Traditional British cooker manufacturer AGA, favoured by TV chefs Mary Berry and Nigella Lawson, has today launched in China with a brand new feature: a wok burner. Taking the leap into the new market is arguably the biggest gamble the firm, which has been selling ovens in Britain since 1929, has ever made. Most Chinese kitchens have just two gas hobs and, if they have an oven at all, it is usually cheap and the size of a microwave. Gamble: AGA has been selling cookers in Britain since 1929 and launching in China is seen as a big gamble. Daniel Wong (front), AGA’s director of business development in China, said shifting eating habits among the country’s rich influenced the company’s decision to launch there . British staple: AGA is a favourite of Merry Berry and Nigella Lawson. Even the PM has one of the firm's cookers in his kitchen . But AGA is targeting the country's new middle class and chief executive William McGrath told MailOnline he was confident he could convince people to spend between £5,400 and £27,000 on the British favourite. The launch was announced in 2012, but due to China’s unfamiliarity with ovens and  laws about accreditation for them, it was derailed. Accreditation rules have been re-drafted by authorities and now, three years later, AGAs are finally available to order. Mr McGrath, speaking in Beijing ahead of the official launch event, conceded that the cookers could just become popular with a ‘small niche market connecting with expats in China’. However, he said that it was worth the risk because if they prove popular with the country’s 1.35 billion population it will be a ‘game changer’ for the firm. ‘We’re quietly confident, and that comes from talking to people in the industry as well as consumers,’ he said. ‘The answer to whether it’ll work seems to be, “It’s definitely worth a go”. But nobody is saying this is definitely going to work.’ AGA products are synonymous with cosy comfort food such as Sunday roasts and Victoria sponges. The Prince of Wales, David Cameron, Delia Smith and even Jeremy Clarkson, who was dropped by the BBC this week, own one. Despite the company's rich British history, it has teamed up with China-based firm Beijing Hi Seasons for the rollout and Mr McGrath said he’s hoping that  families in China will use the cookers to make traditional Chinese food. AGA chief executive William McGrath (pictured) denied that succeeding in China was essential for the company but added: ‘We want to win some away games' Cooker model: British fashion model Daisy Lowe was enlisted to advertise the popular cooker, which has not launched in Asia . As such, the RedFyre AGA models being launched in China resemble those available in Britain but with a crucial difference: a wok burner on top. China’s new moneyed middle class has a huge appetite for western luxury brands, from Chanel clothes to Land Rovers. Daniel Wong, AGA’s director of business development in China, told MailOnline that shifting eating habits among the country’s rich also influenced the company’s decision to launch there. ‘Five years ago in China, when people got money they just dined out in expensive restaurants,’ he said. ‘But affluent people have started cooking at home more, showing off to friends, saying: “I can cook”. We’ve seen a rise in cooking schools and sales of cooking magazines.’ Nobel Prize-winning physicist Dr Gustaf Dalén invented the world's first heat-storage cooker in 1922. After a failed experiment cost him his sight, the doting husband wanted to make a better appliance for his wife Elma. According to the AGA website, Dr Dalén created a cast-iron cooker capable of every kind of cooking simultaneously, with two large hotplates and two ovens. The AGA was invented and by 1929, manufacturing was underway at the AGA Heat Ltd factory in Smethwick. AGAs are now made at the company's Shropshire foundry in Coalbrookdale and are still made by pouring molten iron into moulds. However the modern cookers contain state-of-the-art technology. AGA's history dates back to 1929. This picture, taken in 1968, shows two children at the Ideal Home Exhibition . Can you really do every kind of cooking that there is? This advert was published in a 1955 edition of Punch Magazine . A cascade of recent high-profile food safety scandals in China has also contributed to a rise in home cooking, as confidence in restaurant standards has dropped. Although AGA sales were up in 2014 in the UK, the company is reaching near saturation point in the country – after all, you’re only likely to buy an AGA once. Last year the company, which produced its millionth Rangemaster cooker this month, released a slimline City60 model aimed at UK city dwellers in an attempt to find new buyers. Mr McGrath denied that succeeding in China was essential for the company but added: ‘We want to win some away games. 'China and Germany, where we’re also expanding, are fascinating because they’re outside of our comfort zone.’ Consumer analyst Paul French recently told the Financial Times: ‘In China, if you have the kind of money to spend on an AGA, you generally have someone who cooks for you.’ But Mr Wong and Mr McGrath said that the AGA is billed as a family-orientated product and this would chime well in the country. The RedFyre AGA models being launched in China resemble those available in Britain but with a crucial difference: a wok burner on top . British: AGA has been selling these popular ovens in Britain since 1929 but hopes to break into the Asian market . ‘Now, in China, the generation that earns money doesn’t just leave behind their parents,’ Mr Wong said. ‘They bring them back home. So we see families with one kid, two kids, together with grandparents, and Chinese love family gatherings.’ Another potential pitfall for the AGA is the risk of copycat manufacturers ripping them off and undercutting them. Trademark, copyright and patent abuse in China is often flagrant, and it seems inevitable that if AGA takes off, knock-off products with similar names will start popping up. ‘We’re just going to concentrate on pushing our brand really hard,’ said Mr McGrath. ‘We know those stories [of rip-off products] are a concern for everyone, but you’ve got to go with what you know. This brand has stood for 90 years because it stands for something.’ While it’s hugely ambitious to try to get a generation of Chinese to ditch cooking traditions that stretch back generations, Mr McGrath said that if the gamble pays off, he’ll set his sites on conquering the rest of Asia. ‘China could be an entry point to Asia,’ he said. ‘If it works here it’d obviously follow on to look at other markets here.’

British manufacturer AGA has launched a cooker with wok burner in China . Taking leap into new market is arguably the biggest gamble made by firm . Most Chinese kitchens have two hobs and an oven the size of a microwave . Chief executive hopes families will use it to make traditional Chinese food .

 making cookers since 1919, has ever taken, as it tries to increase sales by 50% in the country over the next 10 years.
However, if anything should give the business confidence, it will be its knowledge of the Asian market, especially China, and the quality of its heritage, something that helped it become a household name 97 years ago.
Although AGA is still only in its infancy in China, the cooker-maker is already a household name in the UK, where it has more than 50 showrooms, is represented by 250 AGA and 300 Bison appliances, has 30,000-plus customers, and 5,000-plus recipes to boot.
“We feel the China market is very promising, with significant growth potential in a market that is very brand conscious and has a preference for quality, long-lasting goods, especially amongst the middle classes, who make up a large percentage of potential customers,” said managing director of AGA Consumer Products Group UK and Ireland Phil Spackman.
“It is estimated that, with the right marketing support, the Chinese market could be worth £10bn by 2020.
“Having been involved in the AGA business for four years I knew the brand and the quality of the products, but the Chinese business is new to me. What I do have is our tried and tested recipe for success,” he added.
This success, as mentioned earlier, includes a heritage in engineering and a commitment to quality. The brand has always had strong links with the foodie scene, with Mary Berry and Nigella Lawson acting as brand ambassadors, the likes of Heston Blumenthal also using the range and, with a 70% increase in demand for AGA in the UK, the firm’s reputation for longevity is well known.
“Our quality and longevity is our heritage. If I had to pick one thing I am most proud of it would be the 97 year-old brand name. We have an incredibly loyal customer base, which we try to work on and encourage to keep using our products and that they do. A lot of our customers have been using one AGA in their life, or maybe even more, which is an extremely valuable insight to our brand and the loyalty is very important,” Spackman told The Grocer.
He also revealed that the AGA China division, which is based in Shanghai, has seen strong growth over the last two years and aims to reach 30 new showrooms this year as well as the


A Queensland woman hopes to become the youngest Australian to climb Mount Everest when she tackles the monster trek in two months. Alyssa Azar, 18, has been climbing since she was five, mainly because her father, Glenn, is a Kokoda Track instructor. At just eight years old, she successfully completed on the iconic trail in Papua with his help. Alyssa Azar, 18, has been climbing since she was five. Last year she attempted to climb Mount Everest (pictured) but an avalanche killed 16 Sherpa guides . Ms Azar hopes to become the youngest Australian to climb the world's highest peak . She has gone on to climb Africa's Mount Kilimanjaro, the 10 highest peaks in Australia, South America's Mount Aconcagua in the Andes, and Nepal's Ama Dablam and Manaslu. 'I started doing training when I was five or six,' Ms Azar told Daily Mail Australia. 'As I got older I got onto the higher altitudes. 'After Kilimanjaro in 2011, I decided I wanted to be a professional mountaineer... and put myself against the best.' Since climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in 2011, the teenager has been training to summit the Nepal mountain . She has been training hard, with her own equipment in the backyard (left) in Toowoomba in Queensland's south east, including a rope climb (right) The 18-year-old caught the climbing bug largely due to her father, Glenn, who is a Kokoda Track guide . Here Ms Azar is seen pulling a tyre with a face mask on to help her train to withstand the altitude of the climb . On Friday, Ms Azar will make her second expedition to conquer the world's highest peak, which stands at 8,848 metres above sea level. Last year the Toowoomba teenager was unsuccessful when an avalanche struck just days out from her planned climb and 16 Sherpa guides were killed. But the tragedy has not deterred her as the mountaineer attempts the summit again. If Ms Azar makes it to the top, she will beat the record set by Rex Pemberton, 21, who climbed Mt Everest in 2005. Here Ms Azar is pictured here with her dad when she was eight when she climbed the Kokoda Track in Papua . Since then the determined girl went on to complete many more feats before wanting to tackle Mt Everest . She is pictured here climbing Mt Kilimanjaro in 2011. It was after this trek that she decided to take on her biggest challenge . Ms Azar representing her country with a flag on top of a mountain during her climb . If she is successful in climbing Mt Everest, she will beat a record set by Rex Pemberton, 21, who climbed Mt Everest in 2005 . The 18-year-old has been training for the climb for years and has a set up in her backyard, which includes a rope climb. '[I do] endurance work, I do a little of indoor rock climbing... and I do a lot of basic workouts like swimming and running as well,' Ms Azar told Daily Mail Australia. 'It’s been a long time coming now and I'm ready to go and climb the mountain.' Ms Azar will fly into Lukla - a town in Nepal's north-east - and spend the first nine days of her two-month expedition trekking to base camp, which she describes as a 'comfortable trek'. Ms Azar said she had decided to come a professional mountaineer and has climbed up Nepal's Ama Dablam and Manaslu . Here she is trekking up South America's Mount Aconcagua in the Andes at 4,200 metres . Her two-month expedition will take her from Lukla - in Nepal's north-east - and will take her 8,848 metres above sea level . It will take her nine days to make the journey from the Nepalese town to the base camp of Mt Everest . Ms Azar said she loved mountaineering as it gave her a sense of adventure and let her experience nature . 'We start at [an altitude of] 3,000 metres in Lukla so we can adapt to the altitude and when we get to base camp it'll be 5,000 metres,' she said. Ms Azar, who describes herself as an introvert, said she loved mountaineering as it gave her a sense of adventure. 'I get really excited going to see new places and I like the intensity of Everest,' she said. 'I'm genuinely more introverted day-to-day... and you get to be in your own head space. 'The realness of environment is definitely part of it as well.'

Alyssa Azar, from Toowoomba in Queensland, will climb Nepal's Mt Everest . The 18-year-old will become the youngest Australian to do it if successful . The teenager started doing adventure climbs from the age of six years old . She did the Kokoda Track when she was just eight years old with her dad . Ms Azar has since climbed Mt Kilimanjaro and others around the world .

 guide.
Glenn Azar has guided a multitude of Mount Everest summits but his daughter is hoping to be the youngest Australian to reach its peak.
Glenn Azar is the first to admit his daughter is not prepared to be the youngest woman to summit Everest. She is in good physical shape, as most teenagers are, but lacks the endurance that comes from repeated expeditions above 8000m, he said.
“I’m hoping she won’t be the youngest Australian. In fact, I’m expecting her to be about eighth,” he said.
If she reaches the summit, Alyssa will have beaten her mother, Elizabeth Azar, who at 23 was the youngest Australian to reach the top of the world’s highest mountain in 2007.
“My wife Elizabeth was 23. They don’t go up there as tourists. They go as expedition members, so they carry tents and gas and gear. They’re prepared and supported by experienced climbers.
“In 2007 she did it on her own. You can’t do that at 23 – it’s too dangerous.”
Ms Azar became an overnight celebrity. At the time, the couple lived in Papua New Guinea where she was the only woman in the local newspaper, doing “an Everest-lite” climb, but she was featured on radio and television back home.
This time, Ms Azar has signed up with an expedition company, Sherpa Adventure Gear, for an expedition that she hopes will also raise money for charity.
Glenn Azar said climbing Everest was all she thought about, even at night. “She sleeps with it on her mind. She’s done it 15 times in her head.”
He will be among those accompanying the expedition, although he does not plan on climbing with his daughter.
“I think I’ll hang around base camp.”
Alyssa Azar, an aspiring sports psychologist, hopes to become an assistant at a Brisbane university.
She said a friend in her final year of university had joined the expedition. That was not a problem, she said. The others on the trip had an average age of 27.
“I want to be a sports psychologist in the NRL,” she said.
She will be among eight Australians and 32 other foreigners on her expedition.
The Sherpa team has also recruited two Nepalese Sherpas to help Australians through the Khumbu Icefall. “Most


Sebastian Vettel laughed off Nico Rosberg’s claim that he hopes Ferrari can catch Mercedes during a spiky press conference after Sunday's Australian Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton, who romped to victory at the season-opening race in Melbourne, and team-mate Rosberg, finished more than half-a-minute clear of Vettel to seal an utterly dominant weekend for the world champions. After the race, Rosberg said he hoped Ferrari would be able to bring the challenge to Mercedes, with he and Hamilton expected to dominate this term having won 16 of the 19 races in 2014. Lewis Hamilton was caught in the middle as Nico Rosberg (left) and Sebastian Vettel traded jibes . Hamilton can't keep a straight face as Vettel laughs off claims he hopes Ferrari catch Mercedes this season . But his suggestion provoked a spiky response from Vettel, the four-time world champion who celebrated his Ferrari debut with a podium finish. ‘Be honest, do you really hope so?’ quizzed Vettel when Rosberg claimed ‘it would be good if they [Ferrari] can come a bit closer’. Vettel added: ‘Seriously? You finished 30 seconds ahead of us and you hope it’s going to be closer? So you hope you slow down? Is that what you’re saying?’ Rosberg responded: ‘I hope that you can give us a challenge. Because it’s important for the sport and for the fans. And I do think about the show. I want to give people a great time at home watching on TV or at the track. If you do come a bit closer, that would be awesome for everybody.’ Vettel points to the crowd as he celebrates his first Ferrari podium on his debut for the famous Italian team . The four-time world champion finished the best part of 30 seconds behind Hamilton and Rosberg on Sunday . Former Red Bull driver Vettel then called on his German compatriot to give him a guided tour of the Mercedes garage at the next race in Malaysia. ‘You can come if you want, we can invite you,’ said Rosberg. ‘OK, thank you for the invite, I’ll come,' Vettel replied. The spat continued when Vettel said it was ‘a shame’ that his team-mate Kimi Raikkonen didn’t finish the race – the Finn was forced to retire after his pit-crew failed to properly attach his rear-left tyre during his second stop. ‘You find it a shame that your team-mate didn’t finish?’ quizzed Rosberg, seemingly still irked by Vettel’s earlier interrogation. ‘Yes. I don’t know how much you like each other,’ answered Vettel in reference to Rosberg’s relationship with Hamilton, which descended into chaos at times last season as they vied for the title. ‘But Kimi and myself we get along, so I think it is a shame,' Vettel added. Hamilton saw off the challenge from Rosberg to win the opening race of the new season . VIDEO Hamilton cruises to victory in Australian GP . Q: Question to both Lewis and Nico. We’ve seen dominance in qualifying, dominance in the race today. Is this it for the season? A two-horse race between you two for the title or can you envisage any of your rivals making in-roads into your supremacy? LH: I think Nico was just explaining… I didn’t know, I didn’t see the times or anything but I think the Ferraris have taken a huge step forward. It’s clear they’ve made one of the biggest steps. So we definitely cannot back off because I’m sure they’re going to be pushing. And I anticipate we might have a good fight with them at some stage this year… . Nico? NR: I hope we can have a good fight. That would be awesome. I think the next couple of races we’re going to be leading the way for sure, and we’re going to try and keep it that way, but we know it would be good if they can come a bit closer, as long as they don’t come too close… . SV: Be honest. Do you really hope so? Seriously? You finished 30 seconds ahead of us and you hope it’s going to be closer? So you hope you slow down? Is that what you’re saying? NR: I hope that you can give us a challenge! Because it’s important for the sport and for the fans. And I do think about the show. Half of me – or a part of me – thinks about the show because I want to give people a great time at home watching on TV or at the track. If you do come a bit closer, that would be awesome for everybody. SV: First suggestion, if you don’t mind, I think your garage becomes public for Malaysia and everyone can have a look. No? I’m joking. NR: You can come if you want, we can invite you… . SV: OK, thank you for the invite, I’ll come. NR: Friday Malaysia, OK. SV: Engineers’ room? Debrief, I’ll be there. Q: Sebastian, among the races to come, which one do you feel will be the one that is easier for you, for Ferrari to catch up to the Mercedes? I think Malaysia will be difficult but what about Bahrain or Shanghai? SV: Easy, for us? I think if you look at the gap, nowhere is going to be easy. I think we have to focus on ourselves, make sure that what we learned this weekend we’re able to take into the next races. The most important thing now is that if we finish – we did finish right behind Mercedes today. We need to confirm that in the next race, that’s the priority number one, so we need to make sure that I was not just a one-off. We improve reliability. As I said, Kimi didn’t finish, which is a shame. We could have scored a lot more points today. NR: ... that you find it a shame that your teammate didn’t finish? SV: Yes. I don’t know how much you like each other but Kimi and myself we get along, so I think it is a shame. NR: I though as a racing driver you might like it that you have a couple of points advantage over him now. I don’t want to get you off the foot there, sorry. Oops. Look at him, look at him go... SV: I can see your point. No, no. I can see that at the moment, where we are, we want to make sure we catch you guys and to do that we both need to score. Yes, I honestly think so and I honestly didn’t want to see the second car not finishing today. NR: Because I’m ready for it now, you caught me a bit off guard before but now I’m ready for it! Teen sensation Max Verstappen missed out on finishing in the points in his grand prix bow. Verstappen, 17, the youngest driver in F1 history, was running in ninth before mechanical gremlins struck. He was forced to park his Toro Rosso after 32 laps, which, in a remarkable coincidence, was the same number his father Jos completed before retiring on his 1994 F1 debut in Brazil. Lewis Hamilton’s win, the 34th of his GP career, means he has won seven of the last eight races. It leaves him five shy of Vettel, fourth on the all-time list, and seven adrift of boyhood hero Ayrton Senna. It is understood that Susie Wolff, the British racer, will not deputise for Valtteri Bottas in Malaysia if the Finn fails to recover from his back problem. ‘Susie is our test driver, not our reserve driver,’ said the team’s boss Claire Williams.

Sebastian Vettel issued spiky response when Nico Rosberg claimed he hoped Ferrari would be able to catch frontrunners Mercedes . Vettel quizzed: 'You hope you slow down? Is that what you are saying?' The spat rumbled on throughout the post-race press conference . Rosberg and Vettel finished behind race winner Lewis Hamilton .

, suggested Rosberg would like Red Bull and Ferrari to catch up to Mercedes, and even though Vettel has denied having any issues with the German, Rosberg took the opportunity to put some heat on his rival after claiming third place. "I'm sure Lewis is hoping that Red Bull and Ferrari are closing in on Mercedes," Rosberg said. "I think this is something we all want, but I still think that is quite a way away."
With his Mercedes, Vettel qualified on pole position for the second race in a row, but a clutch issue meant he was unable to compete in the opening lap after the race was halted due to a crash between Max Verstappen and Kimi Raikkonen. That setback cost the German any chance of closing the gap between him and Mercedes. "Well, I think it's only normal that a race would end like this," Vettel said. "I think that if Max had a better position when we came back to the green flag I would probably be able to do something more there, but it was still a really good point for the team today and for us. We had to give the best lap back because of the incident with Kimi, which was of course a big shame for everyone. I'm still not sure how we could have gotten in front of the Ferraris and I think, as I said on the radio, with a better start on the fresher set, you just don't have the possibility of defending. The track was not in that good of a condition at that point."
After the race, though, the 29-year-old had only positive things to say about the opening race of the 2017 season, and particularly pleased with his own form. "I felt like I had a good start and obviously was disappointed when the race was stopped," said Vettel. "There wasn't really anything I could do from that point. It was unfortunate, but then I think I drove very well. I had a good pace and I think that we are definitely a step closer to Mercedes and that is what we need. For sure, I am more than happy with how the season started, but I also want to be clear that I still think there is so much more to improve. I want to be competitive in each race and I want to win as many as possible. So we made a step today, but obviously there is much more work to be done."
Vettel's best shot


Not quite as famous as ‘one-nil to the Arsenal’ was in its day, granted. But one-nil is ‘the Spain Scoreline’. It’s the margin via which, according to the scorer Andrés Iniesta, Spain regained self-esteem and belief by winning at Old Trafford in 2007. Beating England, to those who were charged by Luis Aragonés with installing a ‘new’ form of play, put La Roja on the map again, Iniesta told me. Italy and France both followed months later — old foes, bogey teams. One-nil, one-nil. Spain on the march. Alvaro Morata capped his Spain debut with the winner against Ukraine on Friday night . One-nil, the scoreline, against the USA which saw Spain booed out of the country before Euro 2008. One-nil, the scoreline which gave them a technical knockout against Germany in the Final a couple of weeks later — narrow margin, total control. Champions. Portugal, Paraguay, Germany, Holland — four games, four goals, four clean sheets. One-nil to La Roja, world champions 2010. They had it within their repertoire to hit threes, fours, fives. But the single-goal win was a trademark. Own the ball, own the midfield, get the advantage, never look like conceding. But, Friday night in Seville at the beginning of Semana Santa (Holy Week) was something different. One-nil over Ukraine. A record 97th international match without conceding for ‘Saint’ Iker Casillas. A debut goal, after only 38 competitive minutes, for Álvaro Morata. In touch with Group C leaders Slovakia, who are the next home opponents — in Oviedo in September. The bare bones look good. The full X-ray much less so. Morata has all the hallmarks of an old style centre-forward who finishes . On another night, one of those ‘accident nights’ which hit every team every so often, Spain would have lost this one. On another night, Ruslan Rotan would have had a hat-trick. On this night, there was the sight of the Marquis del Bosque, for whom the game left ‘a bad taste in the mouth’, throwing his hands up in the air at the naivety and imprecision of the second half and roaring at his team: ‘What are you playing at lads?’ Transition. It can be a glorious, strategic, rewarding process — or an unmanaged, inglorious, frustrating decline. Quite where Spain are in that process is debatable. For seven years between 2007 and 2014, they dictated. But, just as when all dictatorships are overthrown, the subjects have had a good time stamping on the statues. Brazil in the Confederations Cup Final, Holland at the World Cup — La Roja were to be bullied, pushed around, made to chase, pressed to within an inch of their lives. The striker has struck up a 'thing' with Andrea Pirlo at Juventus . But there’s no doubt that renovation is afoot. Isco, Real Madrid’s gem of a midfielder, should have been at the World Cup, should probably have been a starter. Koke, dynamic, aggressive, intelligent — the heartbeat of an Atlético Madrid side which won the Spanish title and came within seconds of winning the Champions League — is now a fixture. Debuts have been given to Diego Costa, Juan Bernat, Paco Alcácer and David de Gea, while everyone waits for Javi Martínez and Thiago Alcántara to get fit. And stay fit. Yet Spain, Europe’s reigning champions, are fighting for their dignity and automatic qualification from this group because they could not control a 1-1 situation in Slovakia last year. They are sore and should be contemplating this midweek’s friendly against Holland with queries in their minds because they could neither augment, nor control, Friday night’s 28th-minute lead against a Ukraine side which at first came to defend and play on the break. Then, sniffing glory, piled runners forward through the Spain midfield, robbing possession and launching assaults on Casillas’ goal. It all makes the scorer much more interesting. What Spain require, even above some restored arrogance and self-confidence, even above key players avoiding injury, is for a prolific striker to emerge. Morata has also been likened to Real Madrid and France striker Benzema . In Raúl’s day, his goals patched up the fact that Spain didn’t have a world-class XI. Good, but not great. When David Villa and Fernando Torres took charge they would, regularly, add the goal or goals which gave sense, confidence, and purpose to La Roja controlling play via Xavi, David Silva, Iniesta, Xabi Alonso, Marcos Senna and Sergio Busquets. Cutting edge. Costa — if del Bosque accepts that more direct, more vertical football, quarter-backed by Cesc Fabregas, is central to the renovation — may become vital. Meantime there’s Morata — once of Real Madrid, lately of Juventus. His former Madrid mentor, Míchel, himself a mighty forward, recently said that Morata, whose debut goal on Friday was more valuable than it was beautiful, was ‘part van Basten, part Benzema’. Now that is praise. It’s meant to mean that he has the direct No 9 repertoire which accounts for his 32 goals for Spain at junior levels and his tournament top-scoring performance last time La Rojita won the European Under-21 Championship. Holland's Marco Van Basten is regarded as one of the greatest strikers of all time . Equally, it speaks of his awareness of space and how to profit from it. ‘Sometimes you have to really “love” football to understand strikers,’ he says. ‘To understand, or spot, their movements behind strikers, the process of “opening up a defence”. ‘Some people can’t see it. Some think that if you haven’t scored you’ve not had a good game. Right now, first-touch, fluid, strategic football is in fashion — the old style centre-forward who finishes but is static is a vanishing species. If you don’t have much more to your game, you won’t play.’ When he did get to play he chose the No 7 for his back. With Spain, just like at Manchester United, that’s a special number. It belonged to Raúl, record scorer until along came Villa — now Spain’s record scorer, and not formally retired. ‘I dream of scoring my first goal for La Roja,’ Morata said on Thursday. Then: ‘I was angry at myself for missing an earlier chance, so I didn’t really celebrate when I scored,’ he told me on Friday evening after the dream arrived. Good mindset. At Juve, he has struck up a ‘thing’ with Andrea Pirlo. ‘He never looks up when he hits you a first-time pass, but you learn. You anticipate.’ Just as he did against Ukraine to sprint onto Koke’s volley-pass. Some of Spain’s transition will be played out through the talents of this guy. Part van Basten, part Benzema. Taught by Pirlo.

Alvaro Morata scored on his Spain debut against Ukraine on Friday night . The Juventus striker had scored 32 goals for Spain at junior levels . Former Madrid mentor Michel said he was 'part van Basten, part Benzem'

 Barcelona secured their status as world champions. A mere 40 years ago today, the Spanish national team lifted the Jules Rimet for a record-breaking third time.
What does this have to do with Arsenal you ask? Well, the last time the Gunners won back-to-back league titles was in 2004, before Arsene Wenger had to hand the reigns over to a 25 year-old manager. That man had just made a trip to Barça’s Camp Nou, with his young Arsenal side – who were then in League One. Wenger has been at Arsenal 20 years and ‘la belle époque’ is fast becoming a distant memory, at least in the top tier.
Arsenal haven’t won the league title since 2004, and their last Champions League trophy was picked up in 2006/07. That 50/50 record doesn’t read particularly well. But it doesn’t necessarily look as disastrous as it sounds.
Barcelona had to overcome a four point deficit at the start of the last season, before defeating Manchester United on the final day to pip their Premier League rivals. Arsenal have had a ten point cushion in 2004. If it didn’t end, then the Gunners have had their share of glory, just not in the most glamorous way.
So what about Arsene’s new generation, then? What happened to his young Gunners? I am afraid to tell you that one of them is at a club very familiar with trophy droughts. One is at Tottenham. Another was at Manchester City. ‘A certain’ is currently at Chelsea.
Now, this is where it gets interesting. I was not at the Emirates for every match at the time, but what I saw of these Arsenal players that went on to be ‘big time’ footballers made me think that they could become some of the most influential players in the world.
The first player I saw was Eduardo. I know Arsenal ‘did their worst’ by selling the striker to Shakhtar Donetsk, and subsequently seeing him have his metatarsal bone chopped in half by Martin Taylor. However, Eduardo is – and was – a quality player.
Alexis Sanchez. He was, like Ozil, in that ‘can-he-do-it-in-a-big-league?’ bracket. That turned out to be a resounding yes, but he is much more


Southampton stopped Chelsea from going eight points clear at the top of the Premier League after Dusan Tadic cancelled out Diego Costa's opener at Stamford Bridge. Costa opened the scoring on 11 minutes when he headed past Fraser Forster, but when Nemanja Matic brought down Sadio Mane shortly after, the Saints were gifted a way back into the game. Tadic didn't need asking twice as he slotted the ball past Thibaut Courtois, and the scores remained at 1-1. Find out how each player fared at Stamford Bridge with Sportsmail's Neil Ashton. CHELSEA (4-2-3-1) Thibaut Courtois - Excellent save from Mane in 13th minute, low to his right. Saved brilliantly from Mane again 30 minutes in. 8 . Thibaut Courtois made an excellent save from Sadio Mane early on, and was solid throughout the game . Branislav Ivanovic - Provided the quality cross for Costa to head home. Unlucky not to have won penalty. 6 . Gary Cahill - All over the shop. What happened to the Gary Cahill from the Capital One Cup final? Still at Wembley celebrating. 5.5 . John Terry - Chaotic in defence, along with the rest of Chelsea’s back four. 5.5 . John Terry (pictured), alongside his centre-back partner Gary Cahill, were chaotic throughout in defence . Cesar Azpilicueta - Looks like a man in need of a breather. That may well come at Hull on Sunday. 5.5 . Nemanja Matic - Gave away penalty for Saints to equalise, no complaints. Booked. Should have been sent off for foul on Mane in 46th minute. 5 . Cesc Fabregas - Looks tired and lacking ideas or inspiration. 5 . Willian - Got going at the start of the second half with some nice touches around the box. 6 . Cesc Fabregas looked like he needs a rest; he was lacking any ideas or inspiration during the game . Oscar - Quiet and subdued, what has happened to him? Substituted. 5 . Eden Hazard - Sweet touches, just needed the end product. Always a joy to watch. Deserved a goal for this performance. 8 . Diego Costa - Started and finished the move for Chelsea’s opener. Welcome back, Diego. 7 . Eden Hazard is always a joy to watch and this was no different - he deserved a goal to top off his performance . SUBSTITUTES . Ramires (Matic 53): Had to happen, before Matic was sent off. 6 . Loic Remy (Oscar 82): Inevitable substitution. 6 . Juan Cuadrado (Willian 83): Desperate last throw of the dice by Mourinho to find a winner. 6 . Jose Mourinho's side were knocked out of the Champions League this week, and could not beat Southampton . Subs not used: Petr Cech, Filipe Luis, Kurt Zouma, Didier Drogba . Booked: Matic, Ivanovic, Cahill . MANAGER - Jose Mourinho: Expected a reaction from his team after Champions League elimination. Didn’t get one. 6 . SOUTHAMPTON (4-2-3-1) Fraser Forster - No chance with Chelsea’s opener, safe as houses after that. 7 . Nathaniel Clyne - Steady at the back, one of the most accomplished right backs in the Premier League now. 7 . Toby Alderweireld - One of the finds of the season. Saints cannot let him go. 7.5 . Toby Alderweireld (left) has been one of the finds of the season, and Southampton cannot let him leave . Jose Fonte - Another commanding performance. All got very lively at the end, came through it unscathed. 7 . Ryan Bertrand - Some juicy crosses from the left against his old side, especially in the first half. 7 . Victor Wanyama - Tough guy in the centre, loved his battle with Matic. Eventually booked. 6.5 . Morgan Schneiderlin - Big chance to score flew wide, looked desperate to hit the winner. 7 . Southampton players Morgan Schneiderlin, Victor Wanyama and Jose Fonte celebrate at the final whistle . Steven Davis - The accessory in midfield but still played his part in an excellent team performance. 7 . Dusan Tadic - Sweet cut back for Mane, went on to score penalty after 19 minutes. Courtois saved chances brilliantly in 13th and 30th minute. 7 . Shane Long - Tireless performance, good call to leave Pelle out of the starting line up. 7 . Dusan Tadic (right) wheels away in celebration after scoring Southampton's equaliser on Sunday . Sadio Mane - Won the penalty. Terrorised Chelsea’s defence with his quick footwork. All three Chelsea bookings came from fouls on him. Game of his life. 8.5 . SUBSTITUTES . Filip Djuricic (Tadic 71): Little threat down the left. 6 . James Ward-Prowse (David 71): Stuck to defensive duties. 6 . Graziano Pelle (Long 83): Thrown on . Sadio Mane (right) had the game of his life for Southampton, terrorising Chelsea's defence throughout . Subs not used: Kelvin Davis, Maya Yoshida, Florian Gardos, Pelle, Targett. Booked: Mane, Wanyama Djuricic. MANAGER - Ronald Koeman: Brilliant response from team when the went 1-0 down. Composed, inventive, bristling performance. 7.5 . Ronald Koeman's team responded brilliantly after going a goal down, and were level just eight minutes later . REFEREE: Mike Dean. Pretty much spot on with most decisions. Difficult for him to spot Ivanovic being tripped. 8 . Attendance: 41,614 . Man of the match: SAIDO MANE .

Diego Costa opened the scoring for Chelsea in the 11th minute . The lead didn't last as Nemanja Matic brought down Sadio Mane in the box . Dusan Tadic levelled from the spot, and the score remained 1-1 . Mane had the game of his life, while Eden Hazard was also excellent . Chelsea's defensive pairing of John Tery and Gary Cahill were poor .

 the Serbian equalised just after the break to cancel out the Spain striker's goal and keep Chelsea, despite the result, at the top of the table on 46 points ahead of Man City and Tottenham, the two teams which play on Wednesday.
With Manchester United and Arsenal both drawing, Manchester City dropped to fifth place after falling two points behind Chelsea, whilst City dropped two points behind Chelsea after falling two points behind Chelsea. Southampton stay in eighth after the draw, three points off the top six and five points off the top four.
Costa had a header saved by Forster and also saw a free-kick come back off the wall, whilst at the other end, Tadic had a shot saved before he opened the scoring for Saints. After the break, Chelsea failed to clear a ball upfield and Tadic put the ball into the net. That was all the Southampton did in the first half to test Thibaut Courtois and it took the introduction of the Spaniard and the return of Cesc Fabregas, who joined the game on the half hour mark, for the Blues to equalise.
Courtois' poor distribution and a weak shot from Eden Hazard were both the only real chances from Chelsea in the first half, but after the break, they began to get back on top and Courtois made a fine save to deny Victor Wanyama just before half-time. But Courtois could do nothing to stop Tadic's equaliser as the ball dropped over his shoulder after a lovely ball from Dusan Tadic.
Manuel Pellegrini admitted that Chelsea were the better team in the second half, "we dominated," he said. "We created many opportunities but we didn't score. We didn't score because of the mistakes of our players. Sometimes, when you are playing against Southampton, you can feel relaxed. We were more relaxed than normally and we could not score. We lost two points."
Pellegrini also said he had decided to rest Diego Costa in the FA Cup fourth round match against Burnley to keep him fresh for the Premier League title race: "He didn't train during the week. We've not been winning matches, not scoring enough goals and sometimes this player is playing better than the other players. We decided to rest this player. This week is more important to try to keep winning matches. In the future maybe we will have other reasons why he won't play, but this week, this


It could be days before Australian Tahnia Cook hears from her husband, Cameron, who was caught up in a devastating cyclone, which has wiped out villages in Vanuatu. At least eight people have been confirmed dead after Cyclone Pam hit the 80-island-strong archipelago, with winds of up to 270km/h and causing heavy flooding, landslides, and mass destruction of buildings. Relief workers are already making their way to Vanuatu, with fears the body count will rise, as Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop announced a $5 million aid package for the ravaged country, the ABC reported. Scroll down for video . Australian Tahnia Cook has not heard from her husband, Cameron, since Friday and holds fears for his safety . People have started clearing up debris and dealing with the damage to their homes in Seaside, near the Vanuatu capital of Port Vila . Vanuatu's president made an emotional appeal for international assistance after his island nation was hit by a calamity of a cyclone . Vanuatu declared a state of emergency on March 15 and a curfew was enforced after reports of 'low -level looting' It has been confirmed at least eight people are dead following Cyclone Pam in Vanuatu . Communications and power for more than 260,000 people is still down, and access to a lot of areas has been cut off. This leaves many Australians concerned for the safety of their family members - including Tahnia Cook who has not heard from her husband, Cameron, since Friday. Ms Cook told Daily Mail Australia they had moved to Vanuatu for 'a change of lifestyle' and help run a local resort in North Efate. She said it had been a terrible few days for her as she awaits news of her husband. 'It's looking to be a couple of days [before I hear from him],' Ms Cook said. 'Nobody has gone to the other side of the island because... [the Department of Foreign Affairs] haven't had a chance to venture out of [Port] Vila to get to surrounding villages.' Ms Cook, who had been travelling between Australia and Vanuatu for a while now, said she also held concerns for locals and resort staff who she considered family now. Ms Cook (left) said it would be days before she would hear from her husband (right) as communications were down . The couple moved to the archipelago last year for 'a change of lifestyle', Ms Cook said . Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop has announced a $5 million aid package for the devastated country . The funds will be distributed through non-government organisations, such as Red Cross Australia . The cyclone is expected to track to the northeast of New Zealand during the next two days . Ms Cook said she had not slept because she was worried about her husband and friends she considered family . The Australian told Weekend Today the last time she had spoken to her husband he had preparing for the storm. She said she was trying to stay positive as Cameron was prepared for the worst at their new home, North Efate. 'It's painful, it's tiring. I haven't slept, I'm hanging on and hope to hear something soon,' Ms Cook said. 'He was well-prepared, he was putting up timber on windows. He was putting heavy items up on tin roofs. He was packing away all objects that could pick up in the strong wind. 'He obviously preparing for his own safety in terms of food, water supply - for himself and the local villagers.' Heavy damage in Vanuatu means some areas are safe to be accessed at the moment . But it is feared the body count will rise with aid workers already heading to the devastated archipelago . Winds of up to 270km/h hit the collection of 80 islands - north-east of Australia . World Vision Australia communications officer Chloe Morrison spent more than seven hours listening to the storm unfold . Cyclone Pam - which had hurricane force winds, huge ocean swells and flash flooding - is on its way to New Zealand . Ms Cook said she would have been there with him if she had not travelled to Brisbane for medical reasons. 'Now I'm worried that's where it's been most impacted on that side of the island and I'm not too sure where he is or what he is doing right now,' she said. 'I'm really trying to stay positive and hope for the best but the reality is the photos and images I've seen from Port Vila so far, knowing that North Efate was in the direct line of the eye of the cyclone and it would have impacted a lot worse than Vila is not great news.' Ms Cook said she was expecting to go back home and see complete devastation as the photos she had seen of buildings and structures damaged by Cyclone Pam were a lot stronger than the ones in North Efate. Ms Cook said she would have been there with her husband if she had not travelled to Brisbane for medical reasons . Waves and scattered debris along the coast of Vanuatu's capital Port Vila caused by Cyclone Pam . 'We're helping to run a small family resort, which will be absolutely annihilated,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'We were starting to get on track and all that's completely washed away now. We had a herb garden, new furniture, a restaurant and bungalows. 'I don't even know if I'll have a house to come back to. We might have to come back to Australia.' Ms Cook also appealed to Australians for aid to help locals with their recovery efforts. 'Keep coming to Vanuatu, [locals are] really going to need money to keep coming through,' she said. 'After the funding stops, it's just a tourism trade. It's going to be really hard for us - we'll pull through but I’m more concerned about the locals.' Ms Cook said she had already started fundraising for North Efate area. With $600 under her belt so far, she was hoping to get to $10,000. The aftermath of Cyclone Pam left debris scattered over a building in Port Vila, Vanuatu . Winds from the extremely powerful cyclone blew through the Pacific's Vanuatu archipelago . A woman and boy carry a pig through flood waters  on the Polynesian island of Tuvalu . World Vision Australia communications officer Chloe Morrison documented her experience through the cyclone on the not-for-profit's blog. 'For more than seven hours I have been listening to wind roaring like an angry ocean as it tried to pick the house off the ground,' she wrote. 'I have heard our cyclone shutters bash aggressively against the windows. I have heard what sounds like someone’s roof land on ours. I heard rain bash the roof like someone playing the drums.' Ms Morrison later told AAP: 'There are reports from our other colleagues of entire villages being literally blown away overnight.' Following the Category 5 disaster, Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop said the $5 million aid package would be decimated through non-government organisations, Red Cross Australia and the United Nations. 'We will also be deploying humanitarian suppliers to provide support for up to 5,000 people in the form of water, sanitation and shelter,' she told the ABC. 'We will be sending military transport planes, and deployment personnel, medical, humanitarian, consular, natural disaster experts and of course supplies.' Earlier on Saturday, Ms Bishop said there were probably 3,000 Australians in Vanuatu at any one time, but the government had not received any reports regarding Australian citizens. The minister urged those who are concerned about their friends and families in Vanuatu should contact 1300 555 135. Pictured is a man on the island of Kiribati. The tropical cyclone brough destructive winds, torrential rain and phenomenal seas to Vanuatu on Saturday . Flood waters surround a house on Friday on the island of Kiribati, just hours before Cyclone Pam made landfall on Vanuatu . Cyclone Pam bears down on Vanuatu in this image from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Aqua satellite . It came after Vanuatu's lands minister Ralph Regenvanu announced a 'state of emergency' for the Shefa province, where Port Vila is located. A curfew would also be introduced as there had been reported of 'low-level looting', according to the ABC. The storm crossed the main Vanuatu island where more than 65,000 people live and a group of islands further south, which are home to 33,000 people. Some locals on the southern island of Erromango reportedly took shelter in caves as the severe conditions intensified. 'It's a traditional coping strategy,' Red Cross worker Aurelia Balpe said. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he had met the president of Vanuatu on Saturday morning and conveyed 'our deepest condolences' as well as solidarity with the people of the archipelago. New Zealand has pledged an initial $1 million to help cyclone-stricken Pacific nations and an RNZAF P3 Orion is in the air assessing the damage. Australian Red Cross has made an appeal on Twitter, saying that Cyclone Pam caused 'unbelievable destruction'. A map showing the path of Cyclone Pam in Vanuatu in the past two days . Gales are expected to affect most of the island spreading 380km from the cyclone's centre . Foreign Minister Julie Bishop told reporters on Saturday morning Australia has a crisis response team ready to go and assist the Pacific Islands . 'Humanitarian needs will be enormous. Many people have lost their homes. Shelter, food and water urgent priorities,' Australian Red Cross tweeted. 'Tens of thousands of people seeking safety in safe buildings and caves across Vanuatu.' The president of Vanuatu, Baldwin Lonsdale, who was attending a World Conference on Disaster Risk and Reduction in Japan, told participants: “I do not really know what impact the cyclone has had on Vanuatu.” 'I am speaking to you today with a heart that is so heavy,' he said. 'I stand to appeal on behalf of the government and the people to give a helping hand in this disaster.' The storm is expected to track to the north-east of New Zealand during the next two days. Resident of Port Vila are left to pick up the pieces after Cyclone Pam caused widespread destruction . While an estimated 3,000 Australians are in Vanuatu, Ms Bishop said there were no reports of concerns about their welfare .

Australian Tahnia Cook is waiting to hear from her husband, Cameron . He was in Vanuatu at the time and has not been heard from since Friday . The pair moved to Efate on the archipelago last year for a lifestyle change . Ms Cook was in Brisbane for medical reasons when Cyclone Pam hit . At least eight people have been confirmed as dead after the disaster . Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop announced a $5 million aid package . It comes after a state of emergency was declared in Port Vila's province .

 South Pacific island country.
The former Gold Coast swimmer swam 400 metres in the rough seas, for two hours, with the waves tossing and turning him around.
He eventually ended up on a reef and was pulled to safety by locals.
"I was floating with a couple of people so I could hold onto their buoy," he said.
"A local fisherman came out on a speedboat and picked us all up at 4 o'clock in the morning."
Mr Cook is waiting to find out whether the resort, where he was working, was still standing.
"I have been keeping my fingers crossed. My boss has been in communication with me and is hoping that I am ok," he said.
"It was really scary swimming in the water and my life jacket kept getting knocked off, so I was just holding on to people around me."
His wife, Tahnia Cook, back in Melbourne, has been trying to reach out to him for information.
"It is really hard to get information from the country. There is such little communication in those areas of the world," she said.
"I got a message off his boss on Facebook, who said he was safe. It was just really reassuring to hear from him and I am still hoping that he gets contact with me."
She said the cyclone had been "crazy, like a scene out of a movie".
She said her husband has previously experienced a number of severe storms.
"The surf has really been quite big on the beaches he works on, so I don't think it's been that unusual, but there are also areas of reef he has been surfing, which could have been the reason for his situation," she said.
"But it is really hard to know what to do in these situations, because you feel so helpless."
She said their family was looking into flying to Vanuatu to visit him.
"We just don't know what the situation will be like, but I feel like we need to be there, if that is the best thing," she said.
"Even if the resort has been washed away, we can be a support for each other and our family to make the most of it."
Mr Cook has been living in Vanuatu since July 2015 and works as an engineer with a resort, the Island of Tanna Resort and Spa.
He previously swam 400 metres - two times - with four men in the rough seas


Surgeons have carried out the UK’s first transplant of a non-beating heart. Donor hearts are usually from people who are brain-stem dead, but whose hearts are still beating. In this case, the organ came from a donor after their heart and lungs had stopped functioning. Surgeons at Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire restored function to the heart before placing it on an Organ Care System to maintain its quality before it was transplanted. It is the first time such a procedure has been performed in Europe. Surgeons at Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire restored function to the heart before placing it on an Organ Care System to maintain its quality before it was transplanted to 60-year-old Huseyin Ulucan from London . Recipient Huseyin Ulucan, 60, from London, who underwent surgery earlier this month, had a heart attack in 2008. He said: ‘Before the surgery, I really had no quality of life. Now I’m feeling stronger every day.’ The hospital said Mr Ulucan was making ‘remarkable progress’ after spending only four days in its critical care unit before being allowed to go home. Currently not everyone who needs a heart transplant can have one due to there not being enough suitable ones available. However, it is hoped that by using non-beating hearts, the number of people able to have heart transplants could increase by  up to 25 per cent in the UK alone, saving hundreds of lives. Last year, surgeons in Australia performed the world’s first transplant using a non-beating heart. Consultant surgeon Stephen Large, who led the Papworth transplant team, said: ‘The use of this group of donor hearts could increase heart transplantation by up to 25 per cent in the UK alone.’ There have been 171 heart transplant in the past 12 months in the UK. But demand exceeds supply, and some patients have to wait up to three years for a suitable organ, with many dying on the waiting list. Non-beating-heart donors provide kidneys, livers and other organs, but until now it has not been possible to use the heart because of concerns it would suffer damage. Huseyin Ulucan, from London (pictured with wife Meryem), who became the first person in Europe to receive the surgery following a heart attack in 2008, said he is 'feeling stronger every day' following the operation . Mr Large added: ‘This is a very exciting development. By enabling the safe use of this kind of donor hearts, we could significantly increase the total number of heart transplants each year, saving hundreds of lives.’ The first successful transplant carried out using the Organ Care System – also known as ‘heart in a box’ – took place in St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney last year, involving a heart that had stopped beating for 20 minutes. The system allows the donor heart to be connected to a sterile circuit of blood which restores the heartbeat and keeps it warm, limiting the adverse effects associated with previous methods which saw hearts kept on ice. Using the preservative solution and the heart in a box, the organ is able to be reanimated, preserved and assessed until it is ready to go into a recipient. It is not clear how long after it stopped beating that the doctors at Papworth restarted the heart. They used ultrasound to assess the function of the restarted heart for 50 minutes before approving it for transplantation. They then removed it from the donor, placed it in the heart-in-a-box machine which perfused the organ with blood and nutrients, and kept it beating for three hours until the operation went ahead. The Organ Care System (OCS), developed by TransMedics, allows donor hearts to continue functioning in a near-perfect state outside the body during transport and until it is placed into the body of the recipient . ‘This is a phenomenal achievement,’ said Simon Messer, cardiothoracic transplant registrar at the hospital. ‘People who previously would not get a heart transplant will now be able to have them.’ More than 250 patients in Britain are on the waiting list for heart transplants, and around 900,000 people in the UK are living with heart failure, according to the British Heart Foundation. Mr Messer added: ‘Currently patients can wait over three years for a heart transplant. But less than half of the people on the waiting list will be transplanted. ‘About 13 per cent die while they are waiting, and around 30 per cent are removed from the list, because they become too unwell to have the operation.’

Surgeons successfully carried out UK's first non-beating heart transplant . Heart was placed on Organ Care System to maintain quality before the op . Huseyin Ulucan, 60, said he is 'feeling stronger every day' after the surgery . New procedure could increase heart transplants by up to 25 per cent in UK .

 young man who’d been declared dead but was still being artificially maintained in the hope of saving him. In the event, he died soon afterwards.
The operation was carried out by teams from the Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals in London and the University of Birmingham. Doctors said the success was due to new techniques, not to the “extraordinary effort” that the family made to keep him alive.
At one point during the 12 hour operation, the patient had been kept alive for 40 minutes without a beating heart.
But Professor Jeremy Pearson from the British Heart Foundation said that the team “must have had the support of the family every step of the way. It was a very complicated operation and we are proud of the team’s clinical judgment and courage in getting this procedure going”.
The technique used to keep the patient’s body going could be used to help more patients die in hospital, and avoid “heroic attempts at emergency resuscitation,” said Prof Pearson.
He said that the patient’s family had “given their consent to life-prolonging treatment in a desperate attempt to save his life”.
The team at the hospital had been “working hard to make sure the treatment was not futile”, he added, “and it was absolutely clear to them that this was a non-functional organ”.
Prof Pearson said the team were unable to carry out this procedure in time to save the patient, but might get a heart from the other side of the world that’s been successfully kept beating for longer. He added that he hoped this would happen soon.
The team said that, at the present time, patients who are declared dead are kept on life support, or organ donation, rather than being allowed to die. They aim to change this.
They said that they chose to use an experimental technique, as it was the only option open to them. It has worked before, in two other patients, and is licensed for use in Belgium. However, it’s not licensed in the UK, and if this were allowed here, then some people would ask why it wasn’t allowed for brain-stem dead patients, they said.
The doctors said that a “highly-trained team with extensive experience and expertise” carried out the operation.
The patient had suffered a stroke which damaged the front of his brain. After the stroke, he was moved to a specialist unit to be kept alive and “awaiting brain-stem death”. His


There was nothing more mind-numbingly maddening in the aftermath of England’s worst World Cup exit yet than the immediate reaction of Peter Moores. ‘We thought 275 was chaseable. We’ll have to look at the data,’ said a coach now fighting to avoid his second ignominious exit from international cricket as the reality of an embarrassing group stage elimination sank in. Well, England should rip up their data along with their whole philosophy towards one-day cricket and start again. Peter Moores faces an uncertain future following England's humiliating exit from the 2015 Cricket World Cup . England were beaten by 15 runs at the Adelaide Oval to make it four defeats against Test-playing nations . England captain Eoin Morgan looks dejected as he leaves the field after their World Cup match . Morgan's fifth ODI duck in 12 innings summed up their poor performance at the World Cup . 90 - the amount of runs captain Eoin Morgan scored in five innings at the World Cup . 12.2 - the overs it took for New Zealand to beat England's total of 123 in their second group game. 111 - Australia's margin of victory in the opening game of the tournament . 654 - total of runs scored by Australia and Sri Lanka against England . 1 - number of centuries scored by an England batsman against Test playing nations . 72 - number of runs scored by Sri Lanka off the bowling of Chris Woakes . 0 - number of wins registered by England over Test playing nations in the tournament . 0 - the number of centuries scored by a Bangladesh batsman in a World Cup before playing England on Monday. 37.4-1-234-5 - Chris Woakes's tournament bowling figures. 49 - the amount of runs Steven Finn went for in two overs against New Zealand. You do not need analysis to know that they have stunk this tournament out and, after this 15-run defeat by Bangladesh, are once again the laughing stock of the cricket world. The only statistic Moores needs to know is that England, having been thrashed by Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka, were humbled by a Bangladesh side who beat them here at their own very English game. The key data is that England, having defeated just Scotland so far, have excelled themselves in being even worse at this World Cup than the five previous stinkers since they came so close to winning the 1992 tournament in Australia. And this humiliation has come after the Ashes were moved and a winter of one-day cricket provided to try to make sure England had every chance of finally competing for a first global 50-over trophy that looks further away than ever. In truth, arranging a one-day series against Sri Lanka before Christmas was akin to putting a sticking plaster on a gaping wound because England are light years away from the dynamic, vibrant teams we have seen here. To hurl all the blame in the direction of Moores would be unfair but there is no question that his position must now come under serious scrutiny, as too will that of the man who re-appointed him in Paul Downton. Colin Graves does not become ECB chairman until May but he is not the sort of man to postpone a big decision and the coach and managing director may soon be caught up in the new broom that is sweeping through the English game. England batsman James Taylor reacts after he was dismissed during the 15-run defeat by Bangladesh . Moores faces an uncertain future following England's humiliating exit against Bangladesh . Dec 19 - Alastair Cook replaced by Eoin Morgan as England ODI captain . Jan 14 - England beat Prime Minister's XI by 60 runs as Ian Bell hits magnificent 187 . Jan 16 - Australia beat England by three wickets but Morgan hits 121 in first ODI since replacing Cook as captain . Jan 20 - England beat India by nine wickets . Jan 23 - Australia beat England by three wickets via a Steve Smith century . Jan 30 - England beat India by three wickets to set up tri-series final with Australia . Feb 1 - Same old, same old as Australia again beat England by 112 runs to win tri-series . Feb 9 - England beat West Indies by nine wickets in World Cup warm-up match . Feb 11 - Pakistan beat England by four wickets in final World Cup warm-up tie . Feb 14 - Australia beat England by 111 runs on opening day of World Cup . Feb 20 - New Zealand beat England by eight wickets as Peter Moores's men are crushed . Feb 22 - England beat Scotland by 119 runs as expected via 128 from Mooen Ali . Feb 28 - Sri Lanka beat shameful England by nine wickets for a third crushing defeat . 'There was no obvious team to pick because they're young players, they haven't played a lot of cricket. We've got nine guys who haven't been to a World Cup before. 'That's the reality of it. You make your choice, you pick the side you think is the best team, which we did, and we have to accept they didn't play well enough.' Shane Warne and Kevin Pietersen were among those criticising England on Twitter after their early elimination in the group stages. 'England had the wrong team, the wrong style of play and everyone could see it. Tonight's result is not a shock, I feel for Morgan. Coach is in trouble,' Warne tweeted. Pietersen added: 'I cannot believe this. I just cannot. But, well done Bangladesh! You deserved it! 'Do not say we haven't prioritised ODI cricket! We played a back-to-back Ashes to make sure England played six months of ODIs before this World Cup!' Gary Lineker, the former England striker, said: 'Bangladesh win! Congratulations to them. The good news is, England can't possibly get any worse.' And Piers Morgan wrote: 'What an absolute disgrace. [Paul] Downton and Moores have dragged English cricket into the sporting sewer with their petty, clueless incompetence. 'I want  Downton and Moores sacked today and Kevin Pietersen restored to the team. This farce just reached its true, hideous nadir. 'I wouldn't trust Downton and Moores to run a ****ing bath, let alone the England cricket team.' Moores pictured after the defeat as he speaks with press in Adelaide about their World Cup exit . To highlight Moores immediate mention of data on television is not to take a cheap shot at a decent man who appears to be liked and respected by players who on the whole have let him and their country down here. By the time he gave a more considered press conference yesterday there was no mention of the statistics that seem to have weighed down even a free spirit in Eoin Morgan, who has been a huge disappointment as captain here. My gut feeling is that Moores will be given the summer before England think about replacing him but a personal view is that maybe his assistant Paul Farbrace, an Asia Cup and World Twenty20 winner with Sri Lanka before throwing in his lot with England, could take extra responsibility for limited-overs cricket. England are about to embark on a gruelling schedule of 17 Tests in 10 months and the danger is that one-day cricket will again be shoved to the bottom of England’s list of priorities unless a clear strategy is undertaken. The overwhelming favourite to succeed Moores if and when he goes is Jason Gillespie but he distanced himself from the role yesterday and there is no doubt that the Yorkshire coach and his family are happy and settled in Leeds. Joe Root (centre) exchanges words with Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza (left) at the Adelaide Oval . Bangladesh sealed a surprise win over England at the World Cup as Moores and his men suffered elimination . Gillespie has already turned down a role with his native Australia under Darren Lehmann and has been given permission by Yorkshire to coach a team, probably Adelaide, in next year’s Big Bash while staying at Headingley. The constant year-round slog of international cricket is making it harder for countries to attract the best coaches and former Yorkshire chairman Graves may need to be at his most persuasive if he wants to recruit his old county coach. Moores and Downton are not the only ones under the microscope. Morgan refused to say that he wanted to carry on as one-day captain yesterday and reiterated his intention to miss England’s one-day international against Ireland in May, their first of another ‘new’ era, to play in the IPL. Well, I am sorry but if he does want to continue then he needs to be with the team in his native Dublin, particularly as it will be impossible for England players touring West Indies next month to make the Ireland trip on May 8. The sheer volume of cricket means that the best way for England to catch up in 50-over cricket is to build a new young team of one-day players as different as possible to that which will contest Test cricket in the next year against West Indies, New Zealand, Australia, Pakistan and South Africa. Eoin Morgan looks to have been given the backing by Moores to continue as England's one-day captain . Alastair Cook (left) was devastated to be axed from 50-over cricket on the brink of his first World Cup . Ian Bell, who left England far too much to do against Bangladesh by getting out after scoring 62 off 83 balls, will surely bow out of one-day cricket after Friday’s dead rubber against Afghanistan while it is in the best interests of Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad for them to do the same. Joe Root was strongly considered for the one-day captaincy by England when they sacked Alastair Cook before they plumped for the out-of-form Morgan and I would give him the one-day job now and build a new team around him. It is certainly possible to envisage a squad led by Root and including Jos Buttler, who came so close to recuing England yesterday, Alex Hales, Moeen Ali, James Taylor, Ben Stokes, Jason Roy, James Vince, Sam Billings and Adil Rashid growing into an outfit capable of competing in the modern one-day world. But the seam bowling remains a huge worry, not least the absence of a quick left-armer. Bangladesh, worthy quarter-finalists now, had the fastest bowler on show yesterday in Rubel Hossain, who took four wickets, and that must be the first time they have ever had more pace at their disposal than England. The lack of variety in England’s bowling is one of the many reasons why they will be on their way home before the business end of this elongated tournament. And why they will be returning to the drawing board when they get there in their never-ending search for one-day success.

England were knocked out of the Cricket World Cup against Bangladesh . Coach Peter Moores spoke in the aftermath of looking at data in review . England should ignore that and rethink their entire one-day philosophy . The nation are the laughing stock of the cricketing world once again . England are light years off the World Cup's dynamic, vibrant teams . Moores and Paul Downton will have their positions brought under scrutiny . Joe Root should be given one-day captain's job and made team's focus .

 that and see why we weren’t able to do that.’ You heard it first: England couldn’t chase 275.
If it’s true that Moores wasn’t able to ‘do that’, he’s clearly not doing his job. If he and the England coaching team are unable to ‘do that’, how do the selectors know they won’t do it when they pick the squad for the 2019 World Cup and they’re working on 25,000 possible combinations, some of them better than some others? And what happens when the 2019 World Cup is being played in the UK, and a few members of that squad will be playing in the UK at county level, in the Hundred and the Big Bash?
Moores’ explanation of the game and England’s position in it is maddening in its naivety. The batsmen had 100 overs to chase down 275. The pitch, and even the toss to India, had been bowled on by the time they walked to the crease at Lord’s. It was a good wicket for batting. As for batting on it: India scored 350 in the match, more than 50 runs more than England’s tally, and that was against the same opposition with the same conditions and a similar strength in depth.
No, the ’cause’ of the defeat, as with India’s 15 wicket victory last Wednesday, is the same as it’s been for the last two years and the same it’s been since England were last in the semi-finals: a batting collapse.
The batsmen just can’t keep it together long enough to set up and execute a victory. It’s a crisis not because India beat England; England beat themselves.
If it’s a crisis, why hasn’t it been addressed and why hasn’t it been fixed? It’s been two years. It’s been 18 months.
The batsmen have gone from being out of touch to flat.
Ahead of the World Cup, it’s pretty clear. It’s been four years since Cook, Pietersen, Trott and Bell got into top gear.
The next Test series — against Pakistan — has the feel of an opportunity. They have to find a way to stay in touch with the game and be able to adapt. They have to find a way to be able to go into a match knowing they’


Thousands of infertile couples could realise their dreams of becoming parents thanks to a new test that allows IVF treatment to be tailored to a woman's individual fertility cycle. For the first time, scientists believe they are able to identify the point in a woman's cycle when there is the greatest chance an embryo will successfully implant in the womb. Repeated rounds of fertility treatment can prove emotionally and financially draining for couples desperate to become parents. There are more than 60,000 IVF cycles performed in the UK each year. Yet, just 24 per cent lead to live births. Meanwhile in the US, 175,000 IVF cycles were performed in 2013, according to the CDC. There, success rates ranged from 16 to 47 per cent, depending on a woman's age. Experts at the IVI fertility clinic in Madrid believe a new test, which identifies the point in a woman's cycle when there is the greatest chance an embryo will successfully implant, will help thousands of infertile couples realise their dream of becoming parents . While the NHS offers the treatment, strict guidelines mean many couples are forced to use private clinics, incurring bills that runs into thousands of pounds. The current treatment involves doctors performing an ultrasound to check the appearance of the lining of the womb, to assess its general health. It is known that for most women, there is a two to four day time period when the lining gives out the key chemical signals that allow the embryo to attach, leading to a pregnancy. But a team of scientists, led by Professor Juan Garcia Velasco at the IVI fertility clinic in Madrid, said they believe failed attempts often happen because an embryo is implanted at the wrong time, missing a woman's crucial window of fertility. They hope their new study will improve success rates for couples undergoing IVF, after they identified a test which can predict each woman's individual fertility window. Professor Garcia-Velasco, told MailOnline: 'The trial we are currently undertaking is trying to answer if the ERA test may help all couples from the first day they attend a fertility clinic, to detect endometrial defects. 'Or, if it will benefit only those with repeated implantation failure as the test does now. 'My hope is that this test will explain why some women do not get pregnant when good quality embryos are transferred, and thus, avoid repeated IVF failure. 'If we are able to select a good embryo and place in the uterus at the right time, success rates should be significantly higher. 'These tests are helping us doctors understand why IVF can be unsuccessful and ultimately reduce patients' frustration of unanswered questions.' He estimates around 15 per cent of cases of implantation failure 'are simply due to bad timing'. He added: 'I think it will make a significant difference in the expectations of couples and how we can explain failures. 'Until now, the endometrium was kind of a black box. Now we can say this was the problem and this is what we can do about it.' The test involves taking a biopsy of a woman's womb lining. Experts then analyse 238 genes, allowing them to determine when the woman's endometrium - the womb lining - will be most receptive to an implanted embryo. The test involves taking a biopsy of the womb lining, pictured under a microscope. Scientists are then able to analyse 238 genes to identify when the lining is at its most receptive and able to accept the embryo. A pilot study of 17 women, who had endured failed IVF attempts, saw nine become pregnant after the test . A case report detailing one woman's experience, followed by a pilot study involving 17 women, showed success rates were significantly improved after using the test. In the pilot study, none of the 17 women had become pregnant despite repeated (between one and six) rounds of IVF, when traditional techniques were used. But after the test was used to determine each woman's window of implantation, nine of the 17 became pregnant and went on to have a baby. It has previously been assumed that the window of implantation was 'constant in all women,' the researchers note. During IVF, an egg is surgically removed from a woman's ovaries and fertilised with sperm in a laboratory. The fertilised egg, or embryo, is then returned and implanted back into the woman's womb to grow and develop. Embryo transfer is the final part of the treatment process, and as a result women will still have to go through a rigorous treatment programme to reach the point where they may benefit from the new test being trialled by Professor Juan Garcia Velasco. Step one . A woman is given a drug to suppress her natural menstrual cycle, often in the form of a daily injection or nasal spray, for around two weeks. Step two . A fertility hormone is given, again in the form of a daily injection for between 10 and 12 days. It increases the number of eggs a woman produces, to allow experts to collect and fertilise more eggs, to try and improve the success rate. Step three . Doctors then monitor the woman and around 34 to 38 hours before her eggs are due to be collected she will be given a final hormone injection that helps your eggs to mature. Step four . For the egg collection a woman is sedated and her eggs are collected using ultrasound as a guide. A needle is inserted through the vagina and into each ovary. The eggs are then collected through the needle. Step five . The collected eggs are mixed with the woman's partner's sperm and after 16 to 20 hours they are checked to see if any have been fertilised. If the sperm are few or weak, each egg may need to be injected with individual sperm. The fertilised eggs, embryos then continue to grow in the laboratory for one to five days before they are transferred back into the womb. Once the woman's eggs have been collected she is given medication, including progesterone, to help prepare the lining of the womb to receive an embryo. Step six . The embryos are transferred back into the woman's womb. It is at this point that the test being trialled by Professor Garcia Velasco could be used to determine a woman's opportune fertility window. But their study has instead found that each woman has her own, individual window of implantation, when she can expect the best results from IVF. 'Understanding the "molecular clock" at play, regardless of the presence or absence of an embryo during the window of implantation could help to identify biomarkers of endometrial receptivity useful to create an objective personalised diagnostic test for this function,' the researchers said. Their case report details how a 39-year-old woman attended the clinic, reporting she had endured two failed attempts at IVF. Each round of IVF involved the transfer of two good quality embryos that failed to implant and a routine infertility assessment was normal. After counselling, the couple decided to pursue further rounds of IVF. But two subsequent rounds proved unsuccessful. The next step saw experts giving the woman hormone replacement therapy (HRT) as well as progesterone replacement. Three days after ovulation, triggered by the hormone therapy, another attempt failed. Another attempt five days after hormone therapy also proved unsuccessful. Despite the repeated failure, the couple remained determined to become pregnant. The researchers then attempted to diagnose the woman's window of implantation, using the endometrial receptivity array test (ERA). The test is based on the expression of 238 genes that are related to how receptive the womb lining is, established after a biopsy. 'The test identifies "personalised" window of implantation in women with recurrent implantation failure,' the report said. The team took a biopsy of the woman's womb lining five days after hormone therapy - the point at which the previous attempt had failed. It revealed her 'endometrium was pre-receptive', leading them to conclude they had been implanting the embryo too early. The report notes: 'A two-day displacement of her window of implantation was diagnosed, and this determined the need to repeat the ERA test in a further HRT cycle after seven days of progesterone replacement.' As a result, two embyros were implanted at the key seven-day point, after progesterone replacement, and the woman became pregnant with twins. The pregnancy was uneventful and twins boys were delivered by Caesarean section at 36 weeks. A pilot study followed with 17 patients taking part. Each had suffered between one and six implantation failures. The researchers diagnosed each woman's window of implantation and instead of routine embryo transfer, each woman underwent implantation according to her cycle. Of the women taking part nine became pregnant and gave birth. For one of the 17 women, six rounds of IVF had previously failed. Yet after performing the test, the researchers discovered all previous implantation attempts had been two days premature. After two further rounds of IVF, based on her individual cycle, the woman became pregnant and gave birth to her baby. Professor Garcia-Velasco is now leading a clinical trial of the test, with around 2,500 women who have suffered two or more failed attempts, in more than 10 countries taking part.

Experts at the IVI fertility clinic believe a new test could transform IVF . Test pinpoints the point in a woman's cycle when there is the best chance an embryo will successfully implant and she will become pregnant . In the UK more than 60,000 IVF cycles are performed each year . But just 24% are successful leading to emotional and financial stress . Pilot study of 17 women, who suffered up to six failed rounds of IVF each, saw nine become pregnant and have babies after the test was performed . Trial of 2,500 women in 10 countries is now taking place, scientists said .

 woman's cycle when she is most likely to conceive. Tests are currently available to predict when a woman is ovulating - the release of eggs from the ovaries - but scientists say this new test for ovulation could make a massive difference to the success rate of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatments, as the optimum time for treatment is missed.
The British Fertility Society has warned that for many women, timing the treatment right is more important than the drugs.
The Society says it is essential that women undergoing the first round of treatment, including for many women their first chance for a successful pregnancy, are given the best chance.
Previous studies had shown that using the new test increased the chances of a pregnancy by a third.
The Society hopes that the test could have a major impact on the success rate.
The ovulation test gives an immediate answer as to whether a woman is "fertile" and, if so, predicts when she is most fertile.
The new test is based on a woman's hormone levels, including the levels of the two hormones which rise just before ovulation and fall afterwards.
This test could also be used to treat "female infertility" and it has already been used to "re-schedule" ovulation during IVF.
The Society has said it supports the use of this new test as it could allow doctors to offer treatment at the most suitable time for each patient.
Fertility expert Dr Asad Hussain, clinical director at the Royal Free IVF Unit, said: "This test will enable us to tailor the treatment. In many cases when women have been diagnosed with infertility, the first step we take is the cycle itself.
"You treat someone's fertility problem and you are giving them the best possible chance of conceiving. The test will help us to increase our success rate by up to 30 per cent.
"At the moment we use scans to track when the egg will be released and we will try to make sure it is in the test tube. With this test we can be even more scientific about what we are doing."
The findings, published in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, were based on the cycle of 2,000 patients who were given drugs to stimulate egg production. A quarter of these women had been diagnosed with infertility, but no clear reason for their infertility had been found.
After the first round of treatment, 25 per cent of those diagnosed with infertility got pregnant


Emerging out of the landscape with the rumble of its powerful engine, this sinister-looking machine looks as if it comes from a battlefield or the set of a Mad Max film. But instead of helping people face a fictional apocalyptic reality, the tractor is the latest in agricultural machinery and is designed to make life easier for farmers. Called the Challenger MT775, it can cultivate a staggering 150 acres of land in a single day, which is the equivalents of 100 football pitches. Scroll down for video . It may look a little like one of the sinister machines from Mad Max, but this tractor is the latest in agricultural machinery and is designed to make life easier for farmers . The machine can also run around the clock, boosting efficiency and profit for landowners. The US-made tractor is guided by GPS  and steers with an accuracy over the ground of less than an inch. GPS systems are used to steer tractors in more precise patterns than humans are capable of. The US-made tractor is controlled by satellite and works and steers with an accuracy over the ground of less than an inch. Its rugged appearance bears some resemblance to the vehicles in Mad Max (pictured) Called the Challenger MT775, the tractor (pictured) can cultivate a staggering 150 acres of land in a single day, which is the equivalents of 100 football pitches. And unlike the vehicles in Mad Max, it's built to keep drivers comfortable, with leather seats and a DVD player fitted in the cab . Farmers Weekly told MailOnline that GPS steering systems are farmers’ favourite piece of modern farming technology. Steering systems got one third of the total votes out of the top 10 favourite farming tools. They are used to steer tractors in more precise patterns than humans are capable of, resulting in significant savings and improved productivity. GPS provides accurate location information by calculating the distance from at least three satellites and can also be used on farms to analyse soil fertility, Alex Thomasson, professor of biological and agricultural engineering at Texas A&M University wrote in an article for The Conversation. Farmers can use a GPS receiver to collect soil samples from pre-selected parts of fields. They then send the samples off to a lab for analysis, which creates a fertility map of their farm. Farmers can use the map to work out the amount of fertiliser needed for each location, giving their crops the best chance of growing and saving them money. Variable-rate technology (VRT) fertiliser applicators dispense just the right amount of fertiliser in each location, varying the qualities as the farmers go along. Before GPS, it was down to the driver to keep the tractor straight to avoid using too much seed, fertiliser or fuel, but today many farmers have some form of GPS steering, which means overlapping has all but disappeared and straight lines are easy. This has resulted in significant savings and improved productivity, which is why the innovation is a firm favourite with tech-savvy farmers. GPS self-steering systems were voted as being British farmners' favourite piece of modern farming technology in a poll by Farmers Weekly. But not all tractors using the technology are as impressive and inwardly luxurious as this latest model. Despite its rugged appearance, the tractor offers a comfortable ride for drivers. The cab is fitted with climate control and the seat is leather and heated. There is even a DVD player to watch while the tractor follows its pre-set path up and down fields. Only 28 of the machines - which cost up to a quarter of a million pounds each ($373,000) - will be made, and Britain is set to be one of the biggest markets. One East Anglian land-owner said: ‘Years ago a 1,000-acre farm would have employed 40 men - but with a machine like this the same acreage can be farmed by just one man.’ In the film, people travel across an apocalyptic wasteland with few resources in a bid to survive. Max, a man of action and  few words,  seeks peace of mind following the loss of his wife and child in the aftermath of the chaos. This truck is one of the extraordinary vehicles to feature in the latest film . Only 28 of the machines (pictured) - which cost up to a quarter of a million pounds each ($373,000) - will be made, and Britain is set to be one of the biggest markets . The tractor's rugged appearance bears some resemblance to the vehicles in Mad Max. This still from the latest film, shows Tom Hardy, who plays Max riding a motorcycle in considerable discomfort. However, the tractor features luxuries such as leather seats, for example . For farmers, aerial photographs taken by drones offer a quick and easy way to check on the progress of crops and determine where they may need to replant or direct pesticide applications. Researchers at the University of Illinois are using drones on farms to take aerial photos of crops growing in research plots. Dennis Bowman, a crop science teacher at the university, deliberately made mistakes on one test plot by not applying enough nitrogen fertilizer and is now using drones to see if they can reveal potentially weaker crops. ‘As the crop gets up and going, we'll fly over it and see if we can detect those areas sooner than we could visually from the ground,’ he said. ‘We're also looking at doing some scans over our herbicide studies to see if the drone photography can help us identify where crops are stressed by postemergence herbicide applications.’ Mr Bowman spent two summers as a commercial crop scout and said that walking through tasseling corn in high temperatures is unpleasant. ‘The odds of actually getting to the far end of that field on foot to see what's going on are pretty slim. To get a bird's-eye view of your crop, the drones offer a handy way to do it.’ He is using two quadricopters affixed with a Go-Pro camera and a Canon Powershot SX260 camera with a lens for infrared photography to see if they can spot potential crop trouble. ‘Standard pictures and video taken with drones can tell us a lot. But what we're looking to give us even more information is multispectral cameras that can give us imagery in other wavelengths, such as near-infrared, to help us identify areas of crop stress. ‘It probably isn't going to tell us what the problem is, but it will tell us where problems are so that we can target our scouting in those specific areas and determine what might be occurring.’ Infrared images will help the researchers identify plants in the farm that appear to be absorbing or reflecting light differently - an indication that the plants are under some type of stress, such as pests, disease or nutrient deficiencies. The drones may be used to spot an invasive weed called Palmer amaranth, which is spreading across the Midwest and is becoming increasingly resistant to herbicides to the extent that it could drastically reduce farmers' yield potential in affected fields. ‘Before the soybean rows close, or if we get a different spectrum response from some of these weeds as they break through the canopy, we may see some of those weeds show up in the imagery as well to identify where there are hot spots and problems,’ Mr Bowman said.

Tractor has a rugged look and is the latest in agricultural machinery . Challenger MT775 can cultivate 150 acres of land in a single day . It has a GPS steering system so it can drive in perfectly straight lines . Cab of the tractor has luxuries such as leather seats and a DVD player .

 is a real-life tool used to help save the planet.
The Dune Buggy in the video below is a powerful vehicle that is built for one thing only: to plow soil to help the spread of grasses and plants. The project, the Green Plough, was inspired by the idea that the land that’s been left idle and empty can now be put to good use with this very innovative tool.
According to those behind the Green Plough, the idea is to create a large plow made up of powerful tractors that can plow the land, create more soil by depositing nutrients and seed, and then create even better grass to feed the herds of livestock that these people support. And the reason why they call it a “green plough” is simple — the entire process of making soil fertile again will also help the environment.
The project has so far funded the acquisition of the land that will be used for this project, and they have been able to purchase an $80,000 John Deere Tractor which was used to transport the $30,000 Green Plough tool to the site.
The project is now looking to acquire an additional $75,000 to purchase and transport additional tractors that will be used for other areas of the state. But the $80,000 John Deere they acquired is no small tool — it is a massive machine that’s capable of digging deep into the soil while providing a massive amount of power.
The soil is vital to the success of this endeavor. The soil that’s been sitting idle for hundreds or even thousands of years is very depleted and needs nutrients to grow plants. This is what the plough does by plowing soil, depositing nutrients and seeds, and finally planting.
And the results thus far have been phenomenal. On the site, the team had placed a variety of plants and seeds, which they had mixed in with composted animal manure and composted material. They then planted 15 of the plants and trees that should help transform the soil.
The project will see to it that 15,000 plants are able to be put into the soil, and they will then check in every year after to see the results. The entire cost of the project is estimated at $150,000 which is an absolutely massive cost for a project that has no real return yet.
But that amount of money is well worth it to those working on the project, and the hope is that the project will help not just the environment