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300 | The incident happened on EnQuests's Thistle platform, off Shetland, last December. Rigging supervisor Steve Innes, from Sunderland, told the BBC he and fellow Wood Group contractors discovered they had been exposed to alpha radiation. EnQuest said "additional precautionary steps" had since been taken. Wood Group said it was committed to employee safety. Mr Innes - who said he has struggled to find more work since raising concerns - said the workers now faced cancer fears, and blood tests were ongoing. He said EnQuest had failed in its duty of care. The men were working at Thistle, 125 miles (201 km) north east of Shetland, doing shutdown work with pipe equipment. Mr Innes claimed they were told there was a problem two thirds of the way through the trip. He claimed a health and safety manager told them a reading had been taken the night before and all the work was stopped. He said: "We had all been working on it without the proper PPE (personal protective equipment), because they had assumed it was clear. "At first we were all in shock. "We have been exposed to radioactive material for hours at a time." He said they had been told the levels of radiation may not cause them long-term harm, but he was continuing to undergo tests. Mr Innes said of EnQuest: "They have a duty of care. Their procedures have broken down. "You can't say 'you've been contaminated but we think you'll be OK'. "I would like somebody to take the case on who's not frightened of the companies." An EnQuest spokesperson said: "EnQuest can confirm that, in December 2016, during planned shutdown activities on its Thistle platform, six personnel employed by Wood Group under a contract with EnQuest were removing a piece of pipework when they were exposed to low levels of NORM (naturally occurring radioactive material). "The level of exposure was less than 1% of the level at which it is reportable to the Health and Safety Executive however EnQuest advised the HSE of the matter at the time. "EnQuest has appropriate control measures in place which are designed to prevent exposure to NORM. "Following an investigation, additional precautionary steps have been taken to further ensure that personnel avoid any such exposure." A Wood Group spokeswoman said: "The health and safety of our people is always our top priority. "As a precaution following the incident, we downmanned our employees from the platform in order to conduct medical assessments. "We fully supported EnQuest in a detailed joint investigation and continue to reinforce the application of our health and safety procedures, to ensure the safety of our employees. "Our commitment and priority following the incident and throughout the investigation has been to the health and wellbeing of our employees." John Boland, regional officer for the Unite union, said: "Unite believes that the way these workers has been treated is terrible. "It's vital for workers' safety that there is openness and transparency about serious safety incidents, so that we can learn lessons and create a safer working environment for everyone offshore." A spokesperson for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said: "HSE has been made aware of this incident. "However, it was not reportable under the present RIDDOR system (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations) and no staff raised the issue with HSE separately so no investigation has been carried out." |
301 | The Asian Civilisation Museum (ACM) bought the artwork for $650,000 (£420,000) from New York dealer Art of the Past in 2007. The company's manager later admitted selling stolen Indian antiquities, including the bronze being returned. The allegations first came to light during a 2012 court case against the firm for trafficking antiquities. The sculpture of Hindu goddess Uma Parameshvari is thought to have been stolen from a Shiva temple in Tamil Nadu in southern India. The decision to return the item came after discussions between Singapore's National Heritage Board and the Indian government body looking after its antiquities, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The ASI submitted an official request for the return of the sculpture in May, according to the museum. "While there is no conclusive proof that the sculpture was stolen from a Shiva temple in Tamil Nadu, India, ACM took note of the confession of Aaron Freedman, who was the manager of Art of the Past, of dealing in looted Indian antiquities and of criminal possession of 150 stolen objects," the museum said in a statement. It was one of 30 objects ACM bought from the art dealer, although none of the others are thought to be listed as stolen. The ASI was reportedly allowed to view them, anyway. The museum said it will take legal action to get compensation for the apparent fraud. |
302 | The magnitude-4.8 quake struck at a depth of 15.5km (9.6 miles) 35km north of the city of Lucca, officials said. The tremor was felt as far away as Milan and Florence, Italian media say. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage. Italy is prone to earthquakes. In 2009 almost 300 people died in a quake in L'Aquila in the central Abruzzo region. Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) said the quake struck at 15:48 (14:48 GMT), with its epicentre in Garfagnana. Several aftershocks of lower magnitude were felt across a large area. Phone lines were down and power supplies were cut in the Garfagnana area, Italian news agency Ansa reports. As a precaution, schools were said to have been evacuated in the immediate vicinity and were to be checked for any damage. In Milan, top floors of tall office blocks shook and the quake was also felt in the cities of Bologna and Modena. In Lucca, people poured out into the streets, Ansa said. Last May, two earthquakes in the same area left more than 20 people dead. The strongest tremor was magnitude-6 and caused significant damage. Alessandro Amato of the INGV said the latest tremor "came out of nowhere", and described it as a classic earthquake for the area - "medium-strong" and "fairly shallow". Italy is still trying to recover from the aftermath of the deadly earthquake in L'Aquila. Six scientists and an ex-official were convicted of multiple manslaughter in October 2012 for giving a falsely reassuring statement. The group, all members of the National Commission for the Forecast and Prevention of Serious Risks, were accused of having provided "inaccurate, incomplete and contradictory" information about the danger of the tremors felt ahead of the 6 April 2009 quake. At a meeting a few days before the deadly quake, they had told officials in L'Aquila that, while a major earthquake was not impossible, it was not likely. On the night of the quake, many people are said to have remained in their homes and died because of the advice, while others who had decided to remain outside in the street survived. |
303 | 8 September 2016 Last updated at 15:33 BST The fruit is still attached to the plant and is not yet ripe enough to eat. Austin Grant from Sheffield had been dubious about the suitability of South Yorkshire's climate, but has finally seen some results. "I was literally jumping for joy," the 62-year-old grandfather said. |
304 | Rockstar have announced the game's release has been delayed until 24 March. The latest version of the open world adventure was due to go on sale on 27 January. A statement from Rockstar said: "The game requires a few extra weeks of testing and polish to make it as good as can be." "Moving a release date is never a decision we take lightly and is a choice we make only when we know it is in the best interests of the game and our fans. "Thanks everyone for your understanding and we assure you these few extra weeks will be worth it when the game does arrive in March." It's not all bad news though. The company announced that eagerly-awaited online heists are coming to consoles before the PC release date. Screenshots from the PC version of GTA V have been released, with Rockstar promising "even greater levels of detail". Los Santos and Blaine County will be visible in 1080p at 60fps, with up to 4K resolution and support for up to triple monitor configurations. While you're waiting for the game to be released you can make sure your PC is up to scratch. Minimum specifications required to run GTA V have also been published. Grand Theft Auto V became the fastest-selling entertainment product ever when it was released on 17 September 2013, taking just three days to generate $1bn (£620m) in revenue. Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter, BBCNewsbeat on Instagram and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube |
305 | The 76-year-old, who received the £25,000 prize for Squint (19) at Liverpool's Walker Art Gallery, was one of the shortlisted artists in 1991. Simpson, who has also made the prize longlist on three other occasions, said finally winning was "very nice indeed". Judge Ansel Krut said Squint (19) was "quite extraordinary", even though it was a "difficult painting to look at". The work depicts a leper squint, which Simpson said were "holes made in the sides of medieval churches so the undesirables could look through to the service and somehow take part". He said it was one of a series of paintings he has been working on, some of which were "much bigger". The relatively small size of Squint (19) - which is about 7ft (2.1m) in height - was one of the reasons Simpson entered it into the competition, though he also admitted that it "seemed to be a good idea to send one that I was conversant with and was working with". He said the prize money would be spent on "stretches, canvas and - particularly - good quality paints". "I spend a lot of money on materials, so this money is going to go to a good cause." Krut said Simpson's piece was "a little bit like a tone poem - when you spend some time with it, it gradually starts to build a picture". "Technically, it's very subtle and his language is very minimal, very reduced, but when you enter into it, you get into this broad field of great sympathy, because of the subject matter. "We couldn't have asked for a better painting." Established in 1957, the biennial John Moores Painting Prize is one of Britain's oldest art awards. Previous winners include David Hockney and Peter Doig. Sir Peter Blake, who is now the prize's patron, won the junior title in 1961. |
306 | The daily Yeni Safak said its offices and those of Yeni Akit were attacked. No casualties were reported. It said four masked assailants attacked the Yeni Safak building. Firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze. Police have cordoned off the area around the building. The two papers support the governing AK Party of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The Yeni Akit offices are 20km (12 miles) away from the Yeni Safak building, and the night-time attacks happened almost at the same time, early on Thursday. Windows in both buildings were shattered by the gunfire, Istanbul police said. "Numerous spent bullet casings were also found at both scenes," the police added. They are now hunting the assailants. So far no group has claimed it was behind the attacks. Last September, pro-government protesters attacked the offices of the daily Hurriyet, accusing the paper of misquoting President Erdogan. |
307 | The 24-year-old was under contract with the Stags, but Marcus Bignot's side have reached an agreement to bring him in on a free transfer. He spent the first half of the season on loan at Crawley, scoring three goals in 23 appearances. The ex-Burton player will officially join on 1 January and becomes Bignot's first signing for the Mariners. |
308 | Wenger, whose club contract runs to the summer, has been linked with the job. Southgate succeeded Sam Allardyce in September and oversaw England's 2-0 win against Malta as well the disappointing 0-0 draw with Slovenia on Tuesday. Wenger said Southgate "has accumulated experiences and is a good observer of what's going on in the national team." Of his own links to the role, the 66-year-old Frenchman added: "I focus on my job, that's what it is about." Former England international Southgate, 46, has a World Cup qualifier against Scotland at Wembley on 11 November and a friendly against Spain four days later to persuade the Football Association to give him the job on a permanent basis. Wenger continued: "We're in a job where you get questioned, especially if you have less experience, and the only answer he can give is by showing the decisions he makes are right. "There's always a demand for big names but the most important thing is the person's competency. He has a good opportunity and I'm happy he has a chance to show he has the quality." Speaking before his side's game against Swansea on Saturday, Wenger added that 21-year-old defender Hector Bellerin would be offered a new contract by the club. The Arsenal right-back has been linked with a move, with both Barcelona and Manchester City said to be interested, but Wenger said he was "surprised" by the speculation surrounding the Spain international, who progressed through Barcelona's La Masia academy before joining Arsenal in 2011. "He has nearly three years to go and we always try get the players to the level where we think they deserve to be. So we try to extend, certainly, his contract," said Wenger. "For me, his long-term future is here." Wenger added that midfielder Aaron Ramsey, 25, will miss "one or two" more games, having injured a hamstring during Arsenal's opening-day Premier League defeat by Liverpool on 14 August. Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox. |
309 | Officers believe the local man, who was working at Fruehauf on Houghton Road, fell from a cherry picker at about 13:45 GMT on Thursday. Lincolnshire Police said it was carrying out a joint inquiry with the Health and Safety Executive. The company was cooperating fully with the investigation, the force added. |
310 | Transport Minister Humza Yousaf said a new charter arrangement would end the long-running row over seafarers' pay. The RMT union had claimed some workers on board two freight boats were paid less than £4 an hour. The charter change will see contracted out services return to operator Serco Northlink from next month. The freight vessels Hellier and Hildasay have been operated by Seatruck, which is contracted to run the service by Serco Northlink. Seatruck argued the national minimum wage was not applicable to the crew, many of whom are non-UK residents. Serco Northlink said it had repeatedly offered to bridge the pay gap and backdate it, but Seatruck declined to accept. Mr Yousaf said the new arrangements would come into force early next month subject to some financial and regulatory details being finalised. He said: "I'm very pleased to see an agreement in principle now in place to end this long running issue around the freight vessels serving the Northern Isles. "The new charter basis will allow the wage issue to be resolved. Going forward, I can confirm that all crew members will be paid at least the minimum wage." Serco Northlink was awarded the six-year £243m Northern Isles contract in 2012. It operates three ferries and two cargo boats to the Northern Isles on a route which is heavily subsidised by the Scottish government. |
311 | Ken Dickie, 64, died in hospital on 14 May, six days after the incident at the Rockley Park site in Poole. Jamie Mitchell, 35, of Apple Close, had admitted intervening in an argument between Mr Dickie and his mother. He shouted "yes" and was visibly shaking after the verdict was announced by a jury at Winchester Crown Court. The trial heard Mrs Mitchell and Mr Dickie had been in a relationship for several years and were going through a "down phase" when Mr Mitchell visited his mother at the park on 7 May. In the evening, Mr Mitchell accompanied his mother and Mr Dickie to the holiday park bar and got "tanked up" on alcohol. The two men had a confrontation outside and were separated by members of the public. Mr Mitchell had pleaded guilty to common assault in relation to the fight. He and his mother Samantha, 57, also of Apple Close, also admitted attempting to pervert the course of justice by lying about the course of events. The court heard the pair had initially told police that Mr Dickie had pushed Mrs Mitchell and she had pushed him back. But Mr Mitchell later told police that he had tried to push the couple apart, causing what he described as a "tragic accident". The pair will be sentenced on 6 February. |
312 | Temperton died in London last week at the age of 66 after "a brief aggressive battle with cancer", Jon Platt of Warner/Chappell music publishing said. Temperton's other hits included Off The Wall and Baby Be Mine for Jackson and Boogie Nights for his band Heatwave. Chic guitarist Nile Rodgers was among those paying tribute, tweeting: "Your genius gave us a funkier world!" Michael Jackson's sister LaToya wrote: "A brilliant prolific #songwriter Rod Temperton may you #RIP one of my favorite #songs Rock With You #Thriller #legend #Music #MichaelJackson" Producer and DJ Mark Ronson wrote: "So devastated to hear that Rod Temperton has passed away. a wonderful man & one of my favourite songwriters ever. thank you for the magic x" Temperton, whose private funeral has taken place, was nicknamed The Invisible Man because of his low profile. Born in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, Temperton traced his songwriting ability back to his father's influence. "My father wasn't the kind of person who would read you a story before you went off to sleep," he once said. "He used to put a transistor radio in the crib and I would go to sleep listening to Radio Luxembourg, and I think somehow that had an influence." In the 1970s, after a spell working in a frozen food factory in Grimsby, he answered an advert in Melody Maker magazine for a keyboardist. The band he joined was disco group Heatwave, and his songs like Boogie Nights, Always & Forever and Groove Line became big hits for the band in the 1970s. By the time he left the band in 1978, his tunes had caught the attention of producer Quincy Jones, who was looking for songwriters for a new Michael Jackson LP. Temperton penned three songs for Off The Wall, which became Jackson's breakthrough solo album - the title track, Rock With You and Burn This Disco Out. He went on to write three more for follow-up Thriller - the title track, which became one of Jackson's signature smashes, plus Baby Be Mine and The Lady in My Life. They helped make Thriller the best-selling album of all time in the US, with 32 million copies sold. His tunes have also been recorded by artists including Anita Baker, Donna Summer, Aretha Franklin and The Brothers Johnson. Temperton won a Grammy Award in 1990 for his work on Birdland, from Quincy Jones's album Back on the Block. He was nominated for two Oscars in 1986 for his work with Jones on the soundtrack for The Color Purple. He once summed up his approach to songwriting: "The first criteria is write something you love first, and once you feel those hairs standing up on the back of your hand, you can go to the world." In a statement released on Wednesday, Warner/Chappell's Jon Platt said: "His family is devastated and request total privacy at this, the saddest of sad times." Vocalist Chaka Khan, who recorded Temperton's tracks with the funk band Rufus, paid tribute, writing on Twitter: "Thank u 4 your superlative songwriting @RodTemperton. U will always Live in Me. Rest in power." BBC radio presenter Gilles Peterson wrote: "Apart from Lennon and McCartney no one from the UK has written more gold plated songs than Sir Rod Temperton... a huge loss. RIP" Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram at bbcnewsents, or if you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk. |
313 | Swansea University's Dr Neil Loader and Emeritus Prof Alayne Street-Perrott, are among a team who have found ancient earthworks, possibly 2,000 years old. The discoveries were made in Acre state in the western Brazilian Amazon. Researchers from the universities of Exeter and Reading, and Brazil's São Paulo, Belém are also part of the team. Their research investigated ditched enclosures which were concealed for centuries by bamboo-dominated rainforest until modern deforestation allowed the discovery of more than 450 large geometrical "geoglyphs". The team said the function of these mysterious sites is still little understood. They are unlikely to be villages, since archaeologists have recovered very few artefacts during excavation, and their layout does not suggest they were built for defensive reasons. Instead it is thought they were used only sporadically, perhaps as ritual gathering places, similar to the Maya pyramids of Central America, or Britain's own Stonehenge. Although Dr Loader - who has analysed soil samples from the geoglyphs - said the surroundings in which they were built were very different to other ritual sites around the world. He looked at phytoliths - a type of microscopic plant fossil made of silica - to reconstruct ancient vegetation; charcoal quantities, to assess the amount of ancient forest burning; and carbon stable isotopes, to indicate the type of vegetation growing there in the past. "The indications are that the geoglyphs were constructed amongst taller vegetation. So, unlike the towering Maya pyramids of Central America, they were likely not visible above the forest canopy, and this raises questions about their purpose," he explained. It had been assumed prior to the arrival of Europeans in the early 16th Century, the Amazonian forests had been pristine ecosystems, free from human influence. But the new research indicates a wide variety of plant species spread over 6,000 years, which could only have been artificially brought together by humans. It suggested instead of burning large tracts of forest - either for geoglyph construction or agricultural practices - people transformed their environment by concentrating on economically valuable trees such as palms. The team have likened it to a form of "prehistoric supermarket" of useful forest products. They said there is "tantalizing evidence" to suggest the biodiversity of some of Acre's remaining forests may retain a strong legacy of these ancient "agroforestry" practices to this day. |
314 | The Australian, 21, beat world number 29 Querrey 6-4 6-4 in 53 minutes to progress to the second round. Kyrgios, ranked a career-high 12th in the world, won the Japan Open on Sunday and is closing in on the top 10. "I was just a bit bored at times," said Kyrgios, when asked why he was not his usual vocal self against Querrey. "I was feeling very tired. It was just tough. I'm just tired so maybe I just wanted to get the job done." Kyrgios said his success in Japan, and the travelling involved in playing at the Qi Zhong Stadium, an hour from Shanghai city centre, had taken its toll. "I didn't have the greatest sleep last night and obviously got in late the day before," he said. "The ride to the courts isn't great either." It was at the Shanghai Masters last year that Kyrgios was fined $1,500 (£984) for a foul-mouthed outburst, describing the tournament a "circus". |
315 | Scientists and charities say the human papilloma virus (HPV) jab will protect them from head and neck cancers. HPV is sexually transmitted and girls aged 12 and 13 receive the vaccine to protect them against cervical cancer. The Welsh government said it is waiting for advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation. Charities including Tenovus Cancer Care and organisations such as BMA Cymru and Cardiff University's HPV research team will deliver a letter to the Welsh government on Monday calling for the vaccination to be rolled out. They told BBC Radio Wales' Eye on Wales programme the number of head and neck cancer cases are increasing. Dr Mererid Evans, consultant oncologist at Velindre Hospital in Cardiff, said: "I've seen a difference in demographics over the last ten years. "These are younger people with families, and three-quarters of those affected are men. The average age is 55 and most are non-smokers." Jon Antoniazzi, from Tenovus Cancer Care, added: "HPV causes 5% of the global cancer burden. "What the Welsh government could be doing right now is taking a progressive step to stem the tide of these cancers, and show that it really takes the public health of its citizens seriously. "We urge them to diverge from central thinking and vaccinate boys now." In 2008, a vaccination programme was rolled out in schools and 85% of girls in Wales have been vaccinated. The Welsh government said: "We will await the committee's recommendations and will consider the implications for Wales of any proposed changes to the HPV vaccination programme." |
316 | Jak Trueman, 15, was suffering from a rare form of blood cancer called gamma delta T-cell lymphoma. On Saturday he briefly attended a school prom held in his honour. His mother Allison broke the news of his death on his Facebook page, saying: "Devastated and heartbroken to say my beautiful boy's gone to Heaven." She added: "God bless. Jak I am the proudest Mummy ever xxxxx Simply the best xxx." The West Calder High School pupil had been documenting his life and treatment on social media. Since he was diagnosed with cancer last August, Jak had been posting updates on a Facebook page called Jak's Journey with the help of his mother, sister Aimie and girlfriend Hannah Boyd. The teenager's story of his fight against cancer, and his relentlessly positive attitude, touched the hearts of many people in West Lothian and beyond. The Jak's Journey page attracted more than 28,000 Likes and documented the teenage goalkeeper's love of Rangers FC, and his meetings with former Ibrox stars Neil Alexander and Nacho Novo and current goalkeeper Cammy Bell. On Saturday, he managed to make it along to his prom for 10 minutes but had to leave as he felt unwell. Jak was greeted at the event by former Rangers captain Barry Ferguson. The teenager wrote on his page: "I would just like to make a massive apology for me only turning up and then having to go again. "I was gutted and really sad as I never spoke to anyone, but I took really unwell really quickly as I had been lying in bed for three days without hardly moving. "Thank you to everyone who organised it and came along. Even just knowing it was all happening for me makes me smile." At the party, Jak's family collected the teenager's Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award and also the Kerry MacGregor Memorial Trophy for overcoming adversity. The Jak's Journey website highlighted Jak's stay at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh and Yorkhill Hospital in Glasgow over the past few months. He was visited by players from Celtic, Hibs, Hearts and Edinburgh Rugby and the cast of the musical Wicked. Jak and his family also published many other personal moments, including him playing his tuba and visiting his classmates and teachers at school. On 23 January, Jak and his family found out from doctors that his cancer had spread throughout his body. The medics made a decision to not pursue any other treatment. At the time, Jak wrote: "This is the saddest day of our lives yet but I am going to fight the pain and get as many days/weeks/months/years I can get. They can't give me a timescale to how long I have. "I am so sorry to give everyone this horrible news but there's no other way to put it. "I would like to thank all the doctors, nurses and everyone who has helped me over the past six months, they have tried their best for me." In the days after he received the news, Jak's family urged people to donate to a fundraising page for Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research. After becoming ill Jak also visited the Kelpies, enjoyed a romantic meal with his girlfriend, went to a party in his honour which was attended by Neil Alexander and Nacho Novo, and spent time in a supercar and on a quad bike. More money is expected to be raised for charity on Sunday at a special football match being held at the Energy Assets Arena, home of Livingston FC. |
317 | After a drab game with few chances for either side, Mohamed Salah teed up El Said, who struck firmly past Uganda keeper Denis Onyango on 89 minutes. Uganda's Joseph Ochaya earlier had a goal correctly disallowed for offside. The win means Egypt play Ghana on Wednesday with top spot of Group D still at stake, while Uganda are out of their first tournament since 1978. Ghana secured their place in the quarter-finals with a 1-0 victory over Mali earlier on Saturday. On a deteriorating pitch in Port-Gentil, seven-times champions Egypt failed to break down a resolute Cranes defence for long periods. Onyango made an impressive clearing header to deny the onrushing Salah at the end of an otherwise lifeless first half. Uganda began the second half brightly, forcing veteran Egypt goalkeeper Essam El Hadary to punch several set-pieces clear but ultimately failed to register a shot on target as Ochaya turned in Faruku Miya's through ball from a clearly offside position on 52 minutes. El Said blasted a shot well over when unmarked and Marwan Mohsen went close for the Pharaohs with a header, but Egypt appeared to be heading for their second consecutive goalless draw. However, an otherwise quiet Salah showed great composure late on to check his shot and play in El Said with a reverse pass, the substitute's close-range shot evading Onyango. Uganda now face Mali in the final round of group games on Wednesday, with Mali needing a win and for Ghana to beat Egypt by two goals or more if they are to qualify. Match ends, Egypt 1, Uganda 0. Second Half ends, Egypt 1, Uganda 0. Offside, Uganda. Murshid Jjuko tries a through ball, but Muhammad Shaban is caught offside. Hand ball by Moses Oloya (Uganda). Kahraba (Egypt) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Foul by Hassan Wasswa (Uganda). Offside, Egypt. Kahraba tries a through ball, but Marwan Mohsen is caught offside. Substitution, Uganda. Moses Oloya replaces Denis Iguma. Mohamed Shafy (Egypt) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Khalid Aucho (Uganda). Goal! Egypt 1, Uganda 0. Abdallah El Said (Egypt) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Mohamed Salah. Attempt missed. Amr Warda (Egypt) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Mohamed Shafy. Corner, Uganda. Conceded by Ahmed Fathy. Attempt blocked. Joseph Ochaya (Uganda) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Nicholas Wadada. Delay over. They are ready to continue. Substitution, Uganda. Nicholas Wadada replaces Faruku Miya. Substitution, Egypt. Kahraba replaces Trezeguet. Delay in match Khalid Aucho (Uganda) because of an injury. Attempt saved. Marwan Mohsen (Egypt) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Amr Warda. Tonny Mawejje (Uganda) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Mohamed Elneny (Egypt). Delay over. They are ready to continue. Delay in match Mohamed Shafy (Egypt) because of an injury. Foul by Muhammad Shaban (Uganda). Ali Gabr (Egypt) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Hand ball by Trezeguet (Egypt). Attempt missed. Marwan Mohsen (Egypt) header from the centre of the box is just a bit too high. Assisted by Mohamed Shafy with a cross following a set piece situation. Foul by Murshid Jjuko (Uganda). Marwan Mohsen (Egypt) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Godfrey Walusimbi (Uganda) wins a free kick on the left wing. Foul by Ahmed Fathy (Egypt). Attempt saved. Trezeguet (Egypt) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Attempt blocked. Trezeguet (Egypt) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Amr Warda. Substitution, Egypt. Amr Warda replaces Ramadan Sobhi. Substitution, Uganda. Muhammad Shaban replaces Geofrey Massa. Attempt missed. Abdallah El Said (Egypt) right footed shot from the centre of the box is high and wide to the right. Foul by Joseph Ochaya (Uganda). Ahmed Fathy (Egypt) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Substitution, Egypt. Abdallah El Said replaces Tarek Hamed. Foul by Geofrey Massa (Uganda). |
318 | Lancashire County Council has earmarked land on the former Glenburn Sports College and Skelmersdale College. The sports college closed in August, while Skelmersdale College's Westbank campus, owned by Newcastle College, is also unused. The decision follows a comparative study by Network Rail of both sites and one near the Concourse shopping centre. Skelmersdale's original railway station closed to passengers in 1956. The council - which owns Glenburn Sports College - said Skelmersdale could get two direct trains to Liverpool per hour under the plans it has made in partnership with Merseytravel and West Lancashire Borough Council. County councillor John Fillis, cabinet member for highways and transport, said it was an "exciting step forward". He said the preferred location was big enough to allow for the possibility of future expansion. He added: "It has good highway access and good connectivity to the town and the surrounding area." The authority confirmed it will now start the process of acquiring the relevant land. Skelmersdale was designated a new town on 9 October 1961.. It is one of the largest towns in the north west of England not to have its own railway station. |
319 | Police in Hamelin, in Lower Saxony, say the woman's ex-partner later handed himself in to authorities. The 28-year-old woman, who has not been identified, was found lying on a pavement late on Sunday with serious injuries. She underwent an emergency operation and was flown to a specialist clinic. Police say she had been dragged by the neck through several streets. The man now in custody is described as 38 and from nearby Bad Muender. Both the victim and the suspect are German citizens of Kurdish origin, a police spokesman said. A spokesman for Hannover prosecutors, Thomas Klinge, said the motive for the attack was not yet clear. Police have secured the area where the woman was found and have called for witnesses to come forward. |
320 | Women are as likely as men to ask for a pay rise - but are less likely to get one, the research found. The study, by the Cass Business School and the universities of Warwick and Wisconsin, looked at 4,600 workers. It found "no support" for the "reticent female" theory, whereby women avoided asking for more money. For what it claimed was the first time, the study eliminated any impact from part-time workers earning less than their full-time counterparts, by comparing full-time males with full-time females, and part-time males with part-time females. When like-for-like male and female workers were compared, men were 25% more likely to get a pay rise when they asked, the study found. The research also concluded there was no evidence for the idea that women were reluctant to ask for a salary increase because they were more wary of upsetting their boss, or deviating from a perceived female stereotype. When analysing the results, the researchers took into account the size of the employer and the industry, whether the workers were a parent, as well as their qualifications. The study was based on data from the 2013-14 Australian workplace relations survey. Australia is thought to be the only country to systematically record whether employees had asked for a pay rise, and why they had or had not done so. Andrew Oswald, professor of economics and behavioural science at the University of Warwick, said he was surprised by the findings. "The fact that women don't ask for pay rises as often as men is a popular theory. It's a very common thing for women to say and believe, but all of the evidence is anecdotal, so it's very hard scientifically to do a proper test of this." He said one possibility was that unsuccessful men who asked for a pay rise, but did not get it, kept it to themselves, while women "were more straightforward and tell their friends". "Having seen these findings, I think we have to accept that there is some element of pure discrimination against women," Prof Oswald added. "It could be that Australia is odd. But it's a modern industrial economy halfway in character between Britain and the US, so I think that's unlikely." The study also found differences according to age, with women and men under 40 both asking for and receiving pay rises at the same rate, which the researchers said could mean that negotiating behaviour had started to change. Dr Amanda Goodall from Cass Business School - part of City, University of London - and a co-author of the study, said: "The study potentially has an upside. Young women today are negotiating their pay and conditions more successfully than older females, and perhaps that will continue as they become more senior." |
321 | Oxford City Council said the money had mostly been used for "ground investigations of possible sites" but nowhere suitable had been found. Two cemeteries still have space, in Wolvercote and Botley, but they are expected to be full by 2018 and 2021. The council said it had not given up and was "still exploring options". Linda Smith, board member for leisure, parks and sport, said the council has been "searching for a suitable new burial site for many years". She added: "But ultimately, as with new housing sites, we have run out of suitable land within Oxford. "So far all the council-owned sites that we have identified have, following ground investigations and surveys, had to be discounted. "Either due to the size of the site, the ground conditions, a high water table or a covenant restricting the use of the site." After the two remaining cemeteries are full the council said only the reopening of family plots, the use of a few reserved plots, and the interment of ashes would be possible. The last increase in burial space in Oxford was in 1932. |
322 | Visitors to the Hebridean Celtic Festival will be able to use an app to trigger online information from items such as signs and posters on the site. Videos and band interviews will be among the online material available to view on phones and tablets. HebCelt is is taking place in Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis from 19 to 22 July. The Waterboys, Imelda May, Lucy Spraggan, Skerryvore, Peatbog Faeries and Dougie MacLean are among this year's acts. HebCelt director Caroline Maclennan said: "We are offering the new augmented reality experience as an extra feature to add to the enjoyment of visiting the festival this year. "But it will also mean people around the world can interact with the festival and capture a flavour of its atmosphere at any time. "The message will be updated in the run up to HebCelt and during the event, allowing people to instantly access information and interviews, buy tickets and also get a taste of our unique festival wherever they are." |
323 | The 10-year-old Irish-bred horse collapsed after narrowly beating Thistlecrack to win the Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham's Festival Trials Day. He was treated by veterinary staff before being pronounced dead. The British Horseracing Authority confirmed the horse suffered from a "severe pulmonary haemorrhage". Tony Welsh, acting chief veterinary officer for the BHA, said: "Episodes such as this are rare, and can occur in horses which have no underlying health issues, and amongst all disciplines of sport horses. "In spite of the rarity of these incidents, as a sport we are determined to do more to understand what causes these symptoms, and whether more can be done to prevent it." In Saturday's race, King George winner Thistlecrack caught Many Clouds close to the finish but the Trevor Hemmings-owned gelding, ridden by Leighton Aspell, fought back to win. Many Clouds had shown symptoms of post-race ataxia in the past, which had seen him over-heat and "wobble" on his feet, but the horse had never collapsed before, and had shown no symptoms of post-race ataxia on Saturday. Many Clouds had previously won the Gold Cup trial in 2015 and the Hennessy Gold Cup in 2014. Trainer Oliver Sherwood described him as the "horse of a lifetime". BBC horse racing correspondent Cornelius Lysaght The crucial words here are "no significant underlying health issues". On more than one occasion, notably after his Grand National success, Many Clouds received treatment for a tendency to 'overheat', but he soon recovered, and his welfare was closely monitored by the authorities as a result. With that fact in mind, questions have been raised as to whether that condition was linked to his death, but this report concludes he was the victim of a haemorrhage rarely seen on the racetrack. |
324 | The girl, aged 15 at the time, had met a man called David Ayrton in a Portsmouth garage in the autumn of 2004. The defendant, now 34 and called Davina, denied the charge. She will be sentenced on 4 March. Judge Ian Pearson remanded her into custody and said it was likely she would be held at a male prison. He added: "If I were to release on bail there are substantial grounds to believe she would be a risk to herself and a risk of failing to attend for whatever reason. "I will therefore have to remand in custody. It will have to be a male prison in Winchester but it will be an issue for the prison service." He also told the jury at Portsmouth Crown Court: "It's been a slightly unusual case and it's not been an easy case." The court heard that Ayrton, who has learning difficulties, attempted to commit suicide last summer. Protocols have been put in place for her detention at the prison, a court officer explained. During the trial Ayrton spoke about her sexuality, and said she she had not "made any physical changes or enhancements" to her body or taken any medication. She changed her name in 2012. Portsmouth Crown Court was told she raped the teenager while two others were asleep in the garage. The victim said she shouted and swore at Ayrton to stop the attack, but her friends had not woken up. She had "only drunk a can and a half of Foster's" and clearly recollected the events. The court heard that in 2014 Ayrton told a worker at the care home where she lived in Fordingbridge, Hampshire, about the attack. |
325 | The Serbs lost 6-4 6-4 to Brazilians Marcelo Melo and Bruno Soares in Rio. The loss came a day after Djokovic was knocked out of the singles by Argentine Juan Martin del Potro. World number one Djokovic, 29, suffered a surprise third-round defeat at Wimbledon in July when he lost to American Sam Querrey. The 12-time Grand Slam winner came back to claim his 30th Masters title in Toronto before the Olympics. Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox. |
326 | More than 20 competitors are due to take part in Saturday's event in Carrbridge in the Cairngorms. Carvers from Scotland, England, Ireland as well as continental Europe, Canada and the US regularly enter the competition. They can use only chainsaws - any other carving tool is banned - to carve logs into the shapes of animals and people. Last year's winner Pete Bowsher, from Moffat, is to return to defend the title, and retain the first place winner's prize the Claymore Trophy. |
327 | Webb has not played since suffering a serious foot injury in a World Cup warm-up with Italy in September. The 27-year-old says he is close to a return, giving him time to get fit before the Six Nations in February. "I'm back up and running now and going through a pre-season sort of stage at the moment. It's all coming along well," he said. "I'm going to take each week as it comes now and see where I am then. "It's been talked about [returning] at the beginning of February, but I did ask the physios if they could scrape a couple of weeks off that and they said 'yes'." Wales begin their Six Nations campaign away to Ireland in Dublin on Sunday, 7 February. Webb, capped 16 times by Wales, has renewed his national dual contract with Ospreys and the Welsh Rugby Union. He turned down offers from elsewhere to stay at the region for whom he made his debut in 2007. "It's my home region and I enjoy the club," Webb told BBC Wales' Scrum V Live. "I want to put myself in the best possible position to play for my country and I'm not going to give that up that easy. "Wales and the Ospreys came together and I'm happy to get it done." |
328 | The incident began on Tuesday morning when border agents encountered two men carrying backpacks five miles (8km) east of Sumas, Washington, in the US. Authorities say agents interrupted an attempt to smuggle a load of MDMA, or ecstasy, from Canada to San Francisco. Two others were arrested and accused of planning to transport the drugs. On Tuesday morning, US border agents ordered the two men they encountered near the border to halt, officials said. One of the men dropped his backpack, fired a weapon at the agents, and ran, according to a criminal complaint filed in US federal court in Washington on Wednesday. The officers took the other man, identified as Jeffrey Laviolette, into custody immediately. Canadian and US police searched for the fugitive on foot and by helicopter, putting up road blocks. Nathan Hall, a Canadian citizen, was arrested by the Abbotsford Police Department in British Columbia early on Wednesday morning. According to border patrol agents, the backpacks Mr Hall and Mr Laviolette were carrying contained a total of 58lb (26kg) of ecstasy. Also inside one backpack was a California driver's licence with the name of William Nickerson but a picture of Nathan Hall, the complaint alleges. Investigators later arrested a Bellingham, Washington woman, Kali Henifin, who they say planned to pick the two men up at the border. They also arrested her boyfriend, Ryan Lambert, who allegedly told officers he was to be paid $11,000 (£7,270) to drive the drugs to San Francisco. Ms Henifin told agents they had been monitoring police radio communication on a mobile phone when they heard a report of a shooting and left the area, according to the complaint. The three defendants in US custody face conspiracy as well as drug possession and distribution charges. The wooded area a few miles east of a highway border crossing is a well-known smuggling route for drugs and firearms, and a spokeswoman for the US attorney for the Western District of Washington told the BBC smuggling prosecutions are "a large part of our practice". |
329 | The NSPCC's Childline service said it counselled more than 4,500 children in the past year compared to about 2,400 in 2011-12. The total number suffering online abuse is thought to be far higher. Some children as young as seven told Childline how they were tormented, abused and scared to go to school. The charity said online trolls caused misery and humiliation for thousands of children. Childline's president Dame Esther Rantzen said the figures should be a wake-up call. "Bullying can wreck young people's lives, especially now that the bullies don't stop at the school gates," she said. "Cyber-bullying can follow them home until it becomes a persecution they cannot escape. "It is imperative that adults, parents and teachers, intervene to protect them, because we have learned over the years from Childline callers that bullying does not stop on its own, left alone it gets worse. "Schools must take this problem seriously, and above all children must ask for help." The report is being released at the start of Anti-Bullying Week which is coordinated by the Anti Bullying Alliance. The group is working with parents, schools and other organisations to help combat the problem. One young person who contacted Childline said: "It might sound like not much of a problem but there's a group of people I play with online and they told me to kill myself. I won't kill myself but it upsets me. "My parents don't realise how upset it's making me and they tell me to stand up for myself or just not play anymore but they don't know how hard that is. "I don't know why they have suddenly started picking on me but it hurts so much." Advice given by young people on dealing with bullying includes: |
330 | The move apparently follows a request from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office. It also comes ahead of a speech on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by US Secretary of State John Kerry. On Friday, the US chose not to veto a UN Security Council resolution calling for an end to settlement construction. The decision to abstain infuriated Mr Netanyahu, whose spokesman said on Tuesday he had "ironclad information" from Arab sources that the White House had helped draft the language of the resolution and "pushed hard" for its passage. A US state department spokesman said the accusation was "just not true", but he hoped the resolution would "serve as a wake-up call" for Israel. More than 500,000 Jews live in about 140 settlements built since Israel's 1967 occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The settlements are considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this. The Security Council resolution passed on Friday stated that the establishment of settlements "has no legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation under international law and a major obstacle to the achievement of the two-state solution and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace". Israel rejected the resolution, and the BBC's Yolande Knell said it was particularly angry about the condemnation of building in East Jerusalem - which it sees as part of its capital, but which the Palestinians want as the capital of their future state. Mr Netanyahu responded over the weekend by summoning the ambassadors of the US and the 14 countries on the Security Council who voted in favour of the resolution, recalling Israel's ambassadors to New Zealand and Senegal, cutting aid to Senegal, and cancelling a visit by Ukraine's prime minister. The Jerusalem Planning and Housing Committee had indicated it would press ahead with a planned vote on authorising 492 new homes in the settlements of Ramat Shlomo and Ramot. But on Wednesday, planning committee member Hanan Rubin said the vote had been postponed. Mr Rubin told the BBC this was at the request of the prime minister's office, to avoid further straining relations with Washington hours before Mr Kerry's speech. "It's in our interest to avoid political voting in Jerusalem because Jerusalem is not the same as settlements around Israel," he said. "We are creating affordable housing and housing for young families... and if there is a big storm and Kerry's speech today, we are looking to avoid this conflict." Mr Kerry is expected to lay out his vision later on Wednesday for ending the Israel-Palestinian conflict, and address what a senior state department official described as "misleading critiques" of the Obama administration by the Israeli government. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has said the resolution "paves the way" for the upcoming conference on Middle East peace in France on 15 January. "We hope this conference comes up with a mechanism and timetable to end the occupation," he told a meeting of his Fatah party on Monday. |
331 | He was speaking in a BBC interview in which he paid tribute to the Queen on the eve of her 90th birthday. She had been a "guiding example" of what a good monarch should be, he said. Meanwhile, a picture of the Queen, the Prince of Wales, Prince William and Prince George, for stamps to mark the monarch's birthday, has been released. The Queen, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, met staff and viewed an exhibition at Windsor's Royal Mail delivery office in the first of a series of events to mark her birthday on Thursday. Text and video coverage of the day's events 'Super fans' turn out to glimpse Queen in Windsor In pictures: The Queen at 90 in 90 images BBC - iWonder - Queen Elizabeth II- Britain’s longest reigning monarch Full coverage: Queen at 90 Her visit marked the 500th anniversary of the postal service and she was welcomed with singing from the Royal Mail choir. The royals then headed to Alexandra Gardens in the town for a ceremony to officially open a new bandstand and met pupils from the six schools involved in its decoration. The children also sang Happy Birthday. Prime Minister David Cameron and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn were among the political leaders who said they were looking forward to wishing the Queen a happy birthday, at Prime Minister's Questions. Mr Cameron said Thursday was an "important landmark", adding the monarch had served the nation with "dignity". In an interview with BBC royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell, Prince William said: "The Queen's duty and her service, her tolerance, her commitment to others - I think that's all been incredibly important to me and it's been a real guiding example of just what a good monarch could be." The prince's own commitment to royal duty has been questioned in recent months, with headlines in some newspapers referring to him as "work-shy William". He said he did not ignore such criticisms but did not take them completely to heart. "I take duty very seriously. I take my responsibilities very seriously. But it's about finding your own way at the right time and if you're not careful duty can sort of weigh you down an awful lot at a very early age and I think you've got to develop into the duty role," he said. He said both his father and grandmother fully supported the fact that he was not yet fully engaged with royal duties, but when the time came to accept more responsibility he would do so. 'I don't lie awake waiting to be king'- full Prince William interview BBC deputy royal correspondent Sarah Campbell The recent headlines about William being a "work shy" prince signalled a change in the relationship between the prince and a press pack who, up until now, have rarely criticised him. In the BBC's interview, it was interesting to see his response. He accepts that he will be criticised "but it's not something I take completely to heart". An indication that negative headlines are likely to be par for the course in his role as a future heir but won't necessarily influence his decisions. It was clear that his priority remains trying to live as normal a life as possible for as long as possible, both for the sake of his wife and children but also himself. There was also a rare insight into what kind of monarch he plans to be. When asked about the different approach to public life taken by his father as opposed to the Queen his response was that the latter was "the best role model I could have in front of me". Full details of Queen's birthday celebrations Ten stamps have been released to celebrate the Queen's birthday, including a stamp sheet featuring four generations of the Royal Family. The picture of the Queen, Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince George was taken at Buckingham Palace last year. Six further stamps have been released for the head of state's 90th birthday, three focusing on the Queen's family life and three honouring her official role. On her actual birthday, on Thursday, the Queen and Prince Philip will walk around Windsor and unveil a plaque marking The Queen's Walkway, a 6.3km self-guided walking trail connecting 63 points of significance. It was designed to recognise the moment the monarch broke the record on 9 September 2015 held by her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria by being on the throne for 63 years and seven months. In the evening, she will light a beacon setting in train a series of more than 900 beacons across the UK and around the world to mark the milestone birthday. On Friday, US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will join the Queen for lunch at Windsor Castle. Britain's longest-serving monarch celebrates two birthdays each year, her actual birthday on 21 April and her official birthday on a Saturday in June. Republic said the Queen's birthday "does not warrant this kind of coverage" and that the BBC had a "duty to report, not to celebrate the royals". Graham Smith, the republican pressure group's CEO, added that the BBC had "failed completely" to report the birthday in a way that was "fair, balanced and proportionate". |
332 | After the League Two side's bright start, two quick goals from Diafra Sakho and Andre Ayew gave the Premier League side control before half-time. Sakho slotted in his first goal since November from Sam Byram's pass, before Ayew tucked into the same bottom corner moments later. The hosts went close via Harry Pell's volley and Jordon Forster's header. James Collins and Byram both could have added further goals for the visitors, who made seven changes following top-flight losses at Manchester United and Southampton. The best moment for Cheltenham, who were unchanged from Saturday's 3-0 league defeat by Carlisle, came with Pell's low volley across goal, but onrushing substitute Dan Holman could not quite get the required touch as he slid in at the far post. The two sides' only previous meeting came at the same stage of this competition four years ago, resulting in a narrow 2-1 win for Hammers at their old home Upton Park. The fourth-tier side performed respectfully again on Wednesday, but did not sufficiently test Hammers goalkeeper Adrian. Slaven Bilic's side could have won by a greater margin, but Robins captain Kyle Storer cleared Angelo Ogbonna's fierce header off the line in the first half and, moments later, keeper Jonathan Flatt did well to stop Sakho turning in Ayew's low cross. Cheltenham's exit ended League Two's representation in the EFL Cup before Thursday's third-round draw. Match ends, Cheltenham Town 0, West Ham United 2. Second Half ends, Cheltenham Town 0, West Ham United 2. Foul by Sam Byram (West Ham United). Kevin Dawson (Cheltenham Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Cheikhou Kouyaté (West Ham United). Harry Pell (Cheltenham Town) wins a free kick on the right wing. Substitution, West Ham United. Domingos Quina replaces Edimilson Fernandes. Attempt missed. Jordon Forster (Cheltenham Town) header from the centre of the box is just a bit too high. Assisted by Kyle Storer with a cross following a corner. Corner, Cheltenham Town. Conceded by Sam Byram. Attempt missed. Pedro Obiang (West Ham United) header from the centre of the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Chicharito with a cross following a corner. Corner, West Ham United. Conceded by Jordon Forster. Angelo Ogbonna (West Ham United) wins a free kick on the left wing. Foul by Nigel Atangana (Cheltenham Town). Chicharito (West Ham United) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Carl Winchester (Cheltenham Town). Delay over. They are ready to continue. Delay in match Pedro Obiang (West Ham United) because of an injury. Pedro Obiang (West Ham United) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Kyle Storer (Cheltenham Town). Offside, Cheltenham Town. Jamie Grimes tries a through ball, but Brian Graham is caught offside. Attempt missed. Harry Pell (Cheltenham Town) right footed shot from a difficult angle on the right misses to the left. Assisted by Kevin Dawson with a cross. Substitution, West Ham United. Cheikhou Kouyaté replaces Mark Noble. Foul by Sam Byram (West Ham United). Dan Holman (Cheltenham Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Substitution, Cheltenham Town. Dan Holman replaces Mohamed Eisa. Corner, West Ham United. Conceded by Jordan Cranston. Corner, West Ham United. Conceded by Jordon Forster. James Collins (West Ham United) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Brian Graham (Cheltenham Town). Substitution, Cheltenham Town. Brian Graham replaces Daniel Wright. Substitution, West Ham United. Chicharito replaces Diafra Sakho. . Attempt missed. Diafra Sakho (West Ham United) header from the centre of the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Pedro Obiang with a cross. Attempt saved. Mohamed Eisa (Cheltenham Town) right footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Kevin Dawson. Attempt blocked. Mohamed Eisa (Cheltenham Town) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Kevin Dawson. Attempt missed. James Collins (West Ham United) header from the centre of the box is just a bit too high. Assisted by Mark Noble with a cross. Corner, West Ham United. Conceded by Jordan Cranston. Attempt blocked. Diafra Sakho (West Ham United) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Arthur Masuaku. Sam Byram (West Ham United) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Kevin Dawson (Cheltenham Town). |
333 | Hospital radiographer Aidan McNicholl, 36, died following the collision on the A5 at Cerrigydrudion on Sunday. Andreas Werner, 46, of Leipzig, failed to spot the motorcyclist as he turned his VW Transporter right causing the fatal crash. The father-of-four pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving at Llandudno Magistrates' Court. He was fined £1,000 and also banned from driving in the UK for two years. Prosecutor Sarah Marsh told the court the victim's family saw no value in Werner, who was staying in a cottage with his family near Bala, being sent to jail. She said: "They accept it was a momentary lapse and nothing will bring him back." Craig Hutchinson, defending, said Werner was remorseful and could offer no explanation for the crash. |
334 | Imran Khawaja tried to sneak back into the UK last year - and while his exact activity in Syria remains a mystery, police say he is one of the most dangerous British jihadists to return from conflict. He was one of the most public British fighters in Syria - always online, but always masked. But now, Imran Khawaja, 27, from Southall, west London is facing a possible prison term up to life imprisonment for his role in life and death on Syria's battlefields. Khawaja left the UK last January. He called himself Abu Daigham al-Britani. And after reaching the warzone via Kurdish territory, he began posting videos and pictures of his personal jihad. In one video he explains how a fellow fighter was shot through the side - but "thanks to Allah's will" was soon back on the front line. In another - masked again - he is showing off his amateur weight-lifting skills as his brothers-in-arms cheer him on. Khawaja was a member of Rayat al Tawheed - which means Flag of Unity. The group of fighters affiliated to Islamic State includes many British men, and they have spent more than a year selling a message to their supporters and would-be recruits back home. Khawaja was involved in appeals for donations, video diaries of their lives and "through the keyhole" tours of fighters' quarters. Shiraz Maher, of the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR), at Kings College London, has been tracking foreign fighters in Syria and Iraq. He says: "The group that Khawaja was with in Syria was really quite dynamic," he says. "They clearly had people with programming skills - they were able to put together very slick, well produced propaganda videos and posters that appealed to young British Muslims. "They were able to play on the same cultural anchors and mores that those people recognised and know. They could speak to them as peers. "Rayat al Tawheed helped a great deal in the early stages of this conflict with portraying the idea of volunteering as a jihadist as quite a glamorous adventurous thing - and a noble thing." But Rayat's war was neither noble nor glamorous. Some of its material online showed gruesome scenes of death. One image showed a man's bloodied-hands with the caption "my first time". And another shocking image included Imran Khawaja. In this gruesome picture, the Londoner - masked yet again - is holding a bag that contains a head. The only thing we know about the victim is that he was supposedly a Syrian army soldier. But we do know that the British security service MI5 was watching - and waiting. And last June, its opportunity came. Imran Khawaja decided to come home. It's not clear why because he hasn't told the police. His cousin Tahir Bhatti, a taxi driver from Watford, agreed to help him return because the family wanted him back safely. Khawaja's own intentions are unclear. He had originally asked his cousin for money for a new gun - something Bhatti did not help him with. And then the fighter began trying to cover his tracks. As Bhatti, who has admitted assisting an offender, drove to Bulgaria to pick him up, Khawaja faked his own death with an online obituary that said he had died in battle. The announcement asked that Allah grant him the highest position in heaven. He then tried to slip back into Britain unnoticed. As the pair arrived at Dover, the police were waiting - and they ended up facing prosecution at the Old Bailey. Cdr Richard Walton, the head of the Metropolitan Police's counter-terrorism command, says: "Imran Khawaja is not a vulnerable teenager who has been enticed to travel to Syria. "This is a man who chosen the path of terrorism, who has chosen to go out to Syria to be trained and engage in a terrorist training camp. "We don't know why he came back, we don't know what he was planning - but we know he concealed his entry and faked his own death. This is a dangerous man." Imran Khawaja was considered so dangerous that while he was on remand, he was held in the special unit for high risk terrorism suspects at London's maximum security Belmarsh prison. He has admitted four offences: Tahir Bhatti has pleaded guilty to assisting an offender. Khawaja had originally faced an additional charge of soliciting to murder. That allegation, the most serious to be made yet against a Syrian fighter, will lie on file. |
335 | Jackson, 22, scored four goals in 36 appearances last season as Wrexham finished eighth in the table. He is Barnsley's third signing for next season, ahead of their League One play-off final at Wembley on Sunday. "Kayden has pace to burn, likes to get at defenders and will fit in nicely to the way we play," caretaker boss Paul Heckingbottom told the club website. Jackson turned down a contract offer from Wrexham for next season. Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. |
336 | They started arriving at Poldhu Cove on the Lizard on Sunday, and National Trust volunteers have been clearing them away as they are said to pose a risk to wildlife. The bottles are sealed, but witnesses say some have leaked. The National Trust said it believed a container had gone overboard from a ship, during the stormy weather. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said: "While it is fact that the MV Blue Ocean lost a container containing bottles of 'Vanish', there is no currently available evidence that the bottles washed up on the Cornish coast are from this container; all evidence is currently circumstantial." It is thought the vessel lost the container near Land's End in May. The BBC has contacted Vanish, but the company is yet to comment. Other nearby coves including Gunwalloe, Polurrian, Church Cove and Marazion have also been affected, conservationists said. Cornwall Wildlife Trust said it was "highly concerned" about the impact on "sensitive marine life". Justin Whitehouse, from the National Trust, said: "The main worry is all that detergent going into our beautiful marine environment, but thankfully most are full. "We think it's a container that has gone overboard from a container ship, during stormy seas." Cornwall Council said the authority and partners, including the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and Natural England, would be monitoring beaches in the area. It said: "The National Trust who own the beach at Poldhu have arranged for the bottles to be cleared away. "In the meantime the public are advised to keep children and dogs at a safe distance from the bottles should any more be washed up. "No attempt should be made to recover the bottles." |
337 | Dervite, 28, made 14 appearances last season to help Wanderers finish second in League One and secure promotion. The French centre-back joined Bolton from Charlton in 2014 and has made 83 appearances in all competitions. "Dorian was a bit of a forgotten man last year but came in and made an excellent contribution towards the end of the campaign," manager Phil Parkinson told the club website. Dervite follows David Wheater, Gary Madine and Jem Karacan in signing new contracts with Bolton, following their promotion to the Championship. |
338 | Lib Dem Lord Oates accused Labour of being prepared to "concede everything", and the opposition's leader in the Lords, Baroness Smith, responded that his party was giving people "false hope". The two parties had teamed up to help inflict defeats on the government concerning the rights of EU citizens and parliamentary approval for a Brexit deal. But that co-operation went out the window when MPs rejected those amendments - with Lib Dems determined to insist on them and Labour prepared to defer to the Commons. A Labour source in the Lords told the BBC it was "fairly obvious grandstanding" by the Lib Dems, and geared towards content for their campaign leaflets. "It's pretty unforgiveable to build up false hope with people genuinely worried about their future in Britain, when you already know that MPs were ready to dig in behind the government," the source said. For their part, the Lib Dems' Europe spokesperson Baroness Ludford accused Labour of "waving through the government's plans" and "lining up with the Conservatives as they drive forward with a hard Brexit". It's not just on Brexit that the two biggest opposition parties have a track record of forming alliances - they have trooped through the lobbies together to impose government defeats on bills dealing with issues from higher education to housing. Baroness Ludford seemed sanguine about their chances of coming together again, saying: "The Liberal Democrats will continue to work with peers from across the House to fight for the issues we agree on." But the Labour source predicted "residual tensions", adding: "I can't imagine there'll be much demand here to organise a 'progressive consensus summer drinks' gathering. "Our respective leaderships will of course continue to keep things business-like." |
339 | Yet in this election, it is way down the list of priorities for most political parties. Philip Hammond, himself a former defence secretary, has been reported as saying recently that "there are no votes in defence". He does not recognise the quote, but the sentiment is largely borne out by the opinion polls which show defence just scrapes into the top 10 of electorate concerns, way behind the economy, the NHS and immigration. UK military interventions in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya may have also contributed to a sense of combat fatigue among the public and a reticence by politicians to focus on the subject. James de Waal, a senior fellow at independent think tank Chatham House, says in this campaign, politicians have been "on the defensive on defence". This election issue includes foreign policy and the role of UK’s defence forces at home and abroad. Policy guide: Where the parties stand To find out Labour and Conservative policies on the subject you will have to persevere to page 77 of both their manifestos. Even then they are pretty short on detail and do not really address the difficult decisions the next government is likely to face. So to help, here is a guide to some of the more sensitive issues being left out. Most analysts, and politicians, agree the world is becoming more dangerous and unstable, whether that is shown by thousands of migrants fleeing so-called failed states, the threat from Islamic extremism, or a more belligerent Russia. Yet at the same time, most European nations, including the UK, have been making significant cuts to their armed forces. The size of the UK's regular Army is being reduced from 102,000 to 82,000. You could fit that number in Wembley Stadium and still have seats to spare. The Royal Navy now has a fleet of just 19 warships, while the RAF has been left with eight - soon to be seven - front-line fast jet squadrons. There are some things the UK military can no longer do - so-called capability gaps. The UK has no Maritime Patrol Aircraft. It has to rely on its Nato allies to hunt for Russian submarines near or in its waters. At the start of the last parliament, David Cameron could boast that the UK was the fourth biggest spender on defence in the world. Now, according to the Stockholm International Research Institute, the UK has fallen to sixth place, behind the US, China, Russia, Saudi Arabia and France. A commitment to spend 2% of the nation's wealth, or GDP, on defence is conspicuous by its absence. Only two smaller parties - UKIP and the Democratic Unionist Party - say they would continue to meet that goal. But all the indications suggest the UK will soon fall below the Nato threshold. Malcolm Chalmers, of the defence think tank Royal United Services Institute, says on current projections, UK defence spending will fall to 1.7% by the end of the decade. If there are more cuts it could fall to 1.5%. He calculates that defence would require another £25bn over the next five years to stay above 2%. The military top brass know that is not going to happen. Their planning assumptions are based on flat spending plus an annual increase of 1% in the equipment budget. Spending 2% is not mandatory to Nato membership. Few states do, but it is totemic. The US will inevitably think less of a key ally that no longer lives up to that commitment, especially when David Cameron recently lectured others on the need to increase defence spending at the Nato summit in Wales. In US eyes, the UK's credibility will inevitably suffer if, as seems likely, it fails to meet the 2% target. It is more than likely that any future government will have to make more cuts in defence. The question is by how much? Over the lifetime of the last parliament, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) cut its budget by about 8%. With the Conservatives, Labour, and the Lib Dems promising to bring down the budget deficit, there will have to be more savings in public spending. None of these three parties say they would ring-fence or protect defence, like the NHS or overseas aid. The MoD has reason to be nervous - it has the second largest non-protected budget, after welfare, of £34bn a year. Another Conservative-led government plans to make savings of around £12bn a year. Shared across the board that could mean the MoD losing at least another £2bn-£3bn of its annual budget. But Michael Clark, director of defence think tank Rusi, says most of the political parties appear to be backing away from further big cuts, in part because UKIP has made defence an issue during the campaign. The Conservatives also appear to have limited their options. They are promising to replace Trident, to increase the defence equipment budget by 1% a year, and to make no further cuts to the size of the regular army. Mr Clark says those commitments will make it hard to find "significant savings" in defence. But without raiding the MoD's coffers, he says, the Conservatives' entire fiscal plans would "go out of the window". Labour has been careful to avoid making similar commitments. Military chiefs, though, are still worried. Gen Sir Richard Shirreff, who was the second most senior military commander at Nato, says: " I fear it's almost certain that there will be more cuts." The Conservatives and UKIP are committed to renewing Britain's nuclear deterrent with a like-for-like replacement. That means building four new submarines at an estimated cost of at least £20bn. According to the MoD's own figures, about one quarter of committed defence equipment spending over the next decade will be on the successor submarines and deterrent systems. So it is an obvious area to look for savings. Labour say they would continue the round-the-clock patrols, known as Continuous At Sea Deterrent (CASD), but will look at whether that can be done with three rather than four submarines. The Liberal Democrats say they would retain a nuclear deterrent, but end CASD - what has been dubbed a "part-time deterrent". The SNP and the Greens would scrap it altogether. There is no political consensus. James de Waal, who worked in the MoD on the last Strategic Defence Review says: "Trident might be up for grabs." It is worth remembering the Tories went into the last election committed to renewing Trident, but as part of the coalition deal with the Liberal Democrats, postponed the decision. What is to prevent another review and another delay, especially if a party like the SNP holds the balance of power? Paul Ingram, who heads the British American Security Information Council, says the nuclear programme will have to be included in the next Strategic Defence Review, due after the election. Not least because he says the US will find it hard to stomach a key ally spending all that money on the nuclear programme, if it means contemplating further cuts to the UK's conventional forces. By the end of this decade, after a gap of 10 years, the UK will have two new operational aircraft carriers. The Queen Elizabeth and the Prince of Wales will be the largest warships ever built for the Royal Navy. They should be a symbol of power and of global ambition. But there is a danger that they will be more like the emperor's new clothes. On current manning levels, the Royal Navy will struggle to crew both carriers, even if as planned only one of them is operational at any given time. Plans to equip them with the new F-35 jet, have already had to be scaled down. There is space on board for 36 F-35s, but current plans are to sail with just 12. The current chief of the defence staff, Gen Sir Nicholas Houghton, has already warned of the dangers of a "hollow force" with "exquisite equipment" but not enough people. Politicians have long boasted that in military terms Britain can punch above its weight on the world stage. But it's becoming harder to live up to that rhetoric. |
340 | However the Spanish champions insisted they had not committed any offence. "The aim is to cover eventual interpretations that could be given to the contracts drawn up in the operation to sign Neymar," a club statement read. Barca paid £48.6m for Santos striker Neymar, 22, in the summer with his parents receiving £34m of the fee. Between the initial fee paid in the summer, signing-on fee, wages during his five-year deal, agents fees and this latest tax payment, Neymar will have cost the club £106.8m Last month, Sandro Rosell resigned as Barcelona president following accusations he misappropriated money. He is also being investigated but denies any wrongdoing. At the time of the move, Barcelona said they had paid 57m euros (£48.6m) for Neymar but it has been alleged that, if other contracts are taken into account, the actual cost of the player was far greater. And last week a judge in Spain ruled there was sufficient evidence against Barcelona to continue investigations into the transfer. The club added: "The board denies the existence of any tax-related crime in relation to the fiscal obligations arising from the signing of the player. "Given the existence of a possible divergent interpretation of the exact amount of tax responsibility arising from the signing and to defend the club's reputation and good name, FC Barcelona has this morning made a complimentary tax declaration of a total of 13,550,830.56 euros [...] although we remain convinced that the original tax payment was in line with our fiscal obligations." There has not yet been any confirmation whether the case will be dropped after Barcelona's payment. Neymar has scored seven goals in 18 league appearances for Barcelona this season, as well as netting three in seven Champions League matches. |
341 | Michael Luciw, 27, from Nottingham, was a passenger in a van that was hit by a Mazda Premacy, being driven the wrong way on the motorway by Albert Kenneth Newman, who also died. Mr Luciw's family said retired people should undergo regular driving tests. Age UK said it was "vital" older people could drive for as long as possible. The family described Mr Luciw, the father of a baby girl, as generous, kind-hearted and a lover of practical jokes. "He had only just turned 27 and he had his whole life ahead of him," said his mum Andrea Shelton. "He was looking forward to his baby's first crawl. Now he will miss all of her life through no fault of his own." "It doesn't feel as if we have lost him - it feels as if he has been taken away from us," said Mr Luciw's brother Simon. "There are so many things that should be put in place so things like this could be avoided. People are driving that shouldn't be on the road. "The older you get, the more your reactions slow down. "There needs to be some sort of test introduced, in a car with a driving instructor, so you get a true reflection of how good a driver you are. "You get a free bus pass once you are in your 60s so people can't say they are going to lose their freedom if they have their licence removed." Mrs Shelton said Mr Luciw, a delivery driver, was on a long-distance journey with a colleague Andy Harrington when the crash happened at 02:00 GMT on 12 October near Kegworth, Leicestershire. Mr Newman's car was heading north on the southbound carriageway. Mr Harrington, who was driving the Ford Transit, said he had not seen Mr Newman's car until the last second. "I managed to swerve slightly towards the crash barrier but there was nothing I could do," he said. "You couldn't even blink that fast. "It lives with me. I still get sleepless nights. It's not something I will ever forget." Mr Harrington, who sustained serious injuries in the crash, said retired drivers should have to undergo medical examinations. "It's up to the government whether they listen to us," he said. "But if that driver hadn't been on the road that morning, Michael would still be here with his daughter." Currently drivers over 70 in the UK must fill in a self-assessment form every three years to renew their licences. The form does not include a medical or driving test. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) which maintains the database of registered drivers said it had no plans to restrict licensing on the basis of age. "Evidence does not show that older drivers are more likely to cause a serious accident than others," it said. "The rules are clear that all drivers over 70 have to renew their licence every three years and have to tell DVLA about any medical conditions which might affect their driving. "If we find evidence a driver does not meet the appropriate medical standard we immediately remove their entitlement to drive." Caroline Abrahams, charity director of Age UK, said: "We know driving often allows older people to have the independence to get out and about, go shopping and attend appointments so it's vital that older people are supported to continue driving safely for as long as possible." For more on this subject watch Inside Out on BBC One East Midlands at 19:30 GMT on Monday 25 January and nationwide for 30 days thereafter on the iPlayer. |
342 | Many women have questioned the safety of the implants, which are used to treat incontinence, after suffering debilitating side effects. Two patients sitting on the original review group quit in protest at what they said was a watered-down report. Now independent expert Alison Britton, a professor of healthcare and medical law, will examine the final report. Ms Robison told Holyrood's public petitions committee that Prof Britton, from Glasgow Caledonian University, would examine the process by which the report came to its conclusions. She told MSPs: "Professor Britton will produce a report on how the independent review process was undertaken and importantly what lessons can be learned in the future." The report concluded procedures should not be offered routinely to women with pelvic organ prolapse. It recommended patients be offered a range of treatments and given the information to make "informed choices". The report also said reporting of adverse events should be mandatory. Ms Robison confirmed the recommendations would continue to be implemented despite calls from campaigners for an all-out ban. The health secretary said the government did not have the power to ban the procedures as that lay with UK regulatory body the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency. In other evidence, the chairwoman of the independent review Tracey Gillies apologised for failing to unite all panel members around the review's controversial final report. Ms Gillies took over as chairwoman of the independent review of transvaginal mesh implants in its final stages towards the end of last year. It emerged she had no conversations with previous chairwoman Lesley Wilkie, who resigned for personal reasons. Her evidence was punctuated by cries of "shame on you" and "rubbish" from a packed public gallery which included some women who had suffered painful and debilitating complications as a result of the procedure. Ms Gillies said her task had been "almost mission impossible from the beginning". She said: "It was clear that there were strongly-held views of difference at the point that I came in, so one could say more fool me for agreeing to chair this. "This is not something that most people would have ... welcomed would be the wrong word, but it's clearly going to be a very difficult thing and I personally have reflected and feel disappointed that I have not achieved what I would have set out to do, which would have been to bring this in in consensus. Olive McIlroy and Elaine Holmes - who had both suffered complications as a result of the surgery - quit the review group earlier this year, saying they felt "dismayed and disgusted" at the publication of the independent report. It was claimed that parts of the final report had been removed. Following their resignations, it emerged that a consultant also quit the expert group over concerns about the final draft of the report. Over the past 20 years, more than 20,000 women in Scotland have had mesh or tape implants but some have suffered painful and debilitating complications. There are more than 400 women currently taking legal action against Scottish health boards and manufacturers as a result of mesh implant surgery. |
343 | Muir, 23, broke McColgan's 25-year-old record by 14 seconds at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow on Wednesday, with a time of 14 minutes, 49.12 seconds. McColgan said she felt excited to see her last record broken by Muir. She had earlier raised concerns about whether Muir's race had met all the criteria set by UK Athletics for record-breaking attempts. She had told BBC radio's John Beattie programme it needed to be a "genuine race" and may not have been as "Muir had been the only competitor". "It was a mixed 3K race where all the other girls ran 3K and it was only Laura who finished the 5K," she said. "We were wondering if to get a record ratified you have to have drug testing as well. "So we were just wondering if they had everything in place to actually have it ratified as a record." However, British Athletics confirmed Muir's time was expected to be classified as official. A spokesman said: "The time will undergo ratification but is expected to be confirmed". Rules stipulate that if there is no doping control at an event where a British record is set, there is no requirement for the athlete to submit drug tests. McColgan said Muir had what it took to win world medals. "To run 14.49 indoors is pretty good," she said. "But she is a 3.55 minute 1,500m runner, so you would expect someone like Laura to run (5K) in something like 14.30. "So there's still a lot more in the tank and I don't think that's the fastest 5K she's ever going to run. "She's got the ability to get down to 14.30, which is really mixing it with the top in the world." McColgan said Muir's race, which saw her lap other runners, had been similar to her own record-breaking race 25 years ago. "I ran on my own right from the start with nobody really pushing me at all," she said. "I actually lapped a young Paula Radcliffe about two or three times." McColgan said it was a bonus that her record was beaten by a fellow Scot. "She is world class," she said. "She just needs to get her race tactics right so that she can start winning some medals." Muir broke her own British 1500m record at the Diamond League meeting in Paris in August and reached the 1,500m Olympic final at Rio 2016. |
344 | Jung won aboard Sam, who was a late replacement when Fischertakinou contracted an infection in July. France's Astier Nicolas took silver and American Phillip Dutton won bronze as GB's William Fox-Pitt finished 12th. Fox-Pitt, 47, was competing just 10 months after being placed in an induced coma following a fall. The three-time Olympic medallist, aboard Chilli Morning, produced a faultless performance in Tuesday's final show-jumping phase. But the former world number one's medal bid had already been ruined by a disappointing performance in the cross-country phase on Monday. He led after the dressage phase, but dropped to 21st after incurring several time penalties in the cross country. Ireland's Jonty Evans finished ninth on Cooley Rorkes Drift. Why not come along, meet and ride Henry the mechanical horse at some of the Official Team GB fan parks during the Rio Olympics? Find out how to get into equestrian with our special guide. Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox. |
345 | Media playback is not supported on this device The Briton, 30, won 6-2 4-6 6-1 7-5 after two hours and 39 minutes, with match point clinched at 20:57 BST. Fognini, the 29th seed, had five set points to force a fifth set but Murray won five games in a row to seal a place in the last 16 for the 11th time. Murray will play Frenchman Benoit Paire in the fourth round on Monday. Fellow Briton Johanna Konta earlier reached the second week for the first time with a 6-4 6-1 win over Maria Sakkari of Greece. Media playback is not supported on this device "The end of the match was tense. It was an up and down match. I didn't feel like it was the best tennis at times but I managed to get through," Murray told the BBC. "It was getting dark towards the end and I was probably thinking a bit about that. "We would have had to go off for the roof to go on, so that would have meant a change in conditions. I'm pleased to get off in four." Media playback is not supported on this device Murray looked like avoiding a long, drawn-out contest when he moved ahead early in the third set but a Friday night drama would develop as the light faded. Fognini, 30, showed both his talented and temperamental sides as he got within sight of a fifth set, which would have required the roof to be brought across or both men to return on Saturday. The Italian, who recently beat Murray on clay in Rome, looked well off the pace when he double-faulted twice in a row to lose the first set, but he began to assert himself in the second. Fognini broke for a second time to lead 3-2 and went on to level at one set all, before firing his 13th baseline winner to just one for Murray by the start of the third set. At 30-30, Murray was on the defensive and looking increasingly vulnerable, but he clung on with a second serve and the scream of relief jolted him and the Centre Court crowd to life. Across the net, Fognini's challenge was apparently fading, an ankle injury not helping as the errors flowed and the set slipped away. A gripping fourth set unfolded, with passions rising on and off court as Fognini was penalised a point for a visible obscenity following a gesture, and Murray complaining to the umpire that the Italian was taking too long between points. It was Fognini who took control after Murray double-faulted in game six, but from 5-2 down Murray showed all his fighting qualities to save set points in three consecutive games. The 15,000 spectators on Centre Court were on their feet as the Briton levelled at 5-5, and Fognini could not halt Murray's momentum as the champion served his way to victory. "I feel OK," added Murray. "I didn't feel I moved as well as the first couple of matches but I've got a couple of days break now and can work on that and hopefully get myself in a good rhythm and play some good tennis on Monday. "I'm happy to get through the first week and anything can happen from here on." |
346 | Paramedics were called to attend a sudden death at Joe's Bar in Dungiven at 06:00 BST on 6 October 2014, Limavady Magistrates Court was told. Police arriving a short time later found several people still at the bar. Till receipts showed alcohol was being served as late as 04:49 BST. The judge ordered its closure for three months. Colleen O'Neill, 43, of Kevin Lynch Park in the town, was charged with two counts of allowing the consumption of liquor outside licensing hours. James Thomas, 44, of the same address, faced one count of the same charge. A defence solicitor told the court that the licensing laws in Dungiven "were not strictly adhered to". He said it was clear that the premises had not been run in a proper manner and had been running well into the morning. The judge said Ms O'Neill, who is the license holder, had "an appalling record" and expressed concern that he did not have power to impose a custodial sentence. "This was as bad a case as I have come across and as bad a record," he said. Ms O'Neill was also fined £3,000, while Mr Thomas was fined £1,000. |
347 | At the end of his speech launching the party's manifesto, Mike Nesbitt said: "Domination doesn't work, partnership does." Ulster Unionists want the election to be a referendum on how the Renewable Heat Incentive debacle was handled. But the focus has now turned on them following Mr Nesbitt's comments. Mr Nesbitt was asked about the decision of his senior party colleague Danny Kennedy to publicly distance himself from the remarks. He turned to Mr Kennedy, who was sitting behind him on the platform, and said: "It wasn't disappointing, it was actually quite reaffirming to know Danny was listening." The line brought laughter from other candidates and party members. Under questioning from journalists, Mr Nesbitt denied that he had any regrets or that he had made a mistake. "What I have said consistently is vote Ulster Unionists and then for any candidate that you believe will do the right thing within your community, within your constituency and within the country," he said. He added that he "wouldn't withdraw a word" of what he had said and was thinking only of what what would happen after the election. "The fact is, if we are going into [Stormont] Castle, it will be with a nationalist party," he said. "Now, would I rather go in with Sinn Féin or the SDLP? I would rather go in with the SDLP." Mr Nesbitt went on to say that, on Monday, he spent a lot of time time knocking doors in heavily unionist areas with "very little criticism and a lot of support for what I was talking about". "I am confident in my position and I'm very confident and relaxed that [candidates] behind me are taking different positions in terms of vote transfer," he said. "But people will come back on 2 March to thinking about the £85,000 a day that is going up in smoke, the 10 years of the DUP and Sin Féin in that castle and the impossibility, no matter what anybody writes in a platform piece for the newspaper, of leopards changing their spots." The manifesto, entitled 'Real Partnership', includes calls for action in tackling waiting lists, increasing PSNI numbers to 7,500, prioritising the York Street interchange, standing up for the LGBT community and "guaranteeing" that no group is worse off because of Brexit. In a section entitled 'Cleaning Up Stormont', the party calls for: On the theme of the election being a referendum, he said it was about "incompetence, arrogance, cronyism and the strong whiff of corruption". He must hope that message will resonate more strongly than the continuing controversy over his remarks about transferring to the SDLP. |
348 | Justice Minister Claire Sugden confirmed a motion will go before the assembly for approval. The move will bring Northern Ireland in line with England and Wales, where plans for automatic pardons were announced last month. Those proposals would see men convicted of now-abolished sexual offences receive posthumous pardons. Dubbed 'Turing's Law', after the World War Two code-breaker Alan Turing, the law will also allow living men convicted of such offences to apply for a pardon. The motion in the assembly is expected to contain the same provisions and allow for pardons both posthumously as well as for living gay and bisexual men. The minister said she has secured executive agreement to ask the assembly to pass a legislative consent motion to pardon convictions related to abolished sexual offences. Ms Sugden said that arrangements would be brought in "as soon as possible to ensure that there is equal treatment for gay and bisexual men here as for their counterparts in England and Wales". "This is an opportunity for the criminal justice system to try and right the wrongs of the past and one which will allow for much earlier resolve than that presented by way of an assembly bill," she added. The motion will now go forward for consideration by the assembly. |
349 | The 23-year-old from Kinross finished second behind Kenyan Faith Kipyegon in four minutes, 19.12 seconds. That erased Yvonne Murray's 1994 effort of 4:22.60 in the Scottish rankings and moved her second on the British all-time list behind Zola Budd's 4:17.57. The new record holder said: "I am really pleased to get that Scottish record. It means a lot to me." Muir, who finished fifth in last year's World Championships, now holds the Scottish 1500m and mile records. "This is my first race of the season over this distance, so I am really pleased," she said. "Faith's been running so quick, so to get so close to her, I'm excited. Murray's husband, Tom Mooney, said on Facebook: "Yvonne says: 'Well done to you, Laura." Muir hopes to secure an Olympics place for Great Britain in Rio at the British trials in Birmingham from 24 to 26 June. The Scot started her season with an 800m victory in Montbeliard, France, last week and next competes in a week's time in a 1500m race in Stockholm. "Training's been going really, so I was expecting to run a good race," added Muir, who fits her training around her veterinary studies. She recently completed her fourth year of vet school. |
350 | Met Police barrister Richard Horwell QC said suspects Dmitry Kovtun and Andrei Lugovoi had no personal motive to kill. The Russian state "is likely to have been the sponsor of this plot" and had "reasons aplenty" for wishing him "not only harm, but death", he said. UK officials believe the two suspects poisoned Mr Litvinenko, 43, in London in 2006 but they deny any wrongdoing. Mr Litvinenko drank tea containing a fatal dose of radioactive substance polonium-210 during a meeting with Mr Kovtun and Mr Lugovoi. He died in hospital nearly three weeks later. The fact that polonium caused his death indicates there was some form of Russian state participation, Mr Horwell said in his closing remarks. He said: "The evidence suggests the only credible explanation is that in one form or another the Russian state was involved in Mr Litvinenko's murder." However, he stressed this did not mean Russian President Vladimir Putin was involved or gave the order and that there were many possible motives for the murder. Defecting to the UK in 2000, after accusing KGB successor the FSB of murdering political opponents and of corruption, could have been seen as "akin to treachery", he said. He also spoke of Mr Litvinenko's "many personal attacks on Putin". Mr Horwell has said the risk to the general public in London from polonium radiation will never be known, and also that Mr Litvinenko had been poisoned twice in the run-up to his death. He said: "The two attacks on Mr Litvinenko were an outrage. They led to great suffering on his part and eventually to his demise. "We will never know how dangerous the exposure of polonium to the public at large will be and what long-term effects will be visited upon Londoners." Mr Horwell said the suspects left a "trail of polonium" behind and they had "no credible answer" to the scientific evidence against them. While the force wanted them tried for murder, this was now unlikely to happen, the inquiry heard. Attempts to extradite the two men have failed and they remain in Russia. Former Soviet army officer Mr Kovtun has been criticised by inquiry chairman Sir Robert Owen for failing to give evidence to the hearing. The inquiry was adjourned until Friday. |
351 | Smith, 26, already leads the one-day side and will also captain the Twenty20 team in the absence of the injured Aaron Finch. Fellow batsman David Warner, 28, has been named as Smith's vice-captain. "At 26, Steve is a fine young man with extraordinary talent," said national selector Rod Marsh. "He is highly regarded by the selectors and we congratulate him on being appointed to the role on an ongoing basis. He should be incredibly proud." Clarke, 34, confirmed his decision to retire after his side surrendered the Ashes with a heavy defeat by England at Trent Bridge, which gave the hosts a 3-1 lead. Smith had already captained the side in three Tests against India last summer, when Clarke was recovering from hamstring surgery and back issues. The New South Welshman has played in 32 Tests for his country, scoring 2,952 runs at an average of 54.66. Media playback is not supported on this device "When Michael made his decision to retire last week it was a very straightforward decision for us to nominate Steve as his successor," added Marsh. "He has big shoes to fill but everything about him suggests he is the right man for the job." Warner has earned the vice-captain's role despite a history of disciplinary problems, and Marsh said of the opener: "David has matured and developed into an important senior figure in the Australian team. He has come a long way. "We believe that he will respond well to the added responsibility of leadership." Smith and Warner will lead Australia in the limited-overs matches that follow the final Ashes Test at the Oval, which starts on 20 August. |
352 | Earlier this week, he refused to answer the question of whether he believed homosexual sex was a sin. But he told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show he was "passionate about LGBT-plus rights" and defending equal marriage would be "at the top of my agenda". He also said he wanted to extend the marital rights of transgender people. Appearing on Channel 4 News on Friday, Mr Farron, who beat Norman Lamb to the leadership, was asked three times if he believed homosexual sex was a sin. Each time, he refused to give a direct answer, instead choosing to say "my firm belief is we are all sinners". Mr Farron was asked by Andrew Marr why he voted against the Equality Bill in 2007 - a law which would have made it harder for businesses to discriminate against gay people. "Let me be crystal clear, I'm a liberal and I absolutely support equality," he replied. "I'm passionate about LGBT-plus rights, for example, and as the leader of a liberal party, that is something that will be at the top of my agenda throughout the time that I am leader of our party. "Not just defending the law on equal marriage, but also saying there are areas where it needs to be extended." Mr Farron said transgender people currently did not have equal access to marriage due to something known as the spousal veto - which means the husband or wife of someone who has changed gender must give their consent in order for the marriage to continue. He said the Lib Dems tabled an amendment to the Equality Bill because of concerns about "protection of individual liberties" and when that was defeated he voted against the bill. He did not answer directly when asked what those concerns were, but said: "I am absolutely in favour of equal access under law for all people whatever their sexuality." |
353 | French-based Sanofi closed its drug manufacturing site in Fawdon in 2015 with the loss of 450 jobs. Now, Accord Healthcare is to use the plant for its pharmaceutical production, with the hope many of the jobs will be filled by ex-Sanofi staff. A spokesman said the firm was confident the investment would have an "extremely positive" impact on the area. The leader of Newcastle City Council, Councillor Nick Forbes, said: "This announcement is fantastic news for Newcastle and the North East and helps strengthen our reputation as a home for the science and healthcare sector. "Accord is a global player in the pharmaceutical industry and the highly skilled jobs and long-term investment bring a welcome boost the local economy." Accord Healthcare develops, manufactures and distributes more than 130 pharmaceutical products to about 60 countries worldwide. |
354 | The local authority said Richard Ellis was leaving on Friday at the end of his contract. Ciaran Monaghan and Ewan Sutherland are both going under a voluntary redundancy and early retirement scheme. Stephen Flynn, the leader of the opposition SNP group, said the departures were indicative of the council's inability to hold on to senior staff. He said he expected further departures in the coming months. Mr Ellis is the council's former interim director of corporate governance, and has also been acting as deputy chief executive for several months. Mr Monaghan is head of the chief executive's office, while Mr Sutherland is head of human resources and customer services. Council chief executive Angela Scott thanked the trio for their "dedication and professionalism". |
355 | Militants armed with guns and grenades gained entry after one detonated explosives at a hospital gate and then opened fire on staff and patients. Commandos who landed on the Sardar Daud hospital roof killed all four attackers after several hours of fighting. The so-called Islamic State (IS) group has claimed the attack. The Taliban has denied any involvement. More than 50 people were also wounded, the defence ministry said. World powers jostle in Afghanistan's new 'Great Game' How successful has IS been in Afghanistan? Stuck between IS and the Taliban President Ashraf Ghani said the attack at the 400-bed hospital "trampled all human values". "In all religions, a hospital is regarded as an immune site and attacking it is attacking the whole of Afghanistan," he said. The attack began at 09:00 local time (04:30 GMT). One hospital staff member who was able to get out saw an attacker "wearing a white coat holding a Kalashnikov and opening fire on everyone, including the guards, patients and doctors". One employee wrote on Facebook: "Attackers are inside the hospital. Pray for us." The hospital attack marks a change in approach by so-called Islamic State fighters in Afghanistan - it's the first time they have engaged directly with security forces in the capital. Previously they have targeted civilian gatherings, mainly of Shia Muslims, as well as causing carnage at the Supreme Court last month. But at the hospital they used an approach more commonly associated with the Taliban - blowing the gates open to allow gunmen to enter. This suggests they now have the resources and the military training to expand their attacks. If that's the case, the security forces could face more such assaults in the coming months. In the two years since it announced its presence in Afghanistan, IS has mainly engaged with Afghan forces - and more powerful, rival Taliban fighters - in the east, near the Pakistan border. It has failed so far to widen its base in the country - one reason, observers suggest, it may now be mounting more headline-grabbing attacks. The government claims it has rooted out IS militants from a number of bases in the east - but has yet to dislodge them from mountainous areas they control. TV pictures showed people hiding from the gunmen on ledges outside windows on upper floors of the building. More than six hours after the attack began, interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi tweeted that special forces had ended their operation and all the attackers were dead. The IS-affiliated Amaq news agency shared two images via the Telegram messaging app that appeared to show one of the militants taking part in the assault and a number of dead bodies. Afghanistan's de-facto deputy leader Abdullah Abdullah also condemned the attack on Twitter and vowed to "avenge the blood of our people". IS announced it was moving into Afghanistan and Pakistan when it declared its so-called Khorasan Province in 2015 and has since carried out a number of attacks. In July 2016, a suicide bomb attack on a rally in Kabul killed about 80 people. Three months later, two similar attacks during the religious festival of Ashura claimed about 30 lives and in November 2016 an attack at a mosque in Kabul killed more than 30. IS also claimed a suicide attack at Kabul's Supreme Court last month that killed 22 people and has stepped up activity in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Taliban has also been carrying out attacks, killing 16 people in Kabul in suicide attacks a week ago, after beginning its Spring offensive early. |
356 | The English rider crashed at this year's TT and the Fireblade bike has been plagued by mechanical problems. Martin told MCN that he was quitting road racing but he later clarifying his position on Facebook. "I've not given up on racing or road racing but I've got no plans to do anymore road racing on the Hondas this year," he said. Martin didn't race at the North West 200 after team-mate John McGuinness crashed in practice and he will not compete in next month's Ulster Grand Prix. He added: "The TT was a bloody disaster, aside from walking the dog and racing the Mugen, I didn't enjoy it. "It was clear even before that we were going to struggle and then it turned into me really being a test rider, which I did. "But after we did more testing at Cadwell a few weeks back, I said to the team the bike won't be competitive at the Ulster Grand Prix and they decided to withdraw me from the event, although they didn't tell me, which is OK as the decision was made for me. "There's no unfinished business and I want to race classics and oddball stuff." |
357 | The All Progressives Congress (APC) won 19 of the 28 governor posts in results declared from Saturday's elections. It is the biggest defeat for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) since military ruled ended in 1999. It lost the presidential poll last month for the first time. APC leader Muhammadu Buhari will be inaugurated on 29 May, after he defeated President Goodluck Jonathan. The PDP's decline has been reinforced by results from Saturday's elections for governors and state assemblies, reports the BBC's Bashir Saad Abdullahi from the capital, Abuja. The party lost for the first time in key northern states like Katsina and Kaduna, the home of outgoing Vice-President Namadi Sambo. It also lost control of Adamawa, one of three states badly hit by militant Islamist group Boko Haram's insurgency. However, the party managed to hold on to Rivers State, Nigeria's oil hub. The PDP won eight governorships, mostly in the south-east. Taraba is the only result still outstanding, while the election in Imo state was declared inconclusive, because the number of spoilt ballot papers was larger than the margin of victory. Elections were not held in seven states. Analysis: Chris Ewokor, BBC Africa, Abuja The APC has made historic gains, relegating the once-powerful PDP to a regional party. The PDP failed to get a national spread of votes, doing well only in the south-east and the oil-rich Niger Delta. Most states in the north went to the APC, along with Nigeria's commercial hub, Lagos, in the south-west. However, the APC failed to win in any of Nigeria's five oil-producing states. This will be of huge concern to President-elect Muhammadu Buhari, as militant groups could disrupt oil production and starve the federal government of much-needed oil revenue. It is unlikely that the PDP governors in the five states would help Gen Buhari rein in the militants. In parts of the country, the elections were marred by violence due to stiff rivalry, and the battle for power and money. Ethnic differences also fuelled the conflict in some areas, but overall the elections have been more peaceful than in previous years, raising hopes that Nigeria's democracy is maturing. Why Jonathan lost? Buhari's historic victory Nigeria's 36 governors enjoy wide powers and are extremely influential. Some, especially in oil-producing areas, control bigger budgets than those of national governments in some neighbouring West African countries. The Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) reported 66 violent incidents at polling stations - higher than in the presidential poll. Most of the violence took place in Rivers and other southern states, where voting at some polling stations had to be extended. On Sunday, Inec also announced that the APC had retained power in Lagos state. It means that when Gen Buhari takes over the presidency it will be the first time that the party of the president has controlled Lagos - the commercial capital - since the advent of multi-party democracy in 1999. Our correspondent says the PDP will have to go through a period of introspection, and then rebuild itself under a new leader. The party was in power for 16 years, and voters felt that it was time for change, he says. It had been hit by the defection of governors and MPs to the APC ahead of the elections. The PDP also faced widespread allegations of corruption during its rule, and was accused of failing to do enough to end an Islamist-led insurgency in the north-east where it suffered huge defeats. |
358 | The claims against the agricultural commodities trader were made in a report by Mighty, a US-based environmental lobby group. Mighty also accuses Olam and its main stakeholder, Singapore state-owned investment company Temasek, of turning a blind eye to these practices. Both companies reject the allegations. Singapore and Malaysia regularly suffer from haze caused by slash-and-burn practices by small-scale farmers and rogue palm oil traders in Indonesia. Indonesia is often blamed for not doing enough to tackle the agriculture fires used to clear vegetation for palm oil, pulp and paper plantations in the Riau province in East Sumatra, South Sumatra, and parts of Kalimantan on Indonesian Borneo. Singapore-based Olam has confirmed that it buys 99% of its palm oil from third party suppliers and while it is a relative newcomer to the industry, it says it accounts for less than 1% of the global market. Mighty's report says Olam and Temask could be unwittingly encouraging unsustainable palm oil trading practices that may contribute to the haze that is caused by the fires. It also says Olam created a "secretive market for rogue palm oil companies" that allowed the vast majority of its product to be bought from unknown sources. But Olam chief executive Sunny Verghese told the BBC that the firm had a "very vigorous sourcing policy and we insist that there is zero tolerance for burning, so it's a 'no burn-no peat-no deforestation' compliance policy". The company only agreed to release the names of its 14 suppliers on Monday, having previously resisted calls by Mighty to do so. Mr Verghese said he believed the firm's current suppliers all met Olam's strict requirements, but added that the vetting and verification process would take several more years to complete. He added that producers who do not comply with the company's sustainable principles would be removed from its supply chain. Since Temasek is the majority stake holder in Olam, Mighty's allegations could link Singapore's state fund to the devastating annual haze affecting Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia - if the claims of sourcing from rogue palm oil producers are proven. Temasek's investment in Olam means that "the people of Singapore have unwittingly financed what is likely one of the world's black boxes for the kind of unsustainably produced palm oil that fuels the haze," the report says. Temasek has dismissed the allegations, explaining that they "fully support no-burn policies for land clearance, and would urge oil palm companies and plantation owners to do the same." The fund told the BBC: "Olam's operations are properly matters for the board and management of Olam to address. "As a matter of proper governance, Temasek does not direct the business operations of our portfolio companies, including Olam." It would be fair to say that the palm oil industry globally has a troubled track record. It is one of the world's biggest industries, projected to be worth $88bn by 2022 but also often accused of unfair and illegal labour practices, as well as deforestation and the burning of plantations. Green groups and palm oil executives often find themselves at loggerheads with one another - NGOs say that the industry is wilfully turning a blind eye to environmentally unfriendly practices, while palm oil executives claim it is an industry-wide problem, and policing third party suppliers is impossible. Activists say governments need to punish palm oil firms that don't comply with acceptable standards of protecting the environment - but changing the government mindset can be challenging, because the reality is many of these firms bring jobs and investment to rural areas. The report also highlights concerns in the African state of Gabon, where according to Mighty, Olam "bulldozes rainforests to establish monoculture palm oil plantations," bringing the same practices to Africa "that have destroyed vast natural landscapes in Southeast Asia". In response to the accusation that Olam is responsible for vast forest clearings through its joint ventures with the government of Gabon, Olam said its private-public partnerships in the country strove to be both responsible and transparent. "We agree with Gabon's sovereign right to convert a tiny percentage of its least valuable forested land for agriculture, so long as it is responsibly and transparently done," it said. "Our plans and progress for developing sustainable palm oil plantations have been shared transparently with stakeholders and put in the public domain." |
359 | Forward Fernando Forestieri (knee) is a doubt having only been able to play from the bench in the last two games. Derby County striker David Nugent (groin) could return after missing Monday's draw with Huddersfield. Midfielder Jacob Butterfield is hoping for a recall after coming off the bench to score a late leveller against the Terriers. |
360 | Pakistan's telecoms regulator said the ban was no longer necessary because Google, which owns YouTube, had now launched a Pakistan-specific version. YouTube has denied claims that the authorities can filter content. Many young Pakistanis have welcomed the lifting of the ban but some activists want details of the deal with Google. They say there should be greater transparency of the terms agreed between Google and the government. A Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) official confirmed to the BBC that all internet service providers had been directed to open access to YouTube. The Pakistan Telecommunication Company Ltd posted on its Facebook page on Monday: "Welcome Back YouTube". Pakistan's ministry of information technology said: "Google has provided an online web process through which requests for blocking access of offending material can be made by the PTA to Google directly. "Google/YouTube will accordingly restrict access to the said offending material for users within Pakistan." However, a YouTube spokeswoman said government requests for the removal of content would not automatically be granted. "We have clear community guidelines, and when videos violate those rules, we remove them," she said. "In addition, where we have launched YouTube locally and we are notified that a video is illegal in that country, we may restrict access to it after a thorough review." She said requests by governments for content to be removed would be recorded in YouTube's Transparency Report. Pakistan's ban on YouTube was imposed by the Supreme Court in 2012 after the US-made film Innocence of Muslims was uploaded. The amateur-made video was condemned in the Muslim world and sparked widespread protests for its mocking portrayal of the Prophet Muhammad. More than a dozen people died in protests in Pakistan. Blasphemy is a crime in Pakistan and can carry the death penalty, although such a sentence has not been carried out. Google revealed last week that it had launched local versions of YouTube for Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. |
361 | Domenico Scala, who heads up Fifa's Ad-Hoc Electoral Committee, is Swiss-Italian - as is Gianni Infantino, one of the five presidential candidates. Scala excused himself from the 2015 elections as he shared nationality with a candidate, Swiss Sepp Blatter. LFA boss Musa Bility says he will go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport if Scala does not withdraw by Thursday. The battle to replace long-standing president Blatter takes place in 18 days' time. "Article 7.4 of the Electoral Regulations is clear that any member of the Ad-Hoc Electoral Committee who has a conflict of interest … is thereby barred from sitting as a member of the Committee and must be replaced," Bility wrote in a letter to Scala on Monday. Ahead of elections in May 2015 between Blatter and Prince Ali of Jordan - both Scala and Claudio Sulser, who was also on the Ad-Hoc Electoral Committee, stepped aside for this reason. "Prior to the final review process, Domenico Scala (as a dual Swiss/Italian national) and Claudio Sulser (as a Swiss national) withdrew from their positions to avoid any appearance of a potential conflict of interest based on nationality," Fifa wrote at the time. However Andreas Bantel, a spokesman for Scala, says "the fact that a member of the ad-hoc electoral committee has the same nationality as a candidate does not result in a conflict of interest. "There is no such provision whatsoever in the relevant regulations of Fifa," he told BBC Sport. "For the last election period Mr Scala withdrew because the Swiss candidate was the incumbent President. Scala did so in order to avoid even any appearance of a potential conflicted of interest situation and simply as a precautionary measure on a voluntary base. "For this election there are five candidates with no incumbent President. Hence, there is no potential conflict of interest at all." It remains to be seen whether Bility will go ahead with his threat to take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. In his letter to Scala, he wants to know why the same process has not been followed ahead of the 26 February election. "Following an unprecedented period of sustained turmoil and damage for Fifa as an institution, the fairness and integrity of the current electoral process are absolutely vital for Fifa," Bility wrote. "If we do not receive confirmation from the Fifa Ah-Hoc Electoral Committee within three working days of receipt of this latter that you are stepping down … with immediate effect, the Liberian FA reserves its right to challenge that decision by all available routes." Bility had hoped to participate in the elections himself before being denied by the Electoral Committee in November after failing an eligibility check. On Saturday, the Liberian pledged his vote to Prince Ali while urging his fellow Africans to do the same. Alongside Prince Ali and Infantino, Frenchman Jerome Champagne, Bahrain's Sheikh Salman and South Africa's Tokyo Sexwale are also bidding to replace Blatter as president. The election, which is voted on by Fifa's 209 members, will take place in the organisation's headquarters in the Swiss city Zurich. |
362 | Daniel Timbers, 29, and Barry Joy, 56, were working at Harford Attachments in Spar Road when they were killed, shortly after 09:00 BST on Monday. The men are believed to have been working in a paint-spraying area. Their bodies were removed from the site on Tuesday afternoon. A forensic search has been carried out at the company, which makes buckets for diggers. Det Ch Insp Paul Durham said "significant progress" had been made with forensic inquiries and obtaining witness statements. "Evidence gathered so far suggests there has been a flashover explosion, which occurs when you have a build-up of toxic fumes," he said. "This, combined with some sort of ignition, has caused a fire-ball effect." The Health and Safety Executive said its inspectors and electrical safety experts would be gathering evidence. |
363 | Tunisia had faced expulsion from the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations until apologising to Caf for complaints it lodged against the organisation during this year's Nations Cup. Morocco, meanwhile, were only able to enter the 2017 Nations Cup qualifying draw after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) overturned a ban on its participation. We are preparing for a future full of good things for both Africa and Morocco "We are preparing for a future full of good things for both Africa and Morocco," said Moroccan FA chief Fouzi Lekjaa. "We are back after a little break of a few months, but it has not had a big impact. The impact was minimal and we were, along with our Caf colleagues, able to make it pass." Morocco were punished in February after being replaced as 2015 Nations Cup hosts last November, just two months before the competition began. The North Africans refused to stage the tournament in January 2015, citing fears over importing the Ebola virus, and asked for a postponement of either six or twelve months instead. Earlier this month, Cas overturned Caf's ruling and reduced a fine imposed on Morocco's FA from $1m (£675,000) to $50,000 (£34,000). Equatorial Guinea stepped in to stage the 2015 finals, despite having just 64 days to prepare. The host nation was also at the centre of the incident that led to Tunisia's row with Caf, which the local federation (FTF) says is now over. "I am convinced that the page has been turned and that there will no longer by any problems," FTF vice-president Maher Snoussi told BBC Sport. Seeking their first Nations Cup triumph since 2004, the Tunisians were leading 1-0 in the 90th minute of their quarter-final against the hosts when they were awarded a highly contentious penalty. The spot-kick was converted and Equatorial Guinea went on to win 2-1 in extra-time, as the Tunisian players and bench largely lost their heads as tempers flared. The Tunisians wrote a furious letter to Caf in response, which prompted African football's ruling body to demand an apology by 31 March 2015 or face disqualification from the next Nations Cup. Contrary to media reports, the Tunisia Football Federation insists it never accused Caf nor Mauritian referee Rajindraparsad Seechurn of corruption. "We never spoke of corruption because we had no evidence," said Snoussi. "But we were strongly convinced that the referee sought out an unjustifiable penalty, and that perhaps he was influenced by the atmosphere inside the stadium." "But we never accused either him or any Caf member of corruption. "We simply said the referee was very badly chosen and we contested that a 45-year-old, coming towards the end of his international career, should have been selected. "In our famous letter, we said that the commission in charge of appointing referees had to assume responsibility for appointing a referee incapable of handling the match." Tunisia's 2017 participation seemed in doubt until a meeting with Caf president Issa Hayatou and others in Senegal in mid-March led to a rapprochement. "Luckily, with the strong pressure of Issa Hayatou, with whom I had a meeting in Dakar where we discussed our difference, we've managed to turn the page," said Snoussi. "We are very happy to be playing the (2017) Nations Cup and I feel this difference has been now completely ironed out." Following last week's draw in Cairo, Tunisia will face Togo, Liberia and Djibouti in Group A while Morocco will Cape Verde, Libya and Sao Tome in Group F. Should the Tunisians reach the 2017 finals in Gabon, they will reach their thirteenth straight Nations Cup - which would be a record. |
364 | The charge follows the mass fracas in the 95th minute of the game at Etihad Stadium, which Chelsea won 3-1. City had forward Sergio Aguero and midfielder Fernandinho sent off, but Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas will not face any further action. City manager Pep Guardiola apologised for his team's part in the incident. Aguero, 28, received a four-match ban for what was his second dismissal for violent conduct this season, following a high and late challenge on Chelsea defender David Luiz. Fernandinho clashed with Fabregas in the scuffle that followed Aguero's challenge, and the Brazil midfielder will serve a three-match ban. Both clubs have until 18:00 GMT on 8 December to respond to the charge. |
365 | Mae gan Gymru a rhannau eraill o'r DU rai o'r cyfraddau goresgyn canser gwaethaf yn y byd datblygedig. Nawr mae cynllun peilot yng Nghwm Cynon a Chastell-nedd yn canolbwyntio ar gleifion mae eu meddygon teulu yn amau sydd â chanser ond ddim yn dangos unrhyw arwyddion neu symptomau brys. Daw hyn flwyddyn ar ôl i feddygon ymweld â Denmarc er mwyn gweld y systemau diagnostig yno. Fe welodd swyddogion Bwrdd Iechyd Cwm Taf bod y gwasanaeth iechyd yn Nenmarc wedi gwella cyfraddau goresgyn canser. Y pryder yw bod claf yng Nghymru sydd ddim gyda symptomau clir yn disgwyl am gyfnod rhy hir am ddiagnosis, am nad ydyn nhw yn "ffitio'n hawdd" i unrhyw lwybr triniaeth benodol. Mae'n golygu bod meddygon teulu yn cyfeirio'r claf yn ôl ac ymlaen er mwyn cael nifer o brofion, a hynny yn cymryd sawl wythnos. Oherwydd hyn, yr ofn yw bod gormod o gleifion yn dechrau triniaeth pan mae eu canser wedi datblygu neu nad oes modd ei wella. Bydd 40 o feddygon yng Nghwm Cynon sydd yn credu efallai bod rhywbeth o'i le yn gallu cyfeirio'r claf at ganolfan ddiagnostig yn Ysbyty Brenhinol Morgannwg, Llantrisant o fewn saith diwrnod. Yr amcangyfrif yw y bydd rhyw chwe chlaf yr wythnos yn cael eu gweld ac yn cael profion gwahanol, a'r gobaith yw bod hyn yn digwydd ar yr un diwrnod. Ar hyn o bryd dim ond 35% o gleifion sydd â symptomau sydd yn "peri pryder" sy'n cael diagnosis yn ardal Cwm Taf. Mae meddygon felly eisiau cyrraedd y mwyafrif o'r cleifion sydd heb symptomau mor amlwg o'r clefyd yn gynt. Bydd clinig tebyg yn cael ei sefydlu yn Ysbyty Castell-nedd Port Talbot fel rhan o gynllun prawf arall gan Fwrdd Iechyd Abertawe Bro Morgannwg. Mae'r treialon wedi eu datblygu yn ystod y 12 mis ers i arbenigwyr o Gymru ddychwelyd o Aarhus. Fe aeth Denmarc ati i sefydlu'r canolfannau diagnostig wedi pryderon bod y wlad ar ei hôl hi o ran cyfraddau goresgyn canser. Yn ôl Dr Gareth Davies, Cyfarwyddwr Cyswllt Rhwydwaith Canser Cymru, bydd y cynllun yn tawelu meddwl claf ond hefyd yn cyflymu'r broses. "Os yw'r meddyg teulu yn gweld claf a ddim yn siŵr beth sydd o'i le ond yn pryderu ac yn teimlo bod rhywbeth o'i le, bydd yn rhoi cyfle i'r meddyg teulu gyfeirio'r claf yn syth i'r clinig ac yn golygu bydd y claf yn cael ei weld yn gyflym a gobeithio yn cael diagnosis." Mae Gareth Jordan, meddyg teulu yn Aberdâr, yn dweud y gallai'r cynllun peilot wneud gwahaniaeth mawr i fywydau'r cleifion. "Mi fyddai gallu dweud, 'Dwi wedi gweld y gŵr yma, mae wedi colli llawer o bwysau... allai ddim ei anfon i ffwrdd i gael profion arbenigol neu pe bydden ni fyddai'r profion yn cael eu rhoi yn nhrefn tebygolrwydd'. "Ond mae'r ffaith eu bod nhw'n cael eu gweld mewn un lle a phob un yn gweld cynnydd cyflym, y tebygrwydd ydy diagnosis cynnar os oes ganddyn nhw ganser yn fy marn i." Os bydd cynllun peilot Cwm Cynon - fydd yn para chwe mis - yn llwyddiannus, bydd gweddill byrddau iechyd yr ardal yn cynnig yr un gwasanaeth yn y misoedd wedyn. |
366 | Media playback is not supported on this device The hosts won with a day to spare at Old Trafford to level the series. England made 589-8 declared and 173-1 declared to set up their second biggest win over Pakistan in terms of runs. "It's an absolute hammering. It's as good a four days of cricket that you could wish for from an England point of view," Vaughan told Test Match Special. England's Joe Root, promoted to number three for this series, was named man of the match after scoring 254 in the first innings and an unbeaten 71 off 48 balls in the second. He also took four catches in Pakistan's first-innings 198 and claimed a wicket in his only over as Pakistan were bowled out for 234 on Monday. "It's great to see him stepping up to number three and playing with the responsibility there," said captain Alastair Cook, who made 105 and 76 not out. "It's as good an innings as I've seen. He's an extraordinary player. He didn't put a foot wrong; he played beautifully." Root, who twice fell to poor strokes in England's 75-run defeat in the first Test, said: "It's a great feeling. "Those two occasions at Lord's were batsman error on my part. I tried to cut that out of my game. It's the most controlled I've played." Coach Trevor Bayliss said: "He went away and did a bit of soul-searching and hard work, came back and did exactly what he said he was going to do." Vaughan: added: "This was his best Test-match innings." Media playback is not supported on this device Pakistan batted for only 63 overs in the first innings and 70 in the second on a pitch that offered the bowlers little assistance. "Their spirit was broken," said former England batsman Geoffrey Boycott. "Full marks to England - they got it all together, the quality of the batting, the discipline, their good bowling. "England are in a good place and will win again. They will be too strong for Pakistan. I'll be surprised if they come back." Pakistan play a two-day tour game against Worcestershire at New Road starting on Friday before the third Test at Edgbaston gets under way on 3 August. Media playback is not supported on this device Vaughan said: "England should enjoy the win and have a good party, but I just have a feeling that this series is going to be very, very tight." Of the Pakistan players, only captain Misbah-ul-Haq and Asad Shafiq have passed 50 in the first two Tests of the four-match series. "This is a big disappointment for us," said Misbah. "We could have scored around 400 in the first innings - the ball wasn't doing anything much. "We are short of confidence and shot selection really cost us. "These guys are strong characters - mentally strong. I'm hopeful that everybody is hurt and they will really work hard." Media playback is not supported on this device |
367 | Head coach Warren Gatland is leading the British and Irish Lions in New Zealand and has named interim coach Rob Howley as part of his backroom team. Forwards coach McBryde assumes head coach responsibilities for the third time after leading Wales on tours in 2009 and 2013. "It is an honour to represent your country and to do so overseas carries extra responsibility," said McBryde. "For me it is another exciting opportunity to lead the team. It is something I have thoroughly enjoyed in the past and I'm really looking forward to doing it again at the end of the season." The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) will appoint assistant coaches for the summer tour to assist McBryde. "We are also at an advanced stage in discussions with a number of other individuals about the summer tour and hope to be in a position to confirm the full make-up of the management team next week," said WRU chief executive Martyn Phillips. Union chairman Gareth Davies, who is also on the Lions' selection panel, believes the involvement of Welsh coaches will benefit the national team. "2017 is a real summer of opportunity for Welsh coaches and should benefit the whole of Welsh rugby in the years ahead," he said. "It is not often that you get the opportunity to develop coaches in different environments. "Our coaches and players have been invigorated by their Lions experiences on previous campaigns and there is little doubt that a tour of New Zealand will provide the ultimate test and so once again both mentally stimulate and inspire each individual." |
368 | Charlie Austin's sixth-minute penalty appeared to have Saints in control, with Hull offering little in the way of an attacking threat. The hosts also lost starting strikers Abel Hernandez and Will Keane to first-half injuries to compound the frustration of their fans, but the mood inside the KCOM Stadium was transformed in the space of two second-half minutes. First, Snodgrass - introduced from the bench for the stricken Keane - swept home his fourth league goal of the season from Sam Clucas' low cross before the Scotland international delivered an inviting free-kick that Michael Dawson headed past Fraser Forster. Southampton pushed for an equaliser but David Marshall made a string of saves in the Hull goal before Clucas produced a remarkable goalline clearance from a corner in the final minute of added time. The win - Hull's first in the league since 20 August - ends a six-game losing streak, although they remain inside the bottom three heading into the international break. Media playback is not supported on this device The best that could be said for the early loss of Hull's strikers was that it gave an opportunity for Snodgrass to return earlier than expected after missing the past two matches with an ankle injury. But his entrance from the bench following Keane's injury midway through the first half did not appear to be asking too much of the Tigers' top scorer - far from it. Instantly the hosts appeared to have greater urgency with the 29-year-old on the pitch, having looked sluggish and uninspired for 26 minutes before his introduction. The mood inside the stadium at kick-off was exactly what could be expected of a club bidding to avoid a seventh straight league defeat for the first time in 36 years. That run of defeats - during which 20 goals had been shipped - allied to widespread unhappiness among fans over the Allam family's running of the club meant the KCOM Stadium had a threadbare look at kick-off, with an official attendance of just 17,768. Empty seats dotted a ground that used to be filled to the rafters in the second and third tiers, and the dark mood of many home fans in attendance cannot have been lost on the players. Yet Snodgrass' tireless running lifted not only the fans but his team-mates, and his well-taken 61st-minute goal followed moments later by a perfect assist for Dawson was just reward for his endeavour. Southampton celebrated one of the most famous wins in their history by beating Inter Milan in the Europa League on Thursday, and a Hull side low on confidence did not look like dampening their mood in the opening exchanges. Austin's early penalty - an easy decision for referee Graham Scott after Curtis Davies' clumsy challenge on Maya Yoshida - had the visitors in cruise control, with Hull allowing them time and space to pass the ball around, albeit with little cutting edge. Virgil van Dijk's looping header off the bar early in the second half was as close as they came to doubling their lead, and that apparent lack of urgency came back to bite them when Hull struck their quick-fire double just after the hour mark. That was the spark for Claude Puel's men to push forward with greater urgency, but in former Cardiff goalkeeper Marshall they found someone in determined mood after a miserable start to life between the sticks in East Yorkshire. The Scotland international - whose elevation to number one ahead of Eldin Jakupovic coincided with Hull's slump in form - twice saved well from Austin as time ticked down, and also kept out a Yoshida effort. Dawson then came to the rescue to heroically block from Austin, before Clucas produced a stunning goalline clearance deep in added time, the winger hacking the ball off the line, against Jay Rodriguez and somehow over the bar. Hull City boss Mike Phelan, speaking to Match of the Day: "I'm really pleased for my players. We lost two players early in the game to what look like long injuries. The players are ecstatic. I thought we caused our own problems in the first half giving the penalty away and not getting the ball quick enough. "The players were a credit. Our keeper David Marshall has had a hard time of late but he was magnificent. Robert Snodgrass had the most unbelievable swollen ankle at one point which disappeared overnight. He showed great character. "Now that we have got three or four injuries, the international break has come at a good time for us. We will enjoy the next few days and start again." Media playback is not supported on this device Southampton manager Claude Puel, speaking to Match of the Day: "We lacked concentration. We lost the rhythm of the game. It is important for the future that we learn from this situation. "After a European game it is difficult to keep the same concentration. It is a good lesson for the future. "We know all the teams are difficult to play and to play every three days is difficult. We have to learn this and keep the same concentration every game." Following the international break, Hull return to action with a trip to bottom side Sunderland on Saturday, 19 November (15:00 GMT), while on the same day Southampton play host to leaders Liverpool, also at 15:00. Match ends, Hull City 2, Southampton 1. Second Half ends, Hull City 2, Southampton 1. Delay over. They are ready to continue. Delay in match Dieumerci Mbokani (Hull City) because of an injury. Corner, Southampton. Conceded by David Marshall. Attempt saved. Maya Yoshida (Southampton) header from the right side of the six yard box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Sofiane Boufal with a cross. Attempt blocked. Jay Rodriguez (Southampton) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Sofiane Boufal. Attempt missed. Robert Snodgrass (Hull City) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Sam Clucas following a set piece situation. Oriol Romeu (Southampton) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Foul by Oriol Romeu (Southampton). Ryan Mason (Hull City) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Attempt blocked. Charlie Austin (Southampton) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Sofiane Boufal (Southampton) wins a free kick on the left wing. Foul by Robert Snodgrass (Hull City). Corner, Southampton. Conceded by Tom Huddlestone. Attempt missed. Virgil van Dijk (Southampton) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by James Ward-Prowse with a cross following a corner. Corner, Southampton. Conceded by Sam Clucas. Attempt saved. Charlie Austin (Southampton) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by James Ward-Prowse. Attempt missed. Oriol Romeu (Southampton) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the right. Assisted by Maya Yoshida. Oriol Romeu (Southampton) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Dieumerci Mbokani (Hull City). Attempt missed. Tom Huddlestone (Hull City) right footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high following a corner. Corner, Hull City. Conceded by Steven Davis. Maya Yoshida (Southampton) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Foul by Maya Yoshida (Southampton). Dieumerci Mbokani (Hull City) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Attempt missed. James Ward-Prowse (Southampton) right footed shot from long range on the left is just a bit too high from a direct free kick. Sofiane Boufal (Southampton) wins a free kick on the left wing. Foul by Robert Snodgrass (Hull City). Ryan Bertrand (Southampton) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Markus Henriksen (Hull City). Hand ball by Tom Huddlestone (Hull City). Substitution, Southampton. James Ward-Prowse replaces Jordy Clasie. Substitution, Southampton. Jay Rodriguez replaces Nathan Redmond. Attempt saved. Charlie Austin (Southampton) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Sofiane Boufal. Substitution, Hull City. Tom Huddlestone replaces Harry Maguire. Foul by Sofiane Boufal (Southampton). Ryan Mason (Hull City) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Ryan Bertrand (Southampton) is shown the yellow card. Corner, Southampton. Conceded by Curtis Davies. |
369 | The crash happened at about 14:15 BST on the B1191 at Thornton, near Woodhall Spa. Lincolnshire Police said the motorcyclist killed in the collision lived locally, but has not released any further details. The tractor driver was not injured. The force has appealed for witnesses to the collision to come forward. The B1191 was closed in both directions between the B1192 Tattershall Road junction in Woodhall Spa and the A158 Jubilee Way junction in Horncastle |
370 | He also cancelled an investigation into claims of abuse of power revealed by covert recordings, saying he wanted to "put an end to the agony" ahead of early elections in June. But his move was condemned both by the opposition and by EU officials. Macedonia has been in turmoil since the recordings were released in 2015. In a televised address on Tuesday, President Ivanov said he acted to "defend national interests". "I've decided to put an end to the agony and, metaphorically speaking, to cut a knot,'' he said, without referring to any politicians by name. Opposition leader Zoran Zaev said the move was illegal, urging protesters to gather in the capital Skopje. A crowd of several hundred people later gathered outside the prosecutor's office. Meanwhile, EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn said: "Today's actions of President Ivanov are not in line with my understanding of rule of law." Mr Hahn added that the move put Macedonia's EU membership ambitions at risk. The crisis was sparked by covert recordings which appear to show ministers plotting vote-rigging and the cover-up of a murder. Mr Zaev has been releasing a steady stream of recordings since February 2015, accusing the government of wiretapping 20,000 people, including politicians, journalists and religious leaders. He says that scores of leaked recordings reveal corruption at the highest levels of government, including the mismanagement of funds, dubious criminal prosecutions of opponents and even cover-ups of killings. The government denies the accusations, and in return has accused Mr Zaev of trying to "destabilise" the Balkan nation. He rejects the claim. |
371 | Curtis and assistant manager Paul Williams will take charge of Saturday's match against Bournemouth after Bob Bradley's sacking. Swansea want to appoint their new boss as soon as possible, with ex-Derby manager Paul Clement the first choice. "We've got to go with somebody who will to get us out of trouble," he said. "If we were to go down - and there's obviously that possibility - you look at the Championship and it seems to have got a lot stronger. It's not a foregone conclusion [to go straight back up]. "I know Norwich and Burnley have done it but it's difficult. Newcastle look like they'll do it but they're a big, powerful club who can hang on to a lot of their top players. I'm not sure we'd be able to do that. "If we go down, it's going to be tough to get back." Swansea were promoted to the Premier League in 2011 and quickly established a reputation as a well-run club with a team that played exciting, possession-based football. Their promotion capped a remarkable rise from the brink of bankruptcy a decade earlier and almost being relegated out of the Football League altogether in 2003. Curtis - a former player who was at the club throughout their rise up the divisions - believes the Swans have not been the same since Michael Laudrup left in 2014. "I think we have [lost our way]. It's just the change of management all the time," Curtis added. "The best eras were Roberto Martinez, Brendan Rodgers and Michael Laudrup. But we've probably lost a bit of the 'Swansea Way'. It has been diluted. "We've lost quite a few players too but have we adequately replaced them?" Media playback is not supported on this device Curtis believes the current Swansea squad is good enough to stay up, and the 62-year-old reminds every new signing of how far the club has come. "I know a lot of the foreign boys have seen [the documentary] Jack to a King. So they've got a brief history of where we were and where we are now," he said. "They might not be 100% passionate about it but they know where we came from and how important it is [to stay up]. Not just for the club but for the whole area." |
372 | The Daggers, who reached League One in 2010, needed victory to keep their slim survival hopes alive. Goals from Jamie Cureton and Clevid Dikamona gave them hope after Jay Simpson fired the O's into a 2-0 lead. But Armand Gnanduillet fired in the winner to relegate Dagenham and keep Orient's play-off hopes alive. Dagenham reached the Football League for the first time in their history in 2007, but they now return to the National League under John Still, the same manager who took the club from the Conference to League One. The Daggers have League Two's worst goal difference, and have conceded 20 goals more this season than they had at this point last term. Still's side have also struggled in attack, with 40-year-old striker Jamie Cureton netting nine goals, compared to the 20 he scored as Dagenham finished 14th in the 2014-15 campaign. Boss Still, who returned for his third spell at the club in December, told BBC Radio London on Wednesday that he is committed to helping the Daggers gain promotion from the National League next season. Victory leaves Orient two points adrift of the play-off spots and comes four days after player-manager Kevin Nolan was removed from his managerial role. Leyton Orient interim manager Andy Hessenthaler told BBC Radio London: Media playback is not supported on this device "For me to lose two managers this season has been very tough and I've found it very hard this week. "We had to be professional, we're here to do a job and if I wasn't professional then I wouldn't be true to myself. "We owe it to the fans. At the end of the day there's nobody bigger than the football club - the fans are the biggest part of the football club. "We made it a little bit nervy because we gave two sloppy goals away, but in the end that's what we need to do now - we need to win games if we're going to get into the play-offs." Dagenham & Redbridge manager John Still told BBC Radio London: "I think for half an hour in the first half we lacked organisation and lacked discipline. "If you haven't got organisation and you haven't got the discipline to play 90 minutes, the outcome is inevitable. "Dagenham over the years are going to get beat, it's responding to that that the club's not been able to do this year." |
373 | Media playback is not supported on this device The former Reds captain, 36, is to return to his former club as a youth coach in February in what will be his first job since retiring as a player. Klopp said he "had a good long chat" with the ex-England skipper, describing his appointment as "wonderful news". "He said he wants to be a manager in the future. That's cool," Klopp added. "It was important to know what Steven wants. Being a manager is a job you have to learn and he is ready to make steps. "Combining his playing experience with all the things he has to learn, he has a bright future. Everyone in this room knows better than I do he is a wonderful guy and it's wonderful news for football." Gerrard made his Liverpool debut in 1998 and left Anfield at the end of the 2014-15 season to join MLS side LA Galaxy having won the Champions League, Uefa Cup, FA Cup and League Cup on three occasions. He retired as a player in November after a 19-year career. Gerrard had been linked with the manager's job at League One side MK Dons after announcing he would leave LA Galaxy, but said the opportunity came "too soon" for him. He is also working towards his Uefa A coaching licence, which is required to manage in the Premier League. |
374 | McManus netted from close range on the quarter-hour mark to open the scoring and Ross Forbes' deflected strike quickly doubled Morton's lead. A shot by Kyle McAusland pulled Alloa back into the game before half-time. But another McManus finish and one by Denny Johnstone late on ensured a comfortable win for the hosts. |
375 | Ofsted says it has found evidence of children being taught in squalid conditions in three places in Birmingham which have now closed. Anyone running illegal schools could face a jail term of up to 51 weeks. Ministers are also consulting on plans for more regulation of places teaching for more than 6 to 8 hours a week. Sir Michael Wilshaw, Chief Inspector of Schools in England, told the BBC this week that his inspectors were visibly shocked by the conditions they found. It is understood that a total of 18 unregulated schools, mainly in Muslim communities in the Midlands, have been visited as part of an investigation in recent months. Three places in Birmingham have been closed and the owners are being investigated under suspicion of running an illegal school. Sir Michael said the cases uncovered were likely to be the "tip of the iceberg" and he was seriously concerned that children were at risk of being abused or radicalised. Any place where children are taught for more than 20 hours a week has to register as a school. Some places describing themselves as part-time education centres or "flexi schools" are operating within the law providing support for home-educated children. But Ofsted and ministers are concerned that some are taking advantage of the legal right to home educate to operate what are in fact illegal schools. In a letter to the education secretary on Friday, Sir Michael suggested officials had been slow to take decisive action in the three places which Ofsted had closed with the help of the local council. "This was achieved in spite of your officials providing, what I believe to be, confusing and unhelpful advice to the proprietors that they could now apply to register their provision." The government has provided funding for a team of six inspectors whose job will be to investigate illegal schools. While most of the places visited by Ofsted so far have been in Muslim communities, inspectors may also turn their attention to similar unregistered tuition centres operated by other groups. "It will apply across the board, to any religious group whether Muslim group, Jewish group, or Christian group who wants to operate this sort of provision in unsafe accommodation, in unhygienic and filthy accommodation. "It will apply to all religious groups, I want to make that absolutely clear," Sir Michael told the BBC. The education secretary has now said she intends to go further. "I have now asked Ofsted to prepare cases for prosecution against unregistered schools it has identified. For a child to spend a single day in one of these schools is unacceptable." In order for a prosecution to be brought against an unregistered school the Education Secretary has to give consent. The government consultation on further regulation runs until mid-January. |
376 | Lilliard Gin is based at the Born in the Borders visitor centre in Jedburgh. It comes ahead of a number proposals, which are at various stages of the planning process, to open the region's first whisky distillery since 1837. Lead distiller Kate Macinnes said the potential to make the Scottish Borders a "region of distilling excellence" was "really exciting". "Our gin production is on a completely different scale to the other distilleries in development," she said. "Our still is one of the smallest production stills in the UK, and our entire operation fits into a cowshed, but if people like our gin, that's all that matters. "We have a rich abundance of wild food on our doorstep in the Teviot valley, and Lilliard Gin aims to capture that and convey a true sense of the local flavour palette and our Borders 'terroir'." John Henderson, of Born in the Borders, said the gin distillery was a natural companion to the Scottish Borders Brewery on the site. "To be able to play host to the first new distillery in the Borders in nearly 200 years is incredible," he said. "And the fact that Lilliard Gin are looking to use Borders botanicals means they are completely in tune with our own ethos of local sourcing. "We just can't wait for them to get started, and to taste their gin." The gin takes its name from a legendary Borders figure. "Lilliard was the heroine of the Battle of Ancrum Moor in 1545, fought just north of the distillery," explained Ms Macinnes. "Lilliard reputedly fought to avenge the death of her lover at the hands of the English. The battle site is also known as Lilliard's Edge. "We wanted a name that reflected our landscape, and our strong female production team, and Lilliard seemed like a natural choice." |
377 | Harry Whitlam died after Gary Green, 51, of Bradburn Road, Wakefield, reversed the vehicle into him at Swithens Farm, Rothwell, near Leeds, in August 2013. Leeds Crown Court heard he was more than two times the legal driving limit. The court was told Green must have consumed the equivalent of 13 pints of beer before going to bed at 02:00 BST. Harry's mother Pam Whitlam, who worked at the farm's cafe, said her close-knit family had been "changed forever". "It is not OK for anyone, whether on a public road or private land, to be drunk and get behind the wheel of a vehicle," she said. "My hope today, now the court process is complete, is that Harry's life becomes more than one day and as a family we can again remember the good times we shared." "We all miss him dearly and it has not got easier with time but harder," she added. "Harry was my youngest son, a much-loved brother, grandson, nephew and cousin. "The only memories I currently have of Harry are from the day of the accident but his life was so much more." Green, who was jailed for 16 months and two weeks, had previously admitted failing to ensure the safety of others. He was prosecuted under health and safety legislation rather than road traffic law as he was on private land at the time of Harry's death. During an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), inspectors found he had been walking towards a worker in a closed-off area of the farm when Green backed the tractor into him at about 09:15 on 9 August. HSE inspector Julian Franklin said it was "an extremely tragic case" and described Green's behaviour as "reckless". |
378 | Media playback is not supported on this device But the Uruguay striker, 27, can now train and play in friendly matches, with new club Barcelona confirming: "He will join the first team's training session, scheduled for Friday. "The public presentation of Suarez as a new Barcelona player will be held on Monday at the Camp Nou." It is not known if he will play in Monday's game with Mexico's Club Leon. A full explanation of the Cas ruling, which still prevents him from playing "organised" matches but now allows him to take part in all "football-related activities", will be published at a later date. He will still have to serve the remaining eight games of his record nine-match ban in competitive international games, while his competitive Barcelona debut is likely to be at Real Madrid on 26 October in El Clasico. But Suarez will now be available for Uruguay's friendlies against Japan and South Korea in September and Saudi Arabia the following month. Suarez's lawyers argued that world governing body Fifa's decision to suspend him from all football-related activity for biting Italy's Giorgio Chiellini during Uruguay's 2014 World Cup group match in Brazil in June was too strong a punishment. Switzerland-based Cas - an independent body whose rulings are accepted by most sporting organisations - said: "The sanctions imposed on the player by Fifa have been generally confirmed." But it said preventing Suarez from taking part in any football activity was "excessive", as not allowing him to train would have an impact on the player after the suspension had ended. World players' union Fifpro said it was "disappointed that the court had decided not to strongly diminish the sanctions" and "remain of the view they are disproportionate in relation to his violation of the Fifa disciplinary code". It added: "We regret Cas not deciding to reduce the length of Suarez's bans in exchange for an obligation for him to receive treatment." In addition to being allowed to train and play in friendlies, the former Liverpool player - who moved to Barcelona last month for £75m - can also attend matches and take part in promotional activities. His legal team said the appeal was a success, arguing Fifa had "misapplied its own rules when considering the case and the sanction it imposed was disproportionate". Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker tweeted: "Luis Suarez's appeal against a four-month ban has failed. He is though, sensibly I think, now allowed to train with the team." "By allowing Suarez to train, Cas appears to have taken into account the club's interests and has emphasised any appropriate sanction for such incidents should be proportionate," said Hannah Clipston, a lawyer specialising in resolving disputes. "What is proportionate for a repeat offender is different to what is proportionate for a first time offender." Suarez apologised nearly a week after the incident, despite initially claiming to have lost his balance. He was previously suspended for biting PSV Eindhoven midfielder Otman Bakkal and Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic. In 2011, he was also given an eight-match suspension and fined £40,000 for racially abusing Manchester United's Patrice Evra. |
379 | 18 March 2014 Last updated at 09:22 GMT Richard Blake-Smith and his partner Anna beat Vytautas Kirkliauskas of Lithuania, carrying his wife, Neringa Kirliauskiene. Rich said: "We put in a whole week's work, running around the athletics track near where we live - and it's paid off" "We were pushed hard, especially by the Lithuanians there." Competitors must tackle a 380-metre course, hurdling over haystacks, scrabbling up a steep slope, and dodging water pistols. You don't need to be married to take part. The race saw all combinations of competitors - men carrying women, men carrying men and one woman carrying a woman. Rich and Anna will now compete at the World Championships in Finland in July. |
380 | Stephen Hammond said job roles would change when the paper system for car tax discs is scrapped in October. The minister allayed fears about job losses in a letter to Swansea East AM Mike Hedges. Mr Hedges said the minister's response would "give comfort" to DVLA employees. Concerns over the future of some of the 5,000 workers at the Driving and Vehicle Licensing Agency centre were raised in October after Chancellor George Osborne's Autumn Statement. The chancellor announced that the tax disc would be replaced with an electronic system in October 2014. The new system will allow people to pay the charge by monthly direct debit. Mr Hedges had written to Mr Hammond asking for clarification of the government's intentions. In his response to Mr Hedges, Mr Hammond said: "It is likely that the introduction of a direct debit scheme may mean there will be a natural reduction in the amount of refunds received, in addition to the withdrawal of the tax disc. "This may mean changes to job roles and the need to train on new processes. "Any reductions in numbers of people needed for these activities will be managed through redeploying to other growth areas of the business." Mr Hedges welcomed the minister's assurances. He added: "Whilst disappointed that the changes will reduce the number of job opportunities at the DVLA, I can see the advantages of both paying by monthly direct debits and not having to show a tax disc. "I am pleased the minister is committed to redeployment rather than redundancies and I am sure this response will give comfort to many concerned DVLA employees." |
381 | He told Reuters that the EU should not interfere with "domestic issues". He said he had already won backing from Poland that it would veto any move to strip Hungary of its EU voting rights. The EU objects to Hungary's tight controls on asylum seekers and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), as well as a higher education law. Critics say the education law could lead to the closure of the prestigious Central European University, founded by philanthropist George Soros. Thousands of Hungarians have held protest rallies against the laws in recent months. Asked by Reuters on Monday whether Hungary would backtrack on any of the three issues, Mr Szijjarto answered: "No. Why should we? "These laws belong to national competence, so I think European institutions should refrain from making attempts at interfering with domestic issues." The minister added that "my Polish colleague" had made it very clear that Warsaw would veto any EU sanctions against Hungary. EU rules envisage that such decisions as stripping a member country of its voting rights should be approved unanimously. Hungary's right-wing Fidesz government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban is under sustained pressure from European institutions to withdraw the three laws, two of which have already been passed, the BBC's Nick Thorpe in Budapest reports. Hungary is currently forcibly housing asylum seekers in secured shipping containers, raising serious questions whether it is compatible with EU law. Hungary's Higher Education Law, signed in April, could force the closure of the Budapest-based CEU, which ranks among the top 200 universities in the world in eight disciplines. Meanwhile, draft legislation on NGOs is expected to go before parliament soon. Human rights groups say it would stigmatise them as "foreign-backed" organisations. Last month, the deputy head of the bloc's executive Commission, Frans Timmermans, warned action would be taken in coming weeks if there were no positive developments. Hungary passes bill targeting Central European University Hungarian attack on George Soros prompts NGO anger The university built to defend democracy |
382 | The star will play Mrs Potts, the housekeeper magically transformed into a teapot whom Dame Angela Lansbury voiced in the 1991 animated version of the film. Fellow Oscar-winner Kevin Kline has also signed on to play Maurice, the father of the 'Beauty' character Belle. The film will be released in US cinemas on 17 March 2017. It was announced in January that Harry Potter star Emma Watson had been cast as Belle. It was subsequently confirmed that Downton Abbey's Dan Stevens will play the Beast and that Luke Evans will co-star as the villainous Gaston. Josh Gad, who voiced Olaf the snowman in Disney's animated hit Frozen, is also on board as Gaston's sidekick LeFou. Bill Condon, director of Dreamgirls and the last two Twilight films, will direct the movie, which begins filming at Shepperton Studios in May. |
383 | The columnist told the newspaper last month that he had been diagnosed with the "full English" of cancers. Gill, who had been having chemotherapy, said that he did not "feel cheated" and had been "very lucky" in his life. Sunday Times editor Martin Ivens said Gill had been "a giant among journalists" and the "heart and soul" of the paper he joined in 1993. The final column by Gill, about coming to terms with his diagnosis, will be featured in tomorrow's Sunday Times. In a statement sent to staff on Saturday, Mr Ivens said: "It is with profound sadness that I must tell you that our much-loved colleague Adrian Gill died this morning. "Adrian was stoical about his illness, but the suddenness of his death has shocked us all." He added: "He was the heart and soul of the paper. His wit was incomparable, his writing was dazzling and fearless, his intelligence was matched by compassion. "Adrian was a giant among journalists. He was also our friend. We will miss him." Writing about his illness in November, Gill had said he had "an embarrassment of cancer, the full English. "There is barely a morsel of offal not included. I have a trucker's gut-buster, gimpy, malevolent, meaty malignancy." Writers, broadcasters and journalists have paid tribute to the published author, who was known for dictating his copy over the telephone due to his dyslexia. Jay Rayner, the broadcaster and writer, tweeted that Gill had been a "controversialist" but also "a kind man and a brilliant writer". Sunday Times political editor Tim Shipman described Gill as "the writer who first made me buy the Sunday Times". "The best of us for 30 years has died. Very sombre mood in the office," he added. Times Literary Supplement editor Stig Abell tweeted that Gill had been "the first journalist I learned to recognise purely from his style". John Witherow, editor of the Sunday Times from 1994 to 2012, said Gill had been extraordinary and unique. "In all the years I was editor of The Sunday Times, he never once produced a boring sentence or a phrase that did not shine." Another former editor, Andrew Neil, added: "Hired AA for Sunday Times in 1993. He never forgot what he saw as huge favour. As one of finest writers of our time, he was doing the favour." Former Daily Mirror editor and TV presenter Piers Morgan tweeted that Gill had "trashed" him for 20 years, but always did so "with magnificently eloquent savagery" as well as "an irritating kernel of truth". While his writing remained popular, Gill's articles often caused controversy. In October 2009, he described how he had shot a baboon while in Tanzania, prompting outrage from animal rights groups. In 1998, he described the Welsh as "dark, ugly little trolls" - a comment that was referred to the Commission for Racial Equality - while he once described Rhyl as "a town only a man driving a crane with a demolition ball would visit with a smile". In a critical review of a Norfolk pub, he referred to the county as the "hernia on the end of England", while in 2006 he upset residents of the Isle of Man by saying it "smelled of boiled washing". In 2010, he was censured by the former press watchdog having written a review of Clare Balding's 2010 Britain by Bike TV programme, in which he described her as a "dyke on a bike". He was also once thrown out of one of Gordon Ramsay's restaurants, along with his dining partner, actress Joan Collins. Born in Edinburgh in 1954, Gill had overcome dyslexia to forge a career as a writer. He went to the independent St Christopher School in Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire, and studied at the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design and the Slade School of Fine Art, in London. He began his writing career in the 1980s with art reviews for magazines, before writing for Tatler and then the Sunday Times. His first marriage was to author Cressida Connolly in 1983. He married current Home Secretary Amber Rudd, who was then a venture capitalist, in 1991. They had two children together - Flora and Alistair - but later divorced. Gill's illness had prompted his engagement to his partner of 23 years, Nicola Formby, with whom he also had two children - twins Edith and Isaac. He said he had been "surprisingly excited" to be getting married to Ms Formby, who he often referred as "The Blonde" in his restaurant reviews. |
384 | Amarmandakh Sukhbaatar was performing in the country's capital Ulan Bator when the alleged attack took place. Russian news reports said he was hit over the head with a bottle and repeatedly kicked in the face. The Russian embassy said it was investigating, but called local press reports "distorted". The rapper had taken to the stage in a red deel - a Mongolian robe - embroidered with a swastika. Though associated with the Nazis, the swastika is a traditional symbol in Mongolia that pre-dates Hitler. Mr Sukhbaatar's father, Sevjidiin Sukhbaatar, told a news conference that his son spent about 10 days in a coma after the beating. "My son was hit in the face several times with a metal object and was seriously injured. His brain was seriously hurt," he said. Mr Sukhbaatar displayed a book of traditional swastika patterns to emphasise that it is not a hate symbol in his country. The Russian official accused of attacking the rapper has not been identified. In a statement, the Russian embassy said it was investigating press and social media reports of the assault. "According to our preliminary information," it said, the reports were "distorted, particularly about the date, the number of participants and the circumstances of the accident". Tens of millions of Soviet citizens died fighting the forces of Nazi Germany during World War Two. The swastika is believed to have originated in India thousands of years ago, and was used in Mongolia as a symbol of eternity centuries before the Third Reich. Amarmandakh Sukhbaatar - who is known as Amraa and is the lead singer of the band Khar Sarnai [Black Rose] - frequently wears the symbol on stage, and his songs often refer to his country's history, culture and identity. The swastika is also used by groups on Mongolia's far-right however. The musician's lawyer, father, and a band member denied reports on social media that he shouted "Heil Hitler" at the show. Lawyer Gankhuugiin Batbayar said the suspect in the beating had not been arrested, adding: "[He] must be investigated according to Mongolian law, no matter his status or immunity as a diplomat". A police spokesman told the AFP news agency that the case was under investigation. "The suspect is a Russian diplomatic officer and the reason he wasn't kept in detention is the injury is not serious," he said. "It's not true that the suspect wasn't arrested because of diplomatic immunity." |
385 | Campaigners from action group Plane Stupid staged the demonstration on Monday in opposition to the airport's expansion plans. The men and women have been charged with aggravated trespass and entering a security restricted area of an aerodrome, police said. They will appear in court on 19 August. The protest took place on the northern runway at 03:30 BST on Monday. The Metropolitan Police said security at the airport would be reviewed. |
386 | Glamorgan's total was dominated by Nick Selman's mature 101 off 144 balls, his second first-class century. But seamers Matt Taylor and Craig Miles made sure wickets fell at regular intervals in cloudy conditions in the Welsh capital. Gloucestershire struggled in turn as the bowlers remained on top all day. Selman's century, after being dropped on eight in the first over, was a welcome return to form for the Brisbane-born opener after a string of low scores following his hundred against Northants at Swansea. Aneurin Donald's quick-fire 36 off 30 balls was the next best contribution as Taylor and Miles prospered in the afternoon. Graham Wagg and Timm van der Gugten scrambled Glamorgan to a consolation bonus point. Gloucestershire's innings was a question of survival in the evening gloom, with the day ending evenly balanced. Glamorgan are being led by Michael Hogan for the first time in the absence of Jacques Rudolph, who has a neck problem. Glamorgan batsman Nick Selman told BBC Wales Sport: "It was good to get some runs for a change, the wicket was a bit slow and they bowled a bit short early on so I got through the first 25 overs and it got easier to bat from there, but it was a bit disappointing to get out just after I got a hundred. "(My season) was going well up until after (a century in) Swansea, after Swansea four ducks in a row, but it was good to spend some time in the middle at Northants. "Opening the batting in county cricket over here (in the UK), it's definitely hard, you get some good balls, you play on some green wickets and I was struggling a bit. "I was happy to get a few today and hopefully I can continue that for the rest of the season." Gloucestershire seamer Matt Taylor told BBC Radio Bristol: "There's definitely a bit on offer out there (for the bowlers), we didn't start exactly how we'd like but we got there in the end and we'd take bowling them out for 220. "I was pretty happy with that (hitting the stumps three times), the same plan as always is to hit the top of off-stump and luckily they missed them today. "I was pleased to get an opportunity in T20 and the white-ball stuff this year, now I'm getting an opportunity with the red ball it's great. "It's definitely going to be tough (for the Gloucestershire batsmen), they're a good bowling attack but hopefully we can dig in and get to a reasonable score." |
387 | Craig Hughes, 33, of Flint, was arrested by North Wales Police in August after he chatted online with the Hope Line Crisis Centre in Tennessee. Fears were raised over a planned murder bid involving police being ambushed after reports of a non-existent crime. Hughes admitted two charges at Mold Crown Court on Friday. He will be sentenced next week. Hughes said he was planning to make a false report to the police so that officers would come to the scene, prosecutors said while outlining the case earlier in the proceedings. He said he would then shoot them on the Dee Estuary. The threats were made on two occasions, late at night, while Hughes was drunk. Judge Niclas Parry, who was told the defendant had a previous conviction for possessing a firearm in 2009, remanded him in custody pending sentence. During a previous hearing, Hughes's legal team said he had not intended to kill himself and would not have carried out any threat to kill police officers. The court heard at the time, North Wales Police was particularly concerned because the defendant was on bail, awaiting trial for firearms offences, of which he was subsequently cleared. The Hope Line centre offers confidential support and counselling to people experiencing difficulty. |
388 | After being reduced to 8-2, they posted a score of 255-7, with Davies and Ben Foakes (90) sharing a stand of 130. Yorkshire's run-chase was undermined by a three-wicket burst in nine balls from Stuart Meaker, whose victims included Jonny Bairstow and Gary Ballance. Tim Bresnan made 68 but was the last to go as they were all out for 236. Having lost to Durham in the T20 Blast semi-finals last weekend, Yorkshire were hoping to atone by reaching Lord's for the first time since 2002. They made the ideal start as Dominic Sibley and Kumar Sangakkara went inside the first three overs, the Sri Lankan making only four before needlessly giving a catch to cover. But they were left to rue Matthew Waite dropping Davies, then on 43, off his own bowling just after having Rory Burns caught on the boundary. Davies went on to hit a six and 10 fours before finally falling to Waite, who took 3-48 and also dropped a more difficult return chance offered by Foakes. After losing Adam Lyth early, Yorkshire were well-placed on 75-2, but fast bowler Meaker (3-61) turned the game on its head by ripping out Bairstow (13), who lobbed tamely to mid-wicket, Ballance (32) and Jack Leaning. Bresnan and Waite (38) did their best to repair the damage, but 27 off the final three overs was too much and Bresnan holed out at long-off with seven balls remaining. Surrey skipper Gareth Batty told BBC Radio London: "Everyone is stepping up to the plate when the team requires, everybody's pulling together. "Davies and Foakes were quite magnificent, that partnership blew the game wide open. "The position we got ourselves to, I thought we should maybe have been 265 or 270. "But we got wickets at the right times and it was always going to be an uphill battle for them once it got down to those final overs." Yorkshire captain Alex Lees: "We are all gutted. We have played some great white-ball cricket this season, but when it has mattered we haven't been good enough. "The bowlers were exceptional and we thought it was a reachable target. We needed someone in the top five to make a contribution and we would have reached the target comfortably." |
389 | The 56ft (17.1m) converted trawler was 6 miles (10 km) west of South Stack when the crew radioed coastguards at 07:00 BST. Holyhead coastguards said a pump on board the boat was unable to cope with the water coming in. The RNLI lifeboat crew placed a pump and towed the vessel to Holyhead. |
390 | Media playback is not supported on this device Muir told BBC Scotland her veterinary medicine studies will mean she will not be with the Scotland team at next year's event on Australia's Gold Coast. The 24-year-old finished fourth and sixth in the 1500m and 5,000m at the World Athletics Championships. "My exams aren't until May so Commonwealths being in April, it's just not going to work out unfortunately," said the middle distance runner. "I go back to university next week. I've got a week off then back to my studies to complete my final year. Media playback is not supported on this device "I love running for Scotland whenever I can and the Commonwealths are one of the few opportunities you can do it so, yeah, I'm gutted I'm going to be missing it. "But you have to think about getting my degree and that was really important to me. I'm sure the team's going to do so, so well. They're going to do great. "I think I've got at least two, even three more Olympics in me. What events? I don't know. Certainly, so much scope for the future." However, Muir says the World Indoor Championships in March are "potentially a target". "These next few months are going to be very full on with my studies," she explained. "I feel like I'm in reasonable shape. I'd like to run in Birmingham." Hellen Obiri upset defending world champion Almaz Ayana to win 5,000m gold in London, with Sifan Hassan third. Muir's time of 14 minutes 52.07 seconds was her new outdoor personal best. "I'm really happy," she said after Sunday's race. "It was really tough competition out there. I'm delighted with that. I'm really, really pleased with how I ran. "My fifth race in 10 days - it's a lot of running and to still come away with that I think there's a lot of potential for the future." |
391 | In his regular BBC Sport column, football pundit Robbie Savage looks at why Liverpool look a long way off repeating last season's title challenge, how they should line up against Chelsea and the physical and mental battle Steven Gerrard faces to secure a long-term future with the Reds. It is only six months since Steven Gerrard's slip helped the Blues clinch a famous win on Merseyside that derailed Liverpool's title bid. Back then, at the end of April, the title was in the Reds' grasp. This weekend, I think we will see again how far away they are from mounting another title challenge. They are miles away from the level required for that, and will have to improve and work hard just to get in the top four. If they manage it, then securing back-to-back seasons in the Champions League should be seen as success for Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers. But not all their fans see it that way. I had some unhappy Reds supporters calling me up on 606 on BBC Radio 5 live last weekend to give their manager stick. Part of Liverpool's problem is that they overachieved massively last season, which has raised expectations unrealistically. That is not Rodgers' fault. Where he can be questioned is in the transfer market, especially up front. Between them Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge scored 52 of Liverpool's 101 Premier League goals last season. With Suarez sold and Sturridge playing only three out of 10 league games so far this season because of injury, Rodgers has lost a lot of goals from his line-up. But he has had money to spend and I do not think he has bought the right strikers to fit his system. Looking at Rodgers' options up front for Saturday, Mario Balotelli, Rickie Lambert and Fabio Borini are his three available front men, and the bottom line is that they are not good enough. It is not just that they do not look like scoring. There is a big difference in their work-rate compared to what Suarez and Sturridge gave the team. That means Liverpool are not starting games with the same intensity they did last season, or pressing teams high up the pitch to force them into mistakes. Doing that in 2013-14 Liverpool scored 59 first-half goals, 13 more than any other team, and scored in the first half of 34 out of 38 league matches - again the most in the top flight. In their first 10 games of this campaign, they have only managed a total of four goals before half-time, in three different matches. Instead of being on the front foot, they are having to chase games. They look pedestrian and that is not just the centre-forward's fault. When I have watched them, no matter what formation they play, they do not seem to have any runners going past their striker from midfield. Again, last season that used to happen all the time, but I was at St James' Park last weekend to co-commentate on their defeat by Newcastle, and the only player to run beyond Balotelli in the first half was Gerrard, who did it once. Another problem is set-pieces. Liverpool were lethal from them last year, scoring with more than any other top-flight team. More than a third of their goals in 2013-14 came from corners or free-kicks, at a rate of almost one a game. That has dropped off dramatically. Sadly for Rodgers, seeing the goals drying up is not his only problem. Liverpool's defence was seen as their weakest link last season and, despite trying several different combinations, he did not get it right. From Mamadou Sakho for £18m in 2013 to Dejan Lovren for £20m this summer, Rodgers has thrown a lot of money at the problem but is still trying to find an answer. They still look all over the place at the back. Statistically, they are no worse defensively than last season - but they are also no better. Liverpool play and complete as many passes as before, and also keep as much possession. But with them no longer being able to outscore the opposition, it is no surprise their results have been affected. What Liverpool lack at the back is a leader, and their goalkeeper does not give them much help there. Simon Mignolet is clearly an excellent shot-stopper but I don't see him coming off his line enough, or commanding his box. Rodgers tried three at the back against the Magpies, but I cannot see him doing the same against Chelsea. He was criticised for resting players against Real Madrid on Tuesday but I agreed with him for doing it. Liverpool can still qualify for the knockout stages in Europe if they win their last two games in Group B and their weakened team actually did better against Real in Spain than the full-strength side he picked at home. Now he has to decide who to play against Chelsea, but whoever he picks, Liverpool will need to show a huge improvement on their recent displays. My team to face Liverpool: Mignolet, Johnson, Skrtel, Toure, Moreno, Can, Gerrard, Sterling, Coutinho, Lallana, Borini. For me, Lovren is the big signing who makes way, with Kolo Toure keeping his place after doing well at the Bernabeu. It is a big call to drop Lovren when Rodgers has spent so much money on him, but he has just not been good enough. It is hard to see Liverpool winning on Saturday because Chelsea are on a different planet He was poor against Newcastle and has been poor all season. Although he has got the height that Liverpool will need to defend set-pieces against Chelsea, I saw him get bossed around by Bobby Zamora when Liverpool played QPR at Loftus Road. You have to think that Diego Costa would make mincemeat of him if he is up front for Chelsea. To compete, Liverpool will need a solid four in the middle, with their full-backs looking to join the attack. Whether it be Glen Johnson on the right or Alberto Moreno on the left, when one goes forward, then the other should sit back. That way, Liverpool will always have five defensive players to guard against Chelsea's counter-attacks. Going forward, they need their full-backs to contribute in the same way they did last season when they overlapped down the flanks or broke forward with speed. The trio of Adam Lallana, Philippe Coutinho and Raheem Sterling as attacking midfielders provide pace, trickery and creativity and, leading the line, Borini gives more energy than Lambert or Balotelli. He will have to work hard down the channels to keep Chelsea's defence busy. Even if all of that works, however, it is still hard to see Liverpool winning on Saturday because Chelsea are on a different planet to every other Premier League team at the moment. Jose Mourinho's side have not been at their best in the last couple of games but they have not lost any of them either. The only way you would describe their form as disappointing would be in comparison to the way they started the season, when they were electric. The Blues do not seem to have a weakness and, just like in April, I see them leaving Anfield with three points. There is no title on the line this time, but it will still hurt the home fans. Whatever happens on Saturday will not make up for what was probably the worst moment of Gerrard's career. He may never make up for it, but there is no way he is finished. He was Liverpool's best player against Newcastle and, despite it still being uncertain whether he will get a new Reds contract in the summer, I definitely see him as being part of their longer-term future. Playing in that defensive midfield role, he can remain competitive in the Premier League. I cannot see him being allowed to leave Anfield but, if he does, he will end up at another top club. The older you get, the harder you have to work, though, and extending his career will be a mental battle as well as a physical one. At 34, he does not have to prove he can ping a ball 60 yards, deliver a great free-kick or make a crunching tackle. What he has to show is that he can still get about the park well enough to do all of those things effectively. Because, whether he likes it or not, every time he has a bad game he will hear the accusation that "his legs have gone". Of course he is still fit and can still run. He is probably one of the fittest players at Liverpool. At 36, when I was at Derby, I was still in the top two or three players whenever we did the bleep test. What happened against Chelsea last time probably destroyed Gerrard on the inside But it is the recovery that will test him. When you are flying, you can close someone down, then charge into the next challenge or situation. As you get older, it is harder to get to the next man in time to make a difference. That is what people mean when they say your legs have gone. There is nothing worse as a high-energy midfield player to know that, two or three years ago, you could have made that next challenge - and now you can't. I knew it when it happened to me. I would try not to think it but you cannot escape it and it was horrendous. I began to doubt myself and whether anybody would want me to play for them. What does not help is what other people say. Managers and players told me I was finished but I had to keep believing in myself. I knew I was not the player I was, but I still felt I had something to offer. For me, Gerrard undoubtedly does too. Along with Sterling and Sturridge he is still one of Liverpool's most important players. Of all the players I faced in my career, he was the one I would have loved to have played with. He was a nightmare to play against because he had everything. At his peak he was the best midfielder the Premier League has seen. Saturday will be a difficult occasion for him because what happened against Chelsea last time probably destroyed him on the inside. Of course he will be thinking about it before the game - he must think about it all the time - but he has not let it stop him. It would have been easy for him to quit after a disappointment like that, but he has kept going like he always does. It is that kind of desire that will keep him going beyond the end of this season too. Robbie Savage was speaking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan |
392 | The £45m facility, to be built at Sutherland Drive in Kilmarnock, will house primary and secondary schools, a Gaelic school and a childcare centre. East Ayrshire Council said it would ask permission from the McIlvanney family to name the campus in his honour. The renowned writer was born and educated in Kilmarnock. Council leader Douglas Reid said he was delighted to be able to "preserve" the William McIlvanney name in Kilmarnock as the writer was "passionate about the provision of good education for young people". McIlvanney became an English teacher after graduating from Glasgow University but changed career in 1975 to write full time. He gained immediate recognition with the publication of his first novel - Remedy Is None - and through other works he earned the title of "Godfather of Tartan Noir". McIlvanney wrote the acclaimed Laidlaw trilogy and other Glasgow-based works such as Docherty and The Big Man. He was also an influential poet, journalist and broadcaster, and contributed to political and sporting life in Scotland through a series of columns and TV programmes. The novelist died at his Glasgow home on 5 December. |
393 | An area of the town near the swimming pool had been evacuated for most of the morning and early afternoon. Other residents close by had been advised to open windows, stay indoors near walls and to avoid going outside. An exclusion zone remains in force on the river while experts make safe the sea mine which was spotted on Monday. It is thought to be a British mine, dating from the 1940s or 1950s. The evacuation affected three streets, with wider safety advice issued to residents within 500m of the device. There was also an exclusion zone at sea of about half a mile, and small boat owners were told not to sail during the operation. Caledonian MacBrayne reported some disruption to ferry services, affecting sailings from Gourock and Rothesay. Ch Insp Elliot Brown, the local area commander for Inverclyde, stressed that the evacuation had been a precautionary measure, and that there was no immediate danger to the community of Gourock. Lt Cdr Tim Castrinoyannakis, the officer in charge of the Royal Navy's Northern Diving Unit, said that due to the deterioration of the mine it was not possible to conclude how much explosive material it still contained. He said that because of this it was decided to move it to a safer place before dealing with it. Inverclyde Council said: "Thanks to residents and businesses in Gourock for their patience while the cordon and safe evacuation procedures were carried out today." |
394 | Archery, fencing, weightlifting and wheelchair rugby have also missed out. Cycling - which brought Team GB 12 medals in Rio - has had its funding cut by more than £4m to £25.98m. Badminton England chief executive Adrian Christy said he was "staggered" by the "incomprehensible" decision to remove the sport's funding. A total of £345m will be invested in 31 Olympic and Paralympic sports - £2m less than the record £347m allocated for the Rio Games. As a result, UK Sport has set Team GB a target of winning 51-85 Olympic medals, and 115-162 Paralympic medals in Tokyo. Britain enjoyed unprecedented success at Rio 2016, with the Olympics yielding 67 medals and the Paralympics 147. Chair of UK Sport Rod Carr said the government, which provides funding alongside National Lottery money, has "confirmed its commitment" for Tokyo 2020. He added: "These are critical funding decisions for sports to take them on their journey to Tokyo 2020 and beyond so the historic success at Rio can be maintained." Badminton, which was set a target of winning a medal in Rio, is the only sport that earned a podium place in the summer to have its funding removed. Marcus Ellis and Chris Langridge took bronze in the men's doubles after the sport was given £5.74m in the last cycle. Christy said the decision represents a "catastrophic impact on the sport" and Badminton England would "fight for the hopes and dreams" of its players. "How can you return from the best Games for more than a decade, in a year where our players have demonstrated world-class performances and where we can demonstrate the journey to Tokyo is on track, only be to have every penny of investment withdrawn?" he said. "What have we done wrong?" added GB Badminton's performance director Jon Austin. Judo, which was given the same target as badminton and also claimed one bronze medal, has had its funding increased slightly. Liz Nicholl, CEO of UK Sport, said the decision to cut funding was not taken lightly. "We would like to invest in every sport but the reality is we have to prioritise to protect and enhance the medal potential," she said. "If we under-invest across the board then the British teams will ultimately underperform at the Games and medal success will be put at risk." Sports minister Tracey Crouch added: "UK Sport's approach to elite sport has proven successful in Beijing, London and Rio and the ambition to win more medals in Tokyo is a bold one that, if achieved, would mean a sensational summer of sport in 2020." Basketball had its funding withdrawn in 2014 - and handball and volleyball lost theirs in 2012 - but say a UK Sport review last year to build "performance pathways for future success" was supposed to be aimed at such sports. A British Basketball statement, in conjunction with volleyball and handball, said: "It appears that UK Sport has no interest in team sports and in particular refuses to take responsibility for the need to fund their performance development, which was identified in its own review. "With UK Sport's investment budget approaching £350m, it borders on intransigence to pass responsibility to government and other funding bodies who are not set up to fund the development of high-performance sport." UK Sport says investment in the five Olympic sports and two Paralympic sports added for Tokyo 2020 is yet to be confirmed. Baseball/softball will return to the programme, with karate, skateboard, sports climbing and surfing also added, while Para-taekwondo and Para-badminton join the Paralympic programme. UK Sport says funding will be determined "following further exploration of medal potential", with £9m of the £345m total still to be allocated. Liam Carroll, head coach of the GB baseball team, said: "The key to unlocking our potential is investment and I'm pleased that UK Sport has left the door open. "We look forward to the opportunity to impress upon them that getting behind Great Britain Baseball can extend their tremendous track record of investing in Olympic medal contenders." |
395 | Three Victorian hotels will go to make way for a six-storey, four star hotel and two assisted-living apartment blocks, at East Cliff in Bournemouth. English Heritage strongly objected to the scale of the development in what is a designated conservation area. But, councillors voted seven to three in favour saying it would help tourism. Chair of the planning board and Conservative ward councillor David Kelsey, said the buildings earmarked for demolition were nice but no longer "necessarily functional". "They've come to the end of their working lives, we need to preserve the tourism aspect while improving living for older people in the town," he said. "The loss of buildings and trees are always regrettable but we can't stand still, we need to move forward." The site on Grove Road and East Overcliff Drive will get a 90-room hotel along with a nine-storey and seven-storey building, comprising 122 assisted-living apartments. Applicants The East Cliff Project LLP will demolish Bay View Court, The Cottonwood and the Ocean View hotels. The council received 246 letters supporting the plans. Forty-nine residents and the Ancient Monuments Society wrote to object to the demolition, stating that despite being altered, they still "give a sense of the historic character of the area". English Heritage said the scale of the development would cause "severe harm" to the conservation area. |
396 | Pte Matthew Boyd, 20, was off-duty on a night out in Brecon when he was punched and beaten by Jake Vallely. But the jury cleared Vallely's friend Aaeron Evans of manslaughter after Cardiff Crown Court was told he was not present during the attack. Vallely, 24, will be sentenced on 8 December. The unconscious body of Pte Boyd, who served with the Royal Gibraltar Regiment, was found by police in the town in the early hours of 8 May. Pte Boyd, who is originally from Carrickfergus, County Antrim, had been in the town for training exercises at the infantry battle school. During the trial, the court heard Pte Boyd was making his way back to the barracks when he was attacked outside a bar called The Cellar. CCTV footage showed the soldier being punched, going to the ground and being beaten until he no longer moved. Vallely then dragged his body from the scene before fleeing. The trial was told the killer had been on a seven hour drinking binge and in the hour before the attack was boasting he was the "hardest man in Brecon". His friend Mr Evans was cleared of any involvement in the attack, after the jury was told he had left the scene before the start of any violence. Senior investigating officer Det Supt David Guiney, from Dyfed-Powys Police, called the attack "a despicable act" that "shocked" the community of Brecon. "I plead with anyone who plans a night out drinking with their friends to please, walk away from any conflict, do not resort to violence," he said. A family tribute described Pte Boyd as an "all-rounder" who had "a promising career ahead of him which has been cut short". The tribute read: "Matthew was full of life. He was loving, caring and loyal. He was always playing jokes on his peers and family, and always brought smiles to our faces." It said Vallely had created "a void in our family that will never be filled", adding the "unbearable pain" was something they will have to live with for the rest of their lives. "During this trial, it has been mentioned that Jake Vallely called himself the 'hardest man in Brecon' on the night that he murdered Matthew," the tribute said. "He couldn't have been more wrong. There has been such a massive outpouring of love from the community in Brecon towards our family; in our mind, those are the strongest people in Brecon." |
397 | Andrew Travers left the authority by "mutual agreement" after the error, officials said. Voters were initially turned away from all 155 polling stations in the borough because their names were missing from the poll list. An independent investigation has been launched, the council said. In a statement issued through the council, Mr Travers said: "I have enjoyed my time at Barnet and I believe the changes we have put in place and the continued programme of growth and transformation will enable the borough to continue to thrive." A council spokesperson said Mr Travers had "made a valuable contribution to the council during his three and half years as chief executive." Deputy chief executive John Hooton will take over temporarily while longer term arrangements are put in place, the council said. On election day, staff at one station said just three of the first 30 voters to show up were on the register. The rest were told to come back later. Barnet Council apologised for the problems and later offered emergency proxy votes to residents who had been affected. But voters in the area questioned how the result could be "fair" when not everyone was able to have their say at the ballot box. A statement released by Mr Travers on Thursday blamed electoral registration lists for the problems. The council's review will conclude by the end of May and the findings will be presented publicly to the General Functions Committee. It will look at the "appropriateness" of arrangements in place for the EU Referendum in June. A spokesman said it was currently in discussions to establish who would lead the investigation. |
398 | Josh Gillies beat Cameron Belford in the visitors' goal with a fine free-kick to put the Tynesiders ahead. But Wrexham were back on level terms before half-time when Sean Newton produced an equally fine set-piece. Ryan Bowman scored a fine winner for Gateshead, though, heading Craig Baxter's cross from the right across goal and into the net. Gateshead manager Malcolm Crosby told BBC Newcastle: "To go and beat Wrexham tells me we have a decent side. "We were disappointing in the first half but you have to give Wrexham credit because they played really well. "In the first half, we didn't pass the ball well enough but in the second half, we did; that made the big difference. "You come to watch football to see goals like our second one. It was a great bit of play, a wonderful cross and a great finish." Wrexham manager Gary Mills told BBC Radio Wales Sport: "It was disappointing. We've had two or three games now when the second half has not been as good as the first. "We were too open at times in the second half... having said that we've had some good chances and we haven't stuck it in the back of the net. "They've not had a load of chances: a good free-kick for the first one and then obviously a good headers for the second one." Match ends, Gateshead 2, Wrexham 1. Second Half ends, Gateshead 2, Wrexham 1. Corner, Wrexham. Attempt saved. Connor Jennings (Wrexham) left footed shot from a difficult angle on the left is saved. Foul by Joel Logan (Wrexham). James Marwood (Gateshead) wins a free kick. Foul by Jimmy Phillips (Gateshead). Adriano Moke (Wrexham) wins a free kick. Corner, Gateshead. Offside, Wrexham. Connor Jennings tries a through ball, but Connor Jennings is caught offside. Attempt saved. Josh Gillies (Gateshead) right footed shot from outside the box is saved. Hand ball by Dominic Vose (Wrexham). Attempt missed. Manny Smith (Wrexham) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Dominic Vose. Corner, Wrexham. Attempt missed. Connor Jennings (Wrexham) header from the right side of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Sean Newton with a cross. Foul by Josh Gillies (Gateshead). Dominic Vose (Wrexham) wins a free kick. Foul by Lee Fowler (Wrexham). Jimmy Phillips (Gateshead) wins a free kick. Foul by Connor Jennings (Wrexham). Matty Pattison (Gateshead) wins a free kick. Foul by James Marwood (Gateshead). Joel Logan (Wrexham) wins a free kick. Substitution, Wrexham. Joel Logan replaces Wes York. Attempt missed. Ben Clark (Gateshead) header from a difficult angle on the left misses to the left. Assisted by Josh Gillies. Corner, Gateshead. Foul by James Marwood (Gateshead). Lee Fowler (Wrexham) wins a free kick. Corner, Wrexham. Foul by Ryan Bowman (Gateshead). Jamal Fyfield (Wrexham) wins a free kick. Attempt missed. Connor Jennings (Wrexham) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Sean Newton with a cross. Substitution, Wrexham. Lee Fowler replaces Rob Evans. Foul by Sean Newton (Wrexham). Josh Gillies (Gateshead) wins a free kick. Attempt missed. Dominic Vose (Wrexham) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the right. Corner, Wrexham. Attempt saved. Josh Gillies (Gateshead) left footed shot from outside the box is saved. Substitution, Wrexham. Adam Smith replaces James Gray. Goal! Gateshead 2, Wrexham 1. Ryan Bowman (Gateshead) header from a difficult angle on the right to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Jamie Chandler with a cross. |
399 | Media playback is unsupported on your device 1 October 2014 Last updated at 19:45 BST The Global AgeWatch Index 2014 measures the social and economic welfare of those over 60 in 96 countries. According to the index, Norway comes on top and the worst country is Afghanistan, followed by Mozambique. Here's the story - in 15 seconds. |
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