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Mary Sherry said the department is now dealing with almost double the number of patients originally planned for.
The casualty department is not expected to meet its target of treating 95% of patients within four hours this year.
Ms Sherry said discussions were being held into redeveloping the department, but vowed it would remain in Reading town centre.
The A&E department was designed for 65,000 attendees she said, but was now getting 120,000 annually.
Ms Sherry said there were problems with parking in the existing location which needed to be resolved with the help of Reading Borough Council.
She said: "We know there are land restraints... but I wouldn't be recommending a hospital elsewhere.
"I think we're in the right place for the population."
The acting chief executive said it had been a "really difficult year" for the A&E department where numbers of patients had "increased significantly".
"Those numbers haven't dropped over the summer at all," she said.
"Normally we'd be able to improve our performance over the summer, but we haven't been able to do that.
"We've had some very, very busy days."
Ms Sherry said there were also problems with patients being unable to leave the hospital because local social services were also under pressure.
People living in Reading are being urged to go for help elsewhere, such as local walk-in centres and urgent care centres. | The acting chief executive of Royal Berkshire Hospital has said its A&E department is "not big enough to cope". | 38048728 |
Some felt the scene, in which Rhona Goskirk was raped by Pierce Harris just hours after their wedding, was not suitable for broadcast before 21:00.
But the media watchdog said the scene "was likely to have been in line with what most viewers were expecting".
"We took into account the broadcaster had issued a warning and the scene was limited," it said in a statement.
"Emmerdale is known to have covered many challenging social issues."
The scene, shown on 24 April, was the culmination of a long-running storyline involving Rhona, played by Zoe Henry, and her abusive partner Pierce, played by Jonathan Wrather.
"I know some have said it's too much for a 1900 time slot," Emmerdale producer Iain MacLeod told Metro after the episode was broadcast.
"My response to that is Emmerdale has always covered hard-hitting subjects and I think soap has a responsibility to cover them."
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]. | A harrowing rape scene from ITV soap Emmerdale will not face an Ofcom probe despite generating 101 complaints. | 40002848 |
Dotcom is wanted by the US on a number of charges including fraud and copyright infringement.
Three other Megaupload accused can also be extradited, the court said, upholding an earlier ruling in the District Court.
The four have said they will appeal against the decision.
Megaupload, which was shut down in 2012, allowed millions of people to download digital content, including films, music and TV shows.
The High Court agreed with the defence that the accused could not be extradited on the basis of alleged copyright infringement, since "online communication of copyright protected works to the public is not a criminal offence in New Zealand".
However they can be extradited on the fraud charges, he said, as they are crimes in New Zealand.
The ruling does not determine the defendants' guilt or innocence, merely that they can be sent to the US for trial.
Dotcom responded on Twitter, saying he had "won" as the ruling agreed he cannot be sent to the US for copyright infringement, but had "lost anyway", calling the ruling "a political judgement".
"Judges who prioritize political views and career over impartiality and the law shouldn't be Judges at all," he said.
Mr Dotcom and former colleagues - Mathias Ortmann, Bram van der Kolk and Finn Batato - are accused of copyright infringement, conspiracy, racketeering and money laundering.
The BBC visits Kim Dotcom at his mansion
Dotcom, a German national living in New Zealand, has described himself as an "internet freedom fighter" engaged in a David and Goliath battle against major corporations.
US authorities say Dotcom and others cost film studios and record companies more than $500m (£322m) in lost earnings, while making at least $175m for themselves. | Kim Dotcom, the founder of content-sharing site Megaupload, can legally be extradited to the US, New Zealand's High Court has ruled. | 39024596 |
Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) drivers will walk out on the Central and Waterloo and City lines from 21.00 GMT on Wednesday.
A reduced service will run on the Central Line, while the Waterloo and City line will not run at all.
Transport for London (TfL) urged the union to call off the strike.
Peter McNaught, operations director for the Central line, said: "We have made all reasonable efforts to resolve this dispute."
However, RMT general secretary Mick Cash said "the door has been slammed in our faces" during negotiations.
The dispute centres around plans to transfer eight train operators between Central line depots.
Mr Cash said RMT members were being "sent out from pillar-to-post to plug gaps that are solely down to staffing shortages".
"If [London Underground] are allowed to get away with this move on the Central Line they will start shunting drivers around at the drop of a hat regardless of the consequences," he added.
During the strike a shuttle bus will operate between Epping and Chingford in north-east London.
Other London Underground services will operate as normal, but TfL has warned services will be more busy than usual.
During a 24-hour walkout across the tube network on 8-9 January, Clapham Junction was evacuated as commuters faced overcrowding at major transport hubs. | Tube Drivers on two London Underground lines are to stage a 24-hour strike in a dispute over the displacement of staff. | 38733015 |
What was surprising, however, was how few candidates tried to lay a hand on front-runner Donald Trump.
There was plenty of heat in this fifth Republican debate, but very little of it involved the New York businessman who claims leads in almost every recent presidential preference poll.
Here's how the night's biggest battles shaped up - and the winners and losers. But before we get to that, let's talk about the fight that didn't happen.
It seems stunning that just over a week ago Mr Trump made international headlines with his call to close the US border to all Muslim immigrants and visitors.
Although the subject was raised early on, and Mr Trump stood by his position, it received only tepid condemnation.
"This is not a serious proposal," former Florida Governor Jeb Bush said.
Senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz both added that they could understand why some Americans support Mr Trump's idea.
And that, essentially, was that.
The topic didn't come up again, and it seemed Mr Trump's opponents were more outraged by his views on "closing off" part of the internet to deter the so-called Islamic State, which Senator Rand Paul said ran counter to First Amendment free speech rights.
Winner: Mr Trump, of course. With his fellow candidates dancing around the proposed ban, the New York businessman paid no political price for his views. His supporters largely love him for taking what they see as a bold stance, but the party as a whole could end up losing as it becomes associated with a policy that is opposed by a majority of Americans.
Mr Bush was the only candidate who tried a head-on charge against Mr Trump, although the exchanges often sounded more like childish squabbles than serious differences of opinions.
"I know you're trying to build up your energy, Jeb, but it's not working very well," Mr Trump said.
"You're not going to be able to insult your way to the presidency," Mr Bush retorted. "Leadership is not about attacking people and disparaging people."
Mr Trump shot back with a quip about Mr Bush's poll standings and how he was slowly moving farther and farther from the centre of the stage.
"I know you are, but what am I" was the only rhetorical device seemingly left in the bag.
Winner: Mr Bush definitely baited Mr Trump into losing his temper, and the former governor held his own in the ensuing exchanges. "A little taste of your own medicine," Mr Bush said at one point. If this fight had come a few months earlier, Mr Bush might have more of a pulse in this race. As it is, however, he was the winner - but with a victory that will likely prove hollow.
One expected fight that did materialise was between the two first-year senators who are increasingly being seen as the men most likely to eventually surpass Mr Trump.
Mr Cruz and Mr Rubio clashed throughout the evening, each trying to fight on terrain they view as more advantageous.
Mr Rubio struck first, criticising Mr Cruz for voting to curtail US surveillance powers.
"The next time there is attack on this country, the first thing people are going to want to know is, why didn't we know about it and why didn't we stop it?" Rubio said. "And the answer better not be because we didn't have access to records or information that would have allowed us to identify these killers before they attacked."
When the topic turned to immigration, however, it was Mr Cruz who went on the offensive, accusing Mr Rubio of backing amnesty for undocumented immigrants in the US.
"There was a time for choosing," Mr Cruz said. "Where there was a battle over amnesty, some chose, like Senator Rubio, to stand with Barack Obama and [Democratic Senator] Chuck Schumer and support a massive amnesty plan."
Winner: Both senators are gifted debaters and held their own. If Mr Cruz edged ahead in the exchanges, it was only because the next person to speak in both case was someone more closely aligned with the Texas senator's positions - Senator Rand Paul on surveillance and Mr Trump on immigration. They had the last word, and it was to Mr Rubio's detriment.
One of the more interesting fights of the evening came between New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Mr Paul, representing the hawkish and non-interventionist wings of their party respectively.
When the topic of US involvement in Syria came up, Mr Christie - brandishing his tough-talking credentials - took an aggressive position on enforcing a no-fly zone in Syria, even when it came to Russia.
"We would shoot down the planes of Russian pilots if in fact they were stupid enough to think that this president was the same feckless weakling that the president we have in the Oval Office is right now," he said.
Mr Paul responded that if Americans wanted someone who would start World War III, "you have your candidate".
"What we want in a leader is someone with judgement, not someone who is so reckless," he said.
Winner: Although Mr Paul has recently been more outspoken in calling for foreign policy restraint, Mr Christie's views likely jibe more closely to Republican primary voters. The exchange gave him a chance to boast that, as a governor and former prosecutor, he was a man of action - unlike his senate counterparts, who are all talk. Advantage, Mr Christie. | Coming just over a week after the shootings in San Bernardino and a month after the Paris attacks, it was no surprise that Tuesday night's Republican debate was focused almost entirely on foreign policy. | 35109168 |
The collision between three lorries and an Audi happened on the northbound carriageway of the motorway near Winchester at 10:15 BST on Monday.
Police have appealed for witnesses who may have seen or captured the accident on a dashboard camera to contact them.
The motorway was closed between junction 10 for Winchester and junction 9 at Winnall throughout the afternoon. It has since been reopened.
More on this and other stories from across the South of England.
The man and the woman who died were both travelling in the Audi.
Hampshire Constabulary said the man was from Dorset and the woman from Buckinghamshire and their next-of-kin had been informed.
The force said a 63-year-old man had been interviewed under caution and later released under investigation.
Two of the lorry drivers were taken to hospital with minor injuries. | A man and woman have died in a multi-vehicle crash on the M3 in Hampshire. | 40169657 |
Researchers found that in nearly half of the cases they looked at, asthma sufferers did not receive any medical help during their final asthma attack.
The National Review of Asthma Deaths says sufferers and medics must be better at recognising the danger signs.
The UK has 5.5 million asthmatics.
Although deaths linked to the condition have been falling, there were 1,242 in 2012 - meaning the UK has some of the highest asthma death rates in Europe.
Holly Sparshott, from Gosport, died of asthma at the age of 12. Her mother, Sarah, is campaigning to raise awareness about how dangerous the disease can be.
The national study involved a detailed examination of the circumstances around 195 such deaths.
Among the review's key findings were:
Sarah Sparshott, from Gosport, lost her 12-year-old daughter, Holly, to an asthma attack in October 2013.
Holly died at a hospice after falling into a coma when she had an attack that stopped her breathing for 15 minutes.
Holly was diagnosed with asthma at the age of two. Her asthma got progressively worse as she approached puberty.
A month before Holly collapsed, Sarah took her to the doctor and asked for her to see an asthma consultant . "She was refused because she wasn't bad enough," Sarah recalls.
"It makes me frustrated. I couldn't have done any more than I could as a parent.
"My campaign now is to make people aware that you can die from asthma. It is serious."
Source: Asthma UK
Researchers found that clinicians and patients alike had become complacent about the illness.
Since asthma symptoms can come and go, some patients may forget or feel they don't need to keep taking their medication, for example.
The report calls for better monitoring and improved education for doctors, nurses, patients and carers.
Dr Kevin Stewart of the Royal College of Physicians, which managed the review, said: "It's time to end our complacency about asthma, which can, and does, kill. There are important messages in this report for clinicians, for patients and their families and for policy-makers.
"We haven't paid enough attention to the importance of good routine asthma care by clinicians with the right training and experience and the part that patients themselves play in this.
"Too often we have also been slow to detect signs of poor asthma control and slow to act when these have been present, with tragic consequences for some families."
Prof Chris Griffiths of Queen Mary University of London was also involved in the report.
He said it revealed that care had deteriorated since an analysis in 2005.
Prof Griffiths said: "These worrying statistics can and must be turned around in the next decade.
"Those of us who work in general practice must implement the recommendation to have a named clinician responsible for asthma in each practice.
"Despite facing huge challenges as we work to meet current NHS organisational change, we need to prioritise asthma care in order to reduce deaths in the UK."
Kay Boycott, chief executive of the Asthma UK says the charity "wholeheartedly endorses" the report.
She said: "This confidential enquiry has identified prescribing errors of a frankly horrifying scale and is a damning indictment of current routine practice."
In many of the cases the experts examined, warning signs were found to have been ignored.
Ms Boycott added: "Past attacks are a clear risk factor for future attacks, but more than two-thirds of the people hospitalised in the month before they died did not get properly checked up afterwards.
"It's heart-breaking that the review has found 46% of deaths could have been avoided with better routine care."
Prof Mike Morgan, NHS England's national clinical director for respiratory services, said: "These statistics are a call to action for commissioners, health professionals and patients.
"Every patient should have a care plan which should be regularly reviewed and patients should be supported to manage their asthma, including effective inhaler technique and knowledge of their condition."
The Irish, Scottish and Welsh Governments said they would look closely at the key findings of the report.
A spokesman for the Department of Health in Northern Ireland (DHSSPS) said: "As part of its continuing commitment to improve services, the department will consider the findings and recommendations of the National Review of Asthma Deaths and what lessons can be learned from the report." | People suffering from asthma are dying unnecessarily because of complacency among both medical staff and patients, according to the first national study of asthma deaths in the UK. | 27257911 |
The meeting had been billed as the battle of the strikers between Manchester United's Robin van Persie and Liverpool counterpart Luis Suarez.
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And it was Van Persie who made the decisive contribution as he put United ahead with a brilliant first-half finish then provided the free-kick for the second after 54 minutes as Patrice Evra's header deflected in off Nemanja Vidic.
Liverpool's £12m signing from Chelsea Daniel Sturridge scored for the second successive game after coming on as substitute to give Brendan Rodgers's side hope and set up an anxious finish for United.
Sturridge missed a glorious chance to give Liverpool a point that their inferiority for the first hour barely deserved, but United closed out the win to go 10 points clear at the top of the table ahead of Manchester City's visit to Arsenal.
The scale of Van Persie's influence since his £24m summer arrival from Arsenal can be illustrated by the fact that this was his 10th goal in 10 games - and he has scored in nine of them.
United were eventually relieved to get the three points after outplaying Liverpool for long periods, only to fail to convert a succession of chances in the opening 45 minutes. One could only imagine manager Sir Alex Ferguson's reaction had they squandered their advantage.
"A narrow win for Manchester United, who were supremely comfortable for the first hour with goals from Robin van Persie and Nemanja Vidic putting them in front.
"Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge's introduction changed the game and the visitors bossed the end of the game. Liverpool gave their rivals a scare but United take the points."
Liverpool can take a measure of consolation from a lively closing phase, but the 24-point gap between themselves and the club they regard as fierce rivals makes painful reading. They were too passive and negative until United had a two-goal lead, with £15m summer signing Joe Allen looking out of his depth in midfield before he was taken off.
Rodgers decided to keep Sturridge on the bench - leaving Suarez with virtually a watching brief in a first half controlled by Manchester United.
Netherlands striker Van Persie demonstrated his world class quality to put United ahead after 19 minutes.
United opened up Liverpool with controlled possession and Van Persie reacted quicker than Daniel Agger to clip an instant finish past keeper Pepe Reina from Evra's cross.
Danny Welbeck was a somewhat surprising selection alongside Van Persie but more than justified his inclusion with an energetic display. He was off target with one effort and then it took a brilliant tackle from Agger to halt the striker after Allen gifted United possession.
Allen was fortunate again when his poor defensive header fell to Tom Cleverley, whose crisp volley flew inches wide with Reina beaten.
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As Liverpool struggled to stay in the game, they had their biggest escape on the stroke of half-time as both Van Persie and Shinji Kagawa failed to turn in Rafael's cross, Reina needing lengthy treatment after being injured in the scramble.
Both sides made changes at the interval. Antonio Valencia replaced Ashley Young, who had been injured in a collision with Agger, while Liverpool sent on the more attack-minded Sturridge for Lucas Leiva.
It was United who extended their lead nine minutes after the break when poor marking allowed Evra to steal in on Van Persie's free-kick, his header brushing off Vidic to beat Reina.
Liverpool, outplayed for so long, needed an instant response and got one as Sturridge was first to react as United keeper David de Gea could only push out Steven Gerrard's shot.
At last the battle had been joined, but it still needed Reina to show great athleticism to save from Shinji Kagawa's precise 20-yard effort.
Remarkably given their first half domination, United spent the closing minutes hanging on and Sturridge wasted a great chance to give Liverpool an unlikely point after Suarez wriggled his way into the area.
Full Time The referee signals the end of the game.
Direct free kick taken by Robin van Persie.
Booking Booking for Daniel Agger for unsporting behaviour.
Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Tom Cleverley by Daniel Agger.
Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Antonio Valencia by Jordan Henderson. Rafael Da Silva takes the free kick.
Centre by Glen Johnson, Luis Suarez takes a shot. Save by David De Gea.
A cross is delivered by Antonio Valencia, Robin van Persie takes a shot. Comfortable save by Jose Reina.
Shot by Daniel Sturridge from deep inside the penalty area misses to the left of the target.
Unfair challenge on Martin Skrtel by Antonio Valencia results in a free kick. Glen Johnson restarts play with the free kick.
Foul by Steven Gerrard on Michael Carrick, free kick awarded. Free kick taken by David De Gea.
Glen Johnson takes a shot. Blocked by Antonio Valencia.
The official flags Robin van Persie offside. Indirect free kick taken by Daniel Agger.
Antonio Valencia fouled by Glen Johnson, the ref awards a free kick. David De Gea takes the direct free kick.
The ball is sent over by Stewart Downing, clearance made by Rafael Da Silva.
Effort from inside the area by Daniel Sturridge misses to the right of the target.
Daniel Agger takes the free kick.
Substitution (Liverpool) makes a substitution, with Jordan Henderson coming on for Joe Allen.
Unfair challenge on Joe Allen by Robin van Persie results in a free kick.
Substitution Chris Smalling is brought on as a substitute for Nemanja Vidic.
Tom Cleverley takes a inswinging corner from the left by-line to the near post, Stewart Downing makes a clearance.
Substitution Phil Jones joins the action as a substitute, replacing Shinji Kagawa.
Tom Cleverley crosses the ball.
Free kick taken by Rio Ferdinand.
Booking Glen Johnson goes into the book for unsporting behaviour.
Glen Johnson challenges Patrice Evra unfairly and gives away a free kick.
Foul by Antonio Valencia on Joe Allen, free kick awarded. Daniel Agger takes the direct free kick.
Free kick crossed right-footed by Steven Gerrard, clearance made by Rio Ferdinand.
Booking Patrice Evra goes into the book.
Patrice Evra gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Stewart Downing.
Effort from the edge of the area by Fabio Borini goes wide of the right-hand upright.
Effort from deep inside the area by Daniel Sturridge misses to the left of the goal.
Glen Johnson has an effort at goal from just outside the area which goes wide of the left-hand post.
Corner taken by Robin van Persie.
Shinji Kagawa takes a shot. Save made by Jose Reina.
Free kick taken by Rio Ferdinand.
Substitution Fabio Borini on for Raheem Sterling.
The referee blows for offside against Luis Suarez.
Steven Gerrard challenges Robin van Persie unfairly and gives away a free kick. Robin van Persie has an effort direct from the free kick.
Daniel Sturridge fouled by Nemanja Vidic, the ref awards a free kick. Free kick taken by Steven Gerrard.
Unfair challenge on Rafael Da Silva by Raheem Sterling results in a free kick. Free kick taken by Michael Carrick.
Steven Gerrard provided the assist for the goal.
Goal! - Daniel Sturridge - Man Utd 2 - 1 Liverpool Daniel Sturridge gets on the score sheet with a goal from inside the six-yard box to the bottom left corner of the goal. Man Utd 2-1 Liverpool.
Steven Gerrard takes a shot. David De Gea makes a save.
Luis Suarez takes a shot. Blocked by Nemanja Vidic.
Patrice Evra takes a shot.
Assist on the goal came from Patrice Evra.
Goal! - Nemanja Vidic - Man Utd 2 - 0 Liverpool Nemanja Vidic finds the back of the net with a headed goal from inside the six-yard box. Man Utd 2-0 Liverpool.
Robin van Persie delivers the ball,
Booking Martin Skrtel goes into the referee's book.
Foul by Martin Skrtel on Danny Welbeck, free kick awarded.
Andre Wisdom produces a right-footed shot from deep inside the penalty box which goes wide of the right-hand upright.
The ball is sent over by Glen Johnson, clearance made by Rio Ferdinand.
Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Luis Suarez by Michael Carrick. Direct free kick taken by Steven Gerrard.
Unfair challenge on Raheem Sterling by Rafael Da Silva results in a free kick. Glen Johnson takes the free kick.
Joe Allen concedes a free kick for a foul on Shinji Kagawa. Strike comes in from Robin van Persie from the free kick.
Luis Suarez challenges Michael Carrick unfairly and gives away a free kick. Free kick taken by Michael Carrick.
Danny Welbeck produces a left-footed shot from the edge of the area and misses to the left of the target.
The second half kicks off.
Substitution Leiva Lucas leaves the field to be replaced by Daniel Sturridge.
Substitution Antonio Valencia joins the action as a substitute, replacing Ashley Young.
Half Time The half-time whistle blows.
The free kick is swung in left-footed by Robin van Persie, clearance made by Daniel Agger.
Booking Leiva Lucas is cautioned by the ref for unsporting behaviour.
Leiva Lucas challenges Ashley Young unfairly and gives away a free kick.
Robin van Persie takes a shot. Martin Skrtel gets a block in.
Corner taken by Stewart Downing from the right by-line, Rio Ferdinand makes a clearance.
Tom Cleverley has an effort at goal from just inside the box that misses to the right of the goal.
Ashley Young produces a cross.
Effort on goal by Luis Suarez from just inside the box goes harmlessly over the target.
Effort on goal by Danny Welbeck from just inside the box goes harmlessly over the target.
Danny Welbeck takes a shot. Blocked by Daniel Agger.
Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Glen Johnson by Robin van Persie. Daniel Agger takes the free kick.
Unfair challenge on Ashley Young by Glen Johnson results in a free kick. Free kick taken by Rafael Da Silva.
Unfair challenge on Shinji Kagawa by Leiva Lucas results in a free kick. Free kick taken by Michael Carrick.
Effort on goal by Robin van Persie from just inside the area clears the crossbar.
Glen Johnson produces a cross.
The ball is delivered by Andre Wisdom, Nemanja Vidic makes a clearance.
Michael Carrick fouled by Joe Allen, the ref awards a free kick. Michael Carrick takes the direct free kick.
Michael Carrick challenges Joe Allen unfairly and gives away a free kick. Free kick taken by Glen Johnson.
The assist for the goal came from Patrice Evra.
Goal! - Robin van Persie - Man Utd 1 - 0 Liverpool Robin van Persie scores a goal from inside the penalty area low into the middle of the goal. Man Utd 1-0 Liverpool.
The ball is sent over by Patrice Evra,
Robin van Persie takes a shot. Blocked by Martin Skrtel.
Foul by Michael Carrick on Raheem Sterling, free kick awarded. Free kick taken by Daniel Agger.
Ashley Young is flagged offside by the assistant referee. Free kick taken by Jose Reina.
Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Luis Suarez by Patrice Evra. Steven Gerrard delivers the ball from the free kick right-footed from right channel, Rafael Da Silva makes a clearance.
Daniel Agger concedes a free kick for a foul on Robin van Persie. Michael Carrick takes the free kick.
Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Shinji Kagawa by Leiva Lucas. Tom Cleverley takes the free kick.
Ashley Young concedes a free kick for a foul on Raheem Sterling. Free kick crossed by Steven Gerrard, Tom Cleverley manages to make a clearance.
Robin van Persie takes a shot. Blocked by Daniel Agger.
Free kick awarded for a foul by Shinji Kagawa on Raheem Sterling. Jose Reina restarts play with the free kick.
Ashley Young takes a inswinging corner from the left by-line to the near post, Leiva Lucas manages to make a clearance.
Patrice Evra delivers the ball, Jose Reina makes a comfortable save.
The ball is sent over by Ashley Young, Martin Skrtel makes a clearance.
Centre by Shinji Kagawa, blocked by Andre Wisdom.
Ashley Young concedes a free kick for a foul on Raheem Sterling. Free kick taken by Glen Johnson.
The match begins.
Live data and text provided by our data suppliers | Manchester United kept a firm grip on the Premier League title race with a deserved victory against Liverpool at Old Trafford. | 20924824 |
The US firm could reportedly sell up to 20% of its Chinese operations, valuing the unit at about $10bn (£7bn).
Last October, it announced plans to spin off and list its China division by the end of 2016.
The shake-up is set to be the biggest since Yum was split from PepsiCo two decades ago.
However, talks are said to be in their early stages and a deal is not guaranteed.
"We continue to make good progress since we announced the transaction separating Yum and Yum China," a Yum spokesperson said in a statement.
"We will provide updates on the transaction at appropriate times and we won't comment on rumours or speculation."
Yum has an overall market value of $32bn, but gets more than half of its profits from the China business.
However, its earnings from the mainland have been hit in recent years by a food safety scandal involving a meat supplier, as well as increased competition.
Shares of Yum rose by nearly 2% in US trading following the reports about the sale talks. | Yum Brands, the owner of KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut, is in talks with KKR and other financial firms about the sale of a stake in its China business. | 35888358 |
The difference in average turnovers between Premier League and Championship clubs grew in each season from 2014-16.
More and more Championship clubs are spending beyond their means chasing a place at English football's top table.
However, the Premier League is becoming a "closed shop" as successful clubs only become richer, an expert says.
The EFL said its clubs were "in a good financial position overall because of the support of their boards and shareholders" and could compete with teams across Europe who did not take part in Uefa competitions but conceded there was "clearly a sizeable gap in revenue generation".
The Premier League said it made solidarity payments to EFL clubs "linked to the value of broadcasting contracts", made youth development and community grants throughout the EFL and made pension contributions and provided medical insurance to all professional players in the Championship and Leagues One and Two.
It said broadcast revenue gave its clubs "investment choices, and the financial regulations [including parachute payments for relegated teams] we have in place encourage good governance and sustainable investment".
In 2015, the Premier League sold television rights to its games for a record £5.136bn, 71% above the previous deal.
BBC England's data unit and BBC Sport analysed most recent accounts - covering the three years until 2016.
The full extent of the impact of the new TV deal on clubs is expected to be seen first in the 2016-17 accounts, which have not yet been published.
The extra money awarded to clubs at the end of the last season, however, suggests the financial divide between the Premier League and the EFL will only widen further.
Our analysis found:
That was up from eight out of 24 in 2014 and nine of 24 in 2015, with the rise occurring despite rules being in force to curb excess spending.
The combination of a record TV rights deal and the effect of spending rules will prevent the rise of any "new money" clubs in future and extend a hierarchy of historically rich Premier League clubs, according to football finance expert Kieran Maguire, from the University of Liverpool.
He added that the Championship is also at risk of becoming a "basket case" division as clubs are tempted to stake more money on chasing Premier League status, if they have financial backers who can sustain losses.
The Premier League rejected that criticism, saying its model supported all of its clubs "to put on competitive and compelling football, and compete in European club competitions".
It said this season Brighton and Huddersfield Town would be the 48th and 49th clubs to compete in the Premier League in "a clear example of the overall health of the English game and the opportunities for ambitious clubs to develop and progress within the football pyramid".
In the Premier League, what were known as Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules in place from 2014-16 limited the increases clubs could make in spending on players between seasons that were funded purely by new broadcast revenue.
They could, however, make bigger increases in player spending every year if they had more of their "own revenue", which could come from new commercial or sponsorship deals, profit from player sales, rising matchday income - such as an increase in ticket sales - or Uefa prize money from appearing, for instance, in the Champions League.
Clubs which could not satisfy those criteria were capped on any increases in player spending between seasons.
There was no cap on player costs or wages in the Championship but the rules limited losses to a maximum of £13m per season, or £5m per season if the owner did not inject cash into the club to cover those losses.
FFP was replaced with Profitability and Sustainability rules last season, which changed the assessment period to three years.
That change meant clubs that remained in the Championship from 2014-17 were permitted to lose an average of up to £13m each season without facing sanctions; they could lose a total of £39m at any point during those three years.
Maguire echoed the warning earlier this year from finance firm Deloitte that Championship clubs may continue to be tempted "to spend excessively relative to their revenues, particularly on wages".
"In the Championship, clubs have a three in 24 - or one in eight - chance of winning the lottery [by promotion] and it's just a case of how much are they willing to pay for a ticket," said Maguire.
"But it means the vast majority of clubs - if they do not have rich owners who can sustain losses - are happy to settle for staying up.
"The spending rules operate well at the lower levels because there is a wage cap but at the elite level it's anti-competitive and prevents the rise of the next new money club, such as a Manchester City."
The EFL told the BBC "these [spending] rules will be kept under regular review".
The gap in revenue generation between the divisions was "nothing new", said the EFL, which is reported to be set to announce its own new £180m-a-year TV deal.
"In addition, revenues for EFL clubs continue to increase through club-generated income, alongside improved central contracts and EFL-negotiated solidarity payments," the EFL added.
"FFP regulations were first introduced in 2012 to help support clubs to spend within their means.
"New regulations came into force this year, and now clubs in the Championship are governed by Profitability and Sustainability measures.
"These rules allow clubs to function in a fair and sensible manner, whilst also providing the freedom and flexibility for club owners to operate in what is an increasingly competitive marketplace. These rules will be kept under regular review."
Lord Alan Sugar, who was involved in the first Premier League TV rights deal in 1992, previously described the money coming into the Premier League as the "prune juice effect" - as in "it goes in one end and goes out the other".
The former Tottenham owner said the more money that was given to clubs, the more money would be spent on players.
The Premier League itself has previously highlighted its investment in facilities and good causes, the tax revenue from players' wages and said its wealth is distributed beyond those 20 clubs.
It emerged earlier this year higher costs for Premier League rights had hit annual profits at Sky despite a jump in revenues and new customers. | A £100m gap opened up between Premier League and English Football League clubs before a record TV rights deal even took effect, the BBC has found. | 40717176 |
The 53-year-old, who resigned as the RFU's director of professional rugby in April, succeeds Zac Toumazi.
He will begin his new role at Hove in January 2017.
"He has exceptional experience, both playing and administering sport, which will be of great help to our cricket management delivering success," said Sussex chairman Jim May.
"Rob will be joining us at an important moment and he fully believes in our strategy of increasing the quantity and quality of participation in the recreational game."
Andrew made his England debut in 1985 against Romania, and become a key member of the side that won three Grand Slams and reached the 1991 World Cup final.
After helping England to the semi-finals of the 1995 World Cup, he moved from Wasps to Newcastle, where he won the Premiership title at the first attempt in 1998.
After 10 years with the Falcons he left to join the RFU as elite rugby director, a role he held for five years before becoming rugby operations director and director of professional rugby.
He was also an accomplished cricketer, winning two Blues while at Cambridge University and scoring a first-class hundred against Nottinghamshire in 1984.
He also made a handful of appearances for Yorkshire's second team.
"I am looking forward to working with everyone connected with Sussex to help create success in professional cricket, recreational cricket and community programmes and ensuring that Hove remains a very special cricket ground," said Andrew.
"I will be focussing on driving forward the strategy over the next few years and helping write the next chapter in the rich history of cricket in Sussex.
"These are exciting times for Sussex cricket and cricket in general, and I can't wait to get started." | Sussex have appointed former Rugby Football Union director and England fly-half Rob Andrew as chief executive. | 38072263 |
About 150 migrants crossed into Croatia, an EU member, from Serbia.
Croatia says it is ready to receive them or "direct" them to where they want to go. Many migrants - mainly Syrian - are hoping to reach Germany.
New border restrictions and a row over allocating migrants have shown bitter divisions in Europe over the crisis.
The refugees who chose Brazil over Europe
Five 'happy refugees' pictures that went viral
Crisis explained in graphics
Hundreds of migrants remain stranded outside or in makeshift tents near the Serbian border with Hungary.
On Tuesday, Hungary declared a state of emergency in the border area, with hundreds of army and police deployed to enforce new laws making it an offence to breach a razor-wire border fence.
Police sealed a railway crossing point near Roszke which had been used by tens of thousands of migrants to enter the European border-free Schengen zone.
The move has all but stopped the inflow. On Wednesday, Hungarian police said they had detained 367 migrants entering illegally - and the first criminal proceedings have been launched.
The EU's border agency says more than 500,000 migrants have arrived at the EU's borders so far this year, compared with 280,000 in 2014.
Many are fleeing conflict and poverty in countries including Syria, where a civil war has been raging since 2011.
The migrants have been crossing from Turkey, with about about 1,000 in the city of Edirne on Wednesday, waiting to organise a crossing into Greece. Their journey would then take them to Macedonia and Serbia.
Until Monday, most poured into Schengen member Hungary and crossed into Austria to reach Germany. Both Germany and Austria have introduced tighter border controls to control the flow.
A group of about 40 migrants arrived in the border town of Sid in Serbia on Wednesday. They had travelled by bus from the Serbian town of Presevo near the Macedonian border in the south.
"We heard that Hungary was closed so the police told us we should come this way," Amadou, 35, from Mauritania told AFP news agency.
"We don't know what we should do now. Do we have to catch a boat?"
They crossed into Croatia where police began registering them.
Croatia's Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic told parliament that authorities were "entirely ready to receive or direct those people where they want to go, which is obviously Germany or Scandinavian countries".
"They will be able to pass through Croatia and we will help, we're getting ready for that possibility," he said.
A meeting of the Croatian National Security Council has been called to co-ordinate the response.
Croatian media have warned of the dangers posed by landmines dating back to Croatia's war of independence in the early 1990s, even though experts say the areas are clearly marked.
The Serbian minister in charge of the government's working committee on migrants, Aleksandar Vulin, argued that the closure of the border by Hungary was unsustainable for Serbia.
He told the BBC's Lyse Doucet that contact between Serbian and Hungarian officials had been minimal.
Analysis: BBC's Guy Delauney, Belgrade
All year, Serbia has taken a relaxed attitude towards the migrants and refugees entering from neighbouring Macedonia.
The authorities understood that few of the people coming in would want to stay, although some expressed regret that people desperately fleeing conflict did not view Serbia as a desirable destination.
But Hungary's fence and its criminalisation of unofficial border crossings has brought a halt to the flow of people across Serbia.
If an exit into Hungary becomes impossible, the number of refugees here may begin to rise, challenging not only the country's capacity for dealing with asylum seekers but its citizens' hitherto admirable tolerance and empathy.
Serbian alarm over stranded migrants
Hungary has also said it could extend its fence to the border with Romania - a possible new route.
Romania said this would violate the "European spirit" of co-operation. | The first group of migrants has reached Croatia - opening up a new route to northern EU countries, a day after Hungary sealed its border with Serbia. | 34264942 |
It's almost twice as many as 2014's event, but unlike last year - where films on the theme were predominantly documentaries or world cinema films - this year, Hollywood has several big-ticket films shining a spotlight on it.
Following the US Supreme Court's ruling to make gay marriage legal across the country in June, it's a timely release for Julianne Moore's latest film, Freeheld.
Based on true events, the Oscar-winning actress plays police detective Laurel Hester, who fought New Jersey county officials in 2005 to leave her pension to her partner Stacie Andree after being diagnosed with cancer - a privilege not afforded to same-sex couples.
Moore says it's no coincidence many more films on LGBT issues are being made.
"After the Supreme Court decision I do feel like it's art imitating life," she said.
"Things show up often in entertainment and film when there has been either an interest or change in popular opinion."
LGBT advocacy group GLAAD agrees progress is leading the change.
"As acceptance in the US moves forwards for LGBT people, we are seeing more and more stories told on the big screen," president Sara Kate Ellis says.
Swedish director Alexandra-Therese Keining's film, Girls Lost, focuses on three 14-year-old girls who are forced to confront their gender and sexual identities when they magically turn into boys at night.
The director credits the rise in LGBT films and the increased awareness of the issue to Caitlyn Jenner's high-profile transition, which has been globally documented by the media and in her reality show I Am Cait.
"Her transition has been beneficial to the whole community thanks to her Vanity Fair cover and the different shows picking up her issues," she says.
"Her show is here in Scandinavia and all over the world [which help raise awareness] - and also shows like Transparent help too.
"I wouldn't say it's a revolution, but there's certainly a movement going on. Maybe it's just a phase - it's so hard to say, but definitely there is something going on which is very positive."
Tom Hooper's The Danish Girl - starring Eddie Redmayne as Lily Elbe, one of the first recognised transgender women - also received a gala premiere at the festival.
As a sign of changing attitudes in recent years, the film took more than 15 years to get off the ground. After the film rights to David Ebershoff's 2000 novel were bought, financiers were wary of a film about transgender issues.
"When I thought about it seven years ago, it was considered a difficult film to make," Hooper says. "The fact there has been a change in culture and trans narratives are more acceptable now, is a fantastic shift."
Amber Heard, who also stars in the film, says it is time more LGBT films were being made.
"I would hope this is a reflection on what we, as a society, are demanding and craving to see as a reflection of our world," she says.
"It makes me optimistic we will do more to highlight the largely - until now - forgotten about, ignored and underrepresented facets of our culture."
But while there may be progress on getting more LGBT films made, those in the community are campaigning for more LGBT actors - especially trans actors - to be cast in leading, rather than minor supporting roles.
Hooper came under fire for hiring Redmayne - who he says has a "certain gender fluidity" - in his film rather than a trans actor.
Producer Gail Mutrux told Screen Daily although they had considered trans actors over the years, "unlike now, those great trans actors didn't appear to us".
Although trans actress Rebecca Root has a small part in the film, Hooper admits the industry needs to ensure trans actors have the same opportunities as cisgender (those who identify with their gender of birth) actors.
Freeheld director Peter Stollett says we may be at a pivotal moment in LGBT film-making, but cinema goers also have a part to play in it.
"If audiences don't go and buy tickets, there won't be any more films," he says. "There is more of a democracy in theatrical movie-going than we realise sometimes. If you go to see these films, there will be more films like this made."
Hooper is optimistic more films addressing the issues will help those struggling with their gender or sexual identity.
"I hope it encourages other people who might feel marginalised to take inspiration," he says.
Stollett has bigger hopes for further social change, adding: "I hope it educates in a way that brings tolerance.
"Oftentimes we discriminate against people we don't know out of suspicion or fear.
"But hopefully someone who is a bit intolerant will identify with the characters [on screen] and might open their hearts a bit." | This year's Toronto International Film Festival features more than 20 films focussing on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues. | 34265911 |
After looking at data on more than 10,000 men, researchers found that for every extra two inches or 5cm in height above average, the risk went up by 13%.
But experts stressed the lifetime risk of developing this cancer is low - one in 210 for men in the UK.
So even for men exceeding the average height of British men (5ft 9ins), the risk would remain relatively small.
And the National Cancer Institute researchers still do not understand how increased height raises a man's risk of testicular cancer.
Other factors, like family history, carry more of a risk, they told the British Journal of Cancer.
Fewer than 2,000 new cases of testicular cancer are diagnosed each year in the UK, accounting for just 1% of male cancers.
The data the US team analysed came from 13 different studies investigating testicular cancer.
All of these studies, spanning the last decade, included both figures on the cancer's incidence and height records of the men involved.
Dr Michael Blaise Cook and his team looked at the data to see if cancer risk might tally with height and weight measurements.
They found no link between body weight and the cancer but a trend emerged with height, with taller men at increased risk of testicular cancer.
Sara Hiom, director of health information at Cancer Research UK, said: "Tall men should not be alarmed by this research since fewer than four in 100 testicular lumps are actually cancerous.
"But it is still important for men to be aware of any changes to the size and weight of their testicles and not delay seeing their GP if they are concerned. This is particularly true for young men as the disease is more common with under-35 year olds.
"The outlook for testicular cancer is also one of the best for all cancers - even after the disease has spread, patients can be cured." | Taller men may have a higher risk of getting testicular cancer, say experts in the United States. | 11628266 |
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Warner will leave UKA after 11 years at the end of the 2017 World Championships in London, which run from 4-13 August.
In June, Warner said he was leaving athletics in "great shape".
However, Minichiello told BBC Radio 5 live: "There's nothing that's drawing people into the sport to coach."
Warner, who is co-chairman of London 2017, officially handed over his UKA role to successor Richard Bowker last month.
Minichiello said Bowker had "three years to save the sport" and that coaching should be his top priority.
Earlier in the week, Warner told BBC sports editor Dan Roan that there were "some fantastic prospects" and "great talent coming through" in athletics.
Minichiello noted that Great Britain's four individual medallists at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin - Ennis-Hill, Phillips Idowu, Lisa Dobriskey and Jenny Meadows - all had British coaches.
Britain also had four individual medallists at Beijing 2015 but only Ennis-Hill was coached by a compatriot. Mo Farah, Greg Rutherford and Shara Proctor are coached by Americans Alberto Salazar, Dan Pfaff and Rana Reider respectively.
"I sat with Ed Warner in a hotel in Berlin and he said to me 'Britain only has two world-class coaches, what are we going to do?'" said Minichello.
"If you recognise that, what are you going to do about it? And the bottom line is: nothing.
"He didn't employ more coaches, didn't push the education process, didn't professionalise coaching so that he'd leave a legacy of coaches out there doing work, employed in clubs - he didn't take the opportunity, yet he spotted it in 2009.
"And as he's going out the door some eight or nine years later, he's got an OBE for services to athletics and he's suggesting that the sport is in a better place - I disagree."
After Ennis-Hill won Olympic heptathlon gold at London 2012, Minichiello said he was made redundant because he was "not seen as value for money" in coaching only one athlete "regardless of whether she was a medallist or not".
Minichiello was then paid as a consultant leading into the 2016 Games in Rio, where Ennis-Hill won silver, after which the consultancy ended, with Ennis-Hill retiring in October last year.
"Most of the coaches out there are there are volunteers or they've got jobs doing football sprinting, working with rugby clubs or football clubs or working a nine-to-five job," said Minichiello.
UKA says it has 25 individuals in coaching roles on a mixture of employment and consultancy contracts and does not disclose salaries.
England Athletics does not directly provide coaching to athletes and relies on volunteers, but says it provides support and development to coaches, including tutors who "deliver the courses that lead to UKA qualifications".
It added it has 160,000 athletes registered from 1,300 affiliated clubs and organisations and that its 21,000 leaders and coaches - up 9% from last year - "provide a tremendous service".
"There's a point where you have to flip over and think, if the athlete's full time, the coach needs to be full time," said Minichiello.
"Most people are looking for full-time professional coaches who can give them time, and are actually of a quality.
UKA will receive total funding of £27m for the Rio-Tokyo Olympic cycle, which Minichiello says is "for the performance end of the sport" and is not concerned with younger athletes.
"The gap has grown so massively between what happens at club level - which is everybody's first experience of our sport - and what happens at the top end," he said.
He also cited an example of a crowd of three people at the Premier League of British Athletics in Sheffield being asked to help out running the long jump competition.
He said: "Can you imagine: 'Sir Alex Ferguson, can you come out of the stand mate, and hold this hanky and run up the line?' You wouldn't find that in any other sport and this is the top flight of athletics."
Minichiello added he was wary that the success of the 2012 London Olympics and Paralympics would gloss over the problems he sees in coaching.
"This is part of Ed Warner's legacy, but it's ignored because we're looking at the grandiose Olympic Stadium, we're looking at the Paras, we're looking at all these tickets sold," he said.
"But you've also got very few tickets sold for the National Championships, you've got a lack of officials, a lack of quality happening at the Premier League."
Warner told the BBC's Dan Roan: "There's something very different between the trials and championship themselves - let's face it we have had over a million tickets to sell this summer to British athletics fans across all of our events.
"I can understand why some fans might choose to want to come here to the Olympic Stadium rather than the warm up of the trials, so I think this is what the sport needs to be judged on and will come through with flying colours." | Outgoing UK Athletics chief Ed Warner's legacy will be the "destruction of coaching", says Toni Minichiello, the former coach of Olympic and world champion Jessica Ennis-Hill. | 40810882 |
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Levine, 27, and fellow athlete James Ellington were injured by an oncoming car.
Their injuries mean both will miss the entire 2017 season.
"These things happen, accidents do happen. There's certain stuff you can't do to avoid it and I've just got to accept it," Levine told BBC Look East.
Levine, a 400m runner who was born in Trinidad and raised in Northamptonshire, said any potential legal outcome from the crash was currently in the hands of his solicitors.
But he continued: "I've accepted what's happened and I'm grateful to be well, alive and healthy, as well as James.
"I see on social media he's progressing really well and I'm doing pretty well. I've got a good team behind me, great friends and family, the physios, great coach, training partners. They're all there behind me.
"I can't complain. It's something tough to deal with but I believe I'm dealing with it pretty well."
Ellington is a 100m and 200m specialist and a two-time Olympian who was part of the gold medal-winning 4x100m relay teams at the 2014 and 2016 European Championships.
Meanwhile, Levine won a European outdoor relay gold in 2014 and an indoor relay gold in 2013.
He said he expected Ellington, who took his first steps since the accident in February, to be back to competitive action "in no time".
And Levine added he does not want to dwell on the crash.
"If I wasn't experienced I don't think I'd be in the position of talking to you," said Levine. "But I don't really think about it too much because what's been done has been done.
"I've got to deal with now. I'm still smiling and getting on with life. I'm just happy just to be alive and mobile, still got all my limbs and have a great team." | British sprinter Nigel Levine says he is "not angry anymore" after a motorbike accident in Spain in January left him with a broken pelvis. | 39590265 |
A reporter and later news editor, he was in charge of BBC Radio Wales' news coverage in the 1970s and 1980s.
He was one of the first reporters at the scene of the Aberfan disaster 50 years ago.
His son Jeremy, the Middle East editor of BBC News, said his father's reports from the disaster were "still very powerful".
Director of BBC Wales, Rhodri Talfan Davies, said Gareth Bowen would be remembered as one of Wales' most "distinguished and incisive radio journalists".
He added: "He played a vital role in the development of BBC Wales's news services over more than three decades as a reporter, producer and editor.
"His intense professionalism, coupled with a deep commitment to Wales and its people, was typified by his broadcasts from the Aberfan disaster 50 years ago this year."
The son of a steelworks clerk, Gareth Bowen was born in Merthyr Tydfil and moved to Cardiff as a child, attending Cardiff High School for Boys, where he was Head Boy.
He studied English at University College Cardiff and served in the Welsh Regiment during his national service.
He started a career in journalism in newspapers, initially covering showbusiness and sport.
He became editor of the national Sunday newspaper, the Empire News, when he was still in his 20s and met his wife Jennifer when he was working for the Western Mail and Echo.
Mr Bowen joined BBC Wales in Park Place in Cardiff in 1964, at first for the BBC External Service (now the World Service) later becoming editor of the Good Morning Wales programme.
In the 1970s he was appointed editor of Radio Wales news.
After his retirement, he continued to broadcast part-time for BBC Wales.
He is survived by his wife Jennifer, their five children; Jeremy, Nick, Matthew, Brigid and Charlotte and ten grandchildren. | The "distinguished" former BBC Wales journalist, Gareth Bowen, has died at the age of 86 after a long illness. | 37915820 |
BBC News looks at some of the highlights along the way and gauges reaction from people along the route.
The first stage on 5 July departs from Leeds Town Hall, a suitably imposing symbol of Victorian civic confidence to send the cyclists on their way.
Keith Wakefield, leader of Leeds City Council, said: "I've never had so many people contact me to say how unbelievable this is for them in their lifetime being able to see one of the biggest sporting events in the world."
From there the cyclists make their way a few miles north to Harewood House, a grand 18th Century country house whose grounds, designed by landscape architect Capability Brown, are now more widely known as the location for ITV's long-running soap Emmerdale.
Tour de France officials were entertained at Harewood during Yorkshire's bid to host the event.
Mike Schafer, chief executive of the Harewood House Trust, said: "We will work hard to help showcase the beautiful county of Yorkshire to the world - this is an opportunity for us all and we look forward to July 2014."
The route then takes in the market town of Ilkley, whose cycling club has more than 1,000 members and claims to be the fastest growing in the UK.
Katherine Church, a member of Ilkley Cycling Club, said the town was an "obvious choice".
"It's just beautiful. The roads are amazing, the climbs are incredible, the scenery is spectacular, there's lots of different challenges. It's just going to be brilliant."
Keighley and Ilkley MP Kris Hopkins said: "I have no doubt that it will also encourage people of all ages to dust off their bikes, pull on their helmets and get pedalling."
Moving into the Yorkshire Dales National Park, the Tour will pass through the villages of Rylstone, home to the Calendar Girls, Kilnsey with its spectacular limestone crag and Aysgarth, close to the stunning Aysgarth Falls.
Councillor John Weighell from North Yorkshire County Council said: "I'm absolutely thrilled to see the Tour take in some of the most stunning scenery in the Yorkshire Dales.
"Just to have the Tour for almost a full day is wonderful news for the economy and for tourism in North Yorkshire."
The first day ends at the spa town of Harrogate where the weary competitors may be tempted to revive their spirits at the refurbished Turkish Baths or with a cuppa at the famous Betty's tea rooms.
Betty's spokeswoman Paula Kaye said: "We are extremely excited about the news that the sprint finale of the first day of Le Grand Depart will be in Harrogate."
Day two of the 101st Tour gets under starters orders at York racecourse.
Clerk of the course William Derby said: "In our history we have hosted the Queen, the Pope, Royal Ascot, The St Leger, the Olympic Torch and now the Tour is coming to the city, it's exciting news.
"We know that a season at York Races generates £58m for the local economy so can understand how an event like the Tour could well generate double that amount for the region over the weekend alone."
On its way south the route then wends its way through the Pennines, taking in Haworth, known worldwide as the home of the Bronte sisters, and Holmfirth, the filming location for BBC sitcom Last Of The Summer Wine.
The Pennine leg includes the challenging ascent of Holme Moss, a moor rising to 524m (1,719ft) just within the Peak District national park.
Matthew Dixon, a member of nearby Bradfield Parish Council, said: "Bradfield and the surrounding areas has stunning countryside that will provide a breathtaking backdrop to the Tour de France. Village folk are already very excited at the prospect."
Stage two will end in Sheffield where Marco Mori, from La Squadra cycling club, said: "It's fantastic news, especially for those who've been involved in cycling all their lives.
"There's a lot to look forward to, and even beforehand the teams will be over here checking out the route - we'll be seeing team riders, team cars."
From Yorkshire the Tour moves to the east of England with the third stage beginning in Cambridge on Monday 7 July.
The city, famous for its university, is also a hub of science and technology and is often referred to as the cycling capital of the UK.
Councillor Martin Curtis, Cambridgeshire's "cycling champion", said: "For me, this news cements Cambridgeshire's reputation as a place which has cycling in its DNA, with thousands of people getting on their bikes every day."
Colin Bedford, who runs March Veteran and Vintage Cycle Club in the city, said: "Our club has been involved in three Tours de Britain and fingers crossed we might be asked to put on a display to entertain the crowd for the Tour de France, which honestly would be the bee's knees."
It is then on to the relative tranquillity of Epping Forest, where Chris Whitbread, leader of Epping Forest District Council, said riders could enjoy "many historic gems" before heading to the capital.
"I would love for them to come to my home town of Epping obviously, but there's the forest, of course and Waltham Abbey," he said.
In London, the route takes in the Olympic Park and a final sprint to The Mall. | From the bleak moors of the Yorkshire Dales to the genteel streets of Cambridge, the Tour de France's return to England in 2014 will take in some of the country's most spectacular landscapes and historic towns and cities. | 21057232 |
Kieran Edward Joseph McLaughlin, from Elaghmore Park in Londonderry, denies murdering Barry McCrory, who was shot dead in the city in October 2013.
A forensic imagery analyst gave evidence on day five of the trial.
He was asked to compare an image of the accused with a man captured on CCTV at Mr McCrory's flat on the day he died.
Referred to in the trial as 'Man X', the suspected gunman was filmed entering the block of flats at Shipquay Street both before and after the fatal shooting.
Mr McLaughlin's case is being heard in a Diplock non-jury trial at Belfast Crown Court.
The 60-year-old defendant is also charged with possessing a sawn-off, 12 bore double-barrelled shotgun, shotgun cartridges, a pistol and ammunition with intent to endanger life and possessing a imitation Walther pistol.
The forensic imagery analyst, who specialises in image and facial comparisons, outlined his findings after comparing the defendant's photo with the CCTV images.
The court heard that many of Man X's facial features were obscured in the still image that was examined, as the gunman was wearing a hood and safety glasses.
This, the court heard, meant features such as Man X's ears, forehead, eyebrows and hairline were obscured.
The expert said that despite several of Man X's features being obscured, there were some similar features between the two images.
These included a "broad consistency" in the appearance of the noses and the roundness of the chins.
When asked to give his conclusion, the facial comparison expert said that based on his findings "the analysis lends moderate support to the contention that Man X and Mr McLaughlin are the same person."
Under cross-examination by defence barrister the expert admitted his findings were not validated or verified by a colleague or anyone else in the field of facial mapping. | A murder trial has been told there is "moderate support" to contend that the alleged gunman filmed on CCTV is the same man on trial for the killing. | 31805477 |
Spencer Mellors, 52, went to the Sou'wester Tavern pub in Glasgow on 11 September to get his dog from his ex-partner Anne Marie Dunn.
He pled guilty to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner and having a stun gun disguised as a torch.
In 1996, he was jailed for nine years for raping and biting a prostitute.
Glasgow Sheriff Court heard how Miss Dunn and her colleague were inside the pub around 00:20 when they heard someone at the shutters.
Mellors and Miss Dunn had been in a relationship for about 10 years until 2014.
Procurator fiscal depute Harry Findlay said Miss Dunn went outside and saw Mellors across the road beside a Glasgow City Council van.
She shouted to a council worker, Shaun Devine, that Mellors was next to his vehicle and returned to the pub.
Mr Findlay said: "Mellors then shouted and swore towards the door of the pub."
Mellors also shouted abuse at Mr Devine and his colleague.
The council workers had said they could see something in his hand they thought was a torch but were concerned, and phoned the police.
Mellors walked off and was found by police later that day, and later arrested.
The following day, after getting a search warrant, police found the stun gun at Mellors' home in Glasgow's east end.
Sheriff Bill Totten told him: "I am required to impose a sentence of five years in prison."
He also handed Mellors a non-harrassment order meaning he cannot contact or attempt to contact Miss Dunn. | A convicted rapist has been jailed for five years for being in possession of a stun gun while shouting abuse at his former girlfriend outside her work. | 38553754 |
3 March 2017 Last updated at 16:27 GMT
The 80-year-old Monterey Cypress tree was cut down at a house on a road alongside Archbishop Benson School in Truro, Cornwall.
Cornwall Council is investigating the accident and has written to the house owner summoning him for an interview under caution.
The house owner could not be reached for comment.
Parent Shelley Bishop saw the tree come down with her children: "Luckily nobody was in the car but in theory children could have been crossing there, or walking on that piece of pavement.
"If somebody had been stood there they would have been crushed." | Parents are angry that a large tree was cut down, falling across a pavement near a primary school at its closing time. | 39153967 |
Southern Health NHS Trust is holding an emergency board meeting after being severely criticised in an official inquiry last month.
A report published by NHS England found it had failed to investigate hundreds of deaths over a four-year period.
The trust has apologised for previous failings and said its systems have since improved.
Southern Health covers Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire and provides services to about 45,000 people.
But its critics have blamed a lack of leadership and demands have grown for the chief executive Katrina Percy to resign.
Last month Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt described the trust's failings as "totally and utterly unacceptable".
Several families will attend the meeting to confront Ms Percy and the rest of the board.
They are led by Sara Ryan, the mother of Connor Sparrowhawk, an 18-year-old with learning disabilities who drowned in a bath in Oxford in 2013 while under the care of Southern Health.
They want the leadership of the trust to resign or be sacked by regulators.
The official inquiry covered a period from April 2011 to June 2015.
It found that many deaths were not investigated, and the quality of the investigations that were carried out were described as poor and much delayed.
The trust was said to have missed opportunities to learn from deaths and to have suffered from a lack of transparency.
BBC News has learned that a former director at the trust has a role at NHS England looking after patient safety.
Dr Martyn Diaper was medical director (quality) at the trust for a year from July 2014.
During the same time, he held two posts at NHS England - head of patient safety (primary care) and chairman of national patient safety expert group for primary care. He retains both posts.
NHS England said it continued to have confidence in Dr Diaper and said his actions had improved systems at the trust, which was recognised in the official report.
In a statement to BBC News, Dr Diaper said: "As a result of my efforts, rapid and significant improvements were made in the way the trust looked at failures in care." | Furious families are expected to demand the resignation of an NHS chief executive at a public meeting later. | 35268654 |
The victims, mainly from the Czech Republic, were brought to the UK and forced into compulsory labour by a gang of five based in the city.
Plymouth Crown Court was told they had to sleep on the floor or in a garage, urinate in bottles and eat outside.
The defendants deny all charges.
Malcolm Galloway, prosecuting, said the victims were used as house servants, cleaning the house, car and cutting the lawn.
The defendants are:
Police originally arrested eight people in September but the prosecution offered no evidence for the other three - Lenka Cmejlova, 32, of Union Street, Plymouth, Jiri Sebelik, 37, of Union Street, Plymouth and Sandra Tancosova, 25, of Flora Court, Plymouth - and not guilty verdicts were offered.
Mr Galloway said the defendants would use threats of violence of "a few slaps" if they did not do what they were told, or a "punch to the face" if they were being rude.
He said the victims "would have to sleep on the floor or in a garage, urinate in bottles and eat outside".
The trial continues. | Vulnerable eastern Europeans were trafficked to Plymouth and ordered to live under the stairs "like some grotesque Harry Potter concept", a court has heard. | 32046817 |
The reports suggest between two and five banks have been targeted, including Wall Street giant JP Morgan Chase.
JP Morgan Chase declined to comment on the reports directly, but said companies of its size experienced cyber-attacks "nearly every day".
The FBI did not indicate who it suspected of being behind the attacks.
A statement from the bureau said it was working with the US secret services to determine the scope of the attacks.
But Bloomberg News, which first reported the attacks, said the investigation was looking at the possible involvement of Russia, amid worsening relations with the US over crises in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Bloomberg quoted security experts saying that the capabilities of the hackers to breach several layers of security appeared to be "far beyond the capability of ordinary criminal hackers".
But others questioned why this attack involved the apparent theft of data, rather than the disruption of services more characteristic of retaliatory attacks from state actors.
"This is very different from the alleged Iranian attacks earlier in 2012 and late 2013 that were purely of a denial-of-service nature," said Amichai Shulman, chief technology officer at security firm Imperva.
"I find it odd that someone who was actually able to break into a bank is not using it for making immediate profit.
"Everyone is trying hard to tie this with the whole political situation with Russia. However, it is well known that for a few years now, a large portion of banking attacks and financially related hacking has consistently been coming from Eastern Europe."
A spokeswoman for JP Morgan Chase said: "Companies of our size unfortunately experience cyber-attacks nearly every day.
"We have multiple layers of defence to counteract any threats and constantly monitor fraud levels." | The FBI says it is investigating reports in the US media of recent cyber-attacks against several US banks. | 28965878 |
An inquiry into Emstrey Crematorium in Shrewsbury is due to publish its findings next month.
In March, its chairman David Jenkins said at least 60 families were believed to be affected.
Furnace Construction Co Ltd has said its equipment was capable of recovering ashes from infant cremations.
In a statement, the company said operators would have had to manually override some settings.
Mr Jenkins has previously said he had been told by crematorium staff the equipment could not recover a child's ashes.
Shropshire Council said it would be inappropriate to comment while the inquiry was ongoing.
The independent inquiry was set up in December to investigate claims babies' ashes were not returned to grieving parents prior to 2012, when new equipment was installed by Co-operative Funeralcare, which took over the running of the site in 2011.
In an update, inquiry chairman Mr Jenkins said he had spoken to families and had been "struck by their very real and acute sense of anguish that they do not have the ashes of their lost child as a tangible focus for their grieving, and, in some cases, anger at officialdom for, as they see it, depriving them of their child's remains".
However, he said he was still seeking detailed information on the maintenance and technical capabilities of the equipment formerly used in Shrewsbury.
He has also had contact with the Scottish government, which was at the centre of a similar inquiry regarding failures at the Mortonhall crematorium.
Mr Jenkins said he had also asked for an update on progress implementing the recommendations of its commission led by Lord Bonomy. | The manufacturer of equipment used at a crematorium criticised for failing to return babies' ashes, has denied its products were to blame. | 32206579 |
He told the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme the film world was seen as "very, very progressive", but was "lagging behind" industries in encouraging diversity.
Radcliffe also said it was hard for gay actors to come out for fear of being typecast in gay roles.
And he stated that he did not want to play Potter again "at this point".
The 27-year-old British actor has starred as JK Rowling's child wizard in several films since 2001.
But his latest screen role, in the thriller Imperium, is as Nate Foster, an FBI agent who goes undercover to infiltrate a white supremacist group.
Radcliffe told Victoria Derbyshire this had led him to think more about racial issues, and to consider how close to "mainstream" some of the opinions in the film had become.
He criticised the Republican US presidential candidate, Donald Trump, saying he had "stirred up" feelings of "fear and hatred".
The US film industry has itself come in for criticism for racism, with actor Dustin Hoffman and director Spike Lee boycotting this year's Oscars ceremony over what has been described as a lack of ethnic minority nominees.
Asked whether Hollywood was "racist", Radcliffe, who is on the panel that chooses Oscar winners, said: "It's pretty undeniable."
He added: "We like to think of ourselves as being a very, very progressive industry, but we have been lagging behind in all kinds of areas. "
Radcliffe also voiced concern that gay actors felt unable to come out because "I suppose then people just want to cast you as gay".
In 2012, the actor declared himself a supporter of the Labour Party, having previously backed the Liberal Democrats, and has since voiced support for leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Asked about recent allegations of anti-Semitism within Labour, Radcliffe - whose mother is Jewish - described them as "absolutely awful" and "shocking".
But he said he was still likely to back Labour at the next election "if it was a choice between that and the Conservatives".
There has been speculation that the London stage play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child could be turned into a film, starring Radcliffe.
But he said: "No-one's asked me about it and I definitely don't think that I would do it at this point, certainly.
"It's only been six years [since last playing Potter] and I'm really enjoying being able to do lots of different stuff at the moment."
He added: "Maybe if 30 years had passed I would be thinking differently. They will be doing remakes, and I could play his dad, or something."
The Victoria Derbyshire programme is broadcast on weekdays between 09:00 and 11:00 on BBC Two and the BBC News channel.
Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram, or if you have a story suggestion email [email protected]. | Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe has said it is "pretty undeniable" that Hollywood is racist. | 37406386 |
It was a fifth world title for the Rio tandem kilo gold medallist, 21, piloted by Corrine Hall.
The pair finished more than five seconds clear of Fachie, who was riding with Hazel McLeod.
Paralympic triathlon silver medallist Alison Patrick just missed out on a medal on her international track debut.
Patrick, who won silver with McLeod in Rio, lost out to Belgium by more than seven seconds with pilot Helen Scott in the ride-off for bronze while Aileen McGlynn and Louise Haston were sixth.
The event in America is vital for visually-impaired athletes hoping to gain qualification points towards the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia.
Riders, including 14-time Paralympic gold medallist Sarah Storey, had been critical of the UCI for the short build-up to the event.
"Considering the event was only announced seven weeks ago, its amazing we're standing on top of the podium," Thornhill told BBC Sport.
Fachie, who married team-mate Neil Fachie last year, added: "I couldn't make it to Glasgow 2014 so I'm hoping to do enough here to get selected for Gold Coast."
On Friday, Jody Cundy goes in the C4 kilometre time trial, with Jon Gildea competing in the C5 class.
Media playback is not supported on this device | Britain's Sophie Thornhill beat team-mate Lora Fachie to tandem pursuit gold on day one of the Para-cycling Track World Championships in Los Angeles. | 39149136 |
It is the first time Paul Conroy has returned to Syria since he was injured in an attack that killed journalists Marie Colvin and Remi Ochlik in 2012.
The People's Convoy has raised more than £155,000 to build a new children's hospital near Aleppo.
It is to replace one which was bombed in November.
Mr Conroy said the journey back was his first opportunity to show solidarity and remind the Syrian people they were not forgotten.
"A few years ago I was in Homs lying in the rubble next to my dead partner Marie Colvin and Remi Ochlik.
"We were taken to a hospital field clinic and the treatment I had - I had a toothbrush, a bottle of iodine and an office stapler to put my leg back together.
"That hasn't changed. Doctors and medics are some of the most hunted people in Syria."
The convoy has been organised by CanDo, The Syria Campaign, Doctors Under Fire and The Phoenix Foundation. It will take about a week to reach the Syrian border.
The trucks will then be handed over to the Independent Doctors' Association, which then plans to travel on to the outskirts of Aleppo and begin building the hospital.
Dr Rola Hallam, a consultant anaesthetist at the Royal Free Hospital in London, said seeing images of the deliberate targeting of the medical facility was a "devastating blow" to her and what prompted the campaign idea.
The 37-year-old British Syrian added: "These are war crimes which have been allowed to continue with impunity and I felt it was time that we, the people, took action."
She said the amount raised had been like a "ray of light and hope".
"This is a display of the best of humanity - 3,000 people from around the world have clubbed together to not only raise the money needed to set up the hospital, but well over the target." | A war photographer who survived a deadly blast in Syria has joined a convoy taking London doctors to the embattled country. | 38351413 |
Mr Cable said he was concerned there was "some exploitation" of staff on the contracts which give no guarantees of shifts or work patterns.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development found up to 4% of the UK workforce were on such contracts.
It surveyed 1,000 firms.
"I think at one end of the market there is some exploitation taking place," said Mr Cable.
However, he pointed out that in many cases the level of flexibility offered by the contracts suited employees. "It can work for the worker as well as the employer," he told the BBC.
Mr Cable has been leading a review on the issue for the government since June and will decide in September whether to hold a formal consultation on specific proposals.
Unions have called for them to be banned.
Dave Prentis, general secretary of the Unison union, said: "The vast majority of workers are only on these contracts because they have no choice. They may give flexibility to a few, but the balance of power favours the employers and makes it hard for workers to complain."
Despite controversy over their use, just 16% of those affected said their employer often fails to provide them with sufficient hours each week.
Zero-hours contracts: What is it like living on one?
This was higher amongst those who described themselves as part-time, where 38% said they would like to work more hours.
Under zero-hours contracts employees agree to be available for work as and when it is required.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics last week suggested 250,000 workers were on zero-hours contracts.
CIPD chief executive Peter Cheese said the reason his survey showed up to four more times the number of people on zero hour contracts compared to official figures could be down to a lack of precision in the measurement, as well as confusion over definitions.
"I think even sometimes employers themselves are not fully clear on the absolute nature of their contracts and whether it is genuinely zero hours," he said.
"There does need to be a closer look at what is meant by a zero-hours contract, the different forms that they take, and clearer guidance on what good and bad practice in their use looks like.
"Zero-hours contracts, used appropriately, can provide flexibility for employers and employees and can play a positive role in creating more flexible working opportunities.
"However, for some this may be a significant disadvantage where they need more certainty in their working hours and earnings... Zero-hours contracts cannot be used simply to avoid an employer's responsibilities to its employees."
The news emerged as it was reported that part-time staff at retailer Sports Direct and a number of London councils were among those employed on such terms.
According to the CIPD's research, firms in the voluntary and public sectors were more likely to use zero-hours contracts than those in the private sector.
The industries where employers were most likely to report having at least one person on a zero-hours contract were hotels, catering and leisure, education and healthcare.
The CPID said one in five employers in the UK had at least one person on a zero-hours contract. This means workers can be officially counted as employed, but have no guaranteed paid work and can be sent home from their workplace without warning and without having earned anything.
While zero-hours contracts may suit some due to the flexibility they provide, critics point out that the system can lead to fluctuating wages and a risk that managers may use their contract as both reward and punishment.
Rochelle Monte is a care worker on a zero-hours contract and she told Radio 4's Today Programme that she gave her employer details of her availability and then had to "hope for the best".
"It can change dramatically over the space of a week.
"So you might start off a week thinking you've got 40 hours, but by the end of the week you could be down to 12," she said.
Colin Angel from the UK Homecare Association said zero-hours contracts were a response to the way that local authorities commissioned home care services.
"Councils buy 70-odd percent of all hours of home care - and it's proved to be the way that you can retain a workforce who are available very flexibly whose hours can change over a month.
"[It] works well for care workers who largely appreciate the flexibility that their contracts have," he said.
At places of employment found to be using the contracts, the average number of workers who were on them was around 16%, according to CIPD.
Based on these figures, CIPD calculated that between 3% and 4% of all workers were on zero-hour contracts - equating to a million people in the UK labour force.
The employees who took part in the poll worked an average of just under 20 hours a week and were most likely to be aged between 18 and 24 or over 55. | The Business Secretary Vince Cable fears zero-hours contracts are being abused after research suggested a million people could be working under them. | 23570345 |
The 30-year-old, who has an English grandmother, joins another New Zealand-born back, Bristol's Jason Woodward, in attending the Brighton camp.
Also invited are prop Jamal Ford-Robinson and Worcester's Nick Schonert, Jack Singleton and Will Spencer.
No players involved in the Premiership play-offs will travel to Brighton.
Players from Northampton, who have a European Champions Cup play-off to focus on, will also skip the camp.
England face the Barbarians on 28 May before playing two Tests against Argentina next month.
England boss Jones named 15 uncapped players in his 31-man squad for the Argentina tour, including Sale Shark's New Zealand-born cross-code convert Denny Solomona and identical teenage twins Ben and Tom Curry, who will all attend the camp in Brighton.
Forwards: Josh Beaumont (Sale Sharks), Rob Buchanan (Harlequins), Will Collier (Harlequins), Ben Curry (Sale Sharks), Tom Curry (Sale Sharks), Tom Ellis (Bath Rugby), Charlie Ewels (Bath Rugby), Jamal Ford-Robinson (Bristol) , Ross Harrison (Sale Sharks), Chris Robshaw (Harlequins), Nick Schonert (Worcester Warriors), Jack Singleton (Worcester Warriors), Will Spencer (Worcester Warriors), Mark Wilson (Newcastle Falcons).
Backs: Mike Brown (Harlequins), Danny Care (Harlequins), George Ford (Bath Rugby), Mike Haley (Sale Sharks), Willi Heinz (Gloucester), Sam James (Sale Sharks), Joe Marchant (Harlequins), Jonny May (Gloucester), Ryan Mills (Worcester Warriors), Denny Solomona (Sale Sharks), Jason Woodward (Bristol Rugby), Marland Yarde (Harlequins) | Gloucester's New Zealand-born scrum-half Willi Heinz has been selected in a 26-man squad for a three-day England training camp which starts on Tuesday. | 39917336 |
Both players were sent off for fighting on the pitch as the half-time whistle sounded at Hamilton on 1 April.
Nine-man Saints went close to holding out for a draw, with Accies finding the only goal on 89 minutes.
"I had to explain to my six-year-old son; 'daddy isn't playing because he was fighting'," right-back Foster told BBC Scotland.
Foster and Swanson served two-match bans, with the Perth club fining them each four weeks' wages.
"The club handled it very well, the manager and the chairman," added former Aberdeen and Rangers defender Foster, 31.
"We paid the price we were asked to pay and we've both moved on."
Foster explained that the pair quickly patched up their differences.
"Me and Danny had made up within five minutes in the dressing room," he said.
"We had to sit together in there and listen to the second half and it was obviously gutting when we realised Hamilton had scored a late winner."
Foster reckons the disagreement would have been handled differently had the flashpoint come moments earlier in the game.
"It was just the timing," he added. "The half-time whistle could not have come at a worse time because it allowed us to get close to each other.
"Tempers had flared and we were just right there.
"It's something that should have been dealt with in the dressing room, normally with an argument, shouting here and there, but it spilled out on the pitch.
"It makes my toes curl even now, thinking about it."
The duo were spared a tongue-lashing from manager Tommy Wright, who had to prepare his depleted side for the remaining 45 minutes, while team-mates were too dejected to comment following the 1-0 defeat.
"They didn't have to say anything," said Foster. "They came in after the game and you could tell they were raging. If Hamilton score in the 55th minute, you deal with it during the game but to come so close to getting a point.
"We obviously let them down but they worked so hard to try and dig me and Danny out of a hole."
Midfielder Swanson, 30, has agreed a move to Hibernian in the summer, while Foster is under contract at McDiarmid Park for another two seasons.
"Danny doesn't enjoy a tackle, so we'll see how that goes," Foster joked about them meeting as opponents next term. | Richard Foster remains "incredibly embarrassed" by his altercation with St Johnstone team-mate Danny Swanson. | 39812687 |
The 46-year-old led his country to a first major semi-final at Euro 2016, and he takes his team to Austria on Thursday as they aim to build on their historic campaign in France by qualifying for a second successive major tournament - another first.
The 2018 World Cup may seem a distant speck on the horizon at this point, but the game in Vienna is Wales' second stop on the road to Russia - and this is a campaign with a difference.
Whereas Wales have been lowly outsiders in previous campaigns, they started this one as Group D's top seeds and, as Euro 2016 semi-finalists, a scalp for their opponents.
Wales' standing in world football has changed irrevocably and, as Coleman's recent visit to a coaching conference shows, so too has their manager's.
"It was nice that one or two of them recognised me this time. The last time I think they thought I was the bell-boy or something. They did not know who I was," he says.
"There was [France manager] Didier Deschamps, myself, [former Iceland and Sweden manager] Lars Largerback and [World Cup-winning former Spain coach] Vicente Del Bosque.
Media playback is not supported on this device
"You know you are in good company, and it felt great to be on the stage with them speaking about our experiences.
"I was there two years previously listening to the four managers on the stage who had been to the semi-finals of the World Cup.
"You cannot help but wonder if you could be there one day, and it came true."
Euro 2016 was the realisation of a long-held dream for Wales and Coleman, and it gave them a taste for the big occasion.
This is the most successful era in Welsh football history and Coleman's men must adapt to their elevated status.
Although second seeds Austria are at home and are relative major tournaments veterans compared to their opponents, manager Marcel Koller believes Wales are favourites to win the group.
"They will see it as a chance to send a message," says Coleman.
"Before, teams would have played us and thought they should take all three points. Now if teams get a draw, they will view it as a great point.
"We have to up our game - that goes for the players, for me and for my staff. This is different whether we like it or not.
"With success comes complacency if you let it happen. It is human nature. There is that urge to think about how well you have done. This is the test for us, to try and push on."
On paper, this is Wales' most difficult match of the campaign, the top seeds away from home against the second-highest ranked team in the group.
Having underachieved at Euro 2016, Austria will feel they have a point to prove.
Their qualifying record for the summer's tournament - nine wins, one draw, no defeats - reflected a significant talent pool which includes Bayern Munich's David Alaba and Stoke winger Marko Arnautovic.
However, their group exit in France suggested they have yet to properly harness the quality at their disposal.
"Tournament football is unlike anything else, the campaign can be great, but a finals is a different challenge," says Coleman.
"When everything is on the line you sink or swim and our boys answered the questions asked of them.
"We can handle those high-pressure situations. This will be another one where we will have to have the answers again.
"They will know about us. If they get three points off us they will have to go above and beyond if we are at our best. It will be interesting."
Wales' first win over Austria, in 1975, was significant as it saw them finish top of a qualifying group for the first - and still the only - time in their history, thanks to a goal by Wrexham's Arfon Griffiths.
Despite topping their group, however, Wales lost in a play-off to Yugoslavia and missed out on a place in the finals of the 1976 European Championship.
Their next match against Austria was a friendly in 1992, and it was memorable for Coleman.
Then a 21-year-old centre-back playing for Crystal Palace, Coleman came on as a substitute to make his international debut and scored Wales' equaliser in a 1-1 draw.
Coleman smiles when he reminisces about that day in Vienna. "The atmosphere was fantastic and I hope it's the same tomorrow."
With more than 4,000 travelling Welsh fans expected at the Ernst Happel Stadion, Coleman's wish may well be granted. | Perceptions of Welsh football have changed after a summer of unprecedented success, and the transformation is embodied by manager Chris Coleman. | 37567201 |
Iris Higginson, from Brinsley, Nottinghamshire, was driving a Vauxhall Corsa when it collided with two other cars on Mansfield Road, Eastwood.
The accident happened at about 23:00 GMT on Tuesday. Miss Higginson was pronounced dead at the scene.
Three men and a woman were arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.
Police said the men, aged 36, 26 and 21, and the 20-year-old woman have since been bailed pending further enquiries.
Officers urged anyone who saw the vehicles before the crash to come forward. | A 67-year-old woman has been named by police after she was killed in a crash in Nottinghamshire. | 30427619 |
Daniel Garland admitted making a hoax threat to the firm in January, claiming bombs were attached to G4S employees' cars and were ready to explode.
But the 19-year-old, of Durham Place, Chester-le-Street, pleaded not guilty to a linked £1m blackmail charge.
Garland was granted bail at Teesside Crown Court ahead of a trial which is due to take place in September. | A County Durham man has denied a £1m blackmail plot against the security firm G4S. | 40342799 |
An award-winning reporter who had fearlessly chronicled Mexico's deadly drug trade, he remarked at his book launch last year that being a journalist "is like being on a blacklist".
The government's promises of protection are next to worthless if the cartels decide they want you dead.
As Valdez put it: "Even though you may have bullet-proofing and bodyguards, [the gangs] will decide what day they are going to kill you."
The 50-year-old was dragged from his car and shot dead on Monday, in Culiacan city, Sinaloa, where he lived and worked.
Over a three-decade career, Valdez founded the Ríodoce newspaper in Sinaloa, the north-western state blighted by Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's powerful drug cartel.
He was also a correspondent for the national newspaper La Jornada, and the author of several books, including Los Morros del Narco [The Children of the Drug Trade], which followed young people through Mexico's bloody underworld.
In public, he often spoke of the risks facing reporters in Mexico, which has one of the world's least free presses.
His words illustrate both the cost of printing the truth, and the bravery of those who continue to do so.
Last month, Valdez told the freedom of expression organisation Index on Censorship that a hand grenade had been thrown into Ríodoce's offices in 2009 - but had "only caused material damages".
"I've had phone calls telling me to stop investigating certain murders or drug bosses. I've had to suppress important information because they could have my family killed if I mention it," he said.
"Sources of mine have been killed or disappeared… The government couldn't care less. They do nothing to protect you. There have been many cases and this keeps happening."
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), at least 40 journalists have been murdered in Mexico since 1992.
The journalist's brother Rafael Valdez told Agence France-Presse that he had tried not to expose loved ones to the hazards of his profession.
"He was very reserved when it came to his work," Rafael said. "He never talked about it so as not to drag people into it.
"I asked him several times whether he was afraid. He said yes, he was a human being. So I asked him why he risked his life, and he replied: 'It is something I like doing, and someone has to do it. You have to fight to change things.'"
Sometimes, reporters are forced to flee Mexico under threat of death - knowing they will be murdered if they ever return.
"Now they must be content seeing their homes through the internet. They have been banished from their families for the rest of their lives," Valdez told Revista Desocupado [in Spanish].
In March, Valdez's colleague Miroslava Breach - a crime correspondent for La Jornada - was killed by being shot eight times in front of one of her children.
The gunmen left a note saying: "For being a loudmouth."
Valdez raged against her death on Twitter, writing: "Let them kill us all, if that's the death sentence for reporting this hell. Not to silence."
Other Mexican journalists killed in 2017 include freelancers Maximino Rodríguez and Cecilio Pineda Birto, CPJ records show.
Mexico's violent cartels are well known for using informants. While researching his book Narcoperiodismo [Narco Journalism], Valdez realised that local newspapers were being regularly infiltrated by gang spies.
"Serious journalism with ethics is very important in times of conflict, but unfortunately there are journalists who are involved with narcos," he told Index on Censorship.
"This has made our work much more complicated, and now we have to protect ourselves from politicians, narcos and even other journalists."
In Narco Journalism, he describes how reporters are exiled, murdered, corrupted, terrorised by the cartels, or betrayed by police or politicians in the pay of the gangs.
He told Revista Desocupado: "It is not only about the criminal drugs trade, now they kidnap, extort; they have control of the sale of arms, beer, taxis; they control hospitals, police officers, the army, people in the government and those who finance them. The omnipresent narco is everywhere."
Valdez felt frustrated and alone in his fight to keep an independent newspaper running.
"I don't see a society that stands by its journalists or protects them," he said. "At Ríodoce we don't have any support from business owners to finance projects. If we went bankrupt and shut down nobody would do anything [to help]. We have no allies."
He feared his newspaper would not outlast this apathy.
"We need more publicity, subscriptions and moral support - but we're on our own. We're not going to survive much longer in these circumstances."
For Valdez, Mexico had become accustomed to death, evil and abuses - a nation resigned to serial murder, because acceptance is easier than fighting.
But as recently as two months ago he was determined to persevere, telling an interviewer:
"Inside me there is a pessimistic bastard, distressed and sometimes sullen, who feels like a somewhat bitter old man with watery eyes, who is bothered by having his solitude spoiled. But he dreams. I have an idea of another country, for my family and other Mexicans, that does not continue to fall into an abyss from which there may be no return."
Mexico's President Enrique Peña Nieto has condemned Valdez's killing as an "outrageous crime", and said his government remained committed to press freedom.
Last week, Mexico appointed a new prosecutor to investigate crimes against freedom of expression - including the murder of journalists.
Sinaloa state attorney general Juan Jose Rios said Valdez's shooting was under investigation.
He promised the authorities would protect Valdez's relatives and colleagues, telling reporters: "Above all else, we are interested in Javier's family." | Javier Valdez knew he was living on borrowed time. | 39934676 |
Health officials have urged the public to be on the lookout for symptoms of the infection, especially people living in Airdrie and Coatbridge.
The outbreak has been linked to products sold by the JB Christie bakery in Airdrie.
Hepatitis A is a viral infection which leads to inflammation of the liver and can cause mild to severe illness.
Dr Femi Oshin, NHS Lanarkshire consultant in public health medicine, said: "Some people who have become infected with hepatitis A, can feel well and have no symptoms for several weeks prior to developing symptoms and becoming unwell. However, during this time they can be infectious to others.
"Others - especially younger children and babies - may become infected and not develop any symptoms, yet may be infectious to others for several weeks.
"This is why we are continuing to raise awareness of the infection to help us identify other possible cases so that treatment can be provided if appropriate and to prevent further spread of the infection."
The bakery closed for a short period after it was first linked to the outbreak at the beginning of May but reopened after staff tested negative for the infection and the premises were given a deep clean.
Health officials later praised the bakery for its co-operation during the investigation.
A helpline has been set up to provide general information about hepatitis A and the outbreak. The helpline - 0800 028 2816 - is open from 08:00 to 22:00 daily. | The number of confirmed cases of hepatitis A linked to a bakery in North Lanarkshire has increased to 61. | 39983062 |
James Fairweather was found guilty of stabbing James Attfield and Nahid Almanea to death in Colchester in 2014, when he was 15.
The 17-year-old, from Colchester, admitted manslaughter but denied murder on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
He was convicted last week and given two life sentences at the Old Bailey.
Live reaction: Teen sentenced for double murder
Father-of-four Mr Attfield, who was disabled following a car crash, was stabbed more than 100 times on 29 March in the town's Castle Park.
Saudi Arabian student Ms Almanea, 31, was stabbed with a bayonet as she walked to the University of Essex campus on 17 June.
Mr Justice Spencer told Fairweather he could have been looking at a whole life term had he been older when he committed the murders, which he described as "brutal and sadistic."
His "obsessive interest" in serial killers "undeniably fuelled these killings", and it was clear he was "seeking to emulate them" the judge said.
Fairweather appeared to mouth the words "I don't give a shit" as he was sentenced.
The schoolboy killer
Fairweather was arrested in May 2015, after a dog walker saw him hiding in bushes near the same spot he had attacked his second victim.
The teenager, who was wearing latex gloves and carrying a knife, told police he was "going to get my third victim, but there was no-one about."
Documentaries and photos of Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper, were found in his possession, and he had researched Stockwell Strangler Kenneth Erskine, Ipswich serial killer Steve Wright and US murderer Ted Bundy.
Officers questioned and released Fairweather shortly after Ms Almanea's death, as one of 70 people interviewed with a history of knife crime.
He had been convicted of a knifepoint robbery at a shop in January 2014 and was sentenced to 12 months of youth supervision on 26 March. He murdered Mr Attfield three days later.
Essex County Council previously said such an order "does not warrant constant supervision."
Fairweather was bullied at school and his defence argued a combination of autism, paranoia and voices in his head made him kill.
He said he was suffering from psychosis, but a psychiatrist cast doubt on the claims.
The court was told Mr Attfield's mother Julie Finch was forced to give up work after her "fun-loving" son's murder, which meant the family had to sell their home.
In a statement, Ms Almanea's brother, Raed Almanea, described his feelings of guilt at not being able to save his sister and said life is now "meaningless" for the family.
1,500
police officers involved
10,000 staffing hours
850 witness statements
550 hours of CCTV reviewed
140 knives examined
The year-long operation to catch Fairweather cost Essex Police £2.6m, the Old Bailey heard.
Assistant Chief Constable Steve Worron, Head of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said Fairweather's actions "devastated two families."
"The ferocious nature of the killings had a massive impact on the Colchester community, striking fear and tension among the town's residents for 14 months," he added. | A teenager fascinated by serial killers has been detained for 27 years for the murders of two strangers in Essex. | 36172473 |
Mike Reid, 54, went to save the stranded gannets at Porthchapel Beach, near Penzance, at about 14:00 GMT on Sunday.
His family reported him missing on Monday.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency has called off any future searches "until further information becomes available".
A spokesman said: "Land's End and Penzance Coastguard Rescue Teams, the RNLI Penlee lifeboat, Devon and Cornwall Police and the police helicopter have conducted a comprehensive land and sea search in the area and nothing has been found."
The family of Mr Reid left flowers and messages on the cliffs where he disappeared on Tuesday afternoon according to the Plymouth Herald.
Mr Reid is described as 5ft 8in tall and was wearing black trousers, a white shirt and a black jumper when he went missing.
A spokesman from Devon and Cornwall Police said: "Police are still appealing to the public to report any sightings of Mike Reid, or if anyone has heard from him since he went missing."
Waves of 19.1m (62ft) were recorded off St Ives as Storm Imogen took hold.
Mr Reid was responding to a call to the RSPCA's national control centre about stricken birds as Storm Imogen hit the South West.
His white van was located at the Minack Theatre car park.
About 19,000 homes were without power on Monday as winds reached 70-80mph, but the majority have now been reconnected.
In Plymouth, work has been suspended on the refit of HMS Argyll after a hangar door was damaged by wind at Devonport dockyard.
A spokesman said: "As a safety precaution an exclusion zone has been established around all three complex doors and work temporarily suspended on the refit of HMS Argyll.
"No one was injured during this incident and a full investigation and recovery programme has been initiated." | Rescue teams have called off the search for an RSPCA inspector who disappeared while trying to rescue birds as Storm Imogen lashed a Cornwall beach. | 35530078 |
Charlie Guest has been picked for the British team for the Alpine World Skiing Championships in Beaver Creek, in the US, despite her recent injury.
The 21-year-old, from Perth, fractured vertebrae in her spine after hitting a boulder while training in Sweden.
The championships run from 2 to 15 February in Colorado.
Ms Guest has been selected alongside fellow Scot Alex Tilley in the slalom and giant slalom events.
She said it was a "great feeling" to be included in the team just two months after such a serious injury.
She said: "This is what I was working towards before the accident, so to still be selected has given me such a boost.
"It's only a few weeks away, but I'm more determined than ever to be there and competing.
"There's no way I'm ruling it out yet."
Ms Guest spent eight hours strapped to a backboard on her 250km (155 mile) journey to hospital following the crash on a remote slope in Sweden.
However, she was back in rehabilitation at the Sport Scotland Institute of Sport in Stirling in December, and was back on the slops before Christmas.
She credits the back protector her coach insisted she wear on the day of the crash with the fact her injury did not prove career-ending.
She said: "I'm very lucky to even be walking let along considering competing at the World Skiing Championships next month after my accident.
"The back protector is an absolute must for me now. It should be compulsory ski-wear for everyone, regardless of level and ability." | A top Scots alpine skier who broke her back in training in November has been selected for February's world championships. | 30880382 |
British number one Murray beat the nine-time French Open champion 7-5 6-4 in two hours 11 minutes.
The 28-year-old Scot will face either Novak Djokovic or Kei Nishikori in Sunday's final at Caja Magica.
Murray is looking to hold on to his world number two ranking, which he will lose to Roger Federer unless he retains his title in Madrid.
Murray, who sent down eight aces and saved 11 of 13 break points, said he has been working hard to improve his serve before the French Open, which begins on 22 May.
"I have spoken to a number of coaches, many who work with young players developing technique, to understand such things as different grips, position on the court and the ideal spot to make contact with the serve," he told Sky Sports.
"You sometimes get bad habits when you are a professional, not as much technical side as the tactical and physical."
Murray established an early lead in the opening set of the semi-final, earning three break points in Nadal's second service game and holding his composure to break the Spaniard.
The momentum appeared to swing Nadal's way when he responded by taking Murray's serve, but it was the Scot who took the first set with a winning forehand that broke the home favourite for a second time.
World number five Nadal, 29, was looking for a third successive tournament victory following wins in Monte Carlo and Barcelona last month.
But Murray followed his only double fault with an ace at 2-2 to hold in the second set before immediately breaking Nadal.
Nadal repelled a first match point with a break of his own, but Murray did not waste a second opportunity to repeat his victory over the Spaniard 12 months ago.
We've got a new BBC Sport newsletter coming soon - to receive it from the start, sign up here. | Defending champion Andy Murray reached the Madrid Open final with a straight-set victory over Rafael Nadal. | 36236995 |
The gap between US exports and imports increased to $43.8bn, up from May's revised deficit of $40.9bn. Analysts had been expecting a deficit of $42.8bn.
Record imports of food and cars meant total imports rose 1.2% to $232.4bn.
Exports fell for the second month in a row, down 0.1% to $188.6bn, as global demand weakened.
The dollar, which has gained 15% against the currencies of the United States' main trading partners over the past year, also makes its imports cheaper and exports less competitive.
The trade deficit with the European Union is at an all time high, with exports to the bloc down 2.3% in June while imports were up 4%.
The deficit with China also increased by 3.3% in June to $31.5bn.
Industrial disputes at West Coast ports earlier in the year pushed the monthly deficit to a three-year high of $50.6bn in March.
Laura Rosner, an economist at BNP Paribas said: "Exports remain far below trend and we have yet to see a decisive rebound following the resolution of the West Coast port strike.''
Figures last week showed that the US economy grew at an annualised pace of 2.3% in the three months to June, and also upgraded the growth estimate for the first quarter.
However, a survey of private sector job creation, released on Wednesday, fell short of forecasts.
Private employers hired 185,000 more workers in July, according to the ADP National Employment Report, below analysts' expectations of about 215,000.
The report also revised June's number down by 8,000 to 229,000.
The more comprehensive government jobs survey - the non-farm payroll report - is due out on Friday.
A Reuters survey of economists estimated that it will show that about 223,000 jobs were added to the US economy in July, the same as in June. | Record imports, the strong dollar and growing consumer demand helped to widen the US trade deficit by 7.1% in June. | 33792100 |
"I have left the Tardis - it's happened," she told BBC Radio 1 on Friday, following reports earlier this week. "I've filmed my last scenes."
After three years on the show, Coleman revealed her exit would air on BBC One "at some point this season".
She will play Queen Victoria from the age of 18 as she ascends to the throne.
The actress said she was "delighted" to be starring in "ambitious" ITV drama Victoria, which will chart the early years of the monarch's 63-year reign and her courtship and marriage to Prince Albert.
"She is a vivid, strong, inspirational and utterly fascinating woman in British history and I can't wait to tell her story," said Coleman.
The actress, who has also starred in Death Comes to Pemberley, Dancing on the Edge and ITV soap Emmerdale, first joined Doctor Who in 2012 alongside former Doctor Matt Smith.
She told Radio 1 Breakfast show host Nick Grimshaw it had been "emotional" leaving the show and filming her last scenes as Clara Oswald with current Doctor Peter Capaldi.
"It's been in the works for a very long time," she said, "[Writer] Steven [Moffat] and I sat down a year and a half ago and tried to work out the best place to do it and tell a really good story.
"We're not going to give any details but it will happen at some point this season... We worked out a really good story arc out so hopefully people will love it."
Coleman is about to start filming ITV's Victoria in locations around the North of England. It is being made by the producers of Poldark and has been written by acclaimed novelist Daisy Goodwin who makes her screenwriting debut with the series.
"I needed to learn to waltz, play Beethhoven," Coleman said of the role on Radio 1, "It's really fun, it's like bootcamp."
Queen Victoria, who was the UK's longest serving monarch until being overtaken by Elizabeth II earlier this month, has previously been portrayed on screen by Emily Blunt in 2009 film Young Victoria.
Coleman said she was looking forward to getting started but that it had been a tough decision to quit Doctor Who.
"There are not a lot of jobs where you get to have an alien as your best mate and get to run away from monsters... it's been so much fun, I love it," she said.
"It's such a unique beast it's been really special."
The ninth series of Doctor Who, which will be Coleman's last, debuts on BBC One tomorrow night, Saturday 19 September.
"I think I'm in denial," added Coleman. "I see Peter all the time and I still see Matt all the time, so I kind of believe I still have the keys to the Tardis." | Jenna Coleman is to play a young Queen Victoria in ITV's new drama series Victoria, after quitting her role as Doctor Who assistant Clara Oswald. | 34288721 |
The American, 32, served a one-year ban after testing positive for a banned anabolic steroid in 2013.
But he says he didn't cheat, insisting: "If I would have made a decision to intentionally do something to hurt the sport, I wouldn't have come back."
Gay will face Justin Gatlin and Asafa Powell, who have also failed drug tests, in the men's 100m at Thursday's Diamond League in Lausanne.
"When you put key words or a syringe by somebody's name, it manipulates someone's mind to believe you intentionally tried to do something and get away with it," added Gay. "That wasn't the case."
Gay was suspended after reportedly admitted using a cream containing testosterone and human growth hormone.
He was banned for one year, rather than the usual two, after providing the United States Anti-Doping Agency with evidence that allowed it to ban his former coach, Jon Drummond, for eight years.
Gay said he had put his "trust in someone and was let down".
Speaking to the BBC's World Service, he said: "If I could do everything all over again, I definitely would."
Six-time Olympic gold medal winner Usain Bolt said in April that Gay should have been banned for life.
But Gay, the joint second-fastest man ever over 100m and a former 100m and 200m world champion, is undeterred.
"You answer to yourself," said Gay, who returned last summer and ran 9.87 to become US champion last month.
"The true fans are understanding of what I've been through. For them to look up to me still, that means a lot."
Gay is up against compatriot Gatlin, who has served two doping bans, and Jamaican Powell, who served a six-month ban after failing a drugs test in 2013, in Lausanne on Thursday.
Gatlin has run the fastest 100m of the year - 9.74 seconds while Powell ran a season's best 9.81 at the Diamond League in Paris on Saturday.
US sprinter Mike Rodgers, who was banned for nine months after testing positive for a banned stimulant, will also run in Lausanne.
Bolt, 28, is currently sidelined with a pelvic injury a doubt for the World Championships in Beijing at the end of August.
Organisers of London's Anniversary Games - at the Olympic Stadium from 24-26 July - are hopeful the Jamaican will run at their event. | Sprinter Tyson Gay says he should not be described as a drugs cheat. | 33450535 |
Lownes met Playboy founder Hugh Hefner in 1954 and became the magazine's promotion director.
He suggested that Playboy set up a club and said he came up with the idea for hostesses to be Playboy bunnies.
Moving to London, he came to embody the Playboy lifestyle and set up a string of highly successful clubs and casinos.
He married a former Playmate of the Year, Marilyn Cole, and was known for throwing lavish star-studded parties at his Hertfordshire mansion.
For a time he was reputedly the highest paid executive in Britain, but was sacked by Playboy in 1981 when the gambling operation ran into problems with authorities.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]. | Victor Lownes, who helped establish Playboy and ran the magazine's clubs and casinos in the UK in the 1960s and '70s, has died at the age of 88. | 38586226 |
The 69-year-old sports promoter quit in April after the O's had failed to pay staff their wages for March.
His return comes a week after Nigel Travis' takeover of the National League side from ex-owner Francesco Becchetti.
"I have always been a fan and right now I couldn't be any happier for Orient as a club," said Hearn.
"I think it is another statement of how well Nigel and his team have started to turn this club around already." | Former Leyton Orient chairman Barry Hearn has been named as honorary president of the club, just three months after resigning from the role. | 40449640 |
The comedian said it had "been an absolute privilege" to have been at the helm of the satirical show since 1999.
He will leave later this year. "This show doesn't deserve an even slightly restless host and neither do you," Stewart told his audience on Tuesday.
Comedy Central president Michele Ganeless paid tribute, saying: "His comedic brilliance is second to none."
Stewart's show has often been cited as a leading news source for young people, with an average audience of one million viewers.
His targets - and his guests - have been politicians and public figures, addressed in tones that are often indignant, or teasing.
The Daily Show has also been a launch pad for several well-known comic performers, including Steve Carell and John Oliver, as well as Stephen Colbert.
"I don't think I'm going to miss being on television every day," Stewart said. "I'm going to miss coming here every day. I love the people here. They're creative and collaborative and kind.
"It's been the honour of my professional life, and I thank you for watching it, for hate-watching it, whatever reason you are tuning in for."
The host said he was not sure exactly when he would leave, or what he would do next.
In 2013, he took time out to direct a film, Rosewater, about an Iranian-born journalist who was imprisoned and accused of spying.
"I don't have any specific plans," he said. "Got a lot of ideas, got a lot of things in my head. I'm going to have dinner on a school night with my family, who I have heard from multiple sources are lovely people."
A late-night satirist who fused pop culture and politics, Jon Stewart has come to enjoy much the same status among younger viewers that anchors like Walter Cronkite achieved in the eyes of their grandparents.
Like the evening news shows of yore, The Daily Show has become appointment viewing, though many people catch it afterwards online, where Stewart's riffs often become viral sensations and also enjoy a long afterlife.
Part of his appeal has come from launching stinging critiques about the sensationalist tendencies of modern-day American TV news, with the cable networks Fox News and CNN among his favourite targets.
A much-quoted online poll once showed that 44% of respondents looked upon him as the best source for trustworthy news.
Comedy Central has not said who will replace Stewart. Time Magazine urged the network: "After so many years of men hosting late-night shows, a woman at the helm is long overdue."
Stewart's departure comes after the network lost Colbert, another major comedy figure, who left to take over David Letterman's late night show on CBS.
In a statement, Ms Ganeless said: "Through his unique voice and vision, The Daily Show has become a cultural touchstone for millions of fans and an unparalleled platform for political comedy that will endure for years to come.
"Jon will remain at the helm of The Daily Show until later this year. He is a comic genius, generous with his time and talent, and will always be a part of the Comedy Central family."
Asked about the show by The Hollywood Reporter last year, Stewart said: "Like anything else, you do it long enough, you will take it for granted, or there will be aspects of it that are grinding.
"I can't say that following the news cycle as closely as we do and trying to convert that into something either joyful or important to us doesn't have its fraught moments."
In an interview with US broadcaster NPR in November, he admitted he had considered leaving The Daily Show.
"You can't just stay in the same place because it feels like you've built a nice house there, and that's really the thing I struggle with," he said.
"It is unclear to me. The minute I say I am not going to do it any more, I will miss it like crazy." | Jon Stewart, the host of Comedy Central's The Daily Show, will step down later this year. | 31396423 |
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Hull City manager Steve Bruce and Sunderland boss Sam Allardyce have been interviewed about succeeding Roy Hodgson, who resigned after the shock last-16 defeat by Iceland at Euro 2016.
"We've consulted widely in the game and spoken to a handful of people," Martin Glenn told BBC sports editor Dan Roan.
"The new manager's got to be someone who can inspire people."
Glenn also said the new manager will need to "build resilience" in players so they are able to deal with criticism on social media and the pressures of an "intensely passionate" English media.
"The British press, like it or not, are probably the most intensely passionate about the game in the world and that has a spill-over effect," he said.
"The consequence of which is people probably play not to make a mistake, as opposed to play to win.
"So the new manager's got to be someone who can inspire people to get the best out of themselves, build resilience and unashamedly adopt the kind of psychological techniques that other sports and other football teams have done."
Both Hull and Sunderland have urged the FA to move quickly so they can plan for the new Premier League season, which starts on 13 August.
Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe and USA coach Jurgen Klinsmann have also been linked with the England role - and the Daily Telegraph claims a third "mystery candidate" has been interviewed.
Glenn is part of a three-man panel, including FA technical director Dan Ashworth and vice-chairman David Gill, who will choose the new manager.
They have said the successful candidate must be strong-minded, tactically savvy and build a clear team identity.
Glenn, former CEO of United Biscuits, responded to criticism for admitting he "wasn't a football man" by pointing out he had "hired some very talented people over the years into high-pressure jobs". | The appointment of a new England manager is "getting close", says the Football Association's chief executive. | 36845811 |
There is a "pretty compelling" case for the government taking charge of ordering and supplying jabs, said Professor David Salisbury.
GPs ran out of seasonal flu jabs earlier this month, forcing ministers to use swine flu vaccine stockpiles.
The BMA said changing the "complex and intense" programme would not work.
Most vaccines, including the entire childhood immunisation programme, are ordered by the Department of Health for the whole of the UK.
Flu is one of the few exceptions, with GPs in England ordering jabs direct from manufacturers and similar systems operating elsewhere in the UK.
Prof Salisbury said this was a "historic hangover" that now needed addressing.
He is leading a review into what happened this winter with the shortages. Even though there is plenty of the 2009 pandemic vaccine left it does not protect patients against all the strains of flu circulating.
In an interview with the BBC News website, Prof Salisbury said: "Certainly this winter we have seen an unsatisfactory position. That is a situation that we don't want to see happen again.
"We compare that with the routine childhood immunisation programme where we have not had to suspend part of the programme because of shortage of vaccine for at least a decade. This argues that we do need to look very carefully at whether flu vaccine supply can be done on a more dependable basis."
The government has set up a tailored IT system that allows officials to supply vaccines to the NHS within hours of orders coming in. Those vaccines can then be tracked and there is an up-to-date record of how many are left in the system.
But Prof Salisbury said any move to take ordering away from GPs would take time.
Read the full interview
Doctors get paid for running the vaccine programme and Prof Salisbury conceded the payment issues would need resolving. He said the government would be seeking talks soon.
He suggested as an interim measure for next winter, the government in England may purchase an emergency stockpile as happens in Scotland.
He also suggested the shortages that were reported could have been down to GPs giving the vaccine to those who were not in high risk groups.
However, he added it would be wrong to blame anyone at the moment as the issue needed looking at thoroughly.
But the British Medical Association rejected the suggestions.
Dr Richard Vautrey, deputy chairman of the BMA's GPs' committee, said he did not believe doctors had relaxed restrictions.
He said the shortage was more likely to be caused by the late surge and the fact that healthy pregnant women had been added to the risk groups fairly late on.
On the issue of handing control of the vaccination campaign to the government, he said: "I don't think a wholesale change like this would work. The flu programme is complex and intense as we have a lot of people coming for immunisation at once.
"That does not happen with childhood vaccines and so I am not sure a central system could cope with the volume of vaccine GPs need almost all at once.
"What we need is for an emergency stock to be held, perhaps regionally, in case doctors do run out."
Prof Salisbury also re-entered the debate about vaccinating healthy children - there have been calls for this to happen after a number of children died or became seriously ill this winter.
Current vaccination policy is based on immunising those most at risk of getting seriously ill. But he said there was "merit" in also vaccinating those who were the most likely to spread the disease - children - as a way of curbing the scale of future outbreaks.
He said this was a matter for the government's independent expert body, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, to consider and it needed to be proved cost-effective, but he said in his personal view it was an "attractive concept". | GPs face losing control of managing the flu vaccine programme following supply problems in England this winter, the government's head of immunisation says. | 12224862 |
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19 October 2013 Last updated at 10:20 BST
Adili Wuxor and his apprentice not only walk on the tightrope above the Great Wall, but show off some fancy footwork too! | He's known as "Prince of the Tightrope" and his latest stunt was this daring feat above the Great Wall of China. | 24593193 |
The 28-year-old entered the Clifford Street building at about 08:00 BST and held several members of staff hostage.
He surrendered to armed officers at 11:15 and was arrested for threats to kill. He remains in custody.
Northumbria Police said they had "very real concerns" the man could have caused serious harm.
The force said officers responded within nine minutes.
They quickly shut down roads, closed the nearby Byker Metro Station, evacuated nearby buildings including the student accommodation and began negotiating with the suspect.
A spokesman said the incident was not terror-related and the man was known to Jobcentre staff.
An explosive device reportedly strapped to the man's chest was later found to be fake.
Bomb disposal experts swept the building and searches of the building and of other properties in the area were carried out.
Officers said it had been suggested on social media and by members of the public at the scene that some people had been stabbed, but the force said that was "not the case".
At about 10:20 police tweeted the hostages had been released and later confirmed the staff had been freed at about 08:30, half an hour after the incident began.
Assistant Ch Con Darren Best said: "In recent weeks we have heard many positive stories about the police and how quickly they have responded to some of the atrocities we have witnessed in London and Manchester.
"When we first received the call there were very real concerns that this individual could have caused serious harm and to be on the scene in a matter of minutes is a fantastic response.
"It must have been particularly traumatising for those staff members who were kept inside the premises.
"Our specialist negotiators engaged with the man very early on and their efforts are one of the main reasons that this incident was brought to a safe conclusion and that nobody was injured."
A spokesman for the Public and Commercial Services (PCS), which represents most Jobcentre staff, said: "We are pleased to confirm that police were quick to respond, all staff are confirmed as safe and have been evacuated, but the Jobcentre remains closed as a precaution.
"Department of Work and Pensions management and our officials are with the members to support them and no injuries have been reported." | Staff at a Jobcentre in Newcastle were released unharmed after being held by a man armed with a knife who was wearing a fake explosive device. | 40216979 |
Crystalla Dean, 52, was last seen by her daughter at her home in Longsdale Crescent, Oban, at about 20:00 on Thursday.
She was reported missing the next day after failing to return.
Ms Dean is described as being about 5ft 1in tall, of slim build and has curly dyed-blue hair.
Police said she may have been wearing a red top, jeans and boots.
She has pet dogs and normally walks them in a wooded area known locally as The Witches.
Extensive inquiries involving officers and specialist police resources have already been carried out.
The search was taking place on Saturday and involved Police Scotland's mountain rescue team, the coastguard and the local mountain rescue team.
Police Scotland said the missing woman "has recently been dealing with some personal issues and her family just want to know she is safe and well".
Anyone with information should contact the Oban police office. | A large-scale search, involving mountain rescue and coastguard teams, is being carried out in Argyll for a missing woman. | 38351985 |
Researchers will examine 200 people after a Scottish woman claimed she could detect people with Parkinson's.
Joy Milne's husband Les died earlier this year after being diagnosed with Parkinson's 20 years ago.
In an early test, Mrs Milne, from Perth, managed to identify six people with the disease and six people without just from T-shirts they had slept in.
Read more about Joy Milnes story.
Researchers now believe Parkinson's may cause a change in the sebum - an oily substance in the skin - that results in a unique and subtle odour on the skin, only detectable by people with an acute sense of smell.
The charity Parkinson's UK is now funding researchers in Edinburgh, Manchester and London to study 200 people with and without Parkinson's.
They hope to confirm findings from a pilot study by the universities of Manchester and Edinburgh involving 24 people, which suggested that Parkinson's can be identified by odour alone.
One in 500 people in the UK has Parkinson's, which can leave people struggling to walk, speak and sleep.
It has no cure or definitive diagnostic test, and 127,000 people in the UK live with the condition.
Prof Perdita Barran, one of those who will carry out the research, said: "The sampling of the skin surface will provide a rich source of metabolites which we can mine to distinguish healthy patients from those in the early stages of Parkinson's.
"We are excited to embark on this biomarker discovery project. It is hoped that these results could lead to the development of a non-invasive diagnostic test that may have the ability to diagnose early Parkinson's - possibly even before physical symptoms occur." | A study is being carried out to establish if people in the early stages of Parkinson's emit a particular smell. | 34597678 |
The 32-year-old, who made the last of his 20 international appearances in a one-day international against Sri Lanka in 2013, was the Division Two side's players' player of the year in 2015.
He was Northants' leading Championship wicket-taker with 57 at an average of 27.14, while scoring 391 runs.
Kleinveldt also helped the county finish runners-up in the T20 Blast.
Northants head coach David Ripley told the club website: "Rory will play an important role next season.
"He is respected by the rest of the squad and helped push us over the line in a few games this year and was our leading wicket-taker.
"He was voted as our County Championship player of the year and players' player too which shows just how popular he is in the changing room. We are looking forward to having him back." | South Africa all-rounder Rory Kleinveldt will return as Northants' overseas player for the 2016 season. | 35119771 |
This is the first time regular US troops have been deployed in Somalia since 1994, although some counter-terrorism advisers are already there.
President Donald Trump last month approved a directive allowing tougher action against al-Shabab.
In 1993, 18 US special forces personnel were killed in the incident dramatised in the Hollywood film Black Hawk Down.
Who are Somalia's al-Shabab?
The deaths, and the shooting down of two US helicopters in Mogadishu, shocked the US and the rest of its military personnel were withdrawn from Somalia shortly afterwards.
Hundreds of Somalis were also killed in the 15-hour battle sparked when US forces tried to capture close allies of warlord Mohammed Farah Aideed.
Since then, the US has restricted most of its activities in Somalia to drone and missile attacks against Islamist militants.
BBC World Service Africa editor Mary Harper says the US has also trained a highly effective elite Somali force.
The main focus now is the Somali army, which is fractured, undisciplined and poorly equipped, she says.
Several other countries, including the UK and Turkey, are also training Somali troops.
Al-Shabab, part of al-Qaeda, has a strong presence in many rural parts of Somalia and often stages attacks in the capital, Mogadishu, and elsewhere.
The African Union has a force of about 22,000 soldiers helping the Somali government fight al-Shabab. | The US says it is sending dozens of troops to Somalia to train forces fighting Islamist group al-Shabab. | 39600419 |
Paul Martin, 37, from Stroud, Gloucestershire, was killed at the Frampton Mansell level crossing in May.
John Wilson, from British Transport Police, told the court Mr Martin and two other riders had failed to contact signallers who would have told them of the approaching train.
A verdict of accidental death was recorded by coroner Katy Skerrett.
She said Mr Martin had multiple injuries consistent with being hit by a train.
But Mr Wilson told the court he was satisfied the train driver had done everything he could to avoid the collision. | An inquest has been told a simple error may have led to the death of a motorcyclist on a railway line. | 29324041 |
The attacks happened just before 01:00 GMT on Friday.
One detonated at Woodland Court and another in nearby Ballaghmore Court. Damage was caused to the properties but no-one was injured.
Police have appealed for anyone with information about the bombs to contact them.
The good name of Bushmills had been tarnished by those behind the attacks, said DUP MLA Mervyn Storey.
Those responsible believed they could act as "judge, jury and executioner", he added.
"Had anybody been in close proximity to the window at one of the properties, then someone would have been seriously injured," he said.
"It was a reckless action by those who believe that they have the right to carry out this form of justice and it's something that has to be brought to an end.
"These attacks are a cancer on our society, they instil fear in the community."
Norman Hillis, a UUP (Ulster Unionist Party) councillor for the area, also condemned those behind the attacks, expressing anger at people who wanted "to drag us into the past". | Two pipe bombs have exploded at two separate houses in Bushmills, County Antrim. | 39300962 |
There are fears the closures could see people's journey times take more than two hours if going by bus in some rural areas.
Closure-threatened courts are in Powys, Bridgend, Carmarthenshire, Gwynedd, Anglesey, Neath Port Talbot, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Denbighshire and Wrexham.
Justice Secretary Michael Gove said it would tackle "surplus capacity".
The UK government consultation on plans to close 91 courts and tribunals in England and Wales ends on Thursday.
It said if the plans go ahead, 95% people could drive to court within an hour, but a map produced by the Law Society suggests it would take longer for those who rely on public transport. | People have one more day to have their say on plans to close 11 courts across Wales. | 34466917 |
David Newton-Badman was accused of 23 incidents, 22 against one girl and one on a second former pupil, while a teacher at Phoenix Academy, Telford.
He admitted holding one girl's hand and asking the other if she wanted to "experience" an older man.
The 38-year-old was found guilty of unacceptable professional conduct.
More updates on this and others in Shropshire
A disciplinary panel heard "Pupil A" had been taught by Mr Newton-Badman and although she had left the school at the time of the trip, she was still under the age of 18.
She claimed that during the trip he sent her a message via social media suggesting a naked massage and "popped his head up" between her ankles while the group were swimming and made inappropriate remarks.
He admitted massaging her feet while on the trip but denied all other allegations.
During New Year's Eve in 2014, he messaged the former pupil "continuously" stating in one message: "hotel room, get drunk, sleep with me?" She responded by saying "he was being silly".
The panel also heard he admitted messaging inappropriate comments to "Pupil B", another former student, in June 2015.
Mr Newton-Badman said in a statement that he accepted the incidents he admitted were unprofessional and could be construed as sexually motivated, but he was "adamant" it was never his intention to cultivate a sexual relationship with Pupil A or Pupil B.
Finding the allegations proven against him, the panel said it considered his actions to be calculated.
Mr Newton-Badman, who started working at the school, now known as the Telford Langley, in 2002, is now prohibited from teaching indefinitely. | A teacher who asked a former pupil for a naked massage and touched her inappropriately during a school trip has been banned from the profession. | 39630689 |
The club announced on their website that Bance put pen to paper after nine hours of negotiations in Cairo.
32-year-old Bance has become a cult hero for Burkinabe fans and has played his league football extensively across Europe and Africa.
The charismatic forward told reporters he is excited about his new challenge.
I know Al Masry is a big team here in Egypt and has a lot of fans and that encouraged me to sign
"I am happy to be here in Egypt and especially with Al Masry," Bance said after signing his contract.
"I had many offers but picked up Al Masry because of their head coach Hossam Hassan who is one of African football's legends.
"Since I was a young I used to watch him playing and it's an honour to play under his leadership today.
"I know Al Masry is a big team here in Egypt and has a lot of fans and that encouraged me to sign," Bance added
Bance, who was born in Abidjan most recently helped ASEC Mimosas win the Ivorian league title.
On the international scene, he has made 67 appearances for Burkina Faso, scoring 21 goals.
He was a key member of the Burkina Faso side which reached the semi-finals of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, scoring a goal in the defeat to Egypt. | Burkina Faso striker Aristide Bance has completed his transfer from Ivory Coast's ASEC Mimosas to Egyptian side Al Masry on a two year deal. | 40618717 |
The company Arup looked at Tottenham Court Road, Bond Street and Farringdon stations and found population growth outstripped the original estimates.
In 2004 it was estimated 185 million passengers would use the stations, but that estimate has now increased to 250 million a year.
It includes people using London Underground at the stations.
To accommodate the increase, the New West End Company said it would "consider all the ideas on the table".
Commissioned by organisations including Crossrail, Transport for London and NWEC The impact of Crossrail on visitor numbers in Central London looked at the number of people entering and exiting the stations for all services.
Alexander Jan from Arup said "With London's population growing by 2,000 every eight days, Arup's analysis suggests Crossrail's stations will be somewhat busier sooner than was originally anticipated.
"This is in line with the experience of London Overground improvements and DLR extensions.
"Crossrail stations are designed to handle the flow, but there are going to be significant opportunities - and some challenges."
Arup said the projected figures depended on assumptions and business factors which "carry an intrinsic level of uncertainty".
It said: "Without the offices, residential development, entertainment and retail offer to attract and sustain visitors to central London the numbers in question may not materialise."
Sally Eden from NWEC said: "We're going to consider all the ideas on the table, that's from traffic management schemes, possible pedestrianisation.
"There were suggestions of having trams, of having electric buses, of building a roof on Oxford Street, we're going to consider absolutely everything." | An extra 65 million journeys could be made using three Crossrail stations annually by 2026, revised figures show. | 25810381 |
The patent describes a smartphone camera receiving coded infrared signals beamed from emitters in public places.
The handset could then offer on-screen information or disable the camera functionality to stop pictures being taken.
One technology journalist said the technology could frustrate consumers.
"It could harm Apple in the eyes of some people," said Stuart Miles, founder of gadget site Pocket Lint.
"People like freedom of speech - and who is Apple to tell me I can't record something?
"But Apple patents stuff all the time, a lot of big companies do that. It might be created for one purpose, but end up used for something else."
The patent was first filed in 2011 and details a variety of scenarios in which the technology could be used.
One example shows an infrared emitter placed next to a museum exhibit, which the smartphone can identify to give visitors more information about the artefacts on display.
However, other methods of augmenting museum exhibits - such as location-based data sharing and scanable QR barcodes - already exist.
It is also possible that a system using coded infrared signals to disable a smartphone camera could be defeated with an inexpensive infrared light filter, or by modifying the handset's software. Consumers could also switch to rival devices that do not use the technology.
"I think the idea would resonate more with event organisers than consumers," said Mr Miles.
"You can see why some music stars would like people just to concentrate on the music, since they've paid to see it. You're also not supposed to record football games and share clips of goals, as there is money involved and the clubs sell broadcast rights.
"But it would probably harm Apple, for some people. Nobody likes to be surprised when you want to record a video but can't."
Apple did not comment on the patent. | Apple has been granted a patent for technology that could stop smartphone cameras being used at concerts. | 36672001 |
Some who have condemned Mr Trump - for the lewd remarks captured on video and released last week - have faced a backlash from voters.
And others have been decried by their electorate for not rebuking the businessman.
Which Republicans have deserted Trump?
Kelly Ayotte, a New Hampshire senator, typifies the kind of tortured journey some have gone on as, say critics, they try to second-guess where the public allegiance lies.
Here is how her position has evolved.
Ms Ayotte dismissed early concern about Mr Trump's eligibility for office, stating she intended to vote for whichever candidate led the Republican party into the election.
With Trump outshining his rivals during the Republican primaries, representatives of the senator re-emphasised her support for the candidate in a statement.
They declined to formally endorse him however. The Washington Post coined her half-hearted show of faith the Trump "support-endorse two-step" - a move many wavering Republicans would later follow.
Soon after condemning Donald Trump for "offensive and wrong" remarks about a US district court judge, Ms Ayotte re-stated that she will vote for the Republican candidate.
In Democratic-leaning New Hampshire, her lingering support provoked ire from important members of the media, including the Boston Globe, whose editorial board called her position "inexcusable" in an op-ed published on 9 August.
Having played a visible part in the 2012 Republican National Convention, where she endorsed Mitt Romney for president, Ms Ayotte joined a host of other Republicans in not attending this year's event.
She claimed she needed to focus on her own election campaign.
After the Democratic National Convention, Mr Trump launched into a Twitter war with the parents of a deceased and decorated US Muslim soldier.
Ms Ayotte, who is married to a soldier, said she was "appalled that Donald Trump would disparage them" and was incredulous "that he had the gall to compare his own sacrifices to those of a Gold Star family."
Trump called Ayotte "weak" in a response a few days later.
During a televised debate with her rival for the Senate in New Hampshire, Ms Ayotte was asked if she believed Mr Trump was a good role model.
After hesitating, she replied: "I believe he can serve as president, so absolutely."
The comment sparked outrage on social media and a humiliating negative advertisement campaign led by Democrats.
The New Hampshire senator backtracked on her "role model" comment hours later.
"I misspoke tonight," she said in a statement posted on Twitter. "While I would hope all of our children would aspire to be president, neither Donald Trump nor Hillary Clinton have set a good example and I wouldn't hold up either of them as role models for my kids."
Ms Ayotte finally quit the Trump camp after the leak of a video showing him making lewd remarks about women.
On Twitter, she announced she will be voting for running mate Mike Pence instead.
And she's not the only one to change her mind...
Senator Deb Fischer of Nebraska has returned to the Trump fold after saying on Saturday his taped remarks were "disgusting and totally unacceptable", and calling on him to stand down.
Three days later she said she respected his decision not to step aside and would be voting for him. She is not standing for re-election until 2018.
Senator John Thune has also changed his tune, from calling on the party to install Mike Pence as the nominee to insisting he would vote for Trump. | Several of the US Republicans who have distanced themselves from the party's presidential nominee, Donald Trump, face tight re-election contests next month, prompting several to agonise over where they stand. | 37625913 |
The National Teaching Service was announced by England's then Education Secretary, Nicky Morgan, in 2015.
The plan was for 1,500 outstanding teachers and leaders to be deployed by 2020 "to the schools that need them most", with a pilot in the North West.
But following the pilot "we can confirm that we will not be progressing", said a Department for Education spokesman.
The original plan was to send "the country's best teachers and leaders to underperforming schools that struggle to attract and retain the professionals they need", according to a speech made by Mrs Morgan to the Policy Exchange think-tank in November 2015.
The initiative was part of a government plan "to give every child an excellent education".
"Too many places are lagging behind, meaning young people in these areas are not being given a fair shot," said the government at the time.
NTS staff would work with schools for a period of up to three years in a bid to drive up standards.
An initial pilot was launched to enlist up to 100 teachers and leaders to work in primary and secondary schools in the North West from September 2016.
But according to the Times Educational Supplement, just 54 teachers were recruited after only 116 applied.
The government says the pilot was launched "to test the concept of how a National Teaching Service could work".
"We are pleased with the level of interest in the pilot and the calibre of the successful candidates," said a Department for Education spokesman.
"However, following a review of the outcomes, we can confirm that we will not be progressing with the further rollout of the National Teaching Service
"We recognise that it is vitally important that schools, particularly in challenging areas, can recruit and retain excellent teachers, and we are determined to continue to support them to do this.
"We will use the lessons learnt from the pilot to secure a better understanding of to support schools in the future, and will set out future plans in due course."
On Thursday, Ofsted's annual report highlighted serious problems in recruiting teachers and school leaders, particularly in northern England, where, it said, heads were reporting an "auction" for teachers.
Labour's shadow education secretary, Angela Rayner, said Ofsted's verdict on the government's teacher recruitment record was "damning".
"We now learn that they've are scrapping the much lauded National Teaching Service after just a year," she said.
"Last week, we learnt that the Tories have missed their recruitment target for the fifth year in row.
"And last year, the highest number of teachers left the profession in a decade."
"The chronic teacher shortage continues to threaten standards under the Tories, and they are completely failing to take this crisis seriously." | A scheme to recruit good teachers to work in deprived areas has been dropped, the government has confirmed. | 38172256 |
Lord Blair told the House of Lords there were "widespread concerns" over the Met's actions and said: "I share some of them."
He called for a report on the issue to be published "as soon as possible".
The Met said his views could be considered as part of a report.
Lord Blair said he believed the current Met Commissioner, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, recognised there had been shortcomings.
This had been shown by Sir Bernard's apology to some of those affected, and his decision to appoint retired judge Sir Richard Henriques to "enquire into his force's conduct", Lord Blair added.
A spokesman for the Met said: "The commissioner has publicly expressed a view that suspects should have anonymity until charged which would be the best way to deal with this issue, but Sir Richard Henriques can consider Lord Blair's views as part of his report if he wishes."
Another former senior Met officer, Lord Paddick, criticised the force's investigation into DJ Paul Gambaccini, who spent 12 months on bail before being told he would face no charges.
"It must have been apparent very quickly that the allegations were never going to be substantiated," he said.
And he questioned whether some high-profile investigations had been "deliberately protracted to give the impression that the allegations are being taken seriously". | A former Metropolitan Police commissioner has criticised the way the force dealt with historical child sex abuse allegations against politicians and celebrities. | 36084190 |
Patrick Downes and Adrianne Haslet ran the race using prosthetic limbs, three years after explosions killed three and wounded hundreds.
The two are part of a group of bombing survivors and their families, One Fund Community, participating in the race.
Rebekah Gregory, who also lost her leg in the bombings, ran the race in 2015.
Mr Downes, a Boston College graduate, had been a runner for many years before the bombings.
Choose which celebrity you'd like help from in the new Couch to 5K programme, designed for people who have done little or no running.
Ms Haslet was a professional ballroom dancer who was watching the race when the bombs went off in 2013.
They both participated in the mobility-impaired division of the well-known US marathon.
She decided to come back as a runner for the 2016 race, having received a prosthetic leg to dance.
"A lot of people think about the finish line," she told the Associated Press news agency. "I think about the start line."
Ms Haslet trained with the prosthetic blade, enduring a hip flexor injury.
"It was about finding another challenge, and finding a new day," she said. Her race is raising funds for Limbs for Life, which provides prostheses to low-income amputees.
Mr Downes participated in the race on hand cycles the past two years, according to the New York Daily News. He was watching the marathon in 2013 near the finish line when the bombs went off. Both he and his wife lost limbs.
This year, his race is raising money for the Boston College Strong Scholarship, founded by the couple's classmates.
"I have very little recollection from when the bombs went off, but as Jess has told me, it was just unspeakable sights and fear," he told the New York Daily News. "All these everyday people became heroes. I'll never know how to say thank you to them."
If you're keen on running and want to find out more, then click here. | Two amputee survivors of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings have returned to cross the finish line this year. | 36077399 |
The two unnamed suspects, the only ones to have been arrested, were also told they face no further action.
Operation Conifer has been examining the claims since appealing for alleged victims to come forward in summer 2015.
The former Conservative prime minister died at his home in Salisbury in July 2005, aged 89.
Operation Conifer was set up after the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) began to investigate alleged historical corruption.
Information from a retired officer sparked concerns that Wiltshire Police had deliberately caused a criminal prosecution against a suspected brothel keeper to fail in 1994.
But last year the IPCC said it had found no evidence the case was dropped because she had threatened to make allegations against Sir Edward.
In December, Wiltshire Police Chief Constable Mike Veale wrote a public letter to "set the record straight" about the investigation.
Mr Veale said the probe was "complex and multi-stranded" and was "not a fishing trip or witch-hunt".
He stressed he took his responsibilities of operational independence "very seriously" and said he would not be "buckling under pressure not to investigate or to conclude the investigation prematurely". | Two people arrested following child abuse allegations against former Prime Minister Sir Edward Heath have been released, Wiltshire Police has said. | 39589325 |
They were born in London on Tuesday morning, the publicist of her actor husband George Clooney said.
"Ella, Alexander and Amal are all healthy, happy and doing fine," Stan Rosenfield said before joking: "George is sedated and should recover in a few days."
George, 56, married the lawyer, 39, in September 2014 in Venice.
Amal Clooney's parents said they were delighted to welcome their grandchildren.
"They are in great health, all is perfect," Amal's father Ramzi Alamuddin, who lives in Beirut, told AFP news agency.
"I am very happy for them, they will be great parents."
Amal's mother Baria, who is in hospital with her daughter, said: "We are over the moon. It was a beautiful delivery. The babies are beautiful and are doing well."
Other celebrities have congratulated the couple.
Actress Nicole Kidman, speaking at the Glamour Women Of The Year awards in London, said: "Any time a baby is born, I'm like: 'Ahhh'. So two babies it's double 'ahhh'. They have the most joyful journey ahead."
Mia Farrow also added her best wishes, tweeting: "Wishing Ella and Alexander Clooney a warm welcome and every blessing - and congratulations to Amal and George!"
Comedian and TV host Ellen DeGeneres tweeted her best wishes with a reference to George Clooney's Oceans Eleven film franchise: "Welcome to the world, Ella and Alexander Clooney. Congratulations, George and Amal, or as I'm now calling you, Ocean's Four."
Social media reaction has included comments about how "normal" the twins' names are.
One Twitter user wrote: "Classy people give their kids classy names. Ella and Alexander."
And another tweeted: "What, George and Amal Clooney gave their new twins nice normal names? Ella and Alexander. Isn't that a violation of celebrity rules?"
The couple's friend, actor Matt Damon, confirmed that Amal was pregnant with twins back in February.
He was speaking after the news of the pregnancy was reported by CBS's The Talk host Julie Chen.
Explaining how Clooney revealed the news, Damon said: "I was working with him last fall and he pulled me aside on set and I almost started crying.
"I was so happy for him. And I was like, 'How far along is she?' And he goes, 'Eight weeks.'
"I said, 'Are you out of your mind? Don't tell anybody else! Don't you know the 12-week rule?' Of course he doesn't. I was like: 'Just shut up, man.'"
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]. | Amal Clooney has given birth to twins - a girl named Ella and a boy named Alexander. | 40180136 |
Derek Forsyth's team, vying for a World League final spot in India in December, fell behind to Gordon Johnston goal following a penalty corner as the second quarter ended.
Surbiton's Willie Marshall levelled for the Blue Sticks in the third quarter.
But failure to win means they miss out on a last-eight place in London.
Victory would have lifted Scotland, competing at this level for the first time, above Pakistan into fourth spot in Pool B, behind India, the Netherlands and Canada. All three of those countries are ranked at least 10 places higher than the Scots in world hockey.
They lost their opening match against India 4-1 and suffered a 3-0 defeat by the Netherlands prior to Monday's 3-1 loss to Pakistan.
Scotland will play a ninth/10th-place play-off against Malaysia, China or South Korea on Thursday at 11:00 BST.
Head coach Forsyth said: "I felt we were the better side in the second half, but at this level we need to take our chances.
"This has been a fantastic experience for all of us and we will take plenty from the tournament into the Europeans in August."
The Hockey World League semi-final in London features 10 teams, including England in Pool A, and precedes the second semi-final tournament in Johannesburg, which runs from 9-23 July.
Seven teams proceed to December's finals in Bhubaneswar to join hosts India.
Ten teams from the London and Johannesburg semi-finals will join India and the five continental champions at next year's World Cup, which is also being staged in Bhubaneswar.
Find out how to get into hockey with our special guide. | Scotland missed out on a World Cup place after a 1-1 draw with Canada in Pool B at the Hockey World League semi-final tournament in London. | 40339674 |
Scientists caught the pied flycatcher in the act using tiny light-logging tags, which recorded sustained periods of sunlight during its seasonal trek.
The findings appear in Biology Letters.
Previous evidence painted an unclear picture of whether small birds like this use daytime rests or non-stop travel to negotiate the desert.
"It was a bit of a controversy, as to what was going on," said Janne Ouwehand, a PhD student at the Unviersity of Groningen in the Netherlands.
Many birds, including small songbirds like the flycatcher, breed in Europe during summer and spend their winters in central Africa. So twice a year, they must cross the vast and inhospitable Sahara Desert.
Back in the 1970s, British ornithologist Reginald Moreau suggested that a non-stop flight of 40-60 hours was the obvious solution.
But more recent observations have suggested that breaks are involved. Groups of birds can be seen resting in the heat of the day, for example, and radar measurements have spied many more small birds traversing the region's skies at night than during the day.
The radar data, however, cannot track individuals or identify different species. That sort of detailed observation is made much more feasible, even for small birds, by new logging and tracking technology.
Ms Ouwehand and her colleagues attached tiny loggers to 80 pied flycatchers at a breeding ground in the Netherlands, late in the summer of 2013.
These birds are smaller than a house sparrow and weigh about 12g - less than three one-teaspoon sugar cubes. In the summer they nest right across Europe and this particular population spends its winters in the Ivory Coast and Guinea.
The 0.5g loggers are like "a very tiny backpack" for the birds, Ms Ouwehand said, and make no measurable impact on the little animals' performance. They record the light level and the temperature every 5-10 minutes, for months on end.
A lot of information can be gleaned from those light cycles.
"You can make a nice daylight curve, and you can get a rough indication of their position," Ms Ouwehand told the BBC News website.
"You have the day length, which gives you an indication of the latitude, and the midpoint of the day and the night gives you an indication of the longitude."
The following summer, she and her colleagues retrieved 27 of the gadgets and started to look at the data.
"It's always extremely exciting when they return - how many will return, which birds do we see back. And you have to wait for a whole year; you don't get any data in the meanwhile so you just hope everything will be fine."
Of the 27 returned loggers, 15 contained data on both the spring and autumn migration periods. But as it turned out, the pied flycatchers' distinctive behaviour made the light curves rather messy and it was difficult to glean coordinates from them.
"You get a lot of spikiness in your data: very bright periods and very dark periods. That's because they're in the shade, in woody habitats and things like that," Ms Ouwehand explained.
On two occasions however, coinciding with the migrations, something odd happened in the data. For up to two whole days, that up-and-down, light-and-shade spikiness was completely absent.
"We discovered this very clear pattern twice a year and we thought, what are the birds doing here?"
At the same time, the temperature readings were cooler than during the days on either side.
This can only mean one thing, Ms Ouwehand says: a long-haul, high-altitude flight that traverses the Sahara in one hit. These tiny birds, which usually do their migrating under cover of darkness, are crossing the desert in broad daylight.
"We see not only that they can make these flights, but also they use a different strategy in autumn than in spring."
The pattern of light and temperature changes is very different in the spring, she explained, suggesting an alternative route for the birds' return flight to Europe - possibly going a longer way around to spend more of the journey over the ocean.
This is not among the longest of bird migrations, which can span whole oceans in a single flight. But it is perhaps the clearest indication yet of the different strategies small birds use to cross the world's biggest desert.
As technology continues to improve, Ms Ouwehand said, and more researchers enlist individual small birds to gather their own backpacks full of data, we will learn more and more about those specific strategies.
"We are just at the moment when we are really able to show these patterns," Ms Ouwehand said.
"I find that pretty exciting and I'm very curious about what we will see in other, comparable species. Which are the individuals that do stop? Is it age differences, ecological differences, species differences?
"That's really now what we can start to understand."
Follow Jonathan on Twitter | To cross the Sahara every autumn and spring, a little songbird snaps out of its nocturnal travel habits and flies for 40-60 hours, a study has found. | 35958741 |
She made a statement to the House of Commons a day after a man drove a car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge and then fatally stabbed a policeman.
PC Keith Palmer died trying to stop the attacker outside Parliament.
He was one of three people killed by the British-born man, who was then shot dead by police officers.
The other two victims were Aysha Frade, who worked at DLD College London, and a man in his mid-50s who has not yet been named by police.
Seven of the injured are still in hospital in a critical condition.
A further 29 had been treated in hospital, police said.
Addressing the House of Commons on Thursday, Mrs May said: "At approximately 2.40pm yesterday [14:40 GMT on Thursday] a single attacker drove his vehicle at speed into innocent pedestrians who were crossing Westminster Bridge, killing two people and injuring around 40 more.
"In addition to 12 Britons admitted to hospital, we know that the victims include three French children, two Romanians, four South Koreans, one German, one Pole, one Irish, one Chinese, one Italian, one American and two Greeks."
The Prime Minister said UK officials were in "close contact with the governments of the countries of all those affected".
The Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Charlie Flanagan, is aware that an Irish person was among the injured but did not provide any details about the casualty.
In a brief statement, Mr Flanagan said that his department has offered consular assistance through the Irish Embassy in London. | One Irish person is among about 40 people injured during the fatal attacks in Westminster, Prime Minister Theresa May has confirmed. | 39363993 |
Hesitant to run at first, he eventually gained support of the majority of Republicans in Congress to succeed John Boehner of Ohio for the job.
The 45-year-old Mr Ryan was Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's running mate in the 2012 election.
He has helped determine budget and tax policy in Congress and said he only wanted the job to unify Republicans.
In his new position, he will be second in line to the presidency only behind the vice-president.
Among other responsibilities, the speaker acts as presiding officer over the lower chamber of Congress for administrative and business matters.
Paul Ryan gives the Republican-controlled Congress the kind of compelling, charismatic leader it has sorely lacked since Newt Gingrich first rocketed to prominence more than two decades ago.
The irony, however, is that Ryan's rise as the face of his party has occurred only a handful of months before he will be wholly eclipsed by whoever the Republicans choose as their standard-bearer in the 2016 presidential election.
While he may promise to lead a Congress that respects differences of opinion and works together to solve the nation's problems, the reality is that the chance to set the tone of the political debate has even now all but moved away from Washington, DC.
It instead rests on the campaign hustings, in places like New Hampshire and Iowa, where numerous candidates have made their names railing against their party's leadership. A change of course at this point is unlikely in the extreme.
If an insurgent presidential hopeful like Ted Cruz, Donald Trump or Ben Carson becomes their party's nominee, any hopes Mr Ryan may have of cooling the fever in Congress will surely be dashed.
Who is Paul Ryan?
Mr Ryan received roaring applause in the House chambers upon his election.
He thanked Mr Boehner for his work over the years and called him a "man of character".
Democrats and Republicans must pray for one another, he said.
He called for a "return to order" in the House, speaking frankly about the discord that has been plaguing House Republicans.
"We're not solving problems, we're adding to them," he said. "We're not settling scores, we're wiping the slate clean."
"It's not a matter of process, it's a matter of principle. Only a fully functioning House can truly represent the people." | Republican Paul Ryan from Wisconsin has been elected as the new Speaker of the US House of Representatives. | 34670701 |
Australian De Mori looked bothered by the first jab Haye threw and thereafter it was one-way traffic.
Haye, 35, set up the finish with huge overhand right and De Mori was unconscious before he hit the canvas with 49 seconds left in the round.
Haye's stated ambition is to regain the world heavyweight crown he lost to Wladimir Klitschko in 2011.
The Londoner's last fight was a fifth-round knockout of Dereck Chisora in July 2012 and prior to Saturday he had fought only four times in five years.
He announced his retirement in 2013, having been advised not to fight again after undergoing extensive shoulder surgery.
"It's been a tough road but I'm finally back," said Haye, who now has 27 wins from 29 professional fights.
"I felt so cool and calm in there. I don't believe any heavyweight out there could have taken those punches.
"The shoulder feels better than it was before. I feel this new and improved version of me will go on and win heavyweight championships."
Judging by the 16,000 crowd at the O2 Arena, Haye's comeback certainly piqued the interest of the British public, although some of them might have felt short-changed by the fare on offer.
Before Saturday, the 33-year-old De Mori had been beaten only once in 33 professional fights but he was hopelessly outgunned by his more celebrated opponent.
One thing we did learn from the fight was that Haye's shoulder reconstruction has done nothing to quell his power, while his successful return creates further intrigue in a revitalised heavyweight division.
Klitschko lost his WBA, IBF and WBO belts to Manchester's Tyson Fury last November, although Fury has since been stripped by the IBF.
Fury has vowed he will never defend his titles against Haye after the Londoner pulled out of two scheduled bouts against him in 2013.
But if Fury defeats Klitschko in a rematch this summer and Haye puts a string of eye-catching victories together, money might begin to talk louder than words.
"I think Tyson Fury is a good fighter, very good," said Haye. "It's a shame he doesn't want to fight me. I think we all know why, when he sees punch power like that."
"I want to get back in the ring as soon as possible, keep testing myself and work up the rankings to get a title fight."
Later on Saturday, WBC champion Deontay Wilder defends his title against Poland's Artur Szpilka, while on the same card in New York Charles Martin fights Vyacheslav Glazkov for the vacant IBF title.
Another potential future opponent for Haye is fellow Londoner Anthony Joshua.
"I think a fight between me and Anthony Joshua will be way bigger [than a fight against Fury]," said Haye. "I believe that's a fight that could be made later in the year."
However, Joshua's team are unlikely to risk their man against a boxer of Haye's pedigree any time soon.
A more realistic short-term opponent is Dillian Whyte, who was knocked out by Joshua last month, but gave a surprisingly good account of himself. | David Haye returned after a three-and-half-year lay-off with a first-round knockout of Mark de Mori in London. | 35336214 |
Last October, the Unicode Consortium - which represents many of the tech giants - had proposed including the weapon as one of several new Olympic-themed chat message graphics.
At the time, the BBC reported that a British gun control campaign group had criticised the proposal, saying it was "offensive" to gun injury victims.
A boxing glove and sword-wielding fencer were approved.
However, another emoji - which showed a person firing a pistol to represent the "modern pentathlon" - was also dropped.
According to a report by Buzzfeed, Apple and Microsoft both opposed the inclusion of new gun-themed graphics in the Unicode 9.0 list.
Neither company has confirmed whether this was the case.
"There was consensus to remove them - I can't comment on the details," Unicode president Mark Davis told the BBC.
The decision does not affect the existing pistol emoji, which was added in 2010.
The move was welcomed by the campaigner who first criticised the rifle graphic.
"All those who have been traumatised by gun threats and gun violence will be grateful for this significant gesture of respect and support," said Chrissie Hall on behalf of the Gun Control Network.
"Images of guns can no longer be regarded as light-hearted additions to messages. They represent threats, and evoke fear of violence, suffering, pain and loss."
The Unicode Consortium maintains the emoji list to ensure different manufacturers' devices and apps can recognise chat graphics sent to and from each other.
The images do, however, have a different look on each platform.
Google had already added both of the new gun-related emojis to test versions of its next Android operating system ahead of the Unicode 9.0 list being approved.
However, Mr Davies explained that this did not necessarily mean the search company had supported their inclusion.
"A beta version of a product will often use a beta version of an upcoming Unicode release, but then pick up the final version of the Unicode release before going into production," he said.
"That way they can be tested with an almost-final version of the Unicode characters and character properties."
The Unicode Consortium's attention now switches to its 10.0 list, due for release next year.
Current suggestions include a dumpling, a fortune cookie and a face with one eyebrow raised. | A hunting rifle has been dropped from the latest list of official emojis. | 36576492 |
NHS Providers said the cap, which limits pay rises to 1% a year to 2019, was causing severe recruitment and retention problems in England.
The body, which represents NHS trusts in England, said the next government must look at the issue immediately.
Labour says it would look to increase pay, but the Tories and Lib Dems have not yet set out any pay plans.
Labour wants to increase pay so it better reflects the cost of living, but has not said by how much.
Over the weekend the Lib Dems did announce they would increase income tax by a penny-in-the-pound to boost investment in the NHS.
Last year the Public Accounts Committee warned that the NHS in England was 50,000 people short of the front-line staff it needed - about 6% of the workforce.
NHS Providers chief executive Chris Hopson said his members were now worried the situation was so bad that services were at risk.
"Growing problems of recruitment and retention are making it harder for trusts to ensure patient safety," he said. "Unsustainable staffing gaps are quickly opening up."
He said the seven years of pay restraint, combined with stressful working conditions, had taken a toll on the workforce.
"Pay is becoming uncompetitive," added Mr Hopson. "Significant numbers of trusts say lower paid staff are leaving to stack shelves in supermarkets rather than carry on working in the NHS."
He added that uncertainty surrounding Brexit meant that "vital recruitment from EU countries is dropping rapidly", saying: "Pay restraint must end."
While NHS Providers represents only English hospital, ambulance and mental health trusts, any move on the pay cap would have implications elsewhere as pay recommendations are made on a UK-wide basis.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is polling its members on whether they should strike over the pay cap.
It says a combination of pay freezes and caps on pay rises since 2010 have, in effect, led to a 14% pay cut due to the rising cost of living.
RCN general secretary Janet Davies said: "The government cannot ignore this warning from hospital bosses - poor pay for NHS staff damages patient care.
"If it now pays more to stack supermarket shelves than work on the wards, ministers should hang their heads in shame."
Lib Dem health spokesman Norman Lamb refused to be drawn on whether his party would increase pay.
But he accused the Tories of "running the health service into the ground".
A Conservative party spokesman said: "The truth is that in order to continue to invest in the NHS, grow staff numbers and pay and improve patient care, we need to secure the economic progress we've made and get a good Brexit deal.
"That is only on offer at this election with the strong and stable leadership of Theresa May."
Every 1% increase in pay would cost about £500m.
Get news from the BBC in your inbox, each weekday morning | The pay cap on NHS staff must be lifted because it puts patient safety at risk, NHS bosses say. | 39838752 |
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8 July 2015 Last updated at 16:15 BST
Her career has spanned more than 40 years and her music is a fusion of rhythms of the Chope people of Southern Mozambique and various African sounds.
She has collaborated with major African musicians, including Angelique Kidjo and Hugh Masekela.
Mozambique has just been celebrating 40 years of independence, and when BBC Africa's Sophie Ikenye met her, she started by asking her if the country today is what she imagined it would be. | Elisa Domingas, popularly known as Mingas, is one of Mozambique's top singers. | 33448039 |
The Lions lost to the Highlanders on Tuesday, their second defeat from four matches on their tour of New Zealand.
But Wales' Biggar, who played 68 minutes in Dunedin, refuted the suggestion there is a divide developing between the Lions' weekend and midweek teams.
"We're all in this together," he said.
"Whether it's boys who play Wednesday or Saturday, boys who back it up on the bench, whatever it is, everyone's in this together.
"If we win on Saturday it's a 41 [original squad number] effort, if we lose on Wednesday it's a team effort as well.
"That's been the mindset from day one and it's certainly not going to change now. We've got to stick together and try to build momentum with an incredibly tough game on Saturday up in Rotorua [against the Maori All Blacks] as well."
Biggar, 27, has previously said his Lions fly-half rivals Owen Farrell and Johnny Sexton deserve to be a "fraction" ahead of him in the race for Test selection.
The Wales and Ospreys player returned from a head injury to produce a solid display against the Highlanders, despite the Lions' defeat.
Biggar's performance may have provided some food for thought for England's Farrell and Ireland's Sexton, who have been the subject of debate over who should start for the Lions.
But after Tuesday's defeat in Dunedin, the Welshman's overriding feeling was frustration.
"It's massively frustrating. We managed to build a positive lead, we were in a good position, playing some good stuff, but we let ourselves down by not closing the game out," said Biggar.
"Ultimately it's the Test series which is most important but it's frustrating for the squad, in terms of having to start again and build that momentum back up.
"There were lots of positives in the game but, ultimately, we've got to be harsh on ourselves in that last 14 or 15 minutes, whatever it was, in terms of tightening up things." | Fly-half Dan Biggar says there is no split in the British and Irish Lions' squad between players likely to play in Tests and those set for midweek games. | 40260459 |
The guidelines, published by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, say doctors should be aware of the health complications of FGM and understand the laws around it.
About 137,000 women and girls in England and Wales are thought to be affected.
The practice is illegal in the UK.
FGM, also termed female circumcision, refers to any procedure that alters or injures the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.
It is a painful ritual carried out on women and young girls from certain communities from Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
The biggest risks from female genital mutilation are infections, complications during pregnancy and psychological trauma.
Dr Naomi Low-Beer, lead author of the RCOG guidelines, said FGM was "a violation of human rights and a form of child abuse for which there can be no justification".
She added: "Thousands of vulnerable women in the UK are living with the long-term physical and psychological consequences of FGM, and these women must receive high quality care by obstetricians, gynaecologists and other healthcare professionals.
"We must be aware of our pivotal responsibility to provide accessible advice, treatment and support whilst ensuring that children are protected."
Dr Manish Gupta, co-chair of the RCOG Guidelines Committee, said the guidelines provided more clarity on how health professionals should manage FGM.
"Trusts have a responsibility to ensure that all women with FGM can access specialist FGM services, and that their staff have received appropriate training."
The Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and the Prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation Act 2005 in Scotland states that FGM is illegal unless it is necessary for health reasons.
The law states that is also illegal to arrange for a UK national to be taken overseas to undergo FGM.
All acute trusts, general practices and mental health trusts must record data about women with FGM on a monthly basis. | Fresh guidelines have been produced for doctors in the UK caring for women who have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM). | 33459349 |
The Ministry of Defence has released pictures of some wearing Santa hats and Christmas jumpers over their uniforms and taking part in carol singing.
Thousands of UK military staff are stationed around the world carrying out patrols and anti-terrorism work.
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon praised their professionalism.
About 1,000 personnel are involved in the campaign against the so-called Islamic State group, with the majority based at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus.
In the Gulf, HMS St Albans and other Royal Navy warships are serving over the festive period.
In the South Atlantic, 1,200 are stationed in the Falkland Islands while HMS Protector is on patrol in Antarctica.
In Afghanistan, 450 personnel from the Army and other services are supporting Afghan National Security Forces.
Mr Fallon said: "This Christmas our brave servicemen and women are serving overseas and here at home to keep us safe, whether securing the skies, patrolling the seas, or leading in the fight against Daesh [Islamic State].
"I pay tribute to their determination, professionalism, and everything they have done this year." | UK service personnel who are unable to spend Christmas at home because they are deployed abroad have been sending messages home to loved ones. | 35176082 |
Ibrahim Halawa, 20, the son of Ireland's most senior Muslim cleric, was arrested during anti-government protests in Cairo in August 2013.
He was due in court on Saturday.
Irish Foreign Minister Charlie Flanagan said his priority was to see Mr Halawa return to Ireland as soon as possible.
Mr Halawa was due to appear along with 463 others, charged with inciting violence, rioting and sabotage relating to the protests in Cairo.
Mr Flanagan said: "Our understanding is that the trial has been adjourned until 13 December as a number of the defendants were not present in the court. This is linked to heightened security concerns in Cairo, following planned protests in recent days."
The minister said the Irish Ambassador to Egypt, Damien Cole, led an embassy observer team at the hearing on Saturday and said officials from the embassy had attended all hearings to date.
Mr Flanagan said the Irish government would continue to use "every possible opportunity to underline our concerns" about this case to the Egyptian authorities, both "bilaterally and with the EU and other partners".
"Ibrahim's lawyers have submitted an application for his return to Ireland under Egypt's Decree 140 Law, and the government is giving this initiative its full support," he said.
"The Taoiseach [Irish prime minister] has been in direct contact with President al-Sisi asking him to give positive consideration to the Decree 140 application. I have had a number of contacts with my Egyptian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, endorsing the application for Ibrahim's immediate release.
"I discussed the case with Minister Shoukry most recently on November 1st, when I once again repeated our call for this citizen's immediate return to Ireland."
Mr Flanagan said "in light of today's developments", the Irish government would be pursuing further contacts at the highest levels with Egypt to address Mr Halawa's continued detention and to again call for his immediate return to Ireland.
"I want to reaffirm the government's and my own personal commitment to secure Ibrahim Halawa's return to Ireland as soon as possible and we will be continuing to examine and explore all possible options for action that can help to achieve that objective," he added.
Mr Halawa's solicitor, Darragh Mackin, said it was "deeply disappointing" but "entirely unsurprising" that his trial had been adjourned again.
"This is indicative of the fact that Ibrahim cannot get a fair trial, and therefore it makes the outstanding application for a presidential decree even more important," he said.
Mr Mackin said he had been in contact with the Irish department of foreign affairs and the taoiseach's office to "ensure that urgent action is taken to ensure that maximum pressure is brought to bear in the resolution of the outstanding decree".
Three months ago, Egypt rejected a call from the Irish government for the immediate release of Mr Halawa, whose family live in Dublin, under presidential decree.
The Egyptian government has also rejected allegations by the United Nations about his treatment in prison.
Mr Halawa's trial has now been postponed 16 times.
Earlier this month, Amnesty International held a vigil at Stormont to show support for a campaign calling for Mr Halawa's immediate release.
Mr Halawa's sister, Khadija, attended and called on the Irish government to do more to put pressure on the Egyptian authorities to release her brother.
The family has denied claims that Mr Halawa is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's oldest and largest Islamist organisation.
The Egyptian government has declared it a terrorist group, a claim the organisation rejects.
More than 1,000 people have been killed and 40,000 are believed to have been jailed since President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi led the military's overthrow of Mohammed Morsi, Egypt's first democratically elected head of state, in 2013. | The Irish foreign minister has expressed concern after the trial of an Irishman, who was been imprisoned in Egypt for more than three years, has been adjourned again. | 37962966 |
The fourth annual Nithraid on Saturday includes a sailing race and pop-up arts and food village.
The event is organised by the artists' collective the Stove Network.
The Nithraid programme starts at the Midsteeple where performance artists lead a procession through the town centre to the waterside at Mill Green.
They carry with them the Salty Coo symbol of the event.
Music and art activities will provide the entertainment for crowds as they await the culmination of the sailing boat race.
A variety of craft will navigate from the Solway Firth to the finish line helped on by one of the highest tides of the year.
The winning skipper will be given the honour of leading the ceremonial lowering of the Salty Coo into the river. | Thousands of people are expected to line the banks of the River Nith in Dumfries for an event celebrating the town's maritime history. | 37255290 |
Meanwhile a postbox outside the city hall has been painted gold to mark Ennis's medal win, and she has featured on a special stamp rushed out for sale.
Nick Clegg, Liberal Democrat MP for Sheffield Hallam, has called for her to be granted the freedom of the city.
There have also been calls on Twitter to rename a city square after Ennis.
However, not everybody supported the idea of renaming the city's Tudor Square.
One Twitter user wrote: "When everyone has calmed down and had a cup of tea they'll realise renaming Tudor Square, Ennis Square is just inappropriate and costly."
Nevertheless, thousands of people celebrated across Sheffield as Ennis crossed the line at the Olympic Stadium to secure heptathlon gold.
For much of Saturday the Don Valley Stadium - where a big screen was put up - resembled a country picnic.
As the Sheffield hero came out for her 800m heat, about 2,000 people surged forward to see her victory.
Ennis, hailed as the face of London 2012, won gold on one of Britain's greatest days in Olympic history.
As the 26-year-old entered the Olympic stadium for the 800m heat in the heptathlon, the floodlights came on in Sheffield and the stadium where Ennis was discovered and still trains suddenly resembled a rock concert.
When the starter's gun went off, Sheffield produced a wall of noise.
And when Ennis crossed the line, there were hugs, tears and even louder screams.
Jessica Burton, 17, said: "On my god, she's done it. We love her, we love her, we love her. I am so proud to be from the same city as Jess Ennis."
Earlier Chris Eccles, who taught the heptathlete at King Ecgbert School, said every pupil knew about the athlete's achievements.
"They are inspired by her because they can see someone from their own town being so successful," he said.
"They see people like Jess as great role models."
Ennis started running at the Don Valley Stadium when she joined the City of Sheffield Athletic Club at the age of 13.
Despite being a world-class athlete, she still competes for the club in the Northern League.
Club chairman Mike Corden said the gold medallist was a "phenomenon".
"Our kids in the club are inspired by her. They are so proud of her," he said.
Paying tribute to Ennis, Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough MP David Blunkett said: "She is the princess of Sheffield, who has lifted the hearts of the nation and provided an inspiration for the young athletes of the future."
On a hugely successful night for Team GB, Ennis's athletics team-mates Mo Farah and Greg Rutherford also won gold, in the 10,000m and long jump respectively. | Sheffield City Council has promised a full civic welcome for Jessica Ennis and all the other Olympic athletes from the city. | 19132479 |
And that is why two Essex women have launched a campaign to remove the 'rude and stereotypical' term "Essex girl" from the Oxford English Dictionary.
Juliet Thomas and Natasha Sawkins want their proud peers to post their success under #IAmAnEssexGirl and sign their petition to have the term scrubbed.
But, a dictionary spokeswoman said, "nothing is ever taken out of the OED".
"It's a historical dictionary," she told the BBC. "Definitions can change, but an entry will never come out."
The dictionary defines Essex girl as: "Essex girl n. [after Essex man n.] Brit. derogatory a contemptuous term applied (usu. joc.) to a type of young woman, supposedly to be found in and around Essex, and variously characterized as unintelligent, promiscuous, and materialistic."
The campaigners were further peeved by a Collins definition that added: "devoid of taste".
Juliet Thomas told the BBC: "It's so rude and it doesn't define anyone I know in or from Essex. It describes a very dated stereotype."
The alternative meaning of just a girl in or from Essex was absent, she said. And it was "incredibly offensive" to see it in the dictionary with no reference to caricature.
She wants women to sign the petition with the aim of having the entry removed and to post their successes and support on social media to "redefine" what it means to be an Essex girl.
Among those who have backed the campaign, novelist Amanda Prowse tweeted her support and theatre technician Emily Holden tweeted: "I have a BA (hons) degree... I help put on awesome work. "
Ms Thomas said women, particularly young women, were still having to fight the Essex girl stereotype years after the term was coined.
"Girls feel they still have to listen to the same tired old jokes, feel like they have to fight twice as hard to be taken seriously at university," she said.
"It's tricky and disappointing to see it in writing in an official way. It reinforces it."
Ms Thomas said programmes such as scripted-reality soap opera The Only Way is Essex existed for other parts of the UK as well and shouldn't be allowed to define the women of an entire county.
Speaking on the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire show, former Towie star Grace Andrews said she backed the campaign "100 million per cent". | It is a phrase synonymous with 1990s ladette culture, used to define brash party girls in one part of England. | 37761668 |
Ospreys won 10-0, but coach Steve Tandy was unhappy the match went ahead.
Dragons share their Rodney Parade ground with Newport County AFC, who have had three games abandoned or postponed this season.
"The referee [was] in a difficult position. I would have respected his decision either way," said Jones.
"I don't think there's ever been a case of a rugby player drowning on a rugby field. I was just glad to get the game on.
"First and foremost is player safety but I don't think there was any danger of anyone getting hurt."
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The match was in doubt until until referee Davies gave the go-ahead an hour before the 17:00 GMT kick-off, however, Tandy was scathing in his criticism of the pitch.
"Conditions were horrific. We had concerns and were pretty unhappy with the state of the field," he said.
"It doesn't make a difference to us if there's water but there were definitely concerns for players' safety. We weren't particularly happy [the game went ahead]."
The pitch at Rodney Parade is used by three teams - the Dragons and Newport RFC rugby teams, and Newport County who play in League Two of the Football League (EFL).
The Exiles have now had two games - against Morecambe and Barnet - abandoned at half-time this season and the League Two encounter with Stevenage was also postponed on 1 October.
The EFL have conducted a survey of the ground with a view to offering advice on improvements.
The ground's owners - Rodney Parade Limited - carried out emergency drainage work in October and plan to install a new drainage system in the summer of 2017. | Newport Gwent Dragons coach Kingsley Jones has defended referee Ian Davies' decision to allow their match against Ospreys to go ahead on New Year's Day. | 38490858 |
Kruse, ranked 10th in the world, beat Italy's Alessio Foconi 15-8 in the final to win the foil.
The 33-year-old was attacked shortly after arriving in Shanghai last week.
"The adrenaline that went through my body was unbelievable," said Kruse, who will rise to world number five. "When I came to fence, I was ready to fight."
Kruse, who finished fourth at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, received a bye through the qualifying rounds in Shanghai before beating German fencer Benjamin Kleibrink in his opener.
Further victories over American Nick Itkin, Hong Kong's world number seven Cheung Ka-long, Italian Lorenzo Nista and France's world number six Erwann le Pechoux set up the meeting with Foconi in the showpiece.
"Maybe coming fourth in Rio was the best thing to happen to me," said Kruse, who missed out on Great Britain's first Olympic fencing medal in 52 years.
"Had I got a medal then perhaps I wouldn't have had the motivation to carry on." | British fencer Richard Kruse produced his best performance of the season to win the Shanghai Grand Prix - just days after being mugged in the Chinese city. | 39995133 |
His remarks come amid a row between Turkey and European nations over campaigning for a Turkish referendum.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused the Dutch government of being "Nazi remnants".
He was infuriated when a minister was barred from addressing a Rotterdam rally, sparking clashes with police.
Mr Erdogan's rhetoric intensified when he accused the Dutch of carrying out the Srebrenica massacre in Bosnia in 1995. The killings of Muslim men and boys were carried out by Bosnian Serb forces and the remarks were condemned by the Dutch prime minister as a "vile falsification".
Mr Tusk's remarks to the European Parliament came on the day the Dutch vote in an election in which the party of centre-right Prime Minister Mark Rutte and that of anti-immigrant Geert Wilders are frontrunners.
The Netherlands is "a place of freedom and democracy. And for sure Rotterdam," Mr Tusk said.
"The city of Erasmus, brutally destroyed by the Nazis, which today has a mayor born in Morocco," he added.
"If anyone sees fascism in Rotterdam, they are completely detached from reality."
Germany and Austria have also acted to stop Turkish rallies. The gatherings are aimed at garnering support for a "yes" vote in a 16 April referendum on giving President Erdogan greater powers.
More on this story:
Mr Tusk's remarks were applauded by MEPs.
European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said he was "scandalised" by President Erdogan's remark, which he said "drives Turkey further away from the European Union".
In 2005, Turks lined the road to cheer Recep Tayyip Erdogan as he returned from Brussels, where Turkey had begun EU membership talks. This week Mr Erdogan lambasted Europe's leaders with extraordinary invective. What is his game?
The answer is domestic politics. Turkey's president is entirely focused on next month's referendum on expanding his powers: the climax of his career. Polls suggest it's close. He needs to rally his nationalist support base and the far-right, who like the image of a strongman standing up to Europe.
With an overwhelmingly pro-government media that hammers home his propaganda (recent headlines include "Dutch Nazi dogs" and "They will pay the price"), he believes he has a winning formula.
That, coupled with Mr Erdogan's notorious reluctance to pull back or bow to diplomatic norms, means the inflammatory rhetoric will continue. In the process, the gulf between Turkey and Europe widens. And that's good for neither side.
Last July, President Erdogan survived an attempted coup. He says European nations failed to demonstrate their solidarity and he has come under criticism for the hundreds of thousands of civil servants purged in a crackdown in response.
In November, the European Parliament called for a suspension of Turkey's EU membership talks, and those calls seem set to grow louder, says the BBC's Mark Lowen in Istanbul.
Germany - accused last week by Mr Erdogan of "Nazi practices" - has now raised the prospect of a complete entry ban on Turkish politicians.
Peter Altmaier, chief of staff for Chancellor Angela Merkel, said such a ban would be permitted under international law but would be a "last resort. But we reserve the right to do that".
The small western German state of Saarland moved on Tuesday to ban all foreign politicians from campaigning in the state.
Turkey-Europe relations timeline
March 2015: Amid a surge of migrants trying to reach Europe via Turkey, Turkey and the EU agree a deal to see rejected asylum seekers returned to Turkey in exchange for aid and political concessions from the EU
15 July 2016: President Erdogan survives attempted coup by rebel soldiers. Western governments issue condemnation but no leaders visit in weeks following - and there is criticism of the subsequent wave of detentions and repressive measures
24 November: European Parliament votes to suspend Turkey's EU membership talks over crackdown; the following day Erdogan threatens to open the doors to another migrant surge
27 February 2017: Austria says Turkey cannot hold referendum rallies for fear of "polarising" Turkish-origin communities
5 March: After German authorities cancel referendum rallies on safety grounds, Erdogan compares German officials to Nazis - prompting German outrage. The Nazi comparison becomes a common theme of Turkish officials
11 March: Dutch authorities withdraw Turkish FM's permission to visit, prevent Turkish minister entering the Turkish consulate in Rotterdam and ban rally, prompting Mr Erdogan to brand the Dutch government "Nazi remnants and fascists"
15 March: Mr Erdogan falsely accuses the Netherlands of carrying out a massacre of Muslim men at Srebrenica, Bosnia, in 1995 | Turkey is "completely detached from reality" in calling the Dutch fascists, European Council President Donald Tusk has said. | 39278131 |
A cordon was put in place and nearby roads were closed in Willerby, near Hull, after the devices were uncovered.
Humberside Police said a number of devices had been found during building work on a new housing development near Great Gutter Lane on Monday afternoon.
Roads in the area have reopened but a cordon remains in place close to where the grenades were found. | World War Two grenades found by workmen in an East Yorkshire village have been destroyed by bomb disposal experts. | 32127109 |
Police said it was taken from Londis on St John's Road, Waterloo, at about 07:30 GMT on Monday.
It was reported to officers on Tuesday after the shopkeeper noticed was missing. CCTV is being examined from the store and nearby area.
The offender is described as aged 25-30 and slim with dark hair. He was wearing glasses, jeans and a black jacket.
Supt Kevin Johnson from Merseyside Police said: "I'm sure members of this community would agree that this was a despicable act and we are working hard to trace the person responsible.
"I would urge anyone who was in the area at the time or who recognises the description of this offender to make contact with my officers, so he can be brought to justice." | A Royal British Legion poppy collection box has been stolen from a Liverpool supermarket. | 20314714 |
Scottish Chambers of Commerce (SCC) found profitability and cash flow continued to be "challenging", while pressure on prices was high.
However, there was a mixed picture in terms of firms' optimism.
It was in negative territory in retail and wholesale and tourism, but finance and business services had the most positive outlook since the end of 2014.
SCC's quarterly economic indicator suggested tourism sales revenues fell across the board for the second consecutive quarter, despite an increase in customer numbers. Investment and employment also declined over the quarter.
More than a third (36%) of retail and wholesale businesses reported falling optimism, with declines in cash flow, sales employment, profitability and capacity.
The construction sector reported a slight weakening in performance, with optimism falling to its lowest level since the third quarter of 2014.
Despite this, a quarter of the construction firms who responded said they were hiring staff, although they continued to face recruitment difficulties.
The financial and business services sector reported its highest levels of optimism since the final quarter of 2014.
The report suggested this could reflect the fact that more than a third of oil and gas businesses were now more positive about the future.
Meanwhile, the manufacturing sector reported growing optimism after a mixed year in 2016.
Domestic orders and sales revenues were flat but firms said their performance had been boosted by strong export sales.
The report also found positive signs for jobs in manufacturing, with about 87% of respondents indicating employment had either increased or remained the same over the quarter.
However, 45.5% reported difficulties in recruiting, particularly technical/skilled staff.
SCC economic advisory group chairman Neil Amner said the political situation with Brexit, a general election and moves for a second Scottish independence referendum were creating "uncertainty".
He added: "As we approach a general election, we expect the political parties to pledge targeted tax cuts, potentially including a temporary cut in VAT, in order to bolster consumer demand."
A total of 470 firms responded to the the survey, which was carried out in conjunction with the Fraser of Allander Institute between 20 February and 13 March. | Scotland's economy remained "subdued" in the first quarter of the year, according to a survey of businesses. | 39643554 |
There had been calls for Greens to stand aside in SNP seats which are being targeted by the Conservatives.
A full list of where the party is standing is expected on Wednesday, but sources confirmed they were not looking to contest more than ten seats.
The decision means the party will not qualify for party election broadcasts.
But it is expected that co-convenor Patrick Harvie will still take his place in a Scottish leaders' debate hosted by BBC Scotland, political correspondent Nick Eardley said.
The Scottish Greens fielded 32 candidates at the general election in 2015 but failed to win any seats. They currently have six MSPs at Holyrood, and won 19 seats in last week's council election.
Asked by the Press Association whether the Scottish Greens plan to stand fewer than 10 candidates in next month's general election, a party spokesman said: "That's the way it's looking."
He said the party had written to a broadcaster saying it will not be supplying a party election broadcast.
To qualify for a party election broadcast for the election, the Scottish Greens must stand in at least 10 constituencies.
The spokesman added: "By targeting resources in key constituencies, such as Glasgow North where Patrick Harvie will be our candidate, we can build on our strong support to win Scotland's first Green MP, offering a bold alternative to the other parties."
Tommy Sheppard, the SNP incumbent candidate for Edinburgh East, had previously called on the Greens to avoid splitting the pro-independence vote in key constituencies.
He said: "They will want to stand some candidates as they are a national party and will want to put their case to their base, but in deciding which seats to contest and not to contest I think they should be mindful of not splitting the pro-Yes vote and certainly not splitting the anti-Tory vote."
Scottish Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser accused the Greens of "propping up" the SNP.
He said: "This is the Green Party reaffirming themselves as a pointless presence in Scottish politics.
"The propping up of the SNP is embarrassing and a complete disservice to their voters. Quite simply, they might as well not exist.
"If they are so determined to become the SNP, they should disband and merge with the nationalists."
The Greens had earlier confirmed they would not be fielding any candidates in the Highlands and Islands in the election on 8 June.
The seats affected include Moray, which is held by the SNP's deputy leader Angus Robertson but which has been identified as a key target by the Tories.
The Greens made breakthroughs on Highland and Orkney councils in the recent local elections, winning seats in the area for the first time, and has a list MSP at Holyrood from the region in John Finnie.
Highlands and Islands Greens Convener James MacKessack-Leitch, who stood in Moray in 2015, said the party would instead seek to push other candidates "on a progressive path", without directly endorsing anyone.
He said: "At any normal election we would be proud to field candidates and run a positive campaign, however, this is no normal election. This general election has been called for naked party political purposes as the Tories attempt to crush Labour in England and Wales.
"This immature behaviour has no relevance in the Highlands and Islands, let alone Scotland or Northern Ireland, but will only serve to increase voter apathy and anger at the way politics is conducted in this country, at a time when there are far bigger issues at stake."
Scottish Labour's general election campaign manager, James Kelly MSP, said: "This embarrassing revelation makes a mockery of the Greens' claims to be a credible party.
"Patrick Harvie has only decided to stand in Glasgow North himself in a desperate attempt to prove that he really isn't just a backbench SNP politician - and now it emerges his party could stand fewer than 10 candidates."
Willie Rennie said only his Liberal Democrats could "save the Highlands from the SNP", saying most seats in the area were "a straight choice between the Liberal Democrats and the SNP". | The Scottish Greens expect to stand fewer than ten election candidates - but deny it is to encourage tactical pro-independence voting. | 39855884 |
Kushner Companies was scheduled to pitch real estate opportunities to investors in the southern cities of Shenzhen and Guangzhou at the weekend.
But last week, Nicole Meyer Kushner came under fire for using her brother's name in a pitch.
Critics accused the business of playing up the family's White House links.
The company said the comments were misconstrued but has apologised.
Ms Meyer and Kushner Companies president Laurent Morali had been included in promotional material for the upcoming events.
But on Thursday, James Yolles, a spokesman for the firm, said in a statement: "No one from Kushner Companies will be in China this weekend."
Ms Meyer had mentioned her brother while urging investors to put $500,000 (£386,500) into a New Jersey property project through the so-called EB-5 programme.
The EB-5 visa programme, often used by wealthy Chinese nationals, allows foreign investors a path to a green card if they invest more than $500,000 in a project that creates jobs in the US.
Critics of the programme say it is used as a means of cheap financing for property developers.
Earlier this year in March, Kushner Companies - owned by Jared Kushner, who is also a senior advisor to Mr Trump - ended talks with Chinese firm Anbang Insurance over a major redevelopment project in New York City.
That potential deal had raised questions about a conflict of interest.
Mr Kushner has said he stepped away from his family's business operations, but government ethics filings show that he and his wife, Ivanka Trump, continue to benefit from their stake in Kushner Companies. | The company owned by the sister of Jared Kushner, Donald Trump's son-in-law, has pulled out of presentations planned for China this weekend. | 39893103 |
But he is philosophical about the prospect after missing the 2015 Rugby World Cup through injury.
Webb is a leading contender to be named in the Lions squad on 19 April and said: "If it happens, it happens, and it would be a dream come true.
"But I know what it's like to miss out on these big competitions."
Webb suffered a serious ankle injury in September 2015, a matter of weeks before the start of the World Cup, and played no part in Wales reaching the quarter-finals.
And the 28-year-old says such experiences are helping him stay focused on helping his region the Ospreys in the Pro12.
"The Lions is obviously the best of the best, but I've missed out on the World Cup and I know what it's like," Webb told 5 Live's Rugby Union Weekly podcast.
"Don't get me wrong, as the time is getting closer, the more motivational videos from past Lions are popping up on Twitter, and I would love to bits to be a part of it.
"But we've got to win the league first.
"It would be the pinnacle of my career, but we've got the Blues on Saturday, and that is the final game ahead of the announcement next week."
Ospreys are third in the Pro12 table - seven points adrift of second-placed Munster - and face Cardiff Blues this weekend as part of Welsh rugby's Judgment Day double-header at the Principality Stadium.
"We've had three disappointing results - Treviso, the [Challenge Cup] quarter-final [against Stade Francais], and Leinster on the weekend - so we are on a bit of a tricky losing streak," Webb added.
"But we are in total control of where we are in the league, the boys have a had a great season so far.
"It's about trying to stay positive and get that momentum now this weekend, in a full Principality Stadium against our local rivals the Blues." | Wales scrum-half Rhys Webb says being selected for the 2017 British and Irish Lions tour of New Zealand would be the pinnacle of his career. | 39559062 |
The midday bongs were the last regular chimes from the famous bell until the repairs to its tower are complete.
It will still be used for special occasions, including New Year's Eve and Remembrance Sunday.
There were cheers and applause from a crowd of tourists and onlookers on the green opposite as the final chime rang out.
The decision to switch it off to protect workers' hearing has sparked a debate about the length of time it will be silent, with MPs not being told it would be four years, the longest period in its history.
Prime Minister Theresa May has said "it can't be right" that the famous bongs will not be heard again until 2021 and has asked for the proposals to be reviewed.
The House of Commons has said it will look again at the length of time Big Ben will be silenced after "concerns" were raised.
The 13.7-tonne Great Bell has sounded on the hour for 157 years and last fell silent in 2007. The Great Clock it forms part of is to be dismantled and repaired.
Almost as one, the crowd that had gathered in Parliament Square and on the pavement outside the Palace of Westminster pointed their mobile phones up towards the famous clock.
The passing traffic paused, and as the last of Big Ben's bongs sounded - at least until November - cheers broke out.
Most of the people who had taken up Parliament's suggestion to witness the last bells spoke of their sadness at the switch-off, and plenty, like Brian Mignot from Tasmania, questioned the four-year timescale.
Some, like engineer Neil Tomlinson from Derbyshire, took a pragmatic approach.
"It's got to be repaired, so they're repairing it," he said, bemused at the fuss the plans have caused.
Others just said they wanted to be there.
"It's a momentous occasion", said one of the onlookers, Annette Nicholson, from South East London.
"I thought the crowd would be even bigger."
Mark Tan, who had just arrived in the UK on holiday from Singapore, said: "It's a historic moment but it's good so that it will continue for another 100 years".
Inside the Parliamentary estate, there was more clapping and cheering as noon was struck.
Labour MP Stephen Pound - who had hoped to be joined by "like-minded traditionalists" to witness the last bongs, said it was a "desperately sad" moment and that the decision showed a "real poverty of imagination".
Conservative Peter Bone said MPs had not been told the length of the switch off, adding that the timescale "doesn't make any sense".
"Maybe Big Ben will be silenced for a little while, but perhaps just until the end of this year, and then back bonging away from the New Year," he said.
But the SNP's Pete Wishart told them to "get a grip" over their "bizarre obsession" with the issue.
"The fact that even the prime minister is wasting time on this non-issue shows just how out of touch the Westminster bubble is, when MPs should be working for their constituents on the issues that really matter," he added.
Liberal Democrat MP Tom Brake, a member of the House of Commons Commission, said one concession to critics could be allowing Big Ben to chime on special occasions.
But he said it was "too early to say" whether it would be used on the day the UK leaves the EU in March 2019, as demanded by some Eurosceptic Conservative MPs.
He added: "I understand why people would get excited about Big Ben and the Elizabeth Tower and the clock because they are so symbolic and people come from all over the world to have their photographs taken in front of it, and that's why we need to ensure that these works happen to ensure that this symbol of our Parliament, our nation, is available for people to relish for years to come."
Straight after Big Ben had finished at midday, nearby Westminster Abbey rang its chimes "to say farewell".
During the repair work, the roof of the Elizabeth Tower will be stripped off and restored, the bell frame repaired, leaks into the clock room stemmed and a lift installed.
A brick enclosure in the tower will also be replaced with glass to allow Big Ben to be viewed by people walking up the staircase.
The "drab" colour scheme on the Great Clock will also be changed to give it a more "vibrant" look, officials have said.
The Ayrton Light, which shines when the Commons and Lords are sitting, will be "off for some time" but the timescale will not be finalised until later this year. | Big Ben has fallen silent for major repair work expected to last until 2021. | 40995854 |
The mistake, caused by a measuring error, affects about 24,000 runners who competed in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
UK Athletics will not now recognise times from those races, but the error was corrected in time for this year's marathon, which was held on 10 April.
A true marathon distance is 26 miles and 385 yards.
Marathon courses are measured out using a bicycle fitted with a counter to calculate distance by the turning of the wheels.
The Association of UK Course Measurers (AUKCM) said an accredited measurer had ridden the course in 2013 but indicated there had been an error in the calibration of the bicycle wheel.
The organisation said it regretted the mistake and the effect it has on runners' times.
"Significant errors in measurement are rare - our procedures are designed to find them at the reporting or checking stages," it added.
Xtra Mile Events, organisers of the marathon, said the blame lay with AUKCM.
They added: "We all understand the anguish and huge disappointment this creates and want to assure our runners that we share the upset and emotion from the AUKCM news regarding the race distance." | Three years of Greater Manchester Marathon times have been declared invalid after the course was found to be 380m too short. | 36104638 |
Moore's last game in charge was a 2-1 loss to Stevenage at Victoria Park on Tuesday, a result that leaves the club four points above the bottom two.
"This is an extremely difficult decision but one we feel is right," said chairman Gary Coxall.
The 63-year-old was appointed manager in December 2014, and saved the club from relegation last season.
Despite a remarkable 'Great Escape', which saw Pools overhaul a 10-point deficit to preserve their Football League status, Moore has been unable to steer the club away from trouble this term.
Four wins in all competitions from the first four games lifted the club up to third, but form has dipped dramatically.
Tuesday's result was their fourth successive game without a win, and their 16th league defeat of the season.
However, a number of postponements mean Hartlepool have played fewer games than any of the bottom six clubs, including five fewer than Stevenage.
"Ronnie has worked tirelessly to bring success to the club and we thank him sincerely for those efforts and wish him well for the future," added Coxall.
Moore, who was Hartlepool's ninth manager of the decade, lost 29 of his 59 games in charge, but admitted the Stevenage loss was critical to his future.
"It's a devastating result for me," Moore told BBC Tees. "This is a game I looked at where I thought we could win this.
"The fans are frustrated, we all want to win. We had enough of this last season and we wanted to kick on, but at this present time we're not having that." | League Two strugglers Hartlepool United have parted company with manager Ronnie Moore by mutual consent. | 35541540 |
However, the bill would reduce the budget deficit, the non-partisan Congressional Budgetary Office said.
Similar legislation passed by the House was also said to leave millions uninsured. Some Republicans have voiced reservations about the plan.
But the White House disputed the CBO's figures.
Responding to Monday's report, it said: "The CBO has consistently proven it cannot accurately predict how healthcare legislation will impact insurance coverage."
The report is a review of draft legislation unveiled by the Republican party last week.
It is unlikely to be approved by Democrats, who see the proposals as cruel and unfair.
The CBO said that 15 million more people would be uninsured by 2018 under the proposed legislation than under current law, largely because the penalty for not having insurance would be eliminated.
Donald Trump called the House healthcare bill that resulted in 23 million additional uninsured by 2026 "mean". How might he describe a Senate version that only reduces those numbers to 22 million?
Less affluent Americans currently on government-managed Medicaid insurance, many of whom supported the president, will see a 26% reduction in their programmes funding over the next decade, resulting in fewer covered and skimpier benefits.
That is a tough pill for moderate Republicans, who will be under enormous pressure from their constituents to vote against the bill.
There is some good news in the CBO report, of course. Thanks to the cuts, the Senate measure would reduce the budget deficit by a total of $321bn (£252bn) in 2017-2026 - even with Obama-era tax cuts rolled back. The personal health insurance marketplace is estimated to remain largely stable, and premiums will go down (after a spike next year).
The bottom line, however, is that the CBO report is a blow to the Senate bill's chances of success. House Republicans weathered a similar beating and rallied to pass their version, so it is much too early to write a political epitaph. That assumes, of course, that their efforts are not undermined by the man in the Oval Office.
President Donald Trump's Republican party is struggling to secure the 50 votes it needs to get its bill through the Senate when it comes to the floor.
On Thursday, Republicans Ted Cruz, Ron Johnson, Mike Lee and Rand Paul said they were "not ready to vote for this bill", but were "open to negotiation".
Their concerns about the measure include its rollback of the expansion of Medicaid, the public health program for the poor and disabled.
Mr Johnson said on Sunday there was "no way" there should be a vote on the legislation this week.
The Senate bill would slash taxes for the wealthy offering less help for working families to buy medical insurance.
Top Democrat Nancy Pelosi earlier warned that "hundreds of thousands" of Americans would die if congressional Republicans pass their healthcare legislation.
Republicans have rejected the notion that anyone will die as a result of their healthcare plan. | Some 22 million Americans could lose their health insurance over the next decade under a Senate bill to replace Obamacare, a congressional report says. | 40411495 |
They say they are living in fear of flooding and tumbling rock and ice because they have witnessed cracks in the ground and in glaciers.
Some glacial lakes have sunk underground with their outlets appearing at new places.
With temperatures increasing and the monsoon on the way, anxiety is rising.
Hundreds of people from Sherpa villages fled to higher ground for safety on Monday night after a small glacial lake burst its banks, sweeping away two small bridges and a cowshed. It caused rumours that a major glacial lake had flooded.
Nepal has more than 2,300 glacial lakes and the most feared is Imja.
Government officials say a helicopter survey showed Imja was intact, but they admit a ground study of the area is yet to be done.
Locals say they are relieved about Imja but uncomfortable about other changes they have observed.
During a field visit this week, a team from Sherpa villages found ice and debris in a place they should not have been.
"That was a place where we used to see certain flowers bloom," said Ang Chiri Sherpa, chairman of the Sagarmatha buffer zone users' group.
"But when we went to see what had happened, we saw an unusual, small glacier-like body of ice and soil and rock debris that could potentially fall on our village.
"We have no idea where this potentially dangerous thing came from."
With the summer season sending temperatures up and monsoon rains approaching, locals say they are increasingly worried.
"Rising temperatures mean glacier meltdown will accelerate and rains will mean moraines [rock and sediment deposited by a glacier] could become loose," said Tshering Sherpa, an official whose non-governmental organisation manages Everest base camp and the climbing route to the highest peak.
"All these could multiply the risk of outbursts, more so because the earthquake and continued tremors may have made the moraines of glacial lakes already weak.
"And then we have the recent horrifying experience of a lake breaking on Monday, even if it was a small one."
Most locals in the villages in the Everest region are still sleeping outdoors for fear of aftershocks and they say the concern over possible destabilised glacial lakes and glaciers are making them feel worse.
Pasang Sherpa, a lodge owner in Namche said the cries of women and children on Monday night still ring in her ears.
"We were all holding torches and running uphill crying and shouting in fear, it was miserable."
Scientists say they have not seen any evidence of risks so far but they also warn that things could change in these shaky times.
"Except for this little event of a lake which somehow released all its waters on Monday, there has been no evidence [of risk] as such," said Walter Immerzeel, assistant professor of physical geography at Utrecht University in the Netherlands.
"But I think it's a fair concern on the part of Sherpas [because] you have those moraine dams which block those lakes and they can be destabilised by earthquakes and aftershocks."
Dr Immerzeel was in a team that recently produced research on Everest glaciers published this week in The Cryosphere journal of the European Geosciences Union (EGU).
"Avalanches and earthquakes can breach the dams, causing catastrophic floods that can result in river flows 100 times greater in the Kosi basin," the EGU said.
The Kosi basin stretches from the Everest region in the north to the Kosi river that joins the Ganges in India across the border in eastern Nepal.
Although the government and scientists say they have seen no immediate threat, members of the Sherpa community argue say their focus has been limited to the Imja glacial lake.
"So many other glacial lakes have formed in recent years and none of them have been studied, all they talk about is Imja," said Ang Chiri Sherpa.
Rishiram Sharma, head of the government agency responsible for monitoring and taking care of the glaciers and glacial lakes in the Nepalese Himalayas, said his office was trying to co-ordinate with other government agencies for an urgent field study.
"We understand the frustration of the Sherpa community and we will conduct a ground study at the earliest," he said.
The Sherpas from villages right below the glacial lakes and glaciers say they have formed a committee to monitor the threat themselves.
"Our committee will now make a dam to protect a village that was hit by Monday's flood from a glacial lake and then we will prepare a database of all the risky glacial lakes including those around the Khumbu glacier," said Ang Chiri Sherpa.
"We have heard enough of the government and foreign agencies' plans and projects to help us." | Everest Sherpas say they have seen potentially dangerous changes in their landscape after Nepal's 7.8-magnitude earthquake and aftershocks. | 32930252 |
The nuclear physicist, who'd been working on the team that discovered the Higgs boson, was tired of using hormonal contraception but wasn't ready to have a baby.
So the Swede set about using her data skills to find an alternative.
"Like many women I had tried many different contraception options since my teenage years and hadn't really found a solution that fit me," she explains.
"It was in my quest for an effective natural alternative that I discovered that you can see when you're fertile by your temperature, and for me that was really a revelation."
Using complex mathematics and data analysis, Mrs Berglund Scherwitzl began developing an algorithm designed to be so precise it could pinpoint exactly when in her cycle she would ovulate.
This enabled her to map out the days when she would need to use protection, to a much higher degree of certainty than similar "rhythm" or natural planning methods.
She was so pleased with the results that, together with her Austrian husband, fellow physicist Raoul Scherwitzl, she set about founding her own business called Natural Cycles.
It offers an app designed to help women around the world with their fertility and contraception needs, by allowing them to collect their own temperature data sets and closely monitor their cycle trends.
Launched in 2014, it now has some 300,000 users, who pay a monthly or annual fee for the service. In the UK a yearly deal costs £50, which includes the cost of a thermometer.
The company has attracted $8m ($6.1m) in investment and has so far made sales of more than $6m.
However, if it wasn't for the timing of another large scientific discovery, the project may not have got off the ground so quickly.
Mrs Berglund Scherwitzl, who was raised in Malmo in southern Sweden, had been working at Cern, the Geneva-based European Organization for Nuclear Research. In 2012, after decades of research, the team she was part of finally found the Higgs boson particle, crucial to our understanding of how the universe works.
"A lot is about coincidence and also timing. We had just got married. The experiment was shutting down for a couple of years and I was thinking, 'If I would ever try something outside of physics, now would be the time'.
"My husband had always wanted to become an entrepreneur, so he suggested, 'Okay let's leave physics and make this algorithm into an app'."
Following several medical trials, their app became the first tech-based device on the planet to be formally certified for use as contraception, in February 2017.
It gained approval for use across the EU after getting the green light from the German inspection and certification organisation Tuv Sud.
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Yet the journey from launch to European certification was "a rollercoaster", she says.
An initial approval from the Swedish Medicinal Products Agency was revoked in 2015, amid headlines about the app encouraging risky behaviour among young women in her home country, where the couple had returned to develop their business.
The company was banned from marketing the app for 18 months, resulting in "a big bump in the road" for the growth of the firm.
"Since I came from the scientific angle I thought that if I just create a product that's really good, it will sell itself and everyone will trust it. I realise that that's not at all the case," she admits.
"But it was maybe good that I was so naive, because if I would have known all the challenges ahead, maybe I wouldn't have dared to do it."
The start-up now markets itself as being "as effective as the pill", following one of the largest clinical studies in contraception involving more than 4,000 women, published in the peer-reviewed European Journal of Contraception and Reproductive Health Care.
The researchers - which included the co-founding couple - found that 7% of women who used the app in a "typical" way (allowing for some human error) got pregnant, compared to 9% taking the pill and less than 1% using IUD coils.
Against this background, Mrs Berglund Scherwitzl accepts that her product relies on women sticking closely to the app's instructions and therefore might not be for everyone, not least because it also fails to protect its users from sexually transmitted diseases.
"Just like the pill we need some effort from the user on a daily basis. But we really hope to be the default alternative if you don't want to use hormonal contraception or IUDs," she argues.
While the product is only currently certified in the EU, where its users are concentrated in the UK and the Nordics, it is available worldwide and, despite its earlier controversies has attracted users in some 160 countries.
Mrs Berglund Scherwitzl says that global sales have already shot up since its EU certification was confirmed in February, with the firm already more than doubling last year's turnover of $2m.
Alongside expanding its subscription base of women seeking to avoid getting pregnant, the company is also trying to attract more customers using the app from a family planning perspective - to work out when is the best time to conceive.
Continuing to build their company - which now has 30 employees based in Stockholm - while also caring for a young child has not been easy, she says. However it has guaranteed they spend plenty of time together.
"It's our passion and our hobby. At night when we come home and have a glass of wine we talk about our goals and we become a bit more visionary than we have time to do during the work day."
That vision involves raising awareness of how technology can be used to tackle issues linked to women's health, something which she says has been "largely ignored because researchers are often men".
The pair also hope to increase the number of the app's users in developing countries and nations where religion is a barrier to contraception.
"We've come even further than I first hoped, and that's an amazing feeling. But I feel like we should not stop here, she says.
"Now is really the time to grow and reach all these women in the world... Every pregnancy should bring happiness." | Inventing the first app in the world to be approved as a contraceptive started as a hobby project for Elina Berglund Scherwitzl. | 40629994 |
The Local Government Ombudsman ruled Coventry City Council abused its safeguarding powers to carry out what the company's director calls a "witch-hunt".
The ombudsman delivered a rare finding of "maladministration with injustice".
The council said it had carried out the ombudsman's recommendations.
John Kavanagh, a director of Open Doors, a charitable company that provides housing support for disabled people, said the firm had brought three complaints against the council about the abuse. These were upheld by the ombudsman.
"Up until 2006 we had an excellent relationship with the council but then there was a change of management in social services," he said.
"After that, we noticed some examples of poor practice and we sought to speak to them about it."
Mr Kavanagh said he had met the head of social services and councillors.
"From that point, when we stuck our heads above the parapet, things started to go downhill," he said.
"The council had been our major source of referrals but since 2006, we haven't had one referral to date from them. We were blackballed."
The ombudsman found the council's actions against Mr Kavanagh amounted to "an unreasonable campaign".
"We were subject to an all-out witch-hunt," Mr Kavanagh said.
"The council invested huge resources in pursuing this campaign against us.
"There were more than 20 meetings and seven safeguarding investigations.
"This was all happening at the same time as Daniel Pelka was tragically being tortured and killed.
"Ultimately Coventry needs to be held accountable. So far, I've had a half-hearted, mealy-mouthed apology."
In March 2014, the council's children's services were branded inadequate by Ofsted, two years after the death of four-year-old Daniel
In a letter to Mr Kavangah, the council's chief executive Martin Reeves wrote: "I would like to take this opportunity to apologise to you for the mistreatment you have received from the council."
In a statement, the council said: "We have implemented the recommendations to the ombudsman's satisfaction.
"Unfortunately, we are unable to comment further."
Michael King, the ombudsman's executive director, said: "While we cannot comment on the specific nature of this particular investigation, I am pleased to confirm that the council has satisfied the recommendations that we have made.
"The law requires us to maintain the privacy of everybody involved in our investigations, and so our decisions are anonymised. | A city council has been forced to apologise after a report found it conducted an "unreasonable campaign" against a company and its director. | 30809867 |
King, a midfielder for Everton in his playing days, had two spells in charge of the Prenton Park club between 1975-80 and 1987-96.
He took the club from the Fourth Division to the brink of promotion to the Premier League in 1994, when they lost in the play-off semi-finals.
"Johnny will forever have a huge place in Rovers' history," Tranmere chairman Mark Palios said.
"He will be greatly missed by all those who worked with him, played for him and knew him at Tranmere Rovers."
King started his career at Everton in 1957, making 48 appearances for the Toffees before going on to play for Bournemouth, Tranmere, Port Vale and Wigan Athletic.
"RIP Johnny King - a talented player for Everton and Tranmere who became a great manager at Prenton Park," Everton tweeted.
In addition to his two spells in charge of Tranmere he also managed non-league sides Northwich Victoria and Caernarfon Town.
He guided Welsh side Caernarfon to the FA Cup third round in the 1986-87 season. | Former Tranmere Rovers boss John King has died aged 77. | 35932020 |
This is one of the world's poorest countries with among the highest rates of malnutrition and child mortality.
And yet, walking around a hospital ward, a doctor told me that as well as malaria, pneumonia and all the other serious health challenges, there was another emerging problem - obesity.
I don't remember seeing many overweight people but the doctor assured me there was serious concern about the potential for future weight-related health problems - cardiovascular disease, diabetes and so on.
So it was no surprise to see a raft of research papers in the Lancet discussing the need for global action to tackle the obesity pandemic.
Most developing countries are facing a dual challenge - that of under and over nutrition; the former gets far more publicity because it is an immediate and often life-threatening danger.
Obesity stores up a host of health problems for the future. The World Health Organization (WHO) calls it a "double burden" of disease and says: "It is not uncommon to find under-nutrition and obesity existing side-by-side within the same country, the same community and the same household".
The WHO says that 65% of the world's population lives in countries where overweight and obesity kills more people than underweight.
The rise in urban living, the shift away from manual labour, the increase in car use and the availability of cheap energy-dense food are among many factors behind the increase.
One of the research teams led by Professor Boyd Swinburn from Deakin University in Melbourne described the "passive overconsumption" of energy: "The simultaneous increases in obesity in almost all countries seem to be driven mainly by changes in the global food system, which is producing more processed, affordable, and effectively marketed food than ever before.
In a comment article attached to the Lancet papers, Sir David King, the UK government's former Chief Scientific Advisor recalls the influential Foresight study published in 2007:
"One of the key findings of the report was that individuals had much less choice in the matter of their weight than they would assume, and that the present epidemic of obesity is not really down to laziness or overeating but that our biology has stepped out of kilter with society."
Obesity is a global issue, which requires global solutions.
Clearly individual responsibility is key, but a call for leadership is being urged in the run-up to a UN meeting on non-communicable diseases in New York next month.
"Eat less, move more" maybe the simplistic answer, but today's research suggests that the issue is far more complex requiring effort from government, industry and society. | The rising problem of global obesity was driven home to me recently in - of all places - Sierra Leone. | 14682329 |