id
int64 10.1M
41.1M
| dialogue
stringlengths 15
174k
⌀ | summary
stringlengths 1
399
|
|---|---|---|
41,010,530 | Finland's prime minister has described the stabbings as the country's first terrorist attack.
However, the teenager denied murder and said there was no terrorist motive.
Three other suspects, all Moroccans, have been remanded in custody in connection with the 18 August attack.
Another man was released without charge.
Police said they were still searching for another suspect and trying to find out if the stabbings were planned from abroad.
The attack unfolded in the market square in Turku last Friday, a day after another Moroccan, Younes Abouyaaqoub, murdered 13 people on Barcelona's Las Ramblas boulevard.
A man wielding a knife repeatedly stabbed one woman in the neck before running around, targeting other people, mainly women, nearby. Two of his victims died.
Within minutes Finnish police had shot Abderrahman Mechkah in the leg and arrested him. Two of those wounded by the attacker are still in intensive care in hospital.
After the hearing at Turku district court on Tuesday, Finland's National Bureau of Investigation issued a statement saying that the chief suspect had been "detained on a probable ground for two murders with terrorist intent and eight attempted murders with terrorist intent". | Eighteen-year-old Abderrahman Mechkah has appeared before a court via a video link to admit a knife attack that left two women dead and eight other people wounded in the Finnish city of Turku. |
30,412,522 | The band played stadiums around the world in 1971 but opted to play smaller venues, including St Matthew's Baths, to promote Led Zeppelin IV.
BBC Radio Suffolk presenter Stephen Foster said it had become known as "Suffolk's greatest gig".
The signed poster attracted a £2,000 bid but this was below the £2,500 reserve.
Auction house Bonhams said a representative from Island Records had grabbed the 51 x 76cm (20 x 30in) poster from the wall and got it signed by Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones - missing out drummer John Bonham.
Natalie Downing, from Bonhams' entertainment department, said: "According to the representative, John Bonham could not be found after the concert as it was expected he had left with a groupie."
Tickets for the gig were £1 and the band's set list included favourites including Whole Lotta Love and Immigrant Song.
Mr Foster said: "The stand out track is Stairway to Heaven and the Ipswich audience would have been among the first to hear that, along with tracks like Black Dog and Rock and Roll.
"Although The Beatles had visited the town during the height of Beatlemania in 1964, rock giants Led Zeppelin playing at a swimming pool was something extra special - surreal, in fact."
Nigel Rea went along with a "gang" of friends and managed to take several photos.
"It was quite an important gig," he said. "The Baths Hall had lots of bands playing there but nothing like Led Zeppelin.
"I remember Robert Plant saying something like 'Haven't you got anywhere bigger?' and mentioning the board which was covering the swimming pool.
"Jimmy Page was awesome. At one stage he played his guitar with a violin bow and there was lots of feedback effects.
"It was a great show."
Another fan, William Martin, said the gig was "just incredible".
"I'll never forget it," he said. "I remember seeing Jimmy Page and Robert Plant arriving in a green Rolls-Royce for soundcheck.
"I saw them three times after that, but that night was magic. You were so close to them."
The baths building is now being used as a gym. | A poster advertising an intimate Led Zeppelin concert at a swimming pool in Ipswich has failed to sell at auction. |
39,375,961 | He was approved in a 52-46 vote in the Republican-run chamber, despite opposition from the Democrats.
Mr Friedman, who was once Donald Trump's bankruptcy lawyer, is critical of the US goal of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
He also supports Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, and has backed moving the US embassy to Jerusalem.
The UN does not recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital, and the US embassy has been located in Tel Aviv for decades.
The Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of their promised future state - but Israel claims the entire city as its undivided capital.
During his confirmation hearing in February Mr Friedman, who was nominated by President Trump, apologised to lawmakers for his past harsh language and pledged to be "respectful and measured" if confirmed.
The 58-year-old advised Mr Trump on US-Israel issues during the election campaign.
J Street, the Washington-based pro-Israel Jewish group, opposed his nomination, saying he "lacks any diplomatic or policy credentials".
But America's conservative Jewish organisations backed Mr Friedman.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who did not have warm relations with President Barack Obama, welcomed Mr Friedman's nomination. | The US Senate has confirmed right-winger David Friedman as America's next ambassador to Israel. |
35,624,829 | The men, in their 40s and from south Wales, were reported missing around Dan-yr-Ogof and the Black Mountain just after 17:30 GMT on Saturday.
Dyfed-Powys Police said the pair were found just after midday on Sunday.
The men have been airlifted to hospital by helicopter to be assessed and treated, but police said their conditions were not life threatening.
Huw Jones, deputy team leader of Central Beacons Mountain Rescue Team, said: "The two men were experienced and well equipped and really did the right thing. When they became stuck they... called for help, then importantly they stayed put."
Also, two brothers from Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taff, had a lucky escape when they were rescued from Scotland's Ben Nevis- the UK's highest mountain.
Rory Probert, 18, and Leon, 31, set off on their climb at about 11:00 on Saturday but by 14:00, a "white-out" brought heavy snow and blizzard-like conditions.
"We built a snow cave, but after lying there for five minutes we were freezing," said Rory Probert.
"We decided we had to make a push for the summit (where there is a cabin) or die trying."
Despite the conditions and "nearly walking off cliffs", they got there within a few hours, where they stayed before being rescued at 02:45 on Sunday by Lochaber Mountain Rescue.
However, in their struggle to reach the summit, they ditched their rucksacks- which included the keys to Leon Probert's truck.
After being rescued, they had to smash the window to get inside and they were still there waiting for the breakdown service to arrive on Sunday evening. | Two walkers who went missing on hills in the Brecon Beacons have been found. |
37,671,607 | The Care Quality Commission (CQC) found staff at Deneside Court in Jarrow were not adequately skilled and medicines were not administered properly.
The commission said its management of "challenging" patient behaviour "was not safe".
The home has been approached for comment.
The 40-bed facility, which cares for adults with learning, physical and neurological disabilities, had "not sufficiently improved to protect people", the CQC said.
Head of adult social care in the region, Ros Sanderson, said staff were not always properly trained to meet the specific needs of residents with diabetes and learning and mental health difficulties.
Some staff reported not feeling safe and inspectors found staff and residents "were not protected from potential harm".
"Some of the care staff told us they were frightened by the behaviour of some of the people who used the service and this led to them not attempting to de-escalate behaviour and thus leaving situations to deteriorate to the point the police needed to be called," the report said.
The home relied on temporary agency staff but failed to check they had the required skills, it said.
Risk assessments were not made and reviewed correctly and necessary improvements not always acted upon.
"This is not good enough," Ms Sanderson said.
Inspectors were "so concerned with the medicines management" at the home they returned to look specifically into the pharmacy.
They found some emergency medicines not available and others being given past their use by date.
The CQC decision can be challenged. | A care home is in special measures after being rated inadequate following concerns reported by police and care professionals. |
37,504,838 | 30 September 2016 Last updated at 00:00 BST
Mr McCall Smith's detective books are set in the southern African country, which gained its independence on 30 September 1966. | To mark 50 years of Botswana's independence, author Alexander McCall Smith has written an exclusive short story featuring the two main characters from his No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. |
35,529,337 | The group, led by former San Diego Padres owner John Jay Moores and fellow entrepreneur Charles Noell, have been in talks with Toffees owner Bill Kenwright in recent months.
Moores and Noell were previously interested in investing in Swansea.
The pair have spent six weeks conducting a process of due diligence.
In addition to speaking to chairman Kenwright, they have had talks with the club's other major shareholders, Robert Earl and Jon Woods.
It is believed two China-based groups also remain interested in buying Everton but talks with the US consortium are now at such an advanced stage that an agreement is close and they would only step in should this deal fall down.
The Toffees have declined to comment on the latest interest.
In 2015, several parties were considering a deal to buy Everton.
In October, City of London sources revealed to BBC Sport that American investors, some with links to Major League Soccer side Sporting Kansas City, were exploring the purchase of the Premier League club.
Kenwright has conducted a search for investment for more than a decade.
But the latest moves are felt by those close to the club as representing the most positive and hopeful development since the theatre impresario indicated his willingness to sell.
Kenwright, who bought the club from Peter Johnson for £20m on 26 December 1999, said as far back as November 2007: "If the right person stands in front of me and wants to take this club forward, then I will sell."
Former Everton midfielder Peter Reid told BBC Radio 5 Live that the club needed new investment and a new ground.
"We've got a great squad of players and a good manager, but we need to get a new stadium to keep pace with the other clubs in this Premier League," he said. "You need the revenue that generates.
"If Bill Kenwright says it's OK, let's get it done."
After years of inactivity regarding a sale, it is understood there has been a growing intent to do a deal in recent months, fuelled by growing, serious interest from a number of groups.
If the deal is completed, it would mean both Merseyside Premier League clubs would be under American stewardship.
Moores, who bought baseball team San Diego Padres from Liverpool chairman Tom Werner for $80m (£53.7m) in 1994, is believed to be worth about £500m.
Moores and Noell have a background in technology.
Moores founded BMC software and also JMI Equity, a venture capitalism arm of his empire, which Noell helped to co-found. | Everton are moving closer to a £200m takover by an American consortium and a deal could even be concluded by the end of the month. |
39,015,001 | The collision involving a black BMW happened on the A836, near the A99 junction and the Seaview Hotel, at about 23:40 on Friday..
Police Scotland said: "Very sadly, a man in his thirties was struck by a car and died at the scene as a result of his injuries."
The road was closed for several hours for investigation work but later re-opened.
No details of the man's identity were released. Officers are liaising with his next of kin. | A pedestrian has died after being struck by a car in John O' Groats. |
37,957,967 | Dennis, a 25% shareholder in McLaren Group who wants to take a controlling interest in the company, sought an injunction in London on Friday.
The failure casts further doubt on the 69-year-old's position after shareholders told him last month they would not renew his contract for 2017.
McLaren refused to comment when approached by BBC Sport.
The Bahraini royal family owns 50% of the company through their Mumtalakat investment fund, with the remaining 25% owned by Mansour Ojjeh.
He is the long-time business partner of Dennis, but the pair have had a difficult relationship in recent years.
Dennis has been seeking investment to enable him to take his shareholding over 50% and give him total control of the company.
An initial investment plan from a group of Chinese investors fell through some time ago following a weakening of the country's economy.
Dennis sourced a second Chinese consortium, only for the Bahrainis and Ojjeh to decide not to sell because they did not want Dennis to take too much control.
Ojjeh and the Bahrainis now want to remove Dennis from power by suspending him from his position with immediate effect, pending the expiration of his contract which is believed to be in January 2017.
If they follow through on their threat, the Briton's reign as the head of one of Formula 1's most successful teams will come to an imminent end.
But as things stand, Dennis remains chairman and chief executive officer of McLaren Group.
Dennis took control of McLaren in 1981 and led the company to 10 drivers' titles - with the likes of Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Mika Hakkinen and Lewis Hamilton - and seven constructors' titles.
However, the team have struggled in recent years and achieved an all-time low of ninth place in the constructors' championship in 2015 following the start of a new engine partnership with Honda.
Although McLaren and Honda have made progress and are lying sixth in this year's championship with two races to go, Ojjeh and the Bahrainis have concerns about the direction of the company under Dennis.
Among their concerns is the failure of Dennis to secure a new title sponsor following the exit of mobile phone giant Vodafone at the end of 2013. | McLaren chairman Ron Dennis has failed with a High Court bid to prevent his fellow directors suspending him. |
34,380,447 | Azerbaijan's Defence Ministry said three of its troops and seven Armenian troops were killed in "heavy" clashes.
The Armenian authorities controlling Nagorno-Karabakh denied those losses and said "more than 10" Azerbaijani troops died or were wounded on Sunday.
Nagorno-Karabakh has been in Armenian hands since a war that ended in 1994.
A shaky ceasefire has been in place since then, but it is regularly broken by shelling - leaving hundreds of thousands of war refugees still displaced in both republics.
Internationally the mountainous territory is still considered part of Azerbaijan.
Heavy shelling also took place on Friday, in which four Armenian troops and an Azerbaijani soldier were reported killed.
Later the foreign ministers of both countries - Azerbaijan's Elmar Mammadyarov and Armenia's Edvard Nalbandian - met in New York, in the presence of mediators from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). However, no breakthrough was reported. | Casualties have been reported in renewed shelling between Armenian and Azerbaijani troops in the disputed Caucasus region of Nagorno-Karabakh. |
32,424,878 | Plans for the Strathy South wind farm have already led to a row between SSE, the company behind the scheme, and environmental charity RSPB Scotland.
It said that it was a strong supporter of most wind farms because they reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
But it said the Strathy South scheme would cause harm to the peatland habitats and the birds they support.
The proposed 39-turbine wind farm would be situated in the internationally important peatlands of the Flow Country in Sutherland.
RSPB Scotland claimed the wind farm could take at least fours years, and potentially as many as 24.8 years, to save the amount of carbon which would be released during its construction.
SSE said the public was being misled by opponents of the scheme, and pointed to what it described as strong local support for the scheme.
It said the project would help pay for the restoration of thousands of hectares of damaged peatland in the Flow Country. | A public inquiry into a controversial wind farm development in Sutherland is due to begin. |
35,776,775 | The artwork, titled DHEAD, was donated for the fundraising ARTAID 98 exhibition in the city in 1998.
Bowie died on 10 January this year after a private 18-month battle with liver cancer.
His portrait is going on sale at Lyon & Turnbull's contemporary paintings sale next week and is valued at between £3,000 and £5,000.
A one-time art school student, Bowie's paintings focus on abstract head studies influenced by the bizarreness and esotericism of 1930s era German Expressionist art.
Charlotte Riordan, picture specialist at Lyon & Turnbull, said: "Best known of course as a singer/songwriter, Bowie's entire career was spent actively blurring the lines between the art forms of music, performance and design; the visual playing as big a part as the aural." | A self-portrait by music legend David Bowie is going up for auction in Edinburgh. |
33,223,635 | The crash happened when the rider was cycling in Rhyd Ddu, near Beddgelert, on Sunday. The Etape Eryri bike event was being held in the area at the time.
Two air ambulances and two ambulances were sent to the scene on the B4418.
The man has been moved to the Royal Stoke University Hospital. His injuries are not thought to be life threatening. | A cyclist who was seriously injured after colliding with a car in Gwynedd has been transferred to a hospital in England. |
37,810,808 | The bridge, in Lecco province near Milan, fell when a heavy goods vehicle was crossing, crushing cars below.
The company which runs Italy's main roads has blamed local authorities, saying it had demanded the immediate closure of the bridge hours before Friday's accident.
A preliminary criminal investigation has been opened.
The accident occurred around 17:20 (15:20 GMT) as an articulated lorry carrying a specially authorised heavy weight (108 tonnes) was using the bridge.
At least four other cars were involved in the accident - one was completely crushed underneath the fallen bridge.
Anas, Italy's road authority, insisted it had asked for the bridge to be closed at about 14:00 after one of its workers spotted problems.
It said Lecco province officials had demanded the information in writing - which required a formal inspection of the site. However, the bridge had collapsed before an inspector could reach it.
Lecco authorities have denied Anas's version of events. | One man has been killed and five other people have been injured in Italy after a bridge collapsed over a busy road. |
37,635,192 | Buyer demand rose for the first time in seven months in September, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) said.
It had dived in June and July during the height of the referendum battle and immediate aftermath of the Brexit vote.
The lack of properties coming onto the market means that prices have risen.
Members of Rics said that the average of 45 properties on estate agents books remained close to historic lows.
"The market does now appear to be settling down following the significant headwinds encountered through the spring and summer," said Simon Rubinsohn, chief economist at Rics.
"Buyers do appear to be returning, albeit relatively slowly, but the big issue that continues to be highlighted by respondents is the lack of fresh stock on the market."
Over the next three months, surveyors predict that house prices will rise further on a national basis.
However, there remained a greater level of caution in central London where prices were expected to fall, albeit only modestly, over the same period, Rics said.
Recent surveys by mortgage lenders, the Halifax and Nationwide, suggested that annual increase in house prices had slowed in September compared with the previous month.
Where can I afford to live? | Demand among home buyers has seen a modest recovery following "post-referendum jitters", according to surveyors. |
38,950,542 | North Wales Police said officers were trying to intervene as the man, in his 30s, attempted suicide in Ruabon Road, Johnstown, at about 10:20 GMT.
Supt Alex Goss said the man died in hospital despite efforts to save him. The officer's injuries were superficial.
The incident has been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).
The watchdog said its investigators had been told the man in his 30s sustained self-inflicted knife injuries.
IPCC commissioner Jan Williams said: "Our thoughts are with the family of the man who died following this tragic incident.
"We are in the initial stages of carrying out an investigation into the circumstances and the police interaction with the man.
"We have met with his relatives to explain our role and we will keep them updated throughout our inquiries." | A man has died and a police officer has been injured in an incident in Wrexham. |
37,509,546 | Newsweek reports that Mr Trump's company secretly conducted business in Cuba, violating the US trade embargo against the country.
The company allegedly spent at least $68,000 (£52,300) in Cuba in 1998.
Mr Trump criticised the journalist saying: "No I never did anything in Cuba. I never did a deal in Cuba."
"There's this guy who has very bad reputation as a reporter. You see what his record is," the candidate responded when asked before a rally in New Hampshire on Thursday.
Mr Trump's spokesman Kellyanne Conway said he did not end up investing in Cuba.
Mr Trump has also repeatedly said he had rejected offers to invest in Cuba.
The Newsweek report says Mr Trump's company funnelled the cash through a US consulting firm to make it appear legal.
Mrs Clinton said: "We have laws in our country, and the efforts that Trump was making to get into the Cuban market - putting his business interests ahead of the laws of the United States and the requirements that businesses were operating under with sanctions shows that he puts his personal and business interests ahead of the laws and values and the policies of the United States of America."
"This is something they're going to have to give a response to," said Marco Rubio, the Cuban-American senator from Florida who has endorsed Mr Trump. "I mean, it was a violation of American law, if that's how it happened.
"I hope the Trump campaign is going to come forward and answer some questions about this, because if what the article says is true - and I'm not saying that it is, we don't know with 100% certainty - I'd be deeply concerned about it," he told a podcast hosted by ESPN and ABC.
Trump's fortune drops $800m in one year
Who won the debate?
Don't run afoul of Florida's expatriate Cuban community. It's one of those iron-clad rules that Republican presidential nominees have obeyed since the rise of Fidel Castro - and it's now another rule that Donald Trump has apparently broken.
Cuban-Americans who fled the island after the revolution historically have been a reliable voting bloc in Florida for Republicans because of the party's hard-line anti-communist stance. While new generations of Cuban-Americans have been less rigid on the issue, Republican presidential candidates continue to pay deference to their interests in this presidential swing state, where every vote is precious.
Earlier this week, the Republican nominee was making nice with Cuban-Americans in Miami's Little Havana and ordering coffee at the famous Versailles Restaurant - much like his predecessors had before him. His efforts, however, may be undone by his past actions.
Newsweek's front-page - citing company records, interviews with former Trump executives and court filings - alleges that Mr Trump's company, then called Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts, sent a consulting firm to Havana on its behalf in search of business opportunities.
Newsweek says Mr Trump's senior officers disguised the cash by making it appear that the trip was connected to a Catholic charity.
If the consulting firm spent US money during the visit, without permission from the US government, it would have directly violated the Cuban embargo, which remains in place to this day despite a warming in US-Cuba ties.
Speaking on ABC earlier on Thursday, Ms Conway initially said: "As I understand from the story, they paid money in 1998." Later in the same interview, she said: "Did his hotel invest in 1998 in Cuba? No."
Ms Conway referred to comments Mr Trump has made in the past that were critical of the Cuban regime, and supportive of the embargo.
On Thursday night, Mr Trump briefly responded to the allegations to the NH1.com website, saying "I never did a deal in Cuba", and criticised the Newsweek journalist, Kurt Eichenwald.
In a 1999 column in The Miami Herald, Mr Trump wrote that he had snubbed chances to do business in Cuba. "It would place me directly at odds with the longstanding US policy of isolating Fidel Castro. I had a choice to make: huge profits or human rights. For me, it was a no-brainer."
1959: Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro leads a guerrilla army into Havana overthrowing the Batista regime.
1960: In response to Castro's communist reforms, US breaks off diplomatic relations with Cuba and imposes a trade embargo.
1962: Castro agrees to allow the Soviet Union to deploy nuclear missiles on the island bringing the US and the USSR to the brink of nuclear war.
April 2009: President Barack Obama lifts restrictions on family travel and the sending of remittances to Cuba.
July 2015: The US and Cuba reopen embassies in each other's capitals and restore full diplomatic ties.
March 2016: President Obama makes a three-day visit to Cuba and holds talks with President Raul Castro. He expresses hope the embargo will be ended, but it can only be lifted by the US Congress which is controlled by Republicans who oppose the move.
Aug 2016: US commercial flight arrives in Cuba for the first time in more than half a century. | Hillary Clinton says presidential rival Donald Trump appears to have violated US laws, after a report said he broke a trade embargo with Cuba. |
33,156,161 | The body of Nadia Khan, 24, was found in a house in Holker Street, Bradford on Sunday. She was pregnant and had suffered fatal stab wounds.
Detectives said they could not confirm how many weeks pregnant Mrs Khan was at the time of her death.
Her husband Tariq Khan, 26, from Bradford, has been charged with murder and child destruction.
He has been remanded in custody and is due to appear at Bradford Magistrates' Court on Wednesday. | A man has been charged with murdering his pregnant wife and killing her unborn baby. |
21,850,495 | Commissioner Adam Simmonds appointed three new assistant commissioners on Tuesday.
Lib Dem county councillor Brendan Glynane said one of the those appointed was the commissioner's election agent.
Mr Simmonds said the selection process was "open and rigorous".
The three new assistant commissioners are Iain Britain (for justice), Kathryn Buckle, Mr Simmonds' former election agent (for governance) and Peter Heaton, Mr Simmonds' press officer (for public involvement).
Mr Glynane, who is also a member of the Northamptonshire police and crime panel, said: "It really is unbelievable. The Conservative police commissioner has given his campaign staff permanent tax-payer funded jobs at £65,000 a year. This is pure cronyism.
"What makes matters worse is that in his budget he reduced the funds available for frontline policing. We could have had 45 more police officers on the street [for the cost of the commissioner and his assistants].
"Instead we have Conservative party political activists, with no record of involvement with the police. The Conservatives have made the wrong choice yet again, choosing cronyism and jobs for the boys and girls over making our streets safer."
Mr Simmonds said: "After short-listing and an open and rigorous selection process we appointed the best people to understand what we are dealing with now and in the future. None of them is a member of any political party.
"They were advertised at the beginning of February, nine people were short-listed and then faced an independent assessment from someone outside the county, then a written assessment and then a panel interview.
"The turnout at the next PCC elections is likely to be higher than last year. People will be more aware of the impact PCCs are making to deliver on public priorities in tackling crime. Right now, we have a hard job to get on with." | A Lib Dem group leader has accused the Tory police and crime commissioner for Northamptonshire of appointing "party political activists" with no police experience as his deputies. |
34,837,177 | The country's hosting of the event had come under scrutiny following Friday's attacks in Paris in which 129 people were killed.
But in a statement on Monday, Uefa said it had been working with authorities for three years "to guarantee there is a safe and secure tournament".
The draw for the finals will go ahead as scheduled on 12 December at the Palais des Congres in Paris.
"We are confident that the necessary measures will be taken to ensure that is the case," added the statement.
The tournament will be played in France from 10 June to 10 July 2016.
France's 1958 World Cup star Just Fontaine, who was at the Stade de France on Friday, told a German newspaper that France should "forego the tournament".
Tournament organiser Jacques Lambert admitted the level of risk had "gone higher", but said to consider cancelling Euro 2016 would be "playing the game of the terrorists".
He said on Saturday: "We will take the necessary decisions for Euro 2016 to take place in the best safety conditions."
France play England in a friendly at Wembley on Tuesday (20:00 GMT) after the French Football Federation turned down the Football Association's offer to cancel the match.
Belgium cancelled its friendly with Spain, also due to be played on Tuesday, after its government raised the terror threat level. | The Euro 2016 finals will remain in France, Uefa has reaffirmed. |
28,994,792 | The cake, which was still in its original box, was sold online by an American auction house.
The box contains a card from the 1981 wedding, which reads: "With best wishes from Their Royal Highnesses, the Prince & Princess of Wales."
A spokesman from Nate D Sanders Auctions in Los Angeles said the buyer was a private collector.
Sam Heller said there was a dedicated group of royal cake collectors.
Some have bought cakes dating back to the days of Queen Victoria, who married in 1840, he said.
In April, a slice of cake from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's wedding sold at auction for £420. | A 33-year-old slice of cake from Prince Charles and Princess Diana's wedding has been sold for $1,375 (£828). |
35,461,250 | Vose, 22, scored 10 goals in 28 games for the Dragons this season and has signed a two-and-a-half-year deal.
Van Veen, 24, moved to the Iron from Dutch second division side FC Oss in January 2015.
Since moving to Glanford Park, he has scored four goals in 45 matches.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | Scunthorpe United have signed Wrexham winger Dominic Vose for an undisclosed fee while striker Kevin van Veen has joined SC Cambuur Leeuwarden on loan until the end of the season. |
37,979,337 | The 25-year-old has been released to train with his club for their home Premiership match against Bristol.
He will return to the Wales squad on the following Monday to prepare for the Test match against South Africa in Cardiff on Saturday, 26 November.
Faletau suffered his knee injury on his Premiership debut for Bath on 3 September.
"Taulupe has progressed excellently with his recovery," said Wales coach Rob Howley. "We have a good working relationship with Bath."
Faletau, who has 61 caps for Wales, was included in the squad for the autumn internationals despite being expected to miss the majority of the campaign.
The British and Irish Lions player was one of three wildcard picks under the Welsh Rugby Union's senior player selection policy, along with backs George North and Jamie Roberts.
The rule - also known as 'Gatland's Law' - meant only three of Faletau, North, Roberts and Rhys Priestland could be picked as wildcards.
Japan-based lock Dominic Day, Gloucester prop Nicky Thomas - now at Scarlets - and Bristol scrum-half Rhodri Williams are the other players affected by the rule. | Wales number eight Taulupe Faletau is set to make his return from a knee injury with club side Bath on Friday. |
17,665,397 | Some 53% of those who joined a recent star count failed to see more than 10 stars in the Orion constellation.
That had decreased only very slightly from 54% since 2007, the Campaign to Protect Rural England and the Campaign for Dark Skies said.
The problem remained despite attempts to curb street lighting, they said.
They said that in 2010, local authorities collectively spent more than £500m on street lighting, accounting for 5% to 10% of each council's carbon emissions.
A number of councils have tested schemes to switch off or dim street lights when they are not needed, although the trials have often proved controversial with residents.
The information was gathered as part of the annual Star Count survey, which was held across two weeks in January and February this year.
Almost 1,000 people in different locations around the country took part.
Participants were instructed to pick a clear night to count the number of stars in the constellation of Orion.
Fewer than one in 10 said they could see between 21 and 30 stars, and just 2% of people had truly dark skies, seeing 31 or more stars.
Emma Marrington, a rural policy campaigner for the CPRE, says: "When we saturate the night sky with unnecessary light, it damages the character of the countryside and blurs the distinction between town and country.
"But this isn't just about a spectacular view of the stars; light pollution can also disrupt wildlife and affect people's sleeping patterns."
Bob Mizon of the CfDS believes light pollution is a disaster for anyone trying to study the stars.
"It's like a veil of light is being drawn across the night sky, denying many people the beauty of a truly starry night.
"Many children growing up today will never see the Milky Way; never see the unimaginable glory of billions of visible stars shining above them," he said.
For the first time, national guidance has been issued by the government, to encourage local planning authorities to reduce light pollution through design improvements.
The National Planning Policy Framework, published at the end of March, states that by encouraging good design, planning policies and decisions "should limit the impact of light pollution from artificial light on local amenity, intrinsically dark landscapes and nature conservation".
Ms Marrington from the CPRE welcomed the move, saying poor excuses for bad or excessive lighting were heard too often.
"Of course we need the right, well-designed lighting in the right places - and some areas need to be lit for safety reasons - but there should not be a blanket assumption that glaring lights are needed.
"The evidence gathered during this year's Star Count Week shows that we need to take action now to roll back the spread of light pollution."
The Local Government Association, which represents councils, said local authorities were "well ahead of the game on this issue".
"Over the past two years scores of local authorities up and down the country have been trialling the switching off and dimming of street lights late at night in quieter areas," it said.
However, it added, public safety had to come first and councils would not cut lighting if a large number of people were strongly opposed to the idea and there were genuine safety concerns.
It added: "There is also a role for businesses to play in ensuring glaring lights and neon signs that light up the night sky are not left on unnecessarily." | Half of the UK's population cannot see many stars because the night skies are still "saturated" with light pollution, campaigners have warned. |
26,777,463 | The proposal requires the government to receive a court order to access telecom companies' records.
The NSA is understood to collect daily call records from specific telecom firms and to keep them for five years.
The plan follows widespread anger after leaks revealed the full extent of US surveillance operations.
"I believe this approach will best ensure that we have the information we need to meet our intelligence needs while enhancing public confidence in the manner in which the information is collected and held," Mr Obama said in a statement on Thursday.
Under the new proposal, the government will reportedly only seek specific records that telecom companies possess.
How the US spy scandal unravelled
Profile: Edward Snowden
UK 'complacent' over spying leaks
The government must gain approval from a secret surveillance court - proving there is a reasonable suspicion that a phone number is connected to a terrorist - in order to access the record.
An agency may conduct a search without prior approval in cases of emergency, though it remains unclear what constitutes an emergency under the proposal.
The telecom companies will be required to search for specific numbers of a limited time period.
The government previously had the ability to search for numbers only distantly linked to a suspicious number, but would now be limited to accessing only a specific number and direct contacts.
Documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden have revealed the US collects massive amounts of electronic data from communications of private individuals around the world, and has snooped on foreign leaders.
In a speech in January, President Obama said it was necessary for the US to continue collecting large amounts of data, but that civil liberties must be respected.
The Obama administration has said it plans to renew the current NSA programme for at least another 90 days until Congress passes the new bill.
New legislation has also been developed separately by leaders of the House intelligence committee that would allow the NSA to issue subpoenas for specific phone records without prior judicial approval, the New York Times reports. | President Barack Obama has asked Congress to end bulk collection of US phone records by the National Security Agency (NSA). |
35,902,955 | Annan led courtesy of goals from Josh Todd and Smart Osadolor in 11 second-half minutes.
But Elgin pulled a goal back through Kyle MacLeod's header before Cameron slotted home from 12 yards after Ben Jago fouled Dylan Easton in the area.
Both teams ended the game with 10 men as Marc McKenzie and Matt Flynn were sent off near the end. | Brian Cameron netted a late penalty as Elgin City came from behind to secure a draw against Annan Athletic. |
33,076,160 | Media playback is unsupported on your device
10 June 2015 Last updated at 09:08 BST
Dr Gideon Lauffer is alleged to have misdiagnosed a man with acute kidney failure at the West Middlesex Hospital in Isleworth after allegedly misreading blood tests.
The patient, Nick Johnson, was sent home and told he was suffering from constipation, but he was later re-admitted to hospital and treated for blood cancer.
Dr Lauffer had been a consultant surgeon and was found guilty in 2010 of serious professional misconduct and dishonesty. He then retrained as a non-surgical hospital doctor.
Dr Lauffer said: "Following an extensive investigation, the General Medical Council decided to close the case with no action on my registration.
"I owe obligations of confidentiality to patients and it would be inappropriate for me to comment further."
The General Medical Council said Mr Johnson's complaint could not be taken forward due to a lack of evidence.
But Mr Johnson, who is still recovering from cancer treatment and is awaiting the removal of his gallbladder, said he is considering how he can take the case further.
BBC London's Ayshea Buksh reports. | A doctor who was suspended as a surgeon for carrying out operations "beyond his competence" five years ago is at the centre of new concerns about his treatment of patients. |
35,112,169 | Brighton council's health and wellbeing board looked at plans for smoke-free spaces in outdoor areas on Tuesday.
Members heard the proposed beach ban had won little support from smokers and non-smokers alike.
Smokers' campaign group Forest welcomed the move and said it would have been "a step too far".
A report submitted to the meeting said smoking was higher than average in the city - 23% of adults smoke compared with 18% nationally and 15% of 15-year-olds smoke compared with 8% nationally.
The Labour-run council wanted to support Public Health England's aim of having a smoke-free generation by 2025.
A consultation on smoke-free zones had 1,898 responses - said to be among the highest response rates.
It found while there was little support for smoke-free parks and beaches, a majority of smokers and non-smokers agreed play parks, school entrances and children's centres should be smoke-free.
Members decided to continue with a bid to promote smoke-free school gates and play parks, and smoke-free outdoor areas at restaurants and pubs, but dropped plans to encourage smoke-free parks and beaches.
Forest director Simon Clark said there was no justification for banning smoking in the open air.
He claimed there was no risk to anyone else's health and the inconvenience to non-smokers was minimal or non-existent.
"Banning smoking in outdoor public spaces is not only a step too far, it's also very unpopular with the general public," he added.
Councillor Daniel Yates, committee chairman, said: "I believe the measures that are being suggested are a common-sense approach." | A plan to ban smoking on Brighton beach has been dropped but the council will move forward with bringing in smoke-free zones at primary school gates. |
36,291,732 | Media playback is not supported on this device
The pair scored 456.81 to finish ahead of Russia (445.23) and Ukraine (439.86).
Earlier, Tonia Couch and Georgia Ward secured silver and bronze medals respectively in the individual 10m platform final.
It takes Britain's total to seven medals with two days still remaining.
Laugher and Mears won World Championship bronze together last summer but had their pre-season disrupted after Laugher suffered a foot injury in training.
They showed impressive form at the final World Series in Kazan in April - where they won silver - but Laugher had been disappointed with his individual silver on Thursday after struggling with cramp.
"That's a personal best score for us and it means everything to get this result with my best mate," Laugher told BBC Sport.
"If anything the silver just added to the fire and I wanted it even more tonight."
Mears added: "We haven't had a huge amount of preparation coming into this event, but a score like that really sends out a message to the rest of the world."
Media playback is not supported on this device
Despite a near 10-year professional career, Couch's silver was her first individual 10m European honour.
"This means so much to me," she said. "I had a terrible start and needed a real talk with myself, but I managed to pull it back and I'm so proud of that result."
Ward, who is competing as a senior British diver for the first time this season, secured Team GB a berth in the event for Rio 2016 earlier this year.
"I'm in shock really," she said. "I am loving every moment and diving in front of my home crowd was amazing but I need to keep this going to secure an Olympic place."
On Saturday, Ward will return alongside Matty Lee in the mixed synchronised 10m platform final - having won 3m bronze together on Monday.
Sunday's final day will see 10m Olympic bronze medallist Tom Daley as well as Commonwealth 3m champions Rebecca Gallantree and Alicia Blagg battle for honours. | British divers Jack Laugher and Chris Mears won 3m synchronised springboard gold to continue the hosts' incredible European Championships in London. |
35,304,025 | Ian Philip, 57, was caught after his flat was identified as the source of images uploaded to a filesharing site.
During a raid on the flat in Grantham, Lincolnshire Police seized computer equipment found to contain 10,990 indecent images of children.
He was jailed for three and a half years at Lincoln Crown Court.
Robert Sandford, prosecuting, told the court: "He was frank with what he said to the police.
"He was using GigaTribe to share images. He said he would upload images so others could have access to them. He believed he had allowed more than 30 people to access his folder.
"He said he would chat on the site to other like-minded people and they would discuss fantasies. He said he was an addict and needed help."
The court was told Philip had a previous conviction in 2012 for making indecent images and was given a suspended jail sentence.
Philip, 57, of Finkin Street, Grantham, admitted distributing child pornography, together with eight other related charges.
He also admitted breaching conditions of the sex offenders' register.
Judge Michael Heath told him: "You found these images exciting. The great tragedy is that to produce such gratification for people like you, youngsters are grievously abused.
"No one knows the incalculable harm which has been caused to those youngsters by perverted people like you, providing a market for this filth."
Michael Cranmer-Brown, defending, said "He recognises he has a problem and that he needs intensive help to try to prevent him from re-offending.
"His pleas reflect his acceptance of that problem and his remorse for his offending." | A man who confessed to being addicted to child pornography has been jailed for downloading and sharing thousands of illegal images. |
36,120,896 | A woman, 25, was attacked on Sengennydd Road at about 03:00 BST on Friday.
Although it is understood the victim does not study at Cardiff University, its students' union has urged people to take care.
A spokesman said: "Whilst Cardiff is a safe city, we want to emphasise the importance of taking sensible precautions when out at night."
Advice includes planning how to get home ahead of time, staying in pairs when walking at night and sticking to well-lit, populated areas.
South Wales Police is investigating the sex attack. | Students in Cardiff have been given safety advice following a sexual assault in the city. |
36,259,776 | Goalkeeper Michael Ingham, 35, defender Dave Winfield, 28, and midfielders Luke Summerfield, 28, and captain Russell Penn, 30, have been offered deals.
George Swan, Femi Ilesanmi, Taron Hare, Josh Carson, Kenny McEvoy, Michael Coulson, Emile Sinclair and Ben Hirst have been released.
Strikers Jake Hyde, 25, and Vadaine Oliver, 24, have been placed on the transfer list. | National League-bound York City have offered new contracts to four players. |
33,970,145 | More than 120 people were injured in the explosion at the Erawan shrine, a Hindu tourist hotspot also frequented by Buddhists.
Authorities have been releasing details of those confirmed to have been killed or injured, while Asian media outlets have revealed more about those who died, more than half of whom were foreigners.
Suwan Sathman, 30, worked for a foundation that manages the Erawan shrine. He was killed in the blast.
His family members told Thai media that he had a six-year-old son and had been planning to marry his fiancee soon.
"They [the bombers] have total disregard for victims' families. This is murdering innocent people. Suwan has worked hard to take care of his family," Mr Sathman's mother told the Bangkok Post.
Other Thai victims include: Yutthanarong Singror, 44, who was on his way to deliver documents when the blast happened; Standard Chartered bank employee Suchada Niseeda, 32; and Namouy Sangchan, 30.
Chinese state media has reported that as of Tuesday evening, six Chinese citizens had died - four from mainland China, the other two from Hong Kong. Twenty-two Chinese nationals were also among the injured.
The UK Foreign Office said a British national resident in Hong Kong was among the dead, with Prime Minister David Cameron saying on Twitter he was "deeply saddened" to hear of her death.
That person has been named as 19-year-old law student and food blogger Vivian Chan.
She graduated from Harrow International School in Hong Kong in 2014. The school said in a statement that she was a "tremendous role model".
The South China Morning Post said she was a fan of Hong Kong singer Joey Yung, whom she met in 2014. Ms Yung posted a picture of herself with Ms Chan on her Facebook page and said: "I'm very sad at this moment, she left such a deep impression on me."
Pontakorn Urapeepatanapong, who went to school with Ms Chan, told the BBC: "[She was] very easy to like. Everyone got on well with her. She'd always have a smile. You'd think she was happy about everything."
Ms Chan was travelling with Hong Kong resident Arcadia Pang, 24, who also died.
Ms Pang had studied human resource management at the Institute of Vocational Education in Hong Kong. A friend of hers told the Post that she was "very gentle and quiet".
Authorities have confirmed four Malaysians were killed, and three were injured.
Malaysian press reports said the dead were all from the same family.
They are: Lee Tze Siang, 35, and his four-year-old daughter Lee Jing Xuan; as well as Lim Saw Gek, 49, and 20-year-old university Neoh Jai Jun.
The Star said they came from a family well-known in their hometown of Butterworth for their kueh (traditional cakes) business.
One Singaporean woman was killed and seven other Singaporeans were injured, the foreign ministry said in a statement to parliament.
Sources confirmed the dead woman to be 34-year-old Melisa Liu Rui Chun, who worked for the Singapore branch of French insurance company AXA.
She was on holiday with her husband and brother - both were injured, reported The Straits Times.
Friends of Ms Liu remembered her as a bubbly and outgoing person who was a fan of football club Manchester United.
"She was always laughing, very loud and outgoing. I saw her as one of the boys," the newspaper quoted one of her friends as saying.
An Indonesian government statement reported by Indonesian media said a 61-year old woman, Lioe Lie Tjing, had been killed.
Her husband, Hermawan Indradjaja, is in intensive care at a Bangkok hospital.
Taiwan media report that at least five Taiwanese nationals were injured.
Thailand's Institute of Forensic Medicine said that among those injured were citizens of Japan, the Philippines, Oman, Maldives and Qatar. | An avid food blogger, a Manchester United fan, and a Malaysian family of four were among the 20 people killed by the bomb blast in Bangkok on Monday night. |
36,081,509 | Rangers fan Dale Hill, 21, from Belfast, was fined £200 after he admitted running on to the pitch.
Sentence on Celtic fan Sam Miller, 26, from Romford, Essex, was deferred after he admitted making sectarian remarks.
Robert Wyatt, 31, from Castlemilk, Glasgow, faces trial after he pleaded not guilty to running on to the pitch.
He appeared from custody and denied the breach of the peace charge.
A trial was set for October this year and bail was granted with the special conditions that he does not enter Hampden Park or attend any regulated football match in Scotland.
Rangers won the match 5-4 on penalties after the games ended 2-2 after extra time. | Three football fans have appeared in court having been arrested at Sunday's Scottish Cup semi-final between Celtic and Rangers at Hampden. |
37,541,228 | Find out how you can join in and submit your images and videos below.
If you have a picture you'd like to share, email us at england@bbc.co.uk, post it on Facebook or tweet it to @BBCEngland. You can also find us on Instagram - use #englandsbigpicture to share an image there. You can also see a recent archive of pictures on our England's Big Picture board on Pinterest.
When emailing pictures, please make sure you include the following information:
Please note that whilst we welcome all your pictures, we are more likely to use those which have been taken in the past week.
If you submit a picture, you do so in accordance with the BBC's Terms and Conditions.
In contributing to England's Big Picture you agree to grant us a royalty-free, non-exclusive licence to publish and otherwise use the material in any way that we want, and in any media worldwide.
It's important to note, however, that you still own the copyright to everything you contribute to England's Big Picture, and that if your image is accepted, we will publish your name alongside.
The BBC cannot guarantee that all pictures will be used and we reserve the right to edit your comments.
At no time should you endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws collecting any kind of media. | Each day we feature a photograph sent in from across England. |
35,385,728 | The British number one, 24, will be one win away from the feat if she beats Czech world number 66 Denisa Allertova on Saturday in round three.
"It's about time someone got to a quarter-final of a slam," Durie said.
Scotland's Andy Murray is also in third-round action, playing Portugal's 32nd seed Joao Sousa.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Durie, who ranked a career-high fifth in the world, made the last eight at Wimbledon 32 years ago but no female from Britain has gone as far in a major tournament since.
The wait could be ended by Konta, who has seen nine of the 16 seeds in her half of the draw already knocked out.
The Sydney-born 24-year-old beat former world number one Venus Williams in round one to take her list of top-20 scalps to five since the US Open last year.
"Jo can definitely do it and I wouldn't be sad at all," said Durie.
"Parts of the draw always open up at the Australian Open and you get someone surprising coming through to make the quarter-finals and semi-finals.
"If they're in form, they go through that little gap and I think here for Jo, playing like she is at the moment, that's definitely possible."
Konta, ranked 47th in the world, is already set to rise into the top 40 and beating Allertova could put her in striking distance of the top 30, which would bring seeding at major tournaments.
"I think you could see even last year it wasn't a one-off," Durie said.
"She has the mental side to complement her tennis now, she's very consistent, she does believe so much more in herself and you can see it clearly on court."
Konta faced Allertova in the French Open first round eight months ago, when she lost the longest women's tie-break in the history of grand slams 19-17, and the contest 7-6 4-6 6-2.
Media playback is not supported on this device
British men's number one Murray has spent just over three-and-a-half hours on court - easily beating Germany's Alexander Zverev and Australia's Sam Groth without dropping a set.
Murray has already defeated Sousa in all of their past six meetings, most recently in the French Open second round last year.
The Portuguese has played Murray twice at the Australian Open - in 2013 and last year - and lost in straight sets on each occasion.
"It's been a very good start, but I can still get better," Murray said.
"I've had days, not just in slams, but in any tournaments, where I felt great, practised really well, and then gone on the court and felt horrible.
"Then sometimes, beforehand you might feel nervous, have a lot of doubts, and then you go out and play extremely well.
"It's difficult to know as a player whether you're going to go out there and hit the ball great or not, you just have to try to trust all of the preparation and practice that you've done." | Johanna Konta has been backed to become the first British woman to reach a grand slam quarter-final since 1984, by the record's current holder Jo Durie. |
26,527,266 | Like other secretions, it is something that most of us deal with in private. Yet it also holds a fascination for many.
In the past, it has been used as a lip balm and salve for puncture wounds.
But it can do a little more than that. Recent research suggests it can indicate a build up of pollutants in the body - and it could even be used to diagnose certain conditions.
Here are five things you - probably - didn't know about ear wax.
The cells inside the ear canal are unique in the human body - they migrate. "You could put an ink dot on the eardrum and watch it move over a few weeks and it would be 'carried out' by the movement of the cells." according to Prof Shakeel Saeed at London's Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear hospital.
If this didn't happen the mini cul-de-sac of the ear canal would soon fill up with dead cells created by the natural process of skin shedding.
This movement also propels the wax - produced by the modified sweat glands which line the ear canal - towards the outside. It's thought that normal movements of the jaw - through eating and talking - assist with this movement.
Prof Saeed has noticed that ear wax does sometimes get darker as we age - and that men whose ears get noticeably hairier as they age sometimes find that the wax can't escape through this jungle of hair.
Ear wax contains waxy oils but much of it is made up of keratinocytes - dead skin cells. The rest of cerumen - to give it its technical name - is a mixture of substances.
Between 1,000 to 2,000 glands produce anti-microbial peptides - whilst sebaceous glands close to hair cells add into the mix alcohols, an oily substance called squalene, cholesterol and triglyceride.
The production of earwax doesn't vary much between men and women. young or old - but in one small study its triglyceride content decreased from November to July.
Cerumen also contains lysozyme, an antibacterial enzyme capable of destroying bacterial cell walls. Other researchers are less convinced and claim that it is the perfect medium in which bacteria can grow.
Asian and non-Asian ears produce different types of earwax according to scientists at the Monell Institute in Philadelphia. Chromosome 16 is home to the "wet" or "dry" gene for earwax - with the wet variant dominating.
A small change in the gene ABCC11 is related to both the dry-type earwax and also for reduced underarm body odour found in Chinese, Japanese and Korean individuals.
The American study measured the concentration of 12 volatile organic compounds found in earwax - in groups of East Asian and white men.
In 11 out of the 12 compounds the Caucasian earwax had greater amounts of odorous compounds.
Kate Prigge from Monell says their analysis of the smell of ear wax is a first step towards finding out whether they might eventually use it to detect disease.
The institute studies a rare genetic disorder called maple syrup urine disease, which can be easily diagnosed through the scent of earwax compounds. Swabbing someone's ears is a much simpler and cheaper process than doing a genetic test.
Dr Prigge does realise how odd her choice of career might sound. She says: "You tell someone that you work in human body odour you get a good laugh," says Prigge. "But when you explain the importance behind it or how much information can be gained in these types of studies, people often understand why."
Carrie Roberts is in her 40s and has an ear wax problem. She had her ears syringed at the GPs several times, tried hot oil with no success - and ended up with both ears blocked.
Ms Roberts decided to pay for micro-suction treatment, where the ear canal is cleaned with an instrument like a tiny vacuum cleaner.
Prof Saeed prefers this method to syringing. "With syringing you are going in 'blind' - not under direct vision. If you use water it has to get past the wax and come back, bringing the wax with it.
"If there is no gap it can't get through and it shouldn't be forced. It is uncommon to damage the ear drums during syringing, but it does happen."
With the micro-suction the whole procedure is carried out whilst looking into the ear canal with a microscope.
Carrie said the procedure was "painless, a little noisy and very quick".
She adds: "It felt like one of those things they put in your mouth at the dentist to suck water out while you are having a filling, but in your ear. It has been miraculous."
Carrie is a convert. "I will go every time now. Much better than syringing as I didn't feel dizzy and faint afterwards, it was much quicker and I didn't have to mess about with olive oil for a week first.
Earwax, like many other bodily secretions, can show traces of certain toxins in the body such as heavy metals. But it's an odd place to look and no more reliable than a simple blood test.
There are also some rare metabolic disorders that affect earwax. The most notable earwax scientific discovery of recent times is that of a 24cm wax earplug from a blue whale.
Unlike humans which shed their earwax and dead skin cells, filter-feeding whales retain their earwax, recording life events similar to the way tree rings reveal arid and wet seasons during its lifetime.
The earwax was analysed by Sascha Usenko, a environmental scientist at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. He and his team found that during the 12-year-old male whale's life it came into contact with 16 different pollutants such as pesticides.
There was a peak of exposure during the first year of life - suggesting that these were transferred from its mother either in the womb or through her milk.
High levels of the stress hormone cortisol appeared in the waxy plug as the animal reaches sexual maturity - when competing for a mate would have been a priority. | Earwax is one of those bodily substances which few of us like to discuss in polite company. |
21,346,868 | Stewie's owner, Robin Hendrickson, said the pet died on Monday evening after having cancer for a year.
The cat, of Reno, Nevada, was awarded the record, measured from the tip of the nose to the end of the tail, by the Guinness Book of Records in 2010.
Stewie was a certified therapy animal that frequently visited a local senior centre near his home.
Ms Hendrickson said: "Stewie was always very social and loved meeting new people. He has touched many lives, and for that I am grateful."
He was also the record-holder for world's longest cat tail. | The world's longest domestic cat, a 48.5in (1.23m) Maine Coon named Stewie, has died at the age of eight. |
37,725,942 | The 28 EU leaders will discuss the draft Ceta deal shortly in Brussels.
All of them, including Belgium's national government, back it. But Wallonia says Ceta is a threat to farmers and welfare standards.
That is blocking the signing of Ceta, which has put the EU's credibility at stake in trade negotiations.
Walloon PM Paul Magnette is to hold further talks with Canada's International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland on Friday, Belgian RTBF News reports.
Mr Magnette said: "We sense a willingness among our Canadian friends to make more concessions."
There are doubts about a planned signing ceremony on 27 October.
The European Commission, in charge of the EU's negotiations, has refused to unpick the text which was agreed with Canada in 2014.
Some EU leaders, including European Council President Donald Tusk, have voiced frustration that French-speaking Wallonia, with a population of just 3.6m, is delaying a deal that took seven years to negotiate.
European Parliament briefing on Ceta
There is much international interest in Ceta, the EU's most ambitious trade deal to date.
Some UK politicians see it as a potential model for a Brexit deal with the EU.
But Wallonia has echoed the fears of anti-globalisation activists who say Ceta and deals like it give too much power to multinational companies - power even to intimidate governments.
Meanwhile, the EU Council Summit is continuing in Brussels - but an EU official close to the talks said the summit was happening "very much in the shadow of Ceta".
EU leaders could only "facilitate" but not participate directly in Wallonia's discussions, he said.
In their talks on Friday the leaders are seeking to strike the right balance between free trade and preventing unfair competition.
A row about the scale of imported Chinese steel in the EU has heightened their concerns. European steel producers accuse China of unfair practices.
The European Commission, which steers trade policy, says the EU needs to tighten its anti-dumping rules. But the UK is part of a blocking minority opposed to the Commission's reform plan. The UK says tariffs must not be "disproportionate".
The Commission has urged the leaders to adopt its 2013 reform of "trade defence instruments" to allow higher tariffs to be imposed.
The European Parliament also says the EU needs "a modernised set of rules on par with other world powers" to make fair trade work. | Late-night talks failed to break the deadlock over a landmark EU-Canada trade deal, as Belgium's Wallonia region reiterated its objections. |
34,282,136 | Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko signed a decree on Wednesday, naming almost 400 people and 90 legal entities as security threats.
Mr Poroshenko's press secretary and the UK ambassador to Ukraine tweeted that the three names would now be removed.
Journalists from Spain and Germany were also taken off the list.
The UK ambassador, Judith Gough, said it was a "welcome move". She had visited Mr Poroshenko earlier in the day.
The AP news agency said two of the Spanish journalists had disappeared in Syria in July and were believed to have been kidnapped by the Islamic State group.
All those on the list, including the Moscow-based BBC staff, were subject to sanctions related to the conflict in eastern Ukraine that started last year.
The Reporters Without Borders group said the decision was "an absurd, counter-productive breach of freedom of information".
The Committee to Protect Journalists, who said there were 41 journalists and bloggers on the list, said: "While the government may not like or agree with the coverage, labelling journalists a potential threat to national security is not an appropriate response."
Mr Poroshenko had stressed that the sanctions decision was taken "in co-ordination with our partners from the European Union, the United States of America and other countries".
Almost 8,000 people have been killed since fighting erupted in eastern Ukraine in April 2014, a month after Russia annexed the southern Crimea peninsula.
Ukraine and the West accuse Russia of arming the separatists and also sending its regular troops in eastern Ukraine.
Moscow denies this, but admits that Russian "volunteers" fight alongside the rebels.
A ceasefire in eastern Ukraine has been holding in the last two weeks, although there have been reports of occasional shelling. | Ukraine is to remove the names of three BBC journalists from a sanctions list that has been criticised as "absurd" by one rights group. |
35,461,419 | Aberystwyth University's Prof Neil Glasser spent nearly two months in 2011 working in the area around James Ross Island where the glacier was found.
The UK's Antarctic Place-Names Committee said its decision reflected Prof Glasser's contribution to polar science.
The ice sheet on the island will now be called the Glasser Glacier.
The new name will be added to the British Antarctic Territory Gazetteer and is available for use on all maps and charts and in all publications.
The glacier stretches for 1.5km and is 500m across (0.9 miles and 1,600ft across).
Professor Glasser said: "I am really honoured to have this glacier named after me. We spent seven weeks on fieldwork in this area of Antarctica in 2011.
"On all our maps and publications it is called 'un-named glacier' but it is great to know that from now on it will be known as Glasser Glacier." | An expert on global ice sheets is being honoured by scientists who are naming an Antarctic glacier after him. |
22,506,525 | The media said Mr Sharif's open support for stronger ties between the two countries was reason for hope.
Unofficial results suggest a big lead for Mr Sharif's Muslim League (PML-N), though he may need support to govern.
Indian PM Manmohan Singh has congratulated Mr Sharif for his win and invited him to visit India.
The Hindu newspaper said the election had been "Pakistan's vote for change".
"Where he [Mr Sharif} gives most hope is in his strong and unambiguous articulation of better India-Pakistan relations, though this will depend on his stated determination to correct the civil-military imbalance, and reclaim the national agenda from the security establishment," the newspaper said.
"Whether he can succeed is another question, but India will be hoping he will."
The Indian Express said Mr Sharif has "persuasively presented himself as a peacemaker, pointing to his previous stints in government to give confidence that he will pick up the threads of dialogue with India".
Hindustan Times said "India has genuine reason to be pleased" by the results of the election.
The newspaper described Mr Sharif as the "co-author of the Lahore bus peace process" and one who "has been far more willing to walk the India talk - even in the teeth of strong military opposition".
"Stronger Sharif bodes well for India", said The Times of India newspaper.
"India's best bet would be for the new Pakistan government to focus on opening up trade and economy," the newspaper said.
Mint newspaper said Mr Sharif's win was "likely to boost economic ties with India, but improving diplomatic relations will mainly depend on the stance of the country's armed forces".
Ties between the two countries came under strain earlier this year following military tensions in the disputed region of Kashmir.
Claimed by both countries, Kashmir has been a flashpoint for over 60 years and two wars have been fought over it.
Peace negotiations resumed last February after a four-year break following attacks by Pakistan-based militants in Mumbai in 2008. | India's media has hailed former Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif's win in general elections and said it was good for the peace process with India. |
35,894,688 | Whereas once the 37-year-old would have spent the Easter holiday chasing a few hundred pounds at Carlisle or Sedgefield on the northern jumping circuit where he was based, much more lucrative wages are up for grabs at the flat's third All Weather Championships Finals Day at Lingfield.
The seven-race programme, the climax to the series of flat races staged on the artificial surfaces at Lingfield, Southwell, Wolverhampton, Kempton and Chelmsford between late October and the end of March, is worth £1.1m. Crowley is tipped to take home a significant slice of what is on offer.
His mounts Moonrise Landing, in the £150,000 32Red Marathon, and Mindurownbusiness, in the £150,000 Ladbrokes Mile, are both strong fancies to do the business on the card which introduced racing on Good Fridays - previously one of the sport's few blank days - for the first time in 2014.
As with all of the big-race contenders, the pair have had to earn their places in the Finals by competing three times during the All Weather season or by winning a Fast-Track Qualifier, as the Ralph Beckett-trained Moonrise Landing did at Wolverhampton in December.
"She absolutely dotted up that day," Crowley told BBC Sport. "I wasn't quite expecting her to win the way she did, beating a very good horse into second.
"She seems to have progressed hugely and I'm really looking forward to her especially from a great draw [in the stalls] in two on the inside.
"A mile is Mindurownbusiness' distance. We tried him over a mile-and-a-quarter and it didn't quite work out that day, but he bounced back at Wolverhampton with a very convincing win. When I asked him to pick up, he put the race to bed very quickly against some well-seasoned horses. He goes to Lingfield with an excellent chance."
It is 10 years since Crowley, born and raised close to Ascot racecourse, switched to flat racing from jumping after riding more than 300 winners, many for Yorkshire-based trainers Sue and Harvey Smith, for whom he worked.
The son-in-law of retired Classic-winning trainer Guy Harwood still keeps an eye on his old colleagues and was among the crowds on day one of the Cheltenham Festival to watch Annie Power assert her authority in the Champion Hurdle, but that is as far as it goes these days.
Crowley's total of more than 30 wins on the artificial tracks this season puts him in the top half-dozen jockeys behind All-Weather champion Luke Morris.
Yet the love of racing over jumps has not left him completely. He said: "I grew up in a point-to-pointing family so jumping was always in my blood, and you can't replace the buzz of riding a nice jumper in flat racing, it's impossible. Do I miss it? Sometimes, but probably not the way of life.
"I started getting injured quite a lot towards the end, and I kept breaking my collar - everything time I landed it seemed it would break - so I made the switch, and I've never really looked back."
Lingfield was scheduled to share the Good Friday limelight with the start of the new season of flat racing on turf, 450 miles north at Musselburgh.
The effects of the wet winter on the Scottish track put paid to that, however, so the campaign gets under starters' orders at Redcar three days later.
Crowley will be riding as a freelance during the weeks and months ahead, from Royal Ascot to Glorious Goodwood, and all points in between, and will be looking to improve on his record of at least a century of winners in seven of the last nine years.
A man for the All Weather, and indeed all seasons.
BBC 5 Live Sports Extra will feature the All Championships Finals on 25 March from 2pm. | Jump jockey-turned-leading flat rider Jim Crowley admits to missing the adrenalin rush provided by national hunt racing, but not the perilous lifestyle nor, I guess, the rather smaller pay packets. |
27,302,026 | Construction work on the Mersey Gateway project was declared under way by the leader of Halton Borough Council earlier.
The project begins with the building of access roads across the saltmarsh on both sides of the river.
Work on the six-lane toll bridge, linking Runcorn and Widnes, is due to be finished by 2017. It aims to ease congestion on Silver Jubilee Bridge.
The existing bridge, which has been in place since 1961, will be tolled as part of the project.
Merseylink Consortium said the project will create the equivalent of 470 full-time jobs.
The budget for the total cost of construction and 30-year operating and maintenance of the project is close to £2bn, Merseylink Consortium and Halton Borough Council said. | The building of a second bridge over the River Mersey has started. |
38,283,228 | Both horses are owned by financier Rich Ricci and trained by Irish champion trainer Willie Mullins.
Two-time Gold Cup runner-up Djakadam (4-5 fav) had to battle before taking the John Durkan Memorial Chase under jockey Ruby Walsh.
Douvan (1-6 fav) landed the Hilly Way Chase for jockey Paul Townend.
The six-year-old, who won last year's Arkle Trophy, is odds-on favourite for the Queen Mother Champion Chase next March and recorded a seventh win out of seven over fences.
BBC horse racing correspondent Cornelius Lysaght
After a quieter start than some seasons, which has allowed Gordon Elliott an early lead in the Irish trainers' title race, Mullins was back in characteristic full-flow mode on an important afternoon for he himself, his biggest owners and main jockeys.
Two horses from Michael O'Leary's Gigginstown House operation - with which Mullins has split - threw everything at Djakadam, but he repelled them in a manner that bodes well for the attempt to make it third time lucky, after two seconds, in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Douvan was untidy at one fence, but still breezed home at Cork and clearly deserves his odds-on status for Cheltenham's Queen Mother Champion Chase. | Stablemates Djakadam and Douvan, two of the biggest hopes for the Cheltenham Festival, won Sunday's feature races at Punchestown and Cork respectively. |
37,257,978 | "I was worried that everyone would be really nerdy and posh," says Freya Pryce, describing her fears as she arrived at Oxford University in 2011.
Freya, who left with a first in human sciences last summer, says she was doubtful when teachers at her Aberystwyth comprehensive school first suggested she apply.
"I wasn't keen to start with. I had negative ideas about it. I thought it was elitist."
But an open day at the university was "a very positive experience", and the human sciences course, which combines a diverse array of subjects from genetics to sociology "was a big draw".
Once she started, she was aware of a social mix which still did not reflect the general population and shocked by the continued existence of "rich boys' clubs" where members are chosen based on wealth and social connections - but there were also "people from all sorts of backgrounds who were really friendly, open-minded and fun".
Sleep suffered in her first year as she struggled to juggle a heavy academic workload and a frenetic social life.
Now she believes her degree is helping her find work in her chosen field of international development and sustainability.
Freya's initial scepticism about Oxford is not uncommon among some state-school sixth-formers, according to a university spokeswoman, leading to great efforts to improve diversity.
"The idea that 'Oxford isn't the kind of place for me' is still something we need to address," said the spokeswoman.
This year almost 60% of Oxford's intake from state schools - the highest in 40 years.
At Cambridge the figure is 62% - up from just over half a decade ago.
"Before we uncork the champagne, remember 93% of pupils are in state schools," says Ian Bauckham, executive head of a non-selective Kent secondary that sends "a trickle" of students to Oxbridge each year.
Mr Bauckham was himself a state-school student who went to Cambridge and graduated with a first.
He admits finding it hard to start with. "I had never mixed with people who had the confidence and social advantage of many people there."
But once he graduated, he says having been to Cambridge helped him progress in his chosen career of teaching.
Mr Bauckham says his school aims to identify students with Oxbridge potential early, mentioning it to them as soon as Year 10.
"It can open doors. These are highly regarded courses, often involving top researchers in their field," he tells them.
He says preparing his students, who often come from families with no history of university, let alone elite universities, can be "hard work".
"A lot of the selection is done largely on the basis of interviews which require confidence and poise to do well."
He fears the process can be weighted against comprehensive students, with some admissions tutors subconsciously preferring students similar to themselves.
"Students will need to be able to debate, cope with cut and thrust and respond to unexpected challenges, such as to have done a greater depth and breadth of reading beyond A-level specifications.
"Pupils from elite public schools are imbibing this from friends and families from an early age."
Mr Bauckham says he has never met anyone who says they regret having gone to Oxford or Cambridge - but socially it can be hard.
"If you come from an ordinary family and a comprehensive school and then you meet people from Eton, Harrow, brimming over with confidence, as an 18-year-old you are on a steep learning curve.
"Some say, 'I would probably have had more fun at Sheffield University but now I have an Oxbridge degree.'"
This year has seen the highest number of applications to Oxford, with 19,500 applying for 3,500 places.
At Cambridge there have been 16,719 applications for about 3,400 places.
These figures just add to the aura of Oxbridge.
These are all top students competing for places, according to the Oxford spokeswoman: "Good grades get you to the starting line, but aren't enough on their own to guarantee a place.
"There is now a wider mix of backgrounds among applicants. Many people now know someone who is the best student they have ever known and they still don't get in."
The spokeswoman highlighted the tutorial system and academic rigour as a good preparation for any career, plus the chance to meet other bright and ambitious young people.
"It gives you a good preparation for any career in any sector," she added.
Since leaving, Freya has had an internship at a high-profile environmental organisation and is part of a team researching an Open University report on international wellbeing.
"I think going to Oxford was good for me," she says.
Academic skills and the university's reputation have been a real advantage when it comes to finding work she is interested in.
"You have to write up to three essays a week and discuss them in very small tutorial groups where the tutor guides you through the thinking process.
"The university's reputation for academic rigour is real... but you can gain these skills at other universities, so maybe it's about status as well." | Oxford and Cambridge, academically elite, oversubscribed, criticised as socially exclusive - but do these degrees really live up to their reputation? |
38,596,153 | The warning about stocks of 2,4 dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) sparked a flurry of calls to the Army, which carried out hundreds of explosions.
The Department for Education (DfE) said it worked with the Army to support schools with "necessary disposals".
Some schools were criticised for not warning the public about the blasts.
The controlled explosions were carried out between 21 October and 21 December 2016 after schools were advised to check the chemical by the government advisory science service CLEAPSS (Consortium of Local Education Authorities for the Provision of Science Services).
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) figures were released to the BBC under the Freedom of Information Act.
Find out if bomb disposal teams were called to your school here
Controlled explosions were carried out on at least 589 occasions. On four occasions visits were "doubled up", meaning the issue had been previously reported and dealt with. On one occasion verbal advice was given.
594
visits to schools or colleges from 21 October to 21 December 2016
589 controlled explosions
4 repeat visits where issue was already dealt with
1 incident with only verbal advice
The chemical 2,4-DNPH is sometimes used in chemistry lessons and safe if stored correctly, but dangerous if allowed to dry out.
It is known to pose a risk of explosion by shock, friction or fire and is usually kept inside a larger container holding water.
The advice was to contact CLEAPSS in the first instance, which would then advise on the best way for the chemical to be disposed of.
In some cases, schools were advised to contact the Armed Forces or police, or take no action if it was believed the chemical posed no risk.
Dr David Kinnison, a chemical safety advisor, said the number of occasions was not a surprise as schools "did exactly as they were instructed".
"As a safety professional, I would always err on the side of caution," he said.
"Yes, there could have been possible other ways of dealing with this, however, the schools were presented with this advice.
"The positive is that a material which potentially could be unsafe was made safe, [and] the bomb disposal squads have gained some valuable experience," Dr Kinnison added.
Controlled explosions to dispose of the chemical were carried out on hundreds of occasions at schools across the UK.
The MoD said it cost just under £90,000 for the tasks to be carried out at English schools. It is still calculating the cost for tasks carried out elsewhere in the UK.
It said: "In line with policy on military assistance to the civil authorities, MoD will seek to recover costs from relevant authorities as appropriate. The MOD holds no information on additional costs incurred elsewhere."
The Thomas Adams School in Wem, Shropshire, attracted criticism from residents for not providing a public warning of the blast, which was carried out while children were trick or treating.
Controlled explosions also took place at two Carmarthenshire schools and at Turton High School in Bolton.
A government spokesperson said: "We contacted schools last year to remind them of the importance of storing chemicals for practical science activities carefully.
"We've been working with the Armed Forces and the police to support schools with any necessary disposals." | Bomb disposal teams were called out to almost 600 schools in the wake of government advice about a potentially hazardous chemical. |
29,434,519 | A landmark ruling from the Supreme Court earlier this year led to tens of thousands more requests for deprivation of liberty assessments in care homes and hospitals.
Most are not being carried out within the legal deadlines, new figures show.
Councils have called for urgent government help.
The Supreme Court ruled in March that disabled people have the same rights to "physical liberty" as everyone else.
This lowered the threshold of deprivation of liberty safeguards (DoLS) under the Mental Capacity Act to cover disabled people living in care homes and hospitals.
When someone in a care homes or hospital, usually suffering from a severe learning disability or dementia, has limits put on what they can do or where they can go for their own safety, the institution has to apply to the local council to authorise the deprivation of liberty
It means councils should assess if their human rights are being respected and that there are no unnecessary barriers to them moving around - being confined to one room all day or making the garden out of bounds, for example.
The safeguards should ensure that a care home, hospital or supported living arrangement only deprives someone of their liberty in a safe and correct way, and that this is only done when it is in the best interests of the person and there is no other way to look after them.
Someone's liberty can be deprived by a doctor, for instance, if they believe the person, who usually has a severe learning disability or dementia, would be in danger otherwise.
If a hospital or care home deprive someone of their liberty - for example, by putting restrictions on where they can go - they must get the restrictions approved by the local authority.
Figured obtained through Freedom of Information requests by the online journal Community Care reveal councils have seen a surge in DoLS assessment requests.
In 2013-2014, 174 councils in England and Wales received 8,602 requests. Since April this year they've had 33,476 applications.
Hertfordshire County Council has seen applications rise from 262 last year to 2,623 so far this year.
Best Interest Assessors, usually social workers, who carry out the assessments say they have neither the time nor resources to carry out applications and that it's impossible for them to meet legal timescales - the supervisory body should arrange for an assessment to take place within 21 days of receiving an application. An 'urgent' one must be done within seven days.
Last year, just 2.2% of assessments breached legal timescales; so far this year it's 50.2%.
Mathieu Culverhouse, an associate solicitor at Irwin Mitchell who was involved in the Supreme Court judgement, said: "It was anticipated that the Supreme Court's judgment would lead to a significant increase in applications for DoLS assessments and this is now reflected in these latest figures.
"This increase is to be welcomed, as it means that large numbers of vulnerable adults who were not previously considered to need DoLS authorisations will now have the benefit of regular reviews of their protective care regimes. It is concerning that in many cases the assessment process is not taking place within the required time limits and it is to be hoped that the government will take note and provide the necessary resources to ensure that DoLS assessments can be carried out promptly in all cases."
The Local Government Association says the demand for assessments is likely cost councils £88 million and is wanting the government to provide additional funding.
Councillor Izzi Seccombe, Chair of the LGA's Community Wellbeing Board, said: "These alarming figures back up our previous warnings that councils would buckle under the financial pressure of a rise in assessments. We completely agree with the principle of having broader, more robust checks for people needing care, but the Government needs to provide adequate funding so that councils have the time and money to do this properly.
"Failure to do this will have a hugely damaging impact on crucial social care services on which people rely and will lead to more vulnerable people left facing long waiting times for assessments."
David Pearson, president of the Association of Directors of Social Services said the delays in carrying out assessments were "very regrettable but inevitable".
"This matter is very urgent and the government needs to share responsibility with us for urgently responding to the challenge of getting this right for people who lack capacity."
A government spokesman said: "The Health and Social Care information Centre is collecting data on this impact and we will carefully consider the results when they are published shortly." | Councils in England and Wales are being overwhelmed with requests to ensure the human rights of vulnerable people are not being abused. |
36,737,666 | Jay Merchant was sentenced to six-and-a-half years, while Peter Johnson, who pleaded guilty, and Jonathan Mathew were each jailed for four years.
Alex Pabon received two years and nine months. All four worked for Barclays.
Judge Anthony Leonard told Southwark Crown Court: "What this case has shown is the absence of integrity that ought to characterise banking."
Libor - or the London inter-bank offered rate - is used by banks to set prices of financial products. It underpins trillions of pounds in loans for households and companies worldwide.
The former Barclays employees are the only other people to be jailed in the Libor rigging scandal since Tom Hayes was convicted last year.
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO), which brought the investigation, pointed to comments from the judge that the bankers' behaviour showed "an absence of integrity".
The judge added that the four men would serve half their sentences in prison and then be released, the SFO said.
Judge Leonard said he gave Merchant the longest sentence because he judged him to "bear greatest responsibility for what happened".
"I do not judge that you were the originator of the scheme, but it was under your leadership the manipulation took off," the judge said on Thursday. "You abused a position of power and authority."
Mathew, of Shenfield, Essex, and Merchant and Pabon, who both live in the US, were convicted of conspiracy to defraud on Monday after an 11-week trial.
Johnson, of Tunbridge Wells, pleaded guilty of the same charge in October 2014, but was only sentenced on Thursday.
The convictions are a victory for the SFO after five City brokers were cleared in January of helping Hayes to manipulate the Libor rate.
Hayes, a former star trader, was initially sentenced to 14 years in prison, although that was later reduced to 11.
The US Justice Department said it is dropping charges against three former brokers acquitted in the January ruling.
The Libor rigging scandal erupted in 2012 when Barclays was given a £290m fine and its chief executive Bob Diamond was forced to resign.
Royal Bank of Scotland, UBS, Deutsche Bank and broker Icap have also received heavy fines for attempting to manipulate the rate. | Four City traders have been ordered to serve jail sentences after being convicted of rigging the Libor rate. |
39,794,434 | Three teams are battling to finish top of the table, Bath and Leicester will fight it out for the all-important fourth play-off spot and Harlequins and Northampton will aim to secure an automatic European Champions Cup place for next season.
The only certainty is that bottom side Bristol are already relegated.
BBC Sport takes a closer look at how things could shape up once the final whistle blows on Saturday.
It appears so. Over the past 10 seasons, only Saracens (twice), Northampton, London Irish and Leicester Tigers have tasted victory away from home in the semi-finals.
In 2016, Saracens thumped Tigers 44-17, while Exeter edged to a tense 34-23 win over Wasps at Sandy Park.
So who is going to enjoy the home comforts on 20 May?
In short, if Premiership leaders Wasps beat reigning champions Saracens at the Ricoh Arena, Wasps and Exeter will get home ties.
A win for Sarries makes sure their semi-final will be at fortress Allianz Park. However, the omens for Saracens fans are not good - Wasps have won all 10 league matches at home this campaign.
Wasps director of rugby Dai Young said he "thought the game would have a prize on it" when he saw the fixture list at the start of the season. The prize could well be a Premiership final if history is anything to go by.
If Exeter overcome Gloucester at Kingsholm, they will guarantee themselves a play-off match in the south west, but their fate could be decided in Coventry.
Potential semi-finals:
Since the 2005-06 season when the top four started automatically qualifying for the play-offs, only Saracens, in 2015, have won the trophy after finishing fourth.
In fact, only fourth-placed finishers Leicester, in 2008, and Northampton, in 2013, have made the showpiece event at Twickenham.
On Saturday, 10-time champions Leicester are in prime position to claim the final play-off spot for a third-straight campaign - they effectively need just a losing bonus-point at Worcester.
Bath, runners-up in 2015, must take home all five points at Sale, and hope Warriors do them a favour at Sixways with a big win.
The battle for sixth spot is fairly complicated. If Northampton beat Harlequins and Quins take away no points, Saints will finish sixth and qualify for the European Champions Cup in 2017-18.
A losing bonus-point for Quins, and only four points for Saints, means the two teams finish level on points, but Quins will qualify for Europe on virtue of having more wins.
This is where it gets even more confusing. The team that finishes seventh enters a play-off with the seventh-placed Top 14 club in France, and eighth and ninth-placed sides in the Pro12, with the winner earning a Champions Cup spot.
The play-offs and final take place over the last two weekends in May.
After Saturday's results, Gloucester, Saints, Quins and Newcastle could all finish seventh.
However, if the Cherry and Whites finish eighth in the Premiership, which is likely, and win their Challenge Cup final against Stade Francais on 12 May, they will enter the play-offs for the Champions Cup instead of the seventh-placed side.
Make sense? Hopefully it will all become clearer by the end of Saturday.
Premiership - round 22 (all games kick off at 16:00 BST on Saturday)
Bristol v Newcastle
Gloucester v Exeter
Northampton v Harlequins
Sale v Bath
Wasps v Saracens
Worcester v Leicester
European Challenge Cup final - Murrayfield
Gloucester v Stade Francais - Friday, 12 May (20:00 BST)
European Champions Cup final - Murrayfield
Saracens v Clermont - Saturday, 13 May (17:00 BST)
Premiership play-offs - TBC
Saturday, 20 May (14:45 BST and 17:30 BST)
Premiership final - Twickenham
Saturday, 27 May (14:30 BST)
For the latest rugby union news follow @bbcrugbyunion on Twitter. | After eight months of hard graft, bruises and broken bones, there is still everything to play for as the Premiership enters its final round. |
36,861,840 | Both attackers had track records of domestic violence, depression and questions around their sexual identities.
As the self-styled Islamic State group (IS) continues to stake claim on exported attacks on the West, it has also disseminated a range of identity politics and gender norms.
The message is less about empowering individuals through religion, and more about attracting insecure and threatened individuals with a psychological need for control and simple answers.
FBI data on mass shootings between 2009 and 2015 revealed that 57% of attacks involved former spouses or family members among the victims.
Sixteen per cent of mass attackers had faced charges of domestic violence.
Domestic violence is sometimes referred to as "intimate terrorism", defined as "the use of physical abuse plus a broad range of tactics designed to get and keep control over the other person in the relationship".
Both the Orlando and Nice perpetrators, as well as the Boston Marathon bomber and a number of other high-profile lone attackers, had known records of "intimate terrorism" long before their larger-scale attacks.
Omar Mateen, the Orlando attacker who killed 49 and wounded 53 at the gay nightclub Pulse, had a history of abuse.
As early as the third grade (age eight), teachers had commented on his verbal and physical abuse towards other students, both violent and sometimes sexual in nature.
These abusive propensities carried over into his marriage. His first wife, Sitora Yusufiy, openly talked of his violent and psychological abuse, which included repeated beatings, control over her finances and isolation from friends and family.
Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, the Nice attacker who killed 84 and injured over 300 people on 14 July, also had a history of domestic abuse.
He was known to authorities for assault and abuse of his wife. In the aftermath of the attack, neighbours described him as depressed, unstable and increasingly aggressive after his wife had left him two years previously.
His family also reported that he had seen psychologists in Tunisia before leaving for France in 2005. The family had experienced outbreaks of anger where Bouhlel would shout and break things.
It is not the case that those carrying out domestic violence should be profiled as likely terrorist suspects.
However, it is unsurprising - looking at the profile of domestic abusers - that those able to justify violence against those closest to them can be capable of normalising other violent tendencies.
There are also indications that both Omar Mateen and Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel had bisexual or homosexual affinities.
Although the FBI has stated there is no concrete evidence of Mateen's homosexuality, many witnesses reported that he had been attending gay night clubs for a long time - beyond what might be considered "scoping". He reportedly used the gay dating app Jack'd and had asked out a gay friend of his at one point.
In comparison, Bouhlel's mobile phone records suggest a much more open and engaged bisexual identity, using dating sites to pick up both male and female lovers and saving a range of images and videos of men and women he had recently slept with.
Both men's histories of depression, domestic violence and hidden sexual identities seem to conflict with the rigid machismo and anti-LGBT ideology of IS. However, it is exactly this worldview that alienated and disempowered individuals are attracted to.
Violent extremist and terrorist organisations, from neo-Nazi groups to Islamic extremist networks, provide an ideological justification for the subjugation and mistreatment of women.
They also provide an infrastructure for the systematic abuse of not only women, but of all those not fitting their rigid interpretation of gender norms.
In this confined and fundamentalist interpretation of the world, all of the confusion and nuance of identity, sexuality and belonging is simplified into a structure of good and evil, right and wrong.
This narrative allows those feeling frustrated, depressed, confused and disempowered to feel in control and gives them a seemingly higher purpose.
For those questioning their identity or feeling at odds with their own sexual inclinations, IS seems to show a clear pathway of how to adhere to gender roles.
IS propaganda exports a hyper-masculine and dominant male identity while glorifying the subservient female role.
For individuals already holding discriminatory worldviews and violent propensities, these extremist organisations offer acceptance and even praise for these violent inclinations.
They encourage a further expansion of these tendencies towards mass attacks against those they deem "evil".
However, in the case of lone wolf attackers, this praise and encouragement is often from a distance, with little to no direct central contact.
IS benefits from taking credit for the enhanced inclinations of disturbed individuals, playing into the group's asymmetrical warfare tactics abroad as it loses combatants and territory in Syria and Iraq.
French President Francois Hollande calls for increased attacks on IS abroad, but this will be of little help to the European threat.
Only a multi-agency approach that not only shares information between local and national authorities but also enhances capacities of mental health and social service providers will be able to adequately prevent and respond to lone actor threats of this kind. | In the aftermath of the recent mass killings by lone attackers in Orlando and Nice, more details have come to light about the attackers' histories and identities. |
19,401,934 | A former rebel leader, Salvador Sanchez Ceren won the presidential run-off of March 2014 by a narrow margin.
As presidential candidate of the left-wing Farabundo Marti Liberation Front (FMLN), he beat Norman Quijano of the conservative Arena party by less than a quarter of a percentage point, becoming the first former guerrilla to lead the Central American country.
In his inauguration speech, he promised to fight corruption and violence, and "to serve as president of all Salvadorans".
Mr Sanchez Ceren, 69, also promised that "security, employment and education" would be the priorities of his government.
A former teacher, Mr Sanchez Ceren rose to become one of the FMLN's top commanders during the country's bloody 1979-1992 civil war. The FMLN became a political party after the 1992 peace accords.
As president, he succeeds Mauricio Funes, a former journalist whose FMLN government elected in 2009 ended two decades of conservative rule, mostly under Arena. Mr Sanchez Ceren was vice-president in the Funes government.
Among the challenges he faces are dealing with a resurgence of violence by criminal gangs, a struggling economy, and endemic poverty. | President: Salvador Sanchez Ceren |
10,352,990 | Paying tribute to a directing great
The British film-maker, who died on Wednesday, never recovered after suffering from a fall, said family friend and BBC correspondent Peter Bowes.
London-born Neame also worked as a cinematographer on films including Blithe Spirit and In Which We Serve.
He directed The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, starring Dame Maggie Smith.
She won the best actress Oscar in 1969 for her portrayal of the inspirational teacher of six young girls.
Neame also co-wrote screenplays including Great Expectations and Brief Encounter.
Classic disaster film The Poseidon Adventure, released in 1972 and co-directed with Irwin Allen, starred Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine and Shelley Winters and was mauled by critics.
Speaking to the BBC in 2006, he said he was surprised by its enduring appeal adding that he "never believed that it was more than just an average picture".
He was also critical of modern film-making saying movies had "become too frenetic, partly because the stories are not good enough".
"So they try to make up for their lack of good characterisation and storytelling by quick cutting and frenetic use of the camera," he added.
"And I think that's a pity." | Poseidon Adventure director Ronald "Ronnie" Neame has died in hospital in Los Angeles at the age of 99. |
37,066,215 | It is the first time the defending champions have failed to reach the semi-finals of a major tournament.
The game finished 1-1, before the USA's Christen Press missed the fifth effort in the shootout allowing Lisa Dahlkvist to win it for the Swedes.
"The best team did not win today," said Solo, who has won more than 200 caps.
Sweden had taken the lead on 63 minutes through Stina Blackstenius, before Alex Morgan equalised with 13 minutes left.
"I'm very proud of this team," added Solo, 35. "But I also think we played a bunch of cowards. They didn't want to open the game.
"They tried to counter with long balls. I don't think they're going to make it far in the tournament. I think it was very cowardly. They're moving on and we're going home."
Sweden's coach Pia Sundhage coached the US team to gold medals at the Beijing and London Olympics.
"It's OK to be a coward if you win," she said.
Solo later tweeted: "Losing sucks. I'm really bad at it."
Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox. | United States goalkeeper Hope Solo says her side were knocked out by a "bunch of cowards" after losing to Sweden on penalties in the Olympic quarter-final. |
37,425,809 | He made the allegation to BBC Northern Ireland's Spotlight programme on Tuesday night.
Mr Donaldson was shot dead months after admitting in 2005 he had been an MI5 agent for more than 20 years.
Mr Adams has denied any involvement in the killing of Mr Donaldson.
He told radio station LMFM that he "totally and specifically refuted the allegation I was consulted".
Mr Donaldson had worked for Sinn Féin as an administrator at Stormont. He was killed at a remote Donegal cottage in 2006.
A man who says he worked as an informer for the intelligence branch of the police told Spotlight that Mr Adams sanctioned the murder.
The former spy was in the IRA and Sinn Féin. He cannot be identified because of fears about his safety.
What Spotlight was told
Agent: I know from my experience in the IRA that murders have to be approved by the leadership. They have to be given approval by the leadership of the IRA and the military leadership of the IRA.
Presenter: Who are you specifically referring to?
Agent: Gerry Adams, he gives the final say.
The informer told Spotlight that murders had to be approved by the political and military leadership of the IRA.
In a statement, Mr Adams' solicitor said the Sinn Féin leader "has no knowledge of and had no involvement whatsoever in the killing of Denis Donaldson".
He added that Mr Adams "categorically denies the unsubstantiated allegation that he was consulted about an alleged IRA army council decision or that he had the final say on what had been sanctioned".
Days after the murder, the IRA said it was not involved in Mr Donaldson's death.
But, security sources have told Spotlight that intelligence received following the killing contradicted the IRA's denial.
You can watch BBC Spotlight: Spy in the IRA now on BBC iPlayer. | A man who says he was a former IRA and Sinn Féin member turned British agent has claimed Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams sanctioned the killing of Denis Donaldson. |
36,506,071 | Cardiff Blues scrum-half Williams suffered an ankle injury in training last week and is ruled out of the remainder of the tour.
He will return home to the UK on Sunday along with prop Paul James who has failed to recover from a calf injury.
Wales play the All Blacks on Saturday at Eden Park, the first of three Tests against the world champions in June.
Tight-head Aaron Jarvis arrived as injury cover for James on Wednesday. | Scarlets' uncapped scrum-half Aled Davies has arrived in New Zealand as an injury replacement for Lloyd Williams. |
36,893,974 | Palestinian FM Riad Malki said the document led to mass Jewish immigration to British Mandate Palestine "at the expense of our Palestinian people".
Mr Malki said the lawsuit would be filed in an international court.
Israel declared its independence in 1948 after the UK mandate expired.
Speaking at an Arab League summit in Mauritania on Monday, Mr Malki said the UK was responsible for all "Israeli crimes" since the end of the mandate in 1948.
"Nearly a century has passed since the issuance of the Balfour Declaration in 1917," he was quoted as saying by the Palestinian Wafa news agency.
"And based on this ill-omened promise hundreds of thousands of Jews were moved from Europe and elsewhere to Palestine at the expense of our Palestinian people whose parents and grandparents had lived for thousands of years on the soil of their homeland."
The minister did not provide any further details about the planned lawsuit.
Mr Malki made the announcement on behalf of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who was not at the summit because of his brother's recent death.
The Balfour Declaration, named after then UK Foreign Secretary Lord Arthur Balfour, pledged Britain's support for the establishment "in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people".
The document formed the basis of the British Mandate for Palestine, which was formally approved by the League of Nations in 1922.
Jewish immigration to Palestine accelerated from the 1920s to the 1940s, latterly spurred by Nazi persecution and the Holocaust in Europe. The growth of the Jewish population was opposed by Palestine's Arab community, which rejected the eventual establishment of a Jewish state.
Britain has not publicly commented on the issue.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the move "will fail, but this shines a light clarifying that the root of the conflict is the [Palestinians'] refusal to recognise a Jewish state in any borders.
"It was and remains the heart of this conflict." | Palestinian officials have said they are planning to sue Britain over the 1917 Balfour Declaration that laid out a vision for a Jewish homeland in Palestine. |
39,338,268 | Information Warrior 17 will involve Artificial Intelligence (AI) and test the protection of warships and submarines against cyber attacks.
The training will be held during Joint Warrior, a major Nato exercise taking place in and around Scotland from 26 March to 6 April.
This exercise, which is held twice a year, involves thousands of army, navy and air force personnel.
The Royal Navy said Information Warrior 17 would "set the foundations" for cyber warfare in the future "because, as our enemies become more technologically advanced, so must we to combat these threats".
The exercise will involve:
Exercise Joint Warrior is held twice a year - in spring and autumn.
During the second of last year's exercises the Royal Navy staged Unmanned Warrior - its first major training exercise using drones.
It featured more than 50 vehicles, sensors and systems on the surface of the sea, underwater and in the air.
Military ranges and sites in Benbecula, Kyle of Lochalsh and off Applecross were used for Unmanned Warrior.
This spring's Joint Warrior will involve naval units from Denmark, Belgium, Estonia, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the US.
Military air crews will also be flying out of RAF Lossiemouth in Moray and HMS Gannet at Prestwick in Ayrshire.
Live firing exercises are also be conducted a range at Cape Wrath in Sutherland. | The Royal Navy is to hold its first large scale cyber war games. |
22,953,131 | Clwyd West assembly member Darren Millar wants parks better regulated so that caravans are occupied no more than 11 months of the year.
He is seeking permission from the assembly to introduce a Holiday Caravan Park (Wales) Bill.
The British Holiday and Home Parks Association shares his concerns but says parks could become over-regulated.
Static caravans can only be lived in for a maximum 11 months annually and Mr Millar said there was a negative impact on the economy by people who flout the rule.
Mr Millar is concerned by the number of caravan park operators wanting to offer 12-month occupancy.
Previously, he has said such a move could lead to "trailer park ghettoes".
He said: "Unfortunately, there are some caravan park owners which are unscrupulous and do not manage their parks to the highest standards and, of course, because tourism is such an important part of the north Wales economy, what we have to do is protect it as best as we possibly can and make it sustainable for the future.
Mr Millar said the main problem was an increase in recent years in the number of people using their holiday caravans as their main home.
He said: "If people are living in caravans all year round they are, effectively, residents in the area but of course they do not pay council tax in the same way that other local residents would pay council tax but they will still be seeking entitlement to local public services.
"Obviously there is a cost to local authorities, there's a cost to the health service, there's a cost to the police service - and none of it is being reimbursed to their pockets."
Mr Millar suggested an "extensive consultation" over how the situation would be policed, which is currently the responsibility of the local authorities.
Mr Millar said: "What we have to do is to make sure they are better equipped with the tools that they need to do a really effective job and that's, hopefully, what my legislation will deliver."
Figures from local authorities show there are currently 55 licences across Wales for 12-month trading, with 43 in north Wales counties.
There were 25 applications for such licences in 2012 and 13, with 23 in north Wales, compared with six applications across Wales in 2011 and 12.
A spokesperson for the British Holiday and Home Parks Association (BHHPA) said it shared Mr Millar's concerns, adding: "We also recognise the importance of ensuring that Wales continues to benefit from the major contribution made by parks to the regional economy by protecting the industry's reputation.
"There exists within present legislation the means to prevent the misuse of caravan holiday homes by either consumers or businesses. This power lies within the hands of local authorities which are able to enforce the terms of planning consents and the site licences they issue, including requirements for holiday caravans not to be used for residential occupation.
"There is concern within the industry that inappropriately drafted legislation could place an onerous red-tape burden on businesses." | People living in static caravans all year round are damaging the Welsh economy, a Conservative has claimed. |
36,358,545 | Carl Askew, 47, was given a 32-week sentence, suspended for two years, after his tanker crashed into a crane driven by Michael Coleman, 50.
Mr Coleman's partner Wendy Ann Randal told Cardiff Crown Court she did not "bear malice to the driver".
Askew, of Gloucester, admitted causing death by careless driving.
Judge David Wynn Morgan said "it would be a hard hearted court" if it did not take into account the wishes of the victim's partner.
The court heard that Mr Coleman, of Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, had been driving his crane between Junction 32 and 33 on the M4 motorway on 2 November.
The vehicle was restricted to travelling at just 30mph (48km/h) and had been displaying the correct warning lights when the tanker collided with the rear of his vehicle at a speed of up to 56mph (90km/h).
The crane was forced off the road by the impact and overturned on an embankment.
Mr Coleman suffered traumatic head injuries and died at the scene.
Askew told police after the collision that he had sneezed at the moment of impact but could give no explanation as to why he had not seen the crane beforehand.
He said: "Before I could brake, the impact happened."
Mr Coleman's partner of 14 years told the court in a victim impact statement, which the judge described as "astonishing", that the couple had recently been on a holiday together which left her with "wonderful happy memories".
She said: "Since the accident, I feel lost without Mike, he was my everything.
"I know the driver didn't set out to kill Mike. It has left a massive desolation in myself and my children. I do get depressed, but I look at my family, remember and smile."
The court was told that Mr Coleman did not know at the time of his death that his daughter was pregnant and that he was to become a grandfather.
She asked in her statement for the court to consider not imposing an immediate custodial sentence.
In addition to the 32-week prison sentence, suspended for two years, he was disqualified from driving for five years and must carry out 250 hours of community work. | A tanker driver who caused the death of a man in a crash on the M4 has been spared an immediate prison sentence after a plea from the victim's partner. |
34,567,863 | The airline said that fewer than 1,000 jobs will now go, compared with the 2,900 originally planned.
Alexandre de Juniac, chief executive of Air France-KLM, said the job cuts next year would now be voluntary.
Heavier losses in 2017 may still be avoided if unions agree to other cost-cutting measures, he added.
After failing to convince pilots to work longer hours for the same pay, earlier this month the company announced a "plan B" of job cuts and eliminating some routes.
The plan led to scuffles during which two senior managers had their shirts torn off, in the latest example of violent protests by French workers.
Five Air France employees - thought to be members of the CGT union - were arrested last Monday following the violent protests at Air France headquarters in Roissy.
They will appear in court on 2 December.
Seven people were injured in the scuffles, including a security guard who was knocked unconscious. President Francois Hollande criticised the action and said it could harm France's image.
Mr de Juniac said the chaotic scenes had damaged the airline: "It's unimaginable that the whole world now assimilates Air France with these images."
The need to finalise flight schedules months in advance meant that Air France had to go ahead with the cutbacks for 2016, the chief executive said.
However, Mr de Juniac said those cuts would affect fewer than 1,000 jobs.
"The 'Plan B' takes place over two years, 2016 and 2017. For 2016 it is under way," he said. "If negotiations are successful by the start of 2016, we can avoid implementing 'Plan B' for 2017."
Air France will discuss the 2016 cuts with union officials at a meeting of its works council on Thursday.
Mr de Juniac said that efficiency measures had put Air France on course to make a profit this year, but he declined to give a forecast.
The airline had higher costs than some rivals and was under pressure from budget operators in Europe, as well as Gulf carriers such as Emirates on long-haul routes.
It posted an annual profit of almost €1.6bn in February, down €266m from the previous 12 months following a crippling strike by pilots last year.
Shares closed on Friday at €6.38 in Paris and have fallen almost 20% this year, valuing the company at €1.9bn (£1.4bn).
In contrast, its German rival Lufthansa is worth €6.3bn. | Air France has slashed the number of jobs it had planned to cut in the wake of angry protests by some workers. |
35,547,145 | It comes after Seoul suspended its operations at the jointly-run Kaesong industrial complex in the North.
Kaesong is one of the last points of co-operation between the two Koreas and a key source of revenue for Pyongyang.
The North has called the shutdown "a declaration of war" and has designated Kaesong as a military zone.
Seoul says the suspension is aimed at cutting off money the North uses for nuclear and missile development.
Pyongyang carried out its fourth nuclear test last month, and launched a satellite into space on Sunday, drawing international condemnation.
North Korea previously cut communication hotlines with the South in 2013, but reopened them after relations improved.
The hotlines, which are intended to defuse dangerous military situations, include one used by the military, and another used to communicate with the UN Command at Panmunjom in the Demilitarised Zone. A third hotline is maintained by the Red Cross.
Analysis: Steve Evans, BBC Korea correspondent
It seems odd but the hotlines between North and South Korea get disconnected precisely when they're most needed.
When the two halves of the peninsula get along, if not amicably then without actually snarling at each other, the links are quiet and unnecessary.
When poor relations descend to worse, the lines get cut as a signal of displeasure.
The system was set up after the 4 July 1972 Joint Communique which was the first formal agreement between Pyongyang and Seoul since the division of Korea in 1945.
When the hotlines were last severed, in 2013, it was reported that the two sides would normally speak twice a day.
A senior North Korean military official was quoted as saying at the time: "Under the situation where a war may break out any moment, there is no need to keep up North-South military communications."
On Thursday, Pyongyang vowed to seize the assets of South Korean companies in Kaesong, and said all workers from the south had to leave by 17:30 local time (08:30 GMT).
South Korean companies had already started withdrawing managers, equipment and stock after Seoul announced the suspension.
And South Korean officials said that all 280 workers who had been at the facility finally crossed into the South several hours after the deadline expired.
Business owner Chang Beom Kang told the Associated Press that an employee, who drove to Kaesong to pick up thousands of items of women's clothing produced by his firm, had almost reached the border when he had to return to the factory to unload because of the North's decision to freeze all South Korean assets there.
Other managers from the South told the BBC they were shocked and frustrated by the suddenness with which their businesses in the North had had to cease production.
What is the Kaesong Industrial Complex
Why did North launch long-range rocket?
How advanced is North's nuclear programme?
The current shutdown came as the US Senate voted unanimously in favour of tougher sanctions against North Korea.
The draft legislation targets any person or entity trading or financing anything related to weapons of mass destruction, conventional arms proliferation, North Korea's rocket programme, money laundering, narcotics trafficking, human rights abuses, activities that threaten US cyber security, and the import of luxury goods.
All were already sanctioned, but the measures aim to tighten the restrictions.
The bill also authorises $50m (£34m) for radio broadcasts into North Korea and humanitarian aid programmes.
The House of Representatives passed a similar bill last month. The two will now have to be reconciled into a final measure needing President Barack Obama's sign-off. | North Korea has vowed to cut two key communication hotlines with the South, amid rising tensions after Pyongyang's recent rocket and nuclear tests. |
40,259,623 | Sweden, ranked sixth in the world, snatched victory six minutes from time in Vaxjo, having been largely dominant.
Brave Scottish defence, and profligate attack, kept the sides level heading into the final 10 minutes, with the visitors making three goalline clearances prior to conceding.
Uefa Women's Euro 2017 begins in the Netherlands on 16 July.
Anna Signeul's Scotland face Spain, England and Portugal in the group stages.
The hosts made one change to the side beaten 1-0 by the USA on Thursday, with Chelsea goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl returning from injury. The team is the one likely to face Germany in the opening Group B match in Breda next month.
Sweden head coach Pia Sundhage also led the United States to two Olympic gold medals. She and Signeul are former team-mates and opponents from club football in Sweden. Both are standing down from their jobs after the Euros, with the Scotland boss taking charge of Finland.
Scotland made two changes, bringing in Rachel Corsie and Joelle Murray for Jo Love and Ifeoma Dieke, the latter a casualty of Friday's 2-0 win over Romania in Falkirk.
Corsie, normally a central defender, was pushed up in front of the back four as she had been for most of the Euro qualifying campaign.
The first half started in warm sunshine and ended in a torrential downpour. The only constant was that just about all the football was played in Scotland's half.
Despite all their possession in attacking positions, the surprise was that Sweden failed to build on an opening seven minutes in which they could have scored three times.
Prolific striker Lotta Schelin (twice) and Lisa Dahlkvist both squandered close-range chances, one of them cleared off the line by full-back Frankie Brown.
Scotland striker Jane Ross, who scored her 50th international goal against Romania, was an isolated figure for most of the half.
Somehow the Scots held out to half-time, helped by timely blocks by Murray and Vaila Barsley and a second goalline clearance from Brown after 43 minutes.
Sweden made two changes at the start of the second half and three more before the hour. Scotland made two, Jo Love replacing Corsie and Sophie Howard later coming on for Murray in what was a more competitive second period.
Midfielder Seger saved her side by heading Caroline Weir's free-kick away for a corner with Barsley poised to take advantage.
Tired legs began to tell in the final 20 minutes as Sweden went all out to save face. Lisa Evans made the third goal-line clearance of the night, and then Seger rattled the bar with a header before finally getting Sweden's goal with another six minutes from the end.
Scotland head coach Anna Signeul: "We played a good game defensively and learned a lot about ourselves. Sweden are a very strong side.
"It's a shame we couldn't keep it until the end, but of course they were the better team. They were worthy of the win, but we learned a lot tonight.
"We also had to show that we could physically stand up, because we need to compete on that level in the Euros." | Caroline Seger's late strike denied Scotland women a draw in their final European Championship warm-up fixture. |
24,017,899 | It was a rare display of vulnerability by the driven politician who is considered by many Kenyans to be hot-tempered, arrogant and ruthlessly ambitious.
When Mr Ruto was indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in December 2010 for crimes against humanity, many people thought it was the beginning of the end of his political career. The politician was charged with murder, deportation or forcible transfer of population, and persecution - all to do with the deadly violence that followed the 2007 elections.
The accusations mainly relate to attacks on Mr Kenyatta's Kikuyu community, especially in the ethnic Kalenjin heartland in the Rift Valley.
The Kikuyus largely backed then President Mwai Kibaki, a member of their community, during the election.
Q&A: International Criminal Court
The two ethnic groups have a history of rivalry, which intensified after the Kikuyus settled in the Rift Valley after independence in 1963.
Mr Ruto's trial starts on 10 September 2013.
But the self-styled "hustler" - who once sold chicken by a railway line - cunningly used the ICC issue to power his way into the grand hallways of Kenya's State House.
A deeply religious Christian, Ruto he described the 2013 election victory on a joint ticket with Mr Kenyatta as a "miracle".
"Our victory today in all manner of definition is a miracle. Ladies and gentlemen this afternoon I am lost for words," said the normally eloquent politician.
His alliance with Mr Kenyatta was viewed by many as a union of convenience between two men whose backgrounds couldn't be more different.
Unlike Mr Kenyatta, the son of a former president whose name and heritage opened doors for him from birth, Mr Ruto rose from a humble, poor background to become a political kingmaker.
An ethnic Kalenjin, he was born on 21 December 1966 in Sugoi village in the western region of the Rift Valley. His home region is prone to ethnic violence and was one of the focal points of the fighting - mainly between the Kalenjin and Mr Kenyatta's Kikuyu community - in 2007.
He was educated at local schools before studying botany and zoology at the University of Nairobi. His high school colleagues remember him as a "soft spoken and shy student who kept a low profile".
According to his mother, Sara Cheruiyot, he "was never rebellious" and was always "obedient, honest and punctual. He also kept to himself and rarely picked quarrels or a fight with his mates" and "always carried a book to read in the grazing fields".
While at university, he was chairman of the Christian Union choir.
He met his political mentor, former President Daniel arap Moi, through his involvement in church activities. Like Mr Ruto, Mr Moi is an ethnic Kalenjin, teetotaller and fervent churchgoer.
Mr Ruto helped found a lobby group, the Youth for Kanu 92 (YK92), which Mr Moi's Kenya African National Union (Kanu) used to retain power in 1992.
The group's main campaign tactic was dishing out money - reportedly billions of shillings - a move later blamed for Kenya's economic turmoil of the early 1990s. Mr Ruto reportedly made his fortune during this period.
He was elected MP in 1997 and soon became one of the most powerful politicians within the ruling party, which was on the defensive.
With Kanu facing defeat in 2002, Mr Moi appointed Mr Ruto deputy interior minister before promoting him to full minister. By then all the senior officials had quit the ruling party after the president hand-picked Uhuru Kenyatta as his successor.
Though Kanu lost the election, Mr Ruto retained his parliamentary seat and was elected the party's secretary-general in 2005. In 2006, he announced his intention to vie for the presidency in the 2007 election.
He began to work closely with Raila Odinga, a former minister and political foe of Mr Moi.
A shrewd politician and powerful orator, Mr Ruto lamented that Kenya had been ruled by a "wealthy elite" that was "detached from the everyday suffering of ordinary people". He used a popular Kalenjin vernacular radio station, Kass FM, as a platform to articulate his agenda.
He ditched Kanu for Mr Odinga's Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).
Mr Ruto lost in the ODM presidential primaries to Mr Odinga, but mobilised millions of voters in the extensive Rift Valley region for Mr Odinga. Opinion polls indicated the ODM leader would win the 2007 election and it was expected Mr Ruto would become vice-president.
Mr Ruto was one of Mr Odinga's vocal defenders as disputes erupted over the tallying of the presidential vote.
Mr Ruto's heartland exploded in deadly ethnic violence after the electoral authorities declared President Mwai Kibaki the winner. The violence lasted until February 2008 when Mr Odinga and Mr Kibaki agreed to form a coalition government.
Mr Ruto was appointed agriculture minister.
As part of the coalition agreement, a local tribunal was formed to investigate the violence. Both President Kibaki and Prime Minister Odinga lobbied the parliament in vain for local trials of the perpetrators. Mr Ruto, who had then fallen out with the prime minister, sanctioned trials at the ICC.
The mediator, Kofi Annan, handed over to the ICC a sealed envelope containing a list of suspects.
Mr Ruto told Kenya's Sunday Nation newspaper in 2009 that Mr Annan "should hand over the envelope… so that proper investigations can start."
In December 2010, Mr Ruto, Mr Kenyatta and four others were indicted by the ICC. The court later dropped cases against three of the accused, but retained those against Mr Kenyatta, Mr Ruto and Joshua arap Sang, a journalist from Kass FM radio who was accused of inciting and helping coordinate attacks against the Kikuyu community.
Mr Ruto vehemently denies involvement, telling a local TV station that "Deep inside my being I know those charges are fiction".
In November 2012, he teamed up with Mr Kenyatta to form the Jubilee Alliance.
Through the alliance, the duo shrewdly used their ICC indictments to their advantage - painting the cases as a Western assault on Kenya's sovereignty. Their strategy worked, and the two now face the daunting challenge of governing the country while defending themselves at The Hague.
Mr Ruto's eloquence and ready smile have endeared him to his supporters but his political career has been dogged by corruption allegations.
In February 2009, he survived a censure motion in parliament over a scandal on the irregular sale of maize by his ministry. He was suspended from cabinet in October 2010 over the fraudulent sale of public land. He was later acquitted. In June 2013, the High Court ordered him to surrender a 100-acre farm and compensate a farmer who had accused him of grabbing the land during the 2007 violence.
The deputy president insists he is clean, and says his immense wealth has been painstakingly acquired through hard work.
"I sold chicken at [a] railway crossing near my home as a child. I built my father a house using my university boom [allowance]. I paid fees for my siblings. God has been kind to me and through hard work and determination, I have something," he told Kenyan daily The Star.
William Ruto must now use this resilience to face his most formidable challenge to date - escaping conviction by the ICC.
BBC Monitoring reports and analyses news from TV, radio, web and print media around the world. For more reports from BBC Monitoring, click here. You can follow BBC Monitoring on Twitter and Facebook. | Just days after Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta won the 4 March 2013 elections, images of his running mate, William Ruto, breaking down in tears during a church service shocked both his supporters and critics. |
35,999,517 | Mr Corbyn appeared alongside Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale in the city constituency she hopes to win.
Elsewhere in Saturday's campaigning, Ruth Davidson also gave a speech in Edinburgh, while Nicola Sturgeon was joined by Mhairi Black in Glasgow.
Willie Rennie campaigned alongside Lib Dem activists in Cupar in Fife.
Mr Corbyn was making his first appearance of the campaign in Scotland. He did not attend the Scottish Labour conference in March.
During the event in Portobello, Mr Corbyn said Scottish Labour had a "bold plan" which could end austerity.
He said: "The real anti-austerity alternative in this election is Labour. Every vote for Labour, every Labour MSP elected, will make sure that the Scottish Parliament will use the powers to stop cuts and invest in the future."
Ms Dugdale used her speech to announce that she had published her tax returns, amid calls for Prime Minister David Cameron to do the same over the 'Panama papers' leaks.
Ms Dugdale - who the papers show pays tax for money earned from her Daily Record newspaper column even though she donates the full salary to charity - called on all political leaders to also publish their tax returns.
Scottish Conservative leader Ms Davidson did so the day, underlining that she also makes charitable donations without claiming relief on them.
Campaigning in Glasgow, SNP leader Ms Sturgeon said Mr Corbyn should end his "confused and hypocritical" stance on tax.
She said: "The idea that Jeremy Corbyn will use his daytrip to Scotland to lecture people on fairness - while supporting George Osborne's tax cut for the better off and Kezia Dugdale's plan to hike taxes on even the lowest paid workers - is incredible."
Ms Sturgeon also called on Mr Corbyn to "show some proper leadership" over the renewal of the Trident nuclear weapons system.
Meanwhile, in Fife, Lib Dem leader Mr Rennie said his party had "great liberal policies for a great liberal campaign".
He said: "We have run a positive, uplifting, optimistic campaign based on a bold package of progressive policies to make Scotland the best again. As a result, our party is back to its best again too."
Several of the party leaders are also to speak at a National Union of Students hustings in Glasgow on Monday evening.
Ms Sturgeon, Ms Dugdale, Lib Dem Willie Rennie, Green co-convenor Patrick Harvie and Tory Adam Tomkins will take part in a debate chaired by Prof John Curtice. | UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has been speaking at an event in Edinburgh as Holyrood election campaigning continues. |
12,004,081 | Fifth century BC - Indo-Aryan migrants from northern India settle on the island; the Sinhalese emerge as the most powerful of the various clans.
Third century BC - Beginning of Tamil migration from India.
1505 - Portuguese arrive in Colombo, marking beginning of European interest.
1658 - Dutch force out Portuguese and establish control over whole island except central kingdom of Kandy.
1796 - Britain begins to take over island.
1815 - Kingdom of Kandy conquered. Britain starts bringing in Tamil labourers from southern India to work in tea, coffee and coconut plantations.
1833 - Whole island united under one British administration.
1931 - British grant the right to vote and introduce power sharing with Sinhalese-run cabinet.
1948 - Ceylon gains full independence.
1949 - Indian Tamil plantation workers disenfranchised and many deprived of citizenship.
1956 - Solomon Bandaranaike elected on wave of Sinhalese nationalism. Sinhala made sole official language and other measures introduced to bolster Sinhalese and Buddhist feeling. More than 100 Tamils killed in widespread violence after Tamil parliamentarians protest at new laws.
1958 - Anti-Tamil riots leave more than 200 people dead. Thousands of Tamils displaced.
1959 - Bandaranaike assassinated by a Buddhist monk. Succeeded by widow, Srimavo, who continues nationalisation programme.
1965 - Opposition United National Party wins elections and attempts to reverse nationalisation measures.
1970 - Srimavo Bandaranaike returns to power and extends nationalisation programme.
1971 - Sinhalese Marxist uprising led by students and activists.
1972 - Ceylon changes its name to Sri Lanka and Buddhism given primary place as country's religion, further antagonising Tamil minority.
1976 - Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) formed as tensions increase in Tamil-dominated areas of north and east.
1977 - Separatist Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) party wins all seats in Tamil areas. Anti-Tamil riots leave more than 100 Tamils dead.
1981 Sinhala policemen accused of burning the Jaffna Public Library, causing further resentment in Tamil community.
1983 - 13 soldiers killed in LTTE ambush, sparking anti-Tamil riots leading to the deaths of several hundred Tamils. Start of what Tigers call "First Eelam War".
1985 - First attempt at peace talks between government and LTTE fails.
1987 - Government forces push LTTE back into northern city of Jaffna. Government signs accords creating new councils for Tamil areas in north and east and reaches agreement with India on deployment of Indian peace-keeping force.
1988 - Left-wing and nationalist Sinhalese JVP begins campaign against Indo-Sri Lankan agreement.
1990 - Indian troops leave after getting bogged down in fighting in north. Violence between Sri Lankan army and separatists escalates. "Second Eelam War" begins.
Thousands of Muslims are expelled from northern areas by the LTTE.
1991 - LTTE implicated in assassination of Indian premier Rajiv Gandhi in southern India.
1993 - President Premadasa killed in LTTE bomb attack.
1994 - President Kumaratunga comes to power pledging to end war. Peace talks opened with LTTE.
1995 - "Third Eelam War" begins when rebels sink naval craft.
1995-2001 - War rages across north and east. Tigers bomb Sri Lanka's holiest Buddhist site. President Kumaratunga is wounded in a bomb attack. Suicide attack on the international airport destroys half the Sri Lankan Airlines fleet.
2002 February - Government and Tamil Tiger rebels sign a Norwegian-mediated ceasefire.
De-commissioning of weapons begins; the road linking the Jaffna peninsula with the rest of Sri Lanka reopens after 12 years; passenger flights to Jaffna resume. Government lifts ban on Tamil Tigers. Rebels drop demand for separate state.
2003 - Tigers pull out of talks. Ceasefire holds.
2003 May - Country's worst-ever floods leave more than 200 people dead and drive some 4,000 people from their homes.
2004 March - Renegade Tamil Tiger commander, known as Karuna, leads split in rebel movement and goes underground with his supporters. Tiger offensive regains control of the east.
2004 July - Suicide bomb blast in Colombo - the first such incident since 2001.
2004 December - More than 30,000 people are killed when a tsunami, massive waves generated by a powerful undersea earthquake, devastate coastal communities.
2005 June - Row over deal reached with Tamil Tiger rebels to share nearly $3bn in tsunami aid among Sinhalas, Tamils and Muslims.
2005 August - State of emergency after foreign minister is killed by a suspected Tiger assassin.
2005 November - Mahinda Rajapaksa, prime minister at the time, wins presidential elections. Most Tamils in areas controlled by the Tamil Tigers do not vote.
2006 April - Attacks begin to escalate again.
A suicide bomber attacks the main military compound in Colombo, killing at least eight people. The military launch air strikes on Tamil Tiger targets.
2006 May - Tamil Tiger rebels attack a naval convoy near Jaffna.
2006 August - Tamil Tiger rebels and government forces resume fighting in the north-east in worst clashes since 2002 ceasefire. Government steadily drives Tamil Tigers out of eastern strongholds over following year.
2006 October - Peace talks fail in Geneva.
2007 June - Police force hundreds of Tamils out of the capital, citing security concerns. A court orders an end to the expulsions.
2008 January - Government pulls out of 2002 ceasefire agreement, launches massive offensive.
2008 March - International panel, invited by the government to monitor investigations into alleged human rights abuses, announces that it is leaving the country. Panel member Sir Nigel Rodley says the authorities were hindering its work. Government rejects the criticism.
2008 July - Sri Lankan military says it has captured the important Tamil Tiger naval base of Vidattaltivu in the north.
2008 October - Suicide bombing blamed by government on Tamil Tigers kills 27 people, including a former general, in the town of Anuradhpura.
2008 December - Sri Lankan troops and Tamil rebels claim to have inflicted heavy casualties on each other in fierce fighting in the north.
2009 January - Government troops capture the northern town of Kilinochchi, held for ten years by the Tamil Tigers as their administrative headquarters. President Mahinda Rajapakse calls it an unparalleled victory and urges the rebels to surrender.
2009 February - International concern over the humanitarian situation of thousands of civilians trapped in the battle zone prompts calls for a temporary cease-fire. This is rejected by the government, which says it is on the verge of destroying the Tamil Tigers, but it offers an amnesty to rebels if they surrender.
Tamil Tiger planes conduct suicide raids against Colombo.
2009 March - Former rebel leader Karuna is sworn in as minister of national integration and reconciliation. United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay accuses both sides of war crimes.
The government rejects conditions attached to an IMF emergency loan worth $1.9 billion, denies US pressure causing delay to agreement.
2009 May - Government declares Tamil Tigers defeated after army forces overrun last patch of rebel-held territory in the northeast. Military says rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran was killed in the fighting. Tamil Tiger statement says the group will lay down its arms.
2009 August - New Tamil Tiger leader Selvarasa Pathmanathan captured overseas by Sri Lankan authorities.
First post-war local elections in north. Governing coalition wins in Jaffna but in Vavuniya voters back candidates who supported Tamil Tigers.
2009 October - Government announces early presidential and parliamentary elections.
2009 November - Opposition parties form alliance to fight elections. The new alliance includes Muslim and Tamil parties and is led by former prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Government says 100,000 refugees released from camps.
2010 January - Incumbent Mahinda Rajapaksa wins presidential election by a big margin but the outcome is rejected by his main rival Gen Sarath Fonseka.
2010 February - Gen Fonseka is arrested on corruption charges, and jailed for 30 months by a military court in September. He is convicted of further charges in November 2011 and sentenced to another three years in jail.
President Rajapaksa dissolves parliament, clearing way for elections in April.
European Union suspends Sri Lanka's preferential trade status because of concerns over its human rights record.
2010 April - President Rajapaksa's ruling coalition wins landslide victory in parliamentary elections.
2010 September - Parliament approves a constitutional change allowing President Rajapaksa to seek unlimited number of terms.
2011 April - UN says both sides in the Sri Lankan civil war committed atrocities against civilians and calls for an international investigation into possible war crimes. Sri Lanka says the report is biased.
2011 July - Sri Lanka's largest ethnic Tamil party, the Tamil National Alliance, wins two-thirds of local councils in the former war zone in the north and east.
2011 August - President Rajapaksa says his government will allow the expiry of state emergency laws which have been in place for most of the past 40 years.
However, critics say that the introduction of new legislation that allows the detention of people suspected of terror offences without charge continues the state of emergency in a new guise.
2012 March - UN Human Rights Council adopts a resolution urging Sri Lanka to investigate war crimes allegedly committed during the final phase of the decades-long conflict with Tamil Tiger rebels. Sri Lanka says the move usurps its sovereignty.
2012 May - Former army chief and opposition presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka is freed after two and a half years in jail, under terms banning him from running for public office for seven years.
2012 November - The government dismisses a UN report that it intimidated UN staff investigating abuses at the end of the civil war in 2009.
2013 January - Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake is dismissed after parliament impeaches her for allegations of financial and official misconduct described by the opposition as politically motivated. The government's senior legal adviser, Mohan Peiris, replaces her.
2013 March - UN Human Rights Council passes highly critical resolution urging Sri Lanka to conduct an independent and credible investigation into alleged war crimes during the Tamil Tiger insurgency.
2013 August - UN Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay accuses government of eroding democracy and the rule of law after a week-long visit.
2013 September - Tamil National Alliance opposition party wins first elections to semi-autonomous provincial council in the north, with 78% of the vote. Commonwealth observers say army intimidation compromised the vote's environment.
2013 November - Sri Lanka hosts the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). The leaders of Canada, India and Mauritius refuse to attend amid calls for a boycott over Sri Lanka's human rights record.
2014 August - President Mahinda Rajapaksa says a UN team tasked with investigating allegations of war crimes during the Tamil Tiger insurgency will not be allowed to enter Sri Lanka.
2015 January - Maithripala Sirisena becomes president.
2015 September - Rajavarothiam Sampanthan becomes the first lawmaker from the ethnic Tamil minority in 32 years to become leader of the opposition in parliament.
2015 September - Sri Lanka rejects a UN call for international involvement in an investigation into war crimes.
2015 October - Sri Lanka co-sponsors a UN Human Rights Council resolution calling for a special judicial mechanism to prosecute war crimes.
2016 June - Sri Lankan government acknowledges for the first time that some 65,000 people are missing from its 26-year-long war with Tamil Tiger rebels and a separate Marxist insurrection.
2016 July - The government announces its aim for Sri Lanka to become completely demilitarised by 2018, a significant development which would see the end of the army's involvement in civilian life after decades of ethnic war.
2016 August - Parliament passes a law to establish an office to trace the thousands of people who disappeared during the war and separate Marxist insurrection.
2016 September - The World Health Organisation declares Sri Lanka malaria-free. | A chronology of key events: |
40,444,480 | All front desks, apart from the one at Sunderland, will only be open during daytime hours from Monday.
The force said most people now reported crime online or via the phone, rather than in person at a police station, and the move would save money.
But Unison said the timescale was too tight and called for a consultation.
The union's regional organiser, Peter Chapman, said the plans would "inevitably" lead to redundancies.
"There may well be a need to discuss how stations provide this service in the future, however Unison believes the plans due to be implemented within the next few weeks are far too radical and the timescale far too tight," he added.
"We call on the force to abandon the current proposals and embark upon a more timely and meaningful consultation with all those involved. "
Northumbria Police said the changes would not affect the availability of officers, and the savings would be used to support operational policing and invest in greater accessibility.
There would also be further investment into the 101 contact centres.
Chief Constable Steve Ashman said: "We are still wrestling with the impact of austerity and the cuts [which] has meant that we have to make difficult decisions whilst striving to deliver the best possible service to our communities.
"We know that the public want to see police officers on the street and we are changing the way we work in order to protect this.
"We also know that residents don't want to have to go to a police station in order to report information; but rather report it in their own home and at a time that is convenient for them." | Planned overnight front desk closures at Northumbria Police stations have been condemned by the public services union as "too radical". |
18,626,751 | The pair made the decision following a discussion with head coach Stuart Lancaster shortly after returning from international duty in South Africa.
"I cannot thank them enough for the support they have given me and this young squad," said the England boss.
Position: Fly-half
International debut: v Romania, November 2001
Caps: 38
Points scored: 269 (8 tries)
Saracens fly-half Hodgson, 31, made 38 international appearances while Bath hooker Mears, 33, won 42 caps.
"Both Charlie and Lee in the last six months have been outstanding senior players," added Lancaster. "With 80 caps between them they have a vast amount of experience and that has been invaluable.
"I had chats with both of them in South Africa and our thoughts were not too dissimilar - that if we are building a team for 2015 then, just as we did in January, we have to decide on which players will take us forward and be in the mix in three years' time."
Position: Hooker
International debut: v Samoa, November 2005
Caps: 42
Points scored: 5 (1 try)
For Hodgson, the decision brings to an end an 11-year Test career with England after making his debut in 2001, when he scored 44 points against Romania.
He toured South Africa with England earlier this month but failed to win a place in the match-day squad for any of the three Tests, with Owen Farrell and Toby Flood ahead of him.
"I have been very proud to represent England over the last 11 years," said Hodgson.
"Wearing the shirt has always been the highest honour for me, not least in the last six months, and no one would want to give that up." | England fly-half Charlie Hodgson and hooker Lee Mears have retired from international rugby. |
40,786,070 | Goals from Josh Rees and Louis Dennis in either half ensured the visitors followed up Saturday's goalless draw at Eastleigh in impressive fashion.
Rees opened the scoring in the 35th minute, the midfielder slotting home from Dennis' cutback, before the latter added a second in the 70th minute on the counter-attack after Ryan Bird's header was cleared off the line at the other end.
Dover set up a tense final 15 minutes when David Gregory bundled the ball into his own net following substitute Kadell Daniel's shot from a free-kick.
Match report supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Dover Athletic 1, Bromley 2.
Second Half ends, Dover Athletic 1, Bromley 2.
Substitution, Bromley. Alan Dunne replaces Louis Dennis.
Ryan Bird (Dover Athletic) is shown the yellow card.
Substitution, Dover Athletic. Mitchell Pinnock replaces Mitch Brundle.
Substitution, Dover Athletic. Tobi Sho-Silva replaces Manny Parry.
Own Goal by David Gregory, Bromley. Dover Athletic 1, Bromley 2.
Brett Williams (Bromley) is shown the yellow card.
Goal! Dover Athletic 0, Bromley 2. Louis Dennis (Bromley).
Iffy Allen (Bromley) is shown the yellow card.
Ben Chorley (Bromley) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Substitution, Bromley. George Porter replaces Adam Mekki.
Substitution, Bromley. Iffy Allen replaces Luke Wanadio.
Second Half begins Dover Athletic 0, Bromley 1.
First Half ends, Dover Athletic 0, Bromley 1.
Connor Essam (Dover Athletic) is shown the yellow card.
Goal! Dover Athletic 0, Bromley 1. Josh Rees (Bromley).
First Half begins.
Lineups are announced and players are warming up. | Bromley claimed their first National League win of the season courtesy of a 2-1 victory at Dover. |
30,331,486 | But how does their unbeaten run compare to other things, like nuclear talks and space missions?
The Blues were last beaten in the Champions League by Atletico Madrid back on 30 April.
Werder Bremen defeated the Londoners in a pre-season match in August, but we're not counting friendlies. So that's 218 days since a competitive defeat.
This got Newsbeat thinking about what else could be achieved in the time since Chelsea lost…
Around 700 candidates, narrowed down from 200,000, are hoping to be among the first human voyagers to Mars.
Whoever gets the call-up can look forward to a journey time of around 200 days to get to the red planet, which is approximately 40 million miles away depending on its position in orbit.
It took YouTube user John Colandra seven months to put together a two-hour film out of footage from almost every stop on Kanye West's Yeezus concert tour.
What would you choose: winning loads of football matches or watching stacks of Kanye clips?
Why win endless football matches when you could grow a nice apple?
It takes 100 to 200 days for an apple to be ready to pick, depending on the variety.
Tensions between Iran and the rest of the world over the country's nuclear activities could be resolved in the time since Chelsea last suffered defeat.
US Secretary of State John Kerry reckons seven months is needed to agree a deal.
Jose Mourinho's men must double their winning streak to match the heroics of the people who look after Wimbledon's tennis courts.
It takes around 15 months to prepare a Championships' standard court before it can be played on. Got that Jose? Play on.
Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube | Everybody's talking about Chelsea's winning streak. |
37,680,631 | Henry Millar, 36, from Kilmarnock, was killed when his white Kia Cee'd hit a tree after mounting a kerb near the Grassyards Interchange at about 18:50 on Sunday.
At 23:20 the same night a 31-year-old man died after his car hit a tree on the A77 near Monkton in South Ayrshire.
That crash, involving a grey Ford Kuga, happened at the Dutch House roundabout.
Police said the car was reported to be travelling northbound when it mounted the roundabout.
The driver was taken to Crosshouse Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
Police have appealed for anyone with information about either accident to contact them. | Two men have died in separate crashes on the A77 in Ayrshire after their cars left the road and hit trees. |
38,650,167 | One supplier said that a combination of flooding, cold weather and poor light levels had created a "perfect storm" of poor growing conditions.
Courgettes and lettuces are likely to be much more pricey, one supplier said.
Poor planting conditions could also affect prices at the end of the year.
Floods in Spain's south-eastern Murcia region combined with cold weather in Italy has meant that many field crops such as lettuce and broccoli have been nearly wiped out, Nationwide Produce food marketing company managing director Tim O'Malley told the BBC.
Peppers and aubergines are among others that have been hit.
Murcia is reported to have recently had its heaviest rainfall in 30 years and is estimated to supply about 80% of Europe's fresh produce during the winter months.
"The situation has got so bad that some vegetable suppliers have taken to importing lettuces from the US, a development that up until now has been pretty much unheard of," Mr O'Malley said.
He said that the recent cold snap had meant that Italy - which normally exports vegetables at this time of the year - is now having to import them.
The damage to the vegetable market is especially worrying for northern European countries like Britain - which even before the shortages imported 50% of its vegetables and 90% of its fruit, Mr O'Malley said.
The price or availability of crops such as tomatoes, cucumbers, courgettes and peppers is likely be affected, Mr O'Malley said, while crops planted before Christmas for harvest in 2017 are also likely to suffer.
Philippe Binard, of Freshfel Europe, a forum based in Brussels that represents the fresh produce industry, told the BBC that the problems afflicting vegetable production were unprecedented, with the yield of courgettes, aubergines, tomatoes, broccoli and peppers from Spain down by about 25%, while prices had risen between 25% and 40%.
"There has been a dramatic loss of production not only in Murcia but also in the Spanish regions of Andalusia and Valencia. All this has come at a time of heavy snowfall in Italy," he said.
A spokesman for the British supermarket Tesco said that the bad weather conditions in Spain had resulted "in a few availability issues".
"But we are working with our suppliers to resolve them as quickly as possible," he said. | Bad weather in Italy and Spain is likely to significantly increase the price of vegetables across northern Europe, food suppliers and supermarkets have told the BBC. |
39,833,222 | The 31-year-old back-row forward has been linked with a return to his first club Montpellier.
"I don't think Northampton has ever been a selling club," said Mallinder.
"We want to keep all our good players. Louis signed a three-year contract, he has just finished the first year, and he has no get-out clause."
He added: "There is no reason why Louis should be anywhere else."
Speaking after Northampton's narrow final-day Premiership win against Harlequins, Mallinder admitted: "He was immense. You need all your big players playing because the competition is tough now.
"The other teams are good, they have quality players as well, so we need all the good players we can get. We have always wanted to go into the market and bring good players to Northampton."
Picamoles, who joined Saints from Top 14 side Toulouse last summer, has been hugely influential for Saints this season, earning him one of the five nominations for the Rugby Players' Association player of the year award.
But reports have suggested that fellow Top 14 side Montpellier, owned by billionaire Mohed Altrad, want to give him a central contract with the French Rugby Federation (FFR).
Montpellier, where Picamoles played from 2004 to 2009, are reportedly preparing a seven-figure sum to try to buy the number eight out of the remaining two years of his contract and offer him a return to France.
Saints' victory was not enough to secure an automatic place in the European Champions Cup next season as Quins' losing bonus point ensured them sixth place.
After finishing seventh, Northampton, Premiership champions in 2014, now have to hope that Gloucester lose the Challenge Cup final against Stade Francais at Murrayfield on Friday if they are to claim a play-off spot for another chance to play in European club rugby's top competition. | Northampton have "no reason" to have to sell France international Louis Picamoles, says Saints director of rugby Jim Mallinder. |
37,924,278 | Giorgos Bikas' house in northern Greece suffered major damage following a fire early on Wednesday.
Neither Bikas nor his family were at the property at the time.
The Hellenic Football Federation said league and cup competitions would be suspended until after an investigation into the cause of the fire. | Greece has suspended all football competitions in the country after an alleged arson attack at the home of the president of its refereeing committee. |
38,131,771 | "It's a huge game for us," said Neilson, whose side are three points behind the visitors from Ibrox but with a better goal difference.
"This season has been kind of stop-start games-wise.
"Now we're going into a period of playing Saturday - midweek - Saturday. It gives us a chance to get into second and to try and keep hold of it."
Hearts have not played Rangers since their Championship-winning campaign in 2014-15.
The Edinburgh side took seven points from four games against their Glasgow rivals, finishing 15 points clear of Rangers in third.
"It's been a while since we played them," said Neilson. "In the Championship, we had the upper hand on most occasions.
"There's still a few boys that were involved in those games and there is real confidence in the group. Every time we play at Tynecastle we expect to win the game.
"Rangers are a very good team and if you allow them a lot of possession they will hurt you.
"It's important that we try and stop that and the Tynecastle atmosphere will help us."
Hearts have lost just once at home in the league this term, to leaders Celtic on the opening weekend.
Celtic are eight points ahead of Rangers, with two games in hand, and Neilson makes the leaders strong favourites to make it six titles in a row.
"It's going to be very difficult for anyone to catch them, with the size of squad they have and the quality of players they've got," he said.
"You always want to hunt them down as best you can but it's going to be tough.
"Our focus at the moment is trying to take over that second place. If we do that, we can try and build from there. We finished third last year and we want to push on again."
Neilson revealed that he plans to add to his squad in January, while his is unsure if Scotland full-back Callum Paterson will see out his contract, which expires at the end of the season.
"It's going to be a really important window for us," he said.
"There are a few teams round about us at the moment that I expect to recruit. We have to recruit well if we are to compete and get second place.
"We have a stable environment at the club, which is important, and everyone is pushing in the same direction.
"We've discussed what I think we need for the team and I can strengthen. It's now a case of sourcing the players. I've got one that I hope to get done soon.
"That will be one part of it done and then we assess how January goes. The players have been doing well and we have guys like Paterson who will attract interest, so it depends what happens with him."
Paterson has scored six goals from defence this season, with Jamie Walker one ahead in the club's scoring charts.
And Neilson reckons the 23-year-old midfielder has what it takes to join Paterson in the Scotland set-up.
"Technically, he is really good," he said.
"His work-rate and defensive side of the game, which you need at international level, is definitely improving.
"He works back in quicker, his transition is better. That's what you need to play at that level. I'd like to think he can get in the squad eventually. | Head coach Robbie Neilson hopes Hearts can leapfrog Rangers into second place on Wednesday - and stay there. |
40,542,457 | Two chicks had already been confirmed at Foulshaw Moss Nature Reserve in the Lake District in April.
But when Cumbria Wildlife Trust were able to get close to the nest they discovered a third had appeared. Each chick has now been fitted with a tracking tag.
The rare birds of prey returned to the reserve in 2014.
Reserve officer Paul Whitehouse said he was pleased with the discovery.
The new chicks' parents have produced eight young ospreys over the past three years at the reserve.
By late July the trio should be flying and will learn to fish before they migrate to Africa.
There are thought to be between 200 and 250 breeding osprey pairs in the UK most of whom are in Scotland. | Staff at a nature reserve got a pleasant surprise when they discovered they had an extra osprey chick. |
39,235,649 | Business Secretary Greg Clark confirmed last year that he had written to the Japanese firm to offer guarantees on how tariff-free trade could continue.
The UK government refused to provide details, claiming it had to respect commercial confidentiality.
The SNP said ministers had "flagrantly" breached freedom of information law.
Nissan announced in October last year that it planned to build two new models at its Sunderland plant.
Previously, it had expressed concern about future tariffs arising from Britain's decision to leave the EU.
The SNP submitted a Freedom of Information (FOI) request last October, asking to see the Nissan letter.
But despite being required to respond by 28 November, the Department for Business has yet to provide a response.
The SNP has now submitted an official complaint to the Information Commissioner's Office, calling on the body to urgently probe the UK government over its "desperate attempt to avoid public scrutiny".
SNP MSP Richard Lochhead said: "The Tories obviously think that if they keep on dithering and delaying then people will forget all about their sweetheart deal with Nissan - but this is fundamentally important.
"The UK government gave written assurances to an international company - one part-owned by the French government - but have refused to tell the public what these promises were.
"There is no credible reason why it should take months and months to respond to an FOI request looking for a single letter.
"The Tories are flagrantly breaching FOI law to hide their secret sweetheart deal with Nissan - and the Information Commissioner should investigate this desperate attempt to avoid public scrutiny. It's time for answers."
A UK government spokesman said the letter would only be released once its details were no longer "business-sensitive".
He added: "Our position on this has been fairly clear.
"When companies of all types and in all sectors share their investment plans with government, it is important for them to be assured that those plans will not be disclosed to their advantage.
"It's a letter to a commercial business, that by its nature contains information about that business that could be used by its competitors." | The SNP has demanded the UK government releases its correspondence with the car manufacturer Nissan to show what assurances were made ahead of Brexit. |
34,583,335 | The party, which was formed six months ago, said it would field candidates in elections starting next Spring.
Leader Sophie Walker said Parliament could have equal representation of men and women within a decade if parties prioritised women in safe seats.
She attacked other parties for thinking they could "dole out" equality.
The party, the brainchild of broadcaster Sandi Toksvig and journalist Catherine Mayer, says it is prepared to work with other parties to secure genuine equality in society but has challenged David Cameron "to put us out of business" by implementing all of its ideas.
At a policy launch in London, Ms Walker, herself a former journalist, said many of the problems facing women were a product of the fact they were not "equal decision makers", whether in politics, business or other areas of public life..
"We have made some progress but the path to shared power is taking too long to pave," she said. "So we have concluded that as a temporary measure quotas are necessary."
It was lamentable, she said, that women still made up less than a third of the Commons - 191 of the UK's 650 MPs.
"We will put Parliament into special measures for two elections. Political parties should field women in two thirds of seats, including two thirds of safe seats. We can have a 50:50 Parliament in a decade."
She also called for 75% of new peers to be women and for all publicly listed companies to have a 50:50 gender ratio on their boards and executive committees by 2025.
The party has called for action to tackle the "exorbitant" cost of childcare, which it says is stopping at least 600,000 women from either returning to the workplace or working the full hours they want to.
It has called for government-subsidised childcare to be available to all parents at the end of their parental leave, a £6.5bn commitment it says could be paid for by introducing a single rate of tax relief on pensions.
"We want women to realise their potential and we want to do that by providing a system of childcare that does not cost the earth and does not have to be waited for," Ms Walker told party supporters.
Among its other priorities are to challenge gender stereotyping in schools, to tackle discrimination against older women, to increase the rate of prosecutions for domestic violence and to make the purchase of sex a criminal offence.
"Our country has a gendered culture where men are seen as entitled to dominate and the media portrays women as sex objects," she said. "The acts of everyday sexism that permeate our culture must not be trivialised, they must be challenged and they must be defeated."
Ahead of Tuesday's launch, the party released a report suggesting women earned £245bn less than men each year in the UK.
Ms Walker accused the Conservatives, Labour and Lib Dems of treating equality as a political football, saying it "seems to me that they are more interested in claiming the right to deliver equality than actually deliver it". | The Women's Equality Party has called for quotas for female MPs, an end to the gender pay gap and more affordable childcare as it set out its agenda. |
39,914,861 | The tweet, which appeared on the feed of Nick Harrington, who sits on Warwick District Council, contained offensive and racist language towards the Irish.
His account has since been deleted, but a screen grab of the tweet has been widely re-circulated, the Coventry Telegraph said.
The BBC has attempted to get a comment from Mr Harrington.
Insp Russell Barker, of Warwickshire Police, confirmed police were investigating and treating it as a suspected hate crime.
"It is an ongoing investigation at the moment. Until we complete the investigation we cannot comment further," he said.
Mr Harrington represents the Stoneleigh & Cubbington ward.
Council leader Andrew Mobbs said he was "horrified" by the tweet and had suspended Mr Harrington from the Conservatives on Warwick District Council for six months.
"I can confirm that I have this morning suspended Councillor Harrington from the Conservative group for a period of six months and there will also be an investigation," he said.
"This behaviour is completely unacceptable. I have tried to speak to him but I have had to notify him by email.
"This councillor plays no part in the views, policies or thrust of our group," Mr Mobbs added.
He said a formal investigation would now take place through the council's standards procedure. | A councillor has been suspended over a racist tweet sent from his account during the Eurovision Song Contest. |
40,478,539 | The 39-year-old skipped Great Britain to silver at Sochi 2014 and was disappointed to be overlooked for next year's Winter Games in South Korea.
Murdoch is a two-time world champion with Scotland and won three European titles.
"After the announcement regarding Pyeongchang I had to think about what would come next," he said.
"I had always wanted to pursue my coaching and management ambitions and now I feel ready for that."
Murdoch, a veteran of three Olympics, will begin his new position as a technical and tactical consultant next month.
"I have had to re-adjust, as my goal was to get to the next Olympics and I really had to decide if it was the end or not," he added.
"I am not sure if things had been different if I would have known when the right time was to stop. It would have been hard to walk away but I have been thinking about alternative options for some time and you have to eventually make the decision to start getting those plans under way.
"It was a tough decision but at the same time I am incredibly grateful for what I have achieved in the sport, the opportunities it has given me and the titles I have won."
Murdoch and long-standing team-mate Euan Byers were the first full-time curlers in the UK and the world junior champion from 1995 and 1996 picked up his first major title in 2003 with European gold.
He bows out of the sport with six World Championships medals and six at European level.
The Olympic silver followed a fourth place finish in 2006 and coming fifth in 2010.
"That Olympic medal was for every team member I have ever played with, from the early years right up to when I was the oldest member of my team," said Murdoch.
"That success only happens when every member of the team and support team pulls together and has the same level of dedication to be better, be stronger and improve in any way possible." | Olympic medallist David Murdoch is retiring from competition to take up a coaching role at British Curling. |
35,354,450 | Bailey, 31, was treated last year at the Sporting Chance clinic, set up by former Arsenal footballer Tony Adams.
"You think it's weakness but that's the best thing I've ever done, asking for help," he told BBC Radio Merseyside.
"I never asked for help in my life for anything because it's like weakness especially in a manly sport like this."
The former Great Britain and England international had short spells with Hull KR and Castleford last season before agreeing a one-year deal with Warrington in November.
"I used Sporting Chance because I'd hit rock bottom and I got really bad depression. It was the toughest thing I've ever done but the most rewarding. I got a lot out of it and I wouldn't be here at Warrington if it wasn't for that," he said.
"Leaving Leeds, my hometown club and a lot of good teammates there, and having to just get my head round that, I think I rushed into things with going to Hull KR."
The prop forward still feels he can play for a few more years despite his age, but admitted he faced competition to break into the Warrington side.
"I'm getting older now but I've got four five years left in me feel fit and strong," he added. We've got a strong side so everyone's fighting for their spot this year." | Warrington Wolves prop forward Ryan Bailey says he would not have joined the club if he had not received help for depression. |
32,107,350 | Janza was appointed as Chipolopolo coach last August after the departure of Patrice Beaumelle.
He was in charge of Zambia at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea, where the team suffered a first round elimination.
But Faz president Kalusha Bwalya said Janza will soon be replaced.
the decision was made to find a foreign coach who will fit the national team profile
"The Faz executive committee sat and evaluated the performance of the technical bench and the decision was made to find a foreign coach who will fit the national team profile," Bwalya told the body's annual general meeting on Saturday.
"Janza still needs more training. We should not be blind that we put a local coach just for the sake of it."
Janza, who has been working as coach without a contract, will still be involved with the Zambia set-up after his successor is employed. Bwalya said Janza would revert to his initial position as Faz technical director.
Meanwhile, Zambian clubs have rejected a proposal that required officials who wished to stand for the Faz presidency to have first served on the executive as well as pay a nomination fee of approximately $3,000.
It comes as the association gears up for elections next year.
The controversial proposals drew widespread disapproval, with record 12-time Zambian champions Nkana one of the teams against the ideas.
"We feel people must be ushered in offices based on their capabilities and proven performance and not through underhand methods such as systematic barring of potential candidates," Nkana said in a statement.
"With regard to the proposed non-refundable astronomical fees to participate in Faz elections, this is a big joke that must be rejected by all sober-minded and football-loving fans and administrators."
Bwalya dispelled assertions that the proposals were meant to make him president of the association for life.
"We are democratic and if people feel the current constitution is okay, then the executive committee has no problem," Bwalya told delegates.
"It is not our intention to make councillors doubt the executive committee. We are here to serve you and if you feel it's not the right time, we have to abide by your decision.
"It is not my intention to be president for life."
Bwalya has been at the helm since 2008, and the Faz constitution has no restrictions on how long one can be president. | The Football Association of Zambia (Faz) has confirmed it is looking for a foreign coach to replace current national team boss Honour Janza. |
30,641,980 | Aberystwyth University staff also made instruments from a computer printer and church organ pipes.
The electronic ensemble powered by computers and led by a robot conductor was also joined by four musicians.
The performance will broadcast on BBC Four on New Year's Eve at 20:00 GMT.
Dave Price, of the university's department of computer science, spent three days at the Royal Institution working on the production.
He said: "Our robotic instruments worked beautifully and didn't miss a beat during the rehearsals."
A drum bot, electronic keyboards, and robotic bass guitar were provided by other universities around the UK, while Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, Spain, contributed a robotic theremin player. | A "robotic orchestra" partly built in Aberystwyth using components including a vacuum cleaner has taken part in this year's Royal Institution Christmas Lectures. |
36,784,456 | Mr Cameron made the comment during his last Prime Minister's Questions before standing down and being succeeded as PM by Theresa May.
Australians Kathryn and Gregg Brain, who have a young son, have been fighting to remain in Scotland.
They decided to move to the UK under different rules than exist now.
The Brains were not aware of changes to visa requirement until they moved to Scotland. They have felt frustrated in their efforts to continue living in the UK and currently face deportation next month.
The SNP have been calling on the UK government to honour the terms of the scheme that brought the family to Scotland
In answer to a question of the family's situation at PMQs from SNP MP Angus Robertson, Mr Cameron said he hoped the Brains would apply for a visa to work in the UK, adding "I hope that happens".
The outgoing prime minister said: "Mrs Brain came to this country on a Tier Four visa, on a student visa, to study for a Scottish history degree. She completed it and her husband and her son came as dependents.
"We have given them an extension until 1 August to put in an application for a work visa in the normal way and I very much hope that will happen."
Following PMQs, Mr Brain thanked Mr Robertson for raising the matter again in parliament.
He told BBC Radio Scotland that Mr Cameron had been "stating the obvious".
Mr Brain added: "We are trying to apply for a visa and once again waiting on the Home Office.
"We've got a preliminary application in and when they get back with their responses we get a visa in."
Mr and Mrs Brain moved to Dingwall in the Highlands with their son Lachlan, now seven, in 2011.
They moved from Australia on Ms Brain's student visa, but the post-study visa scheme was later withdrawn.
The Scottish government initiative, formerly supported by the Home Office, was designed to attract people to live and work in the Highlands and Islands.
The announcement of the discontinuation of the post-study work visa scheme came in March 2011, just three months before the Brain family arrived in Scotland.
However, they had been accepted for the scheme in 2010 and were unaware of the changes until 2012.
The couple have since had temporary extensions to their stay in the UK.
In May, they were told they could stay until 1 August, but that they would not be allowed to work. | David Cameron has said a family facing deportation should submit an application for a visa to work in the UK. |
34,212,945 | Unemployed Paul Wright, 53, fears he may be forced to camp in nearby woods, despite "serving Queen and country".
WSCC said Mr Wright had been asked to move the caravan after complaints.
If Mr Wright refuses, the council will move it and keep it in a safe compound for a certain time, after which it will be dismantled, a WSCC spokesman said.
Mr Wright said he was in the Parachute Regiment for nine years, which included two tours of Northern Ireland.
"When I was in the Army quite often we lived rough because of the jobs that we did, but it still doesn't excuse the fact that a man should have to live like this after serving Queen and country," he said.
"They're not looking after the people that have looked after them. There's an awful lot of ex-servicemen in awful situations, it's not just me."
He said he had been told the caravan would be removed from the lay-by on the A259 in five days.
"The council have told me they can't offer any accommodation - the only place I can sleep is in the lay-by in the trees," he said.
But on Friday, WSCC said Chichester District Council was helping Mr Wright to find alternative accommodation.
The spokesman said: "We understand Mr Wright is in a difficult position, but we have had to take action in this case following complaints.
"We have been working with the district councils to assist him.
"The issue is subject to ongoing court proceedings therefore we are unable to comment further." | A former soldier has said he will be left homeless if West Sussex County Council (WSCC) removes his caravan from a lay-by near Chichester. |
34,655,016 | PC Adam Koch, who was stabbed twice through his armoured vest, and PC Jean Stevens disarmed and arrested Mohamoud Elmi in June 2013.
Metropolitan Police PC Winston Mugarura was also honoured for breaking up a street attack in December 2013.
The officers were recognised at the Police Bravery Awards, the first joint winners of the overall award.
The awards ceremony took place in central London on Tuesday night.
PC Koch had fired his Taser at Elmi to no effect, and the attacker stabbed the officer in his shoulder and abdomen.
But, with the help of worshippers at the Madrassa Qasim Ul Uloom centre, he managed to hold Elmi down while PC Stevens arrested him.
Elmi, who was declared insane at his trial, stabbed three other people at the mosque.
PC Koch said: "If it hadn't have been for a combined effort from everybody involved, I've got no doubt that either I or the both of us wouldn't be here to tell the tale."
PC Stevens said she thought her colleague was dead following the struggle to disarm Elmi, and praised his bravery during the "horrendous" scene.
"You expect to come across all kinds of situations in our job, but you don't expect to watch a colleague get so seriously injured."
PC Winston Mugarura received his bravery award for coming to the aid of a man in December 2013.
While off duty he intervened to help the victim, who was being attacked by a group of up to 10 people.
He shielded the man before getting him to safety and then chasing the suspects.
John Tully, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, said: "Winston Mugarura was off duty, yet he put himself into a dangerous situation to protect others." | Two police officers who tackled a knife-wielding attacker at a Birmingham mosque have won bravery awards. |
36,604,734 | League Two newcomers Edinburgh City visit Motherwell's youngsters, while Highland League champions Cove Rangers take on Dundee's development side.
Relegated East Stirlingshire are at home to Montrose.
The under-20s from Celtic, Aberdeen, Hearts and Rangers will play Annan, Formatine United, Stirling Albion and Stirling University, respectively.
The first round ties of the newly-revamped Challenge Cup are scheduled for 2/3 August.
The 14 winners will be joined by East Fife, Elgin City and eight clubs from last season's League One in the next round, with Championship clubs entering at the next phase.
Crusaders and Linfield from Northern Ireland and Welsh Premier League sides Bala Town and The New Saints enter at the last 16 stage.
Rangers won the cup last season but will not be in the competition this time following their promotion to the top flight.
First round draw
North Section
Cove Rangers v Dundee U20
East Stirlingshire v Montrose
Formatine United v Aberdeen U20
Inverness Caledonian Thistle U20 v Arbroath
Ross County U20 v Brora Rangers
Stirling Albion v Hearts U20
St Johnstone U20 v Turriff United
South Section
Berwick Rangers v Spartans
Celtic U20 v Annan Athletic
Clyde v Partick Thistle U20
Cumbernauld Colts v Hamilton Academical U20
Motherwell U20 v Edinburgh City
Queen's Park v Kilmarnock U20
Rangers U20 v Stirling University | Scottish Premiership under-20s teams are among the teams drawn in the first round of the IRN-BRU Cup. |
34,516,742 | The carmaker will be a global sponsor of cricket's international tournaments, including the ICC Cricket World Cup.
It will also back the ICC Champions Trophy and ICC World Twenty20, as well as Under-19, women's cricket and qualifying events.
Japan's second biggest carmaker will replace Hyundai as an ICC sponsor.
As a global partner, Nissan will have an extensive brand presence at ICC cricket venues, as well as broadcast and digital rights at all ICC events.
Nissan's global marketing head, Roel de Vries, said the firm would introduce ways to improve the experience for fans.
In 2014, Nissan signed up as a sponsor of Uefa Champions League football.
It is also a partner of the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and of the Olympic teams of Great Britain, Mexico and Brazil. | The International Cricket Council (ICC) and Nissan have agreed an eight-year deal which will see the Japanese firm sponsor the sport until 2023. |
37,165,060 | British riders won six gold medals, four silvers and one bronze in Brazil, having taken 12 medals at London 2012.
World championships in between have yielded fewer medals and several rivals - including Australia's Anna Meares - have questioned the team's improvement.
"It is a little bit frustrating because there's a lot of hard work gone into that performance," Trott, 24, said.
Meares, who came 10th in the individual sprint in Rio having won the title at London, had said: "We're all just scratching our heads going 'how do they lift so much when in so many events they have not even been in contention in the World Championships?'"
German rider Kristina Vogel called Team GB's performance "questionable", while France's sprint coach Laurent Gane said he "could not understand" their improvement.
Great Britain won three silver medals at the 2015 World Championships in France and nine medals at this year's event in London in March, including five golds.
Trott, who won two golds in Rio to become Britain's most successful female Olympian, told BBC Radio 5 live: "British Cycling has always been very much an Olympic-based programme, so for us it wasn't about clearing up at the World Championships.
"It's always been around the Olympics and that's what our funding is pushed towards."
Media playback is not supported on this device | Four-time Olympic champion Laura Trott is frustrated rival riders have questioned Britain's Rio track success. |
28,701,361 | The watchdog branded the county council's children's services "inadequate" after a June inspection.
It said 261 children who needed help in the county had not been allocated a social worker, despite many living in "neglectful and unsafe circumstances".
The authority pledged it would turn things around "as quickly as we can".
In its report, Ofsted said the county's most vulnerable children were not being protected or given appropriate help when needed.
It said key areas of social work had "fundamental weaknesses" and it took the authority too long for social workers to see children most at risk.
The watchdog blamed some problems on the recent re-organisation of the department and its focus on putting new systems in place, which in turn failed to spot whether the basic requirements of social work practice were being met.
Ofsted added that poor leadership, social worker supervision and record-keeping had contributed to the authority's low grading.
It said "immediate action" must take place to ensure vulnerable children and their families have adequate access to support, with the roles of the authority's leadership also needing to be clearly established.
Angela Macpherson, Conservative cabinet member for children's services, said: "We must get back to a 'good' rating or better as soon as we can.
"We are already finalising a new action plan in response to today's report so it's crystal clear to everyone how and when these improvements will be delivered."
She pledged that the council "will turn this around as quickly as we can". | Children in Buckinghamshire are being put at risk by "widespread and serious" failings by the county's safeguarding services, according to Ofsted. |
36,125,996 | Hernanes and Simone Zaza scored the goals as Juventus extended their club record for successive home clean sheets to 10.
They were crowned champions for the fifth season in a row on Monday when Napoli, their closest challengers, lost to Roma.
And their players celebrated with fans after maintaining their stunning form.
Hernanes' first-half strike and Simone Zaza's late header helped Massimiliano Allegri's men brush aside relegation-threatened Carpi.
They can complete a double by beating AC Milan in the Italian cup final on 21 May.
"I am happy with the win," Allegri said. "It was a good one to get because the crowd was smaller than usual, after the celebrations and such.
"It pleased me that we did not concede a goal. Now we are thinking about the last two games and then the Coppa Italia final, which we are all looking forward to." | Juventus celebrated the Serie A title in style with a 10th successive league win. |
28,103,179 | A recent sighting of three beavers in the River Otter was said to have been the first of its kind for centuries.
The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) said they could be carrying a disease "not currently present in the UK".
Environment Minister George Eustice said the government was considering "the best way" of rehoming the animals.
The beavers have been spotted at several places along the River Otter, between Budleigh Salterton and Ottery St Mary.
In a Parliamentary answer, Mr Eustice said: "We intend to recapture and rehome the wild beavers in Devon and are currently working out plans for the best way to do so.
"All decisions will be made with the welfare of the beavers in mind."
He added there were "no plans to cull beavers".
Beavers were hunted to extinction in England and Wales during the 12th Century.
Lorna Douglas, 36, who filmed a beaver on the Otter last year, said the animals should be left alone.
"They are not damaging the river and they are not hurting anyone," she said.
"We are really privileged to see them in the wild."
Defra said: "Beavers have not been an established part of our wildlife for the last 500 years.
"Our landscape and habitats have changed since then and we need to assess the impact they could have."
Devon Wildlife Trust is carrying out an experiment in west Devon to see if beavers could help restore wetland areas. | Beavers living wild in Devon are to be caught and "rehomed" in captivity, the government has said. |
40,271,353 | More than 1,500 people were allegedly killed in a wave of extra-judicial executions by security forces in India's insurgency-ridden north-eastern Manipur state between 1979 and 2012. Last year, in a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court asked relatives of the victims and activists to collect information on the killings. The court will rule in July whether to order an official investigation which could lead to convictions. Soutik Biswas travelled to Manipur to find out more.
Neena Ningombam vividly remembers the day her husband disappeared - and ended up a corpse on cable news.
It was a bright, sunny November day in 2008, and 32-year-old Michael was visiting a friend's house in Imphal, the non-descript, mountain-ringed valley capital of Manipur.
At home, Ms Ningombam was doing her chores. Her two boys were fast asleep. At half past three in the afternoon, her mobile phone rang.
Michael was on the line saying that he had been picked up by police commandos on his way home, and that she should quickly pass on the news of his arrest to a senior policeman who was known to the family so that he could help secure his release.
The call disconnected abruptly. Two hours later, a man finally picked up the phone and told Ms Ningombam that her husband was "in the toilet". He said he would inform him that she had called.
Michael never called. When she tried calling again, his phone was switched off.
Tense and confused, Ms Ningombam sat down in front of the TV. Her sister-in-law had gone in search of the police officer known to the family, but he couldn't be found.
So she waited, and waited, for Michael, watching the news on a local channel. At nine in the evening, the screen exploded with breaking news.
They were showing footage of her bloodied husband, wearing blue nylon tracksuit bottoms and a dark green T-shirt, lying dead on a stone floor. A Chinese-made grenade lay next to the body. The news reader breathlessly announced that police commandos had killed another militant.
Ms Ningombam says she looked at the screen and froze. Grief felt so like fear itself.
"I just remember that I cried and cried and cried. Someone came rushing in and yanked off the TV cable wire. My brother-in-law went to the morgue and identified him."
The post-mortem report said Michael Ningombam had died of "shock and haemorrhage as a result of firearm injuries to lungs and liver".
The police said Michael and two friends were riding a motorcycle when they were stopped by half a dozen vehicle-borne commandos in a wooded area on the outskirts of the city. The pillion rider was said to have fired at the vehicle and Michael apparently tried to throw a grenade at the commandos who then shot and killed him in an act of self-defence. The police also said Michael was a militant and extortionist.
"My husband was struggling, doing odd jobs. He was a drug user and he was trying to kick the habit. But he was not a militant," Ms Ningombam , 40, told me. They had met in college, fallen in love, eloped and married.
The neighbourhood had erupted in protests after the killing, demanding an investigation.
Ms Ningombam, who holds a masters degree in history, took up a driving school job to support her sons. She also single-handedly launched an arduous battle for justice, filing official complaints, petitioning the government and the court, collecting papers and coaxing a key potential witness to testify.
Every day, for more than a month, she would drive 15km (9 miles) on her scooter to the wooded city outskirts where an ageing shop-owner had spotted the commandos drive by in a SUV with her husband on the afternoon of the killing. Then he had heard the sound of gunfire in the distance.
"After days of coaxing him and interacting with his family, the old man consented to testify and became a key witness. That is how we sometimes get some justice in Manipur. The state doesn't help you," she said.
Four years later, in July 2012, the district judge, in a report, concluded on the basis of evidence that Michael had been killed by Manipur police commandos and that there had "been no exchange of fire" between the policemen and the victim.
The high court accepted the report, and ordered that 500,000 rupees ($7,759; £6,115) should be paid in compensation to Ms Ningombam.
Michael Ningombam was not alone in meeting such a fate. Rights groups believe as many as 1,528 people were unlawfully executed - also known as fake encounters - in Manipur between 1979 and 2012.
The overwhelming majority of the victims were men, many of them lower income and unemployed. Among those killed were 98 minors and 31 women. The oldest was an 82-year-old woman; the youngest, a 14-year-old girl.
The most well-known victim was Thangjam Manorama Devi, 32, who was allegedly gang raped and murdered by paramilitary soldiers in 2004, provoking a unique nude protest by mothers and grandmothers that stunned the world.
Some of the killings have been investigated by a federal human rights organisation. Judicial inquiries have resulted in compensation for a few hundred victims' families. But what is unsettling is that not a single policeman or soldier has been put on trial in connection with the killings.
"People have been picked up, called insurgents and killed. The climate of impunity means the police often don't register cases. You have to fix accountability. You cannot just suspend the right to live and kill people," says Babloo Loitongbam, a prominent human rights activist.
Eight years ago, the families of the victims joined hands with activists to do something about this "culture of impunity enjoyed by the police, army and paramilitaries". On a July morning in 2009, they gathered in a room in Imphal, shared their stories and starkly christened themselves the Extrajudicial Execution Victim Families Association.
Last July, responding to a petition filed by the families, the Supreme Court, in a landmark judgement, asked the petitioners to collect more information about the alleged murders. Even if the investigations revealed that the victim was an "enemy and an unprovoked aggressor", the judges said, it had to be determined whether "excessive or retaliatory force was used to kill the enemy".
So the newly empowered civilian "investigators" put out adverts and appeals in the local media, and began gathering information - and potential evidence - on the killings.
Some 900 families responded, bringing with them police complaints, post-mortem reports, funeral records and court orders related to killings. Volunteers - students, relatives of victims - spread out to each of the nine districts of the hilly state, collecting information. A local lawyer, working pro bono, helped with the legal work.
A year later, a dozen grey filing cabinets in the office were overflowing with more than 1,500 files, each devoted to a killing. In April, the victims handed over details of 748 killings to the court even as they worked on other cases. Sometime this month, the top court is expected to rule on investigating these cases.
The banal horror of death in Manipur is possibly unequalled in India. "It takes us a long time to raise our children. Then, when they grow up, they are shot. This cannot go on. We no longer want to look for our children in the morgue," a women's rights activist in the state once said.
Men disappeared or were picked up by security forces while going to the market to buy fertiliser for their farms, parts for cars, to rent a DVD or while waiting for a passenger bus. Others were killed on their way to meet girlfriends, while fishing in a lake, or simply having food in a restaurant. A woman was shot while she was feeding her baby girl.
Sometimes, security forces would simply break into homes, drag out suspects in front of their families and kill them.
That is what happened to Ngangban Naoba Singh, a 29-year-old theology student, on a still summer night in May 2009.
Naoba had returned home with his sister from a wedding late in the evening. The two were watching a film on TV, when their mother, Kamalini Ngangban, a retired census worker, joined her children.
"These late-night movies are not meant for elders. Go to sleep," Naoba joked.
Those were his last words.
Around midnight, Ms Ngangban woke up to "violent knocking on the door". Then she heard voices. Some people were trying to enter the house.
She rushed to her son's bedroom and woke him up, and tried to take him out of the back door. Did she think that they had coming looking for her son?
"I knew something was wrong. Naoba was so sleepy, I don't think he realised what was going on.
"The moment we stepped out of the back door, someone stopped us."
She saw silhouettes in the moonlight. She thought she saw 10 of them.
One man shouted at Naoba: "Where are you going?" He said his mother had asked him to come out.
Things quickly spiralled out of control in the dark.
The men "took away" Naoba, his parents were pushed back into the house, their phones were removed and the doors bolted from outside.
There was an exchange of words, some orders were barked out, and then shots rang out in the darkness.
"Stop him! Stop him!" somebody screamed. A vehicle was starting up behind the house.
Ms Ngangban hoped her son had managed to run away. It was pitch dark, and the family was confined inside the house for the rest of the night. When dawn broke, they found out that her son had been killed in their backyard and his body taken away in a vehicle.
"Even today, I don't know why he was murdered. I want to know the truth. If we did something wrong and tried to escape, they could have shot him in the leg," she says.
"You know, he was my favourite son. We used to go to the theatre together. My two other children live and work outside Manipur. Naoba was supposed to be the man of the house."
The police said they had cordoned off the house that night to search for Naoba, who they said was a member of an outlawed rebel group and an extortionist.
Three years later, a judicial inquiry report ruled there was no evidence to show he was either.
The judge ruled the police commandos had fired "indiscriminately without any attempt to arrest Naoba by following the rule of law prevailing in this democratic country". The Supreme Court is now hearing the case, and is to decide on compensating the family.
Staying at home was no guarantee that your life was secure. Oinam Amina Devi, for example, was shot by paramilitary soldiers while she was feeding her one-month-old baby girl in her house in April 1996.
The soldiers had chased a suspected rebel who had run into her tin-roof village home and hidden under the bed. Amina, who was on the veranda, panicked and ran inside with her baby when she saw the soldiers running in. When she tried to shut the door, the soldiers opened fire. A bullet pierced her and exited, then entered her baby.
The bleeding daughter was taken to hospital where surgeons removed the bullet. Her mother died instantly.
There were demonstrations in the area and the family refused to accept Amina's body after the post mortem. Her corpse was taken back to the police station and later cremated. Under pressure, the government announced an inquiry.
The investigation concluded that the firing was "unprovoked, unwarranted and indiscriminate". The government submitted the report to the Supreme Court and the family received a compensation of 50,000 rupees.
Today, the daughter, Oinam Sunita Devi, 20, lives with her father who married again.
"I cannot explain my sadness. I miss my mother and I sometimes wonder how I survived. This is my fate," she says.
The police and security forces have, for the most part, maintained that the encounters are genuine and the victims were militants killed in counter-insurgency or anti-terror operations.
The government told the top court last year that some "5,000 militants were holding some 2.3 million people of Manipur to ransom and keeping people in constant fear". It said 365 police and paramilitaries had been killed by the rebels between 2000 and October 2012.
But things have become murkier after a police commando Herojit Singh admitted to journalists in January last year that he had shot dead an unarmed, suspected rebel inside a bustling Imphal market in 2009. In a chilling interview in July he admitted to killing more than 100 people and that he kept a "tally of his kills" in notebooks.
When I met him last month in a hotel room in the city, the 36-year-old policeman, son of a government worker, said he was battling depression. He said he hadn't slept at all at night for two years. He had also survived a road accident in the city; many feel someone may have tried to kill him as he had made too many enemies.
When I asked him how many people he had killed, he said: "I don't remember the details."
"Was it more than 100 people?" I asked.
"Yes."
He said he felt no remorse for the killings, and he was ready to face any punishment.
"I was simply doing my duty and following the orders of my seniors. I confessed because I thought it was important to tell the truth," he said.
Life has been difficult after his confession. Detectives from the federal Central Bureau of Investigation are investigating the killing of 23-year-old Chungkham Sanjit in the market and questioned the commando more than 10 times. Herojit Singh has been suspended a number of times for "indiscipline and grave misconduct", and then reinstated.
By day, he spends time with his children, helping them with their homework. When his pet chicken fell ill recently, he says he panicked, clasped it to his chest and ran with it to the vet.
Nights are brutal. "I dread nights. I wish I had my own sun, which I could put in the sky and there would never be any darkness," he says.
Yumnam Joykumar Singh, the former chief of Manipur police, and now the deputy chief minister of a newly-elected government ruling the state, says Herojit Singh is exaggerating his role in the killings.
"He's bluffing. He was possibly involved in 10-15 encounters. But he's claiming he has killed so many people. Let the courts ask him how many cases he was present in."
Mr Singh, who earned a reputation for being a firm and unyielding policeman, says rights groups are exaggerating the number of fake encounters.
"There might have been a few cases [of] extra-judicial killings, but I don't think the numbers being quoted are that many. If 1,500 people had been killed illegally, there would have been more protests in the state," he told me.
During his time as the chief of police, Mr Singh beefed up the force - from 20,000 to 34,000 policemen - and made it "the leading force" to fight insurgents. He said militancy and extortion had led to a near-collapse of public order in the state, and he told his policemen: "If you have a weapon, you can fire back."
"That is how we fought the insurgency."
Bringing up the dead is not easy. Memories fade. Potential evidence - post mortem reports, police complaints - yellow and crumble with age. Hope waxes and wanes. Time heals wounds, but also allows for reflection, and gives you renewed purpose.
So, emboldened by the Supreme Court's intervention, the families of victims in Manipur have plunged into an unexpectedly fierce fight for justice, in many cases years after they lost their loved ones. The killings have stopped, but there have been no punishments for the crimes yet.
The families have stirred with a newly-found collective courage, not because they have great hope in an egregious and slow-moving criminal justice system.
Many say they don't want their children and families to be permanently tainted by fake allegations about their fathers, brothers, sons, daughters and wives. They know the crimes and misdemeanours of a family member can easily taint all born within it.
"I kept fighting because of my sons. I don't want people to call them children of a militant. I had to clear my dead husband's name to protect them," says Ms Neena Nongmaithem.
"And, yes, the dead should not be completely forgotten." | Pictures by Varun Nayar and Karen Dias |
35,960,128 | It will enable Seattle-based Alaska to expand into lucrative hubs such as San Francisco and Los Angeles.
The two boards "unanimously approved" the deal, which will see Alaska acquire Virgin America for $57 (£40) a share.
However, Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson said there was "sadly nothing [he] could do to stop" the deal.
It is the first US commercial airline merger since US Airways and American Airlines combined in 2013 to make the world's largest carrier.
Virgin America, which accounts for about 1.5% of US domestic flight capacity, was listed on the US stock market in 2014 as an offshoot of London-based Virgin Group.
In a company blog, Sir Richard said: "I would be lying if I didn't admit sadness that our wonderful airline is merging with another.
"Because I'm not American, the US Department of Transportation stipulated I take some of my shares in Virgin America as non-voting shares, reducing my influence over any takeover. So there was sadly nothing I could do to stop it."
He added that consolidation is a trend that "cannot be stopped", with the four largest airlines now controlling more than 80% of the US market.
Alaska and its partner regional airlines, which in total account for about 5% of US domestic flight capacity, serve more than 100 cities in the US, Canada, Costa Rica and Mexico.
If the deal gets approval from US government regulators and Virgin America shareholders, the companies expect to complete the transaction by 1 January 2017.
Brad Tilden, chairman and chief executive of Alaska Air Group, said: "With our expanded network and strong presence in California, we'll offer customers more attractive flight options for non-stop travel."
Virgin America shares surged 40% to $54.52 - just below the offer price - in early trading.
Alaska, which was reported to have beaten competition from rival airline Jet Blue for the company, fell 4.7% to $78.15. | Alaska Air Group has agreed to buy Virgin America in a $4bn (£2.8bn) deal to create the fifth largest US airline. |
32,036,645 | Johannesburg-born Elliott, 36, who immigrated to New Zealand in 2001, hit the penultimate ball for six to seal victory in Auckland.
"I wanted to become a New Zealander and I have made it my home," said Elliott.
"It's great to repay the hospitality that everyone has shown. I love this country."
Elliott arrived at the crease with New Zealand 149-4 in the 22nd over, needing 298 from 43 overs for victory and a meeting with either Australia or India in Melbourne.
By hitting Dale Steyn for six over long-on in Auckland, he sealed the co-hosts' first appearance in a World Cup final after six previous semi-final defeats.
"That win is for the fans and the four million people in New Zealand," said Elliott. "The support has been overwhelming.
"The feeling in the team is that it is destined. That is how I felt. It feels like it was meant to be."
Media playback is not supported on this device
Elliott said he had always wanted to play in a World Cup since 1992, when his mother let him stay home to watch Australia play South Africa in Sydney in what was the Proteas' inaugural appearance at the tournament.
"I got suspended from cricket and from school for a while because I did that, but it left a massive impression on me," said Elliott.
"I thought that tournament, the coloured clothing, everything was what I wanted to do and it's funny how life works. It's amazing to be at Eden Park today to hit the winning run."
Elliott was recalled to the Black Caps squad for the World Cup after an 18-month international absence.
"He came out of the wilderness not long ago and now just played a match-winning innings in a World Cup semi-final," said New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum.
"Everyone that was here will remember it for the rest of their lives. We have given ourselves a chance of World Cup glory and I'm proud of our efforts."
Media playback is not supported on this device
After being hit for the winning runs, South Africa pace bowler Steyn sank to the turf in disappointment.
In scenes reminiscent of the famous embrace between Andrew Flintoff and Brett Lee during the 2005 Ashes, Elliott helped Steyn back to his feet to commiserate him.
"You have to feel compassion," said Elliott. "I felt quite sorry for him and a lot of the South African guy. We could have lost and it could have been me sitting there.
"To stay humble in victory and humble in defeat is part of who I am."
Elliott also revealed that he will have to miss his sister's wedding in order to prepare for Sunday's final.
"Unfortunately I'll miss her wedding, so can it go into the press that I'm sorry?" he said. "She's pretty happy for me, but I'll have to give her a special gift."
Listen to highlights from Test Match Special's and 5 live Sport's 2015 World Cup coverage. | Grant Elliott said his match-winning 84 that took New Zealand to the World Cup final at the expense of South Africa was a repayment to his adopted home. |
29,272,547 | However, banking giant RBS said it would not now move its head office to London.
The bank said it would be "business as usual for all our customers across the UK".
Businesses in favour of independence were "disappointed" with the referendum outcome.
Financial services companies including RBS, Lloyds, TSB, Standard Life, Clydesdale, and Tesco Bank had indicated that they would move headquarters or parts of the business south if Scotland had voted "Yes".
RBS said: "The announcement we made about moving our registered head office to England was part of a contingency plan to ensure certainty and stability for our customers, staff and shareholders should there be a 'Yes' vote.
"That contingency plan is no longer required. Following the result it is business as usual for all our customers across the UK and RBS," it added.
Standard Life confirmed that it would not be moving any operations to England.
"They've [the plans have] been shelved for now. We've no plans to move any of our operations," a Standard Life spokesman said.
Lloyds Banking Group said it "remains committed to having a significant presence in Scotland."
However, BBC business editor Kamal Ahmed said that the response from Lloyds was "far more equivocal" than the one from RBS.
"I am told the bank did not want to make a final statement on its legal home until other, significant, regulatory matters are dealt with," he said in a blog post.
"That, sources tell me, includes 'ring-fencing' - the government's proposals to split retail and investment banking. Lloyds wants to keep its options open until those plans are finalised, which is not likely to happen until 2018," he added.
The Bank of England, which had contingency plans in the event of a "Yes" vote for independence, declined to comment.
Business lobbying groups said that firms were "relieved" over the outcome of the vote.
The CBI said "business has always believed that the Union is best for creating jobs".
"This is a momentous day for our United Kingdom and this result will be greeted by a collective sigh of relief across the business community," said John Cridland, CBI director general.
However, the group warned that devolution should not "undermine the strength of the single internal market".
Pro-independence group Business for Scotland said that it was "disappointed that the opportunity to improve Scotland through independence has been lost."
"Huge credit due to the Scottish people who have, by and large, conducted the biggest political debate there is with good grace, good manners and some sparkling wit," said Business for Scotland chairman Tony Banks.
"Like others who campaigned for a Yes vote, I'll continue campaigning for a better Scotland. We won't have all the tools that we would have had after a Yes vote but we'll all do what we can to improve things as much as possible."
Business group the Institute of Directors (IoD) Scotland said that political groups and businesses needed to "get together to focus on growth".
"Greater fiscal and political autonomy for Scotland are on the way and previously opposing groups now need to work together, and with the business sector, to make sure that the outcome is successful," said IoD Scotland executive director David Watt.
One of the key issues of the referendum was the outcome for Scotland's oil and gas industry in the event of a "Yes" or "No" vote.
Government policy on taxation of Scottish energy resources is now one of the issues to be decided as Scotland is granted powers under further devolution.
Oil & Gas UK, a lobbying group for the energy industry, called for the government to press "swiftly ahead with fiscal reform".
It added that recommendations to "maximise the economic recovery of our oil and gas resource" should be implemented.
Energy giant Shell added that the decision for Scotland to remain in the UK "reduces the operating uncertainty for businesses based in Scotland."
Lord Haskins, former chairman of Northern Foods, said there could be "consequences" for supermarkets that took positions supporting a "No" vote. He told the BBC there was a danger supermarkets could be shunned by shoppers.
John Lewis, which in the build-up to the referendum had said that prices could rise in Scotland in the event of a 'Yes' vote, said it had no comment to make.
Asda, which had also warned of price rises, said: "The Scottish market is important to us."
"I always said that it was for the Scottish people to decide their own future in a democratic referendum," said Asda chief executive Andy Clarke.
"We serve 1.8 million customers every week and our single price file means that the price they pay in Perth is the same as they would pay in Portsmouth, irrespective of higher operating costs. That is a point of difference for our business and something of which we are very proud." | Many businesses have spoken of 'relief' over Scotland's rejection of independence, but said the "No" vote was the start of a period of change. |
38,968,665 | The Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) and accountants KPMG found total sales were down 3.5% on the same period a year ago.
After being adjusted for deflation, January sales declined by 1.8%.
Overall food sales were down 2.6% on January 2016, while non-food sales declined by 4.3%.
In the latter category, sales were relatively strong in electrical goods and health and beauty products, while the poorest performance was seen in clothing and footwear.
Scottish Retail Consortium director David Lonsdale said: "These are somewhat dreich retail sales results for January, showing a dip of nearly 2%, even when falling shop prices are taken into account.
"After the extravagances of the festive period, which saw solid sales growth in December and indeed during the final few months of last year, shoppers were clearly keeping a firmer grip on purses and wallets in January and focusing more on essential spending as lower footfall data for the period suggested."
He added: "Grocery sales dwindled last month and non-food items fell back, even once increasingly-popular online sales were factored in.
"In an otherwise drab overall set of figures, furniture, mobile phones and skincare products were among the better performers, as were grocery sales related to Burns Night and Chinese New Year." | Scottish retailers experienced "dreich" sales last month as shoppers tightened their purse strings after the festive period, according to a report. |
39,897,000 | The runaway mammal was spotted in March, and eventually caught after a protracted "cat and mouse" chase which ended on the roof of a house.
Volunteers at Fenland Animal Rescue found a microchip, showing she was registered in France.
"We think she hopped in a lorry in Calais," said volunteer Josh Flanagan.
"Her microchip has never been noted as being imported, and it was confirmed that she escaped her enclosure in France."
French authorities "weren't interested in repatriating her", he said, so she was sent to a sanctuary in Kent.
Mr Flanagan and his team had looked after the "rather vicious" raccoon since the rescue, which began when the critter was seen on top of a house in Broughton.
They were surprised to find out the "devilish" creature was, in fact, French, he said.
"We've had reports of a stray raccoon several times since September, so it's likely she's been living rough and fending for herself since then," he added.
She was eventually homed at the sanctuary near Rochester, "where she can live in a safe and secure environment with other raccoons to call friends", Mr Flanagan said.
The raccoon, or raton-laveur in French, is native to North America, and not usually found in the UK. | A raccoon that turned up in Cambridgeshire may have travelled across the Channel from France in the back of a lorry, its rescuers believe. |
40,333,235 | Mae Darren Osborne, 47, wedi ei ddal ar gyhuddiad o baratoi a gweithredu terfysgaeth, gan gynnwys llofruddio.
Ar hyn o bryd, mae tŷ yn ardal Pentwyn o'r brifddinas yn cael ei archwilio gan swyddogion.
Bu farw un dyn, gyda 11 arall wedi'u hanafu, pan gafodd fan ei gyrru i dorf o addolwyr Mwslemaidd yn ardal Finsbury Park toc wedi hanner nos fore Llun.
Mae'n debyg bod y fan gafodd ei defnyddio yn y digwyddiad yn eiddo i gwmni Pontyclun Van Hire o Rondda Cynon Taf.
Dywedodd yr AS Jo Stevens, sy'n cynrychioli etholaeth Canol Caerdydd, ei fod hi'n "bryderus iawn bod yr ymosodwr honedig" yn dod o'i hetholaeth.
Wrth siarad y tu allan i'w chartref yn Weston Super Mare, dywedodd chwaer Mr Osborne, Nicola, ei bod hi'n "ymddiheuro'n fawr am yr hyn sydd wedi digwydd."
Mae Heddlu'r De yn dweud eu bod yn cydweithio gyda Heddlu Llundain ar eu hymchwiliadau, gan ddweud y bydd patrolau ychwanegol i sicrhau diogelwch cymunedau. | Mae'r BBC yn deall mai dyn o Gaerdydd sydd wedi cael ei arestio mewn cysylltiad â'r ymosodiad terfysgol yn Llundain. |
36,444,960 | Brian McKandie was found beaten to death with a "heavy weapon" in his home in Rothienorman on 12 March.
Police Scotland has again appealed for anyone with information that could help to get in touch, almost three months after the attack.
Two men were seen speaking to him the day before, and a burgundy or maroon car was also seen at the time.
One of the men is described as possibly 30 to 50 years old and of heavy build. The other was possibly 20 to 30 years old, and of a much thinner build.
The estate-type car may have had a rear passenger side panel of a different shade.
Det Ch Insp Iain Smith said: "We are now almost three months on from when Mr McKandie was murdered and we would like to repeat our appeals to the public for assistance.
"House to house enquiries are almost concluded with over 1,000 people seen who live within a few miles of Mr McKandie's home.
"These two males and the car remain unidentified, as do a number of other persons who may have attended at the address to speak to Mr McKandie.
"It is believed that Mr McKandie may have known his attacker through either friendship, business or through a third party he has been introduced to.
"A large customer base that used Mr McKandie's services as a mechanic has been identified during the inquiry, but we believe others have not come forward to date.
"Whilst they may not necessarily think it is beneficial or relevant to the investigation, please report it and let us make that judgement."
Mr McKandie's brother William earlier said the victim was a "private, gentle man". | Police probing the murder of a 67-year-old man at his Aberdeenshire home believe he may have known his killer. |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.