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Forecasters are warning of more rain this week, with south-west England particularly at risk from flooding. In North Yorkshire, a canoeist, believed to be in his 30s, has died after he was pulled from the swollen Arkle Beck, near Reeth. A rescue operation was launched after he became trapped in debris. Firefighters, in boats, rescued him from the fast-flowing beck - which flows into the River Swale - and he was transported by air ambulance to James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough. The Great North Air Ambulance Service later said he had died "despite everyone's best efforts". In other developments: The Environment Agency said rain falling on already saturated ground was likely to lead to more disruption on the roads this week. It also warned that properties could flood, particularly in the south-west of England on Tuesday. Get the BBC news and travel for your area Get your local forecast from BBC Weather BBC travel news BBC London Travel (Twitter) It said some river levels were yet to peak. "Emergency teams from the Environment Agency have been out in force this weekend shoring up flood defences, monitoring river levels and clearing blockages from watercourses, and they will continue their work on the ground to reduce the risk of flooding throughout the week," a spokesman said. In England and Wales, there are 81 flood warnings - meaning flooding is expected with "immediate action required" - and 288 flood alerts, which mean flooding "is possible - be prepared". There are no flood warnings in Scotland, although there are 13 flood alerts. The BBC's Darren Bett said the thaw of snow had continued on Sunday with a mixture of sunshine and showers and that river levels had risen throughout the day. Some heavy showers, as well as hail and gusty wind, would continue overnight, particularly in the southern counties of England and north-west Scotland, he said. The Met Office has a issued yellow "be aware" warning - for Monday afternoon and evening - for heavy rain in south-west England. A further yellow warning for heavy rain has been issued for the whole of Tuesday for south-west England and parts of Wales. |
Media playback is not supported on this device Even then it was too late. By the time a cameraman chasing the great champion had clipped his winged heels and sent them both to the deck, Bolt was halfway round his lap of honour and his latest line-up of victims trudging out of the stadium with their spikes slung round their necks. Media playback is not supported on this device The 100m final had been close. Only one hundredth of a second had separated Bolt and his rival Justin Gatlin on Sunday night, even if a chasm opened up between them in the aftermath. This 200m showdown, the rematch, the chance for Gatlin to gain revenge and a little glory after all the controversy and carping of the last seven days? This one was over in less than two-hundredths of a second. Bolt's reaction time from his blocks was 0.147 seconds. Gatlin's was 0.161. The gap between them would only grow. For a man who has so regularly made the impossible real, Bolt's victories can also seem pre-ordained and predictable within moments of him hurtling alone through the line. He is almost a victim of his own brilliance. There seems no room for doubt, even if it was an unacknowledged guest in minds around the world before he settled into his blocks. It is another of his great conjuring tricks. Coming into these championships Gatlin had run more than two tenths of a second faster over 200m than any other man in the field this year, and almost half a second quicker than Bolt. Only in Wednesday night's semi-finals had Bolt gone under 20 seconds for the first time, and then by the thickness of a yellow Jamaican vest. Gatlin has been so consistently quick this year that his collapse in the 100m seemed surely to have been a costly aberration. Aim whatever other arrows you choose at him, but the 33-year-old has run through several eras of sprinting. He won his Olympic title 11 years ago. A decade ago he left a gangly 18-year-old Bolt trailing home last as he won the World 200m title in Helsinki. He may lack remorse but not experience. All that might count against any other opponent. Not Bolt. Gatlin had to be up on him at 50m. He had to be dominating the champion's eyeline at 100m to hope to defuse Bolt's greatest weapon of all, that sweet acceleration off the bend and away up the straight. Instead Bolt never even saw him. Away from the blocks, eating up the bend, warm night air between him and the supporting cast as they faded away behind him once again. Gatlin was quiet afterwards, the simmering aggression of his Diamond League wins all summer replaced by a melancholy resignation. He knows he may never have a better chance of winning back a global title. It is not just his age, although he will be 34 by the time of the next Olympic 100m final. It is |
Accompanied by his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, he will also go to Northern Ireland as part of a four-day visit from 19 to 23 May. Reports suggest he will visit Mullaghmore in County Sligo, where his great-uncle Lord Mountbatten was murdered by the IRA in 1979. Prince Charles first visited the Republic of Ireland in 1995. His visit was hailed as a success, and seen as a step on the way towards the eventual visit by the Queen in 2011. The prince also visited the Republic of Ireland in 2002, but this will be his first official joint visit with the Duchess of Cornwall. Clarence House said the trip was being held at the request of the British government, and planning was still in progress. While their itinerary has not been finalised, reports in Dublin suggest that the royal couple could visit Drumcliffe Church, where the poet WB Yeats is buried, and Lissadell House. The visit was welcomed by Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Charlie Flanagan. "Following the reciprocal state visits of recent years, this visit to Ireland will represent a further expression of the warm and friendly relations which now exist between us," he said. "We look forward to their arrival next month, and to a visit programme which reflects the quality of these relations." The royal couple welcomed Irish President Michael D Higgins to the UK during his state visit in April 2014. The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall most recently visited Northern Ireland together on official visits in April 2014 and in June 2013. |
Arlene Foster campaigned for Brexit but the UUP accused her of a "U-turn" after she signed a joint letter to the prime minister outlining several concerns. Mrs Foster said the UUP had set up Steven Aiken as its "attack dog" but said he was more like a Chihuahua. He snapped back that Chihuahuas were "small but intelligent and ferocious". The snarling match began on Wednesday, when Mrs Foster and Northern Ireland's Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness jointly wrote to Prime Minister Theresa May, outlining their priorities for the Brexit negotiations. Mrs Foster's Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Mr McGuinness from Sinn Féin were on opposite sides of the debate during the EU referendum campaign. Their joint letter identified five key areas of concern when the UK leaves the European Union - the Irish border; trading costs; the energy market; drawdown of EU funding and treatment of the agri-food sector. After the letter's contents were revealed, rival unionist parties accused the DUP of shifting their position. Mr Aiken, the UUP's economy spokesperson, said he was "astonished the first ministers would have the audacity to release this letter". "These are all concerns that existed before the referendum," he added. "Indeed given the content of the letter I would question whether this is a DUP u-turn on their position on the referendum after the vote has taken place?" Mr Aiken said that Stormont's Executive Office was "quickly becoming the Department for Stating the Obvious". But Mrs Foster denied that campaigning for Brexit was a mistake and said leading the EU provided opportunities as well as challenges. "Poor Steven Aiken has been sent out once again to be the attack dog against the executive and frankly, he comes across more as a Chihuahua," she told the BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme. Responding on his Twitter account, Mr Aiken snapped back that it was the first time he had "ever been compared to small but intelligent and ferocious Mexican attack dog". His UUP colleague Stephen Nicholl tweeted a photo of an angry Chihuahua and said Mr Aiken had become their party's "new mascot". The animal antics continued when Claire Hanna from the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) weighed in to criticise the DUP leader over the letter. "The first minister has serious questions to answer over the breath-taking reverse ferret she is currently performing," said the SDLP MLA. "Ms Foster has clearly realised the error of her ways in backing Brexit and, now the horse has bolted, is asking the Conservative government to close the gate." |
Trevor Elias, from Abertridwr, Caerphilly county, was last seen in nearby Senghenydd on 5 April 2012 outside the Leigh Club between 23:15 BST and just after midnight. He was seen on CCTV walking past the town's Cenotaph and two women spotted walking ahead of Mr Elias have still not been identified. Three cars may also have passed him. All were seen on the town's Commercial Street. Mr Elias was also in the Buffs Club earlier in the evening. Police have urged anyone who has any information to contact them on 101. Mr Elias was reported missing on 7 April. He is described as being approximated 6ft (1.82m), of very thin build, with brown short hair, and he wears glasses. Police are also re-releasing CCTV of the last confirmed sighting of Mr Elias. Officers will be searching the area between Senghenydd and Abertridwr in an effort to find any clues as to his disappearance. |
Krzysztof Lesny, 30, equipped himself with bolt cutters and a crowbar to target devastated homes in the city's Greystone Road on 9 December. He admitted stealing shelves from a skip and conceded he would have taken more items had he not been arrested. Sentencing him at Carlisle Crown Court, Judge Peter Davies told Lesny he could expect "no sympathy". The court had been told Lesny's own home in Warwick Road had been flooded during the storm. In mitigation, he said since taking the furniture he had made a donation to Cumbria's flood recovery fund. But Judge Davies told him: "You were going to go into people's homes and take property. "Your approach to the flooding was to arm yourself to burgle, to assault people's misery." |
Pienaar, who is leaving Ulster at the end of this season, sustained the injury in the warm-up before Saturday's defeat by the Ospreys. The South African, 33, started Saturday's contest but was forced off after 20 minutes. Ulster's hopes of reaching the play-offs semi-finals now look remote. Les Kiss' side are now five points behind fourth-placed Ospreys and only a huge bonus-point victory over the leaders this weekend - allied to a heavy Ospreys defeat - would see Ulster sneaking into the semi-finals. Pienaar will round off his Ulster playing career in the game the Barbarians at Kingspan Stadium on 1 June. Stuart Olding will miss the Leinster game after picking up a leg injury in Saturday's defeat while Charles Piutau also picked up a knock in the weekend game. For the latest rugby union news follow @bbcrugbyunion on Twitter. |
Edwards, 52, became a household name when he famously came last at the Calgary Winter Olympics in 1988. Speaking at the UK premiere of Eddie The Eagle, he said he feared it might show him as "an object of ridicule" but it had "kept the heart" of his story. One of the stars, Hugh Jackman, said "underdog" stories had wide appeal. Britain's first and most famous Olympic ski jumper was working as a plasterer in Cheltenham when he qualified, entirely self-funded, for the Calgary Games. Despite finishing last in both the 70m and 90m events, he captured the nation's imagination and became a household name. Edwards, who now lives in Stroud, Gloucestershire, said: "I was worried that they would either turn me into some sort of superhero, or worse - an object of ridicule, a clown, a joke, but they've done a fantastic job. "And they kept the heart, the essence and the spirit of the story just right." He told BBC Points West it was "very close" to the truth: "The only things that were really obvious were that my dad was just as supportive as my mum, which isn't shown in the film, and Hugh Jackman was an amalgamation of all my coaches." Jackman, who plays fictional coach Bronson Peary, said: "We've all felt like underdogs at some point. "I think that's why we love seeing these stories, to watch someone who did it and also who did it with such fun and charisma and positivity." |
Speaking at a conference in Washington on his first US visit in his new role, Mr Johnson said the UK would lead a campaign to bring the group to justice. He warned of the potential dispersal of IS fighters around the world after they are pushed out of Iraq and Syria. Mr Johnson proposed a UK summit to examine how to tackle the new threats. Addressing foreign and defence officials from about 30 nations involved in the fight against IS, Mr Johnson said more needed to be done to collect evidence in territory the group has lost. Witnesses would need to be identified and data collected so individuals could be held to account and prosecuted, he said. Later, in a TV interview, Mr Johnson said: "We've got to deal with the whole cancer and its ability to spread and to metastasize, to pop up all over the world in the way that we've been seeing... "There are thousands of them and we need to start setting in train the process of gathering evidence, of getting more witnesses, so that ultimately they can be prosecuted and held to account for their crimes against humanity and that's something that I said today to everybody and got a large measure of support." Mr Johnson also defended Nato's principle of mutual self-defence following a suggestion by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump that the US might not always come to the aid of the group's fellow members. Outlining a foreign policy strategy aimed at reducing US expenditure and involvement abroad, Mr Trump said as president he may abandon a guarantee of protection to fellow Nato members unless they have "fulfilled their obligations to us". Mr Johnson said Nato's "doctrine of mutual defence is incredibly important. It is something I have repeated several times in the last week to people around Europe, to representatives and my counterparts, the Baltic countries and elsewhere. "It is something that the British government believes in absolutely fervently and something we stand behind four square." |
The Gulls led midway through the first half when Dan Sparkes teed up Jamie Reid, who curled a shot past Jamie Butler. Craig Braham-Barrett got the Cressing Road club back on terms with a fine header in the 32nd minute. Giancarlo Gallifuoco restored the away side's advantage three minutes later, pouncing after goalkeeper Butler failed to gather a cross. Braintree, who have won just once in the league this season, tested Torquay with some direct balls. But Kevin Nicholson's men held on and made sure of the points in the second half when Luke Young netted after a solo run. Report supplied by the Press Association. Match ends, Braintree Town 1, Torquay United 3. Second Half ends, Braintree Town 1, Torquay United 3. Substitution, Braintree Town. Joe Maybanks replaces Craig Braham-Barrett. Substitution, Torquay United. Jamie Chamberlain replaces Jamie Reid. Goal! Braintree Town 1, Torquay United 3. Luke Young (Torquay United). Substitution, Torquay United. Chay Scrivens replaces Sam Chaney. Sam Chaney (Torquay United) is shown the yellow card. Substitution, Braintree Town. Rohdell Gordon replaces Harry Lee. Substitution, Torquay United. Brett Williams replaces Nathan Blissett. Substitution, Braintree Town. Jake Goodman replaces Ian Gayle. Second Half begins Braintree Town 1, Torquay United 2. First Half ends, Braintree Town 1, Torquay United 2. Goal! Braintree Town 1, Torquay United 2. Giancarlo Gallifuoco (Torquay United). Goal! Braintree Town 1, Torquay United 1. Craig Braham-Barrett (Braintree Town). Harry Lee (Braintree Town) is shown the yellow card. Simeon Akinola (Braintree Town) is shown the yellow card. Goal! Braintree Town 0, Torquay United 1. Jamie Reid (Torquay United). First Half begins. Lineups are announced and players are warming up. |
The economy expanded 4.7% from January to March from a year ago - weaker than 5% in the fourth quarter of last year. The figure also missed market expectations of growth of about 4.95% for the quarter. Indonesia's growth was hurt by a slowing demand for exports and falling oil prices, the government said. Glenn Maguire, Asia chief economist for ANZ, said the data confirms the view that the Indonesian economy is struggling to find a "base". "Indeed, it appears that the government will be attempting to rely on fiscal policy - bringing forward infrastructure spending to stabilise growth," he told Reuters. The country's full year growth in 2014 was the slowest in five years. Indonesia has also been struggling to bring down a large current account deficit, which happens when a country imports more than it exports. A move to cut oil subsidies has also been challenged by weak commodity prices that have hit exports. Markets, meanwhile, reacted negatively to the growth figures. Indonesia's benchmark Jakarta stock index reversed early gains of as much as 1.2% before the announcement to fall 0.1%. The rupiah, which is the worst performing emerging market currency in Asia this year, fell to 13,030 against the US dollar - its weakest since 1 April. |
The 83-year-old man was driving a Honda Jazz which was in collision with an Audi A1 at about 11:00 on Sunday. The man and a 69-year-old woman from Berkshire who was driving the other vehicle were taken to Dumfries Infirmary for treatment. Police confirmed that the man had died on Wednesday and have appealed for witnesses to the accident. |
The planned regulations will apply to businesses in England, Wales and Scotland with more than 250 employees. Women and equalities minister Nicky Morgan said the move was a "first step" but would "concentrate minds". The TUC said the measures should include medium-sized businesses and come with fines for non-compliance. The Chartered Management Institute said the new legislation would "force transparency" on companies. The plan on bonuses is the first of a number of "equality-boosting measures" to be set out in detail this week and hopefully introduced in the first half of 2016, according to Downing Street. Other steps include: Details of exactly what companies must publish and when the scheme will begin will be announced after the results of a consultation, which concluded in September, are released. More than 10 million workers will be covered by the new transparency rules - although far fewer than that receive bonuses. The measures are contained in the Equality Act 2010, which was introduced by Labour but blocked from implementation by the Conservatives until now. Latest figures show that, overall, women in the UK earn 19% less than men. Up to the age of 40, there is very little difference between the earnings of men and women. But beyond that age, when more women are likely to have taken time out to raise families and work part-time, there is a significant gap. TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady said publishing salary and bonus information was a "start" - but employers needed to look at why women were still being paid less than men and "do something meaningful about it". Ms Morgan said the government was "going further than ever before to ensure true gender equality in the workplace". She also told the BBC's Andrew Marr programme: "When companies see the gender pay gap in their own company, of their employees, including bonuses, that does start to change behaviours; it [starts] the conversations in the company." Chartered Management Institute chief executive Ann Francke said bonus gaps were "one of the biggest drivers" of gender pay discrepancy, particularly at senior levels. "Bonuses are also where gender bias can creep in easily as they are amongst the least transparent forms of pay," she said. "There's a tendency to reward those in our own image or to think that because men may be the 'main breadwinners' they deserve higher bonuses. "And men often negotiate harder or trumpet their achievements more readily." She told BBC Radio 5 Live the new legislation would mean many companies were going to say, "I didn't know we had a problem but we do." In July, Prime Minister David Cameron pledged to end the gender pay gap within a generation, but Labour called for "action not words" on equality. Shadow women and equalities minister Kate Green said the gender pay gap was nearly 20% more than the European average. "British women don't need warm words - we need guaranteed rights at work, properly enforced," she said. CBI director for employment and skills Neil Carberry said |
Scientists think they now have some answers. They are places where impacts have excavated a briny layer of water-ice under the dwarf planet's surface, the researchers tell the journal Nature. And the very brightest features are the youngest, freshest exposures. The framing camera on the US space agency's Dawn probe has catalogued some 130 spots on the 950km-wide world. But by far the most impressive collection is to be found in a crater dubbed Occator in Ceres' northern hemisphere. When the probe arrived at the dwarf, the camera settings were programmed to take account of what is generally a very dark surface - as black as asphalt. But this meant the super-bright depressions within Occator completely overwhelmed the instrument's sensor. "We said, 'Wow! What's that? We didn't expect this,'" recalls Andreas Nathues, the camera's principal investigator. "The reflectivity is in the order of 0.25, which means about 25% of the light is reflected; and in the inner core centre [of the Occator spot collection] it's even more - up to 50-60% of the light is reflected; while the remaining surface is rather dark - the average is about 9%," said the scientist from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Goettingen, Germany. Subsequent investigation now indicates that there is likely a global layer of ice and salt under the rocky rubble that coats Ceres. When a space impactor digs into this layer and exposes it, the ice starts to sublime (to turn directly from a solid to a gas). The released vapour then escapes away from the surface, lifting ice and dust particles in the process, to produce a kind of haze. Dawn has observed this haze during "day times", as it has looked across Occator at very oblique angles. The judgement is that Occator's spots will fade over time as most of the ice is driven off, leaving only salts behind. Dawn sees a signature for hydrated magnesium sulphate - what we would call "Epsom salts" - dominating at other spot locations. Salts are not quite so reflective as the relatively fresh ice at Occator. The water emission - which incidentally chimes now with some observations of Ceres made by the Herschel space telescope in 2013 - is reminiscent of comets, which engage in this sublimation behaviour whenever they get near the sun. "It's a bit like a comet, but you need to understand that Ceres is a partially differentiated body. So, it has a shell structure," Dr Nathues told me in an interview for this week's Science In Action programme on the BBC World Service. "There is very likely an ice shell below the crust. And this is completely different from comets. Comets are primitive objects, having original material that is only very, very slightly changed." In a separate report to Nature, Maria Cristina De Sanctis raises the possibility that Ceres did not form in the position it now finds itself (about 415 million km from the Sun), but much further out in the Solar System. |
Michel Sapin told parliament that Antoine Deltour was "defending the general interest". Mr Deltour is accused of passing information to a journalist. The LuxLeaks scandal cast light on how Luxembourg helped giant companies slash their global tax bills. Mr Deltour and his co-defendants could face up to 10 years in jail. The government and companies named say their tax practices are not illegal. It was the biggest leak of its kind until the Panama Papers this year showed how the rich and powerful use tax havens to hide their wealth. Q&A: Panama Papers How assets are hidden and taxes dodged Mr Deltour, a former auditor at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), is accused of passing information on clients to French journalist Edouard Perrin, who first broke the story on French TV in 2012, in collaboration with the BBC's Panorama. He faces charges of theft, revealing business secrets, violation of professional secrets and money laundering. Raphael Halet, another former PwC employee, is suspected of a separate leak and faces the same charges. Mr Perrin is accused of being an accomplice. Prosecutors say that together the data was later used by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists in their November 2014 story. The tax breaks involved 340 companies. As he arrived for the first day of his trial, Mr Deltour told AFP news agency he was "very calm, I acted in the public interest". Supporters gathered outside the courtroom chanted "thank you Antoine, thank you Antoine!" Addressing the French parliament, Mr Sapin said he had asked the French ambassador to Luxembourg to "assist [Mr Deltour] at this difficult time when he defends the general interest". It was thanks to Mr Deltour, he added, that an end was being brought to the opaque system that prevented European countries finding out the tax deals made by large companies in Luxembourg. "In turn I would like to offer him all our solidarity," he said. Mr Sapin has tabled a bill, due to be debated in June, which he says will promote economic transparency as well as protect the anonymity of whistleblowers. While Luxembourg has laws protecting whistleblowers, they are confined to exposing illegal practices. Civil rights groups have attacked the case. "Deltour should be protected and commended, not prosecuted," said Cobus de Swardt, the Managing Director of Transparency International. Nearly 130,000 people have signed an online petition in support of Mr Deltour. The scandal put pressure on European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, who led Luxembourg when many of the tax breaks were implemented. He has denied wrongdoing and has backed new EU rules to make corporate taxation more transparent. |
US consumer groups will deliver a petition signed by more than 350,000 people to Yum Brands on Wednesday. KFC has already promised to limit the use of human antibiotics in its chicken by next year. However, critics claim the policy effectively allows for routine use of antibiotics by its chicken suppliers. The chain does not allow the use of antibiotics to promote the growth of poultry in line with federal government rules. A KFC spokesperson said it was reviewing whether it could force suppliers to go beyond Food and Drug Administration rules on antibiotics usage. "KFC is lagging woefully behind - diners around the country want KFC to step up," said Lena Brook of the Natural Resources Defense Council, which is one of the groups delivering petitions to KFC headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky. The action comes a day after Yum investors submitted a proposal asking that the company to speed up plans to stop using antibiotics in its meat. Other Yum brand chains - Taco Bell and Pizza Hut - plan to cut the use of chicken treated with antibiotics by early next year. Medical experts warn that the routine use of antibiotics to promote growth and prevent illness in farm animals contributes to the rise of drug-resistant "superbug" infections that kill at least 23,000 Americans each year and represent a significant threat to global health. Fast food restaurants have become a focal point for change in the food industry by forcing suppliers to change their practices. Last week McDonald's said it had switched to antibiotic-free chickens in the US and Canada. Chick-fil-A, another big US fast food chicken chain, has promised to use only antibiotic-free chickens by 2019. |
An estimated 63,000 people now live with the disease. Approximately 10,000 more people have been living with cancer since 2010, a figure that represents an 18% rise over the last five years. The increase is due to improvements in survival and detection, and a growing and ageing population. The number of men with prostate cancer has seen the biggest rise of 27% over the last five years. Macmillan Cancer Support's general manager in Northern Ireland, Heather Monteverde, warned that care for cancer patients must be adapted. "Without a complete transformation of the way people are supported after their treatment ends, there is no way patients will get the after-care they so desperately need, whether that's practical help at home, financial advice, or even emotional support," she said. "Our existing health and social care structures were not set up to deal with the needs of such a huge number of people who have survived cancer, but who often continue to require considerable support," she added. The charity has been working with the Health and Social Care Board, Public Health Agency and Northern Ireland Cancer Network to advocate individually tailored patient care. A Transforming Cancer Follow Up (TCFU) programme, which cost ??1.3m, has been used as a template by all five health trusts in Northern Ireland as a new model for breast cancer follow-up treatment. The scheme includes access to a clinical nurse specialist, an additional treatment summary and an invitation to a health and well-being event. |
As a 19-year-old student on a night out in Chester, he had been brutally stabbed and mugged, near his home. "I couldn't let it go in my head. It was always there," he says. "It started creeping into my nightmares." He bottled up the fear and trauma for four years, before a suicide attempt prompted him to seek help, perhaps surprisingly, from his manager at work. But Oliver is by no means typical. Around half of us would not be happy to speak up at work if we had a mental health problem, according to a survey conducted by Comres for BBC Radio 5 live. The survey asked 1,104 British adults in full-time employment about their attitudes to mental health. And 49% said they would be unlikely to tell their boss about problems such as anxiety, depression or bipolar disorder. Only 35% said they'd be happy to tell colleagues. Despite his dreadful experience, Oliver is one of the lucky ones. His employer at the time was the construction firm, Laing O'Rourke; he was working on the Crossrail project in London. His manager was one of the first people he turned to, and because the company has a positive approach to mental health in the workforce, they were able to have a very open and frank conversation. "He helped point me in the right direction in terms of who to speak to at work, a confidential advice line we have at Laing O'Rourke, who helped me start therapy and has really helped me since then in terms of getting my career on track and do what I can to really help myself," he says. But according to Sue Baker, director of mental health charity, Time to Change, turning to your boss is not always the best course of action. "We wouldn't encourage people to routinely disclose," she says. "Because obviously there's really poor practice still. "It can result in people being passed over for promotion, not being offered opportunities to develop themselves, and to outright discriminatory comments." She advises people to speak up only if it's clear your employer is supportive of mental health programmes. But there are, she says, now more than 500 employers taking positive action, including signing up to the Time To Change pledge, which commits them to address the taboos around mental health. Ms Baker says about one in six people suffer some kind of mental health problem making it an issue for the entire workforce. "There are millions of people who are less productive because they are not getting help," she says. "It costs industry more to ignore mental health and shove it under the carpet than to deal with it." Pizza Hut Restaurants is one of the firms that has signed up to the charity's pledge. "We have 8,000 people from age 16, to people who've worked for us for 30 years," says the firm's head of communications Gareth Hopley. "A lot of our managers are 21-year-olds who you're asking to run multimillion pound restaurants. |
But this is not the only court case the 77-year-old has been embroiled in. Berlusconi, a billionaire businessman, is still fighting several other criminal convictions arising from trials held since he left office in November 2011. He has rejected all charges and is awaiting decisions on his appeals. Berlusconi was found guilty in October 2012 of tax fraud in connection with the purchase of TV rights by his firm, Mediaset, in the 1990s. The court heard that he and other executives had bought TV rights at inflated prices via two offshore companies, to avoid paying taxes in Italy. Berlusconi was sentenced to four years in prison last year, automatically reduced to one under a 2006 pardon act. He is doing community service instead of prison because the Italian legal system is lenient to the over-70s. He was also banned from holding public office for five years. That ban is now under review. In June 2013, Berlusconi was convicted of paying for sex with an under-age prostitute and abusing his power. He was sentenced to seven years in jail and banned from ever again holding public office. However, he was allowed to remain free pending the outcome of the appeals process. Journalists dubbed the trial "Rubygate" after the nickname of the Moroccan dancer at the centre of the trial, Karima El-Mahroug, also known as Ruby Rubacuori (Ruby The Heartstealer). Judges found Berlusconi guilty of paying for sex with Ms Mahroug in 2010, when she was 17. The court heard that he had slept with her on 13 occasions at a time when he was still Italy's prime minister. He was also found to have abused the powers of his office by arranging to have her released from police custody when she was detained in a petty theft case. Both she and the former prime minister denied having sex, and Ms Mahroug denied having ever been a prostitute. In January 2014, Milan judicial authorities announced that Berlusconi, two senior lawyers and Ms Mahroug would be among more than 40 people investigated on new allegations of witness tampering in the case. Berlusconi was convicted of breaching confidentiality in March 2013 and sentenced to one year in jail. He was found to have arranged for a police wiretap concerning a political rival to be leaked and published in a newspaper. Prosecutors brought the case after a transcript of a phone conversation intercepted by the authorities was published in the newspaper Il Giornale, owned by Mr Berlusconi's brother Paolo. The conversation took place between the head of insurer Unipol and Piero Fassino, who was the leader of the biggest centre-left party and Berlusconi's biggest political rival at the time. Unipol was trying to take over BNL bank in 2005. Magistrates had ordered the wiretap as they suspected inappropriate interference in the takeover. Berlusconi remains free pending an appeal, as does Paolo, 64, who was convicted of the same charge and jailed for two years and three months. In February 2014, a new trial opened against |
Referee Craig Joubert penalised Scotland for deliberate offside in the last minute at Twickenham. World Rugby regulations only permit the TMO to rule on foul play, or whether tries or kicks at goal are legitimate. But Cotter said a TMO referral "would have taken away any doubt". At the final whistle, Joubert ran for the tunnel without shaking hands with the players, which former Scotland full-back Gavin Hastings said was "the worst thing I have seen on a rugby field in a very long time". Asked about the uproar among supporters and commentators, Cotter said: "I think there's going to be a lot of emotion over this game. "Everyone will have their opinion and we appreciate their support." Peter Horne, Tommy Seymour and Mark Bennett crossed for Scotland, with Adam Ashley-Cooper, Drew Mitchell (twice), Michael Hooper and Tevita Kuridrani doing likewise for the Wallabies. Cotter praised his players for their effort in running one of the tournament favourites so close. "I feel sorry for the group of players that have come off the field," he said. "They came very close, put in a great performance, so I feel for them and, when the emotion's gone, we'll sit back and analyse it. "They threw everything at it, absolutely. It was a brave performance; they showed courage, character and, most of all, they showed belief. They were going for it. "That'll get lodged into the hard drives and hopefully that'll prepare us for the next time we have to put the jersey on." Captain Greig Laidlaw said it was "probably the toughest defeat I have ever had to take". The scrum-half, who kicked 19 points, added: "We put so much into the game for 80 minutes. I am gutted to lose and to lose in that manner as well. "If there was any doubt, to go to the TMO would have taken any doubt away. "We have to look at ourselves as well, we picked up a yellow card and overthrew that line-out as well, so it's something we could have controlled." Former Scotland full-back Gavin Hastings: "If I see referee Craig Joubert again, I am going to tell him how disgusted I am. That is the worst thing I have seen on a rugby field in a very long time. He is not prepared to face up to the players. That is not rugby and that is not the spirit of rugby. "What he has done, he's done not only himself the greatest disservice but he's done rugby a great disservice. He should be sent home tomorrow, he should be punished and he should not be allowed to make an international refereeing commitment again." Former Scotland winger Kenny Logan: "The referee has had a shocker. Referees shouldn't have a bad game when they've got a TMO. The yellow card was never a yellow card. It was never a penalty, it was a knock-on. "At the end of the game, he ran down the tunnel like a scared rabbit because he made |
The fibreglass boat carrying 110 passengers and 12 crew was reportedly overwhelmed by 3m (6ft) waves during stormy weather last Saturday. Search and rescue officials said 40 people were known to have survived. The search for the remaining bodies will continue until Saturday, the authorities said. The ship left Kolaka in south-east Sulawesi province and was bound for the port of Siwa across the Gulf of Boni. Most of the survivors were pulled from the water on Sunday having clung to fishing buoys for hours. The last survivor to be rescued was the vessel's captain, who was discovered on Monday snagged on a fishing platform, the head of the local disaster mitigation agency said. Indonesia has more than 17,000 islands linked by ferry services, but correspondents say the industry has a poor safety record. |
UKIP has two councillors in Lancashire for the first time, both in Hyndburn. Malcolm Pritchard beat his daughter, Clare Pritchard, who is suspended from the Labour Party, in the Milnshaw seat. Paul Thompson won the St Oswalds seat. The county's only BNP councillor, Brian Parker, retained his seat in Pendle. An 18-year-old also won a seat in Pendle. Lyle Davy, the Barlick FC goalkeeper, was voted in at Coates ward. He said he wanted to encourage younger people to get into politics. The new Conservative councillor described the support he received from young voters as "mind blowing". Labour retained Hyndburn, Preston, Blackburn, Rossendale, Burnley and Chorley - where the party made eight gains, seven from the Conservatives. Chorley's Labour MP Lindsay Hoyle was at Chorley Town Hall to see the declarations and said the party's gains were "remarkable". West Lancashire becomes a hung council. The Conservatives lost control after Labour seized Knowsley. Labour gained one seat in Preston and three in Blackburn. The Conservatives gained one seat in Rossendale. In Burnley, Labour increased its majority, gaining two seats from the Lib Dems. There were contrasting family affairs in two of the elections. In Hyndburn, Mr Pritchard said his relationship with his daughter was "null and void" after he defeated her and he had taken "absolute no joy" from winning. Ms Pritchard, who has been suspended by the Labour Party while a complaint over postal voting is being probed, left the building before the result was read out. He said: "She is not speaking to me." He announced after his win he won be standing as an independent councillor rather than following UKIP policies. In the Chorley elections husband and wife Gordon and Margaret France joined son Christopher France as Labour councillors at Chorley Borough Council. Christopher said his father who won the Pennine seat was buying the celebration drinks. Mrs France won the Wheelton and Withnell seat. A referendum at Fylde Borough Council showed people wanted a return to a committee system rather than cabinet system. |
Architects had put forward their ideas for the former Swindon Advertiser building in Victoria Road, Old Town. They included 148 new flats, offices and a new community space. Objectors called on Swindon Borough Council to reject the plans "to save the charm and character of Old Town from a monstrosity of a tower block". The Quad Group has since withdrawn its plans and is preparing a new submission. Campaigner Neil Robinson started the online petition because he was "absolutely mortified" by the plans. "Even though the tower block has been scrapped I still don't think this is the end of it," he said. "I still think the new plans they're going to come up with aren't going to be in keeping with the architecture of Old Town." Mike Price, from Quad Group, said the company had listened to the community's concerns. "We are sorry it caused so much bad feeling, this was never our intention and we will endeavour to get a better understanding of the needs and wants of the local community during the next stage," he added. |
The painting, on a wall of The Oxford pub in Totterdown, was one of street artist Andy Council's pieces inspired by dinosaurs. When it was painted over, regulars from the pub began a crowd-funding campaign to have it repainted. Mr Council is spending the weekend adding new designs to the pub's walls. "When I heard it had been painted over I thought it was funny because it was an accident and you do come to expect it," he said. Mr Council has also painted murals at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and has a model in the Bristol M Shed museum. |
Councillors had raised concerns about the project in Stranraer, prompting the investigation. Auditors PWC found no evidence of staff acting "beyond delegated authority" or a failure to secure best value. However, they listed a string of "key learning points" to help strengthen arrangements for future projects. The report followed an internal investigation which delivered similar findings. Local councillors had voiced concerns about changes in the specifications of the project with some claiming they had left the slipway "virtually useless". They took their concerns to the council's monitoring officer who, in turn, contacted Audit Scotland. PWC was subsequently appointed to carry out the best value review. It found no rules or policies had been broken but that there were areas where project management arrangements "could have been better". It listed a number of key learning points: The review was based on key council documents, 18 committee reports and interviews with "key individuals" involved. |
Bangor University researchers are using the futuristic animals to find out how sheep respond to weather. Two fake ewes are fitted with a battery-operated heating system, which simulates the heat produced by a live animal. The team said the research was throwing up surprising results. Complete with thick fleeces, ear tags and woolly tails, the e-sheep are moved around fields as part of a study to see how to improve welfare and productivity of flocks. By measuring the difference between their internal and external temperature, researchers can work out how much energy the sheep lose by dealing with the weather. They are being used to simulate how real flocks respond to weather conditions and the effectiveness of trees and "shelter belts" of rows of trees or shrubs in protecting them. PhD student Pip Jones said looking at weather on a "sheep scale" was providing some unexpected findings. She said: "Sheep use a substantial amount of energy just staying warm, and lose a lot of heat when it's cool, especially when there's a wind chill. "On a hot day, when the weather was around 30C (86F) at the study site, we put a model sheep in the direct sun, and the fleece recorded a temperature of 60C (140F) which is incredibly hot. "This is where the shelter of trees could really contribute, creating shade in the summer and reducing the effects of wind chill in winter." Dr Andy Smith, senior lecturer in forestry at Bangor University, said: "If it's very cold a sheep burns more energy to keep warm for survival and it needs more food. "Conversely, if it's too hot, animals tend to eat less and seek shade to keep cool. Both situations affect weight gain and productivity because energy that could go into growth is used to regulate metabolism instead." |
Ronald MacNeil, 55, captain of the vessel "Rob Roy", denied being culpable for the errors which allegedly led to the death of the diver, Graeme Mackie. Mr Mackie, 31, from Tranent, East Lothian, died during a scallop-fishing expedition on 13 June 2011. Mr MacNeil, from Leven, pleaded not guilty to all the charges. He appeared at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court to face an indictment alleging he failed to provide proper training, supervision and adequate safety equipment in the run-up to the incident which happened near Methil docks. It alleges that as "the master of the Rob Roy" and the person in charge of the fishing trip, he failed to ensure Mr Mackie, a father-of-one, was "suitably trained and competent" to dive on the trip. It is claimed he did not ensure a standby diver was in place to give any necessary help to Mr Mackie while he was working. The charges add that there was no equipment for monitoring Mr Mackie while he was diving. Prosecutors said the skipper failed "to provide equipment which could have assisted in the recovery of Mr Mackie from the water onto the vessel, while he was working, in the event of an emergency and in consequence, Graeme Mackie, whilst working as a diver on the project entered the water, resurfaced in distress and thereafter failed to resurface whereby he drowned". Mr MacNeil is also accused of failing "to ensure the project was planned, managed and conducted in a manner which protected the health and safety of all persons taking part in it, and particularly Graeme Mackie, now deceased, who was employed by you as a diver in relation to the project". The charges claim the boat boss failed to assess the risk the diver was exposed to and did not ensure there were "sufficient people with suitable competence". The skipper is also alleged to have put another diver, Alexander Grafton, at risk by failing to provide him with suitable means of communicating while underwater with people on the boat. The charge said Mr Grafton, while underwater, should also have been provided with a lifeline to a surface marker buoy. Sheriff Alistair Thornton set a trial date for June at Dunfermline Sheriff Court. |
Visitors on the cruise ships that dock here are greeted by scarlet-red pillar-boxes, and even a roof bearing the red, white and blue union flag. Tourists are a vital part of the economy, as they come ashore to places like Bluff Cove lagoon to watch the Gentoo and King penguins, and enjoy a proper Falklands cream tea. But Argentina has threatened cruise companies that dock here, as well as banning Falklands-registered ships from her ports, all measures which have affected businesses such as that of Kevin Kilmartin, who runs the penguin tours at Bluff Cove. "Several cruise lines have refused to come here, as they don't want their passengers detained and harassed when they get to Argentinean ports, as has happened, and all the other nonsense that's going on. The Argentines are positively harming us and are continuing to do so," he says. "They invaded us 30 years ago, and before that they were quite difficult, and we're too far away from the UK for the British to really know what it's like to have this daily nonsense flowing from Argentina towards us." Many visitors, amongst them British veterans and their families, also come to pay their respects at the graves of some of the 255 British servicemen who gave their lives in 1982, defending the islanders' right to stay British. There is a sense of worry and irritation, more than 30 years after the end of the war with Argentina, that the government of Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner in Buenos Aires is still laying claim to the Falklands. The islanders are keen to send out a clear signal to Argentina and the rest of the world with their referendum this weekend, not least after Argentina's foreign minister recently declared that their voices didn't count, as the islanders were "British implants". "We need to let Argentina know that none of us want to be Argentine, and we want to stay British," insists Charlene Rowland, as she guides a visitor around the immaculately-tended Blue Beach British military cemetery in San Carlos. "There were too many lives lost here. We still appreciate what the British government did at that time and all the military that came down here to help us. It's a bit worrying that the UK are cutting the armed forces right down, but hopefully we'll be fine if it ever kicks off again. "Which I hope it won't, as there's no money on the other side to do it." The referendum this Sunday and Monday asks the 1,672 eligible voters to say yes or no to the question of whether they want to remain a British Overseas Territory. Despite the small numbers due to vote, several nations have sent official referendum observers, while more than 60 journalists from countries as far away as Japan and Sweden are arriving to report on the referendum. Inside the museum and shop at Bluff Cove, it is said that just a few days ago, one cruise ship faced demonstrations when it arrived in |
Featherweight Selby, 30, will defend his IBF belt against Jonathan Victor Barros in Wembley on Saturday. His mother, Frankie, died suddenly on Tuesday evening. "I'm OK, I'm good. I'm here to do a job, and a job is what I'll do. [I'll] stay focused, stay professional," Selby told BBC Wales Sport. "Saturday night I'm going to get a win and travel back home to Barry. "Family comes first. In my life, that's what comes first. Family and boxing - that's all I am." Selby had been scheduled to face Barros last January in Las Vegas. But the fight was called off with 24 hours' notice after the 33-year-old Argentine failed to meet the Nevada Athletic Commission's licensing conditions. Selby and Barros will now meet on the same card as Chris Eubank Jr against Arthur Abraham. "Lee and the team have made the decision that they will proceed with the contest on Saturday," said Selby's manager, Jamie Sanigar. "Lee is a brave young man and he's here to do a job on Saturday." |
Slogans and insults were scrawled on photographs of the politician and a street sign saying "Nemtsov Bridge" was defaced. An obscure nationalist group, which is sympathetic to pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine, said it was responsible. Mr Nemtsov was shot on 27 February while walking with his girlfriend on the bridge, near the Kremlin. Russian President Vladimir Putin has condemned the murder and vowed to find the killers. Pictures emerged on social media, apparently taken by the vandals themselves, showing people desecrating tributes marking the spot where Mr Nemtsov was attacked. A pro-Kremlin organisation called South-East Ukrainian Civil Movement (SERB) later claimed responsibility, saying its actions were a response to calls to rename Moscow's Bolshoy Moskvoretskiy bridge in Mr Nemtsov's honour, according to Russian news website Lenta.ru. Allies of Mr Nemtsov, a former deputy prime minister and veteran liberal politician, condemned the damage. "Some cowardly scumbags have trashed Nemtsov's memorial," Ilya Yashin, co-founder of his political party, wrote on Twitter. Mr Nemtsov's supporters have said the killing was linked to his criticism of the Kremlin. He was killed days before a march he had been organising against the conflict in Ukraine. Mr Yashin told the BBC earlier this month that a report Mr Nemtsov had been compiling on Russia's role in the crisis would be released in April. Officials have not revealed a motive for the murder. Several men from the Caucasus region have been arrested for the murder, prompting suggestions of an Islamist link to the attack. One of those charged has said he was forced into a confession. Ukraine's military has been battling pro-Russian separatist rebels in the country's east since April 2014. The Ukrainian government, Western leaders and Nato say there is clear evidence that Russia is helping the rebels with heavy weapons and soldiers. Independent experts echo that accusation. Moscow denies it, insisting that any Russians serving with the rebels are "volunteers". |
Sir Peter, 66, who has been an MP for 35 years and was a junior minister in Margaret Thatcher's government, was honoured for public service. He is the first MP to receive a knighthood since fellow-Tory Sir Peter Viggers in 2008. Since the expenses scandal the next year, MPs have been conspicuously absent from the honours list. Sir Peter is joined on the honours list by Labour's Anne Begg, 55, who is made a dame for services to disabled people and equal opportunities. The Aberdeen South MP, who was born with Gaucher's disease, a rare genetic condition which causes regular bone breakages, has chaired the All Party Group on Equalities and the All Party Group on Chronic Pain. Sir Peter, MP for Worthing West since 1997, previously represented Woolwich West - later renamed Eltham - since a by-election in 1975. He was a parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Department for Employment, the Department of Transport and the Northern Ireland Office between 1984 and 1990 - but has spent most of his Parliamentary career as a backbencher. His wife, former health secretary Virginia Bottomley, was made a life peer in 2005. Sir Peter said he was surprised and "delighted" to be knighted at a time when political honours were out of fashion. He told BBC News it was probably, in part, in recognition of his campaigns on human rights - in the late 1970s he attempted to prevent the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero in El Salvador - and his achievements in helping to cut road deaths as a transport minister in the 1980s. But he also spoke up for the role of backbench MPs and the importance of public service. "My idea of what public and political service is, is to try to make possible the things which are right, and you normally do that in association with other people, some in Parliament, some outside of Parliament," he told the BBC News Channel. Various civil servants also received honours, including the retiring permanent secretary at the Home Office, David Normington. Sir David, who has been in the civil service for 37 years, was also permanent secretary at the Department for Education and Skills. He was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath. Tom Fletcher, Gordon Brown's former foreign policy adviser, was also appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George. |
Shortly after trading began, the benchmark FTSE 100 index was down 5.87 points at 7,265.50. Shares in Royal Bank of Scotland fell 2.2% after the bank reported yet another hefty annual loss. The £7bn loss for 2016 was far worse the £2bn deficit posted in the previous year. It was the ninth year in a row RBS has failed to make a profit. Pearson shares were down 1.7% after the education services group reported a full-year loss of £2.6bn. The company has been hit by a downturn in sales of text books in the US. There was better news for airline group IAG - which owns British Airways and Iberia. Shares in the company rose 2.5% after it reported pre-tax profits of 2.4bn euros, despite being hit by the weaker pound. In the FTSE 250, shares in property website Rightmove fell 4%, despite it reporting an 18% rise in operating profit to £161.6m. Rightmove also announced that Peter Brooks-Johnson, currently the company's chief operating officer, would take over as chief executive when Nick McKittrick retires in May. On the currency markets, the pound slipped 0.1% against the US dollar to $1.2542 and also fell 0.1% against the euro to 1.1852 euros. |
FreedomPop will offer Sim cards that offer 200MB of data, 200 texts and 200 minutes of voice calls per month using the cellular network at no cost. The company already offers a similar free mobile data plan in the US to more than half a million users. The firm, which is backed by Skype founder Niklas Zennstom, says it will make money by selling extra services. The company told the BBC it plans to make money from selling users additional data beyond the amount offered free of charge and additional services for which it will also charge. These include the ability to roll over unused data to the next month, anonymous browsing to protect online privacy, and the ability to add a second phone number from more than 60 countries so that friends and family outside the UK can call at local rates. For example a UK subscriber could operate a US-based number from the Sim card in addition to their normal UK number for a £2 per month charge. "We see ourselves as the no-frills mobile carrier. We want users to feel liberated, getting the basic services for free," FreedomPop co-founder Steven Sesar told the BBC. "We'll start with around a dozen add-on services that customers can choose to pay for and extend that to 20 or so within a year." The company already has around one million subscribers in the US, with 51% on just its free package, with 49% paying for additional data and services. The US free deal is more generous than the one proposed for the UK, offering 500MB data, 500 voice minutes, and 500 texts at no cost. Explaining the difference Mr Sesar said: "We found users in the US typically use more data and the alternative plans start at around 500MB." "In the UK there is a lot of interest in the lower-use end of the market which is where we plan to wipe out the guys offering £5-£10 data plans." Commenting on the plans mobile expert at uSwitch.com Rob Kerr told the BBC: "A free Sim with a free allowance of minutes, texts and data might sound too good to be true, but it could just be enough to appease the truly entry-level customers. "The more data-hungry users should be careful about out-of-bundle charges and make sure they do their research before they go over their allowance. "Extra data charges will have to be very competitive with the likes of iD Mobile offering unlimited data at £20 a month. "Where FreedomPop could be useful is for that emergency phone in the car, where users are unlikely to eat into the limited calls, texts and data." FreedomPop said it will offer its Sim cards over the internet and wants to hear from people in the UK who would be interested in helping test the service before its official launch. |
They approached the eight-month pregnant woman after she parked her VW Golf in a car park in Birmingham. Police said they were "lying in wait". The victim tried to run away but was dragged to the floor. The men stole her keys and smashed her phone. She went to hospital and police say she and her unborn child are "doing well". Sgt Philip Poole, from West Midlands Police, said the woman was treated for minor injuries after the incident near Yew Tree car park, opposite Frogmoor Lane, on 11 December. More updates on this and other stories in Birmingham and the Black Country "Nevertheless, it was a shocking attack against a heavily pregnant woman and the outcome could have been far worse," he said. "We need to identify the offenders before they are able to attack again." CCTV images of the offenders, described as Asian, have been released by police. Her vehicle, which has an on-board tracker, has since been recovered and is being forensically examined. "We've secured CCTV and recovered the car, but we're still appealing to anyone who was in the area at the time and saw anything suspicious, or has any other information which they believe will assist the investigation to come forward," Mr Poole added. |
Both spent most of the summer on England duty, Bell playing in just four of the Bears' 16 Championship games, while Trott made just two appearances. The emerging Chris Woakes, now the one current Bears player generally guaranteed an England place, played in half their matches. That leaves 10 players who played in the vast majority of the Bears' 16 games, seven of whom are still at the club. Add in the renewed availability of Trott and Bell - and it is little wonder why Bears boss Ashley Giles had such a feeling of familiarity when he chose to return to Edgbaston from Lancashire this winter. When he left at the end of that 2012 season to take up a new role as England's one-day coach, Giles left behind a team led by Jim Troughton. Now he still has the retired Troughton as his right-hand man, as first-team coach, working with skipper Bell, now in his second season as Bears captain and looking more and more like an afterthought for an England call. "We know each other well and trust each other and all have the best interests of Warwickshire at heart," Giles told BBC Sport, ahead of Friday's County Championship opener against his native Surrey at The Oval. "They don't get much more right, do they? "To be home, in a familiar place with familiar faces around me, I feel happy and that makes a massive difference to the way I do my job. "I had a great relationship with Trouts as coach and captain. Now it's as coach and sports director. We can have some honest and open conversations and at times we won't agree. But I'm under no illusions that the hard work starts here. "There's never a problem during the winter. Everyone loves each other and gets on a house like on fire. But, once you start playing competitive cricket, the pressure really ramps up." Giles' main task, as he knows, will be judged on how results go. After all, last summer's One-Day Cup victory at Lord's was still not enough to keep previous boss Dougie Brown in a job, thanks to the Bears' poor form in the Championship and T20. And Giles is non-committal on the Bears' chances in all three formats, other than to say "any club of our size would hope to be up there". He is reluctant to make comparison with what he inherited when Mark Greatbatch left as coach in 2007. But he does admit that the club is stronger than the one he returned to as director of cricket, just a month after being forced to retire from playing. "I took over a team who were bottom of everything, who'd been relegated twice (in the Championship and the one-day league), who then became the best team in the country," said Giles, who is also quick to point out how much of his job is planning for the future. "We currently have this big stock of senior players and a fair |
Unlike previous years, when the economy took centre stage, geopolitical concerns will be the hot topic at the World Economic Forum (WEF). Participants from more than 140 countries are expected to attend. Almost 900 experts identified protracted global disputes as the "major threats affecting mankind". Conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East were singled out as being of particular concern. Environmental threats, including water shortages and the spread of infectious diseases, have also been highlighted in the WEF's annual Global Risks report. In its presentation to the press, the WEF stressed that more than "25 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall," interstate conflicts, and "relics of the Cold War" were now the most likely risks to global stability. Espen Barth Eide, a former Norwegian defence minister who worked on the report, said the conflicts that posed the biggest risks were not constrained to "direct shooting". Mr Eide said "major power plays", such as the situation between Russia and Ukraine, were of concern, as were strained relations between Asia's two biggest economies - Japan and China. He referred to 2014 as the "annus horribilis" of global politics, and warned that for the first time in many years, politics was encroaching on economics and global trade. Sanctions, such as those imposed on Iran and Russia by Western states, were impinging on business, he added, as was a resurgence of protectionism. Other risks identified in the report include extreme weather events, the failure of national governance, and rising unemployment. The threat of cyber attacks, as highlighted by the recent hack of Sony Pictures, and the "increased vulnerability of classified information" were also given prominence by the WEF trend-setters. "Our appeal [to policy makers] is to invest more into co-operation and diplomacy," Mr Eide told reporters. |
"Kids are becoming addicted to drugs because the drugs are being sold for less money than candy," he claimed, blaming Mexico as the drugs source. "I won New Hampshire because New Hampshire is a drug-infested den," said Mr Trump, the leaked transcript shows. New Hampshire Senator Maggie Hassan called the comments "disgusting". "Instead of insulting people in the throes of addiction, @POTUS needs to work across party lines to actually stem the tide of this crisis," she wrote in a series of tweets. Like many American states, New Hampshire is suffering from an acute problem with drugs, especially opioids. In the past 24 hours, two men were arrested for drugs offences in two different public parks in Manchester, the state's largest city. One man was injecting in plain view of officers, and the other had just suffered his second overdose in four hours, the New Hampshire Union Leader reports. Jeanne Shaheen, the other US senator from New Hampshire, called for Mr Trump to apologise to state residents. End of Twitter post by @SenatorShaheen End of Twitter post 2 by @SenatorShaheen Mr Trump actually lost New Hampshire to Hillary Clinton during the presidential general election. However, he did beat more than half a dozen other Republicans to win the state's first-in-the-nation primary vote. Mr Trump's comments were also attacked online by the New Hampshire Democratic Party. End of Twitter post by @NHDems The party's Twitter account also began retweeting scenic landscape images of the mountainous New England state. Republican Governor Chris Sununu was also quick to respond, issuing a statement saying "Mr Trump is wrong." "It's disappointing his mischaracterisation of this epidemic ignores the great things this state has to offer." Donald Trump is president in large part because of the voters of New Hampshire. Although he lost the state in the general election, his Republican primary victory there last February cemented his frontrunner status, crushed opponent Marco Rubio's momentum and mortally wounded the candidacy of Jeb Bush. It opened a pathway to the White House that had seemed absurd up until then. Mr Trump succeeded by appealing to working-class, non-educated white voters in the state - the kind of people who have been hit hard by spread of opioid drugs. The president acknowledged this in his conversation with the Mexican president, but some New Hampshire residents may find his language dismissive in the extreme. Then again, Trump voters flocked to their candidate because he was blunt; because he didn't say the sort of things politicians usually do. Time and time again, his supporters heralded his verbal stumbles and gaffes not as a flaw but as a sign of honesty. No politician in his right mind would refer to a US state as a "drug-infested den". But at this point it goes without saying that Mr Trump is no ordinary politician. End of Twitter post by @NHKathySullivan Earlier this week a White House commission urged Mr Trump to declare the epidemic a "national emergency". Since 1999, the number of deaths involving |
The fire service said it was proposing to cut four full-time posts from the current 27 positions. Area manager Owen Hayward said it was hoped the cuts would not be compulsory and a consultation was under way. The fire service said improved control room technology meant there was a reduction in control room staff work. The measures should provide savings of £400,000 per year, it is claimed. Mr Hayward said that under the proposals, three staff would be on duty at all times, rather than between three and five at present. |
League-leading scorer Ricky Miller had a goal-bound effort saved by Solihull goalkeeper Nathan Baxter, while Dover defender Aswad Thomas also went close, with a strike cleared off the line by Liam Daly. Matters scarcely improved after the interval, as Solihull worked hard to prevent Dover from finding space and breaking through their back line. Ross Lafayette nearly won it for the home side late on, but Baxter tipped the effort over the bar. Match report supplied by the Press Association. Match ends, Dover Athletic 0, Solihull Moors 0. Second Half ends, Dover Athletic 0, Solihull Moors 0. Substitution, Dover Athletic. Tyrone Sterling replaces Richard Orlu. Ricky Miller (Dover Athletic) is shown the yellow card. Substitution, Solihull Moors. Nortei Nortey replaces Liam Daly. Substitution, Dover Athletic. Connor Essam replaces Bondz N'Gala. Substitution, Solihull Moors. Daniel Udoh replaces Oladapo Afolayan. Bondz N'Gala (Dover Athletic) is shown the yellow card. Substitution, Solihull Moors. Regan Charles-Cook replaces Omari Sterling-James. Second Half begins Dover Athletic 0, Solihull Moors 0. First Half ends, Dover Athletic 0, Solihull Moors 0. Ricky Modeste (Dover Athletic) is shown the yellow card. First Half begins. Lineups are announced and players are warming up. |
Gloucester-born Wayne Russell, 34, has run the equivalent of about 200 marathons since he began the charity challenge on 6 September last year. He finished the journey in Greenwich at about 15:45 BST. The run has raised about £28,600 for the Superhero Foundation, which helps families in need of medical treatments. On completing the challenge, Mr Russell was greeted by a large crowd of friends, family and well-wishers. He said: "I'm absolutely overwhelmed, to be honest. "Having spent the best part of the last year alone, running into such an incredible reception was mind-blowing." Mr Russell said the trip was inspired by the death of his sister, who died aged 35, and who "dedicated her life to charity". "I want to thank every single person that donated, shared and supported me and my run," he added. "We've raised more than £25,000 for an incredible cause, and I just can't imagine a more perfect end. "I just hope I've made my family proud. I wish my sister could have seen this." |
The departures of Opeti Fonua to Newcastle and Jordan Crane to Bristol has weakened Tigers in the back row, but Lachlan McCaffrey and Ed Slater have both played as a number eight. McAffrey started the first Premiership match of the season against Gloucester. "We have got good coverage," Cockerill told BBC Radio Leicester. "We have guys doing a very good job there but they are probably a hybrid of all three [back-row] positions. "But we are looking for someone to potentially come into that starting slot. "When we find the right person we will try to make that signing. If we don't find the right fit, then the lads that are there now are doing a great job and will get better the more they play. "There is no point rushing in and getting the wrong person. The quality of the person and the dynamic of the fit with the profile of the player we want is the key part." |
Here's what we know now: What it is: The single market aims to make it easy for EU nations to trade with one another. It allows free movement of goods, workers, services and capital around the EU, without any tariffs, pretty much as if it was all one country. While it remains in the EU, the UK is a full member of the single market, and much of the Brexit debate has been about what will happen when it leaves. Some non-EU countries - such as Norway - have arrangements with the EU that allow them to be part of the single market if they meet certain conditions. UK government position: Having previously not publicly committed either way, Theresa May confirmed the UK cannot remain a member of the single market after it leaves the EU. She said this was because, as European leaders have stressed, the UK would have to accept EU rules and regulations and be bound by the European Court of Justice. Instead, she said, the UK will push for a new "comprehensive free trade agreement", giving it "the greatest possible access" to the single market. The deal might contain "elements" of the current arrangements, she said, singling out the the motor trade and financial services as examples. What it is: A customs union is an arrangement between countries who agree not to impose tariffs on each other's goods. They also agree to impose common external tariffs on goods from countries outside their customs union. Setting common external tariffs is what distinguishes a customs union from a free trade area, where members are able to set their own tariffs on goods from the rest of the world. As an EU member, the UK is currently part of its customs union. What we know: The PM specified that the UK will leave the EU customs union, saying elements of it (the Common Commercial Policy and the Common External Tariff) prevented the UK from striking trade deals around the world. At the same time, she said she wanted the UK "to have a customs union agreement with the EU". She added: "Whether that means we must reach a completely new customs agreement, become an associate member of the customs union in some way, or remain a signatory to some elements of it, I hold no preconceived position." The 28 member states are in the EU customs union, but the EU also has separate customs union agreements - which vary in scope, for example in relation to the type of goods covered, with a number of other countries. The government has made clear that there will be restrictions to EU migration as a result of the referendum. This was reiterated by Mrs May in her speech, saying: "The message from the public before and during the referendum campaign was clear: Brexit must mean control of the number of people who come to Britain from Europe. And that is what we will deliver." But the precise model to be used has |
11 December 2015 Last updated at 17:07 GMT This is what might happen to kids living on the island of Kiribati, in the Pacific Ocean. Kiribati is a nation of about 105,000 people that sits, surrounded by water, halfway between Hawaii and Australia. The land there it just six metres above sea level and scientists think that it could be among the first places in the world to be affected by rising sea levels, as the planet heats up and melts ice in places like Antarctica. It's one of the things world leaders are hoping to tackle at the Climate Change Conference in Paris at the moment. Watch the video to learn more |
The Light Blues men's crew, who include four Americans and an Austrian, are 11.8kg (26lb) heavier than their rivals at 706kg (1,556lb). Cambridge will attempt to end a three-year winless streak in the race, which will be broadcast live on the BBC. Their women's crew weighed in heaviest for the fourth year in a row as they try to avenge last year's defeat. Media playback is not supported on this device |
They were killed during raids on hideouts in a village near al-Arish town in the north of the region, AP news agency reports. An offensive against Islamist militants in Sinai was launched last week after 16 border guards were killed. It was the most brazen attack against Egyptian troops in the Sinai region for years. Sunday's killings in al-Ghora village, some 30km (19 miles) south of al-Arish, are the first reported casualties among the suspected militants since the military operation began. A security source told the AFP news agency the suspected militants were armed with rocket launchers, grenades and automatic weapons. State television, which gave no details of the fighting, said three soldiers had also been killed. Analysts say that the security situation in the Sinai has deteriorated following the fall of Egypt's long-time President Hosni Mubarak last year, which Islamist extremists appear to have exploited. The area in Sinai where the borders of Egypt, Israel and Gaza meet has also become a hotbed of smuggling - through tunnels into Gaza. On Friday, Bedouin leaders in the Sinai agreed to help the army in its offensive and they also backed plans to destroy the smuggling tunnels into Gaza. |
Tough new US regulations on the importation of lion trophies will come into force on 22 January. Separately, the global body that governs trade in species also expects moves to enhance the status of lions in 2016. The number of lions in Africa has declined by half since the 1990s. Global attention was focused on the plight of the African lion after Minnesota dentist Walter Palmer killed Cecil, who had been lured from Zimbabwe's Hwange national park, last July. In December, the US Fish and Wildlife Service announced that lions from central and western Africa would be classified as endangered while those from southern and eastern Africa would be seen as threatened. The move will make it significantly more difficult to import lion heads, paws or skins from all parts of the continent. Campaigners welcomed the move and believe it could see the end of "canned" hunting, the practice of rearing lions in captivity who are then shot by hunters who pay huge sums for the privilege. In South Africa the number of lions at breeding facilities almost doubled between 2005 and 2013, spurred by the increasing demand for trophy hunting. The US imported trophy parts from 741 lions in 2014, of which 373 were killed in canned hunts. Some 90% of the hunters using these facilities were from the US and the new restrictions could have a big impact on this industry. "We certainly view this as a progressive step," said Mark Jones from the Born Free Foundation which has campaigned for the change in the US. "One of the factors we're concerned about is poorly managed trophy hunting operations and the listing will impose requirements on US citizens who wish to import lion trophies from Africa." "We are encouraging EU countries to look closely at this issue and restrict or ban the imports of trophies accordingly." African lions are now listed under Appendix II of the Convention on the Trade in Endangered Species (Cites), meaning that trade in the creatures is regulated by permit. Many voices are now pushing for an upgrade to Appendix I, which would see all trade banned. In an interview with the BBC, the head of Cites, John Scanlon, said he expected such a move at the Convention's key meeting in South Africa in September. "It is up to one of our 181 parties but I would expect that something could well come forward on African lions, and certainly our animals committee have been working on the issue and it is in serious decline in some regions, decline in others and increasing in some others," he told BBC News. Upgrading lions to Appendix I is likely to have a significant impact on the trade in lion bones. Exports of these bones from South Africa have boomed in recent years. Between 2008 and 2011, a study found that 1,160 lion skeletons were legally exported, with 91% of the bones going to Laos. "The legally declared export of lion bones has more or less tripled over |
Priestland, 29, has been the understudy to England's George Ford at Bath since his move from Scarlets last summer. "It's obviously an issue with Priest not being able to play a great deal of rugby," kicking coach Jenkins said. Meanwhile, Jenkins expects Ireland to "do their utmost" to get fly-half Jonathan Sexton fit to face Wales in their opener in Dublin on 7 February. Worries about 30-year-old Sexton's head injury after he came off in Leinster's Champions Cup defeat by Wasps on Saturday have eased. Bath coach Mike Ford had announced that Priestland would be taking an 18-month sabbatical from Test rugby, but the player changed his mind as Wales' squad announcement approached and he is again challenging Ospreys' Dan Biggar for the stand-off role. "He's a fantastic rugby player, we like the way he plays for us but his lack of game-time is a worry," said Jenkins. Bath are at Saracens in the Aviva Premiership on Saturday and Jenkins added: "He might be one that needs game-time this weekend, but whether he gets the opportunity, who knows?" "I've been up to see him a few times and he'd love to play a lot more than he is." Wales head coach Warren Gatland will decide by midweek which Welsh-based players will be released back to their regions for Pro12 matches this weekend. Captain Sam Warburton wants more action after making his comeback from an ankle injury for Cardiff Blues last Friday, while full-back Liam Williams has not played since the World Cup because of a foot injury. Three-quarter Tyler Morgan, who was also injured during the World Cup, is close to a return. |
A leather-bound book written in 1861, found in the archives of London's Wellcome Library, describes a portable gymnasium for the discerning Victorian. The manual shows women in full, puffy petticoats and tight-fitting bodices attempting activities such as leg extensions, downward traction, jumping exercises and chest expansions. And the men are resplendent in long coats, shirts and accompanying neckties, looking remarkably dapper as they work up a sweat. This comprehensive series of exercises was recommended by Gustav Ernst, an orthopaedic machinist based in London, who invented the portable home gym. The apparatus, consisting of wooden boards of the finest mahogany with various pulleys, weights and cords attached, was designed for families wishing to reap the benefits of exercise and people with spinal problems. Ernst offered encouragement to those reluctant to step up to the daily regime, suggesting that although the activities may have been "devoid of all interest and reduced to a mere display of physical power", there were substantial gains to be made. Of course this contraption would have only been available to those rich enough to have the luxury of spare time, according to Dr Vanessa Heggie, a health historian at Birmingham University. The masses were more likely to partake in involuntarily vigorous activity - through hard manual labour. But some of the exercises seem quite like gym techniques now. "I'm surprised quite how similar this contraption is to a modern-day cable machine," said Julia Attias, a personal trainer and exercise physiologist. "There are some exercises in this book I still use today - though, of course, with a few safety modifications." Ernst recommended short bursts of training, suggesting: "Far more benefit is to be derived from a quarter of an hour's practice repeated four times a day than from one hour's continuous use." The most powerful exercise mentioned in the book is described as combined traction and extension. And the accompanying illustration shows a skirted woman straining her arms on something akin to the modern-day cross-trainer. The author suggested this worked all the muscles of the human frame. But he did voice some rare health-and-safety concerns, saying: "Generally invigorating as this exercise is, it is correspondingly fatiguing and should not therefore be recklessly persevered, especially by pupils possessing but a small amount of physical strength." And though gym equipment may be shinier and safer today, the idea of maintaining physical fitness spans thousands of years. According to research by Prof Domhall MacAuley of the University of Ulster, Hua T'o, a legend of ancient Chinese surgery, encouraged exercises modelled on the movements of animals, dating as far back as 2500 BC. And the ancient Olympics, thought to have started around 776 BC, are considered by many to mark the birth of professional athletics. But it is often a German, Friedrich Ludwig Jahn, who is credited as the father of gymnastics and gym equipment, designing parallel bars and the balance beam in the early 19th Century. Long before Jane Fonda, Mr Motivator and Shaun T, there seems to be a |
The 20-time Champion Jockey visited the club's training ground on Tuesday, as Saracens prepare for the Champions Cup final and the Premiership play-offs. "To get him in was a real coup for us," director of rugby Mark McCall said. "For our group to listen to a 20-time Champion Jockey was incredible. He spoke to the squad for an hour, and he was unbelievably engaging." Saracens regularly invite guests speakers to address the players, but McCall says McCoy has long been someone the club's management have admired. "AP McCoy was somebody we had talked about in meetings three years ago when he won his 17th title," McCall added to BBC Radio 5 live. "To see the sacrifices he had gone through to achieve what he has achieved, and how driven he was to achieve that, was enlightening for everybody." |
In a repeat of the World Championship final, the Englishman, 33, will face China's Ding Junhui on Sunday. Bingham won four frames in a row to overturn Selby's initial 3-1 advantage, but Selby levelled at 5-5 before going on to win. Meanwhile, home favourite Ding, 29, overcame Scot Stephen Maguire 6-3. Selby beat Ding 18-14 in May's World Championship final at the Crucible, as he followed up his 2014 success by winning the tournament for a second time. Follow all results from the Shanghai Masters here. |
Victoria Quinn, who chairs the city's transport scrutiny committee, wants to repeat an experiment that was run in July 2013 when members of the Road Haulage Association were able to access the route free of charge. Ms Quinn said reviving the trial was a "no-brainer". The company that operates the road did not respond to a request for a comment. The councillor said the move would help alleviate congestion on the M6 near Birmingham while roadworks take place near Spaghetti Junction. "If we were to run that for the next four months while these extensive roadworks are under way, it would be a smart way of using both of our motorways successfully," Ms Quinn said. The councillor said the 2013 experiment had made a "really sound business case". "The [road] was losing traffic volume numbers year after year," she said. "After the one-month experiment, those traffic volumes went up and they never reduced to the same level. "It's a no-brainer really. Anyone who wants to come to Birmingham gets clogged up on the M6. "When you have a road that can get traffic through in 20 minutes compared to sitting there for two-and-a-half hours in roadworks, you are going to use it." The M6 Toll - a 27-mile route between Cannock and Coleshill - opened in 2003 and cost £900m to build. The road is owned by Midland Expressway Limited, which charges cars £5.50 and lorries £11 to use it. |
Dutch pension fund manager PGGM led the class action lawsuit, which claimed HP had misled shareholders with the acquisition. HP said it believed the claim had "no merit" but that it was "desirable and beneficial" to settle the case. "Further litigation would be burdensome and protracted," it said. HP paid $11.1bn (£6.8bn) for Autonomy but a year later said it was worth $8.8bn less - sending its shares plunging. HP's $100m payout will be used to compensate shareholders which bought shares between 19 August 2011 and 20 November 2012, and saw their value fall after the writedown. Other lawsuits relating to the Autonomy acquisition are still continuing. Separately HP is pursuing a $5.1bn (£3.6bn) lawsuit against Autonomy, accusing its founder Mike Lynch and ex-chief financial officer Sushovan Hussain of artificially inflating the company's revenue before HP bought the firm. Both executives have denied the claims. |
A total off 110 people were sentenced to a restriction of liberty order in 2014-15, compared to 44 in 2010-11. The Scottish government said the increase could reflect a greater emphasis on tackling the problem from police and prosecutors. The Conservatives said it should not be an alternative to jail for abusers. The party's justice spokesman Douglas Ross, who requested the data from the Scottish Parliament, said: "Domestic abuse is a horrendous crime and the punishment handed down by the courts must protect both victims and the public." He added: "Electronic tagging is certainly a useful tool in the box in this regard, but we need to avoid a situation where it is being used as a means to reduce the prison population when even a short custodial sentence might be more appropriate. "The Scottish government also needs an integrated approach to domestic abuse offenders which focuses on public protection on the one hand, and rehabilitation on the other." The Scottish government said an extra £20m was being invested over three years in addition to £11.8m annual funding to tackle violence against women, including domestic abuse. A spokesman said: "This has already boosted resources to courts and crown to reduce court waiting times for domestic abuse cases while we have also extended measures to support vulnerable witnesses, such as giving evidence via video link, with automatic access to such support for alleged victims of domestic abuse. "Evidence indicates that community sentences, including electronic monitoring, are more effective at reducing reoffending than short prison sentences, part of the reason why Scotland currently has the lowest reconviction rate in 16 years. "Clearly, we are listening to the views of family members affected by people who are tagged as we consider how to take forward electronic monitoring in Scotland." |
Almost half the children in Bethnal Green and Bow, east London, are classed as poor, while in Aberdeenshire West and Kincardine, in eastern Scotland, it is just over one in 20. Using newly available data from the Department for Work and Pensions, Danny Dorling, professor of Geography at the University of Oxford and Simon Szreter, professor of History and Public Policy at the University of Cambridge, have mapped child poverty by constituency across the UK. They wanted to highlight the huge variation across the country - and to demonstrate to MPs that their own constituency cannot be entirely representative. In future, they hope to encourage MPs from very different constituencies to swap places for a week to broaden their experience. For a list of the top 50 pairings, see below. Prof Szreter said he had often observed MPs reaching for an example from their constituency to illustrate a particular point or argument. This is a natural effect of the constituency system, where an MP will develop a close link with their community, through the work they do for constituents. However, he said: "The problem is we are very impressed in Britain with concrete real-life examples but we rarely think critically about how representative our slice of experience really is and - more to the point - how systematically biased it may well be. "Our constituency system of representation is not found in many other democracies. It has great strengths of course - the personal accountability to a particular community. "I think there is a general problem though of the sort we have identified, with wealth and poverty becoming so geographically diversified in our country." Their work reveals how in some parts of the country, affluence and poverty sit side by side. Wyre and Preston North, for instance, has one of the very lowest rates of child poverty in the UK: 6.72% or just over one in 15 children. Yet in the adjoining constituency of Blackpool South, the rate is nearly one in three - 32.37%. I visited schools in both constituencies to see what young people thought was important - and to discover what they thought about politics. South Shore Academy is close to Blackpool's famous pleasure beach. This was once a thriving tourist district but it's now run down - shops closing, hotels for sale. There is a high level of youth crime: there are problems with drugs, and homelessness. The constituency has voted Labour for the past 18 years. In the past, the school has struggled. Formerly known as Palatine Community Sports College, it was was graded inadequate by Ofsted in 2013. A year later, it employed former soldiers to improve behaviour. It is now run by the charity Bright Futures. In a large, spartan meeting room I asked a group of 15 and 16-year-olds, school parliament members, what local issues a candidate should care about. Vincent, the head boy, immediately volunteered there was a "huge" problem with drugs in Blackpool. "I think the best way to combat |
In July, UK Energy Secretary Greg Clark approved SP Manweb's proposal for 17km (10.5 miles) of power lines linking Clocaenog wind farm to a substation at Glascoed. This followed a public inquiry into the plans last year. SP Manweb said the decision to have a review does not change their programme. The High Court hearing will take place in Llangefni in April. The Pylon the Pressure group are campaigning for the cables, which will carry supplies from four windfarms in the Clocaenog and Brenig areas, to be laid underground. The group's chairman, Dyfrig Hughes, said the scheme will "blight one of the most beautiful and historic landscapes of north Wales". He added: "Unfortunately for us, the UK government agreed with them [SP Manweb] and granted permission despite underground cabling costing no more than overhead lines over the lifetime of the connection." During the inquiry, then UK Energy Secretary Ed Davey said the additional £16m cost to lay the cables underground would be disproportionate. Campaigners also had concerns the pylons would spoil a 16th-Century farmhouse near Llannefydd. But the examination authority has said the visual impact on the building over the power lines' 30-year lifetime would be minimal. A spokesperson for SP Energy Networks said: "We are aware of the judicial review, and we will monitor developments and continue to work closely with our clients. "This decision does not impact on our programme, and work to develop our plans will continue. "The decision to approve our proposals to connect two new wind farms in north Wales followed four years of detailed planning and consultation." |
Sectarian graffiti was daubed on the wall of the hall in Bellaghy between Friday evening and Saturday morning. It was also attacked with paint the previous weekend. Ulster Unionist assembly member Sandra Overend said it was a "disgusting attack on Orange culture" and there was "hurt and disappointment" among unionists. "I appeal for leadership from across the community both in condemning this act and in offering any relevant information to help find the guilty party who should be subject to the full rigour of the law." |
The Judge in his case said Brown had completed all his requirements and officially closed the case. After the hearing, Brown tweeted: "IM OFF PROBATION!!!!!!!! Thank the Lord!!!!!!" Brown pleaded guilty to attacking Rihanna just hours before the Grammy Awards in 2009. Since then he was won 3 Grammys. Brown and his lawyer hugged in the courtroom and again in a courthouse lift. The singer has been under supervision by court and probation officials since mid-2009 and initially avoided problems with the case. However since 2013 he has struggled to complete his community service and had his probation revoked after he performed a show in Northern California without permission. His lawyer Mark Geragos said: "I couldn't be more delighted." He also said his client was making good progress. "He is in a spot right now and a place right now that I couldn't be prouder of him." Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter, BBCNewsbeat on Instagram and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube |
Media playback is not supported on this device Rhys Patchell's penalties put the Blues 6-0 up but a Jack Conan try helped the home side move 10-6 up with Isa Nacewa moving beyond 400 points for Leinster. Another Patchell penalty cut the lead to 10-9 by the break and his two further kicks put the Blues 15-13 up. But Nacewa's third penalty and a late penalty try proved enough for Leinster. After retaking the lead with Nacewa's 65th-minute penalty, Leinster dominated the next 12 minutes of action and the clinching penalty try came after Blues skipper Josh Navidi had been sin-binned for coming in from the side as the home side were camped on the visitors' line. Four-times champions Leinster opened their campaign last weekend with a 16-9 defeat in Edinburgh with the Blues earning a 61-13 bonus-point win over perennial Pro12 struggles Zebre. Patchell's two early penalties gave the Blues a 6-0 advantage at the RDS with his second effort from just inside his own half. However, Leinster, minus their 16 Ireland World Cup squad members, regrouped to dominate possession with flanker Josh van der Flier and centre Ben Te'o both particularly prominent. Veteran Nacewa's first penalty brought up his 400 points for the Irish province and they were ahead by the 16th minute as Conan burrowed his way over after a break by the lively Te'o. Nacewa's conversion increased Leinster's lead but the Blues produced remarkable discipline to withstand further pressure and then snatched three points before the break as Patchell slotted another long-range penalty. After having 76% of the first-half possession, Leinster increased their lead to 13-9 thanks to a second Nacewa penalty but the visitors continued to show great resolve as two Patchell penalties put them 15-13 up. At that stage, a remarkable rearguard action win appeared on for the visitors but Leinster reasserted themselves in the closing 15 minutes as Nacewa's third penalty was followed by their clinching penalty try following Navidi's 75th-minute sin-binning. Leinster were already camped on the line when the Blues skipper was yellow carded and from the resultant line-out, another maul ended up with referee Ben Whitehouse signalling the penalty try, which Nacewa converted. Patchell attempted to snatch a losing bonus point with a late ambitious drop-goal attempt but was off target. TEAMS Leinster: Isa Nacewa (capt); Garry Ringrose, Ben Te'o, Noel Reid, Fergus McFadden; Cathal Marsh, Luke McGrath; Michael Bent, Aaron Dundon, Jamie Hagan; Ross Molony, Mike McCarthy; Dominic Ryan, Josh van der Flier, Jack Conan. Replacements: Cian Kelleher for McFadden 61, Isaac Boss for McGrath 55, Peter Dooley for Bent 76, Bryan Byrne for Dundon 60, Royce Burke-Flynn for Hagan 48, Tadhg Beirne for McCarthy 76, Daniel Leavy for van der Flier 76 Not Used: R. Byrne. Cardiff Blues: Dan Fish; Aled Summerhill, Tom Isaacs, Gavin Evans, Owen Jenkins; Rhys Patchell, Tavis Knoyle; Sam Hobbs, Kristian Dacey, Craig Mitchell; Jarrad Hoeata, James Down; Josh Turnbull, Josh Navidi (capt), Manoa Vosawai Replacements: Lewis Jones for Knoyle 71, Gareth Davies for |
In an exclusive interview, Ricky says he is still receiving death threats from people who believe the claims. In March, a family court judge dismissed the claims - also posted in internet videos - as "baseless". She said the children had been forced to make the allegations by their mother and her new partner. Ricky - the BBC is not publishing his full name in order to protect his children - told the Victoria Derbyshire programme the first he knew about the allegations was last September when he was told to go to a police station. The claims - that he led a "satanic cult" in north London and that he and other members carried out the abuse - had been made by his children in mobile phone recordings and two police interviews. Their names and videos of them making the allegations were also widely circulated online by their mother and campaigners. "My children, my two children, eight and nine, they'd said that I'd sexually abused them and I was selling them to people in this satanic cult thing. They named 60, 70, 80 people," he said. "They'd said we were killing babies, I was shipping them in, we would cut the babies' throats and drain their blood and then would drink the blood. It's just horrific upon horrific detail." Delivering her judgement at the High Court, Mrs Justice Pauffley said the children had been forced to concoct accounts of horrific events and that their stories were a result of relentless emotional and psychological pressure and significant physical abuse by their mother's new partner in collaboration with their mother. Ricky said imagining what his children had been through was what he found most difficult. "We're talking about their heads, mixed up, messed up, it's just sick," he said. "Having to go and watch these videos when your own children say these things about you, imagine what the children must have had to do in their own psyche, their own minds, to eventually give up to beatings and stuff to say this stuff." Family court proceedings are normally confidential but in this case the judge took the unusual decision to publish her judgement. In it, she exonerated the father and all the other people alleged to be involved, stating that the claims were "baseless" and that those who sought to perpetuate them were "evil and/or foolish". But Ricky is still suffering abuse from the public. He said: "I get death threats. Today, yesterday, still. Comments, 'paedo', whatever. I understand, I get it. "What we have is a 77-page judgement totally clearing me 100%." The children have been taken into care and Ricky hopes to obtain custody at a future date. Ricky said when he was cleared, "my thought was, 'OK, let's go and start to take things forward seeing [the] children more.'" The judge said online material about the children had been viewed four million times around the world and this could cause them distress in years to come. Ricky says |
The 21-year-old Belgian, the younger brother of Palace record signing Christian, has made one appearance for the Eagles since signing in August. Palace manager Alan Pardew said the injury news was "disappointing" for both club and player. Pardew, whose team visit Everton in the Premier League on Friday, said: "His meniscus on his knee is the problem." |
Former West Ham defender Calum Davenport, who plays for Elstow Abbey FC, was detained after a man in his 30s received a head injury at Cranfield United's ground on Saturday. The victim is believed to also play for Elstow Abbey. Bedfordshire Police said a 32-year-old man arrested on suspicion of assault in Crawley Road had been released on bail. The man, from Flitton, Bedfordshire, was detained after officers were called just after 16:30 GMT, a spokeswoman said. Davenport is a former England Under-21, Tottenham and Sunderland player. Elstow Abbey are currently top of Division One of the Bedfordshire County Football League, The defender was sent off 10 minutes from time after being given a second yellow card during his team's 4-2 defeat to second-placed Cranfield. East of England Ambulance Service confirmed it had attended and had taken a man with a suspected head injury to Bedford Hospital. |
Every day some 8,000 trucks travel the 2.8km (1.75 miles) between border checkpoints at Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit, Michigan, under the steel arches of the Ambassador Bridge and over the Detroit River. The 88-year-old bridge - the busiest border crossing by trade volume in North America - is a vital link between the two countries. It connects industrial nerve centres in each country, feeding highly integrated cross-border supply chains. And each day, trucks from Laval International, a 42-year-old compression mould making company based in Windsor, come and go across the span. Company president Jonathon Azzopardi has a message he'd like to deliver to Donald Trump, as Canada, the US, and Mexico prepare to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta). "Canada, of all three of the partners, is the only one that fulfilled its obligations," he says. "You didn't fulfil your promises. We did." On 16 August, the three trading partners will sit down in Washington, DC, for the inaugural round of talks launched at US President Donald Trump's behest. Mr Azzopardi says Canadian companies like his have invested in the American and Mexican economies, creating jobs and helping to sustain communities. "Did we profit from it? We grew, yes. But did we also reinvest? 100%. They can never take that away from us." He says he'd be "hard pressed" to find the same number of American and Mexican companies who did the same for the Canadian economy. In Windsor, where so many livelihoods and companies depend on Nafta, people are feeling wary, says Keith Henry, president at Windsor Mold, a tooling and automotive components company with divisions in Ontario, Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee and Mexico. "The Nafta uncertainty is just causing - has caused - everybody to just pause because they don't know where to invest, they don't know what's going to happen," he says. They hope legislators on both sides of the Canada-US border understand the vast and dynamic market that has grown within Nafta, which formed the world's largest free trade zone when it came into force in 1994. Canada is America's second largest trading partner. In 2016, more than $540bn-worth of goods passed over the border, from avocados from California to petroleum from Newfoundland and Labrador. But while trade between the two countries is integral for both economies, manufacturing is heavily concentrated in specific regions and industries. Almost 40% of all US goods sold to Canada comes from just five states: Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Texas and New York, and is concentrated in just a few industries such as automobiles and machinery. In Canada, Ontario produces about half of all goods sold to the US and much of its products are tied up in the auto industry. All in all, the auto industry in Ontario and Michigan alone is responsible for about 12% of all trade between the two nations. The Windsor-Detroit region is one of Nafta's epicentres. Windsorites see their town as a Detroit suburb, sharing a vital auto industry with Motor City. The big three |
Emergency services sealed off the scene at Howgate Street and nearby Galloway Street was also closed. Local residents were urged to remain indoors and keep their windows closed. There were no reports of any injuries as a result of the incident. A spokesman for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said the alarm had been raised at about 03:45 on Monday. He added: "Crews were faced with a well-developed fire on arrival and they used high pressure hose reels, main jets and a water tower to tackle the blaze in the one storey commercial premises. "The fire had also spread to an adjacent building. "Firefighters also had to cool acetylene cylinders which were at the premises and they are continuing damping down operations at this time." Police said that due to the scale of the fire a joint investigation into the cause would be carried out in due course. |
In a speech at a dinner in Ireland last week, Akbar Al Baker said US airlines were "crap" and their passengers were "always being served by grandmothers". He also boasted that "the average age of my cabin crew is only 26". On Wednesday, Mr Al Baker said the "careless" remarks did not reflect his "true sentiments about cabin crew". "Competition among air carriers is robust. This is healthy, especially for our passengers, but our competition must remain respectful," he wrote in a letter to the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA), a US trade union that has some 50,000 members from 20 airlines. "For the cabin crew serving aboard all air carriers, professionalism, skill and dedication are the qualities that matter. I was wrong to imply that other factors, like age, are relevant," he added. The AFA's president, Sara Nelson, said she accepted the apology. On Monday, after a video of Mr Al Baker's speech was posted online, Ms Nelson accused him of confirming "what AFA has said all along: Qatar Airways thrives on misogyny and discrimination. "Qatar is not only seeking to choke out US aviation, but also the 300,000 good jobs built through opportunity created on the principle of equality." She added: "When there's an emergency on board, a flight attendant's gender, age, weight, height, race or sexuality simply do not matter. What matters is effective safety and security training, along with experience on the job." The vice-president of flight service for American Airlines, Jill Surdek, also said in a message to employees that Mr Al Baker's remarks were "incredibly offensive". The controversy comes amid a row between US carriers and Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways and Emirates Airline over alleged state support for them. On Wednesday, American Airlines announced that it was cancelling a code-share agreement with Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways as "an extension of our stance against the illegal subsidies". The airlines deny receiving state subsidies. Mr Al Baker said he was disappointed with the decision on Thursday, but that he would proceed with plans to buy a 10% stake in American Airlines. "Our stock purchase request and filing is going ahead as normal. We had to clarify certain questions of the regulator, which we compiled with," he told reporters. Qatar Airways already owns a 20% stake in the owner of British Airways, International Airlines Group, and 10% of South America's LATAM Airlines. |
Media playback is not supported on this device Wales face Slovakia on Saturday in what will be their first match at a major tournament since the 1958 World Cup. Although Bale scored seven of Wales' 11 goals in qualifying for Euro 2016, the Real Madrid forward does not feel under more pressure than his team-mates. "I want to enjoy myself on the football pitch, like you do when you're a kid," he said. "The Welsh side here now, we're all like brothers. We're friends, we joke around and play together but, when it comes down to serious business, we all fight for each other. "We have fun at the same time. We want to come here and enjoy it and, when you enjoy your football, you play your best." Bale came on for the final half an hour of Wales' 3-0 friendly defeat in Sweden on Sunday, his first international appearance since October. Wales manager Chris Coleman opted against starting the 26-year-old after he had appeared to struggle with cramp as he played the full 120 minutes of Real Madrid's Champions League final win against rivals Atletico the previous weekend. The listless nature of Wales' performance in Sweden before Bale's introduction prompted the likes of former captain Kevin Ratcliffe to raise concerns about the team's over-reliance on the former Tottenham forward. However, Bale refutes any suggestions he is the only attacking threat in the Welsh side. "It's never a one-man team. There's 11 men on the pitch for a start," he said. "For us, it's a squad thing. 'Together Stronger' [Wales' motto] is there for a reason. We don't just say it for no reason. "We all work hard as one unit. We attack as one, we defend as one. When we lose the ball, we all fight back together. "People write stories, they can write what they want, but we all know we work very hard on the training pitch every day and, come match-day, we work even harder." Pick the XI that you think can take Wales to the final of Euro 2016 - and then share it with your friends using our team selector. |
Four men have so far been charged with murdering Aqib Mazhar, who was stabbed in Russell Road, Forest Fields, on 1 June. The latest man to be arrested is aged 24 and is in police custody while detectives question him. Three of the men arrested have been bailed pending further enquiries. The men charged with murder are Mohamud Alasow, 18, of Hamilton Road, Nottingham; Junaid Farrukh, 21, of Heathermead Close, Oakwood, Derby; Qamran Ahmed, 21, Staindale Drive, Aspley and Mohammed Quasim, 24, of Staindale Drive, Aspley. They are due to appear at Nottingham Crown Court on 22 August. |
In court papers, Mrs Madikizela-Mandela said that South Africa's first black president had unlawfully registered the property in his name, reports say. Mr Mandela died nearly a year ago, and left his ex-wife out of his will. His estate was provisionally valued at 46 million rand ($4.3m; £2.5m). The thrice-married Mr Mandela divorced Mrs Madikizela-Mandela in 1996. The two were South Africa's most celebrated political couple until their marriage collapsed after 38 years. Mrs Madikizela-Mandela launched court action in October, saying she had "customary rights" to the rural home they once shared in Qunu village. She says Mr Mandela may have committed land fraud when he registered the property in his name, the South African Press Association (Sapa) reports. In papers filed in the Mthatha High Court last month, she said the ex-president had incorrectly used part of the State Land Disposal Act by donating the land to himself, according to the local Dispatch newspaper. Her lawyers want President Jacob Zuma and the Department of Rural Development to produce official records proving the property belonged to Mr Mandela, including the validity of the title deed, local media reports say. She wants the registration of the property under Mr Mandela's name to be annulled by the court, the Dispatch reports. In response, Mr Zuma's spokesman Mac Maharaj said that the state attorney had filed a legal notice to oppose the action, pending instructions from the president. Mrs Madikizela-Mandela's lawyer Mvuzo Notyesi told the Dispatch that he was confident of their case. "That is a completely irregular notice. We are told there is a notice. They cannot file a notice to oppose before they furnish us with the required information. It is completely premature and totally irrelevant," Mr Notyesi is quoted as saying. In his will, the ex-president said: "The Qunu property should be used by my family in perpetuity in order to preserve the unity of the Mandela family." Mrs Madikizela-Mandela believes the property is rightfully hers and says that it was given to her by abaThembu King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo while Mr Mandela was in prison for his role in fighting white minority rule. Mr Mandela was released in 1990 after 27 years in jail and became South Africa's first democratically elected president in 1994. His large family - which includes grandchildren and great grandchildren - was hit by legal disputes over his wealth and burial site as he battled a recurring lung infection in the months leading to his death at the age of 95. He was married to Graca Machel, the wife of Mozambique's late President Samora Machel, at the time of his death. Mr Mandela has one surviving child, Makaziwe, from his first marriage to the late Evelyn Mase and two daughters, Zinzi and Zenani, from his marriage to Mrs Madikizela-Mandela. |
Colin Evans, 39, was found dead at home in Broomfield Road, Chelmsford, Essex, in September 2014. He had been stabbed multiple times by Jose Correia Agrela, of no fixed address, who fled wearing his victim's clothes and taking his pet dog. Agrela, 30, was sentenced to a minimum of 20 years and three months at Chelmsford Crown Court. On sentencing, Judge Christopher Ball QC told him he had abused the help of a man who "had befriended you, offered you food and friendship". Agrela denied murder - trying to claim someone else killed Mr Evans while he had been out walking the dog, Sweep - but was convicted in court last month. Det Ch Insp Martin Passmore, from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said Mr Evans had invited Agrela into his home "as an act of charity after he became homeless". "It beggars belief that Agrela could launch such an attack on a man who had given him a roof over his head," he said. He added the sentence length reflected the "savage nature of the attack". |
The fast-food chain reported poor results for the first quarter of 2015. Chief executive Steve Easterbrook said he wanted to move away from its "cumbersome" structure and increase "digital engagement". "The numbers don't lie," he said. "I will not shy away from the urgent need to reset this business... and how we galvanise competitive threats." Mr Easterbrook said the turnaround plan was aimed at creating a leaner management structure with more "hard-edged accountability" that was less built around geography and more on "commercial logic". "In the last five years, the world has moved faster outside the business than inside," he added. "We're not on our game. "We'd like less simple talk of millennials [people born between 1980 and the mid-2000s] as though they are one simple group with shared attitudes." The company also announced it would be focusing more on regions that earned McDonald's the most - namely the US, which brings in 40% of operating income. Mr Easterbrook also said its top international markets, such as Australia, Canada, France and the UK, would become a priority. The firm also identified high-growth markets in countries such as China and Poland, where new stores will be opened to boost its share in the market of "IEO" - Informal Eating Out. Mr Easterbrook added: "We can no longer afford to carry legacy commitments, legacy structure or legacy attitudes." McDonald's was the Dow Jones share index's biggest faller, with shares down 1.7% to $96.13. Standard & Poor's, the credit ratings agency, cut its rating on McDonald's from 'A' to 'A-'. |
Spurs made the Champions League for the first time during Redknapp's four-year tenure at the club, reaching the quarter-finals in 2011. The 69-year-old says he would not swap manager Mauricio Pochettino's starting XI for any other side in the division. "They have been fantastic under Pochettino," Redknapp told BBC Radio 5 live's Friday Football Social. "I have absolutely loved the way they have played - their football, the pace of the full-backs. "Tottenham will go on and win the Premier League in the next three or four years." Spurs sit third in the Premier League, 10 points behind leaders Chelsea, but lost to Liverpool on Saturday and at Gent in the first leg of their Europa League last-32 tie on Thursday. They have not won the title since 1961 and finished third last year after looking like champions Leicester's main challengers for long periods. But Tottenham expect to have a new 61,000-seater stadium completed in time for the 2018-19 season, which Redknapp, who left the club in 2012, believes will play a big part in any future success. "They've not been up there with the big spenders," he added. "Now with the new stadium the crowds are going to nearly double. "The man who owns the club, Joe Lewis, is up there with the richest men in the world. So there's certainly no shortage of money. "Maybe they do run out of steam, maybe he [Pochettino] hasn't been able to rotate and could do with another three or four top players to give him the strength in depth. "If you said to me 'go and manage any team you want', I would take Tottenham's best XI." |
Briggs, 26, made 15 appearances this season after being restricted by injured, while ex-Watford man Doyley, 34, played just three times. Dexter Peter, Femi Akinwande, Ben Wyatt, Brendan Ocran and Rhys Williams have also been released. All other out-of-contract players have been offered new deals. From the first team that means goalkeeper Dean Brill, defenders Richard Brindley, Tom Eastman, Lewis Kinsella, Kane Vincent-Young and George Elokobi, midfielder Charley Edge and forwards Diaz Wright, Drey Wright and Chris Porter have all been offered new terms. |
The play is based on the Nobel Prize-winning Austrian writer's Elfriede Jelinek book Princess Dramas: Death and the Maiden I-V. Members of a Catholic organisation tried to stop people getting in. The government's new culture minister, Piotr Glinski, had called for the show to be cancelled. It premiered on Saturday at the Polski Theatre in Wroclaw. A new conservative pro-Catholic government took power in Poland last Monday. The theatre's website describes the play as being about the relationship between a torturer and victim. The protesters in Poland said they objected to the presence on the stage of porn stars and sexually explicit scenes. Glinski's opponents have said his attempt to stop the performance amounts to a violation of freedom of speech. Theatre director Krzysztof Mieszkowski said he plans to file an official motion in parliament calling on Glinski to be removed from his post, but given the ruling party - Law and Justice party - has a majority in parliament, that is unlikely to succeed. Mieszkowski also said that protesters threw eggs and tomatoes at his mother's home. |
"I'm looking at that right now," he told Bloomberg News. White House spokesman Sean Spicer said there were no further details and no announcement was planned. Shares in banks initially fell after President Trump's comments before recovering ground. US banks were permitted to own both High Street banks and investment banking operations in 1999, when the Glass-Steagall Act was repealed. Some argue the repeal set the groundwork for the financial crisis in 2007-8. During the campaign, President Trump expressed support for a "21st-century" Glass-Steagall Act. "There's some people that want to go back to the old system, right? So we're going to look at that," the president told Bloomberg, in response to a question about breaking up the banks. Donald Trump tells banks he will give laws a 'haircut' Viewpoint: Putting finance in its place US senators introduce 'new' legislation to separate banks But the odds of anything happening this year are low, according to Larry McDonald the author of A Colossal Failure of Common Sense, a book about the collapse of Lehman Brothers. While keeping consumer deposits and riskier banking practices separate makes sense, Mr McDonald said the Trump administration has more pressing priorities, such as tax reform. "With all the lobbyists and everything they have to do... this is way down the list," he said. Mr McDonald said there are good political reasons why the president might want to take a tough line on the banking industry. "The average little guy loves to hear this, so he's going to score points with his base and it may not hurt him politically at all because it may not get done," he said. The idea has support from some key US congressional figures, such as Democrat Elizabeth Warren and Republican John McCain. But any change is likely to face stiff resistance from the banking industry, making approval in Congress difficult. The American Bankers Association said on Monday it opposes reintroduction of Glass-Steagall. "There is broad agreement, including among all our bank regulatory agencies, that Glass-Steagall would not have prevented the crisis or the housing market collapse," association president Rob Nichols said in a statement. President Trump has also promised to roll back legislation covering the banking sector, including the Dodd-Frank regulations introduced following the financial crisis. Dodd-Frank was designed in part to protect consumer banking operations from riskier investment banking business. Among other provisions, it required banks keep money in reserve at levels the president has said he thinks are onerous on smaller operations. Earlier, US Treasury Secretary, Steve Mnuchin said he believed the American economy could be growing at a rate of three percent within two years, thanks to the administrations proposed tax reforms. On the campaign trail Trump promised growth of 4% a year. The economy is currently growing at a rate of 0.7%. |
But Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Richard Burdge Jr did not rule out sealing specific documents, including those related to the couple's children. Pitt and Jolie were not at the hearing at which Pitt's motion was rejected. Jolie cited irreconcilable differences when she filed to end her marriage to the fellow actor in September. Pitt and Jolie were together since 2005 and married for two years before their sudden split. Pitt has filed for joint custody of the couple's six children, who are aged between eight to 15. The judge said the court "recognises privacy rights of minor children and would be guided by what's in the minor children's best interest." Last month an investigation into whether Pitt was abusive towards his son Maddox in September ended with no finding of wrongdoing. The FBI subsequently confirmed Pitt would not be charged with any crime relating to an alleged incident on board a private flight from France to Los Angeles. Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk. |
The ex-Newcastle and England player was arrested in North Tyneside, late on Thursday. Northumbria Police confirmed a 43-year-old man had been arrested for possession of a class A drug while another man of the same age was arrested for supplying drugs. Both men have now been released on bail, police said. Mr Gascoigne admitted drink driving at Newcastle Magistrates Court on Wednesday. A Northumbria Police spokesperson said: "At shortly after 1730 BST Thursday 21 October, police attended a property in North Tyneside. "A 43-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possession of a class A drug. "A second man, aged 43, was later arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of drugs." |
The message forms part of the health board's internal Beware The Chair campaign. It said ill health related to inactivity was the fourth biggest killer in Britain. The campaign also suggests that staff stand up three times every hour and to go for walks in their lunch breaks. Other recommendations include standing up when on the phone, having a coffee or eating lunch. Occupational health physiotherapist Lesley Marshall said: "Many of the NHS Highland employees we treat have problems which can be directly attributed to the fact that their lives are too sedentary. "We want them to be more active, and that includes while they are at work." The Beware of The Chair campaign has been adopted by NHS Highland as a priority health and wellbeing strategy for staff. |
Former Latics and Scotland defender Caldwell was appointed boss in April 2015 and led them to the League One title last season. But they are 23rd in the table after 14 matches this term and have failed to win in their past four games. "I feel that we need to act now in the best long-term interests of the club," chairman David Sharpe said. "It's undoubtedly the toughest decision I've had to make since becoming chairman." Caldwell, whose side had won only two of their 14 league games since being promoted, is the sixth Championship manager to leave their job this season. The 34-year-old, who made 111 appearances for Wigan as a player, was in his first managerial role, having replaced Malky Mackay with the team eight points adrift of safety in the Championship with five games to play of the 2014-15 season. He was unable to save the Latics from relegation, but led them on a 20-match unbeaten run in his first full season in charge to help them back into the second tier at the first attempt. |
A state television announcement said the missile, which landed in the Sea of Japan on Tuesday, could hit targets anywhere in the world. But the US and Russia said the missile had a medium range and presented no threat to either country. North Korea has increased the frequency of its missile tests, in defiance of a ban by the UN Security Council. China and Russia called on Pyongyang to freeze its missile and nuclear activities. The announcement on North Korea state television said the Hwasong-14 missile test was overseen by leader Kim Jong-un. It said the projectile had reached an altitude of 2,802km (1,731 miles) and flew 933km for 39 minutes before hitting a target in the sea. North Korea, it said, was now "a full-fledged nuclear power that has been possessed of the most powerful inter-continental ballistic rocket capable of hitting any part of the world". It would enable the country to "put an end to the US nuclear war threat and blackmail" and defend the Korean peninsula, it said. While Pyongyang appears to have made progress, experts believe North Korea does not have the capability to accurately hit a target with an ICBM, or miniaturise a nuclear warhead that can fit onto such a missile. Other nuclear powers have also cast doubt on North Korea's assessment, with Russia saying the missile only reached an altitude of 535km and flew about 510km. The big question is what range it has, says the BBC's Steven Evans in Seoul. Could it hit the United States? David Wright, a physicist with the US-based Union of Concerned Scientists, says that if the reports are correct, this missile could "reach a maximum range of roughly 6,700km on a standard trajectory". That range would allow it to reach Alaska, but not the large islands of Hawaii or the other 48 US states, he says. It is not just a missile that North Korea would need, our correspondent adds. It must also have the ability to protect a warhead as it re-enters the atmosphere, and it is not clear if North Korea can do that. Once again North Korea has defied the odds and thumbed its nose at the world in a single missile launch. With the test of the Hwasong-14, it has shown that it can likely reach intercontinental ballistic missile ranges including putting Alaska at risk. Kim Jong-un has long expressed his desire for such a test, and to have it on the 4 July holiday in the US is just the icing on his very large cake. Despite this technical achievement, however, it is likely many outside North Korea will continue to be sceptical of North Korea's missile. They will ask for proof of working guidance, re-entry vehicle, and even a nuclear warhead. From a technical perspective, though, their engines have demonstrated ICBM ranges, and this would be the first of several paths North Korea has to an ICBM with even greater range. North Korea's missile programme South Korea's President Moon Jae-in has |
In the week to 10 January only 75.9% of patients were treated within the four hours at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH), its worst ever figure. The figure for Glasgow Royal Infirmary (GRI) was 76.3%, also well below the Scottish government's 95% target. Across Scotland the average was 88.3%, with 85 patients waiting more than 12 hours in A&E. It was the second week in a row that Scottish hospitals fell short of the target. The period covered, just after the Christmas break, is a traditionally busy one for A&E departments. There were 24,161 attendances at emergency departments. A total of 527 patients waited more than eight hours. 95% Scottish Government target 75.9% Queen Elizabeth University Hospital 76.3% Glasgow Royal Infirmary 88.3% Scotland average The Scottish government said it was likely to have been the most demanding week of the year for Scottish hospitals. And it pointed out that the Scotland-wide figures represented a five percentage point improvement on the same week last year. Health Secretary Shona Robison said: "This is a time of substantial increased pressure on our NHS. "We know from previous experience that these weeks are always the period when the performance of our A&E departments are affected most significantly. "This week's figures show just how much A&E performance can fluctuate, not only from week to week, but also from hospital to hospital, particularly at this time of year." She added: "Our clear focus is now on supporting boards and hardworking staff to ease pressure across the system. We have already invested some £10.7m to help cope with extra winter demand and we have been providing expert support for boards where required." Patients waiting more than 12 hours in A&E University Hospital, Ayr - 11 University Hospital, Crosshouse - 15 Victoria Hospital, Fife - 9 Glasgow Royal Infirmary - 12 Hairmyres Hospital - 14 Wishaw General Hospital - 21 Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh - 2 Queen Elizabeth University Hospital - 1 Source: ISD Scotland, week to 10 January Scottish Labour said the figures showed that NHS staff were being overstretched "week in, week out". Public services spokesperson Dr Richard Simpson said: "Now more than ever we need a health service based on patient need, not the ability to pay, with the resources it needs to deliver the care Scots deserve. "We know that only a third of NHS staff think they have the support and the resources to do their jobs properly. This is the result of the SNP cutting the health budget. "We need to move away from crisis management in our NHS to a plan for the long term." The QEUH, a £842m "superhospital" which replaced four other hospitals, had previously enjoyed some success in cutting waiting times after repeatedly missing targets since opening in April 2015. In June, the Scottish government announced that a team of experts would be sent in to help staff improve A&E waiting times at the site. At the start of December it met the 95% target and only |
Police knew that the suspect, Jose Jorge Balderas Garza, was in a relationship with a Colombian model. Reports say when a Facebook profile in her name listed a Mexico City area as her location, officers moved in. Mr Balderas denies he carried out the shooting. He blames one of his associates for the attack last January on Cabanas, who played for Paraguay and Mexico's Club America. The football star was shot in the head in the bathroom of a bar in Mexico City on 25 January last year. He survived, but a bullet remains lodged in his head. Police also accuse Mr Balderas of running a drug-trafficking ring. Officers say that during their inquiries about Mr Balderas, they became aware of his romantic link to the Colombian model and participant in the Miss Antioquia 2008 competition, Juliana Sossa. A profile page in Ms Sossa's name on Facebook gave her current location as Lomas de Chapultepec, Mexico City. On Tuesday, police moved into the area and found Ms Sossa, 25, and Mr Balderas in the house they shared. They arrested the couple, along with five other suspects. |
The Hornets dominated the match but could not break through a well-organised West Brom defence. Odion Ighalo had the hosts' best chance but put a diving header wide from six yards. West Brom could have stolen the points but Saido Berahino missed a clear headed chance five minutes from time. While Watford remain unbeaten - unlike the other two promoted clubs - they will be disappointed not to have taken three points after an enterprising display. With Jose Manuel Jurado pulling the strings in midfield and strikers Ighalo and Troy Deeney combining well, Quique Sanchez Flores' side created a number of chances. Jurado curled a free kick inches wide and Ighalo saw a shot tipped over by Boaz Myhill after latching on to Deeney's knock-down. Full-backs Allan Nyom and Ikechi Anya were a constant attacking outlet and it was a typical Nyom surge that led to another good chance for Ighalo, who nodded Almen Abdi's cross wide. The heatmap shows just how far up the pitch both Watford full-backs Nyom and Anya got but the Hornets were not able to capitalise in front of goal. Media playback is not supported on this device Although West Brom's point lifts them off the bottom of the table, it was another disappointing display after their 3-0 defeat to Manchester City in the opening match. Tony Pulis made three changes from that game, and gave a debut off the bench to £12m record signing Salomon Rondon, but it failed to revitalise the Baggies, who did not muster a single a shot on target. They did have an excellent late chance but Berahino could not direct his header on target after Rickie Lambert headed Chris Brunt's cross back across goal. Media playback is not supported on this device West Brom manager Tony Pulis: "We talked about Watford starting at a high pace and we looked like it was a surprise [to us]. But we restricted them to few chances. The changes made a bit of a difference. This is their cup final in a lot of respects. It was a wonderful atmosphere." Watford manager Quique Sanchez Flores: "I am happy with the performance of the team. We tried to find space to attack and created chances. The players feel good and are full of confidence. They are competitive in the matches. "Most important is that the fans are happy. We are working like a club, like a family." Match ends, Watford 0, West Bromwich Albion 0. Second Half ends, Watford 0, West Bromwich Albion 0. Nyom (Watford) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Foul by Nyom (Watford). James McClean (West Bromwich Albion) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Substitution, West Bromwich Albion. Callum McManaman replaces Saido Berahino. Odion Ighalo (Watford) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Claudio Yacob (West Bromwich Albion). Attempt saved. Almen Abdi (Watford) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Ikechi Anya. Corner, |
The Canaries are back in the top flight after beating Middlesbrough 2-0 in Monday's Championship play-off final. Chief executive David McNally said "time won't allow" a parade, with the play-offs delaying plans by four weeks. Some people have criticised the move on social media, saying it is a "terrible way to treat their fans". A spokesman for Norwich City Council said: "It's great for the city and the club that they've been promoted. "We always do something to mark the club's achievement when they go up, but this time round the timing didn't work out for a reception and open top bus parade. So, instead, we'll be dressing up City Hall in a fun way to celebrate the team getting to the Premiership." Jerome and Redmond's two early goals were enough to seal victory for Norwich at Wembley, with promotion worth an estimated ??120m for the club. Mr McNally told BBC Radio Norfolk it was "one of the best days in our history" and was "thrilled for the fans", but "unfortunately we're beaten on time" for a parade. "The players need to go on holiday. Their season end has been delayed by four weeks... and quite frankly there's no point in having the parade without the footballers," he said. "The earliest that the city could arrange things was Thursday, and so reluctantly, but amicably we've agreed that we'll pass on this occasion." Jamie Collings, posting on BBC Look East's Facebook page, said it is a "terrible way to treat their fans". Gilbert Aldous said: "'Need' to go on holiday? They're paid more every week than most people are paid in a year & that's just for playing around with a ball. "I think they need to realise which side their bread's buttered & thank the fans who pay their wages, properly!" However, others have been more sympathetic with the club, with Mike Leverington posting: "That makes sense, and they've certainly earned their holidays. It's been a long hard season." |
Media playback is not supported on this device Wing George North's key try six minutes into the second half opened a decisive 13-point lead that Warren Gatland's team never looked like relinquishing on their way to a 19-10 win. As tries go it was a metaphor for a match which started with the Principality Stadium roof malfunctioning and much of the rugby following suit. It started well. Sam Warburton's crunching tackle forced a turnover, and Jonathan Davies kicked past a French defence which North left for dead. With the line at his mercy North missed the ball altogether, but then had the ball kicked back to him by France fly-half Jules Plisson and gratefully dived over to score. It would have been rude not to. Davies summed the try up: "More like Carmarthen Town than Man United," he said. "We were fortunate with the bounce, but sometimes that happens." Captain Warburton added: "George has taken a bit of stick in the changing room over it," True. But probably not as much as Plisson. If the end is more important than the means then Wales coach Warren Gatland, at least, is satisfied. After the 16-16 draw with Ireland in the opening round of matches, the New Zealander said his team's objectives were clear, beat Scotland and France at home. Wales' fifth consecutive win over France delivered his wish. Now they go to Twickenham on 12 March hoping to follow up their 28-25 World Cup victory with another win at the home of English rugby. To put that in its historical perspective, the last time Wales won consecutive games in Twickenham was in 1978. Gareth Edwards was becoming the first Welshman to make 50 international appearances for his country and helped Wales to a 9-6 win in the kind of mudbath you don't see in modern Test rugby. Gatland has led Welsh teams to wins three times at Twickenham - but never two in a row. To quote Graham Henry, another Kiwi who coached Wales, it's a big ask. "It's a great stadium and we love going and playing there, and they're a quality team," said Gatland. "We've been there on a few occasions and won there so you've got to have that confidence and believe that you're able to do it. Media playback is not supported on this device "That's why today was so important because the victory keeps us in this championship and if we'd lost then basically we would have been out of it. "It doesn't matter who wins between England and Ireland - there's still a lot to play for in two weeks." One thing Gatland says his team will have to do to have any chance against England is concede fewer penalties. "We have a rule amongst the squad to concede 10 penalties or fewer," he said. "I think it was getting up to double that today - it was 17 in the end. So we'll have to improve on that." Eddie Jones' England are likely to |
The body of Josh Clayton, 23, from Taunton, was found near Tresco on 23 September 2015, 10 days after he went missing from a party on the privately-owned island. An inquest into his death was halted after new evidence came to light last week. His mother Tracey wants police to open a fresh investigation into his death. She says she has had a private meeting with a senior police officer from Devon and Cornwall Police. "He assured me he will be reviewing and hopefully will look for any gaps that happen throughout the investigation," she said. "It definitely wasn't an accident. "I've thought that from day one and I still believe it now." Devon and Cornwall Police said they were only made aware of the new evidence at the inquest and were carrying out further inquiries. The coroner told the force to investigate after new claims emerged of a row at the party Mr Clayton was at before he went missing. He had been at a staff event at The Shed venue organised by Tristan Dorrien-Smith, son of island landlord Robert. Partygoer Leroy Thomas said Mr Clayton had been arguing with a group of foreign workers at the party. Following the inquest Devon and Cornwall Police said in a statement it was the "first time" the force had been made aware of the claims and "further investigations will be carried out as a result". |
JCB Transmissions announced three weeks ago 290 jobs were at risk, blaming a global downturn in the market. But a flexible working pattern for shop floor employees has been put in place until the end of February 2016 to save more than 100 jobs. GMB members voted in favour of the proposal following a ballot on Friday. JCB chief executive Graeme Macdonald said: "Our shop floor colleagues are to be applauded for their actions." |
Leah Washington, 17, from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, was on the front row of the Smiler ride, which crashed into an empty carriage in front of it. She posted the picture of herself with 15 people on her Facebook page. The teenager's left leg was amputated above the knee and she also fractured her hand in the crash on 2 June. Miss Washington was among five people seriously injured in the collision, which led to 16 people on the ride being trapped for up to four-and-half hours. Vicky Balch, from Lancashire, who was also sitting on the front row of the carriage, had her right leg amputated below the knee following seven rounds of surgery. Merlin Entertainment Group, which owns the theme park, said all 16 passengers on board would receive compensation. A law firm representing eight of those injured said interim payments were released to help with the victims' rehabilitation at the end of June. Miss Washington's new picture was "liked" by several hundred people on Facebook. The teenager was at Alton Towers with her 18-year-old boyfriend Joe Pugh, who shattered both knees and suffered hand injuries in the incident. |
The world's heaviest flying bird was hunted to extinction in the UK in 1832. It was reintroduced to Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire in 2004. A population of around 18 has been established from chicks brought from Russia. The cash will cover 75% of the scheme's costs, including monitoring the birds with GPS satellite transmitters. The Great Bustard Consortium was founded in 2004 to reintroduce the birds. It is made up of the Great Bustard Group, the University of Bath, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and Natural England. The group is embarking on a five-year project, funded by an EU Life+ grant. In 2009, the first great bustard chicks in 177 years hatched in the wild in the UK. Last year, at least four chicks hatched and two native chicks were successfully reared to fledging. Male great bustards can reach more than 1m tall (40in) with a wingspan of up to 2.4m (7ft 10in). A University of Bath spokesman said 16 bustards had been fitted with satellite transmitters to track where they feed and roost. The areas will be monitored for the availability of food, and for predators. Feeding patches with the right plants and seeds to provide food and attract the type of insects the birds eat will also be cultivated. David Waters, founder and director of the Great Bustard Group, said: "Despite our successes over the last six years, we would sometimes struggle to find £10 or £20 to put diesel in the Land Rover; now we have a chance to give this project real wings. "The funding will provide a properly resourced project, with four new posts, new monitoring equipment and even the possibility of a second release site." The project's partners will still have to find 25% of the costs. Bath PhD student John Burnside said: "We're particularly interested in how the birds will behave in their new habitat. "Great bustards learn a lot of their behaviour from each other and so the newly introduced chicks have to learn quickly how to feed, survive and avoid predators without the help of their mother. "As the population becomes established, their survival chances should hopefully get better - this project will be looking into ways of improving release methods and the survival of the birds in the long term." |
Save the Children said its appeal, which started on Thursday, raised more than £500,000 in its first 24 hours. The British Red Cross said the public were "realising that it's a massive humanitarian crisis" and had given "hundreds of thousands" of pounds. On Friday David Cameron said the UK would take in "thousands" more refugees from the conflict in Syria. European countries are struggling to cope with a surge of migrants from the Middle East and Africa. More than 350,000 migrants were detected at the EU's borders in January-August 2015, many of them fleeing conflicts in Syria and Afghanistan, and abuses in Eritrea. In other developments: The image of a drowned Syrian boy on a Turkish beach last week sparked outcry. Save the Children's appeal has been boosted by several authors pledging to match donations up to £10,000. At 20:30 BST on Saturday, a spokeswoman for the charity told the BBC the scheme - organised via social media - had raised £380,000 so far. And she said thousands had been donated by lawyers giving an hour's pay, using the Twitter hashtag #Billablehour. She said she could not yet update the figure of more than £500,000 raised, but added: "The speed at which this money has been raised has been, I think, quite extraordinary." The British Red Cross said it could not give details of how much money it had raised, but said it was already in the hundreds of thousands. A spokeswoman said the money would be used by Red Cross organisations in every country affected by the crisis. "The public response has been so supportive and people are realising that it's a massive humanitarian crisis," she said. An appeal by Islamic Relief UK started on Friday and raised more than £50,000 in its first 24 hours. A spokesman said Islamic Relief worldwide had spent £130m helping those affected by the Syria conflict since 2011, but the latest appeal was to help refugees in Greece, Germany and Italy. He said there had been a "sense of despair" in Syria in recent months because people there felt the crisis had been "rather forgotten" by the international community. But he said the situation in Europe was "shining a light" on Syria as part of the wider crisis, and he hoped there would now be more international efforts to bring the Syrian factions "to the negotiating table". Earlier, UK council leaders called on the government to provide more resources to help them house the extra refugees the UK is planning to accept. David Simmons from the Local Government Association (LGA) said: "We need to make sure that if people are going to be moved to the UK, that we've a clear idea of what the cost is going to be, to provide the public services that they expect when they come here." Under existing schemes, government financial support for Syrians resettled in the UK lasts 12 months. Details of Mr Cameron's plans have not been announced, but the Syrians are expected to be |
The ex-Harlequins, Newcastle Falcons and Sale Sharks player, 30, is to focus on the 2017 Varsity Match. He has scored 20 tries in 47 games for Bristol since joining the club in 2013. "I've had four great years at Bristol and 13 as a professional, but this opportunity doesn't present itself to too many," he told BBC Radio Bristol. "Constitutionally, the 'captain' runs the club (at Cambridge University), so in a way they are the director of rugby, which is quite nice. "We have got a really good coach though in (former Plymouth Albion boss) James Shanahan, and a really good bunch of guys, so I won't have to do too much." Meanwhile, Bristol's former Saracens and Toulon back Gavin Henson has resumed first-team training as he continues his recovery from a shoulder injury. The 34-year-old has played just two Premiership games so far this season because of two spells on the sidelines. Welshman Henson - who won 33 caps for his country between 2001 and 2011 - suffered his latest injury in October's loss to Sale. Henson lasted 11 minutes for Bristol on the day of his comeback from a leg injury he suffered on the opening day of the season. No precise timeframe has been revealed for his return to the match-day squad but Bristol backs coach Dwayne Peel said: "He's way ahead of schedule now so it's when his body feels right. "It's good to have him back on the park. His knowledge is second to none. "In his first session back, albeit non-contact, he looked class to be fair." |
Until now it was thought that only mosquitoes and sex spread Zika, as well as the risk of mother-to-child transmission in the womb. The carer, from Utah, did not have any of these known risk factors. US officials say they are monitoring the situation carefully and carrying out more tests. They stress that the chance of spread from one person to another without sexual contact is still very unlikely or rare. Zika outbreak: What you need to know The Centres for Disease Control says the patient, who died in June, had travelled to an area where Zika-infected mosquitoes are present. Lab tests showed he had uniquely high amounts of the virus - more than 100,000 times higher than seen in other samples from infected people - in his blood. The CDC has sent out an emergency response team to investigate. They will be interviewing and testing family members of the carer and any health care workers who may have had contact with the deceased man. Gary Edwards, director of the Salt Lake County Health Department, said the infected individual was a family contact of the man who died. "We know that the patient had contact with the deceased patient while the deceased patient was very ill," he said. "The exact nature of that contact, we are still investigating." The investigators also plan to trap and test local mosquitoes to check that they are not carrying and spreading the virus. Tom Hudachko, from the Utah Department of Health, said state officials were not aware of any mosquitoes known to carry the Zika virus within Utah. He said there had been a few Aedes aegypti mosquitoes - the kind that carry Zika - discovered in traps in the south-western parts of the state several years ago, but there had not been any since. CDC expert Dr Erin Staples said: "The new case in Utah is a surprise, showing that we still have more to learn about Zika. "Fortunately, the patient recovered quickly, and from what we have seen with more than 1,300 travel-associated cases of Zika in the continental United States and Hawaii, non-sexual spread from one person to another does not appear to be common." |
Organisers Glasgow 2014 said the Sierra Leone chef de mission knows where Mohamed Tholley is. On Friday it emerged that athletes from the country were considering extending their stay amid fears over the Ebola virus outbreak in west Africa. Two Sierra Leone athletes at the Games have been tested and cleared for Ebola. Ebola has caused more than 700 deaths since February in an outbreak affecting four west African countries. Mohamed Tholley had failed show to up for the men's time trial cycling on Thursday. Glasgow 2014 have now said the Sierra Leone chef de mission knows where the "missing cyclist" is and stressed he was not missing. Unisa Deen Kargbo said that legally Tholley could be in the country until September but he had not discussed leaving the village with anyone in the camp. Sierra Leone's Samuel Morris and Moses Sesay have been tested for Ebola and cleared by doctors in Glasgow. Sesay, 32, was admitted to a Glasgow hospital last week after feeling unwell and doctors tested him for various conditions, including Ebola. The cyclist was given the all-clear and released from hospital in time to compete in the men's individual time trial at the Games on Thursday. It later emerged that table tennis player Morris was also tested in Glasgow and given the all-clear. Morris, 34, said he developed a fever two days after arriving at the athletes' village. He said: "They took me to the general hospital. They tested me for Ebola. "I thought it was ordinary malaria diagnosis. But they didn't say that. They thought it was just a change of weather." Tholley's coach Winston Crowther said the cyclist may have had concerns over the Ebola outbreak, but did not rule out other reasons for him leaving the team camp, including economic factors. On the issue of the team returning to Sierra Leone, Unisa Deen Kargbo said: "Athletes have come to me and said they don't want to return because of the Ebola situation. "There have been discussions with back home to see what the final decision will be on that. I have a mandate to return the athletes on 5 August and that's what I'm working towards now." Asked if the athletes could stay on in the UK, he said: "The UK government will have to decide if that's an option, but I don't know." The athletes' village is due to close on Wednesday and is being decommissioned on Thursday and Glasgow 2014 said it would become a "building site" within a matter of hours. Sierra Leone has declared a public health emergency after more than 200 people died from the Ebola virus. The outbreak - the world's deadliest to date - was first reported in Guinea in February. It then spread to Liberia and Sierra Leone, and a person who travelled from Liberia to Nigeria died of the virus shortly after arriving in Lagos last week. Ebola kills up to 90% of those infected but patients have a better chance of survival if |
Saturday's 2-0 win at home to Rochdale, their first in two months, followed three draws and they are now four points off safety in League One. "Experiences like this will only make it a better experience for the young lads," Haber told BBC Radio Stoke. "A lot of them are growing in maturity as the season goes on." Having spent most of the season at the bottom of the table, Crewe now have the psychological tonic of seeing two others teams beneath them. They need to climb two more places by season's end on 8 May to complete a third successive escape. Haber admitted that a lesson learned from the last time they had found themselves two goals up, when they led 3-1 at half-time at Swindon last month, but lost 4-3, helped them against Rochdale. "We thought back to Swindon," he said. "We've played some good stuff this season but at end of games we've switched off and given away a lot of points. "We've given things away too often. We've not been good at closing games out. It's not so much about having ability, it's about having grit and playing smart. In sport, you have to grow up fast." Crewe's ultimately comfortable victory was the first time they have scored more than once in a home league game since a 3-3 draw with Bury way back in August. Brad Inman's fifth goal in as many games made him the club's joint top scorer alongside Ryan Colclough, who departed for Wigan Athletic on deadline day. Next best is Haber, whose opener against Rochdale was his first league goal of the season at Gresty Road. Apart from a goal he scored in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy, all his other strikes this season had been in away games. On top of an upturn in results, Crewe have received a major off-field boost with club captain Harry Davis, the Alex manager's son, returning to training for the first time since injuring his knee at Walsall in September. The 24-year-old now has a chance of being back in the side by the end of February. "We'll have to take things steady with Harry and build up his fitness," said his father, Steve. "He has been out a few months and will need time. But we are confident he's on course to be available towards the end of the month." |
The Aspar Ducati rider from Toomebridge was unable to make up significant ground in the hot conditions in Italy after qualifying 16th. After finishing lap one in 15th spot, Laverty, 30, moved up to 14th after Alex Lowes slid off but that was as high as the Northern Irishman got. Dani Pedrosa earned his first win of the season after overhauling local hero Valentino Rossi with seven laps left. Spaniard Pedrosa became the eighth different race winner this season as world champion Jorge Lorenzo completed the podium positions ahead of MotoGP series leader Marc Marquez. Laverty, who will return to the World Superbike Championship in 2017, remains in 11th spot in the championship. The Irishman's best finish this year is a fourth place in Argentina in early April. Pedrosa started only eighth on the grid but the Honda rider produced a tactically flawless race to steadily move up to the front after Rossi had taken the lead from the second of the race's 28 laps. Marquez, another Spaniard, retains the lead in the world championship standings on 223 points, with Rossi second on 180 ahead of Lorenzo (162) and Pedrosa (145). |
Bakelants told a Belgian newspaper he would carry a "pack of condoms, because you never know where those podium chicks have been hanging out". The women present gifts, flowers and coloured jerseys at the end of stages. This year's Tour de France gets under way on Saturday, starting in the German city of Düsseldorf. Bakelants, who rides for the AG2R-La Mondiale team and won a stage in the 2013 race, made his comments when asked in an interview in last Wednesday's Het Laastse Nieuws about sexual abstention during the three-week Tour. AG2R-La Mondiale apologised for the comments, saying they were in "very bad taste". The Tour organisers ASO also demanded an apology from Bakelants for the "sexist" remarks. Bakelants, 31, and married with a young daughter, took to Twitter to say sorry. "My sincerest apologies to all those offended by my words in a so called humouristic itw (sic). My words have been inappropriate." Will Chris Froome win fourth title in five years? The women work long hours on the tour, hosting sponsors and then appearing for the ritual donning of the coloured jerseys, including the race-leading yellow, at the end of each stage. They often give a kiss to each cheek of the jersey recipients but the riders are not allowed to communicate with them. In 2013, Slovak cyclist Peter Sagan apologised for pinching the bottom of podium presenter Maja Leye during the Tour of Flanders race. He said: "I am so sorry and I hope that Maja and anyone else I have offended knows how sorry I am. I promise to act more respectfully in the future." |
The county's Crop Circle Information and Coordination Centre (CICC) said they had only seen 25 so far this year - 15 fewer than usual for the period. A decline in the man-made act and a late harvest have both been blamed. Charles Mallet, from the centre, said he wished amateur crop circlers would quit because they were "clouding a genuine and real phenomenon". He said: "The whole situation has become massively polluted over the last 10 years or so, to the degree where the real issue is clouded by huge amounts of organised crime and vandalism. "These people are effectively creeping onto private land and vandalising it. Farmers are extremely angry about this." In a bid to appease landowners, the centre has backed a crowd-funding campaign to sell "access passes" with money raised going towards compensating affected farmers. So far it has raised about £1,900 towards a targeted £35,600. Derren Heath, landlord of the Barge Inn near Pewsey, said local businesses depended on tourists coming to see the crop circles. He added that tourists would spend time in the area to also visit the stone circles in Stonehenge and Avebury as well as West Kennet Long Barrow and Silbury Hill. "We have had visitors from Norway, France, Spain in the last year - from everywhere in the world they come here," he said. "They are going to stay here for a week and take in absolutely everything, so it brings a massive amount of money into the area." But man-made crop circles are often unpopular among the landowners who have their crops targeted. Ben Butler, a farmer from Avebury, said hundreds of pounds of damage was being done to his land every year. "Farming over the last 12 months has been very hard due to the weather, so the crops were not established well last autumn, and now we've got criminal damage in the field," he said. "Probably over the last 20 years we would see at least two formations on our farm every year. "What that brings is the issue of people entering your field - nobody asks, they just come as they like. "I wouldn't walk into someone's garden without asking so why should they be allowed to walk in the field without asking." |
From Friday 10 April, the veteran US performer will host a weekly show which airs from 1900 to 2100 BST. Iggy Pop said: "Having sat in for Jarvis Cocker last year on BBC Radio 6 Music, I found myself realising how good it was for me. I hope it was good for somebody else too." Tom Ravenscroft's 6 Music show is also moving to 21:00-00:00 BST. It had previously run from 19:00 to 22:00. The changes to the schedule mean the station will no longer be broadcasting 6 Mix, a weekly show featuring a range of resident and guest DJs delivering a two-hour set. Ravenscroft said: "It's great to have the creative freedom to explore music even more deeply in my new regular slot on 6 Music." Iggy Pop first presented two shows on the network in December 2013 and returned last year to front a weekly Sunday afternoon show, taking over Jarvis Cocker's Sunday Service slot. He also delivered the fourth John Peel Lecture with a speech on the subject of Free Music in a Capitalist Society. He said the new show will be "what we call in the USA the 'happy hour'. "It's kind of an edgy point right at the end of the designated work week, and I'll try to play quite a bit of music that's new and stimulating mixed with very old classics from the blues and jazz masters of the 1920s through 50s that are a little more moody. I'm gonna think of myself as a kind of atmospheric bartender. I'll try to do my very best." BBC 6 Music's head of programmes Paul Rodgers said that in the latest round of official radio listening figures, "Iggy had driven his Sunday afternoon show to a slot record of over 300k listeners". He added: "To welcome him back in a permanent slot on the network is a dream come true for me and our listeners, and we all look forward to hearing his eclectic musical selections each Friday evening." |
Charrissa Loren Brown-Wellington, 31, is accused of killing Philip Carter, 30, who died at the station on Sunday. Ms Brown-Wellington, who wore a red jumper and grey tracksuit bottoms, was remanded in custody at Manchester and Salford Magistrates' Court. She is due to appear at the city's crown court on Wednesday. |
Marussia and Caterham have gone into administration, reducing the grid for Sunday's US Grand Prix to 18 cars. Their collapse has caused anger among some surviving teams, who say the sport's revenues are not split fairly. Ecclestone said: "There is too much money being distributed badly - probably my fault." He added: "Like lots of agreements people make, they seemed a good idea at the time. I know what's wrong, but don't know how to fix it." Media playback is not supported on this device Ecclestone has struck private financial deals with all the teams over the last few years and the result has been a revenue split that is heavily in favour of the big teams. The contracts are secret, but Ferrari are believed to have been paid more than $200m (£125m) for the 2013 season, in which they finished third in the championship, including $90m just for turning up. By contrast, Marussia earned a reputed $14m (£8.8m), and Caterham a little more than double that. The costs for a midfield team to compete in F1 for a season are believed to be about $120m (£75m). Ecclestone dismissed claims from Force India deputy team principal Bob Fernley that they and the Lotus and Sauber teams might boycott Sunday's race in the USA - which World Championship leader Lewis Hamilton starts second, behind Mercedes team-mate and title rival Nico Rosberg - in protest at the financial problems afflicting the sport. "They will be racing, I give you a guarantee," he said. "But I worry if they will be racing next year." He said that if the bigger teams wanted to prevent the risk of more teams going out of business, they would have to give up some of their income. "It's not the biggest crisis I've dealt with, but I'm not happy," he said. "It's just you are talking about larger amounts of money, so therefore it is more difficult to solve. "We'll have to do something about it because we can't all sit back nicely, relaxed and think the problem will go away. "It's not like having the flu and taking a few tablets and it will disappear. "The situation is such that if enough people want it resolved, we can resolve it. "It's a case that the people involved in the sport will have to want to look after the sport and be prepared to make some sacrifices." He added that he would be happy to renegotiate the teams' contracts if they were prepared to do so as well. "It makes no difference to me how the money is shared out. "If they sat down here with me now and said they want to share out all of the money they get in a different way, I would say: 'Good, give me the bit of paper'." And he said he would be prepared to give up some of the income earned by main shareholder CVC, which employs him to run the sport, if the teams did the same. |
The new record in Phalodi in the desert state comes amid a heatwave across India. The previous record for the hottest temperature stood at 50.6C in 1956. The heatwave has hit much of northern India, where temperatures have exceeded 40C for weeks. The run-up to the Indian monsoon season is always characterised by weeks of strong sunshine and increasing heat but life-threatening temperature levels topping 50C are unusual. Rumours and memes as Indians vent frustration on social media Murari Lal Thanvi, an eyewitness in Phalodi, told the BBC he had struggled to stay outdoors on Friday. "Even my mobile phone gave up and stopped working when I was trying to take pictures today," he said. "I was able to switch my mobile phone on after putting a wet cloth on it for about 20-25 minutes." 51C Temperature recorded on Thursday in Phalodi, Rajasthan 50.6C Previous record for the hottest temperature in India, 1956 45C Temperature at which India declares a heatwave 56.7C Hottest temperature ever recorded (Death Valley, US, 1913) The weather office has issued warnings of "severe heat wave" conditions across large parts of India's northern and western states through the weekend. India declares a heatwave when the maximum temperature hits 45C, or five degrees higher than the average for the area in previous years. This summer, the heatwave has claimed dozens of lives in the south Indian states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Permanent relief from the heat is only expected with the arrival of the monsoon, which normally comes in mid-June. |
Detectives were granted a 48-hour extension on Friday evening by a judge. Mr Adams, 65, denies allegations that he was involved in the abduction and murder of the mother-of-ten. He has been held for questioning since voluntarily presenting himself at Antrim police station on Wednesday. Mr Adams is the former MP for West Belfast and is currently an elected representative for County Louth in the Republic of Ireland. An initial 48-hour deadline to either charge or release him was due to expire at 20:00 BST on Friday, but the police successfully applied for more time to question him. Mr Adams appeared in court via video link, as his lawyers contested the police's application for an extension under the Terrorism Act 2000. Detectives could have asked for five more days to question Mr Adams, but instead applied to hold him until Sunday evening. Earlier on Friday, his party colleague Martin McGuinness told a news conference: "Yesterday, I said that the timing of the arrest of Gerry Adams was politically motivated. "Today's decision by the PSNI to seek an extension confirms me in my view." Mr McGuinness, who is Northern Ireland deputy first minister, said the detention of Mr Adams was "a very, very serious situation". He said Sinn Féin supported the progressive elements within the PSNI. However, he added: "There is a cabal within the PSNI who have a different agenda, a negative and destructive agenda to both the peace process and to Sinn Féin." He said Sinn Féin had been told this by "very senior members of the PSNI" who had coined the phrase the 'dark side'. "Am I angry? Yes I am, but it's a very controlled anger," he said. In regards to Sinn Féin's support for policing in Northern Ireland, he said that would continue if the situation with Mr Adams is resolved in a satisfactory manner. "If it doesn't, we will have to review that situation." When pressed if this meant Sinn Féin would withdraw support for the police if Mr Adams was charged, he said: "We're not taking any decision at this time, about anything." Mr McGuinness added: "I believe Gerry Adams will be totally and absolutely exonerated." Northern Ireland Justice Minister David Ford of the Alliance Party said: "If there are dark forces within policing, I can see no sign of dark forces." Mr Ford, who was first appointed minister when policing and justice powers were devolved to Stormont in 2010, said: "I see a police force with very high levels of confidence, higher than the Garda Síochána (Irish police) or many forces in Great Britain. "I see a police force carrying out its duties properly and appropriately, following up evidential opportunities where they present themselves and operating in conjunction with the community across a range of issues." Ulster Unionist Party leader Mike Nesbitt said: "It is one thing to scrutinise the police - it is totally unacceptable for their support for police to be conditional on getting political policing in relation to republicans, which |