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36,631,518 | There is lots to discuss with our EU colleagues: what to do with half-used EU budgets and EU citizens living in the UK and British citizens living in the EU. There is also, of course, the thorny issue of Britain's future trading relationship with the EU once we leave.
So you might imagine everyone will want to crack on as quickly as possible.
And certainly that is the view of many EU leaders. They want to end the uncertainty for the markets and begin formal talks.
The only problem is that David Cameron wants to delay the start of exit talks until a new Conservative leader has been elected in October.
That would give the new prime minister the chance to work out his or her negotiating strategy and get it endorsed by the House of Commons in a vote - and perhaps even the people in a general election.
But Derrick Wyatt QC, emeritus professor of law at Oxford University, told me that Mr Cameron might not have as much time as he had expected.
He said that the European Council - representing the 27 other member states - could trigger the negotiating process as soon as the prime minister discusses Brexit with other EU leaders.
Paragraph two of Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty says that "a Member State which decides to withdraw shall notify the European Council of its intention".
Once this happens, the leaving state has up to two years to negotiate a withdrawal agreement.
The treaty does not say how this process of notification should happen.
It has always been assumed that this would come in the form of a letter from the prime minister to Donald Tusk, the European Council president, and the timing would be in the hands of the British government.
Prof Wyatt, who has represented clients in hundreds of cases before the European courts, said that EU lawyers might consider any discussion about Brexit between Mr Cameron and Mr Tusk and other EU leaders as effectively notifying the European Council of the UK's intention to leave.
Prof Wyatt said: "If David Cameron attends the European council on Tuesday, he is likely to confirm in discussions with other heads of government that the UK intends to leave the EU.
"He might do this directly in so many words or he might conduct conversations predicated on the UK's departure from the EU, such as suggestions that informal pre-negotiations might take place before Article 50 is formally triggered.
"EU lawyers might advise the council that such confirmation or such conversations are themselves enough to trigger Article 50 and set the clock ticking on the two year period for negotiating a withdrawal agreement."
But a European Council spokesman reiterated on Saturday that triggering Article 50 was a formal act which must be "done by the British government to the European Council".
"It has to be done in an unequivocal manner with the explicit intent to trigger Article 50," the spokesman said.
"It could either be a letter to the president of the European Council or an official statement at a meeting of the European Council duly noted in the official records of the meeting."
This question is crucial because the sooner Article 50 is triggered, the less time the UK will have to secure a withdrawal deal.
The closer the UK gets to the two-year deadline, the weaker its negotiating position.
The two-year period can be extended but only with the agreement of all EU member states and they would demand concessions from the UK before giving that agreement.
Leave campaigners have long argued that the government should delay triggering Article 50 until substantial pre-negotiation talks have taken place between the UK and the EU. But Prof Wyatt's interpretation of the EU treaty suggests this would be difficult.
Any decision by the EU to trigger the Article 50 process before the UK is ready would be considered a hostile act by the British government and would be a high-risk strategy for EU leaders.
The UK might try to challenge the decision in the European Court of Justice, which decides how EU treaties should be interpreted.
The irony of a pro-Leave Conservative government having to appeal to the very European judges whose legitimacy it questions would not be lost on Remain campaigners. | We have voted to leave the EU but when will we actually start negotiating our exit? |
35,084,957 | 12 December 2015 Last updated at 19:23 GMT
It is understood the woman was from Eastern Europe and had been living in the village for some time.
Lisa McAlister reports. | A 25-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the death of a woman in Portavogie, County Down. |
40,089,400 | In a televised speech, President Juan Manuel Santos said the group had been granted an extra 20 days.
Under a peace agreement signed late last year all weapons had to be surrendered to the UN by Tuesday.
Farc commanders had argued that they could not meet the original deadline because of delays in building special camps to house demobilised fighters.
According to the deal, which was reached after four years of talks in Cuba, about 7,000 fighters in 26 transition zones were to have handed their arms to the UN by 30 May.
"In a joint agreement with the United Nations and the Farc, we have agreed that the arms hand-over will not end tomorrow as had been planned, but instead within 20 days," Mr Santos said on Monday.
"The change in date does not in any way affect the firm decision and clear commitment of the government and the Farc to comply with the accord."
President Santos also said that the time that the rebels would be allowed to stay in the demobilisation camps would be extended to 1 August.
After that, all fighters must start their reintegration process into civil society.
Earlier this month, the first group to complete the disarmament process received certificates from the UN mission at a ceremony in Bogota..
Thousands of rebels have handed over their weapons since the Farc signed the peace agreement.
The deal put an end to more than five decades of conflict.
President Santos was awarded last year's Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to reach a deal with the Farc. | The Colombian government and the Farc rebel group have agreed to give rebel fighters more time to disarm. |
30,049,863 | Media playback is unsupported on your device
14 November 2014 Last updated at 09:01 GMT
Acclaimed artists from all over the world are exhibiting films at night time screenings in the Southside district of the city until Sunday.
They include a study of stray cats drinking from bowls of milk left outdoors by the artist in Berlin's Mitte district, and a screen projecting two alternating sentences which are interspersed with everyday images captured from Birmingham streets - to "emphasise the randomness of fate".
Called About Town, exhibits include contributions from from Cornelia Parker, Santiago Sierra, Beat Streuli, Gillian Wearing and Yang Zhenzhong. | Parts of Birmingham have been transformed into a giant open-air video installation. |
37,432,541 | The firm, which was named the preferred bidder for the seven-year contract last month, will take over from Fujitsu.
The contract includes the roll-out of 20,000 tablet computers to pupils to help them with their studies.
Providing schoolchildren with their own personal devices has been a long-held aspiration of the Highland Council.
It wants to give every pupil their own tablet.
Highland Council said the new contract would help it save £11m over the lifetime of the contract. | Highland Council has awarded WIPRO Holdings UK Ltd a contract to look after its technology, including a roll-out of tablet computers to schools. |
40,414,811 | Darren Osborne, from Cardiff, appeared at the Old Bailey by video link from Belmarsh prison.
He is accused of killing Makram Ali, 51, from Haringey and attempting to kill others in the attack in Finsbury Park on June 19.
Mr Osborne, 47, spoke only to confirm his identity during the short hearing.
He will next appear at the same court on 20 July for a preliminary hearing.
Worshippers were leaving evening prayers when the attack happened. Nine people were taken from the scene to hospital. | A man has appeared in court charged with murder and attempted murder after a van was driven into worshippers near a mosque in north London. |
27,357,306 | The statement on the future of the 59-year-old, in charge since June 2011, ends speculation about Allardyce's role at Upton Park.
Allardyce led the Hammers to 13th in the Premier League table, but has faced criticism from some supporters.
"The club have made clear that they want to see progression on the pitch," says a club statement.
West Ham's announcement follows an end-of-season meeting between Allardyce and the club's board.
They considered the former Bolton, Newcastle and Blackburn manager's plans for next season before making the announcement.
The statement said that Allardyce has agreed to recruit a new attacking coach "to ensure the team provides more entertainment next season".
Media playback is not supported on this device
It added that the club expects a top 10 finish in the table.
The statement continued: "After listening to feedback from supporters, the board have insisted on improvements to the set-up of the playing and backroom staff to ensure the team provides more entertainment next season.
"The manager has agreed to recruit a new attacking coach to complement the existing coaching set-up as well as an overhaul of the club's scouting and recruitment operation.
"That will see the board have a greater involvement in the players who are signed, as the board will once again be investing considerable funds into the club this summer.
"The club have made clear that they want to see progression on the pitch and at least a top 10 finish as a result."
Allardyce took charge at Upton Park three years ago after the Hammers had been relegated from the Premier League under Avram Grant.
He led West Ham to promotion via the Championship play-offs in his first season before securing 10th place in 2012-13.
But after a four-match winning run in February, the Hammers finished the 2013-14 campaign with eight defeats in 11 games.
Some fans vented their displeasure at Allardyce during the 1-0 defeat by West Brom on 26 April.
"We are absolutely committed to taking West Ham United to new heights and we want to see the club continue on an upward trajectory next season," said West Ham joint-chairmen David Sullivan and David Gold.
"The 2014-15 campaign is crucial to our future and we are confident that Sam has the passion, experience and determination to make sure it is a success." | Sam Allardyce is to carry on as manager at West Ham United, the Premier League club has announced. |
36,398,247 | A review by the Children's Commissioner also found that 13% with life-threatening conditions were not allowed specialist support.
She said the system was "playing Russian roulette" with their health.
NHS England said it was "clearly the case" that services need to expand.
The commissioner obtained data from 48 of England's 60 child and adolescent mental health service trusts, and discovered 28% of child referrals were denied specialist treatment - mostly on the grounds that their illness was not serious enough.
This group included children who had attempted serious self-harm and those with psychosis and anorexia nervosa.
It also found that those who secured treatment faced lengthy delays, with an average waiting time of more than 100 days.
Ellie Fogden, now 19, sought help when she was 16:
I did not become ill immediately at 16. For a number of years, I felt quite down, so to speak. It was constant worrying, pressure from school, and my own body image.
I got to a point where I had had enough. I am waking up every day and I am not wanting to be here.
I self-referred to a local counselling service and I was on a waiting list for about three months and then started sessions. The counsellor was very worried and she referred me to CAMHs.
It took about three to four weeks to get a session. I was in there for about three hours and I was just bombarded with questions.
I wasn't taken seriously enough. Some of the questions were dismissed as - it is not that bad, people have it worse. There was no compassion.
I didn't go back for another CAMHs appointment. It frightened the living daylights out of me.
As I have grown older, it has just gone into a downward spiral where I am currently worse than I was when I was 16, with depression.
Children's Commissioner Anne Longfield told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that she had heard from a "constant stream of children, parents and professionals" about their inability to get help when they really need it.
They go to their GP who refers them to specialists, but the specialists then say their conditions are not serious enough, she said.
"I don't yet know quite why they are being turned away, but certainly being turned away or put on a waiting list for up to six months is clearly playing Russian roulette with their health," she added.
The average waiting time for those accepted for support ranged from 14 days in a trust in north-west England to 200 days at one in the West Midlands.
More than a third of trusts, around 35%, said they would restrict access to services for children who missed appointments.
Ms Longfield said trusts have told her there was "too much demand" for their services.
"There is more awareness, more people coming forward for help," she said.
But Sarah Brennan, from mental health charity Young Minds, said: "Services have been cut and young people had no where to go.
"They are then more ill when they get help so services have become overwhelmed... Six months for a young person is huge and in that time most young people are becoming more ill."
Natasha Devon, formerly the government's mental health champion, said in order to identify problems in the early stages, it was necessary to look at the root causes.
"Anxiety, for example, is the fastest growing illness in under-21s, and we need to look at what's happening to young people - the culture and the society they live in, the pressures that are on them."
James Morris, the Conservative MP who is chair of the all-party group on mental health, acknowledged that problems had been building up in the system over many years and a "fundamental transformation" was required.
"We do need to move towards a more compassionate system for children and young people but the transformation is going to take time," he told the Today programme.
"It's going to require additional investment, better commissioning on the ground."
An NHS England spokesman said: "While the data in this report des not substantiate the conclusions drawn, it is clearly the case that CAMHs services need to expand and the additional £1.4bn pledged will help us to do that."
In March, the Mental Health Network, which represents mental health trusts, said it had seen "no significant investment" in psychiatric services for children in England.
It said it suspects some of the money allocated has been used to support other NHS services instead.
A Department for Health spokesman said: "This investment is just beginning and is creating new joined up plans to improve care in the community and schools to make sure young people get support before they reach a crisis point." | More than a quarter of children referred to mental health services in England in 2015 - including some who had attempted suicide - received no help, a report says. |
25,138,455 | "Sexual harassment is commonplace, girls' appearance is intensively scrutinised and their abilities are undermined," says the report.
The report Equality for Girls is based on a survey of more than 1,200 girls and young women aged seven to 21.
Girlguiding chief executive Julie Bentley called it a "wake-up call".
She said: "This cannot be dismissed as something that girls and young women just have to deal with as they grow up."
Girls needed to live in an equal society if they were to flourish and fulfil their potential to be leaders in all walks of life, added Ms Bentley.
The survey of a representative sample of girls and young women, both Guides and non-Guides, gives "a disturbing insight into the state of equality for girls in the UK", says Girlguiding, which has more than half a million members.
"Girls identified sexism as a priority issue for their generation", with three-quarters saying sexism affected "most areas of their lives", says the report.
Of the 11 to 21-year-olds questioned, some 87% thought women were judged more on their appearance than their ability.
More than a third (36%) of all those surveyed had felt "patronised or made to feel stupid" because of their gender, rising to 60% of the 16 to 21-year-olds.
Most of the 13-year-olds questioned said they had experienced sexual harassment, rising to 80% of 19 to 21-year-olds.
This included being shouted and whistled at, sexual graffiti and pornography, sexual jokes and taunts as well as unwanted sexual attention, unwanted touching and stalking.
More than three-quarters (78%) said they found this behaviour threatening if they were alone.
The girls said there were "clear double standards" for girls and boys when it came to relationships and sex.
Three-quarters (76%) of the 11 to 21-year-olds said girls were judged harshly for sexual behaviour seen as acceptable in boys, with just 3% feeling the opposite.
Most of the 16 to 21-year-olds questioned said they thought too much responsibility was placed on girls for their sexual safety.
The report also talks of bias in the way women are portrayed in the media, with girls and women facing "unprecedented levels of personal and public scrutiny" over body shape".
Of the 11 to 21-year-olds questioned, 75% agreed boys expected girls to look like images they saw in the media, while 71% said they would like to lose weight.
Other challenges are similar to those faced by previous generations, such as overcoming stereotypes and constraints in work and family life, say the authors.
Some 46% of the 11 to 21-year-olds said they feared having children would damage their careers. Most of the 16 to 21-year-olds worried some employers may to some extent prefer to hire men.
The report concludes that despite awareness of the difficulties they face, most girls remain positive, with 55% hoping to get to the top of their chosen profession, 70% wanting to combine a career and motherhood and 11% preferring a career over children.
Lucy Lawrenson, 18, of Girlguiding, said she was "depressed" by the findings.
"Issues that should only be read about in our history books are still common.
"I know because they happen to me, and this can't continue. Something has to change."
Emma Gees, 22, also of Girlguiding, said cultural misconceptions and media stereotypes "deeply ingrained in our culture" were major barriers to equality.
"Equality requires a change in perception and attitudes, not just laws, which is currently the case," she said.
Kelley Temple, National Union of Students women's officer, said the report echoed new NUS research into lad culture at universities.
"It's time decision-makers across the spectrum woke up to the realities of gender inequality," she said.
"We need to take action to tackle this culture within our communities that cuts women out whenever it rears its ugly head."
Girlguiding plans to meet the leaders of the main political parties in the run-up to the general election in 2015 to discuss the findings. | Sexism is so widespread in the UK that it affects "most aspects" of the lives of girls and young women, a report from Girlguiding says. |
33,453,456 | This might lead some teens to underestimate the need for healthier diets and exercise, researchers warn.
But they say there is some good news - most normal-weight teenagers recognised their weight was fine.
The study, funded by the charity Cancer Research UK, appears in the International Journal of Obesity.
Over the last few decades, studies in adults have hinted that fewer people are able to spot when they are overweight.
And scientists speculate that the rising levels of obesity across the population might have "normalised" the idea of being overweight or obese, making it harder to recognise the extra pounds.
But others argue that a constant barrage of media and cultural messages encouraging people to be thin might lead some to overestimate their weight.
To see how this might affect teenagers, the researchers looked at nearly 5,000 adolescents aged between 13 and 15.
They used data collected from the Health Survey for England spanning 2005-2012, which included the following question.
"Given your age and height, would you say that you are about the right weight, too heavy or too light?"
Separately, researchers recorded teenagers' heights and weights and calculated their body mass index - a ratio of weight to height.
Their responses were then compared against categories of BMI.
Eight out of 10 teenagers of normal weight according to the BMI measure, identified themselves as about the right weight.
But there were differences between sexes, with normal-weight girls more likely to consider themselves as too heavy.
And in adolescents whose weight put them in the overweight category, 39% said they were about the right weight.
Researchers say their results bring up challenging questions about how best to tackle weight in teenagers, without causing unnecessary concern in those whose weight is healthy.
Prof Jane Wardle, from the Cancer Research UK Health Behaviour Research Centre at University College London, said: "This study was a cause for celebration and concern.
"Young people who think they're overweight when they're not can sometimes develop devastating eating disorders, so we're delighted that most of the normal-weight teenagers had a realistic view of their body size.
"But we need to find effective ways of helping too-heavy teenagers slim down and maintain a healthier weight, and it is vitally important that we find out whether it helps if they are more aware of their weight status."
Eustace De Sousa, at Public Health England, said a healthy weight could help protect against disease in later life.
He added: "Children and teenagers consume more sugar than anyone else, so cutting back and being more active will help to maintain a healthy weight and protect against developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some cancers later in life." | More than a third of overweight teenagers do not regard themselves as too heavy and think they are about the right weight, a study in England shows. |
35,342,658 | A Birthday Cake for George Washington tells the story of Washington's slave Hercules, a cook, and his daughter.
It had been criticised for its images of smiling slaves, and described as being "highly problematic".
Scholastic said in a statement that without more historical context, the book "may give a false impression of the reality of the lives of slaves".
The book, telling the story of Hercules and Delia making a cake together, had been released on 5 January.
It was met with a barrage of one-star reviews on Amazon, with readers describing it as "disgustingly inaccurate", and one writing: "I can't believe people are celebrating a children's story that depicts happy, joyful slaves."
Scholastic's description of the story had read: "Everyone is buzzing about the president's birthday! Especially George Washington's servants, who scurry around the kitchen preparing to make this the best celebration ever.
"Oh, how George Washington loves his cake! And, oh, how he depends on Hercules, his head chef, to make it for him. Hercules, a slave, takes great pride in baking the president's cake."
Author Ramin Ganeshram and illustrator Vanessa Brantley-Newton had written about the historical context in notes accompanying the story, but were criticised for not having included it in the main narrative.
Trade journal Kirkus said children could be left with a "sorely incomplete understanding of both the protagonists' lives and slavery itself" if adults did not read them the additional material.
Scholastic said in the statement: "While we have great respect for the integrity and scholarship of the author, illustrator, and editor, we believe that, without more historical background on the evils of slavery than this book for younger children can provide, the book may give a false impression of the reality of the lives of slaves and therefore should be withdrawn."
They added that they "do not believe this title meets the standards of appropriate presentation of information to younger children, despite the positive intentions and beliefs of the author, editor, and illustrator."
Ganeshram wrote in a blog post that she had undertaken four years of research and "thought long and hard about each word and depiction".
"How could they be proud to bake a cake for George Washington? The answers to those questions are complex because human nature is complex.
"Bizarrely and yes, disturbingly, there were some enslaved people who had a better quality of life than others and 'close' relationships with those who enslaved them. But they were smart enough to use those 'advantages' to improve their lives."
Editor Andrea Davis Pinkney said in her own blog post on the subject that while "the topic of slavery is one that must be handled with the utmost care", the book "presents an important slice of American history".
She wrote: "A Birthday Cake for George Washington does not take slavery's horror for granted.
"On several occasions, the book comments on slavery, acknowledges it, and offers children and adults who will be sharing the book 'a way in' as they speak to these issues." | A children's picture book about George Washington and his slaves has been pulled by publishers Scholastic. |
36,961,788 | Mr Zewail won the Nobel chemistry prize in 1999 for his pioneering work in femtochemistry, the study of chemical reactions in ultra-short time scales.
A professor at the California Institute of Technology, he was a science advisor to President Obama and the first Arab scientist to win the Nobel Prize.
Mr Zewail became a naturalised American in 1982 after studying there.
No immediate cause of death was given.
In 40 years working at the the California Institute of Technology , he experimented with lasers to monitor chemical reactions at a scale of a femtosecond, which is a millionth of a billionth of a second.
He is also credited with developing a new research field dubbed four-dimensional electron microscopy, which helps capture fleeting processes and turn them into a kind of digital film.
Mr Zewail was appointed US science envoy to the Middle East, and became outspoken on political issues in his native country.
In 2014, he wrote an opinion piece for the Los Angeles Times that urged the US to avoid cutting aid to Egypt after a military coup that ousted the elected president Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood.
He argued that constructive engagement was important in keeping Egypt as a partner in the war on terrorism.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi expressed his condolences over the death, saying the country had lost a son and role model. | The Egyptian-born Nobel-winning scientist Ahmed Zewail has died in the US, aged 70. |
39,988,462 | The McLaren Formula 1 driver produced an impressive performance in his first competitive session on a US oval track.
Alonso is among the 'fast nine' who will dispute pole on Sunday.
Alonso's average speed for his four-lap qualifying run on the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway was 230.034mph.
American Ed Carpenter, who ran later in the day, was fastest at 230.468mph. The shootout for pole is due to begin at 21:00 BST.
The dangers of racing on high-speed American oval tracks were emphasised by a huge accident for former F1 driver Sebastien Bourdais.
The Frenchman was fastest after the first two laps of his four-lap qualifying run but lost control exiting Turn One, smashed head-on into the barriers and rolled before coming to a rest.
IndyCar said in a statement that Bourdais was "awake and alert", had not lost consciousness in the accident and had been taken to Indianapolis Memorial Hospital for evaluation.
Drivers are supposed to get several attempts at setting a time on the first day of qualifying at Indy but a rain storm in the morning delayed running and in the end the session was cut short so that each driver only had one four-lap attempt.
Speaking before the conclusion of the session, Alonso said: "It was intense, definitely. With the weather conditions, we only had this attempt, so that creates a little bit of stress on everyone.
"I think we did OK, and put the laps together but I think there is more to come from the car. We have a little bit more speed than we showed today so hopefully we can put everything together.
"It felt difficult, it felt tricky. You are going very fast, you feel the degradation of the tyres. Lap one and lap four are very different in terms of the balance and you need to keep your concentration very high every corner, every lap.
"I need to keep learning, keep progressing. With this being my first qualifying, I saw there were things I could do differently, the preparation of the tyres, the laps, the consistency of the laps. I am happy with today's performance but I think tomorrow will be better."
Of the Britons, Ed Jones was quickest in 10th place, followed by Max Chilton in 12th, Jay Howard in 22nd, Jack Harvey in 25th and Pippa Mann in 30th.
Qualifying runs over two days this weekend, with Saturday defining the 'fast nine' drivers who compete for pole position on Sunday.
The remaining 24 drivers also qualify again on Sunday, but only to determine the grid positions from 10th to 33rd. Qualifying pace is determined by a driver's average speed over a four-lap run. | Fernando Alonso will compete for pole position at the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday after making it through the first qualifying day seventh fastest. |
29,310,141 | Andrew File, 42, of Sleaford, caused the death of Murielle Vaillant, 57, from Quebec, by driving carelessly on the A701 near Tweedsmuir in May 2012.
His car veered onto the wrong side of the road and hit a hire car driven by Mrs Vaillant's husband, Louis.
Judge Lady Rae told File he had left a family in "deep mourning".
The High Court in Glasgow heard how he had been travelling to Scotland in a Dodge Caliber when the crash took place.
Mr Vaillant, a businessman who lives near Ottawa, was driving south with his wife of 35 years after a visit to St Andrews.
In evidence he said File's car struck his car without warning.
He said he immediately noticed his wife was dead and added: "I touched her face and she was gone."
The crash caused Mr Vaillant's car to leave the road, and it ended up on the verge.
Mrs Vaillant died at the scene.
Her husband then telephoned their son in Canada to tell him what had happened.
He added: "I said to him 'I just had an accident. Your mother's gone.'"
Police officers discovered that File had been driving at speeds of more than 90mph earlier in the day on the motorway between England and Scotland by checking his sat-nav.
They also found that once he drove onto the A701, he was travelling at speeds of more than 70mph.
Defence QC Derek Ogg told the court: "Mr File has no memory of the lead-up to the accident.
"He is devastated and haunted by the accident and has suffered depression and has considered suicide."
He was convicted of causing death by careless driving after a week-long trial.
File had originally faced a charge of causing death by dangerous driving, but a jury convicted him of the lesser charge.
Lady Rae told him: "You have left a family in deep mourning for a mother and wife all because of your irresponsible driving.
"You were driving in excess of the speed limit for some time prior to the crash.
"You went into the opposite carriageway and Mr Vaillant's car left the road and ended up on the verge with his wife dead beside him."
In addition to jailing him, she also banned File from driving for five years. | A Lincolnshire man who denied killing a Canadian tourist in a crash in the Scottish Borders has been jailed for three years. |
35,652,551 | Media playback is not supported on this device
A tight first half was scoreless for 30 minutes until Paddy Jackson's two penalties put Ulster 6-3 up at the break.
Rhys Patchell struck his second penalty to bring Blues level but Craig Gilroy's try put the Ulster back in front.
Patchell combined with Ray Lee-Lo for a fine team score, before Aled Sumerhill touched down to seal victory.
Despite a second successive defeat against Welsh opposition - following their home loss to Scarlets - Ulster stay fourth in the Pro12 table.
The visitors seemed in control at the Arms Park when wing Gilroy ran in unopposed to put them 13-6 in front.
But the Blues responded strongly, camping themselves in their opponents' 22 and reducing their deficit with a third Patchell penalty.
The Wales international fly-half then provided the game's defining moment as he exchanged passes with centre Lee-Lo before touching down for an impressive try.
The Blues demonstrated a similar poise to put the game beyond doubt, capitalising on an overlap for Summerhill to score in the corner.
Cardiff Blues: Dan Fish; Blaine Scully, Aled Summerhill, Rey Lee-Lo, Tom James; Rhys Patchell, Tomos Williams; Brad Thyer, Matthew Rees, Salesi Ma'afu, Jarrad Hoeata, James Down, Josh Turnbull, Ellis Jenkins, Manoa Vosawai.
Replacements: Kristian Dacey, Thomas Davies, Taufa'ao Filise, Macauley Cook, Josh Navidi, Lewis Jones, Jarrod Evans, Garyn Smith.
Ulster: Stuart Olding; Craig Gilroy, Luke Marshall, Sam Arnold, Jacob Stockdale; Paddy Jackson (capt), Ruan Pienaar; Callum Black, John Andrews, Bronson Ross; Peter Browne, Franco van der Merwe; Robbie Diack, Chris Henry, Nick Williams.
Replacements: Jonny Murphy, Kyle McCall, Ricky Lutton, Roger Wilson, Sean Reidy, Paul Marshall, Darren Cave, Rory Scholes.
Referee: John Lacey (IRFU)
Assistant referees: Dan Jones, Gwyn Morris (WRU)
Citing commissioner: John Charles (WRU)
TMO: Jon Mason (WRU) | Cardiff Blues scored two late tries to beat Ulster and dent the visitors' Pro12 play-off hopes. |
36,325,932 | The case concerns the deal underpinning the area's regeneration.
The harbour ultimately owns the land in the area and it is leased to Titanic Quarter Ltd (TQL) under a "master agreement."
On Wednesday, TQL's barrister said the agreement is not written in the "language of veto", but aimed at finding consensus.
TQL has previously said it was having difficulties advancing new projects with Belfast Harbour under the master agreement.
It described these difficulties as "the most significant impediment to the group's future progress".
A temporary exhibition centre was opened at Titanic Quarter last year, but a number of other projects have not been started despite having planning permission.
Those include two film studios which received permission in August 2014.
TQL and the harbour are asking a judge to rule on the correct interpretation of the master agreement.
Under its terms, TQL can bring forward development proposals for agreement with the harbour.
A barrister for the harbour, said his client's only obligation was to consider such proposals in "good faith", but could choose to reject them without explaining why.
He said TQL was attempting to "magic" a limited agreement into "an overarching obligation."
Lawyers for TQL said the firm has never claimed there was a "compulsion" for the harbour to agree.
However, he said that consultation on particular developments should happen with "a view to agreement".
It is understood that TQL also believes the harbour has acted in bad faith by rejecting some projects but the current proceedings do not consider that issue.
The harbour reject the claim of bad faith.
The case continues. | Belfast Harbour has a "veto" over any development in the city's Titanic Quarter, the High Court has been told. |
32,106,237 | As a Singaporean journalist with the BBC, it's been a privilege to cover many stories about my country over the years. But here was probably its biggest story, garnering the most global attention, that I was missing entirely as I spend two weeks working in London. I've had to watch the events of his death unfold, and my fellow Singaporeans grieving from afar.
But my anguish isn't just professional, it is also personal. As a Singaporean growing up in the 1970s and 80s under Lee Kuan Yew, the influence he had on my life and the lives of many millions of Singaporeans has been immense. The story has been told a million times, how with a tight grip on power, he and his team took a small third world country with limited natural resources and turned it one of the world's wealthiest countries per capita in a generation.
But what was it like growing up as that transformation took place?
Even as children, we were aware of the constant change, not just externally, with the nation's skyline, its factories and rivers, but also internally. Campaigns spearheaded by Mr Lee's government sought to micromanage our behaviour. From courtesy to anti-spitting campaigns, Singaporeans were taught from a young age how to be compliant.
When we were older, we were told how many children we should have and even whom to marry. As graduates, you were encouraged to marry someone with the same level of education, to make real Mr Lee's vision of social engineering and becoming a nation producing smarter babies.
Watching the thousands throng the streets - first to show their respects to his coffin at Parliament House and then to watch his funeral motorcade go by in a tropical downpour - made me think at first that here at work was the same thing: compliance, from a nation so accustomed to doing as he said. The alternative often meant being sued, or thrown into detention without trial. Most Singaporeans traded up personal freedoms for economic success.
But here at work was something more. Tears and emotions were high, not just in Singapore but for the many Singaporeans living overseas. My extended family, many of whom have emigrated to the US and Canada, spent days debating his legacy on our family group on WhatsApp. If he was having that impact on them, years after they left their country, imagine what sort of influence his death still wielded on many millions more.
It's hard to put in words the effect he had. For many, including myself, it was a love-hate relationship. Love for the immense transformation his governance brought to Singapore. How it's now admired as a nation to be emulated by giants such as India, which has Singapore building a new city for it, and China, which had President Xi Jinping dispatching generals to live there to study its model of governance. Being Singaporean makes me hold my orange-red passport proud at immigration lines worldwide.
But hate for the way his executed the transformation, depriving many of free speech, a two-party state, their native Chinese dialects and, if you were a man, the freedom to wear your hair long, get out of military conscription and love a member of the same sex. And then there's the ban on chewing gum that many foreigners seem to delight in pointing out.
Mr Lee's influence spanned well over the 31 years that he actually governed. As a senior minister and then "minister mentor" - titles he took after standing down as prime minister in 1990 - his counsel was regularly sought by Singapore's next generation of leaders, including the current leader, his son, Lee Hsien Loong.
Such a cult of personality has been built around Lee Kuan Yew's intelligence and vision that continuing on as a successful nation almost seems impossible without him.
It's made me nervous about the Singapore I shall find when I return, stepping through the comfortable gates of Changi Airport in a little over a week's time. A Singapore without Lee Kuan Yew. | Watching the reaction to Lee Kuan Yew's death from overseas has been a surreal and difficult experience. |
21,870,801 | Cyprus's banks, which have been shut all week to prevent mass withdrawals, are to stay closed until next Tuesday.
Politicians have been scrambling to find a way forward after an unpopular levy on bank deposits was rejected by parliament on Tuesday.
The European Central Bank has warned it may halt emergency funding on Monday.
The tax on bank deposits, which provoked street protests, is required for a 10bn-euro (£8.5bn; $13bn) EU-IMF loan.
"A decision on a Cyprus rescue must be made on Thursday at the latest," said President Nicos Anastasiades, quoted by the official CNA news agency.
Mr Anastasiades is putting a proposal to party leaders. It is then expected to go before parliament in the afternoon, according to CNA.
State TV said the plan might include a levy on bank deposits over 100,000 euros.
The previous proposals had also included a levy on deposits between 20,000 and 100,000 euros, which had outraged many Cypriots.
The new plan is also reported to involve nationalising pension funds.
Adding to the pressure, the European Central Bank (ECB) has warned that it will continue providing emergency funding for Cypriot banks until Monday, but no longer - unless there is a bailout deal to ensure that the banks can be made financially viable.
One official told the Associated Press that the new Cypriot plan would include "some form" of Russian help, but did not elaborate.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has scorned the eurozone's bailout plan for Cyprus, accusing EU leaders of behaving "like a bull in a china shop".
In Moscow on Thursday he told European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso that all interested parties, including Russia, should be included in a deal for Cyprus.
The Cypriot Finance Minister Michalis Sarris is in Moscow for a second day to negotiate assistance from Russia, which has multi-billion dollar investments in Cyprus.
Mr Sarris said after talks on Wednesday with Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov that there had been "no offers, nothing concrete," but "a good beginning".
Cyprus has attracted money through its low tax rates, with Russians holding between a third and a half of all Cypriot deposits.
By Gavin HewittEurope editor
Cyprus: Mounting EU pressure
Russian private and corporate assets in Cypriot banks are believed to total about 23bn euro, including many larger deposits, and Russian officials had expressed anger at the bank levy plans.
Analysts say Russia may provide more funding in return for interests in Cyprus' offshore energy fields.
The controversial bank levy had been proposed as a condition for the 10bn-euro bailout. Cyprus was expected to raise 5.8bn euros through the one-off tax on bank savings.
In total Cyprus has been told to find 7bn euros, to make the international loan sustainable for its small economy. In addition to the 5.8bn, Cyprus has to get revenue from privatisations, a capital gains tax increase and a 2.5% increase in the corporate tax rate, currently at 10%, to bring in a total of 7bn euros.
Monday 25 March is a scheduled bank holiday in Cyprus, and Thursday and Friday have now also been declared bank holidays. The stock exchange also remains closed.
Bank mergers, a bond issue, and more Russian funding have all been mentioned as ways to help the country out of the crisis.
Sources: Cypriot government, Kretyk, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies
One offer of help has come from Cyprus's Orthodox Church, which is a major shareholder in the third-largest domestic lender, the Hellenic Bank.
Archbishop Chrysostomos I said on Wednesday the Church was willing to mortgage its assets to invest in government bonds.
The establishment of a "bad bank" which would take on risky assets held by Cypriot banks has also been mentioned by officials.
The BBC's Mark Lowen, in Nicosia, says Cyprus is a resilient nation and the banks are still giving out cash through machines - although with limits, and some are running low.
Some businesses are now refusing credit card payments, our correspondent reports.
On Wednesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she regretted but respected the Cypriot vote.
She said the eurozone had a duty to find a solution for Cyprus, but added that the country's current banking system was "not sustainable".
Cyprus' banks were left exposed following the debt crisis in Greece and there are fears Cyprus could go bankrupt if they fail.
The bank levy plan was altered on Tuesday to exempt savers with less than 20,000 euros, but a 6.75% charge on deposits of 20,000-100,000 euros and a 9.9% charge for those above 100,000 euros remained.
However, parliament rejected the deal, with 36 MPs voting against it, 19 abstaining and none in favour. | The president of Cyprus is meeting political leaders to hammer out a "Plan B" to shore up debt-laden banks - a condition for securing a huge bailout. |
35,628,170 | The protest on 9 February was over the 2013 hanging of Kashmiri man Mohammed Afzal Guru and allegedly saw the chanting of anti-India slogans.
Police arrested JNU student union head Kanhaiya Kumar on sedition charges but also named five other organisers.
The arrest led to protests and clashes in Delhi and universities across India.
Government ministers have refused to back down and vowed to punish what they describe as "anti-national elements", but critics condemned the charges as an assault on freedom of expression.
The five students - named as Umar Khalid, Anirban Bhattacharya, Ashutosh Kumar, Anant Prakash Narayan, Riyazul Haq and Rama Naga - went missing after they were named by police.
They returned to campus late on Sunday night and addressed other students holding a vigil, reports said.
A section of the media had accused Umar Khalid of having links with the Pakistan-based Islamist militant group Jaish-e-Mohammad, although the government later denied the reports.
"...I'm not a terrorist. I have never projected myself as a Muslim while doing politics on campus. I always tried to see exploitation of Muslims along with the exploitation faced by Dalits, tribals and others," Mr Khalid told a gathering.
After news of the students return, police turned up at the JNU campus, Press Trust of India said, but reports say they need permission from university authorities to enter and arrest the students.
At one of Mr Kumar's court appearances, he was set upon by a group of lawyers, an act which further inflamed public opinion.
The protests triggered by the arrest and treatment of Mr Kumar spread far and wide with students from the southern city of Chennai (Madras) and in the eastern city of Kolkata (Calcutta) involved in violent clashes.
Afzal Guru was executed over a 2001 plot to attack India's parliament - charges he always denied. The attack was carried out by Kashmiri militants and left 14 people dead.
His 2013 hanging sparked protests in Kashmir, and he was seen as a martyr and a symbol of perceived injustice. But many of India's politicians were angered when reports surfaced of anti- India slogans chanted at the protest held to mark his execution.
Correspondents say there has been a sharp rise in the number of sedition cases in recent years and many students see the latest moves as an attack on their right to dissent. | Five Indian students facing charges of sedition after organising a protest at Delhi's prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), have resurfaced. |
36,998,747 | Shahram Amiri was executed for giving "vital information to the enemy", a judiciary spokesman said.
Amiri disappeared in Saudi Arabia in 2009 and resurfaced a year later in the US, where he claimed to have been abducted and interrogated by the CIA.
He subsequently returned to Iran and was given a long prison sentence.
News of his execution emerged on Saturday, when Amiri's mother said the body had been handed over with rope marks around his neck.
On Sunday a spokesman for Iranian judiciary, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, told reporters: "Through his connection with the United States, Amiri gave vital information about the country to the enemy,"
Amiri, who was born in 1977, went missing after taking a pilgrimage to Mecca.
After reappearing in the US in 2010, he said he had been kidnapped and put under "intense psychological pressure to reveal sensitive information".
However US officials at the time said Amiri had defected of his own accord and provided "useful information".
He initially returned to Tehran to a hero's welcome, but was later arrested and tried for treason.
Iran has long been suspected of seeking to develop nuclear weapons - an allegation it denies, saying it is pursuing civilian nuclear energy.
In January, Tehran reached a deal with foreign powers to curb its nuclear programme in return for the lifting of crippling economic sanctions. | An Iranian scientist who provided the US with information about the country's nuclear programme has been hanged for treason, the government has confirmed. |
34,899,411 | Shred 3 was made by Cut Media over the last two winters.
Ski-Scotland, which promotes snowsports tourism, hopes the short film will draw more visitors to ski centres such as The Lecht, Glenshee and Nevis Range.
Since being uploaded to YouTube in October last year, The Ridge, which was shot on Skye, has been viewed more than 39 million times.
Heather Negus, of Ski-Scotland, said: "We have been stunned by how well the impressive aerial footage of dramatic snow-covered landscapes captures just how immense and challenging Scotland's snowsports areas can be.
"It also shows what a great place this is for kids and adults learning to ski or trying their first tricks and jumps.
"Our aim is to inspire skiers and snowboarders to head for Scotland's slopes rather than overseas, perhaps for the first time, and to show what a great, fun activity they have right on their doorstep."
Macaskill returned to his home turf of the Isle of Skye to make The Ridge.
The Scot took a bike on to the Cuillin Ridge, including to the top of the challenging rock formation known as the Inaccessible Pinnacle. | The makers of street trials rider Danny Macaskill's film The Ridge have shot a promotional video for Ski-Scotland. |
27,142,843 | The male bird, which was raised in a nest in Fife last year, was fitted with a satellite tag before it could fly.
Police have made searches of Aberdeenshire's North Glenbuchat Estate where the eagle was last tracked to.
The owners of the North Glenbuchat estate are yet to respond to inquiries from BBC Scotland.
Police officers have spent the day searching property on the estate.
A Police Scotland spokesman said: "We are concerned for the welfare of a white tailed eagle and enquiries are ongoing to locate the bird.
"Around April 10, 2014, we became aware that the bird was missing from the Glenbuchat area of Strathdon as there were no further recordings from its transmitter.
"There is concern for the welfare of this very rare bird.
"As a result searches have been carried out in the area on both land and within premises."
In recent years, several satellite tagged golden eagles have also disappeared in the Strathdon area.
In 2011, the body of one of the birds was recovered at Glenbuchat. Tests showed it had been poisoned.
RSPB Scotland's Head of Investigations, Ian Thomson, said: "The disappearance of this white tailed eagle is very depressing, and particularly so since it joins a list of other satellite-tagged eagles that have vanished on the grouse moors of upper Donside in the last few years.
"It is significant that the only carcass found was that of an illegally poisoned golden eagle back in 2011.
"A police follow-up to that incident, on this same estate, found a poison bait, a poisoned buzzard and a shot short-eared owl.
"Four other satellite-tagged golden eagles have disappeared in the same area, without trace or further transmissions from the tag, in the last five years. This area has become a black hole for eagles".
In 2006, the then head gamekeeper on the North Glenbuchat Estate, Hector McNeil, was fined £850 at Aberdeen Sheriff Court after being convicted of poisoning wild birds and possessing an illegal pesticide.
In June last year, BBC Scotland revealed police were investigating the alleged destruction of a white tailed eagle nest in Angus.
It was thought to be the first nest to be built by white tailed eagles in the east of the country, following a reintroduction programme.
Police Scotland have asked anyone who was in the Glenbuchat area around 10 April and who may have any information to contact them by dialling 101.
The last British white-tailed eagle was shot in Shetland in 1918.
Since the 1970s, the species has been reintroduced to the west coast of Scotland.
Over the past six years, the focus has switched to bringing back the bird on Scotland's east coast.
More than 80 birds, taken from nests in Norway, have been released from a secret location in Fife.
The reintroduction project is run by RSPB Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage and Forestry Commission Scotland.
It has cost £452,000 to date, with funding coming from the RSPB, SNH and the Heritage Lottery Fund. | Police have searched an estate after the disappearance of the first white-tailed sea eagle to be raised in the east of Scotland in almost 200 years. |
39,223,218 | Cleveland Police said they are no longer looking for two men over the alleged attack in Redcar on Friday.
A spokeswoman said inquiries are ongoing into an allegation of rape involving people who may have been known to each other.
One man was arrested but later released without charge.
It had been reported that the woman aged in her 30s and her child were abducted by two men from Redcar seafront at lunchtime on Friday.
The force said the pair were driven about four miles to Longbeck Lane, near Yearby, where the woman was allegedly raped by both men.
A spokeswoman said: "Officers have established that the circumstances surrounding a report of rape are not as first reported."
Officers are still keen to speak to anyone who may have seen a woman with a toddler between the area of Roseberry Road and Larkswood Road in Redcar between 14:00 GMT and 18:00 - or anyone with private CCTV footage covering the area. | An allegation of a woman being bundled into a car and raped in front of her toddler is "not as first reported", police say. |
39,643,554 | Scottish Chambers of Commerce (SCC) found profitability and cash flow continued to be "challenging", while pressure on prices was high.
However, there was a mixed picture in terms of firms' optimism.
It was in negative territory in retail and wholesale and tourism, but finance and business services had the most positive outlook since the end of 2014.
SCC's quarterly economic indicator suggested tourism sales revenues fell across the board for the second consecutive quarter, despite an increase in customer numbers. Investment and employment also declined over the quarter.
More than a third (36%) of retail and wholesale businesses reported falling optimism, with declines in cash flow, sales employment, profitability and capacity.
The construction sector reported a slight weakening in performance, with optimism falling to its lowest level since the third quarter of 2014.
Despite this, a quarter of the construction firms who responded said they were hiring staff, although they continued to face recruitment difficulties.
The financial and business services sector reported its highest levels of optimism since the final quarter of 2014.
The report suggested this could reflect the fact that more than a third of oil and gas businesses were now more positive about the future.
Meanwhile, the manufacturing sector reported growing optimism after a mixed year in 2016.
Domestic orders and sales revenues were flat but firms said their performance had been boosted by strong export sales.
The report also found positive signs for jobs in manufacturing, with about 87% of respondents indicating employment had either increased or remained the same over the quarter.
However, 45.5% reported difficulties in recruiting, particularly technical/skilled staff.
SCC economic advisory group chairman Neil Amner said the political situation with Brexit, a general election and moves for a second Scottish independence referendum were creating "uncertainty".
He added: "As we approach a general election, we expect the political parties to pledge targeted tax cuts, potentially including a temporary cut in VAT, in order to bolster consumer demand."
A total of 470 firms responded to the the survey, which was carried out in conjunction with the Fraser of Allander Institute between 20 February and 13 March. | Scotland's economy remained "subdued" in the first quarter of the year, according to a survey of businesses. |
33,013,388 | She was struck by a grey Hyundai at Irvine Park in the town shortly after 17:00 BST on Thursday.
A spokesperson for the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service said two off-duty nurses tried to help the girl, along with paramedics.
She was taken to the Ulster hospital by ambulance but died from her injuries.
The driver of the car is helping the police with their inquiries.
Police have appealed for witnesses to contact them on the non-emergency number 101. | A girl who died after she was hit by a car in Bangor, County Down, has been named as five-year-old Katie Grace Bogle. |
35,048,293 | The Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand, which hosted Glyn Davies' talk, confirmed it is assisting authorities in their probe.
In it, Mr Davies expressed concern about the long jail sentences for violating the lese majeste law.
Those convicted of insulting the king, queen, heir or regent face up to 15 years in jail on each count.
Two people were recently given sentences of 28 and 30 years each for comments posted on Facebook.
Mr Davies' speech on 25 November at the club's premises in Bangkok touched on a broad range of topics, including King Bhumibol Adulyadej, whom he praised.
He said the US was concerned about the "lengthy and unprecedented prison sentences handed down by military courts" in lese majeste cases, and stated the US view that no-one should be jailed for peacefully expressing their views.
Mr Davies has diplomatic immunity from arrest. The Bangkok Post quoted a police spokesman as confirming that the authorities could not proceed with any legal action against the ambassador. But Thailand can rescind his diplomatic credentials.
The ambassador had only arrived in Thailand in October to take up the post.
A spokesman for the US embassy in Bangkok told the BBC that it was preparing a response on the matter.
Prosecutions under the law have soared since the military coup in 2014, with about 100 people charged. Critics say the law has been used suppress dissent.
Another ambassador in hot water with the Thai authorities is British envoy Mark Kent, over a tweet he posted three days ago.
In it, he contrasted the military government's tolerance of protests outside the US embassy against Glyn Davies by ultra-royalists with the detention of dozens of activists heading to protest at a military-built park glorifying Thailand's monarchy, which has been tainted by a corruption scandal.
"It is disappointing that the ambassador took a position that has supported a group that has often broken the law and disrespected judicial processes," government spokesman Maj Gen Werachon Sukondhapatipak said.
The foreign ministry says it was studying the British ambassador's comments to determine whether he should be summoned to receive a formal complaint. | The US ambassador to Thailand is being investigated for royal defamation over a speech he made in November. |
30,272,402 | Direct services from Liverpool to Manchester Airport were cancelled.
There was also disruption between Preston and Hazel Grove, Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Victoria, and Southport and Manchester Airport.
Services were restored late on Monday afternoon, Northern Rail said. | Vandals cut signalling cables overnight in the Salford Crescent area causing severe disruption to trains between Manchester and Liverpool. |
35,636,117 | The object, which proved to be a piece of non-explosive military equipment, was spotted at 15:30 in Deans Industrial Estate in Livingston.
A police spokesman said: "The Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit were contacted to safely dispose of the item.
"It was later found to be an inert training device."
The spokesman added: "The local community is thanked for their patience. | A bomb disposal team was called out to an industrial estate in West Lothian after reports of an unexploded land mine being found in a skip. |
19,900,296 | Just 8.3 seconds after San Marino kicked off their World Cup qualifier with England on 17 November 1993, Stuart Pearce's under-hit backpass allowed Gualtieri to nip in and prod the minnows into the most unlikely of leads.
"I will never forget that moment," Gualtieri told BBC Sport. "I had dreamt about it but I never thought it would happen. It was so hard for us to score against anybody, let alone a team as big as England."
"The stage is set for England's last and decisive match in this World Cup qualifying group. England in red, San Marino in blue, England needing to win by a seven-goal margin and hope that Poland can do them a favour in Poznan against Holland. [Whistle sounds to start game.] I'm sure you're aware now what's at stake. And Nicola Bacciocchi the number nine picks the ball up straight away and San Marino launch the first attack, oh and a mistake by Stuart Pearce and San Marino have scored. I don't believe this."
When I spoke to him this week, Taylor could not remember the name of the player who inflicted on him the final ignominy of his time as national manager, but he did not need reminding that the goal remains the fastest scored in a World Cup match - qualifiers or finals.
With for the first meeting between the two nations since, I felt slightly guilty asking Taylor to relive some of the agony it involved - although it clearly hurt him a lot more at the time.
Taylor told me: "When the ball went into the net, I looked up towards the sky and just said quietly to myself 'god, please tell me what I have done wrong'.
"I can laugh about it now because that is a true story. Normally I would accept responsibility for every result, and every goal but, I mean, we were eight seconds into the game. I knew we would go on and win but you think to yourself 'what the hell is happening here?'
"His name hasn't stuck in my memory but I can picture the goal as I'm talking to you now. I can see Stuart and David Seaman and the San Marino player slipping in and putting it into the net. I can see it happening, but I still can't stop it!
"Good luck to the guy, though. I wish him well."
England went on to win 7-1 in what was Taylor's last game in charge, with Ian Wright scoring four goals. But it was a hollow victory.
To reach USA '94, England had been left needing to win their final game of a calamitous campaign by seven goals and hope Poland beat the Netherlands. The score at half-time in Poznan was 1-1 but Dennis Bergkamp put the Dutch ahead before the hour mark and Ronald de Boer's late goal extinguished all hope.
Back in Bologna's Stadio Renato Dall'Ara, where San Marino played their home games, England were by now well on their way to a one-sided victory but the mood was bleak.
"Nearly everyone in the ground was following what was going on in Holland's match," Taylor added. "In fact, it was difficult to stop people telling you what was happening.
"So there wasn't any enjoyment to be had from our game. We had beaten San Marino 6-0 at Wembley so we put 13 goals past them in total but we had still only done what people expected and, of course, we knew the Dutch had won too so we were out no matter how many we scored.
"It was a very hard trip and one of the worst aspects of it was that we flew back to Luton Airport and had to fight our way through the press and photographers.
"We had no security and no-one to meet us and we had to get our luggage and fight our way to our cars on our own. You wouldn't have that now - it's a completely different world.
"I was pushing against the photographers who were deliberately getting in the way of the trolley in the hope I would stop, but I kept pushing. I think I caught a few shins that day but, to tell you the truth, I was quite happy to because cameras were being shoved pretty much into my face."
Taylor resigned six days later. Things were turning out rather more happily for Gualtieri, meanwhile, who got Pearce's shirt as a souvenir at the final whistle but did not speak to any of the England players because "they were all a bit angry".
Gualtieri did not find out his goal was a world record until journalists told him after the game, and he did not realise he had made the front page of several British newspapers until he was sent a copy of the Daily Mirror, with the headline "End of the world" and his picture on it.
England team: David Seaman; Lee Dixon, Gary Pallister, Des Walker, Stuart Pearce; Stuart Ripley, Paul Ince, David Platt, Andy Sinton; Ian Wright, Les Ferdinand.
England scorers: Ince (21 mins), Wright (34), Ferdinand (38), Wright (46), Ince (63), Wright (78), Wright (90).
He has had plenty of attention since then, too, including more than 270,000 views of his goal on YouTube. Gualtieri, who also owns a video of the game, last watched it about six months ago but he is expecting it to get plenty more viewings this week.
Now 41 and a computer salesman in San Marino with a lot less hair than he had in 1993, he does not speak any English but, with his wife Caterina translating, I asked him how he became aware of what turned out to be an enduring fame - and a particular popularity with Scotland supporters.
Tales that Scottish fans paid for his drinks on a night out when they came over for a European Championship qualifier against San Marino a couple of years later turned out to be an invention, but Gualtieri's brother did benefit from some Caledonian hospitality.
"Over here, nobody really knew what was going on but in England there was a big fuss," Gualtieri explained.
"Even now, some fans from around the world are always coming into my shop with pictures of me and shirts for me to sign.
"And, when my brother went to Scotland on holiday, they found out who he was and bought him drinks and a meal too. But that was my brother, not me."
When I ask him which player he used to compare himself to, Gualtieri describes himself with a laugh as "a poor man's Roberto Baggio". But, despite only ever being a part-time player, he is a full-time member of footballing folklore, and will stay that way even if his record is eventually broken. | It is almost 19 years since Davide Gualtieri scored the goal that still has people asking him for his autograph - and left Graham Taylor wondering whether his time as England manager really was cursed. |
36,149,544 | The prolific 25-year-old leads the scoring charts with 38 goals in 48 club appearances this season.
Dundee forwards Greg Stewart and Kane Hemmings are also in the running for the players' union prize, with the latter having notched 25 goals.
Aberdeen winger Jonny Hayes makes up the four-man shortlist, with the winner announced on 1 May.
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Griffiths, whose previous best tally for a season was 28 for Hibernian in 2012-13, admits the shine has been taken off his own achievements by Celtic's failure to progress in Europe or reach a domestic cup final.
"It has been the best season of my career," he said. "I can't really complain with 38 goals and hopefully there is still a lot more to come. I got myself back in the Scotland side, which was good, and hopefully I can add another league title to my collection.
"It is nice to get individual awards but collectively as a team it has been disappointing. The European competitions weren't great, or going out of the cup competitions (in the semi-finals). But we can still make history by getting five titles in a row."
Celtic left-back Kieran Tierney is nominated in the young player category.
The 18-year-old has become a regular in the defending champions' starting line-up this season and won his first Scotland cap in March.
"It has been mad for me to come all this way," he said. "Last season I made one or two appearances and I thought I would be in and out this season and maybe play in the cup games.
"But the manager has put great faith in me and I am very grateful. He has put me into some big European games and big league games, so credit to him for trusting a young boy like me."
Tierney faces competition from a trio of Championship players - Rangers winger Barrie McKay and Hibernian duo John McGinn and Jason Cummings.
Celtic players have dominated the top prize in recent times, collecting eight of the past 10 awards, with Stefan Johansen winning the vote last year.
No Dundee player has ever won the accolade since its inception in 1978. | Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths is among the contenders for PFA Scotland's Player of the Year award. |
29,376,097 | The 29-year-old is one of the original members of pop trio Sugababes and more recently of girl group MKS.
She is the latest star to be declared bankrupt by a court after being chased for an unpaid tax bill earlier this month.
Buena's comeback project, MKS, was launched last year with her original Sugababes band members, Siobhan Donaghy, Keisha Buchanan.
But their first single, Flatline, as a reunited trio didn't enter the top 50 in the Official Singles Chart.
They haven't released any music since.
It's thought Buena boosts her income with PR appearances and modelling.
Sugababes formed in 1998 with founding members Siobhan Donaghy, Mutya Buena and Keisha Buchanan.
Their debut album, One Touch, achieved moderate success peaking at number 26 in April 2001.
Donaghy left the group after rumours of a rift with Buchanan and the group were dropped by their record label.
With the introduction of Heidi Range, the group began to experience more commercial success.
They released three studio albums before Buena announced her departure in December 2005, leading to Amelle Berrabah being brought in to replace her.
Mutya Buena is the latest in a line of pop stars who have struggled financially.
Blue band members Duncan James, Simon Webbe, Antony Costa have all filed for bankruptcy as have Westlife singer Shane Filan, S Club 7 singers Jo O'Meara and Paul Cattermole and Fazer from N-Dubz.
Kerry Katona from Atomic Kitten has been declared bankrupt twice.
Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube | Mutya Buena has been declared bankrupt by a High Court judge. |
38,940,110 | Forest spurned a great chance to lead when Ross McCormack's penalty was saved by goalkeeper Keiren Westwood.
Home fans were furious Westwood was not sent off for fouling Ben Brereton and the anger was compounded as the Owls took control through Almen Abdi's 25-yarder and Fernando Forestieri's shot.
Ben Osborn's shot gave hope but Forest could not avoid a third straight loss.
Wednesday's win sees them go level on points with Yorkshire rivals Leeds United and takes them seven points clear in the final play-off spot following Norwich City's defeat at Burton.
But Forest were with a strong sense of injustice after seeing their 100% home record come to an end under interim boss Gary Brazil.
A bright home start looked like being rewarded when the impressive Brereton ran on to McCormack's pass.
However, Westwood's foul was only deemed worthy of a yellow card and within two minutes Abdi's stunning long-range effort put the Owls ahead.
Forest, who slip to 18th, enjoyed some decent spells of possession after falling further behind early in the second half.
But although more good work by teenage striker Brereton teed up Osborn to bring hope, they could not fashion a telling opening in a cagey final 30 minutes.
Nottingham Forest interim boss Gary Brazil:
"The rules say that he [Westwood] should not be sent off now, so there is no point in moaning about it.
"But it is critical moments in games that decide whether you take three points, so it was tough for us. Not only to see us not score from the penalty - and we are not being critical of Ross, because he did not fail to score on purpose - but then to see them go down the other end of the pitch and score with a shot right into the 'postage stamp'.
"When that happens you can't help but feel a sense of injustice, just because of the timing of it all. And seeing the opposition score with another great finish like that is getting a bit repetitive, isn't it?
"I thought the second goal was soft however, because Forestieri had his back to goal and seeing him get the ball in the net from there was very disappointing.
"We should have guided him away from goal. We did manage to get a goal back and Ben Brereton was a threat throughout - we just could not find an equaliser."
Sheffield Wednesday manager Carlos Carvalhal: "It was a difficult game, but we deserved the win.
"There were big moments in the game that were very important. One was when they missed the penalty and the other was when we scored a few minutes later.
"Even when Forest scored a goal, it was a mistake from us. We did not allow Forest to create too many chances, we were calm and the keeper did not have too many saves to make.
"I have said in the past that a good goalkeeper is not one who has to make 20 saves in a game - because our opponents do not create many chances against us.
"A good goalkeeper is one who makes saves when he has to; when the team needs him to. Kieren is a fantastic goalkeeper and when the team needs him, he is there."
Match ends, Nottingham Forest 1, Sheffield Wednesday 2.
Second Half ends, Nottingham Forest 1, Sheffield Wednesday 2.
Daniel Fox (Nottingham Forest) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Daniel Fox (Nottingham Forest).
Sam Winnall (Sheffield Wednesday) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Ben Osborn (Nottingham Forest) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Steven Fletcher (Sheffield Wednesday).
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Steven Fletcher (Sheffield Wednesday) because of an injury.
David Vaughan (Nottingham Forest) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Ross Wallace (Sheffield Wednesday).
Substitution, Sheffield Wednesday. Sam Winnall replaces Fernando Forestieri.
Offside, Nottingham Forest. Mustapha Carayol tries a through ball, but Britt Assombalonga is caught offside.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Sam Hutchinson (Sheffield Wednesday) because of an injury.
Attempt missed. Glenn Loovens (Sheffield Wednesday) header from the centre of the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Barry Bannan with a cross following a corner.
Corner, Sheffield Wednesday. Conceded by Joe Worrall.
Substitution, Sheffield Wednesday. Steven Fletcher replaces Jordan Rhodes.
Foul by Pajtim Kasami (Nottingham Forest).
Fernando Forestieri (Sheffield Wednesday) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Jack Hunt (Sheffield Wednesday) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Mustapha Carayol (Nottingham Forest) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Jack Hunt (Sheffield Wednesday).
Attempt blocked. Adam Reach (Sheffield Wednesday) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Barry Bannan.
Substitution, Sheffield Wednesday. Ross Wallace replaces Almen Abdi.
Substitution, Nottingham Forest. Pajtim Kasami replaces Matthew Cash.
David Vaughan (Nottingham Forest) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Adam Reach (Sheffield Wednesday).
Attempt missed. Ben Brereton (Nottingham Forest) header from the left side of the six yard box is close, but misses the top right corner. Assisted by Daniel Pinillos with a cross.
Foul by Joe Worrall (Nottingham Forest).
Fernando Forestieri (Sheffield Wednesday) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Hand ball by Almen Abdi (Sheffield Wednesday).
Offside, Nottingham Forest. Daniel Fox tries a through ball, but Matthew Cash is caught offside.
Goal! Nottingham Forest 1, Sheffield Wednesday 2. Ben Osborn (Nottingham Forest) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Ben Brereton.
Attempt missed. Jack Hunt (Sheffield Wednesday) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left.
Substitution, Nottingham Forest. Mustapha Carayol replaces Ross McCormack.
Substitution, Nottingham Forest. Britt Assombalonga replaces Jamie Ward.
Jamie Ward (Nottingham Forest) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Jamie Ward (Nottingham Forest).
Fernando Forestieri (Sheffield Wednesday) wins a free kick in the attacking half. | Sheffield Wednesday resisted a spirited Nottingham Forest fightback to earn a fourth consecutive Championship win. |
35,491,180 | In 2013, 284 out of every 100,000 people died from cancer. In 2003, it was 312. Improvements in diagnosis and treatment are thought to be the reason.
The death rate for men fell 12% and for women by 8%, narrowing the gender gap.
But the actual number of cancer deaths rose - from 155,000 in 2003 to 162,000 in 2013 - as more people live longer and develop the disease in old age.
"The population is growing, and more of us are living longer," Cancer Research UK chief executive Sir Harpal Kumar said.
Almost half of all the cancer deaths in 2013 were from lung, bowel, breast or prostate cancer.
Although the combined death rate for these four cancers had dropped by about 11% over the past 10 years, some other cancers, such as liver and pancreatic, had increased death rates.
Sir Harpal said: "Too many people are still being diagnosed with and dying from cancer, not just here in the UK but around the world."
He said CRUK was focusing research on how to achieve earlier diagnosis and manage hard-to-treat cancers.
"Our scientists are developing new tests, surgical and radiotherapy techniques, and drugs," he said.
"It's important to celebrate how much things have improved, but also to renew our commitment to saving the lives of more cancer patients."
Cancer Research UK compiled the cancer death rate data, which was taken from cancer registries in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. | Cancer death rates in the UK have fallen by about 10% in the past 10 years, the latest figures show. |
33,295,813 | CalMac said it expected all its routes to run on Saturday, although there have been some changes to timetables.
The strike by RMT union members followed a two-day work to rule.
The dispute centres on concerns that Clyde and Hebrides ferry routes could be taken over by private firm Serco.
CalMac managed to operate about nine of its 27 routes on Saturday despite the strike by RMT members, who make up half of the company's workforce.
Further talks aimed at ending the dispute, which was triggered by the Scottish government's tendering process for the contract to run the Clyde and Hebrides ferry network, are due to be held in London next week.
CalMac is facing a challenge from Serco to renew the contract.
Serco already runs the Northlink ferries to Orkney and Shetland and the Caledonian Sleeper overnight rail service from Scotland to London.
Scottish ministers have said they are forbidden by EU competition regulations from favouring one bid over another, and that breaking the law would open them up to an expensive legal challenge and potential fines.
But union leaders have said that if Serco won the contract it would mean the privatisation of Clyde and Hebrides ferry services.
The RMT has asked that the government guarantees in the new contract that compulsory redundancies do not happen and existing terms and conditions are continued regardless of who wins the contract.
The Scottish government has called on both sides to show "common sense" by finding a solution to the dispute in order to prevent further disruption to island communities. | Ferry services on the west coast of Scotland are returning to normal after a 24-hour strike by Caledonian MacBrayne staff on Friday caused two thirds of its services to be cancelled. |
39,994,827 | The 24-year-old, who has 34 England caps, had been managing the injury but it now requires further treatment.
He has been replaced by Wasps back row James Haskell, who will join the squad after the Premiership final on 27 May.
"We really appreciate Billy's honesty in making this decision," Lions head coach Warren Gatland said.
Vunipola returned to the international setup in March for the Six Nations after a four-month lay off with a knee injury.
He played for Saracens in their Premiership semi-final defeat by Exeter on Saturday and appeared to be in pain during the match, receiving medical treatment on a couple of occasions.
"Billy has been carrying an injury and feels he wouldn't be able to contribute fully to the Tour and needs further medical treatment," Gatland added.
"We have called up James to the squad and look forward to welcoming him into camp before we depart."
The Lions play their first match of the New Zealand tour on 3 June.
Scrum-half Ben Youngs withdrew from the Lions squad at the start of May after his brother's wife learned that she is terminally ill.
BBC rugby union reporter Chris Jones
This is potentially as serious an injury blow as the Lions could have suffered.
Man of the match in the recent Champions Cup final against Clermont, a fully fit and in-form Vunipola would have walked into the Lions Test team.
James Haskell is deserving of his call-up - while in Taulupe Faletau there is a classy operator at number eight - but for the Lions to somehow beat New Zealand, they can ill-afford injury setbacks such as this. | England and Saracens number eight Billy Vunipola has withdrawn from the Lions tour to New Zealand with a shoulder injury. |
34,989,190 | The firm said it would cease operating its academy service at Mercedes-Benz World in Weybridge on 31 December.
Four Surrey office workers have been told their jobs are at risk.
Twenty-four franchise holders in East and West Midlands and the east of England have been told they can return their cars or carry on leasing them.
A spokesman for Mercedes-Benz World said it would honour tests and lessons that had already been booked.
"We have tried to make it work in the UK, looked at rolling it out across the country. There does not seem to be an appetite for it." | Luxury car maker Mercedes-Benz is to stop offering driving lessons and training for motorists, putting a number of jobs at risk. |
38,275,662 | When BBC Radio 5 live's Danny Baker Show asked for your tales of meeting footballers as a baby on Saturday morning, we were deluged with some great shots from days gone by.
Childhood memories flooded back. Nydianne sent in this one of future England captain David Beckham alongside then Manchester United team-mates Chris Casper, Ben Thornley and Gary Neville holidaying in Malta.
A picture with Beckham was flavour of the month for much of the 1990s - and beyond. And Sam Daniels' parents were so keen they took him down to what looks like United's old training ground in Salford to meet a pair of famous number sevens.
There's a theme developing with England captains.
Here's Alan Shearer dressed like a TV detective meeting reader @CreditfluxJon, alongside Ian Wright and Kevin Moran - the first player to be sent off in an FA Cup final.
But Andy Kotas wins hands down when it comes to England skippers - he had a training session with World Cup winners Bobby Moore and Alan Ball at Butlin's. There's a summer camp that would never happen now.
Meeting an England player during a major tournament is a good effort - and while reader ZodeQ was not a child at the time we'll let this one slide. He met Gazza during the 1990 World Cup. He says: "Sir Bobby gave them the day off and they came to our hotel for a beer and pizza!"
They should have been practising penalties...
It's unlikely, but you can imagine meeting an England captain somewhere down the line.
You don't picture many Brazilian World Cup winners at Cheadle Town for the day though...
Another youngster in a Barca shirt, here's Pearson with Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola in Sardinia during World Cup 1998, "a few days before the Italy v France quarter-final."
We'll excuse the quality of Jacob Lovelace's picture because of the quality of player - Real Madrid manager and star of that 1998 World Cup Zinedine Zidane shared their hotel.
Terry met Everton boss Ronald Koeman when Barcelona played a friendly with Wolves back in the early 1990s...
...and as this picture from Saturday morning shows, the Dutch legend has barely aged a day!
And we perhaps saved the best till last, as former Arsenal goalkeeper and BBC and ITV sport anchor Bob Wilson's son got in touch with this picture.
A family holiday while dad Bob recovered from injury, a year after winning the league and FA Cup double with the Gunners. Cruyff had just won the second of three consecutive European Cups with Ajax and Eusebio had just won one of his 11 league titles with Benfica. Quite the collection. | Who knew that a few years down the line this fresh-faced youngster in a Barcelona shirt would be winning La Liga with arch rivals Real Madrid? |
31,208,978 | 7 February 2015 Last updated at 16:41 GMT
Brewer Heineken insists the bottled ale is completely safe and is simply "responding to customer concerns".
But drinkers in the English city from which it takes its name are not happy.
Clare Fallon reports. | Fears in the United States over the safety of caramel colouring used for Newcastle Brown Ale has prompted a change of recipe for the iconic beer. |
11,095,257 | President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, who took power after the strongman's death in 2006, gave the order to remove the monument in January.
The rotation of the statue, which always faced the sun, was stopped several weeks ago.
On Wednesday it was removed and workers are now tackling the huge tripod base.
The 15m (50ft) statue and its 75m marble-covered plinth - called the Arch of Neutrality - were seen as representative of the excesses of Mr Niyazov.
The self-styled "Turkmenbashi" - meaning the father of all Turkmen - established a comprehensive personality cult.
Streets, cities and months were named after him and his family, and portraits of him hung across the country.
Since his death his successor, Mr Berdymukhamedov, has overseen efforts to remove the most prominent reminders of the late leader.
He has promised to introduce reform in the Central Asian nation, which under Mr Niyazov experienced two decades of authoritarian rule and near-total isolation from the outside world.
But critics say reforms to date have been mostly cosmetic - media remains controlled by the state, which has only one political party. | The gold-plated statue of Turkmenistan's late leader, Saparmurat Niyazov, has been removed from its giant plinth in the capital, Ashgabat. |
31,053,371 | The UK Foreign Office said the Russian planes, which came near UK airspace on Wednesday before being "escorted" by RAF jets, were "part of an increasing pattern of out-of-area operations".
Russia's ambassador to the UK said the concerns were "not understandable".
He insisted the patrols were "routine" and met "international legal norms".
Typhoon fighters were scrambled from RAF Lossiemouth and RAF Coningsby to escort the Russian aircraft, and the RAF said the mission lasted 12 hours.
The Foreign Office refused to give details of the disruption to civil aviation.
BBC defence correspondent Jonathan Beale said the Russian planes - two Tu-95 Bear H bombers - came within 25 miles of the UK.
They travelled from the north, past the west coast of Ireland and to the English Channel before turning and going back the way they had come, he said.
He said the bombers did not file a flight plan, did not have their transponders switched on and "weren't talking to air traffic control".
In a statement, the Russian embassy in the UK said ambassador Alexander Yakovenko had met with British officials to discuss the issue.
The statement said: "This flight (as all other routine flights of the Russian military aircraft) was carried out in strict compliance with the international legal norms including international flight rules and regulations, without violation of other countries' airspace, therefore it cannot be regarded as threatening, destabilising or disruptive."
In response to a recent parliamentary question, the Ministry of Defence disclosed the number of days when Quick Reaction Alert flights were launched against Russian military aircraft
This is the latest in a series of similar incidents involving Russian aircraft. Last month Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said the UK was concerned about the "extremely aggressive probing" of its airspace by Russia.
In a statement on the RAF website, one of the controllers involved in the mission said: "Thanks to our integration with air defence systems across Nato, we were able to begin mission planning early and therefore were ready to act in good time."
The controller added: "The operations room was both calm and focused.
"We constantly train for these scenarios so that we are well rehearsed and ready to maintain the integrity of our airspace."
Former RAF pilot Andrew Brookes, who is a fellow at defence think tank The Royal United Services Institute, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme similar incidents had happened in other parts of the world.
He added: "The Russians are coming back on to the world stage, they've cranked up an air force that they have neglected for many years, and they are basically strutting their stuff around the globe."
Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said there had been a sharp increase in the number of times Russian planes were intercepted by members.
He said: "Last year, allied aircraft intercepted Russian planes over 400 times. Over 150 of these intercepts were conducted by Nato's Baltic air policing mission. That's about four times as many as in 2013. So we are staying vigilant." | Russia has dismissed claims its planes caused "disruption to civil aviation" in the UK this week, saying its actions were not "threatening" or "disruptive". |
34,086,046 | Northampton Saint North will be 23 years and 138 days when he runs out at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
He has scored 22 tries and played three Lions Tests, but Gatland wants more from his giant wing.
"I think he's got the ability to be a lot better than he is," he said.
"He's had 50 caps which is fantastic but I think there's still a lot of improvement.
"And probably in the last 12 months he hasn't played as well as we would have liked, he's aware of that and we've been working hard on his game."
North will be playing for the first time in five months following an enforced lay-off to recover from concussion.
He scored a hat-trick of tries on his last appearance for Wales against Italy in the 2015 Six Nations, and scored two for the British and Irish Lions during the 2013 Test series against Australia.
However, Gatland believes North's recent international form has not been up to the standards he believes the player is capable of because of a tendency to become peripheral to the action.
"Players of that ability need to get their hands on the ball," he added.
"He probably went through a couple of campaigns where his touches weren't enough, and he made some defensive errors so it was pleasing to see some of that confidence has come back into his game [against Italy]."
However, Gatland, who first capped North as an 18-year-old against South Africa in 2010, said North's achievements were "fantastic".
"What he has achieved in the game at such a young age is exceptional," he said.
"I remember seeing him as an 18-year-old playing for the Scarlets and saying 'look we have to cap him as soon as possible because there's a freakish talent there'.
"I don't think we've seen the full extent of the potential he still has to be and a player and we still haven't ruled in the future that he couldn't be an outstanding centre as well." | George North becomes the youngest player to win 50 caps for Wales when they play Ireland on Saturday, with coach Warren Gatland insisting there is still room for improvement. |
34,571,416 | Go.On UK has produced a "digital exclusion heatmap", pinpointing the areas where people are least likely to succeed in an evolving digital age.
It shows Wales has the lowest levels of internet access and only 62% of adults have the five basic digital skills.
Conwy county, Pembrokeshire and Anglesey are among the Welsh counties where digital exclusion is high.
The heatmap has measured the "likelihood of digital exclusion" based on social and digital indictors such as age, gender, broadband coverage and the five basic digital skills - managing information, communicating, transacting, creating and problem-solving.
Blaenau Gwent has the lowest number of adults possessing all five basic digital skills at 69%, compared to Ceredigion which has the highest percentage with 80% of adults.
Nearly half of adults on Anglesey have never been online, the highest percentage in Wales, while just 13.2% have never accessed the internet in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan.
Rachel Neaman, chief executive of the charity, said: "Digital competency is an essential skill for everyone and we believe that - without urgent action - the nation's lack of basic digital skills will continue to hold back economic growth, productivity and social mobility."
The heatmap was produced in partnership with the BBC, the Local Government Association and the London School of Economics and Political Science. | More than a third of people in Wales do not have five basic digital skills, a charity has claimed. |
38,479,435 | That was not the only surprise of the day in the division, with Stranraer securing only their sixth win of the campaign with a 1-0 victory away to Queen's Park to climb off the bottom.
Elsewhere, Alloa Athletic secured a thrilling 4-2 win over Stenhousemuir, who drop to the foot of the table.
That means only three points separate the bottom four now.
Liam Buchanan gave Livingston an early lead at Bayview, but substitute Jamie Insall equalised with a quarter of an hour remaining.
Scott Robinson grabbed the winner three minutes later.
At Hampden, Willie Gibson scored the only goal of the game for Stranraer, who now rise to eighth, with a 20-yard effort on the hour mark to defeat the Spiders.
Alan Cook put Stenhousemuir ahead after nine minutes against Alloa, but Kevin Cawley, Greig Spence and Jordan Kirkpatrick turned the contest on its head before half-time.
Kirkpatrick completed his brace after the interval, with Oli Shaw netting a late consolation for the home side. | East Fife stunned runaway leaders Livingston with a 2-1 victory in Scottish League One. |
37,272,157 | Casey, who began the day second, carded a five-under 66 to move to 15 under.
Overnight leader Kevin Chappell shot a 71 to slip into a tie for third on 11 under as Brian Harman moved a stroke clear of him in second with a 68.
McIlroy's five-under 66 saw him rise 23 places to nine under alongside Justin Rose, Louis Oosthuizen and Tony Finau.
World number one Jason Day of Australia is 11 shots off the pace.
Casey, aiming for just his second PGA Tour title, is ineligible for this month's Ryder Cup having resigned his membership of the European Tour.
On Sunday he recovered from an early bogey to make birdies on the fifth, sixth, seventh and 16th, while playing partner Chappell's chances of a late comeback were hit when he found the bunker at the 18th, eventually signing for an even-par round.
McIlroy and Casey nearly had albatrosses on their respective 18th holes, the former's 210-yard second shot even clipping the hole, but both carded eagles to finish their rounds.
The Championship is the second of the four that make up the season-ending FedEx Cup.
The tournament features the top 100 players in the world. The top 70 after this weekend will progress to next week's BMW Championship, where the field will be whittled down to 30 for the Tour Championship on 22-25 September.
Find out how to get into golf with our special guide.
We've launched a new BBC Sport newsletter, bringing all the best stories, features and video right to your inbox. You can sign up here. | England's Paul Casey leads the Deutsche Bank Championship by three shots after round three while Rory McIlroy has surged up the leaderboard. |
35,501,055 | Graham Gordon was jailed for five years after being convicted at the High Court in Stonehaven in 2002.
The trial had heard how Gordon took the woman to his Bridge of Don home after meeting her in a nightclub in 2001.
A £695,000 action against the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission and Scottish government has failed.
A sheriff ruled against Gordon and the case has been closed, although the former golf professional can appeal the decision.
He has always denied the attack and claims it was consensual sex. | An Aberdeen man who tried to sue the Scottish government after failing to overturn his rape conviction has lost his case. |
37,696,605 | It had been suggested the new format, which will take place in addition to the 18-team T20 Blast, could start in 2018 if it was given the go-ahead.
But England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) bosses have told county members' forums this week that 2020 is now their targeted start date.
That is partly because the existing broadcasting deal expires in 2019.
The ECB is keen to introduce a new T20 event to rival the Indian Premier League and Australia's Big Bash League, and has said this is a watershed moment for the sport in England and Wales.
It has said it needs to draw new audiences to the game and believes a new competition would increase revenues for all.
The eight-team proposal, which was one of five on the table, was passed by a majority vote at Lord's in September.
It followed discussions between representatives of the 18 first-class counties, the Professional Cricketers' Association, and the MCC, which is the guardian of the laws and spirit of cricket.
Surrey, Kent and Sussex were reportedly against the move.
A fear games would only be held at Test match venues was said to be behind some of the initial opposition.
But the ECB, which is discussing the plans for the competition at a board meeting on Tuesday, is referring to the new tournament as regional rather than city-based or franchise-based.
That could open the way for some games to be held at non-Test grounds.
Some counties have welcomed the proposal, but the BBC understands others have raised concerns about its potential impact on their revenue and future health.
Several counties have also expressed misgivings about a lack of detail behind the idea, which is still in the planning stage.
Championship toss rule unchanged
The ECB has also decided to extend the 'optional toss' regulation, introduced this summer, for the 2017 season.
It means visiting captains can choose to bowl first without the need for a toss.
If, however, they decide not to exercise that right, a toss will take place in the usual way.
The measure was introduced to prevent home counties preparing seamer-friendly pitches, and to encourage more spin bowling.
This summer, 85% of Championship games lasted until the fourth day, compared to 74% in 2015, and 843 wickets were taken by spinners, an increase of 91 on the previous year. | A proposed eight-team Twenty20 competition in English cricket may not start until 2020. |
40,466,321 | The new policy, which will allow troops to transition gender while serving and set standards for medical care, will now come into effect on 1 January 2018.
Pentagon officials say that different services are not in agreement about when to accept recruits.
Rights activists have said they are disappointed with the delay.
"Each day that passes without the policy in place restricts the armed forces' ability to recruit the best and the brightest, regardless of gender identity," said Human Rights Campaign spokesman Stephen Peters in a statement.
Mr Mattis said in a memo quoted by the Washington Post he had decided more time was needed to make a decision after consulting senior defence officials, adding that the delay "in no way presupposes an outcome".
Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said in a statement that the delay was imposed so the armed services could "review their accession plans and provide input on the impact to the readiness and lethality of our forces."
A study by the Rand Corporation last year, commissioned by the military, estimated that there were between 2,500 and 7,000 transgender active service members in a total force of 1.3 million, with an additional 1,500 to 4,000 among reserve units.
The Palm Center, an influential think tank which studies gender in the military, estimates that there are about 12,800 transgender service members.
Under the shelved plan drawn up by former defence secretary Ash Carter, transgender individuals would be able to enlist as long as they had been "stable" in their identified gender for 18 months. | US Defence Secretary James Mattis has approved a six-month delay to an Obama administration plan to let transgender recruits into the US military. |
21,733,153 | It comes after a recent study revealed a link between the drug and developmental problems in children.
The Welsh government said it was not its remit and a UK government agency said it followed national guidelines.
Meanwhile, Newport West MP Paul Flynn told The Wales Report on BBC Wales that the mothers' plight was "dreadful".
Doctors have been aware of the risk associated with the anticonvulsant drug sodium valproate, known as Epilim, for decades.
But a recent study by the University of Liverpool also revealed a link between the drug and other developmental problems in children.
Joanne Cozens, from Caerphilly, is one of the 32,000 people in Wales with epilepsy.
She started taking Epilim as a teenager and continued during her pregnancy.
Mrs Cozens' 13-year-old son Tomas has Asperger's syndrome. She claims she was not warned of the danger to her unborn and says she would never have taken Epilim had she been told.
She said: "If somebody had read all those abnormalities out when I went to see a specialist … there's no chance I would ever have taken those tablets.
"As a mother you do anything in your power for your child and I was completely torn apart, devastated, to think that something I'd put in my mouth had caused Tom to suffer in the way he's suffered over the years."
The drug has been around since the mid-seventies and can cause heart problems and a range of physical deformities, such as spina bifida and cleft lip in unborn babies.
The latest research by the university suggests unborn babies exposed to the drug could also be born with mental disorders, a low IQ and autism.
Campaigner Nicole Crosby-McKenna, from Epilepsy Action, wants the Welsh government to review the way information is conveyed to pregnant patients in Wales.
She said: "We would like to know, if they haven't got access to an epilepsy specialist nurse, who is giving the women that information? Are the GPs passing the information on to women? And also, do the GPs have enough specialist knowledge to accurately give them pre-conception counselling?"
Newport West MP Paul Flynn said: "The plight of these mothers is a dreadful one because they tend to blame themselves but whatever it is, it's nothing to do with the mother.
"They took the advice of the doctors and the failure was the medical system and the drug companies that failed to live up to their responsibility."
Dr Khalid Hamandi, from the Welsh Epilepsy Unit at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, said: "We feel that services are under-provided for.
"We need more neurologists, more specialists with an interest in epilepsy, and we need more awareness and involvement in epilepsy in primary care."
But the Welsh government said it was the responsibility of the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
A government spokesman said: "Medicines licensing, ie ensuring quality, safety and efficacy is not devolved, it is the remit of MHRA."
A spokesman for the MHRA said it followed national guidelines.
He said: "Product information clearly states that Epilim should not be prescribed to women of child-bearing potential unless clearly necessary; in such cases effective contraception must be used during treatment. The product information for Epilim also contains clear advice about its safety of use during pregnancy, including information about the potential for risk of developmental delay, particularly of verbal IQ and the risk of autism spectrum disorders."
This is supported by research carried out by the University of Liverpool.
Professor Gus Baker, a neuropsychologist, followed 600 babies from birth to aged six and found a marked difference in the brain development of some of the children.
He said: "Our research has shown that if your child was exposed to sodium valproate then there's a significant increase in the risk of them developing Autism Spectrum Disorder - that's a nine-fold increase of a risk."
The drug's manufacturers, Sanofi, said valproate may be the only medication that effectively controls seizures for some women and to suddenly stop taking any anti-epileptic medication could lead to a recurrence of seizures.
A spokeswoman said: "Because of the well-known risk of birth defects, for a number of years valproate has not been recommended as a first-choice agent for women with epilepsy who are of child-bearing potential.
"As recommended by the manufacturer, women of childbearing potential should be informed of the risks and benefits of the use of valproate during pregnancy." | Campaigners want the Welsh government to review the way the possible side effects of an anti-epilepsy drug are relayed to pregnant mothers. |
37,503,900 | The 60kg calf named Bonnie was born at the park, near Stirling, following a 16-month pregnancy.
Keepers said the birth marked an important step in the work to save the species from extinction.
Southern white rhinos, native to the south of Africa, are currently listed as near-threatened on the IUCN red list of endangered species.
The calf is the fifth to be born at the park to mother Dot and father Graham, both aged 16.
Animal collection manager Sheila Walker said: "The birth was very straightforward and the calf was up on its feet and suckling in just over an hour.
"Dot is a great mum and very experienced, having successfully raised four calves previously. She was even giving gentle nudges, encouraging the calf to its feet - but it managed all by itself, albeit a bit wobbly at first."
Despite its endangered listing, the white rhino has fared far better than its northern counterpart, which was declared extinct in the wild in 2008. About 18,000 southern white rhinos remain in the wild.
The animal's decline has been blamed on poaching in Africa. Blair Drummond said it was committed to doing its bit to help save the species from extinction.
Ailsa McCormick, head keeper of the park's large mammals, said: "The calf is of big importance to the endangered species breeding programme, and I'm delighted to oversee Dot and Graham's continued part in ensuring a strong viable insurance population for southern white rhinos.
"This calf is their fifth, and being grandparents at 16 years old, Dot and Graham's latest calf is a big feather in the cap for the ongoing conservation efforts made by Blair Drummond."
The park said it had been receiving messages from well-wishers after people viewed the birth live via a webcam. | A southern white rhino has given birth to a female calf at Blair Drummond Safari Park. |
39,354,338 | Sousa, 22, joined Accrington on 13 February, but registration issues meant the former Portugal Under-19 international did not play a game.
He made 30 appearances for Slovenia's NK Celje last season, after spending the 2013-14 season at Barnsley.
"He has good pace so will add something to the squad we already have here," Tranmere manager Micky Mellon said.
Mellon was on the coaching staff at Barnsley during Sousa's time at Oakwell.
Tranmere are third in the National League, two points off the automatic promotion places with 10 matches left to play. | Tranmere Rovers have signed Portuguese winger Erico Sousa from Accrington Stanley for the rest of the season. |
14,569,365 | Following Wednesday's killing of 13 people including ex-MP Waja Karim Dad, violence escalated and officials say more bodies were recovered overnight.
Police say many of those killed were kidnapped first and that some victims appear to have been tortured.
The attacks unfolded as Karachi's main MQM political party announced it will rejoin Pakistan's coalition government.
The party had left the PPP-led coalition after accusing its majority partner of not doing enough to stop the violence.
Police say that 315 people were killed in such attacks in Karachi in July 2011.
The BBC's Syed Shoaib Hasan in Karachi says that the bodies are appearing all over the city stuffed in jute bags.
Our correspondent says that while initially politically motivated, the killings are now increasingly indiscriminate. Women, children and teenage footballers are amongst those gunned down.
Police say that the bodies bear the marks of extreme torture: some have even had their eyes gouged out. They said that it appears as if almost all the victims were kidnapped before being tortured only to be shot dead and deposited on the city streets.
Police surgeon Hamid Parihar told the BBC that he "had been collecting bodies since midnight and they are still coming in".
Analysts say that the latest spate of violence appears to have taken place between criminal gangs in the city's deprived Lyari neighbourhood. The area has a reputation of armed gangs dealing in drugs and extortion rackets.
This is where former parliamentarian Waja Karim Dad was gunned down.
Our correspondent reports that a sense of fear prevails throughout the city and that public transport has been suspended.
Killings in Karachi have continued despite efforts to reconcile its warring political factions.
Security officials say this is because the killers are being protected by senior politicians.
They say the violence is being used to stoke recently ignited ethnic passions both for political gains and as a means by criminal gangs to fight turf wars behind the facade of political activism. | At least 39 people have been killed in two days of political and gang violence in Pakistan's southern city of Karachi. |
37,729,603 | Health Minister Michelle O'Neill said the 10-year plan would improve a system at "breaking point".
Its 18 time-specific action points are based on recommendations from a government-appointed panel.
Hospital closures are not mentioned, but services will have to meet criteria to prove they are viable, she said.
Opposition politicians have questioned the lack of details in the plan, which is not costed.
Northern Ireland's health system had not changed quickly enough to meet the needs of an ageing population, and was unsustainable, Ms O'Neill told MLAs.
"If we continue as we are now, the system in 10 years would need 90% of the entire executive budget."
Not one but indeed two reports have made a compelling case for changing how health and social care services are delivered in Northern Ireland.
In stark language, the health minister said the system is at breaking point and that it is not sustainable.
It may be a 10-year vision but short-term fixes in the past have failed.
Read more here.
Her plan sets out a range of priorities, including a focus on keeping people healthy in the first place, and a new model of care involving a team of professionals based around GP surgeries.
The proposals set out in the report, Delivering Together, include:
On Tuesday evening, the health minister said she was prepared to use the independent sector as a short term measure to tackle hospital waiting lists.
The minister said her plan did not offer "a quick fix".
"This change will be planned, managed, incremental - this is not a "Big Bang," she said.
Meaningful change would require time, money and the support of government, staff and those who use our health and social care services, she added.
This is a report with recommendations. But they are broad in their ideas and their ambitions.
And certainly, at this stage, many are lacking in detail and questions remain on how they will be funded.
Read more here.
First Minister Arlene Foster said the plan represented a challenge the Executive was going to meet head on.
Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness added that change was required, and "the only question is whether it will happen in a controlled, planned fashion or unfold out of control".
But opposition MLAs criticised the proposals, with Ulster Unionist health spokesperson Jo-Anne Dobson questioning their lack of detail.
The SDLP's Mark H Durkan said a "spectre of doubt" hung over the plans, while TUV leader Jim Allister said they were merely "recycling of a great plethora of fine words".
A review into Northern Ireland's health service was commissioned in January by Stormont ministers seeking advice on how to improve services, cut waiting lists and care for an aging population.
Professor Rafael Bengoa, chair of the expert panel behind the review, said Northern Ireland faced "a stark choice".
"It can either resist change and see services deteriorate to the point of collapse over time, or embrace transformation and work to create a modern sustainable service," he said.
"Transformation will not be simple, but the panel has no doubt that Northern Ireland has both the people and the energy to deliver a world class health and care system." | An ambitious plan to make Northern Ireland's health and social care system fit for the 21st Century has been unveiled. |
34,797,955 | It is the final race of the world championship - estimated to be worth £10m to the Welsh economy.
The official "shakedown" test drives got under way on Thursday morning before the ceremonial start at Llandudno, Conwy county.
The father of Colin McRae, the former champion killed in a helicopter crash in 2007, will drop the starting flag.
Former co-driver, Welshman Nicky Grist, will also be at the rally for the weekend as the event marks the contribution McRae made to rallying across the world - becoming the youngest ever driver to lift the world title in 1995.
Racing proper begins on Friday morning in the Hafren forest stage near Llanidloes, Powys.
The race ends on Sunday, with stages taking in the Denbigh Moors, Llandudno's Great Orme and a ceremonial finish at the Deeside service park in Flintshire.
The Welsh government has described the rally as one of Wales' flagship events and recently announced a three-year extension to its partnership with the race.
Tourism minister Ken Skates said: "The rally provides an ideal platform to showcase Wales' many assets, including our spectacular scenery, with last year's media coverage estimated to have reached an international audience of 60 million." | Thousands of spectators are crowding into north and mid Wales over the next four days for the Wales Rally GB. |
35,641,231 | What do you get if you cross a dance show with a gig by The Smiths?
The answer might look something like If You Kiss Me, Kiss Me - a new kind of theatrical experience about to open at London's Young Vic.
Accompanied by a live band and a company of dancers, Ab Fab star Jane Horrocks will belt out a selection of mainly new wave songs she grew up with in Lancashire in the late 70s and early 80s.
"It's music from my past - most of the songs are from northern, male bands in the late 1970s and early 80s," Horrocks explains. "Some of them are very loyal, but most are reinvented. They've got a bit more of a contemporary edge to them."
Horrocks chose the songs along with her partner, screenwriter Nick Vivian, who she describes as "a human Spotify".
The set list - which mixes singles with lesser-known album tracks - features Joy Division's Atrocity Exhibition and Isolation, Buzzcocks' Fiction Romance and What Do I Get? and The Human League's Empire State Human.
Other songs include Soft Cell's Memorabilia, The Smiths' I Know It's Over, New Order's Temptation and Morrissey's Life Is a Pigsty.
Horrocks admits that the first record she bought was from a very different genre.
"I think it was David Essex. My mum and dad's music tastes influenced me massively - like Shirley Bassey and big-band stuff like Count Basie. My brother was a massive influence too - he had contemporary tastes like David Bowie and Marc Bolan and then punk and post-punk stuff. I had those musical genres running in conjunction."
Horrocks says she was always attracted to "torch song singers" like Ian Curtis, Morrissey and Marc Almond.
"Ian Curtis's and Morrissey's lyrics are amazing - they are proper poets. A lot of Ian Curtis's lyrics you can't actually hear, so I thought it would be nice to hear them clearly, as you can in our version of Isolation."
The concept for the show sprang from Horrocks's wish to combine a narrative with songs in a way that didn't make it a traditional musical. She took the idea to the Young Vic's artistic director David Lan, who was keen to develop it.
The result, described by Lan as "part dance piece, part gig", is directed and choreographed by Aletta Collins. The on-stage band features Rat Scabies from punk icons The Damned on drums.
"It's a love story that starts out a bit cynical but has a happier ending," says Horrocks. "There's a little bit of dialogue."
Given that the songs take centre stage, why put it in a theatre and not a gig venue?
"I wanted it to be a theatrical experience with a proper set," says Horrocks. "Bunny Christie's design is very rock'n'roll but it's very theatrical as well.
"The team are all theatre-based but they are thinking in a gig mode. Everybody is being taken out of their comfort zone. It's turning theatre on its head and mixing it up."
Horrocks, who won acclaim for her ability to mimic the likes of Edith Piaf, Judy Garland and Shirley Bassey in the stage and screen versions of Little Voice, is no stranger to the Young Vic. She performed there in Annie Get Your Gun in 2009 and The Good Soul of Szechuan in 2008.
She's best known on TV for her role as Bubble, the ditzy media PA in sitcom Absolutely Fabulous.
Our interview takes place a day after the actress has added a new talent to her CV - that of fashion model.
She'd appeared on the catwalk at London Fashion Week as part of a showcase by designers Vin + Omi, who created the wacky costumes for Bubble in the forthcoming film Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie.
"Working with Vin + Omi and costume designer Rebecca Hale was the best part for me," says Horrocks of her big-screen reunion with the Ab Fab gang.
Newspaper photos taken during filming in January showed Horrocks wearing an outlandish outfit festooned with inflatable hashtag slogans.
"We wanted to make Bubble as here and now as possible and they were the perfect designers to do that," Horrocks explains. "This is the first time in all my years of Ab Fab that I've actually focused on the fashion side."
Meanwhile, Horrocks says rehearsals for If You Kiss Me, Kiss Me have "a really nice vibe" although she admits she's finding the dance routines a challenge.
"I think the other dancers think I'm like a lump of lead when I have to be choreographed, but when I'm allowed to go freestyle I'm OK.
"It's going to be a visual feast."
If You Kiss Me, Kiss Me runs from 10 March - 16 April at the Young Vic | Actress and singer Jane Horrocks talks about the inspiration behind her new theatre show If You Kiss Me, Kiss Me. |
40,248,004 | Estate agency Knight Frank estimated that 5.79 million households would rent from a private landlord by 2021, up from five million now.
That increase would include pensioners, as well as young adults, it suggested.
While many are saving for a deposit on a house, a third of the 10,000 tenants asked said they rented through choice.
Of these, the flexibility of renting and the reduced responsibility were popular. A fifth said they chose to be tenants as it allowed them to live in an area where owning a home was unaffordable.
"The number of people renting out of choice rather than due to affordability of ownership constraints is an interesting indicator of how the private rented sector market will continue to thrive in terms of tenant demand," said Tim Hyatt, head of residential lettings at Knight Frank.
The estate agency expects big investors to move further into the rental property sector, replacing some buy-to-let landlords who have been hit by recent tax rises.
The average cost of a house or flat in the UK is now £220,706, according to the latest property price survey from the Halifax.
The Knight Frank research found that across the rental sector the biggest group of tenants was those seeking to save up to buy their own property.
The affordability of rent was the biggest consideration, for them and other tenants. Location was the next biggest factor - a much larger concern than the size of the property itself.
Across the UK, more than half of commuters live within a 30-minute journey from work, while in London, this falls to 31%.
The estate agency forecast slightly faster growth in the number of households made up of under-25s who rent, but that there would also be a rise among the baby-boomer generation as well.
This echoes a separate survey published on Monday by lettings network Countrywide which suggested that retired people now accounted for 8% of tenants, compared with 5.2% in 2007.
It said that the average retiree paid £810 a month in rent, about 12% lower than the typical tenant, with people in the older age group tending to live in smaller properties, | Two-thirds of UK tenants still expect to be living in the rented sector in three years' time, with affordability their biggest concern, a survey says. |
39,460,976 | Marilyn Shankle-Grant's son, Paul Storey, has been fighting his death sentence for almost 10 years. All his legal efforts so far have fallen short, and in autumn, a judge set his execution date for 12 April, 2017.
Storey was convicted in the 2006 shooting death of 28-year-old Jonas Cherry during an armed robbery. Storey's accomplice - the gunman - pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison. Storey went forward with a jury trial and received the death penalty in 2008.
Since he was sent to death row, Shankle-Grant has been able to see her son about once a month, making the four-hour drive from her home in Fort Worth, Texas, to the state prison in Livingston, Texas.
But recently things have got more difficult for the 57-year-old hospitality worker. The stress and depression over her son's impending execution was affecting her work performance, and she lost a job she had held for 30 years.
She tried to pick up temporary work, and even started her own business, Marilyn's Old-Fashioned Tea Cakes, baking flat, buttery rounds from her grandmother's recipe, wrapping them up in cellophane and selling them at local events.
But even that small income stream has dried up - she stopped making tea cakes not long after her son's execution date was announced.
"When I do them, I do it with lots of love," she explains. "Right now that's just not in me."
The situation has become dire - her Forth Worth home entered foreclosure this week. She needs $8,000 (about £6,400) to save it.
Her financial difficulty - not to mention her broken car - have made the trips to Livingston a real financial strain, at the same time that the approaching execution date makes them more important than ever. She estimates each trip costs roughly $350.
With just six weeks left to visit before her son is executed, Shankle-Grant posted a weary status to her Facebook page, lamenting the short amount of time she has left with her son and the financial struggle she faces just to see him.
It caught the eye of Abraham J Bonowitz, co-director of Death Penalty Action, an anti-death penalty charity. He had met Shankle-Grant many times over the years at death penalty abolition events.
Bonowitz reached out to Shankle-Grant to ask her permission to set up an online fundraiser on her behalf. He created a page on the crowdfunding site You Caring, which included a note from Shankle-Grant.
"My love and devotion to my son are not matched by the resources needed to make the trip as often as I am allowed to visit him," she wrote. "With a heavy heart I turn to my fellow human light to ask you to help me help my son face the darkness as his destruction approaches."
The donations began streaming in. One anonymous donor contributed $1,000.
"My father was executed in Texas 13 years ago, and while the situation is still painful, I'm thankful for our last few visits, and I know he was as well," wrote one contributor.
"Nobody's going to be able to take away the pain that Marilyn has, but we can take away some of the anxiety," says Bonowitz, who is considering making these fundraisers a permanent part of his work.
So far, he has raised nearly $6,000. The money allows Shankle-Grant to rent a car each weekend, stay for two nights in a nearby hotel, as well as pay for meals and gas.
Thanks to the funds, Shankle-Grant has been able to visit her son every weekend since. She says she is incredibly grateful for the help.
"None of this would be able to be happening if it weren't for that You Caring page," she says. "I'm able to talk to him. When he's down and out and depressed, we can talk about it and talk him through it. It gives me comfort, too."
Shankle-Grant's situation illustrates the hidden impact on the families of the condemned, who often come from low-income backgrounds and can live far away from the prison in which their loved one is housed. After 30 years of death penalty abolition work, Bonowitz has seen the situation many times before. Often a church or a non-profit will step in to help defray the cost of visiting a family member before an execution.
"None of these families have any money," he says. "Marilyn never did anything wrong and yet she is made to suffer. It's her son's fault, yes, but that doesn't mean the love for her child stops."
The success of the fundraiser caught the attention of advocates in Arkansas, which is poised to execute eight inmates over the course of 10 days, due to the fact that the state's supply of an execution drug called midazolam is about to expire.
Deborah Robinson, a freelance journalist who is writing a book about the eight men, says she has heard from three of them, asking for help so that their families can see them before the execution dates in late April.
"I have a 21-year-old daughter whom I haven't seen in 17 years, along with a 3-year-old granddaughter," wrote inmate Kenneth Williams, who is scheduled to die on 27 April, in a message to Robinson.
"The financial costs have prevented her from coming. If I am going to be executed, I would love to see her before I go one last time and to see my grandchild for the first time."
Lynn Scott, the sister of death row inmate Jack Jones, Jr, lives in North Carolina. She runs her own business as a wedding planner, but she and her husband lost nearly everything after the 2008 recession - their house, their 401k, they sold off most of their possessions. After Scott's husband suffered a massive heart attack in 2015, they found themselves financially devastated.
"We live paycheck to paycheck," she says.
Arkansas is scheduled to execute her brother on 24 April. With airfare, hotel, car rental and meals - plus cremation and burial expenses - she expects that she will need about $5,000.
"It's very difficult," says Scott. "What I want people to know is - whatever the inmates did, we didn't do that. I didn't do that to those people, but I'm still losing someone."
Modelling a crowdfunding page after the one in Texas, Robinson is now raising funds for all three Arkansas families to help defray some of those costs.
If Shankle-Grant's You Caring page raises more money than she can use to see her son, she says she wants the excess funds to go to the families in Arkansas.
Her son, Storey, still has a lawyer fighting for a stay of execution, in part based on the fact that his victim's parents are opposed to the death penalty and do not want him to be executed. Glenn and Judy Cherry have written letters to Texas Governor Greg Abbott and other state officials asking for mercy.
Shankle-Grant still holds out hope that her son's execution will be halted, and the portion of the fundraiser money that is designated for her son's burial can be sent to the other families. She is asking supporters to write letters to the Texas Department of Corrections, asking that Storey's life be spared.
In the meantime, because of a court hearing Storey has been moved to a county jail that allows him to use the phone for the first time in years (phone calls are not allowed for death row inmates in his prison). Shankle-Grant says he has been able to talk to his elderly grandparents, who can't travel to see him, and thanks to the fundraiser, she was easily able to pay the hefty $300 phone bill. She is also able to talk to him, sometimes as often as four times a day.
It's a small comfort as the execution date creeps closer and closer.
"He'll hang up and call back, hang up and call back," she says. "I don't know after [nine] days if I'm ever going to hear his voice again. For me, it's very important." | For the families of men facing the death penalty, money can be a barrier to seeing a loved one before the end. |
20,580,373 | The mammals have been creating a stir off Baltimore in west Cork in the Irish Republic for the last two weeks as they feed on shoals of sprat and herring.
There are five animals in the humpback group and they have been getting a lot of attention, with reports in Ireland's national newspapers and segments on the state broadcaster RTE.
The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group have been monitoring the group and believe that four of them have visited the same waters off west Cork in the past, some as recently as 2008.
"It is known from the western Atlantic that humpback whales form stable social associations with other whales on the feeding grounds, so this is not just a coincidence," the IWDG website said.
People have been getting up close to the denizens of the deep, which were once hunted to the brink of extinction, on boat trips from local harbours.
Simon Duggan is a local photographer and went out with friends to see what they could capture.
As can be seen from his picture he was luckier than the group on another boat, who appear to all be looking the wrong way.
"Bad weather had stopped us going out, but there was a break on Saturday so we went out," he said.
"We'd been out for a few hours and had been watching them when this one started to breach.
"It's a pretty amazing sight, there are minke whales, fin whales and lots of dolphins and harbour porpoise, but the humpbacks are rarer."
Mr Duggan got the shot because he was in the right place at the right time. He and fellow photographer Youen Jacob were looking for the whales and on this occasion Mr Jacob was steering the boat.
Both men are volunteers with the RNLI in at Baltimore Lifeboat Station and get to spend a fair amount of time at sea.
He said the animal breached about six times, so the watchers on the other boat may have been able to catch the repeat performance.
Mr Duggan said that whale watching is a popular activity in the area in the winter months.
"There really isn't a lot to do in Baltimore during November and December so it's become a bit of a hobby for me and some friends and occasionally you get to see this sort of thing."
They were photgraphed bubble feeding by Mr Jacob last week, a technique which sees the whales going under a school of fish and releasing bubbles to confuse the fish and bunch them together.
Then the whales surge upwards through the school with mouths wide open so they can scoop as many fish as possible.
The IWDG said the scenes of the animals bubble feeding were remarkable, but that while the viewing off Cork was spectacular it was not without precedent.
On its website the group said that there was going to be increased demand on whale watching boats because of the increase in activity, but that it was taking place so near to shore that a pair of binoculars would be enough to enjoy the show. | It could almost be saying "I'm behind you", but humpback whales aren't known for pranking boatloads of whale watchers. |
33,493,623 | Media playback is not supported on this device
The 33-year-old American won 6-4 6-4 on Centre Court to claim her 21st Grand Slam title and third of 2015.
Williams withstood a late fightback from 20th seed Muguruza, 21, to come through in one hour and 23 minutes.
She will head to the US Open next month aiming to complete the first calendar year Grand Slam of her career.
Muguruza was playing in her first Grand Slam final and took a 4-2 lead, before giving the top seed a mighty scare by battling back from a set and 5-1 down with two breaks of serve.
She could not quite complete the comeback, however, with an error-strewn service game setting up Williams to clinch a landmark win when the Spaniard found the tramlines.
"There was definitely pressure towards the end," said Williams, who also completed the 'Serena Slam' in 2003.
"Garbine started playing really well and I just had to think to stay out there and work really hard.
"I am having so much fun out on the court. Everyday is a pleasure to be playing and winning Wimbledon."
A victory in New York would see the world number one match Steffi Graf's calendar Slam of 1988, and tie the German's open era record of 22 major wins.
Williams, who turns 34 next month, replaces Martina Navratilova as the oldest Wimbledon champion in the open era, and the nine-time winner was among several former champions watching history made from the Royal Box.
The weight of those achievements had appeared to be taking its toll on Williams when she refused to discuss the potential 'slam' during interviews, and the American started the final nervously.
Three double faults contributed to her fearsome serve being broken in the opening game and 20th seed Muguruza was swinging freely in her first major final.
At 0-30 down in the third game, Williams was looking at falling a double-break behind, only for Muguruza to miss a second-serve return.
It sparked Williams into life and she began to exert pressure on the Spaniard's serve with a succession of returns that clipped the baseline.
Four games in a row brought her the set and, despite making her fourth and fifth double faults on a mixed serving day, Williams moved to the brink of victory with a run of 12 points in a row.
What followed brought the Centre Court crowd to life as the 20-time Grand Slam champion was broken to love at 5-2, and then remarkably pegged back again when Muguruza saved a match point and fired a forehand winner on her fifth break point for 5-4.
Williams was now struggling but she got a helping hand from her opponent, who opened game 10 with a double fault and soon found herself 0-40 down.
When Muguruza sent the ball wide on match point it appeared that Williams was unsure whether or not she had won, and it took the reaction of the 15,000 spectators to confirm her achievement.
"I can't believe I am standing here with another 'Serena Slam'," added Williams.
"It is so cool. It has been a pleasure and an honour to give so many years in this unbelievable place." | Serena Williams beat Spain's Garbine Muguruza to win Wimbledon for the sixth time and complete the 'Serena Slam' as the holder of all four major titles. |
26,362,789 | Mr Yatsenyuk told the BBC the central challenge for the newly named government was to "stabilise" Ukraine.
Ukrainian MPs are expected to vote later on the new cabinet line up.
Meanwhile, the regional parliament and government headquarters in Crimea have been seized by armed men.
The two buildings in the regional capital Simferopol were seized overnight by a group of at least 50 pro-Russian men who were preventing government workers from entering, regional Prime Minister Anatoliy Mohilyov told AFP news agency.
The Russian flag was seen flying over both buildings.
Mr Yatsenyuk and Ukraine's other new ministers were presented to a large crowd at Kiev's Independence Square, the Maidan, on Wednesday evening.
Mr Yatsenyuk, who was one of the main protest leaders, was greeted with cheers.
But the announcement of some other heads of ministries, including Interior Minister Arsen Avakov, prompted booing from the crowd, who said the candidates were not worthy of government posts.
Other ministers include career diplomat Andriy Deschytsya as foreign minister, a former deputy head of the central bank Oleksander Shlapak as finance minister and Andriy Paruby as secretary of the National Security and Defence Council.
"We are to undertake extremely unpopular steps as the previous government and previous president were so corrupted that the country is in a desperate financial plight," Mr Yatsenyuk told the BBC after the cabinet was announced.
"We are on the brink of a disaster and this is the government of political suiciders. So welcome to hell," he added.
The 39-year-old, who is a former speaker of parliament and foreign minister, is expected to lead the cabinet until early presidential elections on 25 May.
Interim President Turchynov warned the crowds the new government would "have to pass unpopular decisions".
"The government will be criticised, treated like dirt. But they must fulfil their obligations and work to the bone for the sake of Ukraine."
He has promised to resign once the country is back on its feet.
Acting government officials predict Ukraine needs $35bn (£21bn) in bailout loans to get through the next two years.
On Wednesday, the US said it was considering offering Ukraine's struggling economy - which faces default - loan guarantees of up to $1bn.
Ukraine's key players
Kiev before and after protests
What next for Ukraine?
Meanwhile, Mr Yanukovych has been put on the international wanted list.
The fugitive former president - whose whereabouts are unclear - is accused of being behind last week's deaths of more than 100 protesters at the hands of riot police in and around the Maidan.
In Simferopol, armed men seized the Crimean government buildings after the city saw clashes on Wednesday between Ukrainians who support the change of government and pro-Russian activists.
An elderly man died from a suspected heart attack after scuffles between members of a pro-Russian rally and a second rally involving Crimean Tatars and supporters of the new government.
Asked in a BBC interview whether Ukraine would stay united despite the growing tensions, Mr Yatsenyuk said: "In Crimea we always had different sentiments and forces who try to split the country and proclaim separatism." But he said Ukraine "could cope".
Crimea was transferred from Russia to Ukraine in 1954.
Russia, along with the US, UK and France, pledged to uphold the territorial integrity of Ukraine in a memorandum signed in 1994.
US Secretary of State John Kerry has again warned Russia any military intervention in Ukraine would be a "grave mistake".
His remarks came after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a snap drill to test the combat readiness of troops in central and western Russia, near the border with Ukraine.
Amidst heightened tensions between Russia and the West, Nato has issued a statement saying it would continue to support Ukraine's territorial integrity.
Unrest in Ukraine first erupted in November, following Mr Yanukovych's last-minute decision to reject a landmark association and trade deal with the European Union in favour of Russia's bailout offer.
Months of anti-government protests reached a tipping point last week when, according to health ministry figures, at least 88 people were killed in clashes between protesters and police. | Ukraine's acting President Olexander Turchynov and PM-designate Arseniy Yatsenyuk have warned of the need for "unpopular" steps to help restore the country's economy and politics. |
33,803,964 | The 27-year-old centre-back missed six weeks last season with back trouble.
And he has been limited to just over an hour's action during Stoke's pre-season programme because of the problem.
But goalkeeper Jack Butland is confident the Potters have adequate cover, telling BBC Radio Stoke: "To lose him is a big loss, but we've got players capable of filling the void."
Marc Wilson, Marc Muniesa and Philipp Wollscheid are defensive options for Potters manager Mark Hughes, as his side prepare for their Premier League opener against Liverpool on Sunday.
Butland added: "The likes of Geoff Cameron, Marc, Philipp and Muni are top-class centre-halves and would be brilliant replacements." | Stoke City captain Ryan Shawcross is to undergo back surgery and will miss the first two months of the season. |
35,026,678 | Unsurprisingly, his remarks divided opinion on every front: their length; setting; and substantive content - or lack thereof. Here are some of the most prominent media responses.
In a mostly supportive editorial, the New York Times said Mr Obama had "issued a strong and timely challenge" to the US congress to approve new legal authorisation for the ongoing military campaign against IS.
The paper also commended the president for warning Americans against turning on one another: "Mr Obama is right to caution against the risk of further alienating Muslims in the United States and around the world," it said.
It did, however, criticise the president for saying "nothing during his remarks about improving the administration's efforts to counter the Islamic State's highly prodigious propaganda operation, which has found a receptive audience among disaffected Muslims around the world".
Christian Whiton, a former State Department senior advisor to George W Bush during his presidency and regular Fox News contributor, devoted a large portion of his response to the issue of gun control.
He said Mr Obama, in once again criticising the nation's gun laws, was "attempting one of his trademark shifts in blame.
"Even if his proposed ban and other gun control measures were in place, they would not have stopped the attack in San Bernardino. Recent attacks like those in Paris show that jihadists have little problem overcoming gun laws, which serve mainly to disarm the law-abiding."
Despite Mr Obama's entreaty for people to not foster division between the US and Islam, Mr Whiton wrote that the US needed to "fight back in the cultural and ideological war radical Islam is waging against us, and defend rather than blame the American people".
Charlie Spiering, writing for the right-wing news site Breitbart News, was critical of what he saw as a focus on domestic issues over defeating IS.
He wrote: "Obama's speech... did not include any new steps to defeat radical Islamic extremism, but focused on what Americans should not do in response to the unavoidable resurgent fear of terrorism under his leadership."
James Fallows, writing in the liberal Atlantic Monthly, praised Mr Obama for his apparent understanding that the US cannot eliminate terrorism, nor wholly protect its citizens from it. But Mr Fallows said he recognised why a temperate approach had provoked accusations of weakness.
"Obama's lucidity about confronting an evil, and working strategically against it without taking its bait, is something I greatly respect in him. But this same bloodless-seeming logic is the trait that led to the post-speech complaints about his coldness, his dispassion, his inability to offer something new."
Edward-Isaac Dovere, writing for Politico, said Mr Obama's intended pep talk had been "not-so-peppy".
"Obama's cool, calm 'I got this' air helped get him elected in 2008. Seven years later, it's clear that many Americans don't want reassurance, but want him to convey the sense of urgency that they're feeling. Aides were hoping that he'd be able to."
Echoing Mr Fallows' comments, the Guardian's South Asia correspondent and expert on jihadism Jason Burke said the Obama administration privately recognised that degrading IS is "significantly more likely than destroying" it, but also knew that the fact "cannot be publicly admitted in the face of vituperative Republican criticism".
Mr Burke said the president's comments "signalled a shift" in the administration's stance on extremism and the wider faith of Islam.
"He did not say that Isis [another term for the Islamic State group] has nothing to do with Islam. Not only did he say 'denying that an extremist ideology has spread within some Muslim communities' would be a mistake, but added that 'it's a real problem that Muslims must confront without excuse'."
From the Wall Street Journal: "The Oval Office address, which is the most sobering communications tool a president has, underscores how serious the issue has become for both the White House and the increasingly unsettled country."
Michael D Shear in the New York Times: "Some of Mr. Obama's media advisers have long believed that sitting behind the desk in the Oval Office, as presidents like Ronald Reagan usually did, is no longer an effective image in a fast-paced, YouTube world... But there is also history to think about, and there is no doubt that the Oval Office backdrop conveys the historic nature of a moment."
Edward-Isaac Dovere in Politico: "Giving the speech from the Oval Office "conveys the seriousness with which we are taking the issue," a senior administration official said Sunday afternoon, ahead of Obama's remarks. Americans would see Obama in "a familiar and appropriate venue," the official said, "from the place where he makes his decisions."
The New York Daily News has been running an in-your-face campaign in favour of stricter gun controls. The day after the San Bernardino shooting it used the entire front page to criticise Republican politicians who offered prayers for the victims while obstructing gun control measures.
The day after Obama's address, it struck a lighter, if slightly more sarcastic, tone: | Barack Obama delivered an Oval Office address - only the third of his presidency - on Sunday to urge Americans to not turn against one another in the wake of last week's attack in San Bernardino. |
29,458,784 | Close to 90,000 fans will be at Wembley for the 134th final of the world's oldest cup competition as two teams of elite, millionaire sportsmen battle it out for glory.
But what exactly was the scene at the original final way back in 1872?
An estimated crowd of 2,000 were there to see 22 amateurs play on a cricket pitch, with no nets, as Wanderers beat Royal Engineers 1-0 thanks to a goal from Morton Betts.
BBC Sport, with the help of Matthew Taylor, professor of history at De Montfort University, look at the first final 143 years ago...
Prior to the 1872 FA Cup, there were no regular competitive games being played in England. Football Association secretary Charles Alcock drew up plans for the first FA Cup which saw 15 teams enter the first round of November 1871.
Step forward Barnes, Civil Service, Hitchin, Crystal Palace (confusingly not the present-day Palace but their precursors who were dissolved in 1876), Maidenhead, Marlow, Queen's Park, Donington School, Upton Park, Clapham Rovers, Royal Engineers, Reigate Priory, Wanderers, Harrow Chequers and Hampstead Heathens, who were given a bye.
Teething problems and the logistical headaches of scheduling football matches across Britain in the era of steam meant that Scottish side Queen's Park advanced to the semi-finals without actually playing a game.
The semi-finals - both goalless draws - were played at the Kennington Oval. The Royal Engineers booked their place in the final with a 3-0 replay win over Crystal Palace, while Wanderers made it through when Queen's Park decided they could not afford another costly trip to London for the replay and withdrew.
The historian's view: "The general consensus is that the FA Cup was based on the knockout competitions between 'Houses' at major public schools such as Harrow. But Alcock may also have taken inspiration from existing competitions in the provinces, such as Sheffield's Youdon Cup, launched in 1867.
"Certainly football was equally, if not more, established and popular in Sheffield as it was in London at this time, and the elite ex-public schoolboys based in the capital knew and played against teams from Sheffield, Nottingham and elsewhere."
Alcock - the brains behind the whole idea - played in defence for Wanderers.
Formed in 1859 as Forest Football Club, the side mainly consisted of former Harrow public schoolboys and took the name 'Wanderers' because they played their matches at different grounds. But by 1869 the club was based at the Kennington Oval, where Alcock also happened to be the secretary of Surrey cricket club.
The Royal Engineers were founded in 1863 by Major Francis Marindin - an extraordinary man. Having served in the Crimean war, he would go on to play in the 1872 final, become president of the FA in 1874 and then referee eight further FA Cup finals.
The 1872 final was held at Kennington Oval, also the venue for the first international football match between England and Scotland in 1870.
The Oval would go on to host 20 of the next 21 FA Cup finals, with the 1873 final played at Lillie Bridge - close to Chelsea's modern home at Stamford Bridge.
The historian's view: "Many football clubs played on cricket grounds in the late 19th century. Football clubs often emerged from existing cricket clubs, as a way of the players keeping fit in the winter. Purpose-built football grounds did not emerge in significant numbers until the 1880s and 1890s."
While fans at this year's final will have to battle through the crowds at Wembley, it was a more sedate affair in 1872. Football had yet to catch on and around 2,000 are said to have been at the Oval.
Much has changed beyond recognition in football but the cost of attending remains an issue...
The historian's view: "Attendances for football matches were not large in the early 1870s, with one reason for the relatively low attendance the price of tickets, which at one shilling (five pence in today's money) was higher than for most matches at the time.
"The Oval crowd was said to be 'very fashionable', so presumably made up of the well-to-do and the upper middle-class, as well as those connected with the 'old boys' public school network that ran the Football Association at this time."
The Royal Engineers could lay claim to being the Barcelona of their day, with their revolutionary tactic of 'passing' the ball to a team-mate at odds with the usual approach of chasing the ball into space.
The only goal of the final came after 15 minutes when Betts, playing under the pseudonym "A H Chequer", derived from his membership of the Harrow Chequers club, collected the ball after a long dribble from Walpole Vidal and slammed home.
Goalkeeper was not yet a specialist position, with keepers regularly playing outfield.
The historian's view: "It was not unusual for teams to line up with six or seven forwards in the early 1870s. Most teams at this time still relied primarily on individual dribbling, with team-mates backing up the dribbler in an effort to move the ball towards the opponents' goal.
"Some authorities have claimed that the Royal Engineers were the first team to develop a passing game, and were doing so at around the time of the first FA Cup final."
It's fair to say that the footballers of Oscar Wilde's age were a different breed to today's sporting stars.
The Wanderers' band of ex-public schoolboys and the aristocratic elite produced some notable sportsmen. As well as the pioneering Alcock the team contained several men who played first-class cricket, a goalkeeper who was capped by England as a defender and a forward who was capped by England in goal.
Forward Edward Bowen was noted for walking the 90 miles between Cambridge and Oxford in 26 hours in between his football and playing cricket for Hampshire; full-back Edgar Lubbock went on to become the deputy governor of the Bank of England and wing-wizard Walpole Vidal - known as the "prince of dribblers" - would later become a vicar.
As you would expect, the Royal Engineers side had all seen military service from across the world, with experiences branching from India to the Crimea, Bermuda, Gibraltar and the Zulu war.
Forward Henry Waugh Renny-Tailyour played football and rugby union for Scotland as well as cricket for Kent and would still find time to become a managing director of Guinness, while half-back Alfred Goodwyn would suffer the unfortunate fate of being the first international footballer to be killed in a riding accident in India two years after the final.
The historian's view: "Most of the players in the first final had learnt the game in elite public schools and at university. The Wanderers was open only to those who had attended leading public schools and Oxbridge. Three of the Cup final line-up had attended Eton and four had gone to Harrow."
The early rules were very different. In a nod to cricket, players had to appeal for a goal and changed ends after each goal, not at half-time. This once allowed Walpole Vidal to score three times without the opposition touching the ball.
The historian's view: "Modern fans would be surprised by some of the features of football in 1872. Rather than a crossbar, a tape was pitched between two posts eight feet above the ground.
"Throw-ins were not determined by the team whose player had kicked the ball off the pitch but by the first player to reach the ball. But these rules were not consistent across the country. Variations existed in different areas and it was not until 10 years later, in 1882, that a uniform set of rules was established by the FA."
The 2015 final will be refereed by Jon Moss, who can expect some grief from the stands. It was a different story for civil servant Alfred Stair, the referee chosen for the first three FA Cup finals. Stair was the head of the Inland Revenue - presumably seen as a trustworthy gentleman of his day - and also played football for Upton Park.
The historian's view: "In the earliest days of football, referees were literally peripheral figures. They stood outside the playing area and were only called upon to adjudicate if the umpires (who were appointed by each club and stood in either half of the pitch) could not reach agreement."
For winners Wanderers it was the start of a golden - if brief - era of success. They retained the trophy in 1873 by beating Oxford University 2-0 and added three more trophies before the end of the decade. Their haul of five FA Cups has only been bettered by Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle, Aston Villa, Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham, Manchester United and Arsenal.
But by 1881 Wanderers could not field a side as players left to play for some of the newer clubs springing up across the country and the team folded in 1887. A reformed side was founded in 2009 and the club currently play in the Surrey South Eastern Combination. In fact they are looking for a new manager to get the club back in the FA Cup by 2022.
The Engineers reached four finals and won the Cup in 1875. They continue to play on and are currently managed by Capt Simon Mayers, who has a 25-man squad to select from around 8,000 men based around the world.
The historian's view: "Football became increasingly popular over the next decade or so, as it became embedded in British working-class culture. Its popularity was helped by entrepreneurs who realised the opportunities that existed in enclosing playing fields and charging the public for entry.
"The next step from this, as teams began to act as representatives of their localities, was for ambitious club committees to 'poach' the best players and pay for them to play for their teams. Within less than a decade of the first FA Cup final, professional football had emerged in England, though it was not legalised by the FA until 1885." | Saturday's FA Cup final between Arsenal and Aston Villa at Wembley will be watched by half a billion viewers in more than 120 countries. |
27,499,595 | The US agency's current policy prohibits anyone working for it who has used cannabis in the past three years.
However, its director James Comey has acknowledged that this is complicating its efforts to recruit hacking experts, according to the Wall Street Journal.
It said he made the announcement at a conference in New York.
"I have to hire a great workforce to compete with those cybercriminals, and some of those kids want to smoke weed on the way to the interview," the newspaper quoted him as saying at the White Collar Crime Institute's annual meeting.
It added that when one attendee asked how a cannabis-using friend interested in working for the bureau should now act, Mr Comey replied: "He should go ahead and apply."
A spokeswoman for the FBI confirmed Mr Comey had discussed cannabis in unscripted remarks during a question and answer session after his speech at the conference.
However, during a committee hearing at the Senate on Wednesday the FBI director subsequently said he had been trying to be "philosophic and funny" when he made the comments.
"I don't want young people to use marijuana. It's against the law," he added.
"I did not say that I'm going to change that ban. I said I have to grapple with the change in my workforce."
Unlike the FBI, the UK's National Cyber Crime Unit (NCCU)'s vetting policy does not make specific reference to cannabis, but does have a wider anti-drugs rule.
"Whilst previous drug taking is not necessarily a barrier to employment provided people are open about it, applicants are told not to apply if they have taken illegal drugs in the preceding 12 months," said a spokeswoman for the National Crime Agency, of which the NCCU is a division.
"Before joining all new entrants have to undertake a drugs screening test before appointment is confirmed.
"Once employed, individuals are subject to NCA policies including random and intelligence-led 'with cause' substance testing. Certain high-risk posts require individuals to take more regular testing as a role requirement."
One expert thought it was sensible to review such anti-drugs policies.
"The sort of hackers that you want to hire tend to be young, the young tend to have bad habits such as smoking marijuana, and over time you'd expect them to do this less," Dr Richard Clayton, from the University of Cambridge's Computer Laboratory, told the BBC.
"But equally, I believe the FBI and the National Cyber Crime Unit have more problem recruiting people because of the salaries they pay, which compare poorly with the salaries available in the private industry."
The UK's Defence Secretary Philip Hammond told BBC Two's Newsnight programme in November that the NCCU might hire convicted hackers despite a current ban against recruits with a criminal record.
"The conviction would be examined in terms of how long ago it was, how serious it was, what sort of sentence had followed. So I can't rule it out," he said.
But Dr Clayton said he was concerned how this might be implemented.
"We like to send out the message that hacking is very bad and that if you get caught it can ruin your life," he said.
"But it's a problem if you then say, 'If you get caught we might let you serve a few months in jail and then give you a nice cushy job.'
"Perhaps we might want to have some sort of 'we won't hire you until your conviction is at least five years old' sort of policy." | The FBI has reportedly said it is "grappling with the question" of whether to hire cybersecurity experts who use cannabis. |
30,517,147 | That protein may be responsible for itching, swelling and rashes suffered by people taking a wide range of medicines.
Such reactions stop people completing treatments and can sometimes be fatal.
Writing in the journal Nature, scientists say they are exploring ways to block the protein and reduce these side-effects.
Researchers from the Johns Hopkins University, in Maryland, and the University of Alberta focused on reactions triggered by medicines prescribed for a number of conditions - from diabetes to HIV.
These reactions, also seen after some antibiotics or anti-cancer treatments, can spark a range of symptoms from redness to rashes.
They are different to the allergic reactions caused by food and those experienced by hay fever sufferers.
Scientists tested mice with and without a single protein - named MRGPRB2 - on their cells.
Mice without the protein did not suffer any redness, rashes or swelling despite being given drugs known to provoke reactions.
And changes in blood pressure and heart rate - hallmarks of potentially dangerous reactions - were reduced.
Dr Benjamin McNeil, at John Hopkins University School of Medicine, said: "It's fortunate that all of the drugs turn out to trigger a single receptor - it makes that receptor an attractive drug target."
And if a new drug to block the protein receptor could be made, Dr McNeil said, this would help reduce the side-effects many patients currently endured.
Maureen Jenkins, clinical director of Allergy UK, said: "Allergic disease affects the immune system and the reactions are often very complex.
"All new methods to try and understand these reactions and to develop target treatments are welcomed."
Scientists are now investigating whether the same protein could be behind certain skin conditions - such as rosacea and psoriasis.
These conditions can result in patches of redness and rashes, but their cause is currently unknown. | Allergic reactions to drugs and injections could stem from one single protein, research in mice suggests. |
35,266,401 | She is not changing jobs, however.
In her spare time, Maggie acts with Belfast's Belvoir Players amateur drama company.
But this year, she'll be one of the stars in the Royal Shakespeare Company's touring production of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream.'
"I think it's the biggest opportunity I'm ever really going to get," she said.
"I'm not looking to make this my big career in life - I like the slow pace of amateur dramatics - but this is the one big chance to bring some excitement into it, and some real professionalism."
In all, six actors from Belvoir Players have been chosen by the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) for the roles of 'the mechanicals' in the play.
They are an integral part of the comedy, as they gather to rehearse a play in honour of a royal wedding.
When a fairy called Puck discovers their rehearsal, he casts a spell and all manner of mischief results.
Most of the laughs are at the expense of the character of Nick Bottom, who is played by another amateur from Belfast, management consultant Trevor Gill.
"Not in our wildest dreams have we ever said to ourselves that one day the Belvoir Players amateur theatre company from Belfast would stand toe-to-toe with the professionals of the RSC," he said.
"Not in a million years did we think we'd have this opportunity, it's really quite amazing."
The local cast are one of 14 amateur groups across the UK chosen to join the production in 2016 as it tours the UK to mark the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare's death.
They are the only participants from Northern Ireland to take part, but they are getting expert help ahead of their time in the spotlight.
RSC Associate Director Kimberley Sykes has travelled to Belfast for rehearsals, and they are also getting advice from the professional members of the cast via videolink.
Ms Sykes said it was the chance of a lifetime for amateur actors, giving them the chance to perform alongside some of the finest stage actors in the world.
"Some of them have said it's a death bed moment.
"The moment you remember the birth of your children, your wedding day, and the moment you played on the RSC stage in A Midsummer Night's Dream.
"It's probably one of Shakespeare's more well-known plays, as a lot of people have studied it at school so they'll recognise some of the characters," said Ms Sykes.
"It's a play about love, about celebration, about festivities, so there's something in there for everybody."
The local cast will join the RSC on the stage of the Grand Opera House in Belfast from 31 May - 4 June.
They then move across the Irish sea for three performances in July.
"Just to put the cap on it," said Trevor Gill, "we will then go to the RSC's theatre in Stratford-Upon-Avon."
"When you think of some of the actors who have set foot on that stage, like Laurence Olivier or Judi Dench, for us just to be there as members of the cast is absolutely amazing."
The local actors will work intensively for the next few months to be ready for their big roles, but Trevor admits there is only one slight downside to what lies ahead.
"It's sometimes difficult to get on with your day job, because you think to yourself 'Blimey, in five months time I'm going to be acting with the Royal Shakespeare Company."
"How did that happen?" | Maggie Gorman works as a human resources administrator, but she is about to take on a very exciting new role. |
40,692,580 | A 75% majority was required to pass the changes, demanded by sports minister Tracey Crouch to make governing bodies more independent and diverse.
As part of the deal, a board place will be created for the 10 English regions.
"The vote is the start of an exciting new chapter," said British Cycling's chief executive Julie Harrington.
"Securing funding will enable us to inspire more people onto two wheels."
Funding agency Sport England had allocated £17m to British Cycling to boost grassroots participation, while UK Sport is set to invest £26m for its Olympic and Paralympic teams' preparations for Tokyo 2020.
However, the government deemed that, from November, boards of governing bodies must be "the ultimate decision-making body and exercise all of the powers of the organisation" - something that former chief executive Peter King thought would be rejected by more than 25% of British Cycling's 130,000 members.
British Cycling executives - including president Bob Howden and chairman Jonathan Browning - attended a series of regional meetings in a bid to convince members to support the reforms.
The reforms included an increase in the number of openly recruited independent board members from three to four and an independent chair. They also included a limit for directors of three three-year terms, with six of the eight elected members on the current board being forced to stand down.
British six-time Olympic champion Sir Chris Hoy had written to urge them to accept the proposals.
And Howden warned that cycling "could be lost to an entire generation" if their Sport England funding was withdrawn.
British Cycling said the reforms were voted through by 94% of its members and the result was welcomed in a joint statement from Sport England and UK Sport.
"We are very pleased to see that British Cycling members voted in favour of proposed governance reforms," the organisations said.
"National governing bodies of sport in receipt of public funding have a huge responsibility to invest it wisely and with transparency, and the code was launched to ensure those organisations have the highest standards of leadership.
"Some of the proposed reforms will involve significant changes, so today's vote from the members is a strong demonstration of British Cycling's commitment to continuous improvement to benefit everyone involved in the sport."
Julian Knight MP, who sits on the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, said British Cycling has "stared into the abyss and decided not to jump".
He added: "I trust this will provide a wake-up call to the sport that success doesn't give it a free pass. It must strive for the highest standards in governance and how athletes are treated."
To date, the government has had mixed results persuading sports to adopt its Code for Sports Governance, designed to improve governance standards across sport.
In May, the Football Association's council finally approved reforms, having been threatened with a £15m funding cut.
But earlier this month, the national governing body for table tennis became the first to reject the government's standards and had its full £9m Sport England funding award suspended as a result. | British Cycling will retain £43m in public funding after its national council approved governance reforms in an extraordinary general meeting. |
37,603,685 | Claim: Donald Trump was quizzed at the start of the debate on his obscene comments about women made in 2005. He went on the offensive with a series of claims - including this one - about women who have alleged sexual assault or obscene behaviour by Bill Clinton.
Reality Check verdict: Bill Clinton did pay out the money to Paula Jones but it was not a fine. In 1999, the then-president reached an out-of-court settlement with Ms Jones, an Arkansas government employee who claimed he had exposed himself to her in a hotel room eight years earlier, when he was governor of Arkansas. He paid Ms Jones $850,000 for agreeing to drop the case but did not offer an apology. Almost half of this sum came from the Clintons' family savings.
Ms Jones had sued Mr Clinton for sexual harassment. It was this case that led to the investigation in which then-President Clinton denied under oath having sex with Monica Lewinsky.
'Mrs Clinton was no longer secretary of state for President Obama's 'red line' in Syria'
Claim: Hillary Clinton had left President Barack Obama's government by the time he drew a "red line in the sand" over the use of chemical weapons by President Bashar al-Assad's forces in Syria.
"First of all, she was there as secretary of state with the so-called line in the sand," said Mr Trump during Sunday's debate. "No I wasn't. I was gone," Mrs Clinton responded.
"At some point, we need to do some fact-checking here," she added. Mr Trump then went on: "You were in total contact with the White House, and perhaps, sadly, Obama probably still listened to you."
Reality Check verdict: Mrs Clinton was secretary of state when Mr Obama made his "red line" comment in August 2012. She stayed in office until February 2013.
In fact, she repeated Mr Obama's comment several times, including at a news conference in Prague in December 2012 when she said: "We have made our views very clear. This is a red line for the United States. I'm not going to telegraph in any specifics what we would do in the event of credible evidence that the Assad regime has resorted to using chemical weapons against his own people, but suffice to say we are certainly planning to take action if that eventuality were to occur."
However, when the "red line" was crossed and more than 1,000 people died in a chemical attack in Damascus in August 2013, Mrs Clinton was no longer the secretary of state. She had been replaced by John Kerry.
Claim: Donald Trump attacks Hillary Clinton over her record on defending women's rights.
Reality Check verdict: It would be a stretch to say Clinton was laughing at the victim. Trump was referring to a case from the mid-1980s, when Mrs Clinton was working as a lawyer. She defended a factory worker accused of raping a 12-year-old girl.
In unpublished audio recordings of an interview she had with an Arkansas reporter, she is heard laughing four times while discussing the trial. In one instance she says: "Of course he [the defendant] claimed he didn't [rape her]…He took a lie detector test. I had him take a polygraph, which he passed, which forever destroyed my faith in polygraphs". Clinton and the reporter are then heard laughing.
The accused ultimately admitted a reduced charge and the victim has since said Clinton put "me through hell".
'Acid-washed emails'
Claim: Donald Trump claims Hillary Clinton "acid washed" 33,000 personal emails to delete them, something he said was an "expensive process".
Reality Check verdict: A claim that has been debunked before. The FBI said Clinton's team used a free software programme called BleachBit. No chemicals were used. When he first made this claim, Trump's campaign said that he did not literally mean "acid washed", adding that it was a play on words and reference to a joke made by Clinton about "wiping" her email server with a cloth. BleachBit debunked Trump's claim on its website saying the software is not "very expensive," adding that it is completely free of charge.
US nukes are 'old' and Russia's are 'new'
Claim: Mr Trump said that the US nuclear programme has fallen way behind that of Russia. The Russians "have gone wild with their nuclear programme" he said, and Russia's nukes are "new" while America's are "old".
Reality Check verdict: Mr Trump has a point.
Even the US Defence Secretary Ash Carter accepted in a speech last month that the US has not built "new types of nuclear weapons or delivery system for some twenty five years". He acknowledged that most of America's nuclear weapons delivery systems "have already been extended decades beyond their original expected service lives".
Meanwhile Russia has been modernising, though not at a pace that might be described as going "wild". Russia's military doctrine certainly places growing emphasis upon nuclear weapons and it is not only modernising its arsenal, but also making nuclear threats against a number of NATO members. Russia's modernisation effort though is constrained by its budget and it still has many older systems deployed too.
The fact is that the world changed at the end of the Cold War. The emphasis moved away from nuclear deterrence and arms control treaties, prompting significant reductions in the two main nuclear powers' arsenals.
Now things have changed again. As Russia gets more assertive, North Korea quickly develops its nuclear programme and China grows its arsenal, the US is seeking to modernise many of its nuclear systems.
Claim: Donald Trump says he has the backing of 200 military leaders.
Reality Check verdict: This seems overblown. The Trump campaign website, in September, said 88 retired US admirals and generals had signed a letter endorsing the Republican candidate. The BBC covered this at the time - you can read the story here.
Canadians are going to America for operations
Claim: Donald Trump says Canada's universal health care system, which he says is similar to the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, leads to longer waits for operations, with Canadians increasingly travelling to the US "when they need a big operation".
Reality Check verdict: There is no readily available data on the number of Canadians travelling to America for medical treatment.
Medical experts also stress that there are several key differences between the US and Canadian healthcare systems, making direct comparisons difficult.
The Trump campaign cited a report by the Fraser Institute think tank, which suggested there was a 25% increase in Canadians travelling abroad for non-emergency medical treatment between 2013 and 2014. The estimate is based on data from an annual survey of Canadian physicians in 12 specialties. This data was combined with figures on the number of procedures performed in Canada to arrive at the estimate.
A 2002 Michigan university study, based on data gathered in three US states bordering Canada between 1994 and 1998, found "surprisingly few" Canadians travelled to the US for treatment.
A 2015 study by the Commonwealth Fund found longer waiting times for specialised care in Canada compared with the United States. But Canada tends to come out slightly ahead of the US in patient-reported measures of physician quality.
Claim: Donald Trump refuses to back down over his claim that he did not support the Iraq War.
Reality Check verdict: It has been debunked. Trump did not publicly speak out against the war before it started. More details from the first debate Reality Check.
Claim: Donald Trump mocks Hillary Clinton for saying she was just quoting from the film Lincoln when she said that politicians should have different positions in public and private. "Abraham Lincoln never lied - that is the big difference between Abraham Lincoln and you," he tells his Democratic rival.
Reality Check verdict: The Clinton quote Trump is referring to - "you need both a public and a private position" - comes from an April 2013 speech to the National Multifamily Housing Council. It was one of the paid speeches she gave before launching her presidential bid, which she refused to release, but details of which have now been revealed in leaked emails.
In the speech, she referred the film Lincoln, and the deal-making that went into passage of the 13th Amendment, a process she compared to sausage-making.
She said: "It is unsavoury, and it always has been that way, but we usually end up where we need to be, but if everybody's watching, you know, all of the back-room discussions and the deals, you know, then people get a little nervous to say the least. So, you need both a public and a private position.''
Reporting by Brian Wheeler, Nalina Eggert and Jonathan Marcus | Here are some of the statements made by Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in their second presidential debate and how they compare with the facts. |
38,599,166 | Media playback is not supported on this device
BBC Radio 5 live football correspondent John Murray worked with Graham Taylor for many years. Here he fondly recalls what life was like on the road with the former England manager.
The first time we were squeezed together in one was for a not-terribly-high-profile match on a Friday night at Brentford. I can still see him bounding up the steps at Griffin Park, wearing a black and white checked jacket, cheerily acknowledging people as he came.
And I remember thinking afterwards that Graham Taylor was everything I hoped he would be. He was good fun, charming, engaging, and he had lots to say about the players, the match and all matters surrounding it. And, off air, he wanted to know all about me.
When I got to know him better, he would always be great company post-match, often late into the evening. I have never actually met his wife, Rita, his children, or his grandchildren, but I feel as though I have because Graham would tell you exactly what was going on in their lives.
He loved all sports, particularly athletics and cricket - Graham actually followed England on tour to South Africa. And, believe it or not, he enjoyed the music of both Vera Lynn and Adele, whose albums he bought.
As a match summariser, I knew that if the game wasn't very good and nothing was happening, Graham was someone you could go off at tangents with, because he had such a wide field of interests. During one such commentary, I remember us discussing how he used to take an annual holiday in Caister-on-Sea, and the merits of that Norfolk seaside town.
But don't go thinking he was a pushover. There was a steely core to Graham Taylor that all winners have, and he always struck me as one of life's natural leaders - I'm convinced that was one of the secrets behind the many successes he had.
Once, when we had lost our ticket in an underground car park in Innsbruck, he very nearly persuaded me to tailgate a car through the barrier. He was extremely disappointed that I pulled up short of causing untold damage!
When I turned up at the airport to fly to Euro 2008, Graham appeared with one foot in a plastic boot. He'd injured it somehow, but rather than withdraw from our broadcast team so close to the finals - which he had been advised to do - he travelled all around Austria and Switzerland in some discomfort but without a word of complaint.
Being under scrutiny as a football manager for most of his life, he could click a switch and go into serious mode at a moment's notice, and what he said carried a real authority.
We were both part of the commentary team in Montenegro for a European Championship qualifier when Wayne Rooney was sent off for kicking out at an opponent.
The next morning we were reporting on it into the Breakfast programme, and though Graham was bleary eyed when he arrived in the room, he sat down, clicked into action, and made perfect sense. I recall thinking that had he still been England manager, he would have answered the questions in exactly the same way.
The way things ended for him with England, and the criticism that came with that, clearly stayed with him. He would often reference it himself and was, sometimes I felt, almost too willing to talk about it.
We would always try to guide Graham away from large gatherings of England fans because of the greater possibility of someone saying something out of turn in those circumstances. On the occasions that did happen, Graham would go and talk to them, and they would inevitably be left feeling rather foolish. Later, though, there would often be a quiet word to you which revealed the hurt was still there.
But it says a great deal about the man that it is for his warm, generous, human qualities that I will remember him best.
Yes, Graham Taylor was everything I hoped he would be. | Graham Taylor and I sat next to one another in commentary boxes here, there and everywhere. |
21,292,441 | The coin is being withdrawn from circulation by the Canadian government. From Monday, change must be rounded up or down to the nearest five cents.
The penny's eroded purchasing power is behind its removal, along with rising manufacturing costs, hoarding by households, and the outlay by retailers in handling the coins.
Canada is not the first country to ditch a low denomination coin as inflation reduces its value. Australia, Brazil, and Sweden are among many others to do so.
So, does this trend put the UK's 1p coin at risk? Do these coins just sit in a pot at home? Can anything be bought with a penny anyway?
The 1p coin is by far the most common coin in the UK. There were 11.3 billion in circulation, according to the latest figures from The Royal Mint, accounting for nearly 40% of all coins in the system.
Strolling around the streets of Hastings in East Sussex with a pocket full of pennies, it can be tough to find somewhere to spend them.
The old-fashioned shove penny games in the seaside amusement arcades only accept 2p pieces, with the tempting prize of - more coins.
Source: Collins English Dictionary
An accordion player busking in an underpass is happy to accept some loose change, but shoppers are less interested in filling their wallets with them.
"One pence and five pence pieces are a pain in the rear end," says one man taking a tea break.
Surely the traditional sweet shop, with its pear drops and lollipops in the window, will still be selling penny chews?
"They generally cost more now - about 2p or 3p each," says Jerome Franklin-Ryan, specialist at The Sweet Shop and Tobacconist. "That's inflation in action.
"People still come in with pennies to spend, but we tend to sell things by weight now. We do pester them for their pennies so we can give it out in change."
Mr Franklin-Ryan might even be sitting on an alternative currency. In New Zealand, one, two and five cent coins have all been removed from circulation. Many shops offer sweets, instead of small change, as a result.
In his role as "Master of the Mint", the Chancellor - currently George Osborne - makes decisions over the detail of coins. In 2010, he announced that £10m a year would be saved by making coins with steel covered in nickel plating, rather than copper.
Mr Osborne has just hired Canada's central bank governor, Mark Carney, as the next boss of the Bank of England. Yet, even in that role, Mr Carney will not have the power to withdraw the penny - even if he sees Canada's move as a success.
The power over the 1p coin's future lies with the people, according to Alec Chrystal, emeritus professor of money and banking at the Cass Business School.
"It will be driven by demand, rather than supply. If we do not use them, then they will drop out of circulation," he says.
"There are still plenty of places around that need them, not least charities which might well be upset if they were to go."
Some analysts have suggested that the 2p - the third largest sized coin in the currency - might be more at risk of withdrawal.
But Prof Chrystal says that in general the smallest denomination coin is the most likely to disappear as habits change, but not for a while yet.
"Cash is still widely used. In terms of volume, a remarkably high proportion is still used," he says.
The number of cash payments made in the UK in 2011 was more than double the number of transactions made by card, data from the Payments Council shows.
This is primarily the result of the popularity of cash for low-value transactions. In terms of value, more is now spent on debit cards alone than in cash. There are fewer high value transactions, but these tend to be made on plastic.
One retailer where you might expect a keen interest in the future of the penny is 99p Stores.
"It is actually a myth that we give out lots and lots of pennies. In fact, people tend to buy four or five items so we give out more 5p and 2p pieces," says co-founder Hussein Lalani.
Source: Government of Canada
He says that the cost of handling coins can be higher for retailers, the lower the denomination. Meanwhile, he says retailers and customers are feeling the squeeze, given the state of the economy.
"I do feel that people are hanging around for their change a bit more since the recession," he adds.
These shoppers might be penny-pinching, or penny-wise and pound-foolish. These are two of the many expressions that the penny has given to the English language.
Other informal phrases include "a pretty penny" to define a considerable sum of money, and "when the penny drops" to explain that somebody has finally understood something.
The withdrawal of the Canadian penny brings a long history to an end. It was introduced with the decimal system in 1858 and was struck at mints in England until 1908.
Since then, some 35 billion pennies have been struck at the Ottawa branch of The Royal Mint - half of them in the last 20 years.
The UK 1p coin was introduced into circulation on 15 February, 1971, when the country adopted decimalisation. It had the word "new" struck on the back of the coin to avoid any confusion with old pennies. This was stopped in 1982.
Such a short history, and large circulation, means that the 1p coin is unlikely to have any collectable value, says coin dealer Peter Nichols, of St Leonards, near Hastings.
"You would have to keep them for a very, very long time," he says. "They are just scrap metal."
He says he has people coming in with £50 bags of old pennies, which are not worth anything for collectors.
His view is that people should keep the 50p coins that commemorate the Olympics, as they might eventually be worth something.
One thing is certain for the humble 1p piece. The effect of inflation means it is always losing the race to maintain its value. | Go shopping at any shop in Canada and you may notice that something is missing in your change - the one penny or cent. |
31,886,990 | The 18-year-old was hit outside the Oakdale Social Club in West Bromwich.
Police believe the Vauxhall Astra contained three or four Asian men who were involved in an earlier disturbance outside the club.
The car pulled away from the car park but moments later turned around "and was driven into the crowd" gathered at closing time, police said.
The injured teenager was taken to hospital with suspected spinal fractures and was later discharged to continue her recovery at home.
Det Con Luke Stephens, from West Midlands Police, said: "Exactly what led to such a dangerous and violent act is not clear, but we do know that the men used a dark blue Vauxhall Astra to drive at the group outside the club.
"Their actions could have left people with much more serious, if not fatal, injuries and it is only good fortune that prevented the young woman from being badly hurt."
He said the car would have been left with front-end damage after the incident outside the club in Oak Lane at about 23:15 GMT on Friday 20 February.
"Make no mistake, this was a serious incident and we need to find those people involved."
Anyone at the Oakdale Social Club that night who may be able to help police is urged to call the force on 101 or contact Crimestoppers. | A motorist "drove at a crowd" outside a social club and ploughed into a woman, leaving her seriously injured. |
35,818,827 | Irate Indians have been battling it out with mocking cricket fans from other countries, most notably Pakistan.
The hashtag #IndvsNZ, which was trending on Twitter during the game, quickly turned into a battleground.
India were bowled out for 79 in pursuit of 127 on a slow surface in Nagpur.
India's poor performance initially led to much agony and hand wringing on Twitter by disappointed fans.
Some even tried to be sporting about it:
But that didn't help to stop the mockery, some of which came from Indians, but most from gloating Pakistan fans.
This predictably led to a slanging match on the social media platform:
All the heartburn and anger overshadowed the performance of the Indian women's cricket team which convincingly beat Bangladesh in their own game.
And it has also set the mood for India's high stakes encounter against Pakistan, which will take place in Kolkata (Calcutta) on Saturday. | New Zealand's shock 47-run victory over tournament favourites India in the opening match of the World Twenty20 Super 10s has sparked off a social media war. |
36,568,730 | The 35-year-old midfielder suffered the injury during Friday's 2-2 draw with Croatia, and national team doctors say he will play no further part in France.
Czech Republic next play Turkey on Tuesday, and a win could see them secure second and a spot in the knockout stage on goal difference.
For that to happen, Croatia would also have to lose to Group D leaders Spain.
However, third place may also be good enough for Czech Republic to make the next round, as the four best third-placed teams across the six groups teams also advance. | Czech Republic captain Tomas Rosicky has been ruled out of the rest of Euro 2016 with a thigh injury. |
31,656,313 | The region's 10 councils and health groups will take over £6bn allocated for health and social care, with full powers being devolved a year later.
Mr Osborne signed the memorandum of understanding, dubbed Devo Manc, for "better, more joined-up health care".
Labour MP Barbara Keeley said: "We're being handed over a funding crisis."
From 1 April, the region will start making its own decisions to "provide the foundations" for a Greater Manchester health and social care strategy.
Manchester City Council said this, along with business and investment proposals, would also give a "transitional plan" for full devolution by April 2016.
£6bn
share for Greater Manchester
£98.7bn is the estimated NHS budget for 2015-16 across England
2.7 million is the estimated population in Greater Manchester
53 million people are estimated to live in England
Mr Osborne said: "We have a landmark agreement to bring the local NHS and social care much more closely together.
"I am excited about all this because not only does it mean the people of Greater Manchester having more control over the decisions that affect their lives, I believe it will also lead to better, much more joined-up health care.
"It's also a historic day for Greater Manchester. They are leading the country in this important change."
The agreement "does not require any reorganisation of the NHS or its principles", the city council said.
Hugh Pym: 'A potentially momentous week for the NHS'
Ms Keeley, MP for Worsley and Eccles South, said: "The problem with Osborne's offer is that it is on existing budgets.
"A&E has just been through its biggest crisis for many many years, so let's be realistic about it.
"There are big gaps in social care, our hospitals are in deficit [and] that's no way to do a proper job of integrating care, which is Labour's policy - to integrate health and social care at the local level."
The agreement is part of the government's northern powerhouse plan to close the economic gap between north and south by investing in regions.
The plan would see local leaders, and ultimately Greater Manchester's new directly elected mayor, control how budgets are allocated.
Deputy leader of Greater Manchester Combined Authority Sir Richard Leese said: "The first big change is to make sure that a lot of people aren't entering into needing healthcare that don't need to do so."
Sir Richard, who is also the leader of Labour-run Manchester City Council, said "people are spending too long in hospital" so "there will proper care packages available" when they return home.
The plan aims to ease the pressure on hospitals in the long-term.
Arif Ansari, Political Correspondent, BBC North West Tonight
The chief executive of NHS England Simon Stevens quipped that "we are now signing the nuptials". For some of us, it felt more like a renewal of the vows.
Last November, the chancellor signed the UK's first "devolution deal" - but this may be a bigger deal, as Greater Manchester becomes a testbed for NHS devolution.
But the congregation in the Town Hall may have noticed a lack of Labour MPs - this deal has exposed a division between Labour's local authority leadership and its Westminster team.
The shadow health secretary Andy Burnham, who's long championed integration, called it a "two-tier system" and his colleague, Wigan MP Lisa Nandy, said it showed "complete contempt" for local people.
They believe there's a lack of democratic oversight. They were also politically exposed, unaware this major agreement was being negotiated.
The chief executive of Manchester City Council, Sir Howard Bernstein - perhaps taking the role of Best Man - told me the NHS won't be controlled by any future mayor but by a new health board of council leaders and local NHS managers.
Other council leaders, including the Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson, are left wishing they had been invited to a similar ceremony.
Ann Barnes, chief executive of Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, said: "It is not about increasing power, but about increasing the health and prosperity of local people.
"We will have greater opportunities to respond swiftly and effectively to the needs of residents and really transform services for them. They will have a powerful voice in a powerful partnership."
NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens described the memorandum of understanding as a "landmark agreement".
"[It] charts a path to the greatest integration and devolution of care funding since the creation of the NHS in 1948," he said.
"Greater Manchester now has a unique opportunity for innovation and improvement in health and wellbeing. The eyes of the country will now be on what this new partnership can deliver, and today the work begins." | Greater Manchester will begin taking control of its health budget from April after a devolution agreement was signed by the Chancellor George Osborne. |
36,376,857 | Erin Bisson, from Jersey, launched legal action for discrimination against Condor Ferries after a member of staff told her to use a disabled loo.
She had also said the use of words rather than symbols on toilets amounted to indirect discrimination.
The firm admitted discrimination at the island's Employment and Discrimination Tribunal on Friday.
In its first decision taken since the island introduced gender discrimination laws in 2015, the tribunal found Ms Bisson's complaints against Condor of direct and indirect discrimination because of her gender reassignment to be "well-founded".
When she called the company in September to ask which toilets she should use, Ms Bisson said a staff member "advised me I should be using the disabled toilets".
She claimed this had amounted to direct discrimination.
Condor, which sails between Poole, Portsmouth, France and the Channel Islands, admitted to a "non-intentional and non-malicious act of discrimination".
Ms Bisson has since approved changes to the Condor toilets which now have symbols representing men and women, and not words. Male and female toilets are still separate.
"Gender is down to identity, symbols is one way of dealing with this", she said.
Condor Ferries said it had worked with Ms Bisson to draw up a list of measures "to remove the possibility of inadvertent discrimination", which it had implemented after approval from Ms Bisson and the tribunal.
"As the first ruling about transgender discrimination, this sets the direction for future tribunals to follow," said advocate Caroline Dutot, an employment and discrimination law specialist in Jersey.
Condor Ferries said all its staff had also completed a diversity training programme for the first time in March.
Vic Tanner Davy, chair of Trans* Jersey, said while the group was "pleased" the tribunal had found in favour of a transgender person, the community preferred "the approach of education" rather than "litigation" against employers. | A transgender woman has won her bid to have a ferry firm remove the words "ladies" and "gents" from its toilets. |
32,444,069 | Lincolnshire Police said they had arrested a 65-year-old from the Boston area, over comments made on Facebook.
Under the Representation of the People Act 1983, it is an offence to make "false statements of fact" about the character or conduct of a candidate.
Police did not say who the candidate was, or if they were standing in the local or general election.
The man was released on bail to return to Boston Police Station at a later date. | A man has been arrested on suspicion of posting false statements about an election candidate. |
34,737,451 | The pair spoke to veterans and their families beside the annual display of more than 100,000 small wooden crosses, each with a poppy and personal message.
They honour service personnel who have lost their life since World War One.
The Last Post was played before a two-minute silence and the duke and his grandson planted their own crosses.
It was the third time Prince Harry, who who served in Afghanistan, has visited the Field of Remembrance. The Duke, who was in the Royal Navy during World War Two, has been attending since 2003.
The prince spoke to nine-year-old Rhiannon Lewis, from Essex, who attended the event with her family to remember her late uncle, Lt Aaron Lewis, who lost his life in Afghanistan in 2008.
He also chatted with Liam Young, a former corporal, who served with the Light Dragoons in Afghanistan. The 29-year-old, who was also deployed to Iraq, planted a cross for six of his comrades killed in Afghanistan in 2009 and another who died later in a civilian accident.
The first Field of Remembrance, planted by The Poppy Factory, was set up in the grounds of Westminster Abbey in November 1928.
There are now further fields in Cardiff; Lydiard Park, near Wootton Bassett; Belfast; Gateshead; Edinburgh, and Inverness. | The Duke of Edinburgh and Prince Harry have paid tribute to Britain's fallen soldiers as they opened Westminster Abbey's Field of Remembrance. |
34,889,321 | Media playback is not supported on this device
Dimmock joined the BBC as head of outside broadcasts in 1946, and was responsible for bringing the Queen's coronation to the nation's screens.
A former Royal Air Force flight lieutenant, he worked for the Press Association before 31 years at the BBC.
BBC director general Tony Hall described Dimmock as a "true pioneer".
He added: "As the man who oversaw coverage of the Queen's coronation, he was also responsible for a seminal moment in British broadcasting history.
"Peter's broadcasting mirrored the man - charming, warm, and authoritative."
Former BBC One controller Sir Paul Fox said Dimmock had "introduced the British public to television" and "led BBC Sport to some of its greatest successes".
He said: "He persuaded the people who mattered that the coronation of the Queen should be televised, thereby ensuring the arrival of television in this country.
"More than 20 million watched the coronation, the majority outside their homes. Within 12 months, television licences had doubled."
BBC director of sport Barbara Slater said Dimmock had made an "extraordinary contribution" to the broadcasting industry.
"He was hugely admired by both the audience and those that worked with him. He will be sadly missed."
The Queen's coronation at Westminster Abbey on 2 June, 1953 was the largest outside broadcast the BBC had ever undertaken.
It was also the first time a television audience for an event of national importance had exceeded the number of people listening on radio.
Dimmock produced the coverage but later revealed that he had also needed to use his powers of persuasion to be allowed to film the ceremony.
In an interview with the BBC detailing the corporation's history, Dimmock recalled: "[Prime Minister] Winston Churchill was against it, several of his government were against it and I don't think the Queen was even asked at that stage.
"We performed every trick in the book because people wanted to see and deserved to see the coronation.
"Eventually we persuaded Bernard Norfolk, who organised the coronation, the Queen's press secretary Richard Colville and the Archbishop of Canterbury to let us have a trial of the camera.
"But there was a rule that no camera could be closer than 30 feet from the Queen.
"I got a girl to walk down the aisle as though she was the Queen, but used a two-inch lens - the widest there was - and she looked a mile away. They were happy with that, but what they didn't know was that I was going to use a 12-inch lens that would give the best close up of the Queen that there had ever been."
In 1954, Dimmock moved from his role as a director and went in front of the camera to present a new sports programme called Sportsview, which became Sportsnight in 1968.
With his distinctive moustache, Dimmock became a familiar face in millions of households.
And, as Dimmock explained, the new venture could not have had a better start.
He added: "Luck was on our side because on the night of the first edition Roger Bannister was attempting the first sub-four-minute mile in Oxford.
"When he did it, we hired a racing driver to get him back to the studio before the end of the programme. Roger said it was the most horrific car journey he had ever experienced, but we got him there and I interviewed him. That kicked it off to a good start."
Dimmock was the first presenter of the Sports Personality of the Year award in 1954, which until 1999 was known as Sports Review of the Year.
He also fronted the first coverage of the Grand National in 1960 after persuading Aintree racecourse owner Mirabel Topham to allow the race to be televised after many years of trying.
Two years earlier he had teamed up with producer Paul Fox to launch Grandstand, hosting the first two editions before being replaced by David Coleman.
Dimmock said: "Paul had this good idea to link live outside broadcasts from a studio so we could give half-time football results, racing results and various items from throughout the afternoon.
"And then, of course, the most important thing of all, the full-time results on the teleprinter with everyone sitting at home with their coupons seeing the results as they came up.
"I think one of the reasons why Paul asked me to introduce it was because if it went wrong then 'Dimmock will carry the can'.
"But the only real thing that happened was when I said, 'now we leave Ascot to go to the World Amateur Golf Championships at St Andrews and up came Harringay show jumping'.
"But we got over that and it was obvious when we got it off the ground and David joined us that it was going to be around for a long time." | Peter Dimmock - the first presenter of Grandstand, Sportsview and the Sports Personality of the Year awards - has died aged 94. |
36,714,094 | The 26-year-old turned down a one-year Saddlers deal after scoring four goals in 44 appearances last term, helping them to the League One play-offs.
Cook played under Hatters boss Nathan Jones in Charlton's under-21 side.
"Jordan is one I've known for a long time and he's one I never felt fulfilled his true potential at Charlton," Jones told the club website.
"He's got a lot more to give and hopefully we'll see that at Luton."
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | Luton Town have signed forward Jordan Cook on a two-year deal after he rejected a new contract at Walsall. |
22,947,256 | Leaders at the summit had significant differences on the raging conflict.
The statement was to have focused on the proposed peace conference in Geneva, and more access for deliveries of humanitarian aid.
The G8 leaders also issued a declaration, committing themselves to "fight the scourge of tax evasion".
The document - adopted on the final day of the summit - urges countries to "change rules that let companies shift their profits across borders to avoid taxes, and multinationals should report to tax authorities what tax they pay where".
It also says that "governments should roll back protectionism and agree new trade deals that boost jobs and growth worldwide".
The British government has tried to make tax, trade and transparency - the so-called "Three Ts" - focal issues of the two-day gathering.
'Not ambitious'
Earlier on Tuesday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told the BBC that Moscow would sign up to the statement on Syria later in the day.
But he stressed the Kremlin wanted each of the Syrian sides in the talks to select not only their own delegations but the future terms of any transitional government.
Mr Ryabkov sidestepped the question of whether this could leave open a role for President Bashar al-Assad in the future, reports the BBC's Bridget Kendall from the Enniskillen summit.
To try to get as much consensus as possible on Syria, UK Prime Minister David Cameron - who is hosting the summit - held a working dinner on Monday night.
The leaders were alone, with no officials present, allowing them to express their views frankly.
After the meeting, British officials appeared more optimistic that an agreement could be reached on the joint statement on Syria.
By Mark MardellNorth America editor
Russia's president fidgeted, looked awkward and moved his neck oddly, his body language screaming that he would be rather be anywhere else than at this summit.
However, they said it would take more work to agree the precise language.
Earlier on Monday, the British had raised the possibility of the other G8 nations issuing an end-of-conference statement without the participation of Russia.
But it now seems that Mr Putin is willing to consider some kind of joint stance, according to officials.
The communique is likely to back the launch of Syrian peace negotiations in Geneva, and insist that humanitarian aid agencies like the Red Cross are given access to all parts of the country.
According to the BBC's UK political editor, Nick Robinson, the issue which is causing most difficulties for the G8 members is what they should say about the transition to a new Syrian government after any new round of peace negotiations.
Profile: G8
Can summit live up to ambitious agenda?
Any statement which emerges may not be all that ambitious, correspondents warn - and even then, it is far from certain that any agreement will change the appalling reality in Syria itself.
Ransom deal
The White House announced last week that it would provide military aid to the Syrian rebels. Russia meanwhile supplies weapons to the government of President Bashar al-Assad.
Presidents Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin met for an hour of bilateral talks on Monday, and at a sombre press conference afterwards it was clear they had had a difficult exchange.
Both men acknowledged their differences but said they shared a common desire to stop the bloodshed.
"Of course, our opinions don't coincide. But all of us want to stop the violence and we have agreed to push the parties to the negotiating table," Mr Putin told reporters.
By Jonathan MarcusBBC diplomatic correspondent
As the summit enters its final day, can the leaders find a common form of words on Syria? How bland will their final statement be in order to get agreement? And frankly does it matter what they say here on the shores of Loch Erne in Northern Ireland; the fighting and brutality in Syria seems a world away.
The Russian President Vladimir Putin stands alone in his support for the embattled Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad. But how much does this isolated position really worry Moscow?
A hard won compromise here may have little real substance beyond the world of diplo-speak and political spin.
Nonetheless there is a growing horror at the scale of the humanitarian suffering and a real and growing fear about the Syrian conflict spreading.
Diplomatic consensus among the G8 remains a necessary but insufficient condition to get the political track moving.
Mr Obama said they had instructed their teams to continue working towards hosting an international conference in Geneva that would aim to find a political solution to end the violence, which the UN says has left more than 93,000 people dead since March 2011.
In a separate interview with US broadcaster PBS, Mr Obama emphasised that "we're not taking sides in a religious war between Shia and Sunni" but aiming instead for a "stable, non-sectarian, representative government".
His interview coincided with a White House announcement that the US would provide a further $300m (£190m) of humanitarian aid for Syrians - split between Syria itself, where more than 4.25 million people have been displaced, and neighbouring countries dealing with the 1.6 million refugees.
In a separate development, Mr Cameron says a commitment has been secured from the G8 governments not to pay ransom to kidnappers.
This refusal has long been UK policy, but privately British officials have often expressed their frustration at alleged ransom payments being made to secure the release of French, Italian and other European hostages seized in the Sahara and elsewhere, reports the BBC's security correspondent Frank Gardner.
He adds that since those governments have never publicly owned up to paying ransoms, this G8 agreement may be easier to sign than to enforce. | UK PM David Cameron is giving details of a joint statement on Syria, after a two-day G8 summit in Northern Ireland. |
38,812,526 | It is the brainchild of space archaeologist Dr Sarah Parcak who set it up using prize money from the Ted conference.
Describing it as "Indiana Jones meets Google Earth", she said the site would also allow the public to help prevent looting.
GlobalXplorer will initially be limited to sites in Peru.
Dr Parcak uses satellite imagery collected above the Earth, analysing it with algorithms to identify subtle changes that could signal a hidden human-made structure.
Using the technique, which is used by a growing number of researchers, she has discovered 17 potential pyramids, 3,000 settlements and 1,000 lost tombs in Egypt.
She hopes the technique can now be passed on to citizen scientists.
"The world's hidden heritage contains clues to humankind's collective resilience and creativity," Dr Parcak explained. "It's up to all of us to protect this heritage, and with GlobalXplorer, we are empowering a 21st Century army of global explorers to discover and protect our shared history."
Users of the site will be given a tutorial showing them what different patterns on images mean. When six people flag an area of potential interest, it will be handed over to Dr Parcak's team to assess whether it is an area worthy of exploration.
The website will also allow citizen archaeologists to spot potential looting of existing sites, which is becoming a huge problem in sites around the world.
And to make sure looters do not use the site to locate potential targets, the high-resolution satellite images are broken into tens of million of small tiles which are displayed to users in a random order without the ability to navigate or pan out. The tiles do not contain any location reference or co-ordinate information.
Users are rewarded for their time with content about Peru, behind-the-scenes looks at archaeological sites and the opportunity to join archaeologists on digs.
DigitalGlobe, a satellite imagery company, is providing more than 200,000 sq km of satellite imagery of Peru for users to peruse.
There are plans to launch the site in other countries later this year.
The Ted (Technology, Entertainment and Design) prize is given out annually to what the organisers deem to be a "world-changing project". Winners receive $1m (£800,000) to turn a wish into reality.
Previous winners include Prof Sugata Mitra, who used the money to create remote-learning schools in India and chef Jamie Oliver who used the prize to educate children about healthy eating. | A website that will let members of the public search for potential archaeological sites has been launched. |
38,558,632 | The Report on Jobs: Scotland also found that salary growth is slowing and the country's economy is "under-performing" relative to the UK as a whole.
Kevin Green, the chief executive of the body behind the report, said the Brexit result had brought uncertainty.
It was one of a series of factors affecting business confidence, he said.
The report concluded that December saw the steepest decrease in the number of people placed in permanent jobs by Scottish recruitment consultancies for more than seven years.
Following recent "marginal" decreases, the rate of decline picked up to the fastest seen since June 2009, the study noted.
That contrasted with further - albeit slightly slower - growth in permanent placements across the UK.
The report was commissioned by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) and compiled by Markit.
Analysts surveyed about 100 recruitment and employment consultants across Scotland for the latest monthly study.
They found that there was also a sharp slowdown in growth of permanent salaries, which rose at the weakest rate seen in almost four years. Again, that put Scotland behind the UK average, experts said.
Recruiters further recorded a marked drop in the availability of candidates for permanent jobs last month, the sharpest fall since August.
They also spotted a fractional reduction in the availability of candidates for temporary jobs, ending a six-month run of improvement.
On a brighter note, the report pointed to a strong rise in hourly rates of pay for temporary staff.
Wage inflation in the temporary jobs market was found to be the fastest since May, matching the trend seen at the UK level.
Mr Green, of REC, said: "The jobs market in Scotland is going through a tough patch, with fewer people securing permanent jobs each month and salary growth slowing down.
"Scotland's economy is under-performing relative to the UK, the energy sector has weakened and the referendum result has brought uncertainty.
"These factors are all having a significant impact on business confidence.
"Employers are continuing to post vacancies in Scotland, which suggest that demand for staff is strong, but employers are showing hesitancy when it comes to making hiring decisions.
"It's possible that the jobs market will pick up again quickly if confidence is shored up.
"The government can help this by providing clarity on their priorities for the EU negotiations and the likely impact on employers." | The Scottish jobs market is going through a "tough patch", with fewer people securing permanent positions, according to a new report. |
38,610,685 | The 134-mile route, which is named after the 19th Century Scottish conservationist, launched in 2014 to mark the centenary of his death.
It runs between Helensburgh in the west and Muir's birthplace in Dunbar.
The John Muir Way is the 28th long distance route to be given the accolade by Scottish Natural Heritage.
The route, which includes castles, towns, villages and Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, attracted more than 60,000 people in 2015.
Muir left Scotland for America aged 11 and became one of the most influential figures in the history of the environmental movement.
Keith Geddes, chairman of the Central Scotland Green Network Trust said: "There is a growing understanding in Scotland of Muir's significance throughout the world and the award of Scotland's Great Trail status will help to further raise awareness of both Muir and the route.
"The John Muir Way has proved to be popular with locals going out for a short walk, for those long distance walkers who complete the route on consecutive days or over several visits and to hundreds of visitors from abroad, particularly from Muir's adopted homeland wanting to learn more about Muir's life in Dunbar."
Scottish Natural Heritage chairman Ian Ross, said: "The coast to coast route is the second longest of our Great Trails and, spanning central Scotland, it is easily accessible for millions of people living here.
"The John Muir Way is also another excellent outdoor tourism asset for Scotland and we hope the award helps to attract many more visitors over the coming years." | The John Muir Way has been awarded Scotland's Great Trail status three years after the coast-to-coast route was established. |
38,248,087 | Andrew Lane, 61, contracted the infection necrotising fasciitis after an operation to have his prostate gland removed at Southend Hospital, Essex.
He claims his bowel was punctured during the procedure, leading to the infection.
The hospital said it was aware of the case but could not comment further.
Mr Lane, from Thurrock, had so much diseased tissue removed that he lost his penis and was left with a protruding stomach where the outer tissue was "eaten away".
He had to use a catheter and colostomy bag for two years after the operation in 2013.
"It has just been a horrendous experience. I thought I was going to die," Mr Lane said.
"That night I was taken to theatre three times while the surgeons took more and more tissue away.
"I was super-fit before all this. I had a good body, but now I look like I'm nine months pregnant. I can't ever bear to look at myself naked."
Read more on this story and other Essex news
Nick Greaves, from Mr Lane's lawyers Slater and Gordon, said: "Mr Lane believed he was going into hospital for a routine operation and would be home within days.
"Instead, he has been left with permanent and life-changing injuries that have turned his world upside down.
"Although nothing can change that, he wants to know what happened and ensure it is fully investigated and everything possible done to prevent anyone else having to go through the same ordeal." | A cancer patient who lost most of his penis to a flesh-eating superbug is taking legal action against the hospital where he was having treatment. |
37,072,076 | Data from the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) showed independent schools appealed 6% of results in 2015.
That compared with 2.1% for council-run secondaries.
The Scottish government said "no young person is at a disadvantage through the results service in Scotland".
Labour said appeal fees should be scrapped in order to "level the playing field for every pupil".
It is concerned that fees of up to £39.75 for appeals could deter some local authority schools from applying.
The new appeal rate figures were revealed in evidence from the SQA to MSPs on Holyrood's Education Committee,
Fees were introduced by the SQA in 2014 to help deter schools from putting in purely speculative appeals.
In 2013 local authority schools submitted 62,486 appeals, but the following year the total dropped to 7,056 before rising again in 2015 to 9,584.
Labour education spokesman Iain Gray said it seemed SNP ministers "could not care less about this unfairness in the system".
He said: "They talk the talk on equity, so they should back a fair education system by committing to scrap these unfair fees, and level the playing field for every pupil."
With the 2016 exam results published last week week, Mr Gray said: "Pupils across Scotland will be considering this weekend whether to appeal grades they received on Tuesday.
"An exam appeal decision can be the deciding factor between a pupil getting to college or university, with all the opportunities that may bring. Money shouldn't come into it.
"The figures clearly show that the SNP's introduction of exam appeal fees has put pupils from state schools at a disadvantage compared to those educated privately.
"That is just not fair."
A Scottish government spokeswoman said: "No young person is at a disadvantage through the results service in Scotland. Only schools and colleges can make requests to SQA's results services.
"Whether the pupil is from a local authority or independent school, a review can only be requested if the school has a legitimate query about a candidate's results.
"As with all SQA charges, local authorities meet the costs of requests by public sector schools to use this service.
"National guidance from education directors makes clear that no young person should be denied access to this service on the grounds of cost."
This year's results showed students passed a total of 152,701 Highers in 2016, with an attainment rate of 77.2% - down on the 156,000 passes in 2015 but still the second highest number on record. | Scottish Labour has renewed its call for exam appeal charges to be scrapped after new figures showed private schools were much more likely to appeal results than local authority schools. |
38,386,817 | The incident happened late in the first half at the Stade Marcel Michelin.
The offence was ruled to be at the low end of World Rugby's sanctions and 12 weeks was selected as the entry point.
But the 23-year-old's good disciplinary record, remorse and relative youth led to the penalty being reduced.
The French prop's ban means he will miss seven Top 14 matches and the European Champions Cup games against Bordeaux-Begles and Exeter before he is eligible to play again on 20 February.
The incident was spotted by Welsh citing commissioner Jeff Mark while the independent disciplinary committee was made up of Jeremy Summers (England), Jean-Philippe Lachaume (France) and John Carroll (Ireland).
Clermont won the game 38-19 to remain in control of Pool Five and damage Ulster's prospects of making the knockout stage. | Clermont Auvergne's Etienne Falgoux has been banned for seven weeks for making contact with the eye area of Luke Marshall in Ulster's Champions Cup loss on Sunday. |
36,667,730 | 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, Lieutenant-General Jonathon Riley, late of the Royal Welch Fusiliers, describes the events leading up to and during the battle, recorded in such depth thanks to the literary tradition of his former regiment.
Lieutenant General 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.
Between 2001 and 2015, the British Armed Forces lost 454 men and women in Afghanistan.
We lost that number on one morning, 7 July 1916, before the attack by the 38th (Welsh) Division had even reached the edge of its objective, Mametz Wood on the Somme battlefield.
The 38th Division had been raised in late 1914 as part of Kitchener's New Army - an army for the long war that he was the first to recognise.
Formations like it were being raised all over the country but Wales more than played its part in fielding the huge new army.
In spite of the paucity of population in Wales, The Royal Welch Fusiliers, for example, raised the fourth highest number of battalions - a total of 45 - of all regiments on the Army List during the war, beaten only by those with large urban populations: Greater London and Middlesex, Durham and Manchester.
David Lloyd George was active in the campaign to expand the army in Wales, espousing even a Welsh Army Corps.
This particular initiative came to nothing.
In part, even allowing for the herculean effort of raising the numbers of troops that it did, Wales could not support a corps of perhaps 40,000 men for several years - especially as the high command of the army would not extract the regular Welsh infantry and cavalry units from their parent formations to provide the backbone of a new corps.
Politically, too, a Welsh Army Corps would have opened the door for similar formations in Scotland and Ireland.
An army corps is a powerful instrument in the formation of new nations, as those of Australia, New Zealand and Canada showed and at this time, just before the war, the great political issue of the moment had been Irish home rule.
This had been shelved for the duration, by mutual consent, and no one in London would support any move that would bring it back to prominence while the bigger matter of war with Germany demanded their full attention.
The division's first eight months were spent in training in north Wales, at Winchester and on Salisbury Plain.
Much of this seems to have been very basic stuff: close order drill, route marches and PT to get the men fit, equipment husbandry, weapon training, minor tactics and courses for specialists like signallers, medics, Lewis and Vickers gunners.
One reason we know so much about the Battle of Mametz lies in the literary tradition of The Royal Welch Fusiliers.
Serving at Mametz, at various times, were Siegfried Sassoon, Robert Graves, James Dunn, Frank Richards, Llewellyn Wyn Griffith, David Jones, Bill Tucker, Harold Gladstone Lewis, and Wynn Powell Wheldon.
These are significant figures in the artistic landscape of the Great War.
The fighting strength of the 38th Welsh Division which, including its combat support and administrative units, stood at about 18,500 men, lay chiefly in its three infantry brigades: 113, 114 and 115 Brigades.
Each of these were composed of four or five battalions drawn from the Welsh Regiments: The Royal Welch Fusiliers, which recruited all over Wales as well as in London and Birmingham; the South Wales Borders, which recruited in south-east Wales and the English border county of Monmouthshire; and the Welch Regiment, drawn from south and west Wales.
However, there was scarcely anyone with military experience in these battalions, save for the few regular officers and NCOs drafted in to form and train them.
Officers in the Service divisions, like 38th, were selected therefore not on any basis of military efficiency but on the basis of patronage - often in the gift of Lloyd George himself.
In the 15th (London Welsh) Battalion of The Royal Welch Fusiliers, Noel Evans, for example, came from a noted Merionethshire family.
He was later deputy director of public prosecutions, a JP, high sheriff and deputy lord lieutenant of the county; Goronwy Owen was related to Lloyd George by marriage.
He had a very good war, ending as a Lieutenant-Colonel with a DSO and was later Liberal MP for Caernarvonshire and president of British Controlled Oilfields.
Llewelyn Wyn Griffith owed his commission at least in part to the patronage of the Liberal MP Ellis Griffith.
After its months of basic training, the 38th Division was in late November 1915 reviewed by Queen Mary.
One of its brigades, 113 (Royal Welch) Brigade, also received a new commander, Brigadier-General Llewellyn Alberic Emilius Price-Davies, who replaced Brigadier-General Owen Thomas - a man who had done more than anyone else to to invigorate recruiting in Wales - in controversial circumstances; although later knighted, Owen Thomas lost all three of his sons killed during the war.
Llewelyn Wyn Griffith described Price-Davies as the second most stupid soldier he ever met.
Price-Davies had done well in the small wars which preceded 1914 and had won a VC and a DSO in South Africa. He was, said Wyn Griffith, too dull to be frightened.
His recently published letters fail to give us a kinder view of him.
Known as 'Jane' by his fellow regulars, he exemplified the thoughtless brutality that is many people's stereotype of the Great War general officer - unimaginative, slow, fascinated by the minor trivia of latrine buckets and polished brass.
He was one of those who had to be promoted to fill command appointments in a rapidly expanding army, promoted on the basis that bravery in combat signifies the ability to exercise high command - but for whom the demands of modern war were all too much.
Under Price-Davies, the brigade embarked for service in France on 1 December 1915 in pouring rain.
Not long after its arrival, the division was doing duty in trenches at Laventie, where some of its units took part in the little-known second Christmas Truce - that again is another story.
From January until June 1916 the battalions and brigades took their turn at the drudgery of trenches, learning their trade and being slowly transformed from a bunch of amateurs into something approaching units capable of simple tasks.
These tours of trenches were not, as many people think, affairs lasting months.
In the desperate days of late 1914 and early 1915 there were recorded instances of units holding the line for weeks at a time but by the spring of 1915, most divisions operated a rotation in which each brigade spent a few days in the front line; then a few days in the support line, then days in reserve - these were often the worst period as the men would spend all night on duties like carrying supplies up to the line, or sand-bagging and wiring and other heavy work.
This would be followed by a rest period and training, before the rotation began again.
In spite of all this, the 38th Division could not be described as capable of taking part in a major combined-arms operation against fortified German positions in mid 1916 - which was the task they would be given at Mametz.
And so we come to the summer of 1916.
Allied war strategy for the year had been formulated during a major conference at Chantilly in December 1915, where it was agreed that major, simultaneous offensives would be launched by the Russians, the Italians in the Alps, and the British and French in the West - thus assailing the Central Powers around the whole perimeter of the war.
Shortly after the conference, General Sir Douglas Haig replaced Sir John French as Commander-in-Chief of the British Expeditionary Force.
Haig favoured an attack in Flanders, which was easily served by the line of communication through the Channel Ports and which, if it went well, might even drive the Germans away from the Belgian coast from where their submarines were decimating British shipping.
However, rather as we were with the Americans in Iraq and Afghanistan, the British in 1916 were the junior partners in a coalition with the French and in February 1916, General Joseph Joffre, the French C-in-C, insisted on a joint British and French attack astride the River Somme in Picardy, beginning in August.
Shortly afterwards, the Germans launched their attack around Verdun.
The French threw all they had into preventing a German breakthrough here, which if it succeeded would open a major avenue of advance towards Paris.
Their commitment to the Somme battle was thus significantly reduced and the bulk of the burden shifted to the British and Imperial troops. Twenty divisions were now committed as against only 13 French divisions.
Moreover as the mincing machine of Verdun developed, the aim of the Somme offensive changed from being part of a decisive allied blow against Germany, to one of relieving the pressure on the French; the date of the attack was brought forward from August to July.
Among senior British commanders there was disagreement on how the required effect would be achieved.
'Bite-and-hold'
General Sir Henry Rawlinson, whose Fourth Army would conduct the attack, favoured a 'bite-and-hold' approach, which would concentrate resources and which recognised the British inability to exploit a breakthrough even if one were made.
Haig's concept, by contrast, was for a more general attack on a wider front.
Much emphasis was based on the ability of allied artillery to destroy German wire and fortifications and allow the infantry first to break in to the German defences, and then break through.
In reality, British field artillery was still woefully behind that of the Germans.
Most of it was of light or medium calibres - without therefore the weight of shell needed to cut up barbed wire or demolish deep dugouts - nor had the huge strides in fuse technology that appeared in late 1917 yet emerged, which would allow artillery to do these things with devastating effect.
Finally, without battlefield radio, artillery was still controlled on pre-arranged timings.
This meant that the infantry had to keep up with the artillery fire as it shifted, rather than the artillery being manoeuvred to support the infantry.
If the infantry was held up, the barrage would move on, leaving them exposed.
Air support too was in its infancy and could do little other than deliver machine gun fire or small bombs, or direct artillery by observing the fall of shot and sending correction messages.
Rawlinson was, too, well aware of the quality of the infantry with which he had to make this assault.
After the losses among the regular and reserve forces during 1914 and 1915, the bulk of the British Expeditionary Force was made up of the volunteers who had joined Kitchener's New Army.
Kitchener had formed this army with the intention of having it ready for major operations in 1917: yet now, strategic considerations over-ruled their lack of expertise and these units and formations were to be required to undertake a difficult operation, without enough experience, a year earlier than had been intended, and without the compensation of effective fire support.
This is not to say that preparations were not extensive and as thorough as they could be in a relatively short time.
In fact they were the most extensive that had yet been undertaken in the entire history of the British Army in war.
Millions of shells and tons of other stores of all kinds - food, water, medical equipment, barbed wire, small arms ammunition, spare clothing and weapons - were accumulated behind the front, all very difficult to conceal from German air reconnaissance. Many miles of standard and narrow gauge railway and tramway were laid.
All roads were improved and new causeways laid over marshy ground.
Water for men and horses
Additional dugouts to shelter troops were built by the Labour Corps; magazines and dumps were built, dressing stations and field hospitals erected and staffed.
Gun emplacements and miles of communication trenches were dug.
Telephone cables were laid and mining operations undertaken beneath the German lines.
In most places, water for men and horses was a serious problem so that many wells and boreholes had to be sunk, and more than 100 pumping stations built.
All this is sometimes overlooked in the general recriminations about the level of casualties during the battle.
With the benefit of hindsight it is not surprising that except for the area around Montaubin, the objectives of 1 July 1916 were not gained.
Why not surprising then, in spite of all the preparations?
First, because - as we mentioned earlier - the majority of the artillery used in the bombardment that preceded the battle was of light calibres - 15 and 18-pounders and trench mortars.
Although there were 1,500 guns firing in support of the attack, and they fired 1.6 million rounds, only one-third of those were medium or heavy calibres.
The weight of shell was not enough to break up deep German dugouts, nor the extensive belts of German barbed wire - in many places, between 100 and 200 metres thick.
Nor were the fuses then in use sensitive enough to be detonated by a slight brush with the wire.
In many places, assaulting troops came up against unbroken wire covered by German machine-gun fire, which stopped them; and then artillery fire that killed them.
The German artillery, not the machine gun, was the big killer on the post-1915 battlefields of the Great War.
Secondly, because as so often until 1918, there were some places where penetrations were made.
All too often, in such cases, the assaulting troops broke in, but could not break through because of the way that the Germans organised their defence in depth, had massive artillery support on call, and always, always, counter-attacked immediately.
Some witnesses recalled the German signal rockets going up for fire on their defensive tasks, looking "like a line of poplar trees".
But there was some success around Montauban.
The 7th and 21st Divisions broke into the German lines at Fricourt and captured Mametz village.
Taking part in that attack was the 1st Battalion R.W. Fusiliers, Siegfried Sassoon among them, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel C.I. Stockwell, ('Buffalo Bill') a participant in the famous Christmas Truce of 1914.
At 06.45 in the morning, the bombardment rose to a crescendo. At 07.25, mines were fired under the German lines.
At first, the German resistance was strong and the assaults by two other battalions were stopped and a second attack in the afternoon, not properly co-ordinated, was also stopped with the loss of half the attacking troops.
At 16.00, 1st Royal Welch Fusiliers was ordered to capture the high ground to the east of Fricourt. 1 R.W. Fus, and indeed the rest of 20 Infantry Brigade to which it belonged, had been specially organised and trained by Stockwell and their brigade commander, another R.W. Fusilier, John Minshull-Ford (known as 'Scatter').
Using techniques later adopted by the whole army, the battalion infiltrated using shell-holes and portions of captured German trenches, leading with bombing parties supported by other parties carrying ammunition - giving rise to the expression "bombing along".
By dark - about 22.30, Sunken Road trench had been consolidated and several hundred prisoners taken, for the loss of only four men killed and 35 wounded: not at all the usual story of 1 July 1916.
That evening, Haig decided to reinforce what success he had, and attack again around Fricourt in order to capture the German second defence line at its closest point between Longeval and Bazentin.
Rawlinson had little option but to assault this position, which was a low but commanding ridge, frontally.
He decided to do so between the two large woods of Mametz on the left and Trones on the right.
The assault would be phased in order to provide the maximum possible weight of artillery fire in support of the assaulting troops.
Mametz would be taken first, to secure the flank against the inevitable German counter-attack. | 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 planned across the country. |
27,298,374 | Media playback is not supported on this device
Al Fayed installed the statue in 2011 but new owner Shahid Khan had it taken down in September.
Fulham were relegated at the weekend and the statue has been donated to the National Football Museum in Manchester.
"When the new owner decided to move it I said 'Fine, it is a lucky thing, you will regret it later'," Al Fayed said.
"Now the new owner will regret it because I warned him. I said 'You will pay with blood for that' because it was something loved by people.
"It was a big mistake but he paid for it now. He's been relegated and if he wakes up he'll ask for Michael Jackson again and I'll say 'No way'."
Al Fayed believes manager Felix Magath is not the right man to get Fulham promoted from the Championship.
During the summer months there most certainly will be many changes within the club
The Cottagers were relegated after 13 years in the Premier League with Saturday's 4-1 defeat at Stoke.
Magath wants to stay on but Al Fayed does not believe the German can help the Cottagers bounce back.
"You need a manager who will deliver and I don't think this guy has got the charm or the personality," he said.
Al Fayed, who sold Fulham to Khan in July last year, added: "Players need someone very close. You saw me with the players in the changing room and when they're eating lunch, it was a very close relationship for the players to feel they want to sacrifice, play hard and want to deliver.
"They miss that now and I hope [Khan] wakes up. I tried to help him and advise him and put him on the right way.
"If he's lost hope and he offers it to me half price, fine I'm going to buy it back."
Magath has apologised for the defeat at the Britannia Stadium that sealed the club's relegation from the Premier League.
The former Bayern Munich boss, 60, joined Fulham in February, but picked up just three wins in 11 league games.
In an open letter to fans, Magath also vowed to stay on as manager and build a team able to return to the top flight.
Media playback is not supported on this device
"We as a team, and I include myself and management, would like to apologise for our bad performance," the German wrote.
"The reality is that we have been relegated, but my commitment and desire to Fulham remains.
"It certainly was not what you as fans were expecting and should rightfully demand of us, but we were unable to perform on the day, resulting in our downfall.
"During the summer months there most certainly will be many changes within the club. We obviously need to improve and redefine our playing staff. We have in our academy team, talented, young and hungry players."
Fulham's final game in the Premier League this season is a dead rubber against Crystal Palace at Craven Cottage on Sunday. | Fulham were relegated because they removed a statue of Michael Jackson from Craven Cottage, according to former owner Mohamed Al Fayed. |
40,479,908 | Sorrell Leczkowski, from Adel in Leeds, was one of 22 people killed in the bombing on 22 May. Her grandmother and mother were also injured.
A private ceremony took place at the Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church in Otley Old Road, Leeds on Monday.
Her grandfather, Michael Healey, said she was a "talented" girl who dreamed of becoming an architect.
More stories from across Yorkshire
In a statement Sorrell's family said: "Sorrell was only 14, but she was our rock, she kept us all grounded.
"She was such a clever, talented, creative girl, there was nothing she couldn't do."
"She was going to be an architect and wanted to go to Columbia University in New York to study so that she could build hotels with slides coming out of the rooms and so that she could build her mum a house."
Sorrell, a Year Nine pupil at Allerton High School, her mother and grandmother were not at the Ariana Grande concert but had gone to collect her sister who was not injured.
Attacker 22-year-old Salman Abedi detonated a home-made bomb in the arena's foyer as crowds were leaving a performance by the US singer just after 22:30 BST on 22 May.
Twenty-two arrests were made shortly after the attack - all those arrested were released without charge.
About £28,000 has been raised in two online fundraising campaigns set up for Sorrell's mother and grandmother. | A 14-year-old schoolgirl killed in the Manchester Arena attacks has been described as her family's "rock". |
26,973,587 | "Any video or site just pops up... they're very excited about the speed," Somalia Wireless's Liban Egal says.
Until now access to the internet has been via dial-up or satellite links.
Earlier this year, 3G mobile phone services were cut off because of a threat from Islamist militants.
Connecting Mogadishu to the world
The al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab group issued a directive in January ordering all internet services to be stopped, saying those who did not comply would be seen as "working with the enemy" and dealt with according to Islamic law.
Al-Shabab was driven out of the capital, Mogadishu, in August 2011, but still controls many smaller towns and rural areas in the south and centre of the country where they have imposed a strict version of Sharia.
Following their threat, 3G networks nationwide were turned off but the project to launch fibre optic cable services continued in the capital, the BBC's Moalimu Mohammed reports from Mogadishu.
He says the fibre optic connections, which have been rolled out over the last week by several internet providers, are only available in Mogadishu.
People have been flocking to hotels and internet cafes to try out the fast service - some seeing video platforms like YouTube and social networking sites for the first time, our correspondent says.
Mr Egal said the difference in speed was like the difference between "day and night".
For those residents who have recently returned from the diaspora the development was a relief, he said.
It was "almost a culture shock" for those who have never left Somalia, he added.
He said the move would be a huge boost for the country, which is recovering from more than two decades of civil war.
"Every time a fibre optic cable is connected to a country they see their GDP [gross domestic product] going up because their communication costs go down," Mr Egal said.
"All life will be affected - businesses, the government, universities - they all will see the benefits."
Our reporter says the current security situation will limit the rollout of fibre optic services to the rest of the country.
Since 1991 Somalia has seen clan-based warlords, rival politicians and Islamist militants battle for control - a situation that has allowed lawlessness to flourish.
An African Union force has been helping the UN-backed government fight al-Shabab, which wants to create an Islamic state in Somalia. | Some residents of Somalia's capital have been experiencing a form of "culture shock" since fibre optic services launched over the last week, an internet provider has told the BBC. |
38,185,956 | After struggling for first-team football, the England international has been linked with a January move to Premier League rivals West Ham.
Sturridge has yet to score in his nine top-flight appearances this season, of which only four have been starts.
"There is absolutely no thought to sell any player from the first-team squad," said Klopp.
"I don't think it would make sense."
The 27-year-old forward has scored four goals in the EFL Cup and two for England, but is sidelined with a calf injury and will miss the Reds' trip to Bournemouth on Sunday.
"Unfortunately Daniel is not in training now and that is what I am more concerned about than any transfer rumours," Klopp added.
"But I am prepared for everything you could ask me in January." | Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has insisted striker Daniel Sturridge is not for sale. |
33,856,804 | Cambridgeshire police saw the Huracan model near to the force's base in Parkside, Cambridge, on Sunday.
The vehicle, which retails from about £180,000, was then photographed being towed away on a recovery truck.
In a tweet, its roads policing unit said: "Even Lamborghinis need insurance." It added: "He was stopped outside the station!" | An uninsured Lamborghini sports car was seized after being stopped outside a police station. |
29,504,802 | While thousands updated their social media accounts to say they'd been successful, many more cried into their Sunday porridge after missing out. Again.
But there is still a (OK, pretty small) chance you'll be going.
So if you haven't got a ticket yet, here's Newsbeat's guide to trying to blag your way into Worthy Farm in Somerset.
A lot can change in nine months and there will be always be people who can no longer make it.
Fingers crossed, a fair number of these people will give their tickets back to organisers - these will then go back into a bank of available tickets.
So your best chance is being poised to pounce on the resale pot in early 2015.
Some organisations, such as Oxfam, offer tickets - in return for your time.
Volunteers are always needed at the festival to act as stewards, doing things like watching entrances and exits.
In return for your ticket you're usually required to work several shifts over the course of the weekend.
You have to pay a deposit upfront for the ticket but that's reimbursed at the end providing you've done your job and not ended up partying day and night in Shangri La.
Some tickets are kept specifically for people who live in and around Pilton, the village where Glastonbury closest to Worthy Farm.
This keeps the local community happy as tens of of thousands of people descend on them and their local services for a week in June.
Day tickets for the Sunday are available exclusively for residents in Somerset whose day-to-day lives are most likely to be affected by the festival.
In addition, a limited amount of full tickets are available for people who live in parishes in central Somerset.
Those tickets are available from next year and the usual registration system applies.
If you make the best beetroot smoothies in the country, can knock up an artisan wood-fired pizza or simply make a great burger, you can apply to trade at Glastonbury.
It'll cost you money and you'd be tied up with serving huge lines of hungry festival-goers.
However, through the haze of noodle steam food you might be able to grab a bit of music.
Traders can apply to work at Glastonbury from 13 October.
You could always get some mates together and create an incredible debut album.
A place on the Radio 1 or 1Xtra playlist would beckon.
Alex Turner from Arctic Monkeys or Tom Meighan from Kasabian could become your biggest fan.
You may even nab a Brit Award.
By that point, Glastonbury organisers would have no choice but to put you on the bill. As emergency headliner. Good luck.
Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube | Glastonbury 2015 sold out in just 26 minutes on Sunday. |
39,996,882 | This brings it well below the EU limit of 3% and allows it to exit the Commission's excessive debt procedure.
After its 2011 bailout, Portugal saw austerity policies under a centre-right government until elections in 2015.
Since then, a Socialist-led coalition has reversed those austerity measures.
EU economy commissioner Pierre Moscovici said the outcome was "extremely good news" for Portugal.
The Portuguese finance ministry hailed the Commission's decision, calling it a "turning point".
"It expresses the evaluation of the Commission that Portugal's excessive budget deficit has been corrected in a sustainable and lasting way," the ministry said in a statement.
"Confidence in the Portuguese economy is beginning to be reflected by international institutions."
Under EU rules, member states are not supposed to run annual deficits greater than 3% of their total economic output.
Portugal now complies with those rules, but some other member states are less fortunate.
On Monday, the Commission, which has the power to oversee eurozone countries' draft budgets, said France and Spain were still subject to the disciplinary procedure.
France's deficit hit 3.4% last year, while Spain's was even worse at 4.5%.
Although all EU countries are required to observe the 3% limit, only the 19 countries that use the euro as a currency can be fined. | Portugal has become the latest bailed-out eurozone country to receive a clean bill of health from the European Commission after its budget deficit fell to 2% of GDP last year. |
36,957,375 | The two are embroiled in a long-running dispute over the role of guards, with talks due to begin on Wednesday.
Parent firm Govia Thameslink (GTR) asked Acas to mediate in an attempt to avert what the firm said was "damaging" and "unnecessary" strike action.
It has set a deadline of Thursday to avoid the strike schedule.
Southern services have been beset by delays and cancellations for weeks due to the dispute and staff shortages, which the company has blamed on high levels of sickness.
The RMT has offered to suspend the week-long strike - due to begin on Monday - if Southern puts its plans for guards on hold.
The plans involve new trains where the driver operates the doors using CCTV but the RMT fears job losses and has safety concerns.
It said the safety of the travelling public on "dangerously overcrowded trains and platforms" was "the fundamental issue at the heart of this dispute".
If the strike goes ahead, Southern said it would run a restricted service. Many routes would have fewer trains and some routes would have none at all.
However, it said with the use of "contingency" conductors it would run almost 60% of its normal timetable.
GTR passenger service director Angie Doll said: "We are sorry that our passengers once again look set to suffer further disruption because of the RMT."
She said the action was unnecessary as the plans would cost no-one their jobs and would free up staff on board trains to better serve passengers.
She also claimed the changes would lead to fewer cancellations in future.
"The new on-board supervisor will be able to go anywhere on our network, significantly reducing the perennial problem of train cancellations due to conductors not being available when they're delayed by disruption, for example," she said.
At an evening rally in Brighton, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn called for an end to Southern's franchise and repeated his party's commitment to return railways to public ownership.
He said: "They should have said, 'if you cut the services, we'll cut you out'. But that would take a government that stood up for people.
"What is the point of a franchise agreement … if a company can walk away from their commitments at no cost?"
When the strike dates were announced, rail minister Paul Maynard said RMT bosses were overlooking their impact on the travelling public and claimed GTR's changes would modernise services and be better for passengers . | Southern has promised to run 60% of its normal timetable if a five-day strike by the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers union (RMT) goes ahead. |
37,168,665 | The former Switzerland Under-19 full-back signed a two-year contract extension with the Magpies in May.
The 21-year-old joined the club from Servette in 2013 and has made five senior appearances for the club, the first in a League Cup tie against Sheffield Wednesday last season.
Young Boys finished second in the top flight of Swiss football last season.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | Newcastle United defender Kevin Mbabu has joined Swiss Super League side BSC Young Boys on a season-long loan deal. |
32,900,232 | Hereford Cathedral said its 700-year-old Mappa Mundi, the largest such map in existence, was made in Hereford, not Lincoln as previously thought.
The cathedral said it had scientific evidence to back up its claim.
Lincoln Cathedral said it was "interested" in the research.
The circular map is 52in (132cm) in diameter and shows a medieval view of the world with Jerusalem at the centre.
The map, which has been dated to about 1300, features the name of its author Richard of Haldingham or Lafford - believed to be the town of Sleaford, in Lincolnshire.
However, the cathedral's education officer Sarah Arrowsmith, who has studied the map for 10 years and has written a book on the subject, said she believed Richard died before the creation of the map.
She said tests on the wood in the triptych on which the map was displayed showed it had been grown in the Herefordshire area, while a compass hole in the centre of the map corresponds with a hole on the wood.
"It makes it look as if the map was made in situ," she said. "All the dates add up to suggest there is more evidence it was made in Hereford than Lincoln.
"It may be that there was a map in Lincoln that inspired ours - or it was a copy of an exemplar of some sort - but that's just speculation."
Jackie Croft, chapter clerk and administrator at Lincoln Cathedral, said: "We are always interested to hear about any research being done on Mappa Mundi and its origins, as we are aware from conversations with Hereford Cathedral that there is a Lincolnshire connection.
"As far as we know we do not have a Mappa Mundi in our collections but one can always hope." | A medieval map of the world that was believed to have been made miles away from the cathedral where it is on display may have been created closer to home. |
33,770,021 | Sir Edward is one of a number of prominent names being looked at by detectives from Operation Midland.
Separately, the police watchdog is investigating whether Wiltshire Police failed to pursue claims in the 1990s.
The force said it had already received calls after an appeal for information.
Sir Edward died at his home in Salisbury in 2005 aged 89.
The development comes after the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said it would look at whether Wiltshire officers failed to pursue allegations of child abuse made against the former prime minister.
A retired detective has alleged that claims were made in the 1990s but not followed up.
The IPCC will also look at whether a criminal prosecution was dropped when a person "threatened to expose that Sir Edward Heath may have been involved in offences concerning children".
Wiltshire Police and the NSPCC said they had received "a number of calls" from members of the public after asking for information.
They said any lines of enquiry would be passed to the relevant police force and followed up.
Labour MP Tom Watson said he had referred two allegations of child sexual abuse by Sir Edward to the police since 2012.
He said: "I passed them both to the police, who have confirmed to me that at least one of those allegations is being investigated and taken seriously."
He said the different approach to allegations by different forces showed the need for a national police inquiry.
Operation Midland is examining claims that boys were abused by a group of powerful men from politics, the military and law enforcement agencies at locations across southern England and in London in the 1970s and 1980s.
It has focused on the Dolphin Square estate in Pimlico, south-west London.
Friends of Sir Edward have dismissed the claims saying there is not a shred of evidence to link him to abuse.
The Sir Edward Heath Charitable Foundation, which operates the museum at Arundells, his home in Salisbury, said it welcomed the investigation.
"We wholeheartedly believe [it] will clear Sir Edward's name and we will co-operate fully with the police in their enquiries," a spokesman said.
Sir Edward led the 1970-1974 Conservative government and took Britain into what was then the European Economic Community.
He lost his leadership of the party to Margaret Thatcher in 1975 - something he never forgave her for and he refused to serve in her cabinet.
He was also a successful author, a renowned classical musician and a world-class yachtsman. | The Met Police is investigating former Prime Minister Edward Heath as part of their inquiry into claims of historical child sex abuse by establishment figures, the BBC has learned. |
39,355,487 | Five years ago, St Jerome's in Llangwm was in urgent need of repair with damp and bits of render falling down.
But a research project creating a 5m-long (16ft) tapestry illustrating the town's 900-year-old links has raised more than £431,000 to renovate it.
Pam Hunt, project leader, said it was a "fascinating story".
The Talking Tapestry of Langum (one of Llangwm's historical names) - which has a downloadable smart phone app to tell the story of the village's ties - forms part of the Heritage Llangwm project.
As part of the project some of the village's men had their DNA tested and found a direct link to the Flemish founders.
Norman Roach, 82 had his DNA tested and was "astounded" to discover he was directly related to the 12th Century settlers.
"To take all that in was mindboggling," he added.
After about 2,000 hours of work, volunteers in the village will celebrate the end of the history project on Saturday by putting the final stitches in the tapestry.
The Talking Tapestry of Langum will be officially unveiled by the Flemish government's representative in the UK, Nic van der Marliere. The Flemish Parliament and the Flemish Government are responsible for the legislative powers of the Flemish Community in Belgium and in Brussels.
Ms Hunt said the research project, which won £340,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund, grants from CADW and other bodies, had helped save the church which was in "desperate need of work".
She said: "There's interest down here, but the whole of Wales knows so little about it." | A village in Pembrokeshire has saved its crumbling Medieval church from closure - by enlisting the help of its Flemish founders. |
27,977,952 | East Riding of Yorkshire Council's Flood Investigation Report said it should look at "possible improvements to the timeliness" of warnings.
On the east coast, 1,400 properties flooded and 18,000 people evacuated.
Joe Noake of the Environment Agency said: "We are continually reviewing how we respond to such incidents."
The tidal surge saw "exceptionally high levels" not experienced for at least 60 years and the agency's defences and warning systems helped "reduce the impact significantly", he added.
The recommendation was one of eight in the report, accepted by the council's cabinet.
In the East Riding, 300 properties (69 commercial and 231 residential) were directly affected by flooding and an estimated 6,000 acres (2,400 hectares) of agricultural land flooded, it said.
The estimated damage was less than 1% of what it could have been without flood defences, the report said.
The water level at the Hull tidal barrier reached a record level during the surge - just 16ins (40cm) below the top.
The report also recommends property owners in the affected areas should develop a personal flood plan.
During the surge, there was significant flooding at various locations including Bridlington, Skipsea, Hornsea, Tunstall, Easington, Kilnsea, Paull, Hessle, North Ferriby, Faxfleet, Blacktoft, Yokefleet, Saltmarshe, Skelton, Old Goole and Reedness.
Hull city centre was also flooded.
Mr Noake said the Environment Agency had undertaken "significant works" to many flood defences including Riverside Quay in Hull, Swinefleet and Reedness, Yorkfleet Clough and Kilnsea.
Most flooding occurred when the water rose higher than the defences at high tide.
Flooding first affected commercial properties in Bridlington Harbour, as the high tide passed south down the coast. | A report into December's tidal surge has said the Environment Agency should consider a "thorough review" of flood prediction and warning procedures. |
37,587,470 | The Stags started the season well but are without a win in their last six league matches.
Murray told BBC Radio Nottingham: "The performance levels have been really high. We haven't taken our chances and have been sucker-punched.
"We've kept our head down and kept working hard. The boys are confident."
This month some of our fans would probably chuck me out of a window
Mansfield enjoyed a morale-boosting victory on Tuesday, beating League One side Port Vale in the EFL Trophy.
"We feel like we've brushed some things out the door and got some things back on track," said Murray. "All that's been missing over this last month is belief and confidence.
"This time last month I was nominated for manager of the month. I think this month some of our fans would probably chuck me out of a window, but that's the game.
"We just need to keep doing what we're doing and, the way this game goes, Lady Luck will again spring back around.
"Our focus now is on a massive game on Saturday. The boys have been preparing and we're ready for action. We want to put in a good performance."
Notts County, seventh in League Two, will be out for revenge at Field Mill, where they were thrashed 5-0 last season.
They will also be looking for a fourth consecutive away win under John Sheridan.
The former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder took over as Magpies manager during the summer and is confident they will fare better in the Nottinghamshire showdown this time around.
If it is a battle then I've got players I think can stand up to it
"It's one of those games that's about winning the game, no matter how you win," said Sheridan.
"We'll try to play. We don't want to get caught up in a battle, but sometimes when it's an ugly game you've got to deal with that.
"It'll be a good atmosphere and we'll take a big following. When you're a player you want to play in this sort of game.
"With it being Mansfield there's a bit more of an edge to it, but we've just got to treat it like another game.
"If it is a battle then I've got players I think can stand up to it. Whatever is thrown at us I think we can deal with." | Mansfield Town boss Adam Murray says his side are feeling confident ahead of Saturday's derby against Notts County despite their recent results. |
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