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39,495,146 | The Yellows lost 2-1 to Coventry City on Sunday, their second defeat at Wembley in successive seasons.
"I never watched the Barnsley game (in 2016) back," Appleton said. "I don't intend ever to look back at the game (this year), and I mean ever."
Oxford return to League One action on Wednesday at home to Fleetwood as they bid to creep into the play-off places.
"Bear in mind being injured and having to retire cost me 10 years of my career, Sunday was my worst moment in football," Appleton added.
"It's gone now, it's one we put in the history books and we move forward. It's about 18 points now and nothing else."
Oxford are seven points behind sixth-placed Southend United in the final play-off position with six games to play.
They face third-placed Fleetwood and then a trip to Walsall in the next four days.
"The next two games are huge," Appleton added. "If you're within four or five points going into the last three or four games, the pressure mounts on the teams above you." | Oxford United boss Michael Appleton has confessed he will never watch video of their latest EFL Trophy final defeat. |
36,955,934 | Neil Heritage, from Poole, Dorset, wants to become the first above-the-knee amputee to conquer the 4,478m (14,692ft) summit in Switzerland.
The ex-corporal was blown up by a suicide bomber in Iraq in 2004 and has endured numerous operations.
Mr Heritage, 35, is due to begin his climb on 28 August using two types of specially-designed prosthetic limbs.
Since losing his legs, Mr Heritage has completed triathlons, learned to ski and rowed across the Atlantic Ocean in the Row2Recovery team.
He said: "In the first few years post injury, the idea of walking and leading a normal life seemed out of reach.
"Now being able to attempt this challenge makes me realise how far things have come.
"I hope it encourages others dealing with physical and mental injuries to follow their dreams and realise there is life beyond injury."
Mr Heritage will climb with a professional local mountain guide and former British Army soldiers Steve Green and Mark Hooks.
His attempt is being supported by the Endeavour Fund, which helps the recovery and rehabilitation of wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans through sport and adventure. | A double amputee army veteran who was told he would never walk again is attempting to climb the Matterhorn. |
36,891,570 | Simon Bennett, 44, admitted the manslaughter of Elliot Handley on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
Mr Handley, from Eastleigh, Hampshire, was discovered at a property in The Grove, Dorchester, on 26 May.
Appearing at Winchester Crown Court, Bennett, of The Grove, was detained under the Mental Health Act.
Post-mortem tests showed Mr Handley had suffered multiple blunt force injuries to his head.
Dorset Police said the scene was forensically examined over three days and a number of items were seized that were believed to have been used in the attack, including a claw hammer, a heavy metallic object and a bottle.
Following the sentencing on Monday, senior investigating officer Det Ch Insp Neil Devoto said: "Our thoughts today are with Elliot's family who are being supported by family liaison officers." | A man who admitted killing a 46-year-old whose body was found in a flat in Dorset has been detained indefinitely in hospital. |
27,259,589 | The Dorset Knob Throwing and Food Festival event in Cattistock involves participants tossing the locally made, spherical biscuit as far as they can.
The longest throw was by Dave Morrison, who tossed his knob 21.8m (71ft).
Organiser Nigel Collins thought up the idea after seeing a Yorkshire pudding throwing contest at a Yorkshire food festival.
He said: "We used to throw knobs occasionally as a child because they're the size of a golf ball, so the whole thing gelled from there.
"Most of the contest is taken in good heart and there is no food wastage. Everything that is left over - even the broken bits on the ground - goes to feed local chickens.
"We needed funding for the playing fields, village hall, cricket club, and football club. We're a very small village, very rural, and we needed a unique event to get people here."
The savoury biscuits, made by the Moores family since 1880, have to be thrown underarm and one of the competitor's feet must remain on the ground during the toss in order for it to count. The best of three is measured and recorded.
The winner receives their winning biscuit and a plaque, while their name is added to a board in the village hall.
The record is still held by Dave Phillips with a throw of 29.4m (96ft) in 2012.
Other events included a knob eating contest, knob darts, knob weighing, and knob painting. | More than 5,000 people have attended a "knob throwing" competition in Dorset. |
34,001,697 | The appeal was launched by Cumbria Police in January to mark the 100th anniversary of female police officers.
Relatives and members of the public have dug out newspaper articles, photos and letters of 21 "pioneering" women thought to be the first to enrol.
Det Supt Cath Thundercloud said they have had a "brilliant response".
From some initial research, the force (previously Cumberland and Westmorland), believed the earliest appointment may have been Dorothy Mary Dixon, who served from January 1949 to August 1960.
However, it has now come to light that Cumbria's first female Special Constable was Mabel Farrer.
She was one of the first women appointed to the Women Police Service in 1916, training in London and then becoming one of the first female police officers in Gretna.
She went on to be Special Constable for Dumfrieshire, Cumberland, and the City of Carlisle and later Police Constable in the Northampton County Borough Police in 1918.
Ms Thundercloud said: "All the women mentioned to us were ground-breaking in their own way and we owe much to these pioneering female officers.
"We are now seeing increasing numbers of women joining the police service, which will result in a more balanced force which represents the community it serves."
Other women discovered in the appeal include Sue Pickthall, Mary Faulder, Kathleen Park and Euphemia Bennett.
Cumbria's Police and Crime Commissioner Richard Rhodes said it was "great" to hear from the families of the female police officers who played a "pivotal role" in today's workforce.
The Women Police Service was founded in 1914, and in 1915 the Grantham force swore in a Mrs Edith Smith.
Women now account for 40% of Cumbria's officers, believed to be the highest proportion in England and Wales. | The identities of Cumbria's first women police officers have been gathered following a plea to trace the county's first female recruits. |
40,788,621 | Madrid dominated from the start and led when Casemiro - who earlier hit the bar - slid in a half volley.
They doubled their lead when Isco calmly slotted in from eight yards after a neat one-two with Gareth Bale, who started ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo.
New £75m striker Romelu Lukaku tapped in before Marcus Rashford scuffed wide.
The Europa League winners were given encouragement by Lukaku's strike, despite rarely threatening the Madrid goal in the previous hour, and could have scored a barely deserved equaliser through half-time substitute Rashford with nine minutes left.
United were unable to create another clear-cut chance as Madrid became the first team to retain the Super Cup since 1990.
With temperatures over 30C in the Macedonian capital, the match was twice stopped for scheduled cooling breaks implemented by governing body Uefa.
The Red Devils have spent £146m this summer on Everton striker Lukaku (£75m), Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic (£40m) and Benfica defender Victor Lindelof (£31m) as they look to improve on a disappointing sixth-placed finish in the Premier League last season.
All three new signings started as Mourinho named a strong side against the European champions.
Only Ronaldo was missing from the Madrid team which started their victory against Juventus in the Champions League final, providing a stern test for Mourinho's new-look side.
But United struggled against the continent's best, particularly in the first half, as Madrid controlled the tempo with their crisp and purposeful passing.
The English side were unable to effectively keep possession before half-time - managing just 39% of the ball - and mustered only one shot on target when Lukaku headed straight at Madrid keeper Keylor Navas.
Mourinho introduced teenager Rashford at the break, looking to stretch the Spanish club - who the Portuguese boss managed between 2010 and 2013 - on the break.
Although the Red Devils did improve in the second half, they still looked well short of being able to compete with Europe's most talented sides going into their return to the Champions League this season.
Madrid continued to create chances throughout. Bale smashed against the bar when the score was 2-0, while David de Gea also produced superb saves to stop Toni Kroos, Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio.
On the eve of the match, United manager Mourinho said he will "fight with other coaches" to sign Bale if Madrid are willing to sell the Wales forward.
However, he added the former Tottenham winger starting for Madrid in Skopje would be "the clearest signal that he is staying there".
Well, Bale started.
In truth it was always going to be likely as Ronaldo - who came on as a late substitute - only returned to full training at the weekend after being given an extended summer break following Portugal's involvement in the Confederations Cup.
Bale insists he wants to stay at the Bernabeu, but struggled to make a major impact in an injury-hit campaign as Madrid won the Spanish La Liga title and Champions League last season.
The former Southampton player had a chance to prove his worth to Zinedine Zidane as he started up front alongside Karim Benzema.
He instinctively fired over early on, then set up Isco with a perfectly weighted pass before smashing a rising right-footed drive against the bar.
Bale, who was brought off after 75 minutes, will be pleased with his contribution in an impressive team performance.
However, if Madrid do sign exciting Monaco teenager Kylian Mbappe then it would appear Bale could become a peripheral figure at the Bernabeu.
After the game, Bale said he has not been told he can leave.
"I'm just concentrating on football and not listening to anything," he said. "I'm enjoying myself playing here."
Competitive top-level European club games rarely include drink breaks, but they were implemented by Uefa in Skopje after temperatures remained over 30C during the match.
A heatwave nicknamed 'Lucifer' has hit southern Europe with temperatures in the Macedonian capital regularly rising above 40C this week.
The match paused twice - once at the 30-minute mark and again after 72 minutes - for both sets of players to rehydrate.
Both managers used the pair of two-minute breaks to gather their players around and issue some tactical instructions.
Bale said he felt his team coped well with the heat, adding: "It helped we have been training in 38C heat in Madrid."
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho:
"I think we did well. We lost 2-1 which, I think, shows the result was really short, and one of the goals was offside so with a good VAR [video assistant referee] it would be 1-1 and extra time.
"I think they could score more goals than they did, we could score more goals than we did. They had a period of dominance in the middle of the first half, we had a period of dominance in the middle of the second half and some balance in the beginning of the game.
"We were playing against a team of fantastic players and we discussed the result until almost the end, not the end but almost the end."
United, who finished 24 points adrift of champions Chelsea last season, start the new Premier League campaign when they host West Ham United at Old Trafford on Sunday (16:00 BST).
Madrid face arch-rivals Barcelona at the Nou Camp on Sunday, when the sides meet in the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup (21:00 BST).
Match ends, Real Madrid 2, Manchester United 1.
Second Half ends, Real Madrid 2, Manchester United 1.
Attempt missed. Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right from a direct free kick.
Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Antonio Valencia (Manchester United).
Foul by Daniel Carvajal (Real Madrid).
Marouane Fellaini (Manchester United) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Marcus Rashford (Manchester United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Lucas Vázquez (Real Madrid) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Marcus Rashford (Manchester United).
Foul by Marco Asensio (Real Madrid).
Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Manchester United) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Attempt missed. Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Toni Kroos with a cross following a corner.
Corner, Real Madrid. Conceded by Matteo Darmian.
Attempt saved. Marco Asensio (Real Madrid) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal. Assisted by Lucas Vázquez.
Attempt saved. Marouane Fellaini (Manchester United) header from the centre of the box is saved in the top left corner. Assisted by Antonio Valencia with a cross.
Attempt missed. Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid) header from the centre of the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Toni Kroos with a cross following a corner.
Corner, Real Madrid. Conceded by Antonio Valencia.
Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Victor Lindelöf (Manchester United).
Foul by Lucas Vázquez (Real Madrid).
Nemanja Matic (Manchester United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Victor Lindelöf (Manchester United).
Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid).
Paul Pogba (Manchester United) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Attempt missed. Marcus Rashford (Manchester United) right footed shot from outside the box is too high from a direct free kick.
Daniel Carvajal (Real Madrid) is shown the yellow card.
Foul by Daniel Carvajal (Real Madrid).
Marcus Rashford (Manchester United) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Substitution, Real Madrid. Cristiano Ronaldo replaces Karim Benzema.
Corner, Real Madrid. Conceded by Matteo Darmian.
Corner, Manchester United. Conceded by Keylor Navas.
Attempt saved. Marcus Rashford (Manchester United) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid) because of an injury.
Delay in match Marouane Fellaini (Manchester United) because of an injury.
Attempt missed. Marouane Fellaini (Manchester United) header from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Nemanja Matic with a cross.
Delay over. They are ready to continue. | Manchester United were outclassed as Spanish and European champions Real Madrid retained the Uefa Super Cup with victory in a sweltering Skopje. |
35,185,193 | Captain Steve Smith (134 not out) and Adam Voges (106 not out) reached three figures on the second day after Usman Khawaja (144) and Joe Burns (128) had done likewise 24 hours earlier.
Australia declared on 551-3 before reducing West Indies to 91-6.
The hosts won the first of three Tests by an innings and 212 runs.
Smith and Voges resumed on Sunday with Australia 345-3, and their partnership was only ended on 223 when Smith declared.
The captain's 134 saw him replace England skipper Alastair Cook as the leading run-scorer in Tests this year, while Voges moved past 1,000 runs in his first year as a Test player.
The Windies had reached 35-0 for tea but lost six wickets for just 48 runs on the resumption, with James Pattinson, Nathan Lyon and Peter Siddle taking two apiece.
Siddle dismissed Denesh Ramdin and Jason Holder for ducks off successive deliveries at the start of the 41st over but Carlos Brathwaite kept out the hat-trick ball before guiding his side to the close alongside Darren Bravo. | Four Australia players made first-innings centuries as the home side took firm control of the second Test against West Indies in Melbourne. |
39,230,432 | Former Olympic champion pole-vaulter Isinbayeva, 34, had described Russia's athletics team's suspension from Rio 2016 as "a blatant political order".
The ban came after evidence of a state-sponsored doping programme in Russia.
Wada said Isinbayeva's appointment was "not consistent" with plans it had agreed over necessary reforms.
A statement read: "Whilst it is the decision of the Russian authorities to elect its board members, the agency shall be passing this information on to its independent Compliance Review Committee for their review."
Russia's sport leaders have promised to improve their record on doping, but the pace of progress has also been criticised.
Speaking to BBC Sport on Tuesday, Wada director-general Olivier Niggli said reforms were "not happening at the speed I would have liked to see".
Isinbayeva, Olympic champion in 2004 and 2008, was elected chair of Rusada's supervisory board on Thursday.
"We will watch and control everybody and everything," she said on Russian state TV on Friday.
"We have just one attempt to clear our sport of this dirt."
Wada had previously said it was "encouraged" by President Vladimir Putin's recent admission that Russia's anti-doping system "didn't work".
While denying allegations of state-sponsored, systematic cheating, Putin said his country should acknowledge its anti-doping failures.
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The McLaren report, commissioned by Wada, detailed evidence of an "institutionalised and disciplined medal-winning conspiracy" that operated in Russia between 2011 and 2015.
More than 1,000 Russian athletes - including Olympic medallists - were said to have benefited.
As a consequence, Wada recommended banning all Russian athletes from competing at the Olympics in Brazil last summer, but the International Olympic Committee ruled that individual sporting federations should decide.
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) was the only governing body to enforce a blanket ban on Russian athletes.
Russia's athletics team will also be absent from the World Championships in London in August, after the IAAF extended that suspension in December. | Yelena Isinbayeva's election to a key role within Russia's anti-doping agency (Rusada) has been criticised by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada). |
13,629,853 | All times BST.
MCC Champion County
MCC v Middlesex, 10:55 BST (BBC Radio 5 live sports extra and BBC Radio London)
Commentaries will appear here when confirmed. | Start times of commentaries and matches are subject to change at short notice. |
40,438,287 | The US city was awarded the event in 2015 with athletics' governing body the IAAF bypassing the usual formal bidding process.
French prosecutors investigating corruption within the IAAF launched their own inquiry into the awarding of the event in 2015.
Former IAAF president Lamine Diack, who is now effectively under house arrest in France over corruption allegations, was at the centre of the decision.
Eugene was handed the event despite strong interest from the Swedish city of Gothenburg.
The Oregon city is closely associated with Nike, whose birthplace is only a few miles away.
Nike funds much of the University of Oregon's sports facilities, where many of Eugene 2021 events will be held.
A BBC story in November 2015 suggested the IAAF president Lord Coe may have lobbied his predecessor over the bid, and revealed he had discussed it with a senior Nike executive.
At that time Lord Coe was paid £100,000 a year as an ambassador for Nike. Lord Coe denied he had lobbied anyone on behalf of Eugene's bid.
However, he stepped down from his Nike role - which he had held for 38 years - later that month saying accusations of a conflict of interest were "a distraction" and "not good for Nike or the IAAF".
Bjorn Eriksson, who was the head of the Gothenburg team denied the opportunity to stage a rival bid, said it had been a 'violation of fair play.'
Now, the BBC understands, the American authorities - including tax investigators at the IRS - are seeking to investigate if there has been any wrongdoing committed in the US, bringing to total number of agencies investigating the awarding of the championships to three.
A spokeswoman for the IAAF and Lord Coe said she was unaware of any FBI and IRS probes.
"The IAAF team has not received notification from the FBI or IRS. However we are committed to working closely with any key investigation, as we do with the French investigation team, and will take action if proof is found of any wrong doing in an IAAF bidding process."
Both the FBI and IRS have yet to respond to the BBC.
The FBI famously investigated corruption in football's world governing body Fifa, resulting in guilty pleas from numerous high-ranking officials.
The Eugene bid was led by Vin Lananna's TrackTown USA, another organisation with close links to Nike.
The 2015 BBC investigation uncovered emails which claim Coe - an ambassador for sports giant Nike and then vice-president of world athletics - "reached out" to Diack with his support for Eugene's bid.
After of losing out in a bid to host the 2019 championships to Doha, Lananna and TrackTown USA quickly turned their attention to 2021, and began lobbying the IAAF.
Coe had been on the IAAF evaluation commission which visited Doha, Eugene, and the other unsuccessful bidder for 2019, Barcelona.
An email sent by Nike executive Craig Masback to Lananna suggested that Coe lobbied on Eugene's behalf.
The email, titled '2021' and in which Coe is referred to as "Seb", reads: "I spoke with Seb this morning. We covered several topics but I asked specifically about 2021.
"He made clear his support for 2021 in Eugene but made equally clear he had reached out to Diack specifically on this topic and got a clear statement from Diack that 'I am not going to take any action at the April meeting (in Beijing) to choose a 2021 site'."
Yet it was at that April meeting of the IAAF's council that Diack announced the surprise vote on giving the championships directly to Eugene.
Coe told the BBC he "did not lobby anyone" over Eugene's bid, but "encouraged them to re-enter another bidding cycle as they had a strong bid".
Other emails seen by the BBC revealed that Lananna made at least one trip to Europe to visit Diack a few weeks after this email was written.
And by 15 April 2015, the campaign had paid off.
Several IAAF council members have told the BBC that Diack made clear his support for Eugene, and urged his fellow members to follow suit.
The secret vote was carried by 23-1, with one abstention.
The BBC has contacted Lananna and TrackTown USA for a response. | The controversial decision to award the 2021 World Athletics Championships to Eugene, Oregon, is being investigated by the FBI and the Criminal Division of America's Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the BBC has learned. |
35,414,102 | Adebayor, 31, was available after being released by Tottenham in September and has scored 94 Premier League goals for Spurs, Arsenal and Manchester City.
Two weeks ago, Palace boss Alan Pardew confirmed his interest in signing the Togo international.
Adebayor's last appearance came on 3 May 2015, playing six minutes in Spurs's 1-0 home defeat by Man City.
Palace are the third-joint lowest scorers in the league with 24 goals in 23 games this season, and lie 11th in the table.
Strikers Fraizer Campbell, Dwight Gayle, Connor Wickham and Marouane Chamakh have managed just one league goal between them so far.
The Eagles have failed to win their past six games, losing their last four.
Pardew made a failed attempt to sign Adebayor in 2006 when he was in charge at West Ham.
The player joined Arsenal instead from French club Monaco and went on to play for Manchester City, followed by a loan spell at Real Madrid, before joining Spurs in 2012.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | Crystal Palace have signed striker Emmanuel Adebayor on a free transfer until the end of the season. |
39,278,583 | Manchester United drew 1-1 at the Olimp-2 Stadium in their Europa League last-16 first-leg tie last Thursday.
"It's hard for me to believe we are going to play on that field, if you can call it a field," Mourinho had said.
Rostov now have until 24 March to bring their pitch up to standard.
The pitch was dry and bobbly, and after the match Mourinho said the conditions made it "impossible to play a passing game".
The Russian Premier League told BBC Sport that Rostov will have their pitch inspected again on 24 March, with their next home game on 31 March against FC Krasnodar.
Uefa had deemed the pitch playable for the Europa League game, but the Russian Premier League say they have different regulations in place.
United and Rostov play the second leg at Old Trafford on Thursday.
Like Rostov, Rubin Kazan's Central Stadium has also been banned by the Russian Premier League. | A week after Jose Mourinho criticised their pitch, the Russian Premier League has "banned" FC Rostov from hosting league games due to "shortfalls" in the playing surface. |
32,050,898 | Recent four-time constructors champions Red Bull finished a lap down on Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes in the opening race of the 2015 season.
Technical boss Newey stated "we've got an engine which is quite a long way behind".
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But Renault's engine chief said: "It's hard to have a partner who lies."
He added on French site Autohebdo: "Adrian is a charming man and an engineer without equal but he has spent his life criticising engine partners."
Red Bull have been contacted by BBC Sport for a response to Abiteboul's quotes.
The Austrian team dominated Formula 1 for four seasons between 2010 and 2013, winning the constructors' championship while Sebastian Vettel collected successive drivers' championships.
However, that dominance was ended by Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton last year.
Abiteboul added: "In addition to our problems, Red Bull has some chassis problems which don't help the situation.
"In particular, the lack of rear stability. These two problems combine to ensure the car is difficult to drive." | Renault chief Cyril Abiteboul has accused Red Bull's Adrian Newey of lying after he blamed the car's problems on the engine. |
24,532,312 | "This is a blob, nothing too impressive. Oh dear, another blob, these are elliptical galaxies. Ooh look this is a merger..."
The Oxford astronomer Dr Chris Lintott flicks through the first of 70,000 images from UKIDSS, the UK Infrared Deep Sky Survey, that have been posted on the Galaxy Zoo website.
"This one's a disc galaxy, so this might be what the Milky Way looks like from far away," he adds.
The images, which have never been seen before, are part of the latest citizen science project run on the site.
All you have to do is look at the pictures and classify the galaxies according to their shapes and features - does it have arms or a central bulge? Is it elliptical? Does the galaxy have a dust lane across the centre?
The results should help astronomers to understand how galaxies form, but Galaxy Zoo is just the latest in a growing number of astronomical citizen science projects. The enthusiastic amateur can explore the surface of Mars or the Moon, study solar storms, and even hunt for planets orbiting distant stars.
"It's a really exciting time," says Dr Lintott, "citizen science is booming.
"That's because astronomers have painted themselves into a corner. They've got really good at collecting data but not so good at processing it. The human brain is still much better at sorting through these images and telling us what we need to know."
But it is not just astronomy, citizen science is flourishing in pretty much every field of science.
These days you can crunch data on cancer or monitor the spread of ash dieback while playing a simple computer game. You can map the human brain by colouring in neurones, track whales or watch wildlife in the Serengeti all from the comfort of your sofa.
The field of natural history has a proud tradition of amateur involvement, and perhaps it is not so surprising to find citizen science flourishing here.
According to the Joint Nature Conservation Committee there may be as many as 100,000 amateur naturalists actively collecting and contributing to citizen science projects in the UK - a volunteer effort worth £20m a year.
A significant number of those projects are run by the Angela Marmont Centre for UK Biodiversity at the Natural History Museum.
Members of the public are encouraged to drop in with specimens, and to access the museum's extensive collections and talk to research staff.
When I arrived to meet Dr John Tweddle a fungi workshop was in full swing.
"It's exciting actually. You never know who's going to come through the door and what they're going to come with," says Dr Tweddle.
"Anyone of any ability can come here to access the collections. Citizen science is really booming at the moment and the most effective projects are actually driving the research agenda. It's really useful science," he added.
Of course there is nothing new under the sun.
Although he would not have been familiar with the term, Charles Darwin built his theory of evolution by natural selection on the evidence supplied by hundreds of citizen scientists all over the world. Some 15,000 of the letters he sent or received survive at the Darwin Correspondence Project in the Cambridge University Library.
Associate director Alison Pearn says Darwin could never have compiled the astonishing wealth of evidence to support his theory without the enthusiastic support of amateur naturalists.
"Darwin corresponded with people from all walks of life, plant and animal breeders, gardeners and naturalists, but also diplomats and explorers. He couldn't have achieved what he did without their support. They were eager to contribute to the broadening of knowledge, so it's exactly the same as people do today in what we call citizen science," says Ms Pearn.
The computer has added enormously to the power that the amateur can bring to bear on a problem, but interestingly Dr Lintott argues, it is the human brain's unique ability to spot inconsistencies in the vast sets of data scientists have amassed that makes citizen science so useful.
"The best and most powerful information processor we have is still the one sitting between our ears. The human brain has a remarkable capacity for pattern recognition, but also for spotting the unusual, for being distracted by something that doesn't quite fit, and that's what we really need," he adds. | Citizen science - the trend for involving amateurs in research projects - is all the rage nowadays but is it real science or just good PR? |
39,854,787 | Flynn, 36, has been rewarded with a two-year deal after securing League Two survival in a 12-game caretaker spell.
Coach Wayne Hatswell and advisor Lennie Lawrence will also remain at County, who avoided relegation with victory over Notts County.
"Nothing makes me prouder than to take charge of my hometown club," Flynn said.
The appointment means midfielder Flynn has all but hung up his boots as a professional player, despite five League Two appearances this season.
Though he may register as a player, he said: "It will just be an emergency if anything happens, you can take it I am retiring because unless we have a horrendous run of injuries then I won't be doing anything.
"Its a new chapter in Michael Flynn's career and its management not football."
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Flynn will immediately set to work on reducing the size of County's squad, while seeking to keep key players who engineered the astonishing late revival.
The former Wigan Athletic and Gillingham player is anxious to take that momentum into next season, but warned: " I am not going to say I am a miracle worker and we are going to win the league by ten points. I am honest it's going to be a tough job but it's an exciting job.
"We have to get the recruitment right. We need payers in who will take us up the league. We are already having a chat about targets and what we think we need.
"For me there was not enough pace in the team so we need to increase the pace around the pitch."
Vastly experienced Lawrence said Flynn's knowledge of the club - he made more than 100 appearances for County - was a key to survival and would be important going forward.
The former Cardiff City, Charlton and Middlesbrough manager said: "If you are at a club like Newport it has to be more than a job. It's a young man's game unless your are at the top. You have to have a good work ethic.
"The fact that he's local, started and finished his career here, is a big advantage. He knows the club he knew the players. Now he has to show skills in a recruitment department."
Meanwhile the club have released Liam Angel, Marcus Beauchamp, Paul Bignot, Jack Compton, Tom Meechan, Kieran Parselle, Finlay Wood following the end of the season.
Darren Jones, who has had two spells with the club, also announced his retirement. | Newport County have confirmed Mike Flynn as their manager on a permanent basis. |
39,534,491 | The officer, known as Vincent, told the court how he infiltrated the group, known as the Three Musketeers.
Naweed Ali, 29, from Sparkhill in Birmingham, is on trial at the Old Bailey accused of preparing terrorism acts along with three other men from the West Midlands.
They were arrested on August 26 after a pipe bomb was found in Ali's car.
Both Ali, of Evelyn Road, and his co-accused Khobaib Hussain, 25, also of Evelyn Road, have previous convictions for attending a terror training camp.
The officer said he had posed as the boss of a courier firm which had employed Ali to travel around the country delivering parcels.
On Ali's first day, he left his Seat Leon at the depot in Birmingham city centre and took a van on a delivery run to Luton, the court heard.
Meanwhile, British security services searched Ali's car.
Giving evidence from behind a screen, Vincent said they found what appeared to be a pipe bomb and a handgun inside a JD Sports bag in the car.
He said he and another officer had eased the contents of the bag on to a ground sheet and carried it into a different room.
Vincent told jurors the bag contained a black self-loading pistol with an empty magazine strapped to it, chrome-coloured pipe, a hatchet knife, gunshot cartridges and a single 9mm bullet.
There were also latex gloves, a roll of gaffer tape and some napkins, he said.
Jurors have previously heard the pipe bomb turned out to be only partially constructed and the pistol was an imitation firearm.
Ali and Hussain, Mohibur Rahman, 32, of High Lane, Stoke-on-Trent, and Tahir Aziz, 38, of of Wulstan Road, Stoke-on-Trent, deny the charges.
The case will resume on Monday. | An undercover officer has described how secret agents found a bomb in the car of a convicted terrorist. |
30,452,550 | An 87-year-old pedestrian was hit by a car in Whitley Road, Whitley Bay at 09:45 GMT, the GNAAS said.
There was no room to land the helicopter at the scene, so the crew flew to the town's nearby war memorial intending to reach the man on foot.
But the team flagged down a passing bin lorry, which took them to him.
The man was hit by a black Audi at the junction with Crawley Road, police said. The road was closed for about two hours.
The doctor and paramedic treated the man at the scene and took him by road ambulance to Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary, where he is in a serious condition.
Jane Peacock, the GNAAS paramedic, said: "We just thought a bin man would know the roads.
"We jumped in the front and they took us straight there. They were brilliant; we can't thank them enough."
The mayor of North Tyneside Norma Redfearn said she was "immensely proud" of the bin men.
Police are appealing for witnesses. | A crew from the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) flagged down a bin lorry to reach a critically injured patient in North Tyneside. |
37,853,392 | Last week the Football League said it was investigating the Premier League club for allegedly supplying false financial information.
The Telegraph said it obtained a forged bank letter submitted when Gino Pozzo became owner before the 2014-15 season.
Riva said: "I fully refute, and will protect vigorously my integrity against, any recent speculation."
Watford, who won promotion from the Championship in 2014-15, could have points deducted or be fined if they are found to be at fault.
Riva, who replaced Graham Taylor as chairman in July 2012, said: "For the past four years I have acted with honesty and in good faith in all my dealings on behalf of the club, and the club has developed and grown a great deal in this period." | Watford chairman Raffaele Riva has stepped down after four years in charge to focus on "other business interests". |
40,301,785 | North Wales Police said the incident on Thursday involved one vehicle on the B5111 in Coedana, Llanerchymedd.
The road was closed following the incident at about 17:30 BST but reopened just after 21:00.
An investigation is under way to establish the cause of the crash. | Two police officers, who were injured when their police car crashed while responding to an emergency call on Anglesey, have been discharged from hospital. |
35,350,080 | Peter Watts, 15, left a note for his parents at his home in Colwyn Bay on 19 January 1976, saying he was planning to help a school friend with homework.
He was found hours later collapsed in a Euston Road underpass and died in hospital.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed it was speaking to a potential new witness.
A post mortem examination gave the cause of death as head injuries consistent with a fall and there were no signs of a struggle.
The Metropolitan Police's special casework investigation team appealed for information as Peter's only surviving relative - his 57-year-old brother Mark - said this could be his last opportunity to find out what happened. | A man has come forward with information about the death of a Conwy county teenager 40 years after his death. |
40,637,168 | Information about 2,743 individuals was sent to 77 people in an email attachment by mistake last month, the authority said.
The details included names, addresses and birthdates of the adopted children.
The council blamed the data breach on "human error", adding it had taken steps to contact all those involved.
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is investigating and has the power to levy a fine of up to £500,000.
In a statement, the council said: "On 15 June 2017, an employee in the council's adoption team accidentally attached an internal spreadsheet to emails inviting adoptive parents to the council's annual adoption summer party.
"The email and attachment were sent to 77 people.
"This attachment contained personal details relating to 2,743 individuals, comprising current and former adoptees, parents and social workers who had been involved with these families.
"The spreadsheet included personal information such as names, addresses and the birthdates of the adopted children."
A helpline for those who think they may have been affected has been set up and relevant regulators informed.
A review of data protection across the authority has also been launched.
It is understood the member of staff who sent the email no longer works for the council.
Director of People, Ewen Weir, said: "I am truly sorry for the distress caused to all those affected.
"We will work closely with the affected families and individuals to support them at this trying time.
"This breach appears to have been caused by human error and a failure to follow established procedures.
"We are conducting a thorough review of our processes to identify what changes we can make to ensure that this never happens again."
Anyone involved with Newcastle's Adoption Service who has concerns has been asked to call the council's dedicated helpline on (0191) 211 5562. | The details of thousands of children and their adoptive parents were leaked in a party invitation sent out by Newcastle City Council. |
40,420,670 | Brexit Secretary David Davis made the remark to business leaders as he discussed the interim arrangements that will be in place after the UK leaves.
He suggested the UK would no longer be in the EU's customs union and single market during this period.
And he said a "new international body" - not the European Court of Justice - would monitor new trade arrangements.
The UK is due to leave the European Union in March 2019.
Official negotiations began last week, and the UK is committed to leaving both the EU single market and its customs union.
The government has promised a "phased process of implementation" - or "transition period" - to avoid a "cliff-edge" scenario as new arrangements kick in.
Mr Davis was asked how this would work at an event for business leaders hosted by The Times.
Asked whether the UK would be out of the customs union in March 2019 - and therefore able to strike its own international trade deals - he replied: "I would have thought so."
He was also asked whether the UK would remain in the EU single market during the transition phase.
"No, no" he replied, adding that the government had taken "as written" the public's desire to control immigration, which could not be done as a single market member.
BBC political correspondent Chris Mason
We are witnessing an emboldened cabinet, unshackled from an obligation to be quite as publicly loyal as they once were to either their leader, or each other.
So just today, the Chancellor Philip Hammond began a scripted speech in Berlin with a pop at the Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson.
And the Brexit Secretary David Davis suggested Mr Hammond's views on the length of any transition period after Brexit were "not quite consistent with one another."
Ouch.
And then the prime minister's official spokesman intervened to insist Mr Davis and Mr Hammond's views on Brexit were consistent with each other, and with hers.
It all amounts to the flavour of Brexit being advocated: what happens to the economy? What happens to immigration? How freely, and in which sectors, will the UK be able to strike trade deals around the world?
Enter then a tangled web of confusing language to describe a vast array of potential outcomes: and welcome to the politics of the next few years at least.
The pro-EU Open Britain campaign group said it was "truly concerning" that Mr Davis seemed to have ruled out staying in the customs union and single market during the transitional phase.
Chancellor Philip Hammond, who was also making a speech on Tuesday afternoon, said the transitional phase should protect the "free flow of trade".
Mr Davis, who said the timescale for any transition period was likely to end in 2022, said preparing for Brexit involved "loads of preparation for various outcomes".
"Half of my task is running a set of projects that make the Nasa moon shot look quite simple," he said.
The UK is seeking a new free trade deal with the EU to replace the current arrangements - but talks on this cannot begin until the EU is happy with the progress made in the initial "divorce" stage.
How the new trade deal will be policed is likely to be a sticking point in the negotiations, with the UK vowing to leave the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice.
Mr Davis said the UK's trade with the EU would be monitored by a "new dispute resolution mechanism".
He did not give any details about what this new mechanism would look like, or where it would be based, beyond saying it would be an international body and not the European Court of Justice.
He also sought to reassure his audience that new arrangements for EU nationals would impose "practically no burden" on businesses, and that the government's approach to Brexit "puts jobs and prosperity first".
He added: "My job is to bring back control of migration to Westminster.
"It is not to slam the door on immigration. We will bring immigration down but in a way and at a pace that does not cause labour shortages or, worse, undermine the nation's need for new talent."
While Mr Davis was speaking, Mr Hammond was addressing Conservative economists and business leaders in Berlin.
He said the transitional phase would have to be one that "protects the free-flow of trade across our borders and the integrity of pan-European supply chains".
The chancellor said "petty politics" should not interfere with "economic logic" in the Brexit process and called for transitional arrangements to avoid a cliff-edge scenario.
"Early agreement on these transitional arrangements so that trade between our countries can carry on flowing smoothly will reduce uncertainty, unlock investment decisions, instil business confidence and protect jobs and prosperity, in Britain, in Germany and across this continent," he said. | The minister in charge of the UK's exit from the EU says elements of his job make landing on the moon look simple. |
15,328,150 | Mr Tubman was speaking a day after Liberia's opposition parties - including that of Mr Tubman - said first-round counting was fraudulent.
Partial first-round results give President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf a slight lead over Mr Tubman.
Mrs Sirleaf's party had said she will take part in a run-off, even unopposed.
The chairman of the Liberian National Election Commission (NEC), James Fromayan, has rejected any accusations of electoral fraud.
Mr Tubman told the BBC's Newshour programme: "We will participate in the run-off because we believe that the figures as they have emerged do not allow for anyone to win the first round.
"Therefore the focus must be on the second round and so we are beginning to rally our people."
Earlier, Liberian opposition parties called on their supporters to join a rally on Sunday in protest against the presidential election, although it was not clear where or when it might take place.
Latest results published by the election commission, with 80% of the votes counted, put Mrs Sirleaf on 44.6% of the vote, while Mr Tubman polled 31.4% and former warlord Prince Johnson had 11.2%.
On Saturday, opposition parties - including those of Mr Tubman and Mr Johnson - said they could offer photographs and witnesses to back their claims that the NEC had manipulated vote-counting in favour of President Sirleaf.
Mr Fromayan said any grievances should be channelled through the complaints process.
Mrs Sirleaf's Unity Party said it was not surprised by the allegations.
"They are doing this thing because it is not going their way," said party secretary-general Wilmot Paye.
This is the first election organised by Liberia's NEC - the previous one was run by the UN.
President Sirleaf, who was first elected in 2005 and is viewed abroad as a reformer, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last week for her role in stabilising the West African nation after a 14-year civil war.
Mr Tubman is running under the banner of the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) party, with former football star George Weah as his running mate.
Mr Weah was beaten by Mrs Sirleaf in the 2005 poll.
Prince Johnson has said he is looking forward to playing the role of kingmaker, AP news agency reported.
His forces infamously filmed the torture and murder of dictator Samuel Doe in 1990.
After the war, he became a born-again Christian pastor and was elected to the senate in the 2005 poll. | One of the main contenders in Liberia's presidential poll, Winston Tubman, has told the BBC he is prepared to take part in any second-round run-off vote. |
26,935,113 | The 'chicken cup', so-called because it is decorated with a rooster and hen tending to their chicks, was bought by a Shanghai collector.
It is eight centimetres (3.1 inches) in diameter and is 500 years old.
Sotheby's said the previous record for Chinese porcelain was set in 2010 when a vase sold for $32.4m (£19.3m).
The cup was made during the reign of the Ming Dynasty's Chenghua Emperor, who ruled from 1465 to 1487.
According to Sotheby's, only 17 such cups are in existence, with four in private hands and the rest in museums.
Nicholas Chow, Sotheby's deputy chairman for Asia said "There's no more legendary object in the history of Chinese porcelain.
"This is really the holy grail when it comes to Chinese art."
The buyer, Liu Yiqian is, with an estimated fortune of $900m (£538m), the 200th richest person in China.
The cup is likely to be displayed in Liu's Long Museum in Shanghai, which he and his wife opened in 2012. | A tiny porcelain cup, dating back to the Ming Dynasty, has fetched $36m (£21.5m) at an auction in Hong Kong, setting a new record. |
35,000,998 | Bomb equipment, weapons and thousands of rounds of ammunition were found by police in a raid after Wednesday's shootout that killed the two suspects.
Authorities still have not found a motive in the attack by Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, and Tashfeen Malik, 27.
The names of the victims have now been released by San Bernardino's coroner.
The youngest victim was 26 and the oldest was 60.
Who are the victims?
"This shooting has caused each victim's family, friends and co-workers, along with the first responders, to suffer an enormous personal tragedy," Sheriff John McMahon said.
"We must stand strong and offer support to each individual affected by this senseless attack."
Police said the attack indicated there had been "some degree of planning".
Local police chief Jarrod Burguan said it appeared that the duo was prepared to carry out another attack.
"There was obviously a mission here. We know that. We do not know why. We don't know if this was the intended target or if there was something that triggered him to do this immediately," said David Bowdich, assistant director of the FBI's Los Angeles office.
In the shootout with police hours after the attack, Farook and Malik fired 76 rounds of ammunition at the officers and the officers fired 380 rounds back.
Two police officers were injured during the pursuit.
It marks the deadliest mass shooting in the US since 26 people were killed at a school in Newtown, Connecticut in 2012.
What makes this shooting different? - Multiple attackers, a woman involved, a well-planned attack, explosives and a fleeing attempt
'It's crazy they lived next door' - Neighbours tell the BBC of their shock that the attackers lived nearby
Politicians 'shamed' for offering prayers - Does prayer do anything in the wake of a shooting?
President Barack Obama said the FBI had taken over the investigation from local authorities.
"It is possible that this was terrorist-related, but we don't know. It's also possible that this was workplace-related," Mr Obama said.
The FBI cautioned that authorities needed time to investigate. But many Republican presidential candidates such as New Jersey Governor Chris Christie were convinced it was terrorism.
Former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge told the BBC said the information already made public points to terrorism.
"I would characterise this as a terrorist attack," he said. "Workplace attacks are a lot more spontaneous, they're not planned, they're not premeditated, they normally involve one person, they never involve pipe bombs."
Law enforcement officials are also looking at possible "co-conspirators" and have been in touch with the suspects' relatives.
Farook, who was born in the US, was not "on the radar" of law enforcement, Mr Burguan said.
He worked for the past five years as a restaurant inspector for the San Bernardino County Health Department. The Los Angeles Times reported that co-workers said he was a devout Muslim but rarely discussed his religion.
He and Malik were recently married and had a six-month-old baby, who they dropped off at its grandmother's house before the attack.
On Wednesday, Farook and his colleagues were attending a holiday party at the Inland Regional Center.
Co-worker Patrick Baccari said he was sitting at the same table as Farook before he abruptly left, leaving his coat.
Wearing military-style clothing and armed with assault rifles and semi-automatic handguns, Farook returned with Malik a short time later to open fire.
When the shooting started, Mr Baccari took refuge in a bathroom and was hurt when shrapnel sliced through the wall.
"If I hadn't been in the bathroom, I'd probably be laying dead on the floor," he said. | The husband and wife who killed 14 people and wounded 21 at California's social services centre had an arsenal of weaponry in their home, police say. |
34,971,637 | Japan says its whaling programme is for scientific research - one of the exceptions in which whaling is allowed under international rules.
But in 2014 the International Court of Justice (ICJ) said its Antarctic hunt was not scientific and should cease.
Activists say the programme is inhumane and unsustainable.
Japan insists it is trying to prove the whale population is large enough to justify a return to whaling for commercial purposes, and says it has to kills the mammals to carry out its research.
In the 2014/2015 season Japan said it would respect the ICJ's decision and did not catch any whales in the Antarctic, although it did go ahead with a smaller hunt in the Pacific.
Japan's Fisheries Agency said on Monday that it has taken into account the ICJ's ruling and this year aims to catch only 333 Antarctic minke whales - about one-third of previous targets.
Several nations, including Australia, which brought the ICJ case against Japan, have voiced their dismay at the resumption of the hunts, as have environmental activists.
"It's not scientific research, it's straight-up commercial whaling, and it's been declared illegal by the International Court of Justice," Nathaniel Pelle from Greenpeace Australia told the AFP news agency.
An 8,000 tonne ship - the Nisshin Maru - and three smaller harpoon ships departed from Shimonoseki in south-western Japan.
Tomoaki Nakao, the mayor of Shimonoseki, was wholeheartedly behind the resumption.
"There's nothing as happy as this day," he said at a ceremony for the fleet's crew before they set sail.
The hunt itself will run from late December until March next year, according to Japan's Fisheries Agency. The decision to resume was announced just days before Tuesday's sailing.
The International Whaling Commission (IWC) that regulates the industry, agreed a pause - commonly now known as the moratorium - on whaling, to begin from the 1985/6 season. Japan agreed to the moratorium but has since continued whaling under the scientific research exemption.
Some other whaling nations, for example Norway, continue having simply lodged formal objections to the moratorium. While indigenous groups that whale are permitted under an "Aboriginal subsistence" exemption. | Japanese whaling ships have departed for the Antarctic hunt, resuming the programme after a year, despite international opposition. |
31,287,937 | It is the kind of story that feels like it's a sign of the times in the wake of the Paris attacks and heightened concern among British security chiefs for the safety of Jewish communities here.
In the UK, all the statistics for religiously motivated hate crime have been moving in the wrong direction.
Last week's figures from the Community Security Trust, an expert body monitoring anti-Semitism in the UK, make grim and record-breaking reading.
Anti-Semitic incidents more than doubled to 1,168 in 2014, the highest figure since the trust began monitoring in 1984. The previous year had been the lowest on record.
There were 314 incidents in July alone - the highest recorded in a single month.
Hate crime tends to be driven by "trigger" events - and last summer's trigger for anti-Semitism was the conflict in Gaza.
The CST said that almost half of the offenders made reference to Gaza or Palestinians during the incidents it recorded in July and August.
It can be really difficult to identify the perpetrator. In those incidents where the victim could do so, the CST figures reveal a number of perpetrators of either a South Asian, Arab or North African appearance.
Decades ago, the British extreme far right and fascism were the forces behind anti-Semitism.
But on the face of it, the figures are now pointing to widespread anti-Jewish feelings among some Muslims in Britain.
This analysis is shared by many leading progressive Muslim thinkers.
But what these thinkers also point out is that the rise in attacks against Britain's Jews mirrors the trend for Muslims themselves - and the two communities need to make common cause.
Police recorded 44,500 hate crimes in England and Wales during 2013-14. That was up 5% on the previous year across race, religion, sexual orientation, disability and transgender - the five key measures that feature in national figures.
Some of that rise has been attributed to better reporting of existing levels of hate.
But a further breakdown indicates there was a 45% jump in religiously motivated incidents to 2,300 - and that appears to have been largely down to more anti-Muslim incidents following the jihadist murder of Fusilier Lee Rigby in Woolwich.
In London, the home of the largest numbers of British Jews and Muslims, police recorded 358 anti-Semitic crimes in 2014 and 611 anti-Muslim crimes.
While the trigger for anti-Semitism comes down to haters blaming Britain's Jews for something they don't like about Israel, the mirror trigger for anti-Muslim crimes is yet another group of haters blaming Muslims for things that al-Qaeda inspired extremists have done.
So how do you go about tackling this stuff?
The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Anti-Semitism's (APPG) latest report calls for internet "Asbos" to ban them from using social media to spread hate.
It also wants the government to fund the security of synagogues and to review what's being done to improve interfaith relations.
What will come of the first two remains to be seen - but on the interfaith issue, there is some hope.
Tell Mama is a Muslim hate crime initiative that is closely modelled on the Community Security Trust and is backing the APPG's calls for social media Asbos because, quite simply, both communities are victims of hate crime.
It wants more British Muslims to recognise and speak out about anti-Semitism because it is morally objectionable to suggest that one form of hate crime is worse than another.
That view is shared by a host of individuals and small unnoticed organisations that work hard to improve understandings between the two faiths.
A fortnight ago, two leading progressive British Muslims, Sughra Ahmed of the Islamic Society of Britain and Dilwar Hussain of New Horizons in British Islam, spoke eloquently in a north London synagogue about the sorrow and pain they felt over Paris.
And - who'd have thought it - a synagogue in Bradford has even appointed a Muslim to its ruling body. | Last week there was a report in the French press that an Israeli salon was marketing a discreet hair-based kippa - the small cap worn as a visible symbol of Jewish faith - to European Jews who don't want to be that visible any more. |
32,625,817 | Dunne, 32, came through the south London club's academy and made a total of 388 appearances for the Lions, scoring 23 goals.
Carlos Edwards, Ricardo Fuller, Danny Shittu and Martyn Woolford are among the 17 other players leaving The Den.
Harris will offer new deals to Jimmy Abdou and John Marquis.
On the departure of Dunne, Millwall chairman John Berylson told the club website: "It is always sad when a member of your family who has lived with you for a long time leaves home.
"He has written his own chapter in Millwall's history and he will always be very welcome whenever he returns.
"While Alan will continue his playing career elsewhere, it would not surprise me to see him back here in some capacity further down the line."
Senior players Nicky Bailey, Matthew Briggs, Richard Chaplow, Magaye Gueye, Justin Hoyte, Stefan Maierhofer and Angel Martinez have all been deemed surplus to requirements by Harris, who was appointed boss last week following a spell in interim charge.
Youngsters Dylan Casey, Sofiane El-Bekri, Denzel Gerrar, Jake Goodman, Josh Siafa and Callum Webb will also depart the club.
Edwards, 36, has been sidelined with a serious knee injury since September but has been offered the chance to continue his rehabilitation with the Lions. | Long-serving defender Alan Dunne is one of 18 players released by Millwall boss Neil Harris following their relegation from the Championship. |
36,660,103 | He died in Nashville on Tuesday after several months of poor health.
He is credited with helping Elvis shape his musical sound and inspired generations of guitarists.
Moore was the last survivor of Elvis's original band which included Presley, bassist Bill Black and producer Sam Phillips.
As part of The Blue Moon Boys Moore backed Presley on many of his legendary songs including Heartbreak Hotel, Blue Suede Shoes and Jailhouse Rock.
Keith Richards from The Rolling Stones was one of those inspired by Moore. He once said: "When I heard Heartbreak Hotel, I knew what I wanted to do in life.
"It was as plain as day. All I wanted to do in the world was to be able to play and sound like that. Everyone else wanted to be Elvis, I wanted to be Scotty."
Born in Tennessee, Moore began playing guitar at the age of eight.
After a spell in the US Navy he turned to music and in 1954 while living and working in Memphis, he formed the country band The Starlite Wranglers, with Black.
That same year Phillips at Sun Records put him together with a young singer he had auditioned - Elvis Presley.
They worked together for 14 years and Moore was Presley's first manager.
Moore also had a long working relationship with his friend Carl Perkins and also worked with artists including Ringo Starr, Keith Richards, Jeff Beck and Ronnie Wood.
He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000 and in 2015 he was placed at number 29 in Rolling Stone's 100 greatest guitarists list.
Fellow musicians have been paying tribute, with Billy Idol tweeting: "Not many guitarists in R&R were as original and as inventive as Scotty Moore RIP."
Billy Ray Cyrus tweeted: "RIP Scotty Moore. You will be deeply missed. One thing's for sure... the King is rockin' in Heaven tonight!!"
While Richard Hawley posted on Instagram: "Thank you, thank you, thank you Scotty for shaping my universe. What a beautiful noise you made. I hope the train isn't a mystery anymore. Bless you dearest and greatest of guitar players."
Matt Ross-Spang, an engineer at Sun Studios, posted on Instagram Moore was "the guitarist that changed the world".
Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram at bbcnewsents, or email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk. | Pioneering rock guitarist Scotty Moore, who was a member of Elvis Presley's original band, has died aged 84. |
36,357,212 | Steve Hilton, who was one of the PM's closest aides, attacked Brussels' "statism, corporatism and bureaucracy".
In an article for the Daily Mail, he said the PM's "relatively modest" reform demands had received "arrogant and dismissive treatment".
Mr Cameron said evidence was more important than people's opinions.
Live: Follow the latest EU referendum debate
The PM was asked about Mr Hilton's comments as he unveiled a new Treasury report warning a vote to leave the EU could trigger a recession.
He said "everyone is entitled to their opinion" but added that the "evidence" he was presenting was "far more important than the view of one person or another person".
The Treasury report marks the latest in a series of warnings about the economic consequences of leaving, including from the Bank of England and the IMF.
In his article, Mr Hilton said "establishment stooges" were being "wheeled out to attempt to persuade us to stay".
He said "no-one really knows" what the economic impact would be, adding: "It's clearly ridiculous to claim that it's settled in either direction; there are risks whatever we do."
How far the UK has the ability to make its own laws and decide how it is governed.
Mr Hilton, who left Downing Street in 2012 for a post at Stanford University in the US, was one of the driving forces behind Mr Cameron's flagship "Big Society" project.
He said the EU had "become so complicated, so secretive, so impenetrable that it's way beyond the ability of any British government to make it work to our advantage".
After a "pragmatic, non-ideological assessment", he said he had decided: "Membership of the EU makes Britain literally ungovernable, in the sense that no administration elected by the people can govern the country."
Leaving the EU would allow the UK to "regain control over our country's destiny" he said, claiming the EU was not interested in anything other than "superficial change".
In other EU referendum news, a prominent Conservative MP and EU exit backer accused her fellow Leave campaigners of handing out "deliberately misleading leaflets about the NHS".
Sarah Wollaston, who chairs the Commons Health Select Committee, said the "current preoccupation with exploiting the NHS" was a "cynical distortion which undermines the credibility of their other arguments".
Vote Leave has said it is standing by its claim that leaving the European Union could save Britain £350m a week, money is says could instead be pumped into the NHS.
The UK Statistics Authority has called the £350m figure "potentially misleading". | David Cameron's former director of strategy has called for a vote to leave the EU, saying membership "makes Britain literally ungovernable". |
37,751,408 | The body of Aiden Webb, 22, from Norfolk, was found six days after he set off alone for the climb in June.
Girlfriend Bluebell Baughan had begged him to get help via a series of text and Facebook messages after he got lost on Mount Fansipan, an inquest heard.
Coroner Yvonne Blake recorded an open verdict into Mr Webb's death.
A hearing in Norwich was told Ms Baughan, who was also staying in Vietnam at the time, was in contact by phone after Mr Webb slipped and became hurt.
She said Mr Webb got lost, slipped, then cut his bicep on a rock and hurt his knee, after being forced off the main trail due to a landslide.
More updates on this story and other Norfolk news
Ms Baughan said he initially refused her pleas to let her call the authorities for help.
She became "very fraught", she said, as they realised he had missed the last cable car and had to stay the night dressed just in shorts.
In a series of messages, Mr Webb told how he had "got extremely lost", then later told her: "I am going to get pneumonia. I can't stop shivering."
He had also messaged to say: "I've just had a huge rock land on my arm. I need stitches or glue."
Mr Webb later said he would set off back down the mountain, and in his last text at 06.18 asked Ms Baughan to finally raise the alarm, but her reply failed to get through.
His body was eventually found in a stream down a ravine.
Local police concluded he had drowned while unconscious after falling into water.
A post-mortem examination was carried out in the UK after his parents asked for it not to be undertaken in Vietnam.
But Ms Blake said the medical cause of Mr Webb's death was "unascertained as he was embalmed".
Parents Simone Taylor and Trever Webb said in a written statement: "Aiden was such a joy to be around.
"We're incredibly close as a family and feel privileged to have been his parents." | A backpacker has described the moment she lost contact with her rock climber boyfriend - who died during an attempt to scale Vietnam's tallest mountain. |
33,364,846 | The 23-year-old, who has moved from Cardiff City, has 24 caps as a international footballer.
She was in the Wales netball team at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014, but recently admitted that trying to play both sports had caused issues.
"There has been some turbulence," she said in a statement on Twitter.
Jones, who played in defence for netball Superleague side Celtic Dragons, highlighted that a clash between domestic netball training and an international football fixture in April had resulted in her being left out of the initial World Cup squad.
She later turned down the chance to return to the squad following the Europe Open Championships in May.
In her statement, Jones continued: "At that point I don't believe the terms put forward were appropriate, and the relationship in place would not have been of benefit to a team going forward to a major championship.
"Many congratulations to the 12 who have made the World Cup squad. I wish the girls all the best for Sydney and look forward to tracking their progress on the world stage."
Reading are currently top of WSL 2, the second-tier of the English game. | Wales dual sport international Nia Jones has joined Women's Super League 2 side Reading after being overlooked for next month's Netball World Cup. |
34,882,717 | The Met Office said ice would be a "hazard" on Saturday morning and likely to cause travel disruption.
Snow has also been falling across parts of Wales. It follows a yellow "be aware" warning for wind around Wales which was issued on Friday.
On Tuesday, Storm Barney left more than 7,500 homes and business across the country without power. | A warning to commuters about "difficult driving conditions" due to ice on the roads has passed. |
39,122,752 | The workers are long gone but the debate about the pension mess that was left behind and the corporate culture which let it all happen has carried on.
Sir Philip was vilified by public and politicians alike as a mascot for corporate greed and he featured as a bogeyman in speeches by the prime minister.
Throughout, Sir Philip promised to "sort", in his words, the pension problem.
Those close to him were confident he would make good on that and today he did improve the lot of the pensioners.
Although this settlement was described as voluntary, he was being vigorously pursued by the Pensions Regulator and faced months or even years more in dispute.
The regulator will see this as establishing an important precedent for getting former owners to pay up when pension schemes go bad.
He has not enjoyed the last three years one bit and has not said anything publicly today.
Privately he says he wants to return to being a private businessman.
In truth, he was never really that, he was not shy about living the high life quite publicly.
According to the Sunday Times Rich List this sum represents just over 10% of his net worth.
His reputation and his knighthood were probably worth that to him. Whether he can hang on to either is still not - in his words - "sorted". | The BHS flagship store on Oxford Street is still boarded up. |
35,050,770 | Nicholas Hankin, of Gwenfro Community Primary School, Caia Park, was suspended on 2 December.
His solicitor, Tudor Williams, said Mr Hankin had been teaching for 20 years, had an "umblemished record" and was being "scapegoated".
A Wrexham council spokeswoman said they were unable to comment. North Wales Police is investigating.
Auditors have been called in to examine the school's accounts.
Mr Hankin was appointed head teacher earlier this year after serving as head at Brymbo primary school. | A head teacher from Wrexham has been suspended after allegations that money was unaccounted for at his school. |
37,927,470 | He is half Scottish; he owns two Scottish golf courses and was involved in a long-running legal battle over wind turbines off the Scottish coast.
This is a man who gave evidence at Holyrood slamming the Scottish government's environmental policies, and engaged in a furious feud with former first minister Alex Salmond.
Even in Presidential campaign mode, Mr Trump's first foreign trip as Republican nominee was to Scotland to his refurbished Trump Turnberry resort.
It's fair to say he hasn't made many friends at Holyrood; every party leader has spoken out against him, and they fairly uniformly backed his rival Hillary Clinton.
Here, I look at President-elect Trump's relationship with Scotland over the years.
The 45th President is the (extremely) proud owner of two Scottish golf courses, at Menie and Trump Turnberry.
The Aberdeenshire course was the subject of years of controversy after clashes with local residents, environmental agencies, wind farm manufacturers and council leaders.
The Scottish government stepped in to give the green light to the scheme, deciding it was a project of national importance, and when it eventually opened in 2012 Mr Trump said it was "the greatest golf course anywhere in the world".
But the businessman was infuriated by plans for a wind farm off the coast within view of the course, fighting the decision all the way through to the UK Supreme Court.
Then in April 2014 Mr Trump bought Turnberry, one of Scotland's most famous golf courses.
Never short on a rhetorical flourish, Mr Trump also suggested the new championship course might be "the world's best"; "the greatest canvas in all of golf".
The President-elect was later accused of "blackmail" when he threatened to withhold £700m of investment from the two courses during a campaign to have him banned from entering the UK.
Donald Trump appeared before Holyrood's economy, energy and environment committee in April 2012 as part of a probe into the Scottish government's green targets.
The day got off to a telling start when a protestor outside the Scottish Parliament attempted to attach a balloon to the businessman's famous barnet.
Inside, perhaps the most infamous exchange saw SNP member Chic Brodie ask Mr Trump if he had any evidence to support his claims about tourism, drawing the response: "I am the evidence".
He also offered MSPs a stark image of a UK without wind farm subsidies: "Scotland, if you pursue this goal of having these monsters all over Scotland, Scotland will go broke. As sure as you are sitting there, Scotland will go broke."
On the whole, Mr Trump didn't offer a ringing endorsement of the Scottish government's policies. "From a practical standpoint, I think that your CO2 targets are absolutely ridiculous," he said.
"Here you are, destroying the financial wellbeing of Scotland to meet phoney and totally random CO2 targets, and a country that is making your turbines - by the way, China loves making turbines for Scotland and getting Scotland to pay it a lot of money - is doing so much damage to the atmosphere that there is nothing at all that you can do to bring it back through your so-called wind initiative."
Mr Trump and his team clashed in particular with Green MSP Patrick Harvie, who was subsequently terrifically proud to have been the subject of a complaint from the billionaire. Hard feelings clearly remain, with Mr Harvie dismissing the newly-elected President as "an arrogant and racist bully".
The committee session closed with convener Murdo Fraser asking Mr Trump if he had thought of putting in an offer to buy Rangers Football Club.
"Can I tell you that I may be thinking about it" Mr Trump replied, to laughter.
Despite a growing rift with its politicians, Mr Trump continued to take a keen interest in Scotland's politics.
On the eve of the Scottish independence referendum in 2014, he tweeted "good luck" to the people of Scotland, "whatever their decision may be".
"The whole world is watching - really exciting!"
The day after the No vote, he said it was "a great decision". And while he said he looked forward to a round of golf with the then-first minister, he opined that "if Alex Salmond had not pushed ugly wind turbines all over Scotland, the vote would have been much better for him!"
And in January 2015, following the collapse in the price of oil, Mr Trump was back on Twitter to opine that "If Scotland would have gone independent predicated on $100 - $150 oil, they would now be bust!"
He also touched down in Scotland during his Presidential campaign, in the hours after the Brexit referendum. Shortly before stepping on Trump Turnberry soil, the billionaire tweeted that the "place is going wild over the vote".
"They took their country back, just like we will take America back. No games!"
Mr Trump's tumultuous relationship with Scotland is perhaps summed up by that with its former first minister, Alex Salmond.
There were happier times; the pair were pictured grinning together in New York, where they dined out as part of the GlobalScot business ambassador programme which the American was later ejected from by Mr Salmond's successor Nicola Sturgeon.
Their long-running feud stemmed from the controversy over the Menie golf course and the wind farm lawsuits; Mr Trump spent several years trolling Mr Salmond about "disgusting and inappropriate" wind farms via the medium of Twitter.
He also took to social media to criticise Mr Salmond for the decision to release Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi. He claimed Mr Salmond had sought his support for the move; "I said 'no way!'"
At one point in 2013 Mr Trump said the then-first minister "may be the dumbest leader of the free world", before the following year retreating somewhat: "I have to admit Alex Salmond is a tough, smart guy".
Things came to a head late in 2015, when Mr Salmond described Mr Trump as a "three-time loser" who was having a "damaging impact" on the Scottish economy by "condemning" Turnberry to "Open Championship oblivion".
Mr Trump shot back that the former first minister was "a has-been and totally irrelevant", adding: "Does anyone care what this man thinks?
"He should go back to doing what he does best - unveiling pompous portraits of himself that pander to his already overinflated ego."
Mr Salmond responded by attempting to call out "Chicken Donald" on his weekly radio chat show. Disappointingly, the President-elect never found the time to call in, but did issue a statement describing the SNP MP as "an embarrassment to Scotland".
The Trump Presidential campaign featured repeatedly during the Scottish Parliament elections of 2016, with candidates quizzed on the topic by authorities ranging from BBC politics correspondent Glenn Campbell to funnyman Gary: Tank Commander.
None of the Scottish politicians seemed particularly convinced that Mr Trump could triumph.
Nicola Sturgeon - who stripped Mr Trump of his GlobalScot status over his comments about Muslims - said in March that if President Trump came calling, she would be "on the other line". Willie Rennie said he would say "get off my phone".
Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson said: "I think if Donald Trump phoned me my question would be 'can I have fries with that', because I don't think he'll have a job because I don't think he'll be President of the United States. I have too much faith in the people of the United States to ever let that man near the White House."
Not to be outdone, Kezia Dugdale told Gary that Mr Trump was an "arse", later urging him to "stop preaching hate".
Only UKIP Scotland leader David Coburn offered Mr Trump a ray of hope during the Holyrood leaders debate, by saying he would invite him for a round of golf. But then, he also described a Trump presidency as a "terrifying prospect" which "makes Dr Strangelove, the movie about nuclear war, seem more like fact than fiction".
Mr Coburn has subsequently voiced confidence that Mr Trump will make "a great President", while Ms Sturgeon has congratulated him on his win. | Donald Trump, who will become the 45th President of the United States of America, has a strong connection to Scotland. |
35,232,388 | It is believed the bikes were driven onto Notts. Golf Club, also known as Hollinwell, on Sunday afternoon.
Members have estimated there are "ditches" up to nine inches (23cm) deep across the green.
Captain Stewart England said the course - one of the top 100 in England - has had issues with bikes for a long time.
More updates and news from Nottinghamshire
"Two motorbikes, we think, went onto [the] golf course and totally wrecked it," Mr England said. "It's really badly damaged and will cost tens of thousands of pounds to put right.
"The green has - what I would only term as ditches, created by motorcycle rear wheels being spun at such a speed that they've dug into the ground about eight or nine inches.
"It has to be seen to be believed really, the amount of mindless damage that's been caused."
Mr England said the damaged area would be out of action for "probably months".
"It's ranked amongst the top courses and people come from all over the world to play it," Mr England said. "It really is a shame that people can do this sort of damage without any thought."
A Nottinghamshire Police spokesman said: "This matter has been reported to us and we are liaising with the owners of the golf course."
Anyone with any information on the vandalism is asked to contact the force. | Motorbikes have caused damage which will cost "thousands of pounds" to repair at one of Nottinghamshire's most famous golf courses. |
39,586,971 | A statement from the club said the young coach's development over the past 24 months had been "an inspiration to everyone around Cappielow".
Kris Juszczak landed the community coaching job at the club through an employment scheme.
A childrens' holiday camp, which he had been involved with, was cancelled as a mark of respect.
Mr Juszczak had posted a local news article on his Facebook page describing how he landed the job with the club through support from Greenock's Ardgowan Hospice.
He had told how the hospice's Butterfly Project had helped him deal with his grief following the death of his father in 2014.
A support worker had then found him a place on an employment programme. | A Greenock Morton Community football coach has died suddenly at the age of 26. |
38,553,914 | Manx riders Mark Cavendish and Peter Kennaugh have both won national road race titles in recent years.
This year's event will feature the time trials on 22 June and road races three days later.
Director of cycling, Jonny Clay said: "We are thrilled to be returning to the Isle of Man for the biggest date in the British road racing calendar."
He continued: "The island is steeped in cycling heritage, passion and tradition, making it the ideal venue for such a prestigious event".
The Isle of Man narrowly lost out to Stockton-on-Tees in a bid to host the event last year.
Their successful bid for 2017 was jointly put together by Manx International Cycling and the Department of Economic Development.
The island's chief minister Howard Quayle said it will be a "wonderful opportunity to welcome some of the world's best cyclists."
And Isle of Man Cycling Association chairman Richard Fletcher said the island will provide the "perfect backdrop for the event".
Other previous winners of British national titles include Sir Bradley Wiggins and Laura Kenny. | The Isle of Man has been chosen to host the 2017 British Cycling National Road Championships. |
21,615,806 | Aid has bought HMV's six shops in Hong Kong, two shops in Singapore and branding rights in China, Macau and Taiwan, the administrators said.
No details have been given of how much Aid has paid for the business, which generates annual sales of more than 300m Hong Kong dollars ($39m; £25m).
Aid Partners is a Hong Kong-based firm that specialises in investing in China.
"We are delighted to have completed the sale of HMV's Asian business and wish Aid Partners and the HMV Asia team every success for the future in developing this iconic brand further," said joint administrator Rob Harding.
HMV went into administration on 15 January.
It has so far announced the closure of 103 of its 219 shops in the UK.
The administrators say they are hoping to keep a smaller, restructured group operating as a going concern. | The administrators of HMV, Deloitte, have sold its business in Asia to private equity firm Aid Partners. |
37,204,806 | Having won easily at the Ageas Bowl on Wednesday, England reduced the tourists to 2-3 courtesy of impressive new-ball spells from Mark Wood and Chris Woakes.
Sarfraz Ahmed scored a superb 105 and Imad Wasim struck 63 not out to salvage a competitive total of 251.
But Joe Root's 89 and 68 from captain Eoin Morgan helped England to a four-wicket win with 15 balls to spare.
England's victory is their first in an ODI at Lord's since 2012, having lost their previous three at the ground.
They have now won 10 of the past 11 ODIs against Pakistan, and take a 12-8 advantage in the 'super series' to Trent Bridge for the third game of the five-match series.
Despite the green wicket at Lord's, Pakistan captain Azhar Ali opted to bat first after winning the toss.
It would quickly prove to be a terrible decision as Woakes and Wood tore into the tourists' top order.
Sarfraz joined the game with his side in dire straits but produced a classy innings to become the first Pakistan player to score a one-day century at Lord's.
With a strike-rate of 80.76 his was a constrained innings by modern one-day standards but a crucial contribution for his side to avoid embarrassment.
Pakistan are almost playing cricket in the '90s or early 2000s
The wicketkeeper-batsman was the constant in three 50-plus partnerships with Babar Azam (30), Shoaib Malik (28) and Imad to take his side past 200.
Shortly after reaching his century he survived being given out lbw when a review showed Plunkett's off-cutter was missing leg stump.
But soon after, in trying to accelerate the scoring towards the end of the innings, he swept an Adil Rashid ball straight to Alex Hales at deep mid-wicket.
This left Imad, who hit cleanly to pass 50 but regularly lost partners, including Wahab Riaz to a superb one-handed diving catch from Plunkett.
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Imad was last man standing when Wood and Woakes returned to add a third wicket each to their haul and help dismiss Pakistan with a ball to spare.
The innings did little to dismiss criticism that Pakistan have failed to adapt to what is now a big-hitting, fast-scoring limited overs game.
Indeed, their total was just six more than West Indies managed in their Twenty20 against India in Florida on Saturday.
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England briefly threatened to replicate Pakistan's start when Jason Roy played on to Mohammad Amir off the second ball of the chase.
Alex Hales' poor recent form continued as he was bowled attempting a slog-sweep off spinner Imad to leave the home side vulnerable at 35-2.
But in Root and Morgan, England have two players whose temperament is matched by their ability and inventiveness to find run-scoring gaps in the field.
They took the game away from Pakistan, adding 112 together, during which Root became the 11th England player to score four consecutive ODI fifties and Morgan reached his first half-century in 13 innings.
After Morgan was bowled by Imad, Ben Stokes scored a typically rapid 42 from 30 balls to strengthen England's position so that even his dismissal and the subsequent loss of Buttler and Root could not prevent an England victory.
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England captain Eoin Morgan: "It was a clinical performance from the boys. It probably only did a bit for the first few overs but we made it count with early wickets. Mark Wood is bowling really well at the moment.
"It is great to get some runs and contribute to a win. It is important that we don't take the position we find ourselves for granted. We have important games on Tuesday and Thursday and we need to build on the progress we've made."
Man of the match Joe Root: "Credit to the bowlers today - they were outstanding, especially first up. To set the tone like that was brilliant.
"You are always striving for perfection. Both times this series we have chased and known what we need to do and we have gone out and done it. Good teams find ways of winning."
Pakistan captain Azhar Ali: "We bat deep and have good bowling options. The guys coming in are suited to the new style of one-day game. We can take a lot of positives from this game." | England produced another polished display to beat Pakistan at Lord's and take a 2-0 lead in the one-day series. |
33,279,888 | Karenzi Karake, 54, the head of Rwanda's intelligence services, was due to meet Alex Younger on 18 June.
But the meeting was cancelled at the last moment, according to sources. The general was arrested two days later.
Gen Karake has been granted £1m bail by Westminster magistrates ahead of a full extradition hearing in October.
Gen Karake appeared in court on Thursday wearing a green and yellow jumpsuit. He has been held since Saturday at Belmarsh high security prison in east London.
Lawyers acting for him, including Cherie Booth QC, made it clear they believe the charges against him are politically motivated.
He was arrested at Heathrow airport on Saturday under a European Arrest Warrant on behalf of authorities in Spain.
Gen Karake is accused by Spain of ordering massacres in Rwanda in the wake of the 1994 genocide there.
Whitehall sources neither confirmed nor denied details of MI6's engagement with Gen Karake.
Nick Hopkins, BBC Newsnight's investigations correspondent, said the claim that Gen Karake had been due to meet Britain's most senior intelligence official was embarrassing for the British government.
He said the Rwandans "feel such a sense of betrayal over all this".
"One of the things that became clear at the [court] hearing is that Karake's lawyers will be relying on the fact that he should have had diplomatic immunity - he was here on official business," our correspondent said.
"So I am sure that they will be seeking from the Foreign Office some kind of confirmation that he was here to see his counterpart." | The Rwandan spy chief arrested in the UK over alleged war crimes had travelled to London to meet the head of MI6, sources have told BBC Newsnight. |
40,097,003 | It's been the five live semi-finals this week and, for the first time in the show's history, the judges didn't have the power to vote!
The grand final is on Saturday night. It was moved from Sunday, so it wouldn't clash with Ariana Grande's Manchester benefit concert.
Let's take a look at the finalists...
Comedian Daliso Chaponda made judge Amanda Holden laugh so much in his first audition that she just had to press the Golden Buzzer.
He's had a standing ovation from the judges and Simon Cowell thinks he's one of the funniest people BGT's ever had on!
The choir is formed of friends and families who have experienced someone they love going missing, as well as staff and volunteers from the Missing People charity.
In the semi-final the choir gave an emotional rendition of the song Wings, with pictures of those missing on the screen.
There wasn't a dry eye in the house as the choir delivered their message of hope.
The Pensionalities are Henry, 84, and Malcolm, 75. They come from Doncaster.
The friends have been singing together for the past five years, and say they've never had a cross word with each other!
The duo sang a big band version of One Direction's History in their semi-final - and topped the public vote.
After their performance, they joked to Ant and Dec that they had all this to come. Henry advised them: "Keep your good looks as long as you can - like we have!"
Dance act MerseyGirls have gone through after coming second in the fourth semi-final.
They're all aged 14-17 and are best friends who've grown up together.
Julia has a condition called scoliosis, which means her spine is curved. She needs surgery and she's worried she may not be able to dance afterwards.
But their audition impressed Alesha Dixon so much, she pressed her golden buzzer for them!
Thirty-two-year-old pianist Tokio received the most votes from the public in semi-final three.
He said he'd like to work with singer Sarah Ikumu, who was Simon Cowell's golden buzzer act, in the future.
He's previously supported artists like Kanye West.
Look out for some different song choices from Tokio in the final.
Nine-year-old Ned is known for making quite harsh jokes!
He says the easiest judge to think of jokes about is Amanda Holden.
Ned's been trying to make people laugh since he was six years old.
Eight-year-old magician Issy got the most votes from the public in the second semi-final.
She sometimes practises on her grandpa, who's a professional magician.
Issy says she's going to get her brother involved in her final performance.
We can't wait to see what she's got up her sleeve!
Magician Matt is 34 years old and from Suffolk.
He got the golden buzzer from Ant and Dec, which took him straight to the live semi-finals.
Matt performs at places like holiday camps, and has previously worked with last year's BGT winner Richard Jones and Brendan Sheerin from Coach Trip.
Fifteen-year-old Kyle from Sheffield auditioned for Britain's Got Talent three years ago and was rejected by judge David Walliams.
Kyle got some singing lessons and, this time, David used the last golden buzzer of the series to send him straight through to the semi-finals.
The judges and audience gave him a standing ovation after his latest performance of Adele's When We Were Young.
He says he thinks he'll sing Christina Perri's A Thousand Years in the final.
The magic double act DNA are made up of friends Andrew, aged 43, and Darren, aged 29, from Essex.
They worked as solo magicians before getting together.
In their audition act, they appeared to work out exactly what Amanda Holden and Simon Cowell were thinking!
After the semi-finals are over, judges Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and David Walliams will be able to pick one more act to send through as a wildcard! | From singing robots to Bollywood dancers, child choirs to mad magicians - it can only be Britain's Got Talent. |
33,580,151 | The death of logistics specialist Randall Smith brings to five the number of people killed by gunman Mohammad Youssuf Abdulazeez. The other four victims were US marines.
Abdulazeez was himself later killed in a shootout with police.
The FBI has said his motives for the shooting were unclear.
However, it says it has found no evidence that he was carrying out an international terror plot.
Abdulazeez first fired shots at a recruitment centre in Chattanooga, then drove about six miles (10km) to a Navy and Marine reserve centre, where he shot and killed the marines, and wounded Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Smith.
"A male Navy Petty Officer succumbed to wounds received in the July 16 shooting at the Navy Operational Support Center (NOSC) in Chattanooga, Tennessee" on Saturday at 02:17 local time (06:17 GMT), the US Navy said in a statement.
It did not name the sailor, but family members confirmed it was Randall Smith.
A relative told the US military newspaper Stars and Stripes that She said Smith was married with three young daughters. | A US sailor has died from wounds sustained in an attack on military buildings in Chattanooga, Tennessee, two days ago, the US Navy says. |
34,115,026 | The 32-year-old Argentine was released by the Magpies this summer after his contract expired.
Deportivo said the deal is subject to Gutierrez, who returned to action in March after recovering from testicular cancer, passing his medical.
Gutierrez scored 12 goals in 205 appearances for Newcastle after joining from Mallorca in 2008.
He criticised the Magpies' hierarchy after leaving St James' Park, saying they made him feel like they "didn't care" after releasing him in a phone call.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | Former Newcastle midfielder Jonas Gutierrez has agreed a move to Spanish top-flight side Deportivo La Coruna. |
35,120,121 | Brand, who has appeared on television shows including QI and Have I Got News For You, had a previous career as a psychiatric nurse.
She said she was "delighted" to be given the doctorate from the university.
The ceremony will take place at Symphony Hall on 12 January.
Brand said: "I do thank the university for this recognition. Birmingham is one of my favourite places to perform because the audiences are always so friendly and they laugh a lot."
Updates on this story and more from Birmingham | Comedian Jo Brand is to receive an honorary doctorate from Birmingham City University, for her work in raising awareness about mental health. |
35,950,167 | The man was arrested in Strabane, County Tyrone, on Friday morning.
Police said he had been released unconditionally. | A 25-year-old man who was arrested in connection with violent dissident republican activity has been released. |
35,139,147 | The home side started brightly and were rewarded as Liam McAlinden diverted Jordan Clark's shot into the net.
David Ball had a great chance to level for the visitors before half-time but goalkeeper Mark Halstead denied him brilliantly.
With time running out Hunter expertly blasted past Halstead as the game ended in a draw.
Shrewsbury Town manager Micky Mellon told BBC Radio Shropshire:
"It was extremely difficult conditions for both teams to play any sort of attacking football - but on the balance of chances we'll be pleased with a point.
"It was a catalogue of errors from us in the lead up to the equaliser - and it's disappointing for us to concede so late on in the game.
"We wanted to see through the result as we move on to Monday, but the important thing is that we haven't lost the game today against our rivals." | Substitute Ashley Hunter's late strike helped Fleetwood earn a vital point against fellow strugglers Shrewsbury. |
35,559,457 | Work on the Backhill Tunnel, which has been shut to the public for many years, will begin in the summer.
It is hoped it will reduce the number of vehicles on nearby roads and help to encourage economic development in the area.
Oxfordshire County Council said the work will take about four months.
Councillor David Nimmo Smith, cabinet member for transport, said there were also plans to create 16,000 additional homes and 20,000 jobs in the area by 2031.
He added: "8,500 of these jobs will be provided at Harwell Oxford and Milton Park as part of the Enterprise Zone." | A disused rail tunnel is to undergo a £1.4m revamp to provide pedestrians and cyclists a link between Didcot and Milton Park. |
35,479,009 | Munashe Charles Kutyauripo, known as Charlie, was attacked at Ashton Playing Fields following his friend's party at Woodford social club on Saturday 9 January.
He was taken to hospital but died from a stab wound to the chest.
The 16-year-old charged with his murder will appear at Willesden Youth Court on Wednesday. | A teenager has been charged with murdering a 16-year-old who was stabbed after a birthday party in east London. |
35,947,669 | Posh's play-off hopes were ruined by a recent run of six defeats in seven games, leaving them down in 14th.
"We owe our fans," Westley, 48, told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire. "They need to watch football that's fast, flowing, attractive and with purpose.
"The goals are starting to flow, which is positive."
Despite slipping 13 points adrift of the play-off places with eight matches to play, Westley's side have won each of their last two games and are the joint top scorers in the league.
"We've got a sense of responsibility to the football club to give people what they've paid for," said Westley. "Our fans have bought season tickets to watch our team playing and winning at home.
"Everyone needs to be aware that we are intent on going on a little run ourselves. We've got the chance to win some respect back."
Posh can extend their winning run to three games with victory against a Crewe Alexandra side without a win in 10 fixtures.
"Games against lower teams are dangerous this time of year," added Westley. "To win these games you have to estimate the game properly and be ready to go. We'll be ready to go." | Peterborough United boss Graham Westley insists his team have the chance to "win some respect back" towards the end of their League One campaign. |
40,413,219 | The visitors, who resumed on 65-4, found themselves 65-7 with Richard Gleeson (3-33) and Ben Sanderson (3-36) sharing three wickets in 14 balls.
Mathew Pillans (35) and Lewis Hill (38 not out) put on 60 for the ninth wicket to push the total to 157 all out.
Northants closed on 60-3 in their second innings, leading by 164 runs, with Alex Wakely 34 not out.
It represented a recovery for the hosts, who slipped to 12-2 after losing Rob Newton to Dieter Klein for eight and Ben Duckett to Clint McKay for a second-ball duck.
Earlier, Leicestershire lost four wickets in the first 15 overs of the day and were grateful to Pillans and Hill to push the total into three figures, before Muhammad Azharullah (3-52) became the third Northants bowler to take three wickets in the innings. | Northamptonshire remain on top over Leicestershire following two days of their day-night Championship match. |
35,060,035 | The country was "ready to detonate a self-reliant A-bomb and H-bomb", KCNA quoted him as saying.
If true, the development would mark a significant advancement in North Korean nuclear capabilities.
But the claim has not been independently verified and has drawn scepticism from experts.
Mr Kim made the remarks as he inspected a historical military site in the capital Pyongyang.
The work of his grandfather Kim Il-sung had turned North Korea into a "powerful nuclear weapons state ready to detonate a self-reliant A-bomb and H-bomb to reliably defend its sovereignty and the dignity of the nation", he is quoted as saying.
October 2002: North Korea first acknowledges it has a secret nuclear weapons programme
October 2006: The first of three underground nuclear explosions is announced, at a test site called Punggye-ri
May 2009: A month after walking out of international talks on its nuclear programme, North Korea carries out its second underground nuclear test
February 2013: A third nuclear test takes place using what state media calls a "miniaturised and lighter nuclear device"
May 2015: Pyongyang claims to have tested a submarine-launched missile, which are more difficult to detect than conventional devices
While North Korea has made previous claims about its nuclear weapons capabilities this is thought to be its first reference to an H-bomb.
Such devices use fusion to create a blast far more powerful than a more basic atomic bomb.
North Korea has carried out three underground nuclear tests before, but experts cast doubt over the latest suggestions.
John Nilsson-Wright, Head of the Asia Programme at Chatham House, was sceptical, saying it fitted into a previous pattern of bold claims from the North Korean leader.
The comments were likely to be an "attention-grabbing effort to assert North Korean autonomy and his own political authority", he told the BBC.
"It's hard to regard North Korea as possessing an H-bomb," Lee Chun-geun, a research fellow at the Science and Technology Policy Institute in South Korea, told Yonhap.
But he added: "I think it seems to be developing it."
Independent observers are rarely allowed access to the secretive communist state, making verifying the authorities' claims difficult. | North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has appeared to suggest his country possesses a hydrogen bomb, in comments published on state media. |
39,570,625 | James Fewell - known as Bruce - was last seen leaving the Plockton Hotel at about 00:30 on Saturday.
He lives aboard a boat in the village harbour.
Coastguard, RNLI and mountain rescue team members have also been involved in the search for Mr Fewell. He is 6ft 1in tall, slim, with long, dark hair he ties in a pony tail.
He was wearing a blue woollen jumper and a pair of yellow boots. | Police divers have been brought in to search for a 62-year-old man missing from the Plockton area. |
40,584,619 | Named after Angela Carter's last novel, Wise Children will launch with a stage version of that novel that will itself launch the Old Vic's 2018/2019 season.
Rice said the historic venue would be "the perfect first home for my company and for our first production."
The director joined the Globe in 2016 but gave up her post later that year.
Earlier this year Rice wrote an open letter to whomever succeeds her, in which she claimed the board had sought to impose "a new set of rules that I did not sign up to and could not stand by".
It followed a dispute with the theatre's board over her methods, which included reworking Shakespearean texts and using sound and lighting technology.
Rice will leave the Globe following its 2017/18 winter season, after which she will begin work on the two productions her company will stage at the Old Vic.
The Old Vic lies just a short distance up the Thames from the reconstruction of William Shakespeare's 17th Century playhouse.
"I named my new company after Angela Carter's seminal novel, which is set in south London and is a love letter to theatre," said Rice in a statement.
"It makes total narrative and thrilling sense to start the Wise Children journey at The Old Vic."
Matthew Warchus, the Old Vic's artistic director, said he was "thrilled" to make Rice's company its new "company in residence" in the year the theatre marks its bicentenary.
"Emma and all she stands for is symbolic of the optimism and irrepressible spirit that has kept The Old Vic at the forefront of artistic adventure for the last two centuries," he said.
Published in 1991, Wise Children tells of two twin chorus girls, Dora and Nora Chance, whose fortunes become entwined with those of another theatrical family.
Carter, whose other novels include The Magic Toyshop and Nights at the Circus, died the following year of cancer at the age of 51.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk. | Emma Rice is to follow her high-profile departure as the artistic director of Shakespeare's Globe by launching a new theatre company at London's Old Vic. |
30,745,787 | The polls are so close it looks unlikely that either the Conservatives or Labour will win an outright majority and the South East MEP and UKIP leader Nigel Farage says his party could hold the balance of power in May.
I spent the day with Mr Farage in South Thanet for BBC South East Inside Out, where he is standing to be the next MP.
Mr Farage likes to think of himself as a man of the people - different from what he calls the "Westminster elite".
And it's true that not many politicians receive the kind of reception he does as we wander along the High Street in Broadstairs.
A man stops him to ask for his autograph and a woman shouts: "I love you Nigel," to which he quips: "Things are looking up."
Over the past 12 months things have been looking up for UKIP in the polls. So what's behind UKIP's popularity - particularly here in the South East?
Mr Farage tells me: "Westminster may not be that far away by train but actually in terms of culture and in terms of what people talk about it could be 1,000 miles away.
"We see a career professional political class in Westminster just not talking about the same things that ordinary folk are talking about."
The party does seem to have struck a chord, particularly in Kent and Sussex.
UKIP enjoyed electoral success in the European elections - and topped the polls in the local elections in May - pushing the Conservatives into second place.
They're also now the party of opposition on Kent County Council.
A win for Nigel Farage in South Thanet would mean he would finally become an MP at his third attempt. He'd also join UKIP's two existing MPs.
The party made history in October when Douglas Carswell won the Clacton by-election, triggered by his defection from the Conservatives.
His victory was swiftly followed by Mark Reckless' by-election win in November in Rochester and Strood, again sparked by his decision to leave the Tories and join UKIP.
Dr Matthew Goodwin, an associate fellow at Chatham House, who has studied the rise of UKIP says it's no longer a single issue party and its success can't be dismissed as a flash in the pan.
He says: "UKIP is rooted in some very deep, very sharp and growing divisions within British society.
"From the middle classes, those with professional occupations who can adapt to globalisation, who aren't that bothered about immigration and other groups who we call the left behind in British society, who left school at 16, don't have qualifications - who are very anxious over immigration."
But the current MP for South Thanet, Laura Sandys, who is standing down in May, believes Mr Farage's success is down to style over substance and says the party has yet to lay out any serious policies.
She tells me: "I know South Thanet pretty well and the residents, and they need the right people with the right serious ideas to address this country's problems and the problems here in Thanet as well."
The man who believes he has the right ideas to address those problems is Conservative candidate Craig MacKinlay.
He also happens to be a former UKIP party treasurer and thinks UKIP could damage the Conservative's electoral chances by splitting and encouraging a Labour victory.
UKIP may be splitting the vote but so far it hasn't boosted Labour's electoral fortunes in Kent or Sussex, where they currently don't have any MPs.
Labour have been trying to rebuild support in the South East but many say the party has been slow to react to the threat from UKIP.
The Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls says: "It's clearly damaging the Conservatives more, but it's something none of us are complacent about.
"I think come the general election day those UKIP potential voters will come back and see we offer a better alternative [to] another five years of David Cameron."
While Labour and the Tories worry about the UKIP threat. Nigel Farage has had to deal with a number of problems within his own party.
The MEP Godfrey Bloom was forced to resign after he referred to women as sluts. Then, the South East MEP Janice Atkinson had to apologise after she called a Thai constituent a "ting tong" and Nigel Farage had to clarify UKIP's position on NHS funding after he suggested introducing an American-style insurance system.
But why is it that despite sustained negative headlines UKIP's popularity has continued to grow?
"That's the million dollar question - my hunch is that when it comes to UKIP these blue collar, struggling voters who are not feeling the economic recovery are almost prepared to say, 'You know what - I don't care what that candidate has said, right now this is probably the only party that at least is saying it wants to represent my interests,'" says Dr Goodwin.
"I think that is part of Farage's appeal."
Nigel Farage refuses to be drawn on how many seats UKIP could win come May, but tells me: "I'm quietly confident that in this constituency, particularly given, you know, the very strong local team of candidates, that we will win this parliamentary seat and become the biggest party on Thanet District Council."
The South East looks set to be a key battleground in the closest general election for decades.
The big test for Nigel Farage is not just whether he can win in South Thanet but whether UKIP can finally make its breakthrough at a general election.
Watch a full report on BBC Inside Out South East - BBC One on Monday 12 January 19:30 GMT. | It's now less than four months until the general election and campaigning is already under way. |
36,784,681 | Poppi Worthington was found with serious injuries at her home in Barrow, Cumbria, in December 2012.
In January, a judge ruled she had been sexually assaulted by her father, Paul Worthington, who denies any wrongdoing.
He was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault in August 2013.
Reaction to the CPS announcement
Key dates in Poppi Worthington case
A CPS spokesman said: "The CPS has looked at the original decision in this case that there was insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction - as we often do in other cases.
"We have reached the same conclusion."
In a statement released following the announcement, Poppi's mother, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said she was "desperate" to understand more about the police investigation and the events leading up to her daughter's death.
Speaking on her behalf, solicitor Fiona McGhie, said: "She is angry and disappointed with the decision by the Crown Prosecution Service and wishes to be given time and space at this difficult time as we approach the inquest."
Cumbria Police, which is being investigated by the police watchdog, has been criticised over its investigation into the death, after it emerged officers failed to preserve vital items for forensic analysis.
Chief Constable Jerry Graham said the force "deeply regrets" the way the case was handled.
In January, Mr Justice Peter Jackson's ruling was made as part of care proceedings in the family court involving Poppi's siblings.
He concluded the force carried out no "real" investigation into the death of the toddler for nine months, and highlighted a list of basic errors in evidence-gathering.
Speaking after the CPS announced its decision, Mr Graham said the investigation had fallen "below standard".
He said: "I would like to make a full and heartfelt apology to Poppi's family and all those who loved her."
He said the main failings were not preserving potentially relevant evidence from Poppi's home and the length of time it took to interview family and key witnesses.
He also said forensic analysis was not carried out quickly enough and accurate records were not kept.
Prosecutors originally decided there was insufficient evidence "to provide a realistic prospect of conviction", but in January the CPS said it was reviewing the case.
Cumbria police and crime commissioner Peter McCall said: "I am disappointed that despite a re-investigation no criminal charges will be brought.
"The constabulary has let Poppi down as no-one has been brought to justice for her tragic death."
Barrow Labour MP John Woodcock said he was "bitterly disappointed" at the CPS decision and that Cumbria Police's mistakes had "thwarted the chance of ever getting justice for Poppi's death".
A second inquest into the toddler's death is due to take place in the autumn. | There is insufficient evidence to charge a man over the death of his 13-month-old daughter, the CPS has said, months after a judge ruled he had sexually assaulted her. |
40,126,403 | Juventus face Real Madrid in Saturday's sell-out at Cardiff's renamed National Stadium of Wales.
Supt Steve Furnham, from South Wales Police, said automatic facial recognition (AFR) will be used to track known criminals and suspects including touts.
He added the first arrest was made on Wednesday using AFR.
It was announced earlier this year that faces will be scanned at the stadium and Cardiff's central railway station but it was not previously known ticket touts would be on the radar.
"We have a significant intelligence cell set up which is linking to all the forces around the country," Mr Furnham said.
"We've been speaking to colleagues in Spain and Italy with their fans arriving here so there's significant sharing of information going on between all of those areas.
"For example, the automatic facial recognition is brand new to us and we're piloting it here for the first time.
"We're loading up faces of known criminals and people who we suspect commit offences such as ticket touting and that will be utilised on the day."
About 24,500 out of the 66,000 tickets available for the final have gone to sponsors.
The police is also investigating the theft of 13 tickets for the final from a hotel near Cardiff Airport and warned anyone buying tickets off the street could be refused entry to the stadium if they turn out to be stolen.
Juventus and Real Madrid fans have been allocated 18,000 tickets each while the rest went to the general public.
A further 100,000 people are expected in the city where there is also a fans' festival in Cardiff Bay.
Road closures have been put in place around the city and people are advised to check for updates and changes, with some closures brought forward. | Champions League final ticket touts are to be targeted by police using facial recognition. |
37,603,599 | Slovakia recorded a second successive 1-0 defeat as they lost in Slovenia, leaving them pointless in Group F.
The former Ross County player was an unused substitute in Ljubljana and admits the team could now struggle to reach Russia 2018.
"We have to beat Scotland now, 100%," he told BBC Scotland.
"Otherwise it will be really difficult for us to make second place.
"The two results we've had have made the group very difficult for us. We've lost six points from our first two games which isn't a good start.
"If we're to have any chance of qualifying we must get three points against Scotland and that's what we'll be aiming for.
"We'll have to produce our maximum to do it but that's what we need now. We've lost the first two games 1-0 - tight games and we lost both by late goals. But now we need to win to stay in the group.
"We want to have something to play for until the end of the qualifiers. That means winning against Scotland. Realistically, nothing else will do."
Kiss admitted Scotland's inability to beat Lithuania at home had come as an unexpected bonus for them.
"Hopefully that will turn out to be a good result for us," he added.
"If they had won in Glasgow, as everyone expected them to, we would have been six points behind them and that's a lot to turn around.
"It means that Tuesday is a massive game. They'll come aiming to win and open up a gap between them and us so it's going to be a massive match."
Kiss, now playing in Norway for Haugesund, believes the return of the Slovakian captain Martin Skrtel - suspended against Slovenia - will give them a lift against Scotland.
And he admits he would relish the opportunity to add to his nine caps against the country he called home for 18 months.
"Of course I would love to play some part against Scotland," he added.
"I was about to go on on Saturday then when we conceded the goal the coach decided to make a different change. So if I get the chance against Scotland I will be ready. It would be special for me." | Slovakia midfielder Filip Kiss believes nothing less than a win over Scotland can keep his country's hopes of World Cup qualification alive. |
21,851,965 | September's 3p fuel duty rise scrapped
April's 3p rise in beer duty scrapped. Instead, beer duty to be cut by 1p
Annual inflation +2% rise in beer duty to be ended but "duty escalator" to remain in place for wine, cider and spirits
Cigarette duties unchanged - continuing to rise by inflation +2%
Limit at which people start paying tax to be raised to £10,000 in 2014 - a year earlier than planned
Shared equity schemes extended, with interest-free loans for homebuyers up to 20% of value of new-build properties
Bank guarantees to underpin £130bn of new mortgage lending for three years from 2014
Growth forecast for 2013 halved to 0.6% from 1.2% in December
Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) watchdog predicts UK will escape recession this year
Growth predicted to be 1.8% in 2014; 2.3% in 2015; 2.7% in 2016 and 2.8% in 2017.
The OBR predicts borrowing of £121bn this year, the same as last year, and £120bn for 2014-5
George Osborne says the deficit as a share of GDP will fall from 7.4% in 2013-14 to 5% in 2015-16
Debt as a share of GDP to increase from 75.9% this year to 85.6% in 2016-17
Most government departments to see budgets cut by 1% in each of next two years
Schools and NHS will be protected
£11.5bn in further cuts earmarked in 2015-16 Spending Review, up from £10bn
1% cap on public sector pay extended to 2015-16 and limits on "progression" pay rises in the sector
Military to be exempt from "progression" pay limits.
Proceeds of Libor banking fines to be given to good military causes, including Combat Stress charity
600,000 more jobs expected this year than at same time last year
Claimant count to fall by 60,000
An extra £15bn for new road, rail and construction projects by 2020, starting with £3bn in 2015-16
Find out with the Budget calculator
Corporation tax to be cut from 21% to 20% in 2015
New employment allowance to cut National Insurance bills cut by £2,000 for every firm
450,000 small firms will pay no employer National Insurance
Government procurement from small firms to rise fivefold
Tax relief for investment in social enterprises
Stamp duty axed on shares traded on growth markets like Aim.
Tax avoidance and evasion measures, including agreements with Isle of Man, Guernsey and Jersey, aimed at recouping £3bn in unpaid taxes
Tax incentives for ultra low-emission cars
Pottery industry in Midlands to be exempt from climate change levy
Tax allowances for investment in shale gas
2% Bank of England inflation target to stay in place
Bank remit to be changed to focus on growth as well as inflation
Single flat-rate pension of £144 a week brought forward a year to 2016
Cap on social care costs confirmed
20% tax relief on childcare up to £6,000 per child from 2015
£5,000 payments for those who lost money on Equitable Life policies bought before 1992. Extra money for those on low incomes | The key points of Chancellor George Osborne's Budget. |
40,247,673 | Media playback is not supported on this device
Junaid Khan (3-40) and Hasan Ali (3-43) impressed for Pakistan as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 236, losing four wickets for six runs.
Pakistan also struggled with the bat before captain Sarfraz Ahmed's unbeaten 61 saw them to a memorable victory.
India will face Bangladesh in the other semi-final at Edgbaston on Thursday.
Despite making hard work of Monday's win, it is a remarkable comeback from Pakistan after they lost their opening game of the tournament to rivals India.
If they can overcome England in Cardiff, Pakistan will contest their first Champions Trophy final on Sunday.
It is a disappointing end to the tournament for Sri Lanka, who failed to build on their stunning win over India last week.
After losing Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Mendis and Dinesh Chandimal before the end of the 16th over, Sri Lanka recovered to 161-3 with captain Angelo Mathews looking settled at the crease.
However, in a spell of left-arm seam bowling which at times was reminiscent of Wasim Akram, Mohammad Amir and Junaid turned the game on its head.
Amir took the wicket of Mathews (39), who bottom-edged a pull shot to send the ball crashing into the stumps.
Dhananjaya de Silva, making his first appearance of the tournament, was caught behind for just one after a fine delivery from Junaid found some movement off the turf.
As his team-mates faltered, opener Niroshan Dickwella had provided some stability for Sri Lanka. He paced his innings nicely, scoring four boundaries before he departed for 73 courtesy of a tremendous one-handed diving catch by Sarfraz behind the stumps off the bowling of Amir.
Then Thisara Perera (1) edged Junaid to slip after swinging wildly and Sri Lanka had collapsed to 167-7.
Aside from that game-changing spell in the middle overs, it was a professional performance from Pakistan's other two seamers.
Debutant Faheem Ashraf picked up two Sri Lankan wickets, while Hasan Ali produced another terrific bowling display.
As Sri Lanka looked to be heading towards a score of around 250, Hasan - the pick of the bowlers in Pakistan's win over South Africa at Edgbaston - took the wicket of Suranga Lakmal (26) with a superb slower-ball off-cutter which just clipped the bail.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Pakistan crawled over the line thanks to a competition-record eighth-wicket partnership of 75 between captain Sarfraz and Amir.
Their openers were on the charge in the first 10 overs of the run-chase, Fakhar Zahman scoring his maiden one-day half-century off just 36 balls.
Fakhar's entertaining knock came to an end when he hooked Nuwan Pradeep to deep square leg.
His wicket sparked a period of panic for Pakistan as Azhar Ali (34), Babar Azam (10) and Mohammad Hafeez (1) soon followed.
The experienced Shoaib Malik (10) gave his wicket away, advancing down the track and trying to pull a slower-ball bouncer from Lasith Malinga, only to glove it to the wicketkeeper Dickwella.
At 162-7, Pakistan looked to be heading towards a somewhat humiliating loss before Sarfraz played an important and steady knock, with the help of Amir who finished unbeaten on 28.
Sarfraz was reprieved twice thanks to some woeful fielding by Sri Lanka - the Pakistan captain was dropped on 38 and 41 - but he hit the winnings runs with a ramp shot to the third man boundary.
Analyst Simon Hughes on Test Match Special: "Pakistan's bowling attack made this possible. Sri Lanka were primed for a big score and the turning point in the innings was when Angelo Mathews was clean bowled by Mohammad Amir.
"Sri Lanka never really had enough and, although they bowled well, their fielding was flawed and they didn't deserve to win."
Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed: "All credit goes to the bowlers, Junaid and Amir played very well. I'm very impressed with Fakhar too. He is a good prospect."
Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews: "It was a see-saw game. Pakistan held their nerve, so credit goes to them. They deserve it.
"It was a funny wicket - the ball was stopping. We knew we hadn't got the runs but that we could bowl well. Our bowlers were brilliant. Unfortunately we dropped catches and that cost us the game." | Pakistan will face England in the Champions Trophy semi-finals on Wednesday after a thrilling three-wicket win over Sri Lanka in Cardiff. |
35,463,169 | A 70-year lease for the golf course between the Vale Commons Council and the Royal Guernsey and L'Ancresse clubs ends at the end of this year.
Years of negotiation have failed to reach a new agreement.
Under the proposals, the States would agree activities and fees but the council would still receive the money.
The Vale Commons
In its report, the Culture and Leisure Department said a deal needed to be brought in to "secure the future of Guernsey's only championship golf course".
It said: "This agreement needs to reflect commercial, fair and affordable terms, as would be the case with all other sports. The need to resolve the situation is now an urgent priority."
The changes to the Vale Commons Ordinance 1932 will be debated by the States in March.
The department said the issue of the upkeep of the common and additional questions over the "relatively small number of people" who claim the ancient rights to cut furze on the common could be looked at in the future.
Further updates to the law should be expected within the next few years to reflect modern health and safety and environmental standards, it added. | Guernsey's government could take over the running of sport on L'Ancresse Common after the failure of negotiations with two golf clubs. |
35,908,501 | Chad, who are currently sitting bottom of Group G without a point, were set to play Tanzania in a reverse fixture in Dar es Salaam on Monday after a 1-0 defeat at home on Wednesday.
But the FTFA president, Moctar Mahamoud, wrote to their opponents saying their decision to pull out was taken by the football authority due to 'global economic conditions'.
"As part of our participation in the African Cup of Nations qualifiers for Gabon 2017 and specifically the return match against Tanzania, we bring to your attention that our national team has failed to make it to the return leg game in Dar el Salaam scheduled for March 28, " Mahamoud wrote in his letter.
"Indeed, our country has been badly affected by the global economic conditions. Because of this our participation in various competitions has taken a severe dent due to financial constraints.
"We wish you all the best and we apologise for this situation which is basically unavoidable and out of our control."
The Confederation of African Football (Caf) has confirmed Chad's withdrawal by handing out a fine and suspension from the 2019 Nations Cup qualifying round.
"The Chad Football Federation withdraws from the Nations Cup qualifiers where they participated in group G alongside Nigeria, Egypt and Tanzania," Caf announced on Twitter.
"If a team withdraws from the qualifying phase organised in groups, all its results shall be annulled (points, scored and conceded goals).
"Hence, the matches of Chad of the first three days of Group G matches are cancelled and their results will not be taken into consideration.
"Accordingly, following the decision of Caf Executive Committee dated January 15th 2015: "Any group reduced to three teams following a team withdrawal will only qualify the first team of that group."
"The Chadian Football Association is suspended for the upcoming edition of the Nations Cup and must pay the monetary fine of US $20,000."
This latest twist has thrown Group G into a three-team race for the sole ticket to Gabon.
Egypt, who had beaten Chad 5-1 away from home, are now on four points instead of seven.
Second-placed Nigeria have lost three points as well, after their 2-0 victory over Chad was declared as void.
It leaves the Super Eagles on two points. Tanzania have a solitary point.
The seven-time champions Egypt and Nigeria face off in a highly crucial reverse fixture in Alexandria on March 29. | The Chad Football Association (FTFA) has withdrawn its team from the 2017 African Cup of Nations qualifiers due to financial constraints. |
32,378,035 | The FTSE 100 closed up 57.5 points, or 0.82%, at 7,052.13, helped by Anglo America's 2.72% rise, and Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton adding 2.61% and 2.46% respectively.
China's stimulus plan buoyed stocks, offsetting fears about Greece, which led to Friday's 1.3% FTSE 100 fall.
Ashtead, up 2.88%, was the index's big gainer after Barclays tipped the stock.
Another big mover was InterContinental Hotels, 2.35% higher on speculative chatter about a merger deal.
Outside the 100 top companies, oilfield services provider Petrofac extended recent losses to finish down 10%.
Petrofac said it would incur an additional £130m loss this year on its Laggan-Tormore gas plant project in the Shetland Islands.
On the currency markets, the pound was down 0.33% against the dollar at $1.4914, but was up 0.12% against the euro at €1.38571. | (Close): London's leading share index recovered some of Friday's heavy fall, with mining stocks leading the way. |
37,298,203 | The boost it seems to have given to anti-EU populists in other countries is also drawing press attention to the likely impact on an upcoming series of important referendums and elections.
In Germany, Sueddeutsche Zeitung's economics editor Bjoern Finke sees trouble ahead for British Prime Minister Theresa May.
He says she is trapped between a "growing realisation" that Britain depends on continued access to the EU internal market and popular pressure at home to limit freedom of movement.
"May has promised not to cede sovereignty over Britain's borders during the negotiations with Brussels," he says. "If she sticks to that, the British economy will pay a high price for this principled approach."
The paper's world affairs editor, Stefan Kornelius, looks to the rest of the EU, saying Brexit will allow it to tackle projects at the forthcoming Bratislava informal summit that would not have been possible with Britain still on board.
But he also warns against "Schadenfreude" towards Britain, arguing that its political and economic weight means it cannot just be "cut off to bob around somewhere far out in the Atlantic".
It interviews Polish diplomats and commentators, among whom the consensus emerges that "these promise to be tough negotiations between London and Brussels. Nobody on the continent wants to grant the British any special privileges."
Marco Bresolin, the Brussels correspondent of the Italian newspaper La Stampa, highlights European Commission concerns over the rise of populist anti-EU movements "rattling the chancelleries of Europe" since the Brexit vote.
From the strong showing of the populist right in German regional elections to the poll lead of the Freedom Party in Austria's presidential election, senior EU officials think "migration and the quality of national leadership" are to blame.
They fear that anti-EU gains in the autumn referendums and the French and German general elections next year could derail the European project "beyond the point of no-return".
In the Netherlands, NRC Handelsblad's Stephane Alonso also looks ahead to the autumn votes and the Bratislava meeting.
Apart from the likelihood that the "uncertainty over Brexit threatens to drag on for months, which is not good news for Europe", he highlights the need to address concerns over migration and terrorism if Europe is to regain a sense of unity and purpose.
Not surprisingly, Polish papers mainly focus on recent xenophobic attacks on their compatriots in Britain.
Pundit Pawel Moczydlowski tells Wprost weekly that "Brexit was a kind of a symbol that strengthened Nazi-racist craziness and made it more confident. It meant that British Nazis and racists are not isolated and alone, but enjoy some social support."
In Gazeta Wyborcza, philosopher Magdalena Sroda looks at the wider European rise of what she calls "this tribal mentality".
She says it is not about reviving the nation-state, as populists claim, but rather a matter of "political parties and movements strengthening their own power, such as in Germany, Austria, France, and in Poland".
She warns that this kind of rhetoric is an easy and effective political weapon to use - "just like a machete".
The British migration rules debate piques the interest of Romanian commentators in particular.
"Britain will try to control migration through an innovative system, and Romanians will be affected," says Gabriel Mihai in the Evenimentul Zilei daily.
He thinks a system prioritising skills is the most likely outcome.
Pundit Ovidiu Maican in Romania Libera is not convinced that Britain will leave the European Union at all, but has no doubt that a departure would prompt the "disintegration of the EU".
He places the blame squarely on the "incompetence, cowardice and rigidity of some European leaders" in addressing the concerns of voters across the union, comparing them unfavourably to the leaders of the 1980s - 1990s.
BBC Monitoring reports and analyses news from TV, radio, web and print media around the world. You can follow BBC Monitoring on Twitter and Facebook. | The debate in Britain about how and when to leave the European Union continues to interest the press on the continent. |
32,539,356 | Joseph Smart, 41, wrongly assumed it was handed out by civil enforcement officer Joanna Morton.
He admitted assault causing actual bodily harm on Miss Morton and assaulting a police officer with intent to resist arrest at Exeter Crown Court.
Smart, of Wellington Street, Teignmouth, was jailed for 52 weeks.
Miss Morton said she was "petrified and terrified" and screamed during the assault, which left her with injuries to her forehead and ear.
"I had not even issued him with the parking ticket. I cannot believe he was so violent towards me," she said.
Smart, who had been drinking, then spat in the face of a police officer who arrested him, the court heard.
The attack happened near Teignmouth seafront in March.
Judge Francis Gilbert said Smart had previous convictions for violence, particularly against the police.
Pedestrians and a motorist helped Miss Morton following the assault.
William Parkhill, defending, said Smart had "got the wrong person" after his car was given a ticket. | A driver repeatedly punched a traffic warden in the head after he found a parking ticket on his car, a court heard. |
35,245,207 | The 45-year-old, who beat Larry Butler 4-0 in round two, is top of the BDO rankings after a successful 2015.
"I'd rather be favourite. When I was the outsider, nobody was interested.
"Maybe I have got a target on my back but since winning the World Masters, everything's gone really well, so bring them on," he told BBC Sport
Martin Adams and Jeffrey de Graaf, who were seeded second and third respectively at Lakeside, were beaten in the first round.
But Middlesbrough's Durrant said he has not been affected by other leading contenders making shock exits from the tournament, adding: "The seeds have gone in the bottom half of the draw.
"Everything's gone as planned in the top half of the draw, so who I thought I'd be playing is still on.
"It's the bottom half, people like Scott Mitchell and Jeff Smith, who will be licking their lips."
Durrant recovered from a narrow World Championship semi-final defeat by Adams 12 months ago to win six ranking titles last year.
"My confidence is sky high," he continued. "I'm in the quarter-finals at Lakeside - that's what we practice for, why we play local leagues, county darts and the tour. I'm in a great place." | Glen Durrant said he is enjoying the scrutiny that comes with being the number one seed after reaching the last eight of the BDO World Championships. |
30,680,354 | Media playback is unsupported on your device
5 January 2015 Last updated at 18:39 GMT
The fire broke out at a farm at Ballynafern Road at about 07:18 GMT on Saturday and gutted the farmhouse.
Efforts to find the pensioner were put on hold at the weekend amid concerns about the safety of the building.
BBC News NI's Lisa McAlister reports. | Police searching for an 82-year-old man feared dead in a weekend house fire in County Down have recovered a body. |
31,033,703 | Ghana fans massed behind a goal after 82 minutes of the game to seek refuge from missiles being thrown at them.
Bottles rained down as police battled to gain control, while a helicopter hovered over the stadium.
Play resumed for just three minutes as Ghana completed a 3-0 win to reach Sunday's final against Ivory Coast.
The Black Stars had taken a 2-0 lead into half-time, having opened the scoring when Jordan Ayew dispatched a penalty after Kwesi Appiah had been fouled by keeper Felipe Ovono.
They doubled their lead when Mubarak Wakaso drilled home following a counter-attack.
At the end of the first period, crowd unrest was already evident, with the Ghana players shielded by police in riot gear as they left the pitch.
Then, after Andre Ayew had tapped in Ghana's third on 75 minutes and with only eight minutes left, the focus turned to their fans, who left the stands to seek safety behind one of the goals.
Play was stopped as bottles continued to be thrown by the home supporters, littering the running track around the pitch. Chairs were also thrown after being ripped from the stands.
With Equatorial Guinea only stepping in as replacement hosts in November, there were plenty of concerns about preparations and security before the tournament began.
Two quarter-finals were then moved from Ebebiyin and Mongomo amid reported fears of potential crowd issues, although the Confederation of African Football blamed the poor state of the pitches.
When police moved in to try to restore order in Malabo, it took a considerable amount of time before the Ghana fans were safely escorted from the stadium.
There were doubts about the match resuming, with officials locked in discussions at the side of the pitch as the players remained on it.
Once the field was cleared of objects, the match restarted, only for the referee to bring the game to an end three minutes later. | Ghana's Africa Cup of Nations semi-final against hosts Equatorial Guinea was halted for 30 minutes because of crowd trouble in Malabo. |
37,697,474 | NatWest said a letter had been sent to one of RT's suppliers, not RT itself, and no accounts had been frozen.
RT says that the "supplier", Russia Today TV Ltd, provides all RT services in the UK. It told the BBC that NatWest is the sole banking facility for Russia Today TV Ltd.
The Russian embassy in London says it is an "openly political decision".
But the UK Treasury said no new sanctions or obligations relating to Russia had been imposed on British banks since February 2015.
The UK joined other EU states in imposing sanctions on Russia following its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in March 2014.
On Monday, RT's editor-in-chief, Margarita Simonyan tweeted that "all" the channel's accounts in Britain had been closed.
The TV station says the supplier is the local production company that, amongst other things, handles RT staff salaries.
Late on Monday, NatWest appeared to backtrack on its decision, announcing that it was reviewing the situation.
NatWest has refused to comment further and has not explained what led to its original decision.
In 2015 Barclays bank closed an account connected to another arm of Moscow's state-funded news services.
On Tuesday RT published a letter on its website reportedly sent by NatWest and addressed to "Russia Today TV UK Ltd".
The letter explains that the Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS), Natwest's parent company, will no longer offer its services, and all banking services and accounts will be closed by 12 December.
In a statement, the Russian embassy said "unbearable conditions" were being created for Russian media, making their normal functioning impossible.
"Silencing these news outlets is a blow to the principles of freedom of expression, allegedly cherished in Britain," it said.
RT has breached the UK's broadcasting code at least 10 times over the past decade and has been put on notice by communications watchdog Ofcom, which warned that further impartiality breaches could result in a fine.
In one programme, RT accused the BBC of "staging" a chemical weapons attack for a news report on Syria. | A British bank has denied reports it closed the UK accounts of RT, Russian state TV's international channel. |
31,674,705 | Inquiry head Martin Ngoga said the documentary had failed to meet the BBC's own editorial standards.
The BBC says it is "extremely disappointed" by the findings.
Rwanda suspended broadcasts by the BBC's Kinyarwanda language service after the TV documentary was aired.
"We stand by our right to produce the independent journalism which has made us the world's most trusted news source," the BBC said in a statement.
It said the programme was still going through its editorial complaints process.
"This process has not yet concluded but the provisional findings are that the documentary does not breach the BBC's editorial standards," the BBC said.
At least 800,000 people died in the genocide over a 100-day period in 1994.
Those killed are generally believed to be mostly members of the minority ethnic Tutsi group, and Hutus opposed to the mass slaughter.
The BBC programme Rwanda, The Untold Story, included interviews with US-based researchers who say most of those killed may have been Hutus, killed by members of the then-rebel Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), which has been in power since 1994.
The programme, broadcast in the UK in October 2014, also included interviews with former aides of RPF leader President Paul Kagame, accusing him of plotting to shoot down the presidential plane - the act seen as triggering the slaughter.
He has strenuously denied previous such accusations.
Critics in Rwanda say that the documentary was an attempt to revise the history and facts of the genocide, and disrespected the memory of those who had died.
The BBC "strongly rejects any suggestion that any part of this documentary constitutes genocide denial".
A parliamentary resolution in October said the programme's producer and presenter, as well as those interviewed for the documentary, should be charged with genocide denial - a punishable crime in Rwanda.
The BBC argued around the same time that it had a duty to investigate difficult and challenging subjects and believed the programme was a valuable contribution to the understanding of the tragic history of the country and the region.
The BBC also said several attempts to get the Rwandan government to respond to the allegations for the programme had not been taken up. | An official inquiry in Rwanda has called for criminal and civil proceedings against the BBC over a documentary which questioned official accounts of the 1994 genocide. |
35,328,328 | Robert Farmer put the English hosts ahead midway through the first period.
Belfast seized control in the second period and Michael Forney levelled before Mike Radja made it 2-1.
However, the Panthers hit back in the third period and won the game thanks to goals from Stephan Schultz, Robert Lachowicz and Juraj Kolnik.
The win takes Nottingham above the Giants, who have slipped to fifth place in the league standings.
Belfast were hoping to bounce back after two defeats at the hands of Sheffield Steelers last weekend.
The Giants are back in action on Saturday night with a meeting against leaders Cardiff Devils in Wales. | Belfast Giants slumped to a third straight Elite League defeat after losing out 4-2 against the Nottingham Panthers at the National Ice Centre. |
36,417,577 | It will be a criminal offence to have an air weapon without a licence or permit from 31 December 2016.
Anyone found guilty of the new offence could be fined or face up to two years in prison.
Owners can apply to Police Scotland for a new air weapon certificate from 1 July.
The three-week amnesty began on 23 May and will run until 12 June.
Ch Insp Mike Whitford, of Tayside's divisional coordination unit, said 261 weapons had been handed in so far.
He said: "Every one of these weapons has the potential to cause serious injury or death, in particular to children or young people if handled incorrectly.
"There will be many lying around in homes across Tayside unused and this is a great opportunity to get rid of them."
The weapons can be handed in to police headquarters in Dundee, Perth and Forfar.
Mr Whitford said: "I would encourage anyone who has such a weapon to consider if they are likely to apply for a certificate under the new legislation and if not, hand it in to one of designated stations.
"It will remove the risk from their family and other members of the public.
"If you are carrying a weapon to a police station, please keep it in a bag to avoid causing alarm."
The legislation was passed by MSPs in June 2015.
The Scottish government pledged to introduce the licensing scheme following the death of Glasgow toddler Andrew Morton, who was shot dead by an airgun in 2005. | More than 260 air weapons have been handed in to Tayside police stations ahead of the introduction new Scottish licensing laws. |
17,282,903 | Five from 3rd Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment and one from 1st Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment had been on patrol in Kandahar province on Tuesday. Their families have been told.
It is the biggest single loss of UK life at one time in Afghanistan since a Nimrod crash killed 14 in 2006.
The explosion is thought to have been caused by a very large Taliban bomb.
The number of British military deaths in Afghanistan since 2001 is now 404.
By Caroline WyattDefence correspondent, BBC News
This is the worst single loss of life in one incident due to enemy action for UK troops in Afghanistan since the start of the war in 2001.
The last time a similar number of UK casualties was caused by improvised explosive devices (IEDs) was in the summer of 2009, when five British soldiers died in an IED blast.
The device remains the deadliest weapon in the Taliban's arsenal. It is effective on a psychological level, as well as causing deaths and severe injury, and is relatively cheap and simple to manufacture.
The level of suspected casualties suggests a large amount of explosives were used.
More from Caroline Wyatt
Prime Minister David Cameron said it was a "desperately sad day for our country".
"Every death and every injury reminds us of the human cost paid by our armed forces to keep our country safe," he said, at the start of Prime Minister's Questions.
In a statement, the Ministry of Defence (MoD)said the six soldiers were on a security patrol in a Warrior armoured fighting vehicle when it was caught in an explosion in Kandahar province.
Brig Patrick Sanders, commander of Task Force Helmand, said it suffered "catastrophic damage".
They had been travelling as part of a two Warrior patrol when the vehicle was hit at the junction of a road travelling east from Gereshk and another heading north to Lashkar Gah, the MoD said.
The BBC's Orla Guerin, in the Afghan capital Kabul, said there must have been a "massive explosion" to damage such a robust and heavily protected vehicle.
The area, she said, was sparsely populated and particularly unstable, according to Afghan officials, and insurgents were known to have planted roadside bombs there.
The BBC's Bilal Sarwary in Kabul said a police official in Lashkar Gah named IEDs as the biggest threat to his forces and told him insurgents were now planting them on key roads in a clear change of tactics.
Meanwhile, BBC defence correspondent Caroline Wyatt said the six soldiers had been in the country for less than a month, having flown out of the UK on Valentine's Day.
She added that the ongoing operation to recover the bodies would have been slowed down as rescuers would have faced the risk of being injured themselves by further bombs.
News emerged earlier on Wednesday that the six were missing, presumed dead. It is understood the MoD has not formally identified them.
Most of the 9,500 UK troops in Afghanistan are expected to be withdrawn by the end of 2014, when 13 years of combat operations in the country are set to cease.
Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said the timetable for withdrawal remained on track despite this "cowardly attack".
"This will not shake our resolve to see through the mission - I believe we owe that to all the brave men and women who have sacrificed their lives and put themselves at risk over the last few years," he told the BBC.
In the Commons, Mr Cameron told MPs "every possible support" had to be given to a political settlement in Afghanistan.
He said a clear message had to be sent to the Taliban that - whether UK troops or Afghan troops were there - they "will not win on the battlefield - they never win on the battlefield".
Mr Cameron said he had spoken to the UK's leading military officers, who had stressed the commitment of troops to "getting the job done".
He also said he would discuss the Afghanistan situation with President Barack Obama on his visit to the US next week to ensure they were "in lock step" about the importance of training up the Afghan army and police, and making sure all Nato partners had a properly co-ordinated process for transition.
Labour leader Ed Miliband expressed his "profound sadness" over the latest deaths and said the UK owed those who put themselves in harm's way for our benefit "an immense debt of gratitude".
Chief of Defence Staff General Sir David Richards said he was "deeply saddened" by the news.
"The courage, fortitude and determination of those servicemen and women currently in Helmand is inspirational," he said.
The Archbishop of York John Sentamu said his heart went out to those affected, and we owed a debt of gratitude to our "brave soldiers".
The last British soldier to be killed in Afghanistan was Senior Aircraftman Ryan Tomlin, of 2 Squadron, Royal Air Force Regiment, who died from gunshot wounds in Helmand on 13 February. | Six British soldiers have been killed in southern Afghanistan when their vehicle was hit by an explosion. |
39,191,100 | Exercising when you are overweight can be daunting, and the fat-shaming attitudes of others do not help.
New research out this week shows people who feel discriminated against because of their weight are far less likely to exercise.
Jenniefer, aged 32, says she faced criticism about her weight.
It knocked her confidence so much that it put her off going to the gym.
"I would've rather done karaoke naked than set foot in a gym," she says.
"I was petrified. I was convinced that I would feel like the fat girl at the back of the class not knowing what I was doing and that I would get laughed out of there.
"What you need from people is encouragement, not them highlighting the problem. You know you have a weight issue. You don't need others pointing it out," she adds.
Jenniefer, who joined a Weight Watchers class, says she had always been large and by her early twenties she was unable to do up her size 24 trousers.
She wanted to make a change, but could not face exercising in public.
Instead, she began eating a healthier diet and took up walking, and the weight then started to fall off.
"One day I went past the gym and it was empty so I went in. I was still petrified, but I forced myself to go in," she explains.
She began working out with a personal trainer and has not looked back.
In her own words, she's now a "healthy size 10" and a gym convert.
She has become a qualified personal trainer and now helps other people get over their gym fears.
"You don't have to be thin to be fit. It's about encouraging people so they feel capable and, importantly, enjoy exercising, whatever their shape or size," she points out.
Dr Sarah Jackson from University College London carried out the newly published research into stigma and exercise.
She says the findings, based on interviews with more than 5,400 middle-aged men and women, shows what might work and what does not when it comes to encouraging healthy behaviours.
"Stigma may work for something like smoking cessation campaigns, where you highlight the harms of cigarettes," Dr Jackson says.
"But it's not the same for weight. Public health bodies are starting to understand that."
Sport England's National Lottery-funded This Girl Can campaign aims to celebrate women, of all shapes, sizes and levels of ability, becoming active.
The TV ad features real women and girls playing sport "in all their sweaty, jiggly glory".
A spokeswoman for the campaign said: "While lots of women worry that other people will judge them, research shows that once you begin to get active these fears lessen."
"Offering people a welcoming and supportive environment is key, and it's really important that the sports sector continues to find new ways of connecting with people who think that sport or physical activity isn't for them."
Jenniefer Gadsby says that sort of approach is great:
"A lot of gym adverts show people who are really athletic and that can be so off-putting," she says.
Gym group Fit4less recently came under criticism for some of its billboards.
One of its posters reads: "Tired of being... Fat & Ugly? Just be ugly at Fit4less from £14.99 per month".
Another, which shows an alien spaceship coming in to land, says: "They're coming... and when they arrive they'll take the FAT ones first!"
In a statement, the gym said: "Fit4less is a brand that doesn't take itself too seriously, the campaign is intended to be seen as light-hearted fun and we certainly don't mean to cause offence."
"Many health and fitness adverts feature the 'young and beautiful' in adverts. This campaign is designed to target people who do not respond to general health and fitness advertising and attract people who are not currently coming to gyms," the company explained.
It added that the general response to the campaign had been very positive.
"The vast majority of people are seeing it as a bit of light-hearted fun. This has always been our intention." | The idea of stepping into a gym used to make Jenniefer Gadsby, from Leeds, petrified. |
37,396,082 | Swindale Beck, which flows into the River Eden near Haweswater, was straightened 200 years ago to clear land for grazing.
However, the lack of natural bends and faster flowing water meant gravel was washed away, making it less easy for Atlantic salmon and trout to spawn.
A kilometre-long channel mirroring its original course has been dug, with the water now directed into it.
The project, involving United Utilities, the RSPB, Natural England and the Environment Agency, will also alleviate flooding by slowing the flow of water through the valley. | A river in Cumbria has been restored to its natural meandering course. |
32,365,009 | Liberal Democrat John Munro and John Penrose, Conservative, agreed that transport connections were vital.
Labour's Tim Taylor spoke about quality of life in rural areas.
Richard Lawson, Green, said there were too many empty properties, while Ernie Warrender, UKIP, highlighted new homes being built in already busy areas.
The five candidates were speaking on a BBC Radio Bristol election debate programme.
The English Democrats' Clive Lavelle, who was not at the debate, said traffic problems were "part-and-parcel of being an outlying village".
"Over the years, successive local authorities attempt to upgrade dirt-tracks into metalled roads, then widen them; but there is a limit to how far this process can go," he added.
John Monro, Liberal Democrat, said: "There are a number of villages that surround the constituency that are vitally important.
"One of the most important things is making sure the villages are well connected to the town, to allow people to live and work there - to keep the economy within the constituency."
John Penrose, Conservative, added: "I agree about the transport connections. Of course it also means connections into Taunton and Bristol, as well.
"Junction 21 [M5, Weston-super-Mare] is hugely improved but there are further improvements needed on things like our train service."
UKIP's Ernie Warrender said: "I'll touch briefly on Banwell. I mean that's an absolute classic.
"There's just been planning permission granted by the current council for 1,107 houses just down the road.
"If you have ever driven through Banwell, you'd be better off walking. It'd be a lot, lot quicker."
Tim Taylor, Labour, said: "I understand the concerns about new housing [in rural areas] but the population is aging in those villages.
"They have to attract young families and the only way to do that is by building [affordable] housing. Otherwise some of those communities are going to suffer.
"It's [also] about making sure that only HGVs that go there are delivering to local businesses, because the air quality, particularly in Banwell, is quite poor."
The Green's Richard Lawson said: "We need to identify empty properties and bring them back into use. It's win/win all the way around."
The candidates for the constituency are:
Clive Lavelle, English Democrats
Richard Lawson, Green
John Munro, Liberal Democrat
John Penrose, Conservative
Tim Taylor, Labour
Ernie Warrender, UKIP | Investing in transport infrastructure in Weston-super-Mare's surrounding villages is a key issue for the area, candidates have said. |
31,373,972 | Golfers Laura Davies, Renee Powell, Belle Robertson MBE, Lally Segard, Annika Sorenstam and Louise Suggs also accepted honorary member invitations.
George Macgregor OBE, captain of the club said it was a "historic" day.
In September 2014, the Royal and Ancient voted in favour of allowing women members for the first time in its 260-year history.
More than three quarters of the club's 2,400 members voted with an 85% majority.
"It is an honour and a privilege for the Royal and Ancient Golf Club to welcome these remarkable women as honorary members," said Macgregor.
"The Princess Royal enjoys a strong bond with Scotland and has shown great energy and commitment to developing sport through her work in the Olympic movement.
"They are extremely worthy additions to our roll of honorary members and will become ambassadors for the club as they have been for the sport of golf throughout their careers."
Analysis - BBC golf correspondent Iain Carter:
The Royal and Ancient Golf Club have identified many of the great and the good of women's golf with this list of new honorary members. By selecting the likes of Dame Laura Davies and Annika Sorenstam, it is clear they want to showcase the fact that it is now a mixed club. This is vital for its role as a governing body, although it does remain one of the most exclusive of golfing establishments.
The Royal and Ancient has been the guardian of the rules of the game since 1754, although in 2004 it devolved responsibility for the administration of the game and the Open to the newly-formed R&A.
Royal and Ancient's members play on the St Andrews links course in Scotland regarded as the "home of golf".
Before the vote to allow female members, women could play on the course, on Scotland's east coast, but they were not allowed in the clubhouse.
They also had no significant part in the sport's rulemaking arm of the R&A.
A statement from the R&A added: "In addition to the honorary members, a number of women have been admitted as members of the club with more set to follow in the coming months." | The Princess Royal has become one of the first women to join the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews. |
35,794,084 | A blue Seat Leon car was involved in a collision with a silver Citroen C2 at about 02:15 on Saturday on the Newmachar to Dyce road near the Swailend bridge.
The 17-year old passenger of the silver car was seriously injured and was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
Police have confirmed that he died as a result of his injuries. Another three people were also taken to hospital.
Part of the route was closed but has now reopened.
Crews from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and the Scottish Ambulance Service were also in attendance.
A police spokesman said: "Following a two vehicle collision on the A947 Newmachar to Dyce road, Aberdeenshire, a 17-year-old man has now sadly died.
"The collision, between a blue Seat Leon and a silver Citroen C2, happened at about 02:15 on Saturday 12 March 2016.
"The four occupants of the cars were taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary following the collision, however the 17 year old passenger of the silver Citroen died today as a result of his injuries.
"Anyone who saw the collision or either of these vehicles on the road prior to the incident is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101." | A teenage boy has died after a crash on the A947 Newmachar to Dyce road. |
40,106,132 | That is despite none being included in coach Gernot Rohr's squad to face South Africa in a 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on 10 June in Uyo.
China-based strikers Odion Ighalo and Brown Ideye both miss out while captain John Mikel Obi is injured.
"The season in China is still ongoing and it will be an hectic journey," team spokesman Toyin Ibitoye told BBC Sport.
"Coach Rohr has decided to keep faith with the strikers he's been working with in France for almost ten days now but those players in China are still part of the squad."
Also missing is Victor Moses, fresh from helping Chelsea win the English Premier League title, with reports that he is injured although no official reason has been given.
"Moses has been excused by the coach," Ibitoye explained.
Watford striker Isaac Success has been left out, while injury has ruled out Germany-based duo of Leon Balogun and Noah Serenren-Bazee.
In-form strikers Olanrewaju Kayode and Henry Onyekuru have been handed a chance to make their competitive debuts for Nigeria.
Onyekuru's 22 goals in the Belgian top flight has lead to him being linked with a move to English club Arsenal.
While Kayode finished as top scorer in the Austrian league with 17 goals for Austria Vienna.
Three-time African champions Nigeria have failed to qualify for the last two editions of the tournament in 2015 and 2017.
Nigeria squad:
Goalkeepers: Ikechukwu Ezenwa (FC IfeanyiUbah), Dele Alampasu (Cesarense FC, Portugal), Daniel Akpeyi (Chippa United, South Africa)
Defenders: William Troost-Ekong (KAA Gent, Belgium), Abdullahi Shehu (Anorthosis Famagusta, Cyprus), Tyronne Ebuehi (ADO Den Haag, The Netherlands), Elderson Echiejile (Sporting Gijon, Spain), Chidozie Awaziem (FC Porto, Portugal), Maroof Yusuf (Zamalek, Egypt), Kenneth Omeruo (Alanyaspor, Turkey)
Midfielders: Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City, England), Oghenekaro Etebo (CD Feirense, Portugal), John Ogu (Hapoel Be'er Sheva, Israel), Mikel Agu (Vitoria Setubal, Portugal), Alhassan Ibrahim (Akwa United FC), Ogenyi Onazi (Trabzonspor, Turkey)
Forwards: Ahmed Musa (Leicester City, England), Kelechi Iheanacho (Manchester City, England), Moses Simon (KAA Gent, Belgium), Henry Onyekuru (KAS Eupen, Belgium),Victor Osimhen (Wolfsburg, Germany), Olanrewaju Kayode (Austria Vienna, Austria), Alex Iwobi (Arsenal, England) | The Nigeria Football Federation has assured players based in China they are still part of future plans. |
35,247,064 | Paul Clarke, 71, from East Sussex but now living in Manchester, entered the pleas at Lewes Crown Court.
He had been charged with possessing an indecent image of a child, possession of prohibited images and making a total of 3,100 indecent images of children.
He is due to be sentenced on 5 February.
Clarke, of Redclyffe Road, Urmston, Greater Manchester, but formerly of Watchbell Road, Rye in East Sussex, was arrested after a search of his Rye address - the residential presbytery attached to St Anthony's Church - in November 2014.
Police said the charges all related to images taken from the internet. | A Roman Catholic priest has pleaded guilty to five charges in connection with more than 3,000 indecent images of children. |
35,925,828 | The song, aired two weeks ago on regional broadcaster NDR's extra3 show, takes aim at Mr Erdogan's authoritarian style while also making fun of some of his physical characteristics.
Turkey last week summoned the German envoy to demand the song be withdrawn.
But both Germany and the EU have insisted press freedom is inviolable.
In the song, Mr Erdogan is criticised on a range of issues ranging from the imprisonment of journalists to heavy-handed treatment of protesters including women ("equal rights for women - they are beaten up equally").
"When a journalist writes a piece that Erdogan doesn't like, he quickly ends up in jail, newspaper offices closed down, he doesn't think twice, with tear gas and water cannons he is riding through the night," say some of the lyrics.
The song suggests that Mr Erdogan would rather bomb Kurds than what the writers term his "brothers in faith", so-called Islamic State.
The song also ridicules the recent migration deal struck between European states and Turkey seeking to stem the flow of migrants into Europe in exchange for financial aid, among other benefits.
But the Turkish leader - who correspondents say brooks no dissent - has been angered by the song, and the Turkish foreign ministry summoned Germany's ambassador to Ankara - on repeated occasions, according to reports.
A Turkish diplomatic source told AFP news agency: "We summoned the ambassador last week to communicate our protest about the broadcast that we condemned.
"We demanded that the broadcast be removed from the air."
Such demands got short shrift from European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker, who "does not appreciate this movement of calling in the German ambassador just because of a satirical song", spokeswoman Mina Andreeva told reporters.
"He (Juncker) believes this moves Turkey further from the EU rather than closer to us," Ms Andreeva said, adding that "freedom of the press and freedom of expression... are values the EU cherishes".
A spokeswoman for the German foreign ministry said Berlin had told Ankara basic freedoms were "non-negotiable".
More than 1,800 people - including celebrities and schoolchildren - have been prosecuted in Turkey for insulting Mr Erdogan since he came to office in 2014, under a previously little-used law. | Germany and the EU have dismissed Turkish protests over a song aired on German television mocking President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. |
28,077,910 | Preseli Pembrokeshire MP Stephen Crabb confirmed a breakthrough in the deal for the Murco plant had been made.
The future of the plant has been in doubt since owner Murphy Oil announced it was no longer buying crude oil to be processed at the site.
It followed the collapse of a £300m deal in April putting 400 jobs at risk.
The refinery has been a major employer at the port since it opened in 1973.
Mr Crabb told BBC Wales he was delighted with the timing of the deal.
"It was crucial to get this breakthrough this weekend because Murphy were clear that without that commitment, they were going to announce tomorrow morning they were beginning the process of shutting down the refinery altogether," he said.
He added that the buyer wants to keep the site as a refinery which would safeguard jobs.
"The sale will secure hundreds of high quality jobs and will enable the refinery to continue operating fully," Mr Crabb said.
"There remain challenges ahead, and a due diligence process to be completed, but I am just so pleased that we have reached this point. I am very optimistic that the sale can be completed.
"It has felt like a race against time to find a new buyer ever since Murphy started the clock on potential closure."
Although an agreement has yet to be finalised, it is understood the potential buyer is oil entrepreneur Gary Klesch.
The Switzerland-based Klesch Group specialises in the production and trading of chemicals, metals and oil.
The plant - which can produce 135,000 barrels a day, is currently not buying crude oil, but recycling oil products to keep it operational.
A spokesperson for Murphy Oil gave the proposed sale a cautious welcome.
They said: "Murphy feel that solid progress has been made in negotiations, but caution that substantial work remains to done.
"If the past has taught us anything, it is that these sales are especially challenging and we are not assured of success.
A Welsh government spokesperson said: "The plant is a vital part of the Welsh economy and we have been working tirelessly to secure its future, working closely with the current owners, potential buyers and government at all levels.
"We remain committed to exploring every possible angle in supporting the company and the workforce." | Hundreds of jobs at a closure-threatened oil refinery in Milford Haven could be saved after the sale of the site was agreed in principle. |
38,691,915 | Acrylamide is created when starchy foods are roasted, grilled or fried for long periods at high temperatures.
The message is to cut back on browned and burnt toast, cook roast potatoes, chips and parsnips carefully - to a golden yellow colour - and eat fewer crisps, cakes and biscuits.
Are they trying to take all the fun out of life?
We try to put the latest dietary advice from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) into perspective.
Do not panic - you do not need to give up on the delicious Sunday roast staple just yet.
Crispy, brown roast potatoes which are traditionally cooked at very high temperatures do produce acrylamide, but the key is to try to cook them to the right colour.
"Go for gold" is what the FSA advises - that is a golden yellow colour, rather than brown.
And that applies to parsnips and all types of potato products too.
So if you are a roast potato fanatic you might want to rein in your obsession and cook them a little less often.
If you love them at Christmas and special occasions in-between, then try turning down the oven heat and taking the roast potatoes out before they start to turn excessively crispy and brown.
Well, during the browning process, when starchy foods are heated they do give off new flavours and aromas.
The bad news is that the same process also produces acrylamide, so there may have to be some trade-off between tastiness and the colour of your food.
When cooking packaged products, such as oven chips, follow the instructions carefully - they are designed to ensure you are not cooking starchy foods for too long or at too high a temperature.
Boiling, steaming or microwaving food is a much better and healthier option.
There is no need to worry about the occasional slightly overcooked piece of toast or other food.
Scraping off the dark brown bits of toast might help reduce acrylamide content a bit - and it certainly will not increase it.
But, in general, aim for a golden or lighter colour (see above).
Studies in animals found that the chemical causes tumours. This suggests that it also has the potential to cause cancer in humans.
The FSA has used that data and multiple dietary surveys to work out whether an average person's exposure to acrylamide in food is a concern.
Scientists believe that there should be a margin of exposure of 10,000 or higher between an average adult's intake of acrylamide and the lowest dose which could cause adverse effects.
But at the moment the numbers are 425 for the average adult and 50 for the highest consuming toddlers, making it a slight public health concern, UK and European food safety experts say.
However, Cambridge University risk expert Prof David Spiegelhalter is unconvinced by this very strict safety standard.
He says the margin of exposure figure is "arbitrary" and 33 times higher than the current margin for average adults in the UK, and he questions whether a public campaign should be launched on that basis.
Stopping smoking is the most important thing you can do to prevent cancer.
Keeping a healthy bodyweight and eating a balanced diet ranks second.
Our individual risk of cancer depends on a combination of genes, our environment and the lifestyle we lead, which we are able to control.
The amount of acrylamide in our diets is one small element of our food intake which we can control to help reduce our risk of cancer during the whole of our lives.
Research has shown that eating too much processed meat and red meat can increase the risk of developing cancer - that is a definite.
Cooking meat at high temperatures such as grilling or barbecuing can produce cancer-causing chemicals called heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic amines (PCAs).
The FSA says the industry is doing its bit to find out how to reduce levels of acrylamide in food.
A toolkit and brochures have been produced for food manufacturers and food businesses, giving information and advice.
Evidence suggests the industry has been lowering levels of acrylamide in food over the past few years.
But there are currently no rules on the maximum limits for the chemical in food.
It is their job to make sure the food we eat is safe and to let the public know if they are concerned about any risk to our health.
This is not a new risk - people are likely to have been exposed to it since fire was first invented.
A Swedish study in 2002 was the first to reveal that high levels of acrylamide formed during the baking or frying of potato and cereal products.
And since then researchers have been trying to make sure the risks from the chemical are kept to a minimum.
Infants and toddlers are more at risk of exposure because of their smaller body weight, and their high intake of cereal-based foods.
Basically, the advice is another reason to eat a healthy, balanced diet - and make sure your children do too. | Advice on how to reduce the amount of acrylamide in our diets has been issued by the government's food safety body, because the chemical could cause cancer. |
33,527,540 | British Transport Police say the railway lines in Blaenau Ffestiniog are being used "like a park".
Patrols are being increased in the area, and those caught trespassing will face on-the-spot fines or arrest.
A 15-year-old girl and a 35-year-old man are currently being dealt with for anti-social behaviour in the area.
"Groups have been hanging about at the station and, worryingly, on the railway tracks, where they're consuming alcohol and drugs, and having barbecues," said Sgt Gemma Jones.
"They have so far shown a complete disregard for the residents who live nearby, as well as for their own safety. Quite simply, this has to stop." | Police say they will crackdown on anti-social behaviour at a railway station in Gwynedd - including drug and alcohol abuse and barbecues next to tracks. |
32,995,451 | In only seven days, he has seen corruption charges plague his organisation, has won an election and has stepped down from his role.
It is a scenario that few would have predicted a week ago. So how did events unfold over the last seven days?
A 47-count indictment against nine Fifa officials and five corporate executives is unsealed before a court in Brooklyn.
The US justice department says the men were under investigation worldwide for allegedly accepting bribes and kickbacks estimated at more than $150m (£97m) over a 24-year period.
A series of arrests are carried out at the luxury Baur au Lac hotel in Zurich, where Fifa officials are staying. Mr Blatter is not one of those detained. More arrests are expected, the journalist who broke the story tells the BBC.
The office of Switzerland's Attorney General confirms it has opened an investigation into suspected "criminal mismanagement and of money laundering in connection with the allocation of the 2018 and 2022 Football World Cups" in Russia and Qatar.
It says documents and electronic data have been seized from Fifa's headquarters in Zurich.
Fifa spokesman Walter De Gregorio says the election of Fifa's president will still take place two days later. "The stress factor is a bit higher today," he adds.
At a press conference, US Attorney General Loretta Lynch details the extent of alleged corruption by Fifa officials. She says: "They did this over and over, year after year, tournament after tournament."
When asked whether Mr Blatter was to be questioned, she says only that the investigation is ongoing. Mr Blatter faces growing calls to resign from leading sporting figures.
The Fifa president releases a statement saying he welcomes the investigations, that would "help to reinforce measures that Fifa has already taken to root out any wrongdoing in football".
Michel Platini, the head of the European football body Uefa, calls on Mr Blatter to resign - but he refuses.
Ignoring calls by the British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Francois Hollande to delay the next day's election, Mr Blatter says: "It must fall to me to uphold responsibility for the wellbeing of the organisation."
He condemns the "action of individuals" for bringing "shame and humiliation" on football. But, he says, he is not able to "monitor everyone all of the time".
Football sponsors start to express their concerns about the scandals surrounding Fifa.
Despite mounting pressure, Fifa's presidential election goes ahead.
Mr Blatter's only rival, Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan, withdraws from the race after winning 73 votes to Mr Blatter's 133 in the election's first round. The 79-year-old is re-elected.
Mr Blatter - who has vowed to make this the last of his five terms - says: "I am the president now, the president of everybody."
English Football Association chairman Greg Dyke again demands Mr Blatter stand down, and warns that the events of the last week "are not all over".
Football sponsors, including Coca-Cola, Adidas and McDonald's, all call for reform within Fifa.
Mr Blatter tells Swiss television: "Why would I step down? That would mean I recognise that I did wrong."
A day after his re-election, Mr Blatter downplays the US indictments, saying in an interview with the Swiss public broadcaster that there was a "hate campaign" against Fifa by European football nations.
Mr Blatter is also asked about another allegation made in the indictment. It states that a senior Fifa official authorised an alleged $10m (£6.5m) payment in exchange for votes in favour of South Africa hosting the 2010 World Cup.
"Definitely, that's not me," he says.
South Africa denies the payment it made was a bribe, insisting it went to pay for football development for the African diaspora in the Caribbean.
In a BBC interview, Mr Blatter's daughter says her father is the victim of a conspiracy "behind the scenes" of world football.
The New York Times alleges that Mr Blatter's most senior aide at Fifa, Jerome Valcke, was the man who authorised the $10m payment. Fifa and Mr Valcke deny it was a bribe.
Fifa again insists the $10m payment was legitimate.
By mid-afternoon, news emerges of a previously unscheduled Fifa press conference in Zurich.
Shortly before 19:00 Swiss time (17:00 GMT), Mr Blatter announces he is to stand down.
He does not address the corruption allegations directly, but calls for "deep-rooted structural change" within Fifa and admits: "I do not feel that I have a mandate from the entire world of football."
Sponsors, including Visa, Budweiser and Coca-Cola, welcome the news and call for swift reform and greater transparency from Fifa. | When Sepp Blatter woke in a Swiss hotel room last Wednesday morning, he was the overwhelming favourite to be named Fifa president two days later. |
36,292,594 | Badreddine's death near Damascus airport was announced on Friday and initially blamed on Israel, Hezbollah's chief enemy.
Badreddine was believed to have run all Hezbollah's military operations in Syria since 2011.
Thousands of Hezbollah troops are supporting President Bashar al-Assad.
This has pitted it against several groups of anti-Assad rebels - from so-called Islamic State (IS) to the al-Nusra Front.
Without naming any group, the Hezbollah statement said: "Investigations have showed that the explosion, which targeted one of our bases near Damascus International Airport, and which led to the martyrdom of commander Mustafa Badreddine, was the result of artillery bombardment carried out by takfiri groups in the area."
Takfiri is used to describe militants who believe Muslim society has reverted to a state of non-belief.
However, the BBC's Arab Affairs Editor Sebastian Usher says questions still remain over Badreddine's death.
A monitoring group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said there had been no recorded shelling or firing in the area for more than a week, although Hezbollah has not said when Badreddine died.
Many political assassinations involving Lebanese and Syrian political figures have remained unsolved, our correspondent says.
Obituary: Mustafa Badreddine
Profile: Lebanon's Hezbollah
Who stands accused of Hariri killing?
The Lebanese Shia Islamist movement has played a major role in helping Iran, its main military and financial backer, to prop up the government of President Assad since the uprising erupted in 2011.
Thousands of Hezbollah fighters are assisting government forces on battlefields across Syria, particularly those near the Lebanese border, and hundreds are believed to have been killed.
The Hezbollah statement said Badreddine's death "will increase our determination... to continue the fight against these criminal gangs and defeat them".
Born in 1961, Badreddine is believed to have been a senior figure in Hezbollah's military wing. He was a cousin and brother-in-law of Imad Mughniyeh, who was the military wing's chief until his assassination by car bomb in Damascus in 2008.
According to one report, a Hezbollah member interrogated by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), described Badreddine as "more dangerous" than Mughniyeh, who was "his teacher in terrorism".
They are alleged to have worked together on the October 1983 bombing of the US Marine Corps barracks in Beirut that killed 241 people.
Badreddine is reported to have sat on Hezbollah's Shura Council and served as an adviser to the group's overall leader Hassan Nasrallah.
The group was established in the wake of the Israeli occupation of Lebanon in the early 1980s, and has called for the "obliteration" of Israel.
Badreddine was also charged with masterminding the assassination of former Lebanese PM Rafik Hariri in Beirut in 2005.
An indictment from the ongoing Special Tribunal for Lebanon in The Hague details Badreddine's role in bombings in Kuwait in 1983, that targeted the French and US embassies and other facilities, and killed six people.
He was sentenced to death over the attacks, but later escaped from prison.
Correction: An earlier version of this article wrongly said in a picture caption that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah attended Badreddine's funeral. This mistake resulted from an agency error. | Hezbollah's top military commander in Syria, Mustafa Amine Badreddine, was killed in artillery fire by jihadists, the Lebanese group says. |
24,454,138 | Scientists from Stanford University have shown that iron metal will flow through rocks 1,000km beneath our feet.
Using sophisticated X-ray imaging, they watched molten metal moving through rocks, squeezed to huge pressures between the tips of pairs of diamonds.
Their results suggest that Earth's core did not form in a single step, but grew in a complicated sequence over time.
The depths of Earth are complex and multi-layered.
At the surface, the rocks forming the foundations of our cities, the stones that we build our lives upon, also provide the raw materials for society - metals, fuel, water and nutrients.
These are no more than a thin geological veneer on the planet. In many respects, the deep Earth remains as much of a mystery as Jupiter or Mars.
But new research in the journal Nature Geosciences gives new clues about how Earth may have taken shape and built its core.
A group of scientists, led by Stanford's Prof Wendy Mao, have shown how metallic iron may be squeezed out of rocky silicates more than 1,000km beneath the surface to form a metallic core.
If you were to follow Jules Verne on a journey to the centre of the Earth, you would find a chemistry dominated by just three elements, until you got almost half the way to the centre - that's the first 3,000km of your journey.
Oxygen, silicon and magnesium (plus a little bit of iron) make up more than 90% of Earth's blanketing "ceramic" mantle.
Electrically and thermally insulating, the mantle is like a rock-wool blanket around the core. The minerals of the mantle are the stony part of the planet. But as you delve deeper on this "thought field trip", things suddenly and drastically change.
With more than half your journey ahead of you, you cross a boundary from the stony mantle into the metallic core. It is initially liquid in its upper stretches, and then solid right the way to the centre of the Earth.
The chemistry changes too, with iron forming almost all of the core, segregated into Earth's dense inner sphere.
The boundary between the metallic core and rocky mantle is a place of extremes. Physically, Earth's metallic liquid outer core is as different to the rocky mantle that overlies it as the seas are from the ocean floor here near Earth's surface.
One might (just about) imagine an inverted world of storms and currents of flowing red-hot metal in the molten outer core, pulsing through channels and inverted "ocean" floors at the base of the mantle.
The flowing of metal in the outer part of the core gives Earth its magnetic field, protects us from bombarding solar storms, and allows life to thrive.
How Earth's core came about has puzzled Earth Scientists for many years. Experiments on mixtures of silicate minerals and iron, cooked up in the laboratory, show that iron sits in tiny isolated lumps within the rock, remaining trapped and pinned at the junctions between the mineral grains.
This observation has led to the view that iron only segregates very early in the life of the planet, when the upper part of the rocky mantle was in fact super-hot and molten.
It is thought that droplets of iron rained down through the red-hot magma ocean to settle at its base, resting on the solid deeper mantle, then sinking as large "diapirs" driven by gravity through the solid mantle to eventually form a core.
The paper by Crystal Shi and Wendy Mao begins to paint a different picture.
"We know that Earth today has a core and a mantle that are differentiated. With improving technology, we can look at different mechanisms of how this came to be in a new light," said Prof Mao.
Using intense X-rays to probe samples held at extreme pressure and temperature squeezed between the tips of diamond crystals, the researchers find that when pressure increases deep into the mantle, iron liquid begins to wet the surfaces of the silicate mineral grains.
This means that threads of iron can join up and begin to flow in rivulets through the solid mantle - a process called percolation.
It also means that iron can begin to segregate if the rocks are deep enough, even when the mantle is not a molten magma ocean.
"In order for percolation to be efficient, the molten iron needs to be able to form continuous channels through the solid," Prof Mao explained.
"Scientists had said this theory wasn't possible, but now we're saying - under certain conditions that we know exist in the planet - it could happen. So, this brings back another possibility for how the core might have formed."
Commenting on the results, Geoffrey Bromiley, of the University of Edinburgh, UK, who was not involved in the study, told the BBC: "This new data suggests that we cannot assume that core formation is a simple, single-stage event. Core formation was a complex, multi-stage process that must have had an equally complex influence on the subsequent chemistry of the Earth.
"Their deep percolation model implies that early core formation can only be initiated in large planets. As a result, the chemistry of the Earth may have been 'reset' by core formation in a markedly different way from smaller planets and asteroids.
"As such, we might not be able to use geochemical data from meteorites to constrain the bulk composition of the Earth. This is currently an important assumption pervading Earth Science."
The results were reliant on recent advances in 3D imaging of minuscule samples using powerful synchrotron electron accelerators that generate intense beams of X-rays.
Similar to medical imaging, these sorts of experiments are revealing the nanoscale properties of minerals and melts. But they are also leading to new understanding of how huge objects like planets form and evolve.
Dr Bromiley and his colleagues are now investigating the influence of other factors, like the deformation that asteroids and other bodies might have experienced on their chaotic pathways through the early Solar System, on their formation.
He added: "The challenge now lies in finding a way to model the numerous processes of core formation to understand their timing and subsequent influence on the chemistry of not just the Earth, but also the other rocky bodies of the inner Solar System.
"We are increasingly observing metallic cores in bodies much smaller than the Earth. What process might have aided core formation in bodies that were never large enough to permit percolation of core forming melts at great depths?" | Experiments on samples of iron and rock held at immense pressures have led to new ideas of how Earth's core formed. |
36,383,804 | A report by the watchdog estimated the delays were costing £820m a year.
And it warned they also put older patients at risk because they lose mobility during extended stays.
It comes after delays hit record levels this winter because of a lack of support available in the community.
The NAO said research shows that for every day spent in hospital an older patient can lose 5% of their muscle strength. There is also the increased risk of infection.
The figures show the number of delays has risen by a third in the past two years to 1.15m days.
It estimated these delays cost hospitals £820m, whereas care in the community for such patients would be about £180m.
But the NAO said this was likely to be an underestimate, as the NHS only measured delays from the point patients are deemed ready for discharge - the report said they could well face delays waiting for this to be recorded or elsewhere during their stay in hospital.
It said the "truer figure" could be nearer 2.7m days of delay.
Waiting for nursing home places or home care were cited as the two fastest growing reasons for delays. It said workforce shortages were likely to be a major cause of this.
NAO head Amyas Morse said: "There are currently far too many older people in hospitals who do not need to be there.
"Without radical action, this problem will worsen and add further strain to the financial sustainability of the NHS and local government."
The report found steps, such as earlier planning for discharge and the creation of specialist teams for frail older patients, were being taken to tackle the problem, but they were not yet widespread enough.
Simon Bottery, of the Independent Age charity, said the problem was likely to get worse because of the ageing population.
"The situation is clearly unsustainable."
And Councillor Izzi Seccombe, of the Local Government Association, said: "Getting people out of hospital more quickly and back living at home will only work properly if councils get enough resource throughout the whole year to properly fund adequate provision of care services."
But a Department of Health spokesman said steps were being made to tackle the issue.
He said the NHS was being provided with extra funding this Parliament - the budget is increasing by 8% above inflation - while a joint pot had been established with council social care teams to encourage better joint working to help frail older people.
"Elderly patients should never be stuck in hospital unnecessarily," he added.
Read more from Nick
Follow Nick on Twitter | The NHS in England must get a grip on the delays patients face in being released from hospital, as the problem causes unnecessary harm and wastes money, the National Audit Office says. |
15,215,427 | North Kesteven District Council's executive committee said Sleaford's swimming pool could no longer meet "customer standards and expectations".
Councillors said the investment would enhance the centre and ensure its future. The full council will make a final decision next month.
In 2010, the authority tried but failed to secure outside funding from private investors.
The money for the refurbishment will mostly come from the council with some contribution from the Amateur Swimming Association.
The building will be remodelled with improvements to the changing rooms and gym area.
It is expected to close late next year for the work to be carried out with a reopening expected in December 2013. | Council leaders have voted to invest £2.5m in a Lincolnshire swimming pool. |
18,334,718 | The condition affects more than 600,000 people in the UK, making it one of the most common neurological conditions.
Scottish charity Quarriers commissioned a study of experiences of epilepsy, which surveyed 505 people across the UK.
One woman in Glasgow said she was mugged while having a seizure.
More than two-thirds of the 505 people interviewed in the ComRes poll admitted to worrying what members of the public would say or do if they had a seizure.
A third admitted this concern led to anxiety about whether to leave the house, while just over half believed discrimination was widespread.
About the same amount of respondents felt others treated them differently after they revealed they had the condition.
Sara Brannan, who lives in Glasgow with her 10-year-old daughter Mary-Jo and husband Paul, said she had money taken from her while she was having a seizure.
She said: "A man, who I now think may have been a drug addict, must have been standing behind me and spotted an opportunity.
"He told the gathering crowd I was his girlfriend and had overdosed. He took my money and my shopping bags.
"I've been told people have stepped over me while I've been lying unconscious.
"I was once kicked out of a shop just before I was about to take a seizure after asking for a glass of water so I could take a tablet to try to prevent it coming on. I guess the shopkeeper thought I was an addict of some kind."
Gerard Gahagan, head of clinical services at Quarriers, said: "Around one in 100 people in the UK suffer from epilepsy, so there is a high probability perpetrators of the discrimination could actually have a relative or friend who is avoiding revealing they live with the condition because they fear what the reaction will be."
Quarriers will open a new £6.4m epilepsy centre in Govan in Glasgow next year.
The number of people with epilepsy in Scotland has increased by almost 40% in just six years, according to figures which came out at the end of last year. | People with epilepsy are facing discrimination and many worry about leaving their homes in case they have an attack, a survey has suggested. |
36,299,454 | Russia was favoured to win Eurovision, but Ukraine's Jamala snatched a last-minute victory. Australia came second.
Mr Abbott said Australia should be prepared to accept the defeat, as Ukraine was the victim of a "bully".
In 2014, Mr Abbott famously declared that he would "shirtfront" Russian President Vladimir Putin over the downing of flight MH17 over Ukraine.
Thirty-eight Australians were among the 298 who died when MH17 crashed on 17 July 2014.
"I have a lot of goodwill for the Ukraine, I think the Ukraine has suffered a lot over the last couple of decades and I think they're currently suffering at the hands of a bully," Mr Abbott told Sky News on Sunday night when asked about Eurovision.
"So if this helps their morale I think we should be prepared to accept second place."
Australia's Dami Im won the juror's vote with 320 points to Ukraine's 211, but placed fourth in the public vote and was relegated to second place overall.
Meanwhile, there have been calls in Russia for a review of Ukraine's victory.
Russian MP Elena Drapeko blamed the loss on what she called an "information war" and "general demonisation" of her country.
But large numbers of the Russian public voted for the Ukrainian song, awarding it 10 points, while the Ukrainian public gave Russia's entry the maximum 12 points. | Ousted Australian PM Tony Abbott has used Ukraine's Eurovision victory to take an apparent swipe at Russia. |
35,244,393 | BBC News found that out of 89 transport authority areas, just 29 reported a rise in the number of passenger trips.
Campaigners blamed government cuts and said there was a "danger of whole networks of bus services being lost".
The government said it was investing £250m into bus services this year.
The biggest percentage drop was in Redcar and Cleveland where figures showed 27% fewer bus journeys made in 2014-15 compared with 2009-10.
It meant numbers were down from 5.7 to 4.1 million journeys, according to official Department for Transport figures.
However, the figures reveal vast differences across the country. West Berkshire has recorded a 44% rise in bus journeys over the same period while Poole saw a 39% increase and North Somerset a 30% rise. London's bus use has also risen by just under 6%.
Meanwhile, bus fares have continued to rise.
In the West Midlands, bus company National Express imposed a 10p price hike on a single adult fare at the start of January, when figures showed diesel prices were at a six-year low.
Bus journeys across Birmingham, the Black Country, Coventry and Solihull have fallen from 294 million journeys in 2010-11 to 275 million in 2014-15, while the fare has gone from £1.80 to £2.30.
A National Express West Midlands spokeswoman said a quarter of passengers, such as those using smartcards or daysaver tickets had seen their fares frozen, while the company was also investing £4m in new buses.
"Fuel makes up a fairly small percentage of National Express' costs," she said.
She said the largest cost came from wages, and the company was proud to have recently become a Living Wage employer.
The spokeswoman added: "Like many companies, National Express buys its fuel a long time in advance. This enables us to plan ahead, smooth out costs and not be affected by every price fluctuation at the pumps."
The company said cheaper petrol, online shopping and the decline of the high street may have contributed to the decline.
Subsidies for bus services were cut following the 2010 Spending Review, prompting 70% of councils to reduce funding for services, while many operators increased fares.
Martin Abrams, from the Campaign for Better Transport, said: "Across the country, we are seeing a very worrying trend of declining bus usage, a decline which correlates with the huge funding cuts to local authority supported buses we've seen over recent years.
"We really are in danger of seeing whole networks of bus services being lost. Buses play a crucial role in helping people to access jobs, shops, education and are a lifeline for older people ensuring they are not left in isolation.
He added: "Passengers will want to know why low fuel prices can't be reflected in lower bus fares."
The new Buses Bill is expected to let areas with directly-elected mayors take responsibility for running their own services, which the government said would lead to improvements.
A Department for Transport spokesman said it was providing £250m to support bus services and almost 10 million older and disabled people qualified for concessions.
"Bus services provide vital transport links by helping communities thrive and grow," he said. | The number of bus passenger journeys has fallen in two-thirds of English council areas over the past six years, prompting concern over funding cuts and fare hikes. |
32,063,143 | Police found the 28-year-old injured at the Mucky Duck on Drake Street just after midnight. He was taken to Bury's Fairfield Hospital where he later died.
A police spokesman said it was believed he had been assaulted but it was not yet known if the attack took place inside or outside the pub.
Two men have been arrested in connection with the man's death and remain in police custody. | A man has died after suffering serious head injuries at a pub in Rochdale. |
38,995,967 | Vince Baker paid Hotels.com $1,100 for five adults and three children to stay in a holiday apartment in Manhattan.
After making the 3,300-mile trip, they arrived expecting "a lobby or reception" but were instead met with a locked-up building.
They were forced to ring around to find somewhere else to stay. Hotels.com has apologised and paid compensation.
Mr Baker, from Sawley, Derbyshire, said he had been concerned by some reviews on Hotels.com when he arranged the festive getaway.
But, he said, the website's staff had assured him there would be no problems.
"We were expecting a lobby and some sort of reception but it was just a private block, all locked up.
"The contact number we had just went to a holding message. Our holiday apartment didn't exist.
"So we were just left there on the street with no where to go. It was 9pm, our bodies thought it was 2am and we had three children aged 8, 6 and 1.
"In the end we had to find ourselves a place - not easy in New York during the festive season - and pay what they asked."
Hotel.com have now refunded Mr Baker for the £1,100 and paid him £1,250 compensation.
Mr Baker added: "Like most people we were looking for a good deal and this one fitted the bill.
"We got our money back and some compensation but I think it is important for people to know the risks they run using these sites.
Hotels.com said the apartment was a "genuine property" but following a number of issues, it had ceased taking bookings for it.
"We have processes to find alternative accommodation for customers at no additional cost and we are very sorry that this process didn't work as it should have done in this instance." | A family of eight who booked a break in New York arrived to find their accommodation "did not exist". |
33,718,094 | Liam Lyburd admitted possessing a gun, bomb and bullets but claimed he had not intended to hurt anyone at Newcastle College.
He was found guilty of possessing weapons with intent to endanger life following a trial at Newcastle Crown Court.
He will be sentenced on 25 September at the same court.
During the trial, Newcastle Crown Court heard he told police he intended to "shoot a bunch of people" and blow up Newcastle College.
Prosecutor Nick Dry said that following concerns raised about posts he had made on Facebook in November under the name Felix Burns, police went to the house on Hamilton Place, Newcastle, where he lived with his mother and sister and searched his room.
Officers found items including a black handgun and canisters of CS gas, along with a black "kill bag" which contained a balaclava, safety glasses, elbow and knee pads and a number of pipe bombs with nails taped around them.
Lyburd laughed as he was transported to the police station after being arrested, and told detectives that it had been a "fantasy that he had no intention of carrying out", the court heard.
During the trial he often smirked, and said that buying a gun online was not a "big deal" and "like buying a bar of chocolate".
When his house was raided he had not been outside for months, but lived off takeaways which he paid for with other people's Paypal accounts.
He corresponded with people online, discussing plans to carry out a massacre and praising US high school shooters and the Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik.
The court heard analysis of his laptop found a file called "Newcastle College" which he had attempted to delete.
But experts recovered the contents, including a note that said: "I'll get my power back today haha... You ruined my whole life, don't expect me to show any mercy today. No-one disrespects me and gets away with it. I will teach you a little lesson on respect with my 9mm hollow points ;).
"It's time for extreme civil disobedience. Fantasy will become reality for sure. Where the mind goes the body will follow and yes, people will die there's no question about that."
A spokesperson for Newcastle College, said: "The safety of our students and staff is always our top priority and we would like to thank Northumbria Police who we worked closely with throughout the incident."
Lyburd admitted nine charges relating to making five pipe bombs, two home-made explosive devices, possessing a 9mm Luger Calibre Glock gun, 94 jacketed hollow point expanding bullets, and CS gas.
He had denied eight charges of possessing those items with an intent to endanger life but was convicted of all eight counts.
After the verdicts were returned, Lyburd made a gun gesture with his hand and pointed it at his head. | A 19-year-old has been found guilty of plotting mass murder at his former college. |
38,171,057 | Neath-born Lloyd played 147 first-class and 95 limited-overs games for the county between 1972 and 1984, later playing Minor Counties cricket for Wales.
He claimed a total of 311 wickets with his off-spin, with a career-best performance of 8-70.
Lloyd shared captaincy duties with Javed Miandad during the 1982 season.
He was on the Lord's ground staff and went to Bangor Normal College before becoming a regular in the Glamorgan side between 1978 and 1982, taking his best haul of 55 first-class wickets in 1982.
His daughter Hannah represented England in five one-day internationals.
"Barry was hugely supportive of the young Welsh players in the squad and always wore the daffodil with pride," said Glamorgan chief executive Hugh Morris, who played under Lloyd's captaincy.
"His passing is very sad news for us here at Glamorgan as well as for the wider cricket community in Wales, especially Pontarddulais.
"We send our thoughts and prayers to his family and wide circle of friends at this most difficult time."
Lloyd continued to play club cricket with Pontarddulais' first XI until 2010.
Pontarddulais chairman Keith Griffiths said: "It is a very sad day for Welsh cricket and for us all at the club, not only players, but officials and spectators who were very fond of Barry.
"His death has touched everyone here within the club and the local community." | Former Glamorgan captain and spin bowler Barry Lloyd has died at the age of 63. |
28,639,716 | Dr Anthony Marsh, the head of the West Midlands and East of England services, is paid a total of £232,000 a year.
Health Minister and Suffolk MP Dr Dan Poulter said he intended to ask the chairs of both trusts to "explain what they're doing with public money".
An ambulance service spokesman said: "It's ludicrous to suggest the taxpayer is getting poor value for money."
Dr Marsh previously worked five days a week for the West Midlands service, but also took on the role with the East of England Ambulance Service Trust in January.
The combined role brought a salary increase of £50,000 but meant an overall saving of £130,000 by not having two substantive chief executives, the East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST) said.
However, Dr Poulter, the MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, described the salary package as "unacceptably high" and said it sent a "very bad message" to front-line staff.
"Effectively Dr Marsh is being paid two salaries at the same time, even though he's only doing half a job for each ambulance service.
"It's obscenely high and a profligate waste of money."
Dr Poulter said he had raised the issue with ministerial colleague Earl Howe, who is responsible for the ambulance service within the Department of Health.
"There's no doubting that Anthony Marsh is a very skilled man with a lot to offer to the ambulance service... but when you're in a leadership role you have to set an example," Dr Poulter said.
"I'm going to be raising the issue directly with the chairs of the ambulance trusts and calling them in for a meeting to make sure they can explain what they're doing with public money, and explain why they're not prioritising front-line patient care with the money they're given by the NHS and then by the government."
A EEAST spokesperson said: "Since his appointment, Mr Marsh has saved taxpayers approximately £8m of back office functions and management savings to help fund the recruitment of 400 new staff, with more than 120 already having joined the trust, and brought in 147 brand new ambulances and more than 60 rapid response vehicles.
"The organisation has turned a corner thanks to the actions Mr Marsh has put in place." | The salary of the chief executive of two ambulance services has been branded "obscene" by a government minister. |
30,806,958 | The blunder meant the choices of Southampton midfielder Steven Davis and Michael O'Neill were not counted.
The pair were the only Uefa representatives not to have a say in the contest to decide the world's best player.
"The original documents were not received on time," the IFA admitted.
Davis's top three were Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo, 30, Argentina forward Lionel Messi, 27, and Dutch winger Arjen Robben, 30, with O'Neill also going for Ronaldo in first place, followed by German World Cup winners Philipp Lahm, 31 and Thomas Muller, 25.
Fifa confirmed that it sent out a reminder email before the closure of the ballot.
A Ballon d'Or spokesman confirmed: "The online votes were recorded before the deadline; however the original documents with the signatures were not received on time. We need to have it, because only than the votes are valid."
One hundred and eighty one national football associations voted in the global poll, while 27 countries did not return any nominations.
Journalist Jackie Fullerton, who voted for Ronaldo ahead of Bayern Munich's Muller and Barcelona's Messi, was the sole Northern Irish representative.
Real Madrid forward Ronaldo won the Ballon d'Or, his third title, with 37.66% of all votes. | Northern Ireland's captain and coach did not get a vote in the Ballon d'Or poll, as the Irish Football Association (IFA) did not send the ballots on time. |
36,113,638 | The only exceptions are in London, where policing will be the responsibility of the newly elected mayor, and in Greater Manchester, where the current PCC will continue in his role until a mayor is elected in 2017.
The first PCCs were elected in November 2012. The system - which replaced police authorities - is now firmly embedded, and the consensus is it will be here for many years to come.
So how have PCCs managed to make their mark?
PCCs have brought about a sense that "the buck stops here". A named individual in each area is now responsible for policing and crime reduction and accountable for the effectiveness of law enforcement policies.
While the home secretary can be held to account for the overall direction of police reform, legislative changes and the government's strategy on counterterrorism, and chief constables take responsibility for operational decisions, it is the PCC who will stand or fall on the record of their local force in fighting crime and delivering services to communities and victims.
In March, for example, when Essex Police was criticised for failing to protect children at risk of harm, in a scathing report by the Inspectorate of Constabulary, the PCC, Nick Alston, was asked for an explanation, along with the chief constable.
The new PCC for the area (Mr Alston is not standing for re-election) will be expected to ensure improvements are put in place over the coming months and years and will rightly be in the spotlight if they are not.
Of course, before PCCs there were police authorities, comprising local councillors, magistrates and independent members.
They had similar responsibilities to commissioners.
But none of their members was directly elected on their record on policing and crime.
Responsibility for decision making was diffuse and more opaque.
And although each authority had a chairman or chairwoman, there was less incentive and need for them to engage publicly.
The fact a PCC's term of office hinges not on nods, winks and favours but on success at the ballot box means it is incumbent on them to have a higher public profile.
Each has their own website, most use social media to get their views across - Ann Barnes, for example, the commissioner for Kent, has almost 6,000 followers on Twitter - and some appear regularly on radio, regional television and in the local press.
While the turnout at the last election was staggeringly low, 15.1% overall, surveys suggest more people know about the role of police and crime commissioners than before, even if in some areas, from my experience speaking to potential voters, they still don't know who their PCC actually is.
There were warnings investing power over policing in the hands of one individual was a recipe for conflict with the chief constable - and so it has proved in a few notable cases.
The first time it happened was in Avon and Somerset, where, just a day after Sue Mountstevens had been sworn in as the area's PCC, Colin Port announced he would step down as chief constable at the end of his eight-year term. Ms Mountstevens had asked him to reapply for his job.
The following year, Carmel Napier left her post as Chief Constable of Gwent Police after pressure from the PCC, Ian Johnston.
Mrs Napier later told a parliamentary committee she had had to resign following "menacing and bullying" treatment by Mr Johnston - who is not seeking re-election next month. He said her attitude to his role had prevented him doing his job properly.
The most bizarre row came in Lincolnshire, where the PCC, Alan Hardwick, suspended Neil Rhodes, the Chief Constable, for allegedly helping a senior Muslim lawyer from another force pursue a claim of racial discrimination "which he knew to be a contrivance".
The case ended in a damaging and expensive court case and Mr Rhodes's reinstatement.
Nevertheless, in most constabularies, it appears commissioners and chiefs enjoy a good working relationship - some might say too good, cosy even.
A BBC News survey, published in March, found most of the PCCs had appointed a chief constable from within their own force.
What this suggests, above all, is when a deputy chief constable is well thought of by the PCC, they are in pole position when the top job becomes vacant, to the extent it puts external candidates off even applying.
The 2012 crop of PCCs had a range of backgrounds, skills and experience; some were new to the area of policing and criminal justice altogether. Although the novices may have struggled early on, the influx has enabled some "out of the box" thinking.
I've written before about Northamptonshire's visionary PCC, Adam Simmonds, and his ideas for a "free" school with a focus on policing, public service and criminal justice, as well as the pioneering joint police-fire vehicles. Mr Simmonds isn't standing again, but his ideas are likely to live on.
In Sussex, Katy Bourne, the PCC, is developing "live" link facilities to enable officers to give evidence in court cases from police stations, saving time and money.
Virtual reality courts are now a reality in many areas, with defendants and vulnerable witnesses often appearing remotely, but the idea a busy constable does not have to hang around court waiting to be called but can be at their desk instead may well catch on.
Vera Baird, in Northumbria, has set up a system to deal with low-level complaints against the police, to get them resolved more quickly and satisfactorily.
And, in Hampshire, Simon Hayes has agreed funding to allow volunteers to be used to help tackle cybercrime and other offences where the necessary specialist skills are in short supply.
Of course, we will never know what initiatives police authorities may have conjured up had they continued, but my guess is they would not have been quite so bold as those put in place by PCCs.
The key difference is PCCs are able to get things done quickly, without endless committees and consultations, aware, nonetheless, their decisions will be subject to public scrutiny.
Although PCCs set their force's budget and strategy, and have the power to hire and fire chief constables, it is increasingly clear their greatest influence is in being able to pull strings - to bring the disparate and unwieldy parts of the criminal justice system together.
At a time when police forces are having to collaborate with each other because of budget constraints, and work more closely with other blue-light services, the commissioner's role is developing into that of a facilitator.
They can see where the gaps are, where there is duplication and waste, and where there is room for a more streamlined service.
They are the one person in the area with responsibility for police and crime.
At present, there is little but anecdotal evidence this is making a difference.
A quiet word in a corridor that smoothes the path to joint working, a meeting behind closed doors that helps cut red tape, patient negotiations that secure extra funding - these are not quantifiable or public achievements, but it is here the PCC comes into their own.
Stephen Bett, Norfolk's PCC, says: "You can cover right across every public service, every voluntary group, charitable group that is involved in the criminal justice system.
"You have a great insight and you're able to to get people to work together who wouldn't normally do so."
The introduction of police and crime commissioners was a risk. Theresa May, the Home Secretary, even admitted she feared she had created a "monster".
While police authorities were accused of being too sleepy, at least there were few public scandals attached to them.
By contrast, PCCs have attracted a heap of hostile headlines that have called into question the decision to establish the role.
There was a series of negative stories from Kent, involving the PCC, Ann Barnes, arguably the most damaging of which was the fly-on-the-wall documentary about her: certainly a low point in the history of PCCs so far. She is not standing again.
The resignation wrangle over South Yorkshire's former Commissioner Shaun Wright demonstrated a flaw in procedures for holding PCCs to account during their time in office.
And Surrey PCC Kevin Hurley's criticism of his former Chief Constable Lynne Owens showed how ugly things could get when politics, policing and personalities collided.
There have been countless other stories too about expenses, indiscretions and mistakes, some excusable, others less so.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission has conducted or managed 10 investigations overall into allegations involving PCCs.
Some might view that as a high number, given there are only 41 of them.
Others would say it is a low return when you consider their unique public profile.
More information about the candidates in your area is available at the Choose My PCC website. | On Thursday 5 May, voters in England and Wales will choose their police and crime commissioners (PCCs) for the next four years. |
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