hotel idea with the council.
"In the end we said to the council, just give us the rubbish dump and let us build it. But even that fell through."
The club recently revealed plans for a new stadium on the site of Movilla High School. Pupils would be able to use the proposed facilities, making it a scheme for the community.
It would be a relatively modest ground, with about 2,000 seats, built on unused hockey pitches.
On the pitch, Ards go into the new season determined to learn from past mistakes. The last time they were promoted was in 2013 and they came straight back down again after just one season.
Manager Niall Currie is confident the squad is better equipped to stay in the top flight this time around.
"A lot of the guys we have signed have played in the Premiership. We're not signing anybody on a downward spiral," he said.
"The signings we have made have their best years ahead of them. Hopefully their experience will rub off on everybody."
On the ground issue Currie, team boss since 2011, said: "The club should be back in its home town.
"If we got back to Newtownards I think the support would treble or quadruple. Everything seems to be going in the right direction and we're in a good place."
As is often the case, freshly-promoted Ards are one of the favourites to go down.
However, they have the advantage that rivals Portadown start the campaign with a 12-point deduction, imposed for playing a player who was registered as an amateur.
"We play Portadown in our third match, if we beat them, all of a sudden it becomes 15 points," added Currie.
"Even if they have picked some up and we have dropped a few, there is still a gap there. It puts a lot of pressure on them having to chase it.
"It is up to us to hit the ground running. We know what this league is about and that every week is a massively difficult challenge.
"We want to make sure we are competitive in every game we play in and that is my focus.
Kyle Cherry, who recently signed from Carrick Rangers, firmly believes the club can move forward if they can get a fast start.
"We need to get the wins in early," said the midfielder.
"I think this squad is capable of more than hanging around the bottom of the league and we can push towards sixth place and maybe even higher. We're not thinking about other teams, we're just thinking about us." | Three years ago, Ards Football Club were hoping to turn a local landfill site into their new ground. |
38,754,512 | Invicta Park Barracks in Maidstone is home to the 36 Engineer Regiment and the Queen's Gurkha Engineers.
It was earmarked for closure last year by the government, which is selling a number of Ministry of Defence sites.
Local Conservative MP Helen Grant has now launched a petition to try to save it, saying its closure would have a detrimental effect on the Kent town.
She said: "From all of the soundings I have taken so far I know that many local people are concerned about the decision to close Invicta Park Barracks, breaking centuries of military tradition in Maidstone.
"There is also great affection for the town's vibrant Nepalese community."
More news from Kent here
Invicta Park is one of 91 sites marked for closure by 2040 with the aim of releasing land for 55,000 new homes.
The barracks would close by 2027 as part of the government's plan to "release value from surplus land" and "maximise property".
It is not known where the troops will relocate to.
Lt Col JB Awford, former commanding officer of Invicta Park, said: "I believe the decision to close Invicta Park Barracks is unsound.
"It will be a negative step for the army, for Maidstone and, no doubt, for the established Nepalese community."
Leader of the Maidstone Nepalese community, Dhan Chand, added the decision would have "a devastating impact". | Centuries of military tradition will be broken if proposals to close an army barracks go ahead, an MP has warned. |
37,206,353 | Craig Wild, 47, died following an assault at a house in Fox Walk, Walkley, Sheffield on Thursday evening.
David Webster, 49, of Hillsborough, and Alison Moss, 46, of Walkley, have been charged with murder and remanded in custody.
They are due to appear at Sheffield Crown Court on 31 August. | A man and a woman have been charged with murder after a man was fatally wounded in an attack in South Yorkshire. |
20,617,506 | Ebb and Flow - together known as the Grail mission - have mapped the subtle variations in gravity across the surface of the lunar body.
They show the Moon's crust to be a mass of pulverised rock - the remains of countless impacts.
Scientists say the beating was far more extensive than previously thought.
And this observation, they add, has relevance for the study of the Earth's ancient past.
It too would have been pummelled in the first billion years of its existence by the left-over debris from the construction of the planets.
It is just not obvious today because the Earth's surface has been constantly remodelled through time as a result of plate tectonics. All its early scars have long since healed.
"If you look at how highly cratered the Moon is - the Earth used to look like that; parts of Mars still do look like that," explained Prof Maria Zuber, Grail's principal investigator from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US.
"This period of time when all these impacts where occurring - this was the time when the first microbes were developing.
"We had some idea from the chemistry [of ancient rocks] that Earth was a violent place early on, but now we now know it was an extremely difficult place energetically as well, and it shows just how tenacious life had to be to hang on," she told BBC News.
Prof Zuber was speaking in San Francisco at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting, the world's largest annual gathering for Earth and planetary scientists.
Her 300kg Grail twins have spent much of the past year mapping the Moon's gravitational field from an operational altitude of 55km.
The gravity differences they have been measuring are the result of an uneven distribution of mass across the lunar body.
Obvious examples at the Moon's surface include big mountain ranges or deep impact basins, but even inside the lunar body the rock is arranged in an irregular fashion, with some regions being denser than others.
All this has a subtle influence on the pull of gravity sensed by the over-flying Ebb and Flow satellites.
The Grail twins make their measurements by carrying out a carefully calibrated pursuit of each other.
As the lead spacecraft flies through the uneven gravity field, it experiences small accelerations or decelerations. The second spacecraft, following some 100-200km behind, detects these disturbances as very slight changes in the separation between the pair - deviations that are not much more than the width of a human red blood cell.
And when the gravity measurements are combined with topographical information from another of Nasa's lunar satellites showing the surface highs and lows, it becomes possible to separate out that signal related just to the Moon's internal structure and composition.
The resolution of Grail's maps far exceeds anything previously achieved - a thousand to a hundred-thousand times' improvement.
This will be a boon to researchers as they study not just the general evolution of the body but how individual features on its surface formed - from the largest impact features like the ringed basins, right down to craters just 20-30km across.
One standout observation is that the Moon's crust - its topmost layer - ranges in thickness from 34km to 43km. These numbers are about 10-20km less than previously proposed.
"And because the Moon's crust is extremely important for understanding the bulk composition of the Moon, what these results show is that the bulk abundance of aluminium in the Moon is exactly the same as that in the Earth, whereas previous studies had suggested the composition of the Moon may be different from that of the Earth," said Dr Mark Wieczorek, a Grail co-investigator from the University of Paris, France.
"This is consistent with the hypothesis that the Moon is derived from materials that come from the Earth following a giant impact event."
The crust underlying a couple of major impact basins appears so thin as to be virtually non-existent. This suggests the impacts that rained down on the Moon may even have excavated the underlying lunar mantle at those locations.
The Grail team said that compared to the surface, the interior looks gravitationally very smooth. Indeed, 98% of the gravity signal measured by the satellite twins relates to the Moon's surface features, such as its crater rims and big mountains.
However, the data does point to the existence of long (up to 500km) linear structures that extend up from the interior of the body into the lower crust. The Grail team believes these to be buried dykes ??? formed from magma that seeped into large fractures in the crust, and then solidified into dense walls of rock.
This may hint at an early expansion phase in the Moon's history when the hot body expanded outwards, before eventually cooling and contracting.
"This had been predicted theoretically a long time ago but there was no direct observational evidence to support this early lunar expansion until this Grail data," said Dr Jeff Andrews-Hanna, a science team member from the Colorado School of Mines.
[email protected] and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos | The scale of the battering the Moon received early in its history has been revealed in remarkable new data from two Nasa satellites. |
35,360,676 | Nils D., 25, was arrested on his return from Syria a year ago and is accused of membership of a terror group.
He is alleged to have joined an IS unit that tracked down and killed deserters.
Since his return he is said to have given police 40 interviews about the inner workings of the jihadist group.
During his 13 months Syria, Nils D. - whose surname has not been released under German law - is accused of spending eight months in an internal security unit, apparently dubbed by some investigators as the "IS Gestapo".
He was among a dozen local youths who travelled to Syria in 2013, naming themselves the Lohberger Brigade after an area of their town of Dinslaken near Duisburg.
Nils D. gave evidence in two trials last year, telling a court in Celle that he witnessed torture and executions. "Anyone who wants to turn their back on IS is automatically a dead man," he said.
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According to research by German journalists last October, Nils D said during his statements to the authorities that his unit had been styled as a department of internal security and that he was based in the Syrian town of Manbij, 80km (50 miles) north-east of Aleppo, and had been involved in up to 15 arrests.
Torture took place on a daily basis at Manbij prison and he spoke of an "execution square".
Members of the special IS unit were given bonuses and better rates of pay than other jihadists and always appeared masked in public.
Although he denies involvement in torture or murder, a photo found on Nils D.'s mobile phone is said to have shown him holding a gun to a prisoner's head.
If found guilty by Duesseldorf's regional court, he could face up to 10 years in jail.
Eight hundred Germans are said to have travelled to Syria and Iraq to join IS and an estimated 1,100 violent Islamists are living in Germany, according to domestic intelligence figures. | A German jihadist accused of taking part in a special torture unit set up by the so-called Islamic State (IS) group in Syria has gone on trial amid high security in Duesseldorf. |
35,635,262 | The 19-year-old centre-back, who has captained the Championship club's development squad, has made one first-team appearance for the Tractor Boys.
He came off the bench as Ipswich lost 2-1 to Portsmouth in their third-round FA Cup replay last month.
Robinson, who will be with the Cards until 28 March, could make his debut against Grimsby on Tuesday.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | National League side Woking have signed Ipswich Town youngster Joe Robinson on a one-month loan deal. |
37,555,769 | Ruth Davidson said her party was picking up support across Scotland, and was "not hiding any more".
And she predicted next year's council elections would see it deliver its best result since devolution.
Ms Davidson also urged Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to rule out a second independence referendum.
She told delegates on the final day of the conference: "The majority have no wish to return to the divisions of the past - we want to seize the opportunities of the future.
"Most Scots have had enough. And they are telling her - for pity's sake, first minister, let this go."
The Scottish Conservatives are currently the second largest party at Holyrood, behind the SNP, after overtaking Labour for the first time since the Scottish Parliament was created in 1999.
But the Tories only have one MP in Scotland, while the SNP returned 56 in last year's general election.
Ms Davidson said her party was "standing up to the SNP" and providing the "strong opposition Scotland so desperately needs".
She added: "From the Borders to Banff, we are showing that there is another way. A better way.
"One which seeks not to stoke divisions or split our country, but one which knuckles down and gets on with the job."
Ms Sturgeon, the SNP leader and Scottish first minister, said a second independence referendum was "highly likely" after Scotland voted to remain in the EU but the UK as a whole voted to leave.
She has instructed Scottish government officials to start drawing up plans for a new vote, and recently launched a "new conversation" aimed at boosting support for independence.
But recent opinion polls have suggested there has not been a large shift in favour of independence since the Brexit vote, with a narrow majority still apparently in favour of Scotland remaining in the UK.
Ms Davidson urged the Conservative conference not to believe SNP assertions that Scottish independence was now inevitable, and pledged to "fight every inch" to keep the UK together.
She said: "Every nation is bigger than any one party - bigger than any one person.
"So next time you see Nicola Sturgeon picking a fight, or trying to claim the United Kingdom is over, remember, she does not speak for the country.
"And, when she threatens to put yet another divisive referendum back on the table, the nation is not behind her. She's not speaking for the majority. Because the majority of us want to move on."
She used her speech to hold up Theresa May as evidence that "gender is no barrier to advancement" in Britain.
Ms Davidson was speaking immediately ahead of the prime minister's address to the conference, which is being held in Birmingham.
Mrs May told the gathering that "we are one UK - England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland".
She repeated the words of her opening conference address by saying: "And I will always fight to preserve our proud, historic union and will never let divisive nationalists drive us apart."
At the weekend, the SNP accused Mrs May of using "inflammatory" language after her first speech. | The Scottish Conservatives are "out and proud" and "here to stay", their leader has told the Tory conference in Birmingham. |
37,412,252 | Mark Hughes' side have picked up just one point from their first five matches and are bottom of the Premier League.
They have let in four goals on three occasions - which they also did in three successive games in a poor late-season run in 2015-16.
"We have conceded too many goals and that has got to be addressed," Coates told BBC Radio Stoke.
"It was poor defending at Crystal Palace on Sunday. Two bad errors for the first two goals. The manager can't do anything about that.
"I understand how the fans feel. I'm a supporter too - but let's have a bit of context. It's September and we've only played five games. We've finished ninth in the Premier League three times in a row. What is there to say?"
It took Stoke until 26 September last season to win their first league game, as they started with three draws and three defeats in their first six fixtures.
And the fact that the next visiting manager to the Bet365 Stadium this weekend will be former Potters boss Tony Pulis, with West Bromwich Albion, only adds to the pressure to achieve a first victory.
Before that is Wednesday's EFL Cup third round tie at home to Hull City, when last year's beaten semi-finalists hope to take another step closer to Wembley.
"Football is all about the next game," said Coates. "We need a win and the sooner it comes the better. I'd like to win against Hull on Wednesday night."
But, most of all, what Coates would most like is a change of luck.
A lot of individual incidents have not gone Stoke's way, largely in the 1-0 defeat at Everton, whose winning goal came following a debatable penalty given for a soft challenge on Ashley Williams.
But there were also crucial match-turning moments in the 4-1 loss at Manchester City and even in the 4-0 home defeat by Spurs, when Hughes' temper snapped and he was sent to the stand - and consequently fined.
"The ref robbed us of a point at Everton," added Coates. "Not much has gone for us. But we're not hiding. We'd like to have done better and we will."
Peter Coates was talking to BBC Radio Stoke's Lee Blakeman. | Stoke City chairman Peter Coates says that the team's poor start to the season needs to be taken in context. |
35,175,109 | The group racially abused a man at Motherwell station and let off a fire extinguisher. A woman was also spat on.
About 10 to 12 boys, aged between 14 and 17 years old, were involved just, after 18:45 on Wednesday.
The group was also involved in disorder after boarding the 18:20 Glasgow to Lanark service at Bellshill before getting off at Motherwell.
BTP said officers were reviewing CCTV images in a bid to identify those involved.
Det Con David Merchant said: "This sort of appalling behaviour is unacceptable and I am appealing for anyone who was on the train or at the station and can provide information which can help identify the youths responsible to contact BTP." | British Transport Police (BTP) want to trace a group of boys who ran amok at a rail station in North Lanarkshire. |
40,405,058 | Mr King, 72, of Bayswater, west London, appeared before magistrates in Westminster and answered to the name of Kenneth King.
He is accused of assaulting boys aged 14 to 16 between 1970 and 1986 in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey.
Mr King was bailed to appear before Southwark Crown Court on 24 July.
Three of the allegations relate to serious sexual offences and the others relate to indecent assaults.
Steven Bird, lawyer for the ex-singer and Genesis producer, said his client would be "contesting the allegations". | Former pop mogul Jonathan King has appeared in court charged with 18 historical sexual offences relating to nine teenage boys. |
37,044,473 | "My Friend, Mentor and Hero passed away today," tweeted the singer. "David Enthoven, I love you. RIP."
Enthoven had managed the star since he left Take That in 1996 and helped him battle addiction in the early years of his career.
The music mogul started out managing King Crimson in 1969, also steering the careers of Bryan Ferry and Roxy Music.
He even advised Marc Bolan's band, T. Rex, to shorten their name, because he couldn't spell Tyrannosaurus.
A genial, bespectacled figure, he was educated at Harrow and earned a reputation for putting his clients first.
"His tenacity in fighting for artists' rights is the stuff of legend," his business partner Tim Clark told the Mirror.
"He pricked the pompous, had a nickname for everyone but was so generous and kind too.
"What is much less well known is the unstinting help he gave to those who had taken a self-destructive path, for whatever reason. He has been utterly selfless in that respect."
Enthoven established the EG record label and music management company with John Gaydon in the late 60s, immediately finding success with King Crimson's debut album In the Court of the Crimson King.
They later signed T. Rex, Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Roxy Music, but Enthoven's career went off the rails as he battled drink and drugs in the 1980s.
He lost his home and his wife but, after sobering up, made a successful return to the music industry, setting up ie:music with Clark, a former Island Records executive, in 1992.
Together, they worked with the likes of Sia, Lily Allen, Ladyhawke, Bryan Ferry and Will Young, but their biggest client was always Williams.
Enthoven introduced the star to songwriter Guy Chambers, with whom he co-wrote Angels, and helped orchestrate his record-breaking £80 million deal with EMI.
He was also fiercely protective of the star, insisting that all employees signed a confidentiality agreement, and talked of him as a surrogate son.
At the height of Williams' fame, Enthoven explained his managerial technique to Esquire magazine.
"I always say to Rob, 'If you wanted an elephant to keep you amused backstage, I'd go and find [an] elephant.'
"It sounds very pandering, but it's not, because at the end of the day, come nine o'clock at night, he's got to get up there and do his stuff.
"The boss gets looked after because the boss delivers the bacon."
Following news of Enthoven's death, the Music Manager's Forum (MMF) said in a statement: "We are very sad that long time manager and MMF supporter David Enthoven has passed away today after a short illness.
"David will be remembered as a true friend, an exemplary colleague, a helpful mentor and a truly exceptional human being.
"Big hugs David. We will miss you."
Jamie Cullum also paid tribute on Twitter, saying: "He was a real gentleman in the truest sense".
"My manager and dear friend David Enthoven has passed away today," added pop singer Ladyhawke. "He has been a true guiding light to me over the years, I'll miss you David."
Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram at bbcnewsents, or email [email protected]. | Robbie Williams has paid tribute to his long-term manager, David Enthoven, who has died at the age of 72. |
36,130,385 | A deal is set to be finalised between the current board and entertainment firm Gaming International to sell the National League club.
Nicholson took over in September and has kept the team in the division, despite being 12 points from safety in the middle of February.
"I would like to be the manager here next year," Nicholson told BBC Devon.
"I would like to be given the chance to move forward.
"But new owners may have new ideas, and if they have then I'll carry on being a Torquay fan and hope my chance comes again."
Nicholson paid tribute to chairman David Phillips and his team, who took over the club in June 2015 after millionaire former owner Thea Bristow sold her stake.
"They're coming into a club that's on the up, they're coming into a club with a solid foundation now," said Nicholson.
"The chairman and the board that have taken over and given this club life-support for the past year have done a fantastic job.
"We've been fortunate enough to make sure that the club is in the league it needs to be in for now, because this is a league football club, but they're coming into a club now that they can do with as they wish." | Torquay United manager Kevin Nicholson hopes he will be able to stay in charge of the club when it is taken over. |
37,413,848 | Mr Corbyn is planning to tell the party that Theresa May could call an election as early as next spring to secure a mandate for her Brexit negotiations.
The leader hopes the prospect of an early poll might instil some discipline among Labour MPs, and he would help bring it about.
Newsnight understands he would instruct his MPs to vote for an early election.
Under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act, an early election has to be supported by at least two-thirds of MPs.
Mr Corbyn is officially waiting for every vote to be counted in the Labour leadership election before declaring victory, but he is already turning his mind to early steps he will take to restore his authority.
Placing the Labour Party on an election footing would, in his mind, be a tactically wise move to help encourage discipline in the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP).
But Mr Corbyn also believes that Labour should focus on an early general election in a laser-like way because he believes the prime minister has ruled out a snap election but is keeping her options open beyond the end of this year.
Mrs May said earlier this month that an election should not be held before 2020.
Newsnight understands that Mr Corbyn is expected to outline practical steps to show his preparations for an election.
This will involve putting policy making, the party organisation and campaigning on an election footing.
Former Liberal Democrat leader Lord Ashdown told Newsnight that the prime minister may be forced to call an early general election if she opts for a Brexit deal which alarms Eurosceptics.
Lord Ashdown said: "If she chooses - as I think she will - something that's in the best interests of Britain if it has to be Brexit, ie continued access to the single market, she has 100 MPs who are going to say 'up with this we will not put'.
"She then loses her majority in the House of Commons. Sooner or later she has to bring that back to the House; she will find herself in that conundrum.
"Labour will say no for opportunistic reasons, they won't support her. If she wants to get that through she can only go to the country.
"So she doesn't think she wants an election, at least I don't think she does, I think she's honest in saying she won't get one.
"But I'm not sure that the civil war in the Tory party not yet visible, but will become increasingly visible as she identifies that will make that the only way she can get to a solution."
Mr Corbyn's planned announcement comes as the Labour leader seeks to woo former members of the shadow cabinet back into the fold in what is being dubbed an outreach programme.
Two former members of the shadow cabinet have indicated to Newsnight they would be prepared to return if invited by Mr Corbyn.
Nia Griffith, the former shadow Wales secretary, said that Labour MPs should be as positive as they can be if Mr Corbyn wins.
Another former shadow cabinet member, who was highly critical of Mr Corbyn when they resigned in the summer, says it will be time to pull together if he wins.
A much larger group would, as The World This Weekend reported on Sunday, only return to the frontbench if elections to the shadow cabinet are restored.
Tom Watson, Labour's deputy leader, will call on the party's National Executive Committee (NEC) on Tuesday to support shadow cabinet elections in time for a vote at next week's Labour Party conference.
The PLP recently voted in favour of the restoration of these elections which were abolished by Ed Miliband in 2011.
Newsnight, which understands that Mr Watson is not confident the PLP proposal will be accepted by the NEC, believes Mr Corbyn will call on the NEC to take its time to consider alternative plans to give Labour Party members a greater say.
This could involve allowing members to elect a proportion of the shadow cabinet and increasing the representation of members on the NEC to take account of the rapid increase in Labour members since Mr Corbyn's election last year.
The Labour leader believes there should be a broader consultation on widening democratic participation at all levels of the party which should not be concluded at Tuesday's NEC meeting.
Mr Corbyn believes the consultation should be completed rapidly though he believes it would be wrong to rush ahead at the NEC meeting.
A delay until after next week's party conference would mean that his proposal would be decided by the new NEC whose members are more supportive of Mr Corbyn. | Jeremy Corbyn will put Labour on a general election footing if he is re-elected leader, Newsnight has learned. |
18,859,433 | On Monday, Britain's most senior Roman Catholic cleric, Cardinal Keith O'Brien, urged the Scottish government to hold a public vote on the proposals.
A government spokesman, speaking after a cabinet meeting, said the issue was a matter of conscience, not constitution.
He said a decision on whether to bring forward a bill on same-sex marriage would be made before the end of July.
Members of the cabinet met in Edinburgh to discuss the issue.
After the meeting, the spokesman said: "This is an important issue and it is right that cabinet takes the time to get both the principle and the detail of the decision right.
"During the discussion, recent calls for a referendum on the subject were carefully considered. However, cabinet views this as an issue of conscience not constitution.
"Given that if a bill is brought forward it should in the view of the Scottish government be determined by a free vote, cabinet has concluded that a referendum would not be appropriate.
"Cabinet has now asked a cabinet sub-committee, led by the deputy first minister, to further examine some particular issues of detail before a final decision is reached.
"We remain committed to publishing the consultation responses and our clear decision on the way forward before the end of this month."
Gay rights charity Stonewall Scotland welcomed the decision not to hold a referendum.
Its director, Colin Macfarlane, said :"While we are disappointed that no decision was made today we are pleased that the Scottish government has confirmed that a referendum has been ruled out.
"Ministers have stated that a final decision on a way forward will be at the end of this month, we look forward to that and urge them to stick to their guns and say I do to equal marriage."
Tom French from the Equality Network said: "The government have had seven months to analyse the consultation responses and to deal with the detail. We cannot understand why there is any need for further delay."
The proposals, which would see Scotland become the first part of the UK to introduce the policy, have provoked opposition from some religious groups.
The Catholic Church and Church of Scotland strongly oppose the policy.
Cardinal O'Brien has branded the plans a "grotesque subversion of a universally-accepted human right".
The cardinal, who leads the church in Scotland, previously authorised a plan to raise £100,000 through special church collections to support the Scotland For Marriage campaign against same-sex marriage.
The proposed legislation has been backed by a "rainbow coalition" of organisations, including The Equality Network, Amnesty International, Unison and the Humanist Society of Scotland, as well as political parties.
Faith groups, including the United Reformed Church, the Quakers, Buddhists and the Pagan Federation also support the move.
However, the issue also caused a split within the SNP, after a parliamentary motion tabled by party MSP John Mason, stating no person or organisation should be forced to be involved in or to approve of same-sex marriage, led to accusations by some of his colleagues that his actions encouraged discrimination.
Gordon Wilson, a former SNP leader, has also warned plans for same-sex marriage could "alienate" people considering voting for independence in the 2014 referendum.
Same-sex couples in Scotland currently have the option to enter into civil partnerships and the Holyrood government has insisted no part of the religious community would be forced to hold same-sex weddings in churches.
Although civil partnerships in Scotland offer the same legal treatment as marriage in areas such as inheritance, pensions provision, life assurance, child maintenance, next of kin and immigration rights, they are still seen as distinct from marriage.
A man and a woman can opt for a religious or civil marriage ceremony, whereas a same-sex partnership is an exclusively civil procedure.
The UK government, which is consulting on changing the status of civil ceremonies to allow gay and lesbian couples in England and Wales to get married, wants to make the change by 2015. | The Scottish government has ruled out a referendum on the proposed introduction of same-sex marriage. |
35,010,490 | Stop Climate Chaos Cymru (SCC) has travelled to the Paris conference, where negotiators from 195 countries are trying to reach a global deal.
On Monday, SCC Cymru will say that Wales needs to show "more ambition" and reach its own deal.
Chairwoman Haf Elgar said it would enable Wales to "play our part in the global fight against climate change".
SCC Cymru, a coalition of 16 Welsh organisations, said its Well-being of Future Generations Act had shown Wales could "lead the world on the agenda".
But it will call for amendments to the Environment Bill, currently making its way through the assembly, arguing that it "doesn't go far enough".
"We need higher targets, to keep our commitment to a 40% emission reduction by 2020, and better reporting and scrutiny of progress," Ms Elgar, from Friends of the Earth Cymru, said.
COP21 - the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties - is discussing a possible new global agreement on climate change.
The deal will seek to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to avoid the threat of dangerous warming due to human activities. | Calls are set to be made for Wales to deliver a fair climate deal during COP21 talks. |
40,285,344 | Media playback is not supported on this device
Floyd Mayweather Jr, regarded - before his retirement - as the world's best pound-for-pound boxer, will fight UFC star Conor McGregor in a light-middleweight boxing contest in Las Vegas on 26 August.
But how and why did the fight come about? Does McGregor have a chance? What impact will it have on the sports? And is it all just a money-making circus?
BBC Sport takes a look at the history and the reaction to the contest.
Why is it happening? Quite simply... money, with both fighters expected to earn up to $100m (£78.5m).
After Mayweather gained a convincing points win over Andre Berto in September 2015, the American, who has won world titles at five weights, said: "My career is over, that's official.
"You've got to know when to hang them up. There's nothing left to prove in the sport of boxing, I just want to spend time with my family."
However, there was growing interest in a fight between Mayweather and McGregor, after the Irish UFC star went on American chat show Conan and said he would "most certainly dismantle" Mayweather.
Talks between the two camps began in May 2016 and McGregor, who has never boxed professionally or as an amateur, was granted a boxing licence in California last November.
After social media insults flew from both sides, including Mayweather calling McGregor a "little punk", the Irishman claimed he had signed a contract for the fight and applied for a Nevada boxing licence, so it could be held in Las Vegas.
However, it was still a shock to both the boxing and UFC worlds when Mayweather, whose nickname is Money, posted a video on social media confirming the fight will happen at the T-Mobile Arena on 26 August.
Leonard Ellerbe, chief executive of Mayweather Promotions, said: "There is not one place I go to with Floyd where he doesn't get asked the question: 'Floyd, are you going to fight Conor McGregor?' All Floyd thinks about is fighting Conor McGregor."
Mayweather, 40, never entertained the idea of the pair meeting in a UFC event, saying "a real man fights standing up". Therefore, a boxing bout was the only outcome.
Bookmakers expect a one-sided contest, with the American as short as 1-12 to win his 50th professional fight, a landmark that would see him overtake legendary boxer Rocky Marciano, who retired after 49 victories.
However, the fight has not been well received by a large number of boxers.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Mexican Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez, a two-weight world champion whose only loss in 51 fights came against Mayweather in 2013, called it a "circus and a joke", echoing comments from former five-weight world champion Oscar de la Hoya.
"It's hurting the sport of boxing," added Alvarez. "It's a big circus and a joke because when a fighter from boxing gets into MMA (mixed martial arts) or a fighter from MMA gets into boxing it's just a big joke. People don't take it seriously."
Ricky Hatton, the only British boxer to fight Mayweather - losing in the 10th round of their Las Vegas bout in December 2007 - feels the fight should not count on the American's boxing record.
"Conor's the biggest star in UFC and, if he gets whitewashed by Mayweather, which he would, it wouldn't look good on the UFC," Hatton told Boxing News.
BBC Radio 5 live boxing pundit Steve Bunce added: "No disrespect to Conor McGregor, he is a brilliant self-publicist.
"The mixed martial arts people tell me he is fantastic because he is fearless, reckless and that makes him entertaining, but he is a hopeless boxer.
"He is a raw novice. Peter McDonagh, who has lost more times than he has won, is the Irish champion at Conor McGregor's weight, and he would beat McGregor in a 10 or 12-round fight. This will be an absolute mismatch."
McGregor, who at 28 is 12 years younger than Mayweather, has won 21 of his 24 MMA fights, including 18 knockouts, and has received some support from the UFC world.
"He has incredible power, a power that nobody else has - I've never seen anyone hit that hard," said Russia's Artem Lobov, who has sparred with McGregor.
"MMA is so much more demanding on the body - the wrestling, the changing levels, all that takes a lot out of you. Boxing is a breeze for us after MMA.
"If you look at Mayweather's fights, he often likes to get into the clinch, but what is a boxer in a clinch against a wrestler, an MMA fighter? Boxers are absolute novices in the clinch.
"Get a boxer and get him wrestling for a minute or two - the arms get so heavy, filled with blood, they can't even hold them up any more, they can't box."
UFC president Dana White also believes McGregor's style will cause problems for the American.
"Mayweather is 40 years old and he's always had problems with southpaws," said White. "Conor McGregor is 28 and a southpaw. Whenever he hits people, they fall."
American MMA fighter Holly Holm, who ended Ronda Rousey's unbeaten run with a brutal knockout in 2015, thinks McGregor will be able to adapt.
"I'm one of those who believes in being able to cross over," said Holm. "Boxing is a whole different world, but Conor really believes in himself, and he's going to put up a good fight."
White, for one, is in no doubt.
He said: "It's definitely going to be the biggest fight ever in combat sports history and probably going to be the biggest pay day ever. All sides involved are pretty happy with their deals."
The T-Mobile Arena holds 20,000 people, so the fighters will be performing live in front of less than a quarter of the 90,000 people who watched Anthony Joshua's thrilling win over Wladimir Klitschko in their world heavyweight title clash at Wembley Stadium in April.
However, the money will come not only from the live gate, but also through international television distribution, sponsorships, closed circuit and merchandise sales.
When Mayweather fought Filipino Manny Pacquiao in May 2015, the fight attracted a record of 4.4 million American pay-per-view sales, with the event generating more than $500m (£392.7m) in gross worldwide receipts.
Tickets will be in extremely short supply. Only 1,000 of 16,500 tickets were put on general sale for the Mayweather v Pacquiao fight at the MGM Grand - and some were then sold online for as much as £94,000. The rest of the tickets went to fighters, sponsors and promoters.
Such was the demand, hotels and bars charged people to watch the action on big-screen televisions.
Stephen Espinoza, executive vice-president of American television station Showtime Sports, said fans will pay to watch the McGregor-Mayweather fight because of the novelty.
"The sky is the limit," he said. "There is nothing to compare it against. No-one has seen this type of competition in the ring.
"We're not only drawing fans from the universe of boxing fans and the universe of MMA fans. We've actually tapped into the audience that really doesn't follow either sport."
Sort of. On two high-profile occasions, boxers have tried their luck in the UFC octagon, with one winning and one losing.
Most recently, in August 2010, James Toney - a three-weight boxing champion who had no MMA experience - took on Randy Couture. It did not last long.
Within a minute, Couture had produced a single-leg takedown. He then fired a series of unanswered lefts and rights to Toney's head before the fight was stopped.
The other time the worlds of MMA and boxing collided was in June 2009, when boxer Ray Mercer took on former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia.
Again, it did not last long - nine seconds in fact.
Mercer, who had fought Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis and Wladimir Klitschko, caught Sylvia with a crushing right hook with the first punch of the contest, knocking out his opponent.
In 1976, Muhammad Ali took part in a 15-round exhibition contest with Japanese professional wrestler Antonio Inoki. The bout - a mix of boxing and wrestling that had little to do with serious sport - ended in a draw.
Mike Costello, BBC Radio 5 live boxing correspondent
One of boxing's all-time greats will take on a man who hasn't had a single professional boxing contest and it'll become one of the most talked-about sporting events of 2017.
Mayweather is coming out of retirement at the age of 40 for a fight some have dismissed as a farce and a mismatch. McGregor is 12 years younger and the biggest draw in UFC, the most successful and popular brand in mixed martial arts. Insults have been traded for two years - when they first started, nobody believed for a moment this fight would happen.
They both draw huge audiences on pay-per-view TV and the showdown is likely to generate tens of millions of dollars for each man.
It's likely to be televised in the United States by Showtime, a cable network and one of the biggest investors in boxing in recent years. Executives there are saying their digital traffic in the past few weeks is leading them to believe this will be nothing short of a monster event and it's been built by the hype generated by these two masters of the art of hype.
Simon Head, MMA reporter
To the uninitiated, Conor McGregor may come across as a brash, overconfident braggart, but a glance at his record tells a completely different story. Underneath the larger-than-life exterior lies a fierce, dedicated competitor who has more often than not backed up his pre-fight talk with big-time performances in the UFC octagon.
He successfully predicted his stoppage wins over Chad Mendes, Jose Aldo and Eddie Alvarez in successive UFC title fights. Now he's predicting he'll topple the most skilled boxer in this - or perhaps any - generation. Even by Mystic Mac's own standards, this one is a big ask.
The contest itself pitches a combat sport specialist (Mayweather) against a man blessed with one of the most comprehensive skillsets in combat sports (McGregor). The equivalent of a 100m sprinter against a decathlete, if you like. But in those terms, this fight is the 100m. Only a fraction of McGregor's formidable fighting arsenal will be in play here, and that tips the scales significantly in Mayweather's favour.
As well as the skills gap in pure boxing terms, there's also the issue of prep time. Conor has the dedication, the intelligence and the belief to walk into the T-Mobile Arena on August 26 as prepared as he possibly can be. But this is the equivalent of writing a PhD thesis without taking the course first. A passing grade is surely just making it to the scorecards, or even just looking competitive.
But that won't be enough for McGregor, whose ability to deliver on the big stage is right up there with the best you'll find anywhere in sport. The archetypal man for the big occasion, McGregor performs best when the lights shine brightest.
Mayweather is rightly the unbackable favourite, but McGregor certainly isn't a toothless opponent. Make no mistake, he has the power to trouble Floyd, especially with his left hand. But to hurt Floyd, Conor will have to land clean. In theory, he has 36 minutes to find Mayweather's chin. If he does, we'll see one of the biggest shocks in sporting history.
But it wouldn't be a shock to him. He's already predicted it. And he means it, too.
Get all the latest boxing news sent straight to your device with notifications in the BBC Sport app. Find out more here. | The best boxer in a generation against one of the biggest names in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. |
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