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Photo of smiling Princess Charlotte shared as she turns 8 - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The young royal was photographed in Windsor by her mother, the Princess of Wales, at the weekend.
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UK
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A photograph of Princess Charlotte taken by her mother has been released on the eve of her eighth birthday.
The smiling young royal, who is third in line to the throne, is pictured in a white dress patterned with flowers and sitting in a white chair.
Her mother, the Princess of Wales, took the image in Windsor at the weekend.
The daughter of the Prince of Wales was born in the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, London, at 08:34 on 2 May 2015, weighing 8lb 3oz.
Charlotte and her siblings George and Louis are expected to watch their grandfather, King Charles III, be crowned on Saturday.
George will be one of eight pages of honour during the service, joining a procession through the nave and assisting with the holding of robes.
The trio will also be expected on the Buckingham Palace balcony afterwards along with their parents, Prince William and Catherine.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: A look at two golden coaches to be used for King Charles III's coronation
Read the latest from our royal correspondent Sean Coughlan - sign up here.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65452394
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Ukraine war: Bakhmut defenders worry about losing support - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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Lack of ammunition is hampering Ukrainian fighters as they prepare an expected major offensive.
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Europe
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The call from Ukraine for more weapons and ammunition to bolster its defences has grown louder as the war has gone on
A year ago Volodymyr and his men were firing all 40 barrels of their BM-21 Grad rocket launcher in one go. Now they can only afford to fire a few at a time at Russian targets.
"We haven't got enough ammunition for our weapon," he explains.
His unit, the 17th Tank Battalion, is still being called on to provide fire support to Ukrainian forces desperately clinging on to the edges of Bakhmut, the eastern Ukrainian city which Russia has spent months trying to capture.
Russian forces are getting ever closer to their goal of taking the city, but at enormous cost.
While we're waiting in a line of trees, hidden from view, Volodymyr receives a call to fire his rocket launcher at a Russian mortar position about 15 kilometres away.
Some of the Ukrainian Grad missile supplies are coming from the Czech Republic, Romania and Pakistan
His men remove the branches camouflaging their vehicle. They drive towards an empty field about a kilometre away and quickly work out the range.
They elevate the rocket barrels towards the target while, out of sight, a Ukrainian drone hovering above assesses their accuracy.
They're told their first rocket misses by about 50 metres, so they adjust the elevation and fire another two and quickly return to the trees for cover. This time they're told they've hit the target.
Volodymyr however, is frustrated they can't do more. "We could have provided more support to our guys who are dying there."
He says Ukraine has already burned through its own stocks of Grad ammunition, so is relying on rockets sourced from other countries. Volodymyr says supplies are coming from the Czech Republic, Romania and Pakistan. He complains the rockets originating from Pakistan are "not of a good quality".
Ukraine's call for more weapons and ammunition has only become louder the longer the war has gone on. The focus now is preparing for a major offensive. But at the same time Ukraine is still having to expend huge resources on just maintaining its position.
Despite the recent arrival of modern weapons - like tanks and armoured vehicles - Ukraine remains heavily reliant on its older, Soviet-era arsenal.
The Russian-made Buk air defence system, which can target aircraft, drones and missiles, is still one of its prized possessions. We get rare access to see one further along the front line - also hidden in a wooded area.
This sophisticated weaponry has helped prevent Russia gaining control of the skies.
Josef, the Buk commander, tells me it's "target number one for Russia". This explains the extreme care taken to protect it. The long vehicle with its radar dome is buried in a deep trench covered with camouflage netting. On top are two grey missiles. Normally it carries four.
Serhiy fears Ukraine won't have resources for the war to go on for five or ten years
A cache of classified US documents was leaked online earlier this month - maps, charts and photos - revealing detailed intelligence gathered on the war.
I ask Josef if these were correct in highlighting an acute shortage of Buk missiles. "No, that's not true," he insists. But he does admit that the Buk is proving hard to maintain and Ukraine needs more.
"We haven't got enough," he says. "Parts break and we haven't got spares because the factories that produce them are not in Ukraine."
Josef doesn't only dispute some of the contents of those leaked US intelligence reports. He questions whether they have really revealed any secrets.
"Why should we be angry with the Americans?" he asks. "Because they gave information the Russians have had for 20 years? Ridiculous!" Russia, he believes, has always known about the capabilities of Ukraine's armed forces.
But Russia still does not know the timing or place of Ukraine's expected offensive. It will be key to taking back territory and relieving some of the pressure being felt along Ukraine's 800 mile (1,300km) front. Wherever it happens Russia will have to redirect some of its forces.
But Ukraine too is having to arm and equip new units to conduct that offensive. Both sides are struggling to feed the front line.
We're worried our Western allies are getting tired of helping us
At another location near Bakhmut, Ukrainian troops from its 80th Brigade are already expending hundreds of artillery rounds a day, to try to repel Russia's advances.
They are already using some of the weapons supplied by the West. Serhiy and his men are operating a British made L119 light artillery gun. But Serhiy says they too are having to ration rounds. He says they're firing on average 30 rounds a day.
"We've got enough people for the moment", he says. "But we need ammunition. Ammunition is the most important."
I ask Serhiy if this is the make or break year for Ukraine. "If we go on the offensive this year and retake our land, then we'll win," he replies. "But, if that doesn't happen, then we don't have the resources for the war to go on for another five to ten years."
Volodymyr, the commander of the Grad, is even more blunt. "The country is exhausted, the economy too," he says.
And he fears that if Ukraine's action on the battlefield are not decisive this year then Western support may falter. "We are also worried our Western allies are getting tired of helping us."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-65347835
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Ukraine war: Leak shows Western special forces on the ground - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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The UK has the largest contingent of military special forces in Ukraine, according to a leaked file.
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Europe
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: The Pentagon leaks explained in under 60 seconds.
The UK is among a number of countries with military special forces operating inside Ukraine, according to one of dozens of documents leaked online.
It confirms what has been the subject of quiet speculation for over a year.
The leaked files, some marked "top secret", paint a detailed picture of the war in Ukraine, including sensitive details of Ukraine's preparations for a spring counter-offensive.
The US government says it is investigating the source of the leak.
According to the document, dated 23 March, the UK has the largest contingent of special forces in Ukraine (50), followed by fellow Nato states Latvia (17), France (15), the US (14) and the Netherlands (1).
The document does not say where the forces are located or what they are doing.
The numbers of personnel may be small, and will doubtless fluctuate. But special forces are by their very nature highly effective. Their presence in Ukraine is likely to be seized upon by Moscow, which has in recent months argued that it is not just confronting Ukraine, but Nato as well.
In line with its standard policy on such matters, the UK's Ministry of Defence has not commented, but in a tweet on Tuesday said the leak of alleged classified information had demonstrated what it called a "serious level of inaccuracy".
"Readers should be cautious about taking at face value allegations that have the potential to spread misinformation," it said.
It did not elaborate or suggest which specific documents it was referring to. However, Pentagon officials are quoted as saying the documents are real.
One document, which detailed the number of casualties suffered in Ukraine on both sides, did appear to have been doctored.
UK special forces are made up of several elite military units with distinct areas of expertise, and are regarded to be among the most capable in the world.
The British government has a policy of not commenting on its special forces, in contrast to other countries including the US.
The UK has been vociferous in its support of Ukraine, and is the second largest donor after the US of military aid to Kyiv.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the Department of Justice had opened a criminal investigation and he was determined to find the source of the leak.
"We will continue to investigate and turn over every rock until we find the source of this and the extent of it," he said.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: Expert says US and Egypt ready to move forward after leak
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-65245065
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Coronation: Military rehearse parade on replica route - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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An airbase was transformed into a life-size replica of the procession route for the troops to practise.
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UK
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The Welsh Guards remove their hats as they give three cheers for King Charles in a rehearsal on Sunday
Thousands of ceremonial troops have been rehearsing ahead of the King's Coronation, bringing together the largest parade of military personnel since Winston Churchill's funeral.
The troops practised at an airbase which had been transformed into a life-size replica of the procession route.
More than 7,000 troops took part.
Capt Jordan Charles Whiteman, whose grandfather had taken part in the late Queen Elizabeth II's coronation, said he felt "ecstatic" to be involved.
Organisers were creative in recreating the route with a pair of rugby posts acting as Buckingham Palace, a minibus standing in for the royal Gold State Coach and a set of cones replacing Admiralty Arch at the entrance to the Mall.
Troops from 34 Commonwealth nations practised at the airbase in Hampshire
On 6 May, the armed forces will accompany King Charles and Camilla, the Queen Consort, between Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace.
The route will be a quarter of the length of the late Queen's grand procession back in 1953.
Irish wolf hound Turlough Mor, also known as Seamus, rehearsed his role as the mascot of the Irish Guards
The rehearsal - which included sailors, soldiers and aviators - took place at RAF Odiham in Hampshire on Sunday.
The procession route was mapped out onto the airfield using a pace stick to ensure it was the exact distance.
Some 40 nations were represented, including troops from 34 Commonwealth countries and six overseas territories.
More rehearsals are scheduled to take place, partly at night, ahead of the big day.
More than 7,000 troops will be involved in the King's Coronation next week
Capt Whiteman said the coronation would be a very special day for his family as they reminisced about his grandfather, Sgt Charles White.
Despite dying before he was born, Capt Whiteman said his grandfather had shared some advice, passed down by his mother.
"What's been passed on is remember the nerves will keep you sharp and keep your wits about you.
"But also actually don't forget to actually enjoy the moment and enjoy the day - it certainly is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," he added.
Read the latest from our royal correspondent Sean Coughlan - sign up here.
The rehearsal was the first time all elements of the procession had been come together
Also taking part were identical twins Amy and Jessica McLenaghan - who will be in the procession, just one row apart.
The air engineer technicians said they applied at the same time and were really pleased to both be selected.
On the day there is going to be a mixture of emotions, said Amy, "but overall it is a proud moment to be a part of".
The rehearsal on Sunday was the only full daytime run-through of the big event
Guards carried flags from some of the Commonwealth countries
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65442708
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UK chip giant Arm files for blockbuster US share listing - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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In a blow to the London stock market, the firm said in March that it would not list shares in the UK.
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Business
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British microchip designing giant Arm has filed to sell its shares in the US, setting the stage for what could be the biggest stock market listing this year.
The Cambridge-based firm is reportedly aiming to raise up to $10bn (£8bn).
In a blow to the UK, the company said in March that it did not plan to list its shares in London.
Arm was bought in 2016 by Japanese conglomerate Softbank in a deal worth £23.4bn. At the time Arm was listed in London and New York.
The firm designs the tech behind processors - commonly known as chips - that power devices from smartphones to game consoles.
Its designs are used by chip manufacturers like the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company and household brands like Apple and Samsung to build their own processors.
Softbank said it had "confidentially submitted a draft registration statement" for the listing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
The announcement did not reveal how much it planned to raise or when the share sale might take place.
The firm was seeking to raise between $8bn and $10bn through the listing this year on the technology-heavy Nasdaq platform in New York, according to reports.
Listing a firm on a stock exchange takes it from being a private to a public company, with investors able to buy and sell shares of a company's stock on specific exchanges.
Sometimes referred to as the "crown jewel" of the UK's technology sector, Arm was founded in Cambridge, England, in 1990.
Earlier this year, Arm said it did not plan to pursue a London Stock Exchange listing.
Reports in January said that UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had restarted talks with Softbank about a possible London listing.
Arm's decision raised concerns that the UK market is not doing enough to attract tech company stock offerings, with US exchanges seen to offer higher profiles and valuations.
The registration shows that Softbank is pushing ahead with the multi-billion dollar sale despite difficult conditions in the global financial markets.
The number of stock market listings has fallen sharply since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. At the same time, shares in major technology companies have fallen in the wake of the pandemic.
Softbank said the listing was "subject to market and other conditions and the completion of the SEC's review process."
Last year, Softbank called off its planned $40bn sale of Arm to technology group Nvidia after facing regulatory hurdles in the UK, US and EU.
After an acute shortage of semiconductors during the pandemic, the chip making industry has faced slowing demand.
Last week, US chipmaking giant Intel reported its largest quarterly loss in the company's history, while South Korean rival Samsung posted a more than 90% fall in its profits.
A successful stock market listing of Arm would be welcome news for its owner Softbank. Its Vision Funds have been hit by losses due to the declining valuations of many of its investments in technology start-ups.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-65445428
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Caerphilly: Baby in hospital after dog attack - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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The attack happened in Caerphilly county, where there have been two previous fatal dog attacks.
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Wales
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Greg Ead called the attack a "devastating blow for the community”
A five-month-old baby has been taken to hospital after a dog attack, police have said.
Emergency services were called to Penyrheol, Caerphilly county, on Saturday morning, Gwent Police said.
The baby was taken to Cardiff's University Hospital of Wales. The child's injuries are unknown but are not believed to be life-threatening.
Caerphilly MP Wayne David said he was shocked by the incident, after two recent fatal dog attacks in the area.
All three incidents have happened within a half mile (about 0.8 km) radius of each other.
The Welsh Ambulance Service confirmed it was called to a dog attack at 09:00 BST.
Caerphilly councillor, Greg Ead, said witnesses heard screams coming from the property at the time of the attack.
Local groups met on Thursday to discuss how to stop the rising numbers of attacks, with campaigners saying more needs to be done.
Police say they will be making further inquiries and will remain at the scene as the investigation continues
Gwent Police said officers seized the dog and confirmed no other animals were involved.
"We were called to an address in Penyrheol, Caerphilly at around 9.10am on Saturday 29 April, following reports of a dog attack," said the force.
"A five-month-old baby has been taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
"The dog was seized by officers. No other animals were involved in the attack."
Chief Insp Laura Bartley said officers would be making further inquiries and would "remain at the scene as the investigation progresses".
"It is possible that you may see ongoing police activity in Caerphilly as part of this work, but please do not be alarmed.
"If you have concerns or information then please do stop and talk with us."
Penyrheol councillor, Greg Ead, said his son was staying at his girlfriend's home on the same street where they heard and shouts and screams.
Mr Ead called the attack "traumatic" for everyone on the road.
"I think another death would be absolutely devastating for this community," he said.
The incident comes after two fatal dog attacks in the area. The latest is understood to have happened at Y Cilgant in Penyrheol.
A previous dog attack in Penyrheol saw Jack Lis, 10, killed by an XL Bully dog back in 2021
Jack Lis, 10, from Caerphilly, died after being mauled by an American or XL Bully dog - a legal breed - in November 2021.
And Shirley Patrick, 83, died in hospital after suffering a "violent and unnatural" death after being attacked by a dog in Caerphilly in December.
Jack's mum Emma Whitfield has been campaigning for changes in the law about breeding and selling dogs since his death.
"At the moment anyone can buy and sell a dog with no knowledge of where the dog has come from or who it is going to," she told BBC Wales on Sunday.
Ms Whitfield said she wanted to see more emphasis placed on breeding and selling dogs.
"With owners, I think people need to start realising that they have responsibilities.
"This problem is not going away."
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. "I can't say out loud what I saw because I don't want other people to have to picture it either"
In February, Welsh Labour MS Lesley Griffiths said the Welsh government had updated its animal welfare licensing regulations and closed "loopholes relating to pet sales".
She told the Senedd: "We need to make sure the public are making informed decisions when they buy a pet, but there is absolutely more we can do.
"I've asked officials to actually start to look at dog licensing again."
Details of the dog's breed involved in Saturday's attack has not yet been released by police.
Caerphilly MP Wayne David added: "There have been a number of incidents around Penyrheol.
"It shows there needs to be recognition that all dogs are potentially dangerous, particularly ones with a strong physique.
"Dogs like this need to be handled with great care and caution. They need to be trained properly.
"It's about responsible dog ownership. Children should not be able to go near them.
"The more general issue is all sorts of cross breeds being breed for the wrong reason with many not appropriate to be pets. They are bred to be violent.
"Not sure that's the case here.
"The aim is to have a different kind of approach to the issue of dogs.
"We must make sure that all owners are aware of what they are taking on when they are small puppies to make sure that people recognise that keeping a dog like this is a big undertaking."
Mr David said it was too difficult to ban certain breeds because of crossbreeding.
"So many of these breeds are now cross breeds, it's not that easy, you would have a list of thousands of breeds.
"What is happening is that the regulations are being broken, the wrong kinds of dogs are being bred."
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-65441162
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Jock Zonfrillo: MasterChef Australia host dies suddenly, aged 46 - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The Scottish-born chef and presenter died suddenly, aged 46, on Sunday.
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Australia
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The Scotsman worked in renowned restaurants around the world before opening his own in Australia.
His death was confirmed by broadcaster Network 10 on the day the 2023 season premiere of MasterChef was set to air.
Zonfrillo is survived by his wife Lauren Fried and four children, who said in a statement their hearts were "shattered".
"For those who crossed his path, became his mate, or were lucky enough to be his family, keep this proud Scot in your hearts when you have your next whisky," the family said.
Zonfrillo was found dead at a house in Melbourne when police conducted a welfare check in the early hours of Monday morning. Victoria Police said the death is not being treated as suspicious.
His death has sparked an outpouring of grief from figures in the culinary and entertainment world.
Celebrity chefs Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay, as well as a host of former Masterchef contestants led the tributes.
Oliver, who had been due to appear in the season opener posted a picture to Instagram of him with Zonfrillo and the two other judges, Melissa Leong and Andy Allen, on set.
"I'm in total shock to wake up to the sudden death of [Jock].. we had the best time working together for this year's MasterChef," he wrote.
Ramsay wrote on Twitter: "Saddened by the devastating news... I truly enjoyed the time we spent together on MasterChef in Australia".
Network 10 also paid tribute to the star, saying Zonfrillo's charisma, passion and wicked sense of humour had inspired a nation of home cooks. MasterChef - which is pre-recorded - will not air this week as planned, it said.
Born in Glasgow in 1976, Zonfrillo began working in kitchens at 12. At 15, he became one of the youngest-ever apprentices to work at luxury Scottish resort, The Turnberry Hotel.
Two years later he started working for Michelin-starred British chef Marco Pierre White at his famous Hyde Park Hotel.
But despite his burgeoning career, Zonfrillo said he became broke, homeless and addicted to heroin in his teenage years. He wrote at length about his struggles with drug addiction in his 2021 memoir, Last Shot.
He said he turned a new leaf with a move to Australia in 2000, and went on to open several restaurants. His most successful was Adelaide's award-winning Restaurant Orana, which opened in 2013.
In 2019, the presenter was announced as part of an all new host line-up for MasterChef Australia.
But Zonfrillo's career was not without controversy. Orana closed in 2020 with debts of millions of dollars, and Last Shot was criticised as inaccurate by former colleagues, including Marco Pierre White.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-65446351
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Sudan crisis: Chaos at port as thousands rush to leave - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The BBC's chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet reports from Port Sudan as thousands flee.
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Africa
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Evacuees rest aboard a Saudi naval vessel as it travels from Port Sudan to Jeddah
In the dead of night, as HMS Al Diriyah approached Sudan's coast, Saudi officers flicked on sweeping search lights to secure safe passage for their warship into a harbour rapidly transforming into a major evacuation and humanitarian hub in Sudan's deepening crisis.
Even at 2am two other hulking vessels were also anchored offshore at Port Sudan, its largest port, waiting their turn in this international rescue effort.
"I feel so relieved but also so sad to be part of this history," Hassan Faraz from Pakistan told us, visibly shaken.
We reached the quayside in a Saudi tugboat at the end of a 10-hour journey through the night in HMS Al Diriyah from the Saudi port city of Jeddah. A small group of foreign journalists were given rare access to enter embattled Sudan, if only briefly.
"People will be speaking about these events for many years to come," Faraz reflected, as a long queue formed on the wharf for passports to be checked against the Saudi manifest. This time, it was many young workers from South Asia who said they had waited here for three long days - after two hard weeks in this hellscape of war.
Another man from Pakistan, who said he had worked at a Sudanese foundry, spoke of having "seen so much, so many bomb blasts and firing". Then he fell silent, staring into the sea, too traumatised to say more.
The fighting which raged in recent weeks, amidst very imperfect and partial ceasefires, is a pitched battle for power between the Sudanese army led by Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group headed by Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, widely known as Hemedti.
"Port Sudan has fared relatively better in this war," my British-Sudanese colleague Mohanad Hashim explained. "Fighting only erupted here on 15 April, the first day, but now this port city is overwhelmed by people fleeing Khartoum and other places."
We had just sailed past the graceful Naval Club turned tented village for the displaced. Many people are now sleeping rough on the streets as they wait for a way out. Local hotels are swamped by people with passports from the world over, along with emergency consular services hastily established by embassies who have evacuated most of their staff from the capital.
Many fear there is no way out. Port Sudan is packed with people who have less lucky passports, including Yemenis, Syrians and Sudanese.
Some 3,000 Yemenis, mainly students, have been stuck for weeks in Port Sudan. "The Saudis are rescuing some Yemenis but they're nervous about accepting large numbers," admitted a security adviser trying to help them find a way back to their own war-torn country.
Rasha, surrounded by her young children, has only one message: "Please tell the world to protect Sudan"
Many passengers arriving in the Saudi kingdom are provided with a short hotel stay. But it's made clear that their own countries are expected to soon pick up the bill and arrange onward travel.
Mohanad Hashim scanned the wharf at Port Sudan, hoping to catch sight of any of his own Sudanese relatives who may be trying to make it out. The day before, at the King Faisal naval base in Jeddah where we began our journey, he suddenly found himself embracing a cousin who had made it to the Saudi city, along with two of his teenage children, after an 18-hour passage across the Red Sea.
For the Sudanese with foreign passports who make it to safe shores, the moment is bittersweet.
"Please, please help our family left in Sudan," a pink-scarfed Rasha pleaded, one child sleeping on her shoulder, three more waving flowers handed out by Saudi soldiers. "Please tell the world to protect Sudan," she implored us. Their family had been living near Sport City in Khartoum where gunfire erupted the morning of 15 April.
Thousands have been fleeing from Port Sudan in recent days
Her eight-year-old daughter Leen, speaking fluent English with an American accent, recounted in excited detail how armed men burst into their home. "We had to all hide, all ten of us, in the back room," she declared with youthful bravado. "I stayed calm. I didn't cry because we couldn't make any noise."
"They were bad, bad guys," her younger brother chimed in. Her father explained that it had been RSF forces. Their gunmen are blamed for much of the looting and violence.
This worsening and deeply worrying war between Sudan's two most powerful men is fuelled not just by deep personal and political animosities, but also by the competing interests and influence of major powers.
Regional heavyweights, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have long bankrolled Hemedti, who grew ever richer by sending forces to fight for their side in the early years of their destructive war against Yemen's Houthis.
But in recent years Riyadh has also drawn close to Gen Burhan and also has longstanding ties to Sudan's army. The tangled political geography in a country with vast mineral wealth and agricultural potential also includes Egypt, Israel and Russia, including the mercenary Wagner group.
Many evacuees from Sudan now face an uncertain future
But in this current crisis, where the United States and Britain and other would-be peacemakers are also weighing in, outside powers are now said to be speaking with one voice in trying to end this dangerous spiral and the enormous suffering of civilians.
Diplomats express gratitude for Saudi Arabia's evacuation effort. So far, more than 5,000 people, of 100 nationalities, have made the Red Sea crossing on Saudi warships or private vessels chartered by the Saudi military. The biggest single operation on Saturday, which carried some 2,000 passengers, even included Iranians. Arch-rivals Riyadh and Tehran recently moved towards a cautious rapprochement, including reopening their embassies and consulates.
"It is our luck. We hope there will be peace between our countries," 32-year-old civil engineer Nazli remarked as she disembarked in Jeddah with her engineer husband, who has also worked for years as an engineer in Sudan.
In Port Sudan on Sunday, as another packed tugboat sailed in choppy waters to a waiting Saudi warship, its passengers turned en masse to wave a final farewell to a country they regretted, with sadness, they may never return to.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-65444282
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Bulgari store in Paris robbed in broad daylight - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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Video shows suspects making a getaway on motorbikes from the city's flagship Bulgari store.
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Police are investigating after a high-end jewellery store in Paris was robbed in broad daylight on Saturday afternoon.
Video shows the moment suspects made their getaway from the store at Place Vendôme.
The Bulgari shop has been targeted by armed robbers before - with jewellery worth €10 million (£8.77m) taken less than two years ago.
On that occasion, one of the perpetrators was shot in the leg by police, and later convicted.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-65445245
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Sudan fighting: Why it matters to countries worldwide - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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Fighting in the north-east African nation is ringing alarm bells around the world. Why does it matter so much?
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Africa
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The conflict unfolding in Sudan's capital, Khartoum, threatens to spread across the most fragile parts of Africa
If you want to know why Sudan matters to so many other countries, just take a look at a map.
There's a reason why the fighting that has erupted there over the past week is ringing so many international alarm bells. Sudan is not only huge - the third largest country in Africa - it also stretches across an unstable and geopolitically vital region.
Whatever happens militarily or politically in the capital, Khartoum, ripples across some of the most fragile parts of the continent.
The country straddles the Nile River, making the nation's fate of almost existential importance; downstream, to water-hungry Egypt, and upstream, to land-locked Ethiopia with its ambitious hydro-electric plans that now affect the river's flow.
Sudan borders seven countries in all, each with security challenges that are intertwined with the politics of Khartoum.
Trouble in Sudan's western Darfur region almost inevitably spills over into neighbouring Chad, and vice versa. Weapons and fighters from coup-prone Chad, and from the war-torn Central African Republic, often flow freely across the region's porous borders. Much the same has proved true with Libya, to the north-west.
Sudan borders the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia - only recently emerging from a gruelling conflict that involved another unpredictable neighbour, the isolated and highly militarised autocracy of Eritrea. There is also tension on other parts of Ethiopia and Sudan's shared - and in places, contested - border.
To the south, Sudan faces a relatively new nation, South Sudan, which formally broke away from its northern neighbour in 2011 after one of Africa's longest and bloodiest civil wars. That border, too, remains unstable.
South Sudan quickly spiralled into the sort of broad scale civil war that some fear could now be Sudan's fate too. Upon independence, South Sudan took with it most of the region's precious oil fields, leaving Sudan far poorer, and contributing, indirectly, to the current crisis in Khartoum, as rival military groups now struggle for control of shrinking economic resources, like gold and agriculture.
People are fleeing neighbourhoods close to the fighting in Khartoum, as the Sudanese army battles a paramilitary group for control
As part of that struggle, Sudan's generals - the military have always been big, allegedly corrupt players in the local economy - have gone in search of foreign partners. For agriculture, that has meant inviting Gulf states to invest in the huge, and relatively underused potential of the rich soil that borders the Nile River.
When it comes to gold, far murkier deals appear to have been done with Russia's notorious Wagner group, which is accused of smuggling gold out of Sudan. The US Treasury has accused Wagner's head, Yevgeniy Prigozhin, of "exploiting Sudan's natural resources for personal gain and spreading malign influence" online through his "troll farm".
Russia's interests in the country, and region, go much further. Eastern Sudan's stark coastline looks out onto the Red Sea.
The Kremlin has, for years, been seeking to establish a military base in Port Sudan, giving its warships access to - and influence over - one of the world's busiest and most contested sea lanes. Moscow has come close to finalising a deal about the base with Sudan's military government - which seized power in 2021 in a coup.
Not surprisingly, a vast range of governments are now seeking to influence events on the ground in Sudan.
For now, the focus appears to be on ending the battle between the army and the RSF paramilitary group before it spreads further, and threatens to evolve from a relatively straightforward power struggle into a more complex civil war.
Beyond that, some foreign governments are anxious to help guide Sudan towards the democracy that many had hoped might follow the overthrow, back in 2019, of the country's brutal ruler, Omar al-Bashir.
But other states may prefer to back another strongman, and to thwart the will of the Sudanese people, who have waited decades for one of Africa's struggling giants to fulfil its potential.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-65338247
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Maurizio Cattelan: Banana artwork eaten by Seoul museum visitor - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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A university student told staff he ate the fruit on display because he was hungry.
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Asia
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"Comedian", pictured here in Beijing in 2021, is currently being displayed in Seoul
A South Korean art student ate a banana that was part of an installation by artist Maurizio Cattelan, saying he was "hungry" after skipping breakfast.
The artwork called "Comedian", part of Cattelan's exhibition "WE", consisted of a ripe banana duct-taped to a wall at Seoul's Leeum Museum of Art.
After eating the banana, the student, Noh Huyn-soo, taped the peel to the wall.
The museum later placed a new banana at the same spot, reported local media.
The incident, which lasted more than a minute, was recorded by Mr Noh's friend.
The Leeum Museum of Art did not respond to an email inquiry by the BBC. However, it told media that it will not claim damages against the student.
The banana on display is reportedly replaced every two or three days.
In videos posted online, shouts of "excuse me" can be heard as Mr Noh takes the banana off the wall. He does not respond and starts eating as the room goes quiet.
He then tapes the peel to the wall and poses for a moment before walking off.
Mr Noh later told local media that he saw Cattelan's work as a rebellion against a certain authority. "There could be another rebellion against the rebellion," the Seoul National University student told KBS.
"Damaging an artwork could also be seen as an artwork, I thought that would be interesting... Isn't it taped there to be eaten?"
When told about the incident, Mr Cattelan said, "No problem at all".
This is not the first time bananas used for Mr Cattelan's work have been eaten by a visitor.
In 2019, performance artist David Datuna pulled the banana from the wall after the artwork was sold for $120,000 (£91,000) at Art Basel in Miami.
The banana was swiftly replaced and no further action was taken.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-65446331
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World Snooker Championship 2023 final: Luca Brecel beats Mark Selby for first world title - BBC Sport
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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Belgium's Luca Brecel becomes the first player from mainland Europe to win snooker's World Championship, beating Mark Selby 18-15 in Sheffield.
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Last updated on .From the section Snooker
Best of Luca Brecel as he beats Mark Selby in world final Coverage: Watch live on BBC TV and Red Button with uninterrupted coverage on BBC iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and the BBC Sport app Belgium's Luca Brecel became the first player from mainland Europe to claim snooker's World Championship with an 18-15 win over Mark Selby in Sheffield. Brecel, 28, is just the fourth non-British winner at the Crucible and the first overseas player to triumph since Neil Robertson in 2010. Brecel won six of Monday afternoon's eight frames to open up a 15-10 lead. A visibly emotional Brecel sealed victory and the £500,000 top prize by taking three frames in the evening. "It's amazing. [Selby is] the worst opponent to have in the final. He just keeps coming back, he's such a fighter and at 16-15, I didn't fancy winning at all to be honest," Brecel told BBC Sport. "I was missing balls by a mile. I don't know how I did it. Once I got to 17, I fancied it if I got a chance to clear up, which I did. It's a great feeling." Despite becoming the youngest player to ever participate in the tournament in 2012, aged 17 years and 45 days, the 'Belgian Bullet' had remarkably never won a single match at the famous venue until this year, losing in the first round on his five previous visits. "Snooker is a difficult sport and in the first round [this year] I could have lost to Ricky Walden - I beat him 10-9," he added. "If I'd have lost that game then everybody would have said 'he's lost again in the first round' and now I'm the winner, that's the small margins in snooker, it's crazy. I still can't believe it." It is a moment that has long been in the making for Brecel, who climbs eight places to finish the season second in the world rankings behind Ronnie O'Sullivan. But it only arrived after he had come through the sternest of examinations from England's four-time world champion Selby, who won five consecutive frames and scored 315 points without reply at one stage to get back to 16-15. With the tension rising Brecel knocked in a timely 51 to leave himself on the brink of victory, which he confirmed with a stylish 112 break.
• None Snooker will explode in Europe after win - Brecel Brecel comes of age on biggest stage Luca Brecel moves up to second in the world rankings after winning the world title After losing Sunday's opening session 6-2, the manner in which Selby fought back to within one frame in the second session - a run lit up a sparkling 147 maximum break - raised significant questions about how Brecel might respond. But, resuming 9-8 in front on Monday afternoon, Brecel produced an incredible display of attacking snooker to seemingly take the match away from his opponent again, compiling four superb century breaks of 113, 101, 141 and 119. In a contest billed as a test of Brecel's mental endurance as much as his undoubted skill, few inside the Crucible Theatre could have been prepared for his blistering start. Brecel fired in doubles, a succession of stunning long pots and seemingly cleared balls at will as he rattled through the first four frames in under an hour. It was a theme that initially continued into the concluding session, Brecel making several astounding pots to craft a 67 that saw him go 16-10 ahead. Brecel's swashbuckling style has endeared him to fans across the world, in particular the manner of his famous victories over O'Sullivan and Si Jiahui on his run to the final. But when things do not go to plan the drawback is that it guarantees his opponent opportunities - and few in the game are as ruthless as Selby at capitalising on those. A wild effort on a long blue saw Selby reduce his arrears with a break of 78 and he then carved out a superb 122 on his way to reaching the mid-session interval just 16-13 adrift. Selby's charge continued with a half-century in the 30th frame and a fluked red set him on the way to winning the 31st frame. That opened up the possibility of a first Crucible finale to go the distance since Peter Ebdon's 18-17 victory over Stephen Hendry in 2002, but Brecel recovered his composure to get across the line for an emotional victory. "I battled and gave everything but every credit to Luca he deserves it," said Selby, the Crucible champion in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2021. "Congratulations to Luca, he's a great talent and a great lad with a lovely family. I wish him all the best. It was great to make a 147 at the Crucible, I never thought I would do it in a final. "It was an amazing achievement and something I will remember for rest of my life but it's not about me today, it is about Luca, he played fantastic over the two days." He's been a breath of fresh air through this tournament. It's a refreshing thing to watch. He goes for his shots, he doesn't care if he misses but he pots more than he's entitled to. We talked about Mark's character this evening but how much did Luca show? To get over the line there, that's what champions do. Then in the last frame, to finish like he did with a century, the sign of a champion. Young players will be looking at that and saying 'that's the way to play, that's the way to win'. Don't hang around, don't study every shot, see the shot, go for it, trust your first instincts. It's great to see somebody play swashbuckling snooker but with balance as well and push the game to even more new limits than we thought possible. Sign up to My Sport to follow snooker news on the BBC app.
• None Which pair will finish first? A frenetic race across Canada without phones and flights
• None A warm-hearted Aussie rom-com about a flawed, funny couple getting it all utterly wrong
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/65450133
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Tony Hawk: Famous skateboarder backs Portrush skatepark calls - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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One of the world's most famous skateboarders says a north coast park would be in constant use.
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Northern Ireland
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Tony Hawk was speaking at a conference in San Diego
One of the world's most famous skateboarders, Tony Hawk, has backed calls for a skatepark in Portrush, County Antrim.
He was speaking at a conference in San Diego, California, when he gave his support to the decades-long campaign.
He said a facility would be used from sun up to sundown and that there were more people interested in the sport than is often realised.
"There's a lot of stigma attached to skateboarding," he said.
"It's all very antiquated but if you dig deep you will see there are these people and skaters who have a passion for what they do."
Mr Hawk was responding to a question by an Ulster University academic on how skateboarders can be taken seriously as users of public space on the north coast.
Videos which highlighted the experiences of skaters in Portrush were also shown at the conference.
There has been a decades-long campaign for a skateboard park in Portrush
Dr Jim Donaghey asked how they could convince the council that adequate urban sports facilities would benefit the whole community.
In response, Mr Hawk said skaters were "determined, they're persistent, they just love to skate, they're not trying to cause trouble".
"The only reason you see them as troublemakers is because you won't provide a facility for them to do what they love doing so they have to resort to public property," he added.
In 2022, Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council removed ramps from Station Square citing health and safety risks.
The equipment was returned but barriers have since been erected in the public square.
"All the change that happens in Portrush marginalises skateboarders, which is a really strange thing because Portrush is so much associated with skateboard culture," Dr Donaghey said.
"If you look at other sports cultures in Portrush you might think of golf, motorbikes, lawn bowls even and, of course, surfing - they're all part of the tourist identity Portrush puts forward of itself and that's brilliant, it's vibrant.
"And I think skateboarding is and should be taken seriously as part of that overall culture."
Campaigners say there are skateboard parks in many other parts of Northern Ireland but not Portrush
Slaine Brown started skateboarding in Portrush in 1995 and has been filming the scene ever since.
"It hit me really hard how long it's been - year after year we've been asking the council again and again can we have a skatepark" he said.
"It does make me feel emotional that after all this time - I've been skating for 29 years and we have to take it to a world audience."
Mr Brown said skateboarders had gone from skating in a much bigger space in the town "to this really tiny square which we've now been caged into".
"It is interesting to think we're now in the year 2023 and the space we've had is reduced," he said.
"I've skated all around the world - in Hong Kong, Australia, America, all around Europe.
Tony Hawk skateboarding at an event in Sydney in 2018
"I've been to places in eastern Europe where the council provided little parks the space of this but the ramps were way better.
"We had parks built in Belfast, Banbridge, Newtownabbey - which is one of the biggest ones in the UK - Carrickfergus, Ballymena. Antrim is getting a park, Newtownards has a park.
"And every time we go to those skateparks, the local skaters tell us we still can't believe that Portrush hasn't got one."
The council said it is currently working with a local group to support the development of skateboarding facilities in Portrush.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-65380085
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Explosion in Russian border region derails freight train - governor - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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The region - which borders Ukraine and Belarus - has seen various acts of sabotage.
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Europe
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An explosion in the Russian border region of Bryansk derailed a freight train on Monday, authorities said.
Local governor Alexander Bogomaz said an explosive device went off along the Bryansk-Unecha line, 60km from Ukraine.
The incident, which occurred at 10:17 Moscow time (07:17 GMT), saw the locomotive catch fire and seven freight wagons derailed, Russian Railways said.
The region - which borders Ukraine and Belarus - has seen acts of sabotage since Russia invaded Ukraine.
The train was reportedly carrying oil products and timber. No injuries were reported.
"An unidentified explosive device went off at the 136-kilometre mark on the Bryansk-Unecha railway line, derailing a freight train," Mr Bogomaz said in a post on Telegram.
Images on social media showed tank carriages turned on their side with plumes of grey smoke billowing into the air.
On Saturday, Mr Bogomaz said four people died after Ukraine shelled the village of Suzemka, around seven miles (12km) north of Russia's border with Ukraine.
Meanwhile, power lines were destroyed early on Monday by a suspected explosive device in Leningrad Region, in north-west Russia, according to local governor Alexander Drozdenko.
The incident took place near the village of Susanino, some 60km (37 miles) south of St Petersburg, he wrote on Telegram, adding that the power supply to nearby settlements were not interrupted.
A second suspected device was defused, Mr Drozdenko said.
The sabotage occurred as Russia fired missiles across Ukraine in its second pre-dawn strike in three days.
The attacks caused widespread damage at a logistics hub in Pavlohrad, near the central city of Dnipro.
Dozen of houses were destroyed and 34 people were wounded.
Overall, the Ukrainian military said it shot down 15 of the 18 cruise missiles that had been fired.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-65448141
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Sudan: Final UK evacuation flights depart - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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The two "exceptional" evacuation flights had taken off from Port Sudan earlier on Monday evening.
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UK
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UK airlifts at an airstrip near Khartoum ended on Saturday
Two extra evacuation flights carrying British nationals have left Sudan, as UK efforts now turn to diplomacy and humanitarian aid.
The "exceptional" flights - billed as the last UK airlift from Sudan - took off from Port Sudan on the Red Sea coast on Monday evening.
Military rescue flights from an airstrip near the Sudanese capital Khartoum ended on Saturday.
Nearly 2,200 people had been evacuated as of Monday afternoon.
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office said it would release passenger numbers for the two latest flights on Tuesday.
British nationals and others, including Sudanese NHS staff, were asked to travel to Port Sudan by midday on Monday for the "additional exceptional" flights.
The Foreign Office would not confirm the movements of the flights, but a flight tracking website showed a RAF transport Hercules aircraft had landed in Larnaca, Cyprus, at 22:45 local time (20:45 BST). A RAF Atlas transport aircraft was due to land later.
The UK government said it had ended evacuation flights from Wadi Saeedna airstrip because of a decline in demand by British nationals and the "increasingly volatile situation" on the ground, with the last military plane taking off on Saturday night.
Airstrikes and fighting were reported over the weekend despite a ceasefire between the Sudanese army and its rival the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
The UK government described the operation in Sudan as the "longest and largest airlift" by any Western nation, with 2,197 people airlifted from the war-torn nation as of 17:30 Sudan time on Monday.
This figure included 1,087 people from other nations, including the US and Germany.
In addition, a UK team is providing consular assistance in Port Sudan, where they will be helping British nationals leave by commercial routes. Royal Navy ship HMS Lancaster is supporting evacuation efforts from Sudan.
The FCDO said the situation remained volatile and "our ability to conduct evacuations could change at short notice".
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said: "With thanks to the extraordinary efforts of staff and military, the UK has brought 2,197 people to safety from Sudan so far - the largest airlift by any Western nation.
"As the focus turns to humanitarian and diplomatic efforts, we will continue do all we can to press for a long-term ceasefire and an immediate end to the violence in Sudan."
Options to provide humanitarian assistance to Sudanese people in co-ordination with the UN and non-governmental organisations were being explored, the FCDO said.
But concerns have been raised by some British nationals attempting to get family, without British passports, into the UK.
Dr Hanna Yahya, from Cheadle, Greater Manchester, told the BBC her mother, who has a Sudanese passport and a valid 10-year UK visa, was refused entry on to an evacuation flight at Port Sudan.
She explained her British passport-holding brother, who had made the journey from Khartoum with his mother, had been told by a British Embassy helpline his mother could be evacuated if he proved she was dependent on him. But at Port Sudan she was told she could not be airlifted out the country as she was not "immediate family".
They are now stuck at the Sudanese border attempting to leave.
Dr Yahya said: "My mother doesn't have anyone to look after her. If she is left alone, she will probably die. She has mobility issues. She can walk for about 10 metres. She uses a wheelchair. a normal chair or a walking aid when tired.
"My brother will stay with my mom to look after her. It breaks my heart."
British nationals had to make their way unescorted to Port Sudan
Fighting has entered its third week in Sudan. Tens of thousands of people have fled the country since fighting engulfed the country more than two weeks ago.
The capital city Khartoum has seen the heaviest fighting, with the Sudanese military and the Rapid Support Forces, a powerful paramilitary group, fighting for control of the country.
Sudan's military said on Saturday it was launching a major new offensive against RSF positions in Khartoum.
The latest truce, which has not held, was due to end at midnight on Sunday. But the RSF said the ceasefire had been extended for another three days.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65452057
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Liz Truss contests £12,000 bill over use of Chevening country house - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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The former prime minister says most of the bill relates to using Chevening for government business.
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UK Politics
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Liz Truss used Chevening House in Kent as she prepared for power in August last year
Liz Truss is contesting a government bill relating to her use of the grace-and-favour country house she had access to as foreign secretary.
The former Conservative prime minister has been asked to foot a bill of about £12,000 for costs incurred at Chevening House in Kent.
The bill covers the period last year when Ms Truss was running to be the leader of the Conservative Party.
The government said it was a matter for the Chevening Trust.
Ms Truss was foreign secretary when she used Chevening House in August 2022 as she prepared for power during the Tory leadership contest.
Conservative Party members elected Ms Truss to be leader in September last year, but her government collapsed within 45 days after her tax-cutting mini-budget spooked financial markets.
Chevening, a Grade I-listed, 115-room country house, was left to the nation by 7th Earl Stanhope following his death in 1967.
Since then, it has been up to the prime minister to decide who uses Chevening, with the foreign secretary the usual beneficiary.
The BBC has been told that Ms Truss's Chevening bill - which was first reported by the Mail on Sunday newspaper - covers missing items, including bathrobes, which she is happy to pay to replace.
But the former prime minister is maintaining that the majority of the invoice relates to using Chevening for government business, meaning she should not be liable for most of the bill.
Those close to Ms Truss have stressed that she will account for all personal expenses incurred.
A government spokesperson said: "Costs and funding relating to Chevening House are a matter for the Chevening Trust."
And "where appropriate", the government said it works closely with the Chevening Trust "to ensure costs incurred are allocated accordingly".
Liz Truss was granted access to Chevening House when she was foreign secretary
The ministerial rulebook states "where ministers host party or personal events in [official] residences it should be at their own or party expense with no cost falling to the public purse".
A spokesman for Ms Truss said: "Liz always paid for the costs of her personal guests at Chevening.
"The latest invoice contains a mixture of costs for her personally and costs for official government business with civil servants including [Cabinet Secretary] Simon Case and senior officials from other departments who met at Chevening during the transition preparations.
"The latter constitutes the majority of the bill. It would be inappropriate for her to pay the costs for officials as it would have breached the Civil Service Code for civil servants to accept hospitality during the leadership campaign. She has therefore asked for this to be billed separately."
Ms Truss is still an MP and has spent some of her time giving speeches about her economic philosophy since she left office, with the latest register of interests for MPs showing she received £65,000 for one speaking engagement.
Ms Truss - the shortest-serving prime minister in history - claimed her government was partly brought down by what she called "the left-wing economic establishment".
She has ruled out running as prime minister again, but is planning to stand again as the MP for South West Norfolk at the next general election.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65441189
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Aberystwyth uni told student was suicidal before his death - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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Charlie McLeod's mum Emma Laney says she feels "a lot more should have been done" to help him.
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Wales
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Charlie McLeod's mum says she will miss "everything about him"
The mum of a student who killed himself days after sharing his suicidal thoughts with his university said it "could have been different" if his family were told he was struggling
Charlie McLeod, 25, was found dead in his student accommodation at Aberystwyth University on 3 February.
His mother, Emma Laney, does not know if enough was done when he told the university's wellbeing services.
The university said it was in touch with Charlie "throughout" the year.
Ms Laney said more needed to be done at universities to make sure people get the help they need while having a mental health crisis.
"If they'd just contacted home, it could have been a different outcome. We'll never know, sadly," she added.
Emma said she would remember her son, from Winchester in Hampshire, as "an extremely intelligent young man" who was an "amazing big brother" to Max and Angel.
After a stint in China as an English teacher, Charlie applied to Aberystwyth to study computer science.
"He was always saying that he was doing well on the course. He found it very interesting. He made some new friends. It seemed a positive time for him," said Emma.
Charlie McLeod taught English in China before starting at Aberystwyth University
But in the summer of 2022, she said she noticed a difference - he was not communicating as often and kept telling his family he was busy.
"Christmas time he seemed extremely down. He didn't want to join in with anything. Everything seemed an effort. He just wasn't himself."
Emma was told Charlie admitted himself to A&E as a result of his mental health on 25 January.
The following day he went to a scheduled counselling session with the university's wellbeing service and said he was feeling suicidal.
This was his last engagement with the service and he died days later.
An inquest into his death is due to be held in the autumn.
A university spokesman said: "Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with Charlie's friends and family at such an extremely difficult time.
"While we cannot go into individual circumstances, our student wellbeing team were in contact with Charlie throughout the 22-23 academic year, with the aim of providing direct support as well as linking to statutory NHS health and mental health services where appropriate."
Emma Laney says Charlie (left) was "an amazing big brother" to Max and Angel
Emma said she had "an overwhelming sense that something wasn't right" so asked Charlie's dad to contact the university, which is when it was discovered that Charlie was dead.
She said: "I feel a lot more should have been done. A lot more communication, sharing of information. I mean if they'd just contacted home or even a professional mental health then, you know, it could have been a different outcome."
Romana Nemcová, 22, was Charlie's girlfriend and is now one of the organisers of the Charlie Asked For Help campaign, which was set up by fellow students to demand the university changes how it handles cases like this.
She said: "It's really important because Charlie was an incredible person. I want to make a change for future students so, future students will not suffer how he suffered.
"He could still be here if he'd had help and that's the most difficult part for me."
Emma Laney feels something could have been done to save her son's life
The Charlie Asked For Help campaigners say students need clearer communication with wellbeing services, as well as help to register with a GP practice when they start university.
Rachael Eagles, chief executive of Area 43, a mental health charity based in Ceredigion, said there were not enough services to meet demand.
"We need to decide what the gold standard of mental health services and care looks like and then ensure access to that wherever you are," she said.
This "gold standard" is something the National Union of Students Wales wants the Welsh government to implement at all universities in to ensure a "consistent model" of support.
The Welsh government said: "We have established an expert group to provide advice on how to improve access to mental health services and ensure universities across Wales have consistent and accessible support for students."
Aberystwyth University said it was "continuously" reviewing its processes and updating practices to ensure it was giving students "the best support possible".
If you have been affected by any issues raised in this article, help and support can be found at BBC Action Line.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-65423997
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Suspected Islamic State chief Qurayshi killed in Syria, Turkey says - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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Abu Hussein al-Qurayshi was killed by Turkish forces on Saturday, Turkey's President Erdogan says.
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Middle East
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A soldier mans a machine gun mounted on an army vehicle during a Turkish and Russian military patrol in Syria
Turkish forces have killed the suspected leader of the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced.
Abu Hussein al-Qurayshi is said to have taken over the group after his predecessor was killed last autumn.
Mr Erdogan told broadcaster TRT Turk the IS leader was "neutralised" in a Turkish MIT intelligence agency operation on Saturday.
IS has so far made no comment on the reported operation.
The BBC has been unable to independently verify President Erdogan's claim.
The MIT intelligence agency had been following Qurayshi for a "long time", Mr Erdogan said.
"We will continue our struggle with terrorist organisations without any discrimination," he added, providing no further details.
Syrian sources quoted by Reuters news agency said the operation took place in the northern town of Jandaris, close to the Turkish border.
Last November, the jihadist group announced the death of its leader, Abu al-Hassan al-Hashemi al-Qurayshi. The US said he was killed in an operation by the rebel Free Syrian Army in south-west Syria in mid-October 2022.
He took over the group after previous leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi set off a blast killing himself and his family as US special forces rounded on his hideout after a gunfight in February 2022.
That operation "removed a major terrorist threat to the world", US President Joe Biden said at the time.
IS once held 88,000sq km (34,000sq miles) of territory stretching from north-eastern Syria across northern Iraq and imposed its brutal rule on almost eight million people.
The group was driven from its last piece of territory in 2019, but the UN warned in July that it remained a persistent threat.
It is estimated to have between 6,000 and 10,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq, who are based mostly in rural areas and continue to carry out hit-and-run attacks, ambushes and roadside bombings.
IS regional affiliates also pose threats in other conflict zones across the world. The UN said the most vigorous and well-established networks were based in Afghanistan, Somalia and the Lake Chad basin.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-65445007
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Ukraine war: Bakhmut defender remembered by comrades - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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Pavel Kuzin single-handedly manned a machine gun in Bakhmut so his comrades could be evacuated.
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Europe
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Pavel Kuzin was killed in Bakhmut amid brutal fighting around the eastern Ukrainian city
Staff sergeant Pavel Kuzin took his position at the machine gun - the only soldier still able to fight. Everyone else in his troop lay dead or injured.
Suffering from shell-shock and with one arm bandaged, the 37-year-old fired at the waves of Russian soldiers trying to storm his position. They didn't even try to take cover, but simply walked towards him across the open field.
It was clear Pavel wouldn't be able to hold the position for long, but he needed to buy time for a rescue team to arrive. His final action in life was to ensure his wounded comrades got to safety.
The Ukrainian military says Bakhmut is now the scene of many "unprecedentedly bloody" battles like this, where they now have to repel up to 50 attacks on their positions every day. Russia has concentrated massive forces in this area, and their brutal strategy of launching human wave attacks helps them to advance slowly - but at a very high cost.
Pavel was in charge of a forward observation group that consisted of six Ukrainian soldiers. On 17 February, shortly after the start of their watch, they came under heavy fire. A tank began hammering their position.
Unlike relentless mortar rounds, the tank's aiming was chillingly accurate. Shells were landing a few metres from their trenches. Two soldiers were wounded and Pavel told them to go into a dugout. A combat medic went down to tend to their injuries and prepare them for an evacuation. Moments later, the wooden shelter was directly hit by a shell.
"There was a bright flash," one of the wounded soldiers with a callsign Tsygan told the BBC. "I was thrown onto the logs with such force that it nearly crushed me. I couldn't understand whether I was dead or alive. Someone was shouting, it seemed the sound was coming from 100m away."
I couldn't understand whether I was dead or alive
It was Pavel's voice who was checking on them. The other soldier was half-buried under dirt and logs. He was dead.
Tsygan could barely move and Pavel had to drag him up over the splintered logs that blocked the way. It was painfully slow to move Tsygan just a few metres away into a nearby trench. When the shelling paused briefly, Pavel went back trying to find others.
Two minesweepers arrived to clear the logs and find the bodies. But yet another shell hit the dug out, killing one of the men and injuring the other. The tank kept firing.
At that moment, Russian troops started storming their position. Pavel called for a support group to evacuate the wounded and rushed back to his Browning machine gun to stop the Russian infantry.
The 206th Battalion in which Pavel served had fought in the southern Kherson and north-eastern Kharkiv regions. But the battles over Bakhmut were very different from what they had seen before.
"The intensity of fighting to break through our positions was shocking," says Mykola Hlabets, platoon commander. "Sometimes, [Russian soldiers] would get as close as 20 metres from us, crawling and moving under a treeline or across an open field. This is where we had our first gunfights at such proximity."
"They would just stand and walk towards our positions without any cover. We wiped out one group after another, but they kept coming."
Hlabets described them as a suicide squad. Others call them cannon fodder.
Ukrainians are trying to fight off Russia's human wave attacks - similar to tactics used during World War One
A number of videos have been shared on telegram channels recently where newly mobilized Russian soldiers appealed to President Vladimir Putin and the authorities to stop what they called "illegal orders" to send them "to be slaughtered".
Last month mobilised soldiers from Belgorod posted a video saying that they were sent for an assault mission without proper training. After suffering heavy losses, they said they refused to carry out their orders.
Often these poorly trained soldiers are reportedly forced to keep pushing forward. The assault group Storm of the 5th Brigade of the Russian army said in a video appeal that they couldn't leave their position because of zagryad otryad, or blocking troops - detachments that open fire at their own men who try to retreat.
These wave attacks are similar to World War One tactics, when troops charged the enemy and engaged in close combat. And despite their lack of training and experience, sending newly recruited soldiers to such assaults are bringing some results for Russia, albeit at a very high cost.
Ukrainians expose their positions when they open fire to stop those attacks. That allows Russian artillery to identify the target and destroy it, as happened with Pavel's post.
Also, soldiers at forward positions run out of ammunition while trying to repel numerous wave attacks. They then become an easy target.
That was the risk Pavel knew he faced as he rushed to his Browning machine gun. But as long as he kept firing, his wounded brothers-in-arms had a chance to be rescued.
Tsygan was bleeding in the trench where Pavel had left him. Shrapnel had smashed his pelvis. Another piece had gone through his thigh, and a third had hit his abdomen, "turning the internal organs upside down", he said. He was barely conscious.
"I didn't see much, it was all white," he said. "I lay on the snowy ground for two hours and I didn't feel cold or anything."
Next to him was another wounded soldier. The rescue team on an armoured personnel carrier hastily picked them up as shelling resumed. They didn't even have time to close the hatch, Tsygan says.
By that time, Pavel's machine gun had fallen silent. He died from a head wound: a piece of shrapnel had pierced his helmet.
Commanders of the 206th battalion decided to send a group to retrieve the bodies of Pavel and the other soldiers.
The next day in the evening, three groups of two soldiers each set off to bring the bodies back.
"The plan looked good on paper, but things quickly went wrong," junior sergeant Vasyl Palamarchuk, who was in the lead group, remembers. They got lost and nearly ran into Russian positions in the dark. When they got close to the dugout, Russians spotted them and opened fire from a tank.
Pavel Kuzin died holding off Russian attackers so his wounded fellow soldiers could be evacuated
Russian tanks and artillery had continuously shelled that post in those days, but the Ukrainian big guns had largely stayed quiet. The reason was a massive shortage of shells.
"Once we counted that the Russians had fired up to 60 shells a day, whereas we could allow only two," Palamarchuk explains. "They destroyed trees and everything else and you had no place to hide."
Ukraine is struggling to find ammunition for its Soviet-era artillery. Getting shells for weapons donated by Ukraine's western partners has its own limits. As the secretary general of the Nato military alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, said recently: "The current rate of Ukraine's ammunition expenditure is many times higher than our current rate of production."
Palamarchuk's group eventually picked up Pavel's body just a few hours before Russian troops seized the area. Heavy snow turned into a freezing rain. After numerous breaks on the way back, crawling through craters left by shells, they finally arrived. The whole operation over just a kilometre's distance lasted for six hours.
It was past midnight but the entire battalion gathered at the evacuation point to pay their respects to Pavel, who is survived by his daughter and wife.
"It was a huge loss for our unit," Palamarchuk says. "He saved two people but died himself."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-65313367
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Trevelyan descendant would consider Irish famine compensation - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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An ex-BBC journalist says her ancestor, referenced in the Fields of Athenry, failed Irish people.
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Northern Ireland
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Laura Trevelyan, now a slavery reparations campaigner, worked for some time as a BBC correspondent in the United States
A descendant of 19th Century aristocrat Sir Charles Trevelyan has said if the Irish government asked her family to pay compensation over the Irish famine they would consider the request.
Laura Trevelyan accepts that her great, great, great-grandfather was among those who "failed their people" while governing Ireland during the famine.
The Irish folk song The Fields Of Athenry singles him out for blame.
But she does not believe her family should be held personally responsible.
Ms Trevelyan, a former BBC journalist, said this is because Sir Charles was involved in his capacity as a British government official during the famine.
In the 1840s, he was the senior British civil servant in charge of Irish famine relief.
More than a million people died and another two million emigrated during the famine, the result of potato blight and exports of food to Great Britain, which ruled the entire island of Ireland at the time.
The Fields Of Athenry is a ballad about a man prosecuted for stealing "Trevelyan's corn".
The Trevelyan family recently agreed to donate more than £100,000 to the Caribbean island of Grenada to compensate for their ancestors' historic role in the slave trade.
Asked why the Trevelyan family would pay compensation to Grenada over slavery and not to Ireland over the famine, Ms Trevelyan said her ancestors were personally profiting from the sale of sugar cane harvested by enslaved Africans in the Caribbean, while Sir Charles was carrying out government policy.
She added: "If the Irish government said the Trevelyan family are liable for what Sir Charles Edward did, then of course that would have to be considered."
After 30 years in the BBC, in the UK and America, Ms Trevelyan left the corporation last month to become a full-time slavery reparations campaigner.
After her family issued a public apology in February over their historic links to slavery, the Irish novelist Katherine Mezzacappa asked Ms Trevelyan on Twitter: "Any word on Charles Trevelyan's catastrophic handling of famine relief in Ireland?"
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Ms Trevelyan told BBC Radio Ulster's The Nolan Show that the Fields Of Athenry had been sung at her, and she had been directly challenged about her family link to the famine by Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness in the 1990s.
She said: "A quarter of a century ago, when I was a BBC reporter covering the Good Friday Agreement, I tripped over my own history.
"I well remember Martin McGuinness saying to me, 'Is this a coincidence that the British have sent a Trevelyan for the BBC, a state institution, to cover these negotiations?'.
"I assured him it was a coincidence but he didn't think it was at all and that's when I tripped up against Sir Charles Edward Trevelyan.
"And I remember so clearly being in Crossmaglen in south Armagh and speaking to a member of Republican Sinn Fein who looked at me in horror and said, 'How can you be driving around south Armagh with the blood of the Irish on your hands?' And to my embarrassment I didn't even really understand what either of them were talking about.
"When I got back to Britain I began to read up on Sir Charles."
Laura Trevelyan as a young BBC reporter in the historic town of Carrickfergus, County Antrim
Amid all the recent publicity about her family's connection to the slave trade, she expected questions to be also asked about what happened during the Irish famine.
In the 1830s, after the abolition of slavery, the Trevelyan family received about £34,000 in official compensation, the equivalent of about £3m in modern money.
Asked for her personal view of Sir Charles Trevelyan, she said: "When I wrote a book in 2006, A Very British Family, I'd read everything that had been written about him to that point.
"Where one ends up is, as [the then prime minister] Tony Blair said in 1997, those who governed in London at the time of the Irish famine failed their people by standing by while a crop failure turned into a massive human tragedy.
"He [Sir Charles] was the Treasury official in charge of the famine relief so he is an absolutely central character in this and as I reflected in my book in 2006, he's a providentialist, he's a laissez-faire economist. He feels that private charity in Ireland should be leaping to the rescue.
"It is hard to interpret his writings in some ways because they're so Victorian and convoluted and open to interpretation in some ways. But he both says the people cannot under any circumstances be allowed to starve - and they do starve, so he's failed by his own point.
"And he also seems to suggest that in some ways this is the divine punishment of God for a one-crop economy. It's very hard to defend any of it."
In her book, she said there was a debate over the extent of the role played by Sir Charles, with some historians being more critical than others, and at least one defending him.
Detail from an illustration depicting a scene outside a 19th century workhouse during the Irish famine
As for the song, The Fields Of Athenry, it has become very familiar to Ms Trevelyan.
Written by Pete St John, it has grown in popularity in recent years and is often sung at Irish sporting occasions, including by fans supporting the Ireland rugby team.
"It's been sung to me many a time," Ms Trevelyan said.
"I was once trying to park a car outside the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Dublin and somebody came and helped me get into the spot. I said, 'Thanks very much', and he said, 'What's your your name?' and I said 'Laura Trevelyan'.
"He looked at me… and began singing The Fields of Athenry.
"And I when I got into the Irish Ministry for Foreign Affairs I was shown around as though I was an historical artefact - 'she's related to Sir Charles' - all of which was pretty extraordinary. What I was embarrassed about at the time was that I didn't know the history of my family and here I was meeting all these people who knew it intimately.
"It made me realise that the past defines the present… you realise that more and more, how the past is not really the past."
On the issue of reparations for Ireland, Ms Trevelyan expanded on her position.
She said: "To the best of my knowledge there isn't an inter-government request from the Irish government to the British for reparations to be paid for the famine because of the action of officials like Sir Charles.
"I guess the distinction I would make is that in the Caribbean my ancestors were acting for private profit whereas Sir Charles was acting as an official for the British government, and the British government did in 1997 acknowledge his failures and the failures of others."
After three decades of telling the stories of other people, Laura Trevelyan is now at the centre of her own.
From anchoring BBC World News America, the broadcaster has turned into a campaigner.
While finding the sudden switch "truly weird", she says she has no regrets and is now fully focused on her new role.
Listen to the full interview with Laura Trevelyan on The Nolan Show on BBC Sounds.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-65440287
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Man's viral worm dance at charity event wows Rita Ora - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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Ian Smith couldn't help the impromptu move as Rita Ora performed at the Prince's Trust event in New York.
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A video of a man doing the "worm" during a Rita Ora performance at a charity event has gone viral.
Ms Ora was performing her song Praising You at a Prince's Trust event in New York when Australian lobbyist Ian Smith decided to show off his dance moves.
The 57-year-old's wife, and former Australian senator, Natasha Stott Despoja watched on as her other half was filmed by high-profile stars like Kate Beckinsale.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-65448332
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Missing teenager: Body found in the River Thames - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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Rescuers find a body in the search for a boy of 17 who went missing in a river in Gloucestershire.
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Gloucestershire
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Crews from Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue and Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Service carried out searches
A body has been found in the search for a 17-year-old boy who went missing in a river, police have confirmed.
Gloucestershire Police was called at about 22:00 BST on Sunday after the boy was spotted in the River Thames near Lechlade on Thames.
A group of five had been at the location together, and some had entered the water to try to find him.
The others have been accounted for and the death is not being treated as suspicious.
The National Police Air Service, Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service and Severn Area Rescue Association carried out searches into the early hours of Monday.
Searches continued throughout Monday and a body was later recovered from the river by specialist police divers from Avon and Somerset Police.
Five teenage boys had been playing in the river, but the others have been accounted for
Although formal identification has not yet taken place, the boy's next of kin have been informed and they are being supported by trained officers.
Gloucestershire Constabulary has said its thoughts were with the boy's family and friends at this distressing time.
Follow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: bristol@bbc.co.uk
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-65447977
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France protests: More than 100 police hurt in May Day demonstrations - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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Almost 300 people are arrested across France in clashes with demonstrators angry at pension reforms.
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Europe
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At least 108 police officers have been injured in clashes across France with protesters angry at pension reforms, the interior minister has said.
Gérald Darmanin said such a large number of police wounded was extremely rare, adding that 291 people had been arrested during the unrest.
Hundreds of thousands have been taking part in May Day demonstrations against President Emmanuel Macron's reforms.
Most were peaceful but radical groups threw petrol bombs and fireworks.
It is not clear how many protesters have been injured.
Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne tweeted that the violence was "unacceptable", while also praising the "responsible mobilisation and commitment" of demonstrators in numerous cities.
This is the latest day of mass action against changes that raise the state pension age from 62 to 64. Trade unions want them withdrawn.
The Interior Ministry put the overall number of demonstrators at 782,000, including 112,000 in the capital Paris, but the CGT union say the figure is three times that number.
Union leaders were adamant that months-long opposition to the reforms was not waning.
"The page is not going to be turned as long as there is no withdrawal of this pension reform. The determination to win is intact," said CGT leader Sophie Binet, quoted by AFP.
In Paris, one police officer suffered serious burns to his hands and face when struck by a petrol bomb, Mr Darmanin said.
Violence also broke out in Lyons, Toulouse and Nantes, where vehicles were set on fire and businesses attacked.
Most of the protests were peaceful but police clashed with radical groups throwing projectiles and firebombs
There were also reports that protesters briefly occupied a luxury hotel in the southern city of Marseille. Monday was the first time since 2009 that France's top eight trade unions had backed calls for a protest, AFP news agency said.
Mr Darmanin accused far-left groups known as black blocs and numbering a few thousand of being behind the violence and urged that "those who attacked the police and public property be severely punished".
There has been a violent element to the protests ever since March, when the government decided to force the legislation through the lower house of parliament - where it lacks an absolute majority - without a vote.
Mr Macron says the reform is a necessity.
He signed the reform into law on 15 April, hours after France's Constitutional Council broadly backed the changes, but opinion polls show a large majority of the population opposes the higher pension age.
The reforms are expected to come into force by September.
The government has promised further talks but the unions are determined to get the changes repealed, and it is not clear where a compromise could be found.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-65449777
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Sudan crisis risks becoming a nightmare for the world - former PM Hamdok - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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Former PM Abdalla Hamdok says the Sudan conflict could become worse than the wars in Syria and Libya.
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Africa
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Abdalla Hamdok served twice as Sudan PM between 2019 and 2022
Sudan's former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok has warned that the conflict in his country could become worse than those in Syria and Libya.
The fighting between the regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) would be a "nightmare for the world" if it continued, he said.
Early on Sunday, warplanes and heavy anti-aircraft fire were heard over the capital Khartoum, residents said.
The army said it was attacking from all directions, using heavy artillery.
The fighting that started on 15 April has left hundreds dead, while tens of thousands of people are fleeing the country.
Thursday night's extension of an uneasy ceasefire between the rival factions followed intensive diplomatic efforts by neighbouring countries, as well as the US, UK and UN. But the 72-hour extension has not held.
Meanwhile, there are chaotic scenes in Port Sudan where people are desperate to board ships, some of which are heading to Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
The UK government said it had ended its evacuation operation. The Foreign Office said the last flight left Khartoum at 22:00 local time (20:00 GMT) on Saturday, and in total nearly 1,900 people were flown out.
The US government meanwhile said a US-organised convoy had reached Port Sudan to evacuate more US citizens by ship to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. It said hundreds of Americans had already left Sudan, in addition to the diplomats evacuated by air a week ago.
Speaking at a conference in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, Mr Hamdok called for a unified international effort to persuade the Sudanese army chief and the RSF leader to hold peace talks.
"This is a huge country, very diverse ... I think it will be a nightmare for the world," he said.
"This is not a war between an army and small rebellion. It is almost like two armies - well trained and well armed."
Mr Hamdok - who served as prime minister twice between 2019 and 2022 - added that the insecurity could become worse than the civil wars in Syria and Libya. Those wars have led to hundreds of thousands of deaths, created millions of refugees and caused instability in the wider regions.
Tens of thousands of people are attempting to flee Sudan
Army commander Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF chief Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemedti, disagree about the country's proposed move to civilian rule, and in particular about the timeframe of the 100,000 strong RSF's inclusion into the army.
Both factions fear losing power in Sudan, partly because on both sides there are men who could end up at the International Criminal Court for war crimes committed in the Darfur region almost 20 years ago.
Millions of people remain trapped in Khartoum, where there are shortages of food, water and fuel.
Sudan's army has urged people in Khartoum to remain indoors and stay away from windows, as it deploys tanks and other artillery in an effort to recapture areas held by the RSF.
The RSF says the army is widening the conflict by deploying the Central Reserve police - a unit with a reputation for brutality against civilians.
Violence is also reported to have been particularly bad in El Geneina, a city in Darfur in western Sudan, with claims that militia groups have looted and torched markets.
Hemedti has told the BBC he will not negotiate until fighting ends.
He said his fighters were being "relentlessly" bombed since the truce was extended.
"We don't want to destroy Sudan," he said, blaming army chief Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan for the violence.
Gen Burhan - the head of Sudan's regular army - has tentatively agreed to face-to-face talks in South Sudan.
Around 2,000 people have arrived in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah
Around 2,000 people have arrived in Jeddah from Port Sudan. Most are expected to be flown home via charter flights arranged by their governments within the next few days.
Speaking to BBC's Chief International Correspondent Lyse Doucet in Jeddah, Nazli, a 32 year-old Iranian civil engineer who fled with her fellow engineer husband, recalled the fighting they fled.
"We couldn't even sit on our balcony; the gunfire was everywhere," she said.
"Please please help our family in Sudan," cried Rasha, a Sudanese-American mother of four children - who spoke of hiding for three days, terrified.
"I call on the world to protect Sudan," she pleaded, underlining fears that once all the foreign nationals have fled, the fighting will intensify.
Are you in Sudan? If you are preparing to leave on an evacuation flight share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-65436815
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Aughnacloy crash: Hundreds attend Strabane vigil to remember victims - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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Dan McKane, Christine McKane and Julia McSorley are named locally as the those who died on the A5 road.
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Northern Ireland
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Hundreds of have people gathered for a vigil to remember the three members of a family who died in a minibus crash in Aughnacloy, County Tyrone.
The victims have been named locally as Dan McKane, his sister Christine McKane and their aunt Julia McSorley.
They were killed when their minibus collided with a lorry on the A5 Tullyvar Road on Thursday morning.
The family had been returning home to Strabane, County Tyrone, from an aunt's funeral in England when it happened.
Prayers were said and candles were lit at the vigil in Strabane on Friday evening
Four others who were in the minibus suffered serious injuries.
Father Declan Boland, a priest in Strabane, said the family and the community in the town were in total disbelief at the tragedy.
"The community are struggling to comprehend what is happening," he told the BBC's The North West Today programme.
"We have to face into the horror of the bodies coming home and then the funerals."
Fr Declan Boland said people in Strabane were shocked and saddened
Fr Boland visited the home of Ms McKane on Thursday where people had come together to pay tribute.
"People were just gathering in groups, not saying an awful lot but just being there in silent solidarity, embracing one another," he said.
"It really is a silent witness where words are really inadequate."
The vigil was held at the Holy Grotto in Strabane
Two people who were badly injured in the crash had emergency surgery in Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital will pull through, added the priest.
Speaking at the vigil in Strabane on Friday evening, he said the community had come together to "stand in solidarity" with the family and grieving relatives.
The community then prayed the rosary in memory of the victims and in support of those who were injured.
"It's just important to show the family that we're all with them," one woman attending the vigil told BBC News NI.
"It's a tragic loss for the town of Strabane."
Another vigil-goer said: "The family are well known so it's hit every part of the community.
"As you can see today, the community has come out in force and they will do over the next [few] days to make sure that the family has support."
Candles were lit in the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Strabane
There's a palpable sense of shock and disbelief in Strabane in the wake of this tragedy.
People attending morning Mass in the Church of the Immaculate Conception on Barrack Street said they were heartbroken at the deaths.
"I can't believe that they were over in England for a funeral and returning home when this happened. It's terrible, just terrible," said one woman.
Another woman said she was going to Mass to pray for the family and light a candle for them: "It's just such an awful tragedy."
Friends of the McKane family said they are lovely people and are completely devastated by what has happened.
Thursday's fatal crash is the latest to happen on the A5 road, which links the north-west with Dublin in the Republic of Ireland.
Plans to upgrade the road between Aughnacloy and New Buildings in County Londonderry were announced in 2007.
But they have been delayed amid funding issues and legal challenges.
The Department for Infrastructure said the estimated cost of the project was £1.6bn - up £400m since the last estimate.
Campaigners from Enough Is Enough, a group calling for the upgrade to take place, previously said 44 people have died on the road since 2007.
Alan Kilpatrick, who lives on the road where the crash happened, said it was dangerous.
He was one of the first people to arrive at the scene of the crash on Thursday morning.
"I don't want to see what I saw again... because this is avoidable with a better road," he told the BBC News NI.
He said there was a high volume of traffic on the road, including heavy commercial vehicles trying to navigate small roads.
"Here is a main road between the largest city on the island, the whole north-west of the island and it's absolutely horrendous."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-65422147
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Donald Trump says it is 'great to be home' on visit to Scotland - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The former US president has flown into Aberdeen on his first visit to the UK since 2019.
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Scotland
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The former US president is visiting the UK for the first time since 2019.
Former US President Donald Trump has said "it is great to be home" as he arrived in Aberdeen on a visit to his Scottish golf properties.
It is Mr Trump's first visit to the UK since 2019 after leaving office.
He attended a ceremony to break ground on a new course at his Aberdeenshire resort, Trump International Scotland.
Mr Trump, whose mother was from the Isle of Lewis, sparked a security operation on a 2018 visit with protests in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.
The visit comes as Mr Trump faces court action in the United States. Earlier this month he pled not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records.
He is also facing a civil trial over an allegation that he raped an advice columnist in the mid-1990s. A judge has denied his legal team's request for a mistrial.
Mr Trump, who is running for the White House again in 2024, is visiting Scotland as a private individual.
It is understood there is no requirement on the Scottish or UK governments to pay for special security.
Mr Trump walked down the steps to the sound of bagpipes
The former president arrived at Aberdeen Airport at about 11:30 and was met by two pipers, a red carpet and a 10-vehicle motorcade.
He left the plane and greeted reporters as he walked to a waiting car, but did not stop to take questions.
Before getting into the vehicle, he said: "It's great to be home, this was the home of my mother."
His mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, was born on Lewis in the Outer Hebrides before emigrating to the US.
Mr Trump said a "spectacular" second course on the Menie Estate at Balmedie in Aberdeenshire would be dedicated to her.
Mr Trump cut the ribbon on the MacLeod course with son Eric and Sarah Malone of Trump International Scotland
The former president cut a ceremonial red ribbon to mark the beginning of work on the MacLeod course.
He said the new course would be fit to "host many great championships" in future.
He added: "My mother was an incredible woman who loved Scotland. She returned here every year and she loved the Queen."
He added: "I love Scotland just as much."
Mr Trump is later expected to visit the Trump Turnberry course in Ayrshire before travelling to his course in Doonbeg on Ireland's west coast.
On Mr Trump's last major visit to Scotland in July 2018 he spent two days at his Turnberry resort with wife Melania.
Mr Trump was heckled as he played golf there with his son Eric.
It was part of a four-day trip to the UK, during which he met then Prime Minister Theresa May and the Queen.
Donald Trump's mother may have come from Scotland but he's had a very difficult relationship with people and politicians in the country of her birth.
While he is now opening the second of two golf courses in Aberdeenshire, his investment there remains a fraction of the one billion pounds he originally promised.
Developing the site brought him into conflict with some of his neighbours and environmental campaigners who wanted to preserve the sand dune system and its natural habitats.
Donald Trump also clashed with the Scottish government in court in an unsuccessful attempt to block a wind farm off the Aberdeenshire coast.
His redevelopment of Turnberry in Ayrshire was more warmly received.
All Holyrood party leaders opposed his election as President in 2016 and the new First Minister Humza Yousaf suggested Trump be barred from the UK following the storming of the US Capitol building by his supporters.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-65448007
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Tributes paid to man stabbed near Bodmin nightclub - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Five other people have since been released from hospital, with two recovering from surgery.
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Cornwall
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Michael Allen has been named as the man who died at the scene
Tributes have been paid to a man stabbed to death near a nightclub on Sunday whom police have named as Michael Allen, 32.
Mr Allen was confirmed dead at the scene close to the Eclipse venue on Castle Canyke Road in Bodmin, Cornwall, following reports of a street brawl.
Seven men and women with suspected stab wounds were taken to hospital.
Police have been granted by magistrates more time to question a man, 24, in connection with their murder inquiry.
Police investigations are continuing in the area
The family of Mr Allen, from Liskeard, said he was a "much-loved son, brother, grandson, and uncle who loved his dogs".
The family wished to "respectfully request privacy at this time", their statement added.
The suspect, also from Bodmin, has been arrested on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and causing grievous bodily harm with intent.
Officers were called to the scene at 03:15 BST on Sunday.
Of the seven people injured, five have since been released and two remain in hospital recovering from surgery.
Bodmin Rugby Club have set up a tribute site for people to remember Michael Allen
A tribute site has been set up at Bodmin Rugby Club, where Mr Allen was a player, for people to gather and remember him.
Officers will be in attendance to support the local community between 16:00 and 18:00 BST on Monday, and twice daily from 10:00 to 12:00 and then 16:00 to 18:00 for the next week.
The club said Mr Allen's "humour and kindness has left a mark on us all, and we will miss him dearly".
Det Insp Ilona Rosson said police would "continue to ask the public for their help" in the investigation.
She said: "If you have any information relating to this murder and have yet to have spoken with the police, please come forward immediately. The information you have, no matter how small you may feel it could be, could be vital to our investigation."
It is unclear whether the victims had attended the nightclub prior to the violence outside.
Eclipse released a statement saying it was "deeply saddened" by the events and its "thoughts are with the victims and their families".
Follow BBC News South West on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@bbc.co.uk
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-65449416
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World Snooker Championship 147: Mark Selby makes first maximum in final but trails Luca Brecel - BBC Sport
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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Mark Selby creates history as he becomes the first player to make a maximum 147 break in a World Championship final, but trails Luca Brecel 9-8 overall.
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Last updated on .From the section Snooker
Coverage: Watch live on BBC TV and Red Button with uninterrupted coverage on BBC iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and the BBC Sport app
Mark Selby created history as he became the first player to make a maximum 147 break in a World Championship final.
But the four-time world champion trails Luca Brecel 9-8 going into Monday's last day of action.
"The atmosphere when I potted that final black was electric. It is incredible. Just to make a 147 here is hard enough," said 39-year-old Selby.
"I always thought that if I got in that position I would be shaking like a leaf. It was amazing how calm I felt."
Belgium's Brecel had dominated the opening session with his flamboyant attacking style to open up a 6-2 advantage.
However, Selby, who appeared jaded on Sunday afternoon as a consequence of the draining late-night finish to his semi-final victory over Mark Allen, delivered a superb riposte in an exhilarating second session.
A high-quality start saw Selby finally display his devastating potting ability, opening with a 134 break and then a 96 as he reeled off three of the first four frames.
Brecel, who crafted a brilliant 99 of his own in the 10th frame of the match, constructed back-to-back half centuries to re-establish a four-frame lead at 9-5.
But Selby again responded, pinching the final frame of the session after his 147 to leave snooker's blue-riband event delicately poised when play resumes at 13:00 BST on Monday.
Selby's special effort arrived in the 16th frame of the match, with the Englishman coming to the table after Brecel had left a red hanging in the jaws of the bottom corner pocket.
As excitement built he went on to superbly pot a difficult final red with the rest to clear all 15 reds, all accompanied by blacks, before dispatching the colours.
It prompted joyous scenes as the fans inside the auditorium erupted.
Referee Brendan Moore, officiating in his third and last Crucible final before retirement, congratulated Selby, who was also embraced warmly by Brecel.
Selby's feat comes 40 years on from the first ever maximum at the Crucible, compiled by Cliff Thorburn in 1983.
The Englishman is the 10th player to achieve a total clearance at the Sheffield venue - Kyren Wilson also made a 147 earlier in the tournament.
There have been 14 maximums in total at the Crucible with Ronnie O'Sullivan and Stephen Hendry making three each.
The select band of players to reach the magical tally is completed by Cliff Thorburn, Jimmy White, Mark Williams, Ali Carter, John Higgins and Neil Robertson.
Wilson's 147 came during his 10-5 first-round win against Ryan Day.
Selby is set to share with him an additional £55,000 in prize money, with £40,000 on offer for a 147 and £15,000 for the tournament's highest break.
It was amazing, to be here and have a bird's eye view of it, it's a magical moment in Crucible history.
To make a maximum in a final is just the icing on the cake for Mark Selby in his career.
Phenomenal. Iconic pictures. The irony that during the interval we were running a piece about Cliff Thorburn [making the Crucible's first maximum in 1983] and celebrating the anniversary of that, to then a couple of frames later [for Selby to make one].
It was absolutely amazing. What a competitor. To then follow that up by winning the final frame, that is absolutely vital. A very interesting day that we're set up for tomorrow.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/65443883
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Ding Liren becomes China's first male world chess champion - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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Ding Liren, 30, defeated his higher-ranked Russian opponent in a rapid tiebreaker game.
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China
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China's Ding Liren, 30 is the country's first winner of the World Chess Championship
Ding Liren has become China's first men's world chess champion, after defeating Russia's Ian Nepomniachtchi.
Ding, 30, won a rapid-play tiebreaker after 14 first-stage games at the World Chess Championship in Kazakhstan.
He succeeds Norway's Magnus Carlsen, the five-time champion who said he was "not motivated" to defend his title.
Carlsen accused a US opponent of cheating last year in a row that rocked the chess world. He remains number one in the rankings.
Ding's victory makes him the 17th winner of the world chess tournament, while Nepomniachtchi, who had previously made a grand final, fell at the final hurdle for a second time.
Ding said he was "quite relieved" after his victory, according to comments shared by FIDE, the International Chess Federation.
"The moment Ian resigned the game was a very emotional moment. I couldn't control my feelings. I know myself, I will cry and burst into tears. It was a tough tournament for me."
His victory was celebrated by chess fans and patriots in China, which is a growing chess power.
"One Ding to rule em all," tweeted fellow grandmaster Anish Giri after Ding's victory.
China's General Administration of Sport, a government department, also posted a warm congratulatory message, praising Ding for "winning glory for the motherland and its people".
A native of Wenzhou, China's "chess city", Ding triumphed in dramatic circumstances in Astana, the Kazakh capital.
The opening 14 games were played over three weeks. Ding and Nepomniachtchi each won three, with eight draws.
For the tiebreaker, each player had only 25 minutes to make their moves, plus an additional 10 seconds for each move played. Ding clinched victory in winning the fourth quick-fire game.
The 2m euro (£1.8m; $2.2m) prize money will be split 55-45 between the two players.
Ding was able to compete against Nepomniachtchi due to Carlsen's abstention. Ding had finished second at the Candidates Tournament, which players must win to challenge the world champion.
In 2009, he became China's youngest chess champion at national level.
Within 12 years, he had become the highest-ranked Chinese player in the world rankings, reaching second place.
Ding was undefeated in classical chess for 100 games from August 2017 to November 2018. This was the longest unbeaten streak in top-level chess history until Carlsen surpassed it in 2019.
His triumph reflects China's growth in the global chess scene.
China has dominated women's chess tournaments since the 1990s, when Xie Jun became the first Chinese person to claim a world title in 1991 in the women's game.
No Chinese player had ever previously won the World Chess Championship, in which both men and women can compete.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-65445948
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Texas shooting: Suspect had been deported four times - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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Police have announced a reward of $80,000 for information leading to the suspect's arrest.
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US & Canada
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: Wilson Garcia describes the tragic events that allowed him to flee
The man on the run after killing five people in Texas was deported at least four times, US media report.
The suspect, 38-year-old Francisco Oropeza, is a Mexican national who had reportedly been deported twice in 2009, then again in 2012 and 2016.
Police say he killed five of his neighbours, including a child, after an argument about him practice-shooting with a semi-automatic weapon nearby.
A reward of $80,000 (£64,000) has been announced for information.
A man who survived the shooting in which his wife and son died has tearfully recalled the details of the tragedy at a vigil held in Texas on Sunday.
Wilson Garcia said the noise of a neighbour's gunfire made his one-month-old son cry, so he and two others asked the man to move farther away.
The suspect, Francisco Oropeza, later fired indiscriminately on Mr Garcia's home, killing five people inside, say police
Mr Garcia said he "respectfully" asked his neighbour in the small town of Cleveland, San Jacinto County, to shoot his gun farther away so his infant son could sleep.
"He told us he was on his property, and he could do what he wanted," he told Associated Press.
Mr Garcia called the police five times and was reassured each time that help was on the way. Then he saw Mr Oropeza running toward his home and reloading his weapon.
His wife, Sonia Argentina Guzman, told him to go inside because he wouldn't fire at a woman, he recalled. But she turned out to be his first victim as he shot at the house.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
There were 15 people in the house at the time of the shooting - many of them reportedly there on a church retreat.
Also among the dead was Mr Garcia's son, Daniel Enrique Laso, aged nine, and two women who died while protecting Mr Garcia's infant and two-year-old daughter.
Mr Garcia said one of the women had told him to jump out a window to stay alive, in order to take care of his surviving children.
The victims were all from Honduras. The others include Diana Velazquez Alvarado, 21; Julisa Molina Rivera, 31; and Jose Jonathan Casarez, 18.
"I don't have words to describe what happened," Mr Garcia told local news. "It's like we're alive but at the same time we're not. What happened truly was horrible."
Three children present during the shooting who were injured and taken to the hospital were released on Sunday, the Houston Chronicle reported.
An aerial view of the search
A manhunt continues for the suspect. He should be considered armed and dangerous, police said.
Authorities have announced an $80,000 (£64,000) reward for information leading to Mr Oropeza's arrest, funded by Texas Governor Gregg Abbott, the FBI and local authorities.
San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers said at least three weapons were discovered inside the suspect's home, CNN reported.
"I can tell you right now, we have zero leads," FBI special agent James Smith told reporters. "We do not know where he is. We don't have any tips right now to where he may be. Right now, we're running into dead ends."
Following the shooting, more than 150 officers gathered in a wooded area near the site to search where authorities initially believed Mr Oropeza had fled on foot, finding clothes and a phone.
Tracking dogs eventually lost the suspect's scent, Mr Capers said, but the search involving over 200 officers continued on Sunday.
The FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Texas Public Safety Department are all involved in the manhunt - which has some law enforcement on horseback.
When asked about the response time to Mr Garcia's multiple calls for help, he said officers got there as quickly as possible and that he had only three officers patrolling several hundred square miles.
Honduras' foreign minister, Enrique Reina, tweeted: "We demand that the full weight of the law be applied against those who are responsible for this crime."
The incident came days after nine people were injured at a shooting during a teenagers' party in eastern Texas.
Two weeks ago, four young people were shot dead during a 16th birthday party in Alabama.
Firearm incidents are the top cause of death for US children and teenagers, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-65447378
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Florida tornado flips car across highway - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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A driver captured video of a car being flipped upside down by a powerful storm in Florida.
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The storm in Florida was so powerful that it flipped a car upside down within seconds. Fortunately no one was seriously hurt.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-65450458
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Macron tries to escape French pension row with street song - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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The French leader tries to relaunch his presidency as a video is shared by a group linked to the far right.
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Europe
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President Macron is seeking to relaunch his second period in office and the latest viral video is a potential distraction
Even a traditional sing-song with a group of young Parisians is fraught with risk for a president attempting to persuade France to accept an unpopular increase in the pension age.
Emmanuel Macron had given a TV address on Tuesday regretting "no consensus could be found" on the reform when he went for a walk with his wife Brigitte.
He joined some men singing a song he remembered from his grandmother.
But it was shared by a Facebook group reportedly set up by the far right.
The young singers were part of a Parisian choir singing traditional songs on a street in the sixth district in Paris,
One of them approached President Macron asking him to join in a rendition of an old song from the Pyrenees called "Le Refuge", which he sang on a trip to the French mountain range last year.
The men, who were part of the local Saint Longin choir, were apparently using a mobile phone app to read the words of the song created by the Canto project.
This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Stanislas Rigault This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Last October, left-leaning newspaper Libération revealed that the project, set up to promote the memory of traditional songs, had been founded and run by far-right activists.
Songs included French classics and nursery rhymes, but also others with a more questionable past including songs linked to the Spanish fascist Falange of the 1930s and Nazi Germany.
President Macron and his team are keenly aware of how viral videos can distract from the business of the day, especially when it comes to pension reforms.
Reacting to the video on a trip to the eastern Alsace region, he told journalists that whatever he did would have been wrong.
"You're the president and you're in the street. There are 10 young people in the street who I don't know, singing a song I know... they say 'would you like to sing with us?'
"You tell them no, no etc... you [journalists] would have spent 48 hours saying 'he shows contempt, he's not a nice guy'. On the other hand you know the song so you stop and what do you get? 'He sang with these guys who are politicised.'"
Last month another viral video showed how his relatively expensive watch magically disappeared in the middle of a TV interview.
It was a non-story as there was no evidence to back up claims that he was embarrassed by its opulence. The more obvious explanation was that it was banging the table. No matter, it was the tale that counted.
The only link with the far right is that the founder of the Canto project app he was reading from was close to the National Rally opposition party.
But the app's aim is to encourage communal singing. It includes plenty of revolutionary songs dear to the far left on its site, like "Ah ça ira", which features the friendly line "Aristocrats to the gallows!".
The choir are evidently from the Catholic right, but one of the singers, Géraud, told public radio station France Inter that their only link to the Canto project was that it had a repertoire of music they were interested in.
These protesters against the Macron pension reforms urged the president to "come and work a bit at night to see"
The story has legs because of the video and because the president is not in good odour at the moment.
He has now signed into law deeply unpopular reforms that raise the pension age from 62 to 64 and given Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne the job of leading 100 days of action, with a roadmap of major projects "at the service of France".
His latest appearance in public has had a far more cacophonous response.
The aim of his visit to the eastern region of Alsace was to relaunch his second term in office.
On arrival in the town of Sélestat in Alsace, he was booed loudly by residents and protesters. He then spoke to workers at a timber factory only to find that the power had been cut by union members protesting against the pension reforms.
President Macron responded defiantly to the chorus of boos on the streets, insisting he expected nothing else. "Anger won't stop me continuing to move around," he said.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-65321265
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Gerry Adams wrongly denied prison compensation, court rules - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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The ex-Sinn Féin leader meets the test for compensation after having convictions quashed, judge says.
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Northern Ireland
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The judge ruled that he was satisfied that Mr Adams meets the test for compensation
Gerry Adams was wrongly denied compensation after his convictions for trying to escape from prison in the 1970s were quashed, the High Court has ruled.
The former Sinn Féin president won an appeal to have two historical convictions overturned in 2020.
Mr Justice Colton said he was satisfied that Mr Adams meets the test for compensation.
He also ordered the Department of Justice to reconsider Mr Adams's application.
Mr Adams had been found guilty of two attempts to escape from lawful custody while being held at the Maze Prison - then known as Long Kesh internment camp - in 1973 and 1974.
He was in jail because he had been interned without trial, a practice that was introduced in Northern Ireland amid spiralling violence in the early 1970s.
More than 1,900 people suspected of being members of paramilitary organisations were detained, but many were arrested based on flawed intelligence.
Mr Adams, who has consistently denied being a member of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), was later sentenced to a total of four-and-a-half years in jail.
In 2020, the Supreme Court ruled that his detention had been unlawful and quashed both convictions.
The interim custody order (ICO) used to initially detain him was held to be invalid because the then-Northern Ireland secretary, Willie Whitelaw, had not personally authorised it.
Mr Adams issued judicial review proceedings after a subsequent application for compensation was turned down.
Under the statutory scheme, payment for a miscarriage of justice is made in cases where "a new or newly-discovered fact" shows the person did not commit the offence, which lawyers representing Mr Adams argued he qualifies under based on new circumstances established by the Supreme Court.
Mr Adams' lawyer said the newly-discovered fact in this case was the confirmation that "there was no personal consideration by the secretary of state, and that (another) minister of state signed the ICO without authorisation to do so".
"If the applicant was not lawfully detained, he did not commit the offence he was convicted of.
"The newly-discovered fact led to the quashing of these convictions," he added.
A lawyer for the Department of Justice had argued it was the analysis of a legal point which led to the guilty verdicts being overturned, rather than a new or newly-discovered fact.
The judge stressed that both counsels were unaware of the factual situation surrounding the invalid ICO.
"The applicant has been convicted of a criminal offence, his conviction has been reversed in circumstances where a newly-discovered fact, the lack of consideration by the secretary of state, shows beyond reasonable doubt that there has been a miscarriage of justice, that is the applicant is innocent of the crime for which he was convicted," he said.
He concluded that the Department of Justice had "erred in law" in determining that the reversal of Mr Adams's conviction arose from a legal ruling on facts, something which he said had been known all along.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-65423440
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Khartoum branch of Sudan Central Bank in flames - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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Video shows burning chunks of the large building's facade falling to the ground.
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Video has emerged showing a branch of the Central Bank of Sudan on fire as fighting continues throughout Khartoum.
The BBC has not been able to verify the date it was filmed.
On Sunday, air strikes intensified in the city despite a truce aimed at allowing civilians to flee. The army said it was attacking the city to flush out its paramilitary rivals, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
More on the latest developments here
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-65444503
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Ukraine war: More than 20,000 Russian troops killed since December, US says - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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Another 80,000 Russian soldiers have been wounded in fighting since December, the White House estimates.
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Europe
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A Ukrainian soldier fires towards Russian positions outside Bakhmut in November
More than 20,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in fighting in Ukraine since December, the US estimates.
A further 80,000 have been wounded, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said, citing newly declassified intelligence.
Half of the dead are from the Wagner mercenary company, who have been attacking the eastern Bakhmut city.
Russia has been trying to take the small city since last year in a grinding war of attrition.
Moscow currently holds most of Bakhmut, but Ukrainian troops still control a small portion of the city in the west. The fierce battle has taken on huge symbolic importance for both sides.
Ukrainian officials have also said they are using the battle to kill as many of Russia's troops as possible and wear down its reserves.
"Russia's attempt at an offensive in the Donbas [region] largely through Bakhmut has failed," Mr Kirby told reporters. "Russia has been unable to seize any real strategic and significant territory.
"We estimate that Russia has suffered more than 100,000 casualties, including over 20,000 killed in action," he added.
The toll in Bakhmut accounts for losses since the start of December, according to the US figures.
"The bottom line is that Russia's attempted offensive has backfired after months of fighting and extraordinary losses," Mr Kirby said.
He added he was not giving estimates of Ukrainian casualties because "they are the victims here. Russia is the aggressor".
The BBC is unable to independently verify the figures given and Moscow has not commented.
A local resident pushes his bicycle down a street in Bakhmut in January
The capture of the city would bring Russia slightly closer to its goal of controlling the whole of Donetsk region, one of four regions in eastern and southern Ukraine annexed by Russia last September following referendums widely condemned outside Russia as a sham.
Analysts say Bakhmut has little strategic value, but has become a focal point for Russian commanders, who have struggled to deliver any positive news to the Kremlin.
The Wagner mercenary group - which widely uses convicts and has become notorious for its often inhumane methods - has taken centre stage in the Russian assault on Bakhmut.
Its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has staked his reputation, and that of his private army, on seizing the city.
But he recently threatened to pull his troops out of Bakhmut.
In a rare in-depth interview to a prominent Russian war blogger, he vowed to withdraw Wagner fighters if they were not provided with much-needed ammunition by the Russian defence ministry.
Wagner fighters could be redeployed to Mali, he warned.
He has often clashed with Russia's defence ministry during the war, accusing officials of not providing his fighters with enough support.
Mr Prigozhin also called upon the Russian media and military leadership to "stop lying to the Russian population" ahead of an expected Ukrainian spring counteroffensive.
"We need to stop lying to the Russian population, telling them everything is all right," he said.
He praised the Ukrainian military's "good, correct military operations" and command.
A top Ukrainian general said on Monday that counterattacks had ousted Russian forces from some positions in Bakhmut, but the situation remained "difficult".
New Russian units, including paratroopers and fighters from Wagner, are being "constantly thrown into battle" despite taking heavy losses, Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander of Ukraine's ground forces, said on Telegram.
"But the enemy is unable to take control of the city," he said.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-65451487
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Terrorists limited to two boxes of books in prison cells - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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New rules on extremists in custody will also stop them from playing a "leading role" in religious services.
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UK
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Limits have been placed on the amount of books convicted terrorists in England and Wales can keep in their prison cells.
Extremists will also now be banned from taking a "leading role" in religious services under the new measures.
It follows a 2022 report which raised concerns about radicalisation and Islamist gangs in prisons.
New Justice Secretary Alex Chalk said the changes would stop terrorists advancing "their own sinister agenda".
Those in custody convicted of terrorism - about 200 people - will be limited to two medium-sized boxes of books that must weigh no more than 15kg.
Prisoners can obtain books from prison libraries, order from approved retailers or be sent them by friends and family.
But there are concerns around extremist materials being hidden inside approved books, or covers being swapped as a disguise.
The government said the move would make it easier for prison staff to search for prohibited material, citing a case in which one convicted terrorist had 200 books in his cell.
A previous blanket ban on prisoners being sent books from people outside prison was ruled to be unlawful by the High Court in 2014, less than a year after it was imposed.
The same ruling said there was "no good reason" to restrict the amount of books prisoners can have by volume, but the Ministry of Justice said it was not expecting a legal challenge as the change is limited to terror offenders.
The changes announced on Sunday do not require Commons approval and come into force immediately, the Ministry of Justice said.
The library at HMP Berwyn in Wrexham, Wales, photographed in 2017
Restrictions will also be strengthened so convicted terrorists can not have any formal role in religious services, such as delivering a reading.
Currently only the most dangerous prisoners are banned from leading Friday prayers. Now the ban will cover prisoners of any faith, and not just those in high-security prisons.
The changes follow recommendations made by Jonathan Hall, the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, which drew particular attention to the influence of Islamists in prison.
He said the prison service had "lost its role in the national endeavour to reduce the risk of terrorism" and called for tighter restrictions on terror offenders while in custody.
Mr Chalk, who replaced Dominic Raab as justice secretary after his resignation earlier this month, said he recognised the role faith can play in a prisoners' rehabilitation but said some may abuse the rules.
He added: "These changes, alongside tougher sentences for terrorists who commit crimes behind bars and our work to separate more of the most radical terrorists, will better protect our hardworking staff, other prisoners and the public."
Labour responded by criticising the government's record on counter-terrorism policy, referencing concerns about the potential effect on terror trials raised by the security services in 2021 amid attempts to reform the Human Rights Act.
Shadow justice secretary Steve Reed said: "If the Conservatives really cared about stopping terrorists they would not be proposing changes in the law that will slow down prosecuting them.
"Britain's security services slapped down the government's disastrous proposals to slow down trials for foreign terrorists and risk cases collapsing so instead of being jailed or deported they remain loose on Britain's streets.
"Only Labour can be trusted with keeping the public safe. And that starts by working with our intelligence services to do their job, not working against them."
Liberal Democrat cabinet affairs spokesperson Christine Jardine accused the Conservatives of breaching pre-election rules, which restrict ministers from making party political announcements with the help of government resources in the run-up to a vote.
In a letter to the Cabinet Secretary Simon Case, she called for the timing of the announcement - which came via the Ministry of Justice press office days before the local elections - to be investigated.
BBC News has contacted the Green Party for a response.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65443483
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Shaquil Barrett's daughter, aged two, drowns in pool at Florida home - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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The youngest child of linebacker Shaquil Barrett fell into the family's Florida pool, said police.
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US & Canada
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The two-year-old daughter of a Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL player drowned in a swimming pool at the family's home on Sunday, authorities said.
Police officers responded to a call that Arrayah, the youngest daughter of Shaquil Barrett, fell into the pool around 09:30 local time (14:30 BST).
She was taken to a hospital in Tampa, Florida, and pronounced dead.
A Super Bowl winning linebacker with the Buccaneers, Mr Barrett, 30, and his wife have three other children.
The Buccaneers released a statement on the "tragic" and "heartbreaking" news.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with Shaq, (his wife) Jordanna and the entire Barrett family during this unimaginably difficult time," it said.
"While no words can provide true comfort at a time such as this, we offer our support and love as they begin to process this very profound loss of their beloved Arrayah."
Police said an investigation is ongoing but the death was not believed to be suspicious.
Mr Barrett is entering his fifth year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, after spending the first four seasons of his career with the Denver Broncos.
He is currently recovering from an Achilles injury that kept him on the bench during the second half of last season.
He led the NFL with 19.5 sacks in 2019 and in the following season helped the Buccaneers win the Super Bowl alongside the retired, famed NFL quarterback Tom Brady.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-65447377
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Sudan crisis: Air strikes hit Khartoum despite truce - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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Warring sides agree to extend the current truce even as the capital is hit with air strikes.
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Africa
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Air strikes have pounded Sudan's capital, Khartoum, despite a truce aimed at allowing civilians to flee.
The army said it was attacking the city to flush out its paramilitary rivals, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The fighting intensified even as the warring sides said they would extend the truce by another three days.
More than 500 deaths have been reported with the true number of casualties believed to be much higher. Millions remain trapped in Khartoum.
Army commander Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF chief Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemedti, are vying for power - and disagree in particular about plans to include the RSF into the army.
The generals agreed a humanitarian truce after intensive diplomatic efforts by neighbouring countries, the US, UK and UN. It was extended, but did not hold.
However, it remains unclear on what they will do in the next stage of the deal arrived at with US and Saudi mediation, according to the army.
The country is now in a civil war, says Sudanese businessman and philanthropist Mo Ibrahim, and its conflict must not be allowed to spill over its borders and become regional.
"We don't want another Syria," he told the BBC, adding that it was difficult for either side to win outright.
BBC diplomatic correspondent Paul Adams, who is monitoring events from the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, says the fighting is concentrated mainly in the north of Khartoum, close to the confluence of the Blue and White Niles, but right across the city, people are huddled in their homes, wondering whether it is more dangerous to stay or leave.
The army will find it difficult to expel the RSF from Khartoum - for all the army's superior firepower, the paramilitaries are highly mobile and more suited to urban warfare, our correspondent adds.
Before the announcement of the extension on Sunday, the army said it had conducted operations against RSF troops north of the city centre.
On Monday, the World Food Programme announced that it was resuming its operations in Sudan, reversing its decision to pull out two weeks ago, after three of its staff were killed when fighting erupted in Khartoum.
Hamid Khalafallah, from the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy, is one of those unable to flee.
"When there is very loud bombing and it gets closer, we take shelter in the house, try to all come to a central room, far from windows, far from walls, and so on, and just lie on the floor until it passes.
"When it's a bit further, we try to use the quiet hours that we get - a couple of hours a day - to just quickly go out and get what we need which is also very risky but we have to do it," he told BBC Newsday.
Mr Khalafallah said his neighbourhood was dotted with RSF checkpoints, with people risking their lives every time they had to negotiate their way past.
"It's basically a gamble. Sometimes they let you through, sometimes they don't. Sometimes they shoot at you, sometimes they steal your things and it's very random," he added.
Mr Khalafallah said he has not had a "single drop of water" at his home since fighting started on 15 April, and he was getting it from neighbours who had wells at their homes.
The first major aid flight, laden with medical supplies, has arrived in the country.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says a plane landed at Port Sudan with eight tonnes of relief supplies, including health kits for hospitals.
"With hostilities still ongoing, ICRC teams will need guarantees of safe passage from the parties to the conflict to deliver this material to medical facilities in locations with active fighting, such as Khartoum," a statement said.
More than 70% of health facilities in the capital have been forced to close as a result of the fighting that erupted on 15 April.
Foreign countries have been evacuating their nationals amid the chaos.
The UK government announced on Sunday that it would organise a final evacuation flight on Monday - two days after it said it had ended its operation to bring British nationals out. The Foreign Office (FCDO) advised those wishing to leave to travel to the evacuation point in Port Sudan before 12:00 (10:00 GMT). So far, 2,122 people have been evacuated, the FCDO statement said.
A US-organised convoy has reached Port Sudan to evacuate more US citizens by ship to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. It said hundreds of Americans had already left, in addition to the diplomats evacuated by air a week ago.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-65440528
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Stella Creasy: MP left humiliated after online troll contacted police - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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Labour MP Stella Creasy was investigated after a troll told authorities her children were at risk.
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London
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The Labour MP said she was left feeling humiliated
An MP has said she was left "humiliated" when she was subjected to a social services investigation after a complaint from an internet troll.
The probe was launched after a man complained to Leicestershire Police that Stella Creasy's children should be taken into care.
The Labour MP told Today on BBC Radio 4 he made the complaint as he disagreed with her campaign against misogyny.
Waltham Forest Council decided no action was needed against her.
The Walthamstow MP told the Today programme the man, from Leicester, had initially emailed her office angry about the work she was doing to tackle violence against women.
She ignored them as she gets "a lot of emails like that, lots of MPs do and you think people are entitled to their opinion".
She then received a call from social services informing her they had held a safeguarding investigation over an allegation her children were at "direct risk".
They then told her they thought she was the person who may be at risk "because of the way in which this person is targeting me", she said, adding social services wanted to know how to raise concerns about her safety with the parliamentary policing system.
"I was horrified and humiliated," she said.
"My children now have a social services record and it sets the green light that in public life, you can target these children. I think most people would think that's unacceptable."
The council said it launched the investigation as it was legally required to following the referral from Leicestershire Police.
A panel, which was made up of social workers, then met to discuss the case.
Although the panel decided no action was needed, it is legally prevented from removing the complaint from its record.
The MP said she was told the complainant would not face criminal sanctions as he was "entitled" to his view her children should be taken into care.
Leicestershire Police said it had investigated a "number of emails" sent to the MP and gave the man a community resolution rather than a formal sanction because the messages did not meet the threshold for a criminal offence.
It said the content of the messages had "understandably caused upset and distress" to the MP and officers had spoken to the sender who admitted he was responsible and apologised.
Ms Creasy said she was not "pushing for a prosecution" but for a caution as that would have meant the details would have gone into the police intelligence database.
"Having worked on harassment legislation myself, the irony is not lost on me that one of the challenges we've been trying to raise in tackling harassment against women, is the attitude of the police and that's exactly what I experienced," she said.
Ms Creasy added she was "passionate about safeguarding" and "we can't have the system corrupted in this way".
The MP is a prominent campaigner for women's rights
The MP also voiced concerns that instances like this were "damaging the whole of public life".
She said MPs did not want to be "put into glass cages" but this was "the reason why a lot of women are put off" standing to be an MP as it is "women who are targeted".
"It's not a matter of free speech, the police acted as if his free speech to argue without any evidence at all - he'd never met me, seen my children, he'd never been in a room with us; he simply disagreed with my views.
"That can't stand in a thriving democracy because it's going to drive people out of it."
The force said it had told the complainant to not contact Ms Creasy and there had been no report of further unwanted contact.
A spokesman said: "Leicestershire Police takes any report of harassment extremely seriously and will carry out a full investigation into the report and take the appropriate action.
"The force remains fully committed to keeping women and girls safe, listening to concerns and tackling violence."
According to the Sentencing Council, a community resolution is an "informal, non-statutory disposal used for dealing with less serious crime and anti-social behaviour where the offender accepts responsibility".
"The views of the victim are taken into account in reaching an informal agreement between the parties which can involve restorative justice techniques," it adds.
Waltham Forest Council said: "All safeguarding allegations are dealt with in line with the national legislation. We have a duty to treat each case seriously and ensure the statutory process is followed."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-65436690
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'Seriously?' - Swiss TV host's exasperation at protester - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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Host Jeremy Seydoux challenges a climate activist when he interrupts a local election debate.
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A TV presenter in Switzerland had a surprise when a climate activist walked on stage and glued himself to a podium during a live show.
Jeremy Seydoux was hosting a debate on local elections when the man walked on stage. He was later removed.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-65450834
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Orkney ferry runs aground after smoke in engine room - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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A lifeboat has been sent and everyone on board is safe, says the ferry company.
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NE Scotland, Orkney & Shetland
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The Pentalina only came back into service earlier this week after time in dry dock
A ferry has run aground in Orkney with 60 people on board, including a baby.
Smoke was detected in the engine room of the MV Pentalina before it became grounded near the village of St Margaret's Hope.
Emergency services are at the scene as well as lifeboats from the RNLI.
Ferry company Pentland Ferries said all 56 adults, three children and an infant on board were safe. "The safety of our passengers is, of course, our first priority," it added.
Pentland Ferries sails across the Pentland Firth from Gills Bay in Caithness to St Margaret's Hope on the Orkney Islands.
The Pentalina came back into service earlier this week after time in dry dock to allow another ferry, the MV Alfred, to service other routes to islands on Scotland's west coast.
The MV Alfred itself ran aground in the Pentland Firth in Swona in July last year, with 97 people on board who were transferred to lifeboats.
The Rail, Maritime and Transport union said the MV Pentalina was "taking on water with a fire in the engine room", describing it as a "major incident".
"RNLI lifeboats have been dispatched and all of the ferry's passengers and crew are reported to be safe.
"A thorough investigation will be needed to establish how this major incident aboard the Pentland Ferries vessel occurred."
Scottish Transport Minister Kevin Stewart tweeted that he was "sorry" to hear of the incident, but that "all on board are safe and well and that emergency services are in attendance".
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-65439336
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Sudan crisis: 'Fighter jets are roaring over my home in Omdurman' - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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Thousands of people have left Sudan's capital but the situation is getting worse for those left behind.
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Africa
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With temperatures soaring to more than 40C at this time of the year, I normally sleep outside in my garden, but I am too scared to do that now, as fighter jets roar over my home in Sudan's Omdurman city - despite the latest ceasefire.
I live with my mother and siblings in the centre of Omdurman, just over the River Nile from the capital, Khartoum.
The fighter jets are a constant reminder that Sudan is now in a state of war. I cannot get used to their terrifying sound.
The fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) is all around us - to our north, south, east and west.
It came close to our home on Monday afternoon, when a bullet ripped through the roof of my neighbour's house, hitting her leg while she was asleep. Fortunately, she was not seriously wounded.
We heard loud noises - boom, boom, boom - a short while earlier. We think it was anti-artillery fire, but are not sure. We hid in our homes, as it is too dangerous to even look out of our windows.
From morning to evening, ceasefire or no ceasefire, fighter jets fly past our neighbourhood, coming from the same military airport from where foreign nationals have been evacuated, and heading towards Khartoum to strike at positions of the RSF.
From all the reports I have received, most of Khartoum is controlled by RSF fighters, with hardly any army soldiers - or police officers - on the streets.
The RSF fires anti-aircraft artillery to try and bring down the fighter jets, but I am not aware of any aircraft that has been shot down.
Three days ago, some of the projectiles landed in an open field in my neighbourhood. Luckily, they missed a nearby mosque and homes.
The RSF has its origins in the war that broke out in Darfur two decades ago, and is made up of the Janjaweed militiamen who helped the government crush a rebellion there.
It had around 20,000 men before the fall of long-time ruler Omar al-Bashir in 2019, but has since turned into a force with an estimated 80,000 to 100,000 fighters.
It built a strong presence in cities and towns across Sudan, but many of its fighters have now been deployed to Khartoum as RSF commander Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemedti, fights army commander Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan for power.
The city is dotted with checkpoints, manned by RSF fighters in pick-up trucks.
Hamid Khalafallah, from the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy, told the BBC's Newsday programme that people risk their lives every time they have to negotiate their way past.
"It's basically a gamble. Sometimes they let you through, sometimes they don't. Sometimes they shoot at you, sometimes they steal your things and it's very random," he said.
Tens of thousands of people have fled Sudan following the outbreak of conflict more than two weeks ago
The fighting has been most intense around the international airport, presidential palace, and the military headquarters.
All my friends who lived in these areas have fled - some of them making a long and arduous road journey to Egypt, not lucky enough to be evacuated, like foreign nationals, in specially chartered planes.
I have decided to stay, as my neighbourhood is one of the safest, but I do not know for how long.
A relative of mine, in her early 30s, has died of dengue fever. She was supposed to have got married this month, but died because she could not get treatment as hospitals were either shut or treating only those with gunshot wounds.
The Omdurman Teaching Hospital is one of the biggest in Sudan, but it is operating at minimal capacity.
Many doctors are unable to get to the hospital, as it is too dangerous for them to travel.
Along with the breakdown in health services, there is a water and electricity crisis.
Some residents have not had water in their homes since fighting broke out on 15 April, forcing them to rely on the wells of neighbours for their supply.
We are all hoping that the war ends soon, but our biggest fear is that former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok could be proven right, with Sudan descending into a civil war worse than those in Syria and Libya.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-65448685
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Belfast: Man charged after car crashes into police station - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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The crash sparked a security alert with residents moved from homes around the east Belfast police station.
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Northern Ireland
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Ladas Drive was one of the streets closed during the alert
A man has been charged with a number of offences after a car crashed into the wall of a police station in east Belfast.
The crash happened at Alexander Road, outside Castlereagh Police Station, in the early hours of Monday morning.
It sparked a security alert and a 49-year-old man was detained at the scene.
He has been charged with attempted criminal damage, criminal damage, driving without due care and failing to provide a specimen while driving unfit.
He has also been charged with possessing an offensive weapon in a public place.
The man will appear at Belfast Magistrates' Court on Friday 26 May.
Robotic bomb detection equipment was deployed during the operation
Police evacuated a number of homes in the area while Army technical officers examined the car.
Roads between Orangefield Crescent and Ladas Drive, and at Bellsbridge roundabout on the Cregagh Road were closed for a time.
Nothing untoward was found and residents were allowed back home.
Only one vehicle was involved in the crash.
Several police vehicles were sent to the scene
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-65446571
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Sudan: Extra rescue flight for British nationals - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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It follows the evacuation of 2,122 people on 23 flights from an airfield near Khartoum.
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UK
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An extra RAF evacuation flight for British nationals still trapped in Sudan was due to depart on Monday.
Foreign NHS staff and their dependants with the right to live in Britain were also eligible for what is being billed as the last UK airlift from Sudan.
The UK has so far carried 2,122 people on 23 flights.
People needed to reach to the airport in coastal city Port Sudan, 500 miles from capital Khartoum where previous planes took off, by noon local time.
The Foreign Office would not confirm whether the plane had taken off. But flight tracking websites showed a Royal Air Force Hercules transport aircraft departed Port Sudan New International Airport at 18:43 local time (17:43 BST).
Another flight, an RAF Atlas transport plane, was due to leave at 20:25 local time (19:25 BST).
Foreign Office minister Andrew Mitchell warned on Saturday that the UK "can't stay [in Sudan] forever" as the security situation continued to deteriorate.
Airstrikes and fighting have been reported over the weekend despite a ceasefire between rival army factions.
Tens of thousands of people have fled the country since fighting engulfed the country more than two weeks ago.
The capital city Khartoum has seen the heaviest fighting, with the Sudanese military and the Rapid Support Forces, a powerful paramilitary group, fighting for control of the country.
Sudan's military said on Saturday it was launching a major new offensive against RSF positions in Khartoum.
The latest truce, which has not held, was due to end at midnight on Sunday. But the RSF said the ceasefire had been extended for another three days.
British security services had been scoping out Port Sudan as an alternative evacuation site since the beginning of the week, and have established a limited diplomatic presence there.
The British Ambassador to Sudan is leading the UK's regional response from Addis Ababa in neighbouring Ethiopia.
The FCDO said the dependants of British nationals and NHS staff, who have leave to enter the UK, would also be allowed on the flight.
The UK government on Friday announced non-British NHS staff in Sudan could catch evacuation flights out of the country, in a U-turn on its previous policy.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: "I am grateful to our armed forces who have ensured there was an alternative to Wadi Saeedna and who are currently supporting FCDO and Border Force staff to facilitate the rescue effort."
A Royal Navy frigate - the HMS Lancaster - and Royal Air Force personnel are in Port Sudan, Mr Wallace added.
Another British vessel - the RFA Cardigan Bay - is on its way to Sudan and would also be able to provide humanitarian support, the BBC has been told.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: Baby meets father for first time after evacuation from Sudan to UK
The UK initially faced criticism for starting its evacuation after other countries, including European nations which rescued hundreds before the first British airlift took place.
A separate operation days earlier saw special forces troops evacuate UK diplomats from Khartoum after fighting broke out around the embassy.
But a Foreign Office spokesperson said the UK's Sudan evacuation had grown to become "the largest of any Western country".
The UN's top humanitarian official, Martin Griffiths, says he is travelling to Sudan to co-ordinate the international aid effort, and would be looking to bring immediate relief to millions of people who have fled their homes.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65441191
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A5 crash: Christine and Dan McKane's deaths leave 'hearts torn apart' - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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Mourners at the funeral of brother and sister Dan and Christine McKane hear how the community is 'broken'.
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Northern Ireland
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A joint funeral service has taken place for brother and sister Dan and Christine McKane who died in the collision
The hearts of a community have been "torn apart" by the deaths of two siblings in a crash in Strabane, County Tyrone, a priest has said.
Brother and sister Christine and and Dan McKane died along with their aunt Julia McSorley, 75, in the collision on the A5 last Thursday,
The minibus they were travelling in was in a collision with a lorry.
Mourners have heard how Dan McKane was "a big-hearted" man who lived for his family.
Christine McKane was described as "small in stature but big of heart".
Fr Declan Boland told mourners in The Church of The Immaculate Conception, she was "a pocket rocket" whose children and grandchildren were "everything to her".
Brother and sister Dan and Christine McKane died in the collision
The mother-of-three was described as a "chocoholic" who was "so proud of her two wonderful little grandchildren".
"Her wonderful children and beautiful grandchildren, they were everything to Christine. She just lived for them," Fr Boland said.
He added: "As long as they were all happy and okay, she was happy".
Nothing, the parish priest said, "was a bother to Dan McKane". A father of two daughters, he was the "go-to person" in times of need.
A lorry driver for a living, Fr Boland said it was "in his blood".
Fr Boland said local hearts "are sad and broken" following the crash on Thursday.
A single piper led a procession of hundreds into The Church of The Immaculate Conception
"Events of last week remind us we are fragile. We never know the day or hour, that has been brought home so forcibly in recent days.
"Our community's hearts have been torn apart by this terrible loss".
He thanked Commandant Brian Walsh, aide-de-camp to President Michael D Higgins, for his message of support. He also thanked Sinn Féin's Michelle O'Neill, who was among the mourners.
Earlier, a single piper led a procession of hundreds into the church. As the coffins entered the church grounds side-by-side, four lorries beeped their horns in unison.
Naomh Eoghan GAA formed a guard of honour outside the church, as the service took place.
Requiem Mass was held for Ms McSorley on Sunday.
She was described as "selfless, smiling, kind and bubbly".
Julia McSorley's funeral has taken place in Glenock, near Strabane, County Tyrone
Thursday's fatal crash was the latest to happen on the A5 road, which forms part of the main route between Londonderry and Dublin.
Four other people were injured in the incident.
Campaigners from Enough Is Enough, a group calling for urgent improvements to the route, previously said 44 people have died on the road since plans to upgrade it were first announced in 2007.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-65444526
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Adidas sued by investors over Kanye West deal - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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Shareholders claim the sportswear giant knew about the rapper's behaviour before it cut ties in 2022.
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Business
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Adidas is being sued by investors who claim the firm knew about Kanye West's problematic behaviour years before it ended their partnership.
Investors allege Adidas failed to limit financial losses and take precautionary measures to minimise their exposure.
The sportswear giant ended its collaboration with the designer and rapper, who is known as Ye, last year following antisemitic comments.
In response, Adidas said: "We outright reject these unfounded claims."
It added it "will take all necessary measures to vigorously defend ourselves against them".
West is not party to the lawsuit. The rapper designed a line of hugely successful trainers under the Yeezy brand for Adidas.
Since then, Adidas admitted that it could lose up to €700m (£619m) after being left with hundreds of millions of euros worth of unsold Yeezy products.
Last October, when the company ended the collaboration, it said: "Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech.
"Ye's recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they violate the company's values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness."
However, investors who filed the lawsuit in the US against the company on Friday claim that Adidas knew about other questionable behaviour by West, alleging that it was discussed by former chief executive Kasper Rorsted as well as other management.
The Wall Street Journal published details of an alleged meeting in 2018 where Adidas discussed West.
The report claimed that senior executives spoke about how to mitigate the risk of staff interacting with him as well the company possibly cutting ties with the rapper.
Kanye West designed trainers for Adidas under the Yeezy brand
Since Adidas parted ways with West in October last year, it has launched an investigation after reports he created a "toxic environment" at the company.
Rolling Stone magazine published excerpts of an open letter by Adidas staff members who claimed bosses were aware of West's "problematic behaviour" but "turned their moral compass off".
In response, Adidas said it was not clear whether the accusations made in the anonymous letter were true.
"However, we take these allegations very seriously and have taken the decision to launch an independent investigation of the matter immediately to address the allegations," it said.
Last October, West held a show at Paris Fashion Week where models wore clothing with the slogan "White Lives Matter".
The Anti-Defamation League said it is "a white supremacist phrase that originated in early 2015 as a racist response to the Black Lives Matter movement".
Later that month, West had both his Instagram and Twitter accounts suspended after making antisemitic remarks.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-65441303
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Cardiff: Disabled people's 20-year railway station access fight - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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One of Wales' busiest railway stations has no lift and steep stairs between platforms.
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Wales
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Disabled people have been struggling to use one of Wales' busiest railway stations for more than 20 years.
Cardiff's Cathays station is the seventh-most used in Wales yet people with mobility issues and wheelchair users cannot easily cross platforms.
The footbridge between the two platforms has no lift and the Transport for Wales (TfW) website describes the steps as steep.
TfW said a "proposed" accessible bridge was part of the South Wales Metro.
The station is right next to Cardiff University so Alice Moore, who represents students with disabilities, said it was "a really important aspect of public transport for students".
She said the city's good transport links were "no good when disabled students - arguably the students who need it the most - are excluded from using it".
Cathays station was used 514,730 times in 2021-22 - more than Bangor, Wrexham General and Cardiff Bay.
Funding to make the station more accessible was announced by the Department for Transport in 2019 as part of its Access for All programme.
TfW's website advises wheelchair users travelling from the valleys to travel to Queen Street station, then get on another train to come back to Cathays if they wish to access the university or Civic Centre, but an extra ticket is not needed.
Alice, who has cystic fibrosis, said she was "disappointed and appalled" at this suggestion.
Disabled train users have been trying to get changes to Cathays station since the 1990s
This issue is not a recent one and has been a problem for students for more than two decades.
Disability activist and photojournalist Natasha Hirst, 44, was the disabled students' officer at Cardiff University in the late 1990s.
She recognised the problem during her time and it is yet to be addressed.
She said: "You've got that footbridge and if you've got mobility impairments, there's no easy way of getting from one side of the station to the other.
"I guess during the daytime you can go through the students' union and use the lifts but if you're not a student you're not really going to feel able to go into a building that you don't know.
"Why should people have to do that?"
Natasha Hirst says disabled people "should be able to have equal access to the same services"
Ms Hirst said Cathays station needed a brand-new accessible footbridge with either a lift or a long ramp.
Kat Watkins uses a wheelchair and often commutes from Swansea to Cardiff - she opts to drive to work in Cathays most days due to the access problems at the station.
She said TfW's suggestion that people extend their journey in order to get to the right platform was "such a hassle".
"It's not as simple as they think because you've got to wait for your train and then wait for another train," the 36-year-old said.
Kat Watkins does not feel comfortable catching the train to Cathays for work due to accessibility issues
Disability Wales said it was "vital that disabled people and wheelchair users can access public transport".
It added: "It is important that public bodies engage with organisations, such as ourselves, so we can ensure disabled people's voices are heard."
TfW said it was working with partners on "the initial stages" of a fully accessible footbridge at Cathays station and would "share further information as it progresses".
A spokesman said the company was "committed to improving accessibility at stations throughout the Wales and Borders network and our work is guided by our dedicated experts who advise us how to support disabled, deaf and older customers to use our services effectively".
Cardiff University said it shared students' concerns and would work with TfW and others so people could have "a fully accessible station in Cathays, as soon as practicably possible".
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-65348813
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Aurélien Pradié: The rising star shaking up French politics - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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Aged 37, Aurélien Pradié has exploded onto France's political stage after ruining Macron's plans.
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Europe
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The millennial politician scuppered plans for a government vote on retirement reforms - catapulting him onto the national stage
Aurélien Pradié has exploded onto the centre stage of French politics after single-handedly scuppering a government vote on pension reforms.
In the space of just a few weeks, the MP has emerged as one of the biggest stars on the national political scene, helped by his youth - he is just 37 years old - his good looks, and his oratory skills. Now, he tells me, he is not ruling out a run for the presidency.
I met Mr Pradié at the biennial county fair in the village of Bétaille, where the centre-right politician grew up.
The département of Lot in south-west France is one of the country's most rural. Some 15% of the working population here are employed in the agriculture sector.
Despite the cold, relentless rain and muddy conditions, Mr Pradié spent several hours shaking hands, kissing women on the cheek, and tasting locally grown food at the stands. He has rock star status here.
Last month he took a wrecking ball to President Emmanuel Macron's retirement reform bill by refusing to back his own Les Républicains party's support for it, despite winning major concessions from the government.
Many of the MPs from his party followed him. It left the government's centrist Renaissance party without the parliamentary majority it thought it had to pass the bill.
The retirement reforms have sparked huge and often violent protests across France
Instead, the government used highly controversial constitutional powers to force the bill through without a parliamentary vote - a move that sparked weeks of often violent protests.
Mr Pradié defied his party leadership again shortly afterwards, choosing to censure the government in a no-confidence vote which would have forced it to resign and scrap the retirement bill.
The government survived by just nine votes. Mr Pradié was stripped of his position as deputy leader of his party for his act of rebellion. He said it's not the job of his party to become a crutch for President Macron and his Renaissance party, which doesn't have an absolute majority in parliament.
"I believe in destiny in politics," he said. "I wasn't breast fed with the idea I would one day become president, but I want a situation where the French don't have to continuously choose between candidates that they don't want."
Mr Pradié (centre) - seen here joining a rugby game on the campaign trail - was easily re-elected as an MP last year
The millennial politician's rapid political rise was done the old fashioned way - door to door, village by village. In his first election campaign he rode a moped as he couldn't afford a car. He became an MP at the age of just 31 in a socialist stronghold and was easily re-elected last year.
He told me that coming to events like this village fair was essential for getting to know what people are thinking.
"This isn't about folklore, this is where I pick up things about people's everyday lives," he said.
"Having roots in politics is fundamental and what has poisoned political life recently is the disconnection between politicians and the population. Here people don't lie to you - they tell you what they think and it's not always easy because they sometimes shout at me."
His focus, however, is expanding beyond the local. Since 2014 Mr Pradié has gone from village mayor to regional councillor to MP.
Right now he doesn't speak English, and he knows that as his national and international profile soars that could be a problem. He confided he will start taking intensive English classes in a few weeks' time.
Philippe Labarthe (right) says he likes that Mr Pradié sticks to his political convictions
As we wandered among the food stands and exhibitors, the main subject was the cost of living crisis and the impact on farmers. His blunt way of talking and doing business went down well here.
"When it comes to the retirement reform I think [Mr Pradié] did the right thing, and he made the government fold," honey producer Philippe Labarthe said. "At least he has convictions and sticks to them. Even if I disagree with him I have to recognise that quality."
Benoît Jouclar, who runs an agricultural museum, said the MP has a vital role to play locally and nationally. "He is very important for our region, he promotes us and we need young combative people like him in government. He tells the truth and we support him entirely."
One of the foremost analysts of French southern politics, Laurent Dubois, said Mr Pradié has a window of opportunity to rise further - but it won't last long.
"He is something new on the scene, but can he last in the long term with something new to offer and prove that he can handle his opponents?" he said.
"His big advantage is his freshness, [but] his biggest challenge is going the distance - especially as what is new in politics often ends up out of date."
Mr Pradié says he wants to create a new revolution from the right, but he is vague on specifics. "I think one of the big mistakes of the French right is that in recent years it's been abandoned by the French people," he said.
"It no longer represents the workers, the French middle class who work hard, who struggle to make ends meet and this retirement reform punishes those who work the hardest. For a while now the right has only talked to a more privileged bourgeois part of society."
There are just two MPs representing Lot. The other is Huguette Tiegna, from President Macron's ruling centrist Renaissance party. She says her opponent is simply an opportunist who seized the retirement reform as a way to climb the political ladder.
Pradié likes to talk... You get the impression it's all about him and his career
"I deal with key issues in depth. Pradié likes to talk," she said.
"It's a real problem because he's thinking just about himself, you get the impression it's all about him and his career."
"Since I am not from the establishment and have different convictions from them I am accused of being an opportunist who wants to steal the limelight, which is ridiculous when you consider the criticism I have received. If I wanted an easy life I would have taken another approach.
"The right can't keep pretending everything is all right and sweep the dust under the carpet - if we want to rebuild then there has to be an electroshock," he said.
"Sometimes collateral damage is the price to pay to rebuild a home."
Chris Bockman is the author of Are you the foie gras correspondent? Another slow news day in south-west France.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-65186539
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Printworks: Final show for famous dance music venue - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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The London club, which has hosted the Chemical Brothers and Aphex Twin, will become an office block.
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Entertainment & Arts
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Printworks is closing to make way for office space
One of the UK's biggest and most well-known nightclubs is closing its doors, after holding a final show on Monday.
Printworks originally opened in 2017 and has played host to the Chemical Brothers, Deadmau5 and Aphex Twin.
The unique south London venue, which once housed the largest printing presses in Western Europe, was only meant to hold club nights temporarily.
Events company Broadwick Live became caretakers and established the space as the go-to for all dance music genres.
Despite being recognised as one of the best clubs in the world, it is now it is set to become an office block, but there are hopes within the clubbing community that a space for them will be saved within its walls.
DJ and radio presenter Melvo Baptiste is one of last people to play at Printworks and is part of the line-up for disco record label Glitterbox's final show at the venue.
Speaking backstage before his set, he tells the BBC: "It's strange because when you walk into the empty room here, it's almost like it shouldn't work.
Melvo Baptiste has been DJing at Printworks for four years
"There's just a magic and an energy in that room - four years ago I played my first closing set here and I looked up at 6,000 people and it was terrifying."
He says losing the space is "heartbreaking" and worries about what it could mean for young clubbers just getting into dance music.
"Club environments are where you really find your tribe and meet friends, you don't do that in bars or restaurants as there's not that one common thing that's connecting everyone apart from alcohol," he says.
We find two partygoers in the crowd, Libby Minney and Andrew Bartha, both 25, who tell the BBC they became friends after meeting at Printworks.
"I've met so many friends here," says Ms Minney.
"It's especially sad to think in the future that's not going to happen," she adds.
Bartha calls the venue "a cultural institution" and says "it's given rise to a lot of great friendships and good memories".
Printworks can hold 6,000 partygoers - making it one of the biggest clubs in the UK
"Printworks is one of the last big proper venues where when you come in, it feels like a proper rave," Minney adds.
Mr Bartha says what makes it special is "the great production - the lighting and graphics", which he says is missing in smaller clubs.
The pair might be too young to remember the illegal warehouse scene that developed in 1980s London, as an antidote to licensing laws that saw the city shut down at 3am. But that's not the case for all Printworks attendees - it has quite the reputation of attracting clubbers of all ages who want to remember the feeling of the rave.
This is echoed by some of club's performers who say what makes Printworks so special is its inclusive feel.
The venue has hosted every dance genre from drum and bass to house and techno, and it has also championed LGBT friendly events such as Sink The Pink and disco label Glitterbox.
"When you're up on that stage and you look out down at seas of thousands of people - it's the closest feeling you ever get to being a pop star," says transgender dancer Lucy Fizz.
"For all of us queer people, those who have been marginalised, to have that experience and be on a platform where we are celebrated for being our authentic selves - it's really amazing," she adds.
Lucy Fizz, a dancer for Glitterbox, hails Printworks as an inclusive space
Dancer and performer Te Te Bang calls the venue "the Olympics of nightclubs".
She adds: "It's like an adult playground, it really is a utopia where you're in this little bubble of music where everyone's really free to be themselves - there's nothing else like it in the UK".
Simeon Aldred, who is one of the founders of Broadwick Live, says Printworks has been incredibly special for his team.
"It's our baby, we created it from scratch - to replicate it or find that anywhere else in the world is difficult," he tells the BBC.
Printworks' closure comes at a time when Britain has the lowest number of nightclubs on record and Mr Aldred says operating nightclubs is "pretty difficult" in 2023.
"The pandemic was pretty horrific, with two years of closure critical to us. Now the cost of living has hit us across the 26 venues we own and operate, and then power has gone up by millions of pounds across that portfolio," he says.
"There's also some massive challenges and inconsistencies around licensing and planning," Mr Aldred adds.
"You've got some councils that are really pro-culture and some that aren't".
Printworks is known for its imposing press halls that are 130 metres long.
The BBC has contacted the Department for Media, Culture and Sport, who declined to comment.
Mr Aldred says Printworks established itself as not only a London clubbing staple, but a national and even international attraction, evidenced by the relationship the venue owners have established with local hotels.
He says "one of the hotels next door [to Printworks] does an average of 100 rooms for every show" whilst their reinvigoration of the daytime clubbing scene has allowed for people to venture down to the capital for the day too.
"It's also really valuable to other venues nearby when we finish at 11pm," he adds.
"So people can go to after-parties at venues that have maybe been seen as competitors, but they're actually all friends because we are all part of one ecosystem".
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-65427101
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King Charles Coronation: What will he wear for the ceremony? - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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The King will wear layers of glittering garments, some of which were created for George V.
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UK
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King Charles will wear layers of golden robes during the Coronation
We know the date, the time, most of the guest list - and now we know the outfit.
The heavy and priest-like golden robes King Charles III will wear for his Coronation have been revealed.
During the service, the King will put on layer upon layer of glittering vestments, some of which were created for his great-grandfather George V.
Prince William will help during the service by placing a ceremonial robe on his father.
The Imperial Mantle, seen here, is meant to symbolise the divine nature of kingship
For the crowning, King Charles will be given a long shimmering gold-sleeved coat to wear called the Supertunica.
The robe was created for George V in 1911 and has been worn at successive coronations including by the late Queen Elizabeth II.
It weighs about 2kg (4.4lb), is made of cloth of gold - silk thread wrapped in thin pieces of gold or silver gilt metal - and is embroidered with stylised arabesques and floral motifs.
Layered on top of the Supertunica, there will be a floor-length cloak called the Imperial Mantle, or Robe Royal, which was made for George IV in 1821 - it weighs 3-4kg (6.6-8.8lb).
The mantle, which fastens across the chest with a golden eagle clasp, is inspired by ancient coronation ensembles and its priest-like style is meant to symbolise the divine nature of kingship.
Made of cloth of gold, it is embellished with motifs including fleur-de-lis, as well as imperial eagles, and national floral emblems of red-pink roses, blue thistles and green shamrocks.
It has been worn by previous monarchs including Queen Elizabeth II during her coronation in 1953.
The Imperial Mantle fastens across the chest with this golden eagle clasp
The weight of the ceremonial robes comes on top of the crown which weighs about 2.23kg (nearly 5lbs).
The robes are reminiscent of the coronation ceremony, explained Caroline de Guitaut, deputy surveyor of the King's Works of Art at the Royal Collection Trust.
"They have clearly incredible historic significance, but they're also significant because of the sacred nature of their use during the investiture part of the coronation ceremony," she said.
The garments are usually kept in the Tower of London and form part of the coronation regalia.
It is tradition for recent monarchs to reuse garments, just as King Charles is, but they usually have a new coronation sword belt and glove to be used during the ceremony.
But in a move aimed at making the event more sustainable, the King has decided to reuse the belt and glove worn by his grandfather George VI - the last male monarch.
"It was the King's personal decision", said Ms de Guitaut, adding that the items remain in "remarkable condition".
"And it's in keeping with this idea of sustainability and efficiency to reuse these pieces," she added.
The sword belt from 1937, also known as the Coronation Girdle, is made of embroidered cloth of gold and has a gold buckle stamped with national emblems.
During the investiture, it will be placed around the King's waist, over the Supertunica, and has a gold clip used for briefly attaching the jewelled Sword of Offering, which symbolises being able to decide between good and evil.
Meanwhile, the single coronation glove, also known as the Coronation Gauntlet, will go on King Charles' right hand while he holds the Sovereign's Sceptre with Cross during the crowning.
It is made of white leather and the large cuff is embroidered in the form of national emblems including the Tudor rose, thistle, shamrock, oak leaves and acorns. The back of the hand has an embroidered ducal coronet above the coat of arms of the family of the Dukes of Newcastle.
The garments are usually kept in the Tower of London and form part of the coronation regalia.
King Charles decided to recycle the Coronation Gauntlet worn by his grandfather George VI
King Charles will arrive at Westminster Abbey in George VI's crimson red Robe of State which he will remove for his anointing.
Then for the investiture he will put on a sleeveless white garment called the Colobium Sindonis - Latin for shroud tunic - and will also be given a long, narrow embroidered band of gold silk which goes around the shoulders, known as the Coronation Stole.
At the end of the service, the King will change into George VI's purple Robe of Estate to leave the Abbey.
Read the latest from our royal correspondent Sean Coughlan - sign up here.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65448709
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Leicester City 2-2 Everton: Chaotic match leaves both in deep trouble - BBC Sport
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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Leicester City and Everton have to settle for a draw in a chaotic match which leaves both in deep trouble at the wrong end of the Premier League table.
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Last updated on .From the section Premier League
Leicester City and Everton had to settle for a draw in a chaotic match which leaves both in deep trouble at the wrong end of the Premier League table.
The two clubs started the game in the bottom three but a point was enough to drag Leicester out of the drop zone on goal difference, while Everton stay 19th, one point behind 17th-placed Leeds.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin opened the scoring with just his second goal of the season from the penalty spot, picking himself up to convert after being bundled over by Timothy Castagne.
The lead lasted just seven minutes as the hosts equalised through Caglar Soyuncu, who rolled home a cool finish from Wout Faes' knockdown.
And Leicester turned the game around after 33 minutes as the sprightly Jamie Vardy latched on to James Maddison's through ball before rounding Jordan Pickford and stroking home.
The Toffees should have levelled before half-time but Calvert-Lewin contrived to miss an open goal from a couple of yards with the ball appearing to strike his heel, before Leicester broke down the other end and Vardy struck the crossbar.
• None Three from five? Who faces Premier League relegation?
There was still time in a breathless first half for Pickford to save Maddison's penalty, which was struck straight down the middle by the England midfielder.
It proved costly as the visitors drew level nine minutes after the restart when Alex Iwobi guided in a low finish, but neither side were able to find a winner.
Everton, meanwhile, will also be concerned by a serious-looking injury to captain Seamus Coleman, sustained in the opening period following a collision with Boubakary Soumare.
The game ebbed and flowed between two sides aiming for top-flight survival but was a missed opportunity in their aim to escape the relegation mire.
An electric atmosphere was generated at King Power Stadium by both the home fans with their 'clappers' and the away supporters through their vociferous backing.
Ultimately, Maddison's penalty miss at the end of the first half turned out to be the crucial moment - the playmaker was made to wait to take the spot-kick before fluffing his effort straight at Pickford.
It would have put Leicester 3-1 up and possibly out of sight, but Sean Dyche's men clawed out a draw courtesy of Iwobi's well-taken strike on 54 minutes.
Midfielder Maddison was heavily involved throughout the game as well as the miss from 12 yards, and saw a low drive and curling effort kept out by his England team-mate.
The home side recovered from Calvert-Lewin's 15th-minute penalty to turn the game around as defender Soyuncu levelled and Vardy rolled back the years with a vintage finish.
But Leicester's issues lie in defence where a porous backline have now failed to keep a clean sheet in their past 19 games, dating back to November.
They also missed the opportunity to collect back-to-back victories at home for the first time in a year and bear all the hallmarks of a relegation-threatened team.
Despite being on a three-game unbeaten run, the Foxes have won just one of their past 12, picking up only six points in the process.
Leicester have four games remaining to preserve their top-flight status, away at Fulham and Newcastle and home games against Liverpool and West Ham on the last day of the season.
Where will Everton's next point come?
Like their opponents, Everton are stuck in a rut. Despite a bright start the Toffees have now won just one of their past 11 games under Dyche, and the eight points gained on that run have not been enough to drag them out of trouble.
This was a significant chance to get back to winning ways and it started well through Calvert-Lewin's thumping penalty, but it is difficult to see where the points might come in their remaining games.
They travel to impressive Brighton in their next match, before hosting league leaders Manchester City and rounding off their season at Goodison Park against in-form Bournemouth.
In between, they face a trip to Wolves - but that too is a tough ask for a side winless in their past 15 on the road and victors in just two of 34 away league games.
The league's lowest scorers managed to bag two this time, and Dyche will be satisfied to rescue a point, but it could have been so much better with more clinical finishing.
Daniel Iversen made a stunning reflex save to deny Iwobi early in the first half, and the Danish goalkeeper also kept out efforts including Calvert-Lewin's shocking miss and Dwight McNeil's strike from eight yards out.
But he saved his best until late when Everton pushed for the winner and Abdoulaye Doucoure strode forward before unleashing an arrowed low drive which Iversen turned round the post at full stretch.
• None Victor Kristiansen (Leicester City) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
• None Nathan Patterson (Everton) wins a free kick on the right wing.
• None James Maddison (Leicester City) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
• None Attempt saved. Abdoulaye Doucouré (Everton) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
• None Offside, Leicester City. Patson Daka tries a through ball, but Jamie Vardy is caught offside.
• None Attempt missed. Michael Keane (Everton) header from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Dwight McNeil with a cross following a corner.
• None Attempt blocked. Alex Iwobi (Everton) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page
• None Our coverage of your Premier League club is bigger and better than ever before - here's everything you need to know to make sure you never miss a moment
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/65370333
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Met Gala live 2023: Celebrities, red carpet and fashion highlights - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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'Fashion's night of nights' celebrates the life and work of iconic designer Karl Lagerfeld.
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US & Canada
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The Met Gala wouldn't be the Met Gala without a dress train so long that it puts a king-sized duvet to shame, and this year is no different.
While Emily in Paris star Lily Collins had a go with a train that had emblazoned on it the single word "KARL", Glenn Close also wore an incredible, and very large, blue cape by Erdem.
But, from an unscientific study, it seems like Pugh's might be the biggest of the night so far.
She told The New York Times a few days ago that she would be attending the event for the first time in something “big”.
And while she is not wrong, the look is more than its train alone – from the cutout, architectural gown to the feathery sculpture on her head, this is an outfit from someone unafraid to run with a brief.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-us-canada-65405017
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Japan street piano confiscated after public 'break rules' - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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Authorities in a Japanese city decided too many people were displaying poor manners while playing it.
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Asia
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The piano was placed outside the main railway station in the city of Kakogawa
A city in Japan has decided to remove a street piano after officials concluded too many people were displaying poor manners while playing.
The local council in Kakogawa placed a piano inside the area's main railway station in November.
Authorities hoped residents would respond to a global trend that has seen a huge rise in street pianos.
But officials were disappointed by apparent rule-breaking, such as people playing for too long or singing.
In law-abiding Japan, some directives were laid out for the piano's use. Officials insisted that users should disinfect their hands before playing, that performances should be kept to 10 minutes and that people should avoid voice accompaniment.
But they decided to pull the plug on the grounds that too many people used the piano for longer, or sang loudly while playing.
Some budding musicians stand accused of practising the same sounds, over and over - for up to an hour - while others provoked complaints by continuing to play during station announcements.
Officials said they had issued warnings, but saw no improvement.
But there is hope for local music lovers. Officials say they might place the offending piano in a different public location, away from the station loudspeakers.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-65451485
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Ukraine war: Russia launches second pre-dawn missile attack in three days - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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The city of Pavlohrad, a logistics hub, was hit ahead of a much-anticipated Ukrainian counter-offensive.
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Europe
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A photo shared online on Monday, verified by the BBC as being in Pavlohrad, showed a fiery skyline
Russia has launched a series of missiles at Ukrainian cities in the second pre-dawn attack in three days.
Pavlohrad, a logistics hub near the central city of Dnipro, was hit ahead of a much-anticipated counter-offensive by Ukraine.
The strike sparked a major fire, destroyed dozens of houses, and wounded 34 people.
Hours later, the air raid alert sounded across the country, with the capital Kyiv among the targets.
Across the country, the Ukrainian army said it shot down 15 of the 18 cruise missiles that had been fired.
The most significant damage was in Pavlohrad, a city in Ukrainian-held territory around 70 miles (110km) from the frontline. Pictures posted on social media showed a massive blaze.
One resident, Olha Lytvynenko, said she was getting dressed to leave their house when "both doors were smashed out by the explosion wave".
"I ran outside and saw that the garage was destroyed. Everything was on fire, glass shards everywhere. Had we been outside, we would have been killed," she said.
Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk military administration described it as a "tragic night and morning", saying an industrial site had been hit.
Nineteen high-rise apartment blocks, 25 private houses, six schools and kindergartens and five shops were also damaged, it added.
Vladimir Rogov, a Russian-installed official, said the strike targeted railway infrastructure and fuel depots, in a message on Telegram with a thumbs-up gesture.
At around 04:00 local time (02:00 GMT) the air raid alert sounded in Kyiv and lasted for about three hours.
The military administration said all missiles and drones directed at the capital were destroyed.
In the Kherson region - which is still partly controlled by Russia - Ukrainian regional authorities said Russia had carried out 39 shellings.
They came from ground-based weapons, as well as drones and planes, the authorities said, adding that one person was killed.
Recent days have seen an increase in attacks in Ukraine, with places away from the front lines being targeted. On Friday, 23 people were killed in the central city of Uman.
Ukraine says it is finishing plans for a long-awaited offensive against Russian forces, supported by Western-supplied weapons and military equipment.
Russia, meanwhile, is also preparing for a Ukrainian push, and has fortified its positions in occupied territory.
In the latest change at the country's military leadership, Cl Gen Mikhail Mizintsev - the Russian deputy defence minister who oversaw armed forces logistics - has been sacked, after being appointed to the role only last September.
There have been longstanding complaints that front line troops are not getting sufficient military equipment, and suffer shortages of food and uniforms.
Meanwhile, a Ukrainian official on Monday said the army had ousted Russian forces from some positions in Bakhmut, an eastern city that has been under siege for months.
General Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander of ground forces, said on Telegram the situation remained "quite difficult" - but "the enemy is unable to take control of the city".
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-65446525
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Aerosmith: US rock band announce farewell tour - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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Steven Tyler and co will say "peace out" to North America from later this year.
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Entertainment & Arts
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US rock 'n' roll band Aerosmith have announced a farewell tour to mark more than five decades together.
The band, who are now all in their 70s, are well known for hits such as Dream On, Walk This Way and I Don't Want To Miss A Thing.
They broke the "earth-shattering" news in a star-studded video on Monday, featuring celebrity pals including Sir Ringo Starr, Dolly Parton and Eminem.
"It's not goodbye it's peace out!" they declared in a joint statement.
"Get ready and walk this way, you're going to get the best show of our lives."
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The 40-date run of shows across North America will begin in Philadelphia on 2 September 2023 and will end on 26 January 2024 in Montreal, via a New Year's Eve gig in their hometown, Boston.
But no UK/European tour dates have been announced so far.
"I think it's about time," guitarist Joe Perry, 72, told the Associated Press.
"It's kind of a chance to celebrate the 50 years we've been out here. You never know how much longer everybody's going to be healthy to do this."
"It's been a while since we've actually done a real tour. We did that run in Vegas, which was great," he added.
"It was fun, but (we're) kind of anxious to get back on the road."
Last year, the band cancelled part of their Las Vegas residency after their flamboyant frontman, Steven Tyler checked himself into rehab.
In a statement to AP, Tyler, 75, said of the forthcoming farewell tour: "We're opening up Pandora's Box one last time to present our fans with the Peace Out tour.
"Be there or beware as we bring all the toys out of the attic. Get ready."
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Aerosmith formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1970 and went on to sell 150 million records worldwide, as well as winning four Grammys.
Known for their hedonistic, wild lifestyles as much as their riffs, the group were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 2001, the same year that they performed at the Super Bowl halftime show.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-65447052
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The enduring call of Local Hero 40 years on - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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The village of Pennan and its red phone box were made famous by the classic 1983 Bill Forsyth movie.
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NE Scotland, Orkney & Shetland
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Local Hero was released in 1983 and is recognised as a classic
It is the story of a US petro-chemical giant seeking to build a refinery in a coastal village whose staff are won over by the gentler rhythms of local life.
The 1983 Bill Forsyth movie Local Hero was set in Scotland, but had a universal story which won over film fans around the world.
It also brought fame to a red phone box in the Aberdeenshire village of Pennan, which played a key role in the film.
On the 40th anniversary of its UK release, its stars and local people have been speaking about the film's importance.
One of the central characters is Mac MacIntyre, played by Peter Riegert.
In the film he updates his boss in America each night from the traditional red phone kiosk on the seafront. Pennan features as the fictional village of Ferness.
Speaking from his home in New York, Mr Riegert, now, 76, said the best part of being involved in Local Hero was that it was still "so fondly appreciated" 40 years on.
"Whenever I say yes to something I'm not saying yes because it's going to be a classic, because no-one knows," he told BBC Scotland.
"But it was really clear to me when we were making it that this was as good as it gets.
"It may just be the best-written screenplay I've ever read. Everything came off the page. The script was so magical. Local Hero was filled with whimsy metaphor - everything about it was right in my wheelhouse."
He described the film's setting as "a magical place".
"I realised that my job was to leave home thinking I was one person and I was going to be leaving Scotland knowing I was another person.
"There were two events that were going to influence me. One was the physical location and the other was the people.
"The light on the beach during the magic hour, I'd never seen anything like it. It was spectacular.
Pennan - with the phone box visible - is nestled at the foot of cliffs on the Aberdeenshire coast
"And that was every day we were shooting there. The sunset seemed to be changing colours - it wasn't the Northern Lights - but it was whatever that was, and to see it every night.
"I didn't have to act. I was just there being in awe."
He recalled a memorable telephone scene from the film.
"We were shooting that scene at midnight," he said.
"I was under the impression that if I had some brandy or whisky, I would stay warm. But it has the opposite effect. By the time we were finished shooting, I was so drunk.
"I went to Bill (Forsyth, the director) the next day and said I'm so sorry. And he said: 'For what?' I said: 'Oh my God I was so drunk' and he said: 'Yeah, it was very believable'."
Mr Riegert added: "I love that the movie still means so much to people. It's very thrilling to have it so well thought of."
Bill Pitt, 63, is originally from Charlestown, South Carolina, but now runs self catering cottages overlooking Pennan.
He paints and maintains the phone box with the help of Eddie Hayes.
"I think it's very important," Mr Pitt said.
"It brings people in. It's a big economic driver for the area. The phone box means a lot to people and we take it seriously that we want to keep it looking nice. It's a reflection of the community, on Pennan and the wider area.
"We just enjoy coming down here and painting it to make it look good. It's appreciated by locals, it's appreciated by visitors that come to the area."
Asked if he felt like a Mac Macintyre character himself, he said: "My wife and I moved over in 2006 and a little bit of it really had to do with the phone box and the film Local Hero.
"When we go back home to South Carolina, our heart is still here. Similar to what Mac did going back to Houston. And I think Pennan and the north east has that feeling for many people."
Mr Hayes added: "People enjoy coming and making a call from the Local Hero phone box. It makes their holiday."
"You just try to do the best job you can and hope it will be well received," the 75-year-old said.
"It's such a satisfying feeling that Local Hero has had such longevity. It's so popular in the States and has this extraordinary shelf life."
Lawson said the role was "right up there" alongside the highlights of his 50-year career.
"I am very proud of the movie, he was a great character to play," he said.
"It was a movie set in Scotland but it had a universal story. It could have been anywhere in the world."
Asked if he had a message for the film's fans, he said: "It's very moving, it's very touching, that people still have this connection with the film after 40 years and want to celebrate that.
Over the next month local events and screenings are being held to celebrate the anniversary of the film, which also starred Burt Lancaster, Peter Capaldi and Fulton Mackay.
Shona Stephen runs the Coastal Cuppie at Pennan Harbour, keeping locals and tourists refreshed.
She hopes the film's legacy lives on.
"It takes in so many tourists who just love the film," she said. "There's a real cult following I would say for Local Hero.
"For the amount of people who come and for the size of Pennan, for the iconic phone box, it's absolutely amazing.
"I meet a lot of people who have come especially to Pennan to see the telephone box - from Australia, America, New Zealand, France, Germany.
"I think we're very keen to keep it going because it's so iconic. And to celebrate the 40 years is amazing.
"I think it's something that we'll keep going forever."
• None Local Hero 40th to be celebrated in north-east - Aberdeenshire Council The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-65373183
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Bodmin murder probe: One dead, seven injured in stabbing near nightclub - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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The victim, aged in his 30s, died at the scene and a man aged 24 is arrested on suspicion of murder.
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Cornwall
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Police were called to Castle Canyke Road at about 03:15 BST on Sunday
A man has died and several people have been stabbed in a street brawl near a nightclub in Bodmin, police have confirmed.
Officers were called to the town at 03:15 BST on Sunday where the victim, aged in his 30s, died at the scene.
A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and investigations are ongoing, Devon and Cornwall Police said.
The victim's family has been informed and is being supported by specialist officers.
Police investigations are continuing in the area
The force said it was called to Victoria Square, on Castle Canyke Road and near to Eclipse Nightclub, to reports that someone was in possession of a knife and that "multiple people had sustained suspected stab wounds".
A spokesperson said: "At least seven other men and women have been injured and taken to hospital to receive treatment.
"At this time none are being treated as life-threatening."
A 24-year-old man from Bodmin has been arrested on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and causing grievous bodily harm with intent. He remains in police custody.
It has been described as an "isolated matter" by police
Det Insp Ilona Rosson, from the major crime investigation team, said: "At this time we are treating this as an isolated matter and we are not seeking anyone else in connection to this incident.
"This is a live and active police investigation and I would urge people not to speculate on social media, but if you have information which may assist us, please report it."
Supt Rob Youngman said: "This investigation is in its early stages and the public can expect to see a heightened policing presence around Bodmin today whilst inquiries are ongoing.
"Understandably this incident will have an impact on the local community and our thoughts are with the families of the victims.
"Cordons will stay in place today whilst officers gather information and evidence from the scene.
"Anyone who has not yet been spoken to by officers and has any information which may assist our investigation, please get in touch.
"This could include any relevant dashcam, mobile/video phone and CCTV footage from the area of Victoria Square and along Castle Canyke Road."
Cornwall councillor Leigh Frost said the attack, which is in his ward, was "shocking and devastating" for the town.
He told BBC News: "Bodmin is a small town and it's not rife with crime, it's quite a friendly place.
"We are a strong community and we will pull together and get though this together.
"My thoughts are with everyone involved, the victim and his family.
"I also praise the emergency services for responding so quickly and the police for ensuring there is a full investigation."
Bodmin Mayor Phil Cooper said the town council was "saddened by this tragic incident".
"We never expected this to happen in our town and I send thoughts and best wishes to the families of everyone affected," he added.
"Bodmin is a fantastic community and we will support the victims and their families in every way we can."
Cornwall councillor Leigh Frost has praised the emergency services for "responding so quickly" to the brawl
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-65441538
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What the leaked Pentagon documents reveal - 8 key takeaways - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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Ukraine's spring offensive and Chinese hypersonic weapons are among the issues highlighted in the leaks.
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US & Canada
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A cache of classified US documents leaked online sheds new light on American intelligence gathered about other countries.
Images of the covert files have appeared on messaging app Discord since early March.
Complete with timelines and dozens of military acronyms, the documents, some marked "top secret", paint a detailed picture of the war in Ukraine and also offer information on China and allies.
Pentagon officials are quoted as saying the documents are real.
BBC News and other news organisations have reviewed the documents and these are some of the key findings.
The US believed the UN secretary general's stance on a key grain deal was undermining attempts to hold Russia accountable for the war in Ukraine.
Antonio Guterres was too willing to accommodate Russian interests, according to files which suggest Washington has been closely monitoring him.
Several documents describe private communications involving Mr Guterres and his deputy.
One leaked document focuses on the Black Sea grain deal, brokered by the UN and Turkey in July following fears of a global food crisis.
It suggests that Mr Guterres was so keen to preserve the deal that he was willing to give in to Russia's demands - a stance which was "undermining broader efforts to hold Russia accountable".
While the bulk of the leaked documents concern, in one way or another, the war in Ukraine, there are others that touch on a huge range of unrelated issues. Many of them shed light on some of Washington's global preoccupations.
Like the spread and purpose of Chinese technology.
The documents appear to have been printed out and folded before being photographed and posted online
Three documents based on intelligence from late February detail discussions among senior Jordanian officials over whether or not to shut the Chinese firm Huawei out of its 5G rollout plans.
Jordan's Crown Prince Hussein, in charge of the rollout, is said in the document to be worried about retaliation from China if they keep Huawei out.
Nor is this the only place where fears about Chinese technology are revealed
Another document marked top secret addresses China's "developing cyber-attack capabilities." It says these are designed "to deny, exploit, and hijack satellite links and networks as part of its strategy to control information, which it considers to be a key warfighting domain."
Newly discovered documents suggest Russian officials are at loggerheads over the reporting of casualties.
The main intelligence agency, the FSB, has "accused" the country's defence ministry of playing down the human impact of the war, the files show.
These findings show the extent to which the US agencies have penetrated the Russian intelligence and military.
One document, dated 23 March, refers to the presence of a small number of Western special forces operating inside Ukraine, without specifying their activities or location. The UK has the largest contingent (50), followed by Latvia (17), France (15), the US (14) and the Netherlands (1).
Western governments typically refrain from commenting on such sensitive matters, but this detail is likely to be seized upon by Moscow, which has in recent months argued that it is not just confronting Ukraine, but Nato as well.
Other documents say when a dozen new Ukrainian brigades - being prepared for an offensive that could begin within weeks - will be ready. They list, in great detail, the tanks, armoured vehicles and artillery pieces that are being provided by Ukraine's Western allies.
One map includes a timeline that assesses ground conditions across eastern Ukraine as spring progresses.
According to the Washington Post newspaper, one document from early February expresses misgivings about Ukraine's chances of success in its forthcoming counteroffensive, saying that problems with generating and sustaining sufficient forces could result in "modest territorial gains".
Ukraine's difficulties in maintaining its vital air defences are also analysed, with warnings from late February that Kyiv might run out of critical missiles.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: The Pentagon leaks explained in under 60 seconds.
Casualty figures are also listed. One slide refers to as many as 223,000 Russian soldiers killed or wounded, and as many as 131,000 Ukrainians.
Some Ukrainian officials have dismissed the leaks, suggesting they might constitute a Russian disinformation campaign. But there are signs of frustration and anger too.
One presidential advisor, Mykhailo Podolyak, tweeted: "We need less contemplation on 'leaks' and more long-range weapons in order to properly end the war."
President al-Sisi is said to have told officials to keep production of rockets for Russia secret - but an Egyptian official says the allegation is baseless
The Washington Post obtained access to another document from mid-February, where they found that Egypt had plans to produce 40,000 rockets for Russia in secret.
The Post said President Abdul Fatah al-Sisi told officials to keep production and shipment secret "to avoid problems with the West".
An official is quoted as saying he would "order his people to work shift work if necessary because it was the least Egypt could do to repay Russia for unspecified help earlier".
It is unclear what the earlier help refers to. In January, Reuters reported that Russia's share of Egyptian wheat imports had risen in 2022, offering one possible explanation.
There is no indication that Egypt - a recipient of US security assistance, worth around $1bn a year - went ahead with the proposed sale to Russia.
An unnamed official quoted on Egyptian news channels described the allegation as "utterly baseless" and said Cairo did not take sides in the war.
The Kremlin called it "just another canard" and the White House said there was "no indication" Egypt was providing lethal weapons to Russia.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Expert: US and Egypt ready to move forward after leak
A classified document, seen by the BBC, reveals that South Korea was torn about selling weapons for use in Ukraine.
The report, based on signals intelligence, details a sensitive conversation between national security advisers.
They are torn between US pressure to send ammunition to Ukraine and their policy not to arm countries at war.
One of the advisers suggests sending the shells to Poland instead, to avoid appearing to have given in to the US.
As part of a resupply deal last year, Seoul insisted that the US could not pass the shells on to Ukraine. Seoul has been reluctant to arm Ukraine, for fear of antagonising Russia.
The leak has triggered security concerns in Seoul, with opposition politicians questioning how the US was able to intercept such a high-level conversation.
The Post also found that Beijing tested one of its experimental missiles - the DF-27 hypersonic glide vehicle - on 25 February.
The missile flew for 12 minutes over a distance of 2,100km (1,300 miles), according to the documents.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-65238951
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Stranded in Sudan with passports locked in Western embassies - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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Sudanese citizens say they can't escape because their passports are inside closed European embassies.
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Africa
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Rami Badawi and his siblings are stuck in Khartoum
A number of Sudanese citizens are unable to escape fighting in their country because their passports are locked inside European embassies.
The BBC has spoken to several people whose passports were being processed for European visas when war broke out.
Western diplomats evacuated without giving the passports back and now the embassies are closed.
Spain's foreign ministry urged people to obtain travel documents from the Sudanese authorities.
Rami Badawi, 29, told the BBC he had been stranded in Khartoum because the French embassy had refused to return his passport. Mr Badawi works at the Sudan offices of a French technology company. His passport was at the embassy because he was applying for a visa for a business trip to France.
"I want to leave but I can't," he said.
Mr Badawi contacted the French embassy after the fighting broke out, asking if he could come and collect his passport. But he says they did not reply to his emails.
The French embassy has not responded to the BBC's request for comment.
"They started their evacuation and left without any communication."
Speaking to the BBC on Sunday evening, he said he was angry and afraid: "I can hear the sound of guns from morning till night".
His mother, father, and siblings have their passports and they planned to travel by bus to Egypt. They faced the agonising decision of whether to leave without him, but the whole family decided to stay in Khartoum rather than leave him there alone.
The main available routes out of Sudan are currently to take a bus to the northern border and cross into Egypt, or to travel to the coastal city of Port Sudan and take a boat across the Red Sea to Saudi Arabia. Thousands of people have also fled to neighbouring Chad, which is struggling to provide people with food, water or accommodation.
Mohamed Elfadil, 30, told the BBC he had been planning a holiday to Spain and was waiting for his visa when the war broke out.
He says when he phoned the emergency number for the Spanish embassy in Khartoum to ask for his passport back, "the woman who answered asked me 'are you Sudanese or Spanish?' When I told her I was Sudanese she hung up immediately".
Mr Elfadil has left Khartoum and reached northern Sudan but says he will be separated from his family, who plan to cross the border to Egypt without him. "I am the only one of my family who cannot travel."
"We are praying for the passport office to open, but the main passport centre is in Khartoum, and it is not functioning due to the war," he says.
"I had no response, no feedback, nothing from the Spanish embassy. My passport is very valuable, I need it to escape from this war. And what hurts the most is that I never got any replies."
Another man, who asked not to be named, said he felt "less of a human" after the Spanish diplomats evacuated themselves and their citizens without replying to his requests to return his passport. He told the BBC he managed to cross the border into Ethiopia using an old passport that had expired two years ago - but that was just luck.
The Spanish foreign ministry told the BBC: "The Embassy closed its attention to the public and, since the evacuation, there is no longer a possibility to access it, among other reasons because of the huge security risk."
The ministry said that warnings about this were posted on social media.
"People who left their passport there have been urged to obtain another travel document from the Sudanese authorities," the ministry said.
Ahmed Mahmoud and his wife after travelling by bus from Khartoum to Port Sudan
The Embassy of Sweden in Khartoum is also accused of failing to return passports before they evacuated their staff.
Ahmed Mahmoud is a 35-year-old filmmaker who is currently in Port Sudan, having escaped Khartoum two days ago. He told the BBC he had applied for a visa to take part in a Swedish film festival.
"When the war started the embassy staff just up and left without any regard to my passport," he complained. On the day the fighting started he contacted the embassy and said he no longer wanted the visa, and asked for his passport back.
"They said they would look into it. I called them every day, and then at the end of the week the Swedish embassy evacuated. I was told there is no way you can get your passport."
Mr Mahmoud said he feared for his safety. "If this war carries on, I will need to leave immediately. It is going to be very bad for people like me, for civil society, artists - it will be like what [President Abdul Fattah] al-Sisi did in Egypt."
He added that his wife had her passport "and so if she wants to leave, I cannot go with her".
Once he gets a new passport, he says he will travel to Kenya, Uganda or Ethiopia, because he can get a visa on arrival at the border or airport.
Sweden's Ministry for Foreign Affairs said: "The embassy staff have been evacuated, and the embassy will continue its operations from Stockholm. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs cannot comment in detail on the security measures that the embassy has taken ahead of the relocation as this would defeat the point of those measures."
Fighting has entered a third week in Sudan
Concerns have also been raised about the closure of a UK visa application centre in Khartoum.
Mujtaba Haddad, a structural engineer based in Cardiff, told the BBC his wife handed in his passport to the centre run by TLScontact on 13 April to have her passport scanned, as part of a dependent visa application to join him.
But since the conflict closed the centre, Mazza Hamid has been unable to retrieve her passport. Mr Haddad explained it meant his wife was "trapped" as she could not escape to Egypt with her family as she had no documentation.
"They didn't arrange for my wife to get her passport back during the (first three days of) ceasefire," he said.
"They are living on one meal a day now that's for sure. They are trying to make what they have last. They have no access to clean water anymore and the power goes on and off."
He said he was worried for his wife's safety, and the longer this situation continues the harder it will be to travel to Egypt.
"The best-case scenario is that she receives an email to say her visa has been approved along with her passport but if not, I'd just like her to get her passport back," he added.
TLScontact has yet to respond to a request for comment, but a UK foreign office spokesperson told the BBC: "Due to the ongoing conflict, we have had no option but to close the Visa Application Centre in Khartoum. Where an individual is eligible to come to the UK, we are doing everything possible to provide support, recognising that many people are facing very challenging circumstances and decisions."
"We continue to work intensively, alongside international partners, to bring an end to fighting - the single most important thing we can do to ensure the safety of British nationals and others in Sudan."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-65449341
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King Charles Coronation: Ant and Dec to attend with the Prince's Trust - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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The presenting duo are goodwill ambassadors for King Charles III's charity, the Prince's Trust.
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UK
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Ant and Dec have hosted the Prince's Trust Awards 10 times
TV presenters Ant and Dec are to attend the King's Coronation in their roles as goodwill ambassadors for his charity, the Prince's Trust.
They will be joined at the Westminster Abbey ceremony on 6 May by young people the charity has supported.
The duo - full names Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly - have worked with the charity for two decades.
Other Coronation guests linked to the Prince's Trust include singers Lionel Richie and Kelly Jones.
News of the invitees comes as more details about the Coronation have emerged, including that the King is recycling a chair used by King George VI for the ceremony.
Jones is frontman of Welsh band Stereophonics, who were supported by the trust before signing a record deal, with a grant to help them buy new equipment so they could perform live.
US singer-songwriter Richie was named chairman of the charity's global ambassador group in 2019.
The trust, which was founded in 1976 by the then Prince of Wales, is a youth charity helping people access jobs, education and training.
McPartlin and Donnelly have hosted the Prince's Trust Awards 10 times and recently worked with the charity on a course to make the media industry more accessible.
The pair's Making It In Media course "is a real passion project", said McPartlin.
"There are so many roles in TV and media that young people may have never considered as a career," he said. "We want to help young people find out more about the industry."
Donnelly said they were "incredibly proud" to work with the charity, adding: "We hope we can help change many more young lives together in the years ahead."
Singer Lionel Richie was named chairman of the Prince's Trust global ambassador group in 2019
Magician Dynamo, whose real name is Steven Frayne, is another Coronation guest who was helped by the charity.
"The Prince's Trust gave me the support no-one else would and it changed my life - that's real magic," he said.
British-Ghanaian hairstylist Charlotte Mensah, who received a grant to help her set up her own salon, will be attending.
And British Vogue's editor-in-chief Edward Enninful, who has helped the Prince's Trust with its work in Africa and worldwide as a global ambassador, is also among the guests.
Read the latest from our royal correspondent Sean Coughlan - sign up here.
Hassan Alkhawam, 24, is one of the young people who will be attending the Coronation.
After escaping the conflict in Syria and finding sanctuary in Northern Ireland with his family in 2017, he was supported by the trust as he applied for university to study software engineering.
He will be joined by Funmilola Sosanya, 31, from south-east London, who experienced bereavement and unemployment before the trust helped her find work as a healthcare assistant.
As well as the guests seated in the Abbey, more than 30 people supported by the charity will attend a screening in St Margaret's Church in Westminster.
The Coronation, which will see the King crowned alongside Camilla, the Queen Consort, is due to start at 11:00 BST on Saturday.
It has been revealed that the public will be invited to pledge allegiance to the King and his heirs during the ceremony.
A spokesman for Lambeth Palace, the Archbishop of Canterbury's office, said "the homage of the people" was "exciting" because anyone could take part, "wherever they are".
But the move has been described as "offensive, tone deaf and a gesture that holds the people in contempt" by campaign group Republic.
It was earlier revealed that the King would be reusing a chair in the Coronation that was used by his grandfather, King George VI in 1937. Camilla will be using a chair previously used by the Queen Mother.
In a further nod to sustainability and the King's love of nature, primary school children will be sent wildflower seeds to mark the Coronation.
More than 200,000 seed packets will be sent to state-funded primary schools, under the scheme run by the Eden Project and the Department of Education.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65447193
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Capita: Watchdog warns pension funds over data after hack - BBC News
| 2023-05-01T00:00:00
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The Pensions Regulator has told hundreds of funds to check details of customers after a data leak.
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Business
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Hundreds of pension funds have been asked to check whether data was stolen by cybercriminals during a major hack of the UK's largest outsourcer.
The Pensions Regulator has asked trustees responsible for funds that use Capita as an administrator to assess whether clients' data is at risk.
After the hack in March, information apparently containing Capita data began to circulate on the dark web.
The pensions watchdog said on Sunday that it had written to the hundreds of pension funds that employ Capita to administer their payment systems.
The letter, first reported by the Sunday Times, urged funds to "determine whether there is a risk to their scheme's data" and tried to establish whether they are in touch with the company.
A spokesman for the Pensions Regulator added: "We take IT security and the risk of cyber attacks extremely seriously." Capita's systems administer pensions of more than four million savers on behalf of 450 organisations, including Royal Mail and Axa.
It said that only a small number of its computer servers were compromised during the cyber-attack.
In a statement, it added that it has also been in regular contact with authorities since the hack and that it will update them on the investigation as it progresses.
Capita is also one of the government's biggest suppliers - it provides IT services among its businesses, which include running the London congestion charging zone, collecting the BBC licence fee and overseeing training for the Royal Navy.
It is also a leading pension adviser in the UK, providing consulting services to 150 pension schemes.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-65443841
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Finance worker found dead in Spanish holiday villa - BBC News
| 2023-05-10T00:00:00
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Jaime Carsi, from Edinburgh, died after a suspected carbon monoxide leak at a holiday home in Spain.
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Edinburgh, Fife & East Scotland
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Mr Carsi, 40, was an analyst for a Scottish investment management firm
A man from Edinburgh has died and his wife is seriously ill after a suspected carbon monoxide leak at their holiday home in Spain.
Jaime Carsi, 40, was found dead on Saturday at a house in Majorca by emergency crews and Mary Somerville, 39, was discovered next to him.
Ms Somerville is understood to be in a serious condition in Manacor Hospital.
The newlywed couple were staying at a rural property in Cala Mesquida in the north-east.
Majorcan newspaper Ultima Hora reported that Mr Carsi and Ms Somerville married two weeks before the incident.
It said they were due to go on a boat trip on Saturday and the alarm was raised when they failed to show up.
Mr Carsi was an analyst for a Scottish investment management firm.
Patti Montella, a friend of the couple, said he was a "magnificent soul" in a social media post.
She wrote: "Jaime Carsi came into my life and took up residence in my heart, so many years ago, in London.
"His smile and spirit are pure love.
"And when he married our precious Edinburgh girl, sweet Mary, it was a match made in heaven."
The couple were involved in the Edinburgh Interfaith Association which aims to bring the city's religious faiths together.
The association's director Iain Stewart said: "They were just such a warm, open couple - they would light up the room.
"Jaime was a joy to be around, he was so open, such a kind person - you just felt better about yourself when you were with Jaime."
Ms Somerville is a talented harpist, who often plays at events organised by the association.
Mr Carsi described himself online as being from Madrid but it is believed he moved to the UK as a child and relocated to Edinburgh from London about six years ago
Police in Majorca confirmed the incident is under investigation.
A Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office spokesperson said: "We are supporting the family of a British national who was hospitalised in Mallorca. We are in contact with the local authorities".
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-65538788
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Updated DNA map better reflects human diversity - BBC News
| 2023-05-10T00:00:00
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Researchers produce a new version of the human genome that could improve medical treatments.
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Science & Environment
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Researchers say the new genetic map of humanity is more representatives of variety
Scientists have produced an updated map of all human DNA which could help to transform medical research.
The original human genome, published 20 years ago, is mostly from one person, and does not represent human diversity.
The latest version - dubbed the pangenome - is made up of data from 47 people from Africa, Asia, the Americas and Europe.
It is hoped it will lead to new drugs and treatments that work for a much wider range of people.
According to Dr Eric Green, who is director for the National Human Genome Research Institute in Bethesda Maryland, the research, which has been published in the journal Nature, has the potential to transform medical research.
"This represents a tremendous scientific achievement. A pangenome that better reflects the diversity of the human population will enable scientists to better understand how genetic variation influences health and disease and moves us to a future in which genomic medicine benefits everyone".
The genes that make up human DNA are made up of of sequences of chemicals.
The pangenome consists of 47 separate DNA maps of the people from different ancestries, which can also be combined and compared with new software tools to find important genetic differences.
The aim is to develop more effective treatments for more people, but genetic scientists are aware that the research has the potential to be misused. Prof Muzlifah Haniffa, of the Sanger Institute in Newcastle, who was not part of the research team, said that the science should not be misinterpreted,
"Genetic information about diversity should be used responsibly and not to provide evidence of differences in race, which is a social construct. We have to understand what it shows and, importantly, what it doesn't show. We have to make sure that taking information very superficially to establish false racial characteristics does not happen".
The human genome was largely completed in 2003. It is a map of the basic chemical building blocks that make up human DNA. Researchers use it to identify genes involved in diseases so as to develop better treatments. It has led to improved cancer therapies and the development of tests to predict the onset of inherited conditions, such as Huntington's disease.
It took hundreds of machines 13 years to read all the DNA that makes a human
But the downside is that 70% of the genome came from a single individual: an American man with European and African ancestry. This therefore misses important genetic differences that play an important part in diseases in people from other backgrounds, according to Dr Karen Miga of the university of California in Santa Cruz.
"Having one map of a single human genome cannot adequately represent all of humanity. This reboot can be the foundation for the scientific community to have more equitable healthcare in the future".
Although the map of the human genome currently used by researchers has a lot of African DNA in it, counterintuitively it is the population that is one of the most lacking, according to Dr Ewan Birney, deputy Director General of the European Molecular Biology Lab near Cambridge.
"The most important place in the World to get genomes from is sub-Saharan Africa. It is where we started as a species, and it has the greatest genetic diversity. So, one African American genome is not enough to represent that diversity".
Dr Zamin Iqbal, a senior researcher at EMBL's European Bioinformatics Institute near Cambridge, believes that a more representative genome will lead to better treatments for more people.
"Expanding the range of populations present in the human reference genome will reduce a long-standing implicit bias in studies of human genetics. Humans are diverse, and it's important that our analytical methods incorporate that.
Two recent studies in the US and in the UK and Ireland found that children of European ancestry were twice as likely to be diagnosed with genetic tests than those of African ancestry.
Dr Alexander Arguello, who is the programme director at at the National Human Genome Research Institute, says the aim of the new project was to change those outcomes.
"The hope is that once you capture sufficient diversity you will get the same diagnostic results whatever the population".
The new pangenome is made up from 47 people, half of whom have ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa, a third from the Americas, 13% from China and 2% from Europe, with representation of indigenous people.
But this is just the start of an ambitious programme to better represent the diversity of the world's population. The initial aim is to increase the number to 350. After that the scientists leading the largely US programme plan to increase numbers and diversity further by working with organisations from other countries in what they hope will become phase two of the human genome project.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-65539594
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Trump confuses his wife with E Jean Carroll - BBC News
| 2023-05-10T00:00:00
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The former US president appears to mistake E Jean Carroll for his ex-wife Marla Maples.
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In newly released video from his deposition played for jurors in Ms Carroll's civil rape suit against him, former US President Donald Trump appears to mistake E Jean Carroll for his ex-wife Marla Maples.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-65501760
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Mum of shaken baby relieved after father jailed five years later - BBC News
| 2023-05-10T00:00:00
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Nicholas Bateman has been jailed after violently shaking his seven-week-old son in 2018.
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Wales
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Natasha says there's no amount of time Nicholas Bateman can do in prison that will be enough
A mother whose baby was shaken by his father so violently he suffered brain damage has spoken of her relief that he has finally been jailed.
Natasha, 27, was out of the family home in March 2018 when Nicholas Bateman, 31, assaulted their son.
The next day, the seven-week-old boy began having seizures and would go on to develop cerebral palsy.
More than five years later, Bateman was finally jailed last week for causing grievous bodily harm with intent.
"I always hoped and wished that justice would be served. It went on one year, two years, now we've hit the five-year mark," said Natasha, whose surname is not being reported in order to protect her son's identity.
"I started to think 'is he going to get away with it? Is he going to walk free?'"
On 9 March 2018, while Natasha popped to a doctors appointment, Bateman phoned her to say their son had bumped his lip on his shoulder.
But when she returned home her son was lying limp on the sofa.
After a call to emergency services Natasha was told to administer CPR before the boy was taken into hospital.
The following day he began suffering from seizures and Natasha was told to prepare for the worst as he was put into an induced coma.
After medical examinations, doctors found the baby had multiple fractures including a bleed on his brain.
The injuries caused multiple seizures resulting in brain damage and later a diagnosis of cerebral palsy.
Still, Bateman's only explanation was that his son had banged his lip.
On the baby boy's final day in hospital, to her shock, both Natasha and Bateman were arrested.
As she had been the person to call emergency services for help and Bateman was keeping to his story, police placed her as being at the property at the time of the incident.
But Natasha said their arrests was the moment she knew her son had been intentionally hurt.
"(My son) came back with multiple fractures and it was indicating shaken baby syndrome. I knew I didn't do it and the only other person that could have done it was Nicholas.
"In hospital he just seemed like a sad father that wanted his child to get better. But knowing he put him in that situation, he hasn't shown any remorse."
Natasha said no sentence would be enough for her ex partner's assault on her son
It wasn't just authorities who had suspicions about her role in the baby's injuries. The police and ambulance workers who attended the aftermath of the incident had inevitably caught the attention of neighbours.
"People judged, people were staring thinking 'did she do it, will it come out?'," she said.
"They'd judge me and I was like, I didn't need to give them an explanation. The people that knew I didn't do it, thankfully, like my family and friends, knew I couldn't do something like that."
Natasha's son was made the subject of family court proceedings, and had to live with his grandparents while authorities worked out who was responsible for his injuries.
Natasha, said: "Still he (Bateman) didn't admit to nothing at all. He even tried telling people that I was lying about my son being disabled."
Nicholas Bateman was jailed for more than 10 years for assaulting his son
But after eight months of proceedings, Bateman was charged by police with causing grievous bodily harm with intent. No further action was taken against Natasha.
There were years of criminal court delays, in part due to the start of the coronavirus pandemic and Bateman's denials that he had harmed his son.
After many court appearances, and just over five years on the from the assault, Bateman eventually pleaded guilty at Cardiff Crown Court on 21 March.
He was sentenced to 10 years and nine months in jail at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on 4 May.
Judge Lucy Crowther told the sentencing hearing that Bateman had likely first gripped the little boy around his face and chest before "violently" shaking him and throwing him onto a soft surface.
"You shook him when he wouldn't stop crying. You were just too frightened to say what you had done," the judge said.
Natasha said despite her relief that justice has finally been served, she feels there is "no amount of time" that Bateman can serve "that will be enough for what he's done".
"To hear him say (he is guilty) is something we've all wanted to hear. But then to hear him say it five years later is too late. He hasn't had to see what he has done. He's lived a normal life. He's carried on with his life".
She said her son cannot talk, walk or stand without assistance. He struggles to eat a normal diet and survives mainly on yoghurts. He also cannot sleep without medication and doesn't have much of a pain threshold.
"I always look at him and I think 'why?' He was only seven weeks old," said Natasha, from Rhondda Cynon Taf in south Wales.
"I don't know what his future will be. We'll always show him love, he will always be happy. But there will be ways where he will suffer.
"I don't know if he will be able to go out on his own, or have a family. He's had that taken away from him.
"I don't want to say it, but I think he will be his mum's boy for the rest of his life and I'll take care of him for the rest of his life."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-65537562
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Real Madrid 1-1 Manchester City: Kevin de Bruyne helps City draw Champions League first leg - BBC Sport
| 2023-05-10T00:00:00
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Kevin de Bruyne's screamer earns Manchester City a Champions League semi-final first-leg draw at Real Madrid to keep their dream of a Treble on track.
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Last updated on .From the section European Football
Kevin de Bruyne's screamer earned Manchester City a Champions League semi-final first-leg draw at Real Madrid to keep their dream of the Treble on track.
City know any win next Wednesday at home against Madrid will send them to only their second Champions League final, against either Inter Milan or AC Milan.
Pep Guardiola's side dominated the early stages at a nervy Bernabeu, with Thibaut Courtois denying De Bruyne, Rodri and Erling Haaland twice.
But Vinicius Jr scored with Real's only chance of the first half, a 25-yard thunderbolt which flew past Ederson following a brilliant run by Eduardo Camavinga.
Just as Real began to dominate a period of the second half, City found a way back with De Bruyne fizzing a shot from a similar distance into the bottom corner.
Aurelien Tchouameni almost gave Real, looking to extend their record tally to 15 European crowns, the lead again with another strike from range but it was well saved by Ederson.
City are now unbeaten in 21 games in all competitions, a run which includes 17 wins. Seven more victories and they get the Treble (winners of league, FA Cup and Champions League titles).
• None 'If Haaland doesn't get you, De Bruyne will'
• None Man City feel 'unstoppable' at home - but are they still favourites?
The Champions League is the one that has been missing for City and they are arguably the best European team of the current era never to win it.
It sounds so simple, but they just need to beat Real, who are third in La Liga, at home and then either the team fourth or fifth in Italy's Serie A in the final in Istanbul. Milan face Inter on Wednesday.
Not that Guardiola will let his players get carried away with that scenario.
They lead the Premier League from Arsenal with four games to go and face Manchester United, the only English team to win the Treble, in the FA Cup final in June.
Talk before the game was of revenge, with Real beating City at this stage last season in a 6-5 aggregate classic.
But, a year on, City look more grown up and almost unbeatable. This game was edgy and heated but lacked some of the chaos of last season's first leg, which ended 4-3.
Guardiola knows his best team now so the days of throwing a tactical shock, which often did not work, in a game like this seem a thing of the past.
They played this game as if they were at home, with Real supporters booing their relentless possession. Courtois had four saves to make in the opening 16 minutes alone.
But then they trailed to Vinicius' goal - with the Brazilian also scoring against City last year.
However their heads did not drop, and their three-month unbeaten run continues thanks to De Bruyne.
Ilkay Gundogan laid the ball off for De Bruyne, who thrashed a shot past his Belgium team-mate Courtois. Having also netted in 2020, De Bruyne is the first player in Champions League history to score in separate away games against Real in the knockout stages.
City - who did not make any substitutions - never had a chance to win the game, with that their last shot. Next week they will hope to see 51-goal Haaland get more joy in front of goal.
Madrid's aura in the Champions League is something special. They are not the defending champions - and 14-time winners - by accident.
Domestically they sit 14 points behind champions elect Barcelona, with Atletico Madrid also above them.
But they have won five Champions League titles in nine years, with two of them coming in seasons they finished third.
Carlo Ancelotti's side came into this game on a good bit of domestic news, having won the Copa del Rey final against Osasuna on Saturday.
But this is where Real thrive - often against English clubs too. This is the sixth knockout tie in a row in which they have faced an English team - and they have won the other five.
The first half was a smash and grab to some extent with Vinicius' goal coming from their first real attack. Only Haaland (13 - 12 goals, one assist) has been involved in more Champions League goals than Vinicius this season (12 - seven goals, five assists).
They grew into the game in the second half, with De Bruyne giving them a taste of their own medicine by scoring after the end of a good spell for Real.
Camavinga, who set up their goal, gave the ball away to Rodri in the build-up, highlighting the pros and cons of playing a central midfielder at left-back.
Madrid boss Ancelotti was booked for his angry reaction to the goal, claiming the ball went out of play in the build-up. His side had chances to win the game with Benzema's header saved by Ederson, before French sub Tchouameni went close.
• None Attempt saved. Nacho (Real Madrid) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top right corner. Assisted by Eduardo Camavinga.
• None Attempt blocked. Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Vinícius Júnior.
• None Attempt blocked. Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked.
• None Attempt saved. Aurélien Tchouaméni (Real Madrid) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top centre of the goal. Assisted by Karim Benzema.
• None Bernardo Silva (Manchester City) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
• None Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
• None Attempt saved. Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) header from the right side of the six yard box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Toni Kroos. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page
• None What haunting secrets are buried Inside No. 9?:
• None Which pair will finish first?: A frenetic race across Canada without phones and flights
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/65527338
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The grandfather they said would never walk again - BBC News
| 2023-05-10T00:00:00
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The 86-year-old is able to climb stairs and do laps of the garden at an Edinburgh nursing home.
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Edinburgh, Fife & East Scotland
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Martin has battled against illness and injury to walk again at the age of 86
Two years ago doctors told Martin Birkhans he would never walk again after contracting an infection in his spine.
The 86-year-old had survived a 50:50 chance of dying from sepsis and pneumonia and was also recovering from a broken hip.
But after working tirelessly with physios, the Edinburgh grandfather can now walk again and is even able to climb stairs.
Martin said his personal best was now 12 laps of the track in the garden of the Cramond Residence nursing home in Edinburgh - a distance of 700 metres.
"I was in a sad physical state when I arrived here," he told BBC Scotland.
"The doctors at the hospital had said they could not do any more for me. They said I would never stand and never walk.
"They said I would be incontinent for life too, it was the most devastating news you could ever cook up, just dreadful. I was given zero hope."
Martin Birkhans says he is happy to have his life back
Physios had helped his late wife, the author Joan Lingard, who had dementia. So when his daughters were choosing a nursing home for him, they picked the one that had a physiotherapy package.
And when physio Nicola McIntosh noticed that Martin had slight movement in his body, she decided to get him to a standing position.
Martin had not thought it would be possible - but she was able to get him onto his feet with the help of the hoist and other physios.
"It was very elementary standing, but I was on my feet. It was crazy. Then we took it from there."
Over the months his nerves started to repair and he built up the strength in his muscles.
Martin can now climb up and down stairs
"One would be behind me with the wheelchair and the other on her knees in front of me managing my feet. When someone does that for you, you had better respond.
"If they had said jump out of the window I would have done it. I had total faith."
After a year he was able to walk down the corridor outside his room.
Then he progressed to the lift, then the stairs, the gym and the garden.
"Up until two weeks ago I had to do these things with someone, but now I can do it myself, I have the run of the place," he said.
He has now been able to go on holiday to his daughter's house in Kingussie. He is no longer incontinent and does not need to take the dozens of pills he was on each day.
Martin Birkhans with his wife Joan and children
The former architect was born in Latvia, where he lived until he was seven. He then spent two years in refugee camps in Germany until his family left for Canada.
"I know all about walking along dusty roads dodging bullets," said Martin, who moved to Scotland when he was 30.
"Canada was great. I was an athlete so I was perfect for the outdoor life there.
"So when I found myself bedbound I wasn't filled with happiness.
"I lay there thinking I don't believe it, my life had changed so extremely."
Martin can now stand unaided while he brushes his teeth, although he needs a walker for support when he moves.
Martin cared for his wife, Joan, for eight years at their house in Edinburgh while she had dementia
"I was on a fierce programme to learn to stand without support of my hands," he said.
"I'm allowed to walk without people watching me now. I feel emancipated.
"I can go for lunch with my daughter as I can now get in and out of the car, and I've just been on holiday.
"I would like to visit my sisters in Toronto so we'll see if I can ever make it on a plane."
Eileen Crawford, a charge nurse at Cramond Residence, said Martin could not walk when she first met him.
"He never gave up. I have never seen anyone with determination like this, he needs a medal," she said.
Martin can do 12 laps of a track at his nursing home - the equivalent of 700 metres
Benedicte Aarseth, a physio from Balanced Edinburgh, has been treating Martin. She said her colleague Nicola had noticed that he had more movement than was described in the discharge letter from the hospital.
"She realised he was starting to heal so could be pushed a bit more. A big part of it is how motivated he is.
"People in rehab normally plateaux but Martin is still continuing to climb and managing to have new achievements.
"We are not going to stop until he tells us."
She said that he may one day be able to walk with a stick instead of the walker.
Martin uses a cycling machine for 20 minutes every day
"He is the most successful client I've ever had - his transformation is incredible," added Benedicte.
"For an 86-year-old's quality of life to still be improving is amazing.
"He could have been in a full body hoist for the rest of his life if someone didn't pick up on the ability he had."
Martin said he would continue to work on his walking distance record.
"I'm in love with trying to improve myself and in love with my physios," he added.
"The value of all carers is underestimated as they make a huge difference to our lives."
• None 'I was told I would never walk again' Video, 00:01:17'I was told I would never walk again'
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-65459248
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George Santos: Congressman pleads not guilty to fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds - BBC News
| 2023-05-10T00:00:00
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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The Republican congressman talks to reporters after pleading not guilty to charges including fraud and money laundering.
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US & Canada
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Why the Santos case is important
George Santos emerged on the Republican political scene out of nowhere and has been in the media spotlight ever since, for a number of strange reasons. He represents some 740,000 people in a district which covers northeastern Queens and northern Long Island in New York. After being elected to Congress in November, he admitted large portions of the biography he had shared with voters were untrue but insisted he would not be deterred from serving his two-year term. In December, it emerged he was facing an investigation launched by Republican Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly as well as growing frustrations from constituents. The 34-year-old has been accused of sexual misconduct by a former member of his staff; of falsely claiming his mother died in the attacks of 11 September 2001; of stealing money he fundraised for a dying dog; lying about his Jewish heritage; and even claiming to have produced the ill-fated Spider-Man musical on Broadway. As Anthony mentioned in the post below, Republicans hold a slim majority in the House of Representatives and whatever happens with Santos could cause political waves.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-us-canada-65541012
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Russia's future rests on Ukraine war, Putin tells Victory Day parade - BBC News
| 2023-05-10T00:00:00
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The defiant president praises his troops as Russia's military might is displayed in Moscow's Red Square.
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Europe
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
Vladimir Putin has said Russia's future "rests on" the soldiers fighting in Ukraine, during his annual speech to mark Victory Day in Moscow.
"There is nothing more important now than your combat effort," he said.
The military parade, which commemorates the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany, was scaled back this year for security.
Mr Putin also used his speech to justify his invasion of Ukraine, while accusing "Western globalist elites" of provoking conflicts.
Civilisation is again "at a decisive turning point", he said in Moscow's Red Square to a crowd composed of just officials and veterans, as the event was not open to the public.
Addressing the troops fighting in Ukraine - some of whom were present - Mr Putin said a "real war" had been "unleashed" against Russia. The reality is that it was Russia that invaded Ukraine.
"The security of the country rests on you today, the future of our statehood and our people depend on you," he told them.
This was the second Victory Day parade since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
But a series of explosions and incidents of sabotage across Russia in recent weeks saw the celebrations scaled back because of security concerns.
In one incident last week, there was an alleged drone attack on the Kremlin. Russia claimed it was an attempt on Mr Putin's life and pointed the finger squarely at Ukraine and the US, but both denied any involvement.
This year's celebration had 3,000 fewer soldiers and less military hardware on display. The parade was shorter, while there was no military flypast and no modern tanks, which are usually a feature of the parade. On Tuesday, the only tank on display was the T-34 from World War Two.
However, for the first time since 2020, a handful of international leaders attended.
All the Central Asian leaders were there, including Kazakhstan's Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko and Armenia's prime minister were also at Red Square.
The US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said the late decision of the Central Asian leaders to attend "likely indicates their reticence to show direct and public support of the war".
Mr Putin's speech followed similar themes to last year, likening the fight with Ukraine's "criminal regime" to the defeat of Nazi Germany.
He took aim at the West, saying "their goal is nothing else but to see the fall of our country".
Mr Putin said Russia wanted to see a "peaceful future", but accused Western elites of sowing the seeds of "hatred and Russophobia" and destroying family values.
But much of his speech was focused on his pride for the actions of Russian "heroes" in Ukraine.
"There is no cause stronger in the world than our love for our armed forces," said Mr Putin, who stands accused of war crimes in Ukraine by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
"To Russia, to our armed forces," he concluded, as the Russian national anthem started to play.
After Mr Putin's speech, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen held a news conference in Kyiv.
President Zelensky said that increased attacks on Ukraine in recent weeks had been part of Russian efforts to "present something" to the military and political leadership, having failed to take the eastern city of Bakhmut before Victory Day.
"They have to show that they destroyed something," he said.
Ms von der Leyen said "the invaders have been dragged out of prisons" to fight on behalf of Russia, which had "dramatically failed" in the war.
Reacting to Mr Putin's speech, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the EU must not be intimidated by the Russian leader's "show of force".
"Let's stay steadfast in our support for Ukraine - as long as it is necessary," he told the European Parliament.
A Russian Yars intercontinental ballistic missile launcher on show during the military parade on Red Square in Moscow
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-65532088
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Who is Plaid Cymru's Adam Price? - BBC News
| 2023-05-10T00:00:00
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Adam Price was long-regarded as a great hope for Plaid Cymru but departs amid a bullying scandal.
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Wales politics
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Adam Price took over as party leader in autumn 2018
Adam Price said Plaid Cymru's "time has come" when he took over as leader five years ago.
His victory was not unexpected - with his imposing presence and strong oratory skills, Mr Price had long been regarded as a future leader.
But he departs after a report heavily criticised the workplace culture that existed in his party, alleging harassment, bullying and misogyny.
A miner's son from the Amman Valley, Adam Price's politics were shaped by the long miners' strike of the mid-1980s.
He became an MP in 2001, representing Carmarthen East and Dinefwr, and made his mark in Westminster by leading an unsuccessful attempt to impeach the then prime minister, Tony Blair, over claims that Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction.
Mr Price stood down as an MP in 2010 before going to study at the prestigious Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in the US.
In 2016 he returned to frontline politics - this time in Cardiff Bay, still representing his home constituency.
One campaign leaflet that year famously described him as an "X-factor politician" and the "mab darogan" (the son of prophecy) - a figure from Welsh mythology who it is said will redeem Wales in its hour of need.
Adam Price and other party leaders meeting the Prince of Wales at the Senedd last year
Two years later he ousted Leanne Wood and became the first openly gay leader of a Welsh political party.
Mr Price described the decision to challenge one of his "oldest friends in politics" as "the most difficult thing I've had to wrestle with in my political life".
Ms Wood would later tell the BBC that the move led to the collapse of their friendship.
In a departure from his predecessor's approach, Mr Price put the notoriously tricky subject of independence at the heart of his political plan, pledging to hold a referendum on the issue by 2030.
But at the snap general election of December 2019 the party found itself squeezed out of the Brexit-dominated debate, and though Plaid held on to its four seats in Westminster, its share of the vote fell back and it came a disappointing third in its main target seat of Ynys Môn.
Labour First Minister Mark Drakeford and Adam Price signed a co-operation deal in late 2021
And so to the 2021 Senedd election, where independence would be front and centre of the party's campaign.
Ahead of the vote, Mr Price said that he would count anything less than becoming first minister as a "failure", and he ruled out working with the Conservatives and joining a coalition with Labour as a junior partner.
But the party slipped back into third place, losing its grip on the Rhondda seat held by Ms Wood, as it struggled to compete with the favourable response towards the Labour First Minister Mark Drakeford's leadership during the pandemic.
Months later, and with Mr Drakeford having fallen just short of a majority in the Senedd, Mr Price formed a co-operation agreement with the Welsh Labour government.
This was to be a new kind of deal, and one which would allow Plaid Cymru to push through some of its key policies, including Senedd expansion, the extension of free school meals, and free childcare for two year-olds.
And that's why in the run-up to last May's Welsh local elections Mr Price - by now a father of two young children - was able to claim his party was "making a difference", and had "snatched a moral victory from the mawing jaws of defeat".
By the end of the year the party was engulfed by claims of a toxic culture within Plaid and criticism of the leadership's handling of the situation.
That culminated in a report by Nerys Evans which said the party had tolerated "too many instances of bad behaviour".
Mr Price initially insisted he would remain in post, arguing that quitting would be "abdicating" his responsibility.
However a week on Mr Price has announced that he will step down and so it will be up to his successor to address the issues raised by the report and set a course for the party into the general election.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-63872715
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Baby born from three people's DNA in UK first - BBC News
| 2023-05-10T00:00:00
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https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews
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Most of the baby's DNA comes from their two parents, with a small percentage from a donor.
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Science & Environment
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A baby has been born using three people's DNA for the first time in the UK, the fertility regulator has confirmed.
Most of their DNA comes from their two parents and around 0.1% from a third, donor woman.
The pioneering technique is an attempt to prevent children being born with devastating mitochondrial diseases.
Fewer than five such babies have been born, but no further details have been released.
Mitochondrial diseases are incurable and can be fatal within days or even hours of birth. Some families have lost multiple children and this technique is seen as the only option for them to have a healthy child of their own.
Mitochondria are the tiny compartments inside nearly every cell of the body that convert food into useable energy.
Defective mitochondria fail to fuel the body and lead to brain damage, muscle wasting, heart failure and blindness.
They are passed down only by the mother. So mitochondrial donation treatment is a modified form of IVF that uses mitochondria from a healthy donor egg.
There are two techniques for performing mitochondrial donation. One takes places after the mother's egg has been fertilised by the father's sperm and the other takes place before fertilisation.
However, mitochondria have their own genetic information or DNA which means that technically the resulting children inherit DNA from their parents and a smidge from the donor as well. This is a permanent change that would be passed down through the generations.
This donor DNA is only relevant for making effective mitochondria, does not affect other traits such as appearance and does not constitute a "third parent".
The technique was pioneered in Newcastle and laws were introduced to allow the creation of such babies in the UK in 2015.
However, the UK did not immediately press ahead. The first baby born via this technique was to a Jordanian family having treatment in the US in 2016.
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (the HFEA) is saying "less than five" babies have been born as of 20 April 2023. It is not giving precise numbers to prevent the families being identified.
These limited details have emerged after a Freedom of Information request by the Guardian newspaper.
"News that a small number of babies with donated mitochondria have now been born in the UK is the next step, in what will probably remain a slow and cautious process of assessing and refining mitochondrial donation," said Sarah Norcross, the director of the Progress Educational Trust.
There has been no word from the teams in Newcastle so it is still uncertain whether the technique was successful.
Prof Robin Lovell-Badge, from the Francis Crick Research Institute, said: "It will be interesting to know how well the mitochondrial replacement therapy technique worked at a practical level, whether the babies are free of mitochondrial disease, and whether there is any risk of them developing problems later in life."
There is technically a risk of "reversion" where any defective mitochondria that are carried over could gain in number and still result in disease.
It had once been estimated that up to 150 such babies could eventually be born each year in the UK.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-65538866
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Harry blames press intrusion for Chelsy break-up - BBC News
| 2023-05-10T00:00:00
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The prince said Ms Davy decided "a royal life was not for her", as his High Court case against Mirror Group Newspapers begins.
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UK
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The Duke of Sussex has blamed alleged illegal intrusion into his private life by journalists for the break-up of his relationship with Chelsy Davy.
In a witness statement, Prince Harry claimed Ms Davy decided that "a royal life was not for her" following repeated acts of harassment.
The claims emerged in a High Court case against Mirror Group Newspapers brought by several high profile figures.
MGN denies allegations of voicemail interception in the cases.
It also claimed some of the cases being brought are beyond a legal time limit.
Ms Davy and Prince Harry were in an on-off relationship between 2004 and 2010.
In a summary of his witness statement, the duke's lawyers alleged unlawful activity "caused great challenges" in the relationship, and led Ms Davy to decide that "a Royal life was not for her".
This included journalists booking into a hotel in Bazaruto, a small island off the coast of Mozambique, where Harry and Ms Davy had tried to escape to in order to "enjoy some peace and quiet", the document reads.
The lawyers also said that mobile phonecalling data to be used in the trial shows that Ms Davy was targeted for voicemail interception between 2007 and 2009.
The activities caused him "huge distress" and "presented very real security concerns for not only me but also everyone around me", he said, adding that they also created "a huge amount of paranoia" in future relationships.
"Every time he was in a relationship, or even a rumoured relationship, that whole person's family, and often their friends, would be 'dragged into the chaos' and find themselves the subject of unlawful activity on the part of MGN," lawyers said.
Prince Harry's lawyers allege that his mobile phone number was recorded in a handheld device belonging to "prolific hacker and head of news at the Sunday Mirror" Nick Buckley.
The prince is also expected to allege that he experienced what was, in hindsight, voicemail interception in relation to 30 people with whom he had a close relationship.
He is expected to give evidence in June - the first time a senior royal will be a witness in court in modern times.
MGN has not admitted to any of the charges, although it said it "unreservedly apologises" for a separate instance of unlawful information-gathering against Harry and said that the legal challenge brought by the prince "warrants compensation".
The article that incident referred to - regarding an MGN journalist instructing a private investigator to unlawfully gather information about Harry's activities at the Chinawhite nightclub on one night in February 2004 - is not one of the claims being brought by the prince.
MGN said it would never be repeated.
In written submissions, MGN's barrister, Andrew Green KC, said the publisher denied that 28 of the 33 articles in Harry's claim involved phone hacking or other unlawful information gathering.
He said that stories came from a variety of other sources - including other members of the Royal Family.
Mr Green added that it was "not admitted" that five of the 33 articles contained unlawful information gathering.
Other celebrities have brought claims against MGN, with "test cases" - including Prince Harry's - selected to go to trial from the wider group of claimants.
They include that of former Coronation Street actress Nikki Sanderson, comedian Paul Whitehouse's ex-wife Fiona Wightman and actor Michael Turner - who played Kevin Webster in Coronation Street and goes by his stage name Michael Le Vell. All are expected to give evidence during the six- to seven-week trial.
The court heard that Ms Sanderson felt like she was "public property" and experienced abuse in the street following "false insinuations" in articles published by MGN.
"[She had] people shouting at her in the street calling her a 'whore', 'slag' or 'slut' and even being physically assaulted on numerous occasions," barrister David Sherborne said.
Mr Turner was accused by fellow cast members of being a "mole" amid alleged phone hacking, the court heard.
The hearing is focusing on what senior executives at MGN knew about alleged phone hacking - including TV host Piers Morgan, who was editor of the Daily Mirror between 1995 and 2004.
Mr Sherborne told the court that unlawful information gathering was both habitual and widespread at three papers - the Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Sunday People - between 1991 and 2011.
He described "a flood of illegality", adding that "this flood was being authorised and approved of" by senior executives.
The barrister also accused executives of misleading the Leveson inquiry - the inquiry into the practices, culture and ethics of the press - something it denies.
In written arguments, Mr Sherborne said it was "inconceivable" that Mr Morgan and other editors did not know about MGN journalists instructing private investigators to obtain information.
"The systemic and widespread use of PIs [private investigators] by MGN journalists to unlawfully obtain private information was authorised at senior levels," Mr Sherborne, who is also representing the duke, said.
Mr Morgan has repeatedly denied any knowledge of phone hacking or illegal activity at the Daily Mirror when he was editor.
"I've never hacked a phone. I've never told anybody to hack a phone," he told the BBC's Amol Rajan in an interview conducted before the trial began.
MGN has previously settled a number of claims against it in relation to stories obtained through unlawful means.
Read the latest from our royal correspondent Sean Coughlan - sign up here.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65550021
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Robert De Niro welcomes seventh child at 79 - BBC News
| 2023-05-10T00:00:00
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The veteran Hollywood star revealed the news while promoting his new film, About My Father.
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Entertainment & Arts
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The Hollywood veteran has won two Oscars, for his roles in The Godfather, Part II and Raging Bull
Robert De Niro, the 79-year-old Hollywood star, has confirmed he has become a father for a seventh time.
He broke the news in an interview with ET Canada about his forthcoming, suitably-titled film About My Father.
When asked about being a dad of six, the Oscar-winning US actor replied: "Seven, actually... I just had a baby."
De Niro, who has six other children from previous relationships with three women, did not reveal the identity of the mother of his seventh.
The Hollywood veteran won two Oscars for his roles in The Godfather, Part II and Raging Bull.
He has also played father figures in films like Meet the Parents, a Bronx Tale, Casino and Silver Linings Playbook.
For his latest feature, he stars alongside Sebastian Maniscalco in a comedy about a man who takes his slightly embarrassing dad on holiday with his fiancée and her wealthy, eccentric family.
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"I don't think I've ever been a cool father," said De Niro, when quizzed further about his own real life experiences of fatherhood. "I'm OK. My kids disagree with me at times, they're respectful.
"My daughter is 11 and she gives me grief sometimes and I argue with her and adore her."
He added: "With my youngest now there will be more to come but that's, you know - that's what it is."
The star, who has been married twice and is also a grandfather, went on to say that he sometimes has to be "stern about stuff" with his children but admitted that he'd rather not be.
"I mean, there's no way around it with kids. I don't like to have to lay down the law and stuff like that. But you just have no choice," he said.
"And any parent, I think, would say the same thing. You always want to do the right thing by the children and give them the benefit of the doubt but sometimes you can't."
Recent reports have linked him to Tiffany Chen, who, according to US publication People, is a martial arts instructor, but neither have publicly addressed their relationship.
De Niro's six other children include two with the actress and singer Diahnne Abbott - a son, and a daughter from her previous relationship whom the actor adopted.
He also has twin sons with another actress Toukie Smith, and a son and daughter with socialite and philanthropist Grace Hightower.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-65542079
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Israel and Gaza militants in heaviest fighting for months - BBC News
| 2023-05-10T00:00:00
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Palestinian militants fire hundreds of rockets as Israel strikes dozens of Islamic Jihad targets.
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Middle East
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The BBC's Yolande Knell: "A very frightening day for Israelis and Palestinians"
Israel says Palestinian militants in Gaza have fired more than 460 rockets at it, and that its military has hit over 130 militant targets in Gaza, in the heaviest fighting in nine months.
Six people were killed and 45 injured in Gaza, local medics say.
Several were hurt rushing to shelters in Israel, where most rockets have been intercepted or fell in open areas.
It comes a day after 15 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza, including three Islamic Jihad leaders.
The Islamic Jihad (PIJ), which is the second biggest militant group in the territory after Hamas, had sworn to avenge their deaths.
In a televised address on Wednesday night, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Israel's "campaign is not over".
"We have hit Islamic Jihad with the most significant blow it has ever suffered," he said, referring to the simultaneous killings of the three PIJ commanders in the early hours of Tuesday.
Hours before Mr Netanyahu spoke, Egyptian media reported that Egypt had brokered a ceasefire, but there was no immediate confirmation from the two sides. Soon afterwards, another rocket barrage was fired towards southern Israel and there were further strikes in Gaza.
An umbrella organisation representing armed factions in Gaza earlier warned that "if Israel increases its aggression, dark days await it".
Palestinians said the exchange of fire began on Wednesday morning with several loud explosions in southern Gaza, sending up large plumes of smoke.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said an aircraft targeted PIJ operatives travelling in a vehicle to a concealed rocket launcher in the Khan Younis area.
About an hour later, the IDF announced that it had started attacking underground rocket launchers belonging to PIJ across the territory in order to thwart planned attacks.
Palestinian media reported strikes in and around Gaza City, in the southern town of Rafah, and in the northern towns of Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun.
The Palestinian health ministry in Gaza reported that six people were killed in Israeli strikes.Four of them were members of the military wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the group said, adding that two died in Khan Younis and the other two in Rafah.A 10-year-old girl was also killed in Gaza City in unclear circumstances.
As Israeli aircraft struck Gaza, militants began firing barrages of rockets from Gaza and rocket sirens sounded in communities in southern Israel.
Later, rockets were launched towards central Israel, triggering sirens in the Tel Aviv area, 80km (50 miles) from Gaza. In one video filmed in Old Jaffa, explosions could be heard as two rockets appeared to be intercepted overhead.
The Israeli military said four houses suffered direct hits - two in Sderot, which is only 1km (0.6 miles) from Gaza, and two in Ashkelon, 7km from Gaza. Another hit the roof of a kindergarten in Nirim, on the edge of Gaza to the south, and a yeshiva (religious school) in Netivot, 11km east of Gaza. There were no injuries directly from rocket fire.
The IDF said one in four rockets fired at it had fallen short and landed inside Gaza. It said Israel's Iron Dome air defence system had intercepted 153 rockets, three had hit urban areas in Israel and the rest landed in open areas.
The Joint Operations Room of armed groups in Gaza, which includes Islamic Jihad and Hamas, claimed in a statement that they had launched the rockets.
"The damage to the homes of civilians and faction fighters is a red line, and we will respond strongly to it. Resistance forces are ready for all options," it said.
The Israeli military said it was targeting sites used by Islamic Jihad to launch rockets
The IDF launched Operation Shield and Arrow in the early hours of Tuesday with several waves of strikes across Gaza that killed 13 Palestinians.
Three were PIJ commanders who the IDF said were involved in recent attacks against Israeli civilians and were planning more. But the other 10 dead were civilians, including four women and four children.
Another two Palestinians were killed on Tuesday afternoon in a strike that the IDF said targeted militants planning to fire anti-tank missiles.
The strikes were the deadliest since three days of hostilities between Israel and PIJ last August, in which 49 Palestinians were killed in Gaza.
PIJ has been responsible for many of the rocket attacks on Israel in recent years and is sworn to Israel's destruction.
There was a serious flare-up last week, as PIJ and other groups fired more than 100 rockets into Israel over two days, following the death in an Israeli prison of a Palestinian hunger striker. The Israeli military carried out air strikes on sites it said were linked to Hamas in response.
Tensions also remained high in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, after Israel carried out arrest raids overnight.
Two Palestinians were killed in the town of Qabatiya by Israeli forces, who said the pair fired at them. The IDF also said a soldier was also seriously wounded during a separate exchange of fire with Palestinian gunmen in Tubas.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-65544214
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Boris Johnson's taxpayer-funded legal bill rises to £245,000 - BBC News
| 2023-05-10T00:00:00
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The BBC has found the Treasury did not sign off the decision to use taxpayer funds to foot the bill.
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UK Politics
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Boris Johnson has denied he knowingly or deliberately misled Parliament over Partygate
Taxpayers are being billed up to £245,000 to cover the cost of Boris Johnson's Partygate inquiry lawyers.
The former PM is being investigated by MPs over whether he misled them over lockdown parties in Downing Street.
He is facing growing calls to cover the legal costs himself, as the bill for his defence team increased this week for a second time.
The BBC has learned the Treasury did not sign off the decision to use public money to pay the bill.
Ministers and civil servants are expected to follow Treasury guidance when making decisions about spending public money.
The Treasury's spending rulebook says its consent should always be sought for costs "which set precedents, are novel, contentious or could cause repercussions elsewhere in the public sector".
The BBC asked the Cabinet Office if this would apply to Mr Johnson's legal bills, in a freedom of information (FOI) request. We were told the Treasury was not required to approve all spending decisions.
Mr Johnson was flanked by lawyers during a four-hour, televised grilling by MPs on the Commons Privileges Committee in March, when he denied knowingly or deliberately misleading Parliament.
If the committee finds him in contempt of Parliament, he faces suspension as an MP, which could trigger a by-election in his Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency.
Mr Johnson's spokesperson said he had "fully co-operated with this very long process at every stage" and would consider the committee's findings when they are brought forward.
The contract to hire Mr Johnson's legal team - led by top barrister Lord Pannick KC - was signed last August, shortly before he was forced to resign as prime minister.
It was this week extended for the third time, rising in value from £222,000 to £245,000.
Opposition parties say Mr Johnson should pay the legal fees himself given he has earned millions since standing down as prime minister.
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The Cabinet Office and a source close to Mr Johnson argued there is a long-standing precedent that former ministers are supported with legal representation.
But former senior civil servants disputed this, telling the BBC that it would not normally apply to parliamentary inquiries, like the one into Mr Johnson.
"Payment of legal fees to the former prime minister in these circumstances would seem to set a precedent and is certainly contentious, so looks on the face of it to meet the test to require Treasury approval," said Alex Thomas, a former top civil servant and director of the Institute for Government think tank.
"I'm surprised that the payments were made at all - but also that they were signed off in this way."
A former permanent secretary also said they were surprised that Treasury approval wasn't sought.
"I would have regarded this as novel and contentious," the former senior civil servant said. "The whole situation is highly unusual, if not unique.
"It's just the sort of situation that Treasury cover is needed for."
Lord Pannick KC was on the legal team hired to defend Mr Johnson during the Partygate inquiry
The government has cited legal support given to former ministers during public inquiries into the Grenfell Tower fire, the BSE disease outbreak in cattle, and infected blood products as examples of precedents.
But these were statutory public inquires initiated by the government, rather than political parliamentary inquiries carried out by MPs.
The last former minister to be investigated by a parliamentary committee for misleading Parliament was former Labour MP and transport secretary Stephen Byers in 2005.
Mr Byers was investigated by the standards committee over allegations he misled MPs over the collapse of British railway infrastructure operator Railtrack.
In 2006, the committee cleared Mr Byers of lying to MPs about Railtrack, but told him to apologise for giving an "untruthful" answer.
During the four-month inquiry, Mr Byers appeared in front of MPs to give evidence, as Mr Johnson did in March this year.
But unlike Mr Johnson, Mr Byers did not have any legal representation - taxpayer funded or otherwise - during the parliamentary inquiry, nor was he offered any by the government.
More recently, Dominic Raab, the former deputy prime minister, paid his own legal fees during a bullying inquiry.
The latest register of interests for MPs shows Mr Johnson has earned more than £5.5m since he stood down as prime minister last year.
Labour's deputy leader, Angela Rayner, said the arrangement that left taxpayers covering Mr Johnson's "Partygate defence fund is not only without precedent but without justification".
She said Prime Minister Rishi Sunak "must explain why he failed to put a stop to this brazen scheme and take immediate steps to ensure his disgraced predecessor returns this money to the public purse".
The Liberal Democrats have urged Mr Sunak to ask his ethics adviser to launch an investigation into Mr Johnson's legal costs and "how this precedent has been set".
"Boris Johnson needs to pay back every penny to the public purse immediately," said Wendy Chamberlain, the party's chief whip.
The National Audit Office (NAO), which scrutinises government spending, has been examining the decision to cover Mr Johnson's legal costs during the inquiry, including whether Treasury approval was sought.
A spokesperson said the spending watchdog had spoken to the Cabinet Office about the contract to hire Mr Johnson's lawyers "as part of our standard audit procedures".
"The NAO will publish its report on the Cabinet Office's 2022-23 accounts when the audit is complete, which we are planning to be this summer," a spokesperson said.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65401587
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Balmoral Show 2023: Big crowds expected at 'highlight of the year' - BBC News
| 2023-05-10T00:00:00
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Organisers expect that more than 120,000 people will attend the show at the Eikon Centre near Lisburn.
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Northern Ireland
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. 'This is who I'm meant to be'
"They come every year, they meet their friends and family - maybe they haven't seen some people since this time last year."
As the Balmoral Show 2023 opens its gates, organiser Rhonda Geary is a firm believer that it is about a lot more than farming and food.
"We've more than 600 trade stands for people to enjoy, a fantastic horticultural area," she says.
"There is something for everybody here.
"Last year we'd more than 120,000. We hope to hit that again and perhaps exceed it."
The show is a highlight of the agricultural calendar and the potential prize-winning animals will have been prepped and pampered for months in hopes of achieving a rosette.
"Our livestock entries have exceeded our expectations and we're delighted to have so many here," says Rhonda.
Rhonda Geary hopes the number of people at the show will be even more than in 2022
This is the 154th Balmoral Show and the third since it was cancelled in spring 2020 and 2021 because of the Covid-19 pandemic. A smaller event was held in September 2021.
There are more than 3,000 livestock entries across all classes and a new Makers' Market for crafters and artisan traders.
Among the seasoned farmers displaying their animals at the show, the farmers of the future are also making their presence known.
Nine-year-old Georgia from Keady in County Armagh has been to the showring to display a bull almost as tall as she is.
Along with her mother, father, brother and six-week-old baby sister, she is competing at Balmoral with the family bull, a Dexter named Arcadius.
"It's a funny feeling but it feels wonderful," said Georgia.
There are more than 3,000 livestock entries across the show
To get animals ready for the show does not come cheap.
David Connolly has spent almost £30,000 on his blond Charolais bull called Balmyle Sandy in the hope of bringing the animal's desirable traits into his herd.
"He's doing a daily live weight gain, as we talk about, of 1.7kg (3.75lb) per day," David told BBC News NI.
"So for the bodybuilders out there, if they could put on a kilo and seven every week they'd be happy."
One category missing from the show again this year is poultry because of bird flu restrictions.
A housing order that was in place was lifted too late for arrangements to be made for the classes to be included.
There will be just one flock from a single breeder on display.
"It's disappointing for the exhibitors but unfortunately the restrictions on the housing were still in place when our entries opened for this year's Balmoral Show," says Rhonda.
"But we have a fantastic display of poultry - we've more than 100 birds in our poultry marquee.
"And we've our egg classes and our rabbits and cavies [guinea pigs] all over in that area so still a really busy area and a lovely display."
Robert McKibbin is the only poultry farmer displaying at the show
Poultry breeder Robert McKibbin is providing birds for the display and he is looking forward to getting back to some form of showing.
"There's a social end to the whole thing, there's a lot of friends that we have met over the years and we don't actually see them from show to show," he says.
"You always had a bit of craic with them and now you don't see them at all or very rarely.
"When you're breeding lovely birds and you think: 'This bird could do very well in a show' but then there is no show, then that bird passes its best and you have to start all over again for the next year and hope for the best.
"You have to live in hope."
The show is taking place against a backdrop of increasing bovine tuberculosis (bTB) numbers.
Rates are at their highest in more than 20 years.
Show organisers are hoping to attract more than 120,000 visitors
Former Ulster Farmers' Union president Victor Chestnutt said it had become the scourge of every livestock farmer in Northern Ireland.
Six years ago he lost his prize Belgian Blue cattle to the disease.
"We lost the best genetics in one fell swoop," he said.
Clougher Wilma and her sister Clougher Wendy went to slaughter, along with another cow.
Victor's main breeds on his north coast farm now are Charolais and Aberdeen Angus.
A Bovine TB strategy was announced in March 2022, including what then-minister Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots called a "limited" cull of badgers as a wildlife source of the disease.
A legal challenge to the plan has been launched.
The Balmoral Show runs from Wednesday 10 May until Saturday 13 May at the Eikon Centre near Lisburn.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-65534922
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MP Joanna Cherry threatens legal action over cancelled show - BBC News
| 2023-05-10T00:00:00
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Joanna Cherry wants The Stand to admit that it acted unlawfully, issue an apology and reinstate the event.
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Scotland
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Joanna Cherry had been due to take part in an event in August
SNP MP Joanna Cherry is threatening to take legal action against an Edinburgh venue which cancelled a Fringe show in which she was due to appear.
She says she will take "whatever legal action is necessary" unless The Stand admits that it acted unlawfully, issues an apology and reinstates the event.
The venue had cancelled the show after staff said they were not comfortable with her views on transgender issues.
The Stand has not yet responded to Ms Cherry's comments.
The Edinburgh South West MP had been due to take part in a series of In Conversation With... events in August.
Ms Cherry is a critic of Scotland's gender recognition reform plans, which make it easier for people to change their legally-recognised sex.
Last week she told BBC Scotland she felt she had been "cancelled and no-platformed" because she was a lesbian who holds gender-critical views.
She said she had been "greatly heartened" by the support she had received since the story became public, and had decided to seek legal advice.
"I am prepared to take whatever legal action is necessary to vindicate my right not to be misrepresented and not to be discriminated against," she said.
"This is not about money. My primary goal is to have the actions of The Stand acknowledged as unlawful and to ensure the event proceeds.
"I have asked The Stand to apologise to me too. If they don't agree with my reasonable requests, I intend to ask the court to decide on the issue."
Ms Cherry said the decision to cancel her show was symptomatic of a wider problem in society.
"I am very concerned that those who hold perfectly legitimate views on a variety of issues, including women like me, are regularly being misrepresented, de-platformed and, in some cases, facing damage to or the loss of our livelihoods," she added.
"This is often accompanied by online abuse and threats.
"The debate on gender self-identification is a very important one which must be allowed to take place, but I am a woman of many parts who was engaged to talk about my political life in general and I see the cancelling of my one-hour event as the thin end of the wedge."
The Stand said it would not be making any further comment until it had discussed the matter with its solicitors.
In a statement released last week, the venue said that a number of its key operational staff - including venue management and box office personnel - were unwilling to work on the event.
The statement said: "We will ensure that their views are respected.
"We will not compel our staff to work on this event and so have concluded that the event is unable to proceed on a properly staffed, safe and legally-compliant basis.
"We advised the show producers, Fair Pley Productions, of this operational issue and they advised Joanna Cherry that it is no longer possible to host the event in our venue."
The Stand - which was co-founded by SNP MP Tommy Sheppard - said it did not endorse the views of any participant in the In Conversation With... series, which is organised by independent producer Fair Pley.
Mr Sheppard, who sits on the venue's board and is believed to be one of a number of shareholders, said it would be wrong to characterise it as a dispute between him and Ms Cherry.
The Scottish Events Campus in Glasgow was ordered to pay almost £100,000 in damages to a controversial evangelical US preacher after axing his event in 2020.
Franklin Graham's appearance at the Hydro was scrapped following pressure from Glasgow City Council, Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie and campaigners over his views on issues such as homosexuality, Islam and Donald Trump.
Venue staff had claimed the move was due to security and protest concerns but a sheriff ruled that Mr Graham had been discriminated against and that the SEC had breached the Equality Act by not letting him perform.
In his ruling, Sheriff John McCormick said: "The pursuer's right to engage a speaker at the evangelical event - in furtherance of a religious or philosophical belief - is protected by law".
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-65527678
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Ukraine war: Inside the fight for the last streets of Bakhmut - BBC News
| 2023-05-10T00:00:00
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The eastern city is a crumpled, skeletal wreck. But Ukraine knows losing it could be costly.
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Europe
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Ukrainian forces are preparing for a counteroffensive near the besieged city of Bakhmut
In a bunker just outside the city limits of Bakhmut, Ukraine's 77th Brigade direct artillery fire to support their infantry - their last line of defence on the western edge of the city.
Ukraine is still clinging to the last few streets here.
But the live video feed the artillery gunners watch intently, from a drone flying above the city, suggests that even if Russia can finally wrestle control, it would be little more than a pyrrhic victory.
The prize is now a crumpled, skeletal city - with hardly a building left unscathed, and with its entire population vanished.
The battle for the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut has been the longest and bloodiest of this war so far. Western officials estimate between 20,000 and 30,000 Russian troops have been killed or wounded here, while Ukraine's military has also paid a heavy price - and it still isn't over.
The plumes of smoke still hang heavy over the besieged city, accompanied by the relentless rumble of artillery fire.
Russia has been trying to capture Bakhmut for months, and it's been a testament - so far - to Ukraine's determination not to give ground. But it's also a reminder that its coming counteroffensive could prove far more challenging.
Drone footage from above Bakhmut shows the devastation caused by the continuing battle for the city
Back in the bunker, Ukraine's 77th Brigade orders another artillery strike on a house. Seconds later a plume of smoke rises from the rubble. Two men emerge from the smoke, stumbling down a street. One appears to be injured.
I ask if they're Wagner soldiers - the Russian paramilitary force which has been leading the assault. "Yes," replies Myroslav, one of the Ukrainian troops staring at the screen.
"They are fighting quite well, but they don't really care about their people," he says.
He adds that they don't seem to have much artillery support and they just advance in the hope that they'll be "luckier than the last time". His comrade, Mykola, interjects: "They just walk towards us, they must be on drugs."
Looking at this shell of a city it's hard to understand why either side has sacrificed so many lives for it.
Mykola admits that the defence has also been costly for Ukraine. He says many soldiers have given their lives, and it's hard to fight in the densely packed streets. He says they've been replaced by troops with less experience, but adds: "They will become the same warriors as those who fought before them."
The whole point of Bakhmut is to keep the enemy there
To the south of the city, Ukraine's 28th Brigade has been helping prevent Bakhmut from being encircled.
The Wagner forces they once faced have already been replaced by paratroopers of Russia's VDV, or airborne forces. But they're still locked in daily skirmishes.
During a lull in the fighting, Yevhen, a 29-year-old soldier, takes us on a tour of their defensive position in a small wood.
The arrival of spring has provided them with some leaves for cover, but many of the trees have been stripped by the constant shelling.
Ukrainian troops seek cover behind bushes on the outskirts of the city of Bakhmut
As we run from a trench, across exposed ground pock-marked by shell holes, the Russians open fire with their mortars. "That was pretty damn close," says Yevhen in perfect English as we reach some cover.
As we move to another position he says: "Now we're going to fire back."
Minutes later his men follow up with a volley of small arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs). There are no casualties this time. But hours after we leave one of their soldiers is seriously injured.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has called Bakhmut "a fortress" of Ukrainian morale. Yevhen displays that determination not to give up. "The whole point of Bakhmut is to keep the enemy there," he says.
If Ukraine gave up Bakhmut, he says, they'd only lose more lives later. "We could retreat to save a few lives, but we would then have to counter-attack and we'd lose even more".
Ukraine's hope is that the fight over Bakhmut has blunted Russia's ability to conduct its own offensive operations, and exhausted its army and supplies.
In a bunker just outside the city limits, Ukraine's 77th Brigade direct artillery fire to support their infantry
But Russia has also been preparing to stymie Ukraine's upcoming offensive.
Recent satellite images of the occupied south show it has built hundreds of miles of deep trench lines and dragon's teeth tank traps to slow down any attempted advance. More difficult to punch through than the razor wire and mines we saw in front of these Ukrainian positions.
Southern Ukraine is where many expect the focus of the Ukrainian offensive to be. Russia has already ordered a partial evacuation near the nuclear power plant at Zaporizhzhia.
Ukraine, too, has been rationing artillery rounds in preparation for an attack that will be spearheaded by newly trained brigades of troops and some of the 1,300 armoured vehicles and 230 tanks supplied by the West. Though we have also witnessed convoys of Western military equipment heading East.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov has tried to dampen down expectations - warning against "overestimating" the outcome.
I ask Yevhen if he feels that pressure too. He says he knows it won't be easy, but adds: "We've already changed the whole world's opinion of the Ukrainian army and we still have lots of surprises."
But this time it may prove harder to conceal the element of surprise.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-65533192
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George Santos: Republican congressman facing charges in federal probe - BBC News
| 2023-05-10T00:00:00
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New York Republican George Santos is facing multiple investigations related to a series of scandals.
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US & Canada
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George Santos, a beleaguered Republican member of the US Congress, is facing criminal charges in a federal investigation.
The New York congressman is under scrutiny in multiple jurisdictions over alleged financial misdeeds, lies about his biography and other complaints.
Federal prosecutors have not yet revealed the exact nature of the charges against him.
He is expected to appear in federal court as early as Wednesday morning.
The congressman's office could not be reached for immediate comment on Tuesday.
CBS News previously reported that a federal probe into Mr Santos has focused on finances and financial disclosures.
Multiple sources told CBS he is expected to turn himself in and be arraigned on Wednesday morning at the federal district courthouse in Central Islip, New York.
A freshman lawmaker elected to the US House of Representatives last November, Mr Santos, 34, has been embroiled in scandal since he took office.
He has faced a series of allegations, including being accused of lying about his college degrees and his work experience; violating campaign finance and conflict of interest laws; falsely claiming his grandparents survived the Holocaust; and creating a fake animal charity he used to siphon away cash meant for a veteran's dying dog.
Mr Santos has admitted "embellishing" his biography, but denied the more serious claims including theft allegations.
Some of his Republican colleagues have joined calls for him to resign.
But Mr Santos, who represents a New York district that includes parts of Long Island and Queens, has filed paperwork to run for another two-year term.
He did step down from serving on two committees in the House of Representatives in February and apologised to fellow Republicans for being a "distraction".
It is likely the still-to-be-revealed charges will renew pressure on Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to take action against Mr Santos.
The top ranking House Republican has so far resisted calls to do more to punish the lawmaker.
Asked by CNN about Mr Santos, Mr McCarthy said on Tuesday he would "look at the charges".
Other Republicans were not as accommodating, with Rep Nicole Malliotakis telling the network she "would love to see someone new run" in the district.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-65540414
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Migration bill risks damage to UK's reputation, says Archbishop of Canterbury - BBC News
| 2023-05-10T00:00:00
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Justin Welby speaks out against the controversial law as it begins its passage in the House of Lords.
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UK Politics
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The Archbishop of Canterbury argues against the Illegal Migration Bill, but Lord Howard backs it.
The Archbishop of Canterbury has attacked the government's migration plans, saying they risked "great damage" to the UK's reputation.
Justin Welby said the Illegal Migration Bill would not stop small boat crossings, and it failed in "our moral responsibility" towards refugees.
He was speaking as the bill began what is expected to be a rocky passage through the House of Lords.
But Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick urged peers to back the legislation.
Adding that the archbishop was "wrong" in his criticism, he said: "There is nothing moral about allowing the pernicious trade of people smugglers to continue.
"I want to see that stopped, and this bill is the only way to do that," he told BBC Radio 4's World at One.
He added that critics of the bill, including opposition parties, had not suggested "any viable alternatives" to stop journeys across the Channel.
The archbishop's pointed intervention came during a lengthy, highly charged debate about the bill in the Lords on Wednesday.
The legislation cleared its first parliamentary hurdle in the Lords after a Liberal Democrat bid to block it was rejected by 179 votes to 76.
The bill, unveiled in March, is a key part of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's plan to "stop" small boats crossing the English Channel - which he has made a priority ahead of the next general election.
It will place a legal duty on the home secretary to detain and remove those arriving in the UK illegally, to Rwanda or another "safe" third country.
This has prompted outrage from opposition parties and charities, which argue the bill is unworkable and could breach international law.
The archbishop, one of nearly 90 peers who have put their names down to speak in the debate, told the Lords the bill "fails utterly" to take long-term view of the migration challenges around the world.
Although he conceded existing international law was in need of updating, he said the bill represented a "dramatic departure" from existing conventions and would undermine international co-operation on the issue.
Describing the bill as a "short-term fix," he said it "risks great damage to the UK's interests and reputation, at home and abroad".
He added it was "morally unacceptable and politically impractical" for the UK to let the poorest countries deal with asylum seekers when the UK is cutting its international aid spending.
Baroness Helic, a former adviser to William Hague when he was foreign secretary, described the government's plans to stop small boats as "a race to the bottom".
The baroness, who fled to the UK from war-torn Bosnia at the age of 23, argued the Illegal Migration Bill represented "an outright ban on asylum" and questioned its morality.
But other peers spoke for the bill, including Conservative Lord Forsyth, who said he was "yet to hear" a solution to stop boat crossings from critics of the bill.
He congratulated the archbishop for his "fantastic job" at the Coronation on Saturday, but added that while he agreed with him on spiritual matters, they disagreed on the bill.
He said he agreed it needed further scrutiny, but it was "not reasonable to criticise the government for trying to deal with this problem".
The government made a series of concessions to different sections of the Conservative Party to ease its passage through the Commons last month.
However, senior peers have told the BBC they expect significant opposition in the Lords - where the government does not have a majority.
Although peers did not vote on amendments during the debate, it was their first chance to have a say on the bill.
Lib Dem peer Lord Paddick put forward a rare "motion to decline" that would have blocked the bill from continuing in the Lords, forcing the government to reintroduce it from scratch in the Commons.
But the motion was heavily defeated in the Lords, with peers rejecting it by 179 votes to 76, majority 103.
Lord Paddick said: "This Bill is all pain and no gain. This is a question of principle."
Labour peer Lord Coaker said that although his party was against the bill, the Lib Dem motion was not the best way to oppose it.
He said Labour would do "all we can" to change the bill at a later stage, vowing that the party would not be "cowed" into accepting the verdict of the Commons.
Several peers have already spoken out against changes giving ministers more leeway to ignore attempts by European judges to halt deportations of migrants from the UK.
The government has also faced strong criticism from senior Tories, including former Prime Minister Theresa May and former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith, over the potential impact of the bill on victims of modern slavery.
The bill would take away temporary protections against removal from the UK that are currently offered to suspected victims of modern slavery or human trafficking while their case is considered.
Critics say this could deter victims from going to the police.
There has also been concern, including among Conservative MPs, over new powers in the bill to detain children on the suspicion that they are liable for removal.
Ministers have agreed to work with Tory MPs on a time limit for how long unaccompanied children can be detained.
To get the bill through the Commons, ministers also promised to set out new safe and legal routes for asylum seekers, after pressure from backbenchers.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65535784
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E Jean Carroll: Jury finds Trump sexually abused writer in NY department store - BBC News
| 2023-05-10T00:00:00
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The jury in the civil case also finds the former president liable for defaming writer E Jean Carroll.
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US & Canada
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Ms Carroll smiled to reporters as she left the courthouse
A jury in a civil case has found former President Donald Trump sexually abused a magazine columnist in a New York department store in the 1990s.
But Mr Trump was found not liable for raping E Jean Carroll in the dressing room of Bergdorf Goodman.
The jury also found Mr Trump liable for defamation for calling the writer's accusations "a hoax and a lie".
It is the first time Mr Trump has been found legally responsible for a sexual assault.
The Manhattan jury ordered Mr Trump to pay her about $5m (£4m) in damages.
The jury of six men and three women reached their decision after less than three hours of deliberations on Tuesday.
"Today, the world finally knows the truth," Ms Carroll said in a written statement following the verdict. "This victory is not just for me but for every woman who has suffered because she was not believed."
Mr Trump's lawyer said the former president plans to appeal against the decision.
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Because the trial was in civil court rather than criminal, Mr Trump will not be required to register as a sex offender.
The former president - who has denied Ms Carroll's accusations - did not attend the two-week civil trial in the Manhattan federal court.
Ms Carroll, 79, held the hands of both her lawyers as the verdict was read in court and smiled as she was awarded damages by the jury.
Mr Trump's lawyer, Joe Tacopina, shook her hand as the trial ended, telling her: "Congratulations and good luck."
Roberta Kaplan, a lawyer for the plaintiff said in a statement: "This is a victory not only for E Jean Carroll, but for democracy itself, and for all survivors everywhere."
After the verdict, Mr Trump, 76, posted on his social media platform Truth Social in all capital letters: "I have absolutely no idea who this woman is.
"This verdict is a disgrace - a continuation of the greatest witch hunt of all time!"
The standard of proof in civil cases is lower than in criminal cases, meaning that jurors were only required to find that it was more likely than not that Mr Trump assaulted Ms Carroll.
While the jury found Mr Trump liable for sexual battery and defamation of Ms Carroll, they did not find Mr Trump liable of raping her. To do so, the jury would have needed to have been convinced that Mr Trump had engaged in non-consensual sexual intercourse with Ms Carroll.
The trial saw a tense cross-examination between Ms Carroll and Mr Trump's attorneys.
Her legal team called 11 witnesses to corroborate her claims that Mr Trump had assaulted her in the lingerie department of the luxury store in 1995 or 1996.
They included two women who also say they were sexually assaulted by Mr Trump decades ago. One woman told jurors that Mr Trump groped her during a flight in the 1970s. Another woman said that Mr Trump had forcibly kissed her while she was interviewing him for an article she was writing in 2005.
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Two long-time friends of Ms Carroll testified that she told them about the encounter shortly after it occurred.
On the stand, Ms Carroll described in graphic detail what she alleges happened in the store and the trauma she says she has endured as a result.
"I'm here because Donald Trump raped me and when I wrote about it, he lied and said it didn't happen," she told the court.
Mr Trump called no witnesses and appeared only in a video of a deposition that was played for jurors in which he denied rape.
"It's the most ridiculous, disgusting story," Mr Trump said in the footage. "It's just made up."
Ms Carroll's lawsuit also argued that Mr Trump had defamed her in an October 2022 post on his social media site in which he called her claims a "complete con job" and "a Hoax and a lie".
Her legal team argued Mr Trump had acted as a "witness against himself" during the deposition when he doubled down on comments he made in a 2005 recording.
In the audio, known as the Access Hollywood tape and leaked in 2016, Mr Trump suggested women let stars "do anything" to them, including grabbing their genitals.
That's what he did to Ms Carroll, her lawyer argued.
In the recorded video deposition, Mr Trump at one point confused Ms Carroll for his ex-wife, Marla Maples, which Ms Carroll's lawyers argued undermined his claim that she was "not his type".
Mr Tacopina sought to cast doubt on Ms Carroll's story, which he called "a work of fiction".
He questioned why Ms Carroll could not specify the date of the attack, arguing that it stripped Mr Trump of the chance to provide an alibi.
"With no date, no month, no year, you can't present an alibi, you can't call witnesses," Mr Tacopina said. "What they want is for you to hate him enough to ignore the facts."
Mr Tacopina also pressed her on why she did not report a crime to police or scream while it occurred.
The former Elle magazine columnist was able to bring the civil case against Mr Trump after New York passed the Adult Survivors Act in 2022.
The law allowed a one-year period for victims to file sexual assault lawsuits in the state involving claims that would have normally exceeded statute limitations.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-65531098
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Jewish groups condemn $150m Nazi-linked jewel sale - BBC News
| 2023-05-10T00:00:00
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The collection belonged to Heidi Horten, whose German husband took over Jewish firms in the 1930s.
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Europe
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The Sunrise Ruby is one of the pieces going under the hammer
Jewish groups have condemned the multi-million dollar sale of jewels belonging to a billionaire whose husband made his fortune in Nazi Germany.
Heidi Horten was an Austrian heiress whose German husband, Helmut Horten, had been a Nazi party member.
He took over Jewish firms as their owners left 1930s Germany.
Christie's auction house is now putting 700 pieces of jewellery, estimated to be worth more than $150 million (£118 million), under the hammer.
The proceeds will go to charity, including Holocaust research, and Christie's will also make a "significant contribution" to good causes.
Mrs Horten died last year aged 81, with a fortune of $2.9 billion, according to Forbes.
Her husband, who died in Switzerland in 1987, took over textile company Alsberg after its Jewish owners fled in 1936.
This was the first of several Jewish businesses he acquired under Nazi rule. His department store Horten AG became one of the biggest in Germany.
A recent report by historians commissioned by the Horten Foundation found he had been a member of the Nazi party before being expelled.
The pieces going on sale include the 90-carat "Briolette of India" diamond necklace by Harry Winston, and the Sunrise Ruby, a diamond ring by Cartier that is worth up to an estimated $20 million.
Almost 100 pieces will be sold in Geneva on Wednesday and another 150 on Friday, with more sold online later in the year.
But the auction has caused anger among Jewish groups, with calls for the sale to be halted.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center, a US-based Jewish human rights group, demanded that Christie's not go ahead with the sale.
"The Hortens' billions used to build this collection were also the sum of profits from Nazi 'aryanization' of Jewish department stores," it wrote in a latter to the auction house.
Aryanisation was a term used by the Nazis for taking property from Jews and turning it over to non-Jews, and the exclusion of Jews from business.
Despite proceeds being contributed to charities and Holocaust education, the American Jewish Committee said it was "not enough".
"Instead, the auction should be put on hold until a serious effort is made to determine what portion of this wealth came from Nazi victims," it said.
Christie's should then direct the Horten riches "to the needy and infirm Holocaust survivors who are still among us and the educational programs that tell their stories," the group added.
Meanwhile, Yonathan Arfi from the Council of Jewish Institutions in France said: "Not only did the funds that allowed the purchase of this jewellery come in part from the Ayranisation of Jewish property... this sale is also to finance a foundation [the Hortens' foundation] with the mission to safeguard the name of a former Nazi for posterity."
But Christie's have defended the sale.
"The foundation and Christie's know that all of the proceeds are going towards charities, the charities are child protection and welfare, medical research and access to the arts," its international head of jewellery Rahul Kadakia told the AFP news agency.
"We believe that in the end, proceeds of the sale is going to do good and this is the reason we decided to take on the project," he added.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-65541822
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Eurovision 2023: Catherine Tate to announce results of UK national jury - BBC News
| 2023-05-10T00:00:00
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The actress and comedian will reveal the UK jury's favourite acts during Saturday's grand final.
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Entertainment & Arts
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The Doctor Who actress and comedian has been announced as the UK's official Eurovision spokesperson
Actress Catherine Tate will reveal the UK jury's favourite Eurovision acts during Saturday's grand final.
As the official UK Eurovision Song Contest spokesperson, she will announce the UK results once the televoting window has closed.
"It's very exciting to be announcing the iconic 'douze points' at Eurovision," the Bafta-winner said.
She added, jokingly: "It's just a foot in the door really as next year I hope to be the UK entrant!"
Tate is best known for her much-loved comic creations, including Joanie "Nan" Taylor, the foul-mouthed pensioner, and surly schoolgirl Lauren Cooper, both from The Catherine Tate Show.
She also played the companion Donna Noble in Doctor Who, a role she will reprise this year for the sci-fi show's forthcoming 60th anniversary.
Tate returned to one of her most popular characters for The Nan Movie in 2022
She will deliver the results of the UK's national jury live from the Liverpool Arena once phone lines close for voting on Saturday.
The BBC confirmed the news on Wednesday, leading to many people sharing jokes and memes on social media suggesting she should perform her duties in character.
The actress and comedian follows in the footsteps of previous spokespeople such as AJ Odudu, Nigella Lawson and Mel Giedroyc, as well as Richard Osman and Lorraine Kelly.
The Eurovision final will be broadcast on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from 20:00 BST on Saturday.
Later this year, Tate will star in a new BBC One comedy series called Queen of Oz.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: Night one's most iconic Eurovision performances (UK only)
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-65542078
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George Santos: Congressman pleads not guilty to fraud charges - BBC News
| 2023-05-10T00:00:00
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The US congressman is accused of laundering funds, lying to Congress and illegally receiving benefits.
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US & Canada
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Scandal-plagued Republican congressman George Santos has pleaded not guilty to more than a dozen federal charges, including fraud and money laundering.
The 34-year-old is accused of misusing funds, lying to Congress about his income and illegally receiving unemployment benefits.
Outside the New York court, he called the investigation a "witch hunt".
Since he first took office in January it has emerged that much of his biography was fabricated.
If convicted of the top charges, the New York representative could face up to 20 years in prison.
Mr Santos was released on a $500,000 (£400,000) bail bond, secured by three individuals whose identities were not released.
Outside the federal court in Long Island on Wednesday afternoon, a defiant Mr Santos said he would not resign, and vowed to "keep fighting" for his district.
"This is the beginning of the ability for me to address and defend myself," he said.
He will be confined to his home state of New York, to Washington DC and places in between. Other travel must be approved in advance.
The congressman spoke just once during the hearing, telling the judge "yes ma'am", according to the Associated Press. He was fingerprinted and had a mugshot taken. His next court appearance is scheduled for 30 June.
The 20-page, 13-count indictment alleges the Republican participated in three elaborate fraud schemes.
First, according to federal prosecutors, Mr Santos defrauded those who gave him money for his House of Representatives campaign, instead using the funds for personal expenses including luxury designer clothing and credit card payments.
Second, Mr Santos allegedly participated in an unemployment insurance fraud scheme, claiming Covid-19 government assistance despite earning a salary of $120,000 (£95,000) through his employment with a Florida-based investment firm - a firm that was shut down by the federal government in 2021 over allegations it was a Ponzi scheme.
Finally, prosecutors claim the Republican misled the Congress about his finances.
He faces seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives.
US Attorney Breon Peace said the indictment "seeks to hold Santos accountable for various alleged fraudulent schemes and brazen misrepresentations".
"Taken together, the allegations in the indictment charge Santos with relying on repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself," Mr Peace said.
Mr Santos has been accused of participating in three elaborate fraud schemes
The Long Island lawmaker has been embroiled in scandal since he took office in January.
He has been accused of lying about his college degrees and his work experience; violating campaign finance and conflict of interest laws; falsely claiming his grandparents survived the Holocaust; and creating a fake animal charity that he used to siphon away cash meant for a veteran's dying dog.
Campaign finance forms uncovered by US media show a series of filings of $199.99, exactly one cent below the $200 threshold at which receipts are required, raising questions about how his election funds were being spent.
In a television interview in February, Mr Santos admitted to being a "terrible liar" in an attempt to be accepted by his party. But he insisted the lies were "not about tricking the people" and he denied any criminal wrongdoing.
In February, House Democrats filed a resolution to expel Mr Santos, a mostly symbolic action in the Republican-controlled chamber.
He has also previously faced calls to resign from within his own party.
"I can't wait for him to be gone," fellow New York House Republican Marc Molinaro said on Wednesday.
Senator Mitt Romney, who confronted Mr Santos at President Joe Biden's State of the Union address in February, said the New York representative should have resigned months ago. "I think we're seeing that the wheels of justice grind slow, but they grind fine," Mr Romney said.
Mr Santos recused himself from two House committees over the "ongoing attention" earlier this year, but he resisted the growing pressure to step down, announcing in April that he would seek a second term in 2024.
On Wednesday, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said that Republicans would withhold judgement until the outcome of his case.
"In America, you're innocent until proven guilty," he told reporters after emerging from a weekly meeting with Republican House members.
He later added he will not support the re-election bid by Mr Santos.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-65548728
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Key moments from E Jean Carroll's civil rape trial against Donald Trump - BBC News
| 2023-05-10T00:00:00
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Mr Trump defended himself via video while Ms Carroll shared in detail how the alleged rape harmed her.
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US & Canada
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A New York jury has found that Donald Trump sexually abused and defamed a former columnist in a civil trial.
E Jean Carroll sued the ex-US president, alleging he raped her in a Manhattan department store nearly 30 years ago. The jury ordered Mr Trump to pay Ms Carroll $5m (£4m) in damages.
But the jury found Mr Trump was not liable for raping Ms Carroll in the dressing room of Bergdorf Goodman.
The two-week trial in New York federal court featured tense exchanges with lawyers and controversial remarks about women's bodies.
Mr Trump did not appear in court to testify and has consistently denied the accusation.
US District Judge Lewis Kaplan delivered instructions to the nine jurors on Tuesday morning before they retired to consider their verdict.
"I know you're going to do your duty under your oath to render a just and true verdict," he told the six men and three women.
While the statute of limitations has long since passed in the case, New York recently enacted a law which allowed decades-old sexual assault claims to be filed as civil lawsuits.
One of the most pivotal moments of the trial came during Ms Carroll's opening testimony, when she described in graphic detail what she alleges happened in the Manhattan Bergdorf Goodman store in 1996 and the trauma she says she has endured as a result.
"I'm here because Donald Trump raped me and when I wrote about it, he lied and said it didn't happen," she said.
She then proceeded to walk the court through the day of the alleged assault, explaining how she bumped into Mr Trump and exchanged flirtatious banter with him before things quickly turned violent. She said Mr Trump asked her to come with him into a dressing room, where he closed the door, held her against the wall and raped her.
"As I'm sitting here today I can still feel it," she told the court.
She added that Mr Trump's denial of the assault had shattered her reputation, costing her her job and romantic relationships. "I'm here to try to get my life back," she said.
During several hours of cross-examination over two days, Ms Carroll faced challenging questions about the assault from Mr Trump's lawyer, Joe Tacopina, who attempted to cast doubt on her details of the alleged rape.
During a particularly tense exchange, Mr Tacopina repeatedly asked Ms Carroll why she did not shout when the alleged assault occurred.
"I'm not a screamer," she told Mr Tacopina, adding that some women do not come forward about sexual assaults because they are asked why they did not scream.
"I'm telling you he raped me whether I screamed or not," she told Mr Tacopina at one point.
The Trump lawyer also pressed Ms Carroll on why she did not report the assault at first to the police.
The former Elle magazine columnist replied that she was a member of the "silent generation", saying women her age were taught to keep quiet.
Mr Tacopina also questioned Ms Carroll on why she could not recall the specific date of the assault. The writer later conceded that certain parts of her story were "difficult to conceive of".
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During the trial, Mr Trump did not mount his own defence, calling no witnesses and appearing to defend himself only in a video of his deposition, excerpts of which Ms Carroll's lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, played for the court. Ms Kaplan is not related to the judge in this case, Lewis Kaplan.
Facing questions from Ms Kaplan, Mr Trump continued to deny the allegations he raped Ms Carroll, calling them a "big fat hoax" and repeating previous remarks that Ms Carroll was "not his type in any way".
But at one point, he appeared to confuse Ms Carroll for his ex-wife Marla Maples, a mistake Ms Carroll's lawyers claimed undermined his argument that the writer was not his type.
In the video, Mr Trump is shown an old black-and-white photo of him speaking to a man and two women at an event. "It's Marla," he said, before his own lawyer told him the woman he referred to in the photo was indeed Ms Carroll.
In another excerpt from Mr Trump's video deposition played for the court, Ms Kaplan replayed for Mr Trump a controversial Access Hollywood recording from 2005 featuring a conversation between him and the show's co-host about women.
"When you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything," Mr Trump said in the recording, which was leaked to the public just one month before the 2016 presidential election. "Grab them by the [expletive]. You can do anything," he added.
Asked about the clip by Ms Kaplan, the former president seemed to double down on the remarks, claiming: "Historically, that's true with stars."
When Ms Kaplan pressed him on his comments about grabbing women "by the [expletive]", Mr Trump said: "Well, I guess if you look over the last million years, that's been largely true - not always true, but largely true, unfortunately or fortunately."
In other tense moments during the questioning, Mr Trump appeared to grow agitated with Ms Kaplan, attacking her appearance, claiming that, like Ms Carroll, "you wouldn't be a choice of mine either, to be honest".
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: Trump agrees "stars can do anything to women" in video deposition
During her second day on the stand under questioning from her own lawyers, Ms Carroll described the backlash she encountered after coming forward with her rape allegation.
After Mr Trump released a statement in social media denying the accusation and calling Ms Carroll's first lawsuit against him a "con job", Ms Carroll said she faced a "wave of slime".
She said many extrapolated on Mr Trump's remarks that she was "not his type", telling her she was "too ugly to go on living".
Mr Trump's social media comments also sparked a rebuke from the judge in the case, Lewis Kaplan. The former president has called the lawsuit a "made-up scam" and claimed Ms Carroll's lawyer was a political operative, remarks Mr Kaplan called "entirely inappropriate".
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-65502792
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Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price quits after damning report - BBC News
| 2023-05-10T00:00:00
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Adam Price quits after review found misogyny, harassment and bullying in his party.
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Wales
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Adam Price says he no longer had the support of his party
Adam Price has quit as Plaid Cymru leader after a report found misogyny, harassment and bullying in the party.
North Wales Senedd member Llyr Gruffydd will take over as interim leader, with a new leader in place in the summer, the party has said.
It follows months of difficulties including allegations of a sexual assault made against a senior staff member, and a toxic working culture.
In his resignation letter, Mr Price said he no longer had the "united support" of his colleagues.
He said he wanted to resign in the wake of the report's findings, but was initially persuaded not to quit.
"You have my personal assurance that I will continue to serve my country, my constituents and our party with determination and enthusiasm," he said in a letter to party chairman, Marc Jones.
On Thursday Labour First Minister Mark Drakeford said discussions on his co-operation agreement with Plaid will take place "in light of recent developments"
He thanked Mr Price "for the constructive way the Welsh government and Plaid Cymru have worked together".
The resignation announcement was made following a meeting of the party's ruling body, the National Executive Committee (NEC), late on Wednesday night.
One source from the meeting said some members raised the possibility of Adam Price remaining in post.
But it was considered untenable given the seriousness of the findings of the review.
Plaid's Westminster leader Liz Saville Roberts said Mr Price was not asked to resign in the wake of the "toxic culture" report because "stability" was needed to implement its recommendations.
Interim Plaid Cymru leader Llyr Gruffydd has been in the Senedd since 2011
Speaking on the Today programme, Liz Saville Roberts said: "Effective leadership is about balancing conflicting demands.
"What we felt strongly was that we needed a collegiate approach within the party because it (the report) cuts across all aspects of the party and it requires a change of culture".
"In order to do that we would need stability".
She also told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast that Mr Price had to go because he had become a "distraction".
She ruled herself out of a leadership contest, saying any new leader would have to be an elected member in the Senedd.
"I'm an MP in Westminster so that's done and dusted," she said.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Adam Price apologised last week but said the damning report points to a "collective failure" across the party
Mr Gruffydd's appointment as interim leader was agreed at a meeting of the party's Senedd members on Thursday and will need to be rubber-stamped by Plaid Cymru's National Council on Saturday.
He will not stand in the forthcoming leadership contest
Mr Gruffydd said he was "grateful to the Plaid Cymru Senedd group" for the nomination and thanked Mr Price for his "vision, commitment, and dedication".
Plaid Cymru is the third largest party in the Welsh Parliament, with 12 Members of the Senedd and three MPs in Westminster.
The pro-independence party is in a co-operation agreement with the Welsh Labour government, which means they help them govern.
Mr Price was elected party leader in 2018, when he ousted Leanne Wood.
Welsh Conservative leader, Andrew RT Davies, said: "I have no doubt Adam Price's departure is a moment of personal sadness for him.
"Following the recent report into the culture within their party, it became clear Plaid Cymru politicians no longer had confidence in his leadership, so his departure became inevitable."
For the converted, the die-hard believers, it wasn't meant to be like this.
Adam Price was touted by many in Plaid Cymru as a "once in a generation" politician who could overcome the party's many electoral barriers.
When he challenged his predecessor for the leadership in 2018, he said only he could "create the momentum" Plaid needed to become Wales' main party of government and install him as first minister.
And yet, there was no great advance at the following Senedd election - Plaid remains in third place behind the Welsh Conservatives.
Supporters will say it was an election like no other, one focused almost entirely on the public's broadly favourable opinion of the Welsh Labour government's handling of the pandemic.
It is clear, though, that some of the sheen had faded and in terms of public support, the party remains no further forward under Adam Price's leadership.
As it nears its 100th birthday celebrations, Plaid Cymru will seek its 11th leader with many of the perennial questions about its purpose, its lack of reach beyond the heartlands and its relationship with Welsh Labour likely to be raised.
But it is the drip, drip of negative stories over the last year, culminating in a damning report that found a toxic culture within the party that meant Adam Price's position was no longer tenable.
Addressing those major issues will be his successor's primary focus.
Since last year Plaid Cymru has been dogged by claims of a toxic culture in the party, and it emerged last November that an allegation of sexual assault had been made against a senior member of staff.
Separately, a serious allegation was also made about the conduct of a Member of the Senedd, Rhys ab Owen, who is now suspended from the Senedd group pending an investigation.
The party asked Nerys Evans, a lobbyist and former Plaid assembly member, to hold a review last December.
Her working group's report said Plaid needed to "detoxify a culture of harassment, bullying and misogyny".
It said too many instances of bad behaviour were tolerated, and said an anonymous survey of staff and elected members highlighted examples "of sexual harassment, bullying and discrimination".
Mr Price admitted the document left Plaid Cymru "harmed and tarnished". He apologised, but refused to quit.
In his resignation letter, Mr Price said: "On receiving the report, I informed you that I felt morally bound to step down as leader of the party in recognition of our collective failure."
"You counselled against my resignation as you felt it would make it more difficult to achieve progress in implementing the recommendations."
He said he was "persuaded by the argument that my stepping down would be an abdication of responsibility".
But he added: "It is now clear I no longer have the united support of my colleagues that would be necessary to follow this course to fruition."
Mr Drakeford said: "I want to thank Adam Price for the constructive way the Welsh government and Plaid Cymru have worked together to develop and implement the co-operation agreement. These shared priorities are making a real difference to people across Wales.
"The co-operation agreement is an agreement between the Welsh government and Plaid Cymru - not between individuals. There will be discussions about the agreement in light of recent developments."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-65553413
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The political fallout from Trump's sexual abuse verdict - BBC News
| 2023-05-10T00:00:00
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Top Republicans warn Trump's 2024 chances are damaged even if his supporters dismiss the ruling.
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US & Canada
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: Trump agrees "stars can do anything to women" in video deposition
A New York jury has concluded that it is more likely than not that Donald Trump sexually abused and defamed E Jean Carroll. The verdict may be a harbinger of political and legal damage to come.
While the ruling may not make a dent in Mr Trump's base within the Republican Party, where his supporters view the US legal system with scepticism and have stood by him through all manners of adversity, it could have a lasting sting.
The response of two Republican senators highlights the risk this moment poses to his 2024 bid to regain the White House.
"It has a cumulative effect," said Senator John Thune of South Dakota. "People are going to have to decide if they want to deal with all the drama."
"I don't think he can get elected," warned John Cornyn of Texas. "You can't win a general election with just your base."
In the end, Mr Trump may have been his own worst enemy in this case.
Central to Ms Carroll's lawsuit was the former president's deposition testimony, in which he seemed both demeaning and defensive. He explained away his infamous Access Hollywood tape boasts about grabbing women by their genitals as reflecting a historical truth about the power of celebrities - "unfortunately or fortunately".
He said that both Ms Carroll and another woman who testified that Mr Trump sexually assaulted her were not his type - a description he also applied, voluntarily, to the female attorney conducting the deposition itself.
For a jury weighing whether Mr Trump was the kind of person capable of sexual assault - or, at least, whether he was more credible than his accuser - it was exactly the wrong attitude to present.
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He also mistakenly identified a photograph of Ms Carroll as being of his former wife, Marla Maples, directly undercutting that "not his type" assertion.
In the 2020 presidential election, suburban voters, particularly women, recoiled from Mr Trump's brand of brash politics. The jury's ruling in this case can only push those kinds of voters farther away from him.
The former president was defiant on his social media platform, calling the verdict a disgrace and insisting he had no idea who "this woman" was. Outside court, his lawyer told reporters Mr Trump would appeal.
Up until now, the former president has run a fairly disciplined campaign to regain the White House in 2024. His team has methodically built up grass-roots support in key primary states across the country. His focused attacks on his rival Ron DeSantis appear to be drawing blood. He has managed to turn his New York indictment into a badge of honour among his base.
The sexual abuse and defamation ruling could give his Republican opponents an avenue for attack, however. If they can rattle him the way Ms Carroll's lawyer did, forcing him off message and into a defensive crouch, it could knock a candidate seemingly in control of his party into committing more unforced errors.
At the very least, it is another historic first for a former president who already faces one criminal indictment and has possibly others to come.
Up until now, Mr Trump has shrugged off such legal concerns. But the New York jury's decision lands a blow against Mr Trump in a way that mere "investigations" do not. A jury of everyday Americans have considered the evidence and found that Mr Trump did wrong.
None of it bodes well for those other legal headaches, including special counsel Jack Smith's inquiry into the former president's involvement in the attack on the US Capitol and his handling of classified documents after he left the White House, as well as Georgia's investigations of Mr Trump's attempt to reverse that state's 2020 presidential election results.
While it's unlikely in the extreme that Mr Trump would ever take the stand if those investigations turn into indictments - or will testify in the current New York indictment - prosecutors may look for ways to use the former president's statements or previous testimony against him as effectively as Ms Carroll's lawyer did.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-65526870
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Imran Khan: Deadly violence in Pakistan as ex-PM charged with corruption - BBC News
| 2023-05-10T00:00:00
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At least 1,400 people have been arrested and eight have died in violence since the former PM was held.
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Asia
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Mr Khan's arrest on corruption charges has sparked protests across Pakistan
Unrest has continued to grip Pakistan after former prime minister Imran Khan pleaded not guilty to corruption following his arrest on Tuesday.
At least eight people have died nationwide in the protests and 1,400 have been arrested, police say.
The army has been called in to quell violence and has warned protesters against more attacks on state property.
Mr Khan's arrest has dramatically escalated tensions between him and the military at a time of economic crisis.
Conviction would disqualify the former international cricket star - and Pakistan's prime minister from 2018 to 2022 - from standing for office, possibly for life. Elections are due later this year.
Pakistan's army has heavily influenced the nuclear-armed country for most of its existence and is a crucial behind-the-scenes player.
Many analysts believe Mr Khan's election win in 2018 happened with the help of the military. But since he was ousted from premiership, Mr Khan has become one of the military's most vocal critics.
On Wednesday, Mr Khan was indicted on charges that he unlawfully sold state gifts during his premiership, in a case brought by Pakistan's Election Commission. Mr Khan denied any wrongdoing.
A day earlier, dramatic footage showed dozens of security officers forcibly removing the 70-year-old from court - where he was attending to separate graft proceedings - then bundling him into a police vehicle.
Mr Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party called his arrest in the capital Islamabad an "abduction" and said it would challenge its legality in court.
The judge has ordered that Mr Khan be remanded in custody for eight days, after which he can seek bail.
This is just one of over 100 corruption cases registered against Mr Khan since he left office. For months he had avoided arrest, with his supporters at times fighting pitched battles with police to keep him out of custody.
One of his Mr Khan's lawyers, Sher Afzal Marwat, said his client was in good spirits.
Amid violent protests nationwide, Mr Khan's supporters ransacked the corps commander's residence in Lahore, smashing chandeliers and making away with peacocks, strawberries and golf clubs - among other things - which they said were bought with "citizen's money". Scores of vehicles and public installations were set alight.
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On Wednesday, the BBC witnessed clashes between protesters and the police in the middle of one of Islamabad's main motorways. More than 145 policemen have been wounded in these confrontations, the police said.
"We came to do a peaceful protest, but these police are shelling us," one man, who was holding stones and a stick and wearing a surgical mask, told the BBC.
"Until our death we will continue this protest or until they free Imran. Otherwise we will shut the whole country."
Mr Khan's supporters overseas have also organised protests in the two days since his arrest.
In a televised address to the nation, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif warned that violent protests would not be tolerated.
"The perpetrators who take the law into their own hands will be dealt with an iron hand," he said.
PTI supporters had torched vehicles and hurled petrol bombs at Mr Sharif's residence in Lahore in the early hours of Wednesday, local media reported.
Imran Khan at his residence in Lahore in March
Pakistan's army described Tuesday as a "dark day" and warned protesters of "severe retaliation" against further attacks on military and state properties.
Among the protesters arrested were two senior PTI leaders, including its secretary-general Asad Umar.
Mr Khan was ousted in a parliamentary no-confidence vote last April, less than four years into his term as prime minister.
In November 2022, he was shot in the leg while leading a protest march in the eastern city of Wazirabad demanding early elections.
Mr Khan had accused a senior intelligence officials of carrying out the attack - which the military has strongly denied.
Additional reporting by Farhat Javed, Usman Zahid and Malik Mudassir in Islamabad and Kelly Ng in Singapore
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-65541215
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John Lewis will always be owned by staff, says boss - BBC News
| 2023-05-10T00:00:00
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Dame Sharon White says the firm will keep its employee-owned structure ahead of a vote of confidence.
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Business
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The boss of John Lewis has said the company will always be owned by its staff, "no ifs, no buts" as employees backed her in a vote of confidence.
Dame Sharon White ruled out selling a stake in the business, but said the board could consider external investment in future if it was needed.
She previously was understood to be considering a change to its employee-owned structure after over 70-years.
But the move sparked anger from staff, who currently fully own the retailer.
As well as each owning a stake in the business, John Lewis and Waitrose staff - referred to by the company as partners - have a say in the way it is run and receive a share in its profits.
On Wednesday, the partners cast their votes in their usual biannual vote on the company's performance and leadership.
The votes are symbolic rather than binding.
Dame Sharon has been seeking radical ways to boost growth after making a huge loss last year and as it struggles to compete with High Street rivals.
However, she told staff she wanted to be "absolutely categorical, John Lewis would always be employee-owned".
"Our model is the very reason I joined the partnership because I believe profoundly in an approach of kinder capitalism in the 21st century," she added.
"It's what makes us special."
Dame Sharon did admit that "if at any point the partnership couldn't fund their plans through their own means, the board could consider external investment", but stressed that it would have to be in line with the partnership's original trust settlement.
She said it would also need the backing of the council who represent staff.
Wednesday's confidence vote was held during the all-day meeting, at the Odney Club, a John Lewis-owned retreat near Maidenhead, Berkshire.
Chris Earnshaw, president of the Partnership Council, said the group made up of staff members voted in support of Dame Sharon's leadership.
However, he said the council did not support last year's performance, following the full-year losses and no staff bonus.
The ballot has come at an awkward time for Dame Sharon, who has chaired John Lewis since 2020 and is trying to turn around its fortunes.
The chain has been struggling to compete with High Street rivals such as Amazon and Primark, while its supermarket chain, Waitrose, has underperformed Tesco and Aldi during the cost of living crisis.
The partnership posted its first annual loss, of £517m, in 2020 and has since announced a series of store closures. It also plans to cut £900m of costs by January 2026 and job losses are likely.
The retailer sparked anger in March, when it told its about 74,000 partners they would have to go without a bonus for the second time in three years.
Some 85% of fewer than 1,000 staff surveyed at the time said they were not confident in the company's ability to deliver its strategy.
In March, brand expert Mary Portas wrote an open letter to the partnership, saying one of the most "valued, loved, and trusted retail brands" in the UK had "let go" of its soul.
Ahead of the vote, GlobalData retail managing director Neil Saunders, a former partner at John Lewis, said there was a sense John Lewis had been a "bit on the back foot" and slow to react to changes in the retail markets compared with its rivals, such as Marks and Spencer.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-65520696
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Longer lorries to be allowed on Britain's roads - BBC News
| 2023-05-10T00:00:00
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More goods can be carried in fewer trips, says government, but campaigners have safety concerns.
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Business
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The government has approved the use of longer lorries on British roads, saying it will make businesses more efficient and cut emissions.
The industry welcome the move, saying it would mean more goods could be transported by fewer vehicles.
One campaign group warned the larger tail swing, meaning their rear end covers a bigger area when turning could put pedestrians and cyclists at risk.
Ministers said the lorries, which have been trialled since 2011, are safe.
There are already around 3,000 such lorries in use. They are 18.55m long - which is about 2.05m longer than the standard size.
However, from 31 May any business in England, Scotland and Wales will be permitted to use them.
The Department for Transport (DfT) said the vehicles would help businesses be more productive. For example, bakery chain Greggs - which has used the vehicles since 2013 - says it can carry 15% more goods than usual in a longer trailer.
The move is set to result in £1.4bn of economic benefits and take one standard-size trailer off the road for every 12 trips, the government said.
It estimates the vehicles will save 70,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere over 11 years.
The DfT also said the vehicles had been involved in "around 61% fewer personal injury collisions than conventional lorries".
However, the Campaign for Better Transport said the change was was a "deeply retrograde step" which will "do nothing to tackle carbon emissions or air pollution".
Spokesman Norman Baker added that the bigger "tail swing" of the lorries presented a "danger to other road users and pedestrians".
He added: "Rather than longer lorries, the government should be working to ensure more freight is moved by rail - an efficient, safe and clean alternative with just one freight train capable of removing up to 129 lorries from our roads."
A government-commissioned report published in July 2021 revealed that 58 people were injured in incidents involving longer lorries between 2012 and 2020.
Under the new rules, operators will be legally required to carry out risk assessments and ensure they take appropriate routes.
The longer lorries will still have the same 44-tonne weight limit as those using standard trailers.
However, a spokesman for the Road Haulage Association urged the government to go further by increasing the permitted weight to 48 tonnes.
"This will be increasingly important when we roll out zero-emission trucks to compensate for the increased weight from batteries," he said.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-65533993
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Nina Cresswell: Case of woman sued over sex attack claim reopened - BBC News
| 2023-05-10T00:00:00
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Nina Cresswell said tattoo artist William Hay attacked her after they met in a nightclub in 2010.
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Tyne & Wear
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Nina Cresswell said she hopes police will "learn lessons" from reinvestigating her case
Police will reinvestigate after a woman sued by the man she claimed sexually assaulted her won her case.
Nina Cresswell, 33, claimed tattoo artist William Hay attacked her in Sunderland in 2010.
Mr Hay, from Glasgow, launched a libel case claiming she was lying.
However, a High Court judge ruled that on the balance of probabilities Ms Cresswell was attacked. Northumbria Police has now said it will reinvestigate the case.
Ms Cresswell welcomed the move after she said she had endured years of being accused of being a liar.
Nina Cresswell dancing with friends on a night out, hours before she said she was attacked by William Hay
She said it was a "positive move" and she hoped the Northumbria force would examine how they originally investigated the case and see if any "lessons could be learned".
"I'm nervous about the case being reinvestigated, but I will fully co-operate," Ms Cresswell added.
The libel case was heard by Mrs Justice Williams at the Royal Courts of Justice in February.
Ms Cresswell, then a 20-year-old second-year student at Sunderland University, reported the attack to Northumbria Police shortly after it happened in the early hours of 28 May 2010 after she had met Mr Hay, known as Billy, in a nightclub.
She said detectives told her it would be difficult to prove as she had been drunk and gave conflicting descriptions of the colour of her attacker's beard.
The police log also referenced other alleged inconsistencies in her account.
No police action was taken but in 2020, inspired by the #MeToo movement, Ms Cresswell shared her experience online.
The 33-year-old said had been in "survival mode" since the libel action against her began
Mrs Justice Williams heard she had published a blog, two Facebook posts, an Instagram post and sent a Facebook message and an email to Mr Hay's girlfriend and business partner.
Mr Hay had recalled the two "almost kissed" as they left the nightclub, but denied sexual assault.
He argued the publication of allegations had caused him "great embarrassment, distress and damage to his reputation" and was seeking damages.
However, the judge found Ms Cresswell's allegation she had been violently sexually assaulted was "substantially true".
She dismissed Mr Hay's denials that the attack took place and ordered him to pay Ms Cresswell's legal costs.
The Good Law Project, which supported Ms Cresswell, helped raise more than £50,000 for her to fight the case in court.
The judge also found Ms Cresswell held a "reasonable belief" that it was in the public interest to publish the allegation because of the "deficient and superficial" approach of the police and her need to safeguard other women from assault by Mr Hay.
It was the first time a public interest defence under the Defamation Act of 2013 had succeeded when an abuser had sued a victim for libel.
Ms Cresswell, who went on to achieve a first in a BA Honours degree in magazine journalism, said that since Mr Hay had started legal proceedings against her in July 2020, she had been in "survival mode".
Ms Cresswell said she would co-operate fully with the police reinvestigation of her case
She said she had been running her own copywriting business, but found herself struggling while devoting thousands of hours getting ready for her legal fight.
"Fighting the case was never about money - I just didn't want to be gagged," she said.
"I was sick of being dismissed as a liar and told that the case wasn't worthy of being investigated because I was drunk."
After she won her case last month, Ms Cresswell said she had "no faith" in the police.
A spokesperson for Northumbria Police said: "We can confirm we are reopening the investigation into the report of a sexual assault from 2010.
"It would therefore be inappropriate to comment any further at this stage."
Mr Hay has been contacted for a response from the BBC.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-65472220
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BBC mix-up sees wrong Eurovision interview - BBC News
| 2023-05-10T00:00:00
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Watch a man in a lime green outfit get mistaken for Finland's Eurovision entry.
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A man in a lime green silky top was mistaken for Finland's Eurovision singer by a BBC reporter at the semi-final event on Monday.
A reporter referred to the "main man himself", meaning Finnish entrant Kaarija, as she spoke to visitors in Liverpool... but all was not quite as it seemed.
A BBC North West Tonight spokesperson said: “This was a case of Eurovision fever. We hope the real Kaarija will join us on North West Tonight so we can say sorry and wish him well for the Grand Final.”
To find out more about everything from the iconic songs to how the voting works - take a look at our guide to Eurovision on the BBC News website.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-65545646
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BBC editor (and Eurovision superfan) plays 10 nostalgic hits - BBC News
| 2023-05-10T00:00:00
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Russia Editor Steve Rosenberg takes a brief break from the day job to indulge his musical passion.
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The BBC's Russia Editor Steve Rosenberg is best-known for keeping us up to date with events in Moscow, but he is also a huge Eurovision fan.
He knows how to play upwards of 300 hits on the piano... from memory.
At an event in Liverpool he put his skills on show before a live audience.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-65552525
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Brexit: Ministers to ditch deadline to scrap retained EU laws - BBC News
| 2023-05-10T00:00:00
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The end-of-year timetable had sparked concern that important legislation could fall away by accident.
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UK Politics
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The government has ditched its plan for thousands of EU-era laws to expire automatically at the end of the year.
The plan - dubbed a post-Brexit bonfire - would see laws that were copied over to the UK after Brexit vanish, unless specifically kept or replaced.
Critics of the bill had voiced concern that it could lead to important legislation falling away by accident.
But the climbdown is likely to trigger anger from Brexit-backing Conservative MPs and members of the House of Lords.
Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch said the cut-off point would be replaced with a list of 600 laws the government wants to replace by the end of the year.
In a statement, she said the change would be made through an amendment when the Retained EU Law Bill returns to Parliament next week.
Tory Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg, who introduced the bill when he was in government, called the move an "admission of administrative failure".
It showed an "inability of Whitehall to do the necessary work and an incapability of ministers to push this through their own departments," he added.
He said the move to ditch the deadline represented the triumph of "the blob" - a term used by some Tory MPs to describe the Whitehall establishment.
The UK incorporated thousands of EU laws into UK law to minimise disruption to businesses when the UK officially left the EU in 2020 - with an ongoing audit by civil servants having identified 4,800 so far.
Since September 2021, it has been reviewing this body of legislation to identify opportunities to give British firms an edge over European competitors.
The Retained EU Law Bill, which began its journey through Parliament during Liz Truss's premiership, would have introduced a 31 December cut-off date for most of these laws to expire, unless ministers replaced or decided to retain them.
However opposition parties, trade unions and campaign groups cast doubt on whether the deadline was realistic, given the huge workload in reviewing the legislation.
In a statement on Wednesday, Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch acknowledged the deadline had created "legal uncertainty" for businesses.
She said the government had already got rid of, changed or replaced around 1,000 EU-era laws - and was still committed to "lightening the regulatory burden on businesses".
But she added that the "growing volume" of EU laws identified during the ongoing audit had started to get in the way of "meaningful reform".
Writing in the Telegraph, she added: "Getting rid of EU law in the UK should be about more than a race to a deadline".
However, Labour called the move a "humiliating u-turn," accusing ministers of trying to "rescue this sinking ship of a bill".
"After wasting months of parliamentary time, the Tories have conceded that this universally unpopular bill will damage the economy," said Jenny Chapman, Labour's shadow Cabinet Office minister.
Liberal Democrat peer Lord Fox said the Conservatives had "dug themselves into a hole" with the bill, adding: "While they may have stopped digging, they're still in the hole".
Asked about Ms Badenoch's article, David Penman, chair of the civil servants' union the FDA, said he read it as a criticism of an "artificial deadline" championed by the former business secretary, Mr Rees-Mogg.
"If you set an artificial deadline, what is a government department going to do? It's going to focus on the things that need to be retained in government," Mr Penman told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Thursday. He said this would "inevitably" take precedence over focusing on what needs to change.
Government is about "doing things, it's about protecting people, it's about making sure business can work," he added.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: Ros Atkins on... Brexit and the clash over EU laws
The bill was passed by MPs in January, but was expected to run into significant opposition when it faces further scrutiny in the House of Lords.
Peers were meant to start debating the bill last month, but the government was reported to have put it on hold until last week's local elections in England were over.
The government is still expected to face opposition from peers over new powers for ministers to amend or replace EU laws using secondary legislation, a fast-track process that attracts less scrutiny in Parliament.
Opposition MPs, and some Conservatives, say this would rob Parliament of a meaningful say over what is changed.
Around 500 EU laws covering financial services had been exempted from the deadline, as they are due to be repealed by a separate bill making its way through the Commons. The same is expected for EU legislation affecting VAT and customs.
However, the footprint of EU-era legislation is particularly large when it comes to environmental regulation.
Campaign groups have warned about a loss of rights and legal protections in areas including water quality, air pollution standards and protections for wildlife.
The move to get rid of the deadline may be a pragmatic move, but is likely to disappoint MPs on the right of the Conservative Party and leave Prime Minister Rishi Sunak open to the charge he's not delivering the benefits of Brexit he promised.
Mr Sunak had promised during his unsuccessful leadership campaign last summer to publish a list of which EU laws would be retained or scrapped within 100 days of taking office.
However, he did not keep the pledge after taking office in October after he was chosen to replace Liz Truss as prime minister by Conservative MPs.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65546319
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'Shocking' lack of evidence on antidepressants for chronic pain - BBC News
| 2023-05-10T00:00:00
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Hundreds of thousands are prescribed medication without enough scientific proof it helps, UK experts say.
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Health
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People with chronic pain are being given antidepressants with very little scientific proof the medication helps, a major review has found.
In studies, with nearly 30,000 patients, there was "moderate" evidence for only one drug, duloxetine, and just for short-term pain relief.
And there was a "shocking" lack of long-term data, even though the pills are usually prescribed for many months.
But patients are advised to stay on medication if it works for them.
They must not suddenly stop taking tablets without talking it over with a doctor, experts say.
Chronic pain, lasting for more than three months, is extremely common - a BBC News survey suggests one out of every four of people in the UK is living with it.
There can be no obvious cause - or it might be linked to other health conditions, such as arthritis.
Experts say brain systems for mood and pain overlap considerably, which is why it has been suggested antidepressants may help. Hundreds of thousands of patients with chronic pain in the UK are thought to be on them.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. At the age of 13, Luke woke up in horrific pain - and a decade on, his condition remains undiagnosed
The Cochrane review, led by scientists from several UK universities, including Southampton and Newcastle, examined 176 trials. But most looked at patients' experience over a couple of months only.
Among the drugs studied - which included Prozac and a cheap antidepressant called amitriptyline - only one, called duloxetine, showed any evidence for pain relief.
None of the trials gathered long-term safety and effectiveness data, which the researchers say is shocking and needs remedying to guide patients and doctors.
Prof Tamar Pincus said: "It's really shocking that we don't have any evidence for long-term use of even duloxetine.
"This is a global public-health concern. Chronic pain is a problem for millions who are prescribed antidepressants without sufficient scientific proof they help, nor an understanding of the long-term impact on health.
"But it does not mean that people should stop taking prescribed medication without consulting their GP."
Clinical lead for National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) chronic-pain guidelines Dr Cathy Stannard said: "This well conducted review adds to the substantial evidence we now have that shows that the use of medicines to treat long-term pain is disappointing."
But it could be difficult to translate results from clinical trials to real life.
"It's equally important to emphasise the many social and psychological influences on the pain experience," Dr Stannard said.
"Existing services, usually outside healthcare, including support with mobility, debt management, trauma, and social isolation, can be helpful for people living with pain - and identifying what matters most to people and signposting to appropriate local support is a promising way forward."
When coming off antidepressants, the medication should be slowly reduced over weeks to prevent withdrawal symptoms, says the NHS.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-65532464
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Prince Harry: Mirror publisher apologises in phone hacking trial - BBC News
| 2023-05-10T00:00:00
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The publisher apologises to the prince for unlawful information gathering as the trial begins.
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UK
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Prince Harry attended the High Court in March for a separate hearing against a newspaper publisher
The publisher of the Mirror has apologised to Prince Harry for unlawful information gathering, at the start of a trial over alleged phone hacking.
Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) said it would never be repeated.
Lawyers representing Harry told the court he was subjected to the "most intrusive methods of obtaining personal information".
Harry is one of several high profile figures bringing claims against MGN.
Lawyers argue that executives at the company knew about widespread phone hacking but failed to act.
In a written submission, MGN - which also publishes the Sunday Mirror and Sunday People - said it "unreservedly apologises" for one instance of unlawful information gathering against Harry and said that the legal challenge brought by the prince "warrants compensation".
A private investigator was instructed by an MGN journalist at The People to unlawfully gather information about Harry's activities at the Chinawhite nightclub on one night in February 2004, Andrew Green KC said.
However, the subsequent article in The People is not one of the claims being brought by the prince, the barrister added.
MGN also denies allegations of voicemail interception in the cases being examined, including Harry's.
The publisher also claims some of the cases have been brought beyond a legal time limit.
A previous hearing was told Harry's case focuses on 148 articles published between 1996 and 2010.
Barrister David Sherborne, representing the duke, told the court: "We all remember the images of him walking behind his mother's coffin.
"From that moment on, as a schoolboy and from his career in the army and as a young adult he was subjected, it was clear, to the most intrusive methods of obtaining his personal information."
Prince Harry's former girlfriend, Chelsy Davy, decided that "a royal life was not for her" as a result of alleged unlawful information gathering by MGN journalists, the barrister added.
Ms Davy and the Duke of Sussex were in an on-off relationship between 2004 and 2010.
Referencing Harry's witness statement in the case, Mr Sherborne said her decision was "incredibly upsetting" for the duke at the time.
"It also caused great challenges in his relationship with his ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy, and made him fear for his and her safety," Mr Sherborne said.
He added: "Every time he was in a relationship, or even a rumoured relationship, that whole person's family, and often their friends, would be 'dragged into the chaos' and find themselves the subject of unlawful activity on the part of MGN.
"There was nowhere that was 'off limits' for MGN's newspapers, whose journalists would even manage to book into a hotel in Bazaruto, a small island off the coast of Mozambique, when the Duke of Sussex and Ms Davy tried to escape there and enjoy some peace and quiet.
"They were never on their own, which 'placed a huge amount of unnecessary stress and strain' on their relationship."
Prince Harry is also expected to allege that he experienced what was, in hindsight, voicemail interception in relation to 30 people with whom he had a close relationship.
He is expected to give evidence in June - the first time a senior royal will be a witness in court in modern times.
The estate of the late singer George Michael and actor Ricky Tomlinson have also brought claims against MGN, with "test cases" - including Harry's - selected to go to trial from the wider group of claimants.
The other "representative" cases set for trial are that of former Coronation Street actress Nikki Sanderson, comedian Paul Whitehouse's ex-wife Fiona Wightman and actor Michael Turner - who played Kevin Webster in Coronation Street and goes by his stage name Michael Le Vell. All are expected to give evidence during the six to seven week trial.
The court heard that Ms Sanderson felt like she was "public property" and experienced abuse in the street following "false insinuations" in articles published by MGN.
"[She had] people shouting at her in the street calling her a 'whore', 'slag' or 'slut' and even being physically assaulted on numerous occasions," Mr Sherbourne, who is also representing Ms Sanderson, said.
The hearing is focusing on what senior executives at the MGN knew about widespread phone hacking - including former editor of the Daily Mirror Piers Morgan.
Mr Sherborne told the court that unlawful information gathering was both habitual and widespread at three papers from as early as 1991 to 2011.
He described "a flood of illegality", adding that "this flood was being authorised and approved of" by senior executives.
The barrister also accused executives of misleading the Leveson inquiry - the inquiry into the practices, culture and ethics of the press.
He added that unlawful information gathering methods were used so frequently they were "the stock in trade of journalists… an obvious go-to for any story… an invaluable part of the armoury".
"With even the editors engaged and authorising these activities, it is no wonder journalists kept using these methods on an industrial scale," he said.
In written arguments, Mr Sherborne said it was "inconceivable" that Mr Morgan and other editors did not know about MGN journalists instructing private investigators to obtain information.
"The systemic and widespread use of PIs [private investigators] by MGN journalists to unlawfully obtain private information was authorised at senior levels," Mr Sherborne said.
Mr Morgan has denied any knowledge of phone hacking or illegal activity at the Daily Mirror when he was editor.
MGN has previously settled a number of claims against it in relation to stories obtained through unlawful means.
It was also involved in a 2015 trial, the only to take place during the long-running litigation, which saw claims brought by ex-footballer Paul Gascoigne, actress Sadie Frost, and Coronation Street actress Shobna Gulati.
Last month, lawyers for the group said that all the witnesses on their side would give evidence in person, paving the way for Prince Harry to take the stand.
Harry has become an outspoken critic of the tabloid press and has already appeared in court once this year to listen to legal arguments in another case he is involved in.
He is party to actions linked to alleged phone hacking against two other companies - the publisher of the Daily Mail, and the publisher of the Sun, both of which deny wrongdoing.
He is bringing a separate libel claim against the Mail's publisher, Associated Newspapers Limited, over an article about his security arrangements with the Home Office.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65541046
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Eurovision Piano Party: Watch Steve Rosenberg play the classics - BBC News
| 2023-05-10T00:00:00
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The BBC's Steve Rosenberg will be playing your favourite Eurovision songs live on the piano from 15:00 BST right here.
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Entertainment & Arts
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The BBC’s Russia editor Steve Rosenberg is in Liverpool for Eurovision, playing a piano party of the contest’s classics, live from Jimmy’s Bar.
And he’s taking requests – you can submit your favourite via email at PianoParty@bbc.co.uk
Watch live by clicking the play button at the top of this page.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/entertainment-arts-65431828
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US border crisis: El Paso readies for rise in crossings as end of Title 42 looms - BBC News
| 2023-05-10T00:00:00
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Cities on both sides are predicting a rise in attempted crossings when a pandemic-era policy expires.
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US & Canada
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This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: What is the Title 42 border policy?
A record number of migrants were recently apprehended at the US-Mexico border in a single day, fuelling fears over what will happen in a few hours when a controversial immigration policy expires.
The rule, known as Title 42, was first implemented in 2020 and made it easier for the US to expel migrants back to Mexico using the coronavirus pandemic as justification.
But its looming expiration at 23:59 ET on Thursday (03:59 GMT on Friday) has triggered a rush to reach the border, and cities on both sides are readying for a rise in attempted crossings once it lapses.
President Joe Biden acknowledged earlier this week that the border would be "chaotic for a while" despite the best efforts of the authorities.
The potential impact is already clear in the Texas city of El Paso, which is seeing an increase in arrivals ahead of the rule change.
Migrants - many of them confused about the impending change - are sleeping rough in makeshift campsites on the city's streets. Several thousand were camped out earlier this week around a church in the city centre.
"We've never seen this before," Mayor Oscar Leeser said at a border security expo just streets away from the campsite on Wednesday. "Something has to change. As a community, we can't do this forever."
He warned that across from El Paso alone, an estimated 10,000 migrants were "lined up at the border, waiting to come in".
Joe Sanchez, the regional director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, compared the situation to a stampede at a football game - only many times larger.
"Imagine 60,000 people in one location, and all of a sudden an alert comes on and says there's a bomb in the building. What happens after that? Chaos… It's very hard to control and very hard to manage," he told the BBC.
"That's exactly what it's like on the border."
For those migrants - and those already in the US - the future is uncertain.
In a bid to stop the flow, the Biden administration introduced strict new rules for asylum seekers on Wednesday, which included barring those who cross illegally from applying from asylum for five years.
US officials have also announced new changes aimed at encouraging migrants to seek legal pathways to the country, as well as strict penalties and swift deportation for those who do not.
Migrants are camped out at a church in El Paso ahead of Title 42 ending
Moreover, about 24,000 law enforcement officers have been stationed along the length of the 2,000 mile (3,218km) border, along with thousands of National Guard troops and active-duty military personnel sent to help Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
The new measures come at a challenging time for the CBP. In the El Paso sector alone, officers have seen a sharp rise in attempted crossings over the past six months and are carrying out hundreds of detentions every day.
Authorities in the city have been left to contend both with unprocessed migrants who crossed illegally, and those who have been released from detention to await a court date with an immigration judge. Some migrants in El Paso told the BBC they would have to wait years before they appear in court.
And just days before Title 42 expires, officials here have launched an enforcement operation asking migrants to head to the nearest processing facility.
Those who were found to have legitimate asylum claims were given dates to appear before an immigration judge, while others were detained for eventual removal. One woman told the BBC that her court date was in 2025 in Miami, Florida.
Migrants in the area also said that some had run, fearful of deportation, while others had reluctantly presented themselves to CBP officers in the hopes that they would be allowed to stay.
"It was crazy. They came to tell us early in the morning, when it was still dark," said Luis Angel, a 29-year-old Cuban who was paroled into El Paso awaiting his court date. "Some of my friends are still detained."
Speaking on Wednesday, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said that much of the problem stemmed from smugglers who had "been hard at work spreading false information that the border will be open" after 11 May.
"It will not be. They are lying," he added. "We urge migrants once again not to believe the smugglers who are lying to them solely to make a profit. We are building lawful pathways for you to come to the United States."
Among the steps being taken are the opening of regional processing centres aimed at helping migrants apply to come to the US, as well as expanded access to CBP One, an app which migrants can use to schedule asylum appointments.
Migrants run from Border Patrol after crossing into El Paso, Texas
CBP also plans to ramp up efforts to counter misinformation to combat rumours about border policies.
Still, many migrants in El Paso said that they found the rules confusing and had heard conflicting information about what might happen before or after the policy ends.
"The rules definitely influenced me. I heard that with Title 42 they'd return me to Mexico to try again until I get in," said Daniel, a Venezuelan.
"But now they'll return everyone to their country," he said. "If I go back to Venezuela, who knows, they might torture or imprison me. That's how it is there."
With additional reporting from Angelica Casas and Morgan Gisholt Minard
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-65552877
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Flash flooding: Major incident declared after heavy rain in south - BBC News
| 2023-05-10T00:00:00
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Other parts of England have also seen torrential rain, causing damage to homes and businesses.
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Somerset
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Camelicious Cafe in Queen Camel, Somerset, posted images on social media of its dining area covered in muddy water
Flash flooding in parts of southern England has led to a major incident being declared in Somerset.
Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service (DSFRS) deployed resources in the Galhampton, North Cadbury and South Cadbury areas following heavy rain on Tuesday.
Some homes had to be evacuated due to mudslides and further flooding is possible, the Environment Agency said.
People are being urged not to attempt to drive through flood water.
Some areas saw more than two weeks' worth of rainfall in the space of just a few hours.
Yeovilton in Somerset recorded 35.8mm of rain on Tuesday, compared to the county's usual monthly average for May of 62.5mm.
Somerset Council has set up a rest centre in Marston Magna for people displaced from their homes.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The downpour of rain on Tuesday closed roads and led to 18 homes being evacuated
It was a similar picture in other parts of England, with "torrential" rain in Devon causing treacherous driving conditions and damage to homes and businesses.
Hertfordshire, Northamptonshire and Essex also saw heavy rain, resulting in blocked roads and delays to rail services.
A spokesman for the Environment Agency said its teams were on the ground checking flood gates and clearing trash screens covering drains and waterways.
"Showers have been forecast for the next two days but as a precaution we urge residents to sign up for flood warnings and continue to monitor the weather reports," the spokesman said.
"There has also been widespread disruption to roads and travel across the area so please check the road situation before setting off on a journey," they added.
But while showers are expected and flood warnings remain in place, all weather warnings for heavy rain have been lifted.
Cars and properties in Queen Camel were flooded
Many factors contribute to flooding, but a warming atmosphere caused by climate change makes extreme rainfall more likely.
The Earth has already warmed by about 1.1C since the industrial era began - and temperatures are set to keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions.
The village hall in North Cadbury was opened to residents affected on Tuesday night, and about 18 households are thought to have been forced to evacuate.
Rosemary, who has lived in Queen Camel for 75 years, said she had just 20 minutes between receiving a flood warning and the water tearing through her house.
She spent the night sheltering upstairs, as the flood water reached halfway up her walls and was powerful enough to rip up the tarmac outside her home.
It took out all of her mains sockets, while one of her neighbours lost between 100 and 200 chickens.
Rosemary's home in Queen Camel flooded within 20 minutes of receiving a warning
She fled her house at 19:30 BST with nothing but "some night stuff", with the water at thigh height.
"I had no time to do anything, as I switched off the plugs the water was already in," she said.
The current was too strong to even close her front door.
Bernie Peachey waded through thigh-high water to evacuate her property
Camelicious, a cafe in Queen Camel, was among the businesses which were flooded.
The cafe, which opened in January, is run by special educational needs charity Able2Achieve.
Area manager Caroline Parker told BBC West: "It's devastation, there's furniture and all the belongings everywhere - the walls are totally soaked, furniture's turned up, stock's been lost.
"Every business is quite sensitive at the moment, what with the rising costs. Being a charity as well, I'm sure it will devastate us."
Ms Parker said the community has been "fantastic" and asked people to give staff moral support during the clean-up effort.
Staff at Camelicious cafe in Queen Camel were met with scenes of "devastation" on Wednesday morning
Councillor Sarah Dyke, lead member for Environment and Climate Change at Somerset Council, called the flooding "an extraordinary weather event".
"This has really caused some serious damage, not only to properties but to people's lives."
She thanked the emergency services who "got out and provided a speedy response, knocking on hundreds of doors throughout the night".
She said the council was still assessing the situation and "working hard to identify those people who are affected".
The authority has set up a flood hotline for anyone in need of advice or support.
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"People are dealing with this in the most incredible way, communities are really coming together," added Ms Dyke.
The council now plans to work with all villages and towns across Somerset to make sure they have a flood resilience emergency plan.
"These are extreme weather conditions and they're going to become more common due to climate change so we have got to make our communities more resilient," said Ms Dyke.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
Somerset Council said the majority of roads had re-opened but the A359 at Queen Camel remains closed as water levels are too high for safe assessment.
DSFRS said: "Please avoid driving through floodwater. If you come into contact with floodwater, please take necessary steps to decontaminate yourself and clothing appropriately."
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Shops flooded in Harpenden as torrent of water surges down street
It told people who found themselves in trouble due to floodwater to call 999.
Somerset councillor for Milverton, Gwil Wren, said blocked drainage caused houses and roads to flood in the thunderstorm.
He said the water had reached 18 inches deep at the height of the flooding.
"We tried to keep the drains clear but I'm afraid around 15 houses have been fairly seriously flooded. Garden walls have been knocked over."
How have you been affected by the flooding? Share your experiences and pictures by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-65542510
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Google reveals AI updates as it vies with Microsoft - BBC News
| 2023-05-10T00:00:00
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The internet search giant is rolling out generative artificial intelligence to its core engine.
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Technology
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Google has announced it is rolling out generative artificial intelligence (AI) to its core search engine.
The move comes after Microsoft incorporated GPT-4 into its Bing search engine earlier this year.
Search Generative Experience - which will be part of Google - will craft responses to open-ended queries, the company said.
However, the system will only be available to a limited number of users and is still in "experimental" phase.
"We are reimagining all of our core products, including search," said Sundar Pichai, the boss of Google's parent company Alphabet.
Additionally, the company announced a new feature on Google's Android system will proactively warn users about unknown AirTags, tiny devices developed to track personal items like keys and wallets.
The technology giant said the "unknown tracker alerts" would go live this summer.
The announcement came after Apple and Google said last week they were working together to address the problem.
Last year two women sued Apple over AirTag stalking.
Women who have been tracked using the devices told the BBC last year that not enough was being done to prevent misuse.
Google made the announcement at its annual developer conference, where leaders of the company touted their latest advancements in artificial intelligence and new hardware offerings, including a $1,799 (£1,425) phone that opens and closes like a book.
The company said it was removing the waitlist for "Bard", its experimental, conversational, chat service, which will be rolled out in English in 180 countries and territories.
It also said the chatbot would soon be able to respond to prompts with images as well as text.
Google has been under pressure to burnish its artificial intelligence offerings, after the runaway success of rival chatbot ChatGPT, which is funded by Microsoft.
A previous attempt to show off its credentials in the field, in February, ended in embarrassment, after it emerged that - in an advert intended to illustrate its capabilities - Bard had answered a question incorrectly.
The incident wiped $100bn (£82bn) off parent company Alphabet's share value - an indication of how keenly investors are watching how the tech giants' AI ventures play out.
Microsoft is deploying ChatGPT technology into its search engine Bing, after investing heavily in the company that developed it, OpenAI. Chinese tech giant Baidu also has a chatbot, called Ernie.
Chirag Dekate, analyst at Gartner, said Google remained an industry leader and was well poised to benefit in the interest in AI.
"Google has the tools to dominate the AI battles, the perennial question is - will they?" he said.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-65545864
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