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Yemen conflict: How my country has changed - BBC News
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2017-03-26
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Two years on from the start of the Saudi-led offensive, the BBC's Mai Noman returns to her home country.
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Middle East
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Before the war: Mai (left) and her sister look out across the Sanaa skyline in 2009
It is two years since the start of the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen in support of the government ousted by Houthi rebels. In that time, thousands of civilians have been killed, parts of the country devastated and Yemen left teetering on the brink of famine.
Here the BBC's Yemen-born Mai Noman, who has returned to her homeland to film short documentaries, reflects on what has become of her country.
It's been over two years since I was last here. The only place I call home.
A lot has happened and much has changed. It's hard to keep my feelings in check.
Beside the physical destruction, memories of what once was are buried under the heavy weight of emotional rubble.
Mai and her brother grew up in Taiz
As a Yemeni journalist working in international news, I have had to monitor every twist and turn of the civil war in my country, even when I wanted to look away.
Truthfully, the thought of coming face-to-face with the new reality shaped by the furious conflict in Yemen has terrified me.
But living through the war from outside Yemen was isolating.
As we make our way to the capital, Sanaa, on a rugged 10-hour car journey from Aden, I think back to the number of times I quietly broke down after hearing news coming out of Yemen. Working in a newsroom, this happened often.
This trip takes me from the south to the north - two parts of a country divided by more than mere miles.
In simple terms, the south is under government control, backed by the Saudi-led coalition, and the north is controlled by the Houthi rebels. But the reality is more complicated.
I've imagined arriving back home hundreds of times in the last few years. But on the day I was totally unprepared for what I found.
Unlike the southern city of Aden, where life seems to be at a standstill, waiting in fearful anticipation of more fighting, Sanaa - apart from the obvious damage - appears the same as ever.
Some beautiful buildings in Sanaa have escaped unscathed
I can feel the rain approaching. After London that should make me shudder, but it somehow feels welcoming.
The jagged mountains which encompass the city slowly fill with clouds transforming the sky into a splendid portrait of misted rocky peaks. All at once telling me I'm home.
The Yemeni capital has suffered like other parts of the country, but life there goes on
There are more restaurants in town than I recall, and many are over-flowing with people.
For a moment I forget there's a war raging across the country. But then Sanaa can be deceptive.
I feel exhausted by the time we arrive at my cousin Mona's house.
I knock on the door in a typical Yemeni manner - very determinedly. Mona's youngest child, Abdullah, opens the door to greet me.
Mai's aunt's car sits where it was hit by a falling missile in the garden of her home
It's quite quiet here. A minute later I hear Mona making her way down the narrow stairs at the back of the house.
We embrace with joy. She holds my face to see what's changed.
"You're still you," she says. A lot kinder than comments I receive later about how my hair is too short or the few extra pounds I've gained.
Mona is just as beautiful but her voice has changed, she's gone through a lot in the last few years.
Three years ago she lost her father suddenly. She had been very close to him and facing life without him, amid ongoing uncertainty, is hard.
"He was the biggest support I had," she tells me, breaking down in tears.
Life hasn't been kind to her and the war has now brought with it seemingly endless questions.
Would her family be able to leave if it had to? Is it better to be stuck inside surrounded by conflict, or outside separated from relatives and friends? Are Mona's children safe at school or sleeping in their beds? How many more funerals will she have to attend?
Even with the most difficult issues I face in my own life, the choices are never so bleak.
Our lives have become more different than ever.
Over the course of three weeks in Yemen, I reconnect with old acquaintances and hear stories of separation, loss and incredible examples of the tight bonds that keep a community together.
But something else weighs heavily on my heart. There is one place I wasn't able to visit.
It's the place where I was born and where a more utopian notion of Yemen was engraved in my mind.
But sadly my grandmother is no longer with us and Taiz today is unrecognisable, sitting as it does on the frontline of the conflict. I wonder if I'd even know the house.
The fighting on the ground is brutal, the bombardment by the Saudi-led coalition is relentless and the siege on the city by the Houthis continues.
It's painful trying to accept the way things have become, one where precious memories have no place among the hardship of this grinding conflict.
To me, Taiz is where the heart of home is, and there's nothing harder than losing one's home.
When I set off for Yemen it was with a mixture of dread and trepidation at what I might find after years of bombardment and fighting.
On arriving I fell into a false sense of relief that the people were still here; home was, in some form, still here.
In the days which followed though, it became clear that war damage isn't just the craters and the bombed out buildings.
It is the suffering of a population watching helplessly as their lives are being torn apart.
Thinking of the time I spent fearing what I'd find when I returned home, I know that regardless of the pain of seeing my country at war, the sense of longing to be part of Yemen, for good or bad, will always draw me back.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-39365164
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World Women's Curling Championship: Scotland take bronze as Canada win gold - BBC Sport
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2017-03-26
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Scotland beat Sweden in Sunday's bronze medal match at the World Women's Curling Championship as Canada defeat Russia for gold.
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Last updated on .From the section Winter Sports
Scotland beat Sweden 6-4 to take bronze as Canada won gold at the World Women's Curling Championships.
Rachel Homan's rink beat Anna Sidorova's European champions, Russia, 8-3 in the final in Beijing.
Eve Muirhead's Scots had lost 8-5 to Anna Hasselborg's Swedes in the third-versus-fourth play-off on Saturday.
After gaining revenge, skip Muirhead told World Curling: "It's been a tough week, a lot of ups and downs. To come away with a medal is satisfying."
The Scotland quartet of Muirhead, Anna Sloan, Vicki Adams and Lauren Gray had finished fourth in the round-robin behind Canada, Russia and Sweden.
After Canada beat Russia in the first versus second play-off on Friday, the Swedes beat the Scots but then faced a re-match after losing their semi-final 9-3 to Russia.
Muirhead's rink found themselves tied at 4-4 after eight ends in Sunday's bronze medal match.
But Muirhead's final stone in the ninth end was a perfectly weighted draw and Hasselborg failed in her take-out attempt as her stone glided through the paint.
That edged Scotland ahead for the first time to take a 5-4 lead into the last end after the steal of one point.
Scotland got an early stone on the button in the final end.
And, after playing defensively with guards, Hasselborg's attempted take-out again failed to allow Scotland to take another single point and wrap up victory.
"That was a really strong team performance out there," added Muirhead, whose team will hope to contend for a medal at next year's Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
"We came out fighting for that medal because we knew we really wanted it.
"We played a fantastic last end. I am really pleased.
"That was my first bronze, so I've got world gold, silver and bronze now, so I'm delighted.
"It's good to have a solid Worlds going into the Olympic Games."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/winter-sports/39314407
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Sebastian Vettel beats Lewis Hamilton to win Australian Grand Prix - BBC Sport
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2017-03-26
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Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel beats Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes in a straight fight as Formula 1's new era begins at the Australian Grand Prix.
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Last updated on .From the section Formula 1
Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel beat Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes in a straight fight as Formula 1's new era started at the Australian Grand Prix.
Vettel's first win since the Singapore GP in September 2015 was final proof Mercedes' domination is over after the introduction of faster cars.
Hamilton started in pole but Vettel had an advantage on pace and tyre wear.
The German pressured Mercedes into an early pit stop and benefited when Hamilton was held up by Max Verstappen.
Ferrari were simply quicker in Melbourne and the world champions were forced into a position where they had to make a decision that did not work out.
Mercedes were telling Hamilton he needed to up his pace to build a gap before his pit stop. The Briton was complaining his tyres were going off and he had no more pace.
Mercedes had the choice of leaving him out and risking Vettel passing him by and stopping earlier, or bringing him in and hoping Red Bull's Verstappen would stop soon afterwards or that Hamilton could pass him.
Hamilton returned to the track 1.7 seconds behind Verstappen. He soon caught him and was told by his engineer Peter Bonnington: "This is race-critical - you need to pass Verstappen."
Hamilton replied: "I don't know how you expect me to do that."
• None Champs and chumps: Your (and our) season predictions
• None LISTEN: The moment Vettel seals first win since Singapore 2015
• None 'I don't know how you expect me to do that' - Hamilton feels the pain
Sure enough, Hamilton was quickly on Verstappen's tail but could not pass for four laps.
Vettel stopped on lap 23 and rejoined right in front of the Red Bull and Hamilton, fended off Verstappen's challenge into Turn Three and disappeared off into the distance.
By the time Verstappen stopped himself on lap 25, Vettel was nearly six seconds up the road.
Hamilton could keep pace but no more, and found himself being caught by team-mate Valtteri Bottas, who had struggled in the first stint, dropping back 10 seconds in 17 laps, but closed in on the former world champion in the second stint to finish just 1.2 seconds behind. This was because Mercedes had turned down Hamilton's engine once they realised he was not going to catch Vettel.
Wow, Ferrari are as fast as Mercedes
Ferrari's pace was not exactly unexpected - the red cars had looked competitive in pre-season testing and Vettel qualified less than 0.3 seconds behind Hamilton.
Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff said on Saturday evening that his team faced "a hell of a fight" this season - and they are right in it following Vettel's imposing victory.
Mercedes accepted that the Ferrari was simply a faster race car on Sunday - something that was clear from Vettel's ability to stick close to Hamilton in the opening laps despite the turbulent air from the Mercedes costing him aerodynamic downforce.
Is the racing better?
The leaders might have made only one pit stop, which some might not like, but the intensity of the fights created by cars that test drivers to their limits for the first time in years made for a compelling afternoon.
However, the suggestion from this race is that a corollary of the quicker cars may well be that racing is harder.
As FIA president Jean Todt said before the race in a media briefing, this may have been a price the sport had to pay to return it to a position closer to its essence than the tyre-managing era of the previous six years.
Home hero Daniel Ricciardo had a turbulent afternoon. The Australian's Red Bull stopped on the way to the grid.
It was returned and Red Bull were able to get it going again, but not before the race was two laps old.
Ricciardo was sent back out and told "to have some fun" but the car stopped for good after about 30 laps.
Britain's Jolyon Palmer also had a difficult weekend, starting from the back after a troubled qualifying and suffering brake problems before an early retirement.
Fernando Alonso looked poised to rescue a surprise point for a McLaren-Honda team that came to the race in disarray after reliability and performance problems with the Japanese company's engine.
But while running in 10th place and holding off Force India's Esteban Ocon, which had been behind for a long period, the Spaniard's car suffered what he suspected was a suspension problem.
He was passed by Ocon and Renault's Nico Hulkenberg in one go and then was told to retire the car.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/39396809
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Anthony Crolla v Jorge Linares: Manchester fighter suffers defeat in rematch - BBC Sport
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2017-03-26
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Anthony Crolla fails in his bid to regain the WBA lightweight title as Jorge Linares retains the belt in Manchester.
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Anthony Crolla was outclassed in his bid to regain the WBA lightweight title as talented Venezuelan Jorge Linares produced a superb display at Manchester Arena.
Crolla - unanimously outpointed when the pair met in September - was rarely able to get close enough to his opponent to cause damage and was dropped by a stinging Linares uppercut in the seventh round.
Though he responded admirably, roared on by around 15,000 in the arena, Crolla always looked at the mercy of Linares' variety of shots and even when pockets of promise arrived for the home fighter, he often quickly faced blows in return.
The pair embraced on the bell, Crolla sporting a look of frustration as his opponent's hand was raised with the scores 118-109 on all three scorecards.
• None Listen to the fight again here (from 06:00 BST on Sunday)
The hope was this boxing cauldron could witness a Manchester fighter memorably upset the odds some 12 years after Ricky Hatton stunned Kostya Tszyu here on a night those present still talk glowingly about.
The reality was that Linares' combination of pedigree, experience and will to trade with ferocity if needed, proved too much.
A world champion by 21, Linares has held world crowns in three weight divisions. The 31-year-old's 14 years as a professional showed as he picked his shots with guile, the uppercut finding its target on several occasions as his upper-body movement consistently opened up the shot.
Crolla, who admitted he "lost to the better man", deserves credit. His career has been a rollercoaster from the moment he suffered a fractured skull and broken ankle when trying to apprehend burglars in 2014. A draw and victory against Darleys Perez saw him claim a world title within a year, only for Linares to take it in what was Crolla's second defence.
The rematch was never the same contest. Though those in attendance sang passionately for their fighter - a heavy underdog - they could not shake a man who looked ice cool and has now contested 41 of his 45 fights outside of Venezuela.
He will now seek a Las Vegas payday against WBC champion Mikey Garcia, while Crolla will likely need to rebuild domestically if he is to come again at world level.
How the fight played out
As Tony Bellew screamed "show no respect Ant, make it ugly" from ringside, Crolla embarked on a workmanlike opening two rounds. His guard was constantly high, Linares by comparison confident to lower his own when not at close range.
It meant Crolla was unable to get up close to his opponent as Linares' free hands were piston-like to keep his man at distance. His shots were blisteringly quick, a two-shot combination ending with a right uppercut in the third.
Crolla gutsily stepped forward to close ring space - a feat he claims he let slip late in the pairs' first meeting - and he finally smothered Linares in the fourth, landing two uppercuts at short range. But Linares snapped the home fighter's head back with a sublime uppercut of his own in six, dipping his body to the left before launching the shot with thrust.
It drew a collective grimace from the crowd. Linares - at times tip-toeing with grace and constantly exuding confidence - dropped his man with the same shot in seven. Crolla rose and pumped his hands in defiance as the crowd tried to lift him but as both men walked to their corners, Linares sported a grin of satisfaction.
Now cut above his left eye, Crolla responded with the grit which has endeared him to so many in recent years. A left hook to the jaw and later the body landed in the 10th but he was never able to find a pace or land the shots which could fluster an opponent of such class.
'I am so sorry, Manchester' - what they said
"Manchester, I am so sorry I couldn't do it for you. Your support means so much to me. He caught me but before that I thought I could get to him. I got beaten by the better man - no excuses.
"I am 30 years old, I am going to rest, but I believe I can go again."
In an interview with BBC Radio 5 live, Crolla added: "I could just not pin him down. I was pleading with Joe (Gallagher) to let me go on (for the last round), and you still believe you can land a shot.
"I'm gutted I couldn't do it in front of these fans."
Crolla's trainer Joe Gallagher told BBC Radio 5 live why he wanted to take Crolla out of the fight after the 11th round.
Gallagher said: "I thought we were not going to win this, but Anthony pleaded and said 'let me go on'. He wanted to go out on his shield.
"Linares was very good and everyone could see what a great world champion he is. You have seen one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world."
Promoter Eddie Hearn told BBC Radio 5 live: "I thought after the first fight Jorge Linares would not perform a career-best performance and he did. He was absolutely brilliant.
"It is so hard when Anthony Crolla comes up to you and says 'I'm so sorry'. You lost on points to one of the best pound for pound fighters.
"We will choose an easier world title. Anthony Crolla will be back 100%, he is an ultimate professional and a credit to himself."
Crolla has the heart of a lion. He tried his best to fight him, box him, out-think him, but Linares had too much skill, too much movement.
There is nothing worse than when you miss the shots and then get hit. It is demoralising. He didn't look hurt in there, but he was out-skilled and out-boxed.
The crowd cannot perform miracles and Linares was a magician in there. When you lose to a man like that, there is no shame for Crolla.
Linares was simply too good and too classy for the game and the brave Anthony Crolla.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/39395519
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Anthony Crolla: Jorge Linares defeat could prompt jump to Ricky Burns' division - BBC Sport
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2017-03-26
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Anthony Crolla will consider moving up to Ricky Burns' weight class following his rematch defeat by Jorge Linares.
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Last updated on .From the section Boxing
Anthony Crolla will consider moving up to Ricky Burns' weight class to pursue "big fights" following his rematch defeat by Jorge Linares on Saturday.
After the WBA lightweight title defeat to Venezuelan Linares, promoter Eddie Hearn raised the prospect of Crolla moving to light-welterweight.
"With the notice I'd certainly grow into that," said Crolla, 30.
A move up opens the prospect of facing the winner of Scot Burns' unification bout with Julius Indongo on 15 April.
Crolla added: "Physically I feel strong. I was as big as Linares in there tonight."
• None Listen to the fight again here (from 06:00 BST on Sunday)
Hearn said: "Ricky Burns could unify the division on 15 April. I wouldn't rule out the option of moving up to fight the winner."
Crolla weighed in at a fraction under the 135lbs lightweight limit before his meeting with Linares, so a move to the 140lbs division looks physically within reach.
Scotland's Burns has also made similar weight jumps, winning a world title at super-featherweight, moving on to do the same at lightweight and he now holds the WBA crown at light-welterweight.
Indongo holds the IBF strap, while highly-rated American Terence Crawford - undefeated in 30 fights - holds the division's other titles.
Sporting stitches above his left eye, Crolla told reporters that in the third round against Linares, he had aggravated a rib injury picked up in training, with trainer Joe Gallagher nodding when his fighter was asked if the rib was broken.
Linares could now face WBC lightweight champion, American Mikey Garcia, while the IBF belt in the division is held by fellow American Robert Easter and Manchester's Terry Flanagan holds the WBO crown.
"I'm going to have a break with my family now," added Crolla. "I feel like I'm improving in camps still. I believe there will be plenty of options and fights out there for us and I still want to be involved in those big fights. I think I've had a pretty tough two years."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/39398550
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World Cup 2018: Scotland 1-0 Slovenia - BBC Sport
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2017-03-26
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Substitute Chris Martin scores a late winner as Scotland beat Slovenia to keep their slim World Cup qualifying hopes alive.
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Last updated on .From the section Football
Chris Martin scored late on as Scotland saw off Slovenia to keep their slim hopes of reaching the World Cup alive.
The home side produced an excellent first-half showing, with Leigh Griffiths hitting the bar then post.
The visitors improved after the break but substitute Martin's left-foot finish with two minutes left won it.
Scotland, whose head coach Gordon Strachan had described this match as a must-win, are now fourth in Group F, two points behind Slovakia in second.
England are top of the table on 13 points after their 2-0 win over Lithuania earlier on Sunday.
Strachan picked Kieran Tierney, Celtic's teenage left-back, at right-back and turned to Griffiths as his main striker.
With their backs to the wall, Scotland came out fighting with an intensity that set Slovenia rocking.
• None How the players rated with Billy Dodds
The game was only a minute old when keeper Jan Oblak dived away to his right to keep out a Russell Martin volley from a Robert Snodgrass corner, but the siege on the Slovenian penalty area carried on and on.
Martin caused more bother a few moments later when he headed home from another Snodgrass cross, but the big defender was done for a push. Then it was Griffiths' turn, his angled header, after excellent work from the terrific Stuart Armstrong, drifted wide.
This was a different Scotland and a jittery Slovenia. Defensively, they were an unadulterated mess. Offensively, they scarcely existed save for one effort from Roman Bezjak that Craig Gordon dealt with.
Towards the end of the opening half, Scotland upped the ante and came painfully close to scoring. James Morrison thundered a shot just wide, then it became the Griffiths show, a mini soap opera amid a major drama.
A fine Scottish move saw the splendid Andy Robertson put Snodgrass away down the left side of the penalty box. The West Ham midfielder clipped a precise cross towards the back post where Griffiths was lurking. The Celtic man had to score, simply had to. Instead, from point-blank range inside the six-yard box, Griffiths smashed his volley onto the crossbar.
It was a miss that shocked Hampden. There was a small crowd in the old place, but their groans were almost deafening in that moment. A minute later, though, Griffiths had another chance when a great surge and nice delivery from Armstrong presented another chance to the Celtic striker.
This was considerably harder, and he made a good fist of it, steering his right-foot shot off the inside of Oblak's left-hand post. The ball rolled across goal and was hoofed clear. Griffiths was desperately unlucky.
In this mad flurry, there was another Scottish opportunity. A further minute on from Griffiths' second chance, Morrison had a looping header cleared off the line by Valter Birsa. All this good stuff, all these chances and nothing to show for it was torture for the hosts.
Griffiths took a dunt from Oblak in the dying minutes of the opening half and he was replaced by Steven Naismith in the opening minutes of the second half. Scotland lost their edge as the game wore on, though.
They had huge amounts of possession but not enough accuracy and nothing like the chances they had earlier in the game.
There was one, however. A good one. With 15 minutes left, Ikechi Anya replaced Snodgrass and within seconds, more slapstick Slovenian defending created an opportunity for the substitute. With time and space, he tried to curl his shot around Oblak, but didn't get nearly enough on it. Oblak made an easy save. Hampden held its head in its hands again.
Strachan brought on Chris Martin in a frantic attempt to salvage the victory they desperately needed. And what a twist he served up. Martin was booed on to the field by sections of the home support, but with two minutes left, more clever work from Armstrong set up the striker, who hit his shot low past a stunned Oblak and in off his left-hand post.
It was a thoroughly deserved winner on a dramatic night. Scotland found their best performance of the campaign and get to dream on. Strachan, meanwhile, lives to fight another day.
• None Delay over. They are ready to continue.
• None Delay in match Jasmin Kurtic (Slovenia) because of an injury.
• None James Forrest (Scotland) wins a free kick on the right wing.
• None Miral Samardzic (Slovenia) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
• None Goal! Scotland 1, Slovenia 0. Chris Martin (Scotland) left footed shot from the left side of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Stuart Armstrong.
• None Scott Brown (Scotland) wins a free kick on the right wing.
• None Attempt saved. Steven Naismith (Scotland) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Chris Martin. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39302192
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How a jacket and a briefcase shaped a partition love story - BBC News
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2017-03-26
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The couple who lost each other after India's partition only to reunite as refugees queuing for food.
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India
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The jacket and briefcase were precious possessions of two refugees
These are two unremarkable items with a remarkable story: a traditional embroidered jacket and drab, brown leather briefcase.
They belonged to a man and a woman who lived in Punjab in undivided colonial India, had been introduced to each other by their parents and were to be engaged when violence broke out in 1947.
The troubled subcontinent was lurching towards a bloody partition as it split into the new independent nations of India and Pakistan. Communal violence erupted, leaving between half a million and a million people dead and displacing millions of people.
Punjab was divided - western, mostly Muslim parts went to Pakistan and eastern, mainly Hindu and Sikh parts, went to India. The newly-engaged man and woman were Sikhs living in what is now Pakistan.
The jacket and the briefcase were their most valuable possessions as they fled their homes to escape death as communities butchered each other in a prolonged frenzy of religious rioting.
Three of Bhagwan Singh Maini's brothers had already been slaughtered in the violence, so the 30-year-old man stuffed his certificates and property claims in the fraying briefcase and fled his home in Mianwali.
More than 250km (155 miles) away, in Gujranwala, Pritam Kaur's family slipped out of their house and put her on a train to Amritsar.
Ms Kaur, 22, travelled across the blood-stained border with her two-year-old brother on her lap. In her bag was her most precious possession, the phulkari (embroidered) jacket, a reminder of happier days.
Bhagwan Singh Maini and Pritam Kaur reunited in a food line at a refugee camp and got married
Torn apart by what turned out to be one of the greatest mass migrations - or transfers of population - in human history, the two landed up in teeming refugee camps that dotted Amritsar city. They were among about 12 million people who had crossed the new borders.
One day, in the food line, a miracle happened.
Both Mr Maini and Ms Kaur had joined the queue of bedraggled, hungry refugees. There, they met again.
"They exchanged notes about their tragedies, wondering if it was destiny that had brought them together once more. Their families, or whatever was left of them, also reunited in due course," says Cookie Maini, daughter-in-law of Bhagwan Singh Maini.
In March 1948, the two got married. It was an austere ceremony; both families were struggling to pick up the pieces.
Ms Kaur wore her favourite jacket. Mr Maini got together his certificates and papers from his briefcase to start a new life: he joined the judicial service in Punjab, got a small house in compensation and moved to Ludhiana with Ms Kaur.
The couple had two children, who both served as civil servants. Mr Maini died some 30 years ago; Ms Kaur died in 2002.
"The jacket and the briefcase," says Ms Maini, "are testimony to the life they lost and found together."
The couple reunited in line in a refugee camp at a time when millions were crossing the new borders
They now survive as two of the most valuable possessions of India's fledgling Partition Museum, which opened in Amritsar in October.
By early next year, the museum, housed in the magnificent and restored Town Hall, will showcase photographs, letters, audio-recordings, belongings of refugees, official documents and maps and rare newspaper clippings relating to the event.
"This will be the most comprehensive archive on the partition, and the only museum of its kind in the world," says Mallika Ahluwalia, chief executive officer of the two-floor, 17,000 sq ft Partition Museum.
There are the stark black-and-white pictures of the never-ending caravan of Hindu and Muslim refugees, trudging wearily to what will be their new homes. Bullock carts overflow with sparse belongings and withered humans. Millions of refugees were on the move; one single convoy was reported to have stretched for 10 miles.
Trains awash with the blood of murdered refugees steamed across the new borders. Too few police and soldiers were deployed to check the ensuing violence. Historian Ramachandra Guha says the "protection of British lives was made the first priority". Women bore the brunt of the violence: tens of thousands were abducted. Many, but not all, were eventually recovered.
Tent cities sprouted all over the country to house the displaced farmers, artisans, government workers, traders and labourers. By 1950, there were some 200,000 refugees in squatter colonies in the eastern city of Calcutta alone.
Refugees abandoned millions of hectares of their own farm land and many received scant compensation: a widow who lost her husband's 11,500 acres of land in two districts which went to Pakistan was given 835 acres in a village in Indian Punjab.
The bloodbath continued months after the event
Months after the event, the bloodbath was still continuing. The front page of a Punjab-based newspaper in October paints a picture of utter despair and anarchy in the state.
Armed mobs were attacking villages, towns were plunged into darkness, there is a story about the "moon coming to the rescue of millions" after a power outage as well as accounts of a cholera outbreak, floods and details about millions of people stranded in refugee camps awaiting evacuation.
"Life here continues to be nightmarish," wrote India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in October 1947. "Everything seems to have gone awry".
Until you hear - and see evidence of - stories of hope and redemption, of lives lost and recovered, as in case of Bhagwan Singh Maini and Pritam Kaur.
With these stories and more, the museum in Amritsar hopes to remind people of an event which author Sunil Khilnani described as "the unspeakable sadness at the heart of the idea of India".
Pioneering Indians is part of the India Direct series. It looks back at men and women who have helped shape modern India.
Other stories from the series:
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-39362534
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Miami Open: Johanna Konta through & Rafael Nadal plays 1,000th Tour match - BBC Sport
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2017-03-26
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Britain's Johanna Konta reaches the Miami Open fourth round, while Rafael Nadal celebrates his 1,000th Tour match with a win.
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Last updated on .From the section Tennis
Britain's Johanna Konta rediscovered her best form as she thrashed Pauline Parmentier of France in straight sets to reach round four at the Miami Open.
Konta, seeded 10th, took charge from midway through the first set to win 6-4 6-0 in 63 minutes.
She next faces Lara Arruabarrena in the last 16 after the Spaniard upset eighth seed Madison Keys 7-5 7-5.
Rafael Nadal celebrated his 1,000th Tour match with a 0-6 6-2 6-3 victory over German Philipp Kohlschreiber.
In the men's doubles, Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares beat Paolo Lorenzi and Joao Sousa 6-0 6-3 in round two.
Konta, 25, had struggled for form since reaching the Australian Open quarter-finals in January, and had needed two hours and 40 minutes to beat qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich in her opening match in Miami.
In less windy conditions on Sunday, the British number one found the rhythm on both serve and return that has seen her rise dramatically up the rankings in the last two years.
"I'm happy to have come through that," Konta said.
"Although the scoreline doesn't show it in the second set, I still had to work hard within every single point. I really tried hard not to take my foot off the gas and stay focused on what I wanted to achieve."
The first six games went with serve as Parmentier's big serve kept her in touch, but when Konta converted her third break point for a 4-3 lead it sparked a brilliant burst of form from the Briton.
Konta dropped just five points in the second set, and only seven points on serve in the entire match, as she powered through.
She is now one win from at least matching last year's run to the quarter-finals, where she lost to Victoria Azarenka.
World number one Angelique Kerber came back from a break down in each set to beat American Shelby Rogers 6-4 7-5.
The German will next play Japanese qualifier Risa Ozaki, after the world number 87 saw off Kerber's compatriot Julia Goerges 7-6 (7-5) 6-3.
World number 31 Kohlschreiber was superb as he took his first set against Spaniard Nadal to love in just 21 minutes.
It was the first time Nadal had failed to win a game in the first set of an ATP Tour match since 2008 but the 30-year-old produced a typically gutsy comeback to claim his 822nd career victory.
He becomes the 11th player to compete in 1,000 Tour matches - a group led by American Jimmy Connors (1,535).
"One thousand matches is a lot of matches. Obviously that's good news because that says I am having a long career," said 14-time Grand Slam champion Nadal.
"During a lot of years, I heard that I'm going to have a short career, so it's something important for me. I remember the first match very well because it was at home in Mallorca. It was my first victory on the ATP and was a great feeling."
In the men's singles, second seed Kei Nishikori of Japan beat Spanish 25th seed Fernando Verdasco 7-6 (7-2) 6-7 (5-7) 6-1.
Canada's third seed Milos Raonic withdrew before his match against American Jared Donaldson with a recurrence of a hamstring injury, saying: "It was not possible to compete today without putting myself at significant risk."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/39400314
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Lawrence Okolie: Olympian wins in 20 seconds on professional debut - BBC Sport
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2017-03-26
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British Olympian Lawrence Okolie wins his professional debut in 20 seconds with a knockout victory over Geoffrey Cave.
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Last updated on .From the section Boxing
By Luke Reddy BBC Sport at the Manchester Arena
Rio 2016 Olympian Lawrence Okolie took just 20 seconds to score a knockout win on his professional debut.
The 24-year-old British cruiserweight caught compatriot Geoffrey Cave with two solid right hands.
The bout followed Anthony Crolla's points defeat by Jorge Linares at Manchester Arena.
"Sorry to everyone that missed me fighting," Okolie tweeted. "The good news is a Won by KO in 20 seconds!! Bad news is I'm back in the cage for now."
London-based Cave, 33, has now lost all three of his professional fights.
Okolie competed at heavyweight and lost to Cuban Erislandy Savon at the last-16 stage at the Rio Olympics.
He hopes to become a world champion within four years and is scheduled to fight on the undercard of Ricky Burns' super-lightweight unification bout with Julius Indongo on 15 April.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/39397010
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Jean Todt: FIA president says F1 is too expensive and complicated - BBC Sport
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2017-03-26
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Formula 1 is too expensive, too complicated and the cars are too reliable, according to Jean Todt, president of governing body the FIA.
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Last updated on .From the section Formula 1
Formula 1 is too expensive, too complicated and the cars are too reliable, according to Jean Todt, president of governing body the FIA.
He added that it was the responsibility of the FIA to make the rules, in the context of a desire by new commercial rights holders to make changes.
He said F1 would "never go back" to the inefficient but loud, naturally aspirated engines of 10 years ago.
He added it was "essential" there was less disparity in pace between teams.
• None F1 is sexy again, but will it be better?
Frenchman Todt, 71, was talking at a media briefing at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, three days after the new commercial and sporting bosses of the F1 Group, Sean Bratches and Ross Brawn, had set out their own vision for the sport.
• None The future of engines in F1
• None A lack of competition and too big a spread between teams
• None The future of television and concerns over pay TV
Brawn set out a vision similar to Todt's, of a desire to "be proactive to work with the teams and the FIA to make F1 as great as it can be - with close racing, healthy teams and a true meritocracy of drivers".
And he talked about his desire to be involved in resolving both short-term and long-term issues, while observing the correct governance procedures.
Todt emphasised that the FIA had "legislative and regulative" authority in F1.
He said he was "happy" the F1 Group had employed people as experienced as Brawn and Bratches, and that the FIA and the new owners - a US corporation formerly known as Liberty Media - were in a "honeymoon period".
But he said: "They will never be in a position to write the rules. They will always be written by the FIA.
"We are ready to make a collective effort to make F1 as good as possible".
F1 has introduced new rules this year to make the cars faster and more demanding, and Todt said he felt the early indications were they had been a success, adding the cars looked "great".
But he said that as the sport looked towards signing new contracts with the teams beyond 2020, he wanted to make changes.
He said he felt the cars were "too sophisticated, too expensive, too complicated and in a way too reliable".
He said the technical sophistication of the teams meant they were prepared for all eventualities far better than in the past, referring to the data transfer between teams at race track and factory over a grand prix weekend.
"F1 doesn't need that," Todt said. "It needs action and emotion. We lose a lot of emotion on the track and we need to address that, even if all the teams are reluctant when talking about it."
Todt recognised that the new rules might make overtaking more difficult but said: "Overtaking has always been a problem in motor racing. But maybe this was the price to pay to get more aerodynamic downforce."
However, he said that there was room for it to be addressed by "a compromise" in the next set of regulations.
This echoes remarks made by Brawn. He said: "We should work out how we can make the aerodynamics as benign as possible so cars can actually race each other. That's never truly been done.
"Can we come up with a set of regulations where we can still use the power of aerodynamics to give us the speed and spectacle of the cars, but in a more benign way so they can at least race each other more closely without it having an impact? That is my ambition, that is my objective.
"We want to work with the FIA and the teams to achieve that."
Todt was involved in the introduction of the complicated and expensive turbo-hybrid engines into F1 in 2014.
These have had a revolutionary effect on efficiency but have been criticised for having an unevocative noise and many fans would like to see a return to loud engines.
There is an ongoing discussion as to whether the engine formula should be changed after 2020, but Todt said F1 would not turn the clock back.
He said he saw a future for both electric and fuel-cell engine technology in motorsport but that F1 "would still be with a more conventional engine".
"But does it mean we are intending to go back to what we had 10 years ago? It will never happen," added Todt.
"Motorsport has a social responsibility and F1, as the pinnacle of motorsport, has even more social responsibility."
He added that the engines were still too expensive for customer teams and wanted to reduce the current bills of just under $20m (£16m) a year to $12-15m (£9.6m-£12m).
Todt said he was concerned about the potential effect on audiences of the switch to pay television.
But he said he had been "impressed" by Bratches and his record at ESPN in the US.
Bratches said on Thursday that he would try to offset the effect of the switch to Sky's exclusive deal in the UK in 2019 by exploiting various methods of digital media.
A number of teams are known to be pushing back against this philosophy, believing a major presence on free-to-air television to be essential.
Todt said: "If you have to pay, it is obvious you will have less audience. It is something that needs to be addressed.
"I know they are really considering that. There are a lot of other ways of communicating."
He added that access for the written media was "more than important - it's essential".
Todt said he was concerned by the fact that there was more than two seconds between the top 10 cars on the grid in Australia and he wanted to gap to be more like 0.7-0.8secs.
"There is too big a discrepancy between the smallest and the biggest budget."
Brawn said: "We have to flatten off the field and that means finding ways of limiting the potential of the regulations or limiting the resources that teams have available."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/39396820
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The place where children can be very unlucky with their names - BBC News
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2017-03-26
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Spare a thought for those who are given troublesome names. In Zambia, Chris Haslam came across some very surprising choices.
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Magazine
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Spare a thought for those who are bestowed with troublesome names. That can happen anywhere, of course. But, in Zambia, Chris Haslam came across some very surprising choices.
Under a darkening sky on a dusty, potholed track in eastern Zambia, a small boy is struggling to push a large, Chinese bicycle. Its handlebars, crossbar and panniers are stacked impossibly high with yellow jerry cans, firewood and a sack of rice. Because the boy needs both hands to keep the bike upright, he can't sweep the flies from his eyes. But this seven-year-old is labouring under a much heavier, but less visible burden.
His name is Mulangani. It's a Nguni word meaning "punish me". Or "he who must be punished", if you want to get formal. Who, I asked my driver Mavuto, would give their child such a horrible name?
"Maybe his grandfather, maybe the chief," he shrugged, explaining that across Zambia and neighbouring Zimbabwe, it is common for parents, especially in rural areas, to invite community elders to choose the name of a newborn.
"Sometimes the chief wants to punish the family," says Mavuto. "Or he may think this new child is too much for the family to bear."
Watching the boy's Sisyphean progress towards his distant home, that name suddenly seems disturbingly apt, but he's not the only one cursed with a dismal name. In later days, I meet Chilumba - "my brother's grave", Balaudye - "I will be eaten", Soca - "bad luck" and Chakufwa - "it is dead".
I also meet Daliso, whose name means "blessings" and Chikondi, which means "love". Maybe it's me, but they do seem happier.
"In African culture, there is a trend of naming children according to the circumstances surrounding their birth," says Clare Mulkenga-Chilambo, a care worker at SOS Children's Villages in Zambia. "It's good for those born at bright and merry moments but unfortunate for the others."
And there are a lot of others. HIV and Aids have ravaged Zambia, and although infection rates are now falling, 55,000 adults and 5,000 kids became infected in 2015. Countrywide, an estimated 380,000 children have been orphaned by Aids and 85,000 are living with HIV.
Ask Massiye, or "orphan", or Chisonis - "sadness", or the sad-eyed Chimwamsozi, whose name means "drinker of tears". Or nine-year-old Komasi, whose name means "kill him", and his little brother Komaniso, aka "kill him also".
"Most Zambians have several names," says Kangachepe Banda. His name means "well off" or "richness", and as a safari guide he's doing OK.
"You're talking about the first one. It's called the zina la bamkombo- or the name of the umbilical cord. After a birth, the mother and child hide away until the cord drops off. On that day, the baby is presented to family and neighbours, and the person honoured with choosing the name makes his decision."
Use of this name is supposed to be limited. It's supposed to be kept between the namer and the named - a dark reminder to the growing child that one person saw into his or her soul at birth.
The church, says Clare Mulenga-Chilambo, offers deliverance. "Most people turn to Christianity and on baptism, they are given Christian names," she says. "This gives them the opportunity to give up their traditional name, which is often seen as the cause of whatever misfortune they could have been facing in their lives".
But there are some here who see opting for the homogenised anonymity of John, James or Mary as a dereliction of tradition. Others feel that the names must be kept not just out of respect to elders but also as a guarantee of ancestral protection.
If the name maketh the man, then surely Zambia's notoriously grim prisons are full of unfortunates who've been saddled with names like Chidano, Mapenzi and Chananga - that's "hatred", "trouble" and "wrongdoer" respectively?
"It's possible," concurs Muvato. Growing up, he knew a kid called Chiheni, which translates as bad boy, or thug.
"He ran away from home when he was 12," he says. "He is in prison in South Africa for the attempted murder of a security guard."
Meanwhile, little Mulangani - he who must be punished - has scrounged a lift in the back of our pick-up to his home. It's a tin-roofed hut with a neat vegetable patch patrolled by bickering chickens and a dog called Imbwa. Which means "dog".
Sometime soon, says Mulangani, I'm going to be baptised. My new name will be Emanuel. It means God is with me.
As we drive away, there's a storm brewing in the west. The potholes are getting deeper and the clutch is playing up. As the first fat raindrops splatter the dusty windscreen, it suddenly strikes me that I haven't asked Mavuto what his name means.
He grimaces as he struggles to find third gear.
"It means problems," he says.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-39351167
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World Cup 2018: Northern Ireland 2-0 Norway - BBC Sport
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2017-03-26
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Northern Ireland stay in contention for a World Cup play-off as goals from Jamie Ward and Conor Washington secure victory over Norway.
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Last updated on .From the section Football
Northern Ireland remain on course for a World Cup play-off spot thanks to an impressive qualifier win over Norway.
Jamie Ward's strike put the hosts in front inside two minutes and Steven Davis set up Conor Washington to fire in the second on 33 at Windsor Park.
Alexander Soderlund hit the crossbar in the first half but it was a disappointing start to Lars Lagerback's managerial reign with the Norwegians.
Northern Ireland are two points clear of third-placed Czech Republic.
World champions Germany beat Azerbaijan 4-1 in Baku on Sunday to remain five points ahead of Michael O'Neill's side in Group C.
The Czechs earned a 6-0 win over bottom-placed San Marino on Sunday, with Azerbaijan a further point back and the Norwegians surely out of contention 12 off the pace following their defeat at Windsor Park.
Ward's strike gave Northern Ireland the perfect start as the Nottingham Forest striker justified his return to the starting line-up by arrowing in his shot from 20 yards.
It set the tone for a dominant first-half display from O'Neill's team although Norway provided a rare threat when Soderlund's dipping volley crashed off the woodwork.
The lead was doubled on 33 minutes with a pinpoint through-ball from skipper Davis sending Washington clear and the striker slotted in from 10 yards.
Norway improved after the interval but they struggled to carve out clear-cut openings.
Northern Ireland keeper Michael McGovern did make a good save to keep out a long-range Havard Nordtveit free-kick but it was mostly huff and puff stuff from the visitors.
Michael O'Neill's first game in charge of Northern Ireland was a 3-0 defeat by Norway in February 2012. How times have changed.
Fresh from guiding his team to the Euro 2016 finals, he has fashioned a superbly drilled unit boasting relentless energy and confidence.
O'Neill made four changes from the 4-0 win over Azerbaijan in November, with a new strikeforce of Ward and Queen's Park Rangers forward Washington while Craig Cathcart's return saw a switch to a back three.
Despite a new system and forward line there was a fluency in Northern Ireland's play and O'Neill has instilled a work ethic in the players exhibited by constant pressing of the opposition.
Northern Ireland fans will hope their manager will remain at the helm and take them to the finals in 2018, but O'Neill is increasingly catching the eye of ambitious clubs in England and Scotland.
Another majestic performance from the Northern Ireland skipper, who makes the game look so simple as the heartbeat of the team.
His through-ball to Washington for the second goal was a highlight in a display of calmness and class.
The 32-year-old Southampton midfielder was always available, always in the right place and led by example.
Northern Ireland are next in qualifier action in Azerbaijan on 10 June.
O'Neill's side have a home friendly against New Zealand eight days prior to the Baku contest.
• None Attempt blocked. Oliver Norwood (Northern Ireland) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Matthew Lund.
• None Attempt saved. Niall McGinn (Northern Ireland) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
• None Offside, Norway. Even Hovland tries a through ball, but Mats Møller Dæhli is caught offside.
• None Attempt saved. Joshua King (Norway) header from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Håvard Nordtveit.
• None Attempt saved. Håvard Nordtveit (Norway) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39302175
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England 2-0 Lithuania - BBC Sport
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2017-03-27
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Jermain Defoe scores his first international goal since 2013 as England edge closer to World Cup 2018 qualification with victory over Lithuania.
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Last updated on .From the section Football
Jermain Defoe scored in his first international appearance since 2013 as England took another comfortable step in their qualifying campaign for next year's World Cup with victory over Lithuania.
Gareth Southgate's first game at Wembley since succeeding Sam Allardyce on a permanent basis provided few alarms as England remain firmly in control at the top of Group F.
Sunderland striker Defoe, 34, justified his call-up with a typically clinical finish after 21 minutes and a lively performance that suggested he still has a part to play under this manager.
And when Southgate needed someone to break Lithuania's stubborn resistance after the break, substitute Jamie Vardy obliged from close-range in the 66th minute, converting a subtle touch from Liverpool's Adam Lallana inside the area.
Before kick-off there was a minute's silence inside the stadium for the victims of last week's London attack. There was also a tribute paid to former England manager Graham Taylor, who died in January.
• None Quiz: Can you name England's oldest goalscorers?
• None What is Southgate's best England XI? Pick your own side
Eyebrows were raised in some quarters when Southgate recalled Defoe to the squad having last represented his country against Chile at Wembley in November 2013.
Defoe's inclusion, however, represented perfect sense with a record of 14 Premier League goals and two assists in a Sunderland side propping up the table and England's main striker Harry Kane out injured.
And so it proved as he pounced in trademark fashion for his first England goal in four years and four days since scoring in an easy win against San Marino, clipping a clinical finish high beyond Lithuania keeper Ernestas Setkus after 21 minutes from Raheem Sterling's delivery.
Defoe had already brought one crucial block from the keeper earlier as he stole in on Lallana's pass. He looks like a player full of hunger who has lost none of his predatory, goalscoring instincts.
England will face stubborn opposition again before this World Cup qualifying campaign is over and a poacher like Defoe may well come in very handy for Southgate as he plots his route to Russia next summer.
England's friendly against Germany in Dortmund on Wednesday was effectively a testimonial for veteran striker Lukas Podolski on his international farewell - with an atmosphere to match in the normally thunderous Signal Iduna Park.
Wembley was also on the subdued side because World Cup Qualifying Group F is a hard-sell in terms of excitement for England's fans, who understandably expect Southgate's side to dismiss opposition such as Lithuania with the minimum of fuss.
England fulfilled those requirements comfortably in the face of stubborn opponents who sat back and invited them on in the early phases, then seemed intent on damage limitation and no more as any hope of getting a return from this qualifier evaporated.
There may be more of the same in the remaining home qualifiers against Slovakia and Slovenia but England, once again, are getting the job done as they move closer to reaching the World Cup.
The old lingering fear remains that the real measure of how far England are progressing under Southgate will come at a major tournaments, where their limitations have been exposed regularly.
Southgate can be satisfied from what he has got from England's international double header, with a creditable performance in defeat against World Cup holders Germany and victory here against Lithuania.
If he has a complaint, it could be that England need to be more ruthless in front of goal, paying for wasted opportunities in Dortmund and also missing chances to make this a more convincing margin of victory.
England will not find this failing too expensive in a friendly or against mediocre opposition - but it could cost them if the flaws are on show against higher-class in a competitive environment.
It is why Defoe's marksmanship is currently required and why the return of a fit and in-form Harry Kane will be so welcome.
"I thought it was one of those afternoons where it's job done.
"I am not going to eulogise over the performance, but the overall week I think has been really positive in setting the tone of how we want to work.
"The players have got a good feel about them, a spirit and they see the direction we want to head. For sure, we'll play better than we did today."
"I am very proud of my team because we have been tested by a tremendously strong team - probably the strongest team we have faced until now.
"We will take a lot of positives from this loss, to see what targets can be set because what we witnessed today in the first half was unbelievable how skilful all those attacking players are and what amount of pressure we were put under."
• None England are the only team to have kept a clean sheet in each 2018 World Cup qualification game so far.
• None Vardy's goal was his first touch of the match.
• None Lallana has been directly involved in four goals in his last five England appearances (three goals; one assist).
• None Defoe is the 22nd player to reach the 20 goal landmark for England.
England next qualifier is against Scotland at Hampden Park on Saturday, 10 June.
• None Delay over. They are ready to continue.
• None Delay in match Arturas Zulpa (Lithuania) because of an injury.
• None Attempt missed. Ryan Bertrand (England) left footed shot from the left side of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Marcus Rashford.
• None Attempt saved. Marcus Rashford (England) right footed shot from a difficult angle on the left is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Dele Alli.
• None Attempt missed. Dele Alli (England) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Marcus Rashford with a cross.
• None Attempt saved. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (England) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.
• None Attempt blocked. Dele Alli (England) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Marcus Rashford.
• None Attempt missed. Eric Dier (England) header from very close range is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Marcus Rashford with a cross following a corner.
• None Attempt blocked. Dele Alli (England) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Marcus Rashford.
• None Attempt missed. Jamie Vardy (England) left footed shot from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Marcus Rashford with a through ball. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39302168
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Jermain Defoe's England return a 'great story', says Gareth Southgate - BBC Sport
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2017-03-27
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Jermain Defoe's England return is a "great story" says manager Gareth Southgate after the striker scores in Sunday's 2-0 win over Lithuania.
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Last updated on .From the section Football
Jermain Defoe's return to the England squad is a "great story" according to manager Gareth Southgate after the striker scored in Sunday's 2-0 World Cup qualifier win over Lithuania.
The Sunderland forward, 34, made his first England appearance since November 2013 and marked the occasion with the opening goal in the 21st minute.
"I'm pleased for Defoe he got the goal," said Southgate.
"The bigger picture for us was his contribution throughout the camp."
England created few clear-cut chances after Defoe's opener, but managed to breach the last line of defence once more in the 66th minute when substitute Jamie Vardy scored with his first touch.
• None Quiz: Can you name England's oldest goalscorers?
Southgate added: "I'm pleased for the two lads who have got the goals, a great story for Jermain and I felt Jamie added something to us."
I had to keep my emotions in at the beginning with little Bradley with me
With Tottenham's Harry Kane almost certain to be part of the 2018 World Cup squad, if England qualify, Southgate will have to decide who else will fill the other forward berths.
Jamie Vardy, Daniel Sturridge, Wayne Rooney, Andy Carroll and Marcus Rashford will all be vying for a spot, along with veteran Defoe, who will be 35 by the time of next summer's tournament in Russia.
"I think we've got to look every time we get together as to who is in form," Southgate said when asked if the striker was a realistic proposition.
"I don't know if we can have a distinct pecking order because players that are playing well deserve the opportunity.
"If he is scoring goals in the Premier League and playing as well as he has this season, then there's absolutely no reason why he couldn't."
It was a memorable day for Defoe, who led out the team with Bradley Lowery, the terminally-ill five-year-old who calls the Sunderland striker his "best mate".
"It's good to be back," said the Black Cats striker.
"Just to win the game was important and we did that. It's hard to put in words really to be back.
"I had to keep my emotions in at the beginning with little Bradley with me. You can imagine how I felt doing that having done it with my club as well. Just to be back playing with the lads felt good."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39401497
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Scotland 1-0 Slovenia: Gordon Strachan hails match-winner Chris Martin - BBC Sport
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2017-03-27
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Gordon Strachan says Chris Martin 'is in a great club' of Scotland players to have been booed after his precious winner.
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Last updated on .From the section Football
Scotland boss Gordon Strachan praised substitute Chris Martin after he shrugged off being booed to score a late match-winner against Slovenia.
Martin came on to jeers with eight minutes left and the Scots' World Cup qualifying hopes hanging by a thread.
But an 88th-minute winner from the striker, who is on loan at Fulham, lifted Scotland to within two points of second-placed Slovakia.
"It was a sweet moment for him and the players," Strachan said.
"Everybody knows we deserved to win that game tonight.
"Kenny Dalglish used to get booed. Alan Hansen used to get booed. Gary McAllister used to get booed. It is a great club to be involved in, If you can line up with those guys, then fantastic.
"Everyone here understands what he [Martin] brings to a team. Some people can't see it, which is understandable.
"I don't understand cricket too much. But if you don't understand the game, then you have a problem understanding what players are all about."
Martin started last Wednesday's friendly against Canada but was replaced up front against Slovenia by Leigh Griffiths, who hit the bar and post in the first half before being forced off injured early in the second.
Steven Naismith came on for Griffiths, but it was Martin, 28, who fired home a dramatic left-foot winner to raise Scotland spirits before they host group leaders England at Hampden on 10 June.
"I'm not going to tell [the fans] what they should be thinking or how they should be feeling," Martin said.
"Hopefully they enjoy the three points tonight and there's a bit more optimism heading into the England game now.
"We always work hard for the manager and for each other and the country. The manager has shown faith in just about every single one of us.
"We knew it was a must-win game and in the circumstances I think it was a very good performance.
"This can be a real turning point for us. We're right back in the mix, a couple of points off second place, and there's no better game next up."
'They pushed themselves to another level'
Strachan acknowledged the first-half performance was "probably" the best Scotland have played under him, and described Celtic midfielder Stuart Armstrong's display as "the best Scotland debut I have ever seen".
"He did well but there were other guys who were special as well," added the head coach.
"We had to have special performances because we played against a very good, physical side, and the stress that goes with it as well.
"The players did everything they were asked to tonight. They pushed themselves to another level there. I was calm enough, thinking 'what will be, will be'.
"I was enjoying their performance - technically, fitness wise and their mental strength.
"The points were the most important thing and the performance and everything else helps as well.
"The players have got a feeling they can go and match quite a few international teams now.
"They detached themselves from the emotion of the game to produce things.
"When you are smaller, as we are, you have to be really brave on the ball when you are up against people five or six inches taller than you. So I was really pleased with that. It was a proud performance from us all."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39401778
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Lewis Hamilton believes he can beat Sebastian Vettel to world title - BBC Sport
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2017-03-27
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Lewis Hamilton says he is confident he can beat Sebastian Vettel to the world title this year despite defeat at the Australian Grand Prix.
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Britain's Lewis Hamilton says he is confident he can beat Sebastian Vettel to the world title this year despite defeat at the Australian Grand Prix.
Hamilton finished second to the German in the season opener in Melbourne after losing the lead following pressure from the Ferrari driver's superior pace.
Hamilton said: "It is going to be a close race. I truly believe we can beat them. It's great to see Ferrari there.
"It's good we had this close battle. I'm looking forward to the next."
Hamilton led from pole position but struggled for pace in the opening laps and after an early pit stop was held up by Red Bull's Max Verstappen, allowing Vettel to get ahead.
Hamilton said: "I wouldn't say I'm happy. But all things in perspective. To see where we have come from, with massive rule changes and to come here and be battling so close for a win and missing out marginally, there are a lot of things to be proud of.
"We could have won the race but I gave it everything I could and you can't do more. Take the strength of the weekend."
Vettel said of his title chances: "There is a long, long way ahead. We have a lot to prove still but for now we are just happy.
"It is March now. I know people start to get excited but it is our job to work and I am much happier if we are working now and not talking."
Hamilton said he was looking forward to a close battle with Vettel throughout the year.
"This year we have the best drivers at the front," said Hamilton. "Of course it would be great to have Fernando [Alonso of McLaren] up there but it doesn't look like it is going to happen any time soon.
"But Sebastian has four titles and he will continue for many years to come. I am really grateful to have that fight with him. It's great."
Hamilton defended Mercedes' decision to bring him in for a pit stop earlier than Vettel.
"My strategy was to stop on lap 19 and I think I stopped on lap 18. I had nothing left in my tyres.
"I was catching some back markers and the car started to slide around a lot and the gap was reducing behind me and I was like, 'Guys I have to come in now or I'm probably going to get overtaken on track.'
"I pitted not knowing the gap between the other cars. I came out behind some other cars which I couldn't get by. I said to the team I had to come in because the tyres were dead."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/39398139
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Qatar announces £5bn UK investment - BBC News
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2017-03-27
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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In the week of triggering Article 50, the government may find Qatar's vote of confidence particularly welcome.
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Business
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Qatar's investments in the UK include the Shard skyscraper in London
One of the largest investors in the UK has committed £5bn of new money to invest in transport, property and digital technology.
The Middle Eastern state of Qatar said that it was optimistic about the future of the British economy.
It made it clear that the UK leaving the European Union had little bearing on its decision.
Qatar has already invested £40bn in the UK - it owns Harrods and a 95% stake in the Shard in London.
It also has a stake in Canary Wharf in the capital's Docklands, as well as an interest in the Milford Haven liquefied natural gas terminal in South Wales.
It also bought the Olympic Village following the London 2012 Olympics.
"Currently the UK is our first investment destination and it is the largest investment destination for Qatari investors, both public and private," Ali Shareef al Emadi, the country's finance minister, told the BBC.
"We have more than £35bn to £40bn of investments already in the UK.
"We're announcing an additional £5bn of investment in the next three to five years.
"Mainly this investment will focus on infrastructure sectors, technology, energy and real estate."
Mr Al Emadi will join International Trade Secretary Liam Fox in Birmingham on Tuesday where UK firms will showcase projects, including in sport, cyber-security and healthcare.
The government relies on foreign investment to support infrastructure projects such as the new high speed rail link between London, Birmingham and Manchester - HS2.
Although no final decisions have been taken on the Qatari investments, Mr Al Emadi did not rule out putting money into HS2.
"We will look at those deals; we will look at electricity, roads, bridges, railways," he said.
The announcement of the Qatari investment is likely to be welcomed by Number 10.
It comes two days before the triggering of Article 50, the official process for leaving the European Union.
Theresa May has made it clear she believes the British economy remains a positive place to invest and the Qatari announcement follows UK-focused investment decisions by Sir James Dyson, Google and Nissan.
The decline in the value of sterling has made UK assets more attractive to overseas investors - though many economists argue that leaving the EU will damage trade with Britain's largest market and therefore damage growth.
"We always like the UK market, it has always been a good market," Mr Al Emadi told me.
"The way we look at our investment in any market, and especially in the UK, it is a very long term investment, so we don't look at any cycles up or down
"So if you are talking about Brexit, I can go back to the financial crisis and tell you the same stories.
"We will do what we think is good for us, it is commercially viable, it has a good vision and a good impact."
Qatar is also the owner of Harrods department store
I asked him whether the UK economy outside the EU was likely to be stronger or weaker.
"It is a lot to do with the policy the UK will take, but I think, knowing the UK market, I am very confident they will have a good future," Mr Al Emadi answered, saying that it was important that Britain was welcoming to high skilled foreign workers and students from Qatar and elsewhere.
Qatar has faced controversy over a fundraising for Barclays Bank at the time of the financial crisis and - more recently - allegations that poor labour conditions have marred the preparations for the 2022 World Cup which is being held in the country.
Mr Al Emadi said that Qatar had supported job creation in the UK.
"If you look at what we have done here, it has always been a win-win situation, whatever investment we do in the UK," he said.
"When you talk about labour in Qatar, I think a lot of these things have been taken out of proportion and [are] inaccurate news."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-39410075
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Just google it: The student project that changed the world - BBC News
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2017-03-27
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Is Google's position as the world's leading search engine now unassailable?
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Business
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"Dad, what happens when you die?" "I don't know, son. Nobody knows for sure." "Why don't you ask Google?"
Of course, Google isn't clever enough to tell us whether there is life after death, but the word "google" does crop up in conversation more often than either "clever" or "death", according to researchers at the UK's University of Lancaster.
It took just two decades for Google to reach this cultural ubiquity, from its humble beginnings as a student project at Stanford University in California.
It is hard to remember just how bad search technology was before Google. In 1998, for example, if you typed "cars" into Lycos - then a leading search engine - you would get a results page filled with porn websites.
Why? Owners of porn websites inserted many mentions of popular search terms such as "cars" in tiny text or in white on a white background.
The Lycos algorithm saw many mentions of "cars", and concluded the page would be interesting to someone searching for "cars". In the Google era, this seems almost laughably simplistic.
But Google's founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin were not, initially, interested in designing a better way to search.
Sergey Brin (L) and Larry Page (R) were trying to map the credibility of academic papers when they devised Google
Their Stanford project had a more scholarly motivation.
In academia, how often a published paper is cited is a measure of its credibility, and if it is cited by papers that themselves are cited many times, that bestows even more credibility.
Mr Page and Mr Brin realised that if they could find a way to analyse all the links on the nascent world wide web, they could rank the credibility of each web page in any given subject.
To do this, they first had to download the entire internet.
This caused some consternation. It gobbled up nearly half of Stanford's bandwidth. Irate webmasters showered the university with complaints that Google's crawler was overloading their servers.
But as Mr Page and Mr Brin refined their algorithm, it became clear they had discovered a vastly better way to search the web.
Porn websites with tiny text saying "cars cars cars" don't get many links from other websites that discuss cars. If you searched Google for "cars", its analysis would be likely to yield results about… cars.
Mr Page and Mr Brin quickly attracted investors, and Google went from student project to private company. It is now among the world's biggest, bringing in profits by the tens of billions.
But for the first few years, Mr Page and Mr Brin burned through money without knowing how or if they would make it back. They were not alone.
During the dotcom boom, shares in loss-making internet companies traded at absurd prices, in anticipation that they would eventually figure out viable business models.
Google found its model in 2001: pay-per-click advertising. Advertisers pay Google when someone clicks through to their website, having searched for specified terms. Google displays the highest-bidders' ads alongside its "organic" search results.
From an advertiser's perspective, the appeal is clear: you pay only when you reach people who have demonstrated an interest in your offering.
It is much more efficient than paying to advertise in a newspaper.
Newspapers have seen a significant decline in display advertising
Even if its readership matches your target demographic, inevitably most people who see your newspaper advert won't be interested in what you are selling.
No wonder newspaper advertising revenue has fallen off a cliff.
The media's scramble for new business models is one obvious economic impact of Google search.
But the invention of functional search technology has created value in many ways. A few years ago, McKinsey tried to list the most important.
One is timesaving. Studies suggest that googling is about three times as quick as finding information in a library, even discounting the time spent getting there.
Likewise, finding a business online is about three times faster than using a printed directory such as the Yellow Pages.
Traditional directories such as the Yellow Pages have struggled to compete with online search tools
McKinsey put the productivity gains of this into the hundreds of billions.
Another benefit is price transparency - economist jargon for being able to stand in a shop, take out your phone, google a product you're thinking of buying and seeing if it's available more cheaply elsewhere, then using that knowledge to haggle - annoying for the shop, helpful for the customer.
Then there are "long tail" effects. In physical shops, it makes no sense to display aisle after aisle of obscure products that will be bought only rarely - they focus on a limited range of bestsellers instead.
But a decent search facility makes it easy to find a needle in the product haystack, and that has enabled the rise of online shops offering more variety.
Customers with specific desires are more likely to find exactly what they want, rather than settling for the nearest thing available in the local supermarket. And entrepreneurs can launch niche products, more confident they will find a market.
This all sounds like excellent news for consumers and businesses.
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy highlights the inventions, ideas and innovations that have helped create the economic world.
Google dominates the search market, handling close to 90% of searches worldwide. Many businesses rely on ranking highly in its organic search results.
And Google constantly tweaks the algorithm that decides them.
Google gives general advice about how to do well, but it is not transparent about how it ranks results - not least because that would give away the information necessary to game the system. We would be back to searching for cars and getting porn.
Google explains how its search works in principle but guards the details of its all-important algorithms
You don't have to look far online (thanks, Google) to find business owners and search strategy consultants gnashing their teeth over the company's power to make or break them.
If Google thinks you are employing tactics it considers unacceptable, it will downgrade you.
One blogger complains that Google is "judge, jury and executioner".
"You get penalised on suspicion of breaking the rules, [and] you don't even know what the rules are," they say.
Trying to figure out how to please Google's algorithm is rather like trying to appease an omnipotent, capricious and ultimately unknowable god.
You may say as long as Google's top results are useful to searchers, it's tough luck on those who rank lower - and if those results stop being useful, then some other pair of students at Stanford will spot the gap in the market and dream up a better way. Right?
Maybe - or maybe not. Search was a competitive business in the late 1990s. But now, it may be a natural monopoly - in other words, an industry that is extremely hard for a second entrant to succeed in.
The reason? Among the best ways to improve the usefulness of search results is to analyse which links were ultimately clicked by people who previously performed the same search, as well as what the user has searched for before.
Google has far more of that data than anyone else. That suggests the company may continue to shape our access to knowledge for generations to come.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-39129619
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Mary Berry's orange cake recipe - BBC Food
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2017-03-27
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Mary Berry's orange cake is super-easy to make and very light and fluffy. The perfect Mother's Day or birthday cake for someone with a zest for life!
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• None Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Lightly butter two loose-bottomed 20cm/8in sandwich tins and line the bases with baking paper.
• None Put the butter, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder and orange zest in a large mixing bowl and beat for 2 minutes, or until just blended. (An electric mixer is best for this, but you can beat by hand using a wooden spoon).
• None Divide the mixture evenly between the tins. Level the surface using a spatula or the back of a spoon.
• None Bake for 25 minutes, or until well risen and golden. The tops of the cakes should spring back when pressed lightly with a finger. Leave the cakes to cool in the tins for 5 minutes, then run a small palette knife or rounded butter knife around the edge of the tins and carefully turn the cakes out onto a wire rack. Peel off the paper and leave to cool completely.
• None Choose the cake with the best top, then put the other cake top-down onto a serving plate.
• None Beat together the filling ingredients and spread on one side of the cake, put the other cake on top (top upwards) and spread the rest of the orange cream on top. Decorate with spiralled orange zests.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/definitiveorangecake_72228?intc_type=promo&intc_location=news&intc_campaign=mothersdaycake&intc_linkname=bbcfood_fac_article1
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Denmark U21 0-4 England U21 - BBC Sport
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2017-03-27
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Chelsea's Ruben Loftus-Cheek scores twice as England Under-21s beat their Danish counterparts in Randers.
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Last updated on .From the section Football
England Under-21s continued their preparations for this summer's European Championship with a convincing victory over Denmark in Randers.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek scored twice, and Solly March and Cauley Woodrow were also on target, as England swept aside another team to have qualified for June's tournament in Poland.
It followed Sunday's underwhelming 1-0 loss against Germany.
England face holders Sweden in their tournament opener on 16 June.
• None Podcast: 'Rashford would learn more playing for Under-21s'
Chelsea midfielder Loftus-Cheek, a second-half substitute against Germany, was the central figure against the Danes.
He opened the scoring by slotting in Jacob Murphy's low cross, and completed the rout by finishing off a pass from Jack Grealish.
In between, March curled in a superb left-footed strike from the corner of the area, and Woodrow turned in Kortney Hause's knockdown.
"I didn't underestimate the opposition," coach Aidy Boothroyd told BT Sport. "They are at the European finals so it makes it even more special to get the result we did.
"Ruben was terrific. But the reason he was terrific is he had 10 other players who worked really hard for him.
"He still has things to do in certain aspects of his game, but they all do."
• None Joseph Gomez (England U21) wins a free kick on the right wing.
• None Attempt missed. Kasper Junker (Denmark U21) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the right. Assisted by Mikkel Duelund.
• None Attempt missed. Lasse Vigen Christensen (Denmark U21) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Mikkel Desler.
• None Attempt missed. John Swift (England U21) left footed shot from the right side of the box is too high. Assisted by Demarai Gray.
• None Ruben Loftus-Cheek (England U21) wins a free kick on the right wing.
• None Attempt saved. Christian Nørgaard (Denmark U21) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the top left corner.
• None Attempt missed. Demarai Gray (England U21) right footed shot from a difficult angle on the right is too high. Assisted by Will Hughes. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39302209
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Rio Ferdinand: My kids would not talk about grief - BBC News
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2017-03-27
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The ex-footballer, whose wife died in 2015, says his children would walk away from talking about it.
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UK
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Rio Ferdinand opens up about his wife's death
Former England captain Rio Ferdinand has told the BBC that his children would not talk about the death of their mother.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 live, he said his children would "shut me down" when he asked them how they were feeling.
He said he did not know the best way to talk to his three children, now aged 10, eight and five.
Ferdinand's wife, Rebecca, was 34 when she died of breast cancer in May 2015. The couple got married in 2009.
The ex-Manchester Utd defender was speaking to 5 live ahead of a BBC One documentary about grief on Tuesday at 21:00 BST.
He told 5 live's Emma Barnett: "I didn't know any techniques to speak to the children. I didn't know what buttons to push.
"I'd been starting conversations with them to try and get how they were feeling out, and they would just shut me down, walk away, close the conversation down completely."
In the BBC One programme, Ferdinand starts a memory jar for the family, enabling the children to talk about the happy moments when their mum was alive.
He said: "It kind of opened everything up and it was a beautiful moment just seeing them talk happily and being joyful about their mum rather than it being sad and negative moments.
"It switched it from dark to bright."
Ferdinand also said that, in the wake of Rebecca's death, he now understands why people contemplate suicide.
He told 5 live: "When you come into this situation you understand suicide, you understand people who do that and have those thoughts.
"I didn't think about it myself but I understand now how people get to that situation.
"I can't judge people like that now, whereas before I'd be sitting there, probably with Rebecca, saying that guy is so ignorant and selfish how has he just done that - left three beautiful kids.
"Now I could say I understand how he got to that point. I wouldn't do it, but I understand how he's there. You do get to those levels - and so it's a work-in-progress.
Rio Ferdinand and Rebecca Ellison got married in 2009
Ferdinand said: "At the beginning I'd sit and think how am I ever going to be happy?
"I can't see a point where I'm ever going to be able to smile, because I can get happy over here, but then I look at my children - and that brings you right back into sadness again because they haven't got a mum."
Throughout Tuesday's programme, he meets other widowers and talks to them about rebuilding a life and moving on.
But he would not be drawn on his own relationships, saying he was "disappointed" that there had been speculation about his private life, after recent photos in a tabloid newspaper linked him with a reality TV star.
He told 5 live: "That's disappointing... protecting my children is always the biggest thing for me... and that's what I'm fearful of with things being in the press.
"But the documentary has taught me there isn't a right time for anything like that, for if you're going to move on in a relationship... there is no right time.
"The only person who knows the right time is the person in those shoes. I've never spoken about my relationships in the past, in the public eye, and I'm not going to start talking about relationships or potential relationships that people are reporting on."
Commenting on how long it takes to recover from bereavement, Ferdinand said the government was "wrong" to cut back on the length of time widowed parents can receive a benefit.
Ferdinand retired from football at the age of 36 in May 2015, the same month his wife died
Changes mean that from 6 April 2017, bereaved parents will only receive payments for 18 months. Previously, the payment lasted until children were 16 years old.
He said: "If I'm honest, I don't understand how the government can actually say there's a timescale on it because there is no timescale on anything to do with bereavement - every individual is different.
"One person may take six months another person may take 10 years. There isn't a time when you can say, 'Yeah I'm over it'. Putting a number on it is the wrong thing to do."
A spokesman for the Department for Work and Pensions said the Bereavement Support Scheme was designed to help protect families from sudden financial difficulties.
He said: "We are updating an old system that was based on the outdated assumption that a widowed parent relied on their spouse for income, and would never work themselves. This does not reflect people's lives today.
He added: "Once the payments come to an end, there are means-tested benefits which can continue to support the bereaved, especially those who are bringing up children.
"The new payment is easier to claim, won't be taxed and does not affect the amount received from other benefits, helping those on the lowest incomes the most."
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39392101
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New T20 tournament 'future-proofs' county cricket, says ECB chief executive - BBC Sport
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2017-03-27
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ECB chief Tom Harrison says the proposed city-based T20 competition will "future-proof" county cricket, and denies "bullying" during negotiations.
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ECB chief executive Tom Harrison tells BBC sports editor Dan Roan the proposed city-based Twenty20 competition featuring new teams, which is due to begin in 2020, will "future-proof" county cricket, and denies "bullying" took place during negotiations.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/39412237
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City-based Twenty20 tournament moves a step closer as ECB reveals more details - BBC Sport
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2017-03-27
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English cricket's new eight-team, city-based Twenty20 tournament moves a step closer as the ECB reveals further details.
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Last updated on .From the section Cricket
A new eight-team, city-based Twenty20 tournament could "absolutely rival the Indian Premier League" says England and Wales Cricket Board chief Tom Harrison.
The competition, proposed to begin in 2020, moved a step closer on Monday as further details were revealed.
ECB chief executive Harrison said it was "not a gamble" for the 18 first-class counties.
"What we are doing here is future-proofing county cricket," Harrison told BBC sports editor Dan Roan.
"I don't think it's so much a gamble, it's about saying, 'What do we want our business and our game to look like?'"
The IPL - and Australia's Big Bash tournament - enjoy huge success, attracting the world's best limited-overs players and drawing large crowds.
A referendum is expected to be dispatched on Tuesday inviting stakeholders to sanction a tournament including eight teams, rather than the 18 counties who traditionally contest the main competitions domestically.
On Monday, the ECB presented a detailed overview of its proposals for a new Twenty20 competition to its 41 members. These included:
• None Eight new teams playing 36 games over a 38-day summer window, with four home games per team
• None No scheduling overlap with the existing T20 Blast competition
• None An Indian Premier League-style play-off system to give more incentive for finishing higher up the league
• None A players' draft, with squads of 15 including three overseas players
Why does the ECB want to change?
It says cricket has the chance to be part of "mainstream conversation" and believes the new competition can make the sport "relevant to a whole new audience".
Following a period of consultation including more than 10,000 interviews, the ECB decided on three key principles:
• None To have a major positive impact on driving participation
• None To focus on recruiting the next generation of fans, in particular promoting attendance to a diverse, young, family audience
• None To ensure complete differentiation from existing cricket tournaments to protect and support the future of the county game
"What we absolutely need to do, is start appealing to a younger audience," said Harrison.
"We know that by doing things differently, by building new teams, we can be relevant to a whole new audience and bring this very diverse, multicultural Britain in to our stadiums in a way perhaps we haven't been successful in doing."
Is this the end of county cricket?
This will be the first time in the history of domestic cricket that first-class counties are not represented, hence the need for a change to the ECB's articles and constitutions.
It was confirmed on Monday that all 18 clubs have signed "media rights deeds" to allow the governing body to include the new Twenty20 in their forthcoming broadcast portfolio.
Asked if the move to a city-based format signalled the end of the county system, Harrison said: "Not at all. I think what we are doing here is future-proofing county cricket.
"Cricket has been a sport which has always had the ability to evolve and change where it's needed to, and its shown itself to be incredibly adaptable.
"We are the sport which came up with short formats through T20, and other sports have been trying to find the T20 equivalent of their own.
"So we have demonstrated we are capable of it, we've got the format, we now just need to create the competition which enables these new fans to get involved.
The ECB says the proposed competition can rival the incredible success of the Indian Premier League and Australia's Big Bash, which draws average crowds of more than 28,000.
Questions remain around where the tournament will fit into the schedule, and which of the world's best players will be available.
The ECB insists it will not impact on the T20 Blast, which last season featured the likes of West Indies star Chris Gayle and New Zealand's Brendon McCullum.
"We think there's a lot of room for growth in the Blast," said Harrison. "It's done a tremendous job at bringing in a county cricket audience.
"But the evidence we have suggest cricket exists in a bubble and we've got to get outside this bubble."
The ECB's aim for "significant" free-to-air coverage is an "aspiration which reaches at the heart of our proposition going forward", according to Harrison.
"We are hoping very much as part of that is a whole new calibration of our reach, so a whole new way of looking at access to our sport whether that's digitally whether it's through social media or whether it's through traditional TV channels," he added.
"But we also understand it has to be the right mix of revenue and reach and promotion of the game which is ultimately what we're searching for."
'It will be a roaring success' - analysis
Cricket needs that moment in this country that changes the way we talk and think about the game. It's got to be good for the game.
The key to the Big Bash is being seen. Every single person in Australia can see every single ball. Cricket is now the number one sport in Australia.
Where the Big Bash has had huge success is they make sure the fan experience is key, and almost the cricket is secondary. The fans, and it's about 50-50 between men and women, and the kids, they all go home having had a great time.
The only thing in terms of a county perspective is this new tournament will be a massive juggernaut, get loads of marketing and the county game may say: 'Why didn't we get that support?'
This board of the ECB, I feel, are very visionary. You are going to get some terrific teams. I believe it will be a roaring success.
It would make a huge difference. I think it's very important that the public are given an opportunity to see cricket on a national level on free to air TV so it will be interesting to see how things pan out and what decisions are made.
I think it's a very good idea. It's great to see it's been given some thought. You look at other competitions around the world and they've been very successful so we'll wait to see what happens in the coming months.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/39407046
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Article 50: Is Whitehall ready for Brexit? - BBC News
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2017-03-27
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The UK's civil service could be facing its greatest challenge for a generation.
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Brexit
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If you walk down Whitehall in central London, you cannot escape reminders of wars fought and empires run from this small district on the north bank of the Thames. There are memorials to the fallen, statues of field marshals and even a Turkish cannon captured in some long-forgotten conflict.
Yet the civil service that once gloried in its global administrative stretch is now the smallest it has been since World War Two. And with the government launching the British state on its greatest administrative, economic and legal reform since it committed the nation to total war in 1939, there is a simple question: is Whitehall up for Brexit?
"It's been a scramble but the ducks are in a row," one Cabinet minister told me confidently.
For the scale of the challenge is immense.
Thousands of civil servants to be mobilised and retasked, thousands of laws and regulations to be rewritten or rejected and thousands of people trained and employed to do the many things currently carried out by the European Union.
This endeavour is not only about the two years of initial negotiations with 27 EU member states that will shortly begin, it is also about the mammoth preparations the UK must make for leaving the EU whatever the outcome of the negotiations.
"The challenge of Brexit has few, if any, parallels in its complexity," says Sir Jeremy Heywood, the Cabinet Secretary. "Its full implications and impact on the political, economic and social life of the country... will probably only become clear from the perspective of future decades."
Sir Jeremy Heywood, the Cabinet Secretary, believes Brexit has "few, if any, parallels in its complexity"
Perhaps the greatest challenge the civil service has faced was its utter lack of preparation for the British people voting out in the referendum last June. They were expressly forbidden from drawing up any plans by David Cameron's administration and have been playing catch up ever since.
Ministers say the civil service has responded well, creating two new government departments from a standing start. The Department for Exiting the EU (DExEU) has something north of 320 staff, the Department for International Trade, several thousand.
Both departments, along with the Foreign Office, have been given an extra £400m by the Treasury over the next four years to pay for their work on Brexit. There were some initial turf wars but officials now say there is greater singularity of purpose.
Much work has been done analysing options, quantifying markets and assessing laws. Huge volumes of paper have been landing on DExEU desks looking at the impact of Brexit on every aspect of the economy.
The aim is to allow David Davis, the Secretary of State for Exiting the EU, to draw up an a la carte menu for the prime minister, setting out potential options and costs so that she can navigate the negotiations ahead.
For there is no doubt that these will be Theresa May's negotiations. The main negotiating team will include Mr Davis, his permanent secretary, Olly Robbins, and Sir Tim Barrow, the UK permanent representative to the EU.
Below them will be civil servants from all affected government departments, summoned in to work on specific "chapters" of the negotiations, on everything from fish to agriculture to financial services. They will be the team dealing with the European Commission negotiators on an almost daily basis.
Yet above them will be Mrs May who will have to drive the talks and make the big calls. But such is the size of the task that even the prime minister will struggle to retain her usual iron grip.
One minister told me: "This is the first big test to see if she can delegate. This is so big that No 10 cannot control it, they cannot be on top of all the detail."
Theresa May has made it clear that she will drive the UK's Brexit negotiations
Not all are so sanguine about the preparedness of Whitehall. The National Audit Office says in a new report that, while 1,000 new roles have been created in the civil service to deal with Brexit, a third remain unfilled and most of the new appointees have simply been transferred from other parts of government.
And the Institute for Government warns that departments such as the Home Office and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs are underfunded, cannot afford more staff and will be forced to drop non-Brexit work.
Other insiders warn that, although much work has been done setting out options, less thought has been devoted to how the negotiations will progress themselves and how the government should organise itself. Officials talk of not knowing precisely for what they are preparing because Downing Street refuses to reveal its negotiating plans.
The process, inevitably, will begin with negotiations about the negotiations. Who will talk to whom, about what and in what order? The UK government wants to discuss its divorce from the EU at the same time as its future trade relationship. The EU says the two issues must remain separate.
Unstitching the UK from EU laws will be an intricate process
Then will come the exit agreement itself. Much will be visceral and hard-fought. Protecting the rights of EU nationals in the UK and vice versa sounds easy as both sides say they want this to be resolved early on and want to keep the status quo. But the hugely complex detail will be hard to agree.
Yet sorting that out might be easy compared to agreeing how much money, if any, the UK will owe the EU when it leaves. The government says nothing, the EU is hinting at £50bn. And all this is before any negotiations about any future trade arrangement between the UK and the EU and any transitional process that may be needed.
While this will generate a huge amount of work for some in the civil service, many other officials will be focused instead on preparing the UK for leaving the EU come what may.
Much of this will focus on Westminster. There is the Great Repeal Bill to be written and passed through Parliament to ensure that all EU law is transferred automatically into UK law the moment we leave. The aim is to ensure there is no legal chaos and to allow Parliament all the time it needs gradually to unstitch the UK from four decades of EU legislation.
This will be a massive piece of legislative work that will require officials to re-examine huge swathes of UK law. They will have to decide which bits of EU law to return to Westminster and which bits are devolved, a tricky issue in light of Holyrood's demand for a second independence referendum. The Institute for Government warns there might be a need for further 15 separate Brexit Bills.
The UK will have to forge a new trade relationship with both the EU and the WTO
In the short term, there are a huge number of separate parliamentary inquiries into Brexit - 55 in all - being carried out by various committees of MPs and peers. Ministers have to reply to each one within 60 days and officials are struggling to meet that deadline.
Then there is the process of the UK re-establishing its status at the World Trade Organization (WTO), something that will be needed even if we get a new trade deal with the EU.
The government hopes to transfer its current EU tariff rates into a new UK-specific schedule of trade commitments. But such a "copy and paste" arrangement will be complicated and will almost certainly face challenge from other WTO members. UK diplomats in Geneva, where the WTO is based, have a hard job of reassurance ahead of them.
And then there is also the process of creating new organisations that will fill the gaps in our national life left as the EU tide ebbs from our shores. Officials will need to set up new customs and immigration systems, neither of which will be simple or easy.
So, as the phoney war ends with the triggering of Article 50, Whitehall is facing perhaps its greatest challenge in a generation.
• None Brexit triggered: What happens now?
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-uk-leaves-the-eu-39261204
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The man who quit heroin and became a fruit juice millionaire - BBC News
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2017-03-27
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Khalil Rafati beat his heroin and crack cocaine addiction and went on to become a health food millionaire.
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Business
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Khalil Rafati's life had been destroyed by drug addiction
As Khalil Rafati overdosed on heroin for the ninth time the paramedics frantically tried to save his life.
A drug addict who slept rough on the streets of Los Angeles, he eventually regained consciousness after the medical team used a defibrillator to give him an electric shock.
This was back in 2003, when Khalil was 33 years old. Also addicted to crack cocaine, he weighed just 109lb (49kg), and his skin was covered in ulcers.
"I was arrested more times than I can remember [for drug offences]," says Khalil. "I was completely messed up... I was always in so much pain that I couldn't sleep."
While Khalil had tried and failed to get clean before, he says that after his ninth overdose he finally realised that he had to change his life in order to save it. So he spent four months in a rehab centre - and has been drug-free ever since.
Throwing himself into healthy living, Khalil has been so successful in rebuilding his life that today he is the millionaire founder and owner of fashionable Californian health food business Sunlife Organics.
Khalil has transformed himself since 2003
With annual sales of more than $6m (£4.8m) from its six outlets - which combine juice bars and cafes, and also sell the firm's clothing line - and via its website, the company is preparing to expand to 16 other US states and into Japan.
Now aged 46 and accustomed to travelling by private jet, he's come a long way since his days of sleeping on the streets.
In fact, Khalil's life story could be the plot of a Hollywood movie.
Born in Ohio in the US Midwest, he is the son of a Polish Jewish mother and a Muslim father.
A troubled childhood saw him leave school without any qualifications, and get arrested for vandalism and shoplifting.
In 1992, aged 21, he moved to Los Angeles with dreams of becoming a movie star.
The business sells a range of fruit and vegetable juices
While the acting career never really took off, he started playing in local bands, and made a good living cleaning cars for Hollywood stars including Elizabeth Taylor and Jeff Bridges, and Guns N' Roses lead guitarist Slash.
However, he soon slid into drug addiction, and his life spiralled out of control. Eventually he was sleeping in cardboard boxes beside other junkies, and dealing drugs to help fund his own habit.
Then after that fateful ninth overdose Khalil's life completely changed for the better. After successfully quitting drugs he kept himself busy by juggling several jobs.
In addition to working at two rehab centres in Malibu he washed cars, walked dogs and did gardening work.
The company is due to expand to 16 other US states and into Japan
"I was able to save money," he says. "I worked hard, seven days a week, 16 hours a day."
Khalil also started to become obsessed with making his own vegetable and fruit juices after he met an old friend from Ohio.
"He was a little bit like a hippie, and started teaching me about vitamins, organic food, super food," says Khalil. "At that moment I was looking for anything that would make me feel better."
In 2007 Khalil rented a house and opened his own rehab centre, Riviera Recovery, for clients who would pay $10,000 a month to stay at the facility.
Khalil now treats himself to travelling by private jet
For these residents, Khalil would make exotic juice blends such as one he called Wolverine - a mix of banana, maca powder, royal jelly and pollen.
Eventually the reputation of these drinks spread beyond the building, with people calling in to buy them.
His old self was often arrested
Realising that there was enough demand to set up a separate business, in 2011 Khalil launched Sunlife Organics, together with his best friend and then-girlfriend.
Funding the business from savings, the first branch opened in Malibu. Khalil says it was an instant success, with sales of $1m in its first year.
Today the business employs more than 200 people across its six outlets. In addition to juices, it now sells a range of food and clothes, such as t-shirts and hoodies.
Rob Nazara, an analyst at Deutsche Bank in New York, says Khalil's story shows real strength of character. "No matter what the educational or professional background someone may have, the success of an entrepreneur is driven by grit, determination and ambition," he says.
Besides Sunlife Organics, Khalil still runs Riviera Recovery and owns a yoga studio in Malibu. He also made time to write his autobiography, I Forgot To Die, which was released in 2015.
"I don't consider myself super intelligent," says Khalil. "But I have a hunger for life, and put all of myself into something when I decide to do it."
Follow The Boss series editor Will Smale on Twitter @WillSmale1
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-39339036
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Cherry Healey: 'How being a single mum shattered my prejudices' - BBC News
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2017-03-27
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Single mothers have often been stigmatised and denounced. Cherry Healey explains why she's proud to be one.
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Magazine
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Single mothers have often been stigmatised and denounced. Cherry Healey explains why she's proud to be one.
I'm a single mum. I'm glad I live in an age and a place where it's OK to admit that.
We have moved on so much, so fast. Once, Margaret Thatcher deemed a single parent family so bad for a child that she felt it was better for the mother and child to be removed and placed within a religious group.
When I first heard that, I felt such unbelievable pain and heartbreak for all those young mothers that were pressured into following this advice.
And it would have had many ripples of pain for the family as a whole.
The judgement of others is a powerful thing and people will do unfathomable things to avoid bringing shame onto themselves and their families.
And this is the judgement that I want to see gone. Completely.
Yes we have progressed - but even today there is such an insipid, damaging view of single parents that we need to keep revisiting it until single parents feel free of useless, ignorant judgement - and instead receive respect as parents and support if they, and therefore their child, needs it.
Sadly, even in 2017 I felt the cold wind of judgement when I became a single parent. It's hard to know whether the judgement I felt comes from society or whether it comes from myself. I think it is a bit of both.
I hate to admit this, but I had a negative view of single mums before I became one. As I grew up I heard, read and watched society's depiction of The Single Mum, and it certainly wasn't positive.
Comedy sketches depicting single mums smoking cigarettes and drinking cider in the park while neglecting their babies, endless newspaper stories about single mothers on benefits draining the system, statements from politicians about the connection between "Broken Britain" and one-parent families - all fed my prejudice gremlin until one day, I too was a dreaded single mum. And I began to question everything I'd ever consumed about this subject.
I was happy to discover that I was the same person. I was a good parent as a married woman and I was a good parent as single mother.
Money was tighter but my ability to maintain order at home, get homework done on time and love my children had not changed.
Separating and re-establishing my life was difficult but I felt so hugely grateful that at least I was able to pay the bills thanks to my job - and it made me realise that there is so much stigma attached to being a single mother. At exactly the time when the single parent needs support and help, they are stigmatised and judged.
It also made me realise that for many of us there is a strong, not very flattering stereotype of The Single Mum. And so I wanted to break free from that and give a voice to some single parents that haven't been heard before.
And I'm glad to say that any prejudice, both conscious and subconscious, was gradually eroded.
I spoke to Kirsty, a single mother with a terminal illness, who smashes the traditionalist's argument that it's better to stay in an unhealthy marriage, regardless of the circumstances. Even though she was suffering and weak from cancer, she did not regret leaving her relationship and was happy that her daughter's environment was at least peaceful.
She acknowledges that it was hard caring for her daughter alone: "I definitely still have guilt over it. There are times at bedtime when she'll cry for her daddy."
But she still feels it was the right decision. She is now able to co-parent with her partner in a more harmonious way. Her message that together is not always best for the child, even in such a challenging situation, was powerful.
I also spoke to Meena, whose story moved me profoundly.
Knowing that she would be disowned by her family, Meena made the decision to leave her husband as the environment had become so toxic that social services had been involved.
"I come from an Asian background so divorce or separation - that's a no-no," she tells me.
"I was expected to remain in the marriage and make it work and just put up with it," she says.
"If I go to a family function I get looked at like a demon with two horns."
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Chris Hart: 'They were all shocked when I said I was keeping the baby'
I was given, and desperately needed, a huge amount of emotional and logistical support from my family during my separation, and it's hard to image the impact the removal of that would have had on my mental state and therefore the indirect impact on my children.
Without financial, emotional or logistical support, Meena began a new life with her child, with the help of her flexible work shifts as a train driver.
The resilience was startling but the grace was profound. Even after being rejected by her family, at exactly the moment she and her daughter needed care, she was still working towards a reconciliation for the sake of her daughter's future.
When I think about the negative single-mother narrative in the 90s and subsequent reduction of support, and increase in single-mother stigma, it made me feel extremely angry that as a society we leave incredible mothers like Meena fighting against such a huge tide.
And for others, the term single parent felt like a strange fit. Rupa (not her real name), an accident and emergency consultant, had decided to go it alone and conceive via a sperm donor. There was nothing "broken" about it, a term often placed on to a single parent. It had been carefully considered and planned for.
Rupa recalls: "We met once before the first insemination, and then the next time he came round and donated, and then showed himself out while I was just chilling out in my own bedroom, playing music, and you know he left me a little pot on the stairs and showed himself out."
I spent the morning in her house watching her beautiful, happy daughter play and cuddle her mother.
Again, I struggled to understand why anyone would assume single mothers can't offer as much love and security to a child as a two-parent family.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-39358725
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Yemen conflict: How my country has changed - BBC News
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2017-03-27
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Two years on from the start of the Saudi-led offensive, the BBC's Mai Noman returns to her home country.
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Middle East
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Before the war: Mai (left) and her sister look out across the Sanaa skyline in 2009
It is two years since the start of the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen in support of the government ousted by Houthi rebels. In that time, thousands of civilians have been killed, parts of the country devastated and Yemen left teetering on the brink of famine.
Here the BBC's Yemen-born Mai Noman, who has returned to her homeland to film short documentaries, reflects on what has become of her country.
It's been over two years since I was last here. The only place I call home.
A lot has happened and much has changed. It's hard to keep my feelings in check.
Beside the physical destruction, memories of what once was are buried under the heavy weight of emotional rubble.
Mai and her brother grew up in Taiz
As a Yemeni journalist working in international news, I have had to monitor every twist and turn of the civil war in my country, even when I wanted to look away.
Truthfully, the thought of coming face-to-face with the new reality shaped by the furious conflict in Yemen has terrified me.
But living through the war from outside Yemen was isolating.
As we make our way to the capital, Sanaa, on a rugged 10-hour car journey from Aden, I think back to the number of times I quietly broke down after hearing news coming out of Yemen. Working in a newsroom, this happened often.
This trip takes me from the south to the north - two parts of a country divided by more than mere miles.
In simple terms, the south is under government control, backed by the Saudi-led coalition, and the north is controlled by the Houthi rebels. But the reality is more complicated.
I've imagined arriving back home hundreds of times in the last few years. But on the day I was totally unprepared for what I found.
Unlike the southern city of Aden, where life seems to be at a standstill, waiting in fearful anticipation of more fighting, Sanaa - apart from the obvious damage - appears the same as ever.
Some beautiful buildings in Sanaa have escaped unscathed
I can feel the rain approaching. After London that should make me shudder, but it somehow feels welcoming.
The jagged mountains which encompass the city slowly fill with clouds transforming the sky into a splendid portrait of misted rocky peaks. All at once telling me I'm home.
The Yemeni capital has suffered like other parts of the country, but life there goes on
There are more restaurants in town than I recall, and many are over-flowing with people.
For a moment I forget there's a war raging across the country. But then Sanaa can be deceptive.
I feel exhausted by the time we arrive at my cousin Mona's house.
I knock on the door in a typical Yemeni manner - very determinedly. Mona's youngest child, Abdullah, opens the door to greet me.
Mai's aunt's car sits where it was hit by a falling missile in the garden of her home
It's quite quiet here. A minute later I hear Mona making her way down the narrow stairs at the back of the house.
We embrace with joy. She holds my face to see what's changed.
"You're still you," she says. A lot kinder than comments I receive later about how my hair is too short or the few extra pounds I've gained.
Mona is just as beautiful but her voice has changed, she's gone through a lot in the last few years.
Three years ago she lost her father suddenly. She had been very close to him and facing life without him, amid ongoing uncertainty, is hard.
"He was the biggest support I had," she tells me, breaking down in tears.
Life hasn't been kind to her and the war has now brought with it seemingly endless questions.
Would her family be able to leave if it had to? Is it better to be stuck inside surrounded by conflict, or outside separated from relatives and friends? Are Mona's children safe at school or sleeping in their beds? How many more funerals will she have to attend?
Even with the most difficult issues I face in my own life, the choices are never so bleak.
Our lives have become more different than ever.
Over the course of three weeks in Yemen, I reconnect with old acquaintances and hear stories of separation, loss and incredible examples of the tight bonds that keep a community together.
But something else weighs heavily on my heart. There is one place I wasn't able to visit.
It's the place where I was born and where a more utopian notion of Yemen was engraved in my mind.
But sadly my grandmother is no longer with us and Taiz today is unrecognisable, sitting as it does on the frontline of the conflict. I wonder if I'd even know the house.
The fighting on the ground is brutal, the bombardment by the Saudi-led coalition is relentless and the siege on the city by the Houthis continues.
It's painful trying to accept the way things have become, one where precious memories have no place among the hardship of this grinding conflict.
To me, Taiz is where the heart of home is, and there's nothing harder than losing one's home.
When I set off for Yemen it was with a mixture of dread and trepidation at what I might find after years of bombardment and fighting.
On arriving I fell into a false sense of relief that the people were still here; home was, in some form, still here.
In the days which followed though, it became clear that war damage isn't just the craters and the bombed out buildings.
It is the suffering of a population watching helplessly as their lives are being torn apart.
Thinking of the time I spent fearing what I'd find when I returned home, I know that regardless of the pain of seeing my country at war, the sense of longing to be part of Yemen, for good or bad, will always draw me back.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-39365164
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British Gymnastics Championships: Ellie Downie's gold-winning bars routine - BBC Sport
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2017-03-27
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Ellie Downie rounds off a successful weekend by winning gold on the bars at the British Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool.
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Ellie Downie rounds off a successful weekend by winning gold on the bars at the British Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool.
Available to UK users only.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/gymnastics/39404236
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World Cup 2018: Scotland 1-0 Slovenia - BBC Sport
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2017-03-27
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Substitute Chris Martin scores a late winner as Scotland beat Slovenia to keep their slim World Cup qualifying hopes alive.
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Last updated on .From the section Football
Chris Martin scored late on as Scotland saw off Slovenia to keep their slim hopes of reaching the World Cup alive.
The home side produced an excellent first-half showing, with Leigh Griffiths hitting the bar then post.
The visitors improved after the break but substitute Martin's left-foot finish with two minutes left won it.
Scotland, whose head coach Gordon Strachan had described this match as a must-win, are now fourth in Group F, two points behind Slovakia in second.
England are top of the table on 13 points after their 2-0 win over Lithuania earlier on Sunday.
Strachan picked Kieran Tierney, Celtic's teenage left-back, at right-back and turned to Griffiths as his main striker.
With their backs to the wall, Scotland came out fighting with an intensity that set Slovenia rocking.
• None How the players rated with Billy Dodds
The game was only a minute old when keeper Jan Oblak dived away to his right to keep out a Russell Martin volley from a Robert Snodgrass corner, but the siege on the Slovenian penalty area carried on and on.
Martin caused more bother a few moments later when he headed home from another Snodgrass cross, but the big defender was done for a push. Then it was Griffiths' turn, his angled header, after excellent work from the terrific Stuart Armstrong, drifted wide.
This was a different Scotland and a jittery Slovenia. Defensively, they were an unadulterated mess. Offensively, they scarcely existed save for one effort from Roman Bezjak that Craig Gordon dealt with.
Towards the end of the opening half, Scotland upped the ante and came painfully close to scoring. James Morrison thundered a shot just wide, then it became the Griffiths show, a mini soap opera amid a major drama.
A fine Scottish move saw the splendid Andy Robertson put Snodgrass away down the left side of the penalty box. The West Ham midfielder clipped a precise cross towards the back post where Griffiths was lurking. The Celtic man had to score, simply had to. Instead, from point-blank range inside the six-yard box, Griffiths smashed his volley onto the crossbar.
It was a miss that shocked Hampden. There was a small crowd in the old place, but their groans were almost deafening in that moment. A minute later, though, Griffiths had another chance when a great surge and nice delivery from Armstrong presented another chance to the Celtic striker.
This was considerably harder, and he made a good fist of it, steering his right-foot shot off the inside of Oblak's left-hand post. The ball rolled across goal and was hoofed clear. Griffiths was desperately unlucky.
In this mad flurry, there was another Scottish opportunity. A further minute on from Griffiths' second chance, Morrison had a looping header cleared off the line by Valter Birsa. All this good stuff, all these chances and nothing to show for it was torture for the hosts.
Griffiths took a dunt from Oblak in the dying minutes of the opening half and he was replaced by Steven Naismith in the opening minutes of the second half. Scotland lost their edge as the game wore on, though.
They had huge amounts of possession but not enough accuracy and nothing like the chances they had earlier in the game.
There was one, however. A good one. With 15 minutes left, Ikechi Anya replaced Snodgrass and within seconds, more slapstick Slovenian defending created an opportunity for the substitute. With time and space, he tried to curl his shot around Oblak, but didn't get nearly enough on it. Oblak made an easy save. Hampden held its head in its hands again.
Strachan brought on Chris Martin in a frantic attempt to salvage the victory they desperately needed. And what a twist he served up. Martin was booed on to the field by sections of the home support, but with two minutes left, more clever work from Armstrong set up the striker, who hit his shot low past a stunned Oblak and in off his left-hand post.
It was a thoroughly deserved winner on a dramatic night. Scotland found their best performance of the campaign and get to dream on. Strachan, meanwhile, lives to fight another day.
• None Delay over. They are ready to continue.
• None Delay in match Jasmin Kurtic (Slovenia) because of an injury.
• None James Forrest (Scotland) wins a free kick on the right wing.
• None Miral Samardzic (Slovenia) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
• None Goal! Scotland 1, Slovenia 0. Chris Martin (Scotland) left footed shot from the left side of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Stuart Armstrong.
• None Scott Brown (Scotland) wins a free kick on the right wing.
• None Attempt saved. Steven Naismith (Scotland) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Chris Martin. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39302192
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The struggle between tech companies and government - BBC News
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2017-03-27
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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After the London attack, questions arise over who is responsible when extremist views appear online.
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UK
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It is understood Khalid Masood's phone connected with messaging app WhatsApp minutes before the attack
The home secretary's broadside over encryption is only one part of a wider struggle with technology companies. The power of the companies has grown enormously in recent years and officials believe they have a responsibility to play more of a role in the fight against terrorism.
Last year's row between Apple and the FBI, in the wake of the San Bernardino shooting, was ostensibly about access to a specific encrypted phone used by an attacker.
But US law enforcement had long been gearing up for a battle over the issue, looking for the right moment to challenge Apple.
Some suspect the UK authorities of doing the same in the wake of the Westminster attack. If there is an issue that the government wants to press the companies on though, it is the hosting of extremist content rather than encryption.
It is not clear there is a problem getting hold of the communications of Khalid Masood in this case. But a wider principle is at stake, in which government is unhappy at the spread of end-to-end encryption.
Companies like WhatsApp will say they are providing law enforcement with assistance but they have designed their systems with end-to-end encryption, which means they are not in a position to provide the content of any communications (although the metadata, if available, can still be very useful).
In reality, the government knows that outlawing end-to-end encryption is not going to be as easy. It has just passed new legislation in the Investigatory Powers Bill and revisiting the subject seems unlikely.
A further problem is that many of the tech companies are not UK-based and the government's leverage over Silicon Valley firms has its limits.
The government may be hoping the new US administration will at some point make pressuring the companies a priority, but predicting when or how the Trump administration will act is not easy.
Many of the new, smaller companies providing encrypted services are not based in America either. Telegram, for instance, provides encrypted communications but its founder Pavel Durov is thought to be based in Europe.
Larger companies point out that if they were banned from offering end-to-end encryption then their customers (and the targets of law enforcement investigation) would simply move to these smaller providers, who, they argue, are even less likely to provide assistance to governments.
They also point to all the stories about hacking and criminal theft of data as to why encryption is so valued by them and their customers.
In the UK, the responsibility of companies in counter-terrorism hit the agenda when Facebook faced criticism after it was claimed it could have done more to spot communications by one of the men who killed Lee Rigby.
That spoke to a different issue from encryption - how far should companies be monitoring the material on their sites? And when is this helping to fight terrorism and when is it spying on your own users?
The tide of propaganda created by so-called Islamic State in the last few years has pushed more attention onto what can be found on websites. Counter-terrorist officials place a high priority in restricting this content, since in their view, extremist material does not just have a radicalising effect but is directly involved in inciting acts of violence.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Amber Rudd: "Intelligence services need to be able to get into encrypted services like WhatsApp"
A meeting on extremist content had been previously scheduled for this Thursday, and comments by the home secretary and foreign secretary prioritised this issue (including the company Telegram again, which is seen as a distributor of content).
Officials want two things from the companies - a greater prioritisation of the issue and a more proactive rather than reactive stance.
YouTube says it rapidly reviews content flagged to it in order to see if it violates the company's community guidelines which prohibit things like gratuitous violence or inciting others to commit violence. But while companies maintain they do remove extremist content when it is reported to them, officials say it is not good enough.
The police run a counter-terrorism internet referral unit in which officers have the difficult task of scouring extremist sites for videos of things like beheadings and then flagging them to YouTube and others for removal.
The companies concur with almost all of their referrals. But officials ask why it is that the police are having to do this and not the companies themselves?
They point out that the companies are huge, rich enterprises full of clever people and ask why they only assign small teams to work on this subject. They want more resources both in terms of people and technology to be assigned to the task.
Companies point to the sharing of 'hashes' between platforms which relates to material they are removing so that other companies can see if similar images are also present on their sites. They have, in the past, always stressed that such activity is not automated but subject to human review.
The companies claim it is technically difficult to scan for extremist content in the same way they do for things like images that show child sex abuse. Officials say that companies that pride themselves on their cleverness should be able to find new - possibly automated - tools.
But one of the concerns of companies is that they will be seen as spying on their users. Scanning everybody's posts or messages for extremist content risks making them look intrusive.
The reality is, though, that they already scan and mine their user's data for advertising since that is primarily how companies Google and Facebook make their profits.
But the Edward Snowden revelations highlighted that co-operation with governments can lead to a backlash. The companies additionally are increasingly global rather than national. They fear precedents being set in one country being used in others.
What if other countries also demand extremist content is taken down but define extremist in a different way - perhaps targeting domestic political opposition? China poses a particular dilemma for the tech companies.
Apple is in the China market but it is not entirely clear what kind of data it provides to the state. Facebook is keen to get in.
Edward Snowden, a former US National Security Agency (NSA) contractor, revealed extensive internet and phone surveillance by US intelligence
Although they have not ruled it out, politicians in the UK know that legislation is unlikely to be the answer to these problems. Their best bet is try to put pressure on the companies through public opinion since they are the users the companies rely on.
This tussle has been going on for years but the balance has been shifting in recent months. The fact that they have not paid much tax has helped turn public opinion against companies.
Recent revelations that they have placed advertising next to extremist content has also put them on the back foot. The companies say they are not complacent and have indicated they are willing to be more proactive and use technology in new ways. But they also will know that the pressure is mounting.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39409039
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How a jacket and a briefcase shaped a partition love story - BBC News
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2017-03-27
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The couple who lost each other after India's partition only to reunite as refugees queuing for food.
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India
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The jacket and briefcase were precious possessions of two refugees
These are two unremarkable items with a remarkable story: a traditional embroidered jacket and drab, brown leather briefcase.
They belonged to a man and a woman who lived in Punjab in undivided colonial India, had been introduced to each other by their parents and were to be engaged when violence broke out in 1947.
The troubled subcontinent was lurching towards a bloody partition as it split into the new independent nations of India and Pakistan. Communal violence erupted, leaving between half a million and a million people dead and displacing millions of people.
Punjab was divided - western, mostly Muslim parts went to Pakistan and eastern, mainly Hindu and Sikh parts, went to India. The newly-engaged man and woman were Sikhs living in what is now Pakistan.
The jacket and the briefcase were their most valuable possessions as they fled their homes to escape death as communities butchered each other in a prolonged frenzy of religious rioting.
Three of Bhagwan Singh Maini's brothers had already been slaughtered in the violence, so the 30-year-old man stuffed his certificates and property claims in the fraying briefcase and fled his home in Mianwali.
More than 250km (155 miles) away, in Gujranwala, Pritam Kaur's family slipped out of their house and put her on a train to Amritsar.
Ms Kaur, 22, travelled across the blood-stained border with her two-year-old brother on her lap. In her bag was her most precious possession, the phulkari (embroidered) jacket, a reminder of happier days.
Bhagwan Singh Maini and Pritam Kaur reunited in a food line at a refugee camp and got married
Torn apart by what turned out to be one of the greatest mass migrations - or transfers of population - in human history, the two landed up in teeming refugee camps that dotted Amritsar city. They were among about 12 million people who had crossed the new borders.
One day, in the food line, a miracle happened.
Both Mr Maini and Ms Kaur had joined the queue of bedraggled, hungry refugees. There, they met again.
"They exchanged notes about their tragedies, wondering if it was destiny that had brought them together once more. Their families, or whatever was left of them, also reunited in due course," says Cookie Maini, daughter-in-law of Bhagwan Singh Maini.
In March 1948, the two got married. It was an austere ceremony; both families were struggling to pick up the pieces.
Ms Kaur wore her favourite jacket. Mr Maini got together his certificates and papers from his briefcase to start a new life: he joined the judicial service in Punjab, got a small house in compensation and moved to Ludhiana with Ms Kaur.
The couple had two children, who both served as civil servants. Mr Maini died some 30 years ago; Ms Kaur died in 2002.
"The jacket and the briefcase," says Ms Maini, "are testimony to the life they lost and found together."
The couple reunited in line in a refugee camp at a time when millions were crossing the new borders
They now survive as two of the most valuable possessions of India's fledgling Partition Museum, which opened in Amritsar in October.
By early next year, the museum, housed in the magnificent and restored Town Hall, will showcase photographs, letters, audio-recordings, belongings of refugees, official documents and maps and rare newspaper clippings relating to the event.
"This will be the most comprehensive archive on the partition, and the only museum of its kind in the world," says Mallika Ahluwalia, chief executive officer of the two-floor, 17,000 sq ft Partition Museum.
There are the stark black-and-white pictures of the never-ending caravan of Hindu and Muslim refugees, trudging wearily to what will be their new homes. Bullock carts overflow with sparse belongings and withered humans. Millions of refugees were on the move; one single convoy was reported to have stretched for 10 miles.
Trains awash with the blood of murdered refugees steamed across the new borders. Too few police and soldiers were deployed to check the ensuing violence. Historian Ramachandra Guha says the "protection of British lives was made the first priority". Women bore the brunt of the violence: tens of thousands were abducted. Many, but not all, were eventually recovered.
Tent cities sprouted all over the country to house the displaced farmers, artisans, government workers, traders and labourers. By 1950, there were some 200,000 refugees in squatter colonies in the eastern city of Calcutta alone.
Refugees abandoned millions of hectares of their own farm land and many received scant compensation: a widow who lost her husband's 11,500 acres of land in two districts which went to Pakistan was given 835 acres in a village in Indian Punjab.
The bloodbath continued months after the event
Months after the event, the bloodbath was still continuing. The front page of a Punjab-based newspaper in October paints a picture of utter despair and anarchy in the state.
Armed mobs were attacking villages, towns were plunged into darkness, there is a story about the "moon coming to the rescue of millions" after a power outage as well as accounts of a cholera outbreak, floods and details about millions of people stranded in refugee camps awaiting evacuation.
"Life here continues to be nightmarish," wrote India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in October 1947. "Everything seems to have gone awry".
Until you hear - and see evidence of - stories of hope and redemption, of lives lost and recovered, as in case of Bhagwan Singh Maini and Pritam Kaur.
With these stories and more, the museum in Amritsar hopes to remind people of an event which author Sunil Khilnani described as "the unspeakable sadness at the heart of the idea of India".
Pioneering Indians is part of the India Direct series. It looks back at men and women who have helped shape modern India.
Other stories from the series:
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-39362534
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Miami Open: Johanna Konta through & Rafael Nadal plays 1,000th Tour match - BBC Sport
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2017-03-27
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Britain's Johanna Konta reaches the Miami Open fourth round, while Rafael Nadal celebrates his 1,000th Tour match with a win.
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Last updated on .From the section Tennis
Britain's Johanna Konta rediscovered her best form as she thrashed Pauline Parmentier of France in straight sets to reach round four at the Miami Open.
Konta, seeded 10th, took charge from midway through the first set to win 6-4 6-0 in 63 minutes.
She next faces Lara Arruabarrena in the last 16 after the Spaniard upset eighth seed Madison Keys 7-5 7-5.
Rafael Nadal celebrated his 1,000th Tour match with a 0-6 6-2 6-3 victory over German Philipp Kohlschreiber.
In the men's doubles, Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares beat Paolo Lorenzi and Joao Sousa 6-0 6-3 in round two.
Konta, 25, had struggled for form since reaching the Australian Open quarter-finals in January, and had needed two hours and 40 minutes to beat qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich in her opening match in Miami.
In less windy conditions on Sunday, the British number one found the rhythm on both serve and return that has seen her rise dramatically up the rankings in the last two years.
"I'm happy to have come through that," Konta said.
"Although the scoreline doesn't show it in the second set, I still had to work hard within every single point. I really tried hard not to take my foot off the gas and stay focused on what I wanted to achieve."
The first six games went with serve as Parmentier's big serve kept her in touch, but when Konta converted her third break point for a 4-3 lead it sparked a brilliant burst of form from the Briton.
Konta dropped just five points in the second set, and only seven points on serve in the entire match, as she powered through.
She is now one win from at least matching last year's run to the quarter-finals, where she lost to Victoria Azarenka.
World number one Angelique Kerber came back from a break down in each set to beat American Shelby Rogers 6-4 7-5.
The German will next play Japanese qualifier Risa Ozaki, after the world number 87 saw off Kerber's compatriot Julia Goerges 7-6 (7-5) 6-3.
World number 31 Kohlschreiber was superb as he took his first set against Spaniard Nadal to love in just 21 minutes.
It was the first time Nadal had failed to win a game in the first set of an ATP Tour match since 2008 but the 30-year-old produced a typically gutsy comeback to claim his 822nd career victory.
He becomes the 11th player to compete in 1,000 Tour matches - a group led by American Jimmy Connors (1,535).
"One thousand matches is a lot of matches. Obviously that's good news because that says I am having a long career," said 14-time Grand Slam champion Nadal.
"During a lot of years, I heard that I'm going to have a short career, so it's something important for me. I remember the first match very well because it was at home in Mallorca. It was my first victory on the ATP and was a great feeling."
In the men's singles, second seed Kei Nishikori of Japan beat Spanish 25th seed Fernando Verdasco 7-6 (7-2) 6-7 (5-7) 6-1.
Canada's third seed Milos Raonic withdrew before his match against American Jared Donaldson with a recurrence of a hamstring injury, saying: "It was not possible to compete today without putting myself at significant risk."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/39400314
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What next for McLaren-Honda? - BBC Sport
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2017-03-27
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Fernando Alonso's impressive drive in the Australia Grand Prix cannot mask the engine problems at McLaren-Honda, writes Andrew Benson.
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Not for the first time time, McLaren-Honda had reason to be grateful to Fernando Alonso at the Australian Grand Prix.
Until a late-race car problem forced him to retire, the Spaniard was on course to secure an unlikely point for a team that, even some insiders will admit privately, is in crisis at the start of the 2017 Formula 1 season.
Pre-season testing had gone so badly for McLaren that it looked like they would struggle not to be on the back of the grid. After some hasty work on reliability by Honda and improvements to the car, Alonso qualified 13th.
For much of the race in Melbourne, he was in 10th place, valiantly holding off Esteban Ocon's Force India, which had a 27km/h advantage on the straight. McLaren racing director Eric Boullier described Alonso's drive as "prodigiously impressive".
The same could be said of many of his races in an under-powered McLaren over the last two years - such as his fifth places in Monaco and the USA last year, or his drive to seventh from last on the grid in Belgium. Results that helped McLaren secure sixth place in the championship.
In two separate news conferences over the weekend, Lewis Hamilton expressed his regret that Alonso was not racing at the front, saying he "deserved it", as one of the best drivers on the grid.
As Hamilton said: "It would be great to have Fernando up there but it doesn't look like it is going to happen any time soon."
Indeed it doesn't. While Alonso's achievements at Albert Park amount to positive progress in the context of McLaren-Honda's dire pre-season, they are a long way from the ambitions of this once-great team and its still-great number one driver.
What has gone wrong?
This was the year the McLaren-Honda alliance was supposed to finally hit its stride after two difficult seasons. Alonso spent much of last year saying how the change in regulations gave McLaren a chance to close the gap on Mercedes, and Honda promised it would make a big step forward with its engine.
Even as recently as the launch of the McLaren car in late February, Honda F1 boss Yusuke Hasegawa was expressing his hope that the redesigned Honda engine would match the performance of Mercedes' 2016 power-unit by the start of the season.
It has not worked out that way. Pre-season testing was beset by difficulties, Honda getting through at least five engines in the course of eight days. Alonso said the engine had "no power and no reliability".
There were several problems, but a couple of fundamental ones: a major vibration that was either breaking the engine, or damaging ancillaries enough to make it shut down; and less power than last year's engine. Informed estimates put its deficit to the new Mercedes engine at somewhere between 120-160bhp.
The vibration problem is severe enough that Honda should, in one way, be applauded for the progress it made in enabling Alonso, at least, to run a pretty much normal weekend. The same could not be said for his new team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne, but that's another story.
But while the engine ran relatively reliably, it still badly lacked performance, and it is clear that patience is running out, the partnership close to breaking point.
What does Alonso think about this?
While expressing the need for improvement, Alonso was mostly sanguine about the situation in his public appearances over the course of the weekend. But there were still glimpses behind the mask.
He sat stony faced in the team's post-qualifying news conference, until the question of how he motivated himself to go through another season like this was brought up. Where's your head at, he was asked?
"I expect a big change in the team, a big reaction," he said. "We will not be 13th all season. Or I will not be."
The message was clear. Sort it out, or I'm off.
The big question is what happens next. BBC Sport revealed two weeks ago that McLaren had made an initial approach to Mercedes about a potential engine supply in the wake of the problems in testing. This despite a "multi-year contract" with Honda.
It was notable at the Australian Grand Prix that when asked about this development, McLaren racing director Eric Boullier neither denied it, nor made any attempt to play down the potential of the team splitting with Honda.
"Obviously we are looking at every option to recover and catch up," Boullier said, "because we are definitely not in the position that we were expecting to be and we want to be."
Hasegawa admitted: "We are having a strong pressure from the team and from the drivers. We try to keep improving."
Self-evidently, McLaren's decision to talk to Mercedes, even if only briefly, means the team's senior management are considering whether they should try to get out of their contract with Honda. Which means they must have doubts about whether the Japanese motor giant will ever be able to provide a competitive engine during the life of their partnership.
Honda contribute something in the region of $70m a year and free engines to McLaren - close to a net $90-100m when the cost of buying a customer engine is added. Asked how it felt about the team talking to a rival, Hasegawa said: "This is just a rumour."
Challenged that it was a fact, he said: "I don't know. I don't care about that. The thing we have to do is keep concentrating."
On the subject of potentially changing engines, Boullier said: "I am not going to comment on these kind of discussions. It is a private discussion we have with Honda to recover, considering all options.
"We are responsible for McLaren and Hasegawa-san is responsible for Honda. As partners we try to help each other and support each other because the key secret is to be as integrated as possible."
His answer did little to diminish the belief that McLaren are at least considering trying to find a way out of their contract with Honda.
The question is why they would think that was a good idea.
On the face of it, it sounds like one. On a simplistic level, it would seem logical that if a Mercedes engine was plugged into a McLaren, the car would be much more competitive.
Boullier claimed during winter testing that McLaren would win if it had a Mercedes engine. On a simple calculation of the minimum power deficit, a Mercedes engine might potentially make the McLaren in the region of two seconds quicker. Alonso was 3.2 seconds off the pace in qualifying.
So changing might - at best - put McLaren about sixth or so on the grid. But there are wider considerations than that.
For a start, where would the missing money come from? McLaren are run by very rich men - the Bahraini royal family is a 50% shareholder and 25% shareholder Mansour Ojjeh is a billionaire.
They could easily fund the shortfall if they wanted to - but that situation is sustainable for only so long.
McLaren's new executive director Zak Brown is the best sponsor-finder in the paddock. But in a difficult market, finding income worth $70m a year for a team struggling to score a point, even if he can sell it on the idea of switching to Mercedes is not going to be easy.
Beyond that, customer Mercedes engines is not a long-term strategy. Red Bull buck the trend, but it is widely accepted in F1 that if a team wants to win the title, it has to have a works engine partnership. And no other Mercedes customer team are close to the factory outfit's performance, despite the regulatory requirement to provide identical engines.
That's because F1 cars are complex pieces of machinery. The Mercedes car is designed around the Mercedes engine, which is built after conversations between the two arms of the team. The customers get what they are given and do not have the same opportunity for integration.
Then there is the question of how McLaren would get out of its Honda contract. Honda is showing no signs of wanting to quit. It sees F1 as a long-term project.
If McLaren sought a way out, Honda might acquiesce. But the company would be highly unlikely to pay any money in the form of compensation. It might even take offence, and sue McLaren. A case Honda has vastly more resources to fight than the team.
Once out of its Honda contract, McLaren would then need to look for another works engine partner. Yet not only are no other car companies expressing an interest in F1, but any approached would surely look at the way McLaren have treated Honda and wonder whether they were a team with which it was wise to get involved.
The perceived risk in persevering with Honda is that it might never manage to produce a competitive engine, and that by the time it realises this and pulls out of F1, McLaren will be in such dire straits that the company would be on its knees.
But McLaren already have a relatively limited sponsor portfolio, with Honda providing the bulk of their income beyond official prize money. And if Honda did quit in, say, three years' time, the rules mean that one of the remaining engine companies would be obliged to supply McLaren then - so it is arguable they would be no worse off than they are now.
The alternative ending is that McLaren use this situation as an opportunity.
They can hope that their public flirting with Mercedes wakes Honda up to the need to do a better job. They could apologise privately, express their commitment to the partnership's success, and offer to work ever more closely together with Honda reach the standards required. And they could redouble their collective efforts to making it so.
Whether Alonso would hang around in that scenario is another question. But, brilliant though he is as a grand prix driver, McLaren have much bigger problems than that right now.
The Bahrainis, Ojjeh and Brown have some serious thinking to do. And any decision they make requires wisdom and long-term strategy, not short-term tactical opportunism.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39403617
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The place where children can be very unlucky with their names - BBC News
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2017-03-27
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Spare a thought for those who are given troublesome names. In Zambia, Chris Haslam came across some very surprising choices.
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Magazine
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Spare a thought for those who are bestowed with troublesome names. That can happen anywhere, of course. But, in Zambia, Chris Haslam came across some very surprising choices.
Under a darkening sky on a dusty, potholed track in eastern Zambia, a small boy is struggling to push a large, Chinese bicycle. Its handlebars, crossbar and panniers are stacked impossibly high with yellow jerry cans, firewood and a sack of rice. Because the boy needs both hands to keep the bike upright, he can't sweep the flies from his eyes. But this seven-year-old is labouring under a much heavier, but less visible burden.
His name is Mulangani. It's a Nguni word meaning "punish me". Or "he who must be punished", if you want to get formal. Who, I asked my driver Mavuto, would give their child such a horrible name?
"Maybe his grandfather, maybe the chief," he shrugged, explaining that across Zambia and neighbouring Zimbabwe, it is common for parents, especially in rural areas, to invite community elders to choose the name of a newborn.
"Sometimes the chief wants to punish the family," says Mavuto. "Or he may think this new child is too much for the family to bear."
Watching the boy's Sisyphean progress towards his distant home, that name suddenly seems disturbingly apt, but he's not the only one cursed with a dismal name. In later days, I meet Chilumba - "my brother's grave", Balaudye - "I will be eaten", Soca - "bad luck" and Chakufwa - "it is dead".
I also meet Daliso, whose name means "blessings" and Chikondi, which means "love". Maybe it's me, but they do seem happier.
"In African culture, there is a trend of naming children according to the circumstances surrounding their birth," says Clare Mulkenga-Chilambo, a care worker at SOS Children's Villages in Zambia. "It's good for those born at bright and merry moments but unfortunate for the others."
And there are a lot of others. HIV and Aids have ravaged Zambia, and although infection rates are now falling, 55,000 adults and 5,000 kids became infected in 2015. Countrywide, an estimated 380,000 children have been orphaned by Aids and 85,000 are living with HIV.
Ask Massiye, or "orphan", or Chisonis - "sadness", or the sad-eyed Chimwamsozi, whose name means "drinker of tears". Or nine-year-old Komasi, whose name means "kill him", and his little brother Komaniso, aka "kill him also".
"Most Zambians have several names," says Kangachepe Banda. His name means "well off" or "richness", and as a safari guide he's doing OK.
"You're talking about the first one. It's called the zina la bamkombo- or the name of the umbilical cord. After a birth, the mother and child hide away until the cord drops off. On that day, the baby is presented to family and neighbours, and the person honoured with choosing the name makes his decision."
Use of this name is supposed to be limited. It's supposed to be kept between the namer and the named - a dark reminder to the growing child that one person saw into his or her soul at birth.
The church, says Clare Mulenga-Chilambo, offers deliverance. "Most people turn to Christianity and on baptism, they are given Christian names," she says. "This gives them the opportunity to give up their traditional name, which is often seen as the cause of whatever misfortune they could have been facing in their lives".
But there are some here who see opting for the homogenised anonymity of John, James or Mary as a dereliction of tradition. Others feel that the names must be kept not just out of respect to elders but also as a guarantee of ancestral protection.
If the name maketh the man, then surely Zambia's notoriously grim prisons are full of unfortunates who've been saddled with names like Chidano, Mapenzi and Chananga - that's "hatred", "trouble" and "wrongdoer" respectively?
"It's possible," concurs Muvato. Growing up, he knew a kid called Chiheni, which translates as bad boy, or thug.
"He ran away from home when he was 12," he says. "He is in prison in South Africa for the attempted murder of a security guard."
Meanwhile, little Mulangani - he who must be punished - has scrounged a lift in the back of our pick-up to his home. It's a tin-roofed hut with a neat vegetable patch patrolled by bickering chickens and a dog called Imbwa. Which means "dog".
Sometime soon, says Mulangani, I'm going to be baptised. My new name will be Emanuel. It means God is with me.
As we drive away, there's a storm brewing in the west. The potholes are getting deeper and the clutch is playing up. As the first fat raindrops splatter the dusty windscreen, it suddenly strikes me that I haven't asked Mavuto what his name means.
He grimaces as he struggles to find third gear.
"It means problems," he says.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-39351167
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World Cup 2018: Northern Ireland 2-0 Norway - BBC Sport
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2017-03-27
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Northern Ireland stay in contention for a World Cup play-off as goals from Jamie Ward and Conor Washington secure victory over Norway.
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Last updated on .From the section Football
Northern Ireland remain on course for a World Cup play-off spot thanks to an impressive qualifier win over Norway.
Jamie Ward's strike put the hosts in front inside two minutes and Steven Davis set up Conor Washington to fire in the second on 33 at Windsor Park.
Alexander Soderlund hit the crossbar in the first half but it was a disappointing start to Lars Lagerback's managerial reign with the Norwegians.
Northern Ireland are two points clear of third-placed Czech Republic.
World champions Germany beat Azerbaijan 4-1 in Baku on Sunday to remain five points ahead of Michael O'Neill's side in Group C.
The Czechs earned a 6-0 win over bottom-placed San Marino on Sunday, with Azerbaijan a further point back and the Norwegians surely out of contention 12 off the pace following their defeat at Windsor Park.
Ward's strike gave Northern Ireland the perfect start as the Nottingham Forest striker justified his return to the starting line-up by arrowing in his shot from 20 yards.
It set the tone for a dominant first-half display from O'Neill's team although Norway provided a rare threat when Soderlund's dipping volley crashed off the woodwork.
The lead was doubled on 33 minutes with a pinpoint through-ball from skipper Davis sending Washington clear and the striker slotted in from 10 yards.
Norway improved after the interval but they struggled to carve out clear-cut openings.
Northern Ireland keeper Michael McGovern did make a good save to keep out a long-range Havard Nordtveit free-kick but it was mostly huff and puff stuff from the visitors.
Michael O'Neill's first game in charge of Northern Ireland was a 3-0 defeat by Norway in February 2012. How times have changed.
Fresh from guiding his team to the Euro 2016 finals, he has fashioned a superbly drilled unit boasting relentless energy and confidence.
O'Neill made four changes from the 4-0 win over Azerbaijan in November, with a new strikeforce of Ward and Queen's Park Rangers forward Washington while Craig Cathcart's return saw a switch to a back three.
Despite a new system and forward line there was a fluency in Northern Ireland's play and O'Neill has instilled a work ethic in the players exhibited by constant pressing of the opposition.
Northern Ireland fans will hope their manager will remain at the helm and take them to the finals in 2018, but O'Neill is increasingly catching the eye of ambitious clubs in England and Scotland.
Another majestic performance from the Northern Ireland skipper, who makes the game look so simple as the heartbeat of the team.
His through-ball to Washington for the second goal was a highlight in a display of calmness and class.
The 32-year-old Southampton midfielder was always available, always in the right place and led by example.
Northern Ireland are next in qualifier action in Azerbaijan on 10 June.
O'Neill's side have a home friendly against New Zealand eight days prior to the Baku contest.
• None Attempt blocked. Oliver Norwood (Northern Ireland) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Matthew Lund.
• None Attempt saved. Niall McGinn (Northern Ireland) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
• None Offside, Norway. Even Hovland tries a through ball, but Mats Møller Dæhli is caught offside.
• None Attempt saved. Joshua King (Norway) header from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Håvard Nordtveit.
• None Attempt saved. Håvard Nordtveit (Norway) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39302175
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Women's FA Cup: Man City host Liverpool, Chelsea visit Birmingham City - BBC Sport
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2017-03-27
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Manchester City Women are to host Liverpool in the Women's FA Cup semi-finals, while Chelsea will visit Birmingham City.
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Last updated on .From the section Women's Football
Manchester City Women will host Liverpool Ladies in the Women's FA Cup semi-finals, while Chelsea are to visit Birmingham City.
Birmingham, winners in 2012, knocked out holders Arsenal on Sunday in the last eight, while Chelsea beat fellow top-flight side Sunderland.
Current league champions Man City, who have never reached an FA Cup final, earned a late win at Bristol City.
Both semi-finals are scheduled to take place on Monday, 17 April.
Liverpool have never won the competition but have reached the final on two occasions, in 1995 and 1996, and beat Notts County Ladies 2-0 at home in the quarter-finals.
This year's final on Saturday, 13 May, will be held at Wembley, where it has been staged since Chelsea beat Notts in the 2015 final.
Man City and Chelsea, the top two sides in the league for both of the past two seasons, had been drawn to face each other in the FA Cup semi-finals in each of the past two years.
The draw for the last four - carried out live on BBC Radio 5 live - guaranteed that the 2017 final cannot be a repeat of any previous final, as Birmingham met Chelsea in the 2012 final.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39409653
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Andy Murray beats Lucas Pouille to reach Dubai Championships final - BBC Sport
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2017-03-03
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Andy Murray beats France's Lucas Pouille in straight sets to reach the final of the Dubai Championships for the second time.
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Last updated on .From the section Tennis
Britain's Andy Murray beat Frenchman Lucas Pouille 7-5 6-1 to reach his second Dubai Championships final.
The world number one, who was involved in a 31-minute tie-break in his quarter-final, struggled in the first set against seventh seed Pouille.
The pair broke each other twice before Murray took the set after 68 minutes with his third break.
The final set was a one-sided affair as the Scot set up a meeting with Fernando Verdasco in Saturday's final.
Murray has now reached seven finals in his last eight tournaments and Dubai is his 14th final in his last 16 events.
"It was tough and I made a lot of mistakes," Murray said. "But there was some good stuff in there.
"I think potentially the match yesterday had something to do with that - sometimes if your legs are a little bit tired, the serve is one of the first things that goes.
"As the match went on, I started serving a bit better and that helped me."
Murray, 29, is into his second final of the year but has never won the title in Dubai, losing to Roger Federer in his previous final appearance in 2012.
Playing his first tournament since his fourth-round defeat at the Australian Open in January, the Scot could extend his lead at the top of the world rankings with victory on Saturday.
However, Murray is wary of the threat posed by world number 35 Verdasco, who beat him in the 2009 Australian Open.
"This week he's had some good wins," Murray said. "Where the balls are fairly heavy here on a quick court, he can generate a lot of power, he can control the ball.
"And when he's dictating the points, he's one of the best in the world at doing that."
World number two Novak Djokovic was knocked out of the Mexico Open quarter-finals in straight sets by Australian Nick Kyrgios on Thursday.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/39157834
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How much should you save per month for a decent pension? - BBC Three
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2017-03-03
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Many of us spend hundreds a month on travelling to work but don't put away much of the money we earn once we get there. So how much should we be saving for our twilight years?
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How much should you save per month for a decent pension?
Many of us spend hundreds a month on travelling to work but don't put away much of the money we earn once we get there. So how much should we be saving for our twilight years?
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/item/75f8c611-664e-497b-a411-e11e67ea5de7?intc_type=promo&intc_location=news&intc_campaign=pensionsavings&intc_linkname=bbcthree_fac_vidclip1
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Alberto Salazar: Mo Farah's coach 'may have broken rules on testosterone' - report - BBC Sport
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2017-03-03
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A secret report by doping authorities into Mo Farah's coach Alberto Salazar suggests the American may have violated rules over banned steroid testosterone.
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Further details of a secret report by doping authorities into Mo Farah's coach Alberto Salazar suggest he broke rules over banned steroid testosterone.
Salazar has been under investigation by the US Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) since a BBC Panorama programme in 2015.
The leaked interim report states the American has thus far failed to provide "acceptable justification for possessing testosterone" at his Nike Oregon Project (NOP) running camp.
The 58-year-old claims he is being "persecuted".
The Usada report, hacked by the suspected Russian group Fancy Bears and passed to the Sunday Times Insight investigations team, has been seen by the BBC.
According to the report, dating from March 2016, Salazar and several of his athletes have impeded Usada investigators, and "almost certainly" broke anti-doping rules over the infusion of a legal supplement L-carnitine.
The report also states Salazar risked the health of his athletes, including Farah, by issuing potentially harmful prescription medicines, including thyroid replacement drugs, to boost performance, despite there being no obvious medical need.
But his possession of the banned anabolic steroid testosterone around the NOP athletes he coaches, first revealed by Panorama in June 2015, could also lead to him being banned from the sport. Salazar insists he has a valid prescription for the drug.
• None alleges Salazar broke anti-doping rules by failing to establish an "acceptable justification" for possession of testosterone.
• None states that a testosterone "experiment" conducted in conjunction with Nike doctor Jeffrey Brown to see how much rubbed testosterone gel would trigger a positive dope test was "unlawful".
• None raises "suspicions and concerns" about Salazar's practice of giving star athlete Galen Rupp personal massages before big races, despite Nike employing massage therapists.
The allegations about Salazar's testosterone use emerged after former NOP coach Steve Magness, athlete Kara Goucher and masseur John Stiner spoke to BBC Panorama. The trio are among dozens who have been interviewed by Usada as part of its ongoing investigation.
...as of March 17, 2016, Mr Salazar's lawyer had still not provided additional documentation to Usada… [and therefore] has not established acceptable justification for possessing testosterone
Rule 21.2.6 of the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) code stipulates that athlete support personnel are strictly prohibited from possessing banned drugs without "valid justification".
Salazar produced a 12,000-word public response to the BBC and ProPublica's allegations, including a letter from a specialist stating he required the testosterone for his personal use because he had been diagnosed with hypogonadism, which results in low testosterone.
He also said the testosterone experiment, which used his own sons as "guinea pigs", was designed to protect against his athletes being sabotaged by someone rubbing testosterone gel on them after a race so that they would test positive.
According to the leaked report, five days after the Panorama programme, Usada wrote to Salazar, asking him to provide "all medical records for you referring to [a] condition for which you have been prescribed testosterone".
The report states Salazar's lawyer produced seven documents in support of his condition, but concluded "the documents … do not establish Mr Salazar has suffered from hypogonadism… or that he requires testosterone replacement therapy.
"Despite Usada's request that he do so, Mr Salazar has still produced no laboratory testing records, blood test data, examination notes, chart notes or differential diagnosis substantiating that Mr Salazar suffers from hypogonadism."
The report states "as of March 17, 2016, Mr Salazar's lawyer had still not provided additional documentation to Usada…[and therefore] has not established acceptable justification for possessing testosterone and his admitted possession of testosterone appears to have been a violation of sport anti-doping rules".
The report adds that the concerns listed above are "before even mentioning the Nike Oregon Project document which lists Galen Rupp having received 'testosterone medication' when he was a 16-year-old and being coached by Salazar, as well as Mary Decker Slaney's sanction for an elevated testosterone level while she was being coached by Salazar ."
Salazar and Rupp, the London 2012 10,000m silver medallist, strongly deny any wrongdoing. In a series of emails in response to BBC questions, Salazar said he would never permit doping at the Oregon Project, and that all the allegations against him were "biased and false".
"I have never rubbed any prohibited substance on Galen or any of my other athletes. These allegations and innuendo against me are malicious nonsense. I have not seen the report and the parts relayed to me are false - demonstrably false and directly refuted by documentary evidence provided to Usada."
He said: "I believe I've done more than any coach to continuously disprove false allegations where no violation has occurred. While I am frustrated that for years now I have had to answer in the media the same, rehashed, false accusations, I take comfort in knowing, that actions speak louder than words.
"The Oregon Project athletes continue to earn success through talent, hard work, dedication and fair play.
"I voluntarily provided Usada with medical records, including blood test results, documenting that I have suffered from a diagnosed disability for more than 20 years. Usada has not requested anything additional since my last response. I find this issue very disturbing, as under US law Usada is required to make a reasonable accommodation for my disability, not persecute me.
"I feel that I am not required to continually, for years and without explanation, share my very personal and private medical records with Usada over a disability that has been diagnosed by multiple doctors for decades. Any insinuation by Usada that I do not suffer from this condition is offensive to me and my treating physicians, and is inexcusable."
The BBC has specifically asked Salazar on three separate occasions in recent days whether he produced any further medical evidence to Usada after 17 March, 2016 the date the leaked report was compiled. He has declined to answer this question.
The leaked Usada report comes after months of speculation the agency's investigation had withered away. Nine months ago, Farah said he felt vindicated after standing by Salazar.
UK Athletics had also given Farah the all clear to keep working with him following its own investigation, saying that it had "no reason to be concerned".
On Thursday, it confirmed it would continue to have a close relationship with Salazar, who remains a consultant to UKA, unless he was charged with a doping offence.
Farah himself, according to the report, remains under investigation over an alleged 2014 infusion of the legal supplement L-carnitine, specifically whether it breached the legal limit of 50ml. He strongly denies breaking any rules.
Farah said last week that Usada should go ahead and publish its findings. It is understood the delay in publishing at least in part is because Usada is looking to the courts to force Dr Jeffrey Brown, the Nike doctor accused of conspiring with Salazar, to hand over his medical records.
Dr Brown, who also denies any wrongdoing, is based in Houston, Texas, and the Texan Medical Board (TMB) is carrying out its own investigation into him.
The TMB did not respond to the BBC's request for comment.
Last week, Usada said: "We understand that the licensing body [TMB] is still deciding its case and as we continue to investigate whether anti-doping rules were broken, no further comment will be made at this time.
"Importantly, all athletes, coaches and others under the jurisdiction of the World Anti-Doping Code are innocent and presumed to have complied with the rules unless and until the established anti-doping process declares otherwise. It is unfair and reckless to state, infer or imply differently."
Salazar has been Farah's coach since 2011, and has masterminded his rise to become Britain's greatest ever distance runner with a haul of four Olympic gold medals.
But questions will persist about his continuing loyalty to a man the doping authorities appear to believe has violated not just the sport's doping code, but its ethical ones too.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/39156296
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'All-out offensive' in Xinjiang risks worsening grievances - BBC News
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2017-03-03
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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What really lies behind China's huge show of force in its far west?
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China
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Large rallies by security forces have been held in Xinjiang recently
China is in the midst of what it calls a "people's war on terror" in its far west. What sparked this latest campaign was a knife attack.
After five people were killed on 14 February in Xinjiang, home to China's Muslim Uighur minority, Beijing began an "all out offensive". It flew in thousands of armed troops to hold mass police rallies and deploy columns of armoured vehicles on city streets.
Xinjiang's Communist Party boss Chen Quanguo urged these forces to "bury the corpses of terrorists in the vast sea of a people's war".
Judging from the reaction on Chinese social media, at least some people approve.
"Terrorists will never be stamped out unless we weaken Muslim religious forces," urged one post on China's Twitter-like Weibo.
Then on Monday the so-called Islamic State released a video, which appeared directly to threaten China and which showed Uighur fighters training.
But the ethnic Uighur population of Xinjiang has no discernible voice. In the midst of an "all-out offensive" it is dangerous for them to speak up, unless to echo the government's message.
One contact in Kashgar told the BBC that the situation is "hypersensitive", with all business in the city closed down by night. He said members of his family are summoned to weekly meetings to demonstrate political allegiance.
"We are reliving the Cultural Revolution", he said.
So what lies behind China's biggest show of force in Xinjiang in nearly a decade?
The incident in Pishan on 14 February is the only deadly attack to be reported this year. Details are still scarce but there is no suggestion of the kind of outside involvement or large scale co-ordination which might explain such an enormous response.
Instead, unofficial reports suggest the trigger for the attack may have been something far more personal: the police punishment of a Uighur family who held a Muslim prayer meeting at home.
This is surely not the kind of scenario which requires the deployment of thousands of paramilitary reinforcements.
But the state controlled Xinjiang Daily newspaper has urged security forces to prepare "for a battle between good and evil, lightness and dark" and the region's Communist Party boss warned of "grim conditions" in the fight against terrorism.
As well as the firm hand of Beijing, Uighurs are involved in the running of their semi-autonomous region
So are conditions really grim?
Notwithstanding the video threat, outside Xinjiang, there has been no significant terrorist attack in China since 2014 and reported attacks in the region have been sporadic and small-scale.
By contrast, France has seen numerous terror attacks in recent years, including several major atrocities. But the French government did not declare a frontline, fly in thousands of troops or mount mass armed rallies on city streets.
It's hard to escape the conclusion that China is wielding a hammer to crack a nut. But Xinjiang's security forces are already well armed with every form of "nutcracker", including highly trained manpower, rapid response units, mobile police stations, surveillance cameras, helicopters, drones, satellite tracking of vehicles, biometrics and grid style management of every community right down to the individual household.
Police control and public surveillance is on the rise across China
So what explains the force?
It's possible that the current security situation in Xinjiang is worse than appears and that there are many attacks going unreported.
Or that China has a very different risk calculus from other countries and feels a hammer is the appropriate response to every nut.
A third possibility is that warning of "grim conditions" in counter-terrorism serves an unrelated purpose and the nut must be redefined as an existential threat to justify the hammer.
My feeling is that all three explanations play a part.
The first is the least significant.
It's hard to verify occasional unofficial reports of small scale attacks in remote parts of Xinjiang because it's extremely difficult and dangerous for local Uighurs to contact foreign reporters. But it's unlikely that the authorities could cover up a major atrocity even if they wished to.
The risk calculus is a much bigger factor. It's a sweeping generalisation unsupported by hard evidence, but in my experience Chinese citizens are risk averse.
They have a higher expectation than, for example, British citizens, that their government must keep them safe.
China's growing authoritarianism means there is no vocal constituency arguing that civil liberties are worth a certain price in national security. Besides which, low trust in official news sources makes Chinese society susceptible to rumour and panic.
So China's leaders have to be risk averse when dealing with a high density population, which is only grudgingly loyal in the first place and unlikely to be resilient to terror or tolerant of failure to prevent it.
In Xinjiang, recent attacks may be small, but Beijing needs to show its public that it is doing something about them, even if that something is ineffectual or worse, counter-productive.
The region's security forces are already well trained and armed
Turning to the third possible motive for an "all-out offensive" against scattered enemies armed only with knives, China has powerful vested interests whose objectives are advanced by talking up the security threat.
The politicians involved want to strengthen their hand before a crucial Communist Party Congress in the autumn, the security services want to expand their bureaucratic empire, and the businesses producing surveillance equipment and software have money to make.
Ethnic riots in 2009 left nearly 200 dead and led to mass arrests, against which these women protested
Despite China's best efforts to cut off the routes of escape via Central and South East Asia, more than 100 Uighur fighters have made their way to Iraq and Syria. And now, IS is using footage from Xinjiang in its propaganda videos.
It's impossible to judge how far this would have happened without policies of religious and cultural repression in Xinjiang.
Banning beards and head scarves in public places, forcing Muslims to break their rules on fasting, demolishing mosques, micromanaging religious education, exacting outward shows of ideological loyalty serves to alienate Uighurs in Xinjiang.
Some Uighurs feel their distinct culture is under threat
In many countries terror triggers the impulse to repress and punish the community which appears to harbour the "terrorist". But other societies debate the dangers of alienation and the risk that those criminalised may become even more vulnerable to exploitation by extremists.
In 2014, making the case for an honest appraisal of the dangers of repression earned the Uighur academic Ilham Tohti a life sentence in prison.
The risk of demonising such mild dissent is to leave China's Uighurs only the voice of the separatist, the "terrorist" or the religious fundamentalist.
Despite relatively moderate activism, Uighur academic Ilham Tohti was jailed for life
At present, the cost of this silence is experienced only by Uighurs and by Han Chinese who live and work in Xinjiang. But this may change.
Already the technologies of an Orwellian police state are advancing across China. Security services have no inhibitions about accessing social media accounts and private financial records to build an increasingly complete picture of the lives of persons of interest.
A vaguely worded new anti-terror law and accompanying narrative of foreign threats justify every constriction of civil liberties and detention of human rights lawyers, labour activists, religious believers and feminists.
Most of the Uighur ethnic minority, which makes up about 45% of Xinjiang's population, practise the Muslim faith
Occasionally the Chinese public pushes back with complaints on social media about aggressive policing or miscarriages of justice.
And China does have traditions of soft power as well as hard - strains of Confucian paternalism in which a benign emperor rules through wisdom and natural authority, not through fear.
But in 2017, these strains are absent in Xinjiang. There's no significant pushback to the Communist Party message that the security of the state trumps the liberty of the citizen.
So China will go on failing to win the battle for hearts and minds in Xinjiang, and failing to convince the outside world that its offensive there is a clear-cut battle between good and evil.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-39137420
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'Why I quit my dream job as a police detective' - BBC News
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2017-03-03
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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With a police investigator shortage now a "crisis", ex-detectives reveal why they quit their jobs.
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UK
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. 'Why I quit my dream job as a police detective'
The lack of police investigators in the UK is in crisis, according to a new report. Former detectives have told BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme why they have quit their jobs.
Being a police officer was Angelina Dawson's dream job. It was "all I ever wanted to do", she says.
A police officer who won commendations, she was "dead chuffed" when she finally became a detective helping to solve some of London's most serious crimes.
"I loved the challenge of trying to work out what happened and putting the pieces of the puzzle together and getting the result, getting to court when people are being convicted of terrible things," she says.
"You really feel you've made a difference. It was worth all of those long hours."
However, in February - after 10 years as a Metropolitan Police officer and having become a detective - she decided to walk away from the police.
"I decided it's not good for me, it's not good for my health. It is so pressurised now. There just isn't enough of us," she says.
A shortage of detectives in the force meant some officers were having to investigate up to 20 crimes at once, she says.
Angelina at her passing out parade, in 2007
"That is a massive workload, that's a minimum of 20 victims, a minimum of 20 suspects," she says. "There just isn't enough hours in a day to do everything."
Eventually, she says, the job began to harm her health, at which point she decided to leave it behind, albeit with a heavy heart.
"I would often wake up with headaches because I wasn't having enough sleep," she says.
"No matter how much you try to be organised at work and keep on top of everything, there was just more and more and more and there just wasn't enough of us to cope with what was coming in.
"I just ended up thinking I can't do this anymore. It made me feel a bit of a failure to be honest, that I couldn't stick at it. It made me sad."
Simon Davison says he quit the police rather than move to another team for a promotion
Simon Davison, another former Met Police detective, says the workload in some CID units in the capital had become "insurmountable" before he left.
Last month, he resigned as a detective in the Met's "flying squad" - a unit that investigates serious organised crime.
He says he would have had to move away from his specialist unit in order to win a promotion.
However, he took the decision to quit the force altogether rather than transfer to one of London's 32 borough constabularies, where he says numbers have been "decimated".
"They've often got one detective sergeant and a trainee detective and that's it for the borough," he says.
"It only takes a couple of serious incidents and they are completely stretched.
"So I certainly noticed that going into the CID offices, that they just had very few numbers and you could sense the morale was quite down."
The seemingly glamorous lure of becoming a police detective and catching some of London's most fearsome criminals has also diminished, according to Mr Davison.
"The mystique of the CID has gone," he says.
"It used to be something that you aspired to but now I think something where you are either put or it is seen as the easy way out.
"I've seen departments with very few people.
"The experience has gone, and they just have an insurmountable work load."
The Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) report on police effectiveness describes the shortage of investigators - including detectives - as a "national crisis", calling for a UK-wide response.
"Some crimes are apparently being shelved without proper investigations taking place," the report says.
Inspectors say the Met Police is currently short of 700 detectives, and they are "very concerned" that too often officers without the right skills and experience are investigating crimes.
The Police Federation, which represents rank and file police officers, says the overall number of officers in London has not reduced.
Instead, the organisation says, cuts to civilian staff numbers have piled more pressure on officers, while there are also fewer people coming forward to join CID.
It is urging forces to make the role of a detective constable more appealing.
The Met said in a statement that "detective recruitment and retention is being addressed as a priority".
"In an organisation as large and complex as ours, ensuring we have the right people in the right roles to deal with an ever changing pattern of demand will always be very challenging, even more so in the current financial climate," the force said.
It added: "The Met has more officers than ever before taking the detective exam."
The Home Office said in a statement: "We have protected police funding through the 2015 Spending Review, and the public should be in no doubt that forces will continue to have the resources they need to cut crime and keep our communities safe."
Watch the Victoria Derbyshire programme on weekdays between 09:00 and 11:00 on BBC Two and the BBC News channel.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39128725
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Fernando Torres: Atletico Madrid striker 'stable & conscious' after head injury - BBC Sport
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2017-03-03
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Atletico Madrid say striker Fernando Torres is "stable, conscious and lucid" in hospital after suffering a head injury in the 1-1 draw with Deportivo.
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Last updated on .From the section European Football
Atletico Madrid say striker Fernando Torres is "stable, conscious and lucid" in hospital after suffering a head injury in the 1-1 draw with Deportivo.
The ex-Liverpool and Chelsea striker fell heavily in an 85th-minute aerial challenge with Alex Bergantinos.
The Spain international, 32, will have more tests on Friday, but Atletico confirmed scans showed he has "no traumatic alterations or injuries".
Torres said: "It was just a scare. I hope to come back very soon."
Players from both teams immediately rushed to Torres and called for medical help.
He was assisted for several minutes by doctors before being taken off on a stretcher and transferred to a hospital.
Speaking at his post-match news conference, Atletico coach Diego Simeone said he was "worried and nervous" when the incident happened.
"We heard the blow from the bench, we saw how he fell and we were afraid," he said. "We didn't know if that noise was Fernando's neck or not."
Atletico finished the game with 10 men, having used all three substitutes, but earned a point thanks to Antoine Griezmann's stunning 30-yard strike.
Deportivo had taken an early lead in Pepe Mel's first game in charge when Florin Andone capitalised on a poor Jan Oblak goal-kick.
"Everybody was speechless in the dressing room because of what happened," said Griezmann.
"In the end I do not care about the result. I just want to know what's up with Fernando and hopefully he's fine. And he gets back to us soon."
Atletico left-back Filipe Luis added: "It's very ugly to see it, we were all scared but at least the news we have received so far is good and the most important thing is that Fernando is well."
The draw leaves Atletico fourth in La Liga - 11 adrift of leaders Barcelona - while Deportivo are now 17th.
• None Offside, Atlético de Madrid. José Giménez tries a through ball, but Diego Godín is caught offside.
• None Yannick Carrasco (Atlético de Madrid) wins a free kick on the right wing.
• None Fernando Torres went off injured after Atlético de Madrid had used all subs.
• None Delay over. They are ready to continue.
• None Álex Bergantiños (Deportivo de La Coruña) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
• None Delay in match Fernando Torres (Atlético de Madrid) because of an injury.
• None Juanfran (Deportivo de La Coruña) wins a free kick on the right wing. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39149076
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European Indoor Athletics: Eilidh Doyle misses out on 400m final - BBC Sport
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2017-03-03
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Eilidh Doyle misses out but Laviai Nielsen qualifies for the 400m final at the European Indoor Athletics Championships in Belgrade.
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Last updated on .From the section Athletics
Coverage: Watch live on BBC Two, Connected TV, Red Button and the BBC Sport website.
Britain's Eilidh Doyle missed out on qualification for the 400m final at the European Indoor Athletics Championships in Belgrade.
The 30-year-old Scot was edged into third in her semi-final, with only the top two athletes progressing.
Her fellow Briton Laviai Nielsen, 20, finished second in her semi-final to reach Saturday's final.
Scot Laura Muir qualified for both the 1500m and 3,000m finals, to be held on Saturday and Sunday respectively.
The 23-year-old won her 1500m heat in four minutes 10.28 seconds, having earlier reached the 3,000 final as a fastest loser by clocking 8:55.56.
Team-mate Sarah McDonald (4:12.50) will join Muir in the 1500m final, while Steph Twell (8:55.02) and Eilish McColgan (8:57.85) also advanced to the 3,000m final.
"I wanted to conserve as much as I could for the finals," said Muir.
"You always want to win a race, so you just have to be sensible and just do what is necessary."
Doyle, ranked third in Europe this year, faded in the final stretch and was overtaken by Poland's Malgorzata Holub on the line as she clocked 52.81.
"I didn't know what was going on, I was just tightening up a bit and trying to get to the line as quickly as I could and I'm just absolutely gutted," Doyle told BBC Sport.
"I wanted to win the semi-final and get a good lane for the final so to not even make the final is pretty heartbreaking."
Elsewhere, Morgan Lake qualified in third place for the women's high jump final on Saturday.
The 19-year-old was one of seven athletes to clear 1.90m and one of only three to do so on their first attempt.
Fellow Briton Tom Lancashire, 31, won his 1,500m heat to qualify for Saturday's final, coming through to post 3:47.37 - the ninth-quickest time overall.
And Kyle Langford, 21, reached the semi-finals of the men's 800m but Guy Learmonth, 24, missed out after finishing fourth in his heat.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/39150868
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David Haye v Tony Bellew: Richie Woodhall says Bellew has been underestimated - BBC Sport
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2017-03-03
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Tony Bellew has been "underestimated" before his heavyweight fight with David Haye, says ex-world champion Richie Woodhall.
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Last updated on .From the section Boxing
Coverage: Full commentary on BBC Radio 5 live and live text updates on the BBC Sport website.
Tony Bellew has been "underestimated" in the build-up to Saturday's heavyweight fight with David Haye, says former world champion Richie Woodhall.
WBC cruiserweight champion Bellew, 34, weighed in at 15st 3lb 8oz, lighter than 36-year-old Haye (16st 9oz).
The pair again traded insults at London's O2 Arena, where Haye starts as odds-on favourite with the bookmakers.
"I can't believe people aren't giving him a bigger chance," said Woodhall, a BBC Radio 5 live pundit.
• None Quiz: Who said these classic boxing put-downs?
• None Haye v Bellew: Their rivalry in their own words
"I don't think it's a foregone conclusion. Everyone is saying a Haye early knockout but I think it will be a tough fight for him."
Bermondsey-born Haye was cheered by a big crowd at Friday's weigh-in as he prepares to fight at a venue just six miles from where he grew up.
Only once in his 30-fight career has he weighed in heavier than for this bout.
The former WBA heavyweight champion mocked the physique of Bellew, who said he was "over the moon" to see his rival so heavy.
Will Haye run out of gas?
Bellew, who as recently as 2013 was fighting two weight classes lower, reiterated his belief Haye would be short on stamina in just his third fight since returning from over three years out of the sport.
Woodhall believes Haye will be "extremely dangerous" early in the fight and expects Bellew to build his tactics around dragging a knockout specialist - who has been in just three 12-round contests - into the latter rounds.
"It's a classic case of who will land the big shot," added 1988 Olympic bronze medallist Woodhall.
"Bellew's first goal will be to get through the first four rounds, when we know Haye is at his most explosive. If he gets through he will not be home and dry by any means but his fight will then start and he can think about trying to break Haye down.
"The one thing against Haye is he's only fought a couple of times since 2012. I think he will solely rely on getting Bellew out early."
'Neither one of them will be proud'
Haye has been criticised for graphic descriptions of how he intends to hurt his opponent, while Bellew has actively pursued the fight, calling his foe out publicly from the ring after a routine win in October.
The feud has meant both fighters have been kept apart by security in fight week, and the pre-fight face-off was also conducted with people between them.
British Boxing Board of Control general secretary Robert Smith has expressed his disappointment in their behaviour.
"When it's all over, they will look back and neither one of them will be proud of beforehand," added Woodhall, 48. "You have to have a balance. We all want the fight to sell but you don't want people pointing the finger at the sport of boxing.
"Psychologically, I think Bellew has played a blinder. Haye has to control his emotions early on. If he ends up swinging early on, missing the target, then the tide turns. I think Bellew wants Haye to come out very aggressively."
Haye is attempting to improve his record of 28 wins from 30 fights, while Bellew has 28 wins, two losses and one draw on his record.
The bitterness between Haye and Bellew has been mirrored by super-lightweight rivals Derry Mathews and Ohara Davies.
The pair have engaged in insulting social media exchanges and expletive-laden rants before a bout which is the biggest of Davies' 14-fight career, and could help 33-year-old Mathews keep hopes of another world-title shot alive.
Woodhall expects the welterweight fight between Sam Eggington and American Paulie Malignaggi to potentially steal the show.
Malignaggi, 36, has been a world champion at two weights and has shared a ring with stellar names such as Amir Khan, Adrian Broner and Danny Garcia.
Wales' IBF featherweight champion Lee Selby will contest a non-title bout against Spain's Andoni Gago, while Ireland's London 2012 Olympic champion Katie Taylor enters her third fight as a professional when she faces Italy's Monica Gentili, who has six wins and as many losses in her career.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/39160815
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Birmingham City 1-3 Leeds United - BBC Sport
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2017-03-03
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Chris Wood scores twice as Leeds move to within a point of third place in the Championship after winning at Birmingham.
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Last updated on .From the section Football
Chris Wood scored twice at former club Birmingham City as Leeds United won for the third time in four Championship games to move a point behind third-placed Huddersfield.
Wood's double, and a clinical late third from Alfonso Pedraza, meant a third home defeat in four for Blues.
After Wood's 14th-minute lob, Craig Gardner levelled on 63 minutes with a low, 25-yard left-foot curler.
But Wood scored from close range before Pedraza sealed the points.
Relive Leeds' win at Birmingham as it happened
Wood, who had a prolific half-season on loan at City from West Brom in 2011-12, has 25 goals this season in all competitions - with 22 in the league.
And his two goals at St Andrew's take him two ahead of Newcastle's Dwight Gayle at the top of the Championship charts.
Leeds boss Garry Monk, in the stands serving his one-game touchline ban, must have been pleased with his side's finishing, which was the difference against a Blues side who have won just twice in 16 games under Gianfranco Zola.
Birmingham made the much brighter start, David Davis firing into the side-netting from a tight angle and Rob Green diverting Che Adams' angled shot wide, but Blues were then cut open by a classic piece of long-ball football.
From defending a corner, keeper Rob Green found Luke Ayling, whose teasing long ball down the inside-right channel just evaded the despairing lunge of Ryan Shotton, leaving Wood in the clear to lift a superb instinctive lob over advancing Blues keeper Tomasz Kuszczak.
The hosts had chances to level, and Robert Tesche's stunning 25-yard left-foot shot swerved beyond Green but crashed back off the bar.
The luckless Adams then went close three times in as many minutes, with a header cleared off the line before he diverted Tesche's shot just over and was then denied at close range by Green.
Gardner finally brought Blues level, but the hosts were back on terms for only four minutes.
Kalvin Phillips squared from the right and young defender Josh Dacres-Cogley lost his footing on the wet, muddy surface in the six-yard box, allowing Wood to turn home from close range.
Then, on 82 minutes, Pedraza wrapped it up with a low left-foot shot into Kuszczak's bottom corner, to send the noisy army of Leeds fans home deliriously happy.
"The result does not reflect what happened on the pitch but, on the other side, there was a player who touched the ball three times and scored two.
"We made a few mistakes, but it is difficult to say anything to my team when they have put in a performance like that against a team who are fourth in the league. We are genuinely doing our best. I cannot complain.
"We have to put right the mistakes, but overall it was our best performance of the season. I need to encourage the players to keep playing like this."
"I didn't enjoy the first 60 minutes. Birmingham were excellent and it was tough for us.
"We were second best, especially in the first half. They will feel aggrieved that they did not capitalise on the chances they created.
"But we showed a strong mentality and, in that last half-hour, we were excellent. We scored some very good goals and in the end won comfortably.
"The subs made a good impact, Pedraza scored his first for the club and we had two great finishes from Chris Wood, especially the first - great improvisation."
• None Jerome Sinclair (Birmingham City) wins a free kick on the right wing.
• None Robert Tesche (Birmingham City) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
• None Attempt saved. Chris Wood (Leeds United) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
• None Attempt missed. Che Adams (Birmingham City) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Lukas Jutkiewicz with a headed pass.
• None Goal! Birmingham City 1, Leeds United 3. Alfonso (Leeds United) left footed shot from the left side of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Pablo Hernández following a fast break.
• None Attempt saved. Pablo Hernández (Leeds United) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Luke Ayling. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39073353
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Gordon Brown calls for second Leveson press abuse inquiry - BBC News
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2017-03-03
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The former prime minister says the majority of recent press abuses are down to the Murdoch press.
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UK
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Gordon Brown has called for the second part of the Leveson Inquiry to go ahead - and said the majority of press abuses in recent years were from the Murdoch press.
Speaking to the former prime minister for Thursday's BBC News at Ten, I asked him why we need it, given the criminal trials that followed the first part and high cost to the public.
"There are so many unanswered questions about what the Murdoch News International group did… blagging, impersonation, email interception, breaches under the law itself... that unless there is a full and proper inquiry we'll never be able to clear the air," he said.
"And we'll always have suspicions about how the media was acting for a whole decade at the start of the 21st century."
As things stand, there is a judicial review into the terms of a government consultation into both whether the second part of Leveson should happen and also if Section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act 2013 (which imposes costs of legal actions against publishers on to those publishers if they don't sign up to an approved regulator) should be implemented.
The second Leveson Inquiry was to look specifically at allegations of unlawful or improper conduct within News International, other newspaper organisations and, as appropriate, other organisations within the media,
Most of the people I speak to in Westminster think it is unlikely that a government so focused on leaving the European Union will want the distraction of another inquiry.
For Brown, that is not good enough - and the fact that David Cameron promised it would happen counts for plenty.
"Leveson himself said this was only the first part of his inquiry, Mr Cameron when prime minister said there had to be a Leveson Two, the House of Lords has looked at this and agreed there has to be a second inquiry," he said.
"Mr Cameron said that was to happen when he was prime minister. It does seem strange that we're now not going to have it unless we keep pushing for it.
"Leveson One could only deal with part of the problem. The whole of the problem has to be dealt with, including the way Murdoch newspapers impersonated people, including the way there were breaches of the law, including also how email interception might have happened, as well as telephone interception. And the media itself should want an inquiry to clear the air."
Brown believes there is fresh evidence that has not been sufficiently raked over. And it was clear in speaking to him how personally he was affected by press intrusion.
"There is fresh evidence. We have the Daniel Morgan murder inquiry and that is revealing fresh evidence almost every month. We have the statements made by people who were in police at the time that have been sent to [Culture Secretary] Karen Bradley as a reason for taking action.
"We have the evidence that people like me have that I was impersonated, that my bank account was broken into, that my lawyer's office was besieged by calls impersonating me from the Murdoch newspapers.
"These are all things that happened and have not been properly accounted for by the Murdoch empire."
I asked Brown whether, as many of his critics contend, this was really the vendetta of a wronged man.
His response was: "I can only explain what happened to me. I know I was impersonated. My lawyer's office received questions by impersonation. My bank accounts and mortgage accounts were broken into.
"I am in a position to defend myself. There are thousands who don't know what happened to them. People who have less power to defend themselves than me deserve this inquiry."
Murdoch, with whom Brown was thought at one point to have developed a trustful relationship, deserted Labour at the 2010 election, endorsing the Conservatives in a manner timed to inflict maximum damage on Brown's ambitions.
The bid by 21st Century Fox for the 61% of Sky it does not already own is imminent. It is currently being bounced between Fox and the European Commission as part of what are known as "pre-notification talks". They are a formality.
Very soon, Fox will formally notify Karen Bradley of their bid and she will have 10 days to decide whether to refer the bid to telecoms regulator Ofcom.
James Murdoch gave evidence to the first Leveson Inquiry
I asked Brown specifically whether he thought that the Murdochs, and James Murdoch, were fit and proper to hold a broadcasting licence.
"Before you make a decision about the ownership of a very important media organisation, you should know all the facts.
"Because we haven't had Leveson Two there is always going to be doubt as to whether we know what is happening in this organisation, whether we know whether there are fit and proper people governing this organisation."
I asked him finally why he seemed to be targeting Murdoch particularly. After all, it was not just the Murdoch press that did wrong. But that is not really how Brown sees it.
"All the major instances of abuse that merit inquiry in recent years have come out of the Murdoch press. We have the fake Sheikh, we have the telephone hacking, we have issues about email hacking.
"Most of them resolve at least in the main around the Murdoch media and that's where the inquiry has got to start."
News UK declined to comment on these assertions. Their position is simple and has been made publicly many times: there have been extensive criminal trials into many of these accusations, with several journalists in the dock.
We don't need yet more flagellation of the press.
Watch the interview on BBC News at Ten at 22:00 GMT on BBC One on Thursday or on iPlayer for 24 hours afterwards.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39145261
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'I saved commuter who dropped her phone on tracks' - BBC News
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2017-03-03
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The powerful lure of smartphones has created a heads-down culture in many public places. John Mervin in New York came across someone who just might benefit from a little digital detox.
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Magazine
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The powerful lure of smartphones has created a heads-down culture in many public places. John Mervin in New York came across someone who just might benefit from a little digital detox.
I'd never saved someone's life before, so I wasn't sure of the protocol.
Speechless incomprehension on my part didn't seem appropriate. But then neither did the young woman's giddy laughter, or her jaunty departure from what could so easily have been the scene of her death.
It took my daughter's torrent of questions, as we turned away, to force the world back into a semblance of order:
"Daddy - what was she doing? Why was she on the tracks? What would have happened if a train came?"
As we climbed the stairs into New York's gleaming winter sunshine, I tried to explain what we had just seen.
We'd arrived at Rockefeller Center station on the D train. As in many of New York's underground stations, trains pull in at both sides of the platform. Or, rather, they seem to erupt into the station first on one side, then on the other.
When the stations are busy, the platforms feel like narrow, crowded islands of safety. We picked our way along this one, my wife and youngest daughter in front, my eldest daughter and I at the rear.
"Uh, what's this?" she said.
I looked over her shoulder. There at our feet lay a young woman of about 20. She was on her stomach with the top half of her body on the platform, while her legs dangled over the tracks kicking pathetically.
She was stuck. She had also, clearly, been down on the tracks.
And just as each commuter imagines, as they stand on the platform edge pondering the end of it all, she had discovered that climbing back up from the tracks is really hard.
The lip of the platform sticks out so far that you have to climb out as well as up. That leaves you straining to keep half your body on the platform while the other half flails wildly for some purchase in mid-air.
But unlike in our morbid imaginings, this woman was not in the grips of panic, anticipating her imminent decapitation by the F train which would be screeching into the station in the next few minutes, if not seconds.
She was laughing! Giggling! So was her friend who half-heartedly leant down to assist.
The assistance was somewhat compromised by the fact that the friend was holding her mobile phone. Was she hoping to capture this moment with a picture? Or composing a text?
It's well known that people's compulsive checking of their phones can be deadly. Among young people in America, texting is now the number one cause of car crashes.
Maybe it's also a leading cause of leaving friends to perish when they fall in the river or on to the train tracks.
Absurd as it might seem, my immediate concern was which part of her body it was OK to touch.
For the mechanics of dragging her to safety the obvious place to grab would have been her inner thigh. But that seemed indecent. An assault even.
Well, what about the belt loop on the back of her jeans? No! That would wrench her clothing into some painful, awkward position.
But for goodness sake, she was about to be killed. This wasn't the time to fret about the niceties! So I leant out as far as I could, got hold of her leg somewhere near the knee and, together with her finally-engaged friend, hauled the young woman on to the platform.
New York's transit authority constantly warns passengers not to go on to the tracks for any reason. But there is a constant stream of stories of people who have done so and been hit, and crushed, by trains, or of people who have fallen and then been struck. There are even a few stories of miraculous escapes.
In 2015, 50 people were hit and killed by subway trains here. Not that many in a city of eight million, but enough so that for all their drab functionality the stations have an air of profound, nascent danger.
The islands of safety are surrounded by a lethal void.
Though maybe it doesn't seem that way to someone still young enough to be fearless. The woman I helped did get out alive.
And you can guess why she'd been on the tracks. Still laughing, but maybe chastened by my look of horror she said: "Thanks. Sorry. My phone fell down there. It would have taken them forever to get it back."
While I turned to clutch my daughter's hand and head upstairs, the young woman and her friend sauntered away. I wonder when she'll be scared?
Join the conversation - find us on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-39144176
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Trump slump? US tourism industry fears downturn - BBC News
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2017-03-03
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Are President Trump's new policies negatively affecting travel to the US?
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US & Canada
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Travel experts began warning even before the 2016 election that Donald Trump's campaign rhetoric could cause a decline in tourism. So has the so-called "Trump slump" arrived?
Stephen Mumford, a professor of metaphysics at Durham University in north-east England, had some money to burn thanks to a large research fellowship grant he was awarded in October 2016. Always eager to travel to other countries and present his research, he began making arrangements for trips to several academic conferences in the United States.
In his first month in office, the Trump administration imposed a travel ban on seven majority-Muslim countries, and empowered US Customs and Border Protection agents to enforce immigration laws more assertively at ports of entry.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Protesters gather at Dulles airport: "Welcome to the USA!"
Mumford started to hear stories he didn't like - like the British Muslim school teacher who was separated from his students and removed from a flight bound for the US, or that incoming travellers were being asked to turn over their mobile phones and social media passwords.
Last month, Mumford made what he says was a difficult decision: to cancel all his planned travel to the US.
"I don't want to go to a conference if other people are excluded simply because they belong to a particular group," he says.
"I don't feel I can just walk in and think, 'I'm OK', and forget the guy behind me can't come in just because he's a Muslim. That's being a party to the unfairness."
Thousands of professors around the globe have pledged not to travel to the US.
A growing list of Canadian schools who once made regular trips across the border for sports, music and other educational events are cancelling their journeys for fear that foreign-born students could be singled out.
In Philadelphia, at least one large conference worth an estimated $7m in revenue to the city has been cancelled, and the tourism board of New York City recently reversed its pre-election projection that the city would see an increase of 400,000 international travellers in 2017.
The board now predicts 300,000 fewer foreign tourists will visit the Big Apple this year than did in 2016.
Anecdotes like these are the worst fears of travel industry analysts, who've been warning for weeks that the US could be entering a tourism "Trump slump".
The online booking site Kayak reported that searches by UK citizens for US destinations had "fallen off a cliff", and that hotel prices in cities like San Francisco, New York and Las Vegas dropped between 32-39%.
Hopper, another travel site, released data showing that searches for flights to America had dropped globally an average of 22%.
By contrast, the online travel agent site Tripsta reported a spike in one-way flights from the UK to the US in January and February of 2017, but hypothesised the cause could be "the return of non-US nationals concerned about restrictions to international travel".
The Global Business Travel Association estimated that for the week Trump's travel ban was in effect, the US lost $185m in travel bookings (£150m).
A Syrian refugee family who was previously banned by Trump's executive order celebrate their entry into the US
But the president can't shoulder all the blame.
Adam Sacks, president of Tourism Economics, characterises the slowing of tourism interest as a "trifecta of travel hindrances": a weak global economy, a strong US dollar and the "falling favourability" of the US in the eyes of the international community.
International travel was already down in 2016 by about 0.9% compared to 2015. Travel to the US from Canada was down 1.4% in December 2016 compared to the previous month, but overall, 2016 was the third consecutive year that fewer Canadians went to the States.
"We expected 2017 to be a fairly subpar year in any case - very modest growth," he says. "[But] this couldn't come at a worse time.
"The US is an expensive destination, we have a muted global economy and now we pile this on - that's why the impacts are as significant as they are."
His firm projects a loss of 6.3 million visitors by next year, which translates into $10.8bn in lost revenue, including what Sacks calls "Trump-induced" losses.
Henry Harteveldt, an analyst with the Atmosphere Research Group, says the US tourism industry has probably already bounced back from the immediate impact of the blocked travel ban. However, industry insiders are anxiously awaiting the language of the new executive order to replace it.
"There are a lot of unknowns. The travel industry, which is already a discretionary industry, hates uncertainty," he says.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Iraqi Fuad Suleman, who was turned back in Cairo, says he and his family had been preparing to emigrate to the US for two years
Harteveldt points to a survey his firm conducted weeks before the executive order took place, which showed that in 15 countries around the world about 20% of the respondents reported that as a result of the presidential election they were either somewhat or highly unlikely to travel to the US or had actually cancelled a planned trip.
"The fact that in 15 countries so many people had either cancelled trips or had such an unfavourable view of the United States was really alarming to me as an analyst," he says.
"Events that transpired during the presidential election just created a very bad impression of the US in many people's minds."
Trump's travel ban inspired protests around the globe, including this one in London
Lori, a mother of two boys in Edmonton, Alberta, says they used to make regular trips to the Twin Cities in Minnesota. After Trump's executive orders on immigration, her sons urged her to cancel a trip in March.
"For our oldest, it was out of outrage: the majority of his friends are either visible minority immigrants/refugees, or the children of immigrants or refugees; some of them are Muslim," she wrote in an email.
"For our 11 year old, it was fear: he equates the word 'America' with violence and discrimination against innocent people now."
Although some of the frenzy over President Trump may cool in the coming months, Sacks says that international travellers are booking their spring and summer holidays now.
"This is a massive negative economic impact that's at stake here. It will result in appreciable declines in tax revenues, and will affect household income and also employment and profitability for the industry," he says.
How much it will hurt will be more apparent later, once the high travel seasons of spring and summer arrive, and after publicly held airlines, hotels and travel agencies file their earnings reports in mid-April.
The US government also has not yet released this year's visa-entry figures, which will also reveal more about how travel has been affected.
Mumford says that though his decision not to attend a prestigious conference in California could hurt him professionally, he can't put aside his unease over the changes he sees happening in the US.
"I've got the travel money, and if I'm not wanted or regarded suspiciously, then I'll go elsewhere," he says.
"I feel I'm showing solidarity with my friends in America by this minor protest."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-39121276
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Are food bloggers fuelling racist stereotypes? - BBC News
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2017-03-03
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Asian American photographer says some digital foodies are playing into racist stereotypes about ethnic dishes.
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BBC Trending
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"Food media is predominantly generated by white people for white people, so when the subject veers toward anything outside of the Western canon, it's not uncommon to see things generalised, exotified, or misrepresented. "
Filipino-American Celeste Noche, who is a food and travel photographer, shared her thoughts on the "exotified" depiction of certain recipes within the blogging and gourmet community on the podcast The Racist Sandwich.
"I think microaggressions in social media are reflective of food media as a whole in that appropriation," Noche tells BBC Trending, "These microaggressions can be as simple as a lack of research."
Whether it's taking photos of dishes with chopsticks sticking straight up into rice or noodles (which can be seen as offensive in some Asian cultures)", she says, "or dramatisation in the props used to style ethnic foods (why are Asian dishes so often styled on bamboo mats or banana leaves with chopsticks?)".
"Chopsticks sticking straight up into rice or noodles can be seen as offensive in some Asian cultures," says Noche
Noche added that established food blogs like that of Andrew Zimmern also fed into stereotypes.
"(His) recipe for Filipino short ribs is styled with chopsticks even though Filipinos traditionally eat with spoons and forks or their hands".
Zimmern has not responded to a request for comment at the time of writing.
Similarly the food site Bon Appetit received some criticism for publishing a video last year about noodles claiming "Pho is the new Ramen." Several commenters attacked the video for the "simplification of Asian culture" as "pho is from Vietnam and ramen from Japan".
The video was fronted by a white American chef who spoke on the 'correct way to eat pho".
Messages under Bon Appetit's video "Pho is the new Ramen"
After a little more than 24 hours on the website Bon Appetit removed the video altogether, both from their Facebook and YouTube channels, and apologised for any offence they may have caused.
Noche's assertion comes at a time of much discussion about the so-called "cultural misrepresentations" of food.
Pembroke College of Cambridge university said they were taking complaints from ethnic minority students about their menu "seriously".
"Dear Pembroke catering staff, stop mixing mango and beef and calling it 'Jamaican stew'," a student posted on the college's Facebook page. "I'm actually half Jamaican, pls show me where in the Caribbean they mix fruit and meat."
Another complained about a "Tunisian rice" recipe which, well, doesn't exist in Tunisia.
The college said they would be "going through the dishes on the menu to see if any are ones that are not very well named".
Pembroke College Cambridge has said they will review their menu following criticism
However, not everyone agreed.
Evening Standard journalist Sam Leith wrote "And if, in an age when basic civilisational freedoms are under threat, the next generation of highly educated students is devoting its attention to complaining about whether their lunch is authentic enough, God help us all."
Some Facebook commenters agreed with him, saying that the famous college had "been blind sided by politically correct Nazis".
Celeste Noche says "food media is predominantly generated by white people for white people" and "misrepresents" ethnic communities
Noche however, feels that the issue speaks to a wider discussion on the portrayal of minorities.
"We need to break away from the idea that white and western is the base standard for media portrayals - whether in food, film, literature, etc - and start trusting and hiring people of colour to represent themselves."
Next story: Actress speaks out against 'casting couch culture'
You can follow BBC Trending on Twitter @BBCtrending, and find us on Facebook. All our stories are at bbc.com/trending.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-39142260
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Wayne Rooney & Zlatan Ibrahimovic: Jose Mourinho wants pair to stay at Man Utd - BBC Sport
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2017-03-03
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Jose Mourinho says he "100%" wants Wayne Rooney to stay at Man Utd, and also expects Zlatan Ibrahimovic to extend his contract.
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Last updated on .From the section Football
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho says he "100%" wants Wayne Rooney to stay, and he expects Zlatan Ibrahimovic to extend his contract.
Rooney, 31, announced last week that he is staying at Old Trafford, after being heavily linked with a move to China.
The England captain has also been linked with a return to former club Everton, but Mourinho said talk of such a move "makes no sense".
Striker Ibrahimovic's one-season deal includes an option for a second year.
The Swede, 35, has scored 26 goals in 38 appearances for United since joining on a free transfer from Paris St-Germain in July.
He scored twice in Sunday's 3-2 EFL Cup final victory over Southampton.
After the final, Ibrahimovic said he will "see what happens" about extending his contract.
Mourinho said: "I see him staying. The next transfer window will bring us to a different level because I will bring in a few players. Zlatan will be fundamental. I think he will stay."
On Rooney, he added: "What I have is a very strong message, 'I don't go anywhere. I want to fight with this team and help until the end of season'. 100% he will be with us for the rest of season.
"Next season, 100% I would like him to be with us, but always the player is very important."
United, who are sixth in the Premier League, host Bournemouth on Saturday (12:30 GMT).
Shaw 'has potential to be the best'
Mourinho also backed Luke Shaw to make himself indispensable as United's left-back.
Shaw, 21, has not played since the 4-0 FA Cup win over Wigan at the end of January, but Mourinho hinted the England international would start against Bournemouth.
"In practical terms we have lots of left-backs," he said.
"It doesn't look like it, but the reality is that Daley Blind, Shaw, Marcos Rojo, Matteo Darmian are all playing left-back and can play there. They are different players.
"I think the one that should be in the couple of years the best of all - because potentially he should have all the conditions to be the best of all - is Luke Shaw.
"By age, by physicality, by intensity, aggressive going forward, he should be the best. But to be the best you need to work hard. It's what he's trying to do."
Mourinho took the initiative at today's news conference. Sensing what was going to be asked as he sat down in front of the media, he said: "Rooney and Shaw."
He then proceeded to talk for four minutes and 20 seconds about club captain Rooney, and out-of-favour left-back Shaw, who are both in United's squad to face Bournemouth on Saturday.
Mourinho said Shaw, who last played against Wigan in the FA Cup in January, has been "working hard" on his fitness.
On Rooney, Mourinho said the fact he was ready to come on at Wembley when Ibrahimovic scored his winner was proof the United captain remains a valued member of his squad.
The Portuguese said Rooney would "100%" be at United for the rest of the season, which is fairly obvious now the Chinese transfer window has closed.
However, after comments from Everton this week suggesting the England forward's former club may offer him a summer return to Goodison Park, Mourinho said he wants the 31-year-old to stay, adding it could not be guaranteed because he will not keep unhappy players.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39157293
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Why tomato is the world's favoured fruit - BBC News
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2017-03-03
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Production of tomatoes dwarfs all our other favourites. Dr Michael Mosley explains the science behind its popularity.
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Health
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If you were asked to name the world's favourite fruit, the tomato may not be the one that comes to mind. But yes - it is a fruit, and yes - more tomatoes are produced globally than any other fruit. Here, Dr Michael Mosley explains the science behind its popularity.
Some people claim that the mango is the most popular fruit in the world, on the grounds that they are eaten in more countries than any other fruit.
From Asia to the Americas, people avidly consume them, not just as a sweet dessert, but in chutneys, ice cream and even cereal. They are certainly enormously popular in countries like India and China, with over 43m tonnes of mangoes being grown every year.
But if you measure popularity in terms of worldwide production, they are way behind the apple, and even further behind the banana.
There are over 100m tonnes of bananas produced every year, with India being the top producer.
In the UK we eat more than five billion every year, most of which are a type called the Cavendish banana.
This was first cultivated and grown in Britain at Chatsworth house, an English stately home in the Peak District, by head gardener Joseph Paxton.
He named them Musa cavendishii, after his employers, the Cavendishes. Cavendish bananas are still grown in hothouses on the estate and eaten by the owners and their guests.
But dwarfing all other fruits is something we may not immediately think of as a fruit: the tomato.
Cooked or raw, as a sauce, a juice or a paste, the tomato is incredibly popular. With at least 170m tonnes of tomatoes being produced every year, the tomato tops even the mighty banana.
Most people think of the tomato as a vegetable, but technically it is a fruit because it has seeds, which puts it in the same botanical class as a berry.
Tomatoes were first introduced to Europe by the Spanish, who brought them back from the Americas.
The Aztecs, who cultivated and grew them, called them tomatl. This gave rise to the Spanish word "tomate", from which we get the English word tomato.
La Tomatina is called the "biggest food fight in the world"
There was, initially, considerable resistance to eating tomatoes in Britain.
One of the first people to grow them was a 16th Century barber-surgeon called John Gerard. His book, Gerard's Herbal, describes them as beautiful but poisonous.
These days, of course, tomatoes are seen as a healthy food choice.
They are low in calories and rich in vitamin C, potassium, folate and vitamin K.
They also contain lots of a powerful antioxidant called lycopene, which has been linked to a number of health benefits, including reducing the risk of heart disease and some cancers. There is even some evidence that consuming tomato paste (which is particularly rich in lycopenes) can protect your skin against sunburn.
But it's not the lycopene content that tickles our taste buds. It's the fact that they have a strong umami flavour.
Umami is a Japanese word that translates as "pleasant savoury taste". It is one of only five tastes that our tongues can detect. The others are bitter, sour, sweet and salty.
Umami is hard to describe, but you know it when you experience it.
It is an earthy flavour that you are more likely to associate with meat than a fruit.
If you add umami flavouring to something like soup, it makes the soup taste thicker, more substantial.
Lots of foods have a umami component, including, surprisingly, human breast milk. But the fruit that is richest in umami is the tomato.
For my new BBC2 series, The Secrets of Your Food, I decided to extract the pure umami flavour from tomatoes by chopping some up, then spinning them in a centrifuge.
I then filtered out the obvious lumps and simmered what remained to concentrate the taste. I was left with a clear fluid that no longer smelt "tomatoey" at all.
Instead it tasted salty, earthy, meaty. What my tongue sensed when I sipped that fluid was a substance called glutamate.
Glutamate is an amino acid, one of the building blocks of protein. And protein is essential to the building and running of every cell in our bodies.
Whenever you eat a food that contains glutamate, the glutamate molecules in the food trigger special receptors on your tongue. This then sends a signal to your brain which registers that taste as being "umami".
So, when you bite into a tomato or savour the taste of tomato paste on your pizza, what your taste buds are really doing is telling you is to eat this food because it is rich in glutamate, which will help keep you healthy and strong.
And that, I think, helps explain the tomato's universal popularity.
The Secrets of Your Food continues on BBC2 at 2100GMT on Friday 3rd March .
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• None BBC Two - The Secrets of Your Food
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-39139660
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Dubai Championships: Andy Murray beats Philipp Kohlschreiber to reach semi-finals - BBC Sport
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2017-03-03
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Andy Murray saves seven match points in a 31-minute tie-break before beating Philipp Kohlschreiber in the Dubai Championships.
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Andy Murray saved seven match points in a 31-minute second-set tie-break before beating Philipp Kohlschreiber in the Dubai Championships quarter-finals.
The world number one needed eight set points to edge the German 20-18 in the tie-break and level the match.
No men's tour-level match has featured a tie-break with more than 38 points since 1991 - six have finished 20-18.
Murray then raced to victory in only 30 minutes in the final set to win 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (20-18) 6-1.
• None Djokovic knocked out by Kyrgios in Mexico
The Briton, who said he had "never played a tie-break like that in my life", will face number seven seed Lucas Pouille in the last four on Friday.
Fernando Verdasco and Robin Haase will meet in the other last-four tie.
Murray, who is playing his first tournament since his fourth-round defeat at the Australian Open in January, looked out of sorts in the first set and served two double faults as he lost the tie-break 7-4.
The 29-year-old broke early in the second and seemed to be cruising, but Kohlschreiber, who was scoring consistently with his forehand, had other ideas and broke back as the Scot served for the set.
It was the German who faltered first in the tie-break and Murray had four set points before Kohlschreiber went ahead at 9-8.
A stubborn Murray played some inspired tennis to stay in the match, including a stunning cross-court drop shot to save the first match point, while the German sent numerous groundstrokes wide on further chances to secure the match.
In the end Murray was able to capitalise on Kohlschreiber's wastefulness to level.
Kohlschreiber capitulated in the final set as Murray broke twice to race to victory in a set that lasted a minute less than the second set tie-break.
"I've never played a tie-break like that ever, not in juniors, nothing has been close to that," said Murray. "I'll probably never play another one like that again. I've been playing on the tour for 11, 12 years now and nothing, nothing's been close to that."
'It was a special match to win'
Murray lost to world number 50 Mischa Zverev at the Australian Open having been beaten by Novak Djokovic in the final of the Qatar Open at the beginning of January.
The three-time Grand Slam winner said the manner of his victory over Kohlschreiber would give him "a lot of confidence".
He said: "They can be very important matches to get through. I could have easily lost tonight, but the way I played when I was behind will give me a lot of confidence after what was a tough start to the year. I want to keep that going now, it was a special match to win because of how it went."
In a tie-break players must change ends every six points, but Murray, Kohlschreiber and the umpire forgot to do so at 15-15.
Murray added: "I realised at 16-16, the umpire said he forgot and the machine didn't recognise it, I do not know if the machines are made to go that high, it doesn't happen every often."
Kohlschreiber said: "Of course losing is always disappointing, but I'm not sad. I think I played great tennis, one of my best matches. You can be thinking about one or two shots, but it was just a great match. It's well-deserved, he's a great fighter, he never gave up."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/39145681
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Fernando Torres: Atletico Madrid striker leaves hospital after head injury - BBC Sport
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2017-03-03
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Atletico Madrid striker Fernando Torres is discharged from hospital after having tests on the head injury he suffered in a match on Thursday.
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Last updated on .From the section European Football
Atletico Madrid striker Fernando Torres has been discharged from hospital after having tests on the head injury he suffered in Thursday's 1-1 draw with Deportivo La Coruna.
The 32-year-old spent the night in hospital after falling heavily in an aerial challenge with Alex Bergantinos.
Atletico confirmed scans showed he has "no traumatic alterations or injuries" and will need to rest for 48 hours.
Torres said: "Thank you all for caring for me. It was only a scare."
After former Liverpool and Chelsea striker Torres' injury in the 85th minute, players from both teams immediately rushed to him and called for medical help.
He was assisted for several minutes by doctors before being taken off on a stretcher and transferred to a hospital.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39150976
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Alistair Brownlee: 'I may not compete at Olympics again' - BBC Sport
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2017-03-03
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Double Olympic champion Alistair Brownlee says he may not return to triathlon for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics but is not ruling it out.
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Double Olympic champion Alistair Brownlee says he may not return to triathlon for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The World Triathlon Series starts in Abu Dhabi on Friday but Brownlee, 28, is not racing as he prepares to step up to the longer half-Ironman distance.
The Yorkshireman claimed triathlon gold at Rio 2016, defending his title from London 2012.
"There's a chance I could never be at an Olympic Games again but to say I'll never do it is impossible," he said.
"The Olympic Games are just fantastic and I'd definitely love to be there but the course in Tokyo is going to play a big part in terms of whether I feel I can go there and win.
"It's going to be a case of sitting down at the end of 2018 and weighing it up - am I enjoying the long distance stuff? Am I still able to be competitive enough to win a medal in Tokyo?"
Brownlee will once again look to win the Leeds leg of the World Series on 11 June, but that is his only confirmed race so far this season, while brother and Rio silver medallist Jonny begins his campaign from the second race in the Gold Coast on 8 April.
For the rest of the year, Alistair Brownlee will combine standard Olympic length events - 1.5km swim, 40km on the bike and 10km run - with half Ironman distance competitions, also referred to as Ironman 70.3 in reference to the total number of miles covered.
He added that the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in September is an "obvious" target as he builds up to the full Ironman distance, which he says has always been on his "bucket list".
"Ironman has got to be one of those things you always want to do - it's like the London or Boston marathon of triathlon," he added.
The two-time gold medallist added that his Rio 2016 win was slightly marred by the absence of long-term rival and London 2012 silver medallist Javier Gomez, who withdrew from the Games after breaking his elbow in a cycling accident.
"It definitely took a bit away from my gold in Rio that Gomez wasn't there," said Brownlee.
"You want to be there in your best shape and race the best athletes in their best shape - we were fortunate to have that in London and it would have been fantastic to have had that in Rio as well but what happened happened.
"But on that day, on that course, I'm fairly confident I'd have had him anyway."
With Gomez, 33, back from that injury, Brownlee expects the Spaniard to challenge for the World Series title, alongside compatriot and current champion Mario Mola, 27.
And the older Brownlee expects Jonny, 26, to complete the podium and says his brother could claim the title with "a bit of luck and a fair wind behind him".
Alistair Brownlee says he may have been "bored" returning to World Series racing, having experienced the "same kind of racing against basically the same people for the last 10 years".
However, he adds that he is motivated by his new goals, which could include competing in 10,000m running races and the marathon.
"I now have an opportunity to try these other things without hurting my chances if I do decide I want to compete in four years in Tokyo," he said.
"I thought about a lot of things after Rio. I definitely want to run a marathon and that might be in the not too distant future.
"The other obvious thing is cycling and trying to make a wholehearted jump into being a professional cyclist but although that's possible, I'm very aware that in that arena and in running, I can be good and get to a level where I could be professional, but never to a level where I can win stuff.
"I still feel like I want to be the best at what I'm doing so that's why I'm choosing things I feel like I can win."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/triathlon/39146954
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MI6 takes to silver screen to recruit unlikely spies - BBC News
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2017-03-03
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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In cinemas from Monday, the Secret Intelligence Service has created its first recruitment advert.
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UK
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The cinema advert is the first in the service's history
Cinemagoers may think they already know what it takes to be a spy.
Generations of James Bond fans have cheered 007 as he shoots and sleeps his way through a world of sinister villains and exotic women.
The image is hi-tech, violent, romantic and more than a little cynical.
It's a world-beating brand, but one today's spymasters are doing their best to keep at arm's length.
And so, for the first time, MI6, officially known as the Secret Intelligence Service, is taking on the Bond image on 007's home turf - the silver screen.
On Monday, MI6 launches its first ever cinema advert, aimed at attracting different types of candidate.
A young woman of ethnically indeterminate background is shown demonstrating people skills and emotional intelligence in a range of everyday situations. This woman, we're told, does not work for MI6.
"But she could," the advert concludes.
Steely-eyed, white male killers, it seems, need not apply.
"There is a perception out there that we want [Bond actor] Daniel Craig, or Daniel Craig on steroids," the SIS' current head of recruitment told the Guardian.
"He would not get into MI6," says the recruitment chief, identified only as Sarah.
Recruiters have long worried about the pervasiveness of the image first portrayed in the pages of Ian Fleming's novels and then seared into public consciousness via the biggest movie franchise of all time.
The aim of the advert is to wean the public off this grotesquely misleading stereotype.
According to the accompanying press release, the advert aims "to attract people who rule themselves out of a career in MI6 based on their misconceptions about the agency."
It sounds like a long shot, but those behind it seem optimistic.
"The whole point," Sarah says, "is about getting people who would never, ever think of joining."
"People tend to deselect themselves," adds Mark, head of HR. "We want to prevent that. We want the service to be representative, but also to draw in the capabilities of the workforce at large."
It's part of a continuing drive to recruit from the widest, most diverse cross-section of society, with a particular focus on women and ethnic minorities, both still under represented in the service.
Another aspect of new effort sees a return of the old "tap on the shoulder" method employed for decades, mostly in the cloisters of Oxford and Cambridge universities.
But if the method will be the same, the locations will be different.
"Diverse organisations," is how Mark puts it, without elaborating.
Some say that the agency's elite image may be punctured by the revelation that a 2:2 degree will make you eligible. Mark says work experience in other sectors is sometimes just as important as a good degree.
Other recruiting tactics display a little playfully appropriate subterfuge to seek out those with interpersonal skills and the ability to influence people.
Unbranded fliers invite you to click on goodwithpeople.uk and take a series of tests. Only those who succeed in the online games find out that they have what it takes for a life in the intelligence services.
This correspondent scored well on the "emotion detector", but not so well on the "human polygraph". And when it came to the "mind changer," I failed a text message exercise designed to persuade a friend to attend a surprise party.
I have not been invited to join MI6.
The advert will run for a month, in cinemas in London, the West Midlands and north west England, partly reflecting the sort of urban areas recruiters look to but also the fact that MI6 can't afford a nationwide release.
And will it be shown in cinemas where Bond or similar spy capers are showing?
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39157473
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Fernando Torres: Former Liverpool & Chelsea striker recovering after injury 'fright' - BBC Sport
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2017-03-03
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Fernando Torres says he had a "a fright", after being hospitalised by a head injury whilst playing for Atletico Madrid against Deportivo La Coruna.
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Former Liverpool and Chelsea striker Fernando Torres says he had "a fright" after being hospitalised by a head injury while playing for Atletico Madrid against Deportivo La Coruna.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39159884
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David Haye v Tony Bellew: Fighters argue at news conference - BBC Sport
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2017-03-03
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David Haye says he will provide "a real destruction job" against Tony Bellew on Saturday, who says he wants to win "by any means necessary".
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David Haye says he will provide "a real destruction job" against Tony Bellew on Saturday, who says he wants to win "by any means necessary".
Listen to live coverage on BBC Radio 5 live on Saturday 4 March from 2200 GMT.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/39147400
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European Indoor Athletics: Andrew Pozzi wins 60m hurdles gold - BBC Sport
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2017-03-03
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Briton Andrew Pozzi wins gold in the 60m hurdles at the European Indoor Athletics Championships in Belgrade.
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Last updated on .From the section Athletics
Coverage: Watch live on BBC Two, Connected TV, Red Button and the BBC Sport website.
Briton Andrew Pozzi won gold in the 60m hurdles at the European Indoor Athletics Championships in Belgrade.
The 24-year-old claimed his first European indoor title in a time of 7.51 seconds.
France's defending champion Pascal Martinot-Lagarde took silver, with Czech Petr Svoboda in third.
"It was a scrappy race so I really had to work hard to get back after a slow start but I'm really happy," Pozzi told BBC Sport.
Pozzi, who qualified fastest for the final, trailed out of the blocks before surging back to edge out Martinot-Lagarde by 0.01secs.
"At halfway I thought 'I'm not losing this one' and just gave everything and gave a big dip on the line," said the Stratford upon Avon hurdler .
"It was closer than I would have liked but I got there in the end."
• None Read more: Doyle misses out on final but Muir makes two
In winning Great Britain's first gold medal of the championships, Pozzi also became the first Briton to win the men's 60m hurdles title since the last of Colin Jackson's three victories in 2002.
"Forget the time, he's got the title," said BBC Sport pundit Jackson, who holds the world record at the event of 7.30 seconds.
"He fought his way through and showed he is a true champion, that is the most important thing. He will be full of confidence, relieved and happy."
Germany's Cindy Roleder won gold in the women's 60m hurdles final, ahead of Alina Talay of Belarus and compatriot Pamela Dutkiewicz.
'I never thought I'd get here'
After pulling up with a hamstring injury at the London 2012 Olympics, Pozzi endured several years of chronic foot injuries, having had several operations on both feet.
He missed out on qualifying for the Rio 2016 110m hurdles final but has been in impressive form this year, running a personal best indoor time of 7.43 seconds at the Birmingham Indoor Grand Prix in February.
"It has been a long old road and I wasn't sure I'd ever get to the level I wanted to be at so to win with grit and determination, I'm over the moon," he said.
"This is the first championships I've come into with a good amount of work behind me and I felt really confident - to feel like I'm starting to get there means everything, it makes it worth it."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/39160075
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Reality Check: Did the government protect police funding? - BBC News
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2017-03-03
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The Minister for Policing says police budgets have been protected, but not all areas have benefited equally.
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UK
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The claim: Failing police forces have "no excuse" because their budgets have been protected.
Reality Check verdict: Overall the police budget in England and Wales has been protected in real terms, but not every individual force will feel the benefit because the money is being targeted at specialist areas of policing. This relatively small funding boost comes off the back of five years of deep cuts.
In 2015, the government announced that overall police budgets would be protected. This meant the amount of money the police receive from the government would increase each year in line with inflation for the following five years.
The Minister for Policing, Brandon Lewis, flagged this in response to a report by the independent inspector of police forces, which found a "worrying" variation in the quality of policing across England and Wales, despite improvements overall.
Police funding in Scotland is devolved and Northern Ireland has different funding arrangements so they were not included in the report.
The report was compiled by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) and Mr Lewis said: "This Government has protected police funding, through the 2015 Spending Review.
"There can be no excuse for any force that fails to deliver on its obligations - those identified as inadequate or requiring improvement must take HMIC's findings very seriously and I expect to see rapid improvements."
The inspectorate had warned that some police forces were "struggling to respond to shrinking resources".
It is true to say that the overall policing budget was protected in real terms in 2015 but this figure disguises some regional variation. Part of the £900m extra funding over the following five years is going on specific areas of policing like cybercrime and tackling child sexual exploitation which are often dealt with regionally, so not every individual force will see the benefit of this uplift.
A Home Office statement at the time of the announcement said that it would provide funding to maintain individual police force budgets at current cash levels. Not every police force will necessarily receive enough money to keep up with inflation.
Spending on policing had been rising steadily for at least 15 years until austerity cuts began to kick in from 2010. It rose particularly rapidly in the 10 years to this date, going up by more than 30%.
Following the 2008 crash and the swathe of cuts to public spending that followed, the part of police forces' budgets that are paid for by central government shrunk by 22% on average.
Before the 2015 announcement there was already regional variation. This is in large part because of the two main ways policing is funded: through a grant from central government and council tax.
Different areas rely to different extents on the central government grant; for example last year Northumbria and the West Midlands police forces raised 12% of their revenue through council tax while Surrey raised almost half (49%) of its revenue in this way.
This often corresponds to how well-off an area is - generally poorer areas have lower tax takes and rely more on government grants. As these grants have reduced, a larger proportion of budgets is coming from council tax. Since the grant was cut by the same percentage around the country, areas that lean most heavily on central government money, and are the least able to raise money through council tax, will have felt those cuts most sharply.
You can see this in the real-term reductions to funding in different police forces. Between 2010 and 2016 Northumbria suffered a 23% cut while in Surrey it was only 12%.
The areas that raised funding by the smallest amount during the previous good years have also experienced the biggest cuts in the lean years.
However, it is also worth noting that the variation in quality raised in the HMIC report does not correspond directly to how much budgets have been cut. Bedfordshire, the only force to be rated inadequate, experienced a cut over the last five years that was about average for the country - a 17% fall compared with a fall of 18% across England and Wales.
Durham, the only force to be rated outstanding, suffered an above average 20% cut.
Of course, simply comparing budget cuts to performance does not take account of demographic differences and crime levels.
So while it is true to say that policing is being protected at least to some extent, this comes off the back of five years of deep cuts - cuts which feel larger relative to large increases in spending in the preceding years.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39144620
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'We were nine round the table, now I am the only one' - BBC News
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2017-03-03
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The Imperial War Museum is marking its centenary with its first exhibits - the letters and photos of dead soldiers.
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Education & Family
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Clarence Chessum survived only a few weeks on the front and left behind two children
If you think of the Imperial War Museum as a place full of tanks, interactive displays and a Spitfire hanging above an exhibition hall - its beginnings were very different. As the museum marks its centenary, it is making public the very personal mementoes in its first collection.
"Dear sir, I have sent some of the incidents of my dear son's life. Have no relics. You may find a use for them. His loss can never be made up. Was almost always with us.
"We were nine round the table, now I am only one.
"Excuse me troubling you with all this but it's life as it is."
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The Imperial War Museum is marking its centenary by showcasing some early exhibits
The letter was from Sarah Chessum, a mother whose son had been killed in the trenches of the World War One in March 1917.
She was responding to a call from a new type of museum being created as a memorial for a war still being fought.
That museum, now the Imperial War Museum, is celebrating its centenary by making some of these earliest items public for the first time.
The museum began by asking for personal keepsakes of soldiers who had died - such as last letters, photographs or personal items - with the request printed on ration books.
It was as much a memorial shrine as a museum, with bereaved relatives such as Sarah Chessum hand-delivering or posting these poignant items.
Charlotte Czyzyk, a World War One historian at the museum, says even a century later these letters are "heartbreaking".
Sarah's son, Clarence, had left for France in January 1917, and barely eight weeks later he was dead.
He was aged 37, a bookbinder from north London, a slight figure of 5ft 3in, who had left two children.
Joy Hunter met Stalin at the Potsdam Conference in 1945 and gathered pieces of Hitler's desk
Another letter came from Gilbert Salisbury, a Canadian soldier who survived the War, but whose wife had died in 1918 from Spanish flu.
"The end of the War means for the world at large peace and happiness, where it means for me desolation and sorrow," he wrote, in his contribution to the museum.
Thousands of families sent in pictures and letters - stored at the museum's first location, in Crystal Palace, in south London.
Weapons and equipment were also collected - with the very first acquisition a lifebuoy from the Lusitania, a liner sunk by a German submarine in 1915.
The idea of creating a museum in 1917 reflected the need to respond to the unprecedented scale of the conflict.
"There was still no end in sight for the War," says Ms Czyzyk.
While the War was still being fought, items were gathered from the front
The previous year had seen the monumental battles of the Somme on land and Jutland at sea.
There was conscription, and more women were going into work. The War was touching every part of society.
"This was a type of war that had never been seen before," says Ms Czyzyk.
The war museum would be a form of memorial, and its building blocks would be the stories and pictures of ordinary families caught up in these extraordinary events.
"They're saying, 'This was my boy, I'd like you to have this photograph to help remember him.' That would have been a really big thing for that family," says Ms Czyzyk.
A lifebuoy from the Lusitania was an early acquisition
Millions visited the museum in Crystal Palace and then in South Kensington. And then in 1936, the museum moved to its current home in Lambeth - in a building previously occupied by the Bethlem Hospital for the mentally ill.
At the outbreak of the World War Two, the museum's collection had its own call-up, with some "historic' weapons on display pressed back into action.
The modern Imperial War Museum group includes one of the wartime nerve centres - the Cabinet War Rooms, where Winston Churchill worked underground while London faced Nazi air raids.
The museum's collection of war objects was headed by a lifebuoy from the Lusitania
Joy Hunter worked as a secretary in this underground communications centre - and as well as the fog of war, she had to contend with the fog of Churchill's cigars.
Now aged 91, she remembers the strange subterranean world, where an evening could end with the staff watching a film with Churchill, in his pyjamas and drinking whisky, in a makeshift cinema.
"We found him very affable to civilians - other people will tell you different stories - but he was always very pleasant to us and would say stop and say good morning or whatever," she says.
"I've a feeling that it was a relief for him to have civilians, perhaps it made him feel more normal."
Millions of visitors came to see the war relics put on show in Crystal Palace
She remembers how difficult it was to keep the prime minister underground during air raids, when he wanted to go up on to the rooftops to watch.
Mrs Hunter says it is hard for people now to understand how they worked - "in total war and total secrecy and total silence".
Mrs Hunter typed the battle orders for D-Day and on the defeat of the Nazis, she flew to the Potsdam conference where Churchill met Soviet leader Joseph Stalin and US president Harry Truman.
She got to meet the Soviet leader in person.
"I kept very quiet about shaking Stalin's hand because I thought people might think it wasn't quite the thing to have done," she says.
The museum collected war equipment - some of which was put back into action in World War Two
"I can say it now without blushing too much."
But the appalling conditions in Berlin left her "stunned".
The city was filled with the "stench of death", she says, with the population looking like "zombies" and begging for food.
She had seen the damage from air raids on London, but Berlin was much worse.
She went to the victory parade in the city, but took no pleasure from it.
"I felt very awkward. I didn't feel very victorious at all. I just thought this is horrendous," she says.
Joy Hunter was at the Potsdam conference, where Churchill met Stalin and Truman
Mrs Hunter brought home part of the shattered city - in pieces of marble from Hitler's desk, which she had found in the ruins of the Nazi leader's chancellery.
Her own memories are now the stuff of museum displays - but she says anyone looking back should not glorify war.
"Of course, we should remember, but you can't live in the past," she says.
"We should remember and take it with us and make sure that it doesn't happen again. But who knows?"
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-39106819
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David Haye edgy but Tony Bellew must be perfect to win in London - BBC Sport
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2017-03-04
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BBC Sport's boxing correspondent talks about an on-edge David Haye, Tony Bellew's challenge and Amir Khan's surprise.
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Coverage: Full commentary on BBC Radio 5 live and live text updates on the BBC Sport website.
David Haye has rarely been one to conform.
Before commentating on his first world-title success in November 2007, I remember wandering into the lobby of the hotel in Paris where we were both staying to see Haye lounging around, talking to friends.
It was late Saturday afternoon and the biggest occasion of his career at that stage - against the Frenchman Jean-Marc Mormeck - was just hours away.
Frank (now Kellie) Maloney, his then promoter, was concerned about Haye's attitude. "I wish he would just go to his room and relax," Frank said to me.
Rest and solitude might have been prescribed for most boxers but Haye never read the copybook.
• None Listen to Costello and Bunce on 5 live's boxing podcast
In beating Mormeck, a man who had lost only once in the previous decade, Haye produced one of the greatest wins by a British boxer in a foreign ring.
Two years later, he gave away seven stone in weight and made the Russian beanstalk Nikolai Valuev chase shadows in Nuremberg to add a version of the world heavyweight crown to his cruiserweight glories.
Previously, only Evander Holyfield had won world titles in both divisions. And Haye won each of his away from home.
Back then, his ability to revile took root. His comments at news conferences and other promotional events were as disgusting as his ringside analysis was erudite. Social media platforms were unborn or in their infancy but still he got his vulgarity across.
Judging by his attitude in the build-up to the Tony Bellew fight this weekend, the persona endures. But in attempting to rattle Bellew, Haye himself has lost at least a semblance of control.
He complained after Monday's news conference in Liverpool about some of the abuse he was subjected to by the hundreds of Bellew fans in attendance. Having promised to "cave someone's skull in", there was little room for objection when the fire was returned.
A sub-plot on Saturday is the daunting challenge facing the trainers, both of whom are coming off defeat in a world title fight. Shane McGuigan was in the corner when Carl Frampton was beaten by Leo Santa Cruz in their rematch in January. Dave Coldwell has suffered reverses with Gavin McDonnell and heavyweight David Price in a three-week spell.
The careers of McGuigan and Coldwell will continue after Haye and Bellew have departed the scene but the result on Saturday will help shape how they are regarded.
Part of the trainers' role will be to moderate emotions and limit the red-mist tendencies. But whatever the guidance from the corner, the most important factor relates to how much of Haye the fighter, the calculated practitioner who beat Mormeck and Valuev, remains.
In almost five years, Haye has been involved in only two fights, against non-league opposition, lasting a total of less than seven minutes. In the same period, Bellew's log shows 13 fights and 113 rounds.
For all that, the fight has the feel of last year's showdown in Las Vegas between Amir Khan and the Mexican Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez, when Khan was knocked out savagely in the sixth round.
We tried to make a case for the underdog but the evidence against him was overwhelming. And Bellew is quoted at even longer odds than Khan was back then.
McGuigan has indicated that Haye might weigh in lighter than Bellew, suggesting an attempt to rekindle the blazes of old. The adage tells us that the last asset a fighter loses is the power of his punch. Perhaps… but he does lose the ability to land it.
Even so, Haye only has to get it right once. Bellew must get it right all night.
Momentum is building around a showdown between Khan and WBO world welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao. Khan was BBC Radio 5 live's big fight summariser alongside me in Vegas recently when Frampton was outpointed by Santa Cruz.
That night, Khan was adamant that his next fight would be a relatively low-key affair because he wanted to test the right hand on which he had surgery after the Alvarez defeat last May.
But the money and the prestige of a showdown against Pacquiao make an offer difficult to refuse. I watched them train together in making a documentary about Pacquiao for BBC World Service in 2010. At the time, the Filipino was preparing for a light-middleweight title fight against Mexican Antonio Margarito and Khan was among the sparring partners.
Pacquiao beat Margarito emphatically and Khan went on to outpoint Argentina's Marcos Maidana in Vegas shortly afterwards for one of the most impressive victories of his career.
More recently, Pacquiao has recovered from his defeat against Floyd Mayweather almost two years ago to beat Americans Timothy Bradley and Jessie Vargas. At 38, he might well be fading but Pacquiao is still better than most. And those performances since May 2015 serve to endorse the greatness of Mayweather.
The critics continue to carp about Mayweather's credentials and a record supposedly padded with carefully-chosen fall-guys. Yet consider what Puerto Rico's Miguel Cotto, Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez and Pacquiao have gone on to achieve after losing to him and the arguments descend into nonsense.
Fighting talk is decades in the making
We launched a new "5 Live Boxing" podcast this week, with me and long-time ally Steve Bunce in union. It is 42 years this week since we first appeared together on a junior club show in Streatham, south-east London, at a boxing hotbed called The Cat's Whiskers.
We both lost but a lifelong passion was being battered into us. Also on the bill was Sammy Reeson, who 10 years later became the first holder of the British title in the new cruiserweight division.
Among my future opponents was Jim McDonnell, who later took the legendary Ghanaian Azumah Nelson into the 12th round of a world title fight and now trains the British world super-middleweight champion James DeGale. Jim beat me on points and never granted me a rematch. Strangely, I never complained.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/39122111
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Liverpool 3-1 Arsenal - BBC Sport
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2017-03-04
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Liverpool secure a vital advantage over Arsenal in the battle for a place in the Premier League’s top four with a well-deserved win at Anfield.
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Last updated on .From the section Football
Liverpool secured a vital advantage over Arsenal in the battle for a place in the Premier League's top four with a well-deserved win at Anfield.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger gambled by leaving Alexis Sanchez - his leading scorer with 17 Premier League goals - on the bench but the ploy failed miserably as Liverpool took control by the break.
Roberto Firmino's far-post finish put Liverpool ahead after nine minutes and Sadio Mane confirmed their superiority with an emphatic strike just before half-time.
Sanchez, predictably, emerged as a substitute at the start of the second half and set up a goal for Danny Welbeck that gave Arsenal hope but Georginio Wijnaldum struck on the break deep into injury-time to seal Liverpool's win.
Liverpool are now up to third, level with Manchester City on 52 points - but Arsenal are now in fifth trailing that pair by two points.
Arsenal and Arsene Wenger had so much riding on this game - a meeting where they knew defeat would leave them outside the Premier League's top four.
It made his decision to leave his most dangerous attacker Sanchez on the bench totally inexplicable, Wenger's tactical ploy backfiring badly as Liverpool assumed control in those crucial first 45 minutes.
Brave or desperate? Or a touch of both? Either way it was consigned to the dustbin at the interval.
Wenger preferred the physicality and aerial threat of Olivier Giroud and Danny Welbeck but Arsenal's failure to arrive in any attacking positions in the first half totally negated any impact he hoped they would have.
The folly of Wenger's selection was further exposed by the manner in which Sanchez transformed Arsenal's approach when he emerged as a substitute, setting up Welbeck's goal - although the Chilean's energy levels dried up as the half went on.
Wenger's decisions will come under the closest scrutiny as speculation continues about his future, and if Arsenal miss out on the Champions League failed moves like this will understandably be portrayed in an unflattering light.
Sanchez's demeanour at the final whistle told the tale. As Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp celebrated with his backroom team, he offered the briefest of gestures to Arsenal's fans before going straight down the tunnel.
Read more:Wenger 'strong enough' to deal with decision to drop Sanchez
Liverpool have faltered badly against the Premier League's strugglers, losing and performing dismally in defeat at Hull City and Leicester City - who were both in the bottom three when those games kicked off.
Klopp, however, has mastered the art of overcoming Liverpool's closest rivals and this may yet be the key to achieving the top four place that was the goal before the start of the season.
Klopp's record against Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham is highly impressive and this victory leaves his team with seven wins, eight draws and one defeat from 16 league games.
This was not a vintage Liverpool performance, but the energy and creation shown here was in stark contrast to that shown at the King Power Stadium on Monday and more akin to the recent 2-0 win against Spurs here at Anfield.
Liverpool were helped by Philippe Coutinho's best display since he returned from a seven-week absence with an ankle injury, while Ragnar Klavan offered a more physical defensive presence than Lucas, dropped after the Leicester debacle.
This result keeps Liverpool in the shake-up for a Champions League place - but also underscores why they have collapsed in the title race.
Results against your closest rivals, while desirable, are not enough on their own.
Wijnaldum the man for the big occasion
Quietly and without fuss, Wijnaldum is having a fine impact at Liverpool in his first season since his £25m move from Newcastle United.
He operates in the shadow of more eye-catching players such as Coutinho, Adam Lallana and Firmino, but he is missed when he is not playing and contributes vital goals when he does.
Wijnaldum scored the winner against Manchester City, the equaliser against Chelsea and the vital third goal here. The man for the big occasion.
Liverpool unbeaten in nine against top six
• None Liverpool are unbeaten in their nine Premier League games this season against the current top six (W5 D4).
• None Arsenal haven't won any of their last 11 Premier League away games against the other teams currently in the top six (W0 D5 L6).
• None The Gunners find themselves outside the Premier League top four at the end of a day for the first time since 13 January.
• None Sadio Mané has both scored and assisted in four Premier League games this season, more than any other player.
• None Alexis Sanchez has been directly involved in a league-high 26 goals in his 26 Premier League games this season, scoring 17 and assisting nine.
• None The Liverpool v Arsenal fixture in the Premier League has produced 17 90+ minute goals, more than any other Premier League game.
'Simon Mignolet saved our lives' - what they said
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp: "It was one of the best games we have played so far because of the strength of our opponent.
"We did really well. We had hard words after the defeat at Leicester. We analysed it and that wasn't enjoyable.
"We had another opportunity and we took it today. It's the rollercoaster of the Premier League.
"All of them played a fantastic game. When we are compact it's fantastic. Adam Lallana can come out of the formation and trigger something. Being compact and stable is the basis of each good display.
"We knew Arsenal would bounce back in the second half. Alexis Sanchez is the highest quality player and plays different to Danny Welbeck. Simon Mignolet saved our lives.
"It's important to go back to fourth above Arsenal. We really felt bad last week, we needed a few days to understand what happened."
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger: "Our performance was not at the level we expect in the first half but that is down to a lack of rhythm, we have not played for a while.
"The collective response was very strong in the second half."
Liverpool have over a week to recover before they host Burnley on Sunday, 12 March in the Premier League.
But Arsenal have no such luck. They welcome Bayern Munich to the Emirates for the second leg of their last-16 Champions League tie on Tuesday, 7 March with a 5-1 deficit to turn around.
And on Saturday, 11 March they play Lincoln in the FA Cup sixth round.
• None Goal! Liverpool 3, Arsenal 1. Georginio Wijnaldum (Liverpool) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Divock Origi following a fast break.
• None Attempt blocked. Alexis Sánchez (Arsenal) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Alex Iwobi.
• None Attempt blocked. Lucas Pérez (Arsenal) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
• None Offside, Liverpool. Ragnar Klavan tries a through ball, but Sadio Mané is caught offside.
• None Attempt missed. Roberto Firmino (Liverpool) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by James Milner with a cross following a corner.
• None Divock Origi (Liverpool) hits the right post with a header from the centre of the box. Assisted by James Milner with a cross following a set piece situation.
• None Attempt missed. Shkodran Mustafi (Arsenal) header from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain with a cross following a set piece situation. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39086717
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Andy Murray beats Lucas Pouille to reach Dubai Championships final - BBC Sport
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2017-03-04
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Andy Murray beats France's Lucas Pouille in straight sets to reach the final of the Dubai Championships for the second time.
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Last updated on .From the section Tennis
Britain's Andy Murray beat Frenchman Lucas Pouille 7-5 6-1 to reach his second Dubai Championships final.
The world number one, who was involved in a 31-minute tie-break in his quarter-final, struggled in the first set against seventh seed Pouille.
The pair broke each other twice before Murray took the set after 68 minutes with his third break.
The final set was a one-sided affair as the Scot set up a meeting with Fernando Verdasco in Saturday's final.
Murray has now reached seven finals in his last eight tournaments and Dubai is his 14th final in his last 16 events.
"It was tough and I made a lot of mistakes," Murray said. "But there was some good stuff in there.
"I think potentially the match yesterday had something to do with that - sometimes if your legs are a little bit tired, the serve is one of the first things that goes.
"As the match went on, I started serving a bit better and that helped me."
Murray, 29, is into his second final of the year but has never won the title in Dubai, losing to Roger Federer in his previous final appearance in 2012.
Playing his first tournament since his fourth-round defeat at the Australian Open in January, the Scot could extend his lead at the top of the world rankings with victory on Saturday.
However, Murray is wary of the threat posed by world number 35 Verdasco, who beat him in the 2009 Australian Open.
"This week he's had some good wins," Murray said. "Where the balls are fairly heavy here on a quick court, he can generate a lot of power, he can control the ball.
"And when he's dictating the points, he's one of the best in the world at doing that."
World number two Novak Djokovic was knocked out of the Mexico Open quarter-finals in straight sets by Australian Nick Kyrgios on Thursday.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/39157834
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How much should you save per month for a decent pension? - BBC Three
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2017-03-04
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Many of us spend hundreds a month on travelling to work but don't put away much of the money we earn once we get there. So how much should we be saving for our twilight years?
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How much should you save per month for a decent pension?
Many of us spend hundreds a month on travelling to work but don't put away much of the money we earn once we get there. So how much should we be saving for our twilight years?
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/item/75f8c611-664e-497b-a411-e11e67ea5de7?intc_type=promo&intc_location=news&intc_campaign=pensionsavings&intc_linkname=bbcthree_fac_vidclip1
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Manchester United 1-1 Bournemouth - BBC Sport
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2017-03-04
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Two unsavoury incidents involving Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Tyrone Mings overshadow Manchester United's draw against Bournemouth in the Premier League.
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Last updated on .From the section Football
Manchester United remained sixth in the Premier League with a draw against 10-man Bournemouth in a match that had two unpleasant incidents involving Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Tyrone Mings.
Both occurred towards the end of the first half after the players had earlier been warned by referee Kevin Friend for an off-the-ball incident.
You have the TV, you can see the images. I jump high and Mings jumps into my elbow
First, Mings appeared to land on the back of the head of the United forward as he lay on the ground, and then from a corner, Ibrahimovic elbowed the Cherries defender.
That last incident was witnessed by Mings' team-mates, including midfielder Andrew Surman who pushed the Swedish striker to the ground.
He was consequently shown a yellow card, which Friend realised was his second after a long delay. The official eventually pulled out his red card.
That followed a period of United domination, and they took the lead when Marcos Rojo diverted Antonio Valencia's strike past keeper Artur Boruc.
The visitors - with only one win in 11 - then grabbed a shock equaliser when Joshua King converted from the spot after Phil Jones had brought down Marc Pugh.
United then won a penalty in the 71st minute when Adam Smith handled Paul Pogba's flick. But from the resulting spot-kick Boruc, magnificent during the match, dived to his right to keep out Ibrahimovic's effort.
Bournemouth hung on to earn their first league point in five games, but it is the incidents involving Ibrahimovic and Mings that will dominate the back pages.
• None Relive the action as it happened
Four incidents in five frantic minutes
Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe arrived at Old Trafford feeling the effects of a stomach bug - and he would have felt more queasy after what he witnessed near the end of the first half.
Surman's sending off was the culmination of the bruising on and off-the-ball battle between Mings and Ibrahimovic.
Both had been talked to by Friend moments after the United striker had appeared to push the defender to the ground early on in the opening period. Neither were punished then, nor were they punished just before the break following the two incidents.
The first was highlighted by a TV replay when Mings, in hurdling United captain Wayne Rooney after tackling him, landed his boot on the top of Ibrahimovic, who was also lying on the turf.
From the corner, Ibrahimovic, again closely marked by Mings, appeared to elbow the defender in the face.
A melee then followed which resulted in a yellow card for Surman - his second - for a push on Ibrahimovic.
In an unsavoury end to the half, Bournemouth assistant Jason Tindall was also sent off for his protestations over the incident during the corner.
United fail to take advantage of dominance
If it was not for the brilliant saves of Boruc, United would have run away with this match.
The Cherries had conceded 51 goals in the league coming into the fixture - more than any other club - and it could have been 57 inside the first 22 minutes.
Boruc, with a strong sun in his eyes in the first half, made great saves to keep out strikes from Pogba, Rooney and then Anthony Martial. United also twice went close through Ibrahimovic.
And in the second half the Polish keeper pushed away another Pogba effort before he capped off his excellent display with a brilliant penalty save.
From United's point of view it will be a match in which they had 20 chances and only managed to convert one.
• None Manchester United's unbeaten Premier League run has been extended to 17 games (W9 D8), and they have not conceded more than once in a game during that run [10 goals conceded].
• None Ibrahimovic missed a penalty in a league game for the first time since September 2015 for Paris St-Germain against Guingamp - he had scored six consecutively before his failure today.
• None Artur Boruc was the first goalkeeper to save a penalty against Manchester United at Old Trafford in the Premier League since Boaz Myhill in May 2015.
• None Boruc has saved four of the past seven penalties he has faced in the Premier League.
• None Joshua King was only the 14th player in Premier League history to score a penalty at Old Trafford for the opposing side.
• None King's goal was Bournemouth's only shot on target in the entire match.
• None Bournemouth have scored all seven of their Premier League penalties this season, more than any other side.
• None Rojo scored his first Premier League goal in his 54th appearance
• None United have managed 20-plus shots without winning four times in the Premier League this season, more than any other side.
United are at FC Rostov next Thursday in the Europa League last 16, before they face Chelsea in the FA Cup quarter-final a week on Monday.
They next play in the league, after the Europa League return leg, when they travel to Middlesbrough on Sunday, 19 March.
The Cherries have a less busy schedule. They host West Ham in the league next Saturday.
• None Attempt blocked. Marcos Rojo (Manchester United) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Juan Mata.
• None Substitution, Bournemouth. Max Gradel replaces Joshua King because of an injury.
• None Attempt missed. Joshua King (Bournemouth) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Ryan Fraser with a cross following a corner.
• None Marcus Rashford (Manchester United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
• None Attempt missed. Paul Pogba (Manchester United) right footed shot from outside the box is too high from a direct free kick.
• None Substitution, Bournemouth. Baily Cargill replaces Tyrone Mings because of an injury.
• None Delay over. They are ready to continue.
• None Delay in match Tyrone Mings (Bournemouth) because of an injury.
• None Attempt blocked. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Manchester United) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39086674
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Budget: Don't be fooled if it turns out to be dull - BBC News
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2017-03-04
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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A raft of measures already announced by chancellors past and present will affect your finances from April.
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Business
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Consider Wednesday's Budget as part of a box set - the latest episode in a financial drama that began with the banking crisis.
Like all good series, there are episodes which allow the scriptwriters to set up the story for a more dramatic encounter later on.
That will be the case with Philip Hammond - ironically nicknamed "Box Office Phil" - as he writes his Spring Budget, experts say. They predict this Budget will be relatively low key, particularly because there will be another one in the autumn.
And - to stretch the metaphor even further - we have been told a lot about the plot already. A string of tax and benefit changes that will come into effect this April have been announced in previous Budgets and Autumn Statements.
So, here is the story so far.
This will be the last ever Spring Budget, with the main event moving to the autumn from then on.
The leading man in the Treasury has changed. Philip Hammond is delivering his first Budget as chancellor, following eight delivered by his predecessor George Osborne.
There's plenty of speculation that Wednesday's Budget could be pretty low key. Don't be fooled, though. Your finances are set to change anyway.
Some of the policies that affect UK residents' personal finances were announced in previous speeches by Mr Osborne, but will only take effect this April. Others were outlined by Mr Hammond in November's Autumn Statement and will also come into force in the spring.
A number will lead to a notable change in the finances of those of working age - particularly a shift in the income tax threshold and the benefit freeze - while others target particular groups of people such as landlords.
The amount people can earn before they are subject to income tax, known as the personal allowance, is currently set at £11,000 and it has already been announced that it will go up to £11,500 in April.
The Conservatives have promised to raise this to £12,500 by 2020-21 and increase with inflation after that.
The threshold for the higher 40% income tax rate will rise from £43,000 to £45,000 in April. However, in Scotland the higher rate will be paid on income above £43,000 a year - owing to the devolved tax powers the Scottish government now holds.
Other changes that had been announced by George Osborne, but which take effect in April, include:
Pay rates for millions of workers have already been cemented.
The National Living Wage will rise from £7.20 to £7.50 in April, for those aged 25 and over. Public sector pay has already been set at a 1% annual rise each year until 2019-20.
Salary sacrifice schemes allow some employees to give up some of their salary in exchange for goods and services. Some items bought under a scheme such as computers, gym membership, and health screening will be subject to tax from April - in effect, salary sacrifice will be cancelled on these items.
That was announced in Mr Hammond's Autumn Statement, as was mixed news for drivers.
Fuel duty will be frozen for a seventh year, but the cost of vehicle insurance may rise owing to an increase in the Insurance Premium Tax from 10% to 12% in June.
New Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) bands are to be introduced for cars registered from April - zero, standard and premium.
In May, probate fees will change, costing significantly more for large estates.
Finally, we may hear from the chancellor on a start date and precise interest rate for the new government-backed savings bond.
In November, the chancellor said that the new savings product offering a "market-leading" rate of about 2.2% would go on sale through National Savings and Investments in the spring.
The bond will be open to those aged 16 and over, subject to a minimum investment limit of £100 and a maximum investment limit of £3,000. Savers must put in their money for three years.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-39143341
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European Indoor Athletics: Laura Muir and Richard Kilty win gold in Belgrade - BBC Sport
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2017-03-04
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Britain's Laura Muir wins 1500m gold and Richard Kilty defends his 60m title at the European Indoor Championships in Belgrade.
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Last updated on .From the section Athletics
Britain's Laura Muir and Richard Kilty won gold at the European Indoor Athletics Championships in Belgrade.
Muir, 23, broke Dame Kelly Holmes' British record and the championship record as she won her first major title in the 1500m.
Defending champion Kilty, 27, finished the 60m in 6.54 seconds after team-mate Andy Robertson was disqualified.
Andrew Pozzi claimed Britain's first gold of the competition on Friday in the 60m hurdles.
"I just wanted to run a quick race. I never envisaged breaking the British record, it's brilliant," Muir told BBC Sport.
"The past couple of years, medals have just slipped away. I'm relieved to get one now."
Muir missed out on medals at the 2015 European Indoors and World Championships, where she finished fourth and fifth respectively.
However, having already set three European records this year, she pulled away in the final two laps and won by more than two seconds, with team-mate Sarah McDonald coming sixth.
Germany's Konstanze Klosterhalfen took silver, while Poland's Sofia Ennaoui finished third.
"I'm so happy, it feels like a long time coming to win a medal," Muir added.
"I knew a couple of the girls would have a couple of good sprint finishes so I tried to play to my strengths."
Laura Muir is such a different athlete to the one we saw a few years ago. She's had disappointments but she has fought and worked so hard.
She's covered every base and when you watch her now, you get the sense of, is this another Mo Farah? She has that feeling of superiority and invincibility.
I think Laura Muir just underlined the shape that she's in and her superiority. She can run the 3,000m any way she wants tomorrow, there are no worries about will she be fatigued, because the way she trains and puts hard sessions back to back, there won't be any issues about the way she recovers.
Kilty had dominated the heats for the 60m and did not let up in the final as he successfully defended his title.
Fellow Briton Theo Etienne, making his senior debut, finished in fifth with a time of 6.67 seconds.
"When it really matters I'm willing to lay my heart on the line and put in my best performance," Kilty told BBC Sport.
Robertson, who finished third in his semi-final and was set to be a strong contender in the final, was left disappointed after being disqualified for a false start.
"I'm a bit frustrated. I felt like I was in personal best form. I felt like I could have won that today," Robertson added.
"Sadly it's not meant to be. I felt like I would have been contending today but it is what it is."
Britain's Laviai Nielsen missed out on a medal in the 400m as she was overtaken on the line to finish fourth.
The 20-year-old, whose twin sister Lina was forced out earlier in the week with a leg injury, saw Poland's Justyna Swiety grab the bronze, with France's Floria Guei winning gold and Czech Zuzana Hewjonova the silver.
"Fourth place is agonising, it was just the last bit," said Nielsen, who still has the 4x400m relay on Sunday. "I thought I had it and I tried, I really did."
In the women's 60m competition, Asha Philip looked comfortable winning her heat in 7.25secs, fifth fastest overall going into Sunday's semi-finals.
"You want to qualify for a good lane and winning that heat helped me," the 26-year-old told BBC Sport.
"I don't want to kill myself because three rounds is hard. The boys have had to do it all in one day so I feel sorry for them. We've got an extra day to recover so I'm grateful for that."
Morgan Lake finished eighth in the high jump final, while world indoor bronze medallist Lorraine Ugen qualified for the long jump final at her first attempt.
The 25-year-old jumped a season's best 6.80m, passing the 6.60m automatic qualification mark. Team-mate Jazmin Sawyers missed that mark but joined Ugen in the final after finishing seventh overall with a best of 6.54.
Robbie Grabarz and Allan Smith qualified for Sunday's high jump final, but fellow Briton Chris Kandu missed out after finishing 10th in qualifying.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/39165205
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David Haye v Tony Bellew: Richie Woodhall says Bellew has been underestimated - BBC Sport
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2017-03-04
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Tony Bellew has been "underestimated" before his heavyweight fight with David Haye, says ex-world champion Richie Woodhall.
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Last updated on .From the section Boxing
Coverage: Full commentary on BBC Radio 5 live and live text updates on the BBC Sport website.
Tony Bellew has been "underestimated" in the build-up to Saturday's heavyweight fight with David Haye, says former world champion Richie Woodhall.
WBC cruiserweight champion Bellew, 34, weighed in at 15st 3lb 8oz, lighter than 36-year-old Haye (16st 9oz).
The pair again traded insults at London's O2 Arena, where Haye starts as odds-on favourite with the bookmakers.
"I can't believe people aren't giving him a bigger chance," said Woodhall, a BBC Radio 5 live pundit.
• None Quiz: Who said these classic boxing put-downs?
• None Haye v Bellew: Their rivalry in their own words
"I don't think it's a foregone conclusion. Everyone is saying a Haye early knockout but I think it will be a tough fight for him."
Bermondsey-born Haye was cheered by a big crowd at Friday's weigh-in as he prepares to fight at a venue just six miles from where he grew up.
Only once in his 30-fight career has he weighed in heavier than for this bout.
The former WBA heavyweight champion mocked the physique of Bellew, who said he was "over the moon" to see his rival so heavy.
Will Haye run out of gas?
Bellew, who as recently as 2013 was fighting two weight classes lower, reiterated his belief Haye would be short on stamina in just his third fight since returning from over three years out of the sport.
Woodhall believes Haye will be "extremely dangerous" early in the fight and expects Bellew to build his tactics around dragging a knockout specialist - who has been in just three 12-round contests - into the latter rounds.
"It's a classic case of who will land the big shot," added 1988 Olympic bronze medallist Woodhall.
"Bellew's first goal will be to get through the first four rounds, when we know Haye is at his most explosive. If he gets through he will not be home and dry by any means but his fight will then start and he can think about trying to break Haye down.
"The one thing against Haye is he's only fought a couple of times since 2012. I think he will solely rely on getting Bellew out early."
'Neither one of them will be proud'
Haye has been criticised for graphic descriptions of how he intends to hurt his opponent, while Bellew has actively pursued the fight, calling his foe out publicly from the ring after a routine win in October.
The feud has meant both fighters have been kept apart by security in fight week, and the pre-fight face-off was also conducted with people between them.
British Boxing Board of Control general secretary Robert Smith has expressed his disappointment in their behaviour.
"When it's all over, they will look back and neither one of them will be proud of beforehand," added Woodhall, 48. "You have to have a balance. We all want the fight to sell but you don't want people pointing the finger at the sport of boxing.
"Psychologically, I think Bellew has played a blinder. Haye has to control his emotions early on. If he ends up swinging early on, missing the target, then the tide turns. I think Bellew wants Haye to come out very aggressively."
Haye is attempting to improve his record of 28 wins from 30 fights, while Bellew has 28 wins, two losses and one draw on his record.
The bitterness between Haye and Bellew has been mirrored by super-lightweight rivals Derry Mathews and Ohara Davies.
The pair have engaged in insulting social media exchanges and expletive-laden rants before a bout which is the biggest of Davies' 14-fight career, and could help 33-year-old Mathews keep hopes of another world-title shot alive.
Woodhall expects the welterweight fight between Sam Eggington and American Paulie Malignaggi to potentially steal the show.
Malignaggi, 36, has been a world champion at two weights and has shared a ring with stellar names such as Amir Khan, Adrian Broner and Danny Garcia.
Wales' IBF featherweight champion Lee Selby will contest a non-title bout against Spain's Andoni Gago, while Ireland's London 2012 Olympic champion Katie Taylor enters her third fight as a professional when she faces Italy's Monica Gentili, who has six wins and as many losses in her career.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/39160815
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Birmingham City 1-3 Leeds United - BBC Sport
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2017-03-04
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Chris Wood scores twice as Leeds move to within a point of third place in the Championship after winning at Birmingham.
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Last updated on .From the section Football
Chris Wood scored twice at former club Birmingham City as Leeds United won for the third time in four Championship games to move a point behind third-placed Huddersfield.
Wood's double, and a clinical late third from Alfonso Pedraza, meant a third home defeat in four for Blues.
After Wood's 14th-minute lob, Craig Gardner levelled on 63 minutes with a low, 25-yard left-foot curler.
But Wood scored from close range before Pedraza sealed the points.
Relive Leeds' win at Birmingham as it happened
Wood, who had a prolific half-season on loan at City from West Brom in 2011-12, has 25 goals this season in all competitions - with 22 in the league.
And his two goals at St Andrew's take him two ahead of Newcastle's Dwight Gayle at the top of the Championship charts.
Leeds boss Garry Monk, in the stands serving his one-game touchline ban, must have been pleased with his side's finishing, which was the difference against a Blues side who have won just twice in 16 games under Gianfranco Zola.
Birmingham made the much brighter start, David Davis firing into the side-netting from a tight angle and Rob Green diverting Che Adams' angled shot wide, but Blues were then cut open by a classic piece of long-ball football.
From defending a corner, keeper Rob Green found Luke Ayling, whose teasing long ball down the inside-right channel just evaded the despairing lunge of Ryan Shotton, leaving Wood in the clear to lift a superb instinctive lob over advancing Blues keeper Tomasz Kuszczak.
The hosts had chances to level, and Robert Tesche's stunning 25-yard left-foot shot swerved beyond Green but crashed back off the bar.
The luckless Adams then went close three times in as many minutes, with a header cleared off the line before he diverted Tesche's shot just over and was then denied at close range by Green.
Gardner finally brought Blues level, but the hosts were back on terms for only four minutes.
Kalvin Phillips squared from the right and young defender Josh Dacres-Cogley lost his footing on the wet, muddy surface in the six-yard box, allowing Wood to turn home from close range.
Then, on 82 minutes, Pedraza wrapped it up with a low left-foot shot into Kuszczak's bottom corner, to send the noisy army of Leeds fans home deliriously happy.
"The result does not reflect what happened on the pitch but, on the other side, there was a player who touched the ball three times and scored two.
"We made a few mistakes, but it is difficult to say anything to my team when they have put in a performance like that against a team who are fourth in the league. We are genuinely doing our best. I cannot complain.
"We have to put right the mistakes, but overall it was our best performance of the season. I need to encourage the players to keep playing like this."
"I didn't enjoy the first 60 minutes. Birmingham were excellent and it was tough for us.
"We were second best, especially in the first half. They will feel aggrieved that they did not capitalise on the chances they created.
"But we showed a strong mentality and, in that last half-hour, we were excellent. We scored some very good goals and in the end won comfortably.
"The subs made a good impact, Pedraza scored his first for the club and we had two great finishes from Chris Wood, especially the first - great improvisation."
• None Jerome Sinclair (Birmingham City) wins a free kick on the right wing.
• None Robert Tesche (Birmingham City) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
• None Attempt saved. Chris Wood (Leeds United) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
• None Attempt missed. Che Adams (Birmingham City) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Lukas Jutkiewicz with a headed pass.
• None Goal! Birmingham City 1, Leeds United 3. Alfonso (Leeds United) left footed shot from the left side of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Pablo Hernández following a fast break.
• None Attempt saved. Pablo Hernández (Leeds United) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Luke Ayling. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39073353
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Andy Murray beats Fernando Verdasco to win first Dubai Championships title - BBC Sport
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2017-03-04
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Britain's Andy Murray sees off Spaniard Fernando Verdasco in straight sets to win the Dubai title for the first time.
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Last updated on .From the section Tennis
Britain's Andy Murray saw off Spaniard Fernando Verdasco in straight sets to win the Dubai Championships for the first time.
The world number one dropped his first two service games but recovered to win 6-3 6-2 in one hour and 14 minutes.
It is Murray's first tournament win of 2017 and the 45th of his career, which will see him extend his lead over Novak Djokovic at the top of the rankings.
"I'm obviously very happy to do it here for the first time," said Murray.
"It's been a good start to the year."
Murray went into the final with a 12-1 record against Verdasco, but the Scot made a slow start to the final, losing his first two service games and throwing in four double faults.
However, Murray managed to get himself level at 3-3 and was rarely troubled again.
Verdasco, 33, let a 40-0 lead slip in game eight, firing a forehand wide on break point and Murray served out a set in which his returning ability had made up for some erratic serving.
The Briton's game came together in the second set and a forehand pass gave him the early break for a 2-1 lead.
When Murray ran down a seemingly hopeless point to force another break point at 4-2 it was as good as over for Verdasco, and the top seed ended with the kind of clinical service game he had lacked at the start.
The final proved a far more straightforward contest than his quarter-final against Philipp Kohlschreiber, which saw Murray save seven match points and win an epic 31-minute tie-break.
"Often when you get through matches like that it settles you down for the rest of the tournament," said Murray.
"It's been quite a few late finishes this week. Maybe the last couple of matches, I didn't start as well as I would like. It's been the same for all the players, a bit tricky with the rain. Once I got going today, I was moving well and I finished strong."
Any major celebrations will have to wait as Murray heads to the airport and a 16-hour flight to Los Angeles, with the Indian Wells Masters getting under way next week.
Murray, who will play his first match in the Californian desert next weekend, hopes to improve on a relatively modest record of just one final appearance back in 2009.
Last year, he lost in the third round at both Indian Wells and two weeks later at the Miami Masters.
"I struggled at Indian Wells and Miami last year, I didn't play so well," he said. "This year has given me great momentum."
Despite dropping his opening two service games, this turned into a straightforward win for Murray.
A first title of 2017 takes Murray over 2,000 points clear of Novak Djokovic at the top of the world rankings, and means he is extremely unlikely to be overtaken by anyone until at least the French Open.
Murray's form in Dubai this week suggests not only has he got over his bout of shingles, but also that the defeat to Mischa Zverev at the Australian Open is no indication of a deeper malaise.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/39168363
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World Golf Championships: Rory McIlroy leads by two shots at halfway stage - BBC Sport
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2017-03-04
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Rory McIlroy cards a stunning six-under-par 65 to take the lead at the halfway stage of the World Golf Championships event in Mexico.
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Last updated on .From the section Golf
Rory McIlroy carded a stunning six-under-par 65 to take a two-shot lead at the halfway stage of the World Golf Championships event in Mexico.
The Northern Irishman is nine under after a round that included an eagle, as he holed out from 151 yards on the par-four 14th, and six birdies.
Americans Phil Mickelson and Justin Thomas are tied for second with England's Ross Fisher.
Another Englishman, Andy Sullivan, is on five under after a 65.
He is tied for fifth with world number one Dustin Johnson, while England's Tyrrell Hatton is a shot further back.
Hatton's compatriot Lee Westwood, the joint overnight leader, stayed at four under after a level-par 71 and is in a five-way tie for 14th that includes compatriot Matthew Fitzpatrick.
World number three McIlroy, 27, is playing his first tournament after seven weeks out with a rib injury.
His round could have been even better but he bogeyed the 12th and 17th.
"I'm in a great position, but I felt like I could have been a few more ahead," said McIlroy.
Olympic champion Justin Rose shot a 72 to move to level par, while American Jordan Spieth is one over and Masters champion Danny Willett is six over.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/golf/39161685
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'I saved commuter who dropped her phone on tracks' - BBC News
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2017-03-04
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The powerful lure of smartphones has created a heads-down culture in many public places. John Mervin in New York came across someone who just might benefit from a little digital detox.
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Magazine
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The powerful lure of smartphones has created a heads-down culture in many public places. John Mervin in New York came across someone who just might benefit from a little digital detox.
I'd never saved someone's life before, so I wasn't sure of the protocol.
Speechless incomprehension on my part didn't seem appropriate. But then neither did the young woman's giddy laughter, or her jaunty departure from what could so easily have been the scene of her death.
It took my daughter's torrent of questions, as we turned away, to force the world back into a semblance of order:
"Daddy - what was she doing? Why was she on the tracks? What would have happened if a train came?"
As we climbed the stairs into New York's gleaming winter sunshine, I tried to explain what we had just seen.
We'd arrived at Rockefeller Center station on the D train. As in many of New York's underground stations, trains pull in at both sides of the platform. Or, rather, they seem to erupt into the station first on one side, then on the other.
When the stations are busy, the platforms feel like narrow, crowded islands of safety. We picked our way along this one, my wife and youngest daughter in front, my eldest daughter and I at the rear.
"Uh, what's this?" she said.
I looked over her shoulder. There at our feet lay a young woman of about 20. She was on her stomach with the top half of her body on the platform, while her legs dangled over the tracks kicking pathetically.
She was stuck. She had also, clearly, been down on the tracks.
And just as each commuter imagines, as they stand on the platform edge pondering the end of it all, she had discovered that climbing back up from the tracks is really hard.
The lip of the platform sticks out so far that you have to climb out as well as up. That leaves you straining to keep half your body on the platform while the other half flails wildly for some purchase in mid-air.
But unlike in our morbid imaginings, this woman was not in the grips of panic, anticipating her imminent decapitation by the F train which would be screeching into the station in the next few minutes, if not seconds.
She was laughing! Giggling! So was her friend who half-heartedly leant down to assist.
The assistance was somewhat compromised by the fact that the friend was holding her mobile phone. Was she hoping to capture this moment with a picture? Or composing a text?
It's well known that people's compulsive checking of their phones can be deadly. Among young people in America, texting is now the number one cause of car crashes.
Maybe it's also a leading cause of leaving friends to perish when they fall in the river or on to the train tracks.
Absurd as it might seem, my immediate concern was which part of her body it was OK to touch.
For the mechanics of dragging her to safety the obvious place to grab would have been her inner thigh. But that seemed indecent. An assault even.
Well, what about the belt loop on the back of her jeans? No! That would wrench her clothing into some painful, awkward position.
But for goodness sake, she was about to be killed. This wasn't the time to fret about the niceties! So I leant out as far as I could, got hold of her leg somewhere near the knee and, together with her finally-engaged friend, hauled the young woman on to the platform.
New York's transit authority constantly warns passengers not to go on to the tracks for any reason. But there is a constant stream of stories of people who have done so and been hit, and crushed, by trains, or of people who have fallen and then been struck. There are even a few stories of miraculous escapes.
In 2015, 50 people were hit and killed by subway trains here. Not that many in a city of eight million, but enough so that for all their drab functionality the stations have an air of profound, nascent danger.
The islands of safety are surrounded by a lethal void.
Though maybe it doesn't seem that way to someone still young enough to be fearless. The woman I helped did get out alive.
And you can guess why she'd been on the tracks. Still laughing, but maybe chastened by my look of horror she said: "Thanks. Sorry. My phone fell down there. It would have taken them forever to get it back."
While I turned to clutch my daughter's hand and head upstairs, the young woman and her friend sauntered away. I wonder when she'll be scared?
Join the conversation - find us on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-39144176
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Tony Bellew beats David Haye with 11th-round stoppage - BBC Sport
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2017-03-04
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Tony Bellew stops an injured David Haye in the 11th round in a stunning heavyweight encounter at London's O2 Arena.
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Last updated on .From the section Boxing
Listen to a repeat of the commentary every hour on Sunday from 06:00-13:00 GMT on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra
WBC cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew produced a stunning upset to stop bitter rival David Haye in a thrilling heavyweight contest at London's O2 Arena.
The Liverpudlian, 34, pounced when Haye suffered what turned out to be an Achilles injury in the sixth round to score a knockdown.
Haye, who had his right ankle strapped, carried on as bravely as he could for the rest of the fight, but was unable to move freely as Bellew seized the momentum.
And in the 11th, a second knockdown saw former heavyweight champion Haye tangled in the ropes, the towel enter from his corner and his hopes of a return to the world-title level of the sport left in tatters.
Bellew - a big underdog with bookmakers - raced to trainer Dave Coldwell in celebration as he scored a victory which will likely filter through to non-boxing fans far more than his 2016 world-title win at Goodison Park did.
• None Bellew: I asked Haye to throw in the towel
• None Bellew broke his hand in early rounds of Haye bout
• None Listen: 'I’ve beaten the best cruiserweight this country has ever produced'
And the bitter war of words leading up to the fight ended with Bellew helping a limping and exhausted Haye back to his corner.
The two embraced and the beaten, humbled Haye asked for a rematch during a lengthy post-fight interview before heading off to hospital to have surgery.
How the fight played out
The first round had those in the O2 Arena intrigued. A hate-fuelled slug-fest or artistic boxing?
The latter won the day, with Bellew happy to see Haye jump in while he fired off solid replies in-between darting out of trouble.
And so established a pattern, Haye taking the centre of the ring, Bellew nearer the ropes.
As the established heavyweight stalked his man, often they stood statuesque for moments as Bellew looked for Haye's trigger - his own prompt to counter.
But slipping shots can be a dangerous game and a straight right to Bellew's jaw in the fifth was audible ringside, though nothing could be heard in the sixth as the Arena screamed at the drama.
Both men went down - Haye twice - though neither faced a count as their falls to the canvas were deemed slips but the sheer punch volume from Bellew then legally felled Haye, who looked stunned and shattered in answering a nine count.
Bellew, who stressed his rival would start tiring after four rounds, was then able to dominate, dictating the pace and notably throwing everything at Haye in the seventh in attempt to bring an end to proceedings.
Haye's low blow in the ninth summed up his increasing desperation and, two rounds later, his brave resistance was ended moments after a barrage of punches sent him sprawling through the ropes.
Having clambered back into the ring, finally his camp threw in the towel, signalling the third defeat of a 31-fight career.
'I've beaten one of the best'
Bellew, speaking to Radio 5 live: "He's probably the hardest puncher in the world, and he's so quick early on, he's like a sprinter. He can really hit but he can also take a few himself.
"In my eyes I've beaten the best cruiserweight this country has ever produced and one of the best heavyweights. I am honoured to fight in the same ring as him. I've looked up to him.
"He made the same mistake everybody else does. He underestimated me. Watch me on tape and I'm terrible but in the ring I'm harder to hit than you think."
David Haye, also speaking to Radio 5 live: "I've knocked out guys a lot bigger and stronger but he has the heart of a lion.
"I gave it my best and it wasn't good enough. He was by far the better fighter tonight. He dug deep and took my best shots and put me down.
"I would love to do it again, I have never been in a fight like that. If the fans want to see it again I would do it again. We'll do it on his terms, in his town - he deserves it."
On his injury he said: "The ankle was just one of those things. The better man won on the night.
"It wasn't my night. I didn't land the good shots, I was in good shape but his game was better than mine.
"It felt like a Rocky movie and I was one punch away from knocking him out but I couldn't quite do it."
Where next for David Haye?
Haye's graphic descriptions of his hopes of damaging Bellew in the run-up to the fight prompted concern from boxing authorities and undoubtedly turned some fans against him.
But the bad blood meant the contest was expected to sell between 500,000 and 700,000 buys on pay-per-view.
Eddie Hearn, Bellew's promoter, believed anything other than an explosive knockout would be a "disaster" for Haye, who will now have to either retire or embark on rebuilding his in-ring reputation.
The 36-year-old will win plenty of plaudits for courageously battling on. But he was unable to land anything too meaningful prior to the critical sixth round.
With this latest injury added to the reconstructive shoulder injury he received in 2013, have we seen the last of a fighter who once unified the cruiserweight division, won a heavyweight world title and of course took Wladimir Klitschko 12 rounds in defeat?
A rematch with Bellew would be a money spinner, although many will call for retirement instead.
Promoter Eddie Hearn on Radio 5 live: "We've got to go after a heavyweight world title for Bellew now. I am so pleased for him. He's secured the future for his family and they can live a wonderful life.
"He is everything you would want in a man, he has a big heart, never gives up, has a wonderful family and I am so happy for him."
Bellew's jump in weight to claim victory is perhaps even more impressive considering he has had just eight fights at cruiserweight, spending most of his career two divisions lower than the one he competed in in this exhilarating affair.
He was an English champion at heavyweight at amateur, following in the footsteps of the ringside Frank Bruno, but few gave him hope - and those who did emphasised the survival mission he had on his hands in dodging Haye's early power.
But he did, the 13 fights he has had since Haye briefly left the sport providing a sharpness his opposite number simply lacked.
Roared on by the likes of Wayne Rooney and AP McCoy in attendance, he shone in a cauldron atmosphere, boxing admirably to complement his reputation as a power puncher.
Bellew's stock has never been so high. Unification bouts in the cruiserweight division will likely present themselves and his adaptability in stepping up to over 200lbs could open doors in the sport's showpiece division.
How much of an impact did that injury of Haye's have? I had Haye up four rounds to one going into the sixth but he didn't win a round after the injury.
That was pure bravery and guts and up there with anything I've ever seen. They went to hell. It was sensational, scary but sensational.
Had David Haye won in the first round or the 11th round, we wouldn't have questioned his eligibility to chase any heavyweight.
Bellew didn't mention Anthony Joshua, so go and chase it, put an offer out to Joseph Parker, put an offer out to Deontay Wilder.
In the summer, at Goodison Park, there will be enough money on the table to get those guys in the ring.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/39170236
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West Indies v England: Eoin Morgan century sets up win for tourists in first ODI - BBC Sport
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2017-03-04
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A century from England captain Eoin Morgan sets up a 45-run win over West Indies in the first one-day international in Antigua.
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Last updated on .From the section Cricket
A century from England captain Eoin Morgan set up a 45-run win over West Indies in the first one-day international in Antigua.
Morgan's 107 from 116 balls and fifties from Ben Stokes and Sam Billings took England to 296-6 from 50 overs, after Jason Roy and Joe Root fell early.
West Indies slipped from 36-0 to 39-3 in their chase and came up short despite Jason Mohammed's 72.
Liam Plunkett took 4-40, his best ODI figures, and Chris Woakes 4-47.
It was a fine performance by the tourists after losing the toss and being asked to bat first on a pitch that was initially slow with rain delaying the start by 30 minutes.
The second game in the three-match series is at the same venue at 13:30 GMT on Sunday.
Morgan's place in the England limited-overs team was questioned after he opted out of the one-day series in Bangladesh in October because of security concerns, but he has batted impressively since resuming the captaincy.
He averaged 57.67 in the three games against India in January, scoring 102 in the second match, and brought up his 10th ODI hundred here, a measured beginning the precursor to an attacking end with wickets in hand in the final 10 overs.
Coming to the wicket with England 29-2 in the eighth over, Morgan's experience - he came into the game with 173 ODI caps, 16 more than the entire West Indies XI - came to the fore as he built alongside Billings (52 off 56 balls) and later Stokes (55 off 61).
He was dropped on four by Kieran Powell at slip off Carlos Brathwaite's first delivery, and was restricted to nine off his first 30 balls before accelerating.
Morgan punished spinners Ashley Nurse and Devendra Bishoo when they dropped short, with the pull a profitable shot throughout his innings.
Being hit on the helmet by a Shannon Gabriel bouncer did not disrupt him, although wicketkeeper Shai Hope offered him another life with a missed stumping on 69.
After Bishoo removed Stokes following a partnership of 110, Morgan went to his hundred with a six over midwicket off Brathwaite, who should have had his wicket when England were 38-2.
Brathwaite eventually ran out Morgan backing up in the final over as England added exactly 100 in the final 10 overs of their innings.
Plunkett and Woakes do the damage
With big names such as Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard choosing to play in the Pakistan Super League rather than this series, the hosts were hoping their firepower could compensate for a lack of experience.
One-day wins are vital for West Indies, who, despite being World T20 champions, are ranked only ninth in the 50-over format. They need to be eighth or higher by the end of September to ensure they will take part in the 2019 World Cup in England. Any lower and they will have to take their chances in a qualifying tournament.
The chase faltered as Evin Lewis pulled Woakes to Billings, Plunkett induced Powell into a leading edge and Kraigg Brathwaite looped a half-hearted pull off Woakes to Adil Rashid at mid-on within 14 balls.
When Rashid dismissed Hope to leave West Indies 108-4 in the 25th over, their chances appeared extremely slim, but a first ODI fifty from Mohammed and an attacking 52 off 47 from Jonathan Carter revived hopes in a partnership of 82.
An excellent catch diving forward from Roy saw Carter fall to Plunkett, who then induced Jason Holder to edge to wicketkeeper Jos Buttler.
Mohammed appeared to be struggling with cramp late in his innings and was eventually run out when bowler Steven Finn kicked the ball onto the stumps as the all-rounder attempted a quick single.
At 210-7 after 42 overs the game was up and, despite some late blows from Nurse and Bishoo, Woakes and Plunkett wrapped up a comfortable win.
Stokes' previous experience of England's opponents was a painful one as he was hit for four successive sixes by Carlos Brathwaite in the final over of last year's World T20 final.
The talismanic all-rounder was in the news in the run-up to this series when he became the most expensive foreign signing in Indian Premier League history as Rising Pune Supergiants bought him for £1.7m. He has also been named England's Test vice-captain.
Stokes showed his increasing maturity by playing a patient innings alongside Morgan from 129-4 after 26 overs. Although he launched three sixes late in his knock, he did not hit a single four but still scored at almost a run a ball.
The 25-year-old did not bowl in the West Indies innings, but Morgan later confirmed he is not carrying an injury.
West Indies did make a fight of it but the top order did not click and put pressure on the middle order.
Kudos to England, they played well. They kept their composure, never lost their focus and are the deserved winners.
What they said - England bowling 'outstanding'
England captain Eoin Morgan told TMS: "We've put in a really convincing performance, having lost the toss and having to bat first on a wicket that was very, very tacky.
"Posting nearly 300 on a wicket like that, I thought was a really good score.
"I thought the bowling performance that backed that up was outstanding, in completely different conditions than we're used to.
"I'm delighted to score a hundred. Runs that contribute towards a win mean that much more. The one I scored in India, where we lost, this outweighs it by a mile."
West Indies captain Jason Holder, speaking to Sky Sports: "I feel there were quite a few soft dismissals. All our chances - we could be a lot better.
"If we tighten up in a few areas, limit our extras, hold our chances, I'm not too worried.
"We can see a lot of promise here. It's a matter of us putting together a strong game and going forward full of confidence."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/39157006
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Australia v India: Nathan Lyon takes career-best 8-50 - BBC Sport
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2017-03-04
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Australia spinner Nathan Lyon takes a career-best 8-50 to help his side gain the upper hand on day one of the second Test in India.
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Last updated on .From the section Cricket
Australia spinner Nathan Lyon took a career-best 8-50 to help his side gain the upper hand on day one of the second Test in India.
The hosts won the toss and chose to bat but were struggling after Lyon removed three of their top four in Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane.
Opener KL Rahul, who was dropped by David Warner on 61, scored 90 before India were skittled out for 189.
Warner and Matthew Renshaw saw Australia to 40-0 by the close of play.
Left-hander Renshaw survived a scare as he was dropped by Ajinkya Rahane on nine off the bowling of Ishant Sharma.
India had scored 105 and 107 as they were thrashed by 333 runs in the opening Test of the four-match series. And their batting again let them down as Lyon capitalised.
The 29-year-old managed to get spin and bounce from the pitch as he overtook Brett Lee as Australia's leading wicket-taker in Tests for Australia in India.
"It's an amazing day for Australia," said Lyon. "There were some cracks in the pitch and I was trying to hit them."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/39165303
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MI6 takes to silver screen to recruit unlikely spies - BBC News
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2017-03-04
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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In cinemas from Monday, the Secret Intelligence Service has created its first recruitment advert.
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UK
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The cinema advert is the first in the service's history
Cinemagoers may think they already know what it takes to be a spy.
Generations of James Bond fans have cheered 007 as he shoots and sleeps his way through a world of sinister villains and exotic women.
The image is hi-tech, violent, romantic and more than a little cynical.
It's a world-beating brand, but one today's spymasters are doing their best to keep at arm's length.
And so, for the first time, MI6, officially known as the Secret Intelligence Service, is taking on the Bond image on 007's home turf - the silver screen.
On Monday, MI6 launches its first ever cinema advert, aimed at attracting different types of candidate.
A young woman of ethnically indeterminate background is shown demonstrating people skills and emotional intelligence in a range of everyday situations. This woman, we're told, does not work for MI6.
"But she could," the advert concludes.
Steely-eyed, white male killers, it seems, need not apply.
"There is a perception out there that we want [Bond actor] Daniel Craig, or Daniel Craig on steroids," the SIS' current head of recruitment told the Guardian.
"He would not get into MI6," says the recruitment chief, identified only as Sarah.
Recruiters have long worried about the pervasiveness of the image first portrayed in the pages of Ian Fleming's novels and then seared into public consciousness via the biggest movie franchise of all time.
The aim of the advert is to wean the public off this grotesquely misleading stereotype.
According to the accompanying press release, the advert aims "to attract people who rule themselves out of a career in MI6 based on their misconceptions about the agency."
It sounds like a long shot, but those behind it seem optimistic.
"The whole point," Sarah says, "is about getting people who would never, ever think of joining."
"People tend to deselect themselves," adds Mark, head of HR. "We want to prevent that. We want the service to be representative, but also to draw in the capabilities of the workforce at large."
It's part of a continuing drive to recruit from the widest, most diverse cross-section of society, with a particular focus on women and ethnic minorities, both still under represented in the service.
Another aspect of new effort sees a return of the old "tap on the shoulder" method employed for decades, mostly in the cloisters of Oxford and Cambridge universities.
But if the method will be the same, the locations will be different.
"Diverse organisations," is how Mark puts it, without elaborating.
Some say that the agency's elite image may be punctured by the revelation that a 2:2 degree will make you eligible. Mark says work experience in other sectors is sometimes just as important as a good degree.
Other recruiting tactics display a little playfully appropriate subterfuge to seek out those with interpersonal skills and the ability to influence people.
Unbranded fliers invite you to click on goodwithpeople.uk and take a series of tests. Only those who succeed in the online games find out that they have what it takes for a life in the intelligence services.
This correspondent scored well on the "emotion detector", but not so well on the "human polygraph". And when it came to the "mind changer," I failed a text message exercise designed to persuade a friend to attend a surprise party.
I have not been invited to join MI6.
The advert will run for a month, in cinemas in London, the West Midlands and north west England, partly reflecting the sort of urban areas recruiters look to but also the fact that MI6 can't afford a nationwide release.
And will it be shown in cinemas where Bond or similar spy capers are showing?
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39157473
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European Indoor Athletics: Andrew Pozzi wins 60m hurdles gold - BBC Sport
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2017-03-04
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Briton Andrew Pozzi wins gold in the 60m hurdles at the European Indoor Athletics Championships in Belgrade.
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Last updated on .From the section Athletics
Coverage: Watch live on BBC Two, Connected TV, Red Button and the BBC Sport website.
Briton Andrew Pozzi won gold in the 60m hurdles at the European Indoor Athletics Championships in Belgrade.
The 24-year-old claimed his first European indoor title in a time of 7.51 seconds.
France's defending champion Pascal Martinot-Lagarde took silver, with Czech Petr Svoboda in third.
"It was a scrappy race so I really had to work hard to get back after a slow start but I'm really happy," Pozzi told BBC Sport.
Pozzi, who qualified fastest for the final, trailed out of the blocks before surging back to edge out Martinot-Lagarde by 0.01secs.
"At halfway I thought 'I'm not losing this one' and just gave everything and gave a big dip on the line," said the Stratford upon Avon hurdler .
"It was closer than I would have liked but I got there in the end."
• None Read more: Doyle misses out on final but Muir makes two
In winning Great Britain's first gold medal of the championships, Pozzi also became the first Briton to win the men's 60m hurdles title since the last of Colin Jackson's three victories in 2002.
"Forget the time, he's got the title," said BBC Sport pundit Jackson, who holds the world record at the event of 7.30 seconds.
"He fought his way through and showed he is a true champion, that is the most important thing. He will be full of confidence, relieved and happy."
Germany's Cindy Roleder won gold in the women's 60m hurdles final, ahead of Alina Talay of Belarus and compatriot Pamela Dutkiewicz.
'I never thought I'd get here'
After pulling up with a hamstring injury at the London 2012 Olympics, Pozzi endured several years of chronic foot injuries, having had several operations on both feet.
He missed out on qualifying for the Rio 2016 110m hurdles final but has been in impressive form this year, running a personal best indoor time of 7.43 seconds at the Birmingham Indoor Grand Prix in February.
"It has been a long old road and I wasn't sure I'd ever get to the level I wanted to be at so to win with grit and determination, I'm over the moon," he said.
"This is the first championships I've come into with a good amount of work behind me and I felt really confident - to feel like I'm starting to get there means everything, it makes it worth it."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/39160075
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Man Utd 'won't cry' over Zlatan Ibrahimovic incidents, says Jose Mourinho - BBC Sport
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2017-03-04
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Manchester United will not "cry to the media" about two controversies involving Zlatan Ibrahimovic against Bournemouth, says Jose Mourinho.
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Last updated on .From the section Football
Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho says he and Zlatan Ibrahimovic will not go "crying to the media" about the two controversies involving the Swede in the 1-1 draw with Bournemouth.
Bournemouth defender Tyrone Mings, 23, landed on the United forward's head with his studs, but said afterwards the collision was "unintentional".
Moments later, Ibrahimovic caught Mings in the face with his elbow at a corner.
"He jumped into my elbow," said the former Paris St-Germain striker, 35.
Both players could face retrospective action if referee Kevin Friend says he did not see either incident.
"We are from that generation of street football and football for big guys. We are not the kind of generation who goes to the media and cries about what happened.
"What counts is the result. Nothing else matters for us."
Listen: My son was shocked to see Zlatan's elbow - fan calls 606Relive the 1-1 draw at Old Trafford
44 mins: Mings slides into a tackle on Wayne Rooney, also taking out Ibrahimovic. The Bournemouth defender gets to his feet and then hurdles Ibrahimovic, landing on the Swede's head with his right boot.
45 mins: United win a corner which is swung in to the far post where Ibrahimovic and Mings challenge for the high ball.
Ibrahimovic catches Mings with his right elbow after winning the header, the Bournemouth defender going down to the ground clutching his head.
Bournemouth skipper Andrew Surman pushes Ibrahimovic in the chest, earning a second yellow card from Friend.
45+1 mins: The referee has a conversation with Ibrahimovic and United skipper Rooney, then sends off Surman before restarting play after a lengthy delay.
What happens now?
Referee Friend will send his report of the match to the Football Association on Monday.
Players can be charged only if a referee says he did not see an incident.
Deliberate elbows and stamping are both red card offences, so would result in three-match bans if either Ibrahimovic or Mings were charged and found guilty.
Bournemouth assistant manager Jason Tindall said his players felt Ibrahimovic had elbowed Mings, although he had not seen the incident.
Ibrahimovic disagreed: "You have the TV, you can see the images. I jump, I jump high and I protect myself. Mings jumps into my elbow.
"I'm not someone who attacks someone off the field. It is not my intention to hurt someone."
Former Ipswich defender Mings was making only his fifth Premier League start after suffering with injuries since joining Bournemouth in an £8m deal in July 2015.
And he said he was relishing facing former Barcelona, Inter Milan and Paris St-Germain striker Ibrahimovic before the game at Old Trafford.
"It was a good battle, you know what you're going to get playing against him. I enjoyed the battle all day," said Mings, 23.
"What he possesses in height, in strength, I also possess. We had to ride a lot of storms but we stood up to the test very well.
"I've watched him growing up through his career and dreamt of days like this."
"I don't think the referee has seen Tyrone Mings try to stamp on Zlatan's head. I was right there," said the England international, 31.
"That's wrong in football. Everyone likes tackles in the game but to try to stamp on a player's head - there's no room for it."
"Zlatan Ibrahimovic is insulting people's intelligence when he says Mings jumps into his elbow.
"I think that comment is going to get people at the FA's backs up. He shouldn't have said anything."
"When Ibrahimovic jumped up for that header he was looking at Mings and not the ball.
"He's led with his elbow and he knew exactly what he was doing. The referee has made a complete mess of that."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39168130
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'We were nine round the table, now I am the only one' - BBC News
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2017-03-04
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The Imperial War Museum is marking its centenary with its first exhibits - the letters and photos of dead soldiers.
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Education & Family
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Clarence Chessum survived only a few weeks on the front and left behind two children
If you think of the Imperial War Museum as a place full of tanks, interactive displays and a Spitfire hanging above an exhibition hall - its beginnings were very different. As the museum marks its centenary, it is making public the very personal mementoes in its first collection.
"Dear sir, I have sent some of the incidents of my dear son's life. Have no relics. You may find a use for them. His loss can never be made up. Was almost always with us.
"We were nine round the table, now I am only one.
"Excuse me troubling you with all this but it's life as it is."
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The Imperial War Museum is marking its centenary by showcasing some early exhibits
The letter was from Sarah Chessum, a mother whose son had been killed in the trenches of the World War One in March 1917.
She was responding to a call from a new type of museum being created as a memorial for a war still being fought.
That museum, now the Imperial War Museum, is celebrating its centenary by making some of these earliest items public for the first time.
The museum began by asking for personal keepsakes of soldiers who had died - such as last letters, photographs or personal items - with the request printed on ration books.
It was as much a memorial shrine as a museum, with bereaved relatives such as Sarah Chessum hand-delivering or posting these poignant items.
Charlotte Czyzyk, a World War One historian at the museum, says even a century later these letters are "heartbreaking".
Sarah's son, Clarence, had left for France in January 1917, and barely eight weeks later he was dead.
He was aged 37, a bookbinder from north London, a slight figure of 5ft 3in, who had left two children.
Joy Hunter met Stalin at the Potsdam Conference in 1945 and gathered pieces of Hitler's desk
Another letter came from Gilbert Salisbury, a Canadian soldier who survived the War, but whose wife had died in 1918 from Spanish flu.
"The end of the War means for the world at large peace and happiness, where it means for me desolation and sorrow," he wrote, in his contribution to the museum.
Thousands of families sent in pictures and letters - stored at the museum's first location, in Crystal Palace, in south London.
Weapons and equipment were also collected - with the very first acquisition a lifebuoy from the Lusitania, a liner sunk by a German submarine in 1915.
The idea of creating a museum in 1917 reflected the need to respond to the unprecedented scale of the conflict.
"There was still no end in sight for the War," says Ms Czyzyk.
While the War was still being fought, items were gathered from the front
The previous year had seen the monumental battles of the Somme on land and Jutland at sea.
There was conscription, and more women were going into work. The War was touching every part of society.
"This was a type of war that had never been seen before," says Ms Czyzyk.
The war museum would be a form of memorial, and its building blocks would be the stories and pictures of ordinary families caught up in these extraordinary events.
"They're saying, 'This was my boy, I'd like you to have this photograph to help remember him.' That would have been a really big thing for that family," says Ms Czyzyk.
A lifebuoy from the Lusitania was an early acquisition
Millions visited the museum in Crystal Palace and then in South Kensington. And then in 1936, the museum moved to its current home in Lambeth - in a building previously occupied by the Bethlem Hospital for the mentally ill.
At the outbreak of the World War Two, the museum's collection had its own call-up, with some "historic' weapons on display pressed back into action.
The modern Imperial War Museum group includes one of the wartime nerve centres - the Cabinet War Rooms, where Winston Churchill worked underground while London faced Nazi air raids.
The museum's collection of war objects was headed by a lifebuoy from the Lusitania
Joy Hunter worked as a secretary in this underground communications centre - and as well as the fog of war, she had to contend with the fog of Churchill's cigars.
Now aged 91, she remembers the strange subterranean world, where an evening could end with the staff watching a film with Churchill, in his pyjamas and drinking whisky, in a makeshift cinema.
"We found him very affable to civilians - other people will tell you different stories - but he was always very pleasant to us and would say stop and say good morning or whatever," she says.
"I've a feeling that it was a relief for him to have civilians, perhaps it made him feel more normal."
Millions of visitors came to see the war relics put on show in Crystal Palace
She remembers how difficult it was to keep the prime minister underground during air raids, when he wanted to go up on to the rooftops to watch.
Mrs Hunter says it is hard for people now to understand how they worked - "in total war and total secrecy and total silence".
Mrs Hunter typed the battle orders for D-Day and on the defeat of the Nazis, she flew to the Potsdam conference where Churchill met Soviet leader Joseph Stalin and US president Harry Truman.
She got to meet the Soviet leader in person.
"I kept very quiet about shaking Stalin's hand because I thought people might think it wasn't quite the thing to have done," she says.
The museum collected war equipment - some of which was put back into action in World War Two
"I can say it now without blushing too much."
But the appalling conditions in Berlin left her "stunned".
The city was filled with the "stench of death", she says, with the population looking like "zombies" and begging for food.
She had seen the damage from air raids on London, but Berlin was much worse.
She went to the victory parade in the city, but took no pleasure from it.
"I felt very awkward. I didn't feel very victorious at all. I just thought this is horrendous," she says.
Joy Hunter was at the Potsdam conference, where Churchill met Stalin and Truman
Mrs Hunter brought home part of the shattered city - in pieces of marble from Hitler's desk, which she had found in the ruins of the Nazi leader's chancellery.
Her own memories are now the stuff of museum displays - but she says anyone looking back should not glorify war.
"Of course, we should remember, but you can't live in the past," she says.
"We should remember and take it with us and make sure that it doesn't happen again. But who knows?"
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-39106819
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Liverpool 3-1 Arsenal - BBC Sport
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2017-03-05
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Liverpool secure a vital advantage over Arsenal in the battle for a place in the Premier League’s top four with a well-deserved win at Anfield.
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Last updated on .From the section Football
Liverpool secured a vital advantage over Arsenal in the battle for a place in the Premier League's top four with a well-deserved win at Anfield.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger gambled by leaving Alexis Sanchez - his leading scorer with 17 Premier League goals - on the bench but the ploy failed miserably as Liverpool took control by the break.
Roberto Firmino's far-post finish put Liverpool ahead after nine minutes and Sadio Mane confirmed their superiority with an emphatic strike just before half-time.
Sanchez, predictably, emerged as a substitute at the start of the second half and set up a goal for Danny Welbeck that gave Arsenal hope but Georginio Wijnaldum struck on the break deep into injury-time to seal Liverpool's win.
Liverpool are now up to third, level with Manchester City on 52 points - but Arsenal are now in fifth trailing that pair by two points.
Arsenal and Arsene Wenger had so much riding on this game - a meeting where they knew defeat would leave them outside the Premier League's top four.
It made his decision to leave his most dangerous attacker Sanchez on the bench totally inexplicable, Wenger's tactical ploy backfiring badly as Liverpool assumed control in those crucial first 45 minutes.
Brave or desperate? Or a touch of both? Either way it was consigned to the dustbin at the interval.
Wenger preferred the physicality and aerial threat of Olivier Giroud and Danny Welbeck but Arsenal's failure to arrive in any attacking positions in the first half totally negated any impact he hoped they would have.
The folly of Wenger's selection was further exposed by the manner in which Sanchez transformed Arsenal's approach when he emerged as a substitute, setting up Welbeck's goal - although the Chilean's energy levels dried up as the half went on.
Wenger's decisions will come under the closest scrutiny as speculation continues about his future, and if Arsenal miss out on the Champions League failed moves like this will understandably be portrayed in an unflattering light.
Sanchez's demeanour at the final whistle told the tale. As Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp celebrated with his backroom team, he offered the briefest of gestures to Arsenal's fans before going straight down the tunnel.
Read more:Wenger 'strong enough' to deal with decision to drop Sanchez
Liverpool have faltered badly against the Premier League's strugglers, losing and performing dismally in defeat at Hull City and Leicester City - who were both in the bottom three when those games kicked off.
Klopp, however, has mastered the art of overcoming Liverpool's closest rivals and this may yet be the key to achieving the top four place that was the goal before the start of the season.
Klopp's record against Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham is highly impressive and this victory leaves his team with seven wins, eight draws and one defeat from 16 league games.
This was not a vintage Liverpool performance, but the energy and creation shown here was in stark contrast to that shown at the King Power Stadium on Monday and more akin to the recent 2-0 win against Spurs here at Anfield.
Liverpool were helped by Philippe Coutinho's best display since he returned from a seven-week absence with an ankle injury, while Ragnar Klavan offered a more physical defensive presence than Lucas, dropped after the Leicester debacle.
This result keeps Liverpool in the shake-up for a Champions League place - but also underscores why they have collapsed in the title race.
Results against your closest rivals, while desirable, are not enough on their own.
Wijnaldum the man for the big occasion
Quietly and without fuss, Wijnaldum is having a fine impact at Liverpool in his first season since his £25m move from Newcastle United.
He operates in the shadow of more eye-catching players such as Coutinho, Adam Lallana and Firmino, but he is missed when he is not playing and contributes vital goals when he does.
Wijnaldum scored the winner against Manchester City, the equaliser against Chelsea and the vital third goal here. The man for the big occasion.
Liverpool unbeaten in nine against top six
• None Liverpool are unbeaten in their nine Premier League games this season against the current top six (W5 D4).
• None Arsenal haven't won any of their last 11 Premier League away games against the other teams currently in the top six (W0 D5 L6).
• None The Gunners find themselves outside the Premier League top four at the end of a day for the first time since 13 January.
• None Sadio Mané has both scored and assisted in four Premier League games this season, more than any other player.
• None Alexis Sanchez has been directly involved in a league-high 26 goals in his 26 Premier League games this season, scoring 17 and assisting nine.
• None The Liverpool v Arsenal fixture in the Premier League has produced 17 90+ minute goals, more than any other Premier League game.
'Simon Mignolet saved our lives' - what they said
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp: "It was one of the best games we have played so far because of the strength of our opponent.
"We did really well. We had hard words after the defeat at Leicester. We analysed it and that wasn't enjoyable.
"We had another opportunity and we took it today. It's the rollercoaster of the Premier League.
"All of them played a fantastic game. When we are compact it's fantastic. Adam Lallana can come out of the formation and trigger something. Being compact and stable is the basis of each good display.
"We knew Arsenal would bounce back in the second half. Alexis Sanchez is the highest quality player and plays different to Danny Welbeck. Simon Mignolet saved our lives.
"It's important to go back to fourth above Arsenal. We really felt bad last week, we needed a few days to understand what happened."
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger: "Our performance was not at the level we expect in the first half but that is down to a lack of rhythm, we have not played for a while.
"The collective response was very strong in the second half."
Liverpool have over a week to recover before they host Burnley on Sunday, 12 March in the Premier League.
But Arsenal have no such luck. They welcome Bayern Munich to the Emirates for the second leg of their last-16 Champions League tie on Tuesday, 7 March with a 5-1 deficit to turn around.
And on Saturday, 11 March they play Lincoln in the FA Cup sixth round.
• None Goal! Liverpool 3, Arsenal 1. Georginio Wijnaldum (Liverpool) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Divock Origi following a fast break.
• None Attempt blocked. Alexis Sánchez (Arsenal) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Alex Iwobi.
• None Attempt blocked. Lucas Pérez (Arsenal) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
• None Offside, Liverpool. Ragnar Klavan tries a through ball, but Sadio Mané is caught offside.
• None Attempt missed. Roberto Firmino (Liverpool) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by James Milner with a cross following a corner.
• None Divock Origi (Liverpool) hits the right post with a header from the centre of the box. Assisted by James Milner with a cross following a set piece situation.
• None Attempt missed. Shkodran Mustafi (Arsenal) header from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain with a cross following a set piece situation. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39086717
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European Indoor Athletics: Muir wins second gold, Philip takes 60m title - BBC Sport
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2017-03-05
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Britain's Laura Muir wins the 3,000m to gain her second gold as Asha Philip takes the 60m title at the European Indoor Championships.
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Last updated on .From the section Athletics
Britain's Laura Muir and Asha Philip won gold at the European Indoor Athletics Championships in Belgrade.
Muir, 23, gained her second gold of the championships with victory in the 3,000m on Sunday following her 1500m win the previous day.
The Scot eased away from the rest of the field to break the championship record in eight minutes 35.68 seconds.
Philip, 26, set a new British record to win the women's 60m final in a time of 7.06 seconds.
"I was not doubting myself," Philip told BBC Sport. "I knew I had it in me and the confidence took me through the race.
"When I crossed the line, I could feel the girls on my left and I wasn't sure - the camera came to me and I was like: 'I don't believe it unless you say my name.'"
Muir's team-mate Eilish McColgan won bronze in the 3,000m, while Shelayna Oskan-Clarke was edged into silver by winner Selina Buchel of Switzerland in a thrilling women's 800m final.
Robbie Grabarz took silver in the men's high jump after losing a jump-off for gold against Sylwester Bednarek of Poland, with Lorraine Ugen also winning silver in the women's long jump.
Eilidh Doyle, Philippa Lowe, Mary Iheke and Laviai Nielsen took silver in the women's 4x400m relay behind Poland, who won four golds in total on the final day to top the medal table ahead of Britain.
Muir won her second major title in as many days by again setting a new championship record, having also beaten Dame Kelly Holmes' British record in her 1500m victory on Saturday.
She became the first British athlete since Colin Jackson in Paris in 1994 to win two gold medals in individual events at a single European Indoor Championships.
This victory also makes Muir the first runner to win the 1500m and 3,000m double since Poland's Lidia Chojecka at Birmingham 2007.
After keeping pace with Can out in the front for most of the race, Muir surged clear with just under two laps to go to win by almost eight seconds.
"It was my first time doubling up so I didn't know how my body would cope - I was just hoping I could deliver and I'm delighted," Muir told BBC Sport.
McColgan, 26, passed Maureen Koster of the Netherlands in the final stages to win her first senior medal, while team-mate Steph Twell finished fifth.
"Laura is so much better than the rest of us - I knew gold was gone, but it's my first medal so I'm really chuffed," said McColgan.
With an athlete as confident as Laura Muir is, as in the groove as she is, she wasn't going to settle for just winning.
This is a new Laura that we're witnessing - a couple of years ago she was in tears wondering why she was making those mistakes.
But now her running is stunning - the strength, the power, the endurance and the confidence. She has no fear.
With Jessica Ennis-Hill retiring, we've been wondering who would take on that mantle of the queen of British athletics and Laura is that person.
For Eilish McColgan, her body dictated the change from steeplechase to 3,000m - she was spending more time on the physio bed than she was racing.
So to have a good winter and then come out to win her first medal makes me delighted for her - and I hope it's the start of good things to come.
Philip set the fourth-fastest time in the semi-finals but stepped up for the final, setting a new European-leading mark this season.
Her victory completes a British double in the 60m following Richard Kilty's gold on Saturday.
She is also the first British winner of the women's 60m title since Beverly Kinch at Gothenburg in 1984.
Ukraine's Olesya Povh took silver, 0.04 seconds behind, with Ewa Swoboda of Poland in third.
Philip's gold medal stood after a Swiss protest against her victory was turned down.
Marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe paid tribute to the winner, saying: "Asha Philip personifies that tactic we need more of - bringing youngsters to championships like this and letting them take the step up, because it gives them a big boost going into the outdoor season."
Oskan-Clarke, 27, battled with reigning champion Buchel throughout the 800m final, often clashing elbows, but failed to get round the Swiss athlete on the line.
The Briton set a new personal best time of 2:00.39, just 0.01 seconds behind Buchel in a photo finish.
"I was trying to be brave but it was probably a bit silly to go round the outside whereas if I'd sat behind I might have had that bit at the end - it's just annoying," Oskan-Clarke told BBC Sport.
"I am happy but to be so close to the gold, it is a bit disappointing."
Poland's Adam Kszczot took gold in the men's 800m, with the Polish team also winning the men's 4x400m relay in the final race of the championships.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/39173882
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What might a post-Brexit EU look like? - BBC News
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2017-03-05
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Will the EU move towards closer integration or transfer significant power back to nation states?
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Europe
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Brexit. It's all about Britain, right?
There is the rest of the club to consider - what has become known, rather inelegantly, as the EU-of-27.
They are about to lose - depending on your point of view - a curmudgeonly whinger who was dragging the whole project down or one of their largest economies and the most powerful defence and security power in Europe.
There are those who think, genuinely, good riddance.
"General de Gaulle was right all along," they mutter. "We should never have let them join in the first place.
"Freed from the shackles of British ministers objecting to integration here and integration there, we can get on with it."
Closer co-operation on EU defence policy is high on their list; and it has been given an extra boost by the new president of the United States musing out loud about Nato and whether it is all worth it.
Others are dismayed by the British decision to leave, but after getting over the initial shock - and it really was a shock - they too are determined to make the best of it.
And when it comes to negotiating the UK divorce bill, make no mistake. For the people who matter, the unity of the remaining 27 is more important than trying not to upset the Brits as they wave goodbye.
The bill will be big - up to 60 billion euros - and European diplomats are bracing themselves for what one called "the very real possibility" that the UK will walk out in a huff.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has set out five possible futures
But the likelihood is that after one too many late-night summits - and one too many outraged tabloid headlines - a deal of sorts will emerge from the rubble.
The consequences of Brexit will rumble on for years; there are trade deals that will have to be done. But the EU is in no position to wait for the dust to settle.
In many ways, it has already moved on. So long Britain, and thanks for the memories.
Later this month, leaders of the 27 (the 28th has already sent her apologies) will meet in Rome to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the EU's founding treaty.
I say celebrate, but there is no illusion about the challenges facing the union.
Could the forces that prompted Brexit spread to other countries? Will anti-EU populists continue to rise in France, the Netherlands and parts of Central Europe?
It is certainly not impossible, and EU leaders know it. The idea that the EU could fall apart - unthinkable a few years ago - is now the subject of serious discussion.
Theresa May joined EU leaders in Valletta in February, but will skip the celebrations in Rome
Which is why they need a new plan to reinvigorate the project on its 60th birthday, and make it fit for future purpose.
The European Commission has now produced a series of policy options for the best way forward, ranging from shrugging its shoulders to throwing up its hands in horror.
But the most likely solution is to make more use of what is known as multi-speed Europe.
That's the idea that "coalitions of the willing" can move forward on big projects even if others want to linger on the starting line.
It is already happening with the euro, and with the passport-free Schengen area - not all EU countries are members of everything. An inner core may want to push ahead, if (and it's a big if) it can take public opinion along for the ride.
The other Commission proposal that looks to have legs is the idea that Brussels would return some powers to member states, as long as the EU was given greater responsibilities in major policy areas such as trade, migration, security and defence.
Variations on this theme have been around for some time. The EU needs to be big on the big things, they said, and smaller on smaller things.
And the biggest of the big things - in a competitive field - is probably the need to fix the eurozone.
The single currency remains half-formed, and - as a result - not yet secure. There is talk of a eurozone finance minister and a single eurozone budget.
But if you centralise economic power, you have to make sure it is politically accountable.
After 12 years, are German voters tiring of Chancellor Angela Merkel?
In an era of populist, anti-establishment rage, that is a difficult balancing act. Much will depend on who wins national elections this year in Germany and, in particular, France.
Political leadership will be at a premium.
But as the UK prepares to leave and enter a whole new world, the status quo is no longer an option for the countries that remain.
The EU either needs to move forward towards closer integration, or transfer significant power back to nation states.
It continues to be a bold experiment in Europe. But the halfway house has been built on sand.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-39140791
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USA Women 0-1 England Women - BBC Sport
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2017-03-05
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Ellen White scores a late winner as England beat world champions USA at the SheBelieves Cup in New Jersey.
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Last updated on .From the section Women's Football
How to follow: Live streaming of every England game in the SheBelieves Cup on the BBC Sport website, app and BBC red button
Ellen White scored a late winner as England beat world champions USA in the SheBelieves Cup in New Jersey.
The game was edging towards a goalless draw before Lucy Bronze's superb strike hit the crossbar in the 90th minute and substitute White scored the rebound.
England, the lowest-ranked team at the event, lost their opening game to France 2-1 and play their final match against Germany on 7 March.
England are second in the table behind France who drew 0-0 with Germany.
With both England and USA yet to start their domestic seasons, the two sides were evenly matched in front of a sellout crowd on a freezing cold night in New York.
Lionesses goalkeeper Siobhan Chamberlain denied Rose Lavelle from close range before America's Ashlyn Harris saved well to stop Nikita Parris in an even first half.
Chances were few and far between in the second period. England captain Steph Houghton went close with a 25-yard free-kick but Harris clawed the ball to safety.
Mark Sampson's side looked dangerous in the last 10 minutes and White clinched England's first ever victory in the tournament.
Match-winner White was "absolutely buzzing" that her goal had given England a famous victory.
The 27-year-old's strike gave the Lionesses just their fourth win over the World Cup holders and their first home defeat in 23 games.
White said: "To get the win, to get the goal, to beat USA on home soil; I'm pretty ecstatic to be honest.
"The team did so well, I'm so proud of them. We needed a big win in this tournament."
The team now face Germany in their final match in Washington on Tuesday.
White added: "Mark wanted us to bounce back and show our winning mentality. We definitely showed that.
"We showed the togetherness of the team, we showed drive, we showed professionalism and ultimately we scrapped [and] we fought. That's what we do."
"We're looking forward to playing Germany - this is like a final now."
• None Goal! USA 0, England 1. Ellen White (England) right footed shot from very close range to the top left corner following a corner.
• None Lucy Bronze (England) hits the bar with a right footed shot from outside the box following a corner.
• None Attempt blocked. Ellen White (England) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Jill Scott.
• None Attempt missed. Jodie Taylor (England) right footed shot from the right side of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Jill Scott with a headed pass. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39170204
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Manchester United 1-1 Bournemouth - BBC Sport
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2017-03-05
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Two unsavoury incidents involving Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Tyrone Mings overshadow Manchester United's draw against Bournemouth in the Premier League.
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Last updated on .From the section Football
Manchester United remained sixth in the Premier League with a draw against 10-man Bournemouth in a match that had two unpleasant incidents involving Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Tyrone Mings.
Both occurred towards the end of the first half after the players had earlier been warned by referee Kevin Friend for an off-the-ball incident.
You have the TV, you can see the images. I jump high and Mings jumps into my elbow
First, Mings appeared to land on the back of the head of the United forward as he lay on the ground, and then from a corner, Ibrahimovic elbowed the Cherries defender.
That last incident was witnessed by Mings' team-mates, including midfielder Andrew Surman who pushed the Swedish striker to the ground.
He was consequently shown a yellow card, which Friend realised was his second after a long delay. The official eventually pulled out his red card.
That followed a period of United domination, and they took the lead when Marcos Rojo diverted Antonio Valencia's strike past keeper Artur Boruc.
The visitors - with only one win in 11 - then grabbed a shock equaliser when Joshua King converted from the spot after Phil Jones had brought down Marc Pugh.
United then won a penalty in the 71st minute when Adam Smith handled Paul Pogba's flick. But from the resulting spot-kick Boruc, magnificent during the match, dived to his right to keep out Ibrahimovic's effort.
Bournemouth hung on to earn their first league point in five games, but it is the incidents involving Ibrahimovic and Mings that will dominate the back pages.
• None Relive the action as it happened
Four incidents in five frantic minutes
Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe arrived at Old Trafford feeling the effects of a stomach bug - and he would have felt more queasy after what he witnessed near the end of the first half.
Surman's sending off was the culmination of the bruising on and off-the-ball battle between Mings and Ibrahimovic.
Both had been talked to by Friend moments after the United striker had appeared to push the defender to the ground early on in the opening period. Neither were punished then, nor were they punished just before the break following the two incidents.
The first was highlighted by a TV replay when Mings, in hurdling United captain Wayne Rooney after tackling him, landed his boot on the top of Ibrahimovic, who was also lying on the turf.
From the corner, Ibrahimovic, again closely marked by Mings, appeared to elbow the defender in the face.
A melee then followed which resulted in a yellow card for Surman - his second - for a push on Ibrahimovic.
In an unsavoury end to the half, Bournemouth assistant Jason Tindall was also sent off for his protestations over the incident during the corner.
United fail to take advantage of dominance
If it was not for the brilliant saves of Boruc, United would have run away with this match.
The Cherries had conceded 51 goals in the league coming into the fixture - more than any other club - and it could have been 57 inside the first 22 minutes.
Boruc, with a strong sun in his eyes in the first half, made great saves to keep out strikes from Pogba, Rooney and then Anthony Martial. United also twice went close through Ibrahimovic.
And in the second half the Polish keeper pushed away another Pogba effort before he capped off his excellent display with a brilliant penalty save.
From United's point of view it will be a match in which they had 20 chances and only managed to convert one.
• None Manchester United's unbeaten Premier League run has been extended to 17 games (W9 D8), and they have not conceded more than once in a game during that run [10 goals conceded].
• None Ibrahimovic missed a penalty in a league game for the first time since September 2015 for Paris St-Germain against Guingamp - he had scored six consecutively before his failure today.
• None Artur Boruc was the first goalkeeper to save a penalty against Manchester United at Old Trafford in the Premier League since Boaz Myhill in May 2015.
• None Boruc has saved four of the past seven penalties he has faced in the Premier League.
• None Joshua King was only the 14th player in Premier League history to score a penalty at Old Trafford for the opposing side.
• None King's goal was Bournemouth's only shot on target in the entire match.
• None Bournemouth have scored all seven of their Premier League penalties this season, more than any other side.
• None Rojo scored his first Premier League goal in his 54th appearance
• None United have managed 20-plus shots without winning four times in the Premier League this season, more than any other side.
United are at FC Rostov next Thursday in the Europa League last 16, before they face Chelsea in the FA Cup quarter-final a week on Monday.
They next play in the league, after the Europa League return leg, when they travel to Middlesbrough on Sunday, 19 March.
The Cherries have a less busy schedule. They host West Ham in the league next Saturday.
• None Attempt blocked. Marcos Rojo (Manchester United) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Juan Mata.
• None Substitution, Bournemouth. Max Gradel replaces Joshua King because of an injury.
• None Attempt missed. Joshua King (Bournemouth) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Ryan Fraser with a cross following a corner.
• None Marcus Rashford (Manchester United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
• None Attempt missed. Paul Pogba (Manchester United) right footed shot from outside the box is too high from a direct free kick.
• None Substitution, Bournemouth. Baily Cargill replaces Tyrone Mings because of an injury.
• None Delay over. They are ready to continue.
• None Delay in match Tyrone Mings (Bournemouth) because of an injury.
• None Attempt blocked. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Manchester United) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39086674
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Tony Bellew: 'I asked injured Haye to stop' - BBC Sport
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2017-03-05
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Tony Bellew feared for David Haye's safety and asked the fighter and his corner to end Saturday's gruelling fight.
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Last updated on .From the section Boxing
Tony Bellew said he feared for David Haye's safety and asked the heavyweight and his corner to end Saturday's fight at the O2 Arena before he scored an 11th-round stoppage.
Haye, 36, damaged his Achilles and was put down in the sixth round but gamely carried on and went for surgery on the injury after the bout.
"Just before the stoppage I looked at David and said 'stop now'," said Bellew. "He shook his head.
"He went beyond the call of duty."
The Liverpudlian added: "I looked at Shane McGuigan (Haye's trainer) and said 'stop it'. I was worried as he couldn't box."
The two fighters had engaged in a controversial war of words ahead of the fight but afterwards Bellew spoke of Haye's bravery in refusing to give up.
• None Bellew broke his hand in early rounds of Haye bout
• None Listen: 'I’ve beaten the best cruiserweight this country has ever produced'
"In rounds four and five he was tired but he was blocking, when we got to nine, I felt myself on top of him and I could feel him panicking," said Bellew.
"I said, 'stop, stop' and he went 'no'. He gets a lot of admiration from me from a sportsman's perspective."
Haye - who notably lost his ability to move freely after stumbling in the sixth - was unable to attend a post-fight news conference as he was on his way for surgery on an injury for which he reportedly flew to Germany for treatment during fight week.
But in the ring he told BBC Radio 5 live the injury was "just one of those things" and conceded "the better man won".
Bellew, who was visibly emotional early on in his news conference, said he thanked Haye in the ring for "helping secure my kids' future".
The WBC cruiserweight champion, 34, defied most pre-fight predictions to win on his heavyweight bow but told reporters this would be his final 12 months as a fighter.
"There's a certain number of times you can keep doing this and it's not many more times I'll be honest," added Bellew, who now has 29 wins and a draw from 32 fights.
"This circus is going to keep following me now. I don't actually like all this, I've grown to hate it. I'm not a perfect person, I make bad moves and bad mistakes in my life, I just want to be left alone now and enjoy time with my kids."
His trainer Dave Coldwell added: "I would be happy if he walked away. He won a world title, he secured his family's future, so for me, I would be happy if he said 'that's us done'."
Bellew labelled boxing a "freak show" in which he was happy to play the "pantomime" but when asked why he would not bow out now, he said any offer for his next fight "would be too big" to turn down.
Promoter Eddie Hearn believes Bellew's future lies in the heavyweight division, with title-shots makeable against American WBC champion Deontay Wilder or New Zealand's Joseph Parker, who holds the WBO belt.
Hearn said: "Everybody was saying David Haye is one of the best heavyweights in the world. So as far as I'm concerned Tony's earned his shot at the heavyweight title of the world.
"I could bring Wilder or Parker to the UK without any shadow of a doubt."
A rematch with Haye was briefly mentioned in the ring but Hearn appeared cold at the prospect, stating the former WBA heavyweight champion's camp had no desire to insert a rematch clause before the bout.
Bellew added: "The biggest one-punching heavyweight in the world couldn't put a dent in me. There's a new sheriff in town."
Bellew was moved to tears when explaining a video chat with his son before the fight where he was urged to "come home safe".
Controversial comments from both fighters, including Haye's graphic descriptions of the harm he hoped to cause his rival, had marred fight week.
The British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) will discuss the acrimonious build-up next week.
"What we have done for boxing tonight is put it on a pedestal," said Bellew. "Two men fought their hearts out."
He called the BBBofC's proposed meeting "a disgrace", adding: "The board can't say nothing to me and if they do, I will go and get a license somewhere else. The cheek of it."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/39171244
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Budget: Don't be fooled if it turns out to be dull - BBC News
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2017-03-05
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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A raft of measures already announced by chancellors past and present will affect your finances from April.
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Business
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Consider Wednesday's Budget as part of a box set - the latest episode in a financial drama that began with the banking crisis.
Like all good series, there are episodes which allow the scriptwriters to set up the story for a more dramatic encounter later on.
That will be the case with Philip Hammond - ironically nicknamed "Box Office Phil" - as he writes his Spring Budget, experts say. They predict this Budget will be relatively low key, particularly because there will be another one in the autumn.
And - to stretch the metaphor even further - we have been told a lot about the plot already. A string of tax and benefit changes that will come into effect this April have been announced in previous Budgets and Autumn Statements.
So, here is the story so far.
This will be the last ever Spring Budget, with the main event moving to the autumn from then on.
The leading man in the Treasury has changed. Philip Hammond is delivering his first Budget as chancellor, following eight delivered by his predecessor George Osborne.
There's plenty of speculation that Wednesday's Budget could be pretty low key. Don't be fooled, though. Your finances are set to change anyway.
Some of the policies that affect UK residents' personal finances were announced in previous speeches by Mr Osborne, but will only take effect this April. Others were outlined by Mr Hammond in November's Autumn Statement and will also come into force in the spring.
A number will lead to a notable change in the finances of those of working age - particularly a shift in the income tax threshold and the benefit freeze - while others target particular groups of people such as landlords.
The amount people can earn before they are subject to income tax, known as the personal allowance, is currently set at £11,000 and it has already been announced that it will go up to £11,500 in April.
The Conservatives have promised to raise this to £12,500 by 2020-21 and increase with inflation after that.
The threshold for the higher 40% income tax rate will rise from £43,000 to £45,000 in April. However, in Scotland the higher rate will be paid on income above £43,000 a year - owing to the devolved tax powers the Scottish government now holds.
Other changes that had been announced by George Osborne, but which take effect in April, include:
Pay rates for millions of workers have already been cemented.
The National Living Wage will rise from £7.20 to £7.50 in April, for those aged 25 and over. Public sector pay has already been set at a 1% annual rise each year until 2019-20.
Salary sacrifice schemes allow some employees to give up some of their salary in exchange for goods and services. Some items bought under a scheme such as computers, gym membership, and health screening will be subject to tax from April - in effect, salary sacrifice will be cancelled on these items.
That was announced in Mr Hammond's Autumn Statement, as was mixed news for drivers.
Fuel duty will be frozen for a seventh year, but the cost of vehicle insurance may rise owing to an increase in the Insurance Premium Tax from 10% to 12% in June.
New Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) bands are to be introduced for cars registered from April - zero, standard and premium.
In May, probate fees will change, costing significantly more for large estates.
Finally, we may hear from the chancellor on a start date and precise interest rate for the new government-backed savings bond.
In November, the chancellor said that the new savings product offering a "market-leading" rate of about 2.2% would go on sale through National Savings and Investments in the spring.
The bond will be open to those aged 16 and over, subject to a minimum investment limit of £100 and a maximum investment limit of £3,000. Savers must put in their money for three years.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-39143341
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Alexis Sanchez: Arsenal forward dropped after row in training - BBC Sport
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2017-03-05
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Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez had an angry exchange with team-mates before Saturday's defeat at Liverpool, for which he was dropped.
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Last updated on .From the section Football
Alexis Sanchez had an angry exchange with Arsenal team-mates after leaving training mid-session in the build-up to Saturday's defeat at Liverpool.
The Chilean forward, 28, was confronted by team-mates on their return to the changing room and one of them had to be held back as tempers flared.
Sanchez was left out of the starting line-up at Anfield but came on in the second half as Arsenal lost 3-1.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger said it was a tactical decision to omit Sanchez.
Wenger brought on his top scorer at half-time, with his side 2-0 down, and he provided the pass for Danny Welbeck's goal.
He has been directly involved in 26 goals in his 26 league games this season, scoring 17 and assisting nine.
• None 'I'd leave Arsenal if I were Sanchez', says Wright
However, Wenger said he had decided to start Welbeck and Oliver Giroud instead to provide a more direct attacking threat.
The defeat was the Gunners' third in four league games and saw them drop out of the top four.
Former Premier League goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer on BBC Match of the Day 2 Extra:
"I think Alexis Sanchez, and a number of players, are waiting to see what Wenger does. If Wenger stays on, I think we'll see a large turnover of players coming in and players leaving.
"If he leaves then it depends who comes in and replaces him, what his ideas are, and that will determine whether players like Sanchez and (Mesut) Ozil re-sign."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39175453
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David Haye has Achilles surgery after Tony Bellew defeat - BBC Sport
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2017-03-05
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David Haye undergoes surgery on the Achilles tendon he ruptured during Saturday night's defeat to Tony Bellew.
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Last updated on .From the section Boxing
David Haye has had surgery on the Achilles tendon he ruptured during Saturday night's heavyweight defeat by Tony Bellew in London.
The 36-year-old suffered the injury in the sixth round and was knocked down in the 11th to give Bellew a surprise win.
"David would like to thank everyone for their many messages of support, as well as the staff at the hospital," read a statement from Haye's representatives.
WBC cruiserweight champion Bellew, 34, broke his hand in the fight.
"I broke my right hand in the second or third round," Bellew told BBC Radio 5 live's Sportsweek.
"It is sore now but I don't feel the pain - all I think about is winning."
Liverpudlian Bellew, who described his injured hand as being "the size of a small bowling ball", says he now wants time to reassess his options.
• None Listen: 'I’ve beaten the best cruiserweight this country has ever produced'
"We will sit down and I need a few days to take on board what I have done because it doesn't feel real at the minute," he added.
Speaking after the fight, Bellew said he had feared for Haye's safety during the bout and asked the heavyweight and his corner to end the fight at the O2 Arena before he scored the stoppage.
"Just before the stoppage I looked at David and said 'stop now'," said Bellew. "He shook his head.
"He went beyond the call of duty."
Promoter Eddie Hearn, speaking on Sportsweek, said that representatives of both American WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder and WBO champion Joseph Parker of New Zealand had contacted him about the possibility of taking on Bellew.
"Tony's got big decisions to make - stay at cruiserweight, defend that, unify the division. Maybe even a rematch with David Haye or, I think more likely, to challenge for the world heavyweight title," he said.
"Why can't he beat Wilder or Parker? I believe he can and two world titles would secure his legacy."
After the fight Bellew called boxing a "freak show" in which he was happy to play the "pantomime", but when asked why he would not quit now, he said any offer for his next fight "would be too big" to turn down.
The WBC cruiserweight champion defied most pre-fight predictions to win on his heavyweight debut but told reporters this would be his final 12 months as a fighter.
"There's a certain number of times you can keep doing this and it's not many more times I'll be honest," added Bellew, who now has 29 wins and a draw from 32 fights.
"This circus is going to keep following me now. I don't actually like all this, I've grown to hate it. I'm not a perfect person, I make bad moves and bad mistakes in my life, I just want to be left alone now and enjoy time with my kids."
Bellew's trainer Dave Coldwell added: "I would be happy if he walked away. He won a world title, he secured his family's future, so for me, I would be happy if he said 'that's us done'."
Controversial comments from both fighters, including Haye's graphic descriptions of the harm he hoped to cause his rival, had marred fight week.
The British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) will discuss the acrimonious build-up next week.
Hearn said that there was no place in the sport for a lot of the things which were said to Bellew.
"David Haye was told time and time again by us, by the BBBofC and Sky Sports to refrain from using those kind of words," he said.
"We saw it at the first press conference where he threw a punch at Bellew. In every public event we put on after that we put measures in place and never let them within an arms' length of each other.
"In that respect he behaved. But from a verbal respect some of the things he said were disgusting.
"I'm sure the BBBofC will deal with that."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/39171240
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European Indoor Athletics: Laura Muir and Richard Kilty win gold in Belgrade - BBC Sport
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2017-03-05
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Britain's Laura Muir wins 1500m gold and Richard Kilty defends his 60m title at the European Indoor Championships in Belgrade.
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Last updated on .From the section Athletics
Britain's Laura Muir and Richard Kilty won gold at the European Indoor Athletics Championships in Belgrade.
Muir, 23, broke Dame Kelly Holmes' British record and the championship record as she won her first major title in the 1500m.
Defending champion Kilty, 27, finished the 60m in 6.54 seconds after team-mate Andy Robertson was disqualified.
Andrew Pozzi claimed Britain's first gold of the competition on Friday in the 60m hurdles.
"I just wanted to run a quick race. I never envisaged breaking the British record, it's brilliant," Muir told BBC Sport.
"The past couple of years, medals have just slipped away. I'm relieved to get one now."
Muir missed out on medals at the 2015 European Indoors and World Championships, where she finished fourth and fifth respectively.
However, having already set three European records this year, she pulled away in the final two laps and won by more than two seconds, with team-mate Sarah McDonald coming sixth.
Germany's Konstanze Klosterhalfen took silver, while Poland's Sofia Ennaoui finished third.
"I'm so happy, it feels like a long time coming to win a medal," Muir added.
"I knew a couple of the girls would have a couple of good sprint finishes so I tried to play to my strengths."
Laura Muir is such a different athlete to the one we saw a few years ago. She's had disappointments but she has fought and worked so hard.
She's covered every base and when you watch her now, you get the sense of, is this another Mo Farah? She has that feeling of superiority and invincibility.
I think Laura Muir just underlined the shape that she's in and her superiority. She can run the 3,000m any way she wants tomorrow, there are no worries about will she be fatigued, because the way she trains and puts hard sessions back to back, there won't be any issues about the way she recovers.
Kilty had dominated the heats for the 60m and did not let up in the final as he successfully defended his title.
Fellow Briton Theo Etienne, making his senior debut, finished in fifth with a time of 6.67 seconds.
"When it really matters I'm willing to lay my heart on the line and put in my best performance," Kilty told BBC Sport.
Robertson, who finished third in his semi-final and was set to be a strong contender in the final, was left disappointed after being disqualified for a false start.
"I'm a bit frustrated. I felt like I was in personal best form. I felt like I could have won that today," Robertson added.
"Sadly it's not meant to be. I felt like I would have been contending today but it is what it is."
Britain's Laviai Nielsen missed out on a medal in the 400m as she was overtaken on the line to finish fourth.
The 20-year-old, whose twin sister Lina was forced out earlier in the week with a leg injury, saw Poland's Justyna Swiety grab the bronze, with France's Floria Guei winning gold and Czech Zuzana Hewjonova the silver.
"Fourth place is agonising, it was just the last bit," said Nielsen, who still has the 4x400m relay on Sunday. "I thought I had it and I tried, I really did."
In the women's 60m competition, Asha Philip looked comfortable winning her heat in 7.25secs, fifth fastest overall going into Sunday's semi-finals.
"You want to qualify for a good lane and winning that heat helped me," the 26-year-old told BBC Sport.
"I don't want to kill myself because three rounds is hard. The boys have had to do it all in one day so I feel sorry for them. We've got an extra day to recover so I'm grateful for that."
Morgan Lake finished eighth in the high jump final, while world indoor bronze medallist Lorraine Ugen qualified for the long jump final at her first attempt.
The 25-year-old jumped a season's best 6.80m, passing the 6.60m automatic qualification mark. Team-mate Jazmin Sawyers missed that mark but joined Ugen in the final after finishing seventh overall with a best of 6.54.
Robbie Grabarz and Allan Smith qualified for Sunday's high jump final, but fellow Briton Chris Kandu missed out after finishing 10th in qualifying.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/39165205
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Assembly election 'a brutal result for unionism' - BBC News
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2017-03-05
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Arlene Foster predicted a brutal election campaign, but she didn't expect such a brutal result for unionism, says BBC News NI's Enda McClafferty.
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Northern Ireland
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Senior DUP figures say leader Arlene Foster's position is safe, despite the party's poor showing in the election
Former first minister Arlene Foster predicted a brutal election campaign but she didn't expect such a brutal result for unionism.
For the first time in the history of Northern Ireland unionists no longer hold the majority at Stormont.
And it happened under the watch of a DUP leader who, 10 months ago, was electoral gold dust.
In the end, just 1,168 votes separated the DUP and Sinn Féin - a gap which is sure to spook unionists.
The DUP has lost its veto. Without the magic 30 seats the party can no longer play the petition of concern card.
But it may call on the support of some like-minded unionists when it feels the need to block legislation.
Much will depend on its relationship with the new leader of the Ulster Unionists.
The make up of the next Executive is also set to change.
The DUP will no longer have four ministers around table: They will drop to three - Sinn Féin will have two.
But those figures will change if the SDLP and Ulster Unionists decide to remain in opposition: They are entitled to one seat each at the Executive table.
SDLP leader Colum Eastwood fought the election to enter government, but only if the conditions after the negotiations are to his liking.
If he turns his back on government, then he will have to make room on the "official" opposition benches for the Alliance party.
Having won 8.8% of the vote, it has now passed the threshold to gain "official" status.
But what direction will the leaderless Ulster Unionists now take, and who will make that call if the Executive returns?
As Mike Nesbitt discovered, big bold moves don't always pay dividends, especially if those standing on your shoulder quietly don't agree.
One unionist who did emerge unscathed is ready and willing to return to her post.
Former Justice Minister Clare Sugden says she wants "to finish the job she started".
But will those who sat with her around that table have the same drive to finish the job they started?
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-39166355
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Andy Murray beats Fernando Verdasco to win first Dubai Championships title - BBC Sport
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2017-03-05
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Britain's Andy Murray sees off Spaniard Fernando Verdasco in straight sets to win the Dubai title for the first time.
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Last updated on .From the section Tennis
Britain's Andy Murray saw off Spaniard Fernando Verdasco in straight sets to win the Dubai Championships for the first time.
The world number one dropped his first two service games but recovered to win 6-3 6-2 in one hour and 14 minutes.
It is Murray's first tournament win of 2017 and the 45th of his career, which will see him extend his lead over Novak Djokovic at the top of the rankings.
"I'm obviously very happy to do it here for the first time," said Murray.
"It's been a good start to the year."
Murray went into the final with a 12-1 record against Verdasco, but the Scot made a slow start to the final, losing his first two service games and throwing in four double faults.
However, Murray managed to get himself level at 3-3 and was rarely troubled again.
Verdasco, 33, let a 40-0 lead slip in game eight, firing a forehand wide on break point and Murray served out a set in which his returning ability had made up for some erratic serving.
The Briton's game came together in the second set and a forehand pass gave him the early break for a 2-1 lead.
When Murray ran down a seemingly hopeless point to force another break point at 4-2 it was as good as over for Verdasco, and the top seed ended with the kind of clinical service game he had lacked at the start.
The final proved a far more straightforward contest than his quarter-final against Philipp Kohlschreiber, which saw Murray save seven match points and win an epic 31-minute tie-break.
"Often when you get through matches like that it settles you down for the rest of the tournament," said Murray.
"It's been quite a few late finishes this week. Maybe the last couple of matches, I didn't start as well as I would like. It's been the same for all the players, a bit tricky with the rain. Once I got going today, I was moving well and I finished strong."
Any major celebrations will have to wait as Murray heads to the airport and a 16-hour flight to Los Angeles, with the Indian Wells Masters getting under way next week.
Murray, who will play his first match in the Californian desert next weekend, hopes to improve on a relatively modest record of just one final appearance back in 2009.
Last year, he lost in the third round at both Indian Wells and two weeks later at the Miami Masters.
"I struggled at Indian Wells and Miami last year, I didn't play so well," he said. "This year has given me great momentum."
Despite dropping his opening two service games, this turned into a straightforward win for Murray.
A first title of 2017 takes Murray over 2,000 points clear of Novak Djokovic at the top of the world rankings, and means he is extremely unlikely to be overtaken by anyone until at least the French Open.
Murray's form in Dubai this week suggests not only has he got over his bout of shingles, but also that the defeat to Mischa Zverev at the Australian Open is no indication of a deeper malaise.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/39168363
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Leicester City: Craig Shakespeare 'out of order' for wanting Foxes job - BBC Sport
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2017-03-05
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Leicester City caretaker boss Craig Shakespeare is "out of order" for wanting to replace Claudio Ranieri, says Martin Keown.
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Last updated on .From the section Football
Leicester City caretaker boss Craig Shakespeare is "out of order" for wanting to replace Claudio Ranieri, says ex-Arsenal defender Martin Keown.
The Foxes beat Hull 3-1 on Saturday and have won both of their games under Shakespeare since Ranieri's sacking.
"Suddenly he wants to be a manager. It doesn't sit that comfortably with me," Keown said on Match of the Day.
"If you're assistant manager to Ranieri and he's walked, why is it you suddenly want to be the manager?"
Shakespeare, 53, has never managed full-time and was brought to Leicester by Ranieri's predecessor Nigel Pearson.
He says he expects to speak with the Leicester hierarchy about his future next week.
"You have personal ambition, but I think it's almost out of order that he wants to jump in for that job," said Keown.
"Surely they'll go for a manager who is bigger with more experience."
Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy added: "While Craig Shakespeare is winning, leave him in charge. Why change? Let him carry on."
'My remit was to win these two games'
Speaking after his side moved five points clear of the relegation zone, Shakespeare said: "My remit was to win these two games and that's what we've done," he said.
"The owners will make a decision for the good of the club and until I talk to them I don't know what that will be. But as I have said previously, I'm comfortable with that.
"I can't control it and there's no point worrying about it."
Leicester had not scored a league goal in 2017 until Shakespeare took charge, but have now scored six in two games - twice as many Premier League goals as they did in their last 10 matches under Ranieri.
Shakespeare has never managed a club before but has a long association with the Foxes.
The Englishman was assistant manager to Nigel Pearson for two years from 2008, following Pearson to Hull in 2010 before they both returned to Leicester a year later.
Following Pearson's sacking in 2015, Shakespeare remained at the club as Ranieri's assistant.
Leicester are believed to have spoken to a number of potential candidates to replace Ranieri, but could also consider giving Shakespeare the job until the end of the season.
Who else is in the frame?
The Foxes have held informal discussions with former England boss Roy Hodgson.
The 69-year-old has been out of work since leaving the international set-up after the Three Lions lost to Iceland at Euro 2016.
Pearson, who saved Leicester from relegation in 2014-15, has also been linked with a return.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39169601
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European Indoor Athletics: 'Spoilsport' official almost ruins Laura Muir's moment - BBC Sport
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2017-03-05
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Britain's Laura Muir was initially prevented from celebrating her 1500m gold by a 'spoilsport' official at the European Indoor Athletics Championships.
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Britain's Laura Muir was initially prevented from celebrating her 1500m gold by a 'spoilsport' official at the European Indoor Athletics Championships, before giving her the slip to complete her lap of honour.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/39172628
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What if all schools were tech investors? - BBC News
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2017-03-05
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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A school in California pocketed $24m this week after investing in Snapchat. Could other schools emulate that success?
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Technology
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How tech investor Barry Eggers' whip-round at Saint Francis High School led to an incredible windfall
It's no coincidence that the school that banked millions this week by investing early in Snapchat is in the middle of Mountain View, California.
When the parents of your students are some of the world's wealthiest technology investors then, well, it's smart to make the most of it.
Saint Francis High School's incredible windfall wasn't a fluke - it was the result of a patient process which began in 1990, when it set up a development fund to raise cash for the school. The fund has been bankrolled by parents and alumni who know their stuff - particularly when it comes to making bets on technology stock.
At $17,000 a year for tuition, the school isn't exactly strapped for cash. Its campus, where I spent Friday morning, is leafy, green and well-equipped outside and in. The 1,760 students that come here are lucky, privileged, and most likely on their way to great things.
The development fund was set up to, among other things, provide money for scholarships that are offered out to kids from less well-off families in the area. And with the Snap deal, the fund has swollen to phenomenal new heights - $24m so far, with many more millions set to come. All from a $15,000 investment.
It made me wonder - why doesn't this kind of thing happen more often? $15,000 is small change to the budgets of venture capital firms around the world, particularly in Silicon Valley where $25bn was invested in tech companies in 2016 - an apparently "bad" year.
Most schools can't afford to put together a fund like Saint Francis. But then, why should they need to? What if investment firms allowed a small slice of the money they invest to be kept by for schools, charities or other needy causes so that if and when the ship comes in, it's life changing for the many rather than the few?
"I think in Silicon Valley especially, or places with a lot of entrepreneurship, I think it's great for investors to reach out to local institutions and schools and see if they can include them in some of their deals," said Barry Eggers, founding partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners, the firm that led Snap's first investment round. This week that investment became worth more than a billion dollars.
The school set up a development fund in 1990
It was Mr Eggers' idea to involve Saint Francis in the deal five years ago, based on the enthusiasm of his children, who loved Snapchat.
"They were sitting around the kitchen table one day and they were all on their cellphones laughing. They said 'Dad, have you seen this app, Snapchat?'
"My daughter said 'I used to use it five times a day, now I use it 30 times a day!'."
He sees no reason why the success at Saint Francis can't be emulated at other schools - but it won't happen easily.
"These institutions have to have a programme. It can't be a one-off, that's not going to work. They have to commit to doing this."
His point is it takes time and money, and it's about playing the numbers. Schools won't be able to just invest $15,000, sit back for a few years and see the success roll in. There will be vastly more misses than hits.
At Saint Francis, as school president Simon Chiu was fielding questions from the nation's media, the music of Bruno Mars soundtracked a dancing competition, an event held as part of a week of activities designed to de-stress students.
The school didn't want us disrupting the day, or the dance-off, so we weren't able to get the view of the kids in what right now is America's most talked about school.
That's a shame, as the future of Snapchat rests in high schools like this one across the country, and eventually - if the app can grow as investors hope - the entire world.
But only if it remains "cool". Just as Mr Eggers' daughter was the early-adopter that predicted Snap's success, the students that are studying at the school nowadays would be the harshest critics of whether or not it will succeed. Maybe they've already moved onto the next big thing.
"Certainly we know that kids are the first people to figure out what's hot and what's new and what's desirable," said Mr Chiu.
He too hopes the school's success will lead other venture capital firms to work in the same way.
"I think this is an amazing way for venture capital folks, or companies, to share these experiences with schools.
"I would hope that companies would look at this as an example of something they can do to help their local community."
Paying more tax would be a better way, of course, but that's a debate for another day. For now, Silicon Valley is basking in the enjoyment of a huge success that will trickle down into the tech start-up ecosystem, meaning more money for new companies.
A success like Snap is rare. But deals happen here every day - acquisitions and exits that have created a new breed of super rich.
As California's newest billionaires celebrate this weekend, perhaps we should imagine the impact if every big deal held aside just a few thousand dollars at the beginning for a good cause. It would allow the needy causes to accumulate real wealth. Now that would be truly disruptive, wouldn't it?
Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC and on Facebook. You can reach Dave securely through encrypted messaging app Signal on: +1 (628) 400-7370
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-39150142
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UFC 209: Tyron Woodley retains title against Stephen Thompson but not everyone is impressed - BBC Three
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2017-03-05
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Check out this content on BBC Three.
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Tyron Woodley retained his UFC welterweight title for the second time against Stephen Thompson in an underwhelming fight in Las Vegas.
The pair had gone to a majority draw at UFC 205 last November, producing the fight of the night in New York, but fought in a far more tentative manner for the follow-up, landing just six significant strikes between them in the first round.
The feeling out process in a title fight is SO TENSE #UFC209 pic.twitter.com/j1CRrvtOQt — UFC (@ufc) March 5, 2017
However, this time in Las Vegas, an increasingly agitated crowd made clear their unhappiness at the lack of action in the early rounds, as both fighters kept their distance, with Thompson seemingly landing the more significant strikes.
The champion tried to build some pressure on Thompson in the third round with a takedown against the fence which left the 34-year-old 'Wonderboy' pinned down, but Thompson had recovered by the end of the round.
This is the worst title fight in UFC history and we still have a round to go. #UFC209 — Chamatkar Sandhu (@SandhuMMA) March 5, 2017
Thompson’s tactical approach left Woodley struggling to connect with the challenger, but he eventually found a way through with less than 30 seconds of the fight to go. He then managed to land a huge flurry of punches that left Thompson hurt.
It proved enough to edge the fight, with two judges scoring the fight 48-47 for Woodley. The third judge scored it a draw between the two fighters.
“I thought I had more of the strikes, but you can’t leave it in the judges hands,” admitted Thompson afterwards.
I don't think a takedown, a few punches to the stomach, and 20 seconds of flurrying at the end is enough. Too much backpedaling. #UFC209 — Dan Hardy (@danhardymma) March 5, 2017
The card lost one of its main fights at short notice when Khabib Nurmagomedov, who had been scheduled to face Tony Ferguson for the interim lightweight title, was hospitalised on Friday night.
Nurmagomedov had suffered health issues as he tried to cut weight for the fight.
“The most important thing right now is Khabib’s health,” Nurmagomedov’s manager, Ali Abdel-Aziz told MMA Fighting. “We’re not thinking about what’s next at this time.”
Swedish fighter, David Teymur claimed an unanimous victory over lightweight rival, Lando Vannata in what proved to be an explosive fight.
The up-and-coming fighters have both earned reputations for their exciting fights in the past, and stepped up to deliver one of the best bouts of the year.
Vannata landed a cartwheel kick early on while Teymur scored an unanswered superman punch and a combination of knees in a back-and-forth battle, before all three judges scored the fight 30-27 in Teymur’s favour.
“I’ve said this since day one, the day I come to the UFC, I didn’t come just to say hi,” Teymur said after the fight.
Rashad Evans suffered a defeat in his first fight at middleweight as he returned to action after nearly a year out.
Veteran fighter Daniel Kelly, who competed in judo for Australia at the London 2012 Olympics, won a split decision victory over the former light heavyweight champion after a gruelling bout.
Both men finished the fight swinging wildly, but Kelly’s southpaw approach and judo kept Evans off-balance for the early rounds to score the biggest win of his career so far.
That's what it means to Aussie @DanKellyJudo at #UFC209! pic.twitter.com/qZVmE7KkzP — UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) March 5, 2017
Cynthia Calvillo made a quick start to her UFC career after defeating Amanda Cooper by submission in the first round.
The 29-year-old American who took the fight on with just 10 days notice, secured the win by rear naked choke after three minutes and 19 seconds.
It was a grappling showcase from both women before Calvillo, who turned pro last year, managed to get Cooper’s back and lock on the choke hold for the victory.
“My ultimate goal is to be a world champion, so I just need to work my way up there until I get that shot,” she said afterwards.
Alistair Overeem claimed a knockout victory over New Zealand’s Mark Hunt to put himself back in contention for the heavyweight championship he lost to Stipe Miocic last September.
London-born Overeem, ranked number three heavyweight in the world, landed two hard knees to Hunt’s face during the third round to claim the victory.
The Netherlands-based fighter came back from an early heavy right hand by Hunt in the first round to control the second, before connecting with elbow and knee shots that left Hunt face down on the canvas.
Left elbow, right knee, LIGHTS OUT! @AlistairOvereem w/ the 3rd round KO at #UFC209! pic.twitter.com/PjUR3C56ch — UFC (@ufc) March 5, 2017
Afterwards Overeem said he had one eye on the forthcoming title fight between Miocic and Junior Dos Santos.
“If JDS would win that fight I could see myself lining up against him as I was his last loss,” he said.
"I think he’d want revenge and I’m very open to that idea.”
There were mixed fortunes for Britain’s other representatives on the card. England’s Mark Godbeer scored an unanimous judges’ decision in a one-sided contest against Daniel Spitz, but Scottish fighter Paul Craig suffered a first round TKO defeat to Tyson Pedro.
“I felt my back was against the wall going in which added to the nerves, but I dug deep,” Godbeer said afterwards on Instagram
You can read the full results from the UFC 209 undercard here.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/item/13594e5d-9618-4a5f-ab3c-c8d3537ce630
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Alexis Sanchez: Arsene Wenger 'stands up' for decision not to start forward - BBC Sport
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2017-03-05
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Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger "stands up" for his decision to leave Alexis Sanchez out of the starting XI in the 3-1 loss to Liverpool.
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Last updated on .From the section Football
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger says he will "stand up" for his decision to leave Alexis Sanchez out of the starting line-up in the 3-1 loss to Liverpool.
The Gunners manager brought on his top scorer at half-time, with his side 2-0 down, and he provided the pass for Danny Welbeck's goal.
"Everyone will come to the same conclusion," said Wenger.
"But I am strong enough and lucid enough to analyse the impact."
It was only the fifth time in his Arsenal career that Sanchez had started a Premier League game on the bench, with the Chile international so often a vital player for the Gunners.
He has been directly involved in a league-high 26 goals in his 26 league games this season, scoring 17 and assisting nine.
However, Wenger said he had decided to start Welbeck and Oliver Giroud instead to provide a more direct attacking threat.
"I wanted to play two players who were strong in the air and then bring Sanchez on in the second half," Wenger added.
"I don't deny Alexis Sanchez is a great player. A decision like that is not easy to make, you have to stand up for it."
The defeat was the Gunners' third in four league games and leaves them fifth, two points behind fourth-placed Manchester City, who have a game in hand.
Asked whether Arsenal can still make the top four, Wenger said: "It is a possibility that we can still make it, so let's focus on that."
BBC Sport's chief football writer Phil McNulty: "Wenger's future may yet be defined - even decided - by his fatally flawed decision to drop leading scorer Alexis Sanchez for the meeting with Liverpool at Anfield.
"This was a match Wenger knew might go a long way towards shaping the Champions League places so surely it was an occasion to call on your biggest player, not adopt the sort of high-risk strategy that went horribly wrong in this damaging 3-1 defeat?
"Once Wenger left Sanchez out, defeat was not an option. He had to leave Anfield with a positive result, instead he was reduced to throwing the Chilean on in desperation at the start of the second half with Liverpool two up and in control.
"It was a baffling, inexplicable move that was was either going to prove gloriously courageous or calamitous. It proved to be the latter.
"Would Antonio Conte leave Diego Costa out of such a game? Would Spurs exclude Harry Kane? Would Jose Mourinho drop Zlatan Ibrahimovic? Not a chance.
"Wenger took the chance and he must now live with the consequences which may stretch beyond this one loss if Arsenal fail to qualify for the Champions League.
"Sanchez's own contract situation and uncertain future provides an intriguing backdrop. And what of Wenger's recent use of the player? Strange to say the least.
"He was brought on when Arsenal were leading 3-0 at Southampton in the FA Cup fourth round at St Mary's and brought on for the last 16 minutes when the Gunners were 2-0 up at non-league Sutton United in the fifth round.
"Was Sanchez really required on those occasions then left out of the starting line-up for this vital fixture?
"He was certainly needed at Anfield - and Wenger's decision not to use him may come back to haunt him and Arsenal."
Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown, speaking on Match of the Day, said: "Dropping Sanchez was stunning.
"I really can't understand the thinking behind that. He's their best player. They didn't actually play direct in the match.
"I'm struggling to remember a more tepid performance in the last 20 years under Wenger. There was a lack of spirit and fire in their bellies."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39170037
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Arsenal: Could Alexis Sanchez lead Gunners exodus? - BBC Sport
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2017-03-05
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BBC Match of the Day 2 Extra pundits discuss whether a disenchanted Alexis Sanchez could leave Arsenal, and in doing so lead an exodus from Emirates Stadium that may include Arsene Wenger.
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BBC Match of the Day 2 Extra pundits discuss whether a disenchanted Alexis Sanchez could leave Arsenal, and in doing so lead an exodus from Emirates Stadium that may include Arsene Wenger.
WATCH MORE: Sanchez protest: 14,000 signed up, fewer than 10 went
READ MORE: Arsene Wenger 'stands up' for decision not to start forward
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39173376
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Tony Bellew beats David Haye with 11th-round stoppage - BBC Sport
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2017-03-05
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Tony Bellew stops an injured David Haye in the 11th round in a stunning heavyweight encounter at London's O2 Arena.
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Last updated on .From the section Boxing
Listen to a repeat of the commentary every hour on Sunday from 06:00-13:00 GMT on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra
WBC cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew produced a stunning upset to stop bitter rival David Haye in a thrilling heavyweight contest at London's O2 Arena.
The Liverpudlian, 34, pounced when Haye suffered what turned out to be an Achilles injury in the sixth round to score a knockdown.
Haye, who had his right ankle strapped, carried on as bravely as he could for the rest of the fight, but was unable to move freely as Bellew seized the momentum.
And in the 11th, a second knockdown saw former heavyweight champion Haye tangled in the ropes, the towel enter from his corner and his hopes of a return to the world-title level of the sport left in tatters.
Bellew - a big underdog with bookmakers - raced to trainer Dave Coldwell in celebration as he scored a victory which will likely filter through to non-boxing fans far more than his 2016 world-title win at Goodison Park did.
• None Bellew: I asked Haye to throw in the towel
• None Bellew broke his hand in early rounds of Haye bout
• None Listen: 'I’ve beaten the best cruiserweight this country has ever produced'
And the bitter war of words leading up to the fight ended with Bellew helping a limping and exhausted Haye back to his corner.
The two embraced and the beaten, humbled Haye asked for a rematch during a lengthy post-fight interview before heading off to hospital to have surgery.
How the fight played out
The first round had those in the O2 Arena intrigued. A hate-fuelled slug-fest or artistic boxing?
The latter won the day, with Bellew happy to see Haye jump in while he fired off solid replies in-between darting out of trouble.
And so established a pattern, Haye taking the centre of the ring, Bellew nearer the ropes.
As the established heavyweight stalked his man, often they stood statuesque for moments as Bellew looked for Haye's trigger - his own prompt to counter.
But slipping shots can be a dangerous game and a straight right to Bellew's jaw in the fifth was audible ringside, though nothing could be heard in the sixth as the Arena screamed at the drama.
Both men went down - Haye twice - though neither faced a count as their falls to the canvas were deemed slips but the sheer punch volume from Bellew then legally felled Haye, who looked stunned and shattered in answering a nine count.
Bellew, who stressed his rival would start tiring after four rounds, was then able to dominate, dictating the pace and notably throwing everything at Haye in the seventh in attempt to bring an end to proceedings.
Haye's low blow in the ninth summed up his increasing desperation and, two rounds later, his brave resistance was ended moments after a barrage of punches sent him sprawling through the ropes.
Having clambered back into the ring, finally his camp threw in the towel, signalling the third defeat of a 31-fight career.
'I've beaten one of the best'
Bellew, speaking to Radio 5 live: "He's probably the hardest puncher in the world, and he's so quick early on, he's like a sprinter. He can really hit but he can also take a few himself.
"In my eyes I've beaten the best cruiserweight this country has ever produced and one of the best heavyweights. I am honoured to fight in the same ring as him. I've looked up to him.
"He made the same mistake everybody else does. He underestimated me. Watch me on tape and I'm terrible but in the ring I'm harder to hit than you think."
David Haye, also speaking to Radio 5 live: "I've knocked out guys a lot bigger and stronger but he has the heart of a lion.
"I gave it my best and it wasn't good enough. He was by far the better fighter tonight. He dug deep and took my best shots and put me down.
"I would love to do it again, I have never been in a fight like that. If the fans want to see it again I would do it again. We'll do it on his terms, in his town - he deserves it."
On his injury he said: "The ankle was just one of those things. The better man won on the night.
"It wasn't my night. I didn't land the good shots, I was in good shape but his game was better than mine.
"It felt like a Rocky movie and I was one punch away from knocking him out but I couldn't quite do it."
Where next for David Haye?
Haye's graphic descriptions of his hopes of damaging Bellew in the run-up to the fight prompted concern from boxing authorities and undoubtedly turned some fans against him.
But the bad blood meant the contest was expected to sell between 500,000 and 700,000 buys on pay-per-view.
Eddie Hearn, Bellew's promoter, believed anything other than an explosive knockout would be a "disaster" for Haye, who will now have to either retire or embark on rebuilding his in-ring reputation.
The 36-year-old will win plenty of plaudits for courageously battling on. But he was unable to land anything too meaningful prior to the critical sixth round.
With this latest injury added to the reconstructive shoulder injury he received in 2013, have we seen the last of a fighter who once unified the cruiserweight division, won a heavyweight world title and of course took Wladimir Klitschko 12 rounds in defeat?
A rematch with Bellew would be a money spinner, although many will call for retirement instead.
Promoter Eddie Hearn on Radio 5 live: "We've got to go after a heavyweight world title for Bellew now. I am so pleased for him. He's secured the future for his family and they can live a wonderful life.
"He is everything you would want in a man, he has a big heart, never gives up, has a wonderful family and I am so happy for him."
Bellew's jump in weight to claim victory is perhaps even more impressive considering he has had just eight fights at cruiserweight, spending most of his career two divisions lower than the one he competed in in this exhilarating affair.
He was an English champion at heavyweight at amateur, following in the footsteps of the ringside Frank Bruno, but few gave him hope - and those who did emphasised the survival mission he had on his hands in dodging Haye's early power.
But he did, the 13 fights he has had since Haye briefly left the sport providing a sharpness his opposite number simply lacked.
Roared on by the likes of Wayne Rooney and AP McCoy in attendance, he shone in a cauldron atmosphere, boxing admirably to complement his reputation as a power puncher.
Bellew's stock has never been so high. Unification bouts in the cruiserweight division will likely present themselves and his adaptability in stepping up to over 200lbs could open doors in the sport's showpiece division.
How much of an impact did that injury of Haye's have? I had Haye up four rounds to one going into the sixth but he didn't win a round after the injury.
That was pure bravery and guts and up there with anything I've ever seen. They went to hell. It was sensational, scary but sensational.
Had David Haye won in the first round or the 11th round, we wouldn't have questioned his eligibility to chase any heavyweight.
Bellew didn't mention Anthony Joshua, so go and chase it, put an offer out to Joseph Parker, put an offer out to Deontay Wilder.
In the summer, at Goodison Park, there will be enough money on the table to get those guys in the ring.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/39170236
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Tottenham Hotspur 3-2 Everton - BBC Sport
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2017-03-05
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In-form Harry Kane scores twice as Tottenham defeat Everton to close the gap on leaders Chelsea to seven points.
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Last updated on .From the section Football
Harry Kane scored twice and produced another masterclass in centre-forward play as second-placed Tottenham defeated Everton to close the gap on leaders Chelsea to seven points.
The 23-year-old is now the leading scorer in the Premier League with 19 goals, and has found the net 14 times in 12 league and cup games in 2017.
He gave Tottenham the lead in the 20th minute when he unleashed a venomous strike from 20 yards that beat Joel Robles at his near post.
The England forward's second came after the break. Belgian Mousa Dembele caught French midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin dawdling on the ball, allowing Dele Alli to poke a pass through to his team-mate. The Spurs striker then applied a sidefoot finish past the Spanish keeper.
It wasn't a competition between the strikers today
Kane's opposite number Romelu Lukaku had struggled for service up until the 81st minute when he scored with the Toffees' second effort on target.
Kevin Mirallas played a pass to the Belgian, who was given a clear sight on goal after Jan Vertonghen slipped. Lukaku kept his composure to slot in.
A frantic finish saw both tiring defences exposed. First, Alli ghosted past his markers to poke in Harry Winks' free-kick and make it 3-1. And with seconds remaining, Everton substitute Enner Valencia beat the offside trap to tap in Ross Barkley's set-piece from the right.
Spurs survived the remaining moments to secure their 16th league win of the season. The Toffees remain in seventh.
Chelsea will re-establish their 10-point lead on Monday if they defeat West Ham at London Stadium.
Analysis: Why Dele Alli gets the best out of Harry Kane
Kane v Lukaku: England forward comes out on top
Both strikers went into the game with 17 league goals and four assists apiece this season. Yet on Sunday, one forward dominated.
The heatmap above shows Kane's positions, on the left, and Lukaku's on the right. Lukaku is clearly the focal point for Everton's attack; his Tottenham counterpart moves around more freely.
However, the rigidity of Lukaku's positioning was easy to read for his markers. And when he did manage to lay a pass to his attacking foils Barkley and Tom Davies, they were repeatedly hounded off the ball by the diligent and dogged tracking of midfielders Dembele and Victor Wanyama.
If you are asleep and you eat and you forget to train, maybe you are fat, like me! And you cannot run.
Kane's positioning was less predictable. For his opener, he was deep on the left before moving forward and striking that sublime effort. And for his second, he was out on the left again but away from the action until Alli played him in.
Lukaku did manage to breach the Spurs backline in the final few moments, but he was aided by Vertonghen's unfortunate slip.
Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino said that Kane's good form is down to hard work.
"I think he is fresh because he trains a lot. He makes a lot of double sessions and he is very professional," said the Argentine.
"If you are asleep and you eat and you forget to train, maybe you are fat, like me! And you cannot run. I think it's about being consistent and training.
"He is very focused now in training and in taking care of himself and you can see how he is."
Tottenham's defence had a very comfortable afternoon up until the final 10 minutes, but they might have faced a stiffer test had Everton manager Ronald Koeman opted for a more attacking set-up.
The Dutchman chose to start with 36-year-old defensive midfielder Gareth Barry rather than 19-year-old forward Ademola Lookman. It would have been seen as the perfect tactical switch had Barry blocked Kane's 20-yard strike that resulted in the opener, rather than make a half-hearted attempt.
Veteran Barry, and Barkley, lost the battle in central midfield against the more energetic pairing of Dembele and Wanyama. Lookman's addition might have given that duo a tougher time.
Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino on his side's chances of catching Chelsea: "The most important thing is to show the belief on the pitch and today I think we showed that.
"More than talk and more than speak outside, it is better the team show their performance because I think (regarding) belief the answer is very easy.
"We need to be there, it's not up to us of course, but it's up to us to be ready if they fail."
Everton manager Ronald Koeman: "Lukaku showed again today, he's so strong and dangerous and if he gets a chance it's a goal. It wasn't a competition between the strikers today - but he and Kane both showed their quality of finishing.
"It was emotional until the last second. We started really well and made it tough for Tottenham to create space between the lines. But our mistakes were punished.
"Tottenham have had two or three years in a row with the same players. It's all about time which is what we need to have. If we get the time to improve, that's the next step for the club."
• None Spurs coach Mauricio Pochettino recorded his 100th win in English football as a manager (77 wins in 150 games for Tottenham and 23 wins in 60 games for Southampton).
• None Tottenham have won nine consecutive Premier League home games; their longest winning run in the competition.
• None Spurs are unbeaten in their first 14 home top-flight league games of a season for the first time since 1964-65.
• None Romelu Lukaku has scored more Premier League goals for Everton - 61 - than any other player.
• None Lukaku has scored 18 Premier League goals in 26 games this season, equalling his tally from last season (18 goals in 37 appearances in 2015-16).
• None Since the start of last season no midfielder has scored more Premier League goals than Dele Alli (23).
• None Kevin Mirallas has provided more Premier League assists for Lukaku than any other player has for the striker (10).
• None Harry Kane has scored 14 home league goals this season, the highest number ever recorded by a Spurs player in a single Premier League campaign.
• None Kane has netted 14 times in 12 competitive apps in 2017 for Spurs.
Spurs are at home to Millwall in the last eight of the FA Cup next Sunday (14:00 GMT), before they are back in league action the following Sunday, at home to Southampton (14:15 GMT).
Everton are back at Goodison Park next Saturday for the league game against West Brom (15:00 GMT).
• None Ashley Williams (Everton) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
• None Goal! Tottenham Hotspur 3, Everton 2. Enner Valencia (Everton) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Ross Barkley following a set piece situation.
• None Goal! Tottenham Hotspur 3, Everton 1. Dele Alli (Tottenham Hotspur) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Harry Winks with a through ball following a set piece situation.
• None Attempt missed. Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Kyle Walker. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39093822
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Stag dos & ref chaos: Premier League's weird weekend - BBC Sport
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2017-03-05
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BBC Sport looks back at a busy weekend for Premier League referees Anthony Taylor and Kevin Friend after they were involved in incident-packed games following their return from a mid-week trip to Marbella for Taylor's stag do.
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BBC Sport looks back at a busy weekend for Premier League referees Anthony Taylor and Kevin Friend after they were involved in incident-packed games following their return from a mid-week trip to Marbella for Taylor's stag do.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39173379
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