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40,477,052 | Jeff Horn beat Pacquiao, an eight-time world champion, following a unanimous points decision in Brisbane, Australia.
Pacquiao's coaches and celebrities including Lennox Lewis and Kobe Bryant were critical of the judges' call on the result.
But the relatively unknown Australian, 29, said he was worthy of the win.
"There will always be a backlash where people say I got lucky, or whatever," he told reporters on Monday.
"There will always be the naysayers saying I did not win the fight, but I felt like I won the fight. A lot of Queenslanders think I won the fight and people around the world."
Pacquiao's Australian coach, former heavyweight boxer Justin Fortune, had described the referee as "sketchy" and the judges as "crazy" following the bout.
However Pacquiao, 38, congratulated his opponent and said he respected the decision.
The Australian responded by paying tribute to his rival, describing him as "an absolute warrior, a legend of the sport".
Horn, who taught at a Brisbane school until only recently, said he believed his former students would be proud.
"I have a lot to do with the school still," he said. "I don't go there and teach but I still go to the schools and I know the kids will be proud of what I have done."
Nicknamed "The Hornet", he also drew praise from admirers including Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
"What a great Australian story - congratulations," Mr Turnbull said.
"Brisbane school teacher to world champion. Against all of the pundits."
His grandfather, Ray Horn, said he was also very proud.
"If anyone had ever told me I would have a grandchild I would have found it hard to believe," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.
"But I would think they were nuts if they told me I would be a grandfather of a world champion one day."
More than 51,000 spectators watched the bout at Brisbane's Lang Park stadium.
Horn set up his victory with an aggressive start before both fighters tired in the final rounds.
Reports claim the underdog won a guaranteed A$500,000 (£295,000; $384,000) from his fight against Pacquiao, and he could now be set for even bigger paydays.
Horn has already challenged US boxer Floyd Mayweather to a fight and said he would consider a re-match against Pacquiao. | The former schoolteacher who stunned Manny Pacquiao to win the WBO world welterweight title has dismissed suggestions he did not deserve to win. |
32,716,847 | In three separate cases, high profile and influential individuals - a Bollywood star, a powerful politician, and a former business baron - were allowed to walk free by appeals court despite being found guilty by lower courts.
The actor was found guilty of running a vehicle over people sleeping on the street, the politician of amassing unaccounted wealth and the former business baron of corporate fraud.
The wheels of justice grind slowly in India - more than 30 million cases are pending in its courts and more than a quarter of them have been unresolved for at least five years. Snail justice ends up benefitting the rich as witnesses can be intimidated and bought and political pressure and money power can be used to influence and subdue prosecutors and sometimes judges.
It took 13 years for a court in Mumbai to convict actor Salman Khan of culpable homicide and sentence him to five years in prison despite prosecution witnesses turning hostile. But it took two days for an appeals court to suspend the sentence and grant him bail. It helped that Khan had access to some of the best and most expensive lawyers. India has over a million registered lawyers, but a large number of them graduate with dubious degrees from indifferent law schools, are poorly educated and, according to lawyer-turned-journalist Kian Ganz, "effectively operate as fixers... hawking for work outside small claims courts or as notaries".
After 18 years, a court last September found former Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayaram Jayalalitha guilty of amassing unaccounted-for-wealth and sentenced her to four years. Some seven months later, on Monday, an appeals court cleared her of corruption charges, saying that the trial court had "exaggerated" her wealth.
The case was moved from Tamil Nadu to neighbouring Karnataka to ensure a fair trial, but that doesn't appear to have helped matters. As Supreme Court lawyer Karuna Nundy pointed out, the high court in Karnataka examined the same evidence and said in its 919-page ruling "repeatedly that the acquittal was a failure of the prosecution".
It took six years for a court in April to declare B Ramalinga Raju, former head of Satyam Computers, guilty of criminal conspiracy and cheating and sentenced him to seven years in jail. A month later, on Monday, the appeals court accepted a defence plea that he had spent 35 months in jail, a "substantial part" of his term, and granted him bail after suspending his sentence.
To be sure, the three rulings really do not mark any sea change and have just happened to come around the same time. It is also true that India's higher courts routinely revoke orders of lower trial courts. For years politicians have evaded corruption charges and the rich and famous have escaped criminal liability through "high-priced lawyering".
At the same time, many believe, the recent rulings are - again - an indictment of India's ailing and unfair justice system which is heavily loaded against the poor, and shabby investigation by the police.
Thousands of undertrials languish in Indian prisons for lesser offences unable to afford bail. Judges are also often blamed for being anti-poor. After the Supreme Court granted bail to Jayalalitha last year, Supreme Court lawyer Rajeev Dhavan wrote tellingly about bail discrimination: "Bail for as many is good, but applying it differentially is not. We do not have clear principles to guide bail decisions - especially in post-conviction cases, where judges look at the crime and behave totally with subjective arbitrariness against the poor."
The recent rulings reminded me of a highly acclaimed recent indie film called Court - possibly the best Indian film of the year so far - which astutely skewers the country's discriminatory and outdated justice system. A part-time teacher and social activist is hauled to a court on trumped up charges of instigating a sewage worker to kill himself after listening to one of the activist's incendiary songs. The case grinds on in drab courtrooms with no end in sight, and effectively destroys the activist.
Of course, as Nick Robinson, a fellow at the Harvard Law School's Program on the Legal Profession and at Delhi's Centre for Policy Research, tells me, there are often good judges trying to do the right thing. "But politics and money is so embedded in the system that it clearly tilts the deck in favour of the powerful," he says. "I also think some judges worry that if they are seen as overly-punitive on those with power, then there might be a backlash against them impacting their careers or the authority of the judiciary."
India needs more judges, more and better educated lawyers and a thorough repair of what academics Devesh Kapur and Milan Vaishnav call the "dilapidated and clogged" plumbing of its courts. Otherwise, as they warn, the judicial process itself will remain the punishment, an enduring shame for the world's biggest democracy. | It's been a bleak seven days for justice in India. |
39,794,184 | You wanted to know which was the oldest pub in Shropshire.
You asked why people in Stoke-on-Trent called those from Cannock or Hednesford 'yammies'.
And you were curious as to why Rugby radio station was not bombed during World War Two. Here is how we got on with answering your questions.
Norrie Porter, from the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) in Shropshire, said he believed the oldest pub in the county was The Royal Oak, in Cardington, which can trace its history back to the 15th Century.
Mr Porter said there were two pubs which disputed that claim, but The Three Horseshoes, in Alveley, had closed.
And while The Swan Inn, in Aston Munslow, claims to have opened in the 14th Century, English Heritage believes the building is 16th Century.
He said the pub in the oldest building was probably The Old Eagles, in Whitchurch, which was built in the 14th Century but has only been a pub since 1868.
And he explained this was further confused because pubs were only really licensed after the 1751 Gin Act and before then any house could claim to be a beer house.
It is generally thought that people from Cannock and the surrounding areas are called 'yammies' due to their use of the term 'yam' to mean 'you are'.
For example, "yam orite, yam" means "you're alright, you are."
Yam Yam or yammie is more often used as a term for people from Wolverhampton, Walsall and Dudley, but if anyone's using it about those from Cannock or Hednesford, that's why.
This editor of the Black Country Society's magazine The Blackcountryman, Michael Pearson, said police in the 1980s used the phrase to distinguish Black Country folk from Brummies, who they called Lardi's (as in la-di-dah).
Ex-station manager Malcolm Hancock, who recently published a book about its history, believes the Germans must have recognised the strategic importance of the site, but little damage was done during bombing raids of World War Two.
He thinks the Germans were using the station as a radio, or physical navigational beacon, possibly to help them find Coventry and Birmingham.
But there is also some speculation that Hitler was protecting his confidante Unity Mitford, who, it's been revealed, spent time in a Hillmorton vicarage near the site.
Have you got a question about the West Midlands?
It could be a burning issue, or something you have always wondered about.
Use the tool below to send us your question and we could be in touch. | People have been using Your Questions to ask us what they want to know about the West Midlands. |
34,314,225 | It says that a deal with Deutsche Telekom and satellite firm Inmarsat will allow passengers to enjoy "the same speed and quality" of internet surfing that they are used to at home.
Lufthansa has not decided how much the service will cost, but it could be linked to the type of ticket purchased.
Broadband is still relatively rare on short-haul flights.
Norwegian is one of the few airlines to offer broadband for free.
Simon Calder from the BBC's Travel Show says that, so far, wifi on planes is "not very good" and he does not expect Lufthansa to improve on that.
"It's feasible to provide a broadband connection at 500mph. But if 150 people want to connect then it is likely to be fragile, and not a great experience," he said.
However, Lufthansa says its service will be based on the most modern technology available and may be fast enough to offer streaming of videos.
According to Deutsche Telekom the combination of satellite technology and a sophisticated ground network will "deliver the fastest, best and most consistent in-flight broadband experience that meets the needs of airlines in this region".
Analysis: Jonathan Amos, BBC Science correspondent
There is no doubt there is pent up demand for good wifi in the sky.
But many people who've used the internet onboard an aeroplane may well have a less than favourable view of the experience: low speeds, delays in pages loading, and, significantly, a high cost compared with what can can be purchased in a café on the ground.
The new EU-wide system on which Inmarsat and Deutsche Telekom are partnering is designed to tackle all these flaws.
By getting planes to link to ground cell towers should significantly increase speeds - to allow even streaming video in the aircraft seat - while at the same time transforming the cost-per-bit economics of onboard wifi.
But you still need a satellite to fill in any gaps in cell coverage, and to pick up customers' connections when their planes head out of Europe and over the ocean on long-haul flights.
For Inmarsat - even with its current, lower-speed, satellite-only systems - the aero business is now the fastest growing sector in the London company's portfolio.
For Lufthansa, which will be the first carrier to offer the network - it has done survey work in which two-thirds of customers say good connectivity will influence the airline they choose. | German airline Lufthansa plans to offer broadband access on its short and medium-haul flights from next summer. |
37,505,349 | Emilie, 17, took her life in January and a graphic account of the torment she suffered emerged this week when her diary appeared in a newspaper.
It was immediately followed by a French TV dramatisation of the story of Marion Fraisse, who died three years ago. The France 3 film was poignantly entitled Marion, 13 ans pour toujours - Marion, Forever 13.
The question for France is whether their deaths will help change the way bullying is tackled.
It starts so gradually, you hardly notice it.
In a classroom of rowdy students, Marion is marked out as one of the good girls.
Over the course of the 90-minute drama, she loses her friends, is the victim of rumours, insults and isolation, and then is cornered by a group of boys in the corridor, who grab her, pin her down and throw her shoes away.
"She was asking for it," says a passing girl. Marion breaks down and cries. From there the drama follows her descent into desperation, depression, and finally suicide.
The film was adapted from a book by Marion's mother, Nora, who found a letter from the teenager after her death and decided to tell her story.
A poignant act, because one of the most striking elements of that story is how Marion's parents knew about what was happening to their daughter at the time.
Interviewed by a French newspaper to mark the launch of the dramatisation, actress Julie Gayet, who plays Nora, said the film had two points of view: Marion's and her mother's.
The script "shows that parents never really know their child. Half a child's life escapes them".
More than four million people tuned in to watch the drama, which was followed by a one-hour debate. Many took to social media afterwards to share their stories and express their anger.
"It's not a suicide, it's murder," wrote one Twitter user, called Sara. Another suggested that the film be shown in schools. Others wrote of their own experiences of bullying, with some saying the experience had haunted them for years after they had left full-time education.
Read more here:
According to official figures, 700,000 pupils are bullied each year in France, and activists say more than 90% of children have access to social networks.
France has tried to improve awareness of bullying in schools, as well as support for the victims.
In 2014, a new anti-bullying law was brought in, and a hotline set up for pupils to report incidents. But activists say France is still not tackling the problem effectively.
"The authorities' response is improving very slowly," says psychologist and campaigner Catherine Verdier. "But France is dragging behind other countries. If you look at Finland, Sweden, where it's a national cause, there was a real impulse from the top to change things."
"A few schools have improved, but not enough," says Willy Pierre who runs 'You Are Heroes', set up after Marion's death to break the taboo around bullying. "The hotline is only open in school hours, and it can take weeks or months to find a designated adult for the child to talk to face to face."
The problem has also grown to encompass cyber-bullying and harassment outside the school gates. The solution, he says, is for parents, teachers and pupils to talk openly about the problem.
Emilie was four years older than Marion when she died in January after jumping out of a window at her father's house.
A bright pupil at a private school in the northern city of Lille, Emilie's parents say she endured years of terror up to the age of 13 because she was not considered cool and trendy and loved reading.
Eventually she snapped and they pulled her out of the school. For three years she tried other schools and distance learning, but she developed a phobia of schools and her parents believe her death was linked to depression as a result of the bullying.
Dodging blows, being tripped up and spat at. Closing your ears to insults and mockery. Keeping an eye on your bag and your hair. Holding back the tears. Again and again
Hey, you know what? a boy exclaimed loud enough for everyone in the class to hear but the teacher. Apparently they're going to award a prize to the ugliest clever-clogs in every country. Oh yeah? his neighbour tittered. I bet you we've got the winner in the class
I don't want my parents to know how pathetic I am, and think they've given birth to a piece of crap
The diary was published in La Voix du Nord (in French)
A report by Unicef two years ago found that bullying was a worldwide problem that "exists at some level and in some form in every country".
Children who are bullied, it says, are prone to a vast range of negative effects "including depression, anxiety, thoughts of suicide".
One mother told a French newspaper that her daughter's school had responded to the problem of bullying with "a conspiracy of silence".
But after days of debate about the sad lives of two French teenagers, those taboos may finally be crumbling.
Are you being bullied? Useful contacts | Two stories about two French girls who killed themselves after being bullied at school have prompted an emotional response and intense debate about how teenagers can be better protected. |
35,424,948 | He was accompanied by Omani companions Mohammed Zadjali and Amer Al-Wahaibi.
The trio arrived on Wednesday in Doha, Qatar, after a 49-day trek on foot and by camel across 1,200 kilometres of Arabian desert known as the Rub' Al-Khali, meaning "The Empty Quarter".
They are the first people to complete this coast-to-coast journey, from Salalah in Oman to Doha, in 85 years.
They were following the route of an earlier British explorer, Bertram Thomas.
Mr Evans, 54, told the BBC the worst part was negotiating 250m-high dunes "like Alpine peaks" where their camels sank to their knees in the sand.
In a week that has seen the tragic death of another British explorer, Lt Col Henry Worsley, 55, after crossing Antarctica, this desert journey is a welcome piece of good news.
More than 1,000 well-wishers saw the team off in Salalah when they set out in December, carrying all the food they would need for the seven-week crossing.
Some accompanied the men for the first few kilometres and Evans said they were overwhelmed by hospitality from local tribes people in Oman, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
"Twenty-eight goats, seven camels and three sheep have been slaughtered in our honour," he said.
Snakes and scorpions were frequently sighted and in southern Oman there was plentiful wildlife, which was all protected by law.
But once they crossed into Saudi Arabia, said Evans, there was almost no wildlife to speak of.
Just before halfway through, they reached towering sand dunes that left all three travellers dripping in sweat while the camels bellowed in protest, their knees sinking into the sand, and sometimes refusing to budge.
Throughout their journey their thoughts turned often to Bertram Thomas, who took 60 days to cross the sands with his Bedu guide. When he reached Doha in 1931 telegrams of congratulation poured in, including from King George V.
"Sometimes we went to wells that had been visited by both Bertram Thomas and [legendary British explorer] Sir Wilfred Thesiger," Mr Evans said.
The latter, who undertook a similar crossing in the late 1940s but did not reach as far as Doha, wrote in his book Arabian Sands of the extraordinary beauty and solitude of the desert.
He also complained that the discovery of oil had ruined the region.
He once told me that since it was now possible to drive across the desert in a 4x4 vehicle, "walking across it would be completely pointless".
That is clearly not a view shared by the trio who completed their crossing today.
"I have just sat in a chair for the first time in 49 days," Mr Evans added.
"We're about to have a big meal now… What a great adventure that was." | British explorer Mark Evans has successfully crossed one of the world's most inhospitable deserts. |
39,888,208 | This is lower than the 44% of women MPs Labour had in the last Parliament.
The SNP have selected women in 20 out of 59 seats they are contesting - or 33%. The Lib Dems have 191 female candidates out of 630 - or 30%.
The Conservatives are still compiling their list but currently have 177 women out of 621 candidates - 29%.
A record 191 women were elected in 2015 - around 30% of MPs.
Earlier this year, the election of Tory Trudy Harrison in Copeland took the number of women elected altogether in the past 100 years to 456 - roughly the same as the total number of male MPs in the 2015-2017 Parliament.
General election: What you need to know
Labour's draft election manifesto leaked
MPs recommended in January that political parties should be fined if they failed to ensure at least 45% of their general election candidates were female.
The Women and Equalities Committee said the fact that 30% of current MPs were women represented a "serious democratic deficit", for "no good reason" and called for a change in the law after the next general election if that figure did not increase "significantly".
Both the Conservatives and Lib Dems are fielding a higher proportion of female candidates in the 2017 general election than they had as MPs in the last parliament.
Just over 21% of the Conservative MPs elected in 2015-17 were women.
Conservative MP Maria Miller, who chaired the Women and Equalities Committee in the last Parliament, told the World at One: "The Conservative Party has made significant progress, particularly under Theresa May and the the work she's done with the Women2Win campaign."
Mrs May was a founder of the campaign, which aims to increase the representation of women in the party, along with Tory peer Baroness Jenkin.
The SNP is fielding 20 women out of 59 SNP candidates in Scottish seats, or 33.4%. In 2015, the SNP had 36 male MPs and 20 women (35.7%).
The SNP's Kirsty Blackman told the BBC that the surprise timing of the election had meant "less time to reach out to candidates from non-traditional backgrounds".
The Lib Dems lost all their female MPs in their near-wipeout in the 2015 election.
The party was reduced to eight male MPs, though Sarah Olney's victory in last year's by-election in Richmond Park later gave them back one female MP. | Labour is fielding the largest proportion of female election candidates of the biggest parties - at 41%, BBC analysis shows. |
37,936,514 | A part of the brain linked to emotions and empathy, called the insula, was found to be particularly small in girls who had suffered trauma.
But in traumatised boys, the insula was larger than usual.
This could explain why girls are more likely than boys to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the researchers said.
Their findings suggest that boys and girls could display contrasting symptoms after a particularly distressing or frightening event, and should be treated differently as a result.
The research team, from Stanford University School of Medicine, said girls who develop PTSD may actually be suffering from a faster than normal ageing of one part of the insula - an area of the brain which processes feelings and pain.
The insula, or insular cortex, is a diverse and complex area, located deep within the brain which has many connections.
As well as processing emotions, it plays an important role in detecting cues from other parts of the body.
The researchers scanned the brains of 59 children aged nine to 17 for their study, published in Depression and Anxiety.
One group, of 14 girls and 16 boys, had suffered at least one episode of severe stress or trauma while a second group, of 15 girls and 14 boys, had not been exposed to any.
In the group of traumatised boys and girls, there was evidence that one area of the insula - the anterior circular sulcus - had changed in size and volume compared with the group with no trauma.
This shows that the insula is changed by exposure to acute or long-term stress and plays a key role in the development of PTSD, the researchers said.
Lead study author Dr Megan Klabunde said it was important to consider the different physical and emotional reactions to stressful events.
"It is important that people who work with traumatised youth consider the sex differences.
"Our findings suggest it is possible that boys and girls could exhibit different trauma symptoms and that they might benefit from different approaches to treatment."
And she added: "There are some studies suggesting that high levels of stress could contribute to early puberty in girls."
Dr Klabunde said they would now look at other regions of the brain connected to the insula to see if they could detect similar changes.
Post-traumatic stress disorder is the term used to described the psychological effects of being involved in a traumatic event, such as a major car accident, a natural disaster, bullying, abuse or violent crime.
Many young people who experience very distressing events recover without experiencing PTSD - but some people do develop it.
Symptoms can include:
The charity Young Minds says it is normal to experience symptoms for a few weeks after a distressing event but if you are still having symptoms after a month, it is a good idea to talk to your GP who should offer you some therapy to deal with your thoughts and behaviour. | Very stressful events affect the brains of girls and boys in different ways, a Stanford University study suggests. |
36,548,645 | Rebel investors had fought for years against forced repurchase of enhanced capital note (ECN) bonds.
But the Supreme Court said the bank had been entitled to buy back the bonds at their original issue price.
The move means investors, who had originally bought bonds issued by mutuals, get lower payouts and lose out on future returns.
A Lloyds Banking Group spokesperson welcomed the decision: "The Group has sought to balance the interests of all stakeholders including our 2.6 million shareholders, as it takes steps to meet the requirements of the changing regulatory landscape and manage its capital requirements efficiently."
The bonds had originally been issued as permanent interest-bearing shares (Pibs) by several former building societies that the bank had snapped up over the years, including Halifax and Cheltenham & Gloucester.
They had been very attractive to risk-averse pensioners in particular, with generous annual yields of up to 16%, and the promise of the return of all their capital.
But at the height of Lloyds' cash crisis in 2009 it converted the Pibs to ECN bonds which counted towards Lloyds' capital reserves.
The move helped shore up the bank's capital position at a crucial time as it was able to transfer the £8bn value of the bonds on to its balance sheet.
But, crucially, in the terms and conditions of the ECNs, it said that the bank could buy back the notes at "par" - face value - if a so-called "capital disqualification event" occurred.
In 2014 Lloyds began offering to buy back the bonds at market value ahead of maturity dates of between 2019 and 2029.
But in December 2014 during a stress test by the Prudential Regulatory Authority the ECNs did not count as capital.
Lloyds subsequently announced that a capital disqualification event had occurred allowing it to buy back the bonds at their original issue price.
Bondholders were angered as the bonds traded at a higher level than their face value, plus they faced losing out on future returns.
They disputed the bank's claims that the bonds had been disqualified as capital and took the case to the High Court.
In 2015 the High Court found in favour of the bondholders with Sir Terence Etherton, the head of the Chancery Division, rejecting Lloyds' argument on the basis that the bonds could still be taken into account in future stress tests.
But the Appeal Court overturned the verdict in the Spring and the Supreme Court has now upheld that decision.
Lloyds began redeeming the bonds after the Appeal Court ruling and remaining bondholders will now get paid the face value of their holdings.
The bank expects to save on interest payments worth £200m each year. The move had originally been aimed at saving five years' interest - £1bn - but the delay in redeeming the notes means that is likely to be reduced to four years. | Lloyds Bank has won a major court battle against bondholders that could save it up to £1bn. |
35,676,107 | The visitors trailed following Alistair Love's close-range finish from Michael Dunlop's pass.
Rovers' Spas Georgiev was off target from a similar distance and Peterhead goalkeeper Graeme Smith denied Love and Andy Barrowman.
Scott Ross headed off target for the visitors but McAllister converted following Scott McBride's handball. | Rory McAllister's stoppage-time penalty secured a draw for Peterhead against Albion Rovers in Scottish League One. |
37,772,298 | Mourinho, 53, has been living in the city's Lowry Hotel since being appointed United manager in the summer.
Yet the Portuguese claims he is loath to venture out because of the persistent hordes of photographers.
"I just want to cross the bridge and go to a restaurant. I can't, so it's really bad," Mourinho told Sky Sports.
Media playback is not supported on this device
United have had an indifferent start since Mourinho took charge.
They are seventh in the Premier League table, six points behind leaders Manchester City, and were beaten 4-0 by Mourinho's former club Chelsea on Sunday.
Mourinho - reportedly earning more than £10m a year - is searching for an apartment but hinted that he is missing his family, who live in London.
"For me it's a bit of a disaster because I want sometimes to walk a little bit and I can't," he added before Wednesday's EFL fourth round tie with Man City at Old Trafford.
"The reality is that my daughter will be 20 next week, my son will be 17 in a couple of months. They are very stable.
"University in London. Football in London. Friends. So they are in an age where they can't chase me like they did before. So for the first time the family lives in a different way." | Jose Mourinho says living alone in Manchester has become a "bit of a disaster" and is beginning to tire of photographers camped outside his hotel. |
38,711,149 | The 19-year-old will stay with the club for the whole of the Malaysian Premier League campaign.
Adams has progressed through the Rs academy where he played for the Under-23 side and had a spell at Ryman League side Staines Town earlier this season.
Tony Fernandes, the Championship club's 52-year-old owner, is Malaysian. | QPR striker Brandon Adams has signed a new one-year contract and agreed a one-year loan at Malaysian side Persatuan Bola Sepak Perlis. |
20,033,596 | Means played Chingachgook, the adopted father of Daniel Day Lewis's character Hawkeye, in the 1992 film.
Means was also a former American Indian Movement (AIM) activist, who helped lead a 1973 uprising at Wounded Knee.
The actor and activist died on Monday at his ranch in Porcupine, South Dakota, a spokeswoman for the Oglala Sioux Tribe said.
Donna Salomon, the tribal spokeswoman, called Means' death a "great loss" for the tribe.
In August 2011, Means announced he had inoperable throat cancer and told the Associated Press he was eschewing mainstream medicines in favour of traditional Native American treatments.
The Last of the Mohicans was his first film role and he went on to also appear in films such as Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers.
He also voiced Chief Powhatan in Disney's 1995 animated movie Pocahontas.
Means guest starred in US TV series Curb Your Enthusiasm in 2004.
He also made two albums of protest music with lyrics he wrote - Electric Warrior and The Radical.
The AIM's armed occupation of Wounded Knee in South Dakota - the site of an infamous massacre of Native Americans by US soldiers in the late 19th Century - lasted for 71 days.
The protest followed the failure of AIM followers to impeach the elected tribal president, whom they accused of corruption.
Means ran unsuccessfully for president of his tribe and for the Libertarian nomination for US president in 1988.
But he was also a controversial figure, partly because of the AIM's alleged involvement in the slaying of one of their activists Annie Mae Aquash in 1975.
Authorities believed it was the work of AIM members because they suspected she was an FBI informant.
Paul deMain, a Native American journalist who researched the case, said the AIM's leaders know who ordered Aquash's killing but have covered up the truth for decades.
Means blamed one of his fellow AIM leaders, Vernon Bellecourt, for ordering her killing.
Bellecourt denied the allegations in a 2004 interview. He died in 2008.
Means was married four times and leaves ten children. | Russell Means, who played a leading role in The Last of the Mohicans, has died at the age of 72. |
35,794,560 | The incident happened during the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Alaska.
Race marshals said a man on a snowmobile first attacked one sled and later hit the sled that was following behind.
A man has now been arrested, but police say the motive remains unclear.
Arnold Demoski, 26, faces charges of assault, reckless endangerment, reckless driving and criminal mischief, Alaska State Troopers say.
Mr Demoski had earlier told the Alaska Dispatch News that the incident was not intentional, but that he had blacked out after drinking.
Race officials said veteran competitor Aliy Zirkle first reported being attacked near the village of Nulato on the Yukon River during a leg of the 1,000-mile (1,609km) race to Nome.
Alaska State Troopers spokeswoman Megan Peters told AP news agency that the snowmobile had hit the side of Ms Zirkle's sled and the driver threatened her several more times before driving off.
One of her dogs was injured. She reported the incident after arriving in Nulato in the early hours of Saturday.
Some time later, competitor Jeff King, who had been following Ms Zirkle, reported being hit by the snowmobile in the same area. One of his dogs was killed and at least three others were injured.
"Regrettably, this incident very much alters the race of the two mushers competing for a win. However, both are going to continue on their way toward Nome," the Iditarod Trail Committee said.
The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is an annual event that takes place through some of Alaska's most remote areas between Anchorage and Nome. Competitors and their teams often encounter blizzards, gale-force winds and freezing temperatures. | A dog was killed and several others injured when a snowmobile was deliberately driven into two dog-sled teams competing in a race, officials have said. |
36,488,810 | The restriction of liberty order also banned John McDougall from contact with females under 18 and from approaching any unaccompanied adult female.
At Kilmarnock Sheriff Court, the 36-year-old admitted buying cigarettes and alcohol for teenagers.
McDougall, who is from Irvine, was jailed for 15 months.
In 2000, McDougall, was jailed for 10 years for raping a 19-year-old woman at knifepoint in Irvine.
Two days after his release in 2005, again in Irvine, he tried to drag a vulnerable 16-year-old girl into bushes.
He was jailed for one year for that offence.
In 2012, it emerged McDougall had contacted 55 women using a bogus Facebook account in prison and had set up a meeting with a woman while on parole.
Last year, he bought an internet-enabled mobile phone - despite an interim sexual offences prevention order to prevent this being granted the day before.
Within 24 hours, he had created a Facebook page stating he was "looking for females".
Police who found the phone hidden behind a radiator at his home discovered he had visited dating sites repeatedly.
Officers also found written notes with the names and addresses of women.
McDougall was jailed for 14 months for that offence. | A high-risk rapist who was given a 10-year overnight home curfew order at the request of police has been jailed for breaching it within 48 hours. |
37,680,906 | The independent inquiry has been beset by controversies, including the resignation of three of its chairwomen.
Prof Jay said that - although some measures would be taken to speed up the inquiry - it was "still very interested in the past".
She said she expects "significant progress" by the end of 2020.
Prof Jay - who led the inquiry into child sexual exploitation in Rotherham in 2014 - was appointed in August.
On her second day, she ordered an internal review into the inquiry. But today she rejected calls to tighten its terms of reference.
"I treat with some scepticism calls for us to forget the past," she said.
"Only by understanding the lessons we can learn from that and the possible failings and cover-ups that might have taken place in certain institutions will we go forward with confidence."
Prime Minister Theresa May, who set up the inquiry as home secretary in 2014, said it was important to remember why it was established.
"This is about people who suffered abuse as children, who for years - for some, for decades - have never found justice," she said.
Prof Jay said the inquiry would not hold public hearings into every institution it was investigating, as it would take too long.
"If we were to pursue the traditional public hearing model - which people associate with inquiries of this kind - to the thousands and thousands of institutions in England and Wales, we would fail," she said.
"There is no possibility we would do that."
Instead, she said the inquiry "intends to use different models and ways of working".
Dame Lowell Goddard, the inquiry's third chairwoman, resigned in August.
In her resignation letter, she said the inquiry had a "legacy of failure which has been very hard to shake off".
She has since been accused of using racist language, something she has strongly denied.
Home Secretary Amber Rudd told MPs on Monday that the inquiry's secretary reported concerns about Dame Lowell's "competence and professionalism" on 29 July.
Ms Rudd said "less than a week elapsed" before Dame Lowell resigned.
Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott said "no inquiry in modern times has been mired in such chaos".
"At the very least it suggests a certain incompetence both in setting the terms and selecting the personnel to lead it," she said.
But Ms Rudd said there was "no paralysis" - insisting that the inquiry was working "at full speed".
Earlier this month, the most senior lawyer on the inquiry, Ben Emmerson QC, also stepped down.
In response, a survivors' group said it had concerns about the inquiry's "everlasting remit".
The inquiry is examining how state and non-state institutions in England and Wales protected children from abuse.
7 July 2014 - government announces independent inquiry into the way public bodies investigated and handled child sex abuse claims. Baroness Butler-Sloss chosen as head
9 July - Baroness Butler-Sloss faces calls to quit because her late brother, Sir Michael Havers, was attorney general in the 1980s
14 July - she stands down, saying she is "not the right person" for the job
5 September - Lord Mayor of London Fiona Woolf named the new head of the inquiry
11 October - Mrs Woolf discloses she had five dinners with Lord Brittan from 2008-12
22 October - abuse victim launches legal challenge against Mrs Woolf leading the inquiry, amid growing calls for her resignation
31 October - victims' groups tell government officials they are "unanimous" Mrs Woolf should quit. She steps down later that day
4 February 2015 - Justice Lowell Goddard, a serving judge of the High Court of New Zealand, announced as the new head of the inquiry
13 July - Dame Lowell's pay is revealed as more than £480,000 a year
November - inquiry begins hearing directly from victims and survivors
4 August 2016 - Dame Lowell writes to Home Secretary Amber Rudd to resign from her post
11 August 2016 - Prof Alexis Jay announced as new head of the inquiry
30 September - Ben Emmerson QC, the most senior lawyer working for the inquiry, steps down | The new chairwoman of the child sex abuse inquiry, Professor Alexis Jay, has said she will not seek "any reduction or restriction" in its scope. |
28,415,536 | The election commission said Mr Widodo - widely known as Jokowi - won 53.15% of the vote with his rival, ex-general Prabowo Subianto, on 46.85%.
Earlier, Mr Subianto alleged widespread electoral fraud and vowed to challenge the result.
Mr Widodo has promised a decisive break with Indonesia's authoritarian past and better social welfare for the poor.
Joko Widodo: Key facts
Who is Joko Widodo?
What does Jokowi win mean for Indonesia?
Before the official results were confirmed, the chairperson of Mr Widodo's PDI-P party, Megawati Sukarnoputri, claimed victory on behalf of the candidate and his running-mate Jusuf Kalla.
"I want to declare that we, the party that supports and puts forward Joko Widodo and Jusuf Kalla, has won," she told reporters on Tuesday evening.
Indonesia's politics has traditionally been dominated by establishment figures from the political elite and military.
A former furniture-maker who grew up in a small village, Mr Jokowi is seen as a clean politician in touch with the masses. The Jakarta governor has proved to be particularly popular with urban and rural youth.
His rival Mr Subianto is a former general closely associated with the traditional elite. He had the backing of media tycoons.
A former son-in-law of Indonesia's ex-leader Suharto, Mr Subianto has faced multiple questions over alleged human rights abuses.
Jubilant supporters took to Twitter with congratulatory messages for Mr Widodo, using the hashtag #presidenbaru (New President).
Meanwhile about 100 supporters of Mr Subianto held a peaceful protest about 300m from the election commission building in Jakarta, declaring Mr Subianto the real president, the Associated Press reports.
Mr Subianto said earlier on Tuesday that his camp would not resort to violence as it challenges the results.
Security was tight for the announcement, with more than 250,000 police officers on duty across the nation, amid fears that supporters from both camps would clash.
About 130 million votes were cast on 9 July following an intense election campaign.
It was followed by a controversial vote-counting period in which both candidates raised concerns about voting irregularities.
But Mr Widodo's winning margin of 6% win is seen as decisive by analysts.
They say that even if Mr Subianto's claim of electoral fraud in certain areas proved to be true, this would be unlikely to change the overall results.
Mr Subianto has three days to file an appeal with Indonesia's constitutional court. The court has till 22 August to make a ruling on the results. | Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo has been declared the winner of Indonesia's hotly contested presidential election. |
37,042,942 | The Women and Equalities Committee reveals Muslim women are three times as likely to be unemployed and looking for a job than women generally.
Below are edited excerpts of the stories the BBC has received of varying experiences in the workplace.
"I am a qualified legal professional. I have a very good academic record and experience that surpasses many of my peers who are of a similar age.
"I have had interviews with five big household name companies for the role of in-house lawyer in the last year alone and have always worn my hijab.
"After four consecutive rejections I decided to walk into my fifth job interview without my hijab. Bingo, I got the job. I now feel I have betrayed my principles for a job I could do just as well with my hijab on.
"I do not know if I would still have got this job had I worn the hijab in the interview. I wish I had the guts to start wearing it again. Hopefully, one day I will have the courage and my employers won't batter an eyelid." Ayesha
"I am a Muslim woman who wears the headscarf and I am a qualified secondary school teacher.
"I have never had the experience of applying for a non-teaching job before I chose to wear the hijab and was also always successful in retail jobs pre-hijab.
"I chose to wear the hijab after I completed my PGCE and I have found that it has so far worked in my favour.
"For all my five teaching jobs except one, I have been the only hijab-wearing Muslim employee. I have in fact found I have experienced positive discrimination to tick all the boxes." Aalia
"I work part-time and my colleagues treat me like an alien because I am Muslim.
"I see disinterest in their faces. I am always friendly but they never bother with me. They talk amongst themselves as though I am invisible.
"Most of the time they assume a position of superiority over me. I am not apologetic for being me and have now given up being so friendly.
"It's sad that it is not us Muslims who are failing to integrate but others and their ignorance about other cultures." Sara
"As a young female Muslim woman who wears a headscarf and also as a working mother, I do feel in the past I have faced some discrimination when job hunting.
"This usually happened once I've passed the application stage and have been offered an interview.
"As soon as I walked into some interviews I felt I already knew I was not going to be successful - I can see the disapproval on the interviewers' faces as they quickly glance up and down at what I am wearing.
"This knocked my confidence and made me feel like no matter how much experience I have and how good my education is, there are just some jobs I won't get.
"I have been completely put off from applying for any corporate jobs where I just know the culture does not support a Muslim lifestyle.
"I now work part-time for a university, which is an excellent employer, and where I feel completely welcome and I am seen as an individual, not judged on my race, colour or religion." Vasha
"I hate it when the discrimination banner is used to explain the lower statistics of Muslim women in the workforce.
"I am a Pakistani Muslim woman and have worked both in the voluntary and paid sectors since the age of 16.
"The real issue is not employers discriminating against Muslim women, but the fact that the majority of Muslim communities frown upon women working.
"I have always faced problems from within the Muslim community. Muslim men simply hate it. Responses from Muslim women are 'Your husband should provide for you!' or 'Who looks after your children?'
"In their view as a working woman, I can't be a good wife/mother/housekeeper as well.
"So I feel the real issue is actually Muslim culture preventing women from working!" Nargis
"This is about Muslim women being economically inactive. I have been one of them for the past 15 years, because I chose to be.
"I chose to look after my children while they were young and at the same time studied for a degree in Environmental Studies with the Open University and was very happy like that.
"Society cannot dictate how people should live. As Muslims often live more traditionally than the rest of society, these numbers should not be a surprise.
"But as I start training this year for a PGCE in primary education, I do expect to have the same employment opportunities as any other woman once I qualify.
"I wear the scarf and the abaya and had an interview for a job as a French tutor. At the interview, I was told not to speak of my religion to the pupils and I obviously agreed but felt judged because of my clothes.
"Employers sometimes see us as a more complicated bet than a non-Muslim person." Catherine
"I hadn't given this much thought until quite recently.
"I have never wanted to believe that my being a Muslim woman would in turn have an impact on people's perceptions of me as an individual, mainly because ignorance is bliss and also because I just thought surely I am part of a time that knows better than to discriminate.
"My parents have always pushed me to get an education and get myself a job.
"In the past though I applied for numerous jobs - very few replied and telephone interviews always went better than face-to-face interviews.
"I say this because I have been wearing a hijab for the last two years now and I've noticed the shift in attitude of some individuals.
"I don't blame them. Muslims are not painted in the best light, but it's still disappointing.
"One thing it does reinforce in me is to not judge a book by its cover." Anon
Produced by Kerry Alexandra, The BBC's UGC and Social News team | Muslim women are most likely to be at an economic disadvantage than other social groups in the UK, according to a report by MPs. |
35,916,425 | Ransomware encrypts data on infected machines and then asks for money before restoring access to information.
The FBI is analysing a strain of ransomware called MSIL/Samas that tries to encrypt data across entire networks rather than single computers.
The plea comes as security firms warn about other novel strains of the fast-growing, data-scrambling cyber-threats.
The FBI sent out the request for help after discovering that the group behind MSIL/Samas had stepped up its efforts to find victims.
In the confidential advisory obtained by Reuters, the FBI said the group used a publicly available security program called Jexboss to scan networks looking for vulnerable versions of the widely used JBoss software.
When a vulnerable system is found, the malware launches an attack that seeks to scramble data on servers. It also finds and deletes the back-up files firms could use to restore data scrambled by ransomware.
Cisco said it had seen a "widespread campaign" using Samas targeting firms involved in healthcare. Early versions of the malware charged a ransom of one bitcoin (£300) for every machine hit but later versions upped this to 1.5 bitcoins.
"It is likely the malware author is trying to see how much people will pay for their files," wrote Cisco security analyst Nick Biasini in an advisory. "They even added an option for bulk decryption of 22 bitcoin (£6,600) to decrypt all infected systems."
The FBI's request for aid comes as security firms warn about recently created ransomware variants that use different methods to lock up systems and force victims to pay.
The Petya malware targets a key Windows system file called the Master Boot Record that helps a PC get started. By overwriting this file, people are prevented from getting at any data on their PC unless they pay up.
Trend Micro said it had seen Petya distributed in email messages crafted to look like they are from someone looking for work. The CV attached to the message is a booby-trapped program that launches Petya, said Trend security engineer Jasen Sumalapao in a blogpost. Petya charges a ransom of 0.9 bitcoins (£265) to unlock infected machines.
Security firm Carbon Black has found another novel strain that goes after many firms that use Windows PowerShell - a scripting program widely used to administer machines running Windows.
Dubbed PowerWare, this strain hides malicious code in Word documents and calls on PowerShell to execute the attack code when the booby-trapped files are opened.
"Deceptively simple in code, 'PowerWare' is a novel approach to ransomware, reflecting a growing trend of malware authors thinking outside the box in delivering ransomware," said Rico Valdez from Carbon Black. | The FBI is seeking help from US firms as it investigates a nasty strain of ransomware, Reuters reports. |
36,072,829 | The discovery was made by a TV crew member looking for filming locations in the Wye Valley area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB) in Monmouthshire.
The 2015 directories were found with other fly-tipped rubbish in the Livox quarry between Chepstow and Tintern.
BT said the directories may have been dropped off by contractors for delivery but taken by unknown people before local distributors arrived.
A spokesman said the relevant division would be informed.
The land agent for the site has also been told.
Crimestoppers said statistics showed there were 31,000 incidents of fly-tipping in Wales in 2014-15, with 80% of incidents involving household waste and clear-up costs estimated at £1.8m.
Andrew Murphy from the charity said: "The cost of clearing up is only one part of the problem.
"Fly-tipping is a blight on our communities. It poses a threat to humans and wildlife, it damages our environment and it spoils our beautiful towns and countryside." | A large number of BT phone directories have been dumped at a beauty spot. |
39,936,477 | Proton Partners International (PPI) received the part that will fire the cancer-treating beam at its Rutherford Cancer Centre.
PPI said the UK's "most-advanced piece of cancer machinery" could transform treatment for 500 patients a year.
Currently, only low-energy treatment is available in the UK for rare eye cancers.
The Welsh Government said proton beam therapy will be available at the centre to NHS Wales patients with certain cancers "within the next year".
PPI chief executive Mike Moran said it was the "most strategic health project in this country in decades".
"It's significant for the people of Wales to have high-energy proton beam therapy available," he added.
He said the treatment would "certainly improve" clinical outcomes and the experience for patients, who up to now have had to spend up to six weeks abroad to get proton beam therapy.
The use of proton therapy was highlighted by the case of five-year-old Ashya King, whose parents took him to the Czech Republic for treatment for a brain tumour three years ago.
After its installation, the machine will be up and running next year.
PPI said treatment at the centre will be available to medically-insured private patients, self-paying patients and patients referred by the NHS.
Analysis by BBC Wales health correspondent Owain Clarke
This is certainly a coup for those trying to make Wales a hub for health innovation and research.
But it is unclear how many of the 500 patients a year expected to be treated at the privately run centre will be from the Welsh NHS.
That is because the NHS in England is currently building two similar proton beam centres "in-house".
Located at established hospitals (in London and Manchester), some argue they'd be better placed to provide more comprehensive, "wrap-around" care than would be possible at a stand-alone centre.
Discussions between the company, the Welsh Government and Welsh NHS I'm told are well advanced but whatever the outcome of those, as the first centre of its type in the UK, this is certainly a significant development.
Proton beam therapy is a highly-targeted type of radiotherapy which can treat hard-to-reach cancers, such as spinal tumours, with a lower risk of damaging the surrounding tissue and causing side effects.
About 140 patients a year are sent abroad from across the NHS - mostly to the US and Switzerland - at a cost of around £114,000 each.
Experts have said the proton beam clinic in Newport could half that cost, while also allowing patients to remain close to their families while receiving treatment.
The Rutherford Cancer Centre opened in February and receives referrals for conventional cancer treatments.
PPI is building three more proton beam centres in the UK - in Northumberland, Reading and Liverpool.
The firm has received £10m from the Welsh Government's Wales Life Sciences Investment Fund. | A key component of the UK's first high-energy proton beam machine has been delivered to its new home in Newport. |
37,211,788 | Prosecutor's spokeswoman Ine Van Wymersch said a car broke through fences at about 02:00 (00:00 GMT).
She said there was "sensitive material" inside the laboratories, but it is not yet clear what if anything was destroyed in the fire.
Five people arrested nearby were later released without charge.
Initial reports in Belgian media said a bomb had exploded. But Ms Van Wymersch said that while a bomb was unlikely to have detonated, it was impossible to fully rule out that scenario.
"The location was not chosen randomly," she said. "It's an important site, that includes sensitive documents relating to current investigations."
"The possibility of a terrorist act is not confirmed. It goes without saying that several individuals may have wanted to destroy evidence related to their legal cases," Ms Van Wymersch added.
The case was being treated as arson, she said.
Some 30 firefighters helped put out the fire at the National Institute of Criminology, which Ms Van Wymersch said caused damage but caused no casualties.
Forensic analysis linked to criminal cases is carried out at the site, but while it is not the only laboratory of its kind linked to the police, it is the most important forensic test centre in Belgium.
Images submitted to broadcaster RTL by nearby residents showed flames and heavy smoke rising into the night sky.
The independent institute, linked to Belgium's federal justice body, is in Neder-Over-Heembeek, a suburb in the north of Brussels.
Belgium's terror alert level remains high since bomb attacks on Brussels airport and the city's metro, claimed by so-called Islamic State, that killed 32 people in March. | Attackers rammed a car through the gates of a Brussels crime laboratory before starting a fire to destroy forensic evidence, prosecutors say. |
12,238,447 | The entry, in the site's chat area, was simplicity itself. Riven Vincent told the site's users - her online friends - that she had asked social services to take her severely disabled daughter into care.
"We get 6 hours respite a week," it read. "They have refused a link family, they have refused extra respite. I cant cope."
The entry sparked a hugely supportive reaction from the site's users and snowballed into a major front-page story across the national media inside 24 hours.
Riven Vincent, it transpired, had met the prime minister before the election. He had made a private visit to meet her - after an exchange on Mumsnet.
On Thursday his office said he was "very concerned". David Cameron was writing to her and was getting in touch with her MP.
The incident is yet another illustration of the power of Mumsnet, or rather the site's 600,000 registered users.
It was co-founded 10 years ago by sports journalist Justine Roberts and TV producer Carrie Longton. Today it has 1.25m unique users every month.
Justine is now the Mumsnet chief executive and last year she hosted the then prime minister Gordon Brown at its 10-year anniversary bash. Mr Brown described it as a "national institution".
While Mumsnet has hit the headlines before, most notably in a legal battle with the childcare writer Gina Ford, it is only relatively recently that its members have started flexing their political muscle.
Justine Roberts isn't that surprised by the developments this week. She says interest from politicians started to hot up during the last general election, along with a realisation that social media was an effective way to reach voters.
Both Mr Brown and Mr Cameron did "live chat" sessions with Mumsnet, whose members exhibit a marvellous tendency to "ski off-piste" with their interrogations.
Mr Brown famously fumbled an answer about his favourite biscuit, while the Conservative leader appeared to stop answering questions for several minutes when his laptop broke.
But Mumsnet does much more than quiz politicians. Funded entirely by advertising, it functions as a resource for information on pregnancy and childcare, offers product reviews and even runs a book club. Tonight it is hosting a chat session with the award-winning author Rose Tremain.
Mumsnet users sometimes have a vexed relationship with the media, and in recent weeks the site took the producers of EastEnders to task over a plotline involving a child abduction.
"All we did was reflect our members' reaction to the storyline," explains Ms Roberts. "These things are often entirely organic, coming directly from our members rather than directed by us as the site's administrators."
The internet is notoriously capricious, with a site being essential one moment and forgotten the next. But Mumsnet's capacity to hold decision-makers to account shows no sign of fading.
"With Mumsnet," says Ms Roberts, "there's a sense of audience. Facebook is too generalised.
"Riven Vincent's post was shocking, and it caused an immediate reaction. She's known in our community as a caring mother."
But she admits to being surprised at the size of the story. "It is extraordinary how quickly these things can mushroom." | The post was made at lunchtime on Wednesday by a Mumsnet user called Riven. |
37,483,375 | A Daily Telegraph investigation says Allardyce, 61, used his role to negotiate a £400,000 deal and also offered advice on how to "get around" rules on player transfers.
Allardyce is yet to respond to the allegations and was due to meet with Football Association chairman Greg Clarke and chief executive Martin Glenn on Tuesday.
The former Bolton, Newcastle and West Ham manager also appears to criticise the FA, his international predecessor Roy Hodgson and ex-England assistant Gary Neville.
"You have to let Sam Allardyce defend himself and I just hope he will clear his name," said Wenger.
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The Telegraph says it will pass transcripts from its investigation to the FA, although they run to "to many hundreds of pages" and "will take some time to collate."
Allardyce, who has only been in charge for one game and 67 days, was named England boss in July, succeeding Hodgson after a disastrous European Championship campaign.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 live, former Arsenal and England striker Ian Wright said it would be a "terrible shame" for Allardyce to lose his job for "non-footballing reasons".
"When you look at Sam and his career, he was never ever going to get the opportunity to manage a top-four club," he told BBC Radio 5 live.
"He got the England job and for him to now stand on the brink of losing that job is a crying shame."
Karren Brady, chief executive of Allardyce's former club West Ham, said she is "both saddened and disappointed" by the developments.
"This is a man who spent his whole life trying to get that job, and got it in his 60s. What a great shame if he loses that job through non-footballing reasons," she told Radio 1 Newsbeat.
Former FA communications director Julian Eccles has said Allardyce's actions are "at the very least bad judgement", and said he will have to justify his claims that third-party ownership is still prevalent.
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During the meeting with undercover reporters posing as businessmen, it is alleged Allardyce said it was "not a problem" to bypass the rules and he knew of agents who were "doing it all the time".
"I think if he is to keep his job at the very least he has to provide the evidence where he says that agents are still involved in this and he has to apologise for stating that these rules are 'ridiculous'," Eccles told BBC News.
"We cannot have such a senior figure in our game being so disrespectful of such important rules."
That view was supported by Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker, who tweeted saying Allardyce "advising on getting around third-party rules" was the "biggest problem".
Third-party ownership of players was banned by the FA in 2008.
It is further alleged by the paper that a deal was struck with the England boss worth £400,000 for him to represent the company to Far East investors and to be a keynote speaker at events.
However, Allardyce told the undercover reporters that any arrangement would have to be cleared by the FA.
Allardyce is set to name his second England squad on Sunday, before the World Cup qualifier against Malta on 8 October. | Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has said England boss Sam Allardyce "needs to be allowed to defend himself", following allegations in a newspaper. |
33,005,767 | The number moving out fell by 10.3% to 22,800 people between July 2013 and June 2014, the NI Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra) revealed.
In the same period, 24,400 people moved to Northern Ireland, meaning an increase in net immigration of 1,600.
During Northern Ireland's economic boom years, annual net immigration peaked at almost 11,000.
Nisra said the number of people leaving Northern Ireland was at its lowest level in five years.
The overall Northern Ireland population was estimated to be 1.84 million in June 2014, an increase of 10,800 on the previous year.
That growth of 0.6% was the highest in the last four years.
That was made up of net immigration plus natural growth of 9,800 (24,200 births compared to 14,300 deaths).
Meanwhile, the number of military personnel in Northern Ireland fell by 600.
The statistics also confirmed a continued ageing population.
There are an estimated 285,000 people aged 65 and over.
The proportionate population increase of that age group, 2.4%, was more than nine times that of the population under 65. | More people have moved to Northern Ireland than left for the first time in four years, official estimates suggest. |
35,165,720 | In the Daily Telegraph, he said he was "unlikely" to join former cabinet colleagues Liam Fox and Owen Paterson in voting to leave in the referendum which he suggested would be in 2016.
Eurosceptic Tory MP Bernard Jenkin said Lord Hague was "completely wrong" to suggest a "Brexit" could split the UK.
The prime minister has promised to hold an in/out vote before the end of 2017.
Mr Hague's comments came as Poland's new President, Andrzej Duda, warned in an interview with the BBC that the EU would face a "very serious crisis" if the UK were to leave.
Mr Duda said the EU had "many weaknesses" and warned a UK exit from the bloc could cause further havoc.
"The EU has been shaken time and time again with crises - whether it's the financial crisis, or the refugees crisis," he said.
"Let's not pretend, a UK exit from the EU will be a very serious crisis for the EU. Of that I have no doubt."
In Mr Hague's article he warned that if the UK did vote to leave the EU he believed Scottish nationalists would "jump at the chance" to re-open the independence debate, and "the result of it could well be too close to call".
He also said a UK departure would see the 28-member bloc lose one of its "respected military powers" and leave it weakened.
"To end up destroying the UK and gravely weakening the European Union would not be a very clever day's work," he wrote.
"So, even as a long-standing critic of so much of that struggling organisation, I am unlikely in 2016 to vote to leave it," he said.
"We will have to ask, disliking so many aspects of it as we do, whether we really want to weaken it, and at the same time increase the chances, if the UK left the EU, of Scotland leaving the UK."
When he was Conservative leader, William Hague fought the 2001 election campaign on a strong commitment to keep the pound, and keep out of the euro.
He has been seen as a Eurosceptic ever since.
But Lord Hague says a vote to withdraw would give the SNP the pretext to call second referendum on independence.
Those who want to leave the EU are likely to see this as a tacit admission that Prime Minister David Cameron's negotiations will produce little of substance and that alternative arguments are already being marshalled for continued UK membership.
Responding to Lord Hague's comments, Mr Jenkin said Downing Street was "clearly mounting a campaign to stay in the EU" even though Mr Cameron's renegotiations are not yet complete.
He added: "It is extremely unlikely that if England, Wales and Northern Ireland voted clearly to leave the European Union, that Scotland would vote differently."
He told BBC Radio 4's The World at One that Mr Hague's view "was not a surprise" and urged the prime minister not to "muzzle" ministers in expressing their views on a decision that "utterly dwarfs" the significance of a general election.
SNP Europe spokesman Stephen Gethins said the Conservatives had "lost all credibility on Europe".
"While it is welcome progress to see senior Tories finally ceding that it would be completely unacceptable for Scotland to be dragged out of the European Union against its will - we still have no answers as to how they will ensure this does not happen," he added.
On Monday former Deputy Prime Minister Lord Heseltine warned of a "civil war" in the Conservative Party if cabinet ministers were given a free vote in the EU referendum - meaning they could vote as they saw fit and were not whipped into toeing the party line.
He argued that a free vote would make Mr Cameron a global "laughing stock".
Meanwhile, Conservative Party vice-chairman Mark Field has also criticised calls for ministers to be given a free vote.
He told the Daily Telegraph that anyone who was not prepared to back Mr Cameron's re-negotiation should resign from the government. | Leaving the EU could lead to the break up of the UK, former Foreign Secretary William Hague has warned. |
29,507,769 | The DUP MLA has been receiving medical treatment since suffering heart problems last month.
In a letter read to the assembly, he said he would be stepping down as MLA for Foyle next Monday to concentrate on returning to good health.
Sinn Féin's Mitchel McLaughlin took on the role of Speaker last month in a temporary capacity.
A DUP elected representative since 1981, Mr Hay played a key role in resolving parading tensions in Londonderry.
Mr Hay was elected Speaker in May 2007 following the restoration of devolution to Northern Ireland.
Before his illness, the Donegal-born politician had been due to leave the post after becoming a member of the House of Lords in August, deciding to sit on the crossbenches.
Last month, he suspended a member of his staff after the discovery of an irregularity in his office allowances.
Shortly afterwards, he became ill and has been absent from the assembly chamber since then.
First Minister Peter Robinson said Mr Hay's "qualities of hard work and devotion to his constituents have been reflected in election after election".
The DUP leader said that in Mr Hay's role as Speaker, his party colleague had shown "absolute impartiality and fairness".
"He always defended the rights of assembly members to full and fair participation in debates and at all times sought to ensure the tone of debate was measured and respectful: sometimes not an easy task in Stormont," he said. | The Northern Ireland Assembly Speaker William Hay is to retire next week. |
39,606,585 | Officials said almost 1.3 million votes would be recounted after allegations of fraud by the losing candidate - former banker Guillermo Lasso.
Mr Lasso has refused to accept anything less than a full recount.
His rival, the Socialist candidate, Lenin Moreno, won the second round with a slim majority of 51.15%.
He is set to replace his fellow socialist, President Rafael Correa, at the end of May.
The recount of the equivalent of 1.2 million votes, which would account for 12% of the total votes cast, will take place on Tuesday in public in the capital Quito.
The council has not disclosed what sort of ballots would be recounted. | The electoral authorities in Ecuador have ordered a partial recount of the votes cast in the presidential election earlier this month. |
32,146,031 | Detlev Guenzel, 56, strangled and dismembered the 59-year-old at a small bed-and-breakfast run by Mr Guenzel in eastern Germany in 2013.
Guenzel was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in jail.
Prosecutors could not confirm that he had actually eaten the victim, but some body parts were never found.
Lawyers representing the family of the murdered man - 59-year-old Polish-born Wojciech Stempniewicz - sought a 15-year sentence for Guenzel, the father of three adult children described by neighbours as affable, warm hearted and courteous.
Guenzel went on trial in August for killing Stempniewicz at his home, a bed-and-breakfast inn in the town of Hartmannsdorf-Reichenau in the Erz mountains near the border with the Czech Republic.
He was accused of cutting the body into small pieces and burying them in his garden, making a macabre home video in the process.
The pair met in October 2013 on a website for slaughter and cannibalism fantasies which described itself as the "#1 site for exotic meat" with more than 3,000 registered members, correspondents say.
Guenzel, who had served in the police for 30 years, retracted a confession he initially made to detectives soon after Stempniewicz's killing in which he said that he had cut his throat.
The defence argued that Stempniewicz had a death wish and had already hanged himself in Guenzel's cellar "S&M studio" before he took a knife, then an electric saw, to the gagged-and-bound man.
Investigators have been unable to determine the cause of death definitively because of the poor condition of the corpse.
They have, however, been able to ascertain that the pair had extensive contact online and by telephone before finally arranging their date on 4 November 2013.
The video Guenzel made was played during the trial, at one point showing him covered in blood while mutilating the corpse. "I never thought I would sink so low," he can be heard murmuring.
The defendant is reported to have broken down when the footage was shown, telling presiding judge Birgit Wiegand that he had made a mistake but was not a murderer.
The case has echoes of the 2001 murder of Bernd Juergen Brandes by Armin Meiwes in Rotenburg in western Germany.
Meiwes is serving a life sentence after killing and eating parts of his victim, who agreed to his death. | A former German policeman has been convicted of murdering a businessman he met on a website for cannibalism fetishists. |
37,971,085 | That dubious honour was imposed on her when, on 10 March, judges unanimously upheld parliament's decision in December to impeach her over a corruption scandal.
That scandal, which has generated huge protests, centres on her relationship with an old friend, and has brought allegations of cult activities, influence-peddling and leaks of classified information.
In 1974, Park Geun-hye's mother was killed by a North Korean spy who had intended to kill Ms Park's father, then-military leader Park Chung-hee. Ms Park, then aged 22, became a stand-in first lady for her widowed father.
It was then she got to know Choi Tae-min, a pseudo-Christian leader who set up a cult called The Church of Eternal Life. He said he had been visited by the soul of Ms Park's late mother who asked him to guide her.
He became Ms Park's mentor, while also amassing considerable wealth and power.
When President Park senior was assassinated by his head of intelligence in 1979, there was speculation it was because the spy chief was worried the president was being manipulated by the man dubbed "the Korean Rasputin".
By this point Ms Park was firm friends with Mr Choi's daughter, Choi Soon-sil. Their critics believe Ms Choi perpetuated her father's habits.
On 20 November, Ms Choi was charged with various offences, including abuse of authority, coercion, attempted coercion and attempted fraud. She is now on trial.
Few claims have been off-limits in the media coverage, with some reports going as far as suggesting the president is a puppet who hosted shamanist rituals at the presidential compound. But many of the lurid claims are unsubstantiated.
Ms Choi is accused of using her presidential connections to pressure companies for millions of dollars in donations to two non-profit foundations she controlled.
The claims have even swept up Samsung in the investigation - the firm is one of eight that has admitted making payments to the foundation, but denies it did so in return for any favours.
President Park is alleged to have been personally involved, instructing Ms Choi and two presidential aides to collect money for the launch of Ms Choi's foundations, according to prosecution documents submitted to the court.
Ms Choi is also accused of having received large numbers of confidential government documents from Ms Park, via an aide. These allegedly included information about ministerial candidates and North Korea.
There are even claims Ms Choi took advantage of the president's wardrobe budget - buying cheap outfits and keeping the change.
They have both apologised, but it remains unclear exactly what for.
When she was first questioned in October, Ms Choi said she had committed an "unpardonable crime", though her lawyer said this was not a legal admission of guilt.
President Park has herself admitted some lapses. She says she did consult Ms Choi for advice, and that she helped her edit her speeches, but that this stopped once she had a team of advisers in place.
Witnesses have claimed that Ms Choi received briefings and official papers long after that occurred. Documents were also discovered on an unsecured tablet computer found in an old office of Ms Choi's.
But the tone of the president's pronouncements has changed over time. She began with opaque apologies: "Regardless of what the reason may be, I am sorry that the scandal has caused national concern and I humbly apologise to the people."
But she has moved on to "heartbroken" public confessions of naivety: "Sad thoughts trouble my sleep at night. I realise that whatever I do, it will be difficult to mend the hearts of the people, and then I feel a sense of shame."
She had said she was willing to be questioned by investigators, but has so far resisted their attempts to speak to her.
Her spokesman said the prosecutors' allegation that she colluded with Ms Choi was "deeply regrettable" and "but a house of cards built on repeated imagination".
Samsung's de facto head, Lee Jae-Yong, is now on trial on a string of corruption charges, including bribery and embezzlement.
Prosecutors allege Mr Lee, heir to South Korea's largest conglomerate, approved payments of 41bn won ($36m, £29m) to Ms Choi's foundations, to win government support for a big restructuring of Samsung.
He denies the allegations, as do four other Samsung executives facing trial.
- Grandson of Samsung founder Lee Byung-chul, son of current chairman Lee Kun-hee.
- Also known as Jay Y Lee, the 48-year-old has spent his entire career in the company.
- Is vice chairman of Samsung Electronics and was nominated to join the firm's board in October 2016.
- Despite his arrest, still widely expected to take overall control of Samsung.
- Critics say his rise through Samsung has been due to his birth, not his business experience.
Mr Lee, also known as Jay Y Lee, is currently vice-chairman of Samsung Electronics. But since his father, Lee Kun-hee, suffered a heart attack in 2014, he is considered de facto boss of the entire Samsung Group conglomerate.
In a December parliamentary hearing, Samsung admitted giving a total of 20.4bn won to two foundations, but denied seeking favours.
Mr Lee also confirmed the firm gave a horse and money to help the equestrian career of Ms Choi's daughter, Chung Yoo-ra, something he said he regretted.
Investigators are assessing whether the payments bought support for a controversial merger of two Samsung affiliates.
Some investors opposed the deal, saying one of the affiliates's shares were undervalued, but support from a major shareholder, the state-run National Pension Service (NPS), helped the deal go through.
The official who oversaw the NPS has since been charged with putting pressure on managers to approve the merger, which strengthened Mr Lee's control over a key part of the conglomerate.
Several former presidential aides have been investigated.
An Chong-bum, Ms Park's former senior secretary for policy co-ordination, has been charged with abuse of authority, coercion and attempted coercion, and Jung Ho-sung is accused of passing classified presidential documents to Ms Choi.
Local media have also been busy finding colourful associates of Ms Choi who were close to the president, including various celebrities and her personal trainer, who was appointed as a presidential aide.
The impeachment verdict against Ms Park stripped her of presidential immunity. She could now face criminal charges.
The constitutional court's ruling, while not a criminal trial, will not have given her much hope she will avoid that.
It ruled she broke the law by allowing Ms Choi to meddle in state affairs, and breached guidelines on official secrets in leaking numerous documents.
She must now leave office and new elections must be held within 60 days. | South Korea's President Park Geun-hye has become the country's first democratically elected leader to be forced from office. |
36,044,854 | The tremors - measuring 0.8 and 1.7 on the Richter scale - occurred within 10 minutes of one another at about 21:50 on Wednesday.
Maps showed the location as about midway between Maryport in Cumbria and Kippford in Dumfries and Galloway.
The larger quake showed up on monitoring stations on the mainland. | Two minor earthquakes have been recorded in the middle of the Solway Firth between Dumfries and Galloway and Cumbria. |
28,558,290 | Several people in Yarkant county and Kashgar told the BBC the streets were full of checkpoints and police patrols.
They also reported internet and social media services were cut. Separately, a leading Uighur scholar has been formally charged with separatism.
Dozens were killed or injured in the violence on Monday, state media say. Many of the dead were shot by police.
Xinhua news agency said a knife-wielding gang attacked a police station and government offices in Yarkant, which is known as Shache in China.
The BBC's Damian Grammaticas in Beijing says it appears that among those killed were police officers and ethnic Han Chinese settlers. Dozens of people were injured, possibly by police firing.
Confirming what happened is difficult, as information is tightly controlled in China. Xinhua's article came out only several hours after international media outlets including the BBC reported the violence.
The BBC made several calls to various Xinjiang government offices but officials refused to answer questions.
A report by The Global Times quoted an unnamed insider as saying that the incident began when police checkpoints at Elixku discovered explosives, which led to clashes between the police and "attackers".
Some of these attackers escaped and later recruited others to attack the local government and police station, the report said.
But activists have disputed such accounts, saying the violence erupted as members of the local Uighur population protested against a crackdown on Muslims observing Ramadan.
Groups outside China representing the Uighur ethnic minority say China's policies towards Muslim Uighurs are repressive and cause significant resentment. The groups said they fear the latest violence would lead to even harsher policies towards Uighurs.
On Wednesday, prosecutors in the Xinjiang capital Urumqi formally charged prominent Uighur academic Ilham Tohti with separatism.
Professor Tohti, who says he is innocent, was detained in January and his case has drawn international criticism.
He has been critical of China's treatment of Uighurs but there is no record of Mr Tohti ever having supported the cause of separatism, BBC correspondents say.
Yarkant county lies in Xinjiang's far west, near the border with Tajikistan. The area is seen as the heartland of the Uighur minority.
Tensions between Uighurs and Han Chinese migrants have been rumbling for years, with some Uighurs opposing Chinese rule in Xinjiang.
But in recent months there has been an upsurge in Xinjiang-linked violence that authorities have attributed to Uighur separatists.
In May at least 31 people were killed when two cars crashed through an Urumqi market and explosives were thrown. In March, a mass stabbing at Kunming railway station killed 29 people.
In response Chinese authorities have launched a year-long security campaign which includes increased police and troop presence in key cities and towns in Xinjiang.
Scores of people have been arrested, and some sentenced to lengthy jail terms or death, as part of the crackdown. | China has stepped up security in parts of Xinjiang following the region's worst outbreak of violence for months. |
35,563,291 | The governing body's independent ethics committee also fined the 55-year-old 100,000 Swiss francs (£70,800) after it investigated allegations of misconduct relating to sales of World Cup tickets.
During the inquiry, other acts of potential misconduct arose concerning travel expenses and regulations.
Valcke's lawyer said his client had done "absolutely nothing wrong".
The lawyer's statement said: "With today's decision, the Fifa ethics committee has shown that it is not a credible, independent or objective decision-making body.
"In reaching an entirely unsupported, unjust and politically motivated decision, it wholly ignored the uncontroverted and exculpatory evidence that had been presented to it.
"Mr Valcke is confident that when all the facts come out, it will be clear that he did absolutely nothing wrong in carrying out his duties for the good of Fifa and the sport."
In September last year Valcke was put on leave and released from his duties until further notice after Fifa had "been made aware of a series of allegations" involving him.
His dismissal was confirmed in January and Fifa recommended he be banned from football for nine years.
Regarding the 12-year ban imposed on Friday, a Fifa statement said: "Amongst other things, the adjudicatory chamber found that a sports marketing firm had gained an undue advantage from the selling of World Cup tickets.
"In this respect, not only did Mr Valcke do nothing to stop these activities, he even encouraged the persons responsible to do so.
"By travelling at Fifa's expense purely for sightseeing reasons, as well as repeatedly choosing private flights for his trips over commercial flights without any business rationale for doing so, Mr Valcke gained an advantage for himself and relatives.
"In doing so, Mr Valcke acted against Fifa's best interests and caused considerable financial damage to Fifa.
"Concerning the issue of TV and media rights for the Caribbean, it was found that Mr Valcke attempted to grant the TV and media rights for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to a third party for a fee far below their actual market value and had taken concrete preparatory action in this regard.
"Furthermore, it was found that Mr Valcke deliberately tried to obstruct the ongoing proceedings against him by attempting to delete or deleting several files and folders relevant to the investigation, despite being aware of his duty to preserve all data and to collaborate in order to establish the facts of the case."
In December last year, Fifa president Sepp Blatter and Uefa boss Michel Platini were suspended for eight years from all football-related activities following an ethics investigation which concluded they had demonstrated an "abusive execution" of their positions. | Fifa has banned its former secretary-general Jerome Valcke from all football-related activity for 12 years. |
37,147,031 | Mr Lochte had claimed that he and a group of three other US swimmers had been robbed at a petrol station.
But CCTV footage contradicted that story, showing the men had vandalised the petrol station.
Mr Lochte told Globo TV, Brazil's largest broadcaster, that he had not lied over what happened.
"I wasn't lying to a certain extent," he said. "I over-exaggerated what was happening to me."
He added that he was sorry, saying: "Brazil doesn't deserve that."
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has set up a disciplinary commission to investigate the incident and the four athletes' behaviour.
US cringes at Ryan Lochte 'bro' antics
Five times Lochte made a splash
News of the alleged robbery emerged through Mr Lochte's mother last Sunday.
Mr Lochte then gave an account of the events, saying he and the other swimmers were returning by taxi from a club in the early hours of the morning when they were robbed at gunpoint by men who forced the vehicle to pull over.
However, police said a day later that there were inconsistencies in the men's accounts.
On Wednesday, two of the men, Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger, were taken off a US-bound plane at Rio de Janeiro airport and questioned by police.
Both were eventually allowed to leave the country. Another swimmer, Jimmy Feigen agreed to pay $11,000 to a Brazilian charity after the incident.
On Friday, Mr Conger said in a statement that Mr Lochte had pulled a metal advertisement in a frame to the ground, but Mr Conger said he was "unsure why".
He also said Mr Lochte began yelling at guards for an unknown reason. The men then agreed to pay the guards for the damage.
Rio de Janeiro's mayor Eduardo Paes had told media he felt nothing but "shame and contempt" towards the men for their portrayal of what happened.
In a separate interview with the US network NBC, part of which also aired on Saturday night, Mr Lochte said he felt "hurt" watching footage of his team-mates being taken off their plane. Mr Lochte had already returned to the United States from Brazil.
"I mean, I let my team down and you know, I don't want them to think I left them out to dry," he said.
However, he maintained the men were threatened and made to pay.
"Whether you call it a robbery or whether you call it extortion or us just paying for the damages, we don't know. All we know is that there was a gun pointed in our direction and we were demanded to give money."
Lochte is one of the most successful swimmers in history, with 12 Olympic medals, and he once had his own reality television show in the US. In Rio, he swam in two events, winning gold in the 4x200m freestyle relay along with Conger.
Feigen won gold in the 4x100m freestyle relay.
Bentz competed in the 4x200m preliminaries, but not the final. He still received a gold medal after the US team's win. | US swimmer Ryan Lochte has apologised to the people of Brazil after "over-exaggerating" claims he was robbed at gunpoint while at the Rio Olympics. |
32,131,530 | It is selling the stake to Go Scale Capital, a technology fund which plans to sell more car lighting systems and LED lamps.
Philips will focus on consumer goods and medical technology.
Lumileds, as the new business will be known, will have 8,300 employees worldwide and had sales in 2014 of more than €2bn (£1.45bn).
"We expect to see significant growth and unparalleled inroads into new opportunities such as electric vehicles," said Go Scale chairman Sonny Wu.
ABN Amro analyst Marc Hesselink said the sale price was "considerably above market expectations".
The sale is being seen as the beginning of Philips' break from the lighting industry. It has been making light bulbs since the 1890s.
Philips said in September last year that it planned to split itself in two, separating its lighting business from its healthcare division.
It said at the time that both companies would continue to be based in the Netherlands and use the Philips name.
It also said it would consider "various options for alternative ownership structures'' for the lighting arm, meaning it could potentially be sold or listed separately on the stock market.
Philips has been streamlining its business by selling off underperforming parts of the business in recent years.
The move by Philips follows the sale by rival Siemens of their Osram lighting business in 2013. | Philips is to sell 80% of its holding in its lighting components business for $2.8bn (£1.89bn). |
33,249,048 | Bouygues said the deal had "significant execution risks" related to French competition law.
Also, France's government had voiced concerns about employment threats and higher consumer prices should the competition be reduced.
A merged firm would have leapfrogged Orange to become France's largest mobile phone company.
Altice wanted to combine Bouygues' mobile, internet, and fixed phone businesses with those of Altice division Numericable-SFR.
In its statement, Bouygues also said its "strong and lasting competitive advantage" derived from its range of mobile frequencies and 4G network left it capable of expanding its business on its own.
On Monday, France's Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron said further consolidation in the telecoms sector was "currently undesirable".
"Now is not the time for opportunistic tie-ups which may be of interest to some people but which are not in the public interest," he added.
"Jobs, investment and better customer service are the priorities."
The rejection of the bid is likely to be a setback for Altice's acquisition-hungry owner, Franco-Israeli tycoon Patrick Drahi.
He is behind a series of telecoms and media acquisitions, and in 2014 purchased SFR and later merged it with cable operator Numericable. | French telecoms group Bouygues has rejected unanimously a near €10bn takeover offer by rival group Altice. |
40,517,341 | Michael O'Neill's side recorded wins over New Zealand and Azerbaijan in June to move up six places to 22nd.
Germany, who beat Chile to win the Confederations Cup on Sunday, moved above Brazil and Argentina to go top for the first time in two years.
England are 13th, Wales dropped from 13th to 20th and Scotland are 58th.
Northern Ireland have not lost or conceded a goal in three matches and are second in their World Cup qualifying group, behind world champions Germany.
Both Joachim Low's side and Brazil, in second, are comfortably clear of third-placed Argentina at the top of the rankings, with Portugal and Switzerland completing the top five. | Northern Ireland reached their highest position in Fifa's official rankings as Confederations Cup winners Germany returned to first place. |
32,590,024 | David Cameron has visited Powys on his third campaign trip to Wales as part of a 36-hour tour of Britain, while First Minister Carwyn Jones leads Labour's last efforts in the Vale of Glamorgan.
Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood will visit Carmarthen, where her party won its first seat 50 years ago.
Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Kirsty Williams will travel across mid Wales.
Mr Cameron's return to Wales comes almost three weeks after he launched the Welsh Conservative manifesto in Builth Wells, Powys.
He visited a farm at Talgarth, near Brecon, early on Wednesday morning, where he discussed bovine TB and rural broadband with residents.
The prime minister told the BBC the election was "obviously a close contest" that would go "down to the wire".
Beginning his last push for votes on Tuesday, Mr Cameron said only a Conservative government could keep the UK moving forward, warning of the "chaos" of a Labour government supported by the SNP.
With opinion polls indicating no single party will win a majority of seats at Westminster, Ms Wood will say on Wednesday the "stranglehold of the old parties" is now at an end.
"I want the strongest possible team of Plaid Cymru MPs so that I have the strongest possible hand when I go up to London on Friday to make Wales' voice heard loud and clear," she will say.
"The old way is on its way, let's make sure Wales is part of the change that's coming."
Ms Williams has called for a vote for "unity, stability and decency" in a hung parliament with the Lib Dems.
"Speaking to people, it is clear that they are worried about the influence the SNP will have over Labour - this will lead to more borrowing and debt," she said.
"Others are worried that UKIP will soon be dictating terms to the Tories - cutting our vital public services. For those people, our message is clear: the only party that will ensure stability is the Liberal Democrats."
Mr Jones's Vale of Glamorgan visit comes a week after Labour leader Ed Miliband was in Barry, promising an extra £350m for Wales from new taxes within the first year of his party taking power.
Mr Miliband said the longer-term picture would depend on the results of a spending review once Labour settled into office, and the party's "broad approach" was to have "fair" taxes, cut the deficit, and "balance the books". | Politicians are embarking on a final, frenetic day of campaigning across Wales before polling day on Thursday. |
17,728,055 | Last year's Harvest Festival in Kingham featured KT Tunstall, The Feeling and chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.
David and Samantha Cameron
attended, but the event's organisers, Big Wheel, went bust, leaving 200 people a total of £1m out of pocket.
The new family-friendly festival will include children's entertainment.
The title of the festival is expected to be Jamie Oliver Presents the Big Feastival with Alex James.
The event at Churchill Heath Farm, where Mr James now makes cheese, will feature live and recorded music and food.
It will run from 31 August to 2 September and up to 10,000 people are expected to attend.
Organisers Taste Festivals Ltd submitted a licensing application to West Oxfordshire District Council for the event on Friday.
The application states that although the acts have yet to be finalised, the music "will reflect the family demographic the event is aimed at". | Blur bassist Alex James is planning to host a festival featuring chef Jamie Oliver at his Oxfordshire farm over the August bank holiday. |
34,697,664 | Reverend Barry Trayhorn told an employment tribunal he had read the verses at HMP Littlehey in Cambridgeshire in 2014.
He was told complaints were made by gay prisoners and alleges he was unfairly dismissed.
His case against the secretary of state for justice continues.
Mr Trayhorn, 51, an ordained Pentecostal Christian minister from Sandy in Bedfordshire, had been working as a gardening supervisor at the prison at Perry near St Neots.
He had been invited to lead the worship at services once a week from 2012.
He told the tribunal in Bedford, he "often focused on Christian teachings about sin and repentance".
He confirmed the Bible passage in question was 1 Corinthians Chapter 6 Verses 9-11 which includes the lines "neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor coveters, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the Kingdom of God" and he read it on 31 May 2014.
Mr Trayhorn said he heard later that a gay prisoner had complained or was upset and there was "some sort of campaign" to remove him from chapel services.
"But I fear and do not believe it is right to alter the Christian faith so as to tailor it to any modern view of sexual ethics," he told the hearing.
He said he was told he could no longer volunteer at chapel services, complaints were then also made about his gardening work and he was told to attend a disciplinary hearing in a letter which said he had made a "homophobic statement".
He was signed off work in August 2014 with stress and resigned in November saying he had been harassed because of his Christian faith and it was impossible for him to return to work. | A prison minister felt "compelled" to resign after a row about "homophobic" Bible verses which he read from during services for inmates. |
39,947,456 | Piutau had routine ankle surgery on Tuesday and is expected to return to training within eight weeks.
The New Zealander will miss Ulster's game against the Barbarians on 1 June and will not turn out for the Baa-Baas three days earlier against England.
Olding underwent an ankle operation and Herbst had surgery on a knee problem.
Centre Olding had been carried off injured during the second half of Ulster's defeat by the Ospreys at the Liberty Stadium on 29 April. | Ulster players Charles Piutau, Stuart Olding and Wiehahn Herbst are set to be fit for the start of next season after undergoing successful surgery. |
33,841,573 | The hosts added 20 to their overnight 420-9 to set Durham 447 to win, before seamer Liam Plunkett removed three of the visitors' top four batsmen.
Jack Burnham made 50 from number six on his Durham debut to delay the result, before they were all out for 263.
Yorkshire's win means they extend their Division One lead to 53 points.
The reigning champions are still unbeaten this season having won eight of their 11 games.
After Tim Bresnan (2-35) caught and bowled opener Mark Stoneman for 37, Durham moved to 107-1.
However, Plunkett removed Graham Clark and Scott Borthwick, to a superb diving catch by Glenn Maxwell at third slip, in consecutive overs.
Wickets continued to tumble throughout the afternoon, including Jamie Harrison being run out for a second ball duck, before Rashid (3-66) ran through the tail.
Plunkett took the final wicket, removing 18-year-old Burnham, who batted 115 balls and more than two hours for his half-century.
Durham's Jack Burnham told BBC Newcastle:
"It's been a debut to remember. It's what I've been dreaming of since I was a child. To come and play with Paul Collingwood is a dream come true and I've loved every minute.
"You've got to give it to Yorkshire, they did outplay us in the last few days. Sometimes you've got to give the opposition a pat on the back.
"I enjoy playing at Durham. There are always opportunities there so I'm happy I made the most of the chance I got in this game." | Yorkshire tightened their grip at the top of the Division One table with a comfortable 183-run victory over Durham at Scarborough. |
18,619,259 | Media playback is not supported on this device
Roy Hodgson's side were knocked out of Euro 2012 by Italy on penalties.
"I don't attach any blame to Roy Hodgson," Shearer told BBC Sport. "But I don't go along with the idea England go home with their heads held high.
"It's no good sitting here saying we will win the World Cup in two years' time. The reality is we will not."
"Alan Shearer's outspoken comments about England will strike a chord with those who believe Euro 2012 confirmed that a change of football culture is needed in this country.
"They may not go down well with the players who fought so hard against a vastly-superior Italy before losing in the quarter-final in Kiev, but he is only echoing the thoughts of many."
Hodgson's side were beaten by Italy last Sunday after being outclassed in a goalless draw in Kiev.
England's players won plaudits for an improved performance in Poland and Ukraine, after a disastrous World Cup in South Africa in 2010.
Germany coach Joachim Loew - who masterminded a 4-1 thrashing of Fabio Capello's side two years ago - has praised Hodgson's management, and said that "England will develop under him in the next few years."
But Shearer sees a vast gulf in quality between England and the likes of Spain and Loew's Germany side.
"The big thing people have spoken about is the togetherness and work ethic but if you just want 11 guys to go out and work hard, I can find you 11 men from Newcastle city centre who will work their socks off," he said.
"That has to be a given, whether at a club or even more so for an international team.
"We are a million miles away from the top sides. Heads held high? Do you think France will go home to that reception?
"It's a sign of how far behind we are now that we can go home and say we can hold our heads up high for getting into the quarter finals."
The Football Association recently voted in proposals for youth coaching which include smaller-sided games on smaller pitches with smaller goals.
But Shearer believes any progress on the international stage will need a vast improvement in the coaching culture of the country, which could take years.
He said: "We have got to get out of the habit of going to tournaments thinking we can win it. This tournament has proven that. We need a change in culture and to be fair to the FA they are trying to change things now.
"It's going to take time to put these systems in place. Our league is the best in the world for entertainment but only because it is full of foreigners."
Fellow England international and BBC Sport pundit Lee Dixon also called for changes.
"Let's remind ourselves where we were two years ago under Capello," he said. "We have come on, the team was an absolute shambles. We have repaired that but we haven't moved forwards football-wise.
"If you go and watch how they teach kids to play football on the continent, they are all doing it a different way to us. And we are not progressing, so they must be doing it right.
"It's not rocket science." | Former captain Alan Shearer believes England have no chance of winning the 2014 World Cup and are "a million miles away" from the top international sides. |
40,141,470 | The prime minister said it was her party's "firm intention to reduce taxes on ordinary working families".
But Sir Michael Fallon said in the Daily Telegraph that there would be no rise in income tax for higher earners.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the Conservatives' tax policies were in "chaos".
The Conservative manifesto scrapped a pledge made by David Cameron in 2015 not to raise VAT, national insurance or income tax.
Speaking in West Yorkshire Mrs May said: "Our position on tax hasn't changed. We have set it out in the manifesto.
"What people will know when they go to vote on Thursday is that it is the Conservative party that always has been and is and always will be a low tax party and it is our firm intention to reduce taxes for ordinary working families."
However, in his Telegraph interview, Sir Michael appeared to go further than Mrs May.
He said voting Conservative was "the only way" people could be sure income tax would not be hiked.
Asked if high earners could confidently vote Conservative next week, safe in the knowledge that their income tax would not go up, Sir Michael said: "Yes.
"You've seen our record. We're not in the business of punishing people for getting on, on the contrary we want people to keep more of their earnings.
"The only way they can be sure their taxes won't rise is to vote Conservative. We already know your tax will go up if you vote Labour on Thursday."
The Conservative manifesto had committed the party to keeping tax "as low as possible" but had not ruled out increases in income tax.
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson later told BBC's Newsnight: "We will bear down on taxation and we have absolutely no plans to raise income tax. Our plans are to cut taxes. Labour's plans are to put them up."
Former Conservative work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith told BBC Breakfast the party was trying to get away from the "idea that you set out every single thing in detail saying we won't do this, we won't do that, we won't do the other because then you get a large shopping list".
At the 2015 general election, David Cameron promised that income tax, National Insurance, and VAT - the so-called "triple lock" - would not go up under a Conservative government.
That promise led to a U-turn earlier this year when Mrs May's government had to ditch plans to raise National Insurance contributions for the self-employed.
The Tories have pledged not to raise VAT but to increase the personal allowance to £12,500 and raise the minimum earnings for the 40p higher rate to £50,000 by 2020.
Sir Michael Fallon's comments were a signal to the Tory base - designed to reassure core supporters that their taxes wouldn't go up under the Conservatives and make sure they turn out to vote.
There is no firm commitment though, no promise in writing unlike in the party's previous manifesto.
And Theresa May didn't go as far as her defence secretary, declining to make a new pledge - suggesting this isn't something she wants to be held to.
Labour have seized on the discrepancy as a sign of Conservative confusion - with Jeremy Corbyn reminding voters of his claim that 95% would pay no more tax if he won power.
All parties are fighting hard in these last few remaining days of campaigning to make sure their key messages get through.
Opposition parties seized on Sir Michael's comments.
"One minister says they're going to give no more tax rises - indeed possibly tax reductions for the very wealthiest - then they can't answer the question about tax rises for the rest of the population," Mr Corbyn said.
"Let's be clear - what Labour are offering is no tax rises or national insurance rises or VAT rises for 95% of the population."
Former Lib Dem business secretary Sir Vince Cable asked where the money was coming from to pay for Sir Michael's apparent promise.
"Since they are ruling out increases in income, corporate tax and VAT we must assume that there will be an increase in national insurance and in various 'stealth taxes' yet to be specified. It undoubtedly raises suspicions," he said.
The SNP's Stewart Hosie said Sir Michael had "let the cat out of the bag", adding: "Tory plans for a tax freeze for the richest in society were clearly airbrushed out of their manifesto."
Labour has promised to raise the income tax rate to 45p for earnings above £80,000 and to 50p for each pound earned over £123,000.
It says it will not raise income tax for those earning less than £80,000.
It says the planned rises for higher earners will help fund billions of pounds of investment for schools and the NHS and an expansion of free childcare, in what it calls a "programme of hope".
Meanwhile the Liberal Democrats have pledged to increase income tax by a penny to help pay for the NHS, social care and mental health.
The SNP says it would support the idea of raising the top rate of income tax for those earning more than £150,000 from 45p to 50p.
It says there would be no increase in taxation on the low paid, in national insurance or in VAT.
Whereas, the Green Party wants to implement a wealth tax on the top 1% of earners and introduce a "Robin Hood" tax on financial transactions. | Theresa May has insisted Tory tax plans have not changed after a senior cabinet minister signalled there would be no income tax increase for higher earners. |
35,407,795 | Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters the allegation was an "official accusation" and a "total fabrication".
Adam Szubin, who oversees US Treasury sanctions, told BBC Panorama that the US government had known Mr Putin was corrupt for "many, many years".
It is thought to be the first time the US has made such a direct accusation.
Washington has already imposed sanctions on Mr Putin's aides, but has stopped short of levelling corruption allegations at the president himself.
US restrictions were placed on a number of Kremlin insiders in 2014, after President Putin ordered the annexation of Crimea from Ukraine and conflict broke out in eastern Ukraine. The EU imposed similar measures against Russian companies and individuals, focusing on sectors of the Russian economy that were close to the elite.
The US government stated at the time that President Putin had secret investments in the energy sector.
Mr Peskov told reporters in Moscow that the Panorama allegations would have looked like "another classic case of irresponsible journalism, if not for an official comment from a representative of the US finance ministry".
As such it was an official accusation. "It clearly shows who is directing this," said Mr Peskov, who added that such an allegation required proof, to show that the statements were not unfounded slander.
In the programme, Mr Szubin spoke of how "we've seen [Mr Putin] enriching his friends, his close allies, and marginalising those who he doesn't view as friends using state assets", whether it concerned Russia's energy wealth or state contracts. "To me, that is a picture of corruption," he said.
US government officials have been reluctant to be interviewed about President Putin's wealth, and Mr Szubin would not comment on a secret CIA report from 2007 that estimated it at around $40bn (£28bn).
But he said the Russian president had been amassing secret wealth. "He supposedly draws a state salary of something like $110,000 a year. That is not an accurate statement of the man's wealth, and he has long time training and practices in terms of how to mask his actual wealth."
President Putin declined to be interviewed for Panorama but the Kremlin denies such allegations.
In 2008, President Putin personally addressed claims that he was the richest man in Europe, saying: "It's simply rubbish. They just picked all of it out of someone's nose and smeared it across their little papers."
The Panorama programme came days after a UK public inquiry said Mr Putin had "probably" approved the murder of ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko.
Mr Peskov pointed out that the programme had coincided with "quasi-court proceedings" and said that the Kremlin was used to such "false-reporting", whether it was the result of incompetence or an orchestrated campaign.
Litvinenko, a former Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) agent and fierce critic of Mr Putin, was poisoned in London with radioactive polonium in 2006.
Sir Robert Owen's report found that Mr Putin was likely to have signed off the attack in part due to personal "antagonism" between the president and Litvinenko. The Russian foreign ministry rejected the report as neither transparent nor unbiased.
The recent tensions between Moscow and London have seen pro-Kremlin media invoke a colourful phrase that harks back to the 19th-Century rivalry known as the Great Game.
"Anglichanka gadit" or "The Englishwoman does the dirty" is the Russian equivalent of the French term "perfidious Albion ".
The female gender possibly refers to Queen Victoria or Britannia.
TV presenter Dmitriy Kiselev used the phrase no fewer than nine times in his commentary on the Litvinenko inquiry on Sunday.
He suggested the affair was the latest in a long line of British double-crossings, including the murder of Tsar Paul I in 1801 and Winston Churchill's call for a nuclear attack on the USSR after World War Two.
Russian derision at 'joke' inquiry report
Key findings of Owen inquiry
Alexander Litvinenko: Murdered Russian agent
Panorama: Putin's Secret Riches is available to watch via BBC iPlayer. | The Kremlin has called on the US Treasury to come up with proof after it told a BBC investigation it considered President Vladimir Putin to be corrupt. |
39,654,002 | Jones suffered the injury in Wales' Six Nations defeat by France on 18 March and was ruled out for the six weeks.
The 31-year-old has been included in the British and Irish Lions squad to tour New Zealand this summer
"We'd like him back as soon as possible, but we won't put him in harm's way," said Tandy.
"When he feels he's right and the medical team feel he's in a good place to go and play then he'll play.
"He'll be fit for the tour. There's a couple of things he has to check off along the way, but everything the physios are throwing at him is sticking.
Media playback is not supported on this device
"He's in a real positive space, done a bit of lifting last week and we are monitoring him day by day."
Ospreys face Ulster and Scarlets in their final two games of the regular Pro12 season and currently occupy the final play-off spot.
Jones is one of four Ospreys' players to have been called up by the Lions, along with flanker Justin Tipuric, fly-half Dan Biggar and scrum-half Rhys Webb.
"All four guys will be fired up for a Lions tour, but you know those four guys will be desperate to represent the Ospreys," Tandy told BBC Wales Sport.
"They've come through our system and that gives us even more pride.
"It's great for the region and for any young kid playing in the Ospreys region it proves that being here you can go on and achieve your dreams." | Ospreys lock Alun Wyn Jones will not be rushed back into action as he recovers from a shoulder injury, says head coach Steve Tandy. |
39,679,352 | She became the first British gymnast to win all-around gold at a major international championship on Friday.
Congrats, Ellie, who's won a total of four medals at the competition in Romania.
Here are 10 things you might not know about the 17-year-old superstar...
Her first big success was at the 2012 School Games where she won six gold medals.
A year later, when she was 15 (and already pretty busy with GCSEs), Ellie took bronze at the European Championships in France.
It made her the first female gymnast ever to win an individual all-around medal for Great Britain.
She finished 13th in the all-around final.
...instead of in their boxes. It's so that she can see them all the time!
She's not brilliant at everything! She's said that she's really bad at swimming, and uses a floatie.
Her big sister Becky is another Olympian and European champion in the uneven bars.
Ellie used to watch Becky training. When she was eight, she watched Becky competing in the Beijing Olympics, so it's no wonder she was inspired to do the same!
In a typical day, she does two sessions, each 2-3 hours long.
She's taken time out of education so that she can fully concentrate on gymnastics.
Even though Ellie is seven years younger than Becky, Ellie sometimes gets mistaken for the older sister because she's taller! | Ellie Downie has made history at the European Championships. |
33,906,773 | The 18-year-old, already capped by England U19s, has taken 10 wickets in two first-class matches this summer.
"I think England have got to give serious consideration to taking Mason Crane to the UAE (United Arab Emirates) as third spinner," said Harmison.
"I've seen a lot of him in Twenty20 cricket and he's a really good player."
Crane, in his debut season for Hampshire, took 5-35 against Warwickshire in the County Championship last week. He has taken 10 wickets in six One-Day Cup matches and returned figures of 3-97 across his three T20 appearances.
Former England spinner Phil Tufnell also believes there could be several new faces on the United Arab Emirates tour.
"They are completely different conditions in the UAE and they will have to adapt," he told BBC Radio 5 live.
"You feel that the top order is slightly fragile and they'll be looking for one or two players to come in, or at least knock on the door.
"I'm looking forward to seeing (England one-day spinner) Adil Rashid get a Test match in the UAE. I don't think Moeen (Ali) bowled very well this summer and it's going to be interesting to see if he's up to the task." | Former England bowler Steve Harmison has tipped Hampshire leg-spinner Mason Crane to be picked for England's series away to Pakistan this winter. |
40,241,648 | Shane Duffy rose to bundle the ball in but referee David Borbalan ruled out the goal for a foul on Konrad Laimer.
"There's nothing wrong with it at all - he's called a foul on Shane Duffy and I can't see it," said O'Neill.
"We were very sloppy in the first half but went roaring into it in the second half and got the goal."
Martin Hinteregger's strike gave Austria a first-half lead but an improved Republic levelled with five minutes left thanks to a Jon Walters volley.
The Republic stay second and level on points with leaders Serbia, who drew 1-1 with Wales.
O'Neill added: "We were fantastic in the second half in terms of drive and energy and we were hard done by. I thought Duffy's disallowed goal was a goal.
"Jon Walters epitomised the strength and character this squad possesses. Second half, we were really terrific.
"I have to say we were backed by a ferocious crowd. They were absolutely magnificent and really helped us."
Stoke forward Walters was happy that his goal maintained the Republic's unbeaten record in the qualifying campaign.
"The first half, we were slow," Walters told RTE Sport. "It was the opposite of what we said we'd do and the opposite of what we did against Uruguay.
"We're still unbeaten, we're still in it. We said there would be ups and downs in the qualifiers but we're still in it." | The Republic of Ireland were harshly denied a late winner in Sunday's 1-1 World Cup qualifying draw with Austria, manager Martin O'Neill said. |
30,105,856 | Media playback is not supported on this device
Mervyn was chosen in recognition of his his commitment and dedication to the youth programme at Ballinamallard United Football Club.
The County Fermanagh man has been instrumental in the setting up and co-ordinating of the Mini Soccer and youth programmes at the club on a voluntary basis since 1996.
Since then, he has given an extraordinary amount of his time and effort towards ensuring that their youth programme are fully inclusive regardless of gender, background or age.
The Mini Soccer League, which now has 230 children enrolled, has seen nearly 40 children represent Northern Ireland since 1996.
Mervyn has proven his dedication to all elements of the club - as well as being Chairman of the Youth Committee, a key member for the Ground Development committee and fundraising for the club, he has also taken responsibility for washing the kits and mowing the grass - that is before the installation of their new 3G pitch.
He was announced as the winner of the BBC Sports Unsung Hero award 2014 for Northern Ireland on Tuesday 18 November.
Now in its 12th year, the BBC Sports Unsung Hero Award recognises and rewards outstanding contribution by individuals at the grassroots level of local sport, who give up their time on a voluntary basis so that sport can be played and enjoyed by people throughout the UK.
Mervyn now progresses to the Unsung Hero final as the regional winner for Northern Ireland.
"I am absolutely delighted and honoured to receive BBC NI's Unsung Hero Award - it was a total surprise," admitted Mervyn.
"I would like to accept the award on behalf of everyone at Ballinamallard United as recognition of the many hours put in by all the committee and coaches who provide the opportunity for everyone in our community to enjoy football. It will be a great honour to represent our Club and at the main awards night in Glasgow."
Ballinamallard United manager Whitey Anderson said: "Nobody deserves this accolade more than Mervyn - the time, dedication and passion that he has given to the club and particularly to the youth programme over the past two decades is remarkable.
"We are very fortunate that he is such an integral part of Ballinamallard United and on behalf of the team and all the staff I want to congratulate Mervyn and wish him all the best for the national awards in December."
There will be 15 regional winners of a Get Inspired Unsung Hero award from across the UK, who will attend the star-studded 60th BBC Sports Personality of the Year show, on Sunday 14 December at the SSE Hydro, Glasgow where an overall Unsung Hero winner will be announced.
Jane Tohill, Executive producer, Sport, BBC Northern Ireland, said: "Mervyn is a very worthy winner of the BBC Northern Ireland's Get Inspired Unsung Hero Sports Unsung Hero title in Northern Ireland as he provides an outlet for many people who may not otherwise have the chance to get involved with sport.
"As in previous years, it has been difficult to pick a winner from those who were nominated - there are so many people here who make such a valuable contribution to their sport and to their area. Thanks to all who nominated their Unsung Heroes. Mervyn is an inspiration and we wish him all the best at the overall awards in December." | Ballinamallard man Mervyn Smyth has been named as BBC Northern Ireland's Get Inspired Unsung Hero for 2014. |
39,479,028 | St Mary's University says free meals can be a "misleading" marker for deprivation in schools.
The study warns of the need to support the "hidden poor".
Offiicial figures recently showed two-thirds of children in poverty are now in working families.
Free school meals have been widely used as a way of looking at the social profile of schools - but the research argues that this has failed to reflect changes in the labour market and financial pressures on low-income working families.
The study by St Mary's University in south-west London looks at pupils receiving free meals in Catholic schools in England and Wales.
Faith schools have faced accusations of being socially selective - and in Catholic schools, about 12% of pupils receive free meals, compared with a state school average of about 14%.
But the study from St Mary's, a Catholic higher education institution, argues that such figures have become an "an unreliable indicator" of hardship.
It says if the same schools are assessed by another official measure of poverty - the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index - the outcome is reversed, with disproportionately high levels of pupils in Catholic schools living in the most deprived areas.
The study says that counting poverty by the take-up of free meals can miss the "working poor" who are in temporary and often low-paid jobs, moving in and out of employment.
Figures from the Department for Work and Pensions show that children in poverty are now more likely to be in working families than non-working families.
Among children identified as being in poverty, 67% are in families with at least one parent working, the highest recorded level.
Prime Minister Theresa May has spoken of the need to help "just about managing families", where parents might be working long hours in multiple jobs.
Such working families might be facing hardship, but might not be eligible for free meals.
Eligibility for free school meals is for families in receipt of a range of benefits and with an income below £16,190 - but families on working tax credits are excluded.
Pupils taking free meals are also used to decide how much money schools receive in the pupil premium, targeting funding at disadvantaged youngsters.
The research by Prof Stephen Bullivant also highlights that the measurement of free school meals pupils is based on take-up, rather than eligibility.
There are parents who might be eligible but who do not accept free meals - because of a stigma around children being identified or because of "cultural" reasons for not wanting to accept welfare.
The research warns that focusing on free school meal eligibility can provide an inaccurate picture of the social intake of the rest of a school.
"Free school meals eligibility is taken as 'poor' children - and any not getting free meals are seen to be affluent and middle class," said Prof Bullivant.
But he says many families face "precarious lives" and are "struggling to make ends meet", but will not show up in free meals figures.
"Class inequality is a real problem in Britain affecting children's attainment. This data fails to understand different degrees of poverty," says Prof Bullivant.
"At a time when schools are facing funding struggles, a multi-faceted approach is needed to ensure that children from deprived backgrounds, who are currently unaccounted for by the system - the 'hidden poor' - receive the targeted support they need." | Counting the proportion of pupils taking free school meals is an increasingly unreliable way of measuring poverty and the fairness of admissions policies, researchers say. |
22,510,244 | 13 May 2013 Last updated at 13:52 BST
Experts had carried out a controlled blast using 100kg of explosives to try and bring the building down.
But instead of crashing to the ground it was left leaning at a dangerous angle.
It took more than 40 minutes of digging with machinery to finally push it over.
Check out Martin's report for more! | Heavy machinery had to be brought in to help knock down an old storage building near Brisbane in Australia after a massive explosion failed to demolish it. |
21,609,783 | When the English monarch, nicknamed Richard the Lionheart, died in 1199 his heart was embalmed and buried separately from the rest of his body.
Its condition was too poor to reveal the cause of death, but the team was able to rule out a theory that he had been killed by a poisoned arrow.
The researchers were also able to find out more about the methods used to preserve his organ.
The study is published in the journal Scientific Reports.
The medieval king became known as Richard the Lionheart because of his reputation as a courageous military leader.
He was central to the Third Crusade, fighting against the Muslim leader Saladin.
Although he ruled England, he spent much of his time in France, and was killed there after being hit by a crossbow bolt during a siege on a castle.
After his death, his body was divided up - a common practice for aristocracy during the Middle Ages.
His entrails were buried in Chalus, which is close to Limoges in central France. The rest of his body was entombed further north, in Fontevraud Abbey, but his heart was embalmed and buried in the cathedral of Notre Dame in Rouen.
The remains of his heart - now a grey-brown powder - were locked away in a small lead box, and discovered in the 19th Century during an excavation.
But until now, they had not been studied in detail.
To find out more, a team of forensic specialists and historians performed a biological analysis.
Dr Philippe Charlier, a forensic scientist from Raymond Poincare University Hospital, in France, said: "We carried out exactly the same kind of analysis that we would perform on an exhumed body for forensic purposes.
"We did a microscopic examination, toxicological analysis and also a pollen analysis."
Time of death
The heart was too badly decomposed to confirm exactly how the king died - most historians believe gangrene or septicaemia from his wound would have been the cause.
However, another, less widespread theory put forward in a medieval chronicle is that Richard I may have been killed by an arrow coated in poison.
But Dr Charlier said his tests revealed that this probably was not the case.
"Our toxicological analysis showed no presence of any arsenic or any other metals, so we haven't found any proof of any contamination during the end of Richard the Lionheart's life," he explained.
"We have no confirmation that he would have been poisoned: there is no argument for this."
The team found pollen in the sample, including grains from poplar and bellflower. This suggests that Richard I died at the end of April, May or the beginning of June, as these plants are in flower then. In the history books, his date of death is given as 6 April 1199.
The analysis also revealed much more about the techniques that were used to preserve his heart - providing an insight into medieval religious rituals.
Dr Charlier said: "The spices and vegetables used for the embalming process were directly inspired by the ones used for the embalming of Christ.
"For example, we found frankincense. This is the only case known of using frankincense - we have never found any use of this before. This product is really devoted to very, very important persons in history."
The heart, which was wrapped in linen, also had traces of myrtle, daisy, mint and possibly lime.
The scientists think these would have been used for their smell, to give the King an "odour of sanctity", which would be "similar to Christ".
They also found mercury, which would have been used stop the heart from decomposing.
Dr Charlier said that during the post-mortem, they used up as little material as possible.
He explained: "We wanted to conserve it for the future generations.
"These are not only samples, they are also human remains and we have to respect them."
Mark Ormrod, professor in history from the University of York, said the research was extremely interesting.
"That consciousness of using very high-quality herbs and spices and other materials that are much sought after and rare does add to that sense of it being Christ-like in its quality," he said.
"Medieval kings were thought to represent the divine on Earth - they were set apart form other lay people and regarded as special and different. So that treatment of the heart strikes me as being absolutely credible."
He added that it was rare to get a forensic insight into the remains of medieval kings - and that this study and the work done on the remains of Richard III, who was recently found buried under a car park in Leicester, were unusual.
He said: "Generally speaking, when human remains are found on consecrated ground, the church, the state and the law all prevent one from undertaking any scientific analysis of them, so the opportunities to do these kinds of things are very rare." | The mummified heart of King Richard I has been analysed by forensic experts. |
39,366,769 | Finance Secretary Mark Drakeford said the figures showed Welsh councils were protected from the worst of Westminster imposed cuts.
The statistics show the average Band D council tax in Wales in 2017-18 is £1,420 - £171 less than in England.
But the Conservatives accused ministers of "shameless spin" and the Liberal Democrats said some Welsh councils had seen "eye-watering" council tax rises.
The average rise in Band D council tax in England is 4%, compared to 3.3% in Wales.
And this the first time in nine years that Wales' Band D increase has been lower than England's.
In cash terms, the average increase is £46, with Powys taxpayers seeing the biggest rise, of £62. The lowest annual rise is £19, in Caerphilly.
The highest Band D charge is £1,754 in Blaenau Gwent, which has fewer properties rated at that level than anywhere else in Wales - around 1,500.
The lowest is £1,128 in Pembrokeshire, which has some 10,850 band D homes.
Mr Drakeford said: "Councils here are facing some real financial challenges but these latest figures show we are protecting local government from the worst of the cuts handed down by Westminster and, in doing so, protecting the taxpayer; a situation that has not been replicated on the other side of the border.
"In 2017-18, we are increasing funding for local government by £10m compared to 2016-17.
"Under the funding floor we introduced in the Local Government Settlement, no council will have to manage on less than 99.5% of the cash provided to them last year, and most will have more."
But Conservative local government spokesman Janet Finch-Saunders said: "The average Welsh worker gets paid around £4,500 a year less than in England, so Labour's claims to have lower council tax bills is disgraceful."
"Across Wales, the average Band D property has faced cumulative council tax hikes of around £627 since 2012 and residents know that it is only a Conservative council that will fight for fairer council tax bills."
Former Liberal Democrat AM Peter Black, the party's local government spokesman, said that "while the average council tax bill in Wales is lower than in England, we've still seen eye-watering increases by some local councils year on year".
"Council tax is one of the most unfair taxes in society, and hits the poorest hardest, which is why we will deliver better, more effective public services so no community is left behind," he said.
Plaid Cymru AM Sian Gwenllian said through a budget deal with ministers and by putting pressure on the Labour administration in Cardiff Bay her party had secured extra money for local government and help with council tax bills for lower income households.
"Plaid Cymru has always taken action to secure a fair deal for council taxpayers, as well as protecting our vital local services," she said. | Figures have confirmed that council tax remains lower in Wales than England. |
36,429,678 | A hearing into the death of seven-year-old Zane Gbangbola, who died in February 2014 at their home in Chertsey, is due to start on 13 June and last several weeks.
Legal aid was refused when the case was deemed "not in the public interest".
The family disputes tests which suggest Zane died of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Surrey Police checked a petrol-driven water pump taken from the riverside property.
Zane's parents, Kye Gbangbola and Nicole Lawler, believe their son was killed by hydrogen cyanide from contaminated floodwater in a former landfill site next door.
Hospital blood tests revealed the gas was present in the whole family.
The Legal Aid Agency said it was now considering a new application after it suggested the parents provide further evidence.
The shadow home secretary Andy Burnham has called on the Justice Secretary Michael Gove to intervene.
In a letter, he wrote: "It seems utterly unjust for this family, who have been living every parents' worst nightmare and are now on the brink of bankruptcy, to be thrown into a court room for the inquest on their child without proper legal support and representation.
"But we also believe the Legal Aid Agency's ruling on lack of public interest is flawed. There are many thousands of properties in the UK at risk of flooding and which are located close to landfill sites."
The Surrey coroner Richard Travers wrote to the family to say the case would be complex and his court "would be better assisted" if they had representation.
In March, the Prime Minister David Cameron told BBC Surrey: "Inquests are generally carried out in a way that people do not need a lawyer... and can get to the truth and participate fully. I am sure that will be the case in this situation." | Legal aid may be provided for the family of a Surrey boy who died during floods in the county so a lawyer can represent them at his inquest. |
36,953,697 | Former Manchester United defender Stam, 44, was appointed Royals boss in June following Brian McDermott's dismissal.
"If you look at the league, there are teams in there who will make it hard to be in the top 10," he told BBC Sport.
Stam takes charge of a side who finished a disappointing 17th last season and start their Championship campaign at home to Preston.
"You can't expect us to end up in the top six," he told BBC South Today.
Stam has been appointed on a two-year contract for his first job in management and has made a number of additions to the squad.
But the former Netherlands international appears focused on a long-term strategy above an immediate promotion back to the top flight.
"We're concentrating and focusing ourselves on improving every game and to make ourselves better as a team," he said.
"It's not going to happen that quickly, you need to have a bit of patience as well." | Reading manager Jaap Stam is not expecting a Championship top-six finish in his first season in charge. |
40,653,023 | Violent thunderstorms hit much of the South East and in Sussex a lightning strike sent a workshop up in flames.
At the height of the storms - between 02:30 and 03:30 BST - fire crews in Tunbridge Wells were called out 60 times in 60 minutes.
Residents reported up to a metre of water in some properties although no rescues were needed.
Crews pumped water out of homes.
In the worst-hit areas firefighters called on the Red Cross and local housing providers for extra assistance. Water pumps from other crews in the county were also used.
Kent Fire and Rescue Service were unable to confirm at this stage how many houses needed water pumping out, but the rain subsided by about 04:30 BST.
The service was still being called out on Wednesday morning to flooding, one restaurant owner in Tunbridge Wells arrived at their business in Mount Pleasant Road to find it partially under water.
The storms come as flash floods also hit parts of the South West with heavy rain sending a 4ft torrent of water through a Cornish village.
In Herne Bay a house was struck by lightning, damaging the roof, and at 03:00 East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service was called out to the Three Ponds Industrial Estate, on the outskirts of Newhaven, following another lightning strike which developed into a fire.
There were no reports of anyone being hurt. | Flash flooding trapped people in their homes as storms and lightning streaked across the south of England. |
38,518,943 | Leading with an article about a 150,000 strong women's rights march, the Express accidentally used a male symbol instead of a female symbol.
Social media users were quick to spot the mistake.
The paper - a free daily newspaper published by the Washington Post - was quick to apologise on its Twitter account.
One commentator referred to the blunder as a "record for largest typo".
"We made a mistake on our cover this morning and we're very embarrassed," the statement from the Washington Post Express read.
"We erroneously used a male symbol instead of a female symbol."
It also released an image of how the cover should have appeared.
Written by Chris Bell, UGC & Social News team | The Washington Post Express has apologised for an "embarrassing" mix-up on its front cover. |
35,059,250 | A government minister and official at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office told the Reuters news agency that cabinet had cleared the bid.
An announcement was expected to be made over the weekend during Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to India.
China is also bidding to build high-speed bullet train lines in India.
The highly-anticipated multi-billion dollar deal is being touted as one of the biggest foreign investments in India's ageing infrastructure.
"We expect to make an announcement during the visit," the official told Reuters, adding that issues had been sorted out ahead of Prime Minister's Abe visit, which begins on Friday.
The bullet train line is expected to link the financial capital Mumbai and Ahmedabad in the state of Gujurat, cutting the 505km journey from at least eight hours to just two.
Japan is expected to lend India more than half the cost for the project - about $8bn - at very low interest rates for up to 50 years.
The Modi government has committed to invest $137bn in the country's vast, but antiquated railway system over the next five years.
Last month, US's General Electric and France's Alstom also won billion-dollar contracts to provide India's railways with new locomotives.
With air fares still out of reach for many people - train is the way most Indians make long-distance journeys across this vast country.
Tickets are cheap but limited and often need booking months in advance, all for the privilege of riding in carriages that are usually old and fairly rickety.
If the first bullet train really can be up and running in just seven years it'll be the most spectacular outcome of Narendra Modi's pledge to invest $137bn in the antiquated railways.
But for most passengers who want more comfortable, reliable trains which can carry more people, the recent multi-billion dollar contracts awarded to GE and Alstom to build new locomotives for routes across the country will have a greater impact than this one sleek, shiny, high-speed service. | India's government has approved a $14.7bn (£9.7bn) deal for Japan to build the country's first high-speed train line, according to reports. |
39,301,712 | The Cabinet Office said it was seeking assurances from YouTube's owner Google that its messages would be displayed in a "safe and appropriate way" in future.
The Guardian, Channel 4 and the BBC have also pulled ads citing similar worries.
Google said it would review its controls.
The firm has been attacked by MPs in the past for not doing more to curb online hate speech.
The internet giant said it had "strict guidelines" about the placement of adverts but conceded "we don't always get it right".
A recent investigation by the Times found adverts were appearing alongside content from supporters of extremist groups, making them around £6 per 1,000 viewers, as well as making money for the company.
Ministers have summoned Google for talks at the Cabinet Office after imposing a temporary restriction on its own ads - including for military recruitment and blood donation campaigns - appearing on YouTube.
The Cabinet Office said digital platforms such as YouTube were a "cost-effective" way of reaching mass audiences but the taxpayer demanded high standards and it would be seeking action following recent negative media coverage.
"Google is responsible for ensuring the high standards applied to government advertising are adhered to and that adverts do not appear alongside inappropriate content," a spokesman said.
"We have placed a temporary restriction on our YouTube advertising pending reassurances from Google that government messages can be delivered in a safe and appropriate way."
Google acknowledged its record was not perfect and said it was committed to "doing better".
"We have strict guidelines that define where Google ads should appear," a spokesman said. "In the vast majority of cases, our policies work as intended, protecting users and advertisers from harmful or inappropriate content.
"We accept that we don't always get it right and that sometimes, ads appear where they should not...We will make changes to our policies and brand controls for advertisers."
But Channel 4 has questioned whether YouTube remains a "safe environment" for advertisers, saying it had removed all its promotions with immediate effect.
"We are extremely concerned about Channel 4 advertising being placed alongside highly offensive material on YouTube," said Dan Brooke, the broadcaster's chief marketing and communications officer.
"It is a direct contravention of assurances our media buying agency had received on our behalf from YouTube."
The Guardian has withdrawn all its advertising from both Google and YouTube after it said a promotion for a membership scheme had been inadvertently placed next to extremist material, including videos of American white nationalists, a hate preacher banned in the UK and a controversial Islamist preacher.
David Pemsel, the media group's chief executive, said the error had been "completely unacceptable."
During a recent appearance before the Commons Home Affairs Committee, executives from Facebook, Twitter and Google were told they had a "terrible reputation" for dealing with problems and should be policing their content more effectively, given the billions they made. | The government has removed its adverts from YouTube amid concerns they are appearing next to "inappropriate" material on the video-sharing site. |
36,885,484 | The former Wales under-20 captain had limited opportunities in west Wales last season, starting only five games.
Myhill, 24, joined the Blues in May aiming to play more first team rugby.
"The last couple of years I had the feeling that whatever I did it wasn't going to change," he said.
"If I played well I still wasn't going to play, so I needed a change - a fresh start and just to kick on in rugby, really."
The presence of Wales internationals Ken Owens and Emyr Phillips at Parc y Scarlets meant Myhill faced a battle for first-team appearances - but he says he understands the reasons.
"There's two good players [Owens and Phillips] and a couple of young boys as well. They're all good players so I can see why the coaches came to the decisions they made," he added.
"There's no hard feelings or anything like that.
"I support the Scarlets anyway. I grew up supporting them. But now I'll just concentrate on the Blues and try to do well for them and win something."
Myhill was captain of Wales under-20 team that beat New Zealand in 2012.
He hopes the move to the Welsh capital will provide a new impetus to his senior career.
"I want to play more, try to improve and enjoy rugby again - because when you're not playing you don't really enjoy it," he added.
"But I'm really enjoying it with the Blues."
Myhill will again face tough competition for first-team selection, with current Wales squad player Kristian Dacey at the region and former Wales captain and British and Irish Lions hooker Matthew Rees having signed a one-year contract.
Myhill sees that front-row experience as a bonus.
"I learned most of my stuff off Smiler [Rees] at the Scarlets," said Myhill.
"I'm a young hooker so it's good to pick up stuff off him and the other internationals there, like [props] Gethin Jenkins and Rhys Gill." | Hooker Kirby Myhill says he has no hard feelings towards the Scarlets as he prepares for his first season with Cardiff Blues. |
38,927,169 | The 31-year-old was arrested in Norfolk by Metropolitan Police counter-terrorism officers shortly after 06:00 GMT on Thursday.
He was being held for questioning at a police station in central London.
The Met said searches were being carried out at two addresses in Norfolk and one in north London.
The arrest relates to suspected activities overseas, police said. | A man has been arrested on suspicion of fund-raising for terrorism and encouraging support for a banned terror group. |
38,265,068 | Tries from Luke Marshall, Iain Henderson and Paddy Jackson put Ulster 22-18 up at the break, with Peceli Yato and Scott Spedding Clermont's scorers.
Marshall's try secured Ulster's bonus point before Charles Piutau's superb score helped extend the lead to 39-18.
Tries from Nick Abendanon and Damien Chouly gave Clermont two bonus points.
Indeed, Ulster had to hang on in the closing six minutes at Kingspan Stadium after replacement prop Rodney Ah You was sin-binned for a high tackle.
Clermont's bonus points mean they are three clear of Ulster at the top of Pool Five but the Irish province remain in contention despite their damaging opening defeat by Bordeaux Begles.
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Both attacks looked capable of scoring tries almost at will during an exhilarating first half.
Clemont fly-half Camille Lopez's artistry was a feature of the opening period as his ability to break at pace and fast hands helped set up Yato's second-minute try and full-back Spedding's 31st-minute score, which put the visitors 18-15 ahead.
But Lopez's opposite number Jackson became even more influential with his delicious flat pass setting up a charging Marshall to score in the seventh minute before a chip and chase yielded his own opportunist 35th-minute score to leave Ulster 22-18 ahead at half-time.
Jackson's half-back partner Ruan Pienaar was instrumental to Henderson's 16th-minute try as the South African reacted to an advantage call from referee Wayne Barnes to hoist a gorgeous crosskick which Tommy Bowe fielded above Spedding before off-loading for the man of the match to score.
The teams swapped the lead on seven occasions in the opening period as Jackson kicked seven points, with Morgan Parra notching eight with the boot for the Top 14 leaders.
Crucially, Ulster were able to maintain their tempo after the resumption as Marshall crashed over for his second try in the 46th minute before Piutau's dancing feet outwitted Spedding and Remi Lamerat after a superb looping pass from Jackson.
Two more Jackson conversions and his second penalty left a possible rout on the cards at 39-18 after 58 minutes but the French giants responded impressively as Abendanon's try was followed by Chouly's 72nd-minute score to leave only seven points between the sides.
Ah You's yellow card two minutes later further increased the pressure on the home side but composed play from Pienaar helped see the game out.
Ulster's director of rugby Les Kiss: "From a performance perspective it was brilliant.
"There were a lot of good things in terms of the outcome but parts of the process were a little bit disappointing as we let [Wesley] Fofana have too much room in that first half.
"That kind of momentum which let them stay in the game was disappointing but I thought in the second half we addressed that and came out and really turned up in that area."
Clermont wing Nick Abendanon: "We needed to come away with points and we got two, though we would have preferred to win.
"Last year we didn't get the bonus points and we left the competition early so we had to get the points here and we did that, and now we're looking forward to the next game with them."
Exeter face Bordeaux Begles in Pool Five on Sunday while Clermont will have an immediate chance for revenge in next Sunday's return game with Ulster at the Stade Marcel Michelin.
Ulster: C Piutau; T Bowe, L Marshall, S McCloskey, L Ludik; P Jackson, R Pienaar; K McCall, R Best (capt), W Herbst, P Browne, R Diack, I Henderson, C Henry, S Reidy.
Replacements: R Herring for Best 77, A Warwick for McCall 56, R Ah You for Herbst 61, K Treadwell for Diack 41, C Ross for Ross 74, D Cave for McCloskey 68
Not used: P Marshall, J Stockdale
Clermont Auvergne: S Spedding; D Strettle, R Lamerat, W Fofana, N Abendanon; C Lopez, M Parra; R Chaume, B Kayser, D Zirakashvili, F Van Der Merwe, S Vahaamahina, D Chouly, A Lapandry, P Yato.
Replacements: Y Beheregaray for Kayser 9, E Falgoux for Chaume 47, C Ric for Zirakashvili 77, S Timani for Vahaamahina 64, C Gerondeau for Yato 56, B Stanley for Lamerat 67, A Raka for Strettle 18
Not used: L Radosavljevic
Referee: Wayne Barnes (RFU | Ulster kept their European Champions Cup hopes alive by earning a bonus-point win over Top 14 leaders Clermont Auvergne in a thrilling Pool Five game. |
34,283,528 | They will be able to apply to their local health board for management and workload support or more healthcare professionals as well as back office and financial help.
Each will be assessed before any necessary help is given.
It is part of the Welsh government's plans to reform primary care services.
Surgeries in parts of Wales, particularly rural areas, have suffered with a lack of GPs and financial incentives have been suggested as a possible way forward.
But this scheme is much wider than that and looks at all aspects of a surgery.
Health Minister Mark Drakeford said: "Strengthening primary care services in Wales is a priority for the Welsh government.
"Our aim is to create a stronger, highly-trained primary care workforce, which can deliver a wide-range of services in local communities, reducing our dependence on hospital-based care.
"The new sustainability framework puts in place a clear system to ensure at-risk GP practices can apply for support, as part of the reform of primary care which health boards are delivering as part of improving services for the public."
The move has been welcomed by GPs.
Dr Charlotte Jones, chairwoman of General Practitioners Committee Wales, said: "It is vital that access and the continuity of services are secured for patients across Wales and it is important to recognise that rural and deprived urban communities face unique challenges."
Dr Paul Myres, chaiman of the Royal College of General Practitioners Wales (RCGP), agreed but wants further action.
"Many of our colleagues are trying to deal with excessive workloads and that puts strain on practices and practice staff," he said.
"This scheme helps practices to identify when they may be in difficulty, balancing their work and capacity to deliver and to make a case that extra support is needed.
"It is not clear yet exactly what support health boards will be able to provide."
He added: "We have always advocated the importance of identifying potential problems and putting in support before actual problems occur.
"We very much hope the support that can be provided will help practices maintain, if not improve their services.
"RCGP Wales is calling for an occupational health service to be made available as a matter of urgency to practices across Wales." | Struggling GP practices that are at risk of closure or cutting patient services are being offered help to keep them operating. |
36,981,662 | Samia Shahid, 28, from Bradford, was strangled last month in Northern Punjab, police in Pakistan said.
Cleric Syed Sibtami Kazmi said he was "threatened" after Ms Shahid's second marriage in September 2014.
Her second husband Syed Mukhtar Kazam believes she was killed because her family disapproved of their marriage.
Ms Shahid's family claims she died from natural causes.
Mr Kazmi, a prayer leader at Anjuman-e-Haideria, a Shia mosque in Bradford, said Ms Shahid approached him in May 2014 seeking an Islamic divorce from her first husband Choudhry Shakeel.
"She told me under oath that her first marriage was a forced marriage, which happened without her free will as she was pressurised into the marriage by her family," he said.
She was accompanied by two witnesses who signed her divorce papers.
Mr Kazmi said after writing to her first husband, who declined to give his version of events, he declared the marriage void.
He also performed the religious ceremony for Ms Shahid to marry her second husband.
Ms Shahid converted to her new husband's Shia denomination of Islam prior to her second marriage, although her family are Sunni.
The cleric said that once the Shahid family became aware of the marriage they contacted him for clarification.
He said he expressed ignorance so as not to compromise Ms Shahid's safety and, some months later, he received a threatening call from a family member.
Mr Kazmi quoted an unnamed member of her family as saying: "(Ms Shahid) is missing from home and you know where she is. The issue will be resolved but you will have to pay a high price for your role."
The cleric said: "I recorded all these threats and handed them over to police without any delay."
He said on the basis of his complaint the police spoke to the family and officers had given him safety advice.
The prayer leader said he initially went to the police station to lodge his complaint and police visited him later.
"It was a long process which continued from two to three months," he said, adding that apart from these two visits there were numerous contacts on telephone and text messages.
Mr Kazam confirmed to the BBC he was aware of Mr Kazmi's claim and that both he and his wife had also been threatened by a member of Ms Shahid's family around the same time.
Ms Shahid's family could not be contacted for comment, but have previously said she died of a heart attack.
West Yorkshire Police said it was reviewing the case.
"Her death remains a matter for the Pakistani authorities and we are continuing to liaise with them and with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office," the force said.
Post-mortem tests revealed her death was a result of strangulation.
No arrests have been made but Ms Shahid's father and a cousin known as Mobeen have both been interviewed by officers.
Mr Shakeel, who was previously reported to be on the run, is in Pakistan on pre-arrest bail order, which means police know his whereabouts, but cannot arrest, or demand to interview him, until the order expires on Saturday. | A cleric who conducted an Islamic marriage ceremony involving an alleged honour killing victim claims he was threatened by a member of her family. |
37,410,355 | The Sky Blues beat Linfield 3-2 in last season's decider at Windsor Park.
The Welders saw off Glentoran in a penalty shoot-out at the Oval in the first round of last year's competition and will hope to cause another upset.
Cliftonville and Premier Intermediate side Bangor meet in a repeat of the 2015 final, which the Reds won 1-0.
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Ballymena and the Welders have met twice in the Irish Cup in recent seasons, with the Premiership side having emerged victorious from the ties on both occasions.
Elsewhere, league champions and leaders Crusaders travel to Inver Park to face Larne, who suffered an agonising extra-time defeat to Ballymena at the semi-final stage of the Shield last year.
Crues skipper Colin Coates expects his manager Stephen Baxter to field a strong line-up against the club who currently lie third in the Championship.
"We are out to win every trophy we are competing for this year. While the league is the main prize on offer and we have won it for the last two years, it would be nice to pick up a cup success too," said the Crusaders captain.
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Linfield have home advantage against Donegal Celtic as they begin their bid to go one better than last year and deliver a first trophy triumph for manager David Healy.
Glentoran will hope to avoid another potentially embarrassing cup defeat when they travel to take on Ballyclare Comrades, having crashed out of the League Cup second round to Annagh United three weeks ago.
That result marked the end of Alan Kernaghan's managerial tenure at the Oval and Director of Football Roy Coyle will again take charge in a temporary capacity for the Shield encounter at Dixon Park.
Injury-hit Ards will hope to bounce back from the disappointment of their league defeat by Ballinamallard when they host Knockbreda, while struggling Carrick Rangers are at home to another Championship outfit, PSNI.
"Hopefully we can use this game to kick-start our season. It will be tough but we have to get back to winning ways," said Carrick boss Kieran Harding after watching his side go down 2-0 to Linfield on Saturday.
The only fixture not to feature a top-flight team sees Premier Intermediate club Newington play Albert Foundry of the Northern Amateur League Premier Division. | Ballymena United begin the defence of their County Antrim Shield crown against mid-table Championship side H&W Welders at the Showgrounds on Tuesday. |
22,372,442 | It comprises an array of 180 small lenses, which, along with their associated electronics, are stretched across a curved mounting.
The prototype currently has few pixels, so its images are low-resolution.
But the device displays an immense depth of field, and a very wide-angle view that avoids the distortion seen in standard camera lenses.
The development team, led from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, US, believes its new imaging system could eventually find uses in surveillance and for endoscopic investigations of the human body.
In their report, the researchers also suggest such cameras could be fitted to tiny aerial vehicles one day that behaved like robotic insects.
At the moment, the "bug-eye" system's vision is comparable to that enjoyed by some ants and beetles.
The expectation, however, is that the array can be greatly enlarged.
"The compound design of the fly's eye incorporates perhaps 28,000 small eyes, or ommatidia," explained team-member Dr Jianliang Xiao from the University of Colorado at Boulder, US. "That's the direction we want to move in," he told BBC News.
In an insect, each ommatidium in the compound eye has a corneal lens, a crystalline cone and a light-sensitive organ at its base. The ommatidia work in unison to build a picture of the world.
In the artificial version, microlenses sit above photodetectors and other electronics, and software stitches together the individual signals.
This whole arrangement is fabricated flat and then moulded to a hemispherical shape to give a 160-degree view. The latest generation of stretchable electronics was key to achieving the desired geometry.
Scientists are keen to exploit the advantages of compound eyes.
For one, they show remarkable depth of field - they can focus on objects at different distances at the same time. They also do not suffer from the aberrations seen in single lens systems when viewing off-axis objects. A good example is the huge distortion observed in wide-angle camera lenses such as the fish-eye.
For an insect, their compound system capabilities make them very sensitive to movement.
"Our system could eventually be used in surveillance cameras. One device of this kind could see 180 degrees. If you had two, you could then conceivably see the whole field of view," said Dr Xiao.
Alexander Borst and Johannes Plett are from the Max-Planck-Institute of Neurobiology in Martinsried, Germany. They are not connected with the research but speculated for Nature on other possible future applications.
"Picture the following: a palm-sized micro aerial vehicle uses an artificial faceted eye to navigate autonomously through a collapsed building while other sensors onboard scan the environment for smoke, radioactivity or even people trapped beneath rubble and debris," they wrote in the journal. | A digital camera that functions like an insect's compound eye is reported in the journal Nature this week. |
40,606,985 | Joy Robson died at the Snowman Rally in Inverness in 2013.
The following year, Iain Provan, Elizabeth Allan and Len Stern lost their lives at the Jim Clark Rally near Coldstream.
The inquiry at Edinburgh Sheriff Court is expected to last several weeks with dozens of people due to give evidence.
Plans to hold the hearing were confirmed late last year.
The decision followed a change in legislation to allow for a single fatal accident inquiry to be held in relation to deaths in different parts of Scotland.
The Crown Office said at the time that the two events held "similar questions in relation to spectator safety at rallies".
It added that the Lord Advocate considered that it was in the public interest that the issues be explored together.
The inquiry will look at the full circumstances surrounding the deaths and "help to avoid such incidents happening in the future".
Andrew Henderson, from Thompsons Solicitors, who is representing Mrs Robson's family said: "Joy's family greatly welcome the beginning of the fatal accident inquiry which is the first to be held since new legislation was brought in to improve the FAI process.
"They want to finally know the full reasons behind Joy losing her life and to make sure that spectator safety at Scottish rallies can be improved to a level where no other family can suffer a bereavement in such an awful and needless way."
Last year The Crown Office confirmed that no criminal proceedings would be brought in relation to either event, although that could be reconsidered if additional evidence comes to light.
The Jim Clark event has been suspended until the completion of the FAI.
The event had been held annually since 1970 to celebrate world champion Clark. | A joint fatal accident inquiry into four deaths at rallies in the Highlands and Scottish Borders is due to begin in Edinburgh this week. |
31,110,463 | Racial discrimination is illegal in France and anti-racism group SOS Racisme says it is taking legal action.
The ad was posted on Monday by Paris-based NSL Studio on jobs site Graphic-Jobs.com.
NSL Studio has apologised for the ad but offered various explanations as to why it contained the offending clause.
The company was quoted on Monday by French news website Les Inrocks as saying that the hours of work, particularly during busy periods, meant the candidate should not be someone with cultural or religious needs.
NSL Studio then tweeted that its advert had been hacked and thanked those who had brought the issue to its attention.
A statement on NSL Studio's website (in French) now says the company "distances itself totally from all racist or anti-Semitic acts or statements".
It says the person in charge of placing the advert will be questioned and appropriate measures taken if it does turn out that the ad originated with NSL Studio.
Job site Graphic-Jobs.com has expressed its "deepest apologies" for the ad, saying it goes completely against the company's values.
In a statement (in French) Graphic-Jobs.com says it will strengthen its checking systems and is consulting its legal team about the implications.
Announcing it was taking legal action, SOS Racisme lawyer Alexandre-M Braun said individuals had been reduced to their religious characteristics.
"Such and such cannot work with me because he is a Jew," he said. "It is Jews who are being described as undesirable". | An advert for a graphic design job in France has been withdrawn after it said the candidate should "if possible not be a Jew". |
36,594,542 | Neal Gray told BBC Radio 4 that his granddaughter was "petrified" of being returned to Ben Butler and her mother.
He described Gray as Butler's partner, not his daughter, as he had disowned her.
He said he and his wife "fought tooth and nail" to keep Ellie but were seen as "troublemakers".
Mr Gray has called for a public inquiry into the case, adding: "Everybody failed Ellie completely and utterly."
More on this story and other news from London
The youngster went back to live with her parents 11 months before her death.
Butler, 36, was convicted of her murder on Tuesday and jailed for a minimum of 23 years. Ellie's mother (Mr Gray's daughter) was found guilty of child cruelty but had admitted perverting the course of justice. She was jailed for 42 months.
The exonerated father who went on to kill
Butler was convicted in 2009 for shaking Ellie as a baby, although this was later quashed on appeal.
The couple then won a High Court judgement to have Ellie returned to their care in 2012.
Mrs Justice Hogg sided with Butler despite objections from police, social services and Ellie's maternal grandfather, Mr Gray.
"We tried to fight it tooth and nail but every time we protested we were told we were troublemakers and we were elderly people and we weren't worthy of looking after children," Mr Gray said.
"I said I hope you all have a conscience because one day you might have blood on your hands."
Mr Gray said he and his wife used to take Ellie to a children's centre for troubled families every few weeks to see her parents but in two-and-a-half years, her father went only twice and her mother went four times.
"She hadn't known them as parents," he said. "But her mother turned around and said 'If you don't come back and live with mummy and daddy we won't love you anymore'."
Mr Gray said he had hoped to adopt Ellie and care for her until she was 18.
"She was fantastic, very bubbly, a beautiful little girl, always on the go all the time, lots of energy like little children have, very brainy, nobody's fool. It was the best years of our life."
He said Ellie had nightmares that social workers would come and return her back to her parents.
Mr Gray saw Ellie the day before she died, in October 2013.
"We had half an hour to see her and she wasn't the Ellie we knew.
"She had bruises on her forehead and scratches, her hair was all bedraggled. She had odd shoes, socks and clothes and looked as though she had been dragged through the back of a hedgerow.
"You could see her eyes were sunken and there was sadness in her eyes."
He added: "Stories from her and Butler saying she was rude and lazy are complete and utter false lies. She was a gorgeous little girl and it was a great privilege to be her grandparent."
Speaking to the Victoria Derbyshire programme, he said: "You don't think one of your own offspring could possibly be involved in a terrible, tragic crime. Unfortunately she was," he said.
"I understand he was violent and controlling but I think she's also capable of being the same with him."
He added he thought the violence in the household was "50/50" between Butler and Gray, and that Gray should have been jailed for at least 20 years, and that Butler should have had 40 years.
"Jennie was aggressive and threatening. I had a premonition that Ellie wouldn't be safe.
"I think she [Jennie] knew what had happened because she knew what he was capable of."
He added that more needed to be done to protect vulnerable children.
"I believe the social services laws have got to be brought into the 21st century and the family courts system has to be changed radically.
"Somebody has got to stand up and make sure no other child gets hurt like my granddaughter got hurt.
"I will make it my goal for the rest of my life to fight for any child to be saved." | The grandfather of murdered six-year-old Ellie Butler said he has disowned his "aggressive and threatening" daughter, Jennie Gray. |
36,016,045 | Using the platform's robotic arm, the Briton reached out to grab the Dragon freighter on Sunday, pulling it into the Harmony module.
"We show load is safe, and it looks like we've caught a Dragon," said Major Tim.
The capsule, sent up by private contractor SpaceX, is carrying just over three tonnes of equipment.
Included in the shipment is an expandable room that will be fitted to the ISS in the coming weeks.
Also in the cargo are Chinese cabbage seeds that astronauts will attempt to grow in orbit, and a group of mice which will be used to test drugs that might help combat muscle and bone loss in the weightless environment of space.
Meanwhile back on Earth, the main stage of the Falcon rocket that sent the Dragon on its way to the station on Friday has returned to port in Florida.
The booster made a return to a drone ship stationed out in the Atlantic after completing its ascent - the first time in five attempts that SpaceX had managed to recover one of its vehicles at sea.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk told reporters that the stage would now be re-fired on the ground to check its condition.
If no problems are found, it could make another flight, perhaps in June, Mr Musk said.
"This is a really good milestone for the future of spaceflight; I think it's another step towards the stars.
"In order for us to really open up access to space, we've got to achieve full and rapid re-usability, and being able to do that for the primary rocket booster is going to be a huge impact on cost.
"It's still going to take us a few years to make that smooth, make it efficient, but it's proven that it can work.
"There'll probably be some failures in the future, but we'll iron those out and get it to the point where it's routine and where the only changes to the rocket are to hose it down, add the propellant and fly again."
Satellite operator SES has already indicated that it would be happy to use a "second-hand rocket". | UK astronaut Tim Peake has successfully berthed the latest cargo ship to visit the International Space Station. |
35,344,717 | Weir, a highly-rated midfielder, joined Bristol during the mid-season break in 2015 but could not prevent the Vixens from being relegated from WSL 1.
The 20-year-old previously lifted the FA Women's Cup with Arsenal in 2014.
"Liverpool Ladies are a really ambitious club and I am confident that we can win more trophies over the next few seasons," told the club website.
"It is a great move for me. There are so many talented players here and I am really looking forward to playing alongside them in order to develop my game." | Liverpool Ladies have completed the signing of Scotland international Caroline Weir from Bristol City Women. |
34,504,438 | Former Zimbabwe international Jarvis, 26, took 62 wickets in the County Championship to help the Red Rose to promotion from Division Two.
Bailey, 24, established himself this season with 35 wickets, including 5-12 against Leicestershire in May.
Griffiths, 21, made his debut at T20 Finals Day as Lancashire secured the title against Northants.
"It is imperative that we have a group of strong and talented seam bowlers and all three have had an impressive season," said cricket director and head coach Ashley Giles. | Lancashire have agreed new contracts with seam bowlers Kyle Jarvis, Tom Bailey and Gavin Griffiths. |
20,043,189 | The president's doctor, one of his nieces and an ex-minister of commerce have been charged with conspiracy and attempted murder, officials said.
Prosecutors said the president's niece and his doctor were offered 1bn CFA francs (£1.2m; $2m) to poison him.
The three have been remanded in custody, officials say.
Prosecutors yesterday named them as Dr Ibrahim Mama Cisse, the president's niece Zouberath Kora-Seke and former minister of commerce Moudjaidou Soumanou.
Authorities said they also intended to issue an arrest warrant for businessman Patrice Talon, a former ally of Mr Yayi who fell out with the leader.
Chief prosecutor Justin Gbenameto told reporters that the alleged plot started on 17 October while the head of state was on an official visit to Brussels.
He said the president's niece, who accompanied him on that trip, was approached by Mr Talon who offered her money to administer drugs to the president, provided by his personal doctor.
Two days later the poison arrived on a flight from Brussels, he said. The prosecutor said that medicine which the president usually took was then replaced with the poison.
It is alleged that Mr Soumanou acted as an intermediary in the affair.
But Mr Gbenameto said the plot failed because the president's niece informed her sister and others who then alerted the president.
The three defendants were arrested on Sunday.
Mr Gbenameto stated that the judiciary remained independent and he urged people to remain calm.
Mr Yayi, 60, was first elected president in 2006 and re-elected last year. He is currently chair of the African Union.
In 2007, he survived an ambush by gunmen who attacked his convoy during an election campaign tour. | Three people plotted to kill Benin's President Thomas Boni Yayi by substituting poison for his medicine, prosecutors say. |
35,373,882 | Media playback is not supported on this device
Cook's team hold an unassailable 2-0 lead in the four-match series but does not want standards to drop.
"This side has a long way to go and there's a huge amount for the guys to play for personally," he said.
"As long as our attitude is right and people focus on what they can do to help the side, then we should be OK."
Nick Compton, James Taylor and Alex Hales have only played in 12, six and three Tests respectively and Cook wants them to impress before a busy summer that includes three Tests against Sri Lanka and four versus Pakistan.
In an interview with BBC Radio 5 live, Cook added: "Alex Hales got a good 60 in Cape Town and will be desperate to make his mark, as will some others, so they are guaranteed picks for the first Test against Sri Lanka at Headingley.
"Hopefully they can go out and show the world how good they are. What a great stage to do that when you're 2-0 up in the series.
"It has been a really good tour, we haven't lost, and we've played some really good cricket. Winning in South Africa is another stepping stone but it is not the end of the road for the guys."
Cook needs 117 more runs to become the first Englishman to score 10,000 in Tests.
Despite losing the series, South Africa captain AB de Villiers expects his side to capitalise on England's "weaknesses".
"Their bowling is experienced but some of the guys have lost some pace over the years," said De Villiers.
"The batting is not 100% best-in-the-world material, there are areas we can expose if we start well with the ball. We can find cracks. They are not unbeatable.
"England seem to know what they are doing, they understand their roles really well, but there's also no doubt there are weaknesses there."
England, who are without the injured Steven Finn (side strain), will choose between Chris Woakes, Mark Footitt and Chris Jordan on Friday morning.
"It is quite a big decision to make. All three are different options and all three are desperate for it to be them who gets selected," said Cook.
"When you're weighing up a lot of options you can overcomplicate it, so I think it's just a case of playing our best side."
South Africa are set to include opening batsman Stephen Cook, while seamer Kyle Abbott and off-spinner Dane Piedt could return to the side.
BBC Radio 5 live's cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew:
"Before the final match in the last Ashes, with England in an unassailable position, Alastair Cook phoned every member of the team and urged the need to stay focused. It did not work and England were thumped, so the challenge here is to ensure that does not happen again.
"There are people like Hales, Compton, Taylor and Finn's replacement, whoever that might be, and for them this match is crucial for their futures. But even established players like Cook himself and Anderson need to stamp their mark on this series.
"There is grass on the pitch and further changes to an unsettled South Africa team, possibly including a debut for 33-year-old Stephen Cook, the son of former opening batsman Jimmy Cook." | Captain Alastair Cook has challenged his England players to "guarantee" their places by performing well in the final Test against South Africa. |
39,301,387 | The New Zealander takes charge of Scotland for the final time on Saturday, when Italy visit Murrayfield at the end of the Six Nations campaign.
"He's certainly leaving Scotland in a better state than he found it," said Nicol of Cotter's three-year reign.
"He has brought reality and a belief with the improvements he's made. He was so close to a World Cup semi-final."
Cotter will switch to French Top 14 side Montpellier in the summer, with Gregor Townsend moving to Murrayfield from his role as head coach at Glasgow Warriors.
"The team is playing better, the players have developed in his three years and he's done a great job, in my opinion," the former scrum-half told BBC Radio Scotland.
"Let's just ignore what happened at Twickenham last Saturday (the 61-21 defeat to England) because if Scotland win tomorrow this will have been a great Six Nations.
"Potentially, with results elsewhere, we could finish second, which would be a fantastic result.
"Gregor Townsend will be taking over with a really good squad, good age demographic. They are playing really good rugby and they can play even better. I think the future is very bright."
Nicol believes the Scotland players will be motivated to rediscover the form they showed in the home wins against Ireland and Wales and the 22-16 defeat by France in Paris.
"They'll be desperate to go out and prove to themselves, to the coaches, to the Scottish public, that what we saw at Twickenham was not the real Scotland," he said, looking forward to the match against the Azzurri.
"I'll put the England game down to a very bad day at the office, but I expect us to get back to the levels we showed in the first three games, playing with attacking prowess, with a bit of bite in defence and tactically being spot on.
"I expect a different Scotland to what we saw last week." | Vern Cotter has restored belief to the Scotland squad, according to the former national team captain Andy Nicol. |
29,929,190 | Ventnor Town Council had hoped to secure funding for Undercliff Drive similar to the £2m business case being drawn up for Eastbourne Pier.
Undercliff Drive was destroyed in February's severe weather.
Penny Mordaunt, Conservative MP for Portsmouth North, said it was the council's responsibility to maintain highways.
In 2012 the council was awarded up to £477m Private Finance Initiative funding by the government to carry out vital improvements and maintenance to the island's roads over a 25-year period.
Councillors agreed in September to fund £500,000 into research to look at different options for repairing the road.
The road remains closed between Niton and St Lawrence with a four-mile detour in place. | A request for government cash to help fix a collapsed road on the Isle of Wight has been refused. |
39,734,910 | Media playback is not supported on this device
Both players demonstrated their potting prowess before the mini-break, scoring alternating fifties to share the opening four frames.
But China's Ding got the better of two of three scrappy frames to edge 4-3 ahead before taking frame eight with a brilliant 110.
The contest resumes on Friday morning, with the winner of the first-to-17 match playing either John Higgins or Barry Hawkins in the final.
Unlike last year's Crucible final, when a disastrous start saw Ding lose the opener and slump 6-0 behind against the Englishman on his way to an 18-14 defeat, the world number four settled immediately.
A beautifully measured 76, after Selby broke down in the 40s, put him ahead.
Selby's superb 68 levelled and the pair then exchanged frames, Ding regaining the lead with an 84 and the world number one rounding off a high quality mini-session with a stylish 99.
Ding had a pot success rate of 91% with the world number one marginally ahead at 92% but the first frame on the resumption was the definition of scrappy.
Two-time champion Selby, 33, won it to lead for the first time, but Ding's new found mental strength saw him outsmart Selby in a tactical 39-minute frame.
He then took control of his third last-four appearance at snooker's showpiece event with breaks of 50 and 56 to edge ahead at 4-3.
And he compiled a brilliant 110 - his 10th ton of the tournament - to take his third frame in a row and establish a two-frame lead.
Stephen Hendry, seven-time world champion
"I didn't think Ding could beat Ronnie, but he proved me wrong. Ding's weakness has been his mental strength and I said before I couldn't think of a reason why Mark Selby wouldn't win the World Championship but I can now - Ding Junhui.
"Selby played some of the best snooker I have ever seen on Wednesday. The 143 he made was the best break I have seen since working on snooker. It was unbelievable.
"Ding has to go up a level to win this match. He was great against Ronnie O'Sullivan.
"But he has to virtually not miss at all, and he started like that and needs to keep that up. It is lining up to be a classic.
"Who wins the scrappy frames could decide the match. He outplayed Mark in the safety exchange in frame six; he always had the upper hand. It is important for Ding to win those types of frames.
"We were spoilt in the first four frames but if it remains close it will get more cagey." | Ding Junhui scored five half-centuries and a ton and showed his growing matchplay maturity to lead reigning champion Mark Selby 5-3 after an intriguing start to their World Championship semi-final. |
36,091,046 | Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi tweeted that 64 "innocent Afghans" were killed and 347 wounded.
A suicide attacker detonated a vehicle and a fierce gun battle followed in one of the deadliest attacks in Kabul for years.
A Taliban spokesman said the group carried out the attack.
It came a week after it said it was launching its "spring offensive", warning of large-scale attacks, although the group fights all year round.
Why are the Taliban resurgent in Afghanistan?
Tuesday's bombing happened during the morning rush hour in Pul-e-Mahmud, a busy neighbourhood where homes, mosques, schools and businesses nestle close to the ministry of defence, other ministries and military compounds.
The blast shattered windows up to 1.6km (one mile) away. A police officer told the Associated Press it was one of the most powerful explosions he had ever heard, and he could not see or hear anything for 20 minutes after.
It appears the initial blast cleared the way for Taliban fighters to enter the area - a commonly used tactic.
It had previously been reported that at least 28 people had been killed and 329 injured.
Mr Sediqqi told reporters that most of the 64 now reported dead were civilians. He said most of the wounded were in a stable condition.
At least 71 Shia worshippers were killed in 2011 in a rare attack on a Shia shrine in Kabul.
Afghan security forces regularly foil similar attacks, correspondents say, but with explosives easily available and bomb-making skills common, it is difficult to prevent all of them. | The death toll from a huge explosion in the centre of the Afghan capital Kabul on Tuesday has more than doubled to 64 people, the government says. |
37,010,376 | The number of digital enterprises in Wales jumped by 9.2% last year, says the analysis by law firm Nockolds.
Numbers rose from 3,000 in 2014 to 3,275, although this is below all UK nations and regions except for Northern Ireland and north east England.
The report said cities including Cardiff and Swansea could "flourish" because of comparatively low rents.
The number of digital businesses in London rose by 11.6% - from 37,575 to 41,940 during the same period.
Digital businesses range from software and app development to IT consultancy.
According to Nockolds, Wales has emerged as one of the fastest growing UK nations or regions in recent years, with the digital economy a key driver of growth.
The report said the surge in new business creation in the tech sector in Cardiff was fuelling a jobs boom, which is "rippling out" to the wider south Wales region.
The Welsh Government estimates there are currently more than 600 firms in the IT sector alone, employing an estimated 30,000 people - around 3.5% of the Welsh workforce.
Meanwhile, there are ambitious plans in the Swansea Bay City Region, aiming to create up to 33,000 jobs over the next 20 years along an "internet coast".
Nicola Lucas, a solicitor at Nockolds, said the growth of the digital economy was "reasonably well distributed" throughout the UK.
"Cardiff is particularly attractive for financial technology start-ups," she said.
"The growth of the financial sector in Cardiff, which has benefited from the relocation of back and middle office functions post-financial crisis, is providing fertile ground for fintech [financial technology] businesses who have a significant market on their doorstep, along with an appropriately skilled workforce."
She added that rail network improvements would improve access while office rents in Cardiff were typically less than half that of London.
"The only concern is whether Wales can provide the funding environment to hold onto start-ups once they reach a certain scale, or whether these businesses will focus expansion in other regions, such as London," said Ms Lucas.
Warren Fauvel, founder of digital health business Nudjed and part of Cardiff Start, a collective of business start-ups, said there were lots of positive signs for the sector in Wales.
"It's a really exciting time for us in Cardiff, Swansea and across Wales and these figures back up what we probably know as a community is starting to happen," he said.
"But one of the key things to emphasise is it has to be supported by a consistent strategy that looks across the decades and not just at figures right now."
He said the digital economy was a great way for Wales to have international businesses again after the decline of traditional industry.
Mr Fauvel, who was brought up in Rhondda, said there needed to be good literacy, numeracy and science education to help Welsh people see beyond the valleys and cities they live in.
"We need continued support from government, local authorities and we need an education system that produces students with good core skills - it's not the most exciting message, but it very much comes down to the people," he said. | Wales has the fastest growing digital economy outside London, according to a report on the sector. |
26,940,305 | "You look a complete idiot," said my teenage son. "Must you wear that thing?" asked my wife. But "Wow that's exciting!" said at least a couple of colleagues.
The "thing" in question is Google Glass, which I'm wearing in a project with two aims. Firstly, I want to assess just how likely it is that this device, which puts smartphone capabilities in a screen in front of your right eye, will become the standard bearer for the nascent wearable tech industry. And secondly, like other news organisations, we are trying to work out whether Google Glass might prove to be a useful new tool in our journalism.
It's the device's video filming capabilities that are of particular interest to me. Some reporters have already used Glass to film in difficult circumstances, such as riots and demonstrations. We're wondering whether it might be possible to live-stream the presenter's eye view during our weekly World Service radio programme Tech Tent. (So far, that's looking tricky, but we will persevere.)
And a colleague who writes for the BBC's disability blog Ouch wants to investigate whether Glass could be used by people with visual impairment. Could you for instance make a video call to a friend with better sight to show them what Glass was seeing?
So far, I'm intrigued by the possibilities that Glass offers, but not convinced that the the user interface is up to scratch. Learning to make my way efficiently through the menus by stroking and tapping the side of the frame has proved tricky. For a while I thought I'd mastered lifting my head to turn the device on, and winking to take a picture - but then both somehow stopped working.
Then I was foolhardy enough to wear Glass for a run early this morning with my dog. Taking pictures was relatively simple, but when a message popped up telling me about a friend's birthday I hit trouble. While trying to dismiss the message, I suddenly found I was calling her in the US - where it was the middle of the night.
As for the look of the device, that obviously leaves something to be desired, but apart from the derision of family and colleagues, I've yet to experience either the curiosity or the outright hostility that some American users have reported when they wear Glass in public places. Perhaps the British are just more tolerant of bizarre public behaviour.
Some people have worried about information overload, but I have not found the device intrusive. Although it sends me tweets, emails and news alerts, I have to choose to look at them. In fact, I'm looking for more, not less, from this gadget, still trying to work out what the "killer app" might be.
Still, it is early days. There is all sorts of software under development for Google Glass - from a recipe app that suggests what you can make from ingredients you see in the supermarket to a translator which will help you understand what's on the menu when you're abroad. I'm going to try out as much as I can and will report back here on my impressions. | I've started an experiment - and so far it's had mixed reactions. |
39,294,384 | Ben Edge, 25, was working without safety equipment in windy conditions in a quarry in Ramsbottom, Greater Manchester in 2014.
Christopher and Robert Brown, who admitted trying to cover up what had happened, were jailed for 20 months. Mark Aspin was sentenced to a year.
His mother Janet Edge blasted the men for their "abhorrent actions".
Speaking after the verdict, Mrs Edge said: "Ben was the most fun loving and hard-working man.
"He was like a breath of fresh air, always smiling with a huge friendly personality and would do anything for anyone.
"The sentence given to those responsible for Ben's death and for their abhorrent actions bears nothing compared to the life sentence that my family and I were given on the 10 December 2014.
"Nor does it do justice to an irreplaceable life."
Mr Edge fell from a structure he was helping to dismantle. He died from head injuries.
SR and RJ Brown Limited, of which brothers Christopher and Robert Brown are directors, was fined £300,000 at Manchester Crown Court after admitting corporate manslaughter.
Christopher Brown, 25, of Gollinrod Farm, Gollinrod, Bury, and Robert Brown, 32, of Lower Gollinrod Farm, near Ramsbottom, pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice and two counts of health and safety breaches.
A count of manslaughter for the brothers is to lie on file.
Aspin, 37, of Hameldon Road, Hapton, Lancashire, was jailed after admitting health and safety offences.
The company he is director of - MA Excavations Ltd, of Garden Street, Ramsbottom, which contracted out the work - was fined £75,000 after pleading guilty to two health and safety breaches.
Employee Peter Heap, 34, of Copthurst Farm, Barrowford Road, Padiham, Burnley, was spared jail after he followed orders to bring safety harnesses to the site after his colleague had fallen to try to conceal what had happened.
His four-month sentence for perverting the course of justice, which he had admitted, was suspended for two years. | Three company bosses have been jailed following the death of a man who fell from a roof he was working on. |
31,633,927 | Goals from Geoffrey Kondogbia and Dimitar Berbatov put Monaco in control of the last-16 first-leg tie.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain gave Arsenal hope, but Yannick Ferreira Carrasco added a third for the visitors.
"It is just not right to give goals away the way we did," said Wenger.
"We missed chances and were suicidal defensively."
Arsenal must now score at least three goals when the sides meet at Stade Louis II on 17 March if they are to avoid exiting at the last-16 stage for the fifth straight season.
No side has lost a European Cup or Champions League first-leg knockout tie at home by two goals and progressed since Ajax in 1969.
Wenger warned Monaco, who conceded just once and scored only four goals in their group, would play on the counter-attack.
But his team were caught on the break early in the second half as Berbatov added to Kondogbia's deflected opener and substitute Ferreira Carrasco netted another breakaway goal in added time.
"On the second and third goals, it was suicide," said the Gunners boss. "It looks like we have lost our nerve and our rationality. The heart took over the head and at this level that doesn't work.
"Mentally we were not sharp enough. We rushed our game. We knew coming back in at half-time it was important not to concede the second goal, but we were too impatient. It was more heart than brain."
Wenger admitted Monaco's third goal could be decisive: "The task is massive now. The third goal makes it even more difficult."
He substituted compatriot Olivier Giroud on the hour mark after he missed the target with six efforts: "It looked like it was not one of his best days."
Former Spurs striker Dimitar Berbatov: "It was a great success. We fought like a team, we scored our chances and it's a great result.
"Probably the only people who believed we could do something good today was the players and the coach. I know how the good players are that we have. They are young players, but they have good quality.
"It is a big step but nothing is over because Arsenal are a very dangerous team. When the next game comes, we will try to prepare and not allow them to score the goals they need to score."
Monaco coach Leonardo Jardim: "No-one really thought that this result would have been possible, but we achieved it. However, Arsenal are a great side and we are only halfway through this knockout tie.
"Football is a team game and we know individual players are important. We were able to nullify their threat. We were very organised and, as I said we would, we were also able to attack with a lot of quality."
Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown on BBC Radio 5 live: "The team is not professional enough. They get too caught up in the moment.
"It's one thing to identify the problems, but it's another thing to make the necessary changes. Big decisions have got to be made, but Wenger loves every player and treats every player like his son. He's got to be ruthless for the benefit of the team." | Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger accused his players of losing their nerve and blamed "suicidal" defending after a 3-1 home defeat by Monaco left them on the brink of Champions League elimination. |
37,437,469 | Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said his officers often had "limited options" in such circumstances.
His comments come after a Met police officer was filmed apparently attacking a car as the driver refused to get out.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission is investigating the incident.
The officer involved and his colleague have since been placed on restricted duties.
Refusing to comment on the specific incident, Sir Bernard said officers must consider the "gravity" of an alleged offence and what would happen if a suspect drove away.
At a meeting of London's Police and Crime Committee, he said: "If you've got a stopped vehicle and you can't get in what are you going to do - sit there all day?
"You've got to do something, so we do our best to get into the vehicle without causing any damage," he said, while admitting vehicles were "occasionally" damaged.
The commissioner said removing suspects from a stationary car reduced the chances of a subsequent pursuit.
He added: "One of the things you've got to look at is the gravity of the offence for which you want to arrest that person."
Asked whether driving offences might constitute a reason for police breaking into a car, he said there were a number of reasons why someone might be banned from driving and a "simple motoring offence" may not always be "as simple as it appears".
Sir Bernard also discussed the difficulties of police pursuits, following a crash in Penge, south London, last month in which two people died.
He said police drones, able to monitor suspect cars from the sky, might have a "small part to play" in the future while his "ideal scenario" would be an electronic device that "slowed down" pursued cars. | The Metropolitan Police Commissioner has defended officers faced with the "dilemma" of suspects who refuse to leave vehicles. |
38,150,060 | Brendan Macken's converted try after just 54 seconds set Wasps on their way.
The bulk of a competitive first half was a kicking contest between Rob Miller and Warriors' Jamie Shillcock, who each landed four penalties.
Stand-in fly-half Miller then also converted scrum-half Dan Robson's 45th minute try to give Wasps control.
Relive Wasps' win at Worcester
Worcester remain six points clear of bottom club Bristol, who they now meet in their next Premiership fixture on Boxing Day at Ashton Gate.
Danny Cipriani's late withdrawal with a calf problem left the injury-hit visitors having to take the field deprived of 13 players, as well as their three England international absentees.
They made an electric start to the Midlands derby with Macken's interception try from the halfway line inside the first minute.
But, by half-time, that score was all that separated the two teams as teenager Shillcock matched Miller's kicking from the tee.
Robson's superb solo effort, when he spotted a gap and jinked his way under the posts, took Wasps two converted scores clear.
Warriors, playing for the first time since head coach Carl Hogg was handed sole charge earlier this week, spent a lot of time in the visitors' half after the break.
The closest they came to at least claiming a losing bonus was when loose forward Alafoti Faosiliva crossed the Wasps line, but referee Craig Maxwell-Keys and his team of officials spotted centre Wynand Olivier's forward pass.
Worcester head coach Carl Hogg told BBC Hereford & Worcedster:
"We showed a huge amount of energy and endeavour and for long periods we looked a good rugby side.
"We had plenty of possession, but we looked a little bit frantic at times because of a lack of set-piece security in the line-outs, where we were always under pressure.
"We lacked a bit of accuracy and precision - that clinical accuracy let us down.
"We put Wasps under pressure for long periods, but we didn't convert. With our line-out malfunctioning, it made it very difficult to get a stranglehold on the game."
Wasps director of rugby Dai Young:
"There were a lot of new faces and boys who had been waiting for opportunities. I am really proud of the effort.
"You don't win anything with 15 or 23 players. It is a whole squad effort. We have a massive injury list at the moment and that is where a squad comes to the fore.
"Rob Miller was outstanding. Danny went down in the last minute of the team run (on Saturday), and Rob had a very good game organising us.
"It was a fantastic win for us. For me, this has to be up there with one of the best wins we've had this year."
Worcester Warriors: Pennell; Heem, Olivier, Willison, Vuna; Shillcock, Arr; Rapava Ruskin, Bregvadze, Schonert, O'Callaghan, Barry, Potgieter (capt), Lewis, Faosiliva.
Replacements: Dowsett (for Arr, 46), Kitchener (for O'Callaghan, 58), Adams (for Pennell, 60), Leleimalefaga (for Rapava Ruskin, 60), Singleton (for Bregvadze, 68), Johnston (for Schonert, 68), Dowson (for Faosiliva, 73).
Not used: Braid.
Wasps: O'Conor; Halai, Macken, Leiua, Bassett; Miller, Robson; Mullan (capt), Taylor, Moore, Gaskell, Myall, Johnson, Young, Rieder.
Replacements: Swainston (for Moore, 48), Thompson (for Taylor, 54), Rowlands (for Myall, 67), Simpson (for Robson, 67), Harris (for Mullan, 73), Armitage (for Halai, 76), Willis (for Young, 76).
Not used: : Eastgate.
Attendance: 8,027.
Referee: Craig Maxwell-Keys. | Weakened Wasps climbed back to within a point of Premiership leaders Saracens thanks to a determined win at relegation-threatened Worcester. |
37,788,712 | Especially in China.
But after a series of phone calls I meet just such a man, anxious and on edge, but still determined to tell his story.
He is not a criminal, or a dissident, or a government whistle-blower.
In fact his particular misdemeanour would, anywhere else in the world, be considered a cause for pride and joy.
He is hiding, along with the rest of his family, for the simple reason that his wife has just given birth to their third child.
"A third baby is not allowed," he tells me, "so we are renting a home away from our village.
"The local government carries out pregnancy examinations every three months. If we weren't in hiding, they would have forced us to have an abortion."
One year ago this week, China announced that what had become perhaps the most widely recognised symbol of Communist Party rule - the one-child policy - was to be scrapped.
It has been replaced instead with a new, universal two-child policy that took effect on 1 January this year.
The old policy - introduced in 1979 to tackle what policymakers saw as the impending crisis of overpopulation - is estimated by the government to have prevented up to 400 million births, in part through the now well-documented use of forced abortions and sterilisations.
So it is little wonder that the mere relaxing of the limit on family size, from one child to two, has done little to assuage the fears of those who fall foul of the new rule.
To mark the first anniversary of the announcement, we set out to investigate what the new policy really means in practice.
And what we have discovered suggests that the brutal machinery of enforcement is still in place along with the Chinese state's insistence on the right of control over women's wombs.
In a grey suburb of a non-descript city in eastern China, I walk, uninvited into one of the notorious family planning centres.
It's a cold, gloomy place the like of which can be found in towns and villages the length and breadth of this vast country.
The floor plan at the entrance adds to the sense of unease.
It shows that this shabby, run-down building contains two ultrasound rooms and three operating theatres.
And when I ask one of the senior officials in charge whether those theatres have ever been used to carry out forced abortions, he pauses.
"Very few," he finally replies, before going on to insist that none have taken place for "at least 10 years."
Where else in the world would you find a government official admitting that his colleagues have kidnapped, drugged and forcibly operated on women, no matter how long ago?
Where else would the qualifier "very few" be considered an acceptable alternative to an outright denial?
It is an illustration of how the one-child policy has bent and blurred the moral lines and made such state-sponsored violence seem unexceptional.
The official tells me that in his district, under the new two-child policy all women of childbearing age are required to report for two ultrasound examinations every year.
Those found to be pregnant with a third baby "will be advised accordingly", he says.
To get a sense of the wider reality, I ask a female colleague to telephone a number of family planning centres at random.
Pretending to be a mother, pregnant with her third baby but wanting to keep it, she asks the officials what her options are.
According to Chinese law the only legal sanction available to the state for a woman violating the family planning laws is a large fine.
And, as all the officials we speak to on the phone make clear, with the change in policy from one to two children, the fine remains firmly in place.
Levied at up to 10 times annual average income, these fines are often enough in themselves to act as a powerful disincentive to continue with the pregnancy.
But our research shows officials going further, engaging in coercive home visits with the aim of "persuading" women to have abortions.
"If you're reported to us, then we'll find you and we'll persuade you not to give birth to that baby," one said.
"We'll definitely find you and persuade you to do an abortion," said another.
When asked whether our hypothetical mother might actually face physical force, rather than just heavy persuasion, one official said it was still possible "in principle".
Another, in answer to the same question, said: "It's hard to say."
And when asked if a woman could just have the baby and pay the fine yet another official answered: "No. You just can't."
China's one-child policy was scrapped, not out of the recognition that a woman should be free to choose what she does with her own body and her own fertility, but because the Communist Party finally woke up to the economic consequences of the falling birth rate.
The irony is that the two-child policy is too little too late - not enough women are choosing to have even a second baby.
Small families have become the social norm.
That means of course that the pool of people wanting a third child will be even smaller again and some officials we spoke to seemed relatively indifferent, perhaps resigned to their diminishing power in the face of such arithmetic.
"If you want to give birth to your baby, just go ahead," one said, although he was still at pains to stress that the fine would have to be paid.
Our survey is not scientific of course, but it does offer a glimpse into a system that remains rigid and dogmatic.
We found no evidence, no admission, of a forced abortion being carried out since the introduction of the two-child policy, but the threat is clearly still there.
The family in hiding, having escaped that threat, now face a large fine following the birth of their third baby.
"We don't have the money for the fine. We just don't know what to do," the father tells me.
But does he regret it?
"When I look at our new baby, I feel happy," he says. | It is not often that people hiding from the authorities agree to give interviews to the media. |
36,706,212 | Media playback is not supported on this device
Williams, 34, defeated the Russian 7-5 6-0 to set up a quarter-final with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
Kuznetsova failed to serve out the first set and before rain halted play the top seed was far from her best.
But under the Centre Court roof, Williams was supreme, winning eight games on the trot to secure victory.
From trailing 3-1, two-time Grand Slam champion Kuznetsova twice broke Williams' serve for a chance to serve for the set, but the defending champion immediately broke back to level at 5-5 before play was suspended because of light rain.
When the players returned to the court the roof had been closed and the indoor conditions favoured Williams' big serve, with Kuznetsova failing to win a game as the world number one confidently secured the first set and, without further loss of a game, the match.
"She has played really well against me in the past and beat me earlier this year so I knew I had to play well to win," Williams told BBC Sport.
"It was really tricky out there. It wasn't raining hard but was dewy and on the grass you can fall easily - then you think 'should I run or not' and it became more difficult because of that."
Having played on middle Sunday, Williams will now play on three successive days at SW19.
"In order to win a tournament you usually have to play quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals back-to-back," said Williams.
"So I thought 'Serena, you have done this over 70, 80 times', so for me it is an easy transition."
Joining the defending champion in the last eight is her sister Venus, the five-time champion.
She beat Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 on Court One to progress to the last eight at Wimbledon for the first time since 2010.
The 36-year-old, who last won the title at SW19 in 2008, lost her opening two service games to trail 3-0 but fought back to take the first set to a tie-break, which she led 4-2 before rain stopped play.
When the match resumed the American confidently wrapped up the tie-break and then broke her opponent's serve in the third game of the second set.
Although Navarro levelled at 3-3, Williams immediately broke again in the next game and served out to take the second set and the match after an hour and 35 minutes. She will next play Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan.
In one of the matches of the tournament, Dominika Cibulkova beat Agnieszka Radwanska 6-3 5-7 9-7 in a thrilling dual that lasted nearly three hours.
Cibulkova will play Russia's Elena Vesnina in the next round.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Fifth seed Simona Halep will come up against fourth seed Angelique Kerber of Germany in the quarter-finals after seeing off Madison Keys 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 6-3.
You can now add tennis alerts in the BBC Sport app - simply head to the menu and My Alerts section | Six-time champion Serena Williams overcame a first-set blip to reach Wimbledon's last eight with a straight-sets win over Svetlana Kuznetsova. |
40,991,766 | They were found in the Drumtara estate on Sunday morning. Police have said the circumstances surrounding the deaths are being investigated.
Ch Insp Keith Jackson said: "The investigation is at a very early stage and there are no further details at this time."
Post-mortem examinations will be carried out later. | The bodies of two men have been found at a property in Ballymena, County Antrim. |
32,603,203 | It named the four as Abdul Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli, Abu Mohammed al-Adnani, Tarkhan Tayumurazovich Batirashvili and Tariq bin al-Tahar bin al-Falih al-Awni al-Harzi.
They join a list of suspects sought under the Rewards for Justice Program.
On Tuesday, Islamic State said it was behind an attack in Texas.
It said "two soldiers of the caliphate" had attacked a Prophet Muhammad cartoon contest being held at a conference centre in Garland near Dallas.
The US State Department offered up to $7m for information on Qaduli whom it described as a senior IS official who originally joined its precursor, al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI).
It offered $5m each for Adnani and Batirashvili and up to $3m for Harzi.
It describes Adnani as an official IS spokesman, Batirashvili - who is also known as Omar Shishani - as a battlefield commander in northern Syria, and Harzi as chief of the group's suicide bombers.
IS has seized swathes of territory in eastern Syria and northern Iraq, declaring them a caliphate and imposing a harsh interpretation of Islamic law on the inhabitants.
The state department said the group was responsible for systematic human rights abuses, including mass executions, rape and the killing of children.
The highest reward offered under the Rewards for Justice scheme is up to $25m for Ayman al-Zawahiri who was named leader of al-Qaeda in June 2011, shortly after Osama Bin Laden's death.
It also offers up to $10m for IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
On Tuesday, a report on IS's al-Bayan Radio said the exhibition in Garland had been "portraying negative pictures of the Prophet Muhammad".
The contest had offered a $10,000 (£6,600) prize for a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad. Depictions of Muhammad are offensive to many Muslims.
Both gunmen were shot dead by a police officer after they opened fire outside the venue on Sunday.
US officials later said they doubted the group's direct involvement. | The US government is offering rewards totalling $20m (£13m) for information on what it says are four leaders of the Islamic State (IS) militant group. |
38,538,631 | International Development Secretary Priti Patel reviewed the funding after reports that pop group Yegna had received millions from UK taxpayers.
The government planned to give Girl Effect, the organisation which created Yegna, £11.8m between 2015 and 2018.
Girl Effect said its aims had been "wilfully misrepresented" in the media.
The organisation was created by the Nike Foundation and given funding by the UK's Department for International Development (DfID) to help promote women's rights in developing countries. It used some of its funding to create and promote Yegna.
The band, dubbed "Ethiopia's Spice Girls", has been the subject of a long-running campaign by the Daily Mail, which claims grants to the group were a waste of money.
Girl Effect founded the five-strong girl band in 2013 to tackle issues including domestic violence and forced marriage through songs and online videos.
The DfID said its partnership with Girl Effect has ended following the review, but insisted that "empowering women and girls around the world remains a priority".
It said the decision had not been influenced by press coverage of Yegna.
"We judge there are more effective ways to invest UK aid," a spokeswoman said, adding that the government will "deliver even better results for the world's poorest and value for taxpayers' money".
They perform a weekly drama and talk show on Ethiopian radio, as well as running a YouTube channel. They released their first song, Abet, meaning "We are here" in Ethiopia's official language Amharic, four years ago.
Girl Effect said Yegna aims to "change the culture of Ethiopia in a good way, to explain the problems in the society".
Source: Girl Effect
Shadow International Development Secretary Kate Osamor said it was "really unfortunate" the project "was being rubbished".
Humanitarian aid was "not just about food parcels", she said.
But Conservative MP Nigel Evans said the decision was about stopping "vanity projects" in favour of causes such as children's education and life-saving vaccinations.
"It is a victory for common sense", he told BBC News. "As well intentioned as it may have been, the fact is it does not measure up."
Girl Effect said the UK had broken "new ground" by investing in Yegna but that "new ideas are often resisted and sometimes wilfully misrepresented".
"[The department] has consistently recognised Yegna's impact," Girl Effect said. "All too often we treat the symptoms of poverty and overlook the cause."
Britain is a significant contributor to Ethiopia, which is the biggest recipient of UK foreign aid behind Pakistan, at £334.1m.
But the government is under pressure to prove that the more than £12bn it sends overseas each year is being well spent, particularly as domestic budgets are being squeezed.
The Daily Mail backed the UK's decision to end ties with Yegna on its front page on Saturday, with the headline: "Aid: Now they're listening". It said British taxpayers would no longer fund "Ethiopia's version of the Spice Girls".
Nearly half of Ethiopian women have experienced physical violence from their partner, according to the UN. Some 74% of women in the country have also undergone female genital mutilation, Unicef says.
Ethiopia is partway through a a six-month state of emergency in the face of a wave of unprecedented anti-government protests in October. | The government has axed plans to fund a five-member Ethiopian girl band, saying there are "more effective ways" to invest UK aid. |
31,463,543 | Prosecutor Gerardo Pollicita inherited the case from Alberto Nisman, who was found dead in mysterious circumstances.
The president denies the allegations, with the government calling the probe an "anti-democratic attack".
The attack on a Jewish centre killed 85 people. Iran denies being involved.
The latest prosecutor's move means the judge will have to decide whether to authorise new investigations to prove the president's alleged involvement.
If the prosecutor and the judge agree that there are enough elements to prove Ms Fernandez committed a crime, she could face prosecution and be charged.
Before his death, Mr Nisman had published a report on the attack on the Amia Jewish centre.
Although this was an expected move, it could not have come at a worse time for the Argentine president.
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner was already facing criticism for the way she has been managing the Nisman case, which has become the worst crisis of her political career so far.
Now she will also face pressure from the judiciary, which is demanding an unprecedented investigation into a sitting president - one that could end up with an impeachment-like process if she is found guilty.
Meanwhile, prosecutors are calling for a massive protest on the streets of Buenos Aires next week in what is expected to become the largest anti-government march in recent years.
Opposition leaders, unions and even the Catholic Church are joining calls for a fair and independent investigation into a death that has shocked this nation.
Alberto Nisman death: Key players
He alleged that the president and others had conspired to protect Iranian suspects in the bombing case in exchange for favourable deals on oil and other goods.
Mr Nisman was found shot in the head in January, hours before he was due to give evidence to a congressional committee.
The president suggested he may have been manipulated into killing himself by rogue security agents in an attempt to discredit her.
A document written by Mr Nisman's successor said there was enough evidence to go ahead with the case.
"An investigation will be initiated with an eye toward substantiating... the accusations and whether those responsible can be held criminally responsible," Mr Pollicita wrote.
President Fernandez's cabinet chief, Jorge Capitanich, accused the courts of trying to stage a "judicial coup" by pursuing the investigation.
Anibal Fernandez, a spokesman for the presidency, said moving the case forward was a "clear manoeuvre to destabilise democracy''. | An Argentine prosecutor has asked a federal judge to investigate President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner over allegations she helped cover up Iranian links to a deadly 1994 bombing. |
39,959,129 | Mike Samwell, 35, was fatally injured as he confronted thieves outside his home in Chorlton, Greater Manchester.
Raymond Davies, 21, from Manchester, appeared at the city's magistrates court accused of manslaughter, burglary and aggravated vehicle taking.
He was remanded in custody to appear at Manchester Crown Court on 25 May.
In April, Ryan Gibbons, 29, of Steven Court, Egerton Road South, was charged with murder, burglary and aggravated vehicle taking.
His trial date has been set for 16 October.
Former submarine officer Mr Samwell was asleep with his wife Jessica in their Cranbourne Road home when they were awoken by a noise outside at about 03:00 BST and he went to investigate.
Police believe he was run over by his car, a black Audi S3, which was later found about three miles away on Whitby Avenue, Ladybarn, with extensive damage.
Mr Samwell's family described him as a "special, kind and exceptionally talented man". | A second man has been charged over the death of an ex-Royal Navy officer thought to have been run over by his own car. |
40,417,113 | Jackson and Sothern were not involved in the World League 2 success in March but come into the 18-man panel, which includes 10 Ulster players.
Ireland will qualify for the 2018 World Cup if they finish in the top five in the 10-team tournament.
They will play South Africa, Belgium, Egypt and Germany in Group B.
"We are looking forward to World League in Johannesburg, the obvious goal for us is to qualify for the World Cup and finish as high as possible in the tournament," said Fulton.
"The selected team has a nice blend of youth and experience, and the whole squad has been working really hard to get to this point.
"The team is in a good place and we're looking forward to completing our preparation in South Africa next week."
The Irish go into the tournament as the fifth highest ranked side, indicating that a World Cup qualification spot is very much in reach.
The Green Machine face hosts South Africa in their opening game on 9 July while a trickier task awaits in the second fixture against world number five Belgium two days later.
Egypt follow after that before the pool stages conclude with a 15 July match against Germany, a side Ireland defeated 4-2 on Sunday to win the Hamburg Masters.
Ireland squad: David Harte (GK), Jamie Carr (GK), John Jackson, Jonathan Bell, Matthew Bell, Chris Cargo, Matthew Nelson, Alan Sothern, Eugene Magee, Neal Glassey, Shane O Donoghue, Sean Murray, John McKee, Paul Gleghorne, Jeremy Duncan, Conor Harte, Stuart Loughrey, Stephen Cole. | Ireland coach Craig Fulton has added experienced duo John Jackson and Alan Sothern to his squad for Hockey World League in Johannesburg next month. |
37,041,264 | It has been introduced in two districts - Lisburn and Castlereagh, and Ards and North Down.
Police said research showed up to 85% of drive-offs are "genuine mistakes" that do not require their input.
Now, petrol station retailers will be responsible for tracing drivers who do not pay.
Letters were sent to petrol stations in the two districts in July explaining the change, which came into effect at the start of August.
David Cardwell, who runs a petrol station in Portavogie, County Down, said police were "washing their hands" of the issue.
The new process means retailers will "have to send a letter to the Driver Vehicle and Licensing Agency (DVLA) to get the information on the car, which is a £2.50 fee and tell them that there's been a criminal act", he said.
Retailers will then have to write to the driver to ask them if they were in the petrol station on a certain date and to ask them to pay for the fuel, added Mr Cardwell.
The new system means if the person responsible does not pay up, retailers will have to take civil action through the courts, he said.
"They (the PSNI) are not giving us any back-up at all with it, they said they haven't got the manpower to address it," added Mr Cardwell.
"If someone drives off with £10 of fuel then we have to add £2.50 onto it. It's not worth chasing someone up for that, we'll probably just have to write it off."
DUP councillor for Ards and North Down, Robert Adair, said the scheme was a "free for all" that would lead to an increase in the number of people driving off without paying.
"It's the wrong approach for the police, they're basically asking petrol stations to do the job for the police," he said.
"I am asking the PSNI to withdraw the scheme until there's consultation with the local business community here, because we have solutions and a way forward that could resolve this."
The PSNI said that in the vast majority of such cases, their role was to help petrol stations recover civil debts, which was placing a "substantial but preventable burden" on police resources.
"The purpose of this pilot is to remove much of that burden and free up local police time to deal with criminality, identify and apprehend offenders and keep people safe," said a police statement.
The scheme would be subject to an "ongoing review" to assess the impact on policing in the districts where it is being piloted, said the PSNI. | A new PSNI pilot scheme to deal with people who leave petrol stations without paying for their fuel is facing criticism. |
37,811,391 | Francois Hollande said 1,500 unaccompanied minors who were still in the port city would be taken to accommodation centres very shortly.
Migrants fleeing war and poverty had used the sprawling Jungle site as a staging post to try and reach the UK.
The UK has so far agreed to take in about 250 of the children from there.
A government spokesperson said the UK remained "firmly committed to working with the French to safeguard and protect children who remain in Calais - and that includes transferring eligible children to the UK safely and as soon as possible".
The Jungle had been seen as a key symbol of Europe's failure to deal with the worst migrant crisis since World War Two.
At least 1,500 minors have been staying at a special container camp at the site, but it has been full and many children have also reportedly been sleeping rough.
Mr Hollande said he and UK Prime Minister Theresa May had discussed British officials processing them in France with a view to rehousing them in the UK.
"I talked yesterday [Friday] with the British prime minister, as [French Interior Minister] Bernard Cazeneuve did with his British counterpart, so that the British can go to those centres with those minors and take their share to welcome them in Britain," he said.
Mr Hollande was speaking during a visit to an accommodation centre for migrants in Doue-la-Fontaine in western France.
He hailed the evacuation of the Calais Jungle as a success.
"There were no incidents from start to finish," Mr Hollande said. "We had to rise to the challenge of the refugee issue. We could not tolerate the camp and we will not tolerate any others."
He added the encampments springing up in the capital Paris would be forced to close.
Many of the 5,000 people evacuated from the Jungle have been taken to reception centres around France, where they are being processed and will be able to apply for asylum.
But aid workers believe that hundreds, or perhaps even thousands of migrants, might have fled the area before the clearance operation began last Monday.
Demolition work is continuing and the local authorities say the clearance will be completed by Monday.
Ferry terminal
Migrant camp
Security fence
CALAIS
Eurotunnel
Migrant camp Oct 2016
Ferry
terminal
Area cleared
in early 2016
Security fence
Camp
A note on terminology: The BBC uses the term migrant to refer to all people on the move who have yet to complete the legal process of claiming asylum. This group includes people fleeing war-torn countries such as Syria, who are likely to be granted refugee status, as well as people who are seeking jobs and better lives, who governments are likely to rule are economic migrants. | France's president has urged Britain to take its share of responsibility for migrant children who remain in Calais after the "Jungle" camp was cleared. |
34,872,481 | Paratrooper Ben Parkinson, from Doncaster, had both legs amputated and was left brain damaged after the landmine blast in 2006.
Not expected to survive, he was flown to the UK to die close to his family.
But Ben defied the odds and his latest challenge is another astonishing achievement in his story of survival.
Rewind the clock nine years and Lance Bombardier Parkinson's life was in a desperate state.
He was just 22 and in a coma with almost 40 separate injuries. The future looked bleak.
But he began the long slow road to recovery that has seen him learn to talk again and take the first faltering steps on prosthetic legs. His long-term ambition is to walk unaided without the use of crutches.
He is now one of Britain's best known wounded soldiers and an inspiration to many.
In 2012, thousands of people watched Ben carry the Olympic Torch through his hometown of Doncaster and a year later he was made an MBE.
I first met Ben a few months ago on an open water training weekend on the South Coast of England.
I was joining him on the trip to the Yukon and within minutes I was struck by his sheer determination and wicked sense of humour.
As someone who reports on wildlife for The One Show I was looking forward to an encounter with some bears or wolves. Pointing at my legs, Ben told me I was more of a target for grizzly bears because there was more "meat on me".
The expedition to the Yukon was organised by a charity for severely wounded soldiers known as the Pilgrim Bandits. They are a group of former servicemen who are using their skills to help people such as Ben rediscover the military lives they once enjoyed.
Mike Witt, from the charity, told me: "When we first met Ben he was in an electric wheelchair. He could hardly talk. He looked a real sad bloke.
"But you could see Ben's a special guy. You could see somewhere there was still something wanting to get out and able to get out. And it just needed the nut cracking really, and that's all we've done."
On paper it was daunting trip for all of us but especially for Ben and a couple of other military amputees who were also there.
Not only was there the distance we were going to cover but also the sheer remoteness of the location. In essence, if anything went wrong, we were a long way from help.
Yukon territory is twice the size of Britain but with a population of just 35,000.
The Yukon River flows for more than 2,000 miles and is one of the biggest river systems in North America.
It is fast flowing and fed by glacial melt water and as a result the temperature is just above freezing. Falling into such cold swift moving water was not an enticing option.
Each night Ben, myself and the rest of the Pilgrim Bandits team were wild camping. For the amputees this was the toughest part. Just getting in and out of the boats and moving around camp required massive effort.
But Ben has spent years training for a moment like this and, being a gym fanatic, he has amazing upper body strength. We all thought the canoeing was going to be the least of his problems.
But three days into the expedition it became clear he was struggling with a long-term injury.
The explosion in Afghanistan had left him with a broken back and at one point he was forced to swap his canoe for my kayak so he could complete the expedition in less pain.
Ben was helped on the trip by his stepdad Andy Dernie who paddled the full 250 miles. Andy and Ben's mum Diane have sacrificed everything to get Ben to this point in his life. They are his full time carers and their home in South Yorkshire is Ben's rehabilitation centre.
Diane said: "There was always something special about what Ben did. We were incredibly proud of his achievements, but nothing even compares to how proud we are of the way he's coped with what's happened to him."
Ben Parkinson: Wilderness Warrior will be broadcast on BBC1 at 15:15 GMT on Sunday, 22 November. | Nine years after being blown up in Afghanistan, one of the British Army's most wounded soldiers has kayaked 250 miles down Canada's mighty Yukon River. |
27,793,738 | League One champions Rangers and relegated Edinburgh pair Hearts and Hibernian will start as favourites as 10 clubs chase just one automatic promotion spot and the two below that lead to a play-off.
New Hibs manager Alan Stubbs' rebuilding job started late as he inherited a squad culled after last season's relegation and has initially looked south of the Border to capture striker Farid El Alagui, midfielder Scott Allan, defender David Gray and goalkeeper Mark Oxley.
Under their own new management of Robbie Neilson as head coach and overlord Craig Levein, Hearts have instigated the biggest turnaround of playing staff in the Championship so far.
While the likes of former Sparta Rotterdam forward Soufian El Hassnaoui and ex-Trabzonspor defender Alim Ozturk are intriguing arrivals, the real headline grabbers have been at Ibrox.
Having won the two leagues below at a canter after their own insolvency event, this is the real test for Rangers and, despite continuing question marks about their finances, they have resurrected the Scotland strike pairing of Kris Boyd and Kenny Miller that served them well in the top flight, albeit now with older legs.
Of the others, Falkirk have picked up the gauntlet under their new manager, Peter Houston, and a young squad that missed out in last season's play-offs has been bolstered by the addition of four players who featured in the Premiership last season.
Key signing: Having spent time with Celtic, Hamilton Accies and Raith Rovers, 22-year-old striker Greig Spence has returned to Alloa and four goals in two cup games have already suggested he can replace Ross Caldwell, who led the line at the tail end of last season on loan from Hibernian.
One that got away: Former Scotland forward Derek Riordan failed to make an impact during his short-term deal and the 31-year-old has drifted off into the football wilderness, his football career a tale of unfulfilled talent.
Last season:8th
Prediction: 9th. Alloa are one of three part-time clubs in the Championship and, as such, are likely to be involved in a scrap at the bottom to avoid relegation.
In: Greig Spence, forward (Raith Rovers); Liam Buchanan, forward (East Fife); Adam Asghar, midfielder (Motherwell); Mark Docherty, defender (Stranraer); David Weatherston, forward (Stirling Albion); John Gibson, goalkeeper (Dundee). Loan: Kyle Benedictus, defender (Dundee).
Out: Scott Bain, goalkeeper (Dundee); James Creaney, defender (Stirling Albion); Darren Young, midfielder (Albion Rovers); Derek Riordan, forward; Andy Kirk, forward; Willie Robertson, midfielder (Stirling Albion); Iain Flannigan, midfielder. Loan ended: Ross Caldwell, forward (Hibernian); Liam Lindsay, defender (Partick Thistle); Liam Caddis, midfielder (St Johnstone).
Key signing: Danijel Jurisic, 25, capped at youth level with Slovenia and previously of Austrian club Lannach, is one of three strikers brought in by Jimmy Nicholl in the hope of finding a replacement for departed duo Kane Hemmings and Greg Stewart.
One that got away: Kane Hemmings' 24 goals in 39 appearances for a side struggling against relegation led to the former Rangers youth winning a move to Barnsley.
Last season: 9th
Prediction: 10th. Jimmy Nicholl worked wonders to first avoid automatic relegation then win a play-off against Dunfermline Athletic, but the Blue Brazil's part-time status guarantees another struggle.
In: Robbie Thomson, goalkeeper (Rochdale); Danijel Jurisic, forward (Lannach); Craig Sutherland, forward (Queen's Park); Darren Brownlie, defender (Partick Thistle); Iain Campbell, defender (Forfar Athletic); Sean Higgins, forward (Stenhousemuir); Pat Scullion, midfielder (Clyde); Anthony Higgins, forward (Airdrieonians). Loan : Kudus Oyenuga, forward (Dundee United); Marcus Fraser, defender (Celtic); Calum Gallagher, forward (Rangers); Declan Hughes, midfielder (St Mirren).
Out: Kane Hemmings, forward (Barnsley); Greg Stewart, forward (Dundee); Jamie Stevenson, midfielder (Peterhead); Marc McKenzie, forward (Albion Rovers); Seb Usai, goalkeeper; Jamie Pyper, midfielder. Loan ended: James Fowler, defender (Kilmarnock); Rory McKeown, defender (Kilmarnock); David Gold, midfielder (Hibernian); Darren Brownlie, defender (Partick Thistle).
Key signing: Lee Mair, ex of Partick Thistle, along with former St Mirren team-mate David van Zanten, will add experience to the Sons defence.
One that got away: Paul McGinn was tipped for bigger things when he joined St Mirren but has been given a second chance in Scotland's top flight after the 23-year-old full-back joined promoted Dundee.
Last season: 5th
Prediction: 7th. Dumbarton punched above their weight last season, but finances will dictate more than ever in the Championship this time round, although Ian Murray's side are likely to finish at least the best of the three part-time outfits.
In: Guillame Beuzelin, assistant manager; David Van Zanten, defender (St Mirren); Lee Mair, defender (Partick Thistle); Archie Campbell, forward (Greenock Morton); Scott Taggart, midfielder (Greenock Morton). Loan: Danny Rogers, goalkeeper (Aberdeen); Chris Kane, forward (St Johnstone); Kieran MacDonald, defender (Hamilton Academical).
Out: Jack Ross, assistant manager (Hearts); Paul McGinn, defender (Dundee); Bryan Prunty, forward (Airdrieonians); Scott Smith, defender (East Fife); Kevin Smith, forward (East Fife); Martin McNiff, defender (Annan Athletic); Alan Deans, defender (East Stirlingshire); Nicky Phinn, midfielder; Owen Ronald, midfielder. Loan ended: Michael Miller, midfielder (Celtic); Callum Thomson, defender (St Mirren); Chris Kane, forward (St Johnstone).
Key signing: Jamie MacDonald's heroics delayed Hearts' inevitable relegation last season and the 28-year-old goalkeeper's capture is a major coup for new Falkirk manager Peter Houston.
One that got away: Falkirk accepted the inevitable as Scotland Under-19 full-back Stephen Kingsley left for Swansea City - but not without a transfer fee for the 20-year-old.
Last season: 3rd
Prediction: 4th. The Bairns appear to be the only side capable of getting in amongst the financial giants of Hearts, Hibs and Rangers, but their ability to mount a play-off challenge may depend on whether they can avoid losing any more of their talented youngsters to potential suitors.
In: Peter Houston, manager (Celtic); Alan Maybury, defender-coach (Hibernian); Jamie MacDonald, goalkeeper (Hearts); Tom Taiwo, midfielder (Hibernian); Alex Cooper, midfielder (Ross County); Peter Grant, midfielder (Peterborough United); David Smith, midfielder (Hearts), Owain Tudur Jones (Hibernian). Loan: Joe Shaughnessy, defender (Aberdeen).
Out: Gary Holt, manager (Norwich City); Stevie Crawford, assistant manager (Hearts); Stephen Kingsley, defender (Swansea City, undisclosed); Conor McGrandles, midfielder (Norwich City, undisclosed); Michael McGovern, goalkeeper (Hamilton Academical); Johnny Flynn, defender, (Cliftonville); Steven Brisbane, midfielder (East Stirlingshire); Connor Greene, defender (East Stirlingshire); Kris Faulds, midfielder; Kyle Turnbull, defender. Loan ended: Mark Miller, midfielder (St Johnstone); Joe Chalmers, defender (Celtic); Mark Beck, forward (Carlisle United).
Key signing: Hearts' new owners and management team have made so many impressive signings and re-uniting former Tannadice duo Morgaro Gomis and Prince Buaben will give them a creative midfield base. Turkey Under-21 cap Alim Ozturk could form a formidable central defence alongside Danny Wilson, but Swedish striker Osman Sow could prove to be their most astute addition.
One that got away: Jamie MacDonald was a victim of the club's financial cull despite being the stand-out performer as Hearts were relegated last season, but former Scotland goalkeeper Neil Alexander is a more-than-able replacement.
Last season: 12th, Premiership
Prediction: 1st. Hearts may well have avoided relegation last season had it not been for a 15-point deduction for being in administration. Their new management team appear to have added good experience to the young talent that emerged last term and have the ability to edge out Rangers and Hibs for the title.
In: Craig Levein, director of football; Robbie Neilson, head coach (East Fife); Stevie Crawford, assistant head coach (Falkirk); Morgaro Gomis, midfielder (Dundee United); Prince Buaben, midfielder (Carlisle United); Adam Eckersley, defender (AGF Aarhus); Soufian El Hassnaoui, forward (Sparta Rotterdam); Alim Ozturk, defender (Trabzonspor); Neil Alexander, goalkeeper-coach (Crystal Palace); Osman Sow, forward (Crystal Palace); James Keatings, forward (Hamilton Academical); Liam Henderson, defender (Hutchison Vale); Alistair Roy, forward (Stirling Albion); Lee Hollis, goalkeeper (Motherwell); Miguel Pallardo, midfielder (Levante).
Out: Gary Locke, manager; Billy Brown, assistant manager; Alan Combe, goalkeeper/coach (Hibernian); Ryan Stevenson, midfielder (Partick Thistle); Jamie Hamill, midfielder (Kilmarnock); Jamie MacDonald, goalkeeper (Falkirk); Mark Ridgers, goalkeeper (St Mirren); David Smith, midfielder (Falkirk); Dylan McGowan, defender (Adelaide United); Callum Tapping, midfielder (Brechin City); Jack Simpson, midfielder (Hamilton Academical); Kai Wilson, defender (Berwick Rangers). Loan: Gary Oliver, forward (Stenhousemuir); Liam Smith, defender (East Fife). Loan ended: Paul McCallum, forward (West Ham United).
Key signing: Farid El Alagui has proved his goalscoring prowess at this level previously with Falkirk before heading for Brentford and the 28-year-old French striker faces the challenge of doing the same again in a league bolstered by Hearts and Rangers, while former Hearts and Manchester United trainee David Gray looks like a find at right-back.
One that got away: A whole squad of players were ditched from Easter Road along with Terry Butcher and his management team, and none had performed sufficiently well for Hibs fans to lament their exits.
Last season: 11th, Premiership.
Prediction: 3rd. Hibs looked physically stronger and a better footballing side than Rangers despite their League Cup exit in their first competitive outing under new manager Alan Stubbs, but a lack of squad depth might hamper their title chances.
In: Alan Stubbs, manager (Everton); Andy Holden, assistant manager; John Doolan, first-team coach (Wigan Athletic); Alan Combe, goalkeeper/coach (Hearts); Scott Allan, midfielder (West Bromwich Albion); Farid El Alagui, forward (Brentford); David Gray, defender (Burton Albion); Liam Fontaine, defender (Bristol City), Dominique Malonga, forward (Cesena). Loan: Mark Oxley, goalkeeper (Hull City); Matthew Kennedy, midfielder (Everton); Dylan McGeouch, midfielder (Celtic); Jake Sinclair, forward (Southampton).
Out: Terry Butcher, manager; James Collins, forward (Shrewsbury Town, undisclosed); Owain Tudur Jones, midfielder; Kevin Thomson, midfielder (Dundee); James McPake, defender (Dundee); Paul Cairney, midfielder (Kilmarnock); Ross Caldwell, forward (St Mirren); Ryan McGivern, defender (Port Vale); Alan Maybury, defender (Falkirk); Tom Taiwo, midfielder (Falkirk); Bradley Donaldson, defender (Livingston); Ryan Baptie, defender (Inverness Caledonian Thistle); Ben Williams, goalkeeper (Bradford City); Paul Grant, goalkeeper (Livingston); Robert Wilson, defender (Airdrieonians); Jay Doyle, forward (East Stirlingshire); Dean Horribine, midfielder (Berwick Rangers); David Gold, midfielder (Berwick Rangers); Euan Bauld, defender (Berwick Rangers); Euan Smith, midfielder (Kilmarnock); Michael Nelson (Cambridge United); Sean Murdoch, goalkeeper, Owain Tudur Jones (Falkirk). Loan ended: Daniel Boateng, defender (Arsenal); Danny Haynes, forward (Notts County); Duncan Watmore, midfielder (Sunderland).
Key signing: Despite the addition of former Raith Rovers man Gary Glen, one-time Hearts trainee and Wales Under-21 cap Rob Ogleby and Jordan White, whose goals helped Stirling Albion win promotion from League Two, 19-year-old Myles Hippolyte, plucked from obscurity with Southall in the Spartans South Midlands League Division One, could be Livi's star striker.
One that got away: Sheffield United raided Livi in search of the next Stefan Scougall and, if 22-year-old Marc McNulty matches the impact of the midfielder, the League One side will have found a £100,000 bargain striker.
Last season: 6th
Prediction: 8th. Livingston might flirt with relegation but should be safe as they settle into a role as a breeding ground of talent.
In: Gary Glen, forward (Ross County); David Robertson, midfielder (Greenock Morton); Declan Gallagher, defender (Dundee); Myles Hippolyte, forward (Southall); Jordan White, forward (Stirling Albion); Rob Ogleby, forward (Wrexham); Bradley Donaldson, defender (Hibernian); Michael McKenna, midfielder (Musselburgh Athletic). Paul Grant, goalkeeper (Hibernian).
Out: Marc McNulty, forward (Sheffield United, undisclosed); Martin Scott, midfielder (Raith Rovers); Andrew Barrowman, forward (Greenock Morton); Kyle Turnbull, defender (Albion Rovers); Michal Habai, defender; Nejc Mevlja, defender; Mike Mampuya, defender; Kyle Wilkie, midfielder; Ross Docherty, midfielder; Jordan Baillie, midfielder; Taylor Black, defender; David Bonnar, midfielder; Dylan Clark, Jed Davie, forward; Jack Downie, midfielder; George Hunter, midfielder; Kyle Martin, midfielder; Scott Wilson, midfielder.
Key signing: Striker John Baird, 28, will hope to continue where he left off last season, when he scored seven goals in 13 games on loan to Raith Rovers from Partick Thistle.
One that got away: Wily assistant manager Gerry McCabe was poached by promoted Dundee before manager Jim McIntyre left for Ross County.
Last season: 5th
Prediction: 5th. The Dumfries side will trouble the top teams on their good days, but another mid-table finish is as good as they can hope for.
In: James Fowler, defender-coach (Kilmarnock); John Baird, forward (Raith Rovers); Lewis Kidd, defender (Celtic). Loan: Zander Clark, goalkeeper (St Johnstone).
Out: Jim McIntyre, manager (Ross County); Gerry McCabe, assistant manager (Dundee); Derek Young, midfielder (Forfar Athletic); Calum Antell, goalkeeper; Scott Hooper, defender; Aidan Smith, forward; Dean Smith, forward. Loan ended: Zander Clark, goalkeeper (St Johnstone); Liam Caddis, midfielder (St Johnstone); Bob McHugh, forward (Motherwell).
Key signing: Winger Ryan Conroy is an experienced campaigner at this level and helped Dundee win the title last season.
One that got away: Having experienced the top flight previously with Dunfermline Athletic, tricky winger Joe Cardle has joined promoted Dundee.
Last season: 7th
Prediction: 6th. Grant Murray's side are likely to concentrate again on avoiding relegation rather than looking far above this season.
In: Christian Nade, forward (Dundee); Ross Perry, defender (Rangers); Mark Stewart, forward (Derry City); Kevin Cuthbert, goalkeeper (Hamilton Academical); Martin Scott, midfielder (Livingston); Ryan Conroy, midfielder (Dundee); Rory McKeown, defender (Kilmarnock); Craig Barr, defender (Airdrieonians). Loan: Barrie McKay, midfielder (Rangers).
Out: Paul Smith, assistant manager; Joe Cardle, midfielder (Ross County); John Baird, forward (Queen of the South); Greig Spence, forward (Alloa Athletic); Gordon Smith, forward (Stirling Albion); Reece Donaldson, defender (Peterhead); Fraser Mullen, defender (East Fife); Billy Vidler, forward (East Stirlingshire); Daniel Tobin, goalkeeper (Stranraer); Jamie Watson, forward. Loan ended: Callum Booth, defender (Hibernian).
Key signing: Fellow Ibrox returnee Kenny Miller is better known worldwide, but Kris Boyd, at 30, is four years younger and will go a long way to helping Rangers win the title if he can match his goalscoring form with Kilmarnock in the Premiership last season.
One that got away: In a rare role reversal, Dundee United managed to poach a promising teenager from Rangers, with midfielder Charlie Telfer heading to Tannadice in return for a compensation fee.
Last season: League One champions.
Prediction: 2nd. Rangers have romped to two titles in a row, but vultures of financial uncertainty continue to encircle Ibrox. This will be a real sustained test for manager Ally McCoist, whose side all too often perform to less than the sum of their parts.
In: Kenny Miller, forward (Vancouver Whitecaps); Kris Boyd, forward (Kilmarnock); Darren McGregor, defender (St Mirren); Marius Zaliukas, defender (Leeds United). Lee Robinson, goalkeeper (Unattached).
Out: Andy Little, forward (Preston North End); Charlie Telfer, midfielder (Dundee United, compensation); Chris Hegarty, defender (Linfield); Ross Perry, defender (Raith Rovers). Loan: Barrie McKay, midfielder (Raith Rovers); Calum Gallagher, forward (Cowdenbeath); Robbie Crawford, midfielder (Greenock Morton); Kyle McAusland, defender (Brechin City); Luca Gasparotto, defender (Airdrieonians); Tom Walsh, midfielder (Stenhousemuir); Danny Stoney, midfielder (Stranraer); Craig Halkett, defender (Clyde). | Big-club implosions mean attention this coming season will be on the second tier of Scottish football like never before. |
38,097,002 | The boy was found outside St Peter's Church, in Hough Lane, Bramley, on Wednesday morning. It is believed he had only recently been born before he was left by the doorstep.
He was taken to hospital by ambulance but was later pronounced dead.
West Yorkshire Police said the white baby boy was found in a Tesco bag for life.
The boy was wrapped in a towel and shirt.
Officers believe the mother could be in desperate need of medical attention and appealed for her to get in touch.
Det Ch Insp Nicola Bryar, of West Yorkshire Police, said: "We believe he was left at the vicarage sometime during the hours of darkness Tuesday into Wednesday and we would like to hear from anyone who was in the area and saw someone in the vicinity.
"The death of this baby boy in these circumstances is a real human tragedy and we need to establish exactly how this situation has come about." | A newborn baby who died after being left outside a church vicarage was abandoned in a supermarket carrier bag. |
39,563,354 | Eggs from black-headed and Mediterranean gulls in most of the 9,000 nests on the harbour's remote islands were taken in May 2016.
Charity Birds of Poole Harbour said the eggs - considered a delicacy - were likely to used by restaurants.
The nesting gulls are being monitored by Dorset Police's marine unit.
The force said the birds would be checked day and night by officers through the breeding season.
Joel Brooks, of the force, said: "The collection of birds eggs is illegal unless licensed and no one is licensed to collect in Dorset.
"We have wildlife officers from the Metropolitan Police in London making enquiries and checks on the establishments likely to be buying and selling the eggs."
Birds of Poole Harbour said there are around 20 "pickers", operating under licenses issued by Natural England, which allows black-headed gull eggs to be collected legally at five sites in England.
Restaurants or pubs have to be shown a valid licence before buying eggs to prepare in meals.
Paul Morton, who runs the charity, said: "It's been proven black-headed gull eggs are safe to eat - but there has never been a test done by Defra on Mediterranean gull eggs to confirm these are safe for human consumption."
The charity said it planned to survey the islands again later in the spring to see what effect last year's thefts has had on the population of the two species of gulls. | Police patrols are being carried out on islands off Poole Harbour to protect eggs from protected bird species after hundreds were stolen last year. |
40,266,166 | He has taken over from Angus Robertson who was defeated at last week's general election.
The party also announced that Kirsty Blackman MP has been elected as its new deputy group leader.
Mr Blackford said it was an "honour and a privilege to be elected to lead the SNP's strong and talented team of MPs during such a crucial period".
The new group leader will get to quiz Theresa May every week at Prime Minister's Questions, making it a high-profile role.
Two other SNP MPs, Joanna Cherry and Drew Hendy, contested the Westminster leader position. A fourth candidate, Edinburgh East MP Tommy Sheppard, withdrew from the contest on Tuesday, saying it was clear he did not have enough support to win.
Party leader Nicola Sturgeon said she was "delighted" to see Mr Blackford elected.
She added: "Ian has formidable professional and political experience and has played a key role in the last two years as part of the effective opposition to the Tory government.
"Ian has led our work opposing Tory benefit cuts, and supporting the WASPI women - supporting vulnerable people across the country in the face of callous Tory policies."
A former investment banker, Mr Blackford was the party's treasurer before falling out with then-leader Alex Salmond, which resulted in him being suspended by the party in June 2000.
But it was announced in 2015 that Mr Blackford would be the SNP's candidate in Ross, Skye and Lochaber in that year's general election, which saw him defeat former Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy.
He went on to hold the seat in last Thursday's election with a majority of nearly 6,000 over the Conservatives - the second largest enjoyed by any SNP MP.
Mr Robertson, who is also the SNP's deputy leader, had won widespread praise for his performance at PMQs, with many political opponents commending his forensic questioning of the prime minister.
But he became one of the most high-profile SNP casualties in last week's election when he lost his Moray seat to Conservative MSP Douglas Ross. | The MP for Ross, Skye and Lochaber Ian Blackford has become the SNP's new Westminster leader. |
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